With Canadian Multiculturalism Day approaching on June 27, the New Canadians Centre is kicking off the third annual Canadian Multicultural Festival in Nogojiwanong-Peterborough in June with the launch of the month-long Multicultural Food Crawl.

First celebrated in 2003, Canadian Multiculturalism Day is dedicated to celebrating the diverse cultures that make up Canada. Over the past year, the New Canadians Centre — which is marking its 45th anniversary this year — supported a record number of more than 2,000 newcomers speaking 76 languages from more than 100 countries, with each newcomer adding to the cultural fabric of the community.

“Celebrating the richness of multiculturalism is at the heart of community-building,” says New Canadians Centre executive director Andy Cragg. “We may be one small organization in one part of a huge country, but in celebrations like these and in the work that the New Canadians does every day, we are on the front lines of building an inclusive and prosperous multicultural society.”

For the Multicultural Food Crawl, the New Canadians Centre has teamed up with the Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area (DBIA) to highlight international dishes available at 10 restaurants in downtown Peterborough.

The participating restaurants are Ariyana, Bhojan, Cork & Bean, Curry Village, Fresh Dreams, La Mesita Restaurante, Levantine Grill, Milk + Tea Shop, Oasis Mediterranean Grill (OMG), and Village of Thai.

Until June 30, for every $10 you spend at one of the participating restaurants, you will receive a stamp to add to your Multicultural Food Passport. Passports can be picked up at any of the participating restaurants or at the New Canadians Centre’s office at 221 Romaine Street in downtown Peterborough. Collect six stamps and enter a draw to win one of three $100 Boro gift cards that can be redeemed at downtown businesses.

Participating Restaurants – Multicultural Festival Food Crawl

“In Spain, our culture, our unity, and our love starts from the table where we spend hours talking with families and friends while sharing family-style meals,” says Monica Silva, who, with her husband Alvaro De La Guardia, owns participating restaurant Fresh Dreams. “Through my dishes and Fresh Dreams, I want to show the community a part of Europe and my culture.”

As part of the Multicultural Food Crawl, the New Canadians Centre is inviting everyone to attend Flavours of the World Sampling Day on Friday, June 28th during the non-profit organization’s 45th Anniversary Block Party at 221 Romaine Street, where you can taste a sample of dishes from each of the participating restaurants between 2 and 6 p.m., while supplies last.

The New Canadians Centre is encouraging participants to share their love of Peterborough’s international cuisine by voting for their favourite restaurant in the Multicultural Food Crawl at bit.ly/NCC_FoodCrawl. Share your experience during Multicultural Food Crawl by tagging the New Canadians Centre @newcanadianscentre #multiculturalfoodcrawlptbo on Instagram or Facebook, with two posts drawn at random to win a $25 Boro gift card.

In addition to the Multicultural Food Crawl, Flavours of the World Sampling Day, and the New Canadians Centre’s 45th Anniversary Block Party, there are more activities taking place in Peterborough during June’s Canadian Multicultural Festival.

• Wednesday, June 19 – Canadian Multicultural Festival launch featuring a family-friendly Bollywood Dance Party & Marketplace from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Millennium Park (no registration required)
• Thursday, June 20 – “Our Home” World Refugee Day Community Conversation Panel from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Peterborough Public Library (RSVP to secure a spot)
• Saturday, June 22 – Family-friendly Zumba Party from 3 to 5 p.m. at Quaker Foods City Square (no registration required)
• Sunday, June 23 – Jollof Rice Cooking Class from 12 to 3 p.m. at the New Canadians Centre (advance registration required)
• Monday, June 24 – Language Exchange (learn common words and phrases in Arabic, French, Spanish, Hindi) from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the New Canadians Centre (no registration required)
• Tursday, June 25 – “Sip Around the World” Coffee and Tea Tasting from 2 to 4 p.m. at the New Canadians Centre (advance registration required)

For more information about the Canadian Multicultural Festival, including the Multicultural Food Crawl and other events (including those requiring registration or RSVP), visit nccpeterborough.ca/multiculturalfestival/.

Ahead of the season-opening play Onion Skins & Peach Fuzz: The Farmerettes in July, Millbrook’s 4th Line Theatre is partnering with the Peterborough Museum & Archives to host an event inviting community members to share stories and learn about the women in the region who toiled on farms during World War II.

Held on Sunday, June 9th from 1 to 2:30 p.m. “Memories of the Farmerettes” will include a discussion between Kim Blackwell, 4th Line Theatre’s managing artistic director. and Bonnie Sitter, the co-author of the 2019 book Onion Skins & Peach Fuzz: Memories of Ontario Farmerettes upon which the play is based.

“Bonnie is such a dynamic and energetic human, and her mission in life right now is to elevate the stories of the Farmerettes,” says Blackwell. “Nobody’s ever heard of them, unless you are a farmer, so it’s really almost a completely unknown part of Ontario’s history.”

“Farmerettes” is the term given to the young women who worked on farms across Canada during World War II, keeping the troops and all Canadians fed while the young men who normally worked the farms were fighting overseas. Often travelling far from home and most with no previous farming experience, the women spent long hours weeding, hoeing, and harvesting, but many of the surviving Farmerettes — who are all in their 90s now — continue to look back at the time as the best summers of their lives.

“This was a chance for them to get away from home and live on their own and have some freedom, maybe for the first time in their lives,” says Blackwell. “Once they get there and they’re out from under the thumbs of family and they’re in the much bigger world, they can start to think about what they, as human beings, really want.”

For many women, the summers away were life-changing, often resulting in meeting the men they would later marry, or wanting to stay in farming long-term.

VIDEO: Bonnie Sitter on the Farmerettes

“It was really hard physical work that they were doing, but their bodies were strong and healthy,” says Blackwell. “The stories they tell are about picking strawberries eight to 10 hours a day and then getting up into the trees for cherries, knocking the peaches over and being covered in the peach fuzz — an incredible irritant — and smelling like onions. It was really back-breaking physically tough work in the hot sun.”

“Memories of the Farmerettes” calls for local farmers, community members, and more to share stories, memorabilia, and photos about Farmerettes, while inviting others to listen to the often-overlooked histories, including Ontario’s agricultural and rural histories. Some people may have had a Farmerette in their family or as a neighbour, or perhaps a local farming family hosted a Farmerette.

“We’re trying to activate and access and partner with women in our region,” says Blackwell. “This is a springboard to really celebrating and acknowledging and digging into the women who work in farming in our region.”

Last year, 4th Line Theatre hosted a similar event at the Kitchener Public Library, where the public was invited to share stories and memories.

“There aren’t as many Farmerettes anymore, but there’s a lot of families,” says Blackwell. “And we found as well that there were a lot of families who didn’t even know their moms were Farmerettes, because people just did their thing and then got on with the business of living their lives.”

The “Memories of the Farmerettes” community gathering comes ahead of the world premiere of Onion Skins & Peach Fuzz: The Farmerettes by playwright Alison Lawrence, based on the 2019 book by Sitter and Shirleyan English. Directed by Autumn Smith, the outdoor production will be staged at Winslow Farm Mondays to Saturdays at 6 p.m. from July 1 to 20.

A resident of Exeter north of London in southwestern Ontario, Sitter first became aware of the Farmerettes when she found an old photograph of three young girls dressed in farm work clothes with “Farmerettes 1946” written on the back.

She did some research and wrote a story in 2018 that found its way to London resident and former journalist Shirleyan English, who it turns out had worked as a Farmerette on the Sitter’s farm in Thedford and was planning to write her own book about the Farmerettes. The two women eventually teamed up to write a book together, featuring a collection of photos, letters, and memories from Farmerettes across the country.

“Many of the Farmerettes do talk about it being the summer of their life, and I think that’s the number one theme,” says Blackwell about the play. “The really interesting part for Alison Lawrence was finding some tension and drama but, when you put people together in a situation where there is physical and mental challenges with the backdrop of the Second World War, she was able to find lots of great stuff.”

With two of the actresses performing in the play of Japanese descent, the play also references Japanese internments during World War II, when some 21,000 Japanese Canadians living on the coast in British Columbia were detained and dispossessed of their property on the assumption their loyalties were with Japan. Many of the interned families were sent to labour camps and some ended up working on farms in Ontario.

The play is structured with six young actresses playing a multitude of roles, with each act centred around different Farmerettes. Included in the cast are 4th Line veteran Rebecca Birrell (The Tilco Strike) and Aimée Gordon, who worked a few seasons as a member of 4th Line Theatre’s Young Company project where young performers work alongside industry professionals and will be making her 4th Line debut.

Joining them at Winslow Farm for the first time are Reena Goze, Carina Sălăjan, Alicia Salvador, and Megan Murphy (not to be confused with the local filmmaker and performer).

Like many Canadians, Blackwell admits she didn’t know about the Farmerettes but has learned a lot since a donor first suggested 4th Line produce a play based on the popular book.

“I always love stories of little-known Canadian and Ontario histories so this fits in perfectly with that,” she says. “We always try at 4th Line to educate, entertain, and enthrall audiences. I think this play will do all three of those things and it is quite joyful as well, so we will continue to honour that history.”

While the “Memories of the Farmerettes” community gathering at the Peterborough Museum & Archives (300 Hunter St. E.) is free to attend, seating is very limited. To reserve a seat, call 4th Line theatre’s Box Office at 705-932-4445 or email boxoffice@4thlinetheatre.on.ca.

The village of Lakefield is getting a new Habitat for Humanity ReStore, which will boast more than 10,000 square feet of space for new and used furniture, appliances, housewares, and home building materials.

The Habitat for Humanity Peterborough & Kawartha Region (Habitat PKR) ReStore will open this summer in the former Overstock Liquidation building, which is located at 3001 Lakefield Rd. The new store will enable Habitat PKR to extend its reach and continue supporting local families and individuals through affordable homeownership, the organization said.

“With the end-of-lease closure of our Peterborough South ReStore, we were looking for a suitable location for a Habitat ReStore across our region which encompasses the city and county of Peterborough, the City of Kawartha Lakes, and the Haliburton Highlands,” Jenn MacDonald, communications and donor services manager for Habitat PKR, told kawarthaNOW.

“An opportunity arose with the location in Lakefield, which served our needs for a ReStore and provided the opportunity to expand our reach into the township of Selwyn,” MacDonald said. “The location provides great exposure for our organization and is located perfectly at the fork in the road when travelling to and from Lakefield, Buckhorn, and Ennismore.”

Habitat ReStores are non-profit home improvement and building supply stores that accept and resell quality new and gently used building materials, furniture, appliances, and home décor items.

Shopping, donating, and volunteering at a Habitat ReStore “is a socially conscious decision,” as funds generated cover administrative costs and fund local Habitat for Humanity homebuilding projects across the Kawarthas region. Habitat PKR says it’s also “an environmentally conscious decision” for those who want to purchase items that would otherwise end up in a landfill.

“We are excited to share this news with our community following the closure of the Peterborough south ReStore,” said Susan Zambonin, CEO of Habitat PKR, in a media release.

“This new Habitat ReStore in Lakefield will enable us to continue serving the Peterborough and Kawartha region through three ReStore locations and bring us closer to our vision of a world where everyone has a safe and affordable place to live.”

While the opening date for the Lakefield ReStore is yet to be announced, the community can continue supporting Habitat PKR by shopping and donating to the Peterborough North ReStore at 300 Milroy Dr., and the Lindsay ReStore at 55 Angeline St. N., Habitat PKR noted.

The organization has high hopes for the Lakefield store.

“A ReStore in Lakefield will be a great addition to our operations of Habitat for Humanity PKR to help expand our reach across our territory,” MacDonald said. “We are looking forward to providing a space where cottagers and local residents of Selwyn can donate and purchase quality new and used furniture, appliances, housewares, and home building materials all in support of local affordable housing initiatives.”

For more information about the ReStores, upcoming grand opening festivities, and special promotions, visit www.habitatpkr.ca/restores, where you can also sign up for the ReStore newsletter for a chance to be one of 25 VIP shoppers when the doors open in Lakefield.

If Dan Fewings doesn’t already know how much he has meant and still means to so many in Peterborough and beyond, he’s in for quite a shock come Saturday, June 15th.

The Simcoe native and retired Peterborough high school music teacher who, for years, has made us laugh, tap our feet, and simply have a whole lot of fun, is in a battle with cancer.

According to his son Josh Buster Fewings, a CAT scan done a few months ago “showed a little bit of cancer” under his father’s tongue.

“It kind of developed from there,” Buster says. “He got more testing, a biopsy, and found it had spread to his vocal chords and maybe a little bit to his thyroid. It looks like they caught it fairly early but it’s still developing.”

Now, with Dan scheduled to begin radiation treatment June 10th at a Hamilton hospital, a benefit on his behalf at the Pig’s Ear Tavern in downtown Peterborough has come together quickly.

Billed as a musical fundraiser, ‘Yes Dan Can!’ is set for 2 to 6 p.m. at the Brock Street pub, with a suggested admission donation of $20 at the door. Those who are unable to attend but still want to support Dan in his fight against cancer can send an etransfer to yesdanfewingscan@gmail.com.

Performances by Greg Keelor (of Blue Rodeo fame), Brooks and Bowskill (Brittany Brooks and Jimmy Bowskill), James McKenty, Nicholas Campbell, The Bonus Numbers (Trevor ‘Tiny’ Davis and Wyatt Burton), Sleevehaus, Ian McKeown, Boogie Time Ramblers, and Buster are scheduled.

“I had been kind of thinking about it (a benefit) but Jimmy (Bowskill), who’s a good family friend, messaged me ‘We should really put something together for your dad,'” says Buster.

“Dad’s a retired teacher, so he’s not destitute, but there’s a lot of costs associated with it (cancer treatment) that are coming his way, so we figured if we can soften the blow a little bit, he doesn’t have to use all of his savings to take care of this thing.”

“But more than trying to raise money, it’s to lift his spirits a bit and let him know people are thinking of him. People can play tunes in honour of him while he’s still kicking. Yes Dan Can is the message we want to send to him. He’s going into some crappy treatment time, so this will raise his spirits a bit.”

Anyone who has spent any amount of time with Dan, whether informally or as an audience member, will no doubt have a difficult time imagining him to be anything other than upbeat and positive.

Blessed with a larger-than-life persona and full willingness to poke fun at himself in a bid to make others laugh, the professional clown, guitarist, and popular emcee has been the life of the party for years — earning him an induction into Peterborough’s Pathway of Fame for dramatic arts in 2016.

In 2009, while in the midst of overseeing his Green Roof Children’s Theatre Camp, Dan was invited by Peterborough jazz pianist Rob Phillips to drop by Cassis where he was playing. Dan did so and was invited onstage to sing.

That impromptu performance gave birth to The Three Martinis, a musical improv comedy act that entertained here, there and everywhere over the next several years, with Dan and Rob frequently joined by Bowskill on stand-up bass. Their act was centred around the audience calling out suggested song titles, from which they would select one, and create and perform a song on the spot.

“The Three Martinis was magic — there were some really special moments,” reflects Bowskill, who also toured the East Coast with Dan as the bluegrass duo Fewings and Bowskill.

“He (Dan) had my back right from the get-go. I wanted to go to PCVS (the former Peterborough Collegiate and Vocational School), which had a creative arts program. They didn’t want to let me in because I couldn’t read music. Dan went to bat for me for big time. He said ‘If you don’t let him in, I’m going to retire.’ So I got in.”

“I learned from Dan that stage presence is key. He really is a bigger-than-life character. And he helped me do a lot of music that really changed my life. He introduced me to Willie P. Bennett, Bruce Cockburn, and those kinds of Canadian folk music legends.”

All this said, it was a no-brainer for Bowskill that something be done for Dan during what is a difficult time, destined to become all the more tougher.

“He’s going to get through it but it’s going to be a rocky road for awhile,” says Bowskill who, besides performing with his wife Brittany Brooks as part of Brooks and Bowskill, plays pedal steel guitar, mandolin, and dobro with Blue Rodeo.

“It’s always magical to see a community come together and help someone,” he adds. “This is something we can do to help Dan stay positive — let him know that we’re thinking of him and we’re in his corner.”

Meanwhile, Buster says it’s still unclear if his dad will be able attend the benefit.

“He starts treatment the week before but he’s really hopeful that he can make it and thank everybody for coming out,” he says, adding that his gratitude for those who have agreed to perform is over the top.

“They (musicians) get asked to do a lot. Greg (Keelor) is a busy guy. When he’s not playing, he’s taking it easy between gigs. Nick Campbell is on fire. He’s playing all the time. To have these folks come out for Dad is really something special. Peterborough is a great city for that. We really lift each other up when called upon.”

Buster notes that, in addition to the scheduled musical guests, there may be some surprise performances.

“You open the door and who knows who’s going come through it?”

Of note, says Buster, the Peterborough Musicians’ Benevolent Association (PMBA) is hosting its monthly event the same afternoon, from 1 to 4 p.m. at Dr. J’s BBQ and Brew. That group has committed the proceeds from that day to help Dan. Buster suggests people attend both.

In the meantime, Buster says he and his brother Coby have been checking in with their dad daily.

“Dad is such a thinker that it’s easy for him to overthink but he’s still cracking jokes, as you’d expect,” he says.

“It’s all been sort of sudden, so he’s coming to grips with it. His spirits are good, but he’s not looking forward to the treatment. It’s the unknown of all that, right? On one hand, he’s a little bit down and kind of existential, but on the other hand, he’s taking it day by day.”

Peterborough & the Kawarthas Economic Development (PKED) has announced it will be dissolving at the end of the year, at which time its employees will lose their jobs and the organization will vacate its offices and the visitor centre in downtown Peterborough.

Board chair Burton Lee issued a statement on Monday (June 3) officially announcing “with profound regret” the dissolution of PKED after more than 25 years, resulting from an earlier decision by the City and County of Peterborough to not renew their tri-party funding agreement with the not-for-profit corporation, which expires December 31, 2024.

The decision by the two municipal governments not to renew the agreement, and instead deliver economic development and tourism services themselves, will eliminate PKED’s core funding along with its ability to deliver regional economic development, small business support, and tourism services and to pay employees and rent at its offices in downtown Peterborough.

PKED’s budget for 2024 — the final year of the tri-party agreement — is $2.5 million, of which almost 75 per cent is funded by the city and county. The city’s core funding share for 2024 is $1,015,112 and the county’s core funding share is $790,038.

“The organization will neither have the capacity nor resources to deliver economic and tourism services on behalf of the region,” Lee’s statement reads. “As such, the impending dissolution has set forth a series of actions, including the delivery of termination notices to staff and providing notice to vacate PKED’s offices and the regional Peterborough & the Kawarthas Tourism Visitor Centre located in the Venture North business hub in downtown Peterborough effective at the end of this year.”

PKED formed a dissolution committee “and made the difficult decision to cease operations by the end of the year,” meeting with city and county staff as the organization prepares to wind down its operations in the second half of the year. The dissolution decision was announced at the corporation’s final operational annual general meeting last Thursday (May 30).

“As the lead Regional Economic Development Agency and Official Destination Marketing Organization, PKED has obligations to a wide range of partners, stakeholders, and service providers that will be impacted,” the statement continues. “The Ontario Not-For-Profit Corporations Act prescribes clear steps to wind down the corporation, and PKED’s Board of Directors will be vigilant in ensuring a responsible dissolution.”

There is no public record of why, how, or when the decision against renewing PKED’s funding agreement was made, as it was never discussed at any public meeting of either city or county council. However, it appears the decision was instigated by the City of Peterborough some time last fall.

According to Lee’s statement, PKED’s board has been “seeking clarity on the municipalities’ plans” since fall 2023. In March, Lee told kawarthaNOW the City of Peterborough had sent PKED a letter providing written notice the city would not be extending the tri-party agreement, but did not specify when the letter was received or provide a copy of the letter.

A statement provided to kawarthaNOW by Peterborough County in March indicated the county made the decision to prepare to deliver economic development and tourism services in-house after receiving a “recent notice” from the City of Peterborough regarding the non-renewal of the agreement, but did not indicate the date of the notice or provide a copy of the notice. The county said it had formed a committee to “formulate a comprehensive strategy for seamlessly integrating economic development and tourism services within the county post-2024.”

Regardless of why and when the decision was made, with the end of the tri-party agreement fast approaching, both the city and the county are preparing to bring economic development and tourism promotion services in-house before PKED dissolves at the end of the year.

In March, Peterborough Mayor Jeff Leal confirmed to kawarthaNOW a staff report will be presented to city councillors “in the not too distant future” that “will take a look at how a reconstituted, reconstructed economic development division under the city’s umbrella would function and operate.”

While that report has yet to come before city council, Peterborough County staff will be presenting a report to county council on Wednesday (June 5) to present a proposed transition plan for assuming the responsibilities of economic development and tourism. The plan has been developed by an economic development transition committee comprising representatives from all eight townships in Peterborough County and three members of county council (Selwyn Mayor Sherry Senis, Douro-Dummer Mayor Heather Watson, and Havelock-Belmont-Bethuen Mayor Jim Martin).

The county report identifies the Small Business Enterprise Centre (known as the Small Business Advisory Centre as PKED) as a key service that needs to be retained. Among other things, the Small Business Advisory Centre administers provincially funded services and programs such as the Starter Company Plus program and the Summer Company program.

The report states that the county’s economic development transition committee “is working on a transition plan for this vital service and will report back to council.” It is not yet known if or how both the county and city might be involved in the operation of a Small Business Enterprise Centre, as this is a decision that will be made in consultation with the Ontario government.

The county’s transition plan proposes the county hire a new general manager of economic development who would report to the existing director of planning, with the division renamed as planning and economic development. The plan also proposes the county’s communications division be renamed communications and tourism, with that division’s manager title renamed as general manager of communications and tourism, and that a new communications coordinator be hired for the renamed division.

In its report, the county emphasizes the importance of “extensive collaboration” with the city and the county’s eight townships (some of which already have their own economic development departments), as well as surrounding counties including Haliburton, Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland, and Hastings.

According to the report going before county council, county staff have “met frequently” with PKED’s dissolution committee, and the PKED board has “committed to a reduction in county monthly financial contributions to PKED” to support the county’s need to hire its own staff before PKED dissolves.

As for PKED, “the organization remains committed to regional economic development” according to Lee’s statement. “Staff will continue to deliver tourism, visitor services, destination marketing, economic development, business retention, investment attraction, and small business support services” while the city and county work on their plans to deliver economic development and tourism services.

“As reports on new economic development and tourism models are being considered (by) councils in June, we eagerly await the opportunity to review them and to identify opportunities for service continuity for the businesses and clients that rely on PKED,” Lee says in the statement. “As a high-performing economic development agency, the health and vitality of the local economy are at the core of our mission, and our team has a vested interest in supporting a mutually beneficial transition.”

“There will be a significant disruptive impact if these plans do not factor in the vast number of existing projects, programs, and initiatives that PKED has developed,” adds Lee. “The award-winning campaigns and highly recognized Peterborough & the Kawarthas brand are an outcome of our staff’s collaborative and strategic expertise.”

In the statement, PKED CEO Rhonda Keenan says she hopes the city and county will consider hiring some of the PKED staff who will be losing their jobs as a result of the organization’s dissolution. PKED currently employs 12 full-time employees.

“The critical value of our team’s knowledge, expertise, and relationships with local, regional, national, and international partners, businesses, investors, and media cannot be understated,” Keenan says. “It is our hope that the new models will include positions for our existing team of passionate and dedicated economic development professionals to continue serving the business community and attracting investment to the region.”

PKED has posted a copy of the June 3rd statement along with FAQs about the dissolution at its website at investptbo.ca/status/.

PKED was originally founded in 1998 as the Greater Peterborough Area Development Corporation, arising from the recommendations of the 1997 GPA 2020 A Vision For Our Future Report, which in part proposed a new regional approach to economic development in the City and County of Peterborough, creating a more efficient approach by consolidating the fragmented services being provided by different organizations.

Governed as a private-public non-profit partnership corporation by a board of directors that included elected officials, municipal appointees and private sector business leaders, the organization amalgamated the services and budgets of six separate organizations: the Greater Peterborough Economic Council, the City of Peterborough Economic Development, the County of Peterborough Economic Development, the Peterborough-Kawartha Tourism and Convention Bureau, the Peterborough Industrial Development Corporation, and the Provincial Business Self-Help Office.

The organization used funds previously invested by the City and County of Peterborough in the above organizations and augmented its capabilities by sourcing additional community investment from the provincial and federal governments and the private sector.

In 2005, the Greater Peterborough Area Development Corporation was officially renamed as the Greater Peterborough Area Economic Development Corporation. In 2017, it rebranded as PKED when the organization relocated both its corporate office (including the Business Advisory Centre previously located at 210 Wolfe Street) and the Peterborough & the Kawarthas Tourism Visitor Centre (previously located at 1400 Crawford Drive) to the then-new Venture North building at 270 George Street North.

Conceived as a business hub, that building also houses all other local economic development organizations, including Community Futures Peterborough, the Innovation Cluster Peterborough and the Kawarthas, and — as of May 1 — the Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area.

The original version of this story has been updated with the following corrections and clarications provided by PKED. PKED staff are not being laid off, but will have their employment terminated when the organization dissolves as of December 31, 2024. PKED currently employs 12 full-time staff. Peterborough County is not proposing that it will assume operational responsibility for the Small Business Enterprise Centre, but supports the continuation of the services that the centre provides. The section of the story speculating that the city’s decision to not renew the tri-party agreement with PKED may have been related to PKED’s involvement with physician recruitment services has been removed, as PKED has clarified that its only involvement in physician recruitment was to act as a conduit to flow funding according to city and county directives, and that the Peterborough Physician Recruitment and Retention Committee (PPRRC) was responsible for governing and directing recruitment activities.

In counties including Northumberland, Peterborough, and Haliburton, more housing, better access to health care, and the need for a bigger government investment in infrastructure are common themes.

The Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus (EOWC), which represents small urban and rural municipalities across eastern Ontario, has identified those areas among its highest priorities as it shapes its 2024-2027 strategic plan.

The EOWC expects those three strategic priorities will guide its decision-making and advocacy focus for the next three years.

“Reliable infrastructure systems and facilities to foster growth, a range of housing options that are affordable and meet the needs of all people, and access to health care services are critically important to people living, raising families, and building businesses in eastern Ontario,” said Peter Emon, EOWC chair, in a media release.

“This strategic plan is a blueprint for ensuring that we all work together to ensure those needs are met for residents of rural eastern Ontario, now and into the future.”

The EOWC said it’s committed to working with all tiers of government, business operators, and community leaders to ensure people across eastern Ontario’s small urban and rural communities are equipped “to thrive.”

The strategic plan outlines the EOWC’s approach to each priority.

1. Infrastructure

• Advocate for continued and necessary investment in provincially and federally owned and controlled infrastructure.
• Create flexible and adaptive policies to enable its municipalities and the Ontario government to unlock capacity and build innovative infrastructure solutions.
• Invest in municipal infrastructure that provides predictable, fair, evidence-based funding to allow municipalities to plan and create economic environments that foster growth.
• Invest in infrastructure that supports an environmentally sustainable economy.

2. Housing

• Continue to advocate for alternative funding to assist Eastern Ontario municipalities to plan and develop housing and related infrastructure.
• Make programming more equitable by advocating for the expansion of the parameters for funding eligibility and allocation across all municipalities.
• Develop and recommend flexible and adaptive housing policies to enable eastern Ontario municipalities and the provincial government to build innovative housing solutions.

3. Health care

• Undertake an environmental scan to measure what municipalities are spending directly on health care and to access related trend data and forecasting.
• Provide evidence-based feedback and data to inform government decisions around long-term care, paramedic services, public health, and the evolution of Ontario health teams. The EOWC will incorporate social determinants of health to map out impact.
• Educate the public and continue to advocate for adequate and sustainable funding to support the delivery of health care services and to ensure the long-term viability of the health care system.

According to the EOWC, a fourth strategic priority is strengthening the organization’s impact by ensuring its work is informed by research and an evidence-based approach. It will also continue to develop its collaborations and partnerships “that move the needle” on issues impacting eastern Ontario.

Communicating strategically and effectively on multiple levels with the government and key partners and members and providing effective and strategic leadership are also critical in the coming years, the EOWC said.

The EOWC is a non-profit organization advocating for 103 small urban and rural municipalities across eastern Ontario. The caucus covers an area of 50,000 square kilometres, serving 800,000 residents.

“For more than 20 years, the EOWC has gained support and momentum by speaking with a united voice to champion regional municipal priorities and work with the government, businesses, non-profit organizations, Indigenous leaders, the media, and the public.”

Peterborough County’s warden, Bonnie Clark, is the vice-chair of the EOWC. She told kawarthaNOW earlier this year the key issues in Peterborough County are — similar to the EOWC — health care and housing.

Providing more housing and increasing access to primary care physicians and health-care professionals are two top priorities for 2024, Clark said.

“We have 4,000 housing starts in the next couple years just in the county, so we are doing our share here in the county with severances and different subdivisions going,” Clark said.

Across the EOWC’s region, there are approximately 12,000 to 14,000 units on municipal community rental housing wait lists, EOWC figures noted.

“People are waiting an average of almost five years and up to 10 years in some cases to access these community rental housing units,” according to the EOWC.

In the health care realm, Peterborough County recently welcomed aboard a health care advancement coordinator with the aim to drive physician recruitment efforts and advocate for a community health centre in the county.