Shawn Grenke has been appointed as the new artistic director and conductor of the Peterborough Singers. (Supplied photo)
He has big shoes to fill, but accomplished Toronto-based conductor, pianist, and organist Shawn Grenke is up for the challenge.
The board of the Peterborough Singers has announced that the Belleville native will be the choir’s new artistic director and conductor, succeeding founder Syd Birrell who retired in December after 35 years leading the ensemble.
According to a media release, Grenke was selected for the position after the board conducted a “comprehensive national search” that included surveying choir members, screening applications, conducting in-person interviews and reference checks, and inviting finalists to lead the choir in conducting sessions.
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“Our search committee sought a leader who would carry the choir strongly forward while honouring the history and tradition that have made the Peterborough Singers what they are,” says board chair Dr. Carey Gibson. “In Shawn, we are confident we have found exactly that.”
Grenke currently serves as director of music at Eglinton St. George’s United Church in Toronto, collaborative pianist with the Elmer Iseler Singers, artistic director and conductor of the Achill Choral Society in Orangeville, and instructor of conducting at Brock University in St. Catharines.
With a Bachelor of Music from Mount Allison University and a Master of Music from the University of Toronto, Grenke is currently a doctoral candidate in choral conducting at the University of Alberta, where his research focuses on a collaborative choral commission with Cree composer Andrew Balfour, supported by a fellowship from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.
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Grenke has performed throughout Canada, the United States, and Europe, and has participated in international choral festivals and competitions in Sweden, China, and Quebec. His performance credits include appearances at Roy Thomson Hall and the Winspear Centre, as well as broadcasts on CBC Radio. He was nominated for a Juno Award in 2019 and for the Leslie Bell Prize for Choral Conducting in 2018.
“It is a true honour to become part of such an outstanding musical community,” Grenke says of the Peterborough Singers. “I am especially grateful for the remarkable legacy created by Syd Birrell during his extraordinary 35-year tenure. To follow in the footsteps of a founding conductor is both humbling and inspiring.”
An accomplished organist, Birrell and and his wife Pamela (herself a soprano soloist) founded the Peterborough Singers in 1990 as the Peterborough Symphony Singers, an unauditioned choir that annually performed Handel’s Messiah with the Peterborough Symphony Orchestra. Three years later, frustrated with the difficulties related to rehearsing an ever-changing roster of singers for that oratorio, the couple formed the Peterborough Singers as a year-round, auditioned choir.
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Each season since has seen the group perform four concerts, ranging from classical oratorios to the annual presentation of Handel’s Messiah, and tributes to mainstream artists songs to music from Broadway, Celtic, blues, and gospel genre. That tradition will continue under Grenke’s leadership.
“This choir has always been about more than just good singing — it is about building something meaningful in a community, and about believing that a small city can produce music that rivals anything in the country,” says Birrell. “In my conversations with Shawn, it has been clear that he shares that belief. The future of the Peterborough Singers looks very bright indeed.”
While Grenke does not officially begin in his new role until July 1, he is already working on the program lineup for the ensemble’s 2026-2027 season.
“Choral music is a uniquely powerful art form,” Grenke says. “It brings individual voices and hearts together to create something deeply moving, meaningful, and memorable. For me, fostering community through music lies at the very heart of choral singing.”
In early 2025, the Peterborough Family Health Team expanded its by-appointment-only clinic for local residents who currently do not have a family doctor or nurse practitioner to a new location on George Street, in addition to the King Street location. The clinic is now known at the Connect Clinic. (Photo: Peterborough Family Health Team)
The Peterborough Family Health Team has rebranded its by-appointment-only clinic for local residents who currently do not have a family doctor or nurse practitioner.
The Connect Clinic offers in-person, team-based primary care with same or next-day appointments at two locations in downtown Peterborough: 185 King Street and 555 George Street North. The George Street location was originally opened in early 2025 to serve more unattached patients.
“Connect Clinic care is delivered by family doctors and nurse practitioners, some of whom have come out of retirement to help our community,” says Peterborough Family Health Team CEO Duff Sprague in a media release.
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The clinic is intended to provide care to patients while they wait to get a permanent family doctor or nurse practitioner. Unlike virtual walk-in clinics, the Connect Clinic works with patients to build a complete medical record that will follow them to their new family physician, nurse practitioner, and primary care team.
There are around 32,000 residents of city and county of Peterborough who don’t currently have a family doctor or nurse practitioner.
“This clinic is a response to the healthcare crisis in our community,” Sprague says. “Area residents without a family doctor or nurse practitioner now have a place to go for in-person, quality care.”
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The Connect Clinic is not a walk-in clinic. New patients need to book an intake appointment first, and existing patients need to book an appointment by phone or online. An OHIP card is required for all appointments. The clinic is not open on weekends or statutory holidays.
Local family doctors and nurse practitioners at the clinic provide timely access to acute, chronic, and preventative care including immunizations, birth control and family planning, blood pressure checks, skin issues, stomach and bowel issues, cold symptoms that persist for more than one week, sore ears and throat, diabetes checks and medication, urinary tract infections, prescription refills, and more.
The clinic also offers mental health navigation as a new service in partnership with the local Canadian Mental Health Association, and supports the Peterborough Community Health Centre, 360 Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic (NPLC), and the VON NPLC (Keene) to take on new patients.
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The Connect Clinic does not provide emergency care, suturing of lacerations (stitches), setting of bones, minor surgical procedures, narcotic or controlled drug prescriptions (except for people diagnosed with ADHD and current prescribed medication), or forms such as insurance, driver’s licence medical, and disabilty.
The clinic is funded by Ontario Health and works in partnership with Health Care Connect and the Peterborough Ontario Health Team.
Police in the city and county of Peterborough are warning the public of a local increase in bank scams, after at least four recent incidents including two where residents were defrauded of a total of around $31,000.
According to the Peterborough Police Service, in one of the incidents a victim received what they believed to be a call from their banking institution claiming the victim’s bank cards were compromised and they needed to be sent to the bank.
The scammer instructed the victim to place their bank cards in an envelope and leave it on their porch for a courier. The envelope was picked up sometime overnight last Friday (March 13) and, shortly after, the victim noticed fraudulent activity in their accounts with almost $17,000 lost.
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In another incident, Peterborough County Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) say a victim received a call last Wednesday (March 11) from someone claiming to be from their bank. The scammer said the victim’s credit card had been fraudulently used in another province and instructed the victim to place both their credit card and debit card in an envelope for collection as part of the bank’s investigation.
At around 11:30 p.m. an individual attended the residence and picked up the envelope. The following day, the same scammer contacted the victim and asked them various personal questions, telling the victim the information was needed as part of the bank’s investigation. It was later discovered that over $14,000 had been transferred out of the victim’s account.
Police also report two other recent incidents where victims were convinced by someone claiming to be from their bank to cut up their bank or credit cards and leave them for pick up. One of the victims lost $3,000 and the other victim realized it was a scam and called their bank to have their cards cancelled before they lost any money.
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Police are providing these reminders to avoid falling prey to bank scams:
Slow down and verify. Fraudsters rely on fear, urgency, and confusion to pressure people into making quick decisions.
Don’t trust phone calls or texts that appear to come from your bank as they can be spoofed. If you receive a phone call or text from your bank, verify it is valid by calling the number on the back of your bank card and not the number from the phone call or text.
Banks will never ask for your bank or credit cards or send someone to pick them up, and they will never ask you to provide your PIN or personal information over the phone.
If you believe you are the victim of a scam, report it to your local police service or the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501.
A scene from Romanian-born Canadian artist Laura Taler's 1995 directorial debut "the village trilogy," which will be screened along with her latest work "Matryoshka Crush" during a double bill presented by Public Energy Performing Arts at the Art Gallery of Peterborough on March 27, 2026. Part of the dance film's 30th anniversary tour in Canada, the screenings will be followed by a discussion facilitated by Peterborough multidisciplinary artist Kate Story, with a masterclass led by Taler herself the next morning. (Photo courtesy of Laura Taler)
A double bill screening of dance films created by Ottawa-based interdisciplinary artist Laura Taler will reveal the evolution of her innovative filmmaking over 30 years.
Public Energy Performing Arts will be screening Taler’s 1995 film the village trilogy and her 2025 film Matryoshka Crush at the Art Gallery of Peterborough beginning at 7 p.m. on Friday, March 27.
Part of a 30-year anniversary tour, the screening will be followed by a facilitated discussion with Taler about her films and, the next morning, a masterclass led by Taler herself.
A Romanian-born Canadian artist, Taler works across a range of media including performance, film, sound, sculpture, and installation. Praised for its unique combination of emotional resonance, wit, and striking visuals, her acclaimed work has led her to residencies and fellowships in Canada, Buenos Aires, and Berlin. It has also earned her numerous awards including the SAW Gallery Dennis Tourbin Prize for New Performance and the 2024 Creative City Network of Canada’s Public Art Legacy Award for her MONAHAN installation.
Taler first branched out from being a contemporary dance choreographer to being a filmmaker and visual artist with her 1995 directorial debut the village trilogy. Shot on black-and-white 16 mm film by director of photography Michael Spicer, the 24-minute film is a portrayal of the search for home, alluding to the millions of people uprooted through emigration in the past century. Consisting of three distinct though related chapters, the village trilogy reinterprets the physical characteristics of early cinema.
The film premiered at the 1995 Moving Pictures Festival of Dance on Film and Video, a screendance event and touring program that took place in Toronto. In an interview with the festival co-founder Kathleen Smith published for the International Journal of Screendance in 2025, Taler explained that she began to dance because she “never really felt comfortable with words,” noting she learned German when going to kindergarten in Romania, Italian and Hebrew when her family moved to Italy, and English and French when they moved to Canada.
Based in Ottawa, Laura Taler is a Romanian-born Canadian artist who works across a range of media including performance, film, sound, sculpture, and installation. Praised for its unique combination of emotional resonance, wit, and striking visuals, her acclaimed work has been presented around the world and has led her to numerous awards, residencies, and fellowships. Public Energy Performing Arts will be screening her 1995 film the village trilogy and her 2025 film Matryoshka Crush at the Art Gallery of Peterborough on March 27, 2026. (Photo: Charlotte Frank)
“When we went to Italy, I had no idea what people were saying to me,” Taler recalls. “When we came to Canada, my parents sent me to sleepover camp after we were here for a week. I had like five words of English, so I had to read people’s gestures and facial expressions. I had to read the affect in the room to understand what was going on, and so I would mimic people’s faces or I would mimic what they were doing. I think I started to dance because I felt really comfortable expressing myself in a way that didn’t include words.”
When asked about her transition from dance to filmmaking, Taler says part of the inspiration came to her at the Canada Dance Festival in Ottawa in 1992. A lover of musicals and silent films, she had already been in a 1989 CBC television drama series called 9B when she was a teenager and loved being on set. During the festival, she came across a bunch of dance films at the library, watched all of them, and loved them.
“I can’t remember the names of the films, but I can see them in my head. I loved the fact that these films created these different worlds, different from the one we live in, through set and costume and location and movement,” she said. “That was a big inspiration.”
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That fall, Taler attended a “hard, intensive” workshop at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity where she was already thinking about the village trilogy.
“I had applied as a choreographer thinking that I might want to direct eventually. When I left, all I wanted was to direct,” she said. “I had done the opening solo as a live stage piece and I had a group of dancers that I got into the forest in these funny outfits to do these weird little Laura Taler movements.”
Taler told Smith she’s always been drawn to works that don’t fit into boxes but that are “strange” in a positive way as being something that audiences are not familiar with but that makes them think differently.
“I’ve always tried to play with the idea of creating something cinematic with movement, not necessarily like capital C choreography, but with movement where you’re not being told so much through words,” Taler said. “And then trying to figure out like, what if it’s not like what you would expect or what you would want. Instead it kind of pushes you to think differently or to slow down or it makes you uncomfortable — all those things.”
VIDEO: Excerpt from “the village trilogy” (1995)
As for the village trilogy, the film was awarded Best Experimental Film at the Toronto Worldwide Short Film Festival, the Gold Hugo for Short Subject Experimental at the Chicago International Film Festival, and the Cinedance Award for Best Canadian Dancefilm at Moving Pictures. Presented internationally over 30 years, the film was heralded by Dance International Magazine as a catalyst for the beginning of the dance film boom in Canada.
Thirty years after that first film, Taler created her most recent work Matryoshka Crush, a darkly funny and disturbing tale of intense yearning depicted through a series of monsters revealing themselves in an old tavern, where their ordinary acts transform into a chain of micro-disobediences.
Taler wears a series of masks, layered upon each other like Matryoshka nesting dolls, to play Kukeri, Big Head, Hairy Face Medusa, and Little Head. They recall, respectively, nature and magic, the old world, female rage, and childlike wonder.
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Named for the symbol of Eastern European culture, Matryoshka Crush breaches narrative conventions, straddling contemporary video art, dance film, and personal narrative, and is described as “a lament to the old world and how we are enmeshed in one another.”
The 47-minute film premiered as a continual loop playing every hour alongside an installation at Gatineau’s AXENÉO7 Gallery in the summer of 2025.
Public Energy’s screenings of the village trilogy and Matryoshka Crush on March 27 will be followed by a question discussion about the films with Taler facilitated by Peterborough theatre artist and author Kate Story.
One of two films being screened by Public Energy Performing Arts on March 27, 2026 at the Art Gallery of Peterborough, Laura Taylor’s 2025 film “Matryoshka Crush” is a darkly funny and disturbing tale of yearning depicted through a series of monsters revealing themselves in an old tavern. Named for the symbolic Eastern European dolls, the film sees Taler wearing four masks layered on top of one another representing nature and magic, the old world, female rage, and childlike wonder. (Photo: Melanie Mathieu)
On Saturday, March 28, Taler will lead a masterclass at the Theatre On King from 10 a.m to 1 p.m. using the village trilogy and Matryoshka Crush to explore how her artistic practice has evolved over decades.
The half-day masterclass will look at the evolution of her practice using case studies from the films and video installations, offer in-depth discussions about the processes of planning a shoot, and equip participants with practical tools and tactics for communicating ideas. Performers, visual artists, dance artists, filmmakers, musicians, and all other artists interested in movement, the camera, and installation are invited.
In 2026, the family-run Beachwood Resort is celebrating 100 years of welcoming guests for a lakeside escape in Selwyn Township. The four-season resort's onsite restaurant Frederick's already uses locally sourced seasonal ingredients as much as possible, but will be able to support local farmers even more by participating in the Kawartha Local Food Wholesale program, which connects local buyers with local food producers in Peterborough County, the City of Peterborough, and the City of Kawartha Lakes. (Photo courtesy of Beachwood Resort)
In 2026, Beachwood Resort in Selwyn Township is celebrating 100 years of providing a lakeside escape to its guests, with an onsite restaurant that will continue to support local farmers by participating in Peterborough County’s agricultural programs.
First established on the shores of Lower Buckhorn Lake by the Beach family from Ohio in 1926, Beachwood Resort has been in the Morgan family since 1944. Guests themselves become a part of the family when they stay at the four-season resort featuring 1,400 feet of shoreline and surrounded by 330 acres of forest. From quaint lodge rooms for romantic getaways to lakeside cottages for the whole family, Beachwood Resort is a destination for family gatherings, team and group stays, and weddings and other events.
The resort’s onsite restaurant, Frederick’s, is open to guests and the general public from the Victoria Day weekend to Thanksgiving, and open by chance at other times of the year when catering to groups. Featuring serene views of the lake, the restaurant serves a breakfast buffet, lunch, and dinner, with menu items crafted using seasonal ingredients sourced as close to home as possible.
This will be even easier to do when Beachwood Resort participates in the Kawartha Local Food Wholesale project, an initiative that aims to increase the capacity for local food distribution by connecting buyers with food producers in Peterborough County, the City of Peterborough, and the City of Kawartha Lakes. Through the project, the Green Circle Food Hub will allow Beachwood Resort to source menu ingredients from a range of local farmers all in one place.
Located on the shores of Lower Buckhorn Lake in Selwyn Township, the four season, family-run Beachwood Resort offers an onsite restaurant open to guests and the general public from the Victoria Day weekend to Thanksgiving, and by chance at other times of the year when catering to groups. Featuring serene views of the lake, Frederick’s restaurant serves a breakfast buffet, lunch, and dinner, with menu items crafted using seasonal ingredients sourced as close to home as possible. (Photo: Allan Glanfield)
Third-generation owner Krista Morgan says she is looking forward to streamlining local sourcing of food through the Green Circle Food Hub, as Beachwood Resort doesn’t have the capacity on its own to explore and connect with all the farmers in the area.
“I don’t have someone who can drive around to all the local farms, so I’m looking forward to the hub where we can get fresh local food any day of the week,” she says. “It’s nice to be able to connect with these farmers and understand what works for them.”
Beachwood Resort is also a member of Kawartha Choice Farm Fresh, an initiative delivered by Peterborough County, the City of Peterborough, and the City of Kawartha Lakes. The economic development program provides a brand identity for local producers, a network for members to share and access resources, and an online database for buyers to find farmers.
“Fresh and local are extremely important and so is supporting our farmers,” Morgan says. “It shows patrons that our community is important to us, and it’s good food. I’d rather have lettuce that’s grown up the road than lettuce from California that’s been travelling on a truck for four days. Who wouldn’t?”
In celebration of their 100th anniversary, Beachwood Resort will be hosting a weekend of fun from June 19 to 21. The weekend will include a 1926-themed cocktail party with live entertainment and fireworks, live bands, and a Sunday brunch, among other events.
Beachwood Resort is located at 3043 Beachwood Drive in Lakefield. For more information and to book a stay, visit www.beachwoodresort.com.
The Local Advantage in Peterborough County is a branded editorial feature series celebrating the farmers, food producers, food retailers, and agri-tourism businesses that make The Kawarthas thrive, created in partnership with Peterborough County’s Economic Development & Tourism Division.
Agriculture is a key economic driver and a point of pride for Peterborough County, with local farms producing a wide variety of high-quality goods, from traditional crops and livestock to organic and specialty products, reflecting the strength and diversity of this vital sector. With a growing focus on sustainability, local food systems, agri-innovation, and agri-tourism, agriculture offers strong potential for growth and diversification.
The Local Advantage with Peterborough County series spotlights the Kawartha Choice FarmFresh and Kawartha Local Food Wholesale initiatives, which aim to strengthen connections from farm to table across our region.
For more information about economic development and tourism in Peterborough County, visit www.ptbocounty.ca/ecdev and The Kawarthas Tourism at thekawarthas.ca.
Rehearsals are underway for the Peterborough Theatre Guild's season-ending production of the Mel Brook's musical "Young Frankenstein," based on his classic 1974 horror-comedy film of the same name. Audiences can expect big laughs, classic lines, and show-stopping show-stopping song and dance numbers for 11 performances from April 17 to May 3, 2026. (Photo: Jordan Lyall Photography)
“It’s pronounced Fronkensteen!”
So insists Frederick Frankenstein, grandson of the infamous Victor Frankenstein, in the hilarious musical stage adaptation of the classic 1974 horror-comedy film Young Frankenstein, which will close out the Peterborough Theatre Guild’s 2025-26 season with 11 performances from April 17 to May 3.
Featuring music and lyrics by Mel Brooks, with a book by Brooks and Thomas Meehan, the musical is based on the film written by Gene Wilder and Brooks, who decided to create a musical version of the film following the success of his 2021 musical The Producers based on his film of the same name.
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Orignally promoted as The New Mel Brooks Musical: Young Frankenstein, the show debuted on Broadway in 2007 and closed in 2009 after 485 performances, before heading out on two U.S. tours. A revised version of the show opened in London’s West End in 2017.
The plot of the musical is similar to that of the original film, which is a parody of the horror film adaptations from the 1930s of Mary Shelley’s groundbreaking novel.
When Frederick inherits his family’s estate in Transylvania, he finds himself drawn into the mad science legacy of his grandfather that he tried so hard to escape (including by pronouncing his surname as “Fronkensteen”).
With the help of hunchbacked assistant Igor (pronounced “Eye-gore”) and spirited lab assistant Inga, Frederick reluctantly follows in his grandfather’s footsteps — and soon discovers the thrill of bringing a creature to life.
VIDEO: “Puttin’ on the Ritz” – Young Frankenstein (1974)
Expect to hear classic exchanges from the film — such as when Igor reveals that the brain he acquired for Frederick’s creature was labelled “Abby Normal” — along with show-stopping musical numbers including “He Vas My Boyfriend,” “Transylvania Mania,” and Irving Berlin’s “Puttin’ On the Ritz” — a 1927 song that enjoyed renewed popularity when it was performed by Gene Wilder as Frederick Frankenstein and Peter Boyle as The Monster in the film version.
The Peterborough Theatre Guild production of Young Frankenstein is directed by Nate Axcell and produced by Margaret Pieper, with the leading cast featuring Tom Stanley as Frederick Frankenstein, Rainey Smith as Elizabeth Benning, James Burrell as Igor, Jocelyn Enright at The Hermit, Anna Hykawy as Inga, Lindsay Unterlander as Frau Blücher, Matt Kraft as Inspector Kemp, and Blair Waller as The Monster.
The creative team includes music director Justin Hiscox, choreographer Heather Boyd and assistant choreographer Laura Collings, stage manager Tina Barnes and assistant stage manager Ty McKeen, sound and lighting designer Andy Duncan, costume designer Brenna Goldie, and hair and makeup designer Shelley Moody, with photography by Jordan Lyall.
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Young Frankenstein will be staged at the Guild Hall at 364 Rogers Street in Peterborough’s East City with evening performances at 7:30 p.m. on April 17 and 18, April 23 to 25, and April 30 to May 2, and 1:30 p.m. matinee performances on April 19 and May 3.
United Way Peterborough & District campaign officer Adeline Murphy, Kawartha Food Share warehouse coordinator Sunday Abdodunrin, Kawartha Food Share general manager Ashlee Aitken, United Way community impact officer Elisha Rubacha, United Way data/finance officer Joy Uson, and Peterborough & District Labour Council recording secretary Trish Bucholtz pose in front of the Kawartha Food Share van packed with menstrual hygiene products for those in need during the wrap-up event on March 16, 2026 for the 10th annual Period Promise campaign. (Photo courtesy of United Way Peterborough & District)
The United Way Peterborough & District’s 10th annual Period Promise campaign has collected 41,556 menstrual hygiene products for those in need.
The results, announced at noon on Monday (March 16) at the United Way’s office at 277 Stewart Street, far exceed the campaign goal of collecting 25,000 products, and is almost double the 2022 record of 23,000 products.
Formerly called Tampon Tuesday, the Period Promise campaign collected 29,366 pads, 4,533 liners, 7,550 tampons, 55 reusable period underwear, 26 cups, 12 disposable discs, seven reusable pads, and seven disposable underwear.
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The donated products, with an estimated value of $20,725, will be distributed by Kawartha Food Share to local food banks and other agencies to get items into the hands of those who struggle to afford them on their own.
According to a 2023 survey, one in four people in Canada who menstruate have had to choose between purchasing menstrual products and purchasing other essential items like food or paying rent. This could result in people relying on unsafe alternatives, like using a product for too long, or missing out on school, work, and social events because they don’t have the right protections.
In addition to collecting menstrual hygiene products, the Period Promise campaign was intended to open opportunities for dialogue about menstruation and make people who menstruate — including women, trans men, and non-binary people — more comfortable discussing the realities of their bodily experience by focusing on inclusion, awareness building, advocacy, and greater diversity of product options.
United Way Peterborough & District campaign officers Elyse Belsey and Adeline Murphy collecting menstrual hygiene products for those in need during the Period Promise drive at The Tiffany Show’s International Women’s Day Party on March 8, 2026. A total of 41,556 products valued at $20,725 were collected during the 10th annual campaign. (Photo courtesy of United Way Peterborough & District)
“We still have a lot of work to do in terms of normalizing menstruating as a whole, as this process is not talked about nearly enough,” said Lindsay Young, trans peer outreach worker and trans family support worker at Canadian Mental Health Association, Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge, in a media release.
“One big step moving forward would be to talk about the way different bodies menstruate, allowing for more inclusive and diverse products and conversations.”
In that spirit, Monday’s campaign announcement was preceded by a free informal workshop led by holistic menstrual health guide Heather Litster of Moon & Bloom and Women and HIV/AIDS initiative coordinator Meagan Vaughan at Peterborough AIDS Resource Network (PARN). The workshop covered menstrual health foundations and issues surrounding period poverty, as well as recommending ways the community can work together to advance menstrual equity.
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The United Way team behind the Period Promise — campaign community impact officer Elisha Rubacha and campaign officers Elyse Belsey and Adeline Murphy — was supported by Peterborough & District Labour Council (represented at the announcement by Trish Bucholtz), Kawartha Food Share (represented at the announcement by Ashlee Aitken), and kawarthaNOW as media sponsor.
The team collaborated with several organizations and workplaces, including three International Women’s Day events hosted by Kawartha World Issues Centre, The Tiffany Show, and Delta Phi Nu at Trent University that ran menstrual product drives as part of their events.
Several workplaces also ran internal collection drives, the City of Peterborough provided three public drop-off locations at City Hall, Miskin Law Community Complex, and the Peterborough Public Library. The Women’s Business Network of Peterborough kicked off this year’s Period Promise campaign by donating 6,101 items alone — representing nearly one quarter of this year’s goal.
Tristan Konkle performs his song "Killing Time" at the Peterborough Folk Festival's Emerging Artist Award announcement at Market Hall Performing Arts Centre in downtown Peterborough on March 12, 2026. As the winner of the 2026 award, Konkle will be given showcase performance spots at the Peterborough Folk Festival in August and will receive a trip to the Folk Music Ontario Conference, the $1,000 PMBA Lynn Morris Memorial Award, and recording and production of a single courtesy of Electric Alchemy Recording Studio. (Photo: Luke Best)
Peterborough-based songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Tristan Konkle is the latest recipient of the annual Emerging Artist of the Year Award from the Peterborough Folk Festival, which was announced at Market Hall Performing Arts Centre in downtown Peterborough last Thursday (March 12).
Best known as part of the synth-pop and alt-rock duo Tapes In Motion along with Colby McAllister, which performed at last year’s Peterborough Folk Festival, Konkle is releasing music under his own name for the first time.
The Emerging Artist of the Year Award, first presented in 2001 to Serena Ryder, recognizes promising local artists and provides meaningful opportunities that help them grow their careers while strengthening the community’s vibrant music scene.
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“I’m so excited for Tristan to be a part of an amazing group of emerging artists who over the past 25 years have contributed so much to our community,” says Peterborough Folk Festival artistic director Ryan Kemp in a media release. “I encourage everyone in our community to support artists like Tristan by going to their shows, buying their merch, and sharing their music with others. This award has organically evolved into a family of artists who support one another, which is truly the spirit of the festival.”
Since picking up a guitar at the age of 12, Konkle has built his catalogue of songs through years of songwriting and live performances at hometown venues such as Jethro’s Bar + Stage, Sadleir House, and the Pig’s Ear Tavern.
As well as being a performer, Konkle has also been an active studio collaborator within the Peterborough music community. In 2025, he produced several songs for indie-folk musician Calvin Bakelaar (aka VANCAMP), who was the recipient of the 2024 Emerging Artist Award, and also co-produced a full-length album for Edmonton songwriter Ellie Heath alongside Canadian producer Hawksley Workman, scheduled for release later this year.
VIDEO: “Killing Time” – Tristan Konkle
In his own music, Konkle blends modern indie pop with vintage influences like The Beatles. He released his first self-produced single, “Killing Time,” in January.
The winner of the Emerging Artist Award is selected by a committee who assess applicants on skill, dedication to a musical career, and artistic merit. Award recipients are given showcase performance spots at the festival and receive a trip to the Folk Music Ontario Conference, where they have the opportunity to interact with many people from the music industry including artistic directors, agents, promoters, and other musicians.
Starting in 2025, the Peterborough Musicians Benevolent Association (PMBA) began supplementing the award with the $1,000 PMBA Lynn Morris Memorial Award — named in honour of the passionate local music supporter who gifted $50,000 to the PMBA just before she passed away from cancer last February — and Electric Alchemy Recording Studio began providing the recipient with recording and production of a single.
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Here’s the full list of recipients of the Emerging Artist Award (no award was given in 2020 due to the pandemic):
2026 – Tristan Konkle
2025 – Jeanne Truax
2024 – Calvin Bakelaar (aka VANCAMP)
2023 – Irish Millie & Nicholas Campbell
2022 – Nathan Truax
2021 – Lauryn Macfarlane
2019 – Paper Shakers
2018 – Hillary Dumoulin
2017 – Mary-Kate Edwards
2016 – Nick Procyshyn
2015 – Evangeline Gentle
2014 – The Lonely Parade
2013 – Dylan Ireland
2012 – Jos Fortin
2011 – Melissa Payne
2010 – Kate LeDeuce
2009 – Missy Knott
2008 – Sean Conway
2007 – Dave Simard & Kelly McMichael
2006 – Drea Nasager
2005 – Benj Rowland
2004 – Beau Dixon
2003 – Jill Staveley
2002 – James McKenty
2001 – Serena Ryder
Tristan Konkle performing with Tapes in Motion on the Pavilion Stage at the 2025 Peterborough Folk Festival. (Photo: Luke Best)
After a brief respite of mild temperatures, winter is returning to the Kawarthas region starting Monday night (March 16).
Environment Canada has issued a special weather statement for strong winds and snow for Peterborough County, Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland County, Haliburton County, and Hastings Highlands.
Strong southwest winds gusting to 70 km/h are expected to develop Monday afternoon with the passage of a sharp Arctic cold front.
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As much colder Arctic air enters the region, with overnight temperatures dropping to -15°C, snow is expected to rapidly develop.
Snowfall amounts of 5 to 10 cm are possible by Tuesday morning, with some areas possibly receiving 10 to 15 cm. Winds will veer to the west Monday night then slowly start to ease Tuesday morning.
High winds may toss loose objects or cause tree branches to break, with local utility outages possible. Blowing and drifting snow, especially in exposed areas, will cause a sudden return to winter driving conditions.
Family physician Dr. Tosin Tifase, who relocated from the United Kingdom with support from the City of Peterborough's physician recruitment coordinator Chantal Van Parys and began practising at Northcrest Pharmacy and Medical Clinic in February 2025, will be joined by his colleague Dr. Onifade in April 2026. (Photo: City of Peterborough)
A second fee-for-service family physician is joining the Northcrest Medical Clinic in April.
Dr. Onifade will join his colleague Dr. Tosin Tifase, who began working Northcrest Pharmacy and Medical Clinic in February 2025 after relocating from the United Kingdom with support from the City of Peterborough’s physician recruitment coordinator Chantal Van Parys.
The support Dr. Tifase received from Van Parys encouraged him to recommend Dr. Onifade also relocate to Peterborough, according to a media release from the city.
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Dr. Tifase and Dr. Onifade provides family practice services for rostered patients during regular and after-hours sessions, including urgent care. Dr. Tosin has rostered 2,200 patients and, with the addition of Dr. Onifade, the clinic expects to serve another 2,000 patients without a regular family doctor.
Formerly Fadhil’s Pharmasave and owned by Vijay Sappani and Sam Kanni, Northcrest Pharmasave Pharmacy and Northcrest Medical Clinic is located at 184 Marina Boulevard and is open six days a week.
Clinic hours for registered family medicine patients are 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Sunday, by appointment only. For family practice registration, visit the clinic in person to complete a registration form.
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Both Dr. Tifase and Dr. Onifade are fee-for-service physicians. In this model, doctors submit a bill to the provincial government for every service or procedure they perform according to a schedule of services and fees negotiated with the province.
According to the Canadian Medical Association, around 70 per cent of doctor payments in Canada are fee-for-service, and 96 per cent of doctors in Canada receive at least a portion of their compensation through this model.
The other model for doctor payments is known as capitation where, instead of being paid per service, doctors receive a fixed annual payment for every patient they add to their roster. The Canadian Medical Association states that family physicians in Ontario are increasingly shifting to capitation models. Around 60 per cent of family physicians now use either a fully capitated payment model or a blended one that combines fee-for-service and capitation.
The OHIP fee-for-service model is commonly used in many health care settings, including long-term care, where physicians often bill OHIP using fee-for-service codes alongside other supports, as well as in many independent and urgent care clinics.
The original version of this story has been updated with information about how doctors receive payment in Ontario (fee-for-service and capitation).
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