Operated by Otonabee Conservation, the Harold Town Conservation Area off Old Norwood Road features about 10 kilometres of wooded trails for hiking and cycling. (Photo via Mindtrip)
A group of hikers were cold and embarrassed but otherwise unharmed after getting lost on the trails at Harold Town Conservation Area for over two hours on Tuesday night (January 13).
Just before 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Peterborough County Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) were called to the popular conservation area off Old Norwood Road, which is operated by Otonabee Conservation and features about 10 kilometres of wooded trails for hiking and cycling.
Police said the group had decided to take a visiting friend for a hike but, after being dropped off by a ride-share service, they quickly became disoriented on the trails and were unable to find their way back to the trailhead.
Advertisement - content continues below
Officers who arrived on scene were able to contact the caller by phone, who said they could hear the police sirens but couldn’t determine what direction the sirens were coming from. Police then instructed the caller to use the What3words mobile application, which allowed officers to obtain precise coordinates for their location.
Members of the OPP Emergency Response Team and canine unit were also dispatched, but prior to their arrival, the hikers managed to emerge from the woods on their own at around 9:15 p.m. Police said the hikers were not dressed appropriately for the winter weather, including wearing running shoes instead of winter boots.
“EMS was on scene and assessed everyone who, other than being cold and embarrassed, were in good health,” reads a police media release.
Advertisement - content continues below
The OPP is advising trail users to be prepared when hiking in wooded areas, and to avoid hiking at night on unfamiliar trails as it is easy to become disoriented in wooded areas.
Police also recommend wearing appropriate clothing and footwear, carrying a fully charged cellphone, bringing items such as water and a flashlight, and downloading the What3words app ahead of time in case navigation assistance is needed.
What3words is a global addressing system that divides the world into three-metre squares, assigning each square a unique and easy-to-remember three-word address, which is converted into latitude and longitude coordinates that first responders can use to respond in emergencies. The free app for iPhone and Android devices works offline, making it useful in areas with poor data connections.
A rendering of an Alto high-speed train. The proposed high-speed rail network linking Toronto and Quebec City with a stop in Peterborough would see up to 72 trains per day running on dedicated electric tracks at speeds of up to 300 kilometres per hour, cutting current travel times in half. (Image: Alto)
Residents in the Kawarthas region will have a chance to learn more about the proposed high-speed rail line linking Toronto and Quebec City and provide initial feedback when Alto hosts a public open house in Peterborough in February.
The open house will take place at McDonnel Street Community Centre at 577 McDonnel Street on Thursday, February 26, with drop-in hours from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and again from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
The Peterborough open house is part of a three-month consultation process beginning on January 21 that Alto announced on Thursday (January 15), as the Crown corporation advances the development and pre-construction phase of the rail project.
Advertisement - content continues below
More than 20 open house sessions are planned in communities along the corridor between January and March, in addition to eight virtual meetings and a dedicated online information portal.
Federal transport minister Steven MacKinnon — who announced on December 12 that the Ottawa–Montreal corridor will be the first segment to move forward as part of Alto’s planned high-speed rail network — called the launch of consultations “an important milestone” in the project’s development, saying the engagement process will help shape the future of the transportation corridor.
“By engaging Canadians early, and by working in partnership with Indigenous communities, we are ensuring this project is shaped by local knowledge, environmental responsibility, and shared priorities,” MacKinnon said in a media release. “This work will help lay the foundation for a modern transportation network that creates good jobs, supports economic growth, strengthens regional connections, and delivers lasting benefits for communities along the corridor.”
Advertisement - content continues below
In addition to public sessions, Alto has already begun a dedicated Indigenous consultation process that includes technical briefings, co-designed tools, and collaboration agreements.
The corporation says it intends to work with Indigenous communities, municipalities, and institutions throughout the project’s design, environmental studies, construction, and long-term operations.
Alto president and CEO Martin Imbleau said meaningful engagement is fundamental to how the project will move forward.
“Public engagement is a cornerstone of the Alto project,” Imbleau said. “Through broad consultations with Canadians, including meaningful dialogue with Indigenous communities, we will ensure that every voice is heard in shaping the future of transportation. By working collaboratively, we will build a rail network that reflects shared priorities, respects Indigenous rights and knowledge, and delivers lasting benefits for generations to come.”
Advertisement - content continues below
Alto says that feedback collected during the initial public consultation will inform the rail network’s alignment to be defined later this year. A second round of consultations will follow to review and refine the proposed alignment.
Projected to cost between $60 billon and $90 billion, the project to create the country’s first-ever reliable and frequent high-speed rail system will be the largest public infrastructure project in Canada in recent history.
Planned stations include Toronto, Peterborough, Ottawa, Montréal, Laval, Trois-Rivières, and Quebec City, connecting millions of residents across the most densely populated corridor in the country.
Advertisement - content continues below
Following a speech in Montreal on Tuesday, Imbleau said construction on the Ottawa–Montreal segment is set to begin in 2029 or 2030. Engineering work on one of both of the Toronto-Ottawa (including Peterborough) and Montreal-Quebec City segments will begin at the same time, with construction on one of the segments expected to begin in 2032.
The proposed high-speed rail network would see up to 72 trains per day running on dedicated electric tracks at speeds of up to 300 kilometres per hour, cutting current travel times in half. For example, the estimated travel time between Peterborough and Toronto would be 40 minutes — 45 per cent faster than the 90 minutes required when travelling by road with normal traffic.
Coast Salish Indigenous actor Michelle Bardac, Nakota/Assiniboine Nation actor Sera-Lys McArthur, and Peterborough actor Megan Murphy are the "Women of the Fur Trade" in New Stages Theatre Company's staged reading of Frances Koncan's award-winning play on January 24, 2026 at Market Hall Performing Arts Centre in downtown Peterborough. Directed by Patti Shaughnessy, the play will also feature Thomas Scott and Chris Mejaki. (kawarthaNOW collage)
What happens when untold stories of Canada’s nation-shaping fur trade are paired with modern slang and contemporary references?
A full house at Market Hall Performing Arts Centre will find out on Saturday, January 24 when audience members gather for New Stages Theatre’s staged reading of Women of the Fur Trade by Anishinaabe and Slovene playwright Frances Koncan.
Set in a fort in “1800 and something-something,” Women of the Fur Trade revolves around three fictional women — an Ojibwe, a Metis, and a British woman — who share their perspectives on life, love, and “hot nerd” Louis Riel during the Red River Resistance.
Advertisement - content continues below
After finding that every account of the fur trade was from a man’s perspective, Koncan wrote the historical satire to shift the perspective from the male gaze onto the women’s power by satirizing the erasure and using 21st century verbiage.
“I think something that I’ve always been really drawn to is history that’s told in an accessible way — history that is a little fun and playful and not afraid to be a little silly,” said Koncan in a September 2025 interview for CBC’s North by Northwest with Margaret Gallagher.
“That’s something I definitely early on was bringing to the script. I absolutely tried to write it in a much more serious tone, and I realized pretty early on that it wasn’t my style. It wasn’t being truthful to who I was or maybe what my voice was, so I just started leaning into these characters who speak how I speak and speak how my friends speak, and that’s how we’re going to connect to this history is through these characters who talk like us but are in a different situation than us.”
VIDEO: “Women of the Fur Trade” (excerpt from 2023 Stratford Festival production)
Koncan wrote Women of the Fur Trade in 2017–2018 as a submission for the Toronto Fringe Festival, where it won Best New Play before being staged around the country with notable productions by the National Arts Centre and Stratford Festival.
“Our goal is to provide the best contemporary plays — a lot of them Canadian — and to bring them to our audience,” says New Stages artistic director Mark Wallace. “This one certainly has been performed all across Canada now. It’s the first time here, so we’re excited to see what people think of it.”
In addition to suggesting there is a desire for stories that offer an Indigenous perspective, Wallace says audiences are seeking out comedies this time of year and Women of the Fur Trade is a combination of both.
Advertisement - content continues below
“It’s late January and I’m not going to see something that’s going to be terribly depressing,” Wallace jokes. “I’m drawn to comedies that have an edge to them. I think it’s fun to be able to laugh at ourselves and poke fun at ourselves. It makes it easier to sometimes cope with the way the world is.”
When the show comes to Market Hall, it will be staged by an all-star and familiar cast and team led by director Patti Shaughnessy. A member of the Mchi Saagig Anishnaabeg from Curve Lake First Nation, she is an actor, director, and producer who has worked on the Ode’min Giizis Festival and co-founded the arts collective O’Kaadenigan Wiingashk.
Shaughnessy has directed at the National Arts Centre among other theatres, and her acting spans acclaimed works by Tomson Highway, Cliff Cardinal, Tara Beagan, and Drew Hayden Taylor. In 2019, she shared the Peterborough Arts Awards’ Outstanding Mid-Career Artist award with actor Beau Dixon.
Anishinaabe and Slovene playwright Frances Koncan wrote “Women of the Fur Trade” in 2017–2018 as a submission for the Toronto Fringe Festival, where it won Best New Play and has since been staged across Canada with notable productions by the National Arts Centre and Stratford Festival. The New Stages Theatre Company’s staged reading of the play on January 24, 2026 at Market Hall Performing Arts Centre in downtown Peterborough will be directed by award-winning Indigenous actor, director, and producer Patti Shaughnessy. (kawarthaNOW collage)
“Patti’s a great director and she’s such a talent and living right here in our community,” says Wallace. “She’s playful in the way that she thinks about staging and drama and so having her at the helm is very exciting.”
Taking to the stage as the women of the fur trade will be both local favourites and visiting professionals, including Coast Salish Indigenous performer Michelle Bardach. She will be making a stop at Market Hall following her role in the world premiere of Rez Gas at Port Hope’s Capitol Theatre last summer and before heading off to the Stratford Festival this year.
Bardach will be joined in the fort by award-winning Nakota/Assiniboine Nation film actor Sera-Lys McArthur, whose roles on screen have included parts in Arctic Air and Burden of Truth among others. Rounding out the women of the fur trade is local actor Megan Murphy, who just wrapped up a performance in New Stage’s It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play in December.
Advertisement - content continues below
The women will be joined by Dora Award winner Mac Fyfe as historical figure Thomas Scott, and Chris Mejaki — whose film Whistling Pine was featured in the Nogojiwanong Indigenous Fringe Festival last year — as Métis leader Louis Riel.
As of the publication date of this story, there are only a handful of stage-adjacent balcony tickets remaining for the performance, priced at $34 with a “welcome rate” of $24 and $44 “pay it forward” rate for those who can afford it. A wait list is available for preferred seats that may become available ahead of the show. To get on the waitlist, contact the Market Hall box office by calling 705-775-1503.
If you miss Women of the Fur Trade, Wallace assures there are lots of tickets still available for the Brand New Stages Festival, set to take place between Tuesday, February 24 and Sunday, March 1 at Market Hall and The Theatre on King.
Advertisement - content continues below
Two shows, The Cull by Michele Riml and Michael St. John Smith and 12 Dinners by Steve Ross, have already been announced, but Wallace says audiences can expect to see more titles added to the lineup in the coming weeks, including some new Canadian scripts.
“We’ve got some big names coming plus some great local names and some local playwrights, too,” Wallace says. “It’s going to be a busy week, so we’re really excited for it.”
Tickets for New Stages Theatre can be purchased at the Market Hall box office at 140 Charlotte Street, by calling 705-749-1146, or online at tickets.markethall.org/?category=20.
kawarthaNOW is proud to be media sponsor of New Stages Theatre Company’s 2025-26 season.
Stephanie Jukes (middle) accepting the Osprey Heritage Award for Heritage Restoration/Adaptive Reuse for the Saucy Willow Inn in Coboconk at Kawartha Lakes City Hall on January 13, 2026. Stephanie and her husband David (not pictured) purchased the historic 1878 building in 2021 and have since restored it. (Photo courtesy of City of Kawartha Lakes)
The Saucy Willow Inn in Coboconk and its owners, Stephanie and David Jukes, have been recognized with one of the City of Kawartha Lakes’ most prestigious heritage honours.
The Jukes received the Osprey Heritage Award for Heritage Restoration/Adaptive Reuse during a city council meeting on Tuesday (January 13), with the award recognizing their extensive restoration work on the Victorian-era inn and its ongoing contribution to the community’s built heritage.
The city’s biennial Osprey Heritage Awards celebrate individuals, groups, and businesses that have made exemplary contributions to preserving and promoting heritage in Kawartha Lakes. The Heritage Restoration/Adaptive Reuse category highlights preservation work that protects the original character of historic buildings while adapting them for compatible contemporary use.
As for the Saucy Willow Inn, it is a rare surviving example of a Victorian farmhouse, noted for its multi-toned and detailed brickwork, steep gables, and decorative wood trim. The home was built in 1878 by Adam Carl, who owned much of the land on the island where the inn is located and who was the first person to open a business in Coboconk.
After living in the home for over four decades, Carl sold the building to five men from Lakewood, Ohio in 1921. They named it The Lakewood Club (later Lakewood Lodge) and operated it as a seasonal fishing and hunting camp. Bertha Caton — a house manager who lived in the lodge in the off season for seven years — bought the property from the men in 1927, and began operating it as a resort lodge with rental units and cabins.
The inn was named the Saucy Willow by Penny Johansen, who owned the property in the 1990s — two owners before the Jukes — and turned it into a bed and breakfast. The Jukes, originally from Durham region, purchased the property in June 2021 with an eye to restoring it.
The Saucy Willow Inn pictured on a postcard in 1929, when it was a seasonal hunting and fishing camp named the Lakewood Club, and today under the ownership of Stephanie and David Jukes. (Photos courtesy of Saucy Willow Inn & Cottages)
In a statement, Stephanie Jukes said the Osprey Heritage Award is a meaningful acknowledgement of both the inn’s long history and the community’s support for its restoration.
“This building and property that we now call the Saucy Willow Inn has held many stories over its 148 years, and we feel privileged to help carry them forward,” she said in a statement. “Receiving the Osprey Heritage Award is a meaningful reminder that preserving the past while welcoming the future truly matters.”
Over the past several years, the Jukes have undertaken careful restoration of the inn and its surrounding cottages, preserving historic features while upgrading the property for modern hospitality use. Throughout the project, they made a point of using local artists, traditional materials and craftsmanship, emphasizing community involvement in the conservation process.
Advertisement - content continues below
Today, The Saucy Willow Inn & Cottages operates as a waterfront accommodation on the shores of Balsam Lake, offering guests a blend of historic charm and modern comfort, with rooms and cottages that reflect both its rich past and its seaside setting.
The City’s Heritage Advisory Committee noted that the Jukes’ work sets an example of how historic properties can be sensitively restored and repurposed, helping to maintain the character and continuity of Kawartha Lakes’ communities.
The Osprey Heritage Awards are presented every other year. Alongside restoration/adaptive reuse, categories include publication and research, community heritage promotion, and milestone recognition for long-serving heritage organizations.
A 2024 documentary film by Australian filmmaker Damon Gameau, "Future Council" follows eight children who embark on an adventure across Europe in a biofuel-powered school bus and form a "Future Council" to advise major companies on decisions impacting nature. ReFrame Film Festival presents "Future Council" at 12:30 p.m. on January 31, 2026 at Showplace Performance Centre in downtown Peterborough. (Photo courtesy of ReFrame Film Festival)
ReFrame Film Festival is a local, long-running event grounded in Nogojiwanong/Peterborough. As the festival approaches its 25th anniversary, it continues to be shaped by a team with deep roots in this community.
Each week, GreenUP provides a story related to the environment. This week’s guest column is by ReFrame Film Festival staff.
All current ReFrame staff members grew up in this area, many of them rurally, and were taught from a young age to see and respect the relationship between themselves and their environment. This lived experience informs Team ReFrame’s connections to this place, and shapes the festival’s programming today.
Through their work, the ReFrame team seeks to foster meaningful connections between the lands and waters of this region, the next generation, and film programming which highlights environmental responsibility and tangible change in a world gripped by the global climate crisis.
Advertisement - content continues below
ReFrame is one community member within a broader network of local organizations that care for and help shape this place. They view their responsibility to environmental justice as central to the festival’s purpose, not separate from it.
This commitment is evident in ReFrame’s programming, which highlights the important and impactful work being done locally and globally to combat the climate crisis. By bringing these stories to the community, the festival creates space for learning, reflection, and action, rooted in shared responsibility.
Among this year’s diverse program of over 40 films is one film that approaches environmental justice through a uniquely youth-centred lens. Award-winning filmmaker Damon Gameau’s Future Council balances the urgent need for climate action with imaginative, solutions-oriented thinking while amplifying the voices of those with the most at stake.
VIDEO: “Future Council” trailer
Screening at Showplace Performance Centre on Saturday, January 31 at 12:30 p.m., Future Council follows a group of young activists as they travel across Europe on a bus powered by biofuel. Along the way, the “Future Council” is formed to challenge companies to think differently, take responsibility, and act with the future in mind.
This powerful film is not to be missed and will inspire audiences of all ages. But, it doesn’t end when the credits roll.
With every ReFrame film, there is a hope that audiences will engage beyond the experience of the screening and take action for social and environmental change on a local, national, or international level.
Advertisement - content continues below
In this spirit, Future Council offers a unique invitation: “Any young person aged 9 to 16, anywhere in the world, can join the Future Council.”
While the Future Council welcomes parents, teachers, business leaders, and other supporters, it is fundamentally a child-led organization. The Future Council is “here to design our future and we’re doing it with creativity, courage, and lots of fun.”
Working towards a sustainable future means centring on the voices of those who will inherit that work. Locally, nationally, and globally, their perspectives are vital. Taking action now helps ensure that future generations grow, learn, are inspired, and take action in turn.
A towering cloud-like creature looms over the “Future Council” biofuel-powered school bus and the surrounding landscape. The scale of the climate crisis can be overwhelming, but the participants in this powerful film persevere for the sake of the planet and their own futures. ReFrame Film Festival presents “Future Council” at 12:30 p.m. on January 31, 2026 at Showplace Performance Centre in downtown Peterborough. (Photo courtesy of ReFrame Film Festival)
This film is an invitation for all young people to join in the conversation, both at ReFrame and on the global stage.
Future Council is also an invitation to listen. As new generations grow up in this community, creating spaces for their voices and leadership strengthens the community as a whole. The work of protecting the planet requires collective care and collaboration, and ReFrame is an important place for coming together.
Join the screening to witness this inspiring group in action, and be part of the movement that’s making change to protect the planet.
Advertisement - content continues below
ReFrame’s social and environmental justice documentary festival returns in a hybrid format in downtown Nogojiwanong/Peterborough from January 30 to February 1, and online across Canada from February 3 to 8.
In-person, hybrid, and virtual festival passes, as well as individual tickets for both in-person and virtual screenings, are available now. Individual in-person tickets will also be available at festival venues on a rush basis 15 minutes in advance of each scheduled screening between Jan. 30 and Feb. 1. Learn more and purchase passes and tickets today at reframefilmfestival.ca.
Artworks by a number of artists from across the Kawarthas region will be on display during the annual "Art à la Carte: Celebrating Ontario Artists" exhibition in the In Camera Dining Room at the Legislative Building in 2026, including (clockwise from top left) Michael Harris's photograph "Tranquility at Sunrise," Diane Dowsett's painting "Autumn Comes Early in Yellowknife," Astrid Hood's painting "Radiant Reflections," and Lynda Todd's painting "Salmon, Salmon, Salmon." (kawarthaNOW collage of artist photos)
Artworks by a number of artists from across the Kawarthas region will be on display to Ontario politicians and the public at Queen’s Park in Toronto in 2026.
Dianne Lister, Michael Harris, Lynda Todd, Astrid Hood, and Diane Dowsett have all had their works selected for Art à la Carte: Celebrating Ontario Artists, an annual exhibition hosted by the Legislative Assembly of Ontario that displays curated pieces from Ontario artists in the In Camera Dining Room at the Legislative Building.
Artists apply each year for the exhibition of two-dimensional artworks, with one selected artwork from each artist displayed in the dining room for the calendar year. If an artist chooses to indicate the artwork is for sale, interested buyers will be connected with the artist.
Advertisement - content continues below
Dianne Lister’s photograph “The Howling, Kingston,” Michael Harris’s photograph “Tranquility at Sunrise,” Lynda Todd’s painting “Salmon, Salmon, Salmon”, Astrid Hood’s painting
“Radiant Reflections,” and Diane Dowsett’s painting “Autumn Comes Early in Yellowknife” will all be featured in the exhibition.
Featuring a seasonal menu with ingredients from across Ontario, the In Camera Dining Room is located in the lower level of the Legislative Building and is only open when the House is in session.
Hours are 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday to Thursdays, with the dining room reserved for the use of MPPs and parliamentary staff until 1 p.m., after which it is open to the public for lunch.
Advertisement - content continues below
With the House currently on an extended winter break, the In Camera Dining Room will reopen on Monday, March 23.
Reservations will be accepted for the upcoming spring session starting in mid-February.
Dianne Lister’s photograph “The Howling, Kingston” will be on display during the annual “Art à la Carte: Celebrating Ontario Artists” exhibition in the In Camera Dining Room at the Legislative Building in 2026. Along with Michael Harris, Lister is a member artist of the Kawartha Art Gallery. (Photos courtesy of Kawartha Art Gallery)
Environment Canada has issued a “yellow” snowfall warning for the entire Kawarthas region beginning Wednesday night (January 14) and lasting into Thursday evening.
The snowfall warning is in effect for Peterborough County, Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland County, Haliburton County, and Hastings Highlands.
A developing low pressure system will bring significant snowfall to much of southern Ontario. A sharp temperature drop leading to cold wind chills by Thursday morning, during ongoing snowfall, will add to the adverse weather conditions.
Advertisement - content continues below
In the Kawarthas region, the snow will begin Wednesday night and continue into Thursday evening, before tapering off Thursday night. Snowfall amounts of 15 to 25 cm are expected.
There may be a significant impact on rush hour traffic.
Prepare for quickly changing and deteriorating travel conditions. Allow extra time for travel.
Junior Achievement of Northern and Eastern Ontario (JA-NEO) announced the nine inductees of the 2026 Business Hall of Fame in the lobby of the Venture North building in downtown Peterborough on January 14, 2026. Pictured left to right, front to back: Vance Robbins, Brenda Ibey, Jason and Niki Pulchinski, Peter Blodgett, Jim Bailey, and Chuck White. Not pictured: Dave Bucholtz and Martha Sullivan. (Photo: JA-NEO)
Junior Achievement of Northern and Eastern Ontario (JA-NEO) has announced the 2026 class of inductees for the Peterborough Business Hall of Fame.
Business Hall of Fame chancellor Nicole Truman of Fox Law Professional Corporation announced the nine inductees in the lobby of the Venture North building in downtown Peterborough on Wednesday afternoon (January 14).
This year’s inductees are Brenda Ibey of Avant Garden Shop, Chuck White of Rapid Lift Inc., Dave Bucholtz and Jim Bailey of Cambium Inc., Jason and Niki Pulchinski of At the Lake Distributing Inc., Martha Sullivan of Sullivan Law PTBO, Peter Blodgett of Darling Insurance, and Vance Robbins of Anden Kitchen & Bath Centre.
Advertisement - content continues below
The local business leaders will be formally inducted during the JA Business Hall of Fame ceremony on Thursday, May 28, at The Venue in downtown Peterborough. As well as celebrating this year’s inductees, the event raises funds for JA-NEO’s youth programs.
General admission tickets can be purchased online at a cost of $100 until March 29 and $125 after.
Now marking its 11th year, the JA Business Hall of Fame recognizes entrepreneurs and leaders whose achievements, community contributions, and commitment to mentorship have helped shape the economic and cultural life of the region.
Advertisement - content continues below
“The Hall of Fame has never just been about recognition; it has always been about possibility,” said JA-NEO president and CEO John McNutt in a media release. “Our laureates show young people that big futures can begin in small places, and that entrepreneurship is more than business success — it is a form of community building.”
The non-profit organization offers financial literacy, work readiness, and entreprenuership programs that inspire youth by giving them the tools and confidence to succeed in school, business, and in life.
Through a network of education, government and industry partners, JA-NEO delivers programs in a region spanning Cornwall, Brockville, Pembroke, Kingston, Peterborough, Muskoka, Lindsay, Kawartha Lakes, Collingwood, Midland, North Bay, Sudbury, Sault Ste. Marie, and Thunder Bay.
Kawartha Lakes police have arrested a man and a woman in connection with a serious stabbing incident of two other people in Lindsay on Saturday morning (January 10).
Just before 9 a.m. on Saturday, police received a call about a woman on Kent Street West who was bleeding from a stab wound.
After arriving at the scene, officers located the woman along with a man who had also been injured. Officers provided emergency first aid until paramedics arrived to transport the victims to Ross Memorial Hospital with serious injuries.
Advertisement - content continues below
Police quickly determined the stabbing incident had occurred at a residence on Peel Street and identified two suspects, who they arrested on January 10 and January 13 and held in custody.
A 43-year-old Lindsay man has been charged with assault causing bodily harm, assault with a weapon, and two counts of failing to comply with probation. A 36-year-old Little Britain woman has been charged with aggravated assault, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, assault with a weapon, and failing to comply with probation.
Police say this was an isolated incident and there is no risk to public safety.
The General Electric factory complex at 107 Park Street North in downtown Peterborough, which began operations in 1891 as the Canadian Works of the Thomas Edison Company and later continued under General Electric. The site includes a complex of 33 buildings built between 1891 and 1981 and used for industrial manufacturing and ancillary purposes. In 2018, General Electric ceased its manufacturing activities on the site, with most of the buildings now decommissioned with machinery and equipment removed. (Photo: Google Earth)
GEPR Energy Canada Inc., the owner of the historic General Electric factory complex at 107 Park Street North in downtown Peterborough, has objected to the City of Peterborough’s November 2025 notice of intention to designate eight of the complex’s buildings under the Ontario Heritage Act — despite a report commissioned by the company itself that recognized the heritage value of the eight buildings.
kawarthaNOW has obtained a copy of a letter dated November 25 from Toronto law firm Aird & Berlis LLP to the city clerk’s office on behalf of the company, which is a subsidiary of GE Vernova, an energy equipment manufacturing and services company formed from the merger and subsequent spin-off of General Electric’s energy businesses in 2024.
The letter from Aird & Berlis LLP describes four objections to the city’s notice of intention which, on November 6, was served to GE Vernova as the property owner and also published as a public notice in the Peterborough Examiner. Three of the objections relate to the “improper” wording and content of the notice, with another objection calling a proposed designation “unnecessary.”
The notice of intention to designate followed a decision by Peterborough city council on November 4 to allow GE Vernova to demolish a large number of vacant buildings at the factory complex, with the exception of eight buildings that would receive heritage designation.
The heritage value of buildings 2, 2A, 8A, 21, 24A, 26, 28, and 30 was described in a 154-page heritage impact assessment (HIA) report prepared by ERA Architects Inc. for GEPR Energy Canada Inc. Those buildings include two currently in use by GE Vernova, four currently in use by BWXT (an independent company that was originally part of GE Vernova’s nuclear energy division), and two unoccupied buildings with heritage value that will be retained and mothballed pending potential future uses.
On October 6, city council meeting as general committee voted down a staff recommendation that recommended hiring a consultant to conduct a peer review of the HIA report, with some councillors arguing that a peer review of the report was unnecessary and others arguing that a peer review would ensure the city had considered the matter in a fair and objective way.
Council confirmed that general committee decision at its October 14 meeting, despite hearing concerns from nine public delegations about the potential environmental and public safety impacts from allowing demolition of all other buildings in the complex’s centre block that haven’t been used since 2018. The 26 buildings to be demolished represent around 84,500 square metres (910,000 square feet) of the 104,000 square metre (1.1 million square feet) site.
The proposed demolition is controversial because of known contamination of the industrial site with toxic hazardous substances over the past 125 years and the impact of a demolition on the safety of the surrounding residential neighbourhoods.
On November 3, city council meeting as general committee rejected a recommendation from the city’s Peterborough Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee (PACAC) that facades along Albert Street be retained for buildings 8, 34, 16A, 16, and 22 in their current location and be included in the designation, along with building 13 (the power house). Council voted to maintain its original October 14 decision to only designate the eight buildings described in the HIA report.
Advertisement - content continues below
The following day, city council confirmed the November 3 decision and city staff were directed to issue a notice of intention to designate to GE Vernova by November 7 — the 60-day deadline under the Ontario Heritage Act given that GE Vernova sent its notice of intention for demolition to the city on September 8.
The city’s notice of intention, which was served to GE Vernova as the property owner and published as a public notice in the Peterborough Examiner on November 6, indicates the city plans to pass a by-law on January 19 that designates buildings 2, 2A, 8A, 21, 24A, 26, 28, and 30 as described and depicted in the HIA report, and provides the “reasons for designation” as stated below.
The former Canadian General Electric plant at 107 Park Street North has strong cultural heritage value through its associations with Peterborough’s industrial and labour history. Established in 1891 as the Canadian works of the Edison General Electric Company and later operating as Canadian General Electric, the complex played a central role in the city’s emergence as a national centre of electrical manufacturing and innovation. The plant produced generators, motors, transformers, and lighting equipment, later expanding to locomotives and street railways. It contributed significantly to Canada’s war efforts in both World Wars, manufacturing military components. The site also reflects the social evolution of the industrial workforce, particularly through the recruitment of women during wartime production. The plant was in continuous operation for 127 years until its closure in 2018.
Architecturally, the complex demonstrates the evolution of industrial design from the late Victorian and Edwardian periods to postwar modernism. Early brick buildings such as 2, 2A, 8A and 30 exhibit fine craftsmanship, decorative brickwork, and large fenestration typical of early factory architecture, while later additions such as buildings 21, 24A, 26 and 28 illustrate functional modern industrial construction.
The former large GE manufacturing complex is an integral aspect of the neighbourhood. The plant’s location, form, and enduring presence have shaped the surrounding residential and transportation patterns and remain integral to understanding Peterborough’s industrial development. The property stands as a landmark and enduring symbol of the city’s identity as “The Electric City” and of its contribution to Canada’s technological and economic growth.
The letter of objection from Aird & Berlis LLP takes exception to the wording of the city’s notice because the “reasons for designation” describes the property as a “landmark” and, despite the notice specifying the actual buildings to be designated, claims the city is designating the entire property.
“The proposed designation will apply to the entirety of the Park Street site as a ‘landmark’, contrary to the clear intention and direction of Peterborough city council which stated that it had ‘no interest’ in pursuing designation of the lands save for a few specific buildings,” writes Aird & Berlis LLP partner Eileen P. K. Costello.
She adds that the notice “includes generalized statements about the history of the property and architecture, failing to include clarity and direction as to the specific heritage attributes that are of cultural heritage value” and that “the proposed designation relies, in part, on incomplete or inaccurate information with respect to certain architects that are attributed with having contributed to the Park Street site.”
Advertisement - content continues below
Aside from the wording of the notice, Costello writes that the proposed designation “is unnecessary in the context of the site plan application filed concurrently with the notice of intention to demolish and which affords the City of Peterborough ample jurisdiction to appropriately manage the interim use of the Park Street site.”
“The site plan application which accompanied the notice of intent to demolish will facilitate the interim and long-term strategy for the property. In (the company’s) view, this can and should occur without the necessity for a heritage designation on the property.”
Again, despite the notice specifying the specific buildings to be designated, Costello writes that notice’s wording does not reflect the decision of city council and instead designates the entire property as a “landmark.”
“The practical consequence of the designation of the entirety of the Park Street Site as a ‘landmark’ is that any application which follows — whether it includes a proposed alteration of existing buildings or construction of new buildings — will be required to go through an additional process at the city for the consideration of any impacts on the cultural heritage value of the entire property.”
“We further note that the term ‘landmark’ is not defined in the Ontario Heritage Act making it impossible to asses(s) whether changes would affect the ‘landmark’, particularly in the context of the proposed demolition of buildings on the property.”
“At the very least, we respectfully submit that it is incumbent on city staff to work with (the company) to determine whether any designation could proceed in a manner consistent with the clear direction of city council so as to ensure the majority of the Park Street site and the current economic activities located there are not unduly encumbered.”
PDF: August 20, 2025 Landscape Plan – GEPR Energy Canada Inc.
August 20, 2025 Landscape Plan - GEPR Energy Canada Inc. A landscape plan from August 20, 2025 showing proposed site alterations at the GE factory complex at 107 Park Street North, part of an application for site plan approval submitted by GEPR Energy Canada Inc. to the City of Peterborough. (Graphic: E.R.A. Architects Inc. via City of Peterborough website)
Costello also writes the notice relies on “incomplete/uncertain information” in a city staff report from October 6 that states the factory complex features works from Ontario architects including Walter Strickland, George Martel Miller, George Gouinlock, and John McIntosh Lyle, when the HIA report that GEPR Energy Canada Inc. commissioned found no specific buildings could be attributed to those architects.
In addition, the letter argues the proposed heritage designation is “unnecessary” given that the interim site plan developed by GEPR Energy Canada Inc. would “address many of the concerns heard from members of the public and city council.”
“The interim site plan will allow the city to secure many of the recommendations in the HIA to address the cultural heritage value of the Park Street site, including opportunities for interpretation areas and commemoration specifically identified as mitigation strategies,” Costello writes. “Again, this work can occur under the direction of city staff and be secured through conditions of site plan approval and a site plan agreement, registered on title to the lands. A heritage designation of all or any part of the Park Street site is not required for the city to benefit from these opportunities through the site plan process.”
The letter concludes by stating that GEPR Energy Canada Inc. “looks forward to engaging with City of Peterborough staff to resolve its objection to the notice of intent (to designate) and to advance discussions with respect to its site plan application in the time afforded by the (Ontario Heritage Act) prior to city council having to issue a final decision on this matter.”
Advertisement - content continues below
kawarthaNOW reached out to the City of Peterborough on Monday (January 12) and to Aird & Berlis LLP on Tuesday for clarification on whether there has been any communication between the two parties since the November 25 letter. The City of Peterborough did not provide a response prior to publication, while a spokesperson for Aird & Berlis LLP said the firm was not able to comment at this time.
Under the Ontario Heritage Act, the City of Peterborough has 90 days after receiving a notice of objection to decide whether to uphold the notice of intention to designate by passing a by-law or to withdraw the notice.
With respect to GEPR Energy Canada Inc.’s notice of objection, that means the city would need to make a decision by February 23. According to the city’s notice of intention to designate, the by-law is scheduled to be passed at the next city council meeting on Monday (January 19).
If the city decides to proceed and pass a by-law to designate the buildings, GEPR Energy Canada Inc. would then have 30 days to appeal the by-law to the Ontario Land Tribunal.
The original version of this story has been updated with details of the recommendation from the Peterborough Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee (PACAC) for additional heritage designation and to include a PDF of a landscape plan.
kawarthaNOW.com offers two enews options to help readers stay in the know. Our VIP enews is delivered weekly every Wednesday morning and includes exclusive giveaways, and our news digest is delivered daily every morning. You can subscribe to one or both.
Submit your event for FREE!
Use our event submission form to post your event on our website — for free.
To submit editorial content or ideas, please contact us.
