Hydro One crews on site after an ice storm. (Photo: Hydro One / Facebook)
Environment Canada is confirming a “major ice storm” in the Kawarthas region for the weekend beginning Friday evening (March 28), with a prolonged period of significant freezing rain for the entire region until Sunday afternoon, and is warning of possible widespread power outages.
A freezing rain warning is in effect for Peterborough County, Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland County, Haliburton County, and Hastings Highlands.
The southern part of the region will see the greatest ice accumulation of 10 to 20 mm, with amounts in excess of 25 mm possible.
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The northern part of the region will see less ice accumulation — 5 to 15 mm, with amounts in excess of 15 mm possible — but could also see snow and ice pellet accumulations of 5 to 15 cm.
Precipitation will begin Friday evening as rain in the south and as snow or ice pellets in the north, before changing to freezing rain.
The heaviest freezing rain is expected overnight into Saturday morning. In some areas, freezing rain may become lighter for a brief period of time on Saturday or Saturday night.
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Freezing rain will change to rain late in the day on Sunday as temperatures rise above the freezing mark.
Along with creating icy and slippery conditions on roads and sidewalks, the ice build-up may cause tree branches to break and result in widespread power outages.
Environment Canada is recommending postponing non-essential travel until conditions improve. Public Safety Canada encourages everyone to make an emergency plan and get an emergency kit with drinking water, food, medicine, a first-aid kit, and a flashlight.
The Canadian Canoe Museum's atrium will be transformed into a performance venue for the new "Music in the Museum" concert series, which kicks off on May 24, 2025 with a performance by Juno award-winning roots musician Old Man Luedecke. Proceeds from the concert series will help subsidize the museum's youth backcountry canoeing program. (Photo courtesy of The Canadian Canoe Museum)
Just over a year after The Canadian Canoe Museum opened at its new waterfront location on the shores of Peterborough’s Little Lake, the sound of live music will soon fill the beautiful atrium.
The museum has announced the launch of its new “Music in the Museum” concert series featuring Canadian musicians, which will kick off on Saturday, May 24 with a performance by Juno award-winning roots musician Old Man Luedecke.
The ongoing concert series will be held in the museum’s atrium, where the Silver Bean Cafe is located, with the mass timber and wood panelling providing rich acoustics for the performers and the audience.
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The museum’s executive director Carolyn Hyslop noted in a media release that events like these showcase the museum in a different way to an entirely new audience.
“We see ourselves as a community hub, an energetic space where people can connect, learn, share stories, and make memories, and the Music in the Museum series is an extension of this vision,” Hyslop said.
Proceeds from the concert series will will help subsidize the museum’s youth backcountry canoeing program, supporting the next generation of paddlers in connecting with Canada’s waterways.
VIDEO: “Year of the Dragon” – Old Man Luedecke
As for Old Man Luedecke, the Nova Scotia singer-songwriter and banjo player and guitarist is looking forward to being the inaugural performer of the new concert series.
“I’m excited to come to the museum again, play in this great venue, and be a part of this exciting event series,” he says.
Chris Luedecke — who adopted the stage and recording name Old Man Luedecke when he was 22 years old — has released 10 albums since 2003, with his latest being 2024’s She Told Me Where To Go.
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Old Man Luedecke has twice won the Juno award for Roots & Traditional Album of the Year – Solo, first in 2009 for Proof of Love and again in 2011 for My Hands are on Fire and Other Love Songs.
He has also won multiple East Coast Music Awards, and has been nominated for the Polaris prize.
VIDEO: “She Told Me Where To Go” – Old Man Luedecke
Doors for the May 24th show open at 6 p.m., when the bar will also open for drink purchases. All ticket holders are welcome to explore the museum’s Exhibition Hall before the music begins at 7 p.m.
“Our space is a celebration of masters of their craft, and Music in the Museum is a celebration of some of the best Canadian musicians,” said the museum’s program manager Peter Vooys. “Like the watercraft featured in the museum, music has a way of connecting us, and we’re excited to bring a truly special experience to the community.”
The Canadian Canoe Museum will be announcing additional concerts in the Music in the Museum series later in the year.
Kids like Hallie are being encouraged to help Five Counties Children's Centre say "thank you" for 50 years of service. The regional children's treatment centre is hosting a kids' colouring contest for young artists to show their creative skills on a selection of 50th anniversary colouring sheets. (Photo: Five Counties Children's Centre)
Five Counties Children’s Centre is inviting kids to put crayons or markers to paper for a chance to win prizes and have their artwork featured on thank you cards.
The regional children’s centre will be distributing cards to thank supporters for their generosity as the centre celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, and is encouraging children to help by entering its 50th Anniversary Thank You Card Contest.
“With Five Counties Children’s Centre marking its 50th anniversary in 2025, we’re planning a variety of festivities to celebrate, including ones for kids to take part and enjoy,” Bill Eekhof, communications coordinator for Five Counties, told kawarthaNOW. “The 50th Anniversary Thank You Card Contest is a nice way to do this, since it engages kids’ creative skills while helping Five Counties show its gratitude for 50 years of service.”
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“Having children decorate colouring sheets that the centre can then use on individual thank you cards really says a lot,” Eekhof said.
“It’s a chance for our kids to showcase their talents and, for our volunteers, donors and, supporters receiving the thank you cards, we hope it adds extra meaning that the support they’ve shown Five Counties is really appreciated by the children and youth benefiting from the services here.”
Children of all ages are being asked to lend their creative skills to Five Counties. Until Wednesday, April 30, kids are encouraged to decorate, colour, and create artwork on a selection of 50th anniversary colouring sheets supplied by Five Counties. Centre staff will use all submitted artwork on individual thank you cards.
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Kids who enter the contest can win prizes, including Five Counties’ 50th anniversary T-shirts. In addition, one winning design will be chosen to grace the cover of new corporate thank you cards that Five Counties is creating in 2025 to mark the anniversary.
“Five Counties has much to be grateful for over its 50-year history, so who better to say thanks than the kids who benefit from our services,” said Maddie Jackson, community engagement coordinator at Five Counties, in a media release.
“At the core of what Five Counties does is serving and supporting kids of all ages and abilities, so showcasing their artwork on 50th anniversary thank you cards will add extra meaning when we send appreciation to our supporters.”
Opening its doors in Peterborough in 1975 and serving 126 clients that year, the centre has expanded to support children and youth with physical, developmental, and communications needs in Kawartha Lakes, Haliburton County, and Northumberland County as well. That growth is reflected in the 6,103 clients in the area who received services last year through Five Counties.
As part of its 50th festivities, Five Counties is planning family-friendly events at each of its sites, including one in Campbellford on May 27, another in Cobourg in late June, one over the summer in Minden, another in Lindsay on September 6, and one in Peterborough on September. 27.
The centre is also featuring monthly stories from current and former clients, parents, families, staff, volunteers and supporters reflecting on their experiences and successes at Five Counties. These stories and more information are available at www.fivecounties.on.ca/50years/.
Toronto indie country folk-pop singer-songwriter Angela Saini will be performing an acoustic show at The Black Horse in downtown Peterborough on Saturday evening. (Photo: Cassandra Popescu)
Every Thursday, kawarthaNOW publishes live music events at pubs and restaurants in Peterborough and the greater Kawarthas region based on information that musicians provide directly or that venues post on their websites or social media channels. Here are the listings for the week of Thursday, March 27 to Wednesday, April 2.
If you’re a musician or venue owner and want to be included in our weekly listings, email our nightlifeNOW editor at nightlife@kawarthanow.com. For concerts and live music events at other venues, check out our Concerts & Live Music page.
With the exception of karaoke, we only list events with performing musicians. Venues may also host other events during the week (e.g., dancing, DJs, comedy shows).
7:30-8:30pm - Open mic; 8:30pm - Yackbard w/ Harrison Ford F-150 and Bouquet ($10 in advance at https://www.ticketscene.ca/events/51263/ or PWYC, with proceeds to support families in Gaza)
Kerry Griffin and Linda Kash perform in "A Christmas Carol Comedy" at Peterborough's Market Hall in December 2024, presented by New Stages Peterborough. The non-profit theatre company is one of four arts organizations recommended to receive the maximum $15,000 grant under the City of Peterborough's community investment grant program. Meeting as general committee on March 31, 2025, Peterborough city council will be asked to endorse recommendations for a total of $188,135 in community project grants and community investment grants to 43 community organizations. (Photo: Dahlia Katz)
Due to the weekend ice storm, the general committee meeting originally scheduled for 6 p.m. on Monday, March 31 has been rescheduled to 3 p.m. on Monday, April 7 and will be followed by the regularly scheduled council meeting at 6 p.m.
Peterborough city council will be asked to approve a total of $188,135 in new grants to 43 community organizations in 2025, including the maximum $15,000 community investment grant to the Kawartha Youth Orchestra, New Stages Peterborough, Peterborough Academy of Circus Arts, and Peterborough Symphony Orchestra.
When they meet as general committee on Monday afternoon (April 7), councillors will receive a city staff report that recommends $20,965 in community project grants to 24 organizations and $167,170 in community investment grants to 19 organizations.
The report also notes that $36,900 in previously approved funding will be provided to four organizations, representing the third and final year of a multi-year funding agreement, for a total of $204,070 in expenditures for community investment grants to 23 organizations.
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The grant recommendations come four months after city council voted against a proposed 25 per cent in funding to the city’s community projects grants and community investment grants program in the city’s draft 2025 budget, following strong public opposition about the potential impact of the cuts.
According to the staff report, the city’s community project grant program — which has a maximum grant of $1,000 for eligible organizations — received 37 applications for funding. A committee comprised of city staff reviewed the applications, and determined five organizations were ineligible to receive the grants.
The city’s community investment grant program, which has a maximum grant of $15,000 for eligible organizations, received 22 applications for funding. A committee comprised of appointed citizens reviewed the applications and recommended grants for 19 organizations.
The total approved 2025 budget for the community project grants program is $20,965, with $204,070 approved for the community investment grants program.
A complete list of the organizations recommended to receive grants and the amounts is shown below.
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Community Project Grant Recommended Funding – $20,965
Social services
Hearts 4 Joy Skills Development Project – $1,000
Operation Catnip – $1,000
Peterborough Gleans – $1,000
Selah House – $1,000
Canopy Support Services-FASD Program – $850
Volunteer Peterborough – $850
Bangladesh Association of Peterborough Canada (BAPC) – $830
All Saints’ Anglican Church – $600
Peterborough Humane Society – $600
Arts
10-Minute Sunday Festival – $1,000
First Friday Peterborough – $1,000
Nogojiwanong Indigenous Fringe Festival – $1,000
Peterborough Friends in Music Community Band – $1,000
Peterborough Pop Ensemble – $600
Health
Food for Kids Peterborough and County Student Nutrition Programs (Peterborough Public Health) – $1,000
Peterborough Veterinary Outreach – $1,000
Quilts for Cancer Peterborough County – $1,000
Environment
Bonaccord Community Garden – $1,000
The Monarch Ultra – $1,000
Kawartha Wildlife Centre – $850
Culture
Abraham Festival – $850
Indo-Canadian Association of The Kawarthas – $800
Peterborough Chinese Community Organization – $600
Sports
Quaker Park Tennis Club – $535
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Community Investment Grant Recommended Funding – $167,170
Arts
Kawartha Youth Orchestra – $15,000
New Stages Peterborough – $15,000
Peterborough Academy of Circus Arts – $15,000
Peterborough Symphony Orchestra – $15,000
Peterborough Children’s Chorus – $13,000
Peterborough Theatre Users Group – The Theatre on King – $10,250
Artisans Centre Peterborough – $7,500
Art School of Peterborough – $4,200
Peterborough New Horizons Bands – $1,600
Social services
Heads Up For Inclusion – $10,000
Telecare Distress Centre of Peterborough Inc – $10,000
Bedford House / Bridges Peterborough – $7,500
PARD Therapeutic Riding – $5,000
Sports
Peterborough Swim Club – $11,000
Kawartha Komets Special Needs Hockey Program – $10,000
Environment
Camp Kawartha – $5,620
Kawartha World Issues Centre (KWIC) – $4,500
Peterborough Bicycle Advisory Committee Inc. – $2,000
Culture
Trent Radio – $5,000
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Community Investment Grant Confirmed Multi-year Funding – $36,900
Year 3 of 3
ReFrame Film Festival – $15,000
Public Energy Performing Arts – $9,900
B!KE: The Peterborough Community Bike Shop – $7,000
Peterborough Concert Band – $5,000
Items endorsed by general committee on April 7 will be considered for final approval in a regular city council meeting following the general committee meeting.
Norm Lamothe of Woodleigh Farms in Cavan stands in front of his new pyrolysis unit. This machinery is part of a system that will ultimately produce biochar, a carbon-sequestering beneficial soil amendment, from waste wood. (Photo courtesy of Lamothe family)
Nestled in the rolling hills of Cavan, Woodleigh Farms is a six-generation family farm that’s quickly transforming into a hub of agricultural research and innovation.
Each week, GreenUP provides a story related to the environment. This week’s story is by Jackie Donaldson, Green Economy Peterborough Hub Coordinator, GreenUP.
Once welcomed to this picturesque yet unassuming property, visitors learn that beyond farming, the Lamothe family have another goal: to demonstrate that the secret of becoming an economically successful and environmentally sustainable family farm is to regenerate the organic material and nutrients in soil that’s been lost through decades of agricultural practice.
Woodleigh Farms grows grain and hay, raises sheep, produces maple syrup, and operates a market garden, all on about 500 acres. Like other family farms, Norm Lamothe and his family have witnessed some of the changes and challenges farmers face to maintain their livelihood.
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“I want to prove that a small farm can be successful and can feed a family,” Lamothe says. “We’re blending concepts together and proving that we can make money, be ecologically sustainable, and not have the need to expand our acres.”
Lamothe believes that one such concept is to use waste wood and biomass to support soil health.
In North America, agricultural practices have depleted organic matter by 50 per cent over the last 100 years, meaning most farmers today apply amendments and practices that contribute notably to both their costs and carbon footprint.
Residue is collected from the forest floor to be used in Woodleigh Farms’ Catching Carbon pilot project to improve soil health and reduce the need for fertilizers by producing biochar out of waste wood and biomass. (Photo courtesy of Lamothe family)
Woodleigh Farms, a member of Green Economy Peterborough — a GreenUP program for local businesses that recognize the necessity of transitioning to a low carbon economy — has set a target to become operationally net zero.
In addition to introducing best practices like cover cropping, rotational grazing, and composting at Woodleigh Farms, the Lamothes are piloting the Catching Carbon project, a first-of-its-kind-in-Canada project to produce and trial biochar, a carbon-sequestering organic amendment that supports crop and soil health.
Biochar is a stable form of carbon produced through pyrolysis — the heating of an organic material, such as biomass, in the absence of oxygen.
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Through the Catching Carbon project, Woodleigh Farms will transform biomass and wood chips from local, unmarketable, unusable sources into an amendment that is able sequester up to four tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) per tonne of biochar.
“We’re taking waste materials and converting them into something meaningful,” Lamothe explains.
The biochar facility is a marvel of circular economy thinking, which promotes the sustainable reuse of what already exists rather than the production of new goods. Wood chips are carefully processed through a system that captures and reuses gases, minimizing waste and emissions.
A form of charcoal, biochar is a carbon-sequestering soil amendment made by heating waste wood and biomass in a non-oxygenated environment. This creates a product that improves soil porosity, water retention, nutrient cycling, and provides habitat for soil microbes. (Photo courtesy of Lamothe family)
The resulting biochar acts like an “apartment building for microbes,” improving soil porosity, water retention, and nutrient cycling.
By introducing biochar, Lamothe expects to reduce fertilizer costs and improve crop yields.
“When you have an economic benefit and a sustainability benefit, those are the wins for me. These are not decisions based in emotion. It’s crystal clear.”
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Over time, Lamothe and the numerous academic and agricultural partners he is working with hope that Catching Carbon can be scaled up, marketed, and shared with others.
“We see our projects as a knowledge-transfer opportunity,” he says.
With agriculture on the front line of climate change, Woodleigh Farms represents a new breed of farmer — data-driven, environmentally conscious, and economically savvy.
Woodleigh Farms in Cavan creates their own compost using waste wood they collect from the municipality. Eventually, biochar will be added to this compost for distribution in their fields. (Photo courtesy of Lamothe family)
Lamothe’s message is simple: sustainability is not a sacrifice, but a strategic advantage.
“I’m not here to say I have all the answers,” he states. “I’m here to prove that things can be done differently.”
And in doing so, Woodleigh Farms is cultivating hope for a more sustainable agricultural future.
Woodleigh Farms is a lead member of GreenUP’s Green Economy Peterborough (GEP) program. GEP works with business owners to understand and strategically implement actions to reduce climate impact and increase efficiency. To learn more about what GEP can do for your business, email jackie.donaldson@greenup.on.ca or visit www.greeneconomypeterborough.ca.
Canadian rocker Kim Mitchell will make his fifth appearance at Peterborough Musicfest, performing songs from Max Webster and his solo career during a free-admission concert at Del Crary Park in downtown Peterborough on August 16, 2025 to close out the festival's 38th season. (Photo: Al Pettman)
Canadian rocker Kim Mitchell will be making his fifth appearance at Peterborough Musicfest, performing at Del Crary Park on Saturday, August 16 to close out the festival’s 38th season.
Festival organizers made the announcement on Thursday (March 27), one month to the day after they announced Juno award-winning Serena Ryder will be opening the season on June 28.
“We are absolutely thrilled to welcome Kim Mitchell back to Musicfest for our closing night,” says Peterborough Musicfest executive director Tracey Randall in a media release. “He’s a Canadian rock legend, and we know this will be an incredible show.”
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“In times when the news is often heavy, it’s great to have something like Musicfest to look forward to,” Randall added. “Being able to offer world-class live music to our community — completely free of charge thanks to our sponsors — is something we are incredibly proud of.”
Mitchell, who will be 73 when he takes to the Fred Anderson Stage, was born and raised in Sarnia in southwestern Ontario. In his early twenties, he began playing with local bands in Sarnia before forming the progressive hard rock band Max Webster in Toronto in 1972 with his childhood friend Pye Dubois.
With Mitchell and lyricist Dubois writing most of the band’s material, Max Webster released six studio albums from 1976 to 1981, recording hit singles such “Waterline”, “Paradise Skies”, “Let Go the Line”, “A Million Vacations”, “Diamonds Diamonds”, “High Class in Borrowed Shoes”, “Hangover”, and “Check”.
VIDEO: “Lager & Ale” – Max Webster
VIDEO: “Paradise Skies” – Max Webster
Max Webster also toured heavily during this time, usually playing 200 to 250 shows each year in venues of all sizes, from bars and high school auditoriums to theatres and arenas.
They opened for big-name artists including Bachman–Turner Overdrive, Blondie, The Cars, Cheap Trick, Peter Gabriel, Genesis, The Guess Who, Kansas, Ted Nugent, REO Speedwagon, Styx, Rush, and more — with one notable exception being KISS.
Many years later, when Mitchell was a host on Toronto classic rock radio station Q107, he interviewed KISS frontman Gene Simmons and asked him why KISS never took Max Webster out as support. “That’s easy — you were too good,” Simmons said.
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By 1978, Max Webster were headliners in most major Canadian markets, although they continued to tour extensively with Rush outside of Canada, supporting the band over 200 times.
However, in the space of a few years, a lack of support from their American record label stalled Max Webster’s career. That lack of support, combined with the departure of key band members, led Mitchell to dissolve Max Webster in 1981.
The following year, Mitchell began his solo career, developing a new sound and releasing a self-titled mini-album. In 1984, he released his debut full-length solo album Akimbo Alogo, which produced the songs “All We Are”, “Feel it Burn”, “Lager & Ale”, and the lead single “Go for Soda” — his only charting single on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.
VIDEO: “Go for A Soda” – Kim Mitchell
VIDEO: “Patio Lanterns” – Kim Mitchell
With lyrics by his Max Webster bandmate Dubois, “Go for Soda” remains Mitchell’s best-known song outside of his Canada. It served as the campaign theme for Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) in the U.S., was featured in the opening scene of a 1985 Miami Vice episode, and was used in a series of television commercials for the U.S. soft drink Mr. Pibb.
Mitchell’s seven subsequent albums saw a string of hit singles including “All We Are”, “Patio Lanterns”, “Easy To Tame”, “Rock And Roll Duty”, “Rockland Wonderland”, and “America”.
He has won three Juno Awards, including Most Promising Male Vocalist in 1983, Album of the Year in 1988 for his second solo album Shakin’ Like A Human Being, and Male Vocalist of the Year in 1990.
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Although Mitchell has only released two albums in the last 25 years (2007’s Ain’t Life Amazing and 2020’s The Big Fantasize), he continues to tour and perform songs from Max Webster and his solo records.
“I don’t stress out about all the stuff around being a touring musician any more,” Mitchell said in a May 2016 interview with Jim Barber of MusicLifeMagazine.net. “I am where I am in my life and my career, so I am just going up there and relax and do my thing.”
“I am all about customer service. People are coming out to hear certain songs and hear me playing them. But they have been morphing and going through some changes. So Go For A Soda sounds a little different the way we play it on a given night. And we will start to jam out on some of the songs and be a little freer with the arrangements. I like to give people what they want.”
Mitchell last appeared at Musicfest in 2017, opening the season with a Canada Day concert as part of the country’s 150th birthday celebrations in Peterborough. In 2012, his August 4th appearance was cut short by bad weather, but he returned on August 21st to play a full show before thousands of classic rock fans. He also performed at Del Crary Park in 1997 and 2002.
A coalition of 33 local businesses, associations, municipalities, and community members have united to launch "Prosper in Northumberland," described as a collaborative initiative to champion local businesses and strengthen Northumberland County's economy, including in the Township of Alnwick/Haldimand, Municipality of Brighton, Town of Cobourg, Township of Cramahe, Township of Hamilton, Municipality of Port Hope (pictured), and Municipality of Trent Hills. (Photo: Northumberland Tourism
Northumberland County has announced the launch of a 33-member coalition poised to promote and bolster the local economy amidst growing economic challenges due to the ongoing tensions around international trade.
Called “Prosper in Northumberland,” the coalition is comprised of 33 Northumberland businesses, associations, municipalities, and community members.
The endeavour is a collaborative initiative intended to champion local businesses, strengthen the economy, “and stand proudly behind local goods and services,” a media release from Northumberland County noted.
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Prosper in Northumberland encompasses a commitment to making purchases locally, investing in homegrown businesses, and, ultimately, supporting the livelihoods of fellow Northumberland residents through these actions.
“Prosper in Northumberland is not just an initiative — it’s a movement,” the county noted. “Together, Northumberland organizations and residents will take action to build resilience and empower our community to thrive.”
Kate Campbell, Northumberland County’s director of communications, told kawarthaNOW the impetus for the coalition stems from meetings held earlier this winter of municipal CAOs and economic development officers in all seven municipalities.
They gathered in February to develop a coordinated response to the recent trade developments, particularly the U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods that were introduced earlier in March.
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“Local municipalities are working together to ensure Northumberland’s concerns are heard by all levels of government,” Northumberland County CAO Jennifer Moore told kawarthaNOW at the time. “We are teaming up to support local businesses, bolster our economy, and strengthen pride in our community.”
Now comes the roll-out of Prosper in Northumberland, which includes the measures listed below.
Support for local business owners
There will be workshops, resources, and training opportunities to help local entrepreneurs impacted by current economic conditions.
Stronger connections
The initiative will encompass new opportunities for business collaboration and mutual growth, including business-to-business partnerships and resources.
The return of a Buy Local campaign
“Starting with a fresh, reinvigorated campaign launching this spring,” Northumberland will be encouraging everyone in the community to make a pledge to redirect a specific portion of their shopping budget from online retailers or out-of-town stores to local businesses.
“By doing so, you’ll not only be helping to sustain jobs but also contribute to the growth of your local economy. This campaign is about making a statement that we are proudly Northumberland, proud to shop local, and proud to support Canadian businesses right here in Northumberland.”
Research and advocacy
Northumberland will be actively gathering data to understand the impact of trade tariffs and economic uncertainty in the community, “ensuring Northumberland voices and experiences are heard at all levels of government, and pushing for the support our businesses need to continue to grow.”
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The county said while the economic landscape is shifting, the resolve of the Northumberland community is strong.
“It is more important than ever before that we stand united to support and promote small business in Northumberland,” said Northumberland-Peterborough South MPP David Piccini in a statement. “I am proud to represent a community that works collaboratively in times of uncertainty to address the challenges ahead but also build an even more resilient and prosperous business environment.”
“Small business and local entrepreneurs are the backbone of our economy and by creating a network of support between businesses and encouraging all residents to buy locally where possible, Northumberland will come through this uncertain time more united than before.”
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Nancy Allanson, CEO of the Trent Hills Chamber of Commerce and chair of the Prosper in Northumberland Community Engagement & Consumer Initiatives Team, said the initiative allows the community a chance “to take a proactive approach to economic resilience.”
“By encouraging local purchasing, strengthening business connections, and fostering a shared commitment to economic sustainability, this initiative will create lasting benefits for businesses and residents alike,” Allanson said.
Northumberland County said it will be providing more details about the Prosper in Northumberland initiative and the revitalized Buy Local campaign in the coming weeks.
Environment Canada has issued a special weather statement for the entire Kawarthas region, saying a “potent spring ice storm” is likely over the weekend.
The special weather statement is in effect for Peterborough County, Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland County, Haliburton County, and Hastings Highlands.
According to Environment Canada, “confidence is increasing in a widespread, prolonged freezing rain event over portions of southern and northeastern Ontario” starting late Friday (March 28) and continuing through Monday.
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There will be significant ice accretion from freezing rain, with general amounts of 5 to 15 mm but, in some areas, over 20 mm are possible.
Local snowfall and ice pellet accumulations of 5 to 15 cm are also forecast, mainly for central and northeastern Ontario.
“The swath of maximum ice accretion is still uncertain at this point, but confidence is highest for areas of central and eastern Ontario between Parry Sound and Kingston,” Environment Canada says. “Warnings will be issued as the event draws nearer.”
Dr. Warren Ball, interventional cardiologist and head of cardiology at Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC), led a media tour of the hospital's upgraded cardiac catheterization laboratory on March 25, 2025, where he gave demonstrations of the state-of-the-art tools available in the cath lab's two suites while highlighting how essential the advancements are to patient care. The upgrades, which provide life-saving minimally invasive cardiac stenting and diagnosis for patients with heart disease, were funded through $3.55 million in community donations to the PRHC Foundation's $60-million Campaign for PRHC. (Photo: Jordan Lyall Photography / kawarthaNOW)
With the help of a $3.55 million investment from the community, the cardiac catheterization laboratory at the Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC) has been equipped with state-of-the-art technology that can stop a heart attack in its tracks.
On Tuesday afternoon (March 25) at the hospital, a media tour was held for the first time to showcase the two cardiac cath lab suites that were renovated and upgraded between September 2021 and December 2022 to allow doctors to perform minimally invasive cardiac procedures more safely and effectively using tools that didn’t exist when PRHC opened.
“The cath lab is one of the first investments that we made with $3.55 million investment fully funded by the community,” said PRHC Foundation president and CEO Lesley Heighway, who hosted the event. “Gifts of all levels brought this to fruition.”
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Upgrades to PRHC’s cath lab, which serves cardiac patients from the city and county of Peterborough, Kawartha Lakes, Haliburton County, North Hastings, Northumberland County, and Durham Region, were identified by the hospital as a priority care area when the PRHC Foundation first launched its $60 million Campaign for PRHC, the largest to date, in 2020.
Fundraising took place between 2020 and 2023 with grateful patients sharing their experiences and fundraising appeals going out to the public. Businesses, organizations, and individuals held their own fundraising challenges or gave through one-time or monthly donations to help bring world-class cardiac care to the regional hospital.
PRHC interventional cardiologist and head of cardiology Dr. Warren Ball led the media tour, giving demonstrations of the state-of-the-art tools in the two suites while highlighting how essential the advancements are to patient care.
As Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC) Foundation president and CEO Lesley Heighway looks on, interventional cardiologist and head of cardiology Dr. Warren Ball demonstrates equipment and technology at PRCH’s upgraded cardiac catheterization laboratory suites, which provide life-saving minimally invasive cardiac stenting and diagnosis for patients with heart disease, during a media tour on March 25, 2025. The upgrades were funded through $3.55 million in community donations to the PRHC Foundation’s $60-million Campaign for PRHC. (Photo: Jordan Lyall Photography / kawarthaNOW)
“Time is muscle as we say in the cath lab, so the sooner we get that blocker reopened, the less muscle damage and disability that you’re going to have going forward,” Dr. Ball said. “Having that care so close to home is essential.”
Coronary artery disease is caused by a buildup of fatty deposits (called plaque) on the walls of the artery that can block the flow of blood to the heart. Many people only find out they have the disease when they have a heart attack, which happens to somebody in Canada every seven minutes. Almost 16,000 Canadians die each year as a result of a heart attack — many before they even get to a hospital.
Interventional cardiologists open a blocked artery using percutaneous coronary intervention, commonly called angioplasty, which involves temporarily inserting and inflating a tiny balloon where the artery is clogged to help widen the artery. Angioplasty is often combined with a cardiac stenting procedure, where a small wire mesh tube called a stent is permanently placed in the artery to keep it open and decrease its chance of narrowing again.
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While PRHC began offering angioplasty procedures in 2012, preventing the need for patients in the region to travel to other hospitals for the treatment, Dr. Ball explained that what was then state-of-the-art technology no longer provided the high-resolution imagery needed to make the most accurate assessments.
Today, when PRHC’s interventional cardiologists perform an angiogram, which involves injecting dye into the arteries and using X-rays to identify blockages, the procedure results in the highest definition images possible, allow doctors to accurately diagnose and treat coronary blockages and stop heart attacks.
“That procedure might be as quick as half an hour to 45 minutes to get pictures and then the whole procedure to place the stent and fix it is maybe another 45 minutes,” said Dr. Ball. “In an hour or hour and a half the artery is open, and hopefully you’re feeling better — and we save some heart muscle.”
Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC) interventional cardiologist and head of cardiology Dr. Warren Ball and regional cardiac care coordinator Jeff Dunlop look at high-definition angiogram images of coronory blockages during a media tour of the hospital’s upgraded cardiac catheterization laboratory on March 25, 2025. The upgrades were funded through a $3.55 million in community donations to the PRHC Foundation’s $60-million Campaign for PRHC. (Photo: Jordan Lyall Photography / kawarthaNOW)
With the donor-funded upgrades, the cath lab suites now have the technology to seamlessly integrate multiple complementary imaging tools with bedside controls to dramatically shorten the time for even complex procedures, while delivering up to 75 per cent less radiation exposure to patients than the older generation systems.
“For patients, the amount of radiation they get is minuscule for one procedure,” Dr. Ball said, explaining the importance of minimizing exposure since the lifetime exposure to all forms of radiation, such as from chest X-rays, CAT scans, and angiograms, can increase cancer risk.
“The risk (from one procedure) is extremely low, but obviously if all parts of healthcare can deliver that high-quality care with as little risk as possible, that’s the benefit.”
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The two renovated suites opened in March 2022 and December 2022 respectively, and have since performed 5,872 cardiac procedures (as of March 16, 2025), averaging 2,500 procedures in a year, 300 of which included stenting while a heart attack was taking place.
Dr. Ball explained that there is still more to go when it comes to making advancements in cardiac care at PRHC. The next goal through the $60 million Campaign for PRHC is to add a third cath lab that will introduce minimally invasive electrophysiology technology to assess and diagnose electrical conditions of the heart, such as abnormal heart rhythms and arrhythmia.
“Those patients still have to go out of town to another bigger centre to have those procedures done,” Dr. Ball pointed out. “We’re trying to get that next foundational piece of our cardiac program brought to Peterborough.”
During a media tour of the upgraded cardiac catheterization laboratory at Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC) on March 25, 2025, PRHC interventional cardiologist and head of cardiology Dr. Warren Ball displays a small wire mesh tube called a stent that is permanently placed in a previously clogged artery to keep it open and decrease its chance of narrowing again. A cardiac stenting procedure often follows angioplasty, which involves temporarily inserting and inflating a tiny balloon where the artery is clogged to help widen the artery. (Photo: Jordan Lyall Photography / kawarthaNOW)
Heighway noted that, when PRHC was built, it included space for a third cardiac lab, “so that’s a key part of our $60 million campaign.”
Dr. Ball added that the addition of the third cath lab will mean the hospital will need to recruit additional specialists. Given that many physicians are studying with and learning from modern equipment and technology, those are the tools they are looking for when it comes to selecting a place of work.
“Having the latest and greatest technology is key in a time when there’s a doctor shortage and we’re trying to compete will all the hospitals across the country to bring new talent to town,” said Dr.Ball, who noted that PRHC’s recently hired interventional cardiologist came to the hospital in 2022 in part because of the cath lab upgrades.
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With a third cath lab for electrophysiology studies, Dr. Ball said, “we could literally say that we had the newest and latest criteria and technology in the entire province.”
Dr. Ball also noted the government doesn’t fund equipment and technology for hospitals, highlighting how essential the community donors were to making cath lab upgrades. Since 2020, $52.9 million has already been raised towards the PRHC Foundation’s $60 million goal.
“It’s the generosity of the foundation and their donors that fund all of these technologies,” Dr. Ball said. “We say thanks to the donors because without them, none of this is possible.”
Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC) interventional cardiologist and head of cardiology Dr. Warren Ball thanked donors during a media tour on March 25, 2025 of the hospital’s upgraded cardiac catheterization laboratory. The upgrades were funded through $3.55 million in community donations to the PRHC Foundation’s $60-million Campaign for PRHC. (Photo: Jordan Lyall Photography / kawarthaNOW)
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