Trent University has unveiled the crest for Gidigaa Migizi College, the university’s sixth college named in honour of the late Curve Lake First Nation Elder and former chief Douglas Williams (Gidigaa Migizi).

Designed by First Nations artist Jared Tait using a traditional Anishinaabeg woodland art style, the crest was unveiled at the Elders Gathering Feast Saturday evening (February 10) at Trent Athletic Centre during the 48th annual Elders and Traditional Peoples Gathering. At the unveiling, a special scarf featuring the new crest was presented to the Elders and members of Williams’ family, honouring them as the first members of the new college.

The much-beloved Williams, who passed away in July 2022, was an associate professor at Trent University and director of studies for the PhD program in Indigenous Studies, teaching the land-based course for the program. In Anishinaabemowin (the Ojibwe language), Gidigaa Migizi means spotted eagle.

The crest includes elements deeply symbolic to Gidigaa Migizi, incorporating his colours — deep blue, green, and turquoise — and featuring a spotted eagle representing his name as well as a pike representing his clan (Maashginoozhe). Human profiles within the spotted eagle symbolizes ancestral connections, while a portal — an element in First Nations art — represents the link to culture and tradition.

“This new emblem is rich in symbolism and deeply connected to the legacy of Gidigaa Migizi, the namesake for our sixth college,” says Marilyn Burns, Trent University’s vice president of communications and enrolment, in a media release.

“It reinforces the university’s commitment to fostering an inclusive and dynamic learning environment that especially recognizes the First Nations of this territory and the complexities of our shared history.”

According to the release, artist Jared Tait drew inspiration from his own heritage and the profound impact of Williams on the local Indigenous community.

“An important aspect of selecting Jared Tait for this crest was solidifying that his creative vision aligned with the college’s foundational values and embodied the Anishinaabeg’s rich traditions,” says Jack Hoggarth, chair of Anishinaabe knowledge and assistant professor from the Chanie Wenjack School for Indigenous Studies at Trent University.

“This choice reflects a thoughtful consideration of how art can perpetuate language and culture, ensuring the crest of Gidigaa Migizi College will be a meaningful tribute, honouring its namesake and the broader mission of Trent University.”

To ensure the crest appropriately honoured Gidigaa Migizi’s impact and the treaty and traditional land Trent University sits on, the university consulted with the Elders & Traditional Knowledge Keepers Council, which had originally recommended the college be named Gidigaa Migizi last year.

To be built on the east bank of Trent University’s Symons Campus in Peterborough, Gidigaa Migizi College will be the university’s sixth college, joining Champlain, Lady Eaton, Peter Gzowski, Otonabee, and Catharine Parr Traill. The colleges are scholarly communities comprising student residences, dining halls, and academic and administrative space.

With an anticipated opening of 2028, Gidigaa Migizi College will include as many as 700 new beds for first-year students along with classrooms, faculty offices, and student spaces.

VIDEO: Interview with crest designer Jared Tait

Kawartha Land Trust has announced the largest protected property purchase in the land conservation organization’s 22-year history: the new 1,411-acre Hammer Family Nature Preserve on the east shore of Pigeon Lake west of Lakehurst in Trent Lakes.

The charitable organization was able to purchase the property with the support of a $2.9-million investment from the Ontario government’s Greenlands Conservation Partnership, a $38-million program conserving ecologically important natural areas and protecting wetlands, grasslands, and forests that help mitigate the effects of climate change.

Kawartha Land Trust made the announcement on Monday (February 12) at an event on Sandy Point, located in the Hammer Family Nature Preserve, that was attended by the organization’s representatives along with Ontario Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks Andrea Khanjin, Curve Lake First Nation Chief Keith Knott, Peterborough-Kawartha MPP Dave Smith, Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock MPP Laurie Scott, and Trent Lakes Mayor Terry Lambshead.

“Kawartha Land Trust is extremely grateful for the government funding partners and private donors who made this ambitious project possible,” said Kawartha Land Trust executive director John Kintare in a media release. “The protection of this natural gem of the Kawarthas is an important investment in nature in the Kawarthas, and Ontario at large. It was only through our strong partnerships that we were able to achieve such a positive conservation outcome.”

Seven times larger than Emily Provincial Park at the south end of Pigeon Lake, the Hammer Family Nature Preserve is located less than a kilometre south of Kawartha Land Trust’s second-largest protected property, the Big Boyd (Chiminis) Island — the largest-known undeveloped island in the Kawarthas at 1,142 acres.

The Hammer Family Nature Preserve comprises 1,411 acres of forests, wetlands, fields, and natural shoreline along Pigeon Lake. It features more than 200 acres of wetlands, 183 of which include sections of the Bear Creek provincially significant wetland and the Fulton’s Bay – Oak Orchard wetland.

The Hammer Family Nature Preserve also features 700 acres of deep upland forest that provides habitat for species sensitive to disturbance and require large tracts of woodlands, like the at-risk wood thrush. Other species at risk that can be found on the property include Blanding’s turtle, monarch butterfly, golden-winged warbler, evening grosbeak, barn swallow, eastern meadowlark, butternut tree, and black ash tree.

“Today’s announcement marks one of the largest non-profit conservation projects in the Kawarthas and I am very proud of Ontario’s contribution through the Greenlands Conservation Partnership program,” said Minister Khanjin. “By working alongside strong conservation leaders, we have been able to leverage public and private funds to protect ecologically important natural areas for generations to come.”

Along with the $2.9 million in funding from the Ontario government and gifts from private donors, Kawartha Land Trust received funding from the federal government’s Nature Smart Climate Solutions Fund, a $1.4 billion 10-year fund administered by Environment and Climate Change Canada that helps conserve, restore, and enhance the management of ecosystems such as wetlands, forests, and grasslands.

“The support and financial investments from the Province of Ontario, Government of Canada, and private donors, has resulted in the creation of a regional and provincial community asset,” Kintare said. “This conservation outcome would also not have been possible without the countless contributions of (Kawartha Land Trust’s) dedicated community of volunteers, donors, partners, and supporters throughout our 22-year history. For that, I thank each and every one of you.”

“I want to thank Kawartha Land Trust for stepping forward and all the advocacy work and experience that they have in ensuring that our natural heritage and ecosystems are preserved for future generations,” said MPP Smith. “Kudos to Kawartha Land Trust for all they do and thank you for continuing to advocate for our environment this way.”

Unlike Big Boyd (Chiminis) Island, the Hammer Family Nature Preserve is not currently open to the public, although Kawartha Land Trust says the property will feature public access at a future date.

Kawartha Land Trust is currently developing a plan to consult with local stakeholders, Williams Treaties First Nations, and community partners to inform future stewardship plans, partnerships, and public access to the property.

The organization is also working on a public fundraising campaign to allow for the ongoing stewardship of the property, including habitat enhancement and restoration, species at risk surveys, property maintenance and monitoring, future trail maintenance, and other stewardship activities that may arise from the community consultation process.

Founded in 2001, Kawartha Land Trust currently protects 34 properties that include more than 6,700 acres of ecologically diverse lands in the Kawarthas every year.

Students are back in class at St. John II Paul Catholic Elementary School in Lindsay after police temporarily evacuated the school on Monday morning (February 12) following the discovery of a suspicious object on school grounds.

The school, located at 130 Orchard Park Rd., contacted Kawartha Lakes police after a staff member found the suspicious object at around 8:30 a.m.

As a safety precaution, police evacuated staff and students to the library and gymnasium at nearby Parkview Public School.

Police then conducted a thorough search of the school and grounds and investigated the suspicious object, which they determined was not a threat.

“There is absolutely no threat to public safety,” reads a media release from Kawartha Lakes Police. “Therefore the scene has been released and the school has been reopened.”

Students and staff began returning to the school after 10 a.m.

According to an update to families from school principal Michael DeMaeyer, the suspicious object was cylindrical and appeared to have attached wires.

Update: KL Police have cleared the scene following an investigation. Police have determined there is no threat to the school community. Students and staff will make their way back from Parkview Public School to proceed with the school day. https://t.co/idTFw9elS2

— PVNCCDSB (@PVNCCDSB) February 12, 2024

Peterborough police are investigating a break and enter at Millbrook Foodland early Saturday morning (February 10).

At around 5:40 a.m., Peterborough police received a call from an employee who had arrived at work at the grocery store at 6 Centre Street in Millbrook.

There was extensive damage to the store, with cigarettes reported stolen.

Police believed the incident happened sometime between 2:30 a.m. and 5:40 a.m. on Saturday morning.

After remaining closed for the initial police investigation and for clean-up, the grocery store reopened later Saturday morning.

Anyone with information is asked to call Peterborough police at 705-876-1122 x555 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at www.stopcrimehere.ca

Police are warning the public of a potential threat to public safety after issuing an arrest warrant for a 28-year-old man wanted in connection with a robbery and aggravated assault in Minden that took place early Friday morning (February 9).

Shortly after 4:30 a.m. on Friday, officers with the Haliburton Highlands Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) responded to an assault and robbery with a weapon at a home on Parkside Street in Minden. The victim was transported to Haliburton hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

On Saturday afternoon, police released a description of the suspect and advised the public he was considered a potential threat to public safety. On Sunday afternoon, police issued a warrant for the arrest of 28-year-old Michael Gunn of Minden on charges of robbery using firearm, aggravated assault, and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose.

Gunn is described as 6’1″ (185 cm) with a thin build, short brown hair, light-brown partial beard, and blue eyes. He has a tattoo of the Canadian flag with a cross on his right forearm, and a tattoo of a female on his left forearm.

Police have released a photo of Gunn, who they believe has a weapon and is considered a potential threat to public safety. If seen, call 9-1-1 and do not approach.

Anyone with any information regarding this incident or the whereabouts of Gunn is asked to contact the OPP at 1-888-310-1122. To remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or online at www.khcrimestoppers.com, where you may be eligible to receive a cash reward of up to $2,000.

Bringing a new family physician on board at the newcomer clinic in Peterborough, could be a win for the entire community, a Peterborough family doctor says.

As the Peterborough Newcomer Health Clinic (PNHC) continues its efforts to recruit a second physician, Dr. Madura Sundareswaran said she envisions a situation that will benefit other residents too, in addition to the clinic’s newcomer clients.

“My hope is that another doctor at the PNHC is another doctor for our community,” Dr. Sundareswaran told kawarthaNOW.

“The reality is, I am hoping that recruiting for the PNHC will actually supplement recruitment efforts for the city at large,” Dr. Sundareswaran said. “Current trends suggest that by 2026, Peterborough will need a total of 29 full-time family physicians to meet the need for the growing number of unattached patients.”

Currently, there are about 20,000 people without a family physician, she noted.

“In the ideal situation, we are finding family physicians who would also consider taking over a retiring family physician’s practice or willing to join a family practice to help the community at large. I would like to be able to offer supplemental work at the PNHC as a unique opportunity.”

The PNHC is a transitional clinic for immigrants and refugees in Peterborough city or county. The clinic provides short-term medical care for up to six months. The clinic was developed as a pilot project to evaluate and assess the need of such a service for newcomer clients and help structure future programming.

“Since we began operations in January of 2023, we quickly surpassed our target of 50 clients having completed a total of 92 intake assessments for new clients between January and December of 2023,” Dr. Sundareswaran said. “At our current capacity, even a target of 100 new intakes per year would be insufficient to meet the needs of all refugee newcomers in their first year in Canada.”

She suspects recruiting a family doctor for the PNHC mirrors the challenges other clinics and practices are currently experiencing related to physician recruitment efforts.

“I am hopeful but at times disheartened,” the doctor said.

She cites inadequate physician compensation, lack of support for team-based care, increased administrative burden for physicians, and fewer medical students choosing family medicine for their careers, as some of the reasons for the family physician shortage.

However, Dr. Sundareswaran is optimistic that “with a little thinking outside the box,” the clinic could be successful in its efforts.

“Collaborating with community partners, and with incredible support from the Peterborough Family Health Team, New Canadians Centre, Greater Peterborough Health Services Foundation, and a recent grant from the Foundation for Advancing Family Medicine/College of Family Physicians of Canada, we have developed a practice model that we hope is somewhat attractive and compensates physicians fairly for the work that they will do in this clinic. But competitive compensation would not be possible without the generous support or our partner organizations.”

The PNHC recently received the Racialized Communities Leadership Grant in Family Medicine to help offset some of its costs — medical supplies and the electronic medical records system.

The grant covers expenses at $5,000 per year, therefore the success of the next two years depends on ongoing in-kind support from partners, she explained.

“First and foremost, my hope is that another doctor at the PNHC is another doctor for our community. A family physician to care for the numerous patients without one, and a family physician who may consider taking some of our PNHC clients who are often discharged without a family doctor after their six-to-nine-month transition with our program.”

The PNHC, with Dr. Sundareswaran at the helm as its sole physician, is a partnership between the New Canadians Centre, Peterborough Family Health Team, and the Greater Peterborough Health Services Foundation.

The PNHC operates on a referral-only basis with clients being referred directly to the clinical team from the resettlement assistance program at the New Canadians Centre. To date, clients eligible for the PNHC’s services must be within one year of settlement, have OHIP coverage, and cannot have a family physician already in Ontario.

Between March 2022-2023, Peterborough welcomed 152 government-assisted refugees to its community. Those newcomers did not include Ukrainian refugees who arrived in Canada via the Canada Ukraine authorization for emergency travel program, privately sponsored refugees, or refugee claimants in the community.

“I would love to have a new physician to increase the number of patients we are able to provide services for in a year,” Dr. Sundareswaran said. “I would aim for a total of 150 patients per year with an additional half day per week of additional physician time. If this physician is as passionate about the work, then I would love to collaborate with them to continue to develop the services we offer at the PNHC, especially around health promotion and advocacy.”

Health care overall in Peterborough received some good news recently, with a provincial government injection of $110 million in funding for primary health care teams in the province. Of that amount, the newly established Peterborough Community Health Centre (CHC) will receive more than $3 million as an initial investment.

Ontario minister of health Sylvia Jones made the funding announcement February 1 during a media conference at the Peterborough Family Health Team offices. It’s the first new community health centre funded in Ontario in more than 15 years.

“We are thrilled that the need in Peterborough has been recognized,” said Jonathan Bennett, board chair of the Peterborough CHC, in response to the announcement. “Community health centres have demonstrated success in responding to homelessness, addictions, and providing effective health care to groups that struggle to connect to services.”

According to Bennett, the non-profit organization will be working with Ontario Health East — part of Ontario Health, an agency created by the Ontario government to connect, coordinate, and modernize the province’s health care system — to determine next steps, including hiring initial staff and seeking out short-term locations from which to offer services.

Northumberland County residents continue to have growing access to medical specialists with the addition of two neurologists to the medical team at Northumberland Hills Hospital (NHH) in west Northumberland.

NHH recently announced the recruitment of two neurologists, Dr. Karen Ho and Dr. Courtney Anne Scott.

With the support of NHH’s telemedicine co-ordinator, the two doctors will support local primary care providers and specialists by offering virtual neurology consultations through the Ontario Telemedicine Network (OTN).

The neurologists will offer the consultations for reasons including, but not limited to, stroke and transient ischemic attack, multiple sclerosis, demyelination, seizures, epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, movement disorders, and vertigo.

Over the past decade, Northumberland residents’ ability to access specialty care and specialists has been expanded as a result of the virtual opportunities provided by the OTN, Jennifer Gillard, NHH’s vice-president of patient experience, public affairs and strategic partnerships, told kawarthaNOW.

NHH has used the OTN platform in an effort to provide specialized services for patients close to home, while reducing wait times.

“NHH has made a conscious effort in recent years to better connect local patients to specialized (and often hard to access) medical expertise through technology, specifically the (OTN),” said NHH’s Dr.Mukesh Bhargava, chief of staff, in a media release.

“Building on past successes in mental health, rheumatology, and genetics, we have also been successful at enhancing local access to neurologists through OTN. The recruitment of doctors Ho and Scott builds on that.”

The OTN, one of the largest telemedicine networks in the world, uses two-way videoconferencing to provide access to care for patients in hospitals and other health care locations in a way that’s aimed to be efficient and accessible for both patients and providers.

“We are excited to begin 2024 by welcoming these two neurologists to NHH’s clinical team, and in doing so, continuing to make progress toward our strategic priority of connected care, close to home,” said Susan Walsh, NHH president and CEO, in the release.

“Please join us in extending a warm welcome to Dr. Ho and Dr. Scott and thank them for taking this opportunity, through virtual technologies, to bring their specialized and much-needed expertise to patients in west Northumberland County.”

Dr. Ho is a consultant neurologist serving inpatient, remote and outpatient neurologic populations. She has practised as a general neurologist for nine years, while running a busy ambulatory practice in addition to teaching medical students, NHH noted.

She completed both her Doctor of Medicine and training in adult neurology at Queen’s University in Kingston. Prior to medical school, Dr. Ho earned an Honours Bachelor of Science in immunology with high distinction from the University of Toronto.

“I am excited to be joining the NHH medical team through the (OTN),” Dr. Ho said in a statement.

“My priorities as a specialist have always been to provide excellent and compassionate clinical care. I look forward to supporting the patients of west Northumberland County and
expanding treatment options for neurological diseases within this growing community.”

Dr. Scott is a neurologist who specializes in general and vascular neurology. Since 2017, she has worked at Mackenzie Health, a district stroke centre, in Richmond Hill, Ontario.

She completed both her Doctor of Medicine and neurology residency at University of Toronto. In addition to her medical training, Dr. Scott completed a fellowship in vascular neurology at Boston Medical Center in Boston.

“I am thankful for the warm welcome to (NHH) and Northumberland County,” said Dr. Scott in the release.

“Through my work with the OTN clinic, I am looking forward to collaborating with area providers to better support patients with general and vascular neurological conditions,” Dr. scott said.

NHH asks referring providers to complete the NHH clinical telemedicine consult request. Patients are then scheduled and notified of their appointment, and any specific details, by the NHH OTN nurse.

For a list of virtual services being offered through NHH, visit the hospital’s website at nhh.ca/Patients/PatientCareServices/virtual-care.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau quietly visited Peterborough on Thursday afternoon (February 8) where he toured the city’s new $10-million net zero carbon fire station under construction at 100 Marina Boulevard and met with firefighters.

The visit was not included on the Prime Minister’s official itinerary for Thursday and media were not invited to attend.

Photos posted on social media by the City of Peterborough show Trudeau with Peterborough mayor Jeff Leal, the city’s chief administrative officer Jasbir Raina, Peterborough County warden Bonnie Clark, and Peterborough Fire Services chief Chris Snetsinger, among others.

The prime minister’s office also posted photos on social media of Trudeau meeting with firefighters at the station.

Trudeau’s visit comes two weeks after the federal government and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities announced the city will be receiving a total of $9.3 million in loans and grants through the Green Municipal Fund for the new fire station, located at the former location of Northcrest Arena.

The new facility will replace the existing Fire Station 2 on Carnegie Avenue, which was built in 1967, and will be the city’s first building designed, built, and certified as a zero carbon building for both performance and design categories. The green design is expected to save the city an estimated $24,270 per year in operational costs.