Habitat for Humanity Peterborough & Kawartha Region (PKR) is encouraging area students in grades 4 through 6 to enter the national 2025 "Meaning of Home" contest. Each area contest submission will raise $10 for Habitat for Humanity PKR, and the contest includes three grand prizes of $30,000 and nine runner-up prizes of $10,000 for the winning students' local Habitats for Humanity. In 2023, a submission from grade 6 student Ellyot W. from St. Catherine Catholic Elementary School in Peterborough won $10,000 for Habitat PKR. (Graphic: Habitat PKR)
Habitat for Humanity Peterborough & Kawartha Region (PKR) is inviting young area students to describe what home means to them and, in doing so, help support the organization’s local affordable housing efforts.
Habitat PKR is once again participating in the annual nationwide Habitat for Humanity contest called “Meaning of Home”. It involves students in grades 4 through 6 writing a short essay or poem to answer the question “What does home mean to you?”
For every contest submission, $10 will be donated on that student’s behalf to their local Habitat organization. At the conclusion of the contest, each grade will have one grand prize winner and three runners-up. Grand prize winners will receive a $30,000 grant for their local Habitat for Humanity, plus an iPad and a pizza party for their class. Runners-up will receive a $10,000 grant for their local Habitat, as well as an iPad and pizza party for their class.
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“This initiative is so meaningful because it connects students with the concept of home while directly addressing the urgent need for affordable housing in our community,” Holly O’Connor, communications and marketing manager for Habitat PKR, told kawarthaNOW.
“Last year alone, we received over 300 calls from families and individuals seeking affordable housing. Every single student entry translates into $10 from Sagen to help us fund our upcoming multi-unit build projects right here in Peterborough and the Kawartha region. It’s a powerful example of how small actions, like writing an essay or poem, can create lasting change for local families in need.”
In the past, Habitat PKR has been fortunate to have local students win top prizes resulting in $10,000 grants for the organization, she noted.
“These funds are essential as we work toward providing affordable homeownership opportunities for families, seniors, and individuals, offering them stability, security, and the opportunity to thrive in our community,” O’Connor said.
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O’Connor also hopes students take away something meaningful by participating in the project.
“We hope this contest inspires students to reflect on the importance of home and understand the impact it has on their lives and the lives of others that surround them,” she said.
“Through their essays and poems, we often see children sharing their heartfelt thoughts and emotions about what home means to them, and it is a powerful reminder of why affordable and safe housing is critical in our community. Beyond that, it’s also an opportunity for kids to see how their voices, creativity and compassion can contribute to impactful real-world solutions for families in their community.”
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For Habitat PKR, the best outcome would be receiving as many entries as possible, and hopefully surpassing last year’s 305 entries.
“The funds from this contest can help us move closer to building the homes that local families and individuals need. But just as importantly, it’s about building awareness. When children, teachers, and parents engage in conversations about housing, it plants seeds of empathy and advocacy that can grow into long-term community support for affordable housing.”
There are three grand prizes of $30,000 grants, along with up for grabs through the contest.
In 2023, an entry from a student attending Saint Catherine Catholic Elementary School in Peterborough generated a $10,000 grant for the second phase of Habitat PKR’s Leahy’s Lane development.
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The deadline for entries for the 2025 contest is February 21.
For more information about the contest and to enter, visit www.meaningofhome.ca.
Since its inception in 2007, the Meaning of Home contest has raised more than $2.7 million in support of Habitat for Humanity in Canada, with more than 120,000 students from across Canada participating. The contest is sponsored by Sagen, Canada’s largest private default mortgage insurance provider.
Peterborough Symphony Orchestra music director Michael Newnham will be conducting the orchestra as they perform music from popular cinema for the third concert of the orchestra's 2024-25 season at Showplace Performance Centre on February 1 and February 2, 2025. "Indiana Jones meets The Godfather" will include music from acclaimed composers Nino Rota and John Williams among others. (Photo: Huw Morgan)
The Peterborough Symphony Orchestra (PSO) is making you an offer you can’t refuse.
The non-profit charity is presenting not one but two performances of its highly anticipated third concert of the 2024-25 season. Coming to life at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, February 1 and again at 3 p.m. on Sunday, February 2, “Indiana Jones meets The Godfather” will immerse audiences at Showplace Performance Centre in the masterful scores of some of the most popular and recognizable films in the history of cinema.
“Both of these movies came out a long time ago and they’ve been ingrained in our culture,” says PSO music director and conductor Michael Newnham. “I’m interested in showing an audience and an orchestra how great the music actually is, when you take away the other things like the film and the images and you just listen to the music by itself.”
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“Indiana Jones meets The Godfather” will mark the second year in a row the PSO is taking audiences to the movies. Last year’s “Popcorn, Please!” concert featured music from the cult classics Star Wars, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, and the James Bond and Lord of the Rings franchises, and proved to be immensely popular.
“It was sold out well in advance and we had to accommodate some people at the rehearsals because it was so successful,” Newnham recalls. “We had so many comments from audiences asking to do more of this kind of thing. It’s something I’ve wanted to do with PSO for a long time because I’m a big fan of film scores.”
While the works of American composer and conductor John Williams were heavily featured in last season’s concert, it was the score of 1972’s The Godfather that inspired Newnham to select the compositions for this year’s movie music concert.
VIDEO: “The Godfather – Suite” by Nino Rota performed by Mannheimer Philharmoniker
“The Godfather is — like for a lot of men — one of my favourite movies,” he says. “I think I’ve seen it well over 20 times and I’ve always loved the soundtrack from it. Nino Rota is one of the great composers of the 20th century.”
Alongside The Godfather, the Italian composer is known for the scores of films directed by Federico Fellini including 1960’s La Dolce Vita and 1963’s 8½. Other works include the scores for 1968’s Romeo and Juliet, and 1954’s La Strada.
“His style is a combination of very instantly recognizable melodies and a certain drama that sounds a bit operative, which fits The Godfather really well,” says Newnham. “But the other thing is there’s a humour and a circus element in his music that you hear also in The Godfather and there’s something funny about it. It’s a combination of comic and the tragic that goes together, which I think personifies the Italian culture and that’s what draws me to this music so much.”
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During the concert, The Godfather’s score will be paired alongside the compositions found in the Indiana Jones franchise.
“For a concert to have a really good identity, you want to find another iconic movie figure that’s associated with great movie music and I knew Indiana Jones was a good example of that because of John Williams,” Newnham says. “Who doesn’t love John Williams and who doesn’t love the idea of Indiana Jones? I thought juxtaposing this idea of Harrison Ford with the fedora cap and the whip against The Godfather seems so ridiculous and funny, but I knew it would work.”
In addition to Star Wars, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, and Indiana Jones, Williams has composed some of the world’s recognizable and critically acclaimed film scores. His other work includes 1975’s Jaws, 1977’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind, 1990’s Home Alone, 1993’s Jurassic Park, 1993’s Schindler’s List, 1998’s Saving Private Ryan, and the first three films in the Harry Potter series.
VIDEO: “Raiders March” by John Williams with Vienna Philharmonic
“John Williams is one of the greatest composers alive and the music he wrote for the Indiana Jones movies is instantly recognizable. It’s really challenging for an orchestra, and it’s really colourful and rhythmic,” Newnham says. “You can’t get away from John Williams.”
Other compositions audiences will recognize during the concert include compositions from 1980’s Raging Bull (Italian composer Pietro Mascagni), 1984’s Once Upon a Time in America (Italian composer Ennio Morricone), and the Pirates of the Caribbean series — the last of which was written under the direction of Hans Zimmer who Newnham labels as “one of the most important film composers.”
Both performances of “Indiana Jones meets The Godfather” will be preceded by a “Meet the Maestro” talk (at 6:45 p.m. on Saturday and at 2:15 p.m. on Sunday), where Newnham takes to the Showplace stage for an intimate chat about the program.
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“It’s something I really enjoy doing because it brings a lot of clarity to me as a conductor if I have the chance to explain to an audience beforehand why we’ve chosen to play these pieces and the history behind them,” Newnham says. “I think it’s great to get an audience member ready and it whets their appetite to listen to music.”
With the joy the musicians get from playing the film scores in concert and their popularity among audiences, a movie music concert could well become a regular addition to every PSO season’s lineup.
“It’s just the second year in a row, and it’s feeling like a little bit of a tradition is setting in here,” says Newnham. “I think that’s a great thing.”
VIDEO: “Theme from Jurassic Park” by John Williams with Vienna Philharmonic
With Saturday’s concert selling fast, tickets for “Indiana Jones meets The Godfather” range from $33, $48, or $55 depending on the selected seat, with student pricing set at $12.
Tickets are available in person at the Showplace Box Office from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Thursday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday, and one hour before the concert, or online anytime at showplace.org.
For more information about the Peterborough Symphony Orchestra’s 2024-25 season, visit thepso.org.
kawarthaNOW is proud to be a media sponsor of the Peterborough Symphony Orchestra’s 2024-25 season.
Peterborough Mayor Jeff Leal announcing the release of the 15-recommendation report of the Mayor's Task Force for Housing Creation at a media event on November 5, 2024 in front of of Ashburnham Realty's six-storey building currently under construction along the Rotary Greenway Trail just north of Robinson Street in Peterborough's East City. (Photo: Bruce Head / kawarthaNOW)
The City of Peterborough has exceeded its provincial target of annual housing starts for the second year in a row, qualifying it to receive additional funding from the Ontario government.
According to a media release from the city on Thursday (January 9), the city issued permits for 515 housing units to residential construction developers in 2024, exceeding the provincial target of 392 housing starts by 123 units, or 31 per cent.
“Surpassing our targets two years in a row demonstrates real progress, but we know there’s still more work to be done,” Peterborough mayor Jeff Leal says in the release. “It’s vital that we keep up the momentum and continue to work closely with residential construction developers, community partners and other organizations to keep progress on track.”
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In August 2023, the Ontario government assigned housing targets to 50 municipalities including Peterborough as part of a provincial plan to build at least 1.5 million homes by 2031. Once the head of councils pledged to achieve their municipalities’ housing targets, they became eligible for funding from the Building Faster Fund.
Announced in 2023, the three-year $1.2 billion Building Faster Fund is designed to encourage municipalities to address the housing supply crisis by providing funding to municipalities that have reached at least 80 per cent of their provincially assigned housing target for the year, with increased funding for municipalities that exceed their target. Municipalities can direct the funding toward housing-enabling infrastructure and other related costs that support community growth.
For the City of Peterborough, the provincial government assigned a total housing target of 4,700 by 2031, including a target of 345 housing starts in 2023, 392 in 2024, and 470 in 2025.
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Last January, the city reported it had issued permits to start construction on 435 housing units in 2023, exceeding that year’s provincial target by 90 units, or 26 per cent.
Two months later, the Ontario government announced it was providing the city with $1.88 million in funding from the Building Faster Fund as a reward for exceeding the 2023 housing target.
While the province has not yet announced allocations to municipalities from the Building Faster Fund for 2024 targets, based on the 2023 allocation the city could expect to receive more than $1.88 million.
Of the 515 housing units for which the city issued permits in 2024, 346 were apartment-style units. The city estimates the total value of constructing the 515 housing units at around $101.2 million.
The city’s announcement that it has exceeded its 2024 target comes just over two months after the release of the Mayor’s Task Force for Housing Creation, which included 15 recommendations from a group of local housing sector experts to facilitate residential housing development in the city.
In early December, city council approved seven of the recommendations to be implemented immediately, including a one-year approval timeline for qualifying projects, and directed city staff to return to council in April 2025 with a report on the remaining eight recommendations.
During "Dining for Dementia", which runs for the month of January 2025, participating restaurants in Peterborough, Cobourg, and Campbellford will be donating a percentage of selected meals to the Alzheimer Society of Peterborough, Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland, and Haliburton. (Graphic: Alzheimer Society)
Kawarthas-area residents can help support people who have dementia and their caregivers by dining in local restaurants that are participating in a new initiative to benefit the Alzheimer Society of Peterborough, Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland, and Haliburton (PKLNH).
Throughout the month of January, which is Alzheimer’s Awareness Month across Canada, a portion of the cost of selected meals purchased at participating restaurants will be donated to support counselling services, education, and recreational programs for caregivers and those living with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.
This is the Alzheimer Society of PKLNH’s inaugural “Dining for Dementia” program, which was inspired by a similar, successful initiative for the Durham Region chapter of the Alzheimer Society.
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Jennifer Hitchmough, communications associate for the Alzheimer Society of PKLNH, shared with kawarthaNOW a few of the organization’s hopes for the program.
“The purpose of Dining for Dementia is two-fold: to raise funds for vital programs and services to support the 14,340 people living with dementia and their care partners in our region, and to raise awareness about the importance of reducing the stigma surrounding dementia,” Hitchmough said.
One in four people are impacted by dementia within their social and family circles, she noted.
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Dining for Dementia is particularly important because the Alzheimer Society’s work centres around providing “dementia-friendly” opportunities for residents and families in the communities it serves.
“Creating dementia-friendly spaces within our community is one of our major objectives as an organization,” Hitchmough explained. “Building partnerships within our local business community is essential to educating people about the importance of creating dementia-friendly communities, allowing people to feel welcomed and valued in their own communities.”
By purchasing a meal, diners will be contributing to the Alzheimer Society of PKLNH and supporting local restaurants during what is typically a slower time of year for business, the organization noted in a media release.
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Each restaurant has created a system to donate which works best for them. For some, it’s a percentage of the meal or a particular menu item for the month of January.
While it’s the first year for the Dining for Dementia initiative in the Kawarthas, it’s one Alzheimer Society of PKLNH hopes will flourish in the years ahead.
“There is a lot of living to be done following a diagnosis of dementia,” Hitchmough said. “This is a story that needs to be shared — it is possible to live well with dementia and this is what the Alzheimer Society helps people to do every day.”
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Peterborough restaurants participating in Dining for Dementia are Hanoi House, Allen Gourmet Coffee & Eatery, La Mesita Mexican Restaurante, Bobo Tea, Brickhouse Craft Burger, and The Favourite Greek.
The Pink Café in Cobourg is also participating, as is Riverview Family Restaurant in Campbellford.
For more information about Dining for Dementia and the participating restaurants, visit aspklnhdining.com.
Singer-songwriter Melissa Payne is performing Nicholas Campbell, Brandon Munro, Aaron Hoffman, and Jeanne Truax at The Pig's Ear Tavern in downtown Peterborough on Saturday night. (Photo: Mary Zita Payne Photography)
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, January 9 to Wednesday, January 15.
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).
Carly Poole, Jay Poole, and Debbie Poole of the family-owned Buckeye Marine in Bobcaygeon are among the inductees for the Junior Achievement of Northern and Eastern Ontario's third annual Kawartha Lakes Business Hall of Fame. (Photo: Buckeye Marine)
Junior Achievement of Northern and Eastern Ontario (JA-NEO) has announced the inductees for the third annual Kawartha Lakes Business Hall of Fame.
JA-NEO made the announcement on Thursday morning (January 9) at Launch Kawartha/Invest Kawartha in downtown Lindsay.
The inductees are:
Carly, Debbie, and Jay Poole of Buckeye Marine
Tim Wisener of The Grove Theatre
Gord Ferguson of Northern Casket
The Torrey Family of Torrey Family Farm
Sherry Peel of Bigley Shoes and Clothing
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“These exceptional business leaders are helping to inspire and show local youth that starting your own business can be rewarding and last multiple generations much like the business leaders being honored today,” says JA-NEO president and CEO John McNutt in a media release.
Every year, JA-NEO hosts the Business Hall of Fame to recognizes exceptional business leaders in the City of Kawartha Lakes.
“These inductees strengthen our economy and community through their exemplary accomplishments of vision, leadership, and commitment to excellence in business over a lifetime,” reads the release. “This year’s nominees are no different. Each inductee is widely regarded as an inspiring role model and mentor to the students JA-NEO serves.”
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The inductees will be formally inducted at Mackey Celebrations in downtown Lindsay on Thursday, May 8. Early bird tickets for $75 are available until April 13, with the regular price $125 thereafter. Tickets are available at ja-neo.org/kawartha-lakes-ja-business-hall-of-fame/.
According to JA-NEO, the event helps the organization recruit volunteers, investors, and partners to help deliver their programs at no cost to students or schools.
“Proceeds from the event help JA-NEO meet the growing demand for financial literacy, work readiness, and entrepreneurship programs, providing essential support to facilitate the future success of every JA student,” states the release.
A canoe loaded with back country camping gear is pictured on Cloudy Lake in Kawartha Highlands Provincial Park. While GreenUP executive director Tegan Moss is grateful that reusable plastic food barrel enables her to comfortably camp in the back country, she recognizes that plastic's incredible versatility and durability come with a heavy cost. (Photo: Tegan Moss)
This column is the second in a two-part series authored by GreenUP executive director Tegan Moss who shares a complex personal perspective on one material that continues to create massive problems in our environment: plastic.
Each week, GreenUP provides a story related to the environment. This week’s story is by Tegan Moss, Executive Director, GreenUP.
Last week, I shared how plastic has shaped my life, from supporting my family through my dad, Ric Moss’ career as a plastic fabricator, to the joys of back country camping with a plastic food barrel. The reality, however, is that plastic’s incredible versatility and durability come with a heavy cost.
“Plastic is indispensable in certain industries,” my dad shared during a recent conversation. “In a pharmaceutical research lab, it might contribute to the discovery of the next life-saving drug. In a water quality testing facility, it could be ensuring water is safe for human consumption.”
“But single-use items, like toys that break after one use, drive me crazy. It’s wasteful and thoughtless. There’s got to be a better way.”
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This paradox — plastic’s value and its cost — raises questions about how we use it.
Once discarded, plastic lingers for centuries. We now know that microplastics have infiltrated everything from drinking water to human blood. A recent study found that 94 per cent of tap water samples in the United States contain microplastic fibres.
As my dad put it, “There’s plastic everywhere. It’s horrifying.”
Building and repairing objects that can be used for a long time is an important priority for GreenUP executive director Tegan Moss’ father Ric Moss. Here Ric is pictured constructing a compost bin that will be used for many years on Wildside urban farm in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo: Tegan Moss)
Despite this, plastic production has surged almost 100-fold since 1960. More than half of all plastic products are designed for single use. Think of soap or shampoo bottles, food containers, and single-use floss picks.
The problem of how to deal with pollution from single-use plastic is mounting on a global scale. Yet, as the world aims to reduce fossil fuel consumption, the fossil fuel industry is doubling down on plastic as a critical market.
According to recent New York Times investigations, industry lobbying has aggressively promoted single-use plastics, ensuring their widespread use despite known negative environmental consequences. The exposé highlighted costly social media campaigns where influencers are paid to build public confidence in single-use plastics, and specifically PET (polyethylene terephthalate) plastic water bottles.
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During recent United Nations treaty negotiations in Busan, over 170 countries met to try to curb plastic waste, but due to overwhelming corporate advocacy for continued plastic production, negotiations failed.
Industrial representatives from countries like Russia and Saudi Arabia bring these interests to the forefront and argue that despite plastic pollution problems, the continued production of new plastic goods ought to continue unabated.
The future of plastic must be more thoughtful. In Ontario, we are in a new era where legislation that holds manufacturers accountable for waste. These changes are part of a needed shift toward a circular economy — one where we rely less on new goods. In this type of system, refill programs and repair initiatives hold powerful potential and a play a key role in local sustainability.
A volunteer and a community member celebrate as they complete a difficult repair on a toaster oven during a Repair Café event at GreenUP on November 19, 2024. Repairing items to extend their useful life is one of many ways to take part in a circular economy. (Photo courtesy of Repair Café Peterborough)
“Manufacturers need to take responsibility for the waste they create,” Dad says. “If you know you have to deal with Styrofoam or film plastics, you’ll think twice about using them.”
In his retirement from plastic fabrication, my dad fixes things like kayaks and garbage cans in his garage. Keeping them in use for as long as possible is something he knows has a positive impact on our environment.
Learning to repair the things that are already in use is a critical part of a circular economy, and one that my dad is proud to know I have taken up.
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Peterborough is a great place to build skills in repairing what we already own. Habitat for Humanity is home to an exceptionally well stocked PTBO Tool Library. B!KE: The Peterborough Community Bike Shop is a local fixture for keeping old bikes on the road. And Repair Café Peterborough is a grassroots initiative connecting fixers directly with people who want to keep their loved possessions in working use.
Similarly, buying bulk goods or using refill programs is a strategy we can use to avoid new plastic. At GreenUP, I’ve seen how small changes can make a difference.
In 2021, I bought liquid dish soap refill for the first time. With guidance from my colleague Kristen LaRocque, I learned a trick: keep a small kitchen bottle at the sink and refill it from a larger 4L container that fits perfectly in my bicycle pannier. I can refill my 4L when needed and enjoy reusing both bottles for many years!
GreenUP Ecology Park reuses plastic pots and trays as much as possible. Shown here are wild strawberries cultivated in a reused plastic pot. (Photo courtesy of GreenUP)
My small act of reducing single-use plastic became a habit, and one that is perhaps even more convenient than buying new bottles every month. Those bottles are plastic, but they are part of a cycle that reduces my reliance on new disposable goods.
Plastic has given me almost every opportunity I’ve had, yet it poses one of the greatest environmental challenges we face. Plastic is a precious resource that we must learn to use wisely, not wastefully. Let’s honour its utility while working to minimize its harm.
To learn more about GreenUP’s many environmental programs and initiatives, visit greenup.on.ca.
The 21st annual ReFrame Film Festival is kicking off on January 23, 2025 at Showplace Performance Centre in downtown Peterborough with a screening of "Red Fever" directed by Neil Diamond and Catherine Bainbridge. The witty and entertaining feature documentary follows Cree co-director Diamond on his journey to find out why the world is so fascinated with the stereotypical imagery of Indigenous people that is found throughout Western pop culture and identity. Bainbridge and film producer Ernest Webb will participate in a livestreamed Q&A following the screening. (Photo: Rezolution Pictures)
More than 50 films rooted in social and environmental justice will be screened when the ReFrame Film Festival returns to downtown Peterborough from January 23 to 26 and online across Canada from January 27 to February 2.
To get audiences in the mindset to engage with the thought-provoking films, the 21st annual festival is presenting a special opening night event on Thursday, January 23 at Showplace Performance Centre, complete with a pre-show reception, special guests, presentations, and the screening of a highly acclaimed Canadian documentary.
“Opening and closing nights are the opportunities for all of us to come together for a shared experience in one space together,” says the festival’s creative director Eryn Lidster. “Opening night holds all of the excitement of what is to come and is a chance for us to reconnect.”
Tickets for opening night, which are not included with festival passes, cost $25 or a sliding pay-what-you-can price point and are available in advance at reframefilmfestival.ca
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Held in person only, the opening night event will kick off with a pre-show reception beginning at 6 p.m. in the Cogeco Studio downstairs at Showplace. Hospitality sponsors for the event include BE Catering, By the Bridge, Chasing the Cheese, La Mesita, and MIJA Bakeshop.
At 7 p.m., attendees will gather in the Erica Cherney Theatre when celebrated Anishinaabe artist Alice Olsen Williams (whose quilt work is an integral part of the festival’s 2024 branding) will open the festival, as she has done for several years, to welcome audiences and set an inspiring tone.
This will be followed by a screening of the 2024 documentary Red Fever, presented by the Kawartha Truth and Reconciliation Support Group. Directed by Neil Diamond and Catherine Bainbridge, the film follows Cree co-director Diamond’s journey to explore the pervasive impact of stereotypical Indigenous imagery in popular culture.
VIDEO: “Red Fever” trailer
“Red Fever began as an exploration of cultural appropriation and how our spirituality, traditional wear, objects, identities, and ceremonies were being exploited — often by people who meant well, but were ignorant of their significance,” Diamond says in a media release. “The idea behind Red Fever evolved into a study of the vast influence Native America has had, and still has, on Western culture from sports, fashion, politics, and the environmental movement today.”
Lidster suggests that, as a social justice festival, ReFrame is always looking for films that “engage with justice” by highlighting the work of activists, but also by examining and learning from history in an effort to understand present issues.
“Red Fever reveals many surprising and deeply interesting aspects of our collective history — things we may take for granted as ‘Western’ that are deeply influenced by Indigenous cultures,” Lidster says. “The film celebrates Indigenous cultures, and this celebratory tone is something ReFrame wanted to bring to opening night this year. Audiences embark on a journey that can be difficult and deeply affecting over the festival. At this opening event, we hope to begin by coming together in celebration and strengthening each other.”
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Following the screening, Bainbridge and her husband and Red Fever producer Ernest Webb will participate in a livestreamed Q&A with the audience. The duo will speak about the making of the film, their experiences in sharing it with audiences across the country, and their journey to establishing their Indigenous production company, Rezolution Pictures.
“It can be incredibly inspiring to meet the people behind the camera,” says Lidster. “It’s a way of feeling more connected to the filmmaking and the content, which is hugely important when we are showing films about issues we desperately need people to engage with in order to make real change in this world.”
According to Lindster, audience members can sometimes feel “detached” from what they see on the screen,
“Hearing from a filmmaker can break these boundaries by directly connecting with audiences, human to human. I think it helps you carry the experience with you into your everyday life.”
Following the screening of “Red Fever” at Showplace Performance Centre at the opening night of the 2025 ReFrame Film Festival on Thursday, January 23, the film’s co-director Catherine Bainbridge and producer Ernest Webb will participate in a livestreamed Q&A. The wife-and-husband team will speak about the film and their experience in founding the Indigenous production company Rezolution Pictures. (Photos: Rezolution Pictures)
In keeping with the Indigenous theme of opening night, the evening will conclude with live musical performances by Missy Knott (Singing Wild Rice Girl) and James Mixemong.
“Within the complexities of appropriation, Red Fever is about being inspired by many facets of Indigenous culture, including the work of Indigenous artists,” says Lidster.
“It feels right to end the evening by celebrating local Indigenous artists and to uplift and inspire the audience with song as they set out to engage with more ReFrame films over the weekend.”
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Several other films across the 2025 ReFrame lineup will be followed by filmmaker Q&As, performances, panels, and workshops. These events are now listed in the ReFrame film guide.
“One of the exciting things about having special guests attend events like this is that what they share may be unexpected,” says Lidster. “Audience members can ask questions and engage with the filmmakers, and this shapes the event. Having community members like Alice (Olsen Williams) share in shaping the festival gets at the heart of what ReFrame is. We are a community festival.”
Between the pre-show reception, screening of Red Fever, and special guests, Lidster notes the feeling of community that comes with the opening night event is meant to be carried throughout the festival.
“Opening night is a reminder that all films in the lineup have a connection to our community and that we are affected by the issues and topics featured in these films, whether directly or through our neighbours,” Lidster explains. “Red Fever in particular shows us that we don’t always understand all the influences at play in our lives, and there is always more to learn about each other and ourselves.”
Anishinaabe artist Alice Olsen Williams speaks at the 2024 ReFrame Film Festival. She will once again be welcoming audiences at the opening night event to kick off the 2025 festival on Thursday, January 23 at Showplace Performance Centre in downtown Peterborough. (Photo: Esther Vincent, courtesy of ReFrame Film Festival)
Festival passes are priced at $50 for a virtual pass (which includes just over half of the films in the festival’s lineup, viewable on demand from anywhere in Canada), $110 for an in-person pass (which includes access to all in-person films and events, except for the opening night event), and $135 for a hybrid pass (which includes everything in the virtual pass and the in-person pass).
For the first time this year, standalone individual tickets for both in-person and virtual films are available to purchase in advance on a pay-what-you-can sliding scale.
For more information including the full ReFrame film guide, and to purchase opening night tickets, festival passes, or individual tickets, visit reframefilmfestival.ca.
kawarthaNOW is proud to be a media sponsor of the 2025 ReFrame Film Festival.
Lindsay and District Chamber of Commerce executive director Terry Guiel speaks during the awards gala for the 2024 Excellence Awards. Nominations are open February 21 for the 2025 awards, which include new award categories such as the Give Back Award and Social Butterfly Award. (Photo courtesy of Lindsay and District Chamber of Commerce)
Do you have a favourite business in Lindsay led by someone who gives back their expertise to the community? Does your business offer unique innovation that inspires others to take action? Are you a leader always looking to recognize the hardworking team that makes your business or organization thrive?
If so, the Lindsay and District Chamber of Commerce wants to hear from you. Nominations are now open for the 2025 Awards of Excellence, which recognizes local leaders, employees, and volunteers working in a range of sectors. Nominees and those nominating are not required to be members of the Chamber, though businesses and individuals must be in the Lindsay and district area to be nominated.
“Our job is to recognize all the businesses, but the Chamber of Commerce is really about the community as a whole, and there’s a lot behind the scenes that make a community thrive,” says Terry Guiel, the chamber’s executive director. “We have many categories here that recognize that.”
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Nominations close at 5 p.m. on Friday, February 21, with winners chosen by anonymous judges inclusive of local leaders and staff of other chambers. Winners will be announced at the 2025 Awards Gala on Saturday, April 5 at the Victoria Park Armoury in Lindsay.
“It’s important to pause and collectively recognize and celebrate excellence in business,” says Guiel. “Our local businesses work extremely hard and it’s nice to be able to recognize that good work, visionary excellence, innovation, and new businesses.”
Though the awards have been held annually since 1967, Guiel notes that the award categories are always evolving as the business community does. A new award that has been added this year is the Give Back Award, which recognizes a business or individual that demonstrates support for the community and gives their time and expertise to charity organizations, community groups, and non-profits.
Barton Creative Co. won Employer of the Year during the 2024 Lindsay and District Chamber of Commerce Awards of Excellence Gala. Nominations are open for the 2025 awards, which include a total of 24 categories, until February 21. (Photo courtesy of Lindsay and District Chamber of Commerce)
“We really thought it was important to recognize those business leaders that not just give their time but also give their service, whether it’s legal or accounting or even financial support to a charitable organization actively and hands-on,” says Guiel. “They give back to the community, and we have an awful lot of those people, so I think it’s time we recognize them publicly.”
Similarly, the Board Member of the Year celebrates community leaders who volunteer on the boards of organization, who Guiel describes as “unsung heroes that are working so diligently and giving so much of their time and expertise behind the scenes making sure organizations run well.”
The Social Butterfly Award is another new award that recognizes a business, charity, organization, non-profit, or an individual from such that excels at social activities. From their social media presence to attending community events, they present their business in “a positive, outgoing” way.
“Social media continues to take front stage with how businesses advertise and get themselves known, and we’ve got some really social media savvy businesses out there that do a really great job,” says Guiel. “They seem to be all over the place and not just online — they show up at a lot of events or parades and social functions. We thought it would be fun to recognize some of these people.”
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Along with the new awards are staples like the New Business of the Year Award, which celebrates emerging businesses that have been established within the past three years, and the Citizen of the Year Award, which honours a community member who has gone above and beyond in a volunteer capacity to benefit the community.
Nomination forms for each of the 24 award categories are available at lindsaychamber.com/events. Printed copies can also be picked up at the Lindsay and District Chamber of Commerce office at 180 Kent Street West in Lindsay.
While peer nomination is a great way to recognize colleagues, partners, and employees, self-nomination is also encouraged as it allows for a more thorough application.
“There’s nobody that knows your business better than yourself, so an application that’s self-nominated allows for a really in-depth application and reasoning for that nomination with the inclusion of the many nuances of a business,” Guiel says. “I love seeing when a business self-nominates themselves in a category that maybe their customers don’t see them being a candidate for.”
As co-owners of Kindred Coffee Bar, Victoria Jessup and Dara Duff-Bergeron were awarded the New Business of the Year Award at the 2024 Lindsay and District Chamber of Commerce Awards of Excellence Gala. Nominations for the 2025 awards, which include new categories, will close on February 21. (Photo courtesy of Lindsay and District Chamber of Commerce)
For example, Guiel explains, customers may not realize that a specific business they work with falls into the Green Initiative Award, the Diversity & Inclusion Award, or the Youth Mentorship Excellence Award categories.
“These are areas that may not be the first thing that their customer who would want to nominate them for would think about, so that’s why it’s really critical for businesses to self-nominate in many different categories,” Guiel says.
“What’s great about this is, when other businesses see somebody won an award for giving back to the community or for having a green initiative, it inspires them to also try to do that within their own businesses. It’s really great for businesses to see other examples of how to achieve multiple success points.”
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Winners will be announced at an Awards Gala taking place at the Victoria Park Armoury from 5 to 11:45 p.m. on Saturday, April 5. The evening will include live music and entertainment, dinner from Peterborough’s Franz Catering, complimentary wine, and door prizes in addition to the awards presentation.
Tickets cost $125 for Chamber members and $140 for non-members (plus tax) and are available at lindsaychamber.com/events. Sponsorships for the gala are also available.
“It’s essential to take that time to be in a room with all your peers to recognize yourself and your colleagues and fellow business owners, especially after COVID and the devastation that hit small businesses in particular,” says Guiel, adding it’s also “critical” to support the Chamber by attending the event.
The Awards Gala for the 2025 Lindsay and District Chamber of Commerce Awards of Excellence takes place on Saturday, April 5 at the Victoria Park Armoury. The event includes dinner from local catering, live music and entertainment, prizes, the awards presentation, and more. (Photo courtesy of Lindsay and District Chamber of Commerce)
“We are an essential organization that represents local business,” Guiel says. “Use it as a team-building building event and bring your staff out and make sure you’re recognizing your team.”
While the Awards Gala itself only lasts one night, the impact of an award or nomination can be long-lasting. Guiel suggests even just a nomination can be a “stamp of approval from the community.”
“There is a sense of pride in those who are nominated,” he says. “From being nominated to winning, they all feel their efforts and hard work pay off.”
The new Canadian Canoe Museum in Peterborough is one of the destinations along the Trent-Severn Waterway mentioned in the "52 Places to Go in 2025" list published by the New York Times. (Photo: Justen Soule)
In a big win for tourism in the Kawarthas region, the Trent-Severn Waterway has been featured by the New York Times as one of its 52 Places to Go in 2025 — with the new Canadian Canoe Museum, Le Boat, 100 Acre Brewing Co., and Taste of the TSW each getting a special mention.
This is the publication’s 20th year for its annual “52 Places to Go” list, which has covered 145 countries and 366 cities and towns over the past two decades.
The segment on the Trent-Severn Waterway, written by AnneLise Sorensen and featuring a photo of the new Canadian Canoe Museum by Eugen Sakhnenko, describes the 240-mile “system of rivers, lakes and canals that winds from one end of Ontario to the other, flows amid rustic villages, woodlands and waterfalls, connecting Lake Ontario to Georgian Bay.”
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Sorensen writes that 2025 “is the year to go” as the Trent-Severn Waterway “is experiencing a renaissance.”
She points to the opening of the new 65,000-square-foot lakefront Canadian Canoe Museum and its largest collection of canoes, kayaks and paddled watercraft in the world.
“The museum exhibits styles from across Canada — showcasing them in a curved building inspired by, yes, the canoe — and honors the vessel’s Indigenous legacy.”
The Trent-Severn Waterway segment of the “52 Places to Go in 2025” list in the New York Times. (kawarthaNOW screenshot)
Sorenson notes the Trent-Severn Waterway is “undergoing a multiyear revitalization project, which includes retrofitting its monumental hydraulic lift locks, among the highest in the world.”
In March 2023, the federal government announced Parks Canada would be investing $74 million over three years for six projects related to critical infrastructure improvements, including repairs the Kirkfield Lift Lock, which is the second highest hydraulic lift lock in the world.
Sorenson then mentions the expansion of Le Boat’s Canadian operation to the Trent-Severn Waterway. Le Boat, the top provider of houseboat vacations in Europe that also operates in Canada on the Rideau Canal, announced in May 2024 that it was officially launching its new base at the newly renovated Horseshoe Bay Marina on the Otonabee River in Peterborough.
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Sorenson also singles out Peterborough business 100 Acre Brewing Co., a family-owned farmhouse brewery that opened in May 2023, which “pours brews like the floral Monarch saison, named after the butterflies that migrate through Ontario each year.”
Finally, Sorenson mentions the Canadian pastry BeaverTails, butter tarts, and other sweet treats that can be enjoyed on the Taste of the TSW self-guided culinary route.
The Trent-Severn Waterway is the only Canadian entry on the 52 Places to Go in 2025 list, which also features destinations including Jane Austen’s England, Galápagos Islands in Ecuador, New York City Museums, ‘White Lotus’ Thailand, and Greenland.
To compile the annual list, editors with the New York Times’ Travel desk ask journalists who have written for them in the past to pitch their favourite destinations. After compiling all the submissions, the editors decide which destinations will make the list based on various criteria, including whether it has experienced a major change or development, natural phenomena, and historial or cultural significance, and more.
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