Voting is now open for the Peterborough Public Library’s second annual “One Book, One Ptbo” initiative, which builds community through the shared experience of reading the same book.

Earlier this year, the library asked community members to recommend titles they thought would make a good choice for this year’s selection.

The three finalists for this year’s One Book, One Ptbo are What Strange Paradise by Omar El Akkad, River Mumma by Zalika Reid-Benta, and The Story of Us by Catherine Hernandez.

“We had an overwhelming number of responses,” says community development librarian Karen Bisschop in a media release. “It was hard to select only three titles to include in our shortlist.”

Voting is open until Tuesday, April 23rd in person at the library at 345 Aylmer Street North and online at ptbolibrary.ca/onebook.

After the winning book is selected, the library will run special programs and events inspired by the themes found within the narrative of the winning book. The initiative will culminate in a grand finale evening in the fall with the book’s author.

The selected book and author of the inaugural One Book, One Ptbo program last year was Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice.

The library says Rice’s book was checked out of the library 630 times, with a public reading by Rice on November 15 attended by more than 260 people — requiring the event to be moved from the library to the Market Hall.

“Last year’s book ended up appealing to teenagers — a whole different generation,” Bisschop says. “You never know which groups you will engage across your community.”

Below is a description of each of the books vying to be this year’s One Book, One Ptbo selection.

Written by Egyptian-Canadian novelist and journalist Omar El Akkad, the 2021 Giller Prize winning What Strange Paradise is the story of two children finding their way through a hostile world, but it is also a story of empathy and indifference and of hope and despair — and about the way each of those things can blind us to reality. In alternating chapters, we learn about nine-year-old Amir’s life and how he came to be on the boat, and we follow him and the teenager Vänna, who rescued him as they make their way toward safety.

Canadian writer Zalika Reid-Benta’s debut novel River Mumma is an exhilarating contemporary fantasy novel about a young Black woman who navigates her quarter-life-crisis while embarking on a mythical quest through the streets of Toronto. One evening, the Jamaican water deity River Mumma appears to Alicia, telling her that she has 24 hours to scour the city for her missing comb. With the clock ticking, Alicia’s quest through the city broadens into a journey through time — to find herself and what the river carries.

Canadian writer, author, and playwright Catherine Hernandez, whose 2017 debut novel Scarborough was adapted into a feature film, published her latest novel The Story of Us in 2023. It follows overseas Filipino worker Mary Grace Concepcion who travels to Toronto where she becomes a personal support worker and begins caring for Liz, an elderly patient suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. Narrated by the all-seeing eye of Mary Grace’s newborn baby, The Story of Us is a novel about sisterhood, about blood and chosen family, and about how belonging can be found where we least expect it.

Partial funding for One Book, One Ptbo was made possible by a grant from the Community Foundation of Greater Peterborough.

With the highly anticipated total solar eclipse only days away, Northumberland County is asking residents to make safety and emergency preparedness priorities in the coming days.

Northumberland County is in the path of totality for the eclipse occurring on Monday (April 8). For the first time since 1979, Ontario will be in the path of a total solar eclipse and southern Northumberland County is a prime viewing area to see the celestial phenomenon.

Expecting residents and visitors alike to gather in hopes of seeing the rare occurrence, the county is asking people to put safety first.

“Our top priority is the safety of residents,” said Northumberland County Warden Brian Ostrander in a statement.

“We are anticipating a large influx of visitors to our community, so we urge everyone to take the necessary precautions and follow safety guidelines to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience.”

Residents are encouraged to take the following safety precautions during the solar eclipse event:

• Do not look at the sun without eye protection. Residents should only use certified safety glasses to protect their eyes when viewing the eclipse
• Given the anticipated influx of visitors, residents should stock up well ahead of time on essential supplies and fuel
• People should plan ahead to determine their eclipse viewing location, arrive early, and avoid unnecessary travel during the event
• Residents should ensure their emergency kit is up-to-date and easily accessible
• People should keep small children and pets indoors during the eclipse
• Residents should follow any additional safety guidelines provided by local authorities and health officials.

VIDEO: 2024 Total Solar Eclipse Northumberland County

Meanwhile, the county is also taking a proactive approach and planning ahead for the event.

“As a precaution, Northumberland County is taking steps to enhance emergency readiness, including increasing paramedic staffing and having roads crews on standby that day,” the county noted in a media release. “To ensure the safety of residents during the eclipse event, the county is also adjusting operations where services cannot safely be delivered in the dark.”

County recycling centres (CRCs), located in Bewdley, Seymour, and Brighton, will be closing early on April 8th at 1 p.m. and will remain closed for the remainder of the day. This decision is being made as CRCs are not designed to operate in the dark, with limited on-site lighting, the county noted. Regular operating hours will resume the following day, ensuring minimal disruption to waste and recycling services.

In addition, Northumberland County Forest will be closed from noon on Sunday, April 7 through to the morning of Tuesday, April 9.

“This temporary closure aims to ensure the well-being of visitors and pets during the eclipse event, including avoiding any potential safety hazards from active nocturnal wildlife,” the county stated.

On April 8, county roads crews will be on standby to respond to any road issues or closures.

The county’s long-term care home in Cobourg, the Golden Plough Lodge, will have additional support on the day shift as a precautionary measure to mitigate any potential staffing challenges later in the day, the county noted. The Northumberland County Archives and Museum will be closed on April 8.

If needed, the county is also prepared to activate its emergency operations centre, which is used to manage an emergency situation and maintain services to the community.

A solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes directly between the earth and the sun, casting its shadow on the earth’s surface. A total solar eclipse happens when the moon completely blocks the face of the sun, casting a shadow on the earth — visible to people in what is referred to as the “path of totality.”

Assuming there are ideal weather conditions (a sunny day with few or no clouds in the sky), residents will witness the eclipse beginning just after 2 p.m. With southern Northumberland County including Brighton, Colborne, Grafton, Cobourg, and Port Hope being in the path of totality, residents will see darkness for a period of one to two minutes.

In addition to southern Northumberland County, Hamilton, Brantford, St. Catharines, and Niagara Falls are also in the path of totality, along with some communities in southwestern Ontario.

During a recent media briefing, reporters heard how Niagara Falls is seeing a dramatic increase in hotel reservations being booked as people plan to take in the once-in-a-lifetime event.

The county said it will continue to monitor the weather and event activities for April 8 and maintain communication with partner municipalities and Emergency Management Ontario.

For more information and updates on the eclipse event and temporary closures, visit northumberland.ca/NoCoEclipse.

In its ongoing work aimed at improving the health care system in Northumberland, the Ontario Health Team of Northumberland (OHT-N) is welcoming aboard a new executive lead.

The collaborative has announced the incoming OHT-N executive lead will be Andrea Groff.

The OHT-N is a county-wide team of patients, caregivers, physicians and health and community care providers working together to enhance co-ordination and experience of local health and community services. In recent years, OHT-N partners successfully launched three priority health care projects in Northumberland County — a volunteer peer support initiative, a community paramedicine program, and the region’s first rural outreach clinic.

Key to coordinating OHT-N operations and advancing the work of OHT-N priority projects, Groff’s role will support OHT-N Collaboration Council partners as they advance the priorities identified by the community and set out in their 2022-2026 Strategic Plan, noted a media release.

Joining the OHT-N this month, Groff previously served as an executive director with the All Family Health Team in Markham.

“Andrea joins the OHT-N as an experienced health care leader at a very exciting time,” said Susan Walsh, Northumberland Hills Hospital president and CEO, and OHT-N co-chair.

“Northumberland was one of the first 24 Ontario Health Teams (OHT) in the province and we are more committed than ever to achieving the province’s vision of a better connected, people-centred health care system. Our partnership has grown, and other voices are welcomed to move this work forward. We require strong leadership at the centre to support the great ambitions we have, and we are confident that Andrea has the skills and energy to move the OHT-N’s work forward.”

Groff has a combination of experience in interprofessional primary care, addiction and mental health, home and community care and teaching, and possesses a master’s degree in health leadership. OHT-N said she brings hands-on expertise in both leadership and operations in all the priority areas the OHT-N is striving to enhance.

Experienced in regional advisory councils aimed at improving integrated care, as well as stakeholder engagement and quality improvement, Groff “has a values-based and collaborative leadership style, with a proven track record for change advocacy,” the release noted.

The OHT-N team has grown considerably since its launch in December 2019. It was redirected to focus on coordinating the local response to COVID-19, but OHT-N partners also successfully launched the three priority projects in Northumberland:

• The rural outreach clinic (ROC) in Cramahe Township is part of OHT-N efforts to bring services to rural community locations in Northumberland. The aim is to reduce barriers to care such as access, transportation and outreach challenges. Colborne ROC services are provided through a collaboration of OHT-N partners and Cramahe Township.
• Northumberland Paramedics’ Community Paramedicine programs deliver non-emergency in-home health care directly to residents in need. These preventative care programs support vulnerable community members and seniors in the community, while also helping to manage the high demand for emergency services, hospitals and clinics.
• Partnering with Community Care Northumberland to train volunteers, the peer support initiative matches volunteers with older adults living with complex conditions. The connection aims to enhance the client’s well-being and independence by improving social supports and access to community resources.

OHT-N co-chairs recently facilitated a day of planning with community partners and local patient and caregivers with lived experience.

They stepped away from the event with an outline for the operational priorities for the year ahead, and a renewed commitment to four specific priorities: improving access to primary and specialty care and services in the region, supporting older adults with complex conditions to live and age well at home, improving access and services for those who have mental health and addiction needs, and digital transformation.

“We have all been working hard to set and move forward the OHT-N priorities that are right for this community at this time,” said Taryn Rennicks, executive director, Community Health Centres of Northumberland, and OHT-N co-chair.

“The focused leadership that Andrea will bring, at this time, cannot be understated. We have much work to do and we are thrilled that she has chosen to bring her skills and experience to Northumberland.”

The province’s vision is to have all health care coordinated through OHTs in the future. Initially, OHTs will test this model of care through targeted projects serving specific populations.

Northumberland County has a population with more seniors than the rest of Ontario. Many residents live in rural areas. As a result, the OHT-N’s initial focus has been to co-ordinate health care services for older adults living with complex conditions and rural populations — specifically those who experience barriers to care.

For more information about the OHT-N, visit www.ohtnorthumberland.ca, email info@ohtnorthumberland.ca, or call 905-376-7206.

Peterborough city council will be meeting as general committee on Tuesday (April 2).

Following a closed session at 5:30 p.m., council will meet in council chambers at 6 p.m. for an open session.

Below are some highlights of what’s on the agenda for Tuesdays’s meeting.

Physician recruitment action plan

City staff will present a report recommending actions to be led by the city for physician recruitment and retention.

According to the report, there were an estimated 13,000 to 15,000 unattached patients in Peterborough in 2022. The Ontario College of Family Physicians has indicated there are 32,000 people in Peterborough, Haliburton, and Kawartha Lakes who do not have a family doctor, with that number expected to double in the next two years

In prior years, Peterborough & the Kawarthas Economic Development (PKED) has been supplying physician recruitment services on behalf of the city and county of Peterborough. Last November, city councillors expressed concerns that PKED’s physician recruitment efforts were not effective and voted to withhold $226,021 in funding for 2024 until PKED and city staff could report back on options for physician recruitment. The following month, PKED opted to no longer be involved in physician recruitment and city council asked for a staff report about hiring a physician recruiter for the City of Peterborough.

The city staff report is recommending the city establish a $580,000 budget for 2024 and 2025 “to implement a multi-pronged, pilot approach for physician recruitment and retention activities.” The approach would include continuing an existing financial incentive for family doctors that establish new practices in the City of Peterborough which provides them with $15,000 over three years, and creating a temporary physician recruitment coordinator position that would support a proposed “Whole of Village” incentive program.

Proposed as a pilot program, the “Whole of Village” initiative would engage local doctors, physicians, organizations, and businesses as part of recruitment efforts. Options for the program could include providing additional financial incentives to physicians based on the number of patients they roster (with a focus on current medical students in the city) and for local physicians who recruit other physicians to come to the city. It could also include a “Hometown Proud” financial incentive for Peterborough medical students studying elsewhere who agree to practise in Peterborough upon graduation.

The report also proposes consulting with the local family physician think tank about short, medium, and long-term actions for family physician recruitment and retention in Peterborough and developing and implementing an an advocacy plan related to the provincial health care system to support physician recruitment efforts.

2024 community grants

City staff will present a report recommending the awarding of the city’s 2024 community grants to eligible groups, with funding restored to both The Theatre On King and Artisans Centre Peterborough after they were denied funding in 2023.

The total funding for 2024 includes $20,965 in community project grants to 29 organizations, $136,170 in community investment grants to 18 organizations, and $82,900 in previously confirmed community investment grants multi-year funding (with one organization transferred to the service grant category).

A committee comprising city staff made the recommendations for the 2024 community project grants, and a committee comprising eight citizens and two city councillors made the recommendaitons for the 2024 community investment grants.

The community grants program provides financial assistance to local not-for-profit and charitable organizations that provide direct programs, services, or activities that enhance the quality of life for Peterborough residents in the areas of social services and health, arts, culture, heritage, recreation, or the environment through two grant streams: the community project grant and the community investment grant.

For community project grants, the city provides $250 to $1,000 for specific projects. For community investment grants, the city provides $1,000 to $15,000 for projects, events, programs, or operating budgets.

This is the last year of the existing community grants program. In October, city council approved a change to the community grants program in 2025. Instead of the existing two funding streams, the program will have three streams: community well-being grants, services delivery agreements, and an art investment fund to be administered by the Art Gallery of Peterborough in collaboration with Electric City Culture Council.

Below is a list of the organizations, by category, recommended to receive community grants in 2024.

Community project grants

Arts

Show and Tell Poetry Series – $1,000
Peterborough Pop Ensemble – $1,000
Nogojiwanong Indigenous Fringe Festival – $1,000
BLM Nogojiwanong – $1,000
Cathedral Hill Productions – $700
Hearts 4 Joy Skills Development Project – $675
The Electric City Players – $600
Maiden Lane Porch Concerts – $425
First Friday Peterborough Art Crawl – $300

Culture

Abraham Festival – $700
Peterborough Chinese Community Organization – $675

Environment

Bonaccord Garden – $1,000
Ashburnham Memorial Stewardship Group – $600
Sheet Seven Community Garden – $365
The Monarch Ultra – $1,000

Health

Tandemeyes – $1,000
Quilts for Cancer Peterborough County – $1,000
Food for Kids Peterborough and County Student Nutrition Programs – $1,000
Peterborough Community Medicine Garden – $625
ME/FM Association of Peterborough & District – $515

Social services

Peterborough Veterinary Outreach – $1,000
Peterborough Gleans – $1,000
Kawartha Haliburton Children’s Foundation – $1,000
Operation Catnip Peterborough – $1,000

Sports

Peterborough Wolverines Football Club – $700
Peterborough Swim Club – $550
Quaker Park Tennis Club – $535

Community investment grants

Arts

Kawartha Youth Orchestra – $15,000
New Stages Peterborough – $15,000
Peterborough Symphony Orchestra – $13,000
Artisans Centre Peterborough – $10,500
The Theatre on King – $10,500
Peterborough Children’s Chorus – $7,700
The Peterborough Singers – $1,000
SPARK Photo Festival – $1,000
Peterborough New Horizons Band – $1,000

Culture

Trent Radio – $9,900

Environment

Kawartha World Issues Centre – $7,000
Camp Kawartha – $5,500
Peterborough Bicycle Advisory Committee – $2,070

Heritage

P. R. Community and Student Association (Sadleir House Facility) – $1,000

Social services

Bedford House / Bridges Peterborough – $10,000
Telecare Distress Centre of Peterborough Inc. – $10,000
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Peterborough – $6,000

Sports

Kawartha Komets Special Needs Hockey Program – $10,000

Previously approved community investment grant multi-year funding

Moved from multi-year investment grant to service grant

Kawartha Sexual Assault Centre (KSAC) – $15,000

Year 2 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

Year 3 or 3

The Peterborough Academy of Circus Arts – $15,000
Heads Up for Inclusion – $8,000
The Down Syndrome Association of Peterborough – $8,000

Zoning by-law amendment for 16-unit apartment building at 720 Vinette Street

City staff will present a report supporting a zoning by-law amendment to permit the expansion of an existing two-storey residential apartment building at 720 Vinette Street, located on the east side of the Rotary Greenway Trail north of Parkhill Road East.

The building’s owner is proposing adding a third story to the existing two-storey building, which currently has eight residential units, to create an additional six units. In addition, the building’s owner is seeking to have two basement units recognized by existing zoning and to obtain the building permits required to bring the two basement units into compliance.

Existing tenants of the building, which include tenants on fixed incomes, would need to be re-homed during construction.

Councillor remuneration and expense statements in 2023

As required by the Municipal Act, council will receive a city staff report providing an itemized statement of the remuneration and expenses paid to each member of council, and council appointees to boards and commissions, in 2023.

The report indicates that Mayor Jeff Leal received a total of $117,341.93 in 2023, with councillors Gary Baldwin, Lesley Parnell, Joy Lachica, Don Vassiliadis, and Keith Riel each receiving $38,138.17, Alex Bierk, Matt Crowley, Kevin Duguay, and Dave Haacke each receiving $37,749.00, and Andrew Beamer receiving $35,582.17 (unlike the mayor and other councillors, Beamer was not paid a vehicle allowance).

Request for delegated authority to obtain liquor sales licences in city facilities

City staff will present a report recommending that council delegate the authority to obtain to obtain liquor sales licences for city facilities to the city’s CAO and the commissioner of community services.

The city currently holds an active liquor licence at the Peterborough Memorial and an expired license at Healthy Planet Arena, and are seeking one for the McDonnel Street Community Centre (operated by the city since 2023) to support facility rentals and programming.

Delegated authority would allow city staff to apply for the liquor licence for McDonnel Street Community Centre and, in the future, to renew existing licences or apply for new ones.

Other reports to be presented to council include recommended amendments to the Ombudsman Act, an update on government relations, recommended amendments to regulatory by-laws, an update on the city’s climate change action plan (“Pathway to Net Zero 2050”), a recommended increase in funding for the contractor hired for the Bethune Street flood reduction project, and recommendations for continuing a donation agreement with the Peterborough Rugby Union Football Club as well as a field use agreement.

Motion on pickleball court strategy at Bonnerworth Park

Town Ward councillor Joy Lachica will put forward a motion about the city’s proposed redevelopment of Bonnerworth Park at 560 McDonnel Street, which will include 16 new pickleball courts, a bike pump track, an expanded skatepark and associated landscape and lighting, and four new tennis courts.

The redevelopment plan proposes that the 16 pickleball courts can be located under 150 metres from residential areas. Councillor Lachica’s motion expresses concern about the noise and traffic impact of the new courts, as well as the impact on accessibility and safety for nearby tenants of Peterborough Housing Corporation and pedestrian park users.

Councillor Lachica’s motion asks that council review the proposed redevelopment plan for alternatives for the pickleball and tennis courts, with a report back to council before any work proceeds on the redevelopment.

Items endorsed by general committee on April 2 will be considered by council for final approval the following Monday.

Council meetings are streamed live at www.peterborough.ca.

Environment Canada has issued a special weather statement and a snowfall warning for an early spring storm in the greater Kawarthas region on Wednesday (April 3) and Thursday, with strong winds and rain followed by the potential for accumulating snow.

The special weather statement is in effect for the City of Kawartha Lakes, Peterborough County, southern Haliburton County, and Northumberland County. The snowfall warning is in effect for northern Haliburton County and Hastings Highlands.

A Colorado low is affecting the region. Rain began overnight on Tuesday, with 25 to 50 mm of rain possible by Wednesday afternoon in Northumberland County and 10 to 40 mm possible in other areas of the Kawarthas. Gusty easterly winds, possibly exceeding 70 km/h, are likely in some areas through Wednesday morning.

The rain is expected to transition to snow late on Wednesday afternoon or evening, with snow expected to continue overnight before tapering off Thursday.

The changeover to snow will likely occur earliest over the Haliburton Highlands, with total snowfall amounts of 15 to 30 cm and peak snowfall rates of 2 to 4 cm per hour expected in northern Haliburton County and Hastings Highlands. With temperatures being very close to the freezing mark, the snow may be very heavy and wet and local power outages are possible as a result.

In other areas of the Kawarthas, snowfall amounts could range from 5 cm to over 10 cm. Confidence in snowfall amounts is low, given that temperatures will be near the freezing mark and the precipitation may continue to fall as rain in these areas.

The original version of this story has been updated with the latest forecast from Environment Canada.