Peterborough’s business community has stepped up with a proposal that could potentially address the controversy surrounding the City of Peterborough’s plan to locate 16 pickleball courts in Bonnerworth Park.

Sarah Budd, president and CEO of the Peterborough and Kawarthas Chamber of Commerce, emailed a proposal to city council on Thursday (June 27) that suggests the pickleball courts could be located at the site of the former Baskin-Robbins plant on Aylmer Street in downtown Peterborough.

The proposed site, located at the northwest corner of Aylmer and Simcoe streets, is owned by developer Don MacPherson and currently sits vacant.

kawarthaNOW reached out to MacPherson for comment on the proposal but he was unavailable.

In her 12-page proposal, which she supplied to kawarthaNOW, Budd notes the “property is available,” offering enough space for 16 pickleball courts, parking, and greenspace.

Describing the proposal as a win-win-win-win, she listed the following points in favour of the location:

• A much-needed investment in our downtown. Improving the core is pivotal to any successful economic development strategy.
• Pickleball players will get their 16 courts and there will be the potential to dome it over the winter months for year-round play.
• Our downtown businesses need help bringing more people downtown. Tourists and pickleball players will be welcome by neighbouring businesses.
• This would be an extension of the Simcoe and Bethune park that has basketball courts and a small park. There would be room to add a much-needed washrooms and a clubhouse as well.

Further, the proposal suggests “if the entire property was redeveloped with private-public partnerships, an apartment building, like the one at 681 Monaghan (Road), could be built on the rest of the property, potentially with new retail space on the main floor.”

Budd elaborated on the proposal, telling kawarthaNOW, “We are looking outside the box with this proposal.”

“Often, governments spend on individual projects with specific objectives for just that project,” she said. “We want to think bigger. How many boxes can we check with one project that help meet our wider objectives as a community?”

“In this instance, we have the recreational goals of the pickleball courts, but let’s use that spending to also help revitalize our downtown, enhance underutilized properties, provide economic opportunities for local businesses, and create recreational opportunities where they are lacking.”

The proposed site was home to Baskin-Robbins’ plant until it closed in October 2012, with the building demolished in 2020. MacPherson planned to build three apartment buildings with ground-floor commercial space and sought rezoning approval. He applied to the city in 2019 but never heard back.

Although MacPherson decided he wasn’t interested in building apartments when the Consumption and Treatment Services (CTS) site was created across the street at 220 Simcoe, he still wanted the site rezoned from industrial to commercial-residential to accommodate any future plans.

The property was rezoned in summer 2023 after MacPherson Realty and Monkman Realty went to the Ontario Land Tribunal when the city wouldn’t issue a decision. The hold-up was apparently due to Otonabee Conservation’s work on floodplain planning. It eventually concluded the site could be safely developed without causing flooding.

PDF: Chamber Pickleball Proposal
Chamber Pickleball Proposal

City councillor Alex Bierk, a vocal opponent of the plan to see 16 pickleball courts, an expanded skate park, and a bike pump track developed at Bonnerworth Park, told kawarthaNOW the proposal “looks amazing.”

“My concern is that the proposal is exactly what Councillor (Joy) Lachica wanted to do with her motion — have staff go back to the drawing board and look at alternate locations that were viable,” Bierk said. “That motion was lost. To me, it feels like we’ve already tried to have that conversation, even very mildly, at council without any progress on evaluating other sites.”

That said, Bierk says the proposed location “seems like a great spot,” particularly in terms of its proximity to the basketball courts.

Councillor Lachica first tabled a motion at city council’s April 2nd general committee meeting to delay the Bonnerworth Park redevelopment plan for further consideration and consultation, in response to concerns expressed by neighbouring residents about the impact of noise from the proposed pickleball courts and the loss of greenspace, as well as a lack of consultation on the part of the city.

The motion lost in an 8-3 vote, with only councillors Lachica, Bierk, and Keith Riel voting in favour of delaying the project. The motion was defeated a second time, by the same 8-3 vote, when it came before the regular city council meeting on April 8th — clearing the way for the project to proceed in the hands of city staff with no further council oversight.

Then, at council’s May 13th general committee meeting, Lachica attempted to introduce a new motion that proposed council be granted final approval authority over the redevelopment’s site plan and associated reports. That motion was not tabled for discussion or a vote after councillor and committee chair Andrew Beamer ruled it out of order and six of the 11 committee members supported his ruling.

kawarthaNOW reached out to councillor Lachica for comment on the Chamber’s proposal, but she couldn’t be reached.

Watch kawarthaNOW for updates to this developing story.

The Rotary Club of Peterborough has followed through on its commitment to donate $100,000 to Camp Kawartha in Douro-Dummer.

During the club’s meeting on Monday (June 24), outgoing president Betty Halman-Plumley presented a final cheque for $25,000 to Camp Kawartha’s executive director Jacob Rodenburg.

The $100,000 pledge was made in 2021 as part of the Rotary Club of Peterborough’s centennial celebration project. The money specifically supported the construction of the new Camp Kawartha Health Centre, an eco-friendly straw bale building. Rodenburg told the club the goal was to create a building that was healthy inside and out.

“The centre not only serves the health needs of Camp Kawartha kids, it also demonstrates what’s possible in regenerative green building,” Rodenburg said in a media release.

Camp Kawartha is located on the shores of Clear Lake in Douro-Dummer. The health centre is a 1,200-square-foot structure that was designed to have net-zero energy costs, zero toxins, zero fossil fuel use and zero waste output — all adding up to a zero-carbon footprint. The health centre has a fully equipped clinic with first aid supplies, over-the-counter medications, as well as patient assessment tools — including a blood pressure cuff, a thermometer, stethoscopes, an oxygen saturation probe, and more. The camp nurse or paramedic lives in the health centre throughout the summer. There are three wellness rooms for campers who need rest or require a quiet space to decompress.

The centre supports the health care needs of campers and day visitors and also serves as a “teaching building,” enhancing the environmental education programming offered annually to some 16,000 campers, students, and adults.

The Rotary Club has a long history of supporting Camp Kawartha, which was founded by Rotary more than a century ago.

“Rotary has always been involved with programming to develop the youth of today to be the leaders of tomorrow and that is what Camp Kawartha programming is all about,” said Rotarian Jim Coyle, a past president.

Also during the recent meeting, Halman-Plumley handed over the chains of office to incoming president Ken Seim.

The term-end celebration also included awarding the “Breakfast Cup” to one of the five Prince of Wales Breakfast Club volunteer groups. Every morning last week, each group prepared a special breakfast for the young breakfast club patrons. The meals were judged by a panel of school staff and students with points for presentation, nutrition, and taste. The “Thursday Team” took home the trophy for their deluxe breakfast buffet that consisted of homemade macaroni and cheese, devilled eggs, heart-shaped watermelon pops and more.

Meanwhile, two Peterborough residents were voted as Rotarians of The Year during the June 24 meeting. Former radio personality and current real estate agent Catherine Hanarahan and Grady’s Feet Essentials owner Tony Grady “have made significant contributions to the success of our club,” the Rotary Club of Peterborough noted in a social media post.

Hanarahan and Grady are both on the board of directors and are dedicated volunteers with bingo and the Prince of Wales Breakfast Club program.

Hanarahan chaired the Rotary Spelling Bee committee, which organized the popular media vs Rotarians spelling bee and the televised spelling bee finals for students. She was also actively involved with the Carl Oake Rotary Swim and, in her role as communications chair, used her media skills to spread the word about Rotary.

Grady took on the roles of both treasurer, ensuring the books were balanced and streamlining coordination with Rotary’s foundation and fundraising committees, and sergeant at arms, finding a new venue for Rotary meetings and ensuring the meetings ran smoothly including the food.

The Rotary Club of Peterborough was established in 1921 and currently has just more than 70 members.

Throughout its history, the club has supported many local and international activities and events, from its early sponsorship of Five Counties Children’s Centre, The Rotary Spelling Bee, and The Prince of Wales Breakfast Club programs, to worldwide efforts in polio eradication, clean water, world peace, and literacy.

The Rotary Club of Peterborough, which usually meets for lunch two Mondays per month, is one of more than 46,000 clubs, with 1.4 million members around the world. The club celebrated its 100th anniversary on April 1, 2021.

– with files from Paul Rellinger / kawarthaNOW

If you see workers taking down some trees at Bonnerworth Park, the City of Peterborough wants you to know the work is not part of the controversial Bonnerworth Park redevelopment.

The city issued a media release on Thursday (June 27) explaining that three trees that are either dead or dying will be removed along the perimeter of Bonnerworth Park at Monaghan Road and McDonnel Street, with the work expected to be completed on Thursday.

“The tree removals are necessary for safety reasons as it is likely that the whole tree or tree parts will fail as the trees deteriorate,” states the release. “The trees pose a significant risk of harm to the public and/or personal property in the vicinity.”

According to the release, the removal of the trees is part of the city’s urban forest management program, which each year sees the city removes trees that have reached the end of their safe life expectancy.

The city says it is also planting around 1,000 new trees in the community as part of its various initiatives to maintain the urban forest canopy, including tree plantings to respond to the loss of tree canopy from the May 2022 derecho storm and the loss of ash trees due to the emerald ash borer.

Approved by city council in April, the $4.4-million Bonneworth Park redevelopment includes the construction of 16 pickleball courts, an expanded skate park, a bike pump track, and an 80-vehicle parking lot.

The first phase of the plan would see construction begin this fall on the pickleball court complex, including any landscaping and sound attenuation.

A group of residents neighbouring Bonneworth Park are protesting the redevelopment plan, with their primary objections the noise impact that the 16 pickleball courts will have on their quality of life, the loss of their neighbourhood greenspace, and what they claim was a flawed process in terms of how the plan has been developed and communicated.

“The tree removals at Bonnerworth Park are not related to the upcoming changes to the park,” the city’s release states.

The Haliburton, Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland (HKLN) Drug Strategy is recognizing June 26 as “Anti-Stigma Day,” in the hopes of decreasing the amount of stigma experienced by people who use substances.

The HKLN Drug Strategy is ultimately aiming to instead increase the amount of compassion and understanding extended towards people who use drugs.

In recognition of Anti-Stigma Day, the Elizabeth Fry Society of Peterborough is hosting a community event with several other organizations on Wednesday (June 26) from 1 to 4 p.m. at Millennium Park, outside the Silver Bean Cafe, in Peterborough.

The goal of the event is to educate community members about the impact of negatives attitudes, beliefs, or behaviours about or towards a group of people because of their circumstances.

“We encourage everyone to be kind, and consider the language you may be using or encountering which can be extremely stigmatizing against those who use substances,” said Dane Record, chair of the HKLN Drug Strategy, in a media release about the event.

“Reducing the stigma associated with substance use is a huge goal for us and we commend the leadership and team at The Elizabeth Fry Society of Peterborough for their active involvement each year.”

In addition to raising awareness, organizers aim to equip community members with tools to combat stigma.

“Addiction is not a choice,” the release noted. “It is a treatable medical condition, yet many people affected by addiction face stigma.”

Stigma includes discrimination, prejudice, judgment and stereotypes, which can isolate people who use drugs, the release noted.

“People struggling with addiction face discrimination and barriers to getting help.”

The HKLN Drug Strategy said the impact of stigma can result in the following scenarios:

• Lead a person to avoid getting help because they are afraid of judgment or getting in trouble with work, their loved ones or the law
• Cause a person to hide their drug use or use drugs alone
• Affect a person’s ability to find housing and jobs, which affects their health and quality of life
• Contribute to people who use drugs receiving a lower quality of care from the health care system when they access services.

The community event at Millennium Park features educational activities, listening and information sessions, giveaways, and games.

The HKLN Drug Strategy said community members can help by changing how they speak about drug use. Language choice has a direct and deep impact on people who use drugs. “Using kind words can make it easier for someone to speak up, to feel understood or to receive help.”

The group suggests the following strategies:

• Use “person-first language,” for example, say “person who uses drugs” instead of “drug user”
• Use neutral, medically accurate words when describing drug use
• Avoid slang such as “addict” and “junkie”
• Use language that shows care and concern, rather than judgment
• Speak up when you hear someone being treated or spoken to in a disrespectful way
• Use language that acknowledges and promotes the fact that recovery from addiction is possible and looks different for everyone.

The HKLN Drug Strategy suggests these additional ways to help reduce stigma: do not define any person by their drug use; be respectful, compassionate and caring towards those who use drugs; and educate friends and family by passing on facts and challenging stereotypes.

The Elizabeth Fry Society of Peterborough began hosting its annual Anti-Stigma Day community event in 2021, selecting June 26 because the day has been earmarked by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) as “International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking” to support the so-called “war on drugs” through social media campaigns, information, and more.

According to the society, UNODC’s and similar campaigns “serve to further stigmatize and ostracize our peers who use substances, and the information put forward by campaigns like these can be harmful in many ways, which we unfortunately often see locally, at an alarmingly increasing rate.”

Canada continues to experience an opioid crisis, which has seen increases in hospitalizations and deaths due to heroin, fentanyl, and other opioids, according to Statista, a global data and business intelligence platform.

As of 2020, around 25 per cent of Canadians stated they felt opioid addiction, overdose, and death in Canada was a crisis, while 44 per cent believed it to be a serious problem. Almost 18 per cent of Canadians report that they have used an illegal drug at some point in their lifetime, according to Statista’s findings. For more information, visit www.statista.com/topics/4533/drug-use-in-canada/.

The Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC) Foundation has launched the public phase of a $60-million fundraising campaign — the largest ever in the hospital’s history — in response to system-wide health care challenges.

PRHC Foundation president and CEO Lesley Heighway announced the campaign at an event at the hospital on Tuesday morning (June 25), which was attended by donors, foundation and hospital leadership, and dignitaries including Peterborough mayor Jeff Leal and Peterborough County warden Bonnie Clark.

With the tagline “reImagine. Health. Care.”, the campaign for PRHC is an effort to position the hospital to meet the demands of the changing health care system, including a growing and rapidly aging population, increased patient volumes, an increasing need for complex care, and increased rates of chronic disease and mental illness — all of which will require continued investment in PRHC, which itself is more than 15 years old.

“Our hospital is at a crossroads,” Heighway said. “Our hospital and the communities we serve are facing serious problems. We need creative, inspired, efficient solutions to tackle them. Without advancements in technology and increased capacity, we risk leaving our patients behind. Today, we choose to design our health care future.”

Led by a volunteer council that includes local philanthropist and PRHC donor David Morton and patient Jennie Ireland as campaign ambassadors, the campaign aims to empower a world-class standard of care at the hospital that allows people to continue to receive care close to home, to fuel innovation including new life-saving services, to attract top health-care professionals to work at PRHC, and to inspire and support solutions to critical challenges facing the hospital.

The focus of the campaign is to raise funds for substantial investments at the hospital in the areas of cardiac care, cancer care, minimally invasive surgeries, interventional radiology, and mental health and addictions services, as well as a physician-driven “innovation accelerator.”

According to PRHC president and CEO Dr. Lynn Mikula, the support of donors is critical to the success of the campaign’s goals.

“PRHC is a thriving organization that’s home to incredibly dedicated and compassionate professionals, but the present and future are not without their challenges,” Mikula said. “We simply can’t move forward without the partnership of individuals, families, and organizations who share our vision for this hospital and what we can achieve together.”

Dr. Heather Cox, PRHC vascular surgeon and a member of the PRHC Foundation board, also emphasized the importance of donors to the campaign’s success.

“Your generosity fuels innovation, enabling us to redefine patient care and bring cutting-edge treatments to our community,” said Cox, speaking on behalf of the hospital’s health care professionals. “By supporting our hospital, you keep patients closer to home, easing both financial and emotional burdens.”

“Your commitment not only enhances patient care with faster recoveries and personalized treatments, but also attracts top medical talent, enriching our ability to serve. Most importantly, your contribution is a catalyst for progress — a symbol of hope and dedication to improving health care for everyone we care for.”

For the past four years, the PRHC Foundation has been quietly working with donors to garner support for the campaign, with these efforts already raising an astounding $45.5 million.

“We’re thrilled to announce that, thanks to donor generosity, we have already achieved 75 per cent of our $60 million goal,” Heighway told the event’s attendees.

The funds raised to date have already supported completed projects such as upgraded cath lab suites, state-of-the-art CT scanners, a second MRI machine, the new Scotiabank Youth Eating Disorders Day Treatment Program, and ongoing renovations to enhance patient care facilities.

Future plans for funds raised through the campaign include projects such as expanding the hospital’s cardiac labs to include the introduction of electrophysiology, making improvements to the emergency department’s crisis response unit, establishing a hybrid operating room to treat vascular disease, and introducing digital pathology to expedite cancer diagnosis.

With another $14.5 million to raise during the public phase of the campaign, Heighway thanked existing campaign donors for their commitment to PRHC and the future of health care in the region.

“As we move into the public phase of our campaign for PRHC, your generosity will inspire others to join us,” Heighway said. “Together, we will confront health care challenges head-on, building on the momentum you’ve generated as we reimagine health care at PRHC and create a healthier, stronger community for all.”

For more information about the campaign and how to provide support, prhcfoundation.ca/the-campaign-for-prhc/.

A 22-year-old Peterborough man has died after being rescued from Little Lake late Sunday afternoon (June 23).

At around 5:15 p.m. on Sunday, police and first responders were called to Beavermead Park for a potential drowning incident.

Upon arriving, officers learned that three people had entered the water but only two got out.

The Peterborough Fire Services water rescue team subsequently located the missing man in the water.

Although he was resuscitated at the scene and taken to Peterborough Regional Health Centre, he was pronounced dead at the hospital on Monday.

Police have not released the name of the victim.