Kawartha World Issues Centre (KWIC) is energized about a new project designed to bridge the generation gap between Peterborough youth and seniors and help the planet at the same time.

A charitable organization that connects global issues to local initiatives, KWIC is participating in “Climate Kinship: Bridging Generations in Climate Action Mentorship,” a collaborative project with For Our Grandchildren (4RG), a non-profit organization that encourages action against climate change on the local level.

KWIC and 4RG are inviting youth and seniors to unite in an approach aimed at “cultivating intergenerational solidarity in collective action to address climate change in our local community,” according to KWIC.

KWIC program and outreach coordinator Sarah Forrest shared with kawarthaNOW the organization’s hopes for the initiative, which will welcome its first group of seniors and youth for collaboration from September through December. A second group will gather for action between January and March 2025.

“Our aim is twofold — connection and climate action,” Forrest said in an interview. “Over the course of this program, we aspire for the 10 senior and youth pairs to form meaningful and lasting friendships that extend beyond their participation in the project.”

“As they attend monthly workshops on topics including Indigenous perspectives on climate, introduction to the sustainable development goals, food security, climate solutions, and eco-emotions — among others — as well as connect one-to-one, the participants will gain valuable climate knowledge and actionable climate skills, enabling them to contribute in meaningful ways to their community or communities.”

Forrest said 4RG board president Guy Hanchet tells the story best about how the spark was ignited to bring together youth and seniors for climate change action.

“Thirteen years ago the first seeds of an intergenerational climate project began when Julie Cosgrove, KWIC’s executive director at the time, attended a 4RG meeting,” Forrest said, relaying the story. “Since then, KWIC and 4RG have had the pleasure to work together on many individual events and initiatives including 2023’s Friday for Future Climate Rally.”

“This continued collaboration has sparked our joint desire to see positive climate actions in Nogojiwanong (Peterborough) and connect seniors and youth for a sustainable future. Thanks to the Government of Canada’s New Horizons Seniors Grant, we were delighted to announce that this long-standing vision of uniting seniors and youth in climate action had become a reality.”

“We are thrilled about this project and anticipate its successful reception, enabling its growth and continuity not just for the foreseeable future but potentially expanding the senior and youth climate action mentorship experience beyond Peterborough,” Forrest said.

For now, KWIC is inviting seniors aged 55 and older and youth between the ages of 15 and 30 to consider getting involved. The commitment involves attending two in-person meetings a month between September and December for the fall session or between January and March 2025 for the winter session.

Registration for both the fall and winter cohorts is now open at kwic.info/climate-kinship. The deadline for submitting an application is Friday, August 9.

“For us, the best outcome would be for genuine bonds to be established between the pairs that also advance support and action for local climate justice or leadership in new climate change efforts,” Forrest said.

“Both KWIC and 4RG have heard from our networks and community for years about the need for intergenerational climate collaborations, so bringing this to fruition and learning together is opening a world of possibilities.”

“Additionally, the 2024-2025 program is a pilot year for us — we are looking forward to the many lessons that we are facilitators and project co-ordinators will learn and how we can hopefully apply it to future years of the program.”

Forrest also wanted to share that the project is currently supported “by an amazing steering committee with diverse perspectives and experiences that are helping to guide the project.”

In addition to Forrest, the steering committee includes Curve Lake First Nation Elder Dorothy Taylor (Sacred Water Circle), Sharon Beaucage-Johnson, Rachel Gilham (TRACKS), Cam Douglas (Youth Leadership in Sustainability), Patricia Wilson (Diverse Nature Collective), and Glen Caradus, along with 4RG’s Hanchet and outgoing KWIC executive director Sam Rockbrune.

For more information about Climate Kinship, visit kwic.info/climate-kinship or email Sarah Forrest at sarah@kwic.info.

Kawartha Land Trust has received $7 million in funding from the federal government to support the land conservation organization’s work to protect land in Peterborough and the Kawarthas.

Two federal politicians were at Jackson Park in Peterborough on Thursday afternoon (July 18) to make the announcement on behalf of environment and climate change minister Steven Guilbeault.

The funding comes from Canada’s $1.4-billion 10-year Nature Smart Climate Solutions Fund, which aims to reduce annual greenhouse gas emissions by supporting projects that conserve, restore, and enhance the management of ecosystems such as forests, wetlands, peatlands, and grasslands.

“Protecting nature is one of the best and easiest ways that we can fight climate change,” said federal small business minister Rechie Valdez on behalf of Guilbeault. “These vital ecosystems, like those here in Peterborough, absorb carbon and increase our communities’ resilience to the effects of climate change.”

Kawartha Land Trust protects 39 properties comprising more than 7,250 acres of diverse types of land and assists in the management of one additional property. In February, the charitable organization announced the largest protected property purchase in its 22-year history: the new 1,411-acre Hammer Family Nature Preserve on the east shore of Pigeon Lake west of Lakehurst in Trent Lakes.

The $7 million in funding from the Nature Smart Climate Solutions Fund helped Kawartha Land Trust protect the Hammer Family Nature Preserve and its intact temperate forest and freshwater coastal habitat that supports 28 species at risk. The organization also received private donations and a $2.9-million investment from the Ontario government’s Greenlands Conservation Partnership, a $38-million program conserving ecologically important natural areas and protecting wetlands, grasslands, and forests that help mitigate the effects of climate change.

The funding announced on Thursday is in addition to other funding Kawartha Land Trust has received from the Nature Smart Climate Solutions Fund. In 2022, Environment and Climate Change Canada announced the organization would receive $1.7 million over five years, which Kawartha Land Trust has been using to protect other properties.

“We are making progress toward Canada’s important conservation goals in our collective effort to halt and reverse the alarming global decline of biodiversity,” said Adam van Koeverden, parliamentary secretary to Guilbeault, on behalf of the minister. “Working collaboratively with communities across the country is essential to making progress. The work being done through this funding is an excellent example of the benefits of working together, including connecting Canadians with nature and bringing us closer to our biodiversity goals.”

During Thursday’s announcement, Valdez also announced almost $1.6 million for Conservation Ontario, which represents Ontario’s 36 conservation authorities, to protect ecosystems from destruction and fund activities that protect at-risk species.

This story has been updated to clarify the funding Kawartha Land Trust has received from the Nature Smart Climate Solutions Fund.

The New Canadians Centre (NCC), which welcomes Canadian newcomers to the Peterborough and Northumberland areas, is celebrating its 45th anniversary with a windfall of more than $93,000.

As a result of its 45th anniversary fundraising campaign — through which the organization strived to raise $45,000 — “with your generous support, we raised $48,507,” wrote Andy Cragg, NCC’s executive director, in a recent email announcement.

“Because your donation was matched up to $45,000 by an anonymous donor, you actually raised $93,507.”

“We are so grateful that you have helped us to kick off our 45th anniversary celebration in such a meaningful way,” Cragg added. “This is a big boost that will help us to deliver crucial programs and services to newcomers to Canada.”

Over the past year, the NCC has welcomed more than 2,000 people from more than 100 countries who immigrated to the Peterborough and Northumberland areas — a 50 per cent increase from the previous year and the highest number in its 45-year history.

To mark that anniversary, the non-profit organization kicked off the #45for45 donation campaign in June.

With its fundraising goal accomplished, the NCC will continue to use the donations to provide its programs and services that welcome and support newcomers.

The organization offers services to immigrants and refugees, along with multicultural programming that is open to the broader community. One of the newest NCC services is its life skills program, which aims to equip recent newcomers who need extra support with additional tools.

Overall, NCC strives to empower those who are new to the country, so they can be recognized as equal and valued members of Canadian society, and provide leadership to cultivate newcomers’ meaningful economic, social, and cultural inclusion in local communities. Core programs and services connect newcomers to each other and to the community.

The NCC was born in 1979 when a modest group of community members sponsored the arrival of Vietnamese refugees.

The non-profit organization’s goal is to create an environment where people who are new to Canada are valued, which it strives to accomplish by raising awareness of newcomers’ positive contributions and breaking down barriers to their equitable access and participation.

For more information about the New Canadians Centre, visit nccpeterborough.ca.

Habitat for Humanity Peterborough & Kawartha Region (Habitat PKR) will cut the ribbon on Wednesday (July 24) to officially open its new location in Lakefield.

Festivities will kick off at 10 a.m. at the new ReStore, which is located at 3001 Lakefield Rd. in Selwyn. The new space, in the former Overstock Liquidation building, boasts 10,000 square feet for items such as new and used furniture, appliances, housewares, and home building materials.

Its opening will help the organization further propel its mission of supporting local families and individuals through affordable homeownership, Habitat PKR noted in a media release.

Community members and local businesses can join Habitat PKR for the opening ceremony, food, and music, and get first dibs to explore and shop at the store, which will offer a wide variety of items.

Habitat PKR announced in April that it would be closing its Peterborough South ReStore on Braidwood Avenue on June 15 and was seeking a new location. Early in June, the organization announced it has secured the new Lakefield location. It was a swift transition for the organization.

“Our dedicated ReStore team of staff and volunteers have been working hard behind the scenes to open the new Lakefield ReStore in record (time),” Holly O’Connor, Habitat PKR’s communications and marketing manager, told kawarthaNOW. “We’re excited for the public to shop and donate in our new ReStore space.”

“Our ReStores help fund our mission of building affordable homes in our local community, so opening the Lakefield ReStore as soon as possible has been a priority for us,” O’Connor added. “We’re also fortunate to have had great support from Selwyn Township, which has enabled us to move forward efficiently and quickly with this opening.”

Habitat ReStores are non-profit home improvement and building supply stores. Shopping, donating, and volunteering at a ReStore is a socially and environmentally conscious decision, as the proceeds from the sales at Habitat ReStores help fund Habitat for Humanity’s mission to bring communities together to help families build strength, stability and self-reliance through affordable homeownership, Habitat PKR noted.

“We are thrilled to be opening the doors to the Lakefield ReStore in the Township of Selwyn,” said Susan Zambonin, Habitat PKR CEO, in the release. “This new location will help us continue serving the Peterborough and Kawartha region through our three ReStore locations, bringing us closer to our vision of a world where everyone has a safe and affordable place to live.”

In addition to Lakefield store, Habitat PKR has ReStore locations at 300 Milroy Dr. in Peterborough and at 55 Angeline St. N. in Lindsay.

The two stores each have a distinctive inventory of items, which change daily as new items are donated by residents and businesses. Shoppers will find home décor, windows, doors, paint, furniture, hardware, lumber, tools, lighting fixtures, and appliances.

“Every purchase creates the opportunity for a better life — a good deal for you, your community, and the environment,” Habitat PKR noted.

Items sold at the ReStore also help prevent landfill waste.

In 2023, Habitat PKR’s ReStores diverted 331,730 items from landfills in the Peterborough & Kawartha Region.

For more information about shopping, donating, and volunteering, visit www.habitatpkr.ca/restores.

A 57-year-old Lindsay man is dead following a two-vehicle collision Tuesday afternoon (July 16) on Highway 7 just west of Lindsay.

At around 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Kawartha Lakes Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) and fire and emergency medical services responded to a collision involving two SUVs on Highway 7 near Round Tree Road.

The driver of one of the vehicles, a 57-year-old man from Lindsay, was pronounced dead in hospital. The driver of the other vehicle was treated for minor injuries.

Round Tree Road and Highway 7 between Greenfield Rd. and Angeline St. were closed for several hours while police documented the scene.

Police are continuing to investigate the cause of the collision.

Anyone who may have witnessed or has video/dash camera footage of the collision and has not spoken with police is asked to contact the City of Kawartha Lakes OPP at 1-888-310-1122.

Five Counties Children’s Centre has exceeded its fundraising goal for its recent Backyard Summer Social event, which netted more than $40,000 to support therapy and other services for children with special needs who live in Peterborough, Northumberland, Haliburton, and Hastings counties and in the City of Kawartha Lakes.

The signature gala fundraising event organized by Five Counties Children’s Centre, held in Peterborough on June 22, surpassed the $40,000 mark for the third straight year, raising $41,775 to support kids’ treatment services.

All monies raised through the Backyard Summer Social go to the centre’s “Building Abilities for Life” campaign, which directly benefits children in the community to receive high-demand treatment services. This includes providing priority speech language therapy and occupational therapy to children and youth who need them, reducing wait times for these life-changing services.

Bill Eekhof, spokesperson for Five Counties, said the success of the event boils down to the generosity of the communities’ citizens.

“Peterborough and area is a very generous community, and that’s continually demonstrated time and time again,” Eekhof told kawarthaNOW.

“Support for the Backyard Summer Social is only the latest example, and even during a time of rising costs of living, Five Counties is very grateful to all of the attendees, volunteers, staff, donors, supporters, and area businesses who assisted us get over the $40,000 mark for the third straight year.”

“The support makes a huge difference in helping kids get the treatment they need when they need it,” Eekhof added.

Five Counties acknowledged the support from seven local Canadian Tire stores that stepped up as the outdoor event’s lead sponsor. The organization also noted the weather for the Backyard Summer Social turned out to be different than predicted.

“The day was supposed to be a washout, but the rain held off just long enough on June 22 for us to enjoy a fabulous afternoon outdoors,” said Scott Pepin, Five Counties CEO, in a media release.

“The Backyard Summer Social was filled with fun, games, music, laughter, good conversation, and memorable moments — all while supporting our kids,” Pepin said. “We know the earlier a child can access important treatment programs for development, communication or physical needs, the better their outcome. That’s why fundraising events like this one allow us to see more kids and fill the gaps that can’t always be covered by government funding.”

The fundraiser is an age-19 plus event that “allows adults to be kids again — at least for the afternoon,” according to Five Counties.

This year, attendees were able to enjoy music, food, entertainment, live auction, door prizes, and fun activities including axe throwing, jousting, circus performing, a petting zoo, and old-fashioned picnic games.