Wastewater surveillance for infectious disease will continue in Peterborough, with a decision by the local board of health to fund an existing partnership between Peterborough Public Health (PPH) and Trent University following the Ontario’s government’s recent announcement it is ending Ontario’s wastewater surveillance program.

The decision was made at the board of health’s meeting on Wednesday (June 12) following a presentation of a health unit staff report supported by medical officer of health Dr. Thomas Piggott.

Board of health chair and city councillor Joy Lachica told kawarthaNOW she is pleased with the board’s decision.

“In the absence of the province’s wastewater surveillance, our board of health has sagely voted to locally provide our community with the data it needs for preparedness and prevention,” Lachica said.

Earlier this month, the Ontario government announced it was ending the $15-million program — which was launched in 2021 during the pandemic and is operated by universities and research sites with funding from the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks — on July 31.

The province said it is shutting down the program to “avoid duplication” with a federal wastewater surveillance program.

Wastewater surveillance is used by public health experts to track and monitor diseases, including COVID-19. This is done by testing community wastewater for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 from infected individuals — called the wastewater signal. The province has traditionally presented the wastewater signal for Ontario, as well as its sub-regions.

PPH — which serves the residents of Curve Lake and Hiawatha First Nations and the county and city of Peterborough — partnered with Trent University to participate in the provincial wastewater surveillance program, with the university’s Natural Resources DNA Profiling and Forensic Centre led by Dr. Christopher Kyle performing the work.

“We’re so grateful to Dr. Kyle and Trent University for their leadership and offer of partnership in this continued work,” Lachica said.

So pleased that @Ptbohealth Board of Health, with the leadership of Chair @lalalalachica see the value for wastewater surveillance data for COVID & pandemic preparedness & has decided they will continue to support this work & partnership with Dr. Kyle @TrentUniversity locally. pic.twitter.com/pr9GEfbsmP

— Dr Thomas Piggott (He/Him) MD PhD (@twpiggott) June 13, 2024

The day following the health board meeting, Dr. Piggott posted on X (formerly Twitter) that he was “so pleased” that the board of health under Lachica’s leadership supported continuing local wastewater surveillance and the partnership with Trent University.

The medical officer of health’s post has been shared almost 300 times with almost 800 likes, with many commenters urging their own local health units to take similar action.

“Dr. Piggott’s expertise and initiative on this front and our PPH board’s decision is proving to be a beacon to others since announcing our decision,” Lachica said. “Public health units across Ontario are also looking to keep their communities as informed and as safe as possible with new emerging pathogens, and as we face yet another COVID spike just this month.”

Two weeks after Peterborough & the Kawarthas Economic Development (PKED) announced it would be dissolving at the end of the year after losing its core funding from the city and county of Peterborough, Peterborough city council will consider a staff report for the city to establish its own economic development services division.

City council, meeting as general committee, will discuss the report from city CAO Jasbir Raina on Monday evening (June 17).

The city staff report comes almost two weeks after Peterborough county council approved a transition plan for the county to assume the responsibilities of economic development and tourism in advance of PKED’s dissolution — the result of both the city and county deciding not to renew a multi-year tri-party agreement to provide funding to PKED that expires on December 31.

The county’s transition plan proposed the county hire a new general manager of economic development who would report to the existing director of planning, with the division renamed as planning and economic development. The plan also proposed the county’s communications division be renamed communications and tourism, with that division’s manager title renamed as general manager of communications and tourism, and that a new communications coordinator be hired for the renamed division.

The city staff report proposes that a new economic development division be established within the city’s infrastructure, planning and growth management department. The new division would include a director and three full-time staff, with an additional two staff to work on tourism and destination marketing within the city’s strategic communications and Service Peterborough division.

“However, staffing needs will be fully determined following the hiring” of the new director, the report states.

The report also proposes the creation of “Experience Peterborough” branding for tourism promotion and marketing, with three city divisions — arts and culture, recreation and park services, and strategic communications and Service Peterborough — “supporting tourism functions to attract events and market the city as a destination.”

“While the staffing resources would be within the three divisions, the public facing identity for Peterborough tourism would be a single branding, Experience Peterborough, with staff contacts grouped together as a single public-facing team and staff working in collaboration on tourism-related activities,” the report states.

In addition to the six staff outlined above, there would be two additional positions similar to PKED’s “experience and tourism advisors” who would promote and support events and activities within the city, as well as half of a full-time equivalent position called “Coordinator of Cultural Programs” that would support cultural events such as Peterborough Musicfest, the Peterborough Folk Festival, Pride events, and community parades.

A media release from the City of Peterborough issued Thursday (June 13) states that there would be a total of 10.5 staff positions to support economic development and tourism within the City of Peterborough under the proposed plan. Peterborough County’s transition plan would require two positions. It is not yet known how many staff positions would be required once the city and county have fully established their new responsibilities for economic development and tourism.

PKED currently has 12 full-time staff positions, with students hired during the summer, to support economic development and tourism in both the city and county of Peterborough.

The budget for the proposed changes for the city would be $341,000 for the remainder of 2024. While the report provides no budget for 2025, it recommends redirecting $1,015,112 — the city’s share of core funding for PKED in 2024 — to fund the new economic development division in 2025. The report also proposes that the portion of the municipal accommodation tax for tourism activities that it transferred to PKED — estimated at $425,000 in 2024 — be assumed by the city by designating the city as an “eligible tourism entity” under the Municipal Act.

The staff report sheds some light on when and how the city made the decision to not renew its tri-party agreement with PKED and the County of Peterborough. According to the report, a closed session of city council was held on June 26, 2023 where council “provided a series of directions relating to alternatives for the delivery of economic development services.” However, the report provides no detail on the “series of directions” as information from closed council sessions is not a matter of public record. Council voted 11-0 to endorse the closed session report.

In Thursday’s media release from the city, Peterborough mayor Jeff Leal makes three statements about the city’s decision not to renew its funding agreement with PKED and the proposal for the city to assume responsibility for economic development and tourism.

“Peterborough was recently shown to be ranked last in gross domestic product growth among the Census Metropolitan Areas in Ontario — behind areas such as Belleville, Brantford, and Thunder Bay. Our business property tax base is not where we need it, leaving residential property taxpayers to shoulder a greater burden. We need a different approach to attract investment. The status quo isn’t working.”

“Peterborough and the Kawarthas Economic Development has served our region with professionalism and dedication for 25 years. The individuals in that organization are outstanding individuals. As we move forward, we need to build on the successes of that organization but also bridge the gaps that have emerged over the last 25 years.”

“Regional collaboration, partnerships and communication will remain essential as both the City and Peterborough County transition in how they provide economic development and tourism activities. Peterborough Region is well positioned to attract growth and investment. The City and the County are taking action to move our communities forward.”

The Kawartha Youth Orchestra (KYO) is calling on Peterborough residents to help local children and youth “stay upbeat” by supporting an initiative that provides them with universal access to music.

“Upbeat! Downtown” is a KYO program that has been offering musical experiences and more for young people aged six to 18 since 2021. In addition to learning instruments, participants — whose socioeconomic circumstances would otherwise restrict their involvement — receive food and enjoy social interaction through the initiative.

But KYO needs community members to help the non-profit charitable organization in its quest to keep the program on beat and to keep live music a part of area children’s lives.

Young musicians from the Upbeat! program are tuning their instruments for their end-of-year recital and launch of the “Stay Upbeat!” fundraising campaign at 6 p.m. on Thursday (June 13) at All Saints’ Anglican Church, located at 235 Rubidge St. in Peterborough.

In addition to youth performances, well-known local musicians and Upbeat! instructors, Saskia Tompkins, Andrew Randall, and Katarina Thompson, will also take the stage.

“The event is the perfect opportunity to come see what Upbeat! is about and get involved,” Colin McMahon, KYO’s program manager, told kawarthaNOW. “The best thing that could happen is that these young musicians look out on a full crowd, to see that their community is here to support them.”

Upbeat! was launched with a three-year, non-renewable Ontario Trillium Foundation grant that is coming to an end.

“The pilot program has been a tremendous success — we’ve grown Upbeat! to accommodate 45 students who are now learning music, receiving food support, and becoming part of a supportive musical community,” said McMahon.

Without the grant, the KYO needs to find new ways of keeping Upbeat! going.

“Having seen the difference this program can make, we are determined to ensure Upbeat! continues to make an impact in the lives of Peterborough’s youth,” McMahon said. “We have a commitment to the Upbeat! children and their families, who have come to depend on this life-changing program.”

He said there is “a distinct lack” of local accessible music education, especially string education.

“So, we’re asking our local community to help us ensure it can continue.”

In addition to music exposure, the program also offers food for participating children and youth.

“As many studies show, hungry children struggle to learn new things,” McMahon said. “We also know food insecurity is a constant struggle for many households. Upbeat! starts each day, as soon as the students arrive from school, with a nutritious snack. We call it a snack, but to make sure needs are met, it is really a full-blown meal.”

Lisa Dixon, former owner of Black Honey, leads the food program.

“The food program also provides a wonderful opportunity for bonding and community before they get to their music lessons,” McMahon added.

McMahon has seen many rewards for children and youth partaking in the Upbeat! program.

“The biggest change we see is children learning to express themselves creatively and socially and building confidence in their abilities. I was just yesterday talking to a student, and she told me about how shy and scared she was to meet new people before she started at Upbeat! Now, she is truly one of the most outgoing young people I’ve ever met.”

“Another young boy, (who) joined just at the start of this year, broke my heart when he told me he’d never be able to play violin because he was ‘never good at anything.’ It’s taken a lot of careful and patient work to convince him he’s capable, but to see his face light up when he shows off what he can do now is the most fulfilling thing imaginable.”

Through Upbeat!, children learn to play the violin, viola, cello, and horn in an ensemble-based program. They also get to sing in a choir, learn music theory, and experience a wide range of musical genres with guest performances.

To keep the youth initiative going, KYO’s most pressing need is for donations. For more information and to make a donation, visit www.kawarthayouthorchestra.org/support-kyo/.

Upbeat! is also in need of volunteers. Those interested in volunteering when Upbeat! starts back up in September can email contactus@thekyo.ca.

Northumberland County residents should see movement towards rural internet improvements in the coming months, the county’s top politician says.

Brian Ostrander, Northumberland County warden and mayor of the Municipality of Brighton, said the county is poised to share news this autumn regarding the promised rural broadband expansion project.

“Northumberland is expecting to be able to announce next steps in rural broadband expansion early in the fall with an aggressive rollout timeline,” Ostrander told kawarthaNOW.

Following COVID-19 and deemed essential for post-pandemic economic recovery, the federal and provincial governments announced $45 million in joint funding towards an initiative to deliver high-speed internet access to all households and businesses across Northumberland, in partnership with Northumberland County and private sector partners.

The county has said providing high-speed internet services across Northumberland’s hilly landscape and dispersed population makes the task complex. About one-third of Northumberland households are either underserved with broadband access or entirely unserved, according to the county.

Northumberland announced in 2022 it had developed “an innovative approach” intended to meet the growing high-speed internet needs of residents, businesses, and public services. Ultimately, county council endorsed establishing a municipal services corporation to manage broadband as an open access utility.

The approach merges significant public funding and private capital investment to create the utility. The private sector-led utility is designing and building a local fibre-to-the-home telecommunications network and then — over time — will provide open, wholesale access to this network to Internet Service Providers (ISPs), the county noted. ISPs will use this network to deliver high-speed internet services to Northumberland residents and businesses.

The network will be able to deliver a minimum internet speed of one gigabit per second, according to the county. At the time of the announcement, the target timeline for delivering high-speed internet access to all households and businesses across Northumberland was the end of 2024 to early 2025.

In other telecommunications news, the Eastern Ontario Regional Network (EORN), the Government of Canada, the Government of Ontario, and Rogers Communications announced earlier in June that Rogers 5G mobile services are now available in 21 communities across eastern Ontario. Forty-two new cell towers and four additional upgrades to existing sites are completed, and now offer Rogers 5G mobile services to residents, businesses and visitors.

Rogers 5G mobile services are now available in parts of the following areas:

• City of Kawartha Lakes
• County of Frontenac
• County of Haliburton
• County of Hastings
• County of Lanark
• County of Lennox and Addington
• County of Northumberland
• County of Peterborough
• County of Prince Edward
• County of Renfrew
• United Counties of Leeds and Grenville
• United Counties of Prescott and Russell
• United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry
• City of Kingston
• Town of Gananoque
• Alderville First Nation
• Algonquins of Pikwakanagan
• Curve Lake First Nation
• Hiawatha First Nation
• Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte
• Mohawks of Akwesasne

The announcement is part of the EORN Cell Gap Project, a $300-million public-private partnership to improve and expand cellular services across rural eastern Ontario. About half the project is co-funded by federal and provincial governments, as well as municipal members of the Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus and most of the Eastern Ontario Mayors’ Caucus.

Rogers Communications, which was selected through a competitive bidding process, is providing the balance of the investment, a media release noted.

“High-speed, reliable, and affordable cellular services are essential for Canadians to succeed today,” said Sean Fraser, federal minister of housing, infrastructure and communities, in the release.

“We are proud to support this project, and I am incredibly excited about today’s milestone with even more Ontarians now able to access enhanced broadband services and all the benefits that come with it.”

Through this partnership, Rogers Communications is building approximately 332 new telecommunications cell towers consisting of newly built and co-located sites, which are sites shared with other providers. In addition, 312 existing sites will be upgraded — bringing wireless infrastructure to more municipalities and Indigenous communities in eastern Ontario. To date, 309 sites have already been upgraded and 100 new cell towers have been completed, according to the release.

Environment Canada has issued a tornado watch for the Kawarthas region for Thursday afternoon and early evening (June 13).

The tornado watch is in effect for Peterborough County, Kawartha Lakes, Haliburton County, and Hastings Highlands.

Conditions are favourable for the development of severe thunderstorms Thursday afternoon and evening. There is a risk of these storms producing tornadoes, as well as strong winds gusting to 110 km/h, nickel to toonie size hail, and heavy rain.

Environment Canada recommends taking cover immediately if threatening weather approaches.

In the event of a tornado, or if a tornado warning is issued for your area, it is recommended that you go indoors to a room on the lowest floor, away from outside walls and windows, such as a basement, bathroom, stairwell or interior closet.

Leave mobile homes, vehicles, tents, trailers and other temporary or free-standing shelter, and move to a strong building if you can. As a last resort, lie in a low spot and protect your head from flying debris.

A new 10-storey residential-commercial development is being proposed in Peterborough’s East City, to be located adjacent to Mark Street United Church at 90 Hunter Street East.

Some neighbouring residents have received a invitation to a public open house from Peterborough’s EcoVue Consulting Services Inc. on behalf of Toronto-based developer TVM Group, the company behind two other nearby East City developments: East City Condos and the St. Joseph’s Hospital redevelopment.

The public open house will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. on Thursday (June 20) at Mark Street United Church.

“Applications have not yet been submitted as the proponent is first undertaking (a) technical review and seeking feedback from the public,” states the letter inviting neighbours to attend the public open house, noting it is not a “public meeting pursuant to the Planning Act” because an application for the development has not yet been submitted to the City of Peterborough.

“The developer’s consulting team will be on hand to answer questions,” the letter states. “There will be no formal presentation and attendees may come and go as they please.”

According to the letter, TVM Group is proposing to develop a 10-storey, mixed-use building with commercial space on the ground floor, a parking garage on parts of the first and second floor, and 156 apartment units on the remaining seven floors.

The development would be constructed to the west of the original Mark Street United Church building, in an area currently occupied by a 1957 addition to the church building. The original church building would remain and would be severed from the proposed development. The development would include 43.6 metres (143.1 feet) of frontage on Hunter Street East.

According to a 2024 report from the East Central Ontario Regional Council of the United Church of Canada, the board of trustees of Mark Street United Church entered into an agreement with TVM Group to exchange church property for rental condominium units in the East City Condos development valued at $2 million, “plus the construction of a new hall as approved by the congregation at no cost to Mark Street United Church.” The church’s website states that four rental units at East City Condos will be available for occupancy this summer

In September 2019, planning consultant Kevin Duguay (who was elected to Peterborough city council in 2022) represented the church’s board of trustees during a meeting of the city’s committee of adjustment for an application to sever two lots owned by the church, which contain two residential buildings on Mark Street just north of the church’s parking lot. That application was approved. The two lots are not part of the property for the proposed development.