When her daughter began attending junior kindergarten at a recently built Peterborough school, parent Tara Joyce was surprised to learn the provincial government doesn’t provide funding for a school playground.

Joyce wants her daughter, other students, and ultimately everyone in the East City community to have a playground at Kaawaate East City Public School (KECPS).

She and other parents are calling on the community’s support as they embark on a $200,000 fundraising campaign for an accessible playground at the public elementary school on Hunter Street East that opened in 2021.

“I was surprised and disappointed to learn when the Ministry of Education builds and opens a new elementary school, its funding doesn’t include the school playground,” Joyce, a member of the parent committee spearheading the fundraising campaign, told kawarthaNOW. “It’s up to the new school community to raise funds for it.”

“Having a playground for the students seems critical to the healthy functioning of any elementary school,” she said. “With our student body and new building already overcrowded in its third year of existence, creating more interactive spaces outdoors for our students is critically needed, and will have a long-term positive impact on their learning and growth.”

On March 18, KECPS announced its intent to raise the money needed to build an accessible playground for its student population of almost 800 children from the East City area of Peterborough and surrounding communities. It has raised $25,000 to date.

Joyce said making the playground inclusive of children who have varying abilities is important.

“Our vision is to create an outdoor space that allows children of all abilities and developmental stages to play together and that creates a nurturing environment for all,” she said.

“We have students with walkers and other mobility issues and our school is built on a drumlin. Equipment that includes ramps so all children can reach elevated play components such as slides, and enjoy the view up high is critical, as well having ground-level play activities.”

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or sensory processing disorder often feel either over-stimulated or under-stimulated, and either need a quiet place to escape to, or the option to engage in activities that stimulates their senses, Joyce noted.

“We’d like the playground to include a mix of both calmer areas and sensory-rich activities that may involve music, lights, or spinning motions.”

Having an accessible playground is a priority for all members of the KECPS playground committee. It’s this shared concern for inclusion among parents of the East City community that’s driving them to raise funds for an accessible playground that caters to all students, including those with special mobility and sensory needs, a media release noted.

“The KECPS yard is located adjacent to a forest and offers a beautiful view from the hill overlooking the Trent-Severn waterway. It is truly a special location in the East City and one KECPS is proud to share with its community.”

“With our student body and new building already overcrowded in its third year of existence, creating more interactive spaces outdoors for our students is critically needed, and will have a long-term positive impact on their learning and growth,” said Robin Koshurba, member of the KECPS playground committee, in the release.

The committee is asking local businesses and organizations, families, and any interested donors for help to meet their fundraising goals.

Those who wish to donate can do so through School Cash Online at kprdsb.schoolcashonline.com or by cash or cheque. For more information about making a donation, contact the KECPS office at 705-745-2591.

The KECPS student population encompasses children from junior kindergarten to Grade 8 and includes students from the former King George Public School and Armour Heights Public School. “Kaawaate” is Ojibwe for “shining waters.”

A 49-year-old man is dead after a serious motor vehicle collision on Tuesday morning (March 19) on Highway 7 east of Peterborough.

At around 6:40 a.m., Peterborough County Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) and emergency crews responded to the scene of the collision, which happened on Highway 7 at David Fife Line between Highway 28 and County Road 38.

Police report a westbound passenger vehicle and an eastbound tractor trailer collided. The 49-year-old man driving the passenger vehicle was pronounced dead at the scene.

Highway 7 was closed in both directions between Highway 28 and County Road 38 while police and emergency crews dealt with the collision scene and police conducted an investigation.

The highway was reopened at around 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday,

Anyone who may have dashcam footage of the collision or witnessed it and has not yet spoken with police is asked to contact the Peterborough County OPP at 705-742-0401 or the OPP non-emergency number at 1-888-310-1122.

The original version of this story has been updated with details about the fatal collision and the highway reopening.

Selwyn Township will be improving the accessibility of the Lakefield waterfront this summer for people with disabilities, thanks in part to a grant from the Ontario government.

The $60,000 grant from the provincial government’s Inclusive Community Grants Program was announced as part of the township’s budget earlier this year, with a formal announcement last Thursday (March 14) attended by Ontario’s minister of seniors and accessibility Raymond Cho, Peterborough-Kawartha MPP Dave Smith, Peterborough County warden Bonnie Clark, Selwyn Township mayor Sherry Senis, and township representatives.

The “Creating an Inclusive Waterfront in Lakefield” project includes the purchase and installation of an assistive canoe and kayak launch at Isabel Morris Park and a fully accessible canoe and kayak launch at the Lakefield Beach.

“There remain considerable barriers to participation in recreation and cultural activities for people with disabilities,” Mayor Senis said in a media release. “This is also true for seniors, people with limited mobility, and/or health-related issues. To achieve inclusivity for all, parks and recreation services must be accessible to residents and visitors of all ages and abilities. This is a goal that the township strives towards.”

According to the township’s 2024 budget, the total cost of the project is estimated at $72,904 and is scheduled to be completed by July 31.

“Those with disabilities and limited mobility are often faced with obstacles or unwelcoming environments when they try to use outdoor spaces,” MPP Smith said. “This funding will allow individuals to have access to waterfront that will enable them to enjoy activities with their friends and families for years to come.”

The province’s Inclusive Community Grants Program provides local governments and not-for-profit organizations with funding for projects that enable older adults and people with disabilities to participate in all aspects of community life.

Since 2020, the program has supported 87 projects in Ontario communities, including $740,859 for 15 projects in 2023-24.

“Our government proudly supports Selwyn Township in removing barriers to recreation through the Inclusive Community Grant,” Minister Cho said. “The addition of an accessible and assistive canoe and kayak launch at Isabel Morris Park will go a long way in ensuring more people can enjoy the beautiful Lakefield waterfront.”

A new medical centre, featuring a husband-and-wife physician duo and a nurse practitioner, is now open in the village of Norwood.

The clinic, located at 17 Spruce St., is expected to be a welcome addition for the many residents of Asphodel-Norwood who don’t have a family physician or have to travel out of the area to receive care.

Meanwhile, those who do have access to primary care within the community previously raised concerns with the township about the village’s physician, Dr. Brendan Keogh, nearing the end of his practice. Residents identified the stability of family medicine in the community as their top priority in the township’s 2022-2024 strategic plan.

“The Township of Asphodel-Norwood took these concerns seriously and prioritized the creation of a roadmap that would lead to attracting new healthcare providers to our community,” the township noted in a media release.

Asphodel-Norwood is leasing about 4,000 square feet in the new Trillium Medical Campus building for medical centre space to support the team of physicians and the nurse practitioner recently recruited for the community, and to allow the opportunity for specialty services to be provided, such as foot care for seniors, a diabetes clinic and more.

The township’s roadmap towards providing local health care services included the leasing of the space and the onboarding of a nurse practitioner in partnership with the Peterborough Family Health Team.

“Those key steps in conjunction with many hours of relationship building and outreach have resulted in the final step of the roadmap being achieved,” the township stated.

Dr. Alex Cormier and Dr. Angie Ford, the clinic’s two doctors, are in the process of transitioning into the new space. A third physician, Dr. Ryan Hutcheson, is expected to join the team in July. The three doctors are supported by nurse practitioner Mary Walsh.

Ford grew up in Ancaster and spent a lot of time playing soccer competitively. She completed both her undergraduate and medical degree at Queen’s University in Kingston. She then went on to complete her residency at the Peterborough-Kawartha Queen’s Family Medicine training site, with some extra training in emergency medicine and intensive care. Ford said she is looking forward to sharing the medical practice with Cormier, who is her husband.

Cormier grew up in Ottawa and did his undergraduate studies at McGill University in Montreal, followed by medical school at Queen’s University. He completed his medical training through the Queen’s Peterborough-Kawartha Family Medicine Residency program, with additional training in emergency medicine.

Hutcheson grew up in Cobourg and spent the better part of a decade in the music business before going back to school. He completed his undergraduate studies and teacher’s college at Trent University, attended medical school at McMaster University in Hamilton, and completed his residency through Queen’s University.

Walsh completed a Bachelor of Nursing Science and primary care nurse practitioner program at Queen’s University and a Master of Arts in counselling psychology at The University of British Columbia.

To support the new health care team, the township invites residents to consider sponsoring medical equipment and furnishings for the space. Donations are also welcome. For more information about sponsorship opportunities, visit www.antownship.ca/healthcare.

The township encourages residents of Asphodel-Norwood who are not patients of Keogh and who don’t have a family doctor, along with those who currently travel outside of the Peterborough area to receive care, to call the municipal office to add their names to a wait list.

Around 50 protesters gathered outside of the Scotiabank branch at Hunter and Water streets in downtown Peterborough on Friday afternoon (March 15) to demand the bank’s asset management arm fully divest its holdings in Elbit Systems Ltd., an Israeli defence contractor.

According to a media release from Nogojiwanong 2 Palestine, which organized Friday’s protest, Elbit Systems provides 85 per cent of the drones and 85 per cent of the land-based equipment used by the Israel Defense Forces in Gaza.

In fall 2022, Scotiabank was reported to have become a major foreign shareholder in Elbit Systems, holding around 5.1 per cent of the weapons producer, valued at around $500 million at the time.

The bank’s holdings in Elbit came under scrutiny even before the Israel-Gaza war, because the weapons company had been accused of manufacturing cluster munitions, which can kill or maim civilians during a conflict or long after it has ended.

At a shareholders meeting in April 2023, a representative of the ethical investing activist group Eko delivered a petition on behalf of 12,000 signatories calling on Scotiabank to divest its Elbit holdings.

The protest in downtown Peterborough was one of dozens at Scotiabank branches across the country on Friday, and follows a similar protest held at Scotiabank’s downtown location in December.

According to filings with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, earlier this month Scotiabank’s 1832 Asset Management trimmed its holdings in Elbit from 5.1 per cent to 4.3 per cent in the fourth quarter. Scotiabank did not comment on the reason for the reduction in holdings.

“We are not here today occupying space at Scotiabank branches all across the country to ask for a small reduction in Scotia’s genocide profiteering,” said protester organizer Vladimir Cuéllar in the media release. “We are here to stand with the innocent Palestinians in Gaza and demand that Scotiabank put and end to it completely.”

While other Canadian banks own shares in Elbit Systems valued at around $3 million, Scotiabank remains by far the largest non-Israeli shareholder. That made it the target of Friday’s protest, organizers say.

Carrying signs and banners that read “Divest from Elbit” and “End Genocide Profiteering,” Friday’s protesters picketed, sang, chanted, recited poetry, and closed their Scotiabank accounts, organizers say.

The protesters provided leaflets to Scotiabank patrons and passersby notifying them of the connection and encouraging them “to remove their money from banks funding genocide and to reinvest it in more ethical alternatives, such as local credit unions.”

“Clearly, Elbit and Scotiabank are directly profiting from the current genocide in Gaza, as Elbit shares are up 17 per cent over the past year,” said protester organizer Pauline Hwang.

The Gaza conflict has now killed more than 30,000 Palestinians — the majority women and children — and injured more than 70,000 others. Israel’s military claims that around 10,000 of those killed were members of Hamas, which invaded Israel on October 7 and killed 1,139 people and took 250 people hostage.

More than 1.5 million Palestinians who have been displaced from other parts of Gaza during the conflict are now residing in the southern city of Rafah, which Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reaffirmed will be the target of an offensive despite international pressure .

A Place Called Home (APCH) in Lindsay is starting to get the wheels in motion for its cycling tour fundraiser this summer.

The organization, which provides support for people experiencing homelessness in Kawartha Lakes and Haliburton, has announced registration is now open for the 21st annual Kawartha Lakes Classic Cycling Tour.

This year’s event will be held on Saturday, August 24th at the Salvation Army Lindsay Community Church, located at 51 Eglington St. in Lindsay. Featuring 50, 100, and 160 kilometre road routes and 20 and 40 kilometre trail routes, the Kawartha Lakes Classic Cycling Tour attracts cyclists of all skill levels from throughout Ontario.

The annual tour is APCH’s largest fundraiser of the year, said Jennifer Lopinski, fund development co-ordinator for the agency.

“APCH needs to raise a minimum of $150,000 to keep our operations running smoothly to ensure that immediate support for those experiencing homelessness is there when they need it,” Lopinski told kawarthaNOW.

“With the rising cost of inflation, coupled with increased operating costs due to our much larger shelter, our need for increased donations could not be higher. Demand for our shelter and outreach services continues to increase as more vulnerable people struggle to stay housed.”

VIDEO: Kawartha Lakes Cycling Tour

Volunteers from the Kawartha Cycling Club donate countless hours to help plan the Kawartha Lakes Classic Cycling Tour every year, with all proceeds going to APCH to support those experiencing homelessness in the City of Kawartha Lakes and Haliburton County.

Boston Pizza is the title sponsor for this year’s event and will be providing a lunch for all event participants.

With registration now being open, APCH encourages cyclists to take advantage of the staggered early-bird rates. From now until April 30, it costs $70 to register as an individual or team member. That rate will increase to $80 on May 1, $100 on July 1, and $120 on event day. The flat rate for youth registration is $15, and families with one to two adults may bring up to four youth for a flat rate of $100.

Those interested in joining a team to fundraise for APCH can qualify to receive a free Biemme event jersey. To be eligible for a free jersey for each team member, teams must fundraise a minimum of 200 times the number of team members. For example, a team of four would need to raise $800 for each team member to receive a free Biemme event jersey. Individuals who raise or donate $200 or more qualify for a free Biemme event jersey too, APCH noted.

“The very best thing that could happen, outside of perfect cycling weather on August 24, would be to see more individuals, families, youth, and teams come out for a day of fun and take advantage of our free Biemme event jersey offer by fundraising or donating a minimum of $200 so they we can continue to support the increased numbers of people experiencing homelessness in our community,” Lopinski said.

To learn more about the Kawartha Lakes Classic Cycling Tour and to register, visit the event website at kawarthaclassic.com. Those interested in becoming a sponsor for the event can contact Lopinski by calling 705-878-6817 or emailing jennifer@apch.ca.

Since 1995, APCH has supported homeless men, women, and families with children in the City of Kawartha Lakes and County of Haliburton. The registered charitable organization helps people who find themselves homeless to get back on their feet so they are able to move forward and settle into a stable residence.

According to APCH, it also continues to help its previous clients through ongoing communication and by providing support to prevent situations that could put them at risk of becoming homeless again. APCH also helps those at risk of becoming homeless to keep their homes.

For more information about APCH, visit www.apch.ca.

What a difference a year has made for the Peterborough Petes. After last year’s inspiring run at the Memorial Cup, the Petes are now officially out of playoff contention.

Despite playing in front of a sell-out crowd at the Peterborough Memorial Centre on Saturday night (March 16), the luck of the Irish wasn’t with the Petes as they fell in a 7-4 loss to the second-ranked North Bay Battalion.

With 65 games played and three games left in their regular season, the Petes remain where they have been for most of the season: second-last in the Eastern Conference standings with 20 wins and 37 losses, just ahead of the Niagara IceDogs with 16 wins and 40 losses after 63 games played.

During Saturday’s game, Tommy Purdeller led the way for the Petes with two goals and an assist. Ryder McIntyre and Caden Taylor each picked up two assists, while Chase Lefebvre and Braydon McCallum each had a goal. Cam Gauvreau also had an assist in the game.

Liam Sztuska stopped 40 of 46 Battalion shots in the loss.

The Petes’ final home game of the regular season takes place on Thursday (March 21) when they face off against the Ottawa 67’s.

While March sunshine and warmer temperatures could have you eager to crack open a cold drink on the patio and pull out the swimsuits, water management representatives warn that it’s not all a cause for celebration in the Trent River watershed.

“We could be in for a very different summer,” warns North Kawartha Township Mayor Carolyn Amyotte.

The difference comes from the fallout of a premature spring thaw, subnormal precipitation, and unseasonable temperatures throughout the winter. Surveys by Parks Canada — which is responsible for water management along the Trent-Severn Waterway — show that in the Haliburton area alone, total precipitation has been below average every month since September 2023 and was just 35 per cent of normal in February 2024.

“Normally when we get to this time of year, there’s a great deal of water stored all through the Trent River basin and it’s stored as snowpack,” says Ted Spence, executive committee chair of the Coalition for Equitable Water Flow (CEWF) and a retired professor with an academic focus in environmental planning and hydrology.

“The snowpack was already less than 60 per cent in the northern areas, ranging down to essentially zero as you get further down in the basin. Now it’s closer to zero everywhere.”

CEWF is a volunteer organization established in 2008 to represent those who own residential shoreline property on 35 reservoir and 20 flow-through lakes located in Haliburton County and northern Peterborough County, in the Haliburton sector of the Trent River watershed. CEWF acts as the liaison between the membership lake associations and the Parks Canada Trent-Severn water management team, which maintains the water levels for all lakes through dam operations.

VIDEO: Coalition for Equitable Water Flow

With below-typical precipitation causing a lack of stored water, Parks Canada is managing the dams throughout the system and logs have now been added to all reservoir lake dams to gradually build water levels.

“If we start to get normal precipitation, they would be aiming to get (reservoir lakes) up to 75 or 80 per cent by the end of April,” says Spence, who resides in Peterborough but cottages on Catchacoma Lake, which is a part of the Mississauga Lake chain, the largest reservoir in the waterway. “In a normal year, they would be looking to get the whole system up to about 90 per cent in early May.”

Spence suggests this water monitoring activity is happening about a month ahead of when it typically would and, combined with the early winter run-off, water levels on the lakes are coming up “a few centimetres per day.”

“The lakes are all higher than they would normally be on this date, but there’s nothing sitting upstream to come down to finish filling them,” Spence points out. “The water level on your lakes is going up earlier than you would expect.”

Monitoring of water levels doesn’t stop at the northern reservoir lakes, but goes all the way down through the system.

“We have to fill the whole system and, right now, the downstream parts like the Trent River and Otonabee River through Peterborough have been reduced to minimum flows in order to allow the canal lakes and the Kawartha Lakes to be filled above, and for the reservoirs to fill,” Spence says. “To have that happening in March is exceptional.”

After the reservoir lakes are filled in late spring, water is gradually drawn from the lakes over the summer months until fall to support boat navigation in the Trent-Severn Waterway system.

Though spring thaws often prompt concerns of flooding, that is of less concern this year given the lack of snowmelt. What could be an issue to property owners, however, is shoreline damage caused by ice breaking up on the lakes.

“Most of the northern lakes still have ice cover which has broken away from the shore as the water level came up and the weather got warmer, and it’s breaking up and it can blow with high winds,” Spence says. “We know that shorelines are very vulnerable to ice damage and anybody who leaves structures in the water, like docks or posts, are always susceptible to damage from blowing ice, but this is certainly earlier (than usual).”

As for Mayor Amyotte, who resides on Eels Lake (a reservoir lake located north of Apsley) and is the representative on the Upper Trent Water Management Partnership, the risk lies in the months ahead should there not be increased levels of precipitation.

“If we’re starting off this season super dry, it wouldn’t surprise me to see us having fire bans starting off quite quickly,” she says. “Having a forest that’s under stress because it’s so dry is not good for potential fire risk.”

Amyotte notes too that, with the increased sunshine, any precipitation is more likely to evaporate than it is to be absorbed into the watershed, and that drought could change the migratory patterns of birds and animals, among other impacts on the ecosystems.

“When ecosystems are under stress because of droughts, they’re more susceptible to pests and diseases,” she says. “It has far-ranging consequences, and not only on our enjoyment of being able to fish or paddle downstream.”

While Amyotte and Spence both agree there is no need for cottage owners to rush up to their properties ahead of schedule, they should be prepared to operate differently this year.

“You may be moving your dock out a little sooner than you’re used to,” says Amyotte. “You may want to consider extending your water line in the lake if it’s in a spot that can get shallow — certainly for those reservoir lakes.”

She also encourages property owners to think ahead about proactive measures like installing rain barrels and to check out firesmartcanada.ca for tools and resources on taking inventory to monitor potential fire risks and safety measures.

For now, Spence assures that most dams have automated water gauges and that the Trent-Severn water management team gets “real-time data” which alters their ongoing management of water levels.

“Trent-Severn is doing everything they can to protect the interests of everybody in the basin by storing as much water as possible and storing it earlier than they would normally,” he says. “Their crews are out every day working on the channels, the logs, and the dams and they’re ready to deal with any kind of issue.”

“Nobody really knows what’s going to happen,” Amyotte adds. “But all we can say is we need rain, and we really need it to soak into the ground.”

Visit www.cewf.ca for resources on water management safety, or more information on water management of the Trent-Severn Waterway. Visit parks.canada.ca/lhn-nhs/on/trentsevern/info/infonet/niveau-eau-water-levels for up-to-date information on water levels in the Trent-Severn Waterway.

PDF: Trent River Watershed Flowchart
Trent River Watershed Flowchart