David Marshall (bottom right), chair of the board of health for the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit (HKPRDHU), speaks during a media conference on February 28, 2024 when the HKPRDHU board of health and the board of health for Peterborough Public Health announced a decision to voluntarily merge the two health units. Also pictured is Joy Lachica (top left), chair of the board of health for Peterborough Public Health, Dr. Thomas Piggott (top right), medical officer of health for Peterborough Public Health, and Dr. Natalie Bocking (bottom left), medical officer of health for HKPRDHU. (kawarthaNOW screenshot)
If a merger of the two local health units is approved by the province, who will lead the new organization and serve its 300,000 residents will be determined in the future, a health board chair said.
The board chairs of Peterborough Public Health (PPH) and the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit (HKPRDHU), along with both medical officers of health (MOHs) for the two health units, discussed the leadership issue during a media conference on Wednesday (February 28) when they announced the decision to voluntary merge and form one health unit.
The proposed merger requires approval by the provincial government before any changes occur.
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HKPRDHU board of health chair David Marshall said leadership of the combined and much larger unit, assuming the province supports the merger, is “a major consideration.”
“It offers us an opportunity to look at the structure and some health units have MOHs and CEOs and some have assistant MOHs,” Marshall said.
“As the unit grows here … there’s only the two doctors/physicians currently on the two organizations, so it offers the opportunity to look at what is the best leadership structure moving forward, given that the organization will basically double in size.”
“That’s going to be a major consideration in the next few months,” he noted, adding the same applies for the merger of the two boards of health into a single board of health for the new organization.
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The two health units combined serve about 300,000 residents in the city and county of Peterborough and Curve Lake and Hiawatha First Nations, the City of Kawartha Lakes, and Haliburton and Northumberland counties. The health units are currently led by two physicians, with Dr. Natalie Bocking at the helm of HKPRDHU as its MOH and Dr. Thomas Piggott as PPH’s MOH.
The boards announced on February 28 they will go ahead and seek provincial approval and funding to support the merger. The application will aim to demonstrate how a proposed merger would benefit the communities served by the health units, while supporting outcomes and priorities identified for public health by the Ministry of Health.
Mergers of public health units require provincial legislative change and will not be definitive until the government approves the merger and commits to funding the initiative.
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Both PPH and HKPRDHU will continue to operate independently during the provincial review period.
“A new name has not been selected,” Dr. Bocking said. “That will be part of the planning process and done collaboratively across both health units.”
The HKPRDHU and PPH boards of health will submit a joint voluntary merger application to the Ontario government by April 2.
In August 2023, the Ministry of Health announced plans aimed at strengthening the public health sector by offering one-time funding, resources and supports to local public health agencies that decide to voluntarily merge by January 1, 2025.
This week, we're featuring two local musicians performing in downtown Peterborough. On Friday night, indie alt-rockers Doses (pictured, from left to right, Eric Pill on bass, Colin Kennedy on guitar, Matt Goody on drums, and Peterborough's Dylan Ireland on vocals) perform at Erben with special guests The Manic Boys and Girls Club from Toronto, and singer and musician Beau Dixon will take to the stage at Jethro's Bar + Stage supported by Rico Browne, Curtis Cronkwright, and Sam Weber. (Photo: Doses)
Every Thursday, we publish live music events at pubs and restaurants in Peterborough and the greater Kawarthas region based on information that venues provide to us directly or post on their website or social media channels. Here are the listings for the week of Thursday, February 29 to Wednesday, March 6.
If you’re a pub or restaurant owner and want to be included in our weekly listings, please email our nightlifeNOW editor at nightlife@kawarthanow.com. For concerts and live music events at other venues, check out our Concerts & Live Music page.
With the exception of karaoke, we only list events with performing musicians. Venues may also host other events during the week (e.g., dancing, DJs, comedy shows).
Wednesday, May 29 8pm - Chris Webby - Last Wednesday Tour Part 2 w/ Sean Ski, Robbie G., Zack Weston, Bru Casteliano ($40 - $340 in advance at https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/845119574397)
Almost 200 guests, including Hermione Rivison and Rose Terry, attended the YWCA Peterborough Haliburton's Empty Bowls event at The Venue in downtown Peterborough on February 23, 2024. Returning as an in-person seated lunch for the first time since the pandemic, the event raised almost $20,000 for the YWCA's Nourish Food program to alleviate food insecurity. (Photo: Jeannine Taylor / kawarthaNOW)
YWCA Peterborough Haliburton’s annual Empty Bowls event last Friday (February 23) has raised almost $20,000 to help address food insecurity in the Peterborough area.
Almost 200 guests attended the 20th annual event at The Venue in downtown Peterborough, which returned as an in-person seated lunch for the first time since the pandemic. Ticket holders received a handcrafted ceramic or wooden bowl and enjoyed food supplied by 15 local restaurants.
Proceeds from the fundraiser will support the Nourish Food Program operated by the YWCA, which provides fresh food at affordable costs to families experiencing hunger.
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“This year, more than ever, I’m encouraged and humbled by the number of people who support Empty Bowls with their generosity,” says YWCA executive director Kim Dolan in a media release. “The time devoted to making this event a success holds true this year more than ever.”
YWCA’s Nourish Food program offers monthly food boxes, community gardening, and a weekly market at Curve Lake First Nation, bringing high quality produce from local farms to the community at affordable prices. With the support of the community, around 260 food boxes are distributed each month to individuals and families around the Peterborough area.
Including funds from this year’s event, supporters of Empty Bowls have helped raise more than $210,000 over the past 20 years for the Nourish Food program.
Members of the Kawartha Potters Guild who, along with members of the Kawartha Woodturners Guild, hand crafted and donated all the bowls for the 2024 YWCA Empty Bowls event on February 23 at The Venue in downtown Peterborough. (Photo courtesy of YWCA Peterborough Haliburton)
“Twenty years is a remarkable milestone, especially given the challenges in recent years,” Dolan note. “It is a testament to the dedication of our community members who fired up their kilns, sharpened their chisels, showed up, donated, sponsored, volunteered, and continued the legacy of Empty Bowls in Peterborough.”
This year’s event was supported by members of the Kawartha Potters Guild and Kawartha Woodturners Guild, along with presenting sponsor Cornerstone Family Dentistry, location sponsor The Venue, and media sponsor kawarthaNOW.
Participating restaurants include Ashburnham Ale House, the Black Horse Pub, By The Bridge, Fresh Dreams, Hanoi House, Hard Winter Bakery, La Hacienda, La Mesita, NAKA Japanese, Naked Chocolate, Revelstoke, Sam’s Place, St Veronus, The Pin, and The Venue.
Community Care Northumberland's annual Easter cookie fundraiser from March 1 to 18, 2024 supports its Meals on Wheels program in Northumberland County. Each $20 box contains five individually wrapped, decorated Easter cookies from Roda's Kitchen in Cobourg. (Photo: Roda's Kitchen)
By purchasing brightly decorated cookies, residents can help ensure seniors and people with disabilities in Northumberland County have hot meals on their tables.
On Friday (March 1), Community Care Northumberland (CCN) is launching an Easter cookie fundraiser to support its Meals on Wheels program.
The fundraiser is an important one for CCN, says Leiann Peart, director of client services at CCN.
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“Every dollar raised through the Easter cookie fundraising event goes toward providing nutritious and affordable meals to seniors living alone, adults with disabilities who are unable to shop for groceries or cook for themselves, and those being discharged from hospitals with limited or no help available during their recovery,” Peart told kawarthaNOW.
“Every single purchase will make a difference to the lives of those that benefit from this program,” she said. “Ideally, we would love to raise $7,000 to assist us in providing this valuable service to those who benefit from this program.”
The fundraiser ties into National Nutrition Month, which is the month of March, and March for Meals, an annual campaign to increase awareness and community engagement around the significance of the Meals on Wheels program.
Community members can purchase a box or more of cookies. Each $20 box contains five individually wrapped, decorated Easter cookies from Roda’s Kitchen in Cobourg, with $8 from each box sold directly supporting the Meals on Wheels program.
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As mentioned by Peart, the initiative provides essential frozen and hot meal deliveries to clients throughout Northumberland County.
CCN delivers approximately 3,000 meals a month to residents in Northumberland.
In addition to the cookie fundraiser, local mayors, volunteers, and other community members will join CCN for the 27th anniversary of March for Meals and demonstrate their support as “community champions” by delivering meals to clients.
“The cookie fundraiser and March for Meals initiative are essential components in meeting the nutritional requirements of our clients and community, simultaneously amplifying awareness about this invaluable program,” said Trish Baird, CCN CEO, in a media release. “We express our gratitude to everyone for their unwavering support.”
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Cookie orders can be placed between March 1 and 18 on the Community Care Northumberland website at commcare.ca.
Those who purchase cookies can pick them up on March 27 and 28 from local CCN offices in Brighton, Campbellford and Cobourg.
CCN’s Meals on Wheels program provides healthy and affordable meal options, the organization noted. Northumberland clients can choose hot meals, which are prepared locally and delivered several times per week at noon, and/or can choose to receive frozen meals, which are easy to prepare and cater to several diets.
Meals are delivered by CCN volunteers or staff members directly to the client’s door. In 2022-23, CCN’s Meals on Wheels program delivered 40,421 meals to 636 clients in the county.
Volunteer John White works on a children's bike at B!KE - The Peterborough Community Bike Shop. The non-profit charitable organization is holding its annual Kids' Bike Build on April 14, 2024 and is seeking donations of used children's bikes that can be refurbished and given away to local organizations working with children and families. (Photo courtesy of B!KE)
Peterborough’s community bike shop B!KE is once again seeking donations of used children’s bicycles for its annual “Kids’ Bike Build” event this spring.
On Sunday, April 14th, volunteers from the non-profit charitable organization and mechanics from other local bike shops will be donating their time to check and repair donated bikes before they are provided free of charge to local organizations working with children and families.
In previous years, as many as 60 children’s bikes have been refurbished and provided to organizations including the New Canadians Centre, Haliburton Children’s Aid, Nogojiwanong Friendship Centre, BGC Kawarthas, and the YES Shelter for Youth and Families.
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“Riding a bike can be such a fun and liberating activity for a child,” says B!KE executive director Mark Romeril in a media release. “We want to do what we can to ensure that opportunity is available to all children in our community.”
Bike donations will be accepted until Friday, April 12th and can be dropped off at B!KE at 293 George Street North in downtown Peterborough between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays.
B!KE welcomes donations of any children’s bike up to a 24-inch wheel size. Ideally, donated bikes should have all major parts like wheels and handlebars. Arrangements for larger volume donations can be made by contacting B!KE at 705-772-7557 or info@communitybikeshop.org.
The organization, which also accepts donations of adult-sized bikes and bike parts year-round, operates a teaching workshop for bike repair, sells new and used bikes and parts, and provides information and education on bikes and biking.
Seed dispersal mechanisms are important for biodiversity conservation and maintaining healthy ecosystems, as they allow new plants to grow away from their parents in areas with less competition. A cedar waxwing prepares to eat the berries of a European buckthorn, a non-native and invasive species whose seeds are primarily spread through birds consuming the berries as a food source. Humans can also be responsible for spreading the seeds of invasive plants. (Photo: Jessica Todd / GreenUP)
Can plants move? If you said no, think again. Plants may not have feet, but their seeds can still be dispersed from one place to another.
Each week, GreenUP provides a story related to the environment. This week’s story is by GreenUP Communications Assistant Jessica Todd.
Have you ever had burs (common burdock) stick to your clothing when exploring outside? Have you blown the fluffy white seeds of a dandelion into the wind and made a wish? Or have you noticed birds eating the berries off of shrubs and trees? These are just a few ways that seeds can disperse.
Seed dispersal is important for biodiversity conservation and maintaining healthy ecosystems. Dropped seed has to compete for light, water, and soil nutrients. Seed dispersal mechanisms allow new plants to grow away from their parents in areas with less competition.
Seeds can be dispersed in various ways: by wind, animals, gravity, ballistics, and water.
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Wind is the most common way for seeds to disperse. Lightweight seeds — including dandelions, milkweed, and maple seeds — can be carried in the wind. Maple keys make a spinning motion when they are blown in the wind, giving them the appropriate title of “helicopter seeds.” Dandelions and milkweed seeds both have feathery attachments that create a parachute-like effect in the wind.
There are many ways that animals can spread seeds. For example, squirrels store acorns and walnuts in the ground for winter. The forgotten seeds can produce new plants. Some plants such as common burdock (Arctium minus) have special adaptations that allow them to be picked up by animal furs and feathers. These are also known as “hitchhiker seeds.”
Many birds ingest different berries or fruits from plants such as Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) and staghorn sumac (Rhus typhina) and spread their droppings (with seeds) elsewhere. In other words, yes, animal poop is one way for seeds to travel.
Seeds from the butterfly milkweed ready to be taken airborne by the wind, the most common way for seeds to disperse. Seeds can also be dispersed by gravity, ballistics, water, and animals including people. (Photo: Hayley Goodchild / GreenUP)
Gravity also transports seeds. Seeds can simply fall to the ground. Take a look at the fruit of apple trees. When an apple falls from a tree, so does its seeds. Because of their size and shape, they may roll some distance from the parent plant, increasing their survival rate. Not only that, but seeds that fall at the top of a slope are often washed down to other locations by surface water runoff.
Another (shocking) way seeds can be spread is through explosions or ballistics, which sounds like a much more intense process than it really is. Some plants like peas and native jewelweed (Impatiens capensis) have seed pods that split open and scatter once they are dried out.
Water can also move seeds, depending on topography. Water’s current can carry seeds to a more suitable growing environment away from the parent plant.
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But wait, let’s circle back to animals again. Humans play a large role in seed dispersal, sometimes unintentionally. Many activities including farming, gardening, transportation, and recreation (like outdoor sports) can move seeds around.
The impacts of these activities can be good or bad. In an era of biodiversity decline, human-assisted conservation is critical for the survival of certain plants.
On the other hand, human dispersal of seed is responsible for the spread of many invasive species. It is so important to stop the spread of invasive plants by planting, sharing, and buying non-invasive native plants and seeds.
Like milkweed, the dandelion relies on the wind to spread their seeds. (Photo: Karen Halley)
The winter is a great time to start planning your native plant garden with plants that can spread their seeds into our local ecosystems.
During the spring, summer, and fall season, you can find non-invasive and native trees and plants at the Ecology Park Native Tree & Plant Nursery located at 1899 Ashburnham Dr. They include native wildflowers, plants, grasses, and tree varieties and Ecology Park staff are knowledgeable and happy to you help out with selecting a plant. The Native Tree & Plant Nursery opens for the growing season on the May long weekend. For more information, visit greenup.on.ca/ecology-park/nursery/.
Peterborough’s annual Seedy Sunday is coming up soon on Sunday, March 10th from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Peterborough Square. This is a popular seed exchange where participants can trade or buy seed (mainly edible) with other gardeners and learn more about seed saving. Hayley Goodchild, program coordinator of plant propagation of GreenUP, will be in attendance, as will many other local experts. Seedy Sunday is full of seed knowledge, tools, and resources to help prepare you for some native gardening this season. Check out more information about the event at urbantomato.ca/learn/seedy-sunday-peterborough/.
Seedy Sunday will be taking place in the lower level of Peterborough Square from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on March 10, 2024. This is a popular seed exchange where participants can trade or buy seed (mainly edible) with other gardeners and learn more about seed saving. (Photo courtesy of Urban Tomato)
The City of Peterborough has awarded celebrated First Nations artist Vanessa Dion Fletcher a commission to create an artwork for the city's new $62-million community complex currently under construction at Lansdowne and Park streets. (Photo via Vanessa Dion Fletcher website)
The City of Peterborough has awarded celebrated First Nations artist Vanessa Dion Fletcher a commission to create an artwork for the city’s new $62-million community complex currently under construction at Lansdowne and Park streets.
Dion Fletcher’s artwork will be installed in the two-storey atrium at the main entrance of the complex, which will include a twin-pad arena and a library branch and will be named the Miskin Law Community Complex.
“The artwork will build on the city’s commitment to create awareness of Indigenous cultures, peoples, and heritage,” states a media release from the city. “The commissioned work will provide insight into First Nations teachings, ethos, and spirit of sport as well and the role sport plays in building relations.”
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With the working title “Analogous Harmony,” Dion Fletcher’s artwork will be composed of three hoops or rings, painted with the visual texture, pattern, and colour of quillwork.
“I began by engaging with lacrosse sticks, hoop dancers, and canoes as forms of inspiration,” Dion Fletcher explains. “I related these images to the feelings of movement that are evoked by my two-dimensional quillworks. I now see my quillwork as an invitation to look and see what is within one’s own heart and spirit.”
The media release describes the rings as evoking “balls, tracks, hoop dancing, and the earth” and as “abstract forms that are an invitation for the viewer to see their experience with sport.”
“Whether it was learning to ride a bike, paddle across a lake, run cross country, or playing soccer, for me, sport is a conversation with oneself, the environment, and the creator,” Dion Fletcher says.
A rendering of Indigenous artist Vanessa Dion Fletcher’s artwork, with the working title “Analogous Harmony.” It will be installed in the two-storey atrium at the main entrance of the complex and will be unveiled when the complex opens in fall 2024. (Rendering courtesy of the City of Peterborough)
A Lenape and Potawatomi neurodiverse artist whose family is from Eelūnaapèewii Lahkèewiitt (displaced from Lenapawking) and European settlers, Dion Fletcher graduated from York University in 2009 with a bachelor of fine arts and from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2016 with a master of fine arts in performance.
She has exhibited across Canada and the U.S. at Art Mur Montreal, Eastern Edge Gallery Newfoundland, The Queer Arts Festival Vancouver, and the Satellite Art show in Miami. Her work is in the Indigenous Art Centre, Joan Flasch Artist Book Collection, Vtape, Seneca College, Global Affairs Canada, and the Archives of American Art. She is also an accomplished educator, having taught at many community workshops for galleries and community spaces.
Dion Fletcher was selected through a invitational commissioning process that was adjudicated by an artwork selection committee comprising Lori Beavis, Bonnie Devine, and Tom Cowie of Hiawatha First Nation from the community at large, and Deirdre Chisholm from the city’s arts and culture advisory committee.
“Historically, Indigenous people played sport like Baaga’ adowewin’ lacrosse to settle disputes and grievances with other communities,” notes Cowie. “This event was set up by Elders and the rules were decided the day before and losing team would accept the outcome. It also was played for recreation and festivals. Having a sporting complex like this creates a safe and comfortable environment inclusive to everyone to enjoy regardless of who you cheer for.”
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According to the city, the project was shaped by a working group comprised of design professionals, local First Nations leaders and knowledge keepers, as well as curators specializing in contemporary Indigenous artwork and curatorial practice.
Dion Fletcher’s time in Peterborough will also include an artist talk, workshops relating to materials and process, and the development of Lenape and Anishinaabemowin language resources related to the artwork. Hamilton-based sculptor and fabricator Matthew Walker will be assisting Dion Fletcher on the project.
Dion Fletcher’s artwork will be unveiled during the grand opening of the community complex in the fall.
Angela Ricciuti is the new executive director of A Place Called Home in Lindsay, a non-profit organization that provides supports and services for people experiencing homelessness. (Supplied photo)
A Place Called Home (APCH) in Lindsay is welcoming home a new leader for the organization that provides supports and services for people experiencing homelessness.
APCH’s board of directors has appointed Angela Ricciuti as its new executive director.
Ricciuti brings to APCH two decades of leadership with Community Living Toronto, a leading agency that serves adults who have an intellectual disability.
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“I am overjoyed to be part of such an important service provided to the community and am very eager to start learning and leading,” Ricciuti told kawarthaNOW.
“I am very motivated by principles of community inclusion, and the valued social roles that every citizen has in their communities.”
Ricciuti moved to Kawartha Lakes two years ago and said she’s “excited to be fully immersed in its communities. Only by gaining the experience of living and working here can I develop the skills that I will need to lead a wonderful organization like (APCH).”
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The new executive director has a wealth of experience in the field of social services, particularly in the domain of residential supports and housing, according to a media release from the APCH board of directors.
With a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from York University, “she has consistently demonstrated a commitment to improving service delivery and advocating for individuals with disabilities.”
“She has a passion for social justice within a framework of person-centred service delivery. Her extensive experience, from program development to recruitment and management, showcases a comprehensive understanding of the social services landscape.”
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Ricciuti is the third executive director in the three-decade history of APCH. The organization serves people who are struggling with homelessness by providing shelter services, rooming house rentals, and transitional housing.
Ricciuti officially joins APCH on March 4.
“We welcome Angela to the APCH community with enthusiasm and look forward to working together creating places called home in the midst of homelessness in Kawartha Lakes,” the media release stated.
Debuting in Hillsborough, North Carolina in 2023, "The Mail Art Stories Project: Mail Art in the Time of Covid-19" is an exhibit displaying mail art submissions from people across the world sharing their pandemic experiences. Developed by Peterborough writer Erica Richmond and North Carolina artist and author Shannon Fitzgerald, the exhibit will be on display at Peterborough's Watson & Lou between March 1 and 23, 2024, beginning with a launch during the First Friday Art Crawl on March 1. (Photo courtesy of Shannon Fitzgerald)
An international art exhibit that reflects on shared pandemic experiences will transcend time and place at its launch this week during Peterborough’s First Friday Art Crawl.
The Mail Art Stories Project: Mail Art in the Time of Covid-19 is an exhibit featuring a collection of decorated envelopes from creatives around the world who shared their story of life during the pandemic. The exhibit will be on display at Watson & Lou until March 23, beginning with a launch this Friday (March 1) from 6 to 10 p.m.
The project dates back to April 2020 as a collaboration between Peterborough writer Erica Richmond of Open Sky Stories and North Carolina artist and author Shannon Fitzgerald of Bold Moves Studio. The duo, who began their own friendship through correspondence as pen pals prior to the pandemic, used social media to invite submissions of mail art.
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They encouraged artists to use materials they had at home — paint, glue, cardboard from a discarded cereal box, old magazines, photographs, and more — to create the works of art, and then attach a written response to share their story.
“I was astonished to find that mail art is such a huge thing that people have been doing since the 1970s,” says Richmond. “We thought it would be neat to collect this as a way of showcasing everyone’s experience by just decorating the outside of the envelope.”
Between the call for submissions and deadline in August 2021, Richmond and Fitzgerald received 119 submissions from 52 individuals across 11 countries.
Published in 2022 by Peterborough writer Erica Richmond and North Carolina artist and author Shannon Fitzgerald, “The Mail Art Stories Project: Mail Art in the Time of Covid-19” coffee table book includes 119 submissions of artwork from across 11 different countries. Submissions were from people as young as seven years old and feature a range of stories from individuals who were pen pals during the pandemic, loved ones who missed each other, and families who participated together. (Photo courtesy of Erica Richmond)
With participants as young as seven years old, some submissions are from people who had never done mail art before, while others have been doing it for decades. Even the stories encompass a range of experiences including submissions from pen-pals in Spain and Sri Lanka who met during the pandemic, a child and his Nana who were unable to see each other, and a family who gathered together to create the artwork.
“The response was far greater than either of us had anticipated,” Richmond recalls. “Reading the responses showed that we were all dealing with similar things across the world, though in different ways.”
Both self-published authors, Richmond and Fitzgerald turned the collection of submissions into a coffee table book (after which the exhibit is named) published in 2022, before exhibiting it for the first time in Hillsborough, North Carolina last March.
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Throughout the Watson & Lou exhibit, postcards will be available to encourage visitors to send physical pieces of mail, while posters will showcase participant responses made to survey questions.
Among other topics, responses comment on what the artist missed most about pre-pandemic living, what changed for them while living through a pandemic, and any ‘silver lining’ experiences.
“I am astounded that so much peace and healing could help my heart, just by creating a piece of mail art on a whim,” says one participant whose work is featured in the book and in the exhibit. “The pandemic seemed so huge and overwhelming … I never thought I could have a way to begin to come to terms with all the loss and suffering. I never thought peace could come from that endeavor.”
After connecting as pen pals, Peterborough writer Erica Richmond of Open Sky Stories and North Carolina artist and author Shannon Fitzgerald of Bold Moves Studio collaborated on “The Mail Art Stories Project” resulting in a coffee table book and exhibit. (Photos courtesy of Erica Richmond and Shannon Fitzgerald)
With the exhibit happening post-pandemic, when it is “distant” but still something the public recalls clearly, Richmond notes it can offer a thought-provoking experience.
“Even during the past couple weeks while pulling everything together, I was able to look back on the pandemic differently than when I was going through it and with a bit more compassion for myself,” says Richmond. “We can look at our experiences from a different mindset, while remembering the silver linings that people wrote about.”
As an example, the writer points to one submission she received from a woman who expressed that the pandemic allowed her to be able to spend more time with her husband.
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“I don’t know the person who wrote that, but I wonder if they’re still spending a lot of time together,” says Richmond. “I wonder if they’ve continued to carve out time for each other, or if they’ve gone right back to regular life.”
The Mail Art Stories Project: Mail Art in the Time of Covid-19 opens on Friday, March 1st from 6 to 10 p.m. at Watson & Lou at 383 Water Street in downtown Peterborough and will remain on display at Watson & Lou store hours (9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Saturday) until Saturday, March 23rd.
Richmond will be attending the launch of the exhibit on First Friday but, for those unable to attend the launch, she can make herself available on future dates. For more information on the Mail Art Stories Project and to contact Richmond, visit openskystories.com/mail-art-stories/.
Debuting in Hillsborough, North Carolina in 2023, “The Mail Art Stories Project: Mail Art in the Time of Covid-19” is an exhibit documenting mail art from people across the world during the pandemic. The exhibit will be on display at Peterborough’s Watson & Lou between March 1 and 23, 2024, beginning with a launch during the First Friday Art Crawl on March 1. (Photo courtesy of Shannon Fitzgerald)
In a move slated to “strengthen” public health together, the boards of Peterborough Public Health (PPH) and Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit (HKPRDHU) have voted to voluntarily merge.
The boards announced in a joint media release on Wednesday (February 28) they will go ahead and seek provincial approval and funding to support the merger.
In August 2023, the Ontario Ministry of Health announced plans aimed at strengthening the public health sector by offering one-time funding, resources, and supports to local public health agencies that decide to voluntarily merge by January 1, 2025.
In response to this announcement, the HKPRDHU and PPH boards decided to move forward with a process to explore the impacts of a voluntary merger.
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“We have been diligent in the timeframe provided to review and consider all possible outcomes and impacts of a voluntary merger,” said David Marshall, HKPR board chair, in a media release.
“Ultimately, we agreed that by merging with (PPH) we can strengthen our capacity to deliver exceptional public health programs and services, and to better respond to the unique needs of our small urban and rural communities.”
In November 2023, a joint board merger exploration working group was established with representatives from both health units and the external consulting firm Sense & Nous to prepare a comprehensive feasibility assessment report.
Both boards of health recently reviewed the report’s findings.
“Throughout this process, it was quickly identified that both HKPRDHU and PPH have an extensive history of collaboration and share similar geographic, demographic, health status and population characteristics,” the media release noted.
“Both organizations are also dedicated to reducing health inequities and addressing the most pressing public health challenges faced by the urban, rural, and Indigenous communities that they serve.”
During an HKPRDHU meeting on February 15, HKPRDHU decided to proceed with a proposal to voluntary merge with PPH.
During PPH’s meeting the following week on February 21, the PPH board of health also decided to proceed with a proposal to voluntary merge with HKPRDHU.
“Over the past several months, we have carefully examined how a merger can strengthen the services that we provide to our communities,” said Joy Lachica, PPH board chair and Peterborough city councillor. “This process revealed that joining together offers us the best pathway possible to protect and promote public health and keep our residents healthy. We are thrilled to start this journey together.”
The HKPRDHU and PPH boards of health will submit a joint voluntary merger application to the Ontario government by April 2. The application will aim to demonstrate how a proposed merger would benefit the communities served by the health units, while supporting outcomes and priorities identified for public health by the Ministry of Health.
Mergers of public health units require provincial legislative change and will not be definitive until the government approves the merger and commits to funding the initiative.
Both PPH and HKPRDHU will continue to operate independently during the provincial review period.
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