Members of the Mayor's Task Force for Housing Creation, a group of builders and housing development professionals that will assist the City of Peterborough as it works to meet its provincially assigned target of 4,700 new housing units by 2031, meeting with Peterborough Mayor Jeff Leal. (Photo: City of Peterborough)
The City of Peterborough has announced the members of the Mayor’s Task Force for Housing Creation — a group of builders and housing development professionals that will assist the city as it works to meet its provincially assigned target of 4,700 new housing units by 2031.
The task force members are Paul Bennett of Ashburnham Realty, Chelsea Combot of Ontario Aboriginal Housing Services, Brian Fenton of Peterborough Homes, Hans Jain of Atria Development Corporation, Hope Lee of Peterborough Housing Corporation, Rebecca Schillemat of Peterborough and the Kawarthas Home Builders Association, Brad Smith of AON Inc., and Susan Zambonin of Habitat for Humanity Peterborough & Kawartha Region.
In October 2023, Peterborough Mayor Jeff Leal announced the creation of the task force, originally to be called the Mayor’s Task Force on Housing & Future Growth. At the time, the city said it had streamlined its development application processes with the support of provincial funding, including by launching a dedicated customer service centre called Plan-Build Peterborough in April 2023 to assist with planning and building services inquiries.
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“We need further input from the development community on any other opportunities for municipal support and to consider barriers to accelerating housing starts that may be outside of municipal control,” Mayor Leal said at the time.
In the media release from the city on Friday (January 12) announcing the task force members, the city also announced it had exceeded its provincially assigned housing target of 345 housing starts last year, having issued permits to Peterborough homebuilders to start construction on 435 housing units in 2023.
“Exceeding the provincial housing target demonstrates the city’s commitment to doing everything in its power to ensure the local building industry will achieve the provincial housing targets,” Mayor Leal said in the release.
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According to the release, Mayor Leal will work closely with development industry professionals on ways the city can promote the construction of new housing units while the development sector deals with various pressures affecting housing construction, which include high interest rates for financing development projects, inflationary price increases for construction materials, and challenges in the labour market.
“Thank you to each of the members of the Mayor’s Task Force for Housing Creation for sharing their time and expertise on this critical issue for our community,” Mayor Leal said in the release. “The members of this task force have considerable experience building housing and are in the field each and every day — they are well placed to make helpful recommendations.
The city noted the task force is expected to present a final report to Mayor Leal in mid-2024. The report will include recommended actions the city could take to facilitate the construction of 4,700 new housing units by 2031.
Megan Murphy (with Conor Ling in the background) performing a scene from 4th Line Theatre's production of "Wishful Seeing" during a media event on July 20, 2022. Murphy is writing a play for 4th Line Theatre called "Wild Irish Geese," which tells the story of impoverished Catholic Irish settlers who came to the Peterborough region in the early 19th century under a emigration plan overseen by Peter Robinson. (Photo: Heather Doughty / kawarthaNOW)
Due to popular demand, 4th Line Theatre added a second reading at 3:30 p.m. Both readings are now sold out.
Audiences can get a preview of a new historical play written by Peterborough’s Megan Murphy when Millbrook’s 4th Line Theatre presents its 18th annual Breaking Ground event on Sunday, February 4th at Bagnani Hall at Traill College (315 Dublin St., Peterborough).
Beginning at 2 p.m., the free public reading of excerpts from Murphy’s Wild Irish Geese will feature 4th Line Theatre founder Robert Winslow, Jonathan Cullen, M. John Kennedy, Kelsey Powell, Patti Shaughnessy, Nancy Towns, Hilary Wear, and Lindsay Wilson. 4th Line’s managing artistic director Kim Blackwell is directing the public reading and is also dramaturge.
Was Peterborough named after Peter Robinson?
According to research by Elwood Jones of Trent Valley Archives, Scott’s Plains was officially named Peterborough in 1826 by Zacheus Burnham, Surveyor General of Newcastle District, as a reminder of his boyhood days in New Hampshire. The name was intended as a compliment to Peter Robinson.
The play tells the story of impoverished Catholic Irish settlers who came to the Peterborough region in the early 19th century under a emigration plan overseen by Peter Robinson, a politician in Upper Canada who represented the riding of York and Simcoe.
Around 2,500 settlers, mostly from County Cork in Ireland, settled in Lanark County, Carleton County (today Ottawa), and Scott’s Plains — later renamed Peterborough.
Murphy, who is herself a descendant of the Peter Robinson emigrants, is no stranger to Millbrook’s 4th Line Theatre, having most recently appeared in the summer 2022 production of Maja Ardal’s Wishful Seeing. In the summer of 2021, Murphy and musician Kate Suhr also presented The Verandah Society in Residence at 4th Line Theatre.
Breaking Ground is part of 4th Line Theatre’s New Play Development program, designed to support, nurture, and encourage the creation of environmentally staged historical plays.
“Public readings are an important part of the creation of plays,” says Blackwell in a media release. “This forum gives the writer the opportunity to figure out what resonates with audiences. The audience’s feedback during the discussion afterward may be the most valuable aspect of Breaking Ground.”
While the public reading is free, seating is very limited. To reserve a seat, call 4th Line Theatre’s Box Office at 705-932-4445 or email boxoffice@4thlinetheatre.on.ca.
A North Kawartha man is facing an assault charge after a dispute about snow shovelling on Saturday afternoon (January 13).
At around 12:45 p.m., officers with Peterborough County Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) received a call regarding a dispute between two neighbours.
The complainant reported they had heard snow being thrown against the window of their house. The complainant went outside to see two people shovelling snow in a manner that was hitting the house.
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The complainant and the accused man got into a verbal dispute, which escalated to the point where one person was allegedly assaulted.
Police attended the scene and arrested and charged Jesse Parent, 35, of North Kawartha Township, with assault.
The accused man is scheduled to appear before the Ontario Court of Justice in Peterborough on February 13.
The Logie Park Skating Loop is located at Logie Park at 325 Logie Street in Lindsay. (Photo: City of Kawartha Lakes)
The Logie Park Skating Loop in Lindsay opens for the season on Tuesday (January 16), the City of Kawartha Lakes has announced.
Located at Logie Park at 325 Logie Street, the outdoor ice rink will be open seven days a week from noon until 7 p.m. There is no charge to skate.
The refrigerated oval, which is maintained with a rink resurfacing machine, features a natural stone seating area where people can sit and take a rest during skating.
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The washroom facilities at the park will also be open during regular hours of operation.
The Logie Park Skating Loop is for skating only, with the exception of speed skating, figure skating, backwards skating, and skating games. No sticks, pucks, or other hockey equipment are permitted.
The skating loop is part of the Logie Park redevelopment project which began in 2017 and was completed in 2020. The park also includes an all-ages play area, accessible washrooms, a splash pad, an asphalt path network, and more.
The City of Peterborough's has created a new official X (Twitter) account with the @CityPtbo name (left). The original city account, which was hacked and renamed (right), still includes all the posts of the city's original account, its followers, and the grey checkmark indicating a government organization. (kawarthaNOW screenshots)
The City of Peterborough’s account on X, formerly called Twitter, was hacked on Sunday (January 14).
According to a media release from the city, the account was taken over by a hacker and renamed @JupiterExhanqe.
“No personal information was shared by the City of Peterborough through its X social media account,” reads the media release.
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The hacked account describes itself as “Full stack ecosystem play focused on advancing decentralized trading, solana & the meta.”
While the city has reacquired the original @CityPtbo account name, all content originally posted by the city (over 18,000 tweets) as well as the city’s 16,097 followers remain on the hacked account. The city is advising those followers that any tweets they see from the @JupiterExhanqe account are not from the city.
The hacked account also still includes the grey checkmark that X uses to indicate an account representing a government organization.
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The city has contacted X to request that followers of the renamed account be restored to the @CityPtbo account.
Social media accounts, especially government accounts and those with a large number of followers, are a frequent target for hackers. They may try to hack the accounts for bragging rights or to use them for cybercrime or to distribute spam.
It is not known how hackers gained access to the city’s X account, but they can do so using different methods, including social engineering, phishing scams, week or reused passwords, malware, and “man-in-the-middle” attacks. To keep an account secure, X recommends using a strong and unique password, enabling two-factor authentication, and requiring an email and phone number to request a reset password link or code.
Megan Murphy on stage during the 2016 premiere of her award-winning documentary "Murphy's Law" at Showplace Performance Centre in downtown Peterborough. Also a performer, radio host, emcess, writer, director, and storyteller, Murphy has left her mark on Peterborough in more ways than one, and she's picked up some life lessons along the way. (Photo: Showplace Performance Centre)
While those in her orbit would have no limit to the words they could use to describe Megan Murphy, with “hilarious” undoubtedly landing high on the list, she has difficulty branding herself with just one title.
That’s because she has left a mark on Peterborough in more ways than one: as an actress, an on-air radio personality, a writer, a public speaker, an emcee, a director, an improv comedian, a storyteller, an award-winning filmmaker, a Pathway of Fame recipient — need we go on?
If that isn’t enough reason to love her, what if we told she’s just simply a cool person to be around, with lots of wise words. Here are just a few of the many life lessons you can learn from the artist herself.
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1. The crummy things are more fun when we add a little creative spark to it.
Something you may not know about Murphy is that she grew up being obsessed with Anne of Green Gables. And that is an understatement.
“Growing up, I thought I was her,” Murphy laughs. “Everything was a little bit more dramatic. If it was a beautiful day, it was the ‘most beautiful day’ and, if it wasn’t, it was the ‘depths of despair’.”
A very young Megan Murphy riding a tricycle. She grew up “obsessed” with Anne of Green Gables, imagining her life to be just as literary and dramatic. As a child, she would stage productions with her friends and sisters for an audience of parents, while using performance to make chores a lot more fun. (Photo courtesy of Megan Murphy)
As a creative child, she would team up with her sisters and friends to put on full-production plays (with special effects lighting from her bedside lamp and all) and invite her parents to sit in the audience.
When she wasn’t setting up productions, she used theatre and stories to make regular life just a little more fun, creating songs and skits while she and her sisters were cleaning and doing chores.
“I knew if I could make things fun, everybody does more for me,” she jokes. “The crummy things you have to do in life are more fun when we add a little creative spark to it.”
2. When you’re more in personal alignment, then it’s easier for the universe to conspire in your favour.
Though early on Murphy hadn’t thought the arts to be a viable career option, while studying at St. Peter’s Secondary School, she credits “amazing” teachers and mentors that directed her (literally and figuratively) towards the arts, including Jane and Charlie Werger and Patricia Young. She was even awarded the TD Canada Trust scholarship for Outstanding Community Leadership upon graduation.
But after applying and auditioning for various fine arts programs around the province, Murphy found herself torn between a few different schools. So she left the decision to the universe: she sealed an acceptance letter for two schools, laid them beside her bed, and sent off the first letter that her foot landed on when she got out of bed in the morning. That’s how she ended up in school for fine arts at York University.
“It’s really a metaphor for how many things in life we overthink,” she says.
After moving from Toronto back to her parents’ home in Peterborough, Megan Murphy was at a low point in her life having lost her mother Mary Anne to cancer in 2012 and having recently ended a six-year relationship. Then she found her late father Marty’s journal of the 1,400-kilometre cycling trip across Ireland he made when he was 26, and decided to restore her father’s bike, replicate his journey, and make a documentary film about it. (Photos courtesy of Megan Murphy)
Twenty years later, she would listen to the universe once again when she stumbled upon her late father’s journal of his 1,400-kilometre cycling journey across Ireland in 1973. Having recently lost her mother and ended a romantic relationship, she was feeling lost and knew it was a sign to do the journey herself — on the same bike.
And then she made a movie about it. Murphy’s Law, which tells her story of the experience, won Best Documentary at Ireland’s Fingal Film Festival in 2016.
“When I’m more aligned with myself and in congruence with myself, I feel like the universe conspires to help me more,” she says. “Tthere have been definite times where that has been pretty indicated in my life.”
“Then there are definite times and years where I wasn’t listening enough to myself, let alone the universe, so no doors opened easily. I think when you’re more in personal alignment, then it’s easier for the universe to conspire in your favour.”
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3. The arts are something that can bring people together.
While figuring out her role in the world as a fresh graduate living in Toronto, Murphy teamed up with some industry friends to start a theatre company called Column 13. She already had an agent and booked some gigs (including an episode of Flashpoint), but didn’t always appreciate the competition involved in being an actress.
“I’m actually far more collaborative, which is what I love about theatre — it’s what I love about all the arts,” she says. “The reasons I went into theatre are about expression and storytelling, unravelling the mystery of what it means to be a human being and collaborating with other people, raising each other up.”
Megan Murphy (right) with Linda Kash emceeing the inaugural “Cancer Takeown” fundraiser at Market Hall Performing Arts Centre in 2022. Among many other collaborations, the pair have also acted together and served as ambassadors for Showplace Performance Centre during a 2021 fundraising campaign to replace the theatre’s seats. (Supplied photo)
She continues to work in collaboration with other local artists including good friends comedian Linda Kash and musician Kate Suhr, and organizations like 4th Line Theatre in Millbrook.
“The arts are something that can bring people together,” Murphy says. “There’s transformation that happens through the arts and a way to change our minds. It’s one of the places where we can still have conversations that are difficult to have and it’s a palpable way to have them.”
4. Share your story. It doesn’t own you anymore.
At 30 years old, Murphy attended the Documentary Film Institute at Seneca College because she wanted to “tell stories that mattered.”
“People are so much more interesting than the stuff we can make up and most of the stuff we make up is based on real people,” she says. “I am so interested and curious about what it means to be a person, and the complicated and nuanced and conflicting things we do as human beings.”
VIDEO: “Murphy’s Law” trailer
To encourage others to let her share their story, she knew she had to share hers too, leading her to turn her journey across Ireland into Murphy’s Law, which premiered in 2016 to two sold-out audiences at Showplace Performance Centre in Peterborough. A Q&A after the film screenings allowed her to see how telling her story affected others feeling lost in their own place of hardship.
“My story was just an in for people to be able to process what they were going through and what a gift that is,” says Murphy. “It is raw and humbling, but there’s an empowerment in your story not owning you, and I think that’s what I learned and what I would encourage others. Share your story. It doesn’t own you anymore.”
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5. The energy of other human beings cannot be duplicated.
Though Murphy jokingly admits there may have been a part of her that was motivated to become an actress for the roaring applause, much of it has to do with her desire to be in rooms full of people who are connecting with one another.
“It’s much more soulful for me now, and about the alchemy that takes place when humans are in a space together,” she says, noting that it became more apparent during the pandemic when that connection was lost.
“There was this kinetic magic when we were all back in spaces together, and I would get goosebumps of the energy of other human beings that cannot be duplicated with AI or Zoom. There’s something that exists in the space between us and yet I knew we would take it for granted again because that’s part of what makes us interesting.”
4th Line Theatre’s managing artistic director Kim Blackwell (middle) joins musician Saskia Tomkins (bottom), singer-songwriter Kate Suhr (left), and storyteller Megan Murphy during a media day at 4th Line Theatre on Millbrook in August 2021, promoting The Verandah Society, a show created by Murphy and Suhr during the pandemic. (Photo: Hannah Abrahamse / kawarthaNOW)
For this reason, she formed The Verandah Society with musician Kate Suhr during pandemic summers. After coming across a story written by her uncle about how children in the 1930s would sit on verandahs in summer evenings and share stories, she recognized the same thing was happening because of pandemic restrictions. So she and Suhr brought songs and storytelling to backyards and porches in the region.
“It was such a special thing to meet people in their own place, which never happens,” Murphy says. “They always come to us but suddenly we were coming to them, and you see these little bubbled groups of people and how hungry we were for that kind of connection and meaning. I loved it.”
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6. Say ‘yes’ to anything — and figure it out along the way.
From working on contracts for her uncle, an international engineer, to becoming a morning radio co-host with 93.3 MyFM, 107.9 Classic Rock. and Oldies 96.7, to doing improv even though it “terrifies” her, Murphy has made many decisions in her life by simply saying “Sure, how hard can that be?”
Now, she’s doing it once again. Though she has had several short stories and memoirs published in Reader’s Digest, her current writing project is all new for her: a full-length play.
“Turns out, it’s really, really hard to write a play,” she jokes.
Megan Murphy is currently working on a full-length play for 4th Line Theatre’s 2025 season. The play recounts the settlement of the region by Peter Robinson and Irish immigrants in 1825 for its 200th anniversary. (Photo courtesy of Megan Murphy)
The play — called “Wild Irish Geese” — is about Peter Robinson and the over 2,000 Irish immigrants (including Murphy’s ancestors) who settled in the region in 1825. She is writing it for the 2025 season at 4th Line Theatre — the 200th anniversary of the Robinson settlement.
After that, she plans to pen a book of personal essays in a style like David Sedaris and Nora Ephron. Though it might be all new for her, Murphy is doing what she has done so many times before: saying “yes” and figuring it out along the way.
Murphy is currently for hire as an emcee, public speaker, performer, and ideation consultant to help organizations tell their story through video. She’s even taken a few online medical classes, if you’re in need of some medical advice.
A sign held by a participant at a vigil for Palestine in front of Peterborough City Hall notes the number of Palestinian civilians killed as a result of the Israel-Hamas war. (Photo: Helen McCarthy)
A group of concerned individuals and organizations is holding another weekly vigil for Palestine in front of Peterborough’s City Hall on Monday afternoon (January 15).
Calling themselves Nogojiwanong Palestine Solidarity, the group is demanding an immediate ceasefire and lifting of the siege on Gaza to allow for immediate aid, and “an end to Canada’s complicity in Israel’s war crimes, genocidal attacks on Gaza, and colonization of Palestinian land.”
“We join the thousands who have been in the streets across the world to express solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza who are facing the worst bombardment seen this century,” reads a media release. “We are outraged by this violence and condemn the Israeli apartheid state that is currently doubling down on collective punishment of the Palestinians and tightening its nearly 17-year siege of Gaza.”
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“This includes the prevention of any electricity, food, water and fuel from entering Gaza — putting all lives at risk of disease and starvation while the bombing continues. In addition to physical violence and attacks, we have witnessed the racist denigration of Palestinians as ‘barbaric’ and ‘human animals’ (in the words of Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant).”
Nogojiwanong Palestine Solidarity is also calling for “the safe release of all hostages currently held by Hamas and Israel.”
The group says it will continue to gather in front of Peterborough City Hall every Monday from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. until there is a permanent ceasefire, calling on Peterborough Mayor Jeff Leal and Peterborough City Council to join other municipal politicians who have urged the Canadian government to support a permanent ceasefire.
The Nogojiwanong Palestine Solidarity group says it will gather in front of Peterborough City Hall every Monday afternoon until there is a permanent ceasefire. (Poster: Nogojiwanong Palestine Solidarity)
More information about Nogojiwanong Palestine Solidarity, including links to various campaigns and other resources, is available at linktr.ee/nogojiwanong2palestine. The group also has an Instagram account at @nogojiwanong2palestine.
On Saturday, tens of thousands of people gathered in capitals around the world, including in Washington DC and London England, in a global day of action calling for an immediate permanent ceasefire in Gaza. Sunday marks 100 days since October 7, when hundreds of Hamas gunmen infiltrated southern Israeli communities from Gaza, killing around 1,300 people and taking around 240 others hostage, most of whom were civilians.
Israel responded by unleashing weeks of devastating air strikes on Gaza followed by a ground force invasion, both of which have displaced an estimated 1.3 million people. The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry estimates the Israeli military action has killed almost 24,000 Palestinians and wounded 60,000 others, mostly civilians including women and children. Earlier this week, South Africa accused Israel of genocide in a case brought to the International Court of Justice. Israel has disputed the accusation.
Grade 6 student Ellyot, flanked by Peterborough Mayor Jeff Leal and Peterborough-Kawartha MP Michelle Ferreri, at the May 23, 2023 groundbreaking of phase two of Habitat for Humanity Peterborough & Kawartha Region's Leahy's Lane development. Ellyot's entry in last year's "Meaning of Home" national student writing contest won $10,000 for Habitat for Humanity Peterborough & Kawartha Region to support the construction of 12 affordable condo units. This year's contest is open until February 23, 2024. (Photo: Habitat for Humanity Peterborough & Kawartha Region)
There’s no place like home, and Peterborough-area students have the chance to explain why — and support local affordable housing efforts at the same time.
Habitat for Humanity Peterborough & Kawartha Region is taking part in “Meaning of Home,” a national writing contest for students in grades 4 through 6. Students are asked to share in words what home means to them.
Submissions are being accepted by mail or online at meaningofhome.ca until February 23. Every student who enters the contest will help Habitat for Humanity Peterborough & Kawartha Region build safe and affordable homes, the organization said.
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“We are very excited to have the opportunity again to engage students in conversations about home through the national Meaning of Home contest,” said Jenn MacDonald, communications and donor services manager for Habitat for Humanity Peterborough & Kawartha Region, in a media release.
“It is truly amazing to see the level of thought and creativity the students put into their entries and the support of our affordable home building efforts.”
In 2024, Habitat’s goal is to receive 15,000 student submissions across Canada.
As well as securing a $10,000 grant for for Habitat for Humanity Peterborough & Kawartha Region to support the construction of 12 affordable condo units in phase two of the Leahy’s Lane development, 2023 “Meaning of Home” writing contest winner Ellyot won a tablet, a pizza party for her class, and the opportunity to read her winning entry at the groundbreaking of phase two of the Leahy’s Lane development. (Photo: Habitat for Humanity Peterborough & Kawartha Region)
One of the local submissions in last year’s contest helped Habitat for Humanity Peterborough & Kawartha Region secure $10,000.
“In 2023, Habitat for Humanity Peterborough & Kawartha Region had the exciting opportunity to celebrate local runner-up winner, Ellyot W., from Grade 6 (at) St. Catherine Catholic Elementary School in Peterborough,” MacDonald told kawarthaNOW.
“Ellyot’s winning entry, ‘What Home Means To Me’, received a $10,000 grant for Habitat for Humanity Peterborough & Kawartha Region, supporting the construction of 12 affordable condo units in the City of Peterborough through phase two of the Leahy’s Lane development,” MacDonald explained.
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The 12-unit condo building currently under construction at 21 Leahy’s Lane in Peterborough are located next to the completed phase one development at 33 Leahy’s Lane, a 41-unit affordable condo building that was Habitat for Humanity Peterborough & Kawartha Region’s first-ever multi-residential project.
For her winning entry, Ellyot also received a tablet, a pizza party for her class, and the opportunity to read her winning entry in front of public officials, media, future habitat homeowners and others present at the kick-off of phase two of the Leahy’s Lane construction.
On May 23, 2023, Habitat for Humanity Peterborough & Kawartha Region kicked off construction for phase two of its Leahy’s Lane affordable condominium development. When completed, each of the 12 units at 21 Leahy’s Lane will come fully equipped with in-suite appliances, a fridge, dishwasher, washer and dryer, and stove. The energy-efficient condo units will help owners save on utility costs. (Photo: Habitat for Humanity Peterborough & Kawartha Region)
Housing continues to be an important concern for all Canadians, including children, who understand how it can provide them with a safe place to study, pursue their dreams and build a better life, Habitat noted.
“Nothing compares to the feeling of strength and security that comes from having a safe place to call home,” said Julia Deans, Habitat for Humanity Canada President and CEO.
“Every child in Canada deserves to feel this way and that’s why we continue building and advocating for more affordable housing. The enthusiastic response to this annual contest where children share in their own words what home means to them is truly inspiring.”
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Every local student who enters the contest will help Habitat for Humanity Peterborough & Kawartha Region build safe and affordable homes by earning a $10 donation provided by the contest sponsors.
Across Canada, three grand-prize winners will also receive a $30,000 grant to help their local Habitat for Humanity build homes for families in need of affordable housing. In addition, nine runners-up will receive a $10,000 grant for their local Habitat for Humanity.
Founded in 2007 by Canadian private mortgage insurance provide Sagen, the Meaning of Home contest has raised more than $2.3 million, while encouraging more than 100,000 students to become more active and compassionate citizens, Habitat noted.
VIDEO: Meaning of Home – Habitat for Humanity Canada
Last year, more than 12,000 entries raised $302,000, helping families in 42 communities across Canada build a brighter future through affordable homeownership.
In the past four national competitions, there have been four student winners from local schools across the Peterborough and Kawartha Region. Their winning entries have raised a total $40,000 for Habitat for Humanity Peterborough & Kawartha Region Leahy’s Lane developments, which has already supported 41 local families and individuals into affordable homeownership in the City of Peterborough.
To enter the contest, parents and teachers can sign up at meaningofhome.ca.
A closure sign just east of the Hunter Street bridge at Burnham Street in Peterborough's East City. (Photo: Bruce Head / kawarthaNOW)
A portion of Hunter Street East in Peterborough East City will be temporarily closed to through traffic for almost two weeks beginning on Monday (January 15).
The road will be closed between Mark Street and Rogers Street until Friday, January 26th for the installation of water and sanitary connections.
Access to residences and businesses in the closure area — which include Ashburnham Ale House, Lift Lock Foodland, Hard Winter Bakery, and more — will be maintained while work is completed.
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The north sidewalk on Hunter Street East and the Rotary Greenway Trail will remain open during the construction period.
Eastbound traffic will be detoured along Burnham Street and westbound traffic will be detoured along Rogers Street.
Detour routes will be posted for traffic, including on Maria Street to the south.
Environment Canada has issued a multi-day snow squall warning for the northern Kawarthas region, along with a winter weather travel advisory for the southern region for Sunday (January 14).
The multi-day snow squall warning is in effect for northern Peterborough County, northern Kawartha Lakes, and Haliburton County.
Lake effect snow squalls will continue from Saturday night through at least Monday, and likely into Tuesday, as strong westerly winds bring much cooler air to the region. Total snowfall accumulations of 15 to 40 cm are possibly by Monday evening, with peak snowfall rates of 3 to 5 cm per hour.
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Snow squalls cause weather conditions to vary considerably; changes from clear skies to heavy snow within just a few kilometres are common. Visibility will be suddenly reduced to near zero at times in heavy snow and blowing snow. Rapidly accumulating snow could make travel difficult over some locations.
The winter weather travel advisory is in effect for southern Peterborough County and southern Kawarthas Lakes, with lake effect snow bands from Lake Huron and Georgian Bay forecast to move into the area on Sunday morning. Total snowfall accumulations of 5 to 10 cm are possibly by Sunday afternoon, with peak snowfall rates of 3 to 5 cm per hour.
Motorists should expect hazardous winter driving conditions and adjust travel plans accordingly. Prepare for quickly changing and deteriorating travel conditions. If visibility is reduced while driving, slow down, watch for tail lights ahead and be prepared to stop.
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