Environment Canada has now issued a winter storm warning for most of the Kawarthas region for Friday night (January 12) to Saturday night.

The winter storm warning, which was previously a winter storm watch, is in effect for Haliburton County, Hastings Highlands, Peterborough County, and the City of Kawartha Lakes. A winter weather travel advisory is in effect for Northumberland County.

Snow is forecast to begin early Friday evening and will quickly become heavy at times, before transitioning to periods of rain overnight or early Saturday morning as temperatures rise above freezing. Strong southeasterly winds gusting up to 70 km/h will combine with this heavy snow to cause significantly reduced visibility at times.

In Haliburton County and Hastings Highlands, total snowfall accumulations of 15 to 30 cm are possible. In northern Peterborough County and northern Kawartha Lakes, total snowfall accumulations of 15 to 25 cm are possible. In southern Peterborough County and southern Kawartha Lakes, total snowfall accumulations of 10 to 20 cm are possible. In all these areas, peak snowfall rates of 3 to 5 cm per hour are expected.

In Northumberland County, total snowfall accumulations of 5 to 10 cm are possible, with peak snowfall rates of 2 to 5 cm per hour.

Surfaces such as highways, roads, walkways and parking lots may become difficult to navigate due to accumulating snow. Visibility will be suddenly reduced to near zero at times in heavy snow and blowing snow. Consider postponing non-essential travel until conditions improve.

This story has been updated with the latest forecast from Environment Canada.

Providing more housing and increasing access to primary care physicians and health-care professionals are two top priorities for Peterborough County Warden Bonnie Clark as she contemplates the agenda for 2024.

Clark, who is also the deputy mayor of the Township of Otonabee-South Monaghan, took office for Peterborough County in December 2022. As she entered the second year of her two-year term as warden, she spoke with kawarthaNOW about a couple of the key issues and challenges for the county in the months ahead.

Like many places in Canada, having more housing options for residents is at the forefront of her thoughts.

“We have 4,000 housing starts in the next couple years just in the county, so we are doing our share here in the county with severances and different subdivisions going,” Clark said.

On a broader level, the warden is engaged in housing discussions through her seat on the Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus (EOWC). Housing affordability and attainability are current focal points for the caucus.

Across the EOWC’s region, there are approximately 12,000 to 14,000 units on municipal community rental housing wait lists, EOWC figures noted.

“People are waiting an average of almost five years and up to 10 years in some cases to access these community rental housing units,” states the EOWC website. “As part of the Ontario government’s goal of building 1.5 million homes by 2031, the EOWC is looking to do our part in increasing housing supply through our bold 7 in 7+ regional housing plan.”

The EOWC’s ‘7 in 7+’ regional housing plan proposes building at least 7,000 community rental units over seven years across the region to address the wait lists.

“I’ve been quite involved in that and have been advocating both in Ottawa and in Toronto to our MPs and MPPs,” the warden said. Clark also served as a panelist on housing at the Association of Municipalities Ontario (AMO) conference in 2023.

Also top of mind for Clark in 2024 is improving Peterborough County residents’ access to family doctors and/or nurse practitioners and other health-care providers.

The county recently hired a health care co-ordinator to drive physician recruitment efforts and advocate for a community health centre (CHC) in the county. CHCs are located throughout Ontario and are designed to help people access primary care providers, including doctors, nurse practitioners, social workers, dietitians, and others.

Clark said if one looks at a map that details where the CHCs are located in the province, the gap for Peterborough County is obvious.

“We’re like a desert when it comes to (having) that type of facility and it’s very crucial for new physicians who are not interested in doing (administrative work). They want to come in and take care of the patients. We know we are losing some potential partners, doctors, because we can’t provide that.”

If the provincial government provides the go-ahead for a CHC, Clark said the effort will encompass various partnerships with a variety of stakeholders to bring it to life.

On a broader level, she sits on AMO’s health care transformation committee.

“Anywhere that I can be involved to advocate for (housing and health care), I certainly take full advantage of that,” the warden said.

When asked what she is most excited about this year, Clark said there are a few projects and initiatives that come to mind. Read more in an upcoming story on kawarthaNOW.

Clark’s career in public service began more than 20 years ago as a township councillor for then Otonabee Township. She has served as deputy mayor of the amalgamated Otonabee-South Monaghan and as a member of county council since 2018.

Five Counties Children’s Centre is welcoming aboard a new consulting pediatrician who will support clients of the centre and also see area children with developmental conditions across the regions of Peterborough, Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland, and Haliburton.

Dr. Sean Godfrey joins Five Counties Children’s Centre, which provides speech, physio, and occupational therapies among other services for kids and youth, this month. The pediatrician brings to his new role more than 25 years of experience in both the hospital and community settings.

“The arrangement with Five Counties is a win-win,” explained Bill Eekhof, communications co-ordinator for Five Counties.

“It means Dr. Godfrey will spend part of his time directly supporting our kids and families — especially those who need quicker access to the specialized services of a consulting pediatrician,” Eekhof said. “The other part of his time, Dr. Godfrey will spend seeing other kids and families from across our region that are referred to his own practice.”

Eekhof said Godfrey is in the process of establishing his own medical practice at the Five Counties Children’s Centre site in Peterborough. While the doctor will be housed at Five Counties, his medical practice is separate from the centre.

“Dr. Godfrey will also support children in Peterborough, Northumberland, Kawartha Lakes, and Haliburton through the new private practice he is establishing at the Five Counties site in Peterborough,” Eekhof noted.

As a consulting pediatrician, Godfrey will take referrals from other health-care providers, including family physicians, nurse practitioners and hospital medical staff, for guidance on a specialized or complex medical issue with a child or youth.

Godfrey has worked extensively with children and youth with a wide range of physical and development needs, including helping kids with complex care needs, congenital heart disease and cardiology, asthma, and dermatology, Five Counties noted in a media release. The physician also has expertise in the areas of childhood developmental delays and learning disabilities — including autism, ADHD, and cerebral palsy.

“Dr. Godfrey is a well-respected and highly regarded consultant pediatrician who will enhance the specialized care available to our youngest citizens,” said Scott Pepin, CEO of Five Counties Children’s Centre, in the media release.

Godfrey served from 1999 to 2014 as a staff pediatrician at Lakeridge Health Oshawa in Oshawa. Between 2008 and 2014, he also served as the hospital’s chief of pediatrics. For more than 20 years, Godfrey has been director of Kinderclinic, a children’s urgent care clinic he founded that is based in Whitby and Simcoe.

The pediatrician said he’s excited about the partnership being forged with Five Counties.

“Five Counties Children’s Centre has a wonderful reputation for what it does for families in this region, and I look forward to contributing to that success,” Godfrey said in a statement.

“Over my career, I’ve been fortunate to have a private practice within a community setting that allows me independence and a chance to establish rapport with families. In both situations, it’s a joy to see children flourish and grow to reach their full potential.”

Five Counties Children’s Centre provides a range of specialized therapies and treatment services for kids and youth from birth to age 19 in the counties of Peterborough, Northumberland, and Haliburton and the City of Kawartha Lakes.

This past year, Five Counties served more than 6,200 children and youth in its region — the highest number of clients in its nearly 50-year history.

From queries ranging from prenatal care to breastfeeding, answers and support for young mothers-to-be are accessible through a program now being offered by health units covering Peterborough, Northumberland and Haliburton counties, and the City of Kawartha Lakes.

The Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit (HKPRDHU) and Peterborough Public Health (PPH) are offering a pregnancy support program called the Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP). NFP is a free, home visiting program through which public health nurses visit young, first-time parents during their pregnancy and for the first two years of their child’s life.

Those who are 24 years old or younger and expecting their first baby can access supports that include guidance about pregnancy care, parenting, nutrition, and more.

Dr. Thomas Piggott, PPH’s CEO and medical officer of health, highlighted the need for these supports and services during the launch of the NFP program in the fall of 2023.

“We know the need is here,” Piggott said. “Income and equality, housing, and affordability — all of these massive issues that we know and often talk about as the social determinants of health are increasingly challenged in this region and in our province and country.

“But the NFP program is really a critical opportunity to provide supports for healthy growth and development that starts, we think, with these babies and these families, and these new families, but has a life-long impact.”

He said the program in the regions covered will have a combined reach of well over 250 babies and families per year.

Reese Merlin, public health nurse with NFP, said the reception has been strong since the program’s launch.

“We’re up and running, taking referrals, and many of us have clients at this point,” Merlin said. “We have gotten great feedback. The clients that we do have on our caseload absolutely love the program.”

Merlin is most excited about the access the program provides around prenatal education, particularly for those who are pregnant and living in rural areas, as well as the opportunity to visit people in their own homes and connect them with resources to help them through the transition to parenthood.

NFP can help with the following:

• Having a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby
• Developing parenting skills
• Building a strong network of support for mom and baby
• Establishing life goals
• Creating a safe and nurturing environment for mom and baby
• Building life skills such as budgeting, managing stress, and preparing healthy meals.

Community members are eligible to enrol if they are under 24 years old, pregnant with their first child and/or are first-time parenting, are pregnant 28 weeks or less, and are experiencing financial hardship or limited resources, and live in Northumberland County, City of Kawartha Lakes, or Haliburton County.

Those interested can register by calling 1-866-888-4577 ext. 5003 and leaving their name and contact information.

The NFP’s broader goals are to improve pregnancy outcomes, improve childhood development, and improve parents’ economic self-sufficiency. Visit nursefamilypartnership.ca to learn more about the overall program.

Back in March 2019, Kawartha Commons Cohousing (KCC) confirmed its commitment to design, build, and manage what would be Peterborough’s first cohousing community.

Silence has since followed that public gathering at the Lions Community Centre, but that belied the work being done behind the scenes as KCC explored options moving forward — a big one being the acquisition of property for the development of a multi-storey condo-style building where occupants not only share common facilities but also fully participate in every aspect of the decision-making process that governs their communal living space.

“Housing takes a long time,” KCC president Kris Robinson Staveley tells kawarthaNOW. “Our cohousing consultant (Kathryn McCamant of California-based Cohousing Solutions) said we should assume it’s going to take five to eight years. We didn’t believe that in the beginning. We were sure we were going to be moved in by 2023. That was our vision.”

“Back in 2019, we thought we had a different site — then the pandemic hit and that fell apart,” Robinson Staveley says. “But one of the interesting things through the pandemic was we stayed together as a community. We pivoted to having virtual business meetings but also virtual social gatherings to support each other through the pandemic.”

“We had regular coffee chat gatherings. We had Friday dinners where everybody ate in front of his or her computer screen. Some played music but we discovered you couldn’t really sing along on Zoom. That’s a terrible thing to try to do — nobody can actually harmonize.”

True enough, but now KCC is singing the praises of its acquisition of a 1.4-acre site at 736 Maryland Avenue in Peterborough that, in due time, will be home to a wholly sustainable community for some 40 families.

The site is within walking distance to downtown and close to grocery stores, the hospital, and public schools. Maximizing the preservation and use of existing green space, the development will also house 4,000 square feet of common space to facilitate community gatherings that speak to the very heart of the cohousing concept.

Cohousing’s emergence dates back to the late 1960s when a group of Danish families sought an alternative to their urban lifestyle. The goal was to create a supportive community where each inhabitant knew their neighbours; a sharing community where younger families could thrive in a safe setting while reducing their environmental footprint and older couples could maintain their self-reliance while staving off isolation and feelings of loneliness.

The resulting neighbourhoods were called ‘bofoellesskaber’ — living communities. Today, 10 per cent of all new Danish housing follows the same model.

In 1988, McCamant was one of two architects who introduced the concept to North America, billing it as cohousing. While there are few cohousing communities in Ontario, several have been established south of the border, particularly in California, as well as in western Canada including Saskatchewan and British Columbia.

Going back to 2017, Robinson Staveley and her husband have visited a number of cohousing communities to learn more about the concept.

“People were happy to take the time and give us a tour,” she says. “We asked ‘What were the problems you faced? What challenges did you deal with?’ We tried to really focus on that as well as the success stories and tips for how to do things right. We don’t want to reinvent the wheel. It’s a complex process starting from the ground up. We have gathered a lot of useful information from all kinds of cohousing communities.”

The subsequent acquisition of the Maryland Avenue property in 2023 was the result of a search restarted in 2022. Robinson Staveley says contact was first made with the property owner in 2019, but “We went off in a different direction” and nothing came of it.

The property was the garden of a former convent, now an adjacent multi-unit apartment building called Maryland Place that’s home to seniors on a limited income.

According to Robinson Staveley, there are 12 households “signed up and eager to go, and another three households we call ‘explorers’ — people who have joined us and are in the very early stages of deciding if they want to become equity members.”

“Whether it’s hiring consultants, or buying the land, or doing the design work, or paying the city fees, we have to pay all the costs as we move this project forward,” Robinson Staveley points out. “So far we have covered our costs, which is the important thing.”

“One of the things that is important about cohousing is that it’s very much run by the people who live there. The model we’re going with is we’re the people who find the land. We buy it. We make the decisions about what the design looks like. We design our units. We decide how much common space there is and what type of common space we have.”

“After you move in, it’s not like it’s all done. You have to agree on the rules for the common kitchen. All kinds of things need to be cooperated on. That has its challenges. We’ve spent a lot of time working on our governance system, our decision-making models, because that’s hugely important. You can’t just say ‘Let’s all live together in peace and harmony and we’ll have no conflict.’ That’s not going to happen.”

Robinson Staveley readily acknowledges that cohousing isn’t for everyone.

“The white picket fence and the car in the garage has a lot of individuality built into it,” she says. “Sometimes neighbourhoods work out great and people are really cohesive, but sometimes it doesn’t work out.”

“We like to call this an intentional neighbourhood in the sense that we choose to say ‘Yes, we want to be involved with our neighbours.’ It’s not like engagement is required of you. It’s an option that’s available by having common facilities that are shared, and by having the vision that this is a place where people are there for you if that’s what you want.”

“More than the socializing is the fact that you make decisions together. You have to compromise. When you live in a community, you have think about what’s right for everybody as opposed to what’s right for (you). That aspect of it is certainly part of the process.”

In effort to preserve as much of the existing green space as possible, the plan is to build up in the form of a five-storey building with the ground floor reserved for a common space kitchen and dining room as well as other shared amenities.

“There will also be little gathering nodes on each floor. If you wander outside of your unit and look down the hall, you’ll see people sitting at a table in the sun, catching the last rays of the afternoon and having a beverage of their choice. You can go join them. That’s our vision.”

VIDEO: Cohousing communities help prevent social isolation – PBS NewsHour

Robinson Staveley says while it’s hoped ground will be broken in 2025, a lot has to happen beforehand, including rezoning and site plan approval from the City of Peterborough.

“We’ve done a pre-consultation with the city. They’ve given us a list of studies that need to be done before we can submit for rezoning. We’re hoping we get the schematic design finished this year.”

In the meantime, work will continue creating more awareness of what the cohousing concept is all about and bringing new members in the fold.

To that end, KCC is hosting Zoom information sessions, with the next two scheduled for Saturday, February 3rd and Thursday, March 21st. Topics include why people choose cohousing, an introduction to KCC and preliminary estimated costs, and how to take the next step toward becoming an equity member.

VIDEO: How cohousing can make us happier (and live longer) – Grace Kim

“It has been a long haul,” notes Robinson Staveley. “The pandemic put a hole in our progress but it’s exciting to see movement now.”

“I’m pleased, and amazed, that we hung in there through years of what was essentially drought. Now things are moving fast. We’re doing design workshops with our architect, moving toward having a vision of what our homes will look by the end of the month.”

For more information about Kawartha Commons Cohousing, and to register for either of the upcoming Zoom information sessions, visit www.kawarthacommons.ca.

Environment Canada has now issued winter storm warnings and snowfall warnings for the northern Kawarthas region for Tuesday afternoon (January 9) into Wednesday morning.

A winter storm warning is in effect for Haliburton County and Hastings Highlands, and a snowfall warning is in effect for northern Peterborough County and northern Kawartha Lakes.

Snow associated with a major winter storm is expected to arrive by Tuesday afternoon. Snow may be heavy at times with a risk of snow pellets and freezing rain on Tuesday night.

In Haliburton County and Hastings Highlands, the snow will continue into Wednesday morning with 15 to 30 cm of snow expected. Northeast winds gusting up to 50 km/h will result in areas of blowing snow giving poor visibility at times.

In northern Peterborough County and northern Kawartha Lakes, 15 to 20 cm of snow is expected, with locally higher amounts possible. Snow may be heavy at times with a risk of freezing rain. The snow is expected to change to rain Tuesday night as temperatures rise above the freezing mark.

Difficult travel conditions will be likely, particularly later Tuesday and Tuesday night. Surfaces such as highways, roads, walkways and parking lots may become difficult to navigate due to accumulating snow. Visibility will be suddenly reduced to near zero at times in heavy snow and blowing snow. Consider postponing non-essential travel until conditions improve.

In southern Peterborough County, southern Kawartha Lakes, and Northumberland County, a winter weather travel advisory is in effect.

In southern Peterborough County and southern Kawartha Lakes, 10 to 15 cm of snow is expected, with locally higher amounts possible. Snow may be heavy at times with a risk of freezing rain. The snow is expected to change to rain Tuesday night as temperatures rise above the freezing mark.

In Northumberland County, snowfall amounts of 5 to 10 cm are possible, although amounts may be significantly lower closer to Lake Ontario where snow may change to rain sooner. At this point, it appears that the heaviest snow will arrive after the morning commute, but that the afternoon commute could be significantly impacted. In areas near Lake Ontario, if the snow changes to rain earlier, rainfall amounts of 20 to 40 mm appear possible.

This story has been updated with the latest forecast from Environment Canada.