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.
Maude Rose Craig with her Lieutenant Governor's Ontario Heritage Award for Youth Achievement, flanked by Ontario Heritage Trust board chair John Ecker and Ontario's lieutenant governor Edith Dumont, at the awards ceremony in Toronto on February 22, 2024. (Photo: Dahlia Katz)
Local high school student Maude Rose Craig has been recognized with a Lieutenant Governor’s Ontario Heritage Award for her involvement over the past decade with Millbrook’s 4th Line Theatre, a non-profit theatre company that has been bringing regional history to life on the outdoor stage since 1992.
Administered by the Ontario Heritage Trust to recognize remarkable achievements in heritage conservation, the annual juried awards include the Youth Achievement Award, which Craig received alongside Sudbury’s Adam Selalmatzidis.
Ontario’s lieutenant governor Edith Dumont and Ontario Heritage Trust board chair John Ecker presented the 2023 awards at a ceremony in Toronto last Thursday (February 22), where Craig and Selalmatzidis were recognized along with other award recipients.
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“Both are innovative and exemplary young people who show the breadth of what is possible in the next generation of heritage,” reads a media release from Ontario Heritage Trust. “Craig integrates theatre and performance into her exploration of history, and Selalmatzidis is a passionate advocate for Sudbury’s biodiversity.”
Other award recipients included Oakville’s Jane Watt who received the Lifetime Achievement Award, Toronto’s Dr. Ron Villiamson who received the Thomas Symons Award for Commitment to Conservation, and four projects that received the Excellence in Conservation awards.
A grade 12 student at Lakefield College School, Craig has volunteered at 4th Line Theatre since she was a young child, including as a performer, special event coordinator, production assistant, young company coordinator, and front-of-house assistant.
Maude Rose Craig in a promotional photo for 4th Line Theatre’s 2015 production of Alex Poch-Goldin’s “The Bad Luck Bank Robbers”. She has performed in 11 main stage plays and several play development workshops for the Millbrook outdoor theatre company since 2010. (Photo: Wayne Eardley, Brookside Studio)
As a performer, she has worked alongside professional actors to portray more than 15 historical characters — including Hollywood legend Marie Dressler — in 11 main stage plays and several play development workshops since 2010.
Historical plays in which she has performed include The Right Road to Pontypool, The Cavan Blazers, The Bad Luck Bank Robbers, Queen Marie, The Hero of Hunter Street, and Who Killed Snow White?.
“In her work as a young company coordinator, Maude Rose Craig has been a peer mentor to several young people,” says 4th Line Theatre’s general manager Lindy Finlan in a media release. “She encourages and propels other young people to succeed as emerging arts and heritage performers and creators.”
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As 4th Line Theatre’s special event coordinator, Craig assisted with fundraising and event management and, last summer, led the organization’s seasonal audience services team as front-of-house manager, where she was responsible for training a large team of volunteers and ensuring a positive experience for audience members.
As part of the Youth Achievement Award, both Craig and Selalmatzidis will receive the Young Heritage Leaders Scholarship, sponsored by Canada Life and the Ontario Heritage Trust, which provides $3,500 toward their post-secondary education.
Craig is performing as Olive Neal in Lakefield College School’s production of Bullets Over Broadway The Musical from February 27 to March 1 at the Bryan Jones Theatre in Lakefield.
Some of the attendees at the 2023 International Women's Day event in Peterborough organized by Kawartha World Issues Centre and Kawartha Sexual Assault Centre in collaboration with community partners. Taking place on March 8, 2024, this year's event also includes an afternoon march and rally in downtown Peterborough followed by a community event in the evening. (Photo courtesy of Kawartha World Issues Centre)
Peterborough is marking International Women’s Day on Friday, March 8th with an afternoon rally and storytelling event in the evening.
While there have been advancements through the decades, there’s still a way to go towards achieving gender equality locally, says Sam Rockbrune of the Kawartha World Issues Centre (KWIC).
Rockbrune hopes International Women’s Day will shine a light on this issue and others, and the events KWIC is planning in collaboration with Kawartha Sexual Assault Centre (KSAC) and their community partners will bring community members together.
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“According to the Government of Canada’s website, International Women’s Day is a global day to recognize and celebrate women’s and girls’ social, economic, cultural, and political achievements,” Rockbrune said.
The description states that International Women’s Day “is also a time to raise awareness of the progress made towards achieving gender equality and the work remaining to be done.”
“That last part is so important — both KWIC and KSAC and our community collaborators are organizations that recognize that there is still so much work to be done to achieve gender equality here in Nogojiwanong/Peterborough,” Rockbrune said.
“There are many community members who think that gender equality is already achieved, and we don’t need to worry about it anymore here. However, we know that there is still a long way to go before we will achieve gender equality in our community.”
Some of the attendees at the 2023 International Women’s Day event in Peterborough organized by Kawartha World Issues Centre and Kawartha Sexual Assault Centre in collaboration with community partners. (Photo courtesy of Kawartha World Issues Centre)
During the past few years, KWIC has heard stories of gender inequality shared by women, two-spirit, non-binary and gender non-conforming people. The areas where inequality is experienced range from Indigenous rights to 2SLGBTQ+ issues to accessing safe health care to equal work and pay opportunities specifically in Nogojiwanong/Peterborough.
“If we are going to achieve gender equality in our lifetime, we need everyone to get involved. Gender equality is interconnected with so many other big issues such as climate change, the cost-of-living crisis, colonialism, et cetera,” Rockbrune said.
“Having an International Women’s Day event for everyone in our community that is free, accessible, open to all, and doesn’t require any previous experience or knowledge is a big step forward.”
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In the evening on March 8, local storytellers Aanya Singh, Jaida Ponce, and Kait Dueck will share their stories of gender equality, inspiring inclusion, and community. There will also be opportunities for community members to share their stories before, during, and after International Women’s Day 2024.
“It should be a great evening of community building and connecting,” Rockbrune said. “We are continuing to release details, but registration is open now and more details can be found on our website.”
Rockbrune said this year’s global theme, “Inspire Inclusion,” is very fitting for 2024.
“In Nogojiwanong/Peterborough and around the world, we’ve seen (and) recognized a need to come together and share space and stories. Storytelling is one of the oldest forms of communication and a core part of being human. Stories are what bring us together, as a community and across generations,” Rockbrune said.
“There is a lot of division in our community right now and we are hoping that by centering inclusion and focusing on storytelling we will bring community members together to recognize that we have a lot in common. Over the past few years, a lot of community members have become isolated, and we are hoping to create an opportunity for us to connect and reach out to one another.”
Organized by Kawartha World Issues Centre and Kawartha Sexual Assault Centre in collaboration with community partners, the International Women’s Day event in Peterborough on March 8, 2024 will include a downtown march and rally from noon to 1 p.m. with a community event from 5 to 7:30 p.m. at the Peterborough Public Library and on Zoom. (Poster courtesy of Kawartha World Issues Centre)
The events are free and accessible. Prior to the storytelling evening event, there will be a downtown rally and march from noon to 1 p.m. The rally starts in the Peterborough Square courtyard with opening drumming and will proceed north along the sidewalks of George Street to Confederation Park, across from city hall.
At city hall, located at 500 George St. N., the International Women’s Day declaration will be read, city councillor Joy Lachica will share a few words, and a poem from Peterborough’s current poet laureate, Ziysah von Bieberstein, will be delivered.
The storytelling event is from 5 to 7:30 p.m. at the Peterborough Public Library, located at 345 Aylmer St. N. Doors open at 4:30 p.m. The event will also be accessible online through Zoom.
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Hosted by Simal Iftikhar, the beginning of the evening will feature the Raging Grannies and an opening drumming from Janet McCue.
Following the three local storytellers’ presentations, there will be a communal activity and a closing poem by spoken word artist Sarah Lewis.
Launching during the First Friday Peterborough Art Crawl on March 1, 2024, "Life Studies and Other Works by Ann Cossar" features life drawings and watercolours from the late Peterborough artist and educator, with sale proceeds going to the Peterborough Art School. The exhibit will be available at Studio 12 in the Commerce Building during First Friday and then until March 31 by appointment only. (Photo courtesy of Cydnee Hosker)
Two local artists have teamed up to curate a posthumous exhibit of works by Peterborough artist and educator Ann Cossar, with proceeds of sales going to the Art School of Peterborough’s Sharon Taylor Youth Bursary.
Featuring never-before-exhibited works, “Life Studies and Other Works” by Ann Cossar will be on display at artist Julie Francey’s Studio 12 in the Commerce Building (129 1/2 Hunter St. W., Peterborough) from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on March 1 during the free monthly First Friday Peterborough art crawl.
After First Friday, the exhibit will be available by appointment only until Sunday, March 31st.
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Before her death in in March 2023 at the age of 89, Cossar was an art teacher at Peterborough’s Thomas A. Stewart Secondary School and a watercolour and drawing instructor at Fleming College.
For many years in the late 1970s and early 1980s, she and her husband Donald owned a fine art supply store and framing centre called Cossar’s Art Centre, where she held classes for young people and exhibited work by local artists.
“Ann was very much a fine artist, very organic with her mark making, and really encouraged us to find our own self-expression,” says Cydnee Hosker, a fellow retired visual arts teacher and former student of Cossar’s in the early 1970s. “Many of us thrived under her tutelage.”
Peterborough artist Ann Cossar was a teacher at Thomas A. Stewart Secondary School and taught watercolour and drawing at Fleming College. She was also the owner of a fine art supply store and framing centre called Cossar’s Art Centre during the 1970s and 80s where she held art classes for young artists. She passed away on March 21, 2023 at the age of 89. (Photo courtesy of Cydnee Hosker)
Hosker is now one of the organizers of the exhibit, alongside one of her own former students, artist Julie Francey. Francey discovered the artworks in her studio, which had previously belonged to Cossar until 2020, after Cossar’s death.
Now, Francey is opening up her studio space for the exhibit which will include the discovered pencil, conté, and charcoal life drawings and some watercolour paintings.
“Every one is a little treasure,” says Hosker, who received permission from Cossar’s daughters to exhibit and sell the works for a good cause. “It’s been really lovely seeing how people have been guardians of these fragile works.”
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All proceeds from the exhibit will be donated to the Sharon Taylor Youth Bursary at the Art School of Peterborough. Founded in memory of the artist who was a member since the school’s founding, the bursary supports youth facing financial barriers to access extracurricular art classes by covering tuition, supply costs, and transportation fare.
“Sharon, also being a teacher and a very enthusiastic dynamo kind of person, was committed to arts education in their own right,” says Hosker. “Both Ann and Sharon definitely in their own way have made vast contributions to people in the community who are interested in art and opening doors for those people who want to try it out and gain from self-expression.”
With Francey having been a student of her own just as she was to Cossar, Hosker says the journey has “come full circle in a very lovely way.”
The late Ann Cossar’s former student Cydnee Hosker (right) and artist Julie Francey installing the “Life Studies and Other Works by Ann Cossar” exhibit at Francey’s Studio 12 in Peterborough’s Commerce Building. The exhibit will launch during the First Friday Peterborough Art Crawl on March 1, 2024 and will then be available by appointment only until March 31. (Photo courtesy of Cydnee Hosker)
Like Cossar, Hosker continues to host workshops at the Art School of Peterborough, while Francey supports local artwork by opening her studio for exhibits, just as Cossar did.
“Like Cossar, Julie is instrumental in providing opportunities for people in her space,” says Hosker. “She’s very generous and this gesture on her part to host the artwork is very, very lovely.”
To view the exhibit, visit Studio 12 during the First Friday Peterborough art crawl, or email juliefrancey@yahoo.ca or clhosker@gmail.com for more information on the exhibit or to book a viewing appointment.
Environment Canada has issued a flash freeze warning for the northern Kawarthas region for Wednesday afternoon (February 28), along with a special weather statement for the southern region.
The flash freeze warning is in effect for northern Peterborough County, northern Kawartha Lakes, Haliburton County, and Hastings Highlands. A special weather statement calling for strong winds and a sudden temperature drop is in effect for southern Peterborough County, southern Kawartha Lakes, and Northumberland County.
A dramatic change in temperatures is expected on Wednesday with the passage of a sharp cold front, which is also expected to bring strong northwesterly winds gusting to 70 or 80 km/h for much of the afternoon and evening.
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Temperatures are expected to go from well above freezing to below freezing within a few hours.
With the passage of the cold front, there is also a risk of thunderstorms in the morning and a risk of freezing in the afternoon for some areas.
Ponding water, slush, and any falling precipitation will freeze as the temperature drops. This will result in sudden icy conditions on roads and walkways. Be prepared to adjust your driving with changing road conditions.
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