In her new role at Peterborough Public Health (PPH), Samantha Roan says she hopes to help the health unit “build a more equitable, inclusive, and respectful future that holds space for the truth, where reconciliation is not an end goal but rather a win on the journey towards decolonization.”

Roan was recently hired by PPH as its first-ever Indigenous health manager.

Dr. Thomas Piggott, PPH CEO and medical officer of health, shared with kawarthaNOW his thoughts on the new position and his hopes for its impact on the community.

“It is a very exciting time for PPH to have Samantha join our team and help us shape this new role,” Dr. Piggott said. “PPH has committed, through our strategic plan, to allyship with Indigenous peoples. As part of that, the Indigenous Health Advisory Circle directed staff to investigate models of Indigenous engagement last year.”

“Through this, we realized PPH had the opportunity to do things differently to unlearn colonized approaches and relearn a more Indigenous way of working,” he added. “This role really allows PPH to prioritize this work, rather than asking staff to do it off the side of their desk, and to provide leadership to support all our staff in becoming better allies to Indigenous people.”

Hallie Atter, director of health promotion, told kawarthaNOW the creation of Roan’s role was an evolution in the relationship PPH has established with both First Nations and the urban Indigenous communities in the local area, through its long history of working with them.

PPH is committed to the principles of truth and reconciliation and to acting upon the 2015 Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, she noted. The health unit’s mandate through the Ontario Public Health Standards requires all boards of health to establish relationships with Indigenous partners.

“Through the release our 2022-2025 strategic plan, PPH further committed to practising active allyship for Indigenous self-determination and health equity within the health and social system,” Atter said.

“As a result of this further commitment, the board of health for PPH dedicated resources to further build our relationships with Indigenous communities and continue to promote health equity. These resources led to the creation of this new Indigenous health manager position, as an opportunity to further our work around allyship and Indigenous self-determination.”

Her hope for Roan’s role is fostering meaningful engagement with Indigenous communities.

“Meaningful engagement with Indigenous communities is essential to addressing health inequities,” Atter explained. “Samantha has great experience with Indigenous engagement, and we look forward to her leadership to guide PPH’s reconciliation, decolonization, and Indigenization journey, both internally and as part of a larger public health sector.”

“This role allows for Indigenous engagement to be a sole focus and priority, as well as to provide leadership for other staff at PPH who are working with Indigenous communities and groups.”

As for Roan, she said she is “thrilled” to be joining PPH and stepping into the new role.

“While colonization has often been taught as something historical, it is important to understand that this is ongoing and Indigenous peoples continue to face colonization’s impacts every single day,” Roan said.

“I think it is important to come to terms with the fact that so many of our systems, inclusive of public health, have been weaponized by colonial ideals and colonization, so I am excited that PPH has taken the one of the first steps in its reconciliation journey by creating this role.”

Roan said she is looking forward to working with community partners, as well as Hiawatha and Curve Lake First Nations — the two Indigenous communities within the health unit’s purview — and PPH staff.

Atter said it’s important for Indigenous populations to be engaged, participate in, and have ownership of decision-making and priority-setting around public health issues.

Roan’s role will help ensure “that our approaches and programming reflect the diverse perspectives and needs of Indigenous communities with an end goal of protecting and promoting the health and well-being of Indigenous peoples,” Atter said.

“Through the creation of this role, we hope that we are better able to support Indigenous self-determination in all our work and ensure that we are continuously working towards the most active forms of allyship.”

Roan has a bachelor’s degree in American Indian/Native American Studies and a master’s degree in public health (specializing in policy and management with an interest in Indigenous health and Indigenous health equity), both from the University of Alberta, and is a Ph.D. student at Trent University’s Chanie Wenjack School of Indigenous Studies.

From accessible washrooms where paramedics can decontaminate after a call to the number of ambulance bays, City of Kawartha Lakes council learned more about the new paramedic services base slated for Lindsay.

During its committee of the whole meeting on Tuesday (October 8), the mayor and councillors received an overview of design plans for the Angeline Street South base, which will also provide a back-up location for the city’s critical IT infrastructure and serve as a back-up for 911, as it includes Kawartha Lakes Police Service’s Backup Communication Centre.

The committee, which met in council chambers on Francis Street, heard multiple presentations on the subject, including an overview provided by Kawartha Lakes Paramedic Service chief Sara Johnston.

Councillors asked various questions about design elements, costs, and the availability of grants, and sought clarification around the proposed 25-year-lease agreement with Trillium Lakelands District School Board for the property at 230 Angeline Street South, which is also the location of the Lindsay Adult and Alternative Education Centre operated by the school board.

Councillors also discussed the impact of the new centre on the surrounding neighbourhoods, and what to expect regarding response times to calls.

“Thank you all for coming today and thank you for putting up with our interrogations,” Mayor Doug Elmslie said. “Let’s go forward and build a really great building.”

Chief Johnston shared how the current paramedic facilities are outdated and insufficient to meet the needs of both staff and the growing community.

“I don’t think it comes as any surprise that the need for a paramedic facility is a very long-standing issue,” Johnston began.

“Many of the paramedics, myself included, have been here since the service was downloaded to the municipality in 2002. When that download happened, paramedics were being moved into buildings that were being used for other municipal use. So, in Lindsay, for example, the paramedics were moved into 89 Saint David Street, which is a public works facility.”

“What was intended to be a temporary solution until a facility was able to be built, or the paramedics were moved into a different location, has extended now beyond 20 years,” the chief noted.

The new building will feature more indoor parking, which is key because a temperature-controlled environment is necessary for both the ambulances and medical supplies, such as IV fluids, council heard. Inside the current facility, there isn’t room for staff to decontaminate after calls or even just keep a safe distance from each other for infection prevention and control reasons, she said.

The new facility will consolidate seven of 11 existing paramedic facilities into a central location, improving operations and efficiency, the staff report noted. Many of the existing facilities may be repurposed, particularly those identified for expansion as shared municipal spaces.

The lease cost for the new facility is offset by the savings gained from terminating a current facility lease, the report noted.

Another anticipated benefit is improved reaction times. The Paramedic Service Master Plan and Refresh evaluated facility location options by analyzing travel time performance alongside call distributions and future development trends.

“This assessment identified the proposed location as a strategic and superior alternative to the current site,” according to the report.

The original agenda noted the committee of the whole would be asked to approve a 25-year-lease agreement with Trillium Lakelands District School Board for the property and bring it forward to the next regular council meeting on October 22 for approval.

The amended agenda asked that the information regarding the paramedic headquarters and fleet centre update be received and that this recommendation be brought forward to council for consideration at the next regular council meeting.

Council earlier approved an investment in a new paramedic headquarters and fleet centre in Lindsay. In May 2023, Salter Pilon Architecture was awarded the design and contract administration for this project. Since then, staff have been working closely with Salter Pilon “to create a purpose-built facility that meets the community’s growing needs.”

Staff expect the design of the new paramedic headquarters and fleet centre will be substantially complete by the end of 2024. This facility will improve service delivery, accommodate future staffing needs, and ensure residents receive timely access to emergency medical care.”

Councillor Emmett Yeo asked if there were any purely aesthetic, and ultimately costly, design elements planned.

“Everything is purpose-built,” said Ryan Stitt of Salter Pilon Architecture.

“Speaking with chief Johnston, the goal of this was to build a functional, purpose-built facility that was meant for enhancing the paramedic services administratively and their function throughout the city. We really aren’t here to have a showcase for the city.”

The estimated cost for the paramedic headquarters and fleet centre facility is $50 million.

Downtown Lindsay now has a closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera system to enhance public safety.

Operated and maintained by the Lindsay Downtown Business Improvement Association (LDBIA), the CCTV camera system has been funded by the Ontario government through the Kawartha Lakes Police Service, the City of Kawartha Lakes, and LDBIA membership.

“We believe that safety is paramount to revitalizing and enhancing our downtown area,” said LDBIA executive director Melissa McFarland in an LDBIA media release. “The CCTV camera system represents a proactive step towards creating a safer community, where residents can enjoy our local businesses and visitors can explore all that Lindsay has to offer without concern.”

According to the LDBIA, the aim of the CCTV camera system is to deter criminal activity, provide support in emergency situations, and promote a greater sense of security among community members and visitors.

Unlike the CCTV system that was installed in downtown Peterborough last summer, the system in downtown Lindsay will not be operated or maintained by police. The LDBIA owns the equipment and is responsible for maintenance of the network.

The footage captured by the CCTV cameras will not be accessible to the general public, and neither the LDBIA nor Kawartha Lakes police will actively monitor the cameras. However, police will be able to request access to the footage from the LDIBA for the purpose of investigating crimes.

The CCTV camera system provides full coverage of downtown Lindsay, including Kent Street West from Victoria Street to Lindsay Street, as well as north and south coverage from the intersections of Victoria Street and Kent Street, Cambridge Street and Kent Street, William Street and Kent Street, Peel Street and Kent Street, and Lindsay Street and Kent Street.

The estimated total project cost of the CCTV camera system is $80,000.

Last year, the LDIA in partnership with the Kawartha Lakes Police Service procured a grant of $28,902 from the Ontario government’s CCTV grant program, a three-year $6-million program announced in 2020 for police services across the province.

The LDBIA then requested $40,000 in one-time funding the City of Kawartha Lakes. After the LDIA completed a public consultation and presented the results to city council in late 2023, council approved the funding request this past February.

The remaining cost of the CCTV camera system is being funded by LDBIA members.

“As we welcome this new era of safety in Lindsay Downtown, we invite everyone to enjoy the benefits it brings,” reads the LDBIA media release. “Together, we can create a thriving environment where everyone feels secure and supported.”

For the third year in a row, Peterborough’s Dragon Boat Festival has surpassed its fundraising goal — donating a record-breaking $312,025.18 for breast and other cancer screening, diagnosis, and treatment at Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC).

Volunteers from the 2024 festival’s organizing committee and the Survivors Abreast Dragon Boat Team presented a cheque to PRHC Foundation representatives on Wednesday (October 9) at the hospital’s cafeteria, representing the proceeds from the 23rd edition of the festival that was held on June 8 at Del Crary Park.

With last year’s festival exceeding its fundraising goal of $205,000.18 by over $85,000 to raise a then-record-breaking $290,025.18 for the PRHC Foundation, festival organizers increased this year’s goal to $251,825.18 — with the numbers again representing the two in five Canadians who will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime and the one in eight women who will develop breast cancer.

This year’s festival saw 69 teams and over 1,300 paddlers generating more than 3,455 donations that pushed the total funds raised to $312,025.18 — more than $60,000 over this year’s fundraising goal and the largest amount the festival has ever raised.

Festival chair Michelle Thornton, who is also a member of the Survivors Abreast Dragon Boat Team, praised her team and the festival’s organizing committee for their efforts in making this year’s volunteer-run festival another record-breaking success.

“We are a committee of approximately 24 and we break out into 12 sub-committees,” she said in a media release. “These volunteers are the magic behind the scenes and sometimes I ask myself, ‘How can such a small group of people make such a big difference?’ And the answer is, one race at a time.”

“Today’s gift is a way to honour the loved ones we’ve lost, give hope to those who need it and, for those of us who are survivors, it’s a way to take back some control and pay it forward,” Thornton added. “When you touch a life, you also touch every life that life touches so, to everyone who got involved, I say thank you for making such a difference.”

Hosted by the Survivors Abreast Dragon Boat Team, Peterborough’s Dragon Boat Festival was first launched in June 2001 as Liberty Mutual’s “Day on the Water”, becoming Peterborough’s Dragon Boat Festival the following year. Over the past 23 years, it has raised more than $4.5 million for cancer screening, diagnosis, and treatment in the Peterborough region.

“The event has had the same goal since day one: to make sure that patients from across our region have access to the tests and treatments that could save their lives, right here in our community,” said Survivors Abreast president Ann Stabler.

One hundred per cent of all pledges to the festival are able to be donated to the PRHC Foundation thanks to the sponsors who cover the costs of hosting the event, including Kawartha Credit Union, which has been the festival’s presenting sponsor every year since 2001.

“At Kawartha Credit Union, care for others is one of our core values and we are passionate about contributing to the well-being of the communities we serve,” said Kawartha Credit Union president and CEO Norah McCarthy. “Being the platinum sponsor of Peterborough’s Dragon Boat Festival allows us to provide financial support while also participating in a fun event that unites Peterborough and our surrounding areas in a common goal to improve local healthcare resources.”

PRHC Foundation president and CEO Lesley Heighway thanked the Survivors Abreast Dragon Boat Team, the festival’s organizing committee, and all the participants, sponsors, donors, and volunteers for the record-breaking donation.

“This is what happens when we come together,” Heighway said. “We’re tackling the biggest challenges our hospital faces and, with your support, making a real difference for the thousands of patients from across our region who rely on PRHC’s expert cancer care teams.”

Heighway added that proceeds from this year’s festival will support cancer care advancements like digital pathology and breast seed localization, where a tiny metal seed is placed into abnormal breast tissue to mark its location prior to surgery.

Thornton said planning for the 24th festival on June 14, 2025 will begin soon and take place over the next several months. Anyone wishing to volunteer their time and skills can email Thornton at michellethornton.365@gmail.com.