Peterborough police constable Dillon Wentworth with police service dog Gryphon at the 2023 National Police Dog Competition held in Barrie from September 5 to 9, 2023. (kawarthaNOW screenshot of Peterborough Police Service video)
Peterborough police service dog (PSD) Gryphon helped apprehend two shoplifters in two separate incidents in Peterborough on Wednesday (September 20).
In the first incident at around 4:40 p.m., officers were called to a business in the Park Street and Lansdowne Street area about a man who had left the store without paying for items. Upon arriving, officers were directed to a man matching the description given to police.
Police constable Dillon Wentworth with the assistance of PSD Gryphon was able to prevent the suspect from fleeing. During the arrest, the suspect dropped a backpack and officers could see he had a knife in his hand. The suspect complied with demands to drop the knife and was taken into custody without incident. The store property was located and returned to the business.
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A 34-year-old Peterborough man was arrested and charged with theft under $5,000 and possession of property obtained by crime under $5,000. Police also learned the accused man was wanted on two outstanding warrants. He was released on an undertaking and is scheduled to appear in court on October 17.
In the second incident at around 7 p.m., officers were again called to a business in the Park Street and Lansdowne Street area about a man who had left the store without paying for items. They learned from an off-duty OPP officer the man had headed north on Park Street and was near the Knights of Columbus Park. Police constable Wentworth and PSD Gryphon arrived in the area, were directed to a man matching the suspect’s description, and were able to prevent the suspect from fleeing. The suspect threw the property to the ground and was taken into custody without incident.
A 23-year-old Peterborough man was arrested and charged with theft under $5,000 and possession of property obtained by crime under $5,000. The accused man is currently bound by a probation order to keep the peace and be of good behaviour, and he was further charged with failure to comply with a probation order. He is being held in custody and will appear in court on September 21.
James Harley, co-owner of Harley Farms in Keene, cuts hay. While the agriculture sector is highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, it also produces 10 per cent of Canada's greenhouse gas emissions, not including the use of fossil fuels. The Net Zero Farms pilot project will subsidize a cohort of local agriculture businesses to join Green Economy Peterborough, where they will be supported to measure their footprint, learn from one another, and expand our regional understanding of local opportunities for climate action. (Photo: Veronica Price Jones / Harley Farms)
Each week, GreenUP provides a story related to the environment. This week’s column is by Natalie Stephenson, Director of Programs, GreenUP.
No business sector is more important to our survival than agriculture. However, the farms that feed us are highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.
One farm that is feeling the consequences of climate change and preparing to take action is Fleetwood Hills, a 293-acre family farm in Janetville formed in 1983 that produces primarily maple syrup, honey, and garlic.
“The increasingly unpredictable weather is a real challenge,” says Steve Moore of Fleetwood Hills. “Two years ago we had unusually early and very warm spring weather. It ended our maple syrup season early, making it one of our worst maple syrup seasons ever.”
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Warm weather earlier in the season has also affected Moore’s bee populations and honey production. Honeybee parasites like varroa mites love early season warmth and moisture; it enables them to feed on the colonies, devastating them before honey production has started.
“While we cannot blame any single weather event on climate change,” says Moore, “the expectation that weather will be more extreme and unpredictable makes farming more challenging than ever.”
The wet summer also increased bacterial rot in Moore’s garlic crop. And, while damage to the maple grove at Fleetwood Hills Farm during the derecho storm in May 2022 was limited, it impacted neighbouring farms to the point where they will need years to recover.
Fleetwood Hills is a 293-acre family farm in Janetville that produces primarily maple syrup, honey, and garlic. Farmer Steve Moore is increasingly concerned about the impact of climate change on the predictability of weather, including its impacts on honeybee survival and honey production. He is exploring how his farm can take action including solar technology, planting trees, using drip irrigation to combat drought, and planting carbon-storing cover crops. (Photo: Fleetwood Hills Farm)
The agriculture sector has a major role to play in the complex environmental challenge of climate change. On the whole, this sector produces 10 per cent of Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions, and that number does not include the use of fossil fuels. However, farms can help to slow climate change by storing, or sequestering, carbon in soil, in crops, and in trees.
A net-zero farm, in theory, is a farm on which the carbon released and the carbon being stored is balanced. Depending on the type of operations, farms can release greenhouse gas emissions in different ways. Two major emissions sources for farms include methane released from animal farming and nitrous oxide released through the use of fertilizers.
However, farms can “capture” or store greenhouse gases (specifically carbon dioxide) in the plants they grow, which use it in photosynthesis.
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Moore is exploring how else his farm can take action. He is taking a look at solar energy, planting trees, using drip irrigation to combat drought, and planting cover crops — carbon-storing plants like clover and rye.
Opportunities for emissions reductions and carbon storage in soil are huge within the farming sector, but measuring these emissions is not straightforward.
Carbon accounting is a method used to document and analyze the carbon dioxide (or equivalent greenhouse gas) input and output of a business. Current carbon accounting tools for farms can roughly estimate the amount of carbon dioxide stored per hectare. However, the incredible variation of crops and land usage in our food system makes this equation much more complex.
Norm Lamothe of Woodleigh Farms in Cavan gives a tour of his farm, which uses crop rotations, cover crops, solar technology, composting, and no-till practices to inform their sustainable business model. (Photo: Jackie Donaldson / Green Economy Peterborough)
If Canadian agribusinesses are going to help achieve our federal government’s target of net-zero emissions by 2050, accurate measurement is essential. It’s important that these businesses have the information they need to start reducing emissions, as changing farm practices takes time.
“That is one of the challenges to adapting and changing the way we farm,” says Moore. “We all know the many benefits of cover crops and we will keep tinkering to get it right, but we only have one shot at it each year, so it can take years to work out all the kinks. I am in my mid 40s, so I probably only have 20 to 30 growing seasons left in my farming career. That is 20 or 30 opportunities to ‘practice’ with cover crops or other innovations.”
The Canadian agriculture sector is very diverse, and there is no one-size-fits-all solution.
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Government incentives and agribusiness-specific programs can increase the uptake of new sustainability practices by reducing financial barriers.
Green Economy Peterborough is a GreenUP program that works with small and medium enterprises and supports them to take environmental action as part of their business model.
This fall, Green Economy Peterborough is introducing a pilot project in partnership with local non-profit Farms at Work called Net Zero Farms.
Norm Lamothe of Woodleigh Farms in Cavan received the “Leadership in Climate Resilient Agriculture” award from Farms at Work executive director Heather Ray at Peterborough GreenUP’s second annual Leadership in Sustainability Awards event on May 4, 2023. Lamothe’s farm received the award for their commitment to reducing their environmental impact, educating others, and demonstrating that eco-friendly agricultural practices can provide an economic advantage. (Photo: Heather Doughty Photography)
This pilot, created in part with funding from RBC Tech for Nature, will subsidize a cohort of local agriculture businesses to join Green Economy Peterborough, where they will be supported to measure their footprint, learn from one another, and expand our regional understanding of local opportunities for climate action.
Through this project, GreenUP looks forward to helping local farms in their efforts to avoid the damaging impacts of climate change. Adaptation strategies to manage changing weather conditions, actions that reduce operational emissions, and creating opportunities for carbon storage all have an important role to play in future of our agricultural sector.
If you, or someone you know, is interested in participating in the Net Zero Farms pilot project, please reach out to Green Economy Peterborough Coordinator Jackie Donaldson at jackie.donaldson@greenup.on.ca.
Police are seeking missing 84-year-old Reginald of Brighton. (Police-supplied photo)
Police are asking for the public’s help in locating a missing 84-year-old Brighton man.
UPDATE – On September 21, 2023, police advised Reginald has been located safe and sound.
The man, who police are only identifying as Reginald, is a white man, 6’4″ tall with an average build.
He has grey-white hair and a grey-white moustache. He is possibly wearing a sweater, jeans, and blue shoes.
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He is driving a black 2000 Cadillac STS with licence plate BRNP 949. He was last seen at around 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday (September 20) on Harbour Street in Brighton. He may be in the Kemptville area.
Police believe he may have become confused and are concerned for his well-being.
Anyone who may have information on the whereabouts of Reginald or his vehicle are asked to call Northumberland Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) at 1-888-310-1122.
Peterborough Transit's new online tool allows riders to track the location of buses and plan their trips in real-time, such as this trip from Trent University to Lansdowne Place Mall. (kawarthaNOW screenshot)
Peterborough Transit has launched a new online tool that allows riders to track the location of buses and plan their trips in real-time.
Developed by Strategic Mapping Inc., the mobile-friendly tool at pt.mytransitride.com provides real-time bus locations and the direction they are travelling in, predicted arrival and departure times, as well as service changes for all fixed route transit operations.
Using the online tool, users can search by address, transit stop, or route, and they can select and favourite a specific route.
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A trip planner feature also allows users to identify a departure and arrival location (including by clicking on the map) and date and time for when a bus is departing or arriving. The tool will generate instructions on how to get to the nearest transit stop and which route or routes to take.
“This is a key advancement to transit service in Peterborough,” says city councillor Keith Riel, chair of council’s transportation portfolio, in a media release. “Knowing where your bus is before you leave home is a game changer for transit customers. The trip planner will allow customers to ride with confidence, providing reliable, step-by step navigation from one destination to another, anywhere within the route system in real-time, or for planning trips in advance.”
Although the online tool is now operational, work on further refinements is ongoing. Transit customers who don’t have access to the internet can call 705-745-0525 to find out the real-time location of their bus.
Peterborough Transit’s new online tool allows riders to track real-time bus locations and the direction they are travelling in, such as buses on the Water Street route. (kawarthaNOW screenshot)
Attendees at the Niibing N'kweshkodaadida ("let's meet and greet in summer") on June 22, 2023, the first social gathering organized by Indigenous-led organizations Lovesick Lake Native Women's Association, Niijkiwendidaa Anishnaabekwewag Services Circle, Nogojiwanong Friendship Centre, and Trent University's First Peoples House of Learning with financial support from the Community Foundation of Greater Peterborough. (Photo courtesy of Community Foundation of Greater Peterborough)
With the first day of fall this Saturday and the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation the following Saturday, four local Indigenous-led organizations are inviting members of the Peterborough-Nogojiwanong community to a free social gathering from 3 to 6 p.m. Thursday (September 21) in the Peterborough Square courtyard.
“Dagwaagig N’kweshkodaadidaa” — which means “let’s meet and greet in autumn” in Anishinaabemowin, the Obijwe language — will feature drumming, dancing, food, local Indigenous vendors, and language learning opportunities.
All Indigenous and non-Indigenous community members are welcome to join the event, which is being presented by Lovesick Lake Native Women’s Association, Niijkiwendidaa Anishnaabekwewag Services Circle, Nogojiwanong Friendship Centre, and Trent University’s First Peoples House of Learning.
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“Dagwaagig N’kweshkodaadidaa is an opportunity to connect with the Indigenous community of Nogojiwanong during a time where we have so much to celebrate,” says Nogojiwanong Friendship Centre executive director Ashley Safar in a media release, mentioning both the autumnal equinox and Peterborough Pride.
“It is also a day leading up to a time of reflection, mourning and healing as we approach the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation. My hope is that this event will be an opportunity to come together as a larger community to learn and connect.”
This is the second social gathering organized by the four organizations, with the first — Niibing N’kweshkodaadida (“let’s meet and greet in summer”) — taking place on June 22. The gatherings came out of “Virtual Cup of Tea” sessions organized by Community Foundation of Greater Peterborough executive director Jennifer DeBues and representatives of each of the four organizations.
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“For the Community Foundation, we are learning about our responsibilities as treaty people,” DeBues says. “After the discovery of the unmarked graves in Kamloops (in 2021), the Foundation decided to set aside a portion of our annual budget for reconciliation activities. As we built relationships with Indigenous-led organizations in the community, we invited them to make the decisions around how to use that money. The idea of a series of social events came from that.”
More Indigenous-led social gatherings are planned for the future.
“It has been so exciting working together on this initiative to bring community together,” says Niijkiwendidaa Anishnaabekwewag Services Circle executive director Angela Connors. “With the support of the Community Foundation, we have been able to share perspectives and resources, build better relationships, and see the potential for future collaborations. We are stronger together.”
As part of its 30th anniversary season from November to April, Public Energy Performing Arts is presenting "Izzie M: The Alchemy of Enfreakment" by Indigenous artist collective Chocolate Woman Collective, created by and featuring Monique Mojica (pictured) along with Barry Bilinsky. It will be performed at Nozhem: First Peoples' Performance Space at Trent University on March 8 and 9, 2024. (Photo: Jillian Sutherland)
Public Energy Performing Arts announced its 30th anniversary season on Wednesday (September 20) at a media event at Market Hall Performing Arts Centre in downtown Peterborough, featuring a dramatic aerial dance performance from visiting artist Diana Lopez Soto whose completed work will be presented at the venue next April.
Soto’s work Nomada is being developed through a two-week residency at the Market Hall with Public Energy, which has partnered with some of Canada’s most prestigious dance presenters to commission this new work, including Canadian Stage and Danceworks in Toronto and the PuSh Festival in Vancouver. Nine years in the making, the finished work will be on tour in Canada later this season and will be performed at the Market Hall on April 5 as the penultimate event in Public Energy’s 2023-24 season.
According to Public Energy’s executive director Bill Kimball and managing director Eva Fisher, a theme running through much of the 2023-24 season sees artists using dance and song to heighten awareness of the importance of our connection to the land.
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Public Energy’s history is rooted in Peterborough New Dance, an organization founded in 1994 that inherited a discontinued dance presenting program operated by Peterborough’s artist-run centre Artspace. Supporting both new and existing work from independent choreographers, Peterborough New Dance’s founding director was Kimball, who had curated Artspace’s dance program from 1980 to 1994. In 2001, Peterborough New Dance became incorporated as a charitable organization under the name Peterborough New Dance and Performance.
In 2003, Peterborough New Dance adopted a second name, Public Energy, under which it expanded the organization’s activities beyond dance into related disciplines of contemporary theatre and performance. The second name came from an early mandate adopted by the Peterborough New Dance to “create a kind of public energy around the presentation, creation, and touring of contemporary dance.”
The words “Performing Arts” were added to Public Energy’s name in the 2019-20 season to reinforce the multi-arts mandate and alleviate ongoing confusion among some members of the public that the organization was a utility company.
A poster for the first-ever event produced by Public Energy, back when it was known as Peterborough New Dance. “Apogée” by Le Cirque du Soleil choreographer Debra Brown was performed at Peterborough’s Market Hall in November 1994. (Photo: Public Energy)
Over the past 30 years, Public Energy Performing Arts has worked with more than 2,000 artists — including dancers, actors, choreographers, directors, designers, visual artists, filmmakers, sound artists, writers, and theatre technicians — and mounted more than 500 shows, classes, workshops, talks and other events seen by over 50,000 audience members and participants. A significant portion of Public Energy’s programming is with Indigenous artists, with the organization taking both a local and provincial lead in Indigenous arts programming.
Running from November until April, Public Energy’s 30th anniversary season showcases the best of the world of dance, theatre, and performance, including projects with connections to Norway and Mexico, as well as two artists with strong local connections (Jon Hedderwick and Charlie Petch). This year, Public Energy is also deepening its partnership with Trent University’s Nozhem First Peoples’ Performance Space, which continues to attract some of the country’s best Indigenous artists.
Below is a list of the performances for the 2023-24 season. Advance tickets for all performances are available via the Public Energy Performing Arts website at publicenergy.ca.
Zaagi’idiwin: Our Mothering Heart (November 3 and 4)
Sophie Dow, Samantha Sutherland, and Olivia C. Davies. (Photos: Chris Randle and Rose Bennett)
From Vancouver’s contemporary Indigenous performance company O.Dela Arts, Zaagi’idiwin: Our Mothering Heart includes three performances that together run for around 50 minutes.
“Journals of adoption,” a solo created and performed by Sophie Dow, extends a choreographic exploration through two journals of origin: one text from Sophie’s birth mother’s experience of pregnancy and process of offering her up; the other text from Sophie’s own reflections, queries and rumination as an adopted child.
“Slip away,” a solo created and performed by Samantha Sutherland, explores themes of loss and hope relating to the endangered state of the Ktunaxa language, shares accounts of the current efforts toward preservation of the endangered language, and showcases dreams of how it may continue enlivened in the future.
“Rematriate XX23,” a new work in development by Olivia C. Davies, is conceived as a love letter for the experience of motherhood, honouring the one who carries us in her womb, nurturing and nourishing, and who will live forever in our hearts.
Zaagi’idiwin: Our Mothering Heart will be performed at Nozhem: First Peoples’ Performance Space (Room 101, Enwayaang Building, 1 Gzowski Way, Peterborough) at 7 p.m. on November 3 and 4 with a 3 p.m. matinee performance on November 4. Tickets are sold on a sliding pay-what-you-can scale from $5 to $25.
Bubie’s Tapes (January 17 to 21)
Peterborough spoken word artist Jon Hedderwick in “Bubie’s Tapes.” (Photo: Andy Carroll)
While preparing a pot of matzo ball soup for his daughter, Peterborough spoken word artist Jon Hedderwick recounts personal and family experiences from the Russian Revolution, through the Holocaust and beyond, as told by his Bubie Sarah in cassette tape recordings she left behind.
Through these stories, Bubie’s Tapes reveals much about the history and ongoing impacts of antisemitism in Canada and around the world.
Bubie’s Tapes will be performed at The Theatre on King (171 King St, Peterborough) at 8 p.m. from January 17 to 20 with a 2 p.m. matinee performance on January 21. Tickets are sold on a sliding pay-what-you-can scale from $5 to $25. All shows will be presented as relaxed performances, with ASL interpretation to be available for one of the performances (to be announced).
Vástádus Eana – The Answer is Land (March 3)
Performers in Norwegian choreographer Elle Sofe Sara’s “Vástádus Eana – The Answer is Land.” (Photo: Knut Aaserud)
From Norwegian choreographer Elle Sofe Sara, Vástádus Eana – The Answer is Land is a 90-minute performance about community and kinship between people, with nature, and with the land we all share. The choreography is inspired by demonstrations, spiritual practices of the Sámi people in northern Europe, and formation dance.
“Seven black-clad women, fists raised, brandish megaphones above their heads, in front of Esplanade Tranquille,” reads a description of the performance. “They start dancing to ask the land for permission to gather on it. Then, walking with heads held high, they lead the audience into the depths of the theatre for Vástádus eana: a galvanizing choreographed concert that amplifies the long-repressed voices of the Sámi people.”
“Through their polyphonic chants and their movements, the performers draw us into an a cappella story of resistance and healing. Their voices are rooted in joik, the captivating Sámi music sung while travelling across the land. Embodying memory, they celebrate the alliances between all living creatures and the land, between nature and the community. Inspired by socio-ecological movements and Sámi spirituality, this hymn pays tribute to all those who fight injustice.”
Vástádus Eana – The Answer is Land will be performed at 2 p.m. on March 3 at Market Hall Performing Arts Centre (140 Charlotte Street, Peterborough). As the description implies, the performance will begin outdoors, at an accessible location very near the theatre to be determined (guides will be on hand to provide assistance). Tickets are sold on a sliding pay-what-you-can scale from $10 to $20.
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Izzie M: The Alchemy of Enfreakment (March 8 and 9)
Monique Mojica and Barry Bilinsky in Chocolate Woman Collective’s “Izzie M: The Alchemy of Enfreakment.” (Photo: Jillian Sutherland)
From Indigenous artist collective Chocolate Woman Collective in Toronto, Izzie M: The Alchemy of Enfreakment uses the circus freak show as an allegory to examine the tension between the sacred and the profane and the ways in which things that are sacred in Indigenous societies became profaned for entertainment and profit.
This theme also relates to the underlying structure of Indigenous effigy mounds and earthworks, because some of them were not only brutally excavated and looted but also used as race tracks and amusements parks.
Formerly known as Side Show Freaks & Circus Injuns, Izzie M: The Alchemy of Enfreakment was created by Chocolate Woman Collective founder Monique Mojica (Guna and Rappahannock) and features Mojica and Barry Bilinsky (Metis/Cree). It will be performed at Nozhem: First Peoples’ Performance Space (Room 101, Enwayaang Building, 1 Gzowski Way, Peterborough) at 7 p.m. on March 8 and 9, with tickets sold on a sliding pay-what-you-can scale from $5 to $25.
Nomada (April 5)
Mexican-Canadian artist Diana Lopez Soto in “Nomada.” (Photo courtesy of Public Energy)
Created and performed by Mexican-Canadian artist Diana Lopez Soto, Nomada is a solo performance that brings together aerial dance, rigging design, installation art, and contemporary Mexican dance.
Representing a journey inspired by personal stories of displacement, rituals of water, cycles of sustainability, and the connections of our bodies to land, Nomada is the result of extensive collaboration with some of Canada’s most talented composers, designers, and projection artists, as well as family and knowledge keepers from the community of Michoacan, Mexico.
Nomada is supported by the CanDance Network commissioning program with five presenters across Canada taking part, including Peterborough’s Public Energy Performing Arts, Toronto’s Canadian Stage and Danceworks, Nanaimo’s Crimson Coast Dance Society, and Vancouver’s PuSh International Performing Arts Festival.
Nomada will be performed at 7:30 p.m. on April 5 at Market Hall Performing Arts Centre (140 Charlotte Street, Peterborough). Tickets are sold on a sliding pay-what-you-can scale from $10 to $20.
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No One’s Special at the Hot Dog Cart (April 24)
Award-winning playwright, author, and spoken word performer Charlie Petch. (Photo: Coconutkiss Images)
Written and performed by award-winning playwright, author, and spoken word performer Charlie Petch, No One’s Special at the Hot Dog Cart tells true stories from their past as a 911 operator, hospital bed allocator, emergency room clerk, and street worker.
Directed by Adam Lazarus and supported by dramaturg Donna Michelle St. Bernard, No One’s Special at the Hot Dog Cart is filled with busking performance, novelty instruments, clown, tragicomedy, lessons in de-escalation technique, and a deep appreciation of street communities.
No One’s Special at the Hot Dog Cart will be performed at 7:30 p.m. on April 24 at Market Hall Performing Arts Centre (140 Charlotte Street, Peterborough). Tickets are sold on a sliding pay-what-you-can scale from $5 to $25.
kawarthaNOW is proud to be a long-time media sponsor of Public Energy Performing Arts.
The new Canadian Canoe Museum's lakefront location along Little Lake in Peterborough will open over winter 2023-24 featuring new visitor experiences and programming, with grand opening celebrations taking place on the weekend of May 11, 2024. Pictured is a portion of the new boardwalk that will make it easier for museum visitors to enjoy the on-water programming that will be offered at the new museum. (Photo: The Canadian Canoe Museum)
The Canadian Canoe Museum has announced its new facility under construction on Ashburnham Drive in Peterborough will open over the winter, with an official grand opening celebration set for the spring.
According to a media release issued by the museum on Wednesday (September 20), the museum’s originally scheduled fall opening date has been delayed due to nationwide construction industry issues.
“Material and labour availability, supply chain disruptions, and scheduling and sequencing complexities have caused unavoidable delays in completing the impressive two-story, 65,000-square-foot museum and its five-acre lakefront campus,” reads the media release.
Construction delays have shifted the new Canadian Canoe Museum’s opening timeline from fall 2023 to winter 2023-24. Once open, the two-story 65,000-square-foot museum and its five-acre lakefront campus is projected to welcome 87,000 visitors annually. Grand opening celebrations will take place on the weekend of May 11, 2024. (Photo: The Canadian Canoe Museum)
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The new museum is now scheduled to open over the winter once it is completed, with an official grand opening planned for May.
“I am thrilled to announce that we will welcome our supporters to the new museum and campus the weekend of May 11th for our grand opening celebrations,” says the museum’s executive director Carolyn Hyslop. “While the pandemic and its impacts on the construction industry have affected our timeline, it has not affected the spirit and enthusiasm for this project. It will be worth the wait when visitors can explore this beautiful facility and our many new offerings and then continue to the lakefront for a memorable paddling experience.”
The grand opening weekend — which coincides with the start of the paddling season — will see donors, partners, members, volunteers, and dignitaries gather to celebrate the new building and Lang Lakefront Campus. It will also mark the launch of the museum’s full visitor experience with on-water activities to honour Canada’s paddling legacy. A schedule of events will be released closer to the grand opening date.
The new Canadian Canoe Museum’s atrium will welcome visitors and the public to refresh and refuel before their next adventure. It features a reception area, store, café, fireplace, and an artisan workshop to witness the art of canoe-making and restoration first-hand, and a view into the Collection Hall. (Rendering: Lett Architects)
When the new facility opens over the winter, the museum’s entire collection of over 600 paddled watercraft and artifacts will be under one roof and accessible to visitors for the first time in the museum’s history. A portion of the collection will be on display in the 20,000-square-foot Exhibition Hall, with the remainder held in the similarly sized Collection Hall.
In the Exhibition Hall, visitors can explore new exhibits at their own pace or through a guided tour and learn new skills in an artisan workshop. Food and drink from the Silver Bean Café will be available in the museum’s café, with the facility and its multipurpose room available to rent for community and corporate meetings, conferences, events and weddings.
All programming at the new museum will offer hands-on indoor and outdoor experiences connecting visitors and locals to the land, water, and canoe. A host of customizable and curriculum-linked programs will build on inspiration found in the exhibits and use the outdoor Lang Lakefront Campus year round. Workshops will include fire building, outdoor cooking, camping, plein air painting, and paddling skills.
The Canadian Canoe Museum has already moved more than 100 canoes and kayaks from its previous Monaghan Road location into the Exhibition Hall of the new facility, including Blue Bird, the longest canoe in The Canadian Canoe Museum’s collection at 16.36 metres. The remaining 500 watercraft will be relocated to the new museum over the next two to three months, with the help of official mover Peterborough-based McWilliams Moving & Storage. (Photo: The Canadian Canoe Museum)
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In the spring, the Lang Lakefront Campus will offer on-water programming, daily 90-minute Voyageur canoe tours, and canoe and kayak rentals. Children’s day camps, adult paddling courses, and backcountry canoe trips will also run throughout the summer months.
While the originally scheduled opening date of the new museum has been delayed, The Canadian Canoe Museum has already moved more than 100 canoes and kayaks from its previous Monaghan Road location into the Exhibition Hall of the new facility, with the remaining 500 watercraft to be relocated to the new museum over the next two to three months.
“Moving this first portion of the collection into its new home was an incredible moment in this organization’s history,” says museum curator Jeremy Ward. “This collection is unlike any other worldwide and has been recognized for its national significance to this country. Now it finally has a home befitting it. It was certainly an emotional moment for myself and our team.”
All hands have been on deck, including The Canadian Canoe Museum’s executive director Carolyn Hyslop, to help museum move the world’s largest collection of canoes, kayaks, and paddled watercraft into its new lakefront facility, will open over winter 2023-24. (Photo: The Canadian Canoe Museum)
Peterborough-based McWilliams Moving & Storage is the official mover and lead sponsor of the museum’s “Move the Collection: The Final Portage” campaign, which is continuing to raise awareness and funds for the collection’s move to the new facility.
As for the museum’s $40-million “Inspiring Canada – by Canoe” fundraising campaign to support the cost of building the new facility, the museum has now raised 97 per cent of its goal, with fundraising events held this summer in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, and Peterborough.
Along with community donations, the museum is being funded by lead donor and government partners including the Government of Canada through the Department of Canadian Heritage and the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario), the Weston Family Foundation, the City of Peterborough, Peterborough County, and the Province of Ontario.
The Canadian Canoe Museum’s curator Jeremy Ward inspects the 100 canoes and kayaks recently moved into the new museum’s Exhibition Hall. The remaining 500 watercraft will be relocated to the new museum over the next two to three months, with the help of official mover Peterborough-based McWilliams Moving & Storage. (Photo: The Canadian Canoe Museum)
Canadians from across the country and beyond who want to support The Final Portage of The Canadian Canoe Museum’s collection to its new home can make a donation at canoemuseum.ca/final-portage.
Businesses interested in sponsorship opportunities for The Final Portage can email Megan McShane at megan.mcshane@canoemuseum.ca.
Peterborough Police Service headquarters on Water Street in downtown Peterborough. (Photo: Pat Trudeau)
Police have charged a 31-year-old Peterborough man with mischief and obstructing a peace officer in connection with several incidents related to antisemitic flyers being distributed in neighbourhoods throughout Peterborough — and are consulting with the provincial government on an additional charge of wilful promotion of hatred.
Between May and July, antisemitic pamphlets were reported in the area of Parkhill Road West and Crowley Crescent, in the Medical Drive and Weller Street area, in the Lansdowne Street and George Street area,in East City, and the Wolsely Street and Chemong Road area. In total, police received 19 reports of the antisemitic flyers from residents.
“There is no room for hate in our community at any time,” said Peterborough police chief Stuart Betts in a media release in July. “The number one goal of the Peterborough Police Service is public safety, and the service is committed to this goal.”
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After a four-month investigation, last Friday (September 15), officers with the Peterborough Police Service’s Investigative Services Unit conducted a search warrant of a residence and located items connected to the distribution of the antisemitic flyers. During the investigation, the suspect in the case provided police with a false name and address.
As a result, a 31-year-old Peterborough man was arrested and charged with mischief and obstructing a peace officer. The accused man was released on an undertaking and is scheduled to appear in court on September 26.
“I would like to thank the investigators and officers involved in this investigation,” says Peterborough police chief Stuart Betts in a media release issued on Tuesday (September 19). “It was important to do a thorough investigation into the origin of this disturbing material and speaks to our continued commitment to public safety.”
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Police say they are consulting with the Ministry of the Attorney General to have the incidents deemed as a wilful promotion of hatred under Canada’s criminal code, which is an indictable offence punishable with a prison term of up to two years.
“Police must balance constitutional rights with the Criminal Code of Canada which makes investigations very complicated,” reads a police media release. “Before laying some hate-motivated or bias-motivated criminal charges under the Criminal Code of Canada, police are required to conduct an investigation and then turn the file over to the local Crown Attorney’s office and get consent from the Attorney General’s Office.”
There are several charges under the criminal code that require the Attorney General’s consent before charges are laid: advocating genocide, public incitement of hatred, wilful promotion of hatred, and wilful promotion of antisemitism. Advocating genocide is punishable with a prison term of up to five years, with the other charges each punishable with a prison term of up to two years.
Police and emergency vehicles at the scene of a serious single vehicle collision on Highway 28 between Eels Lake Road and Dyno Road in North Kawartha Township on September 19, 2023. (Photo: Roger Cormier)
Peterborough County Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) and emergency crews are at the scene of a serious single vehicle collision that occurred on Highway 28 in North Kawartha Township on Tuesday afternoon (September 19).
The collision occurred between Eels Lake Road and Dyno Road, just south of Silent Lake Provincial Park.
Police have not released any information about injuries.
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Highway 28 is closed in the area while police and emergency crews deal with the collision scene, with traffic being diverted.
Police say to expect delays. The Highway 28 closure will remain in place for several hours while police investigate.
Hydro One is also reporting a wide power outage in the area as a result of a motor vehicle accident, with more than 5,000 customers affected.
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