The Peterborough Petes have a chance to even up the score against the Niagara IceDogs at their third preseason home game at the Cavan Monaghan Community Centre in Millbrook on Saturday, September 23rd.

In their first preseason game on September 2 in St. Catharines, the Petes lost in a 7-1 blowout to the IceDogs, with Brennan Faulkner scoring the lone goal for the Petes in his preseason debut.

Tickets are now on sale for the Millbrook exhibition game, with puck drop at 7:05 p.m., at a cost of $20 for general admission seats or $25 for club seats in the arena’s fully licensed area.

While supplies last, tickets can be purchased by emailing tickets@millbrookhockey.com (specify the type and number of tickets you need) or in person in Millbrook at Millbrook Home Hardware (13 King St. E.), The Shack Pro Shop located on Distillery Street, or the concession stand at the community centre.

The September 23 contest against the IceDogs game is the final preseason home game taking place at local community rinks. The first game took place on September 4 at the Jack Burger Sports Complex in Port Hope, where the Petes lost 5-3 to the Oshawa Generals. The second preseason home game takes place at the Asphodel-Norwood Community Centre in Norwood on Friday, September 22nd, when the Petes will host the Kingston Frontenacs.

The Petes are 1-2 in the preseason with two games left to play, having won 6-5 in a shootout over the Sudbury Wolves on September 8 in Sudbury. It was the first time that both teams met since the Petes swept the Wolves in the first round of the 2023 OHL playoffs.

A sizable crowd filled Showplace Performance Centre when the Peterborough & District Pathway of Fame held its 26th annual induction ceremony on Saturday morning (September 9), welcoming 11 new inductees — three posthumously — to join the hundreds of previous inductees whose names are displayed on in-ground plaques in Del Crary Park.

Established in 1997, the Pathway of Fame honours people who have contributed to the arts and humanities heritage of the Peterborough. Nominations are submitted annually by the public in the categories of visual arts, literary, dramatic arts, entertainment/musical, cultural betterment, community Samaritan, media, and community builder.

Prior to the induction ceremony, three previous Pathway of Fame inductees — Peterborough musicians Barry Haggarty, Terry Finn, and Ken DesChamp — provided live music and kept the audience entertained in the Erica Cherney Theatre until the inductees were piped onto the stage.

CHEX TV / Global Peterborough’s Teresa Kaszuba emceed the event, introducing Peterborough Mayor Jeff Leal and Peterborough County Warden Bonnie Clark, who both made welcoming remarks. Peterborough-Kawartha MP Michelle Ferreri and Peterborough-Kawartha MPP Dave Smith, who were originally scheduled to also make remarks, were both unable to attend the event.

The Pathway of Fame’s communications liaison Gordon Gibb welcomed each inductee by reading a summary of why they were nominated, before inviting each of them to address the audience for a couple of minutes.

The first inductee was Charlie Gregory, known for his work donating refurbished bicycles to those in need and his photographic essays of unsheltered people, who received the inaugural Barb Bell Humanity Award, named after the late Pathway of Fame founding member and former inductee for her work as a foster parent. Gregory, who wore a shirt printed with pictures of those he photographed, dedicated his induction to them.

The remaining inductees were welcomed in alphabetic order, starting with the late long-time municipal politician and former Peterborough mayor Jack Doris, who passed away in March, as a Community Builder inductee. One of Doris’s daughters accepted the honour on behalf of her father.

Another posthumous inductee was Courtney Druce, who was recognized as a Cultural/Community Betterment inductee for her fundraising and awareness work before cancer finally took her life at the age of 27. Druce’s mother, who lives in the U.S., gratefully accepted the honour on her daughter’s behalf and thanked Druce’s partner, Bill Porter.

Sean Eyre, one of the driving forces behind the founding of the Pathway of Fame and well known as “Sunshine Sean” in his radio broadcasting heyday, was recognized as a Cultural/Community Betterment inductee for his service to the community and his promotion of local artists. Eyre’s humorous acceptance speech, which extended well beyond two minutes, had the audience in stitches.

Stephanie MacDonald was recognized along with her late husband John, both lifelong educators and former school principals, as a Cultural/Community Betterment inductee for the couple’s many contributions to the betterment and well-being of their community. Stephanie dedicated much of her acceptance speech to her husband John, who passed away at the end of 2022 in his 83rd year.

Retired Peterborough County OPP constable David McNab was recognized as a Samaritan inductee largely for his work in the settlement and integration of Syrian refugees into the Peterborough community. In his acceptance speech, McNab acknowledged the roles of many other community members in that same work, including his wife Kristy Hiltz.

Mike Melnik, a long-time former radio host and current owner of Impact Communications in Peterborough, was recognized as a Media inductee. Melnik spoke about first coming to Peterborough, his almost 5,000 radio shows with the late John Badham, and thanked both his nominators and also his family.

Peterborough arts champion Cathy Rowland, who founded the integrated arts program at the former Peterborough Collegiate and Vocational School (PCVS) and who is a writer, producer, and director of theatrical productions, was recognized as a Dramatic Arts inductee. In her acceptance speech, Rowland spoke of the importance of arts in education and encouraged audience members to attend the new play “Give ‘Em Hell,” about student activism in the year leading up to the 2012 closure of PCVS, in the building’s auditorium from September 15 to 23.

Jeannine Taylor was recognized as a Media inductee as the founder, CEO, and publisher of kawarthaNOW.com, the only independent media company in Peterborough owned and operated by a woman, as well as for her support and mentorship of other women in business and for her company’s sponsorship of numerous local non-profit organizations. In her acceptance speech, Taylor recognized the contributions of her life and business partner Bruce Head.

Peterborough native Greg Wells, a Grammy award-winning music producer based in Los Angeles, was recognized as an Entertainment inductee for his many accomplishments in the music industry as well as for his continued support of Peterborough’s music scene through the Don Skuce Memorial Music Collective songwriting contest.

In his acceptance speech, Wells — who travelled from Los Angeles to accept the honour — noted that, while “fame” has a narcissistic connotation in Los Angeles, in Peterborough it means being celebrated for supporting the community.

Wells also shared how he has come full circle, with his passion for music beginning as a child when he saw the film version of the musical Jesus Christ Superstar scored by famous composer Andrew Lloyd Webber and then, as an adult, working with Webber and sitting beside him to watch a recent production of the musical.

Wells pointed out that he watched the film as a child in the former Odeon cinema, the current location of Showplace Performance Centre.

This story has been updated to remove a reference to the September 9, 2023 event being the first in-person induction ceremony since the pandemic began. While it was the first to be held in the Eric Cherney Theatre at Showplace Performance Centre since 2019, COVID-safe in-person ceremonies were held in 2021 and again in 2022 in the downstairs Nexicom Studio at Showplace, with the 2021 ceremony also honouring the 2020 inductees.

Summer weather is slowly turning to fall, making it imperative for those in emergency situations to have access to a warm, safe, well-kept place to lay their heads at night.

That’s why the team at the YES Shelter for Youth and Families is excited to share the organization has raised over $120,000 of the funds required to support the much-needed repairs of the shelter’s building at 196 Brock Street in downtown Peterborough.

The milestone means the charitable organization is less than $80,000 away from reaching the $200,000 goal required to address a list of safety, structural, and functional aspects of the building in an effort to provide a more comfortable space for youth and families seeking emergency support.

“We really want to be able to offer services in a dignified place that reflects the effort that all of our workers are putting into the services they’re offering every day,” says Brooke Erickson, the manager of fundraising and communications at YES Shelter for Youth and Families.

With the purpose of preventing and reducing homelessness in Peterborough City and County, YES serves approximately 250 new clients each year while providing ongoing support to those who have previously accessed the shelter’s resources.

Between homelessness prevention services, a long-term transitional housing program, an onsite alternative classroom, a food and clothing cupboard, and an ongoing outreach support to connect clients with the community, all the programs and services to support YES’s clients means little is left for building maintenance.

VIDEO: Help us Repair the YES Shelter for Youth and Families

“All of our funds and all of our efforts go towards the people who need help,” explains Erickson, adding that the sector is largely underfunded and the majority of resources go towards paying the essential staff.

“When you’re looking at a list on a piece of paper, it’s easy to prioritize the maintenance of the building. But when you’re looking at someone in the eye who needs someone to sit down with them and help them through a crisis that truly makes survival difficult, we just need to be there for them. If you look at that from a budget perspective, we really can’t lose these staff members.”

Though Erickson notes the building has been in rough shape since she first joined the organization four and a half years ago, recently it’s “truly becoming dilapidated to the point where it’s unsafe and really needing attention.”

“We pride ourselves on supplying the basics to people, like the food, financial aid, and toiletries that are needed,” Erickson says. “A lot of people would consider the basics and look at the structure and think ‘If it’s falling down, that’s not supplying the basics.’ If we can’t do that, how do you know we’re measuring up in other parts of our service?”

Feedback from young people accessing the shelter’s resources during the pandemic ultimately encouraged YES to prioritize getting the shelter back into a comfortable living space.

The team created an 11-point list of needs to address within the old building, including fire safety upgrades, bathroom renovations, parking lot expansion, fence replacement, main foyer renovations, the winterization of the upper porch, and other structural support. Altogether, the work needing to be done totalled approximately $214,615.

“Just the idea of it being a shelter makes it scary [for clients], so putting time and effort into making it look welcoming is really important,” explains Erickson, adding that it is especially important with so many young children coming through the building.

“We do our best with our shelter worker team and our outreach team to make people feel OK when they get out of the shelter, but if it looks like a haunted house, it’s not going to serve our clients as well, and it’s not going to serve our community as well.”

The $200,000 YES Shelter Repair Project fundraiser was launched in February. The organization has already begun to invest in the building’s repairs using the funds that have been raised thus far, beginning with the necessary fire safety upgrades.

Then, the shelter replaced the sanitary drain that, Erickson explains, was “wreaking havoc.” In doing this, the shelter also replaced the tiered garden beds and put down permeable pavement to replace the compacted dirt that was previously laid at the building’s entrance.

“It makes the front of the building more functional and easier to maintain,” says Erickson. “It looks so good. It honestly helps employee morale and I’m sure it increases youth and family morale, too.”

Next on the list, YES will be entirely redoing each of the four bathrooms (two on the floor of the youth wing, and two on the floor of the family wing), solving a major plumbing issue that arises when up to 16 youth all share one bathroom.

At a cost of about $60,000, the new industrial-grade bathrooms will, according the Erickson, be “indestructible and safe,” and “can handle the volume that it tends to accommodate in the shelter.”

Other next steps include replacing the warped fencing along the side of the building, replacing the side porch clients use, and structurally supporting and winterizing the third-floor porch.

Erickson assures that once all the repairs, replacements, and updates are complete, the shelter already has a plan in place to ensure the building stays maintained and does not revert to its previous condition.

“We’ve been able to build up a very good volunteer base,” says Erickson, adding that they have gardening and landscape crews for exterior upkeep and a maintenance crew for any drywall, plumbing, or electrical issues that arise.

“They’re a group of skilled individuals from the community who are willing to give time and expertise to keep it in a state of good repair. We feel really confident that we’ll be able to keep the shelter in a good state.”

The manager maintains she’s also eager to have a prideful visual to show members of the community where their money is going, acknowledging the services provided by the shelter are paid for by the community, whether through the City of Peterborough, through donations, or through the province.

“The community wants it to be a building they can be proud of,” Erickson syas. “I know that everybody who supports the shelter and who lives in Peterborough would want the building to be welcoming, to be safe, and to feel like the people who are in there are going to take good care of the folks who are struggling.”

For more information on the YES Shelter Repair Project, including a full list of planned repairs, and to make a donation, visit yesshelter.ca/repairproject/.

For more updates as the building is repaired, follow YES Shelter for Youth and Families on Facebook, Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter).

Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC) has announced a settlement up to $988,550 has been reached in a class action lawsuit against the hospital related to inappropriate access to patient health records by four former employees over a decade ago.

“PRHC takes patient privacy very seriously and has a zero-tolerance policy with respect to inappropriate access to medical records,” states a media release issued by the hospital on Friday (September 8). “This settlement is not an admission of liability, but is a compromise of the disputed action.”

The lawsuit alleged that, between 2011 and early 2012, former employees of PRHC — identified as Dawn deCiccio (Health Information Clerk), Dana Gildon Cormier (Nutrition Services Technician), Mandy Edgerton Reid (Nurse), and Andrea Kay (Admitting Department Clerk) — used the hospital database to inappropriately access the personal information of around 280 patients. The lawsuit also alleged that, in some cases, the information was disseminated to unknown third parties without the consent of the patient.

The settlement, which was approved by the Superior Court of Justice on August 30, will see PRHC pay up to $988,550, which includes up to $650 to each eligible class member who submits a valid claim to RicePoint, the claims administrator, on or before November 30, 2023.

A eligible class member includes any individual, or representative of an estate of an individual, who was notified in 2011 or 2012 by PRHC that their health records were inappropriately accessed by one of the former employees.

Class members can make a claim for compensation by completing an online form at https://ricepointconnect.com/PRHC. The form will ask class members to confirm their name, address and date of birth, and their preferred payment type. Once verified as a member in the class, settlement funds may be transferred electronically or via cheque mailed to the claim member’s address.

Ottawa-based law firm Greenspon Granger Hill represents the class in this action and can be contacted at info@gghlawyers.ca or 1-613-288-2890 for further information.

Local climate activists are participating in a global climate strike on Friday, September 15th in Confederation Park across from Peterborough’s City Hall.

The youth-led worldwide protest was recently announced on social media by Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg, who pointed to the extreme heat waves, forest fires, and flooding experienced around the world this past summer.

“We need climate activists now more than ever,” Thunberg wrote. “After a summer full of extreme weather and shattered records, the world is still gearing up towards climate catastrophe. People all over the globe are already experiencing the first hand consequences of this crisis, and it will get much worse unless we radically change course.”

Thunberg posted a photo of herself holding a sign with a quote from United Nations chief Antonio Guterres.

“Climate activists are sometimes depicted as dangerous radicals,” Guterres said. “But the truly dangerous radicals are the countries that are increasing the production of fossil fuels. Investing in new fossil fuels is moral and economic madness.”

Taking place two days before world leaders are scheduled to meet in New York City for the United Nations Secretary General’s Climate Ambition Summit, the global climate strike is being organized by the Global Fight to End Fossil Fuels and aligns with ongoing protests being held by organizers from Fridays for Future, an international movement of school students inspired by Thunberg’s first 2018 protest in Sweden when she was 15 years old.

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A post shared by Greta Thunberg (@gretathunberg)

Protests on September 15 are being planned in major cities around the world, including Toronto, Ottawa, and Vancouver in Canada. The Peterborough protest is being organized by Kawartha World Issues Centre and Sustainable Trent, supported by For Our Grandchildren.

“It is up to the richest governments of the world, those that lead the developed nations who are causing the climate crisis, to take meaningful action by ending the production, use, and funding of fossil fuels and transition to renewable energy sources,” reads a media release from the local organizers. “The transition away from using fossil fuels as energy sources must be just, equitable, and fast. This transition must prioritize those most affected by the climate crisis, and ensure no one gets left behind.”

The Peterborough protest takes place from 12 to 2 p.m. on September 15 in Confederation Park.

“This is an opportunity to support the youth-led climate movement, listen to local community members, and share why a fast, fair, and permanent end to fossil fuels use and production is important to you,” organizers say.

An Oshawa teenager drowned on Burnt River in Haliburton Highlands on Wednesday afternoon (September 6).

At around 12:11 p..m. on Wednesday, officers with the Haliburton Highlands Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), along with Minden Hills Fire Department and Haliburton County Paramedic Services, responded to reports of a person who had failed to resurface while swimming in the Burnt River in Minden Hills Township.

Emergency services located the victim and began CPR.

The victim was transported to the Haliburton hospital where they were later pronounced dead.

Police have identified the victim as a 17 year old from Oshawa but have not released their gender or name.

Haliburton Highlands OPP is reminding people to be vigilant of their safety on the water. Wear a PFD, never swim alone, know your limits, and stay within them.