To help encourage families to decrease waste by packing litterless lunches when kids go back to school, Peterborough GreenUP has launched a new colouring contest where a randomly chosen winner will receive a Planet Box Launch container worth $80. Details about the contest, which closes August 25, can be found on @ptbogreenup on Facebook. (Photo: Eileen Kimmett / GreenUP)
It’s back-to-school season! How about creating a goal to pack a litterless lunch this year?
Each week, GreenUP provides a story related to the environment. This week’s column is by Eileen Kimmett, GreenUP Store & Resource Coordinator.
Litterless lunches are lunches with little or no packaging. Each year, GreenUP encourages students and families to consider how they can incorporate litterless lunches into their daily routine. This practice means thinking about what we take to school and what we bring home.
This year, the City of Peterborough’s new garbage and compost collection program coincides with the fall school season.
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We are excited that starting October 31, a weekly ‘green bin’ service will be introduced to collect household organic waste. Additionally, clear garbage bags will become mandatory for residential waste collection and the program will switch to every-other-week residential garbage collection.
Packing lunches for school can potentially produce a lot of waste. And since most schools send lunch garbage home with students (these are called ‘boomerang’ lunches), getting into the habit of reducing waste in the lunchbox will make garbage day easier for the whole family.
If you wanted to skip the details in this article, we vouch for one easy action this season: choose products that can be reused for a long time, which will save money and give back to the environment, too.
Single-use plastic straws are being phased out of production by the end of 2023. Reusable metal or silicone straws are alternatives to single-use plastic straws. (Photo by Eileen Kimmett)
Read on for how to create a litterless lunch by looking at how to reduce waste created from food storage containers, compartments, and utensils.
Let’s take a look at packing.
Take a reusable pack for lunch. Compared to single-use plastic bags which degrade over 1,000 years in the landfill, sturdy reusable lunch containers can be used again and again for many years.
One example of a more sustainable lunch container is Planet Box. They are a United States-based organization that carries storage containers for appetites of all sizes. Planet Box products are designed to be durable. One child switching to a reusable food container can saving up to180 single-use containers per year!
Looking into compartmentalizing your lunch box? Using what you have at home, like mason jars, can help reduce waste. The GreenUP Store carries reusable, leak proof lids for mason jars, making it easier to use the jar for multiple purposes, like for food or a beverage.
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Let’s talk juice.
Buying individually sized juice boxes creates more waste than purchasing juice in bulk. Consider purchasing a small reusable water bottle or thermos that you can refill instead of buying disposable juice boxes.
Planet Box and S’well are two organisations that sell drink containers that are catered to young hands and can even be refilled at school.
Speaking of containing, how about wraps and bags?
Beeswax wraps from Abeego are 100 per cent zero-waste. You can get them at the GreenUP Store & Resource Centre at 378 Aylmer Street North in downtown Peterborough. (Photo: Eileen Kimmett / GreenUP)
A great substitute for plastic sandwich wrap is reusable beeswax paper. Beeswax paper can last up to a year or more with proper care, after which it can be composted. By choosing products that will biodegrade naturally, we can decrease the amount of waste that ends up in a landfill.
Silicone bags, like those from sustainability brand Stasher, can also be used to eliminate the use of single-use plastic sandwich and snack bags. Not only are Stasher products reusable, but they are dishwasher and microwave friendly, too. Stasher silicone bags come in several sizes and colours, so kiddos can feel creative while at lunch, too!
Utensils are overlooked sometimes, but in December 2023, single-use cutlery like forks, knives, spoons, sporks and chopsticks will be prohibited from being sold in Canada. It will become essential (and mandatory!) to choose reusable by the end of this year.
Bamboo utensil sets can replace single-use forks, knives and spoons. Bamboo is a fast-growing plant making it a renewable and sustainable resource. Bamboo is also known for its durability and versatility.
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It’s not always possible to avoid packaging.
If you are looking to check up on the recyclability of specific items within the City of Peterborough, there is an excellent online resource located on the City of Peterborough’s website called What Goes Where.
This online tool allows you to type in a particular item or material and then receive specific instructions about the how and where of its disposal.
You can also use it to find your garbage, recycling, and green waste collection day.
The GreenUP Store & Resource Centre at 378 Aylmer Street North in downtown Peterborough carries what you need to pack a litterless lunch. (Photo: Eileen Kimmett / GreenUP)
Whether by examining your containers, wraps and bags and/or utensils, you and your little learner(s) will be well on your way to preparing affordable and environmentally-friendly litterless lunches, and will be reducing waste that you put out on your doorstep too!
To learn more about litterless lunches, visit the GreenUP Store at 378 Aylmer St. North in Peterborough or contact Eileen Kimmett, Store & Resource Centre Coordinator during the week at 705-745-3238 ext. 222.
In her Tallon Creek Pottery studio, Cathy Pennaertz has been creating all new pieces to showcase at the free self-guided 30th Apsley Autumn Studio Tour, running on September 16 and 17, 2023. Her collection this year is a series of birch tree and silhouette animal designs with the play of colour. She will be showing off her pieces along with glass mosaic artist Joeann Pearson, new to the tour this year, at Studio K northeast of Apsley. (Photo courtesy of Apsley Autumn Studio Tour)
As the summer of weekend cottage trips and family barbecues finally comes to an end, it’s time to kick off the prettiest season of the year by browsing a wide range of artwork from local and visiting artists during the 30th annual Apsley Autumn Studio Tour.
Celebrating three decades since its founding as a community event to promote local arts and artists, the free self-guided tour is using the theme “30 Years in the Making.” Running Saturday, September 16th and Sunday, September 17th from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., the tour allows you to explore artwork from 30 different artists in 11 studios across North Kawartha Township. From Chandos Lake to Tallan Lake and Loon Call Lake, many of the studios are tucked away in inspiring, scenic locations.
The Apsley Autumn Studio Tour covers a range of artistic disciplines including jewellery making, landscape and abstract painting, pottery, felting, metalwork, and more. Local artists will be sharing their studios with some visiting artists who either have cottages in the region or who have come up from the city to round out the disciplines.
Artist Sue Rankin has been a member of the Apsley Autumn Studio Tour since its second rendition in 1995. She is a glass blower and the treasurer for the organization. During the studio tour, Rankin will be located at Studio F, alongside studio partner and visual artist Brad Copping, painter David Smith, jewellery artist Vivienne Jones, and metal sculptor Rusty Girl. (Photo courtesy of Sue Rankin)
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Participating artists will be on-site at their studio locations, giving you the opportunity to interact with them, ask questions, and purchase original pieces made specifically for the tour.
“The whole mandate of the studio tour is to foster creativity in the area,” explains Susan Rankin, treasurer of the Apsley Autumn Studio Tour and one of the participating artists.
A resident of Apsley, Rankin has been a glass blower for three decades and is well known for her floral vessels. During the first studio tour in 1994, she along with fellow artist Brad Copping had just moved to Apsley and chose to open up the glass studio for visitors, officially becoming part of the tour the following year.
Thirty years later, she will once again be displaying her vessels and sculptures at the Jack Lake studio she shares with Copping (Studio F on the tour). Throughout the weekend, other visiting artists will also be displaying their works in the studio while Copping does hourly glass-blowing demonstrations.
“It’s easy enough to spend at least an hour at our stop alone,” she explains, adding that she has an acre of perennial gardens that guests are free to roam. “It’s great because every location on the tour is different.”
New to the studio tour this year is glass mosaic artist Joeann Pearson who, after decades of visiting the family cottage on Chandos, now resides full time on a small rural homestead in Apsley. Pictured is one of two of her stained glass loon mosaics in progress for sale at the Apsley Autumn Studio Tour. You can find her in Studio K along with pottery artist Cathy Pennaertz. (Photo courtesy of Joeann Pearson)
This year, two new artists have been juried into the tour: emerging pyrographer Aubre Scott and glass mosaic artist Joeann Pearson (Studio H on the tour). New members are granted entry by a rotating jury of members who determine if the work fits into the tour and, for those wishing to feature their studio, whether it is accessible to the large group of visitors who enjoy the tour every year.
“The tour is very good quality and it’s been recognized for that quality for years,” say Rankin, adding that it features a wide range of artists, from established professionals to emerging artists like Aubre Scott. “The professional artists on the tour really help foster the emerging artists.”
To help plan your tour weekend, the Apsley Autumn Studio Tour is once again available on the free Toureka! app, created by local software developer Brad Carson, which you can download from the Apple App Store or Google Play.
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Using the app, you can read all about the individual artists, select the studios you most want to visit, see how far away they area, and create an interactive map to follow right within the app. For those without reliable cell service, the map can be used completely offline. You can even use the app to explore the many exceptional eateries within the surrounding towns to add to your personalized map, allowing you to plan out your entire day.
“You can sort of pick the studios that you really want to see and then once that’s done, your map comes up and you can start wherever you want,” explains Rankin. “The app will get you from one studio to the next studio to the next studio. It’s really a cool technology.”
If you prefer, you can also download and print the a tour map.
Studio B on the 2023 Apsley Autumn Studio tour will take participants to Tom Parsons Wildwoods Designs on Loon Call Lake. In his studio, Parsons specializes in handcrafted solid wood furniture made from one-of-a-kind pieces. Barbara Misziel will also be using his studio to display her artwork. (Photo courtesy of Tom Parsons)
In addition to the demonstrations at Rankin’s studio (Studio F), two other studios (Studio H and O) will be offering demonstrations throughout the weekend, giving you the opportunity to learn even more about the artists, the inspiration behind their artwork, and the techniques they use.
“When you get to meet the artists and hear the story of how a piece came about, it’s just so much more enriching,” notes Rankin, adding that the artists don’t always have the opportunity to connect with art enthusiasts if they’re always working alone in the studios. “You work so many hours in your studio by yourself so to really see people appreciate the work and to see that it’s meaningful to them is very uplifting.”
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Since the first tour in 1994, the Apsley Autumn Studio Tour has seen upwards of 400 visitors each year, with a lot of repeat visitors year after year.
“We’ve noticed that a lot of the people that come out will do one group one year and then they’ll do another group the next year,” explains Rankin. “They keep coming and we create great friendships with the visitors who come out.”
The following compilation of all the artists and artisans participating in the 2023 Apsley Autumn Studio Tour is categorized alphabetically and includes disciplines and the studios where you can find them, as well as a link to the studio tour map.
Raising sheep introduced Rachel Conlin to creating with wool from hand-spinning and dyeing their fibres to felting. Completely self taught, Rachel makes unique and wearable accessories from nature’s materials and all wool creations are made from sustainable and renewable wool fibre
Working from his home on the edge of the Canadian Shield, Brad Copping maintains a successful practice as both a sculptor and a functional glass blower, often traversing the line between. At this year’s studio tour, Brad will be showcasing sculptures made for the exhibition “Drawn From Wood,” which was a response to the Maple Syrup Residency, and work from the undula (latin for little wave) series, which explores form, surface, and light within the blown and carved glass vessel.
Jacques Deslauriers is a self-taught woodworker who uses only wood from dead or fallen trees. Gnarls, insect holes, and spalted wood are his materials of choice. He is always ready for a creative challenge of any size.
Valerie Foster has been sewing for over 40 years starting with clothing for herself and her family, which eventually grew into a children’s clothing home business in Calgary. After moving to Saudi Arabia in 2000, she brought her seamstress skills into the practice of machine quilting. Valerie enjoys the mathematical aspects of quilting. She has grown to also love the practice of free motion quilting. Since 2005, Valarie and her husband Ted have spent the bulk of her summers at Chandos Lake in Apsley. Valarie and Ted repatriated to their log home on Chandos Lake in 2015.
Mary Ellen Gerster sees the world according to shape, value, and colour, immersing the viewer in her bright and glowing watercolour paintings. Through the layering of transparent colours she creates photo realism in her still life, fruit, flowers and waterscapes. She is inspired and challenged by subjects with strong lights, shadows, shapes, colours and is especially drawn to high contrast and bright colours.
Stephen Gillberry is an accomplished artist who has spent the past 30-plus years developing his own unique style of painting. He has experimented with colour and texture in an effort to capture the beauty and spirituality of natural elements. Currently living and working in Cobourg, Stephen studied at the Ontario College of Art and Wilfrid Laurier University and his work is widely shown and well represented in galleries and corporate collections.
First introduced to oil painting as a child, David Grieve has been painting ever since and has developed a unique distinctive style. He uses a multi-layered technique, applying thick swaths of oil paint to create images inspired by the Ontario landscape.
Anja Hertle works with broken china, pottery, porcelain figurines, and tile to give these elements a second life in her whimsical mosaic art pieces. She also incorporates forks, beads, buttons, bottle caps, and typewriter keys.
Dolores Hopps’ work includes quilts, using imported fabrics from England and Japan, as well as wall hangings, runners, and smaller items. Many of her pieces have wool felting incorporated into the quilting, as well as beads, silk, and quite a number of other interesting embellishments.
A member of Kawartha Potters Guild and Spirit of the Hills Art Association, Melanie Edson Horner enjoys creating personalized pottery, particularly clocks. She also enjoys making one-off pieces and has been exploring raku and experimenting with horsehair and feathers.
Carolyn Jongeward’s artwork includes hand-woven tapestry, acrylic painting, block printing, fabric painting, and painting on birch bark. As a tapestry artist, Carolyn has exhibited in Canada, United States, and England. Her paintings reflect her understanding of textile structures, her eye for colour, and her ongoing interest in geometry and pattern in art and nature.
Vivienne Jones is a contemporary artist based in Toronto whose work is very much influenced by natural forms. She creates highly distinctive jewellery using both traditional and non-traditional materials. In her artwork, she has an interest in up-cycling, recycling and re-purposing.
Living in rural Apsley, Lisa Mace paints the world around her. Jack pines, full maples, wild flowers, and rural homes, Lisa paints what is found outside her front door.
After a successful career both nationally and internationally in architecture, Barbara Miszkiel has returned to her original interest in fine arts, painting primarily in acrylics. Although Barbara has created new buildings most of her career, in painting she is drawn to old buildings, live subjects and landscapes.
The starting point for all of Molly Moldovan’s work is the pristine landscape that surrounds her: the lake, forest, and uninterrupted skyscape are the foundation of every piece she paints. A visual artist whose primary focus is abstraction, she works primarily in acrylic and mixed media.
Kelly O’Neill is a multidisciplinary visual artist who enjoys the immediacy of dry materials in her drawing practice, and engages with found objects, natural materials, video, assemblage, and textile practices to create three-dimensional forms and installations. The Selwyn-based artist studied sculpture and installation at Toronto’s OCAD University and Her work has been shown in galleries in Ontario, Quebec, and British Columbia.
Tom Parsons specializes in handcrafted solid wood furniture made from one-of-a-kind pieces. From coffee and end tables, charcuterie and cribbage boards, to sculptural works, he is inspired by the beauty of wood in its many forms.
New to the tour this year, Joeann Pearson has been making non-traditional stained glass mosaics for 25 years. Her style is to make mosaics that use deliberately shaped, hand-cut larger pieces that are sometimes hand painted which are usually only used in the making of windows. She has always sought out nature spots to indulge in present moment awareness, and feels nature guides her work. After decades of visiting the family cottage on Chandos, she now resides full time on a small rural homestead in Apsley.
Cathy Pennaertz owns and operates Tallan Creek Pottery in Apsley. There, she takes inspiration from her beautiful rural surroundings and applies them to her pottery working with multiple coloured stoneware clays in red, white, black and grey. Natural colours, textures, and elements inspired by plant and wildlife are easily found in her many types of work including mugs, dishes, ornaments, and more.
After working for many years in the tech industry, Judy Ranieri retired and began to explore her creative passions. Many of Judy’s projects are inspired by nature and utilize natural fibres, fabric, colour, design, and textures to create one of a kind textile and fabric art pieces.
In her 30-year career as a glass artist, Susan Rankin has drawn inspiration from the landscape in which she lives. An avid gardener, she continues to explore the idea of garden through her vessel and sculptural works and is well known for her vibrant floral vessels.
Kathy Robichaud has been a stained glass artist for over 25 years, using traditional techniques to produce stained glass art. Concentrating on the copper foil method, Kathy looks to nature for inspiration.
New to this year’s tour, Aubre Scott (Piping Hot Pyro Studio) is an emerging artist based out of Whitby. She began working with pyrography (wood-burning) in 2021, gaining inspiration from the scenery, landscapes, and wildlife of the local area.
Catharine Scott is a self-taught artisan who is inspired by the natural beauty of coloured gem stones, the ability to form and create meaningful pieces of art through wire working, and her own creative style of stringing that can be worn at any time of the day with any style of fashion.
Clare Scott-Taggart aka Rusty Girl (Metal Sculpture, Studio F)
Clare Scott-Taggart (Rusty Girl) has worked in metal for the past 30 years. She maintains a small studio in Thousand Islands where she recently moved and continues to create birdbaths, climbers, and trellises.
David Smith is inspired to create new works in watercolour, acrylic, and oil by the surrounding landscape. Painting full time following a career in advertising, graphic design, and colour retouching, he applies this knowledge and skill into his paintings.
Obsessed with the relationship between great food and handmade pottery, Judy Sparkes believes eating from handmade pots elevates the dining experience. Her work is carefully hand crafted to be enjoyed as everyday art.
First launched in 1994, the Apsley Autumn Studio Tour creates public awareness of the arts by promoting and supporting artists in the community.
For more information on the 2023 Apsley Autumn Studio Tour, visit apsleystudiotour.com. You can also follow the Apsley Autumn Studio Tour on Facebook and Instagram.
Find the Apsley Autumn Studio Tour on the Toureka! app or download the tour map and watch for the black-and-white studio tour signs that mark each studio location. (Photo courtesy of Apsley Autumn Studio Tour)
This branded editorial was created in partnership with the Apsley Autumn Studio Tour. If your business or organization is interested in a branded editorial, contact us.
Lake Edge Cottages, a 12.5-acre resort property near Young's Point, received over $85,000 from the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario) to help fund the installation of 110 solar panels on the roofs of three structures. (Photo: Paul Rellinger / kawarthaNOW)
Converting to green energy, in whole or in part, is a daunting prospect for any business but, with the will to do so aided by financial assistance made available, it can be done.
A shining example of that was heralded on Wednesday (August 16) at Lake Edge Cottages, a 12.5-acre resort property on Katchewanooka Lake just south of Young’s Point that is home to 110 solar panels on the roofs of three structures, including a newly constructed storage building.
With resort owners Steve and Anne Wildfong as their hosts, local tourism officials and representatives of green energy-related agencies learned how the solar panels, installed by Peterborough-based Generation Solar and online since late January, are reducing the resort’s reliance on hydro-generated electricity while lessening the resort’s impact on the environment it so relies on.
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The solar panels, installed with the help of a contribution of over $85,000 from the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario), speak to the Wildfongs’ continued commitment to reduce the decades-old resort’s carbon footprint with a firm eye on a more sustainable future.
Having acquired the four-season resort in 2019 from long-time owners Peter and Pam Fischer, the Wildfongs “chose sustainability because it was good for the business, it was good for the community and it was good for the environment,” related Steve.
“It allows Hydro One, on (sunny) days like this when we’re producing double what we actually need to use, to take that excess energy and share it with the rest of the community, taking stress off the grid. When the sun goes down, we draw from the hydro grid.”
“At the end of the month, we get a bill from Hydro One that costs us very little to stay connected to the grid while they show the bank of excess energy we gave them over what we use. We can use that for our cooler months, and in the winter when the panels are snow covered, or on a cloudy day when we’re not producing as much as we normally would.”
Steve and Anne Wildfong, with their son Jakob, are the owners of Lake Edge Cottages, a 12.5-acre resort property near Young’s Point. With the help of financial assistance from the federal government, they chose to update to solar energy to decrease energy costs while benefiting the environment. An official ribbon-cutting ceremony for the installation of 110 solar panels at the resort was held on August 16, 2023. (Photo: Paul Rellinger / kawarthaNOW)
Among those on hand for the presentation and tour of the property was Joe Rees, tourism director with Peterborough and the Kawarthas Economic Development (PKED).
“Our future-ready plan is to try and be the most innovative and sustainable community and economy in Ontario,” he said. “These are the kind of projects that will help us get there.”
Later, Rees noted there’s a domino effect when one business leads the way, potentially inspiring other business owners and operators to seriously think green and take related steps that will reduce their business’s carbon footprint.
“This investment in technology is allowing him (Steve) to offset costs and become more of a year-round business, and that’s really a goal for whole region,” said Rees. “If we can take advantage of technology, increase sustainability from the environmental perspective, increase sustainability from the business perspective, and inspire other businesses to be year-round, that’s critical for us, as a region, to be more prosperous.”
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Another enthused invitee was Tegan Moss, executive director of Peterborough GreenUP. She acknowledged that energy saving and conserving initiatives on this scale aren’t cheap to carry out.
“That’s one of the things, through the Green Economy Peterborough program, we’re really trying to help illustrate — that the cost of doing business isn’t always where you think it may be,” she said.
Lake Edge Cottages is a member of Green Economy Peterborough, a networking initiative that helps business members to identify, set, and achieve sustainability goals while improving their bottom line.
“Through our emissions inventory, we’re able to help businesses understand what their actual (energy) costs are and what the savings might be through green investment. If you want to make a case for investment, look at the rising cost of fossil fuels projected over the next five years and then compare what it might be like to get energy produced from other sources.”
“There’s a pretty strong business case for making an investment in renewable energy. Taking a step back and seeing successful businesses like this (Lake Edge Cottages) is what we’re inviting people into to.”
The 110 solar panels installed on the roofs of three structures at Lake Edge Cottages, a 12.5-acre resort property near Young’s Point, produce twice as much energy as the resort uses on sunny days. The excess energy goes back into the Hydro One grid where it can be used by other households and businesses. (Photo: Paul Rellinger / kawarthaNOW)
Meanwhile, Jackie Donaldson, hub coordinator for Green Economy Peterborough, said the Wildfongs’ initiative is a model example of what can be done. She agreed there’s a wider benefit to the business community at large.
“Business owners are watching each other, they are inspired by each other, and they’re asking each other questions,” she said. “When we have people like Steve and Anne sharing their experience, more and more businesses become interested in taking that step. We can feel that at Green Economy Peterborough. People come to us and say ‘I want to be a part of this. I just need to learn from my peers.'”
Steve, for his part, is more than willing to share, inviting any business owner looking to invest in green technology to drop by and learn more about Lake Edge Cottages’ experience, and the up-front costs versus the potential savings.
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Meanwhile, those who think this was financially painless for the Wildfongs to undertake thanks to the contributed federal money should stop and consider one thing.
“It wasn’t just Generation Solar involved,” noted Steve. “Hydro One replaced our transformers at their own cost because they were old. They replaced the wires because they were old. If you take Hydro One and Generation Solar, it was about $170,000 in costs.”
Add to that, he explained, a new utility building and adjoining deck for guests that cost $200,000. Clearly the FedDev Ontario contribution helped, but the Wildfongs bore a substantial expense.
A member of Green Economy Peterborough, Lake Edge Cottages received a “Leading with Momentum” award at the second annual Leadership in Sustainability Awards event on May 4, 2023 at Market Hall Performing Arts Centre in downtown Peterborough. (Photo: Heather Doughty Photography)
Now Steve is thinking beyond the solar panels installation, considering new green energy-related initiatives for down the road — a plan already well underway with the addition of an electric vehicle charger on site that resort guests have access to free of charge.
“Over the winter, we’re going to add, to the cottages that currently use gas, electric oil heaters that work on a thermostat, so we’re going to reduce our fossil fuel use,” Steve said. “I’d like to be able to cut that in half.”
Also on the horizon is replacing the resort’s gas-powered pickup truck with an electric model.
As a Green Economy Peterborough member, Lake Edge Cottages was honoured for its sound sustainability practices at Peterborough GreenUP’s annual awards ceremony in May.
Julie Grant, shown holding her son Jude, is a big advocate for more accessible playgrounds and inclusive play structures, like the wheelchair swing at Peterborough’s Riverview Park and Zoo. (Photo courtesy of Five Counties Children's Centre)
Playgrounds are more than child’s play. In many ways, they help lay the building blocks for life.
Play is how kids learn, and unstructured play opportunities — like those on playgrounds — benefit children in many ways. Kids can be active, explore, socialize, interact, problem solve and be independent.
Every month, Five Counties Children’s Centre provides a story about the work of the charitable organization. This month’s story is by Colleen Ristok and Caitlin Ivany, Recreation Therapists at Five Counties Children’s Centre.
Many families take going to the playground for granted, but Julie Grant isn’t one of them. Her two-year-old son, Jude, has cerebral palsy and developmental delays and receives treatment at Five Counties Children’s Centre. For kids like Jude, barriers and obstacles to play (including on a playground) can put them at a disadvantage with their peers. They miss out on the fun, fitness, and fellowship with others.
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As a mother, Julie is passionate about the right of children of all ages and abilities to enjoy play, especially on playgrounds. As Julie notes, “My sweet boy loves to crawl, sing, play with water and explore the world around him. And although he doesn’t yet walk (he’s trying hard), or talk and is delayed, he still deserves the ability to play at a playground in some capacity. Every child deserves that.”
We couldn’t say it better. Accessibility and inclusion should be considered hallmarks of any society, and where better to demonstrate this than on the playground?
Studies show that children with disabilities are four times less likely to get exercise outside of school than other children. This impacts their mental health, anxiety, fitness and overall well-being.
Sky and her mom toss the ball back and forth in Logie Park in Lindsay as Five Counties staff member Melinda looks on, during a recent Active Kids: Lindsay program. Logie Park features a number of accessible features, including a paved path network that is ideal for wheelchairs, scooters, walkers and other mobility devices. (Photo courtesy of Five Counties Children’s Centre)
Accessible playgrounds (or ones with accessible features) benefit all children, regardless of their ability. Creating accessible play spaces allow children with exceptionalities and those without to interact and have fun together. Playgrounds become places to build understanding and empathy, while forging new friendships between kids of different ages and abilities.
This breaks down barriers to play and promotes diversity in all walks of life.
By creating these accessible spaces in a park setting, we help children understand inclusion and acceptance of others, which they stand to benefit from for their entire lives.
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We’re fortunate to have shining examples of accessible playgrounds in our region, as well as resources to create even more:
Peterborough’s Riverview Park and Zoo has many accessible features for families to enjoy, including wheelchair swings that are believed to the be the only ones of their kind in Ontario.
‘Zac’s Dream’ is a fully accessible playground located in Port Hope’s Memorial Park. It was championed by Zac Andrus, a one-time Five Counties client and inspirational youth advocate, who led community fundraising efforts some years ago to see the playground go from dream to reality.
The EPIC Lab Inclusive Playgrounds Playbook is an excellent guide created in association with Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital. The playbook offers municipalities, groups and families a step-by-step guide to create inclusive playgrounds from concept to completion.
Inclusive Play Spaces from the Jumpstart Foundation is a potential funding partner for municipalities and community groups looking to start and build accessible playground features.
Five Counties’ Recreation Therapists Colleen Ristok and Caitlin Ivany say that accessible playgrounds benefit all children, regardless of their age or abilities.(Photo courtesy of Five Counties Children’s Centre)
Julie also believes in “championing this journey of inclusiveness and accessibility” for her son Jude and others. It’s why she formed the Accessible Playgrounds Ontario Facebook group to let families share locations and photos of accessible playgrounds. Using this data, Julie has compiled a Google Maps list of accessible playgrounds that have rubber or turfed surfacing, which make using them easier to access for kids in wheelchairs or mobility devices.
“It may feel like globally we still have a long way to go for an inclusive world,” Julie notes, “but let’s celebrate the efforts of our communities and highlight how far we have come with inclusive play.”
How far we’ve come, and how much more we can yet achieve together!
A GoFundMe campaign has been set up for Peterborough composer and musician Justin Hiscox, who is recovering from a severe infection that may leave him unable to work for weeks or months. (Photo: 4th Line Theatre / Facebook)
A GoFundMe has been set up for well-known Peterborough composer and musician Justin Hiscox, who is recovering from a severe infection that has already taken all the toes on one of his feet.
When this story was originally published on Wednesday afternoon (August 16), around $6,000 had been raised for Hiscox in a few hours after the crowdfunding campaign was launched. As of the following morning, almost $22,000 had been raised.
Hiscox is best known for his work as a musical director with 4th Line Theatre in Millbrook, but he has also provided music direction for TimberBeast Productions in Gravenhurst, The Anne Shirley Theatre Company at Trent University, the Peterborough Theatre Guild, and St. James Players. He also acts as music supervisor for Thomas A. Stewart Secondary School’s musical theatre program.
According to the GoFundMe set up by Lindy Erin Finlan of 4th Line Theatre, Hiscox was taken to the emergency department at Peterborough Regional Health Centre on August 1 after an infection in his leg spread to his foot. The infection is extensive and has resulted in the amputation of all the toes on his right foot. Healthcare professionals are working to save the remainder of his foot and leg.
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Hiscox was the musical director for 4th Line’s production of The Tilco Strike in July, where he also appeared as an actor. He was also set to be the musical director and an actor for the current production of The Cavan Blazers, which opened on August 1.
“Justin could very well be unable to work for many weeks or even months, while he focuses on his recovery and rehabilitation,” reads the GoFundMe page. “We want to allow Justin the time needed to get healthy, by giving him the financial breathing room to heal. This would mean collecting enough monies for him to not worry about working for the foreseeable future.”
Finlan adds that Hiscox “is in great spirits and very optimistic, as is his way.”
Ivy Event Space is located at 164 Hunter Street West in downtown Peterborough in the former location of Meta4 Gallery. (Photo courtesy of Ivy Event Space)
A new multi-purpose and affordable event space has opened in downtown Peterborough.
Established by Kristina and Aaron Goodwin, Ivy Event Space is located at 164 Hunter Street West in the former location of Meta4 Gallery.
The Goodwins, who have experience in both accounting and hospitality and tourism, launched their business after noticing a gap in the availability of event spaces for certain types of gatherings.
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“After moving to Peterborough seven years ago, we quickly embraced the city’s vibrant social scene and saw the community’s strong desire for a versatile event venue,” Kristina says in a media release.
Faced with limited choices for venues that did not restrict catering and alcohol services, the couple often found themselves hosting gatherings at their own home. After the birth of their daughter in 2020, they also realized there was a lack of suitable options in the area for hosting children’s parties.
The Goodwins decided they would create a sophisticated yet versatile event space that would cater to various types of celebrations such as children’s parties, family holiday potlucks, and formal bridal showers, as well as corporate events.
Ivy Event Space can host 60 people for an intimate sit-down event or 80 people for a cocktail reception or similar gathering. (Photo courtesy of Ivy Event Space)Kristina and Aaron Goodwin decided to open Ivy Event Space after noticing a gap in local event spaces for certain types of gatherings, including children’s parties. (Photo courtesy of Ivy Event Space)
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With a flexible layout, Ivy Event Space can host 80 people for a cocktail reception or 60 people for an intimate sit-down event. The couple says that, unlike traditional event venues that have strict vendor restrictions, their venue allows clients to have full control over their event experience.
The Goodwins say they are available to give prospective clients tours of the new space.
Unlike traditional event venues that have strict vendor restrictions, Ivy Event Space allows clients to have full control over their event experience. (Photo courtesy of Ivy Event Space)Ivy Event Space co-owners Kristina and Aaron Goodwin often found themselves hosting events at their own home because of limited choices for venues that did not restrict catering and alcohol services. (Photo courtesy of Ivy Event Space)
The original version of this story has been updated to change the website address of Ivy Event Space.
Levantine Grill is owned and operated by banker Hashem Yakan and chef Imad Mahfouz, who previously owned a restaurant in Damascus, Syria. The pair have been named Immigrant Entrepreneur of the Year by the Peterborough and the Kawarthas Chamber of Commerce. (Photo: Levantine Grill)
The Peterborough and the Kawarthas Chamber of Commerce has announced both selected award recipients and all the finalists for the 20th annual Peterborough Business Excellence Awards.
Imad Mahfouz and Hashem Yakan of Levantine Grill have been both been named Immigrant Entrepreneur of the Year. The pair opened the restaurant, which serves a variety of Mediterranean foods including shawarma, kebabs, pies, and salads, at the corner of Park and Charlotte streets in Peterborough in 2022. Coming to Canada from Syria with his family in 2015 to escape the war, Mahfouz is a chef who previously owned a restaurant in Damascus, while Yakan is a banker with a master’s degree in business management. The two men met in Peterborough and discovered they shared the same dream of opening a restaurant.
The chamber has also announced Nicole Truman of Fox Law Professional Corporation is the Businesswoman of the Year, an award sponsored by the Women’s Business Network of Peterborough, and the Payne family of Asphodel Sheep Company is the Peterborough County Farm Family of the Year. Ashley Bonner, Ashley Flynn, Lauren Hunter, and Laura Montague are the recipients of the chamber’s 4-under-40 Profiles.
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Three finalists in each of 15 award categories have also been announced. A full list is provided below.
The 2023 awards ceremony will take place in person on the evening of Wednesday, October 18th at Showplace Performance Centre in downtown Peterborough, with a pre-show party at The Venue. Tickets are available for $55 (plus HST) until September 18, and $65 (plus HST) thereafter.
Globus Theatre's production of Canadian playright Kristen Da Silva's curling comedy "Hurry Hard" stars (left to right, top and bottom) Dave Pearce, Elana Post, Kevin Sepaul, Alex Furber, and Sarah Quick. The play runs for 11 performances from August 16 to 26, 2023 at the Lakeview Arts Barn in Bobcaygeon. (Supplied collage)
Globus Theatre in Bobcaygeon is presenting the final summer play of its 20th anniversary season with a production of Canadian playwright Kristen Da Silva’s curling comedy Hurry Hard, running for 11 performances from August 16 to 26 at the Lakeview Arts Barn.
The play revolves around Sandy and Bill, a formerly married couple whose curling team split up when they did seven years before. Separated into a men’s team and a women’s team who begrudgingly share the ice at the local curling club, the two teams are about to compete in a big regional bonspiel against a neighbouring community. When a medical emergency leaves the men’s team short of a player, the two teams will need to reconcile if they have any hope of taking home the trophy.
Like Globus Theatre’s previous August production of Tip of the Iceberg, Hurry Hard was commissioned through the playwright development program of Port Dover’s Lighthouse Festival, where it premiered in July 2019. That fall, it went on to win the Stage West Award for best new comedy at the Tom Hendry Awards, handed out in Toronto by the Playwrights Guild of Canada.
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Oakville-based playwright Karen Da Silva sets her plays in Ontario locales from Sudbury to Stayner. Her other plays include Book Club, Five Alarm, Sugar Road, Where You Are, The Rules of Playing Risk, Beyond the Sea, and Gibson & Sons. Canada’s most-produced playwright Norm Foster has called her “one of the brightest new comedic playwrights in all of Canada.”
In 2018, Globus Theatre staged a production of Da Silva’s Sugar Road, which featured Globus Theatre’s artistic director Sarah Quick in a supporting role as the brash country music fan Caroline Dawn.
“I played a character that got stuck in a sleeping bag,” Quick recalls in a media release. “We can’t wait to bring more of this type of physical comedy and snappy one-liners to our stage again.”
Canadian playwright Kristen Da Silva with her award-winning script for “Hurry Hard,” which was commissioned through the playwright development program of Port Dover’s Lighthouse Festival, where it premiered in July 2019. That fall, it went on to win the Stage West Award for best new comedy at the Tom Hendry Awards, handed out in Toronto by the Playwrights Guild of Canada. (Photo: Lighthouse Festival)
Quick will also perform in Hurry Hard, along with Globus regulars Dave Pearce and Kevin Sepaul and new company members Elana Post (Lighthouse Festival Theatre, Port Stanley Festival Theatre) and Alex Furber (Drayton Entertainment, Theatre Orangeville).
According to playwright Da Silva, sports provide an “alluring subject for storytellers.”
“In addition to the natural abundance of story ingredients — protagonists and antagonists, a ticking clock, built-in stakes — there’s the idea that competition brings out the best and the worst in us,” Da Silva explains. “There’s a quote most often attributed to Heywood Hale Broun, ‘Sports don’t build character, they reveal it’.”
“As a writer interested in relationships and the comedy that arises from them, this offered too many possibilities to resist,” she adds. “This is why Hurry Hard concerns itself less with curling than with what curling does to and for the characters. If you come for the curling, I promise there is some.”
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Hurry Hard runs for 11 performances at the Lakeview Arts Barn in Bobcaygeon at 8 p.m. from Wednesday, August 16th to Saturday, August 19th and from Tuesday, August 22nd to Saturday, August 26th, with additional 2 p.m. matinee performances on Saturday, August 19th and Thursday, August 24th.
An optional dinner is available at 6 p.m. before the evening performances. Tickets are $45 for the show only, or $90 for dinner and the show, and are available by calling the Globus Theatre box office at 705-738-2037 or online at globustheatre.com.
Globus Theatre’s 20th anniversary season will continue this fall with Rhinestone Cowgirl starring Leisa Way (October 17 to 21), The Case of The Mysterious Mystery starring Chris Gibbs (September 23), the comedy show Girls Night Out (November 4), and the murder mystery A Christmas Story .. of Murder (November 15 to 25). From December 5 to 17, Globus Theatre will present its annual traditional British panto, Puss In Boots by Sarah Quick.
Pictured in 2013, Peterborough Collegiate and Vocational School (PCVS) closed in 2012 after a year-long fight by students protesting the the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board's decision to close Peterborough's oldest high school. "Give 'Em Hell", a new play that retells the final school year leading up to the closure, will be performed from September 15 to 23, 2023 in the auditorium at Peterborough Alternative and Continuing Education (PACE) in the former PCVS building. (Photo: Pat Trudeau)
The world premiere of a play about student activism in the year leading up to the 2012 closure of Peterborough Collegiate and Vocational School (PCVS) will be performed in September in the auditorium of the former McDonnel Street high school.
Written by Peterborough native and award-winning playwright Madeleine Brown and directed by award-winning director Aaron Jan, Give ‘Em Hell retells the final school year before the closure of PCVS and stars eight Peterborough teenagers — Lion Addison, Jalen Brink, Edith Burton, Ziqin Chen, Ella Cunningham, Eloise Harvey, Isabelle Siena, and Jessie Williams — alongside professional actors M. John Kennedy, Jeff Dingle, and Sarah Lynn Strange.
In 2011, the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board decided to close one of Peterborough’s four high schools due to declining enrolment and eventually announced PCVS — the city’s oldest high school and one of the oldest in Ontario — would be the one to close. The decision prompted months of student-led rallies, protests, marches, and speeches to keep the school open.
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A committee of students called ‘Peterborough Needs PCVS’ raised almost $250,000 to fund a legal battle to keep the school open, a fight that ultimately failed. The students’ activism made national headlines, and even CBC TV’s Rick Mercer dedicated one of his rants to the students, encouraging them to “raise a little hell.”
Presented by Theatre Direct Canada in partnership with 4th Line Theatre, Peterborough Museum & Archives, and Public Energy Performing Arts, Give ‘Em Hell includes six public performances from September 15 to 23 in the auditorium at Peterborough Alternative and Continuing Education (PACE) in the former PCVS building in downtown Peterborough, with designs by Melanie McNeill, JB Nelles, Logan Raju Cracknell, and and Uri Livne-Bar.
“Give ’em Hell is a truly entertaining, fiercely relevant and provocative play that will surely inspire the next generation of young activists through its powerful and true story,” reads a media release from Theatre Direct Canada.
VIDEO: Rick Mercer Report: Rick’s Rant – The Kids Are Alright (2012)
Performances take place at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, September 15th and Saturday, September 16th and on Thursday, September 21st and Friday, September 22nd, with 2:30 p.m. matinee performances on Sunday, September 17th and Saturday, September 23rd.
The hour-long play will include a 15-minute question-and-answer session with the artists. There will also be an exhibition of archival materials from this turning point in the school’s history.
Tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for children, teenagers, or students (plus tax and fee) and are available now at eventbrite.ca/e/611203876247.
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Performances for schools will also be presented from September 19 to 21. For school bookings, e-mail Madeleine Brown at madeleine@theatredirect.ca.
Brown is an playwright and actor whose previous plays include the comedies Madeleine Says Sorry (2017), Everyone Wants A T-Shirt! (2018), and News Play (2019), all of which debuted at the Toronto Fringe Festival.
In 2020, she was named one of two recipients of The Ellen Ross Stuart “Opening Doors” Award and, in 2022, she was a member of Driftwood Theatre’s Beyond the Bard Playwrights Unit and 4th Line Theatre’s Interdisciplinary Residency Program.
Madeleine Brown is a Peterborough native and an award-winning playwright. (Photo via Hart House)
On August 15, 2023, Peterborough police chief Stuart Betts announced that 32-year-old William Weir has been arrested for the stabbing death of 27-year-old Jacob Jansen on August 8. (kawarthaNOW screenshot of Peterborough police video)
Police have arrested and charged a 32-year-old Peterborough with first-degree murder in connection to the stabbing death of a 27-year-old man in downtown Peterborough last Tuesday night (August 8).
Seven days after the homicide, Peterborough police chief Stuart Betts announced the arrest at a media conference at George and Simcoe streets on Tuesday morning (August 15).
Last Tuesday at around 11:30 p.m., police responded to a call for service at George and Charlotte streets where they found a man suffering from a stab wound.
He was transported to Peterborough Regional Health Centre where he died.
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Police later identified the victim as 27-year-old Jacob Jansen of Peterborough.
On Monday, police located and arrested William Weir, 32, of Peterborough and charged him with first-degree murder.
Betts said footage from the closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras police recently installed in the downtown core “proved to be a vital piece of evidence in this particular investigation.”
VIDEO: August 8 Homicide Arrest
“I would like to recognize the hard work and the many hours of our dedicated detectives who helped to identify this individual (and) gather and validate evidence, all of which culminated in his arrest,” Betts said at Tuesday’s media conference.
“The family of the victim has been notified and has been made aware of the arrest,” he added.
The accused man is in police custody and will appear for a bail hearing later on Tuesday.
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