The Rotary Club of Peterborough has donated an additional $50,000 to the YES Shelter for Youth and Families.

The donation brings the total contribution to YES by both the Peterborough Rotary Club and the Rotary Club of Peterborough Kawartha to $100,000 since 2022. Each club previously donated $25,000 to YES in 2022. The $100,000 commitment was made to YES as part of Rotary’s centennial celebrations in 2021.

The funds will support YES’s RISE Youth Housing Program to help teens stay off the streets. RISE is a transitional housing program that provides youth with a safe and secure place to live. By helping to end youth homelessness, the program also reduces the adult homeless population.

Rotary Club of Peterborough president Betty Halman-Plumley and Rotary Club of Peterborough Kawartha president Paul Landau presented the $50,000 cheque to YES executive director Aimee Le Lagadéc on Monday (August 14) at the organization’s location at 196 Brock Street in Peterborough.

“This amazing contribution is an incredible investment in this community,” Le Lagadéc said in a media release. “This gift will help decrease homelessness in Peterborough significantly over time by supporting more youth to stabilize and avoid chronic homelessness as adults.”

Through the funding, YES will be able to open three new permanent spaces in the RISE program.

“I am pleased to be presenting this cheque for the YES RISE Youth Housing Program to fund a place and program where youth are supported with skills to transition from homelessness and living in a shelter towards living on their own often finishing high school, a college program or into employment,” said Halman-Plumley.

“The Rotary Club of Peterborough Kawartha is very pleased to partner with the Peterborough Rotary Club in providing funding for YES’s RISE Youth Housing Program,” Landau added. “This program ensures that youth in the community have a safe place to live and also learn strategies to support their recovery.”

YES has been providing emergency shelter and transitional housing to youth and families in the city and county of Peterborough City since 2000. Along with the RISE Youth Housing Program, services include a youth and family emergency shelter, hmelessness prevention programming, the Carriage House alternative classroom, a food and clothing cupboard, and housing supports.

A 25-year-old Scarborough man drowned in Lake Ontario in Cobourg on Saturday afternoon (August 12).

At 4:04 p.m. on Saturday, Northumberland Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) and emergency services responded to a report of a person who appeared to be in distress in the water on the east side of the pier in the Town of Cobourg.

The person had gone under the water and did not resurface.

Cobourg police and fire services and the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre from 8 Wing Trenton conducted a search of the waterway and located the missing man, who was transported to Northumberland Hills Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Northumberland OPP have identified the victim as a 25-year-old man from Scarborough, but have not released his identity.

Police are continuing their investigation into the incident.

If you look to the trees and the sky, you’ll notice the Kawarthas is home to a vast array of raptor species. Husband-and-wife team Matthew and Kristin Morgan have made it their calling to educate people on these birds of prey and now, through their business The Eyrie, that’s exactly what they’re doing.

Founded in 2019, The Eyrie — which is named after the term for a raptor’s nest — is a birds of prey facility located near Apsley in North Kawartha. The Morgans currently have 23 raptors covering 10 different species, including a saker falcon, American kestrel, bald eagle, black vulture, Harris’s hawk, and — their newest team member — a Eurasian eagle-owl just named Echo.

While the couple provide commercial pest control services, using their raptors and dog to control nuisance animals like gulls and geese, and also offer on-site demonstrations and photography sessions, their primary focus is going into schools, libraries, fairs, festivals, and museums to provide raptor demonstrations and share their knowledge with the public.

“We primarily focus on educational outreach, teaching the importance of conservation, how raptors fit into the natural world, and how we as humans can be better stewards of the environment that we all share together,” says Matthew.

Matthew says he’s wanted to work with hawks and falcons for as long as he can remember. But if he had to pinpoint a moment of discovery, he would attribute it to one of the many trips to the Toronto Zoo he made as a child growing up in Toronto. He recalls watching the zoo’s birds of prey show and he was immediately captivated by the way the birds interacted with their human counterparts.

“Pretty much every other form of animal demonstration had a form of control — whether it’s in an arena or the animals have some kind of a screen on them, there’s some kind of control,” he explains. “But when you’re flying these birds, there is absolutely nothing to stop them if they feel like taking off. The fact the birds not only stick around but are eager and willing participants in it, to me kind of shines a bit of a different light on human-animal partnerships.”

Matthew, who learned the basics of raptor training while attending Trent University for environmental studies, has been training birds of prey for 13 years alongside his wife Kristin, who studied eco-tourism at Fanshawe College while she also learned about raptor training when travelling across western Canada. Now the couple have travelled across the country to help educate people.

“We just try and get as much information into people as we can, talking about the bird’s biology, their physiology, their behaviours, their ecosystems and habitats,” explains Matthew. “And we talk about the relationship between raptors and humans because there’s pretty much no animal out there that doesn’t have some kind of an interaction with humans.”

According to Matthew, roughly 70 to 85 per cent of raptors do not make it through their first year of life or through their first winter. Those who do survive then face challenges caused by humans, including poisoning through rodenticide, getting hit by cars, and flying into windows.

“It’s really tough to be a bird of prey,” Matthew notes. “We found that human developments and advancement, while necessary, do have an impact on these animals.”

A major aspect to their educational efforts involves correcting the misconceptions that a lot of people have about raptors, including that they are vicious and “bloodthirsty” creatures.

“We try to replace a lot of those misconceptions with cool and interesting facts about them,” says Matthew. “We want to give people a new appreciation for the animals they’re finding in their own backyards.”

As an example, Matthew points out that vultures have one of the worst reputations but, after The Eyrie brings their black vulture Lilith out to demonstrations, people will often walk away saying vultures are their new favourite bird.

Last year, The Eyrie began adding on-site demonstrations to their programming after pandemic restrictions made the Morgans realize they may not always be able to travel. They now have demonstrations in their facility a few times per month, on top of the photography sessions they added this spring.

During the two-hour sessions at The Eyrie, photographers can watch and photograph raptors in a much more accessible space than in the wild.

“So many photographers want to go out and take photos of (raptors) in the wild, and that’s the best place to do it,” Matthew says, adding that Kristin is more the photographer in their relationship. “But it’s not exactly easy, especially for a shot of a raptor in flight. You get one chance and it’s almost never (flying) towards you. So this is both a good way for them to get some of those shots that they would love for their collection and also just to practice and to learn more.”

In the winter, The Eyrie hosts “owl prowls” where the Morgans take visitors out on their 50 acres of woodland in search of wild owls. As vocal birds, owls respond to calls, so Matthew and Kristin use a non-invasive approach of calling to attract them to make an appearance to the group.

Just as he recognized at Toronto Zoo all those years ago, Matthew feels it important the owls are willing participants in the demonstrations.

“It puts everything in the owls’ court, so if the owls want to come up to us they can, and if they don’t want to come up to us, that’s okay. It’s all voluntary in terms of what the owls do.”

The Eyrie puts on the owl prowls throughout January and February during owl breeding season, as that’s when they’re most responsive.

While the Morgans continues to add new programming at The Eyrie to further educate people about birds of prey, they are constantly working towards their ultimate goal: turning their space into a rehabilitation facility for raptors, where they would be able to take in injured, sick, or orphaned raptors to help them recover and transition back to life in the wild.

In a perfect world, Matthew says, there wouldn’t be a need for a rehabilitation centres. Although educating people can reduce the need for such centres, there will also be raptors that need help.

“We see this as a way of helping to give back to the wild counterparts, because that’s what drew us in the first place — seeing these animals in the wild. If we can help give back to the animals that have given so much to us, I think that’s a pretty worthwhile use of our time and resources.”

Until they can run their own rehabilitation centre, the couple are constantly working with others to help recover, assess, triage, stabilize and prepare injured birds of prey to re-enter the wild.

“If someone does find a bird of prey, they can absolutely give us a call,” assures Matthew.

While continuing their educational outreach, Matthew says he and his wife are constantly discovering a new appreciation for the birds they work with.

“The more I learned about them and the more I still learn about them, the more I get fascinated with them,” Matthew says. “I’m just trying to be the same spark for someone that someone else was, for me.”

The Eyrie can be found at 922 County Road 504, North Kawartha, where upcoming on-site demonstrations take place at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, August 13th and again at the same time on Sunday, August 27th. Each outdoor demonstration runs for about an hour and costs $12 ($10 for children 3 to 10 and free for children 2 and under). Participants are asked to arrive at least 30 minutes before the session and to leave their pets at home.

There are also two public photography sessions on the same two dates, where photographers have the opportunity to capture images of a number of raptors, both static and in flight, in natural settings. The two-hour sessions begin at 1 p.m. and are capped at 12 participants. The cost is $65 plus HST per participant.

For more information about The Eyrie and to book a spot at a demonstration or photography session, visit www.theeyrie.ca or follow them on Facebook and Instagram.

As The Canadian Canoe Museum awaits the completion of its new state-of-the-art facility on the shores of Little Lake and begins the monumental project of relocating its world-class collection of paddled watercraft, it’s becoming clear the new museum will play a vital role in shaping the region’s economic development by increasing tourism as well as supporting local businesses.

After moving into its new 65,000-square-foot waterfront facility at 2077 Ashburnham Drive, not only will The Canadian Canoe Museum affirm its reputation as a premier tourist destination in the region and country, but it will also extend its local reach through educational programming and usable space for the community.

“We’re shifting from just doing cultural tourism — where we’re offering a museum or art gallery experience — to offering recreational tourism as well,” explains the museum’s executive director Carolyn Hyslop.

Tourism is already a major sector influencing the economic growth in the region of Peterborough & the Kawarthas. The new museum and its many additional offerings will only enhance that growth, according to Joe Rees, director of tourism for Peterborough & the Kawarthas Economic Development.

“Our region welcomes more than three million visitors each year who are spending more than $300 million at local visitor-dependent businesses,” Rees explains. “And that number is only going to increase.”

Rees says The Canadian Canoe Museum has been “one of the region’s signature attractions” for over two decades. With the new museum expected to triple its number of visitors to over 80,000 annually, the increased tourism will be a boon for the local economy, with out-of-town visitors projected to spend $5.6 million annually in Peterborough & the Kawarthas.

Currently, 97 per cent of the region’s tourists come from within Ontario, which means there is a huge opportunity for the new museum to attract international visitors — especially with the draw of the canoe as a well-known symbol of Canada.

“As locals, sometimes we don’t really appreciate the fact that the canoe is an icon,” Rees says. “If you talk to people from the UK or France or Australia, you will find that they have their versions of the canoe. Yet, they know of the styles and designs of canoes that have originated uniquely from this area, influenced by the canoe’s Indigenous origins and the local canoe-building industry in the 19th and early 20th centuries, including globally renowned brands like the Peterborough Canoe Company. So, we’re excited about welcoming them.”

With its proximity to the Trans Canada Trail, biking trails, campgrounds, and downtown Peterborough, the museum’s new location will be easily accessible to both local and out-of-town visitors travelling by car or via active transportation. Tourists will easily be able to plan their visits to include stops at other core attractions like the Peterborough Lift Lock and Trent-Severn Waterway (both national historic sites), as well as the Peterborough Museum and Archives and local businesses and restaurants in East City.

“We’ve all witnessed the growth and redevelopment that’s been happening in East City over the last few years — it’s become a bit of a destination on its own,” notes Rees, adding that he’s beginning to see the commercial development that typically follows the significant amount of residential investment. “The new museum enhances an attraction corridor in Peterborough and ways to connect East City through the lake to the downtown.”

With a new waterfront location, for the first time in its history, The Canadian Canoe Museum will be able to offer all of its on-the-water programming from one convenient location. This will see the return of guided paddling experiences, and skills and certification courses, alongside new offerings, including canoe and kayak rentals.

For example, an interpretive, 90-minute Voyageur canoe tour will have guests paddle a 25-to-36-foot canoe along Little Lake while a knowledgeable guide shares enthralling stories, songs, and natural history and facts about Peterborough, the surrounding area, the fur trade era, and its watercraft.

“We know that people are looking for an experience,” says Rees, adding that the on-the-water programming caters to Peterborough & the Kawarthas Tourism’s key market demographics.

The new facility will also allow The Canadian Canoe Museum to invite more local and visiting school groups for transformative learning experiences. Previously, the museum would host an annual 5,000 visiting students for field trips. At the new location, the museum will be able to host field trips both inside the museum and on the lakefront campus, enabling the museum to host more students than ever before.

“Students can go out on the water and on the campus to experience nature-based education right from the outdoor campus at The Canadian Canoe Museum,” Hyslop explains. “Then we can tie it authentically back to education that involves the canoes and the kayaks in our collection. It’s a perfect blend of indoor and outdoor programming.”

Rees points out food and beverage is another key factor in creating tourist-friendly spaces. Peterborough’s popular Silver Bean Café, located in Millennium Park on the shores of the Otonabee River, will be the café operator at the new museum, opening its second location. With ample seating inside the museum’s café lounge and outside on the terrace, both locals and tourists will be attracted to visit the museum all year round.

“For those who may not be interested in getting on the water or even going to the museum, they can just come and enjoy beautiful coffee with a lovely scone from the folks at the Silver Bean Café or a nice glass of wine or local beer,” says Hyslop. “The synergy between experiences in a museum setting, tied with a recreational experience and food and drink, is a really nice blending of opportunity we’re presenting.”

The museum’s café, which will seat 30 people inside and 32 outside, will boast a menu of light lunches, breakfasts made fresh-to-order, desserts baked in-house, and locally roasted coffees. Guests can order Kawartha Dairy ice cream in the summer, comfort foods in the winter, and alcohol year-round during the museum’s hours of operation.

Also available year-round, the museum will have rental space available to the community for weddings, galas, parties, and corporate and other events. The space seats 160 people in banquet style, 190 people in theatre style, and spills out onto a spacious second-storey terrace overlooking the water.

“One of the biggest opportunities for tourism-related business development is meetings, conferences, and group travel,” explains Rees. “The new Canadian Canoe Museum facilities are going to offer a unique experience and one that meets the needs of a number of in-demand organizations and events.”

Not only does this type of venue fill a gap in the region, but those using the space will be supporting local businesses.

“Clients will be able to hire their own local catering from the excellent food industry that exists in Peterborough,” Hyslop says. “All of the other industries that go into supporting events will be pulled in as well.”

The museum has already been enlisting support from several local organizations and businesses since first beginning to plan the expansion. In addition to financially supporting the campaign, local designers, consultants, builders, and suppliers are involved with the construction of the new facility.

“This capital infrastructure project is significant for the local community, and there are many local and regional trades and suppliers bringing this museum to life and fuelling the labour market here in town,” explains Hyslop. “And that spins off to all the other industries supporting the folks working directly on The Canadian Canoe Museum.”

“This is a massive construction project primarily with local contractors, many of whom have put money back into the construction themselves,” Rees adds. “It really is great from a circular economy perspective, with the economy and businesses supporting each other while giving us this beautiful new attraction in the region, as well as vital tourism infrastructure to continue to grow Peterborough & the Kawarthas as a destination.”

While Rees and Hyslop are eager to see the museum re-open at its new location to further elevate Peterborough & the Kawarthas as a visitor destination, they also believe the new museum will encourage further development within the community.

“I hope this is a real catalyst for a lot of other cultural, tourism, and recreation projects to take place in the area,” she explains. “And that this raises momentum and people’s awareness about Peterborough & the Kawarthas as such a beautiful region.”

The Canadian Canoe Museum recently launched a new fundraising campaign as it prepares to move the world’s largest and most significant collection of paddled watercraft, alongside small artifacts, archives, and a library to its new waterfront home.

VIDEO: Move the Collection: The Final Portage: Passing The Silver Bean Café

The “Move the Collection: The Final Portage” campaign is being led by avid paddling enthusiasts and local community leaders Mike Judson and Neil Morton.

This summer and fall, the museum is releasing a series of videos and behind-the-scenes content featuring Judson and Morton portaging a symbolic canoe from the current museum to the new museum, past recognizable landmarks and local tourist destinations in Peterborough, allowing the public to follow the fundraising campaign’s progress while building excitement for the museum’s reopening.

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 at the water’s edge can make a donation at canoemuseum.ca/final-portage.

For more information about the new museum, visit canoemuseum.ca/new-museum.

Follow The Canadian Canoe Museum on Instagram and Facebook or subscribe to their newsletter for updates.

kawarthaNOW is proud to be the official media sponsor of The Canadian Canoe Museum’s Move the Collection: The Final Portage Campaign.

A man is dead following an incident in the Chemong Road and Towerhill Road area of Peterborough on Friday afternoon (August 11).

According to a media release issued by Peterborough police, at around 2:15 p.m. on Friday, a vehicle being driven erratically passed an officer who was on general patrol. The officer attempted to conduct a traffic stop on Parkhill Road East when the vehicle took off. A short pursuit ensued but was immediately discontinued for public safety.

A short time later, police received a call about a single motor vehicle collision in the Chemong Road and Towerhill Road area. Upon arrival, officers learned it was the same driver involved in the attempted traffic stop and that he had fled into the Peterborough Volkswagen dealership.

While inside the dealership, the man was involved in an interaction with an employee. Reports on social media that have not been confirmed by police claim the man was carrying a gun and that, when he was inside the dealership, he used the gun to strike and injure an employee.

Officers then “verbally engaged” with the man. Shortly thereafter, according to police, the man consumed a substance and “appeared to go into medical distress.” His vital signs were absent and officers administered first aid. The man was then transported to Peterborough Regional Health Centre, where he was pronounced dead.

There will be a police presence in the area of Chemong Road and Towerhill Road as police continue an investigation into the incident.

Police say the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) has been contacted and has invoked its mandate.

The SIU is a civilian law enforcement agency, independent of the police, that conducts criminal investigations into circumstances involving police and civilians that have resulted in serious injury, death, or allegations of sexual assault.

Later on Friday, the SIU issued a media release indicating four investigators and two forensic investigators have been assigned to the case. The SIU is urging anyone who may have information about this investigation, including video or photos, to contact the lead investigator at 1-800-787-8529 or online at siu.on.ca/en/appeals.php.

This story has been updated with additional details supplied by the SIU.

A 69-year-old woman is dead after her all-terrain vehicle (ATV) rolled over Friday morning (August 11) in Northumberland County.

At around 11 a.m. on Friday, officers with the Northumberland Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) and emergency services responded to a report of an ATV rollover on private property on Traill Road South in Hamilton Township.

The lone rider, a 69-year-old female from Hamilton Township, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police are investigating the incident. Anyone with information relating to this investigation is asked to contact the Northumberland OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

The OPP is reminding riders are reminded to take all precautions when operating an off-road vehicle.

Know your limits, stay within them, and always wear an approved well-fitted helmet with chinstrap securely fastened..