Charlie Angus — musician, author, activist, and former longtime NDP MP — is bringing his ‘Meidas Canada Resistance Tour’ to The Venue in downtown Peterborough from 6:30 to 9 p.m. on Wednesday, October 15, with partial proceeds from the event supporting the YES Shelter for Youth and Families.

According to a media release from organizers, the one-night-only event is an evening of “inspired storytelling and political insight from one of Canada’s most uncompromising advocates for democracy, social justice, and grassroots action.”

Before he retired from politics in 2025, the 62-year-old Angus was the NDP MP for the riding of Timmins-James Bay for 21 years, serving as the NDP critic for ethics, the federal economic development agency for northern Ontario, Indigenous youth, and income inequality and affordability, as well as the deputy critic for labour.

Over his decades in politics, Angus has become known nationally for his grassroots activism and his powerful voice for working people, Indigenous rights, social justice, and democratic renewal. Since retiring from politics, he has continued his activism and now has more than 526,000 followers on his various social media platforms.

On Labour Day, he launched his Meidas Canada Network, described as “a small and independent team dedicated to creating a global conversation about resistance in the age of gangster fascism and disinformation. We will shine a light on the MAGA and MAPLE MAGA assault on democracy. But we will also celebrate Canada — the resistance, the resilience, and the people who are holding the line in the fight for democracy and decency.”

Along with his activism, Angus is also the frontman of the legendary Canadian band Grievous Angels — which performed at the Peterborough Folk Festival in August — and author of several acclaimed books, including Cobalt: Cradle of the Demon Metals, Birth of a Mining Superpower.

VIDEO: “Meidas Canada Takes The Fight Global”

Billed as a non-partisan event, Angus’s October 15th appearance at The Venue has been organized by Justin Sutton and Danielle Turpin with broad community support and will be hosted by Peterborough’s Kate Story, an award-winning novelist, playwright, actor, director, and one of the key artists behind The Theatre on King.

“Like so many, I’m alarmed by the rise of authoritarianism and the idea that we should want a strongman to solve the complex problems we face with simple, often cruel answers,” Sutton says in the media release. “We need to come together, stop demonizing each other, and build the decent, caring society most of us want.”

“Charlie is a powerful voice for that, and I’m thrilled he’s joining us in Peterborough. So many of our friends and neighbours are already working together for positive change; Danielle and I hope this night will strengthen that momentum and give us all a positive boost.”

The event is sponsored in part by the Community Foundation of Greater Peterborough, the Home Care Workers Cooperative, and the Peterborough and District Labour Council, with kawarthaNOW as the official media sponsor.

Tickets are available now at eventbrite.ca/e/1628950046439, priced on a sliding scale at $15, $25, and $40 (plus fee), with proceeds from ticket sales (after expenses) to be donated to YES Shelter for Youth and Families, a non-profit charitable organization that supports young people and families in Peterborough with safe shelter, education, and the wraparound care they need to build brighter futures.

“Tiered ticket prices reflect our desire to maximize our collective contribution to YES while ensuring an affordable entry point,” reads the release.

Peterborough’s Take Cover Books will also be at the event with copies of Angus’s books available for purchase.

“This non-partisan night is an invitation, and a challenge, to step out of our silos, listen generously, and work side by side to strengthen democracy and community in Peterborough and beyond,” the release states.

kawarthaNOW is proud to be the official media sponsor of Charlie Angus’s Peterborough appearance.

Peterborough city council has voted to defer an update on the project to renovate and expand the city’s police stations that proposes a $25.4 million increase to the project budget, for a total estimated budget of $91.9 million — an increase of over 38 per cent from the original budget of $66.4 million.

Meeting as general committee on Tuesday evening (September 2), council considered a report from the city’s finance and corporate support services commissioner Richard Freymond that described the reasons for the budget increase.

In 2023, city council approved the purchase of a 13.3-acre property at 1421 Lansdowne Street West that was home to the former Johnson & Johnson medical products facility, with a portion of the 106,000-square-foot building to support police services, including additional spaces for training (combative, exercise, classrooms, and firearms), file and equipment storage, meeting and project rooms, IT infrastructure, interview rooms, enlarged lab and property area, additional staff spaces, specialty vehicle storage, and more.

The city purchased the property from Calvary Pentecostal Church for $15.5 million, with the church continuing to use a portion of the building for up to five years.

Council also approved keeping police operations at the existing station at 500 Water Street, maintaining a police presence in downtown Peterborough and resulting in a two-site solution to accommodate policing needs.

In March 2024, council approved appointing Shoalts and Zaback Architects for the design and contract administration of the renovation and expansion project. In February 2025, council approved the city’s 2025 budget, which included $66.4 million for the renovation and expansion of both Lansdowne Street West and Water Street facilities. In April 2025, the city issued an open competition for construction management services and awarded the contract to Matheson Constructors Limited.

Freymond’s report described four changes to the approved budget that would result in the $25.4 million budget increase, summarized below.

• An additional 15,000 square feet of space at a cost of $7.125 million, to accommodate “right-sized” detention cells at Water Street and additional training space at Lansdowne Street West as required by the Ontario building code, policing standards, and requirements of the Community Safety and Policing Act that came into effect in June.
• A new parking garage beside the Water Street police station at a cost of $2.4 million, to address parking deficiencies identified by a traffic consultant for public, staff, and fleet vehicles.
• Energy and building efficiency measures at a cost of $4.375 million to help meet the city’s greenhouse gas reduction targets.
• An additional $11.5 million to cover the $15.5 million purchase cost of the Lansdowne Street West property, as only $4 million was allocated in the original project budget for the purchase. As the city would use just under half of the building and the city would have several acres on the surrounding site, $5,386,600 would be apportioned for future civic administration and $5,060,200 for future development uses.

At Tuesday’s general committee meeting, police chief Stuart Betts and Eric Riddell, partner and architect at Shoalts and Zaback Architects, made a presentation to council on the renovation and expansion project.

Betts described the need for upgrades to meet “critical requirements” including the Community Safety and Policing Act, the Ontario building code, and health and safety, while Riddell presented some renderings of the proposed renovations and expansion at the Water Street and Lansdowne Street facilities.

After the presentation, councillors asked a series of questions about the project and the substantial increase in the budget.

Councillor Alex Bierk asked how much of the additional 15,000 square feet of space is related to legislated versus discretionary needs, whether other options were considered, and why the increased space requirements were not identified when council approved the purchase of the building.

Betts replied that the space increase is “100 per cent required” for detention centres at Water Street, with Riddell noting that the basement at Water Street is not suitable for detention centres. City staff said that the increased space requirements are a result of changes to the Community Safety and Policing Act and the Ontario building code since the original space requirements were identified.

Councillor Matt Crowley asked whether, to reduce the project costs, “best practices” could be addressed in a second phase of the project.

“This isn’t the Cadillac option we’re giving you,” Betts said. “Things have gotten more expensive … the dollars and figures that were allocated at that time, in 2019, were already insufficient to provide the size of police building that was required.”

After Crowley said the “40 per cent cost overrun is very substantial” and “very concerning,” Betts replied “This isn’t an overrun yet because we’re still right-sizing the budget — I would say that you can’t afford not to do this,” adding that the existing Water Street facility is “deficient in every single way.”

“We are 26 years overdue getting up to our adequacy and effectiveness,” Betts said.

Councillor Kevin Duguay asked whether the proposed parking structure could be “consolidated” to include other uses, and whether there was a potential for upper-level residential development.

Using the analogy of a Christmas wish list, councillor Keith Riel asked Betts whether he would prefer a renovated Water Street facility or a new Lansdowne Street West facility — “one or the other.”

“It’s not an either-or,” Betts said. “The option for a one-site solution ended when we did not purchase the $900,000 church at St. Paul’s across from the police station. That was our option; it did not pass at that time. That decision has resulted in this action.”

“Water Street does not have a sufficient footprint to allow to go up or out, other than what we’re talking about here for the detention cells. To try to renovate 1421 (Lansdowne Street West) takes us out of the downtown core — another key element this council has told to me, and the community has told to me, (is) we want our police in the downtown.”

With Riel repeated his question, Betts replied “Your question is irrelevant because it isn’t an either-or” and then, after Riel repeated the question again, “My answer is that it’s an irrelevant question that has no answer.”

After councillor Joy Lachica asked if the Water Street station would be used only for detention rather than police operations, Riddell said that all operations, investigation services, and detention would remain at the downtown location, with the Lansdowne Street West used for training and executive operations. After Lachica asked if Lansdowne Street could also be used for detention, Riddell replied that doing so would increase staff costs at both sites.

Saying that approving the budget increase “feels a little bit like (writing) a blank cheque,” Lachica suggested severing the land at Lansdowne Street West that is not being used and selling it to offset budget costs.

Councillor Lesley Parnell asked about potential revenue opportunities for the parking garage at Water Street and asked Betts whether it would be possible to have housing above the garage. Betts said there was nothing operationally would prevent that, and Riddell said “I would love to see it — I would prefer to see that than just a parking structure.”

Parnell also asked whether the training centre at Lansdowne Street West could be used to offer training to other police departments and possibly the fire department.

Betts replied the training centre will reduce costs as Peterborough police officers would not have to be sent elsewhere for training, but he has also had conversation with other police chiefs about making the training centre a hub for other police services, and also suggested the “biggest bang” would be if a firing range could be included.

Mayor Jeff Leal asked city staff what $66.4 million in 2019 dollars would be in 2025 dollars, and was told it would be $91.9 million because of three to four per cent cost escalation each year.

Councillor Lachica noted that, during the 2025 budget deliberations, the $66.4 million that was approved was not presented as being in 2019 dollars and that doing so now is a “poor argument.”

After questions to Betts and Riddell were completed, councillor Bierk put forward a motion to defer the report back to city staff, asking for details on what costs are related to mandatory versus discretionary requirements. His motion is shown below.

Be it resolved that Report FCSFPM25-028 be referred back to staff, and that Recommendations (b) and (c) not be approved at this time; and that staff report back with:

4. Written confirmation that no decision to relocate City Hall or Civic Administration functions to 1421 Lansdowne Street is included in this item, and that any such proposal will require a separate report, costing, public engagement, and Council decision.

“I have written on top of my speech, ‘No, no, no, no, no, enough is enough’ for this,” Bierk said. “This is one of the largest capital asks in our city’s history and it’s being presented in a way that mixes provincially mandated police requirements with optional space, duplication, and multiple possible future city uses without clear and detailed justification.”

“Before we commit taxpayers to this astronomical budget increase, we need clarity. We need to know exactly which project elements are required by law and which are discretionary choices, and we need to make sure the police project stands on its own, with its own budget and cap, not to be tied up with other city ambitions for the site.”

During a debate on Bierk’s motion, councillor Gary Baldwin spoke against deferring the report.

“I have every confidence that our consultants are going to come back and be as judicious as they possibly can, and be as frugal as they possibly can,” Baldwin said, adding that policing is “an expensive business.”

Mayor Jeff Leal referred to a 100,000-square-foot police facility in Sarnia that was originally costed at $81 million and is now $91 million.

“These estimates that we’ve been presented tonight are in the ballpark for what we want to do, and I think it’s time,” Leal said, adding that it’s “our obligation to make sure that that we give (police) the resources necessary to carry out their job each and every day.”

After additional debate, council voted on Bierk’s motion, which carried 6-5, with councillors Lachica, Bierk, Crowley, Riel, Dave Haacke, and Andrew Beamer voting in favour and Mayor Leal and councillors Parnell, Duguay, Baldwin, and Don Vassiliadis voting against.

Items endorsed by general committee will be considered for final approval at the regular council meeting on Wednesday (September 3).

A 49-year-old Peterborough man who was arrested in August after allegedly stabbing a 42-year-old woman in a domestic violence incident has now been charged with attempted murder.

At around 6:50 p.m. on August 16, Peterborough police were called to a residence in the Southlawn Drive and Otonabee Drive area where they found the woman, who had sustained a knife injury, being treated by bystanders. The victim was taken to Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC) for treatment.

After officers learned the suspect was still inside the home, they called in the Emergency Response Team (ERT) to help contain the residence and facilitate the man’s arrest. Just before 9 p.m., ERT entered the home and took the suspect into custody. The man was then taken to PRHC for treatment of injuries that happened during the initial incident.

The accused man, who was already wanted on an Ontario-wide warrant for another policing jurisdiction, was bound by a release order not to possess a weapon as defined by the Criminal Code. He was charged with aggravated assault, assault causing bodily harm (choking, suffocating, or strangling), uttering threats to cause death of bodily harm (spousal), and failure to comply with a release order (other than to attend court).

As a result of further investigation, the man has now been charged with attempt to commit murder. The accused man is in custody and will appear in court on Tuesday (September 2).

Police are not releasing the name of the accused man to protect the identity of the victim.

Peterborough’s East City is giving a warm welcome to their incoming neighbours by hosting a fundraising auction in support of the build of a permanent home for seven women with developmental disabilities.

Running until midnight on Friday, October 10, the “Keys to Hope” auction fundraiser will feature a range of items donated by businesses and community members across East City and Peterborough. The auction is now live at auctions.nonprofitbidding.org/auction/keys-to-hope/.

“It’s just that sense of belonging and connection that I’m very passionate about,” says Ashley Bonner, community leader and auction organizer. “I thought this was a great way to not only help support neighbours and this really neat housing initiative, but also to build bridges and connect individuals with the community that they’re going to be moving into.”

All profits from the fundraiser auction will support the cost of the new home on an empty lot on Sophia Street, which Habitat for Humanity Peterborough & Kawartha (Habitat PKR) is building in partnership with Our Daughters’ Home, a non-profit organization founded in 2023 by a group of parents who wanted to provide safe and permanent supportive housing for their adult daughters living with developmental disabilities.

The accessible duplex, which officially broke ground earlier this summer, will include 24/7 support for the women while giving them a home where they can live with dignity and independence.

“We really need different models of housing and Habitat has really been innovative in coming out with different approaches,” says Bonner. “This (build) in particular I thought was amazing because there’s such a gap in the housing market. We know we’re in a housing crisis, but from my past experience of supporting individuals with ‘diversibilities’ in the community, I really am hyper-aware that there is a gap for housing for them and their families, so this is such a beautiful model.”

‘Diversibility’ is an inclusive portmanteau Bonner likes to use “because we all have different abilities and diversities.” When she worked as a community support worker as a young adult, she would take individuals with ‘diversibilities’ into the community and support them in various capacities as they strengthened their bond with neighbours.

“It was about building that community around that individual I supported, so when we went out people knew their name — not necessarily my name — and interacted with them,” she says. “It’s just building those bridges and showing different ways because I think sometimes people can have stereotypes or impressions of individuals with disabilities.”

That’s why, for Bonner, the goal is not only to raise money for the build, but to introduce the women who will be moving into the home to East City locals.

In the home will be Michelle, who is nonverbal, full of energy, and loves music and dancing as well as horseback riding and swimming; Helena, who likes music, swimming, horseback riding, and jokes; Erin, who hands out high fives to say hello and goodbye; Leah, who loves to be social and spend time with her friends and family; Krista, who likes to swim, bowl, go to the mall, and volunteers part-time at First Choice Haircutters; Bri, who enjoys listening to music on her headphones, and who loves to laugh; and Jennie, who enjoys doing puzzles, playing on her LeapPad, reading, and chatting.

“The more we know each other, it’s safer, and we feel a stronger sense of belonging and connection. The more we feel a sense of belonging and connection, we’re happier, healthier, and more resilient.” says Bonner. “It’s for these women, but it’s also for the community knowing these new neighbours who are coming in.”

The “Keys to Hope” auction is being held on Nonprofit Bidding, a Haliburton-founded online platform designed for non-profits. The platform allows community members to upload their own items to be auctioned off for the cause and to directly donate to the campaign.

Items currently up for bid include gift cards to local businesses including Matsu Sushi, Take Cover Books, and East City Coffee Shop, as well as a large print of the Hunter Street Bridge.

“Some of the business downtown are just as excited to join this neighbours-supporting-neighbours initiative as well,” says Bonner. “There’s going to be a lot coming forward.”

To make a bid or donate an item, visit auctions.nonprofitbidding.org/auction/keys-to-hope/ or email Bonner at ashley.ptbo@gmail.com.

For more information about Our Daughters’ Home and to make a direct donation, visit www.ourdaughtershome.ca.

Habitat for Humanity Peterborough & Kawartha Region (Habitat PKR) is inviting community members to turn their “empties into homes” in September by participating in a local bottle drive in support of affordable housing.

Habitat for Humanity Canada is once again partnering with The Beer Store to raise money for Ontario affiliates of the not-for-profit housing organization that aims to help families achieve affordable home ownership. People can drop off their empty beer, wine, and liquor containers at participating locations of The Beer Store in the Peterborough area and in Kawartha Lakes and donate their refund directly to Habitat PKR.

In addition, The Beer Store will also be collecting both cash and debit donations at the checkout, as a means of giving community members more ways to support local affordable housing initiatives.

The money raised in the Peterborough and Kawarthas region will directly support Habitat PKR’s two current housing projects: a single-family home in Fraserville and an accessible duplex in Peterborough’s East City for seven women with disabilities. While the two projects are scheduled for completion by Christmas, Habitat PKR still needs funding to help cover construction costs.

“Our goal is to collect as many empties as possible across Peterborough and the Kawartha region between now and September 21,” Holly McKinnon, Habitat PKR’s communications and marketing manager, told kawarthaNOW.

“It’s tough to set an exact target this year because we have more locations participating in support of Habitat PKR than ever before, which is a great problem to have. What matters most is that every can and bottle really will add up. Something as small as one empty beer bottle really does help build an affordable home.”

McKinnon said she hopes the entire community will rally behind the campaign.

“It’s such an easy way to invest back into your community and make a lasting difference for local families,” she said.

Through the Ontario Deposit Return Program, all beverage alcohol containers purchased in Ontario with a deposit can be returned to The Beer Store. Containers over 100 millilitres carry a deposit of 10 to 20 cents, which can be donated during the bottle drive to help support Habitat PKR’s work to create safe and affordable housing by giving a hand up to homeownership for more families and individuals in the community,

The local Beer Stores participating in the fundraiser are located in Lindsay, Lakefield, Peterborough, Bridgenorth, Hastings, Havelock, Bobcaygeon, Fenelon Falls, Haliburton, and Minden. Locations are subject to change, so Habitat PKR suggested residents visit the website at habitat.ca/bottledrive for the most up-to-date list.

“This is a wonderful partnership, and it’s fantastic to have our local Beer Store locations supporting us this year,” said Habitat PKR CEO Susan Zambonin in a statement.

“What makes it even better is that there’s a Beer Store close to each of our ReStores in Peterborough, Lakefield, and Lindsay. It means people can easily drop off their empties on the way to shop or donate at the Habitat ReStore — a simple way to give back and help build safe, affordable homes for families in our community.”

To date, The Beer Store locations participating in the fundraiser are:

• Bobcaygeon – 25 King Street East
• Bridgenorth – 882 Ward Street
• Fenelon Falls – 125 Lindsay Street
• Haliburton – 15 Hops Drive
• Hastings – 23 Front Street East
• Havelock – 28 Ottawa Street
• Lakefield – 102 Queen Street
• Lindsay – 370 Kent Street West
• Minden – 12325 Highway 35
• Peterborough – 570 Lansdowne Street West
• Peterborough – 139 George Street North
• Peterborough – 1154 Chemong Rd.
• Peterborough – 1900 Lansdowne Street West

Habitat PKR is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to mobilize volunteers and community partners in building affordable housing and promoting affordable homeownership. Habitat gives a “hand-up not a hand-out” to local families and individuals by offering no down payment and geared-to-income monthly payments.

Since 2002, Habitat PKR has supported 96 local families into affordable homeownership.