Common yarrow, known as waabanoowashk in Anishinaabemowan, has astringent and laxative properties and has been used by Indigenous peoples as a traditional medicine for cuts and abrasions, headaches, and more. (Photo: Hayley Goodchild / GreenUP)
On Monday, November 6th, Peterborough GreenUP welcomed Caleb Musgrave from Canadian Bushcraft to the Peterborough Public Library to learn about medicinal plants.
Each week, GreenUP provides a story related to the environment. This week’s column is by Lili Paradi, Communications Manager, GreenUP.
Musgrave hosted a group of 54 people eager to listen and learn in a sharing circle. Musgrave brought forward knowledge from his extensive lived experience, both as an Anishinaabeg man and founder and owner of Canadian Bushcraft, an outdoor education school which operates out of Hiawatha First Nation.
During this event, Musgrave brought plants that he had found in his travel to the library. He painted a compelling picture of the past and present way that humans use plants as food — and as medicine — in the Peterborough and the Kawarthas area.
As a settler and staff member at GreenUP, I am excited to share three of my reflections from Musgrave’s workshop.
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1. The Ojibwe language provides insight into the plants around us
Indigenous peoples have used the red osier dogwood, known as miskwaabiimizh in Anishinaabemowan, for numerous food, medicinal, and material purposes. The berries were eaten with other native berries, but were also used as a mouthwash, for digestive issues, and to reduce fever. The inner bark was also used to reduce swelling and pain. (Photo: GreenUP)
In both Indigenous ways of knowing and in western scientific systems, naming conventions are one way that humans relate to plants.
In western ecology, we may use common names that depict dangers to our being, like “poison” ivy or “stinging” nettle. In English, it is also common to name plants after individuals, like the Joe-Pye weed. Interestingly, in historical accounts, I read that this plant in particular is likely to have been named after a medicine person from an unspecified First Nation.
I reflected on the comparison of these nuances to Anishinaabemowan (the Ojibwe language). The Ojibwe language is part of a knowledge system that provides much more insight into the plants and our relationship to them.
For example, mashkiigimin is the Ojibwe name for lowbush cranberry. “Mashkiig” can roughly translate to swamp, and tells us that the plant is found in wet ecosystems, with “min” meaning berry telling us the plant produces desirable fruit.
Anishinaabemowan uses names as descriptors and, with them, can tell a story about the life history of the plant and our relationship to them.
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2. Urban forests can be food forests
A group of volunteers, the Peterborough community orchard stewards care for 13 newly established urban food forests, including the Talwood Community Garden. These groves of fruit trees, berry bushes, and edible perennials were planted a couple of years ago to accompany the urban forest canopy. (Photo: GreenUP)
During the workshop, Musgrave taught us that plants in Peterborough and the Kawarthas were intentionally planted and/or tended to by his Anishinaabeg ancestors as a method of terraforming.
This intentional cultivation of the landscape to provide ecosystem benefits and benefits to humans and non-humans alike is something that GreenUP and the Peterborough community orchard stewards are keen to learn about.
A group of volunteers, the Peterborough community orchard stewards care for 13 newly established urban food forests. These groves of fruit trees, berry bushes, and edible perennials were planted a couple of years ago to accompany the urban forest canopy.
An urban food forest here in Nogojiwanong-Peterborough could also be growing choke cherry trees, riverbank grape, and native currents, alongside larger plants like staghorn sumac and white oak — all of which have edible and medicinal properties.
The term ‘food forest’ became less prescriptive to me after hearing from Musgrave. We do not have to have an apple orchard in order to see that foods and medicinal plants are a vital part of our urban forests.
Cultivating native species is one way we can all continue to ensure that our communities benefit from thriving ecosystems.
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3. Urban food forests require tending to, but they also require space to grow and establish
Peterborough community orchard stewards pruning and mulching community fruit trees in spring 2023. (Photo: Lili Paradi / GreenUP)
Urban food forests, like those planted by GreenUP, are different than mature forests. They require ongoing maintenance as they become established.
The understory, canopy, and sub-canopy all grow together in a unique balance between the plants. Plants with different roles may occupy the same space. For example, the edible wild strawberry may grow in the shade of the medicinal red-osier dogwood, which is also shaded by the useful black walnut.
Together these plants make up a type of food forest, but they become established as such over a long period of time.
Once plants like these are a part of the ecosystem of our parks, the food forest becomes home and habitat to support a diversity of human and non-human relations. It’s important to see and appreciate the way that plants relate to each other as they grow and become established.
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Beyond my three reflections, it’s important to circle back to the conclusion that Musgrave offered in the workshop: that people approach plants with curiosity every day, at any age, as no one person can be an expert in all of what grows around us, but all of us can benefit from understanding our environment a little better.
I know that moving forward, with these reflections, I will remain curious about the foods and medicines around me.
Caleb Musgrave of Canadian Bushcraft (right, wearing black and white plaid and a baseball hat) speaks to a group of 54 participants in a sharing circle during a medicinal plant workshop at the Peterborough Public Library on November 6, 2023, presented by GreenUP and Nourish. (Photo: Laura Keresztesi / GreenUP).
GreenUP encourages readers to learn more about their local ecology by supporting Indigenous-led businesses, individuals, and non-profits who live in reciprocity with the land like Canadian Bushcraft, Creators Garden, Black Duck Wild Rice, and Alderville Mitigomin, to name a few.
The workshop with Caleb Musgrave was made possible by the Peterborough and District United Way as a part of the 2023 Community Orchard Stewards Program. Thank you to Orchard Stewards and the City of Peterborough and Nourish for their partnership in this program. Thanks as well to Starbucks for their support of this program.
Signs point to the main entrances at Peterborough Regional Health Centre, including the Emergency Department. (Photo: PRHC)
A seasonal surge in respiratory illness is putting a strain on the Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC), “with a large number of patients with more serious and complex illnesses” that require “a higher level of care.”
That’s the word from hospital president and CEO Dr. Lynn Mikula who, during a media briefing on Wednesday (November 15), said the hospital’s in-patient medicine beds were at 105 per cent occupancy.
“In the first week of November, emergency department visits for respiratory illness were more than 40 per cent higher than they were in the first week of October,” she added.
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“Pediatric emergency department visits for respiratory illness were 26 per cent higher in the first week of November and visits to the pediatric outpatient clinic increased by 69 per cent, with 127 visits in the first week of October and up to 215 visits in the first week of November,” Dr. Mikula said.
Asked by kawarthaNOW how much more patient care pressure PRHC can handle, Dr. Mikula said while there’s not an identified breaking point, the hospital is asking for “everyone’s patience” as wait time and access to care pressures increase.
“(Medicine bed occupancy of) 105 per cent is certainly high but it’s actually not that dramatically unusual during a seasonal surge,” she said. “The province directs all hospitals to have plans in place to surge up to 125 per cent bed occupancy and we are prepared to do so.”
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COVID-19, noted Dr. Mikula, “is very much a factor” in the respiratory illness surge.
“Peterborough Public Health’s (COVID-19) risk rating for our community is currently at high. Within the hospital, we are seeing COVID-19 activity. We’re seeing patients admitted with COVID. COVID is very much with us. We’re recommending everyone get not only a flu shot but also a COVID vaccine this winter.”
“PRHC continues to have visiting restrictions in place, including masking in patient rooms and in all other areas of the hospital where patients are receiving care. If in doubt, please wear a mask to protect yourself and others. If you’re experiencing symptoms of illness, delay visiting patients in the hospital until you’re well.”
To help ease the demand on hospital services, Dr. Mikula said “alternative options for care” do exist and “may fit your needs better than the emergency department.”
To find out what those options are, she suggested visiting the hospital’s website at www.prhc.on.ca and to follow PRHC’s social media channels.
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Meanwhile, combined with the increase in health care demand is an ongoing PRHC staffing shortage.
“We’re competing against every other hospital in the province that are also implementing aggressive recruitment measures,” said Dr. Mikula. “We do a number of things. We work very closely with Fleming College, with Trent University, and with other training programs to make sure we’re connecting anyone who’s graduating from a program.”
“We’re taking advantage of a number of streams of provincial funding to bring students and recent graduates into the building in a supported manner. We’re also making sure we’re going to health care-related job fairs quite far afield to make sure we’re saying ‘PRHC is hiring and we’re a great place to work and this is a great community to live’.”
That effort has recently paid big dividend as of late.
“In September and October and the first half of November, we have on-boarded 115 nurses,” said Dr. Mikula. “That’s a really big number, but it’s not enough. We have quite a number of nurses who are retiring or looking to work less. It is a job seekers’ market right now. We still have a lot more work to do.”
Peterborough-raised brother-and-sister duo Tom Chep and Sloane Paul have launched their green technology start-up, ARC Motor Company, which converts classic cars into high-performance electric vehicles. With support from Community Futures Peterborough, ARC has unveiled its first product: a restored 1974 Ford Bronco that is now fully electric with the use of upcycled lithium-ion batteries and modernized to meet today's safety standards. (Photo: Lucas Scarfone)
An all-new Peterborough-based green technology start-up company is trailblazing the way toward a greener future without losing sight of the past.
ARC Motor Company is offering an innovative solution to meet zero-emissions goals set by the Canadian government by converting gas-powered classic cars into electric vehicles.
The company was officially unveiled during an event on Wednesday (November 15) at the Peterborough Airport, with federal elected officials in attendance to show their support for the innovative new business.
Presented in partnership with Community Futures Peterborough, the event included an unveiling of ARC’s debut conversion: a fully restored 1974 Ford Bronco that is now fully electric with the use of upcycled lithium-ion batteries.
ARC Motor Company unveiled its first product, a restored 1974 Ford Bronco that is now fully electric with the use of upcycled lithium-ion batteries, at a launch event at the Peterborough Airport on November 15, 2023. Dignitaries attending the event included Bryan May, parliamentary secretary for Filomena Tassi, the minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario, Peterborough-Kawartha MP Michelle Fererri, and Peterborough County Warden Bonnie Clark. (Photo: Lucas Scarfone)
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The Bronco was converted by ARC founders Sloane Paul and Tom Chep, a sister-and-brother duo raised in Peterborough.
With a background in corporate marketing for major tech companies including Microsoft and Dyson, Sloane wanted to venture into a project of her own.
“I’ve always been an entrepreneur at heart, ever since I was a little kid starting a snow shovelling business at the age of ten,” says Sloane.
The idea for ARC began with Sloane’s interest in classic cars during the pandemic. Specifically, she was interested in Broncos, recognizing they were becoming the “hottest new classic car.”
“I was looking to restore our Bronco, but they’re known for being gas guzzlers,” she says. “I wanted to find a company to restore it and hopefully electrify it but, at that point, there weren’t any in Canada.”
The idea for ARC Motor Company began with co-founder Sloane Paul’s interest in classic cars. She wanted to restore and electrify a 1974 Ford Bronco, but discovered there weren’t any companies in Canada that could do it. She enlisted the knowledge and expertise of her brother Tom Chep, an electrical engineer. (Photo: Lucas Scarfone)
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That’s when Sloane enlisted the help of her brother Tom, who worked as an electrical engineer across Canada and in the U.S. before returning to Peterborough to work at Rolls-Royce Civil Nuclear Canada, which was acquired by Westinghouse Electric Company in 2020.
“The notion of this business idea really clicked for me,” Tom recalls. “Not only is Canada trying to go more sustainable and greener, but it’s a huge industry, a huge market, and a huge problem to solve in itself. It just made sense, and with my education and background, I knew I could contribute.”
Sloane notes that Tom’s expertise helps solidify and accelerate their business.
“Tom has a full wealth of education, knowledge, and expertise working with electrics,” she points out.
By rebuilding classic cars with clean technology, ARC Motor Company is driving the future of transportation with net-zero emissions. Along with reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the company is also reducing waste by restoring older vehicles and upcycling lithium-ion batteries. (Photo: Lucas Scarfone)
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Sloane and Tom developed ARC with an eye on electric vehicles (EVs) being the future of transportation.
“EVs are top of mind for the government as they drive us towards our net-zero emissions goal across North America,” says Sloane.
At the end of last year, the Government of Canada drafted proposed regulations requiring that at least 20 per cent of vehicles sold in Canada will be zero-emission by 2026, 60 per cent by 2030, and 100 per cent by 2035. Transportation is just one sector on the path for Canada to reach its reduction target of 40 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030 and net-zero emissions by 2050.
Despite these goals for a greener future, Sloane explains there has been limited discussion around what this means for emissions-heavy classic cars.
“They’re all ICE-powered,” she says, referring to internal combustion engines. “Anything older than 25 years is definitely going to be gas-powered, so there is an opportunity for us to come in and help drive more of a solutions-oriented focus to reduce waste. Instead of throwing cars away to buy EVs, we are restoring them and, at the same time, upcycling lithium-ion batteries to power them.”
As well as reducing greenhouse gas emissions from classic cars through electrification, ARC Motor Company modernizes the cars and upgrades their safety standards by adding features including disc brakes and power steering. (Photo: Lucas Scarfone)
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In addition to paving the way for a greener future, ARC is keeping history alive by modernizing classic cars through electrification.
“It’s also about preserving the past,” Sloane says, noting the company restores the cars for higher performance and improved safety as well to reduce emissions. “We’re thinking about what we can do to keep these classic cars on the road. Safety standards have changed from when these vehicles were first produced and we want to enhance the classics to today’s standards by adding features like disc brakes, power steering, and other features to modernize them. This will preserve these cars for future generations to enjoy.”
Not only is the green technology company a trailblazer in the automotive industry, but Sloane is a trailblazer as the first female CEO and founder of an electric vehicle start-up in North America. The siblings also bring a new perspective as second-generation Canadians, born in Calgary and raised in Peterborough from a young age after their mother came to Canada as a refugee of the Cambodian civil war in the early 1980s.
“Having a diverse leadership is important in today’s landscape,” Sloane says. “Representation matters. I didn’t grow up seeing people like Tom and I on TV or in the media. And, even in the corporate world, it is rare to see a woman of colour in the C-Suite (senior management). I hope that, with Tom and I as the leaders of this start-up, we’ll be able to inspire others who have a similar background.”
Sloane Paul is the first female CEO and founder of an electric vehicle start-up in North America, and she and her brother and co-founder Tom Chep are second-generation Canadians whose family came from Cambodia. Sloane hopes that, as leaders of ARC Motor Company, she and her brother will inspire others who have a similar background. (Photo: Lucas Scarfone)
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ARC is already well on the way to inspiring the community, having caught the immediate interest of Community Futures Peterborough, a not-for-profit organization that provides financial and advisory support to growing businesses.
“The ARC team is committed to making a meaningful impact by creating sustainable jobs all while reducing a carbon footprint,” says Devon Girard, executive director of Community Futures Peterborough. “We are excited about these diverse individuals, and their commitment to giving back. We cannot wait to share in their bright future.”
After Sloane reached out to Community Futures Peterborough, the organization’s loans committee visited the ARC shop to preview the Bronco mid-electrification and to connect with Sloane and Tom in person before approving the loan.
“We were blown away not only by the technology and the cool factor of the Bronco, but by the professionalism, experience, and drive of Tom and Sloane,” says Braden Clark, business and loans manager for Community Futures Peterborough.
Moving beyond financial support, Community Futures Peterborough connected ARC with stakeholders of various levels of government to help guide Sloane and Tom as they grow their business.
“We can provide business guidance for entrepreneurs like Sloane and Tom through networking, events, introductions, and making new connections,” says Clark. “Peterborough is large enough to have the right people and experts, but small enough to have a very strong business ecosystem network that allows us to refer people back and forth. This gets entrepreneurs the proper support they need.”
Along with the technological achievement of electrifying and modernizing a 1974 Ford Bronco, Community Futures Peterborough was impressed by the professionalism and experience of ARC Motor Company co-founders Sloane Paul and Tom Chep and their passion and commitment to creating sustainable jobs while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. (Photo: Lucas Scarfone)
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ARC is also being supported through thriveFORWARD, a clean-tech start-up investment initiative delivered by Northumberland Community Futures Development Corporation (CFDC) with the support of Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario) and the Government of Canada’s Jobs and Growth Fund. ARC is also a client of the Innovation Cluster in Peterborough, where they are continuing to receive mentorship and connections to a larger ecosystem.
“Our mandate is to invest and take risks on the funding of entrepreneurs, and here are two business leaders disrupting an entire industry while reducing carbon footprints and showcasing innovation,” notes Girard. “It is very exciting for us to have that in our backyard.”
That excitement extends to Filomena Tassi, the minister responsible for FedDev Ontario.
“Rebuilding classic cars with clean technology is a new and exciting way to drive the future of net-zero transportation,” Minister Tassi says in a media release. “Supporting entrepreneurs like Sloane and Tom so they can bring their incredible ideas to Canadians is exactly how our government will grow the economy and fight climate change.”
Tassi’s parliamentary secretary Bryan May represented the minister at Wednesday’s launch event, which was also attended by Peterborough-Kawartha MP Michelle Ferreri and Peterborough County Warden Bonnie Clark.
“Small town businesses create very big ideas,” May says. “ARC Motor Company is an example of how great ideas get off the ground with the right supports. Our government works with businesses and the organizations like Community Futures Peterborough that support them, as they find new and innovative ways to contribute to a strong economic future for Ontario and all of Canada.”
With ARC Motor Company having revealed its first product, a restored, updated, and fully electrified 1974 Ford Bronco, the company’s next project will involve converting an Austin Mini to use as a demo for clients wanting a test drive. The company also aims to grow its team by creating jobs across engineering, fabrication, and business development. (Photo: Lucas Scarfone)
Now that the company has been officially unveiled, its next project involves converting an Austin Mini to use as a demo for clients wanting a test drive. The company also aims to grow its team by creating jobs across engineering, fabrication, and business development.
Community Futures Peterborough has a mission to support small businesses with flexible financing in the City and County of Peterborough. It has invested more than $40 million in over 1,100 small businesses since 1985, creating or maintaining more than 4,100 jobs in the City and the County. Community Futures Peterborough is a not-for-profit organization funded by the Government of Canada, through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario).
This branded editorial was created in partnership with Community Futures Peterborough. If your organization or business is interested in a branded editorial, contact us.
Now the location of Crook & Coffer, The Garnet at 231 Hunter Street West was open from 2014 until 2021. Former owner Chad Emby is auctioning off memorabilia from the bar and live music venue to pay back a federal pandemic loan he received prior to selling the business. (File photo)
You can own a piece of Peterborough history when contents from The Garnet, the Hunter Street bar and live music venue that closed in 2021, come up for auction beginning Sunday (November 19).
Former owner Chad Emby is using Curated in Peterborough for an online auction of memorabilia from The Garnet, including the venue’s sign.
In 2021, Emby sold the bar at 231 Hunter Street West to Kim Cameron and John Clarke. After the sale, he removed the stools, decorations, light fixtures, barware, and signage as the new owners had their own vision for a British-style pub, opening Crook & Coffer in the location in 2022.
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Along with Kerri Niemi, Emby originally purchased the bar in 2014, when it was called The Red Garnet, from the former owner.
The couple shortened the name to The Garnet and hosted live music and other events.
When the pandemic hit and The Garnet was forced to close its doors during lockdowns, Emby applied for a Canadian Emergency Business Account loan from the federal government to keep the business going.
One of the items up for auction is the The Garnet’s sign. (Photo via Curated)
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Although Emby sold the business in 2021, he still needs to pay back a portion of the federal loan that is due in January. He’s hoping to raise some funds through the online auction to do that.
Items up for auction include the exterior sign, a large John Climenhage painting that hung next to the stage, a pair of Peavey stage monitors, the cash box and tip jar, special edition drinkware, and a collection of local and independent CDs and records.
The online auction opens on November 19 and runs until November 28. To register to bid, visit curated.hibid.com.
A 70-year-old Selwyn Township man died and another person was seriously injured in a three-vehicle collision on Highway 7 east of Peterborough on Tuesday evening (November 14).
At around 6:06 p.m., Peterborough County Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) and emergency crews responded to the scene of the collision on Highway 7 near Jermyn Line in Otonabee-South Monaghan Township, about 10 kilometres east of Peterborough.
After arriving, police and emergency crews found the first vehicle in the middle of the roadway with the driver still within it. Emergency crews extricated the driver, who was transported to a local hospital and later airlifted to a trauma centre.
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The second vehicle was found in the eastbound lane with the driver uninjured. The third vehicle was found in the eastbound ditch, where the driver — a 70-year-old male from Selwyn Township — was pronounced dead at the scene. A passenger in the third vehicle was transported to a local hospital for treatment.
According to police, witnesses reported observing the first vehicle cross over the centre line, where it came into contact with the second vehicle before colliding head-on with the third vehicle.
Highway 7 remained closed between Highway 28 and County Road 38 for around eight hours while police investigated and documented the scene.
Anyone who may have witnessed or has video/dash camera footage of the collision and has not spoken with police is asked to contact the Peterborough County OPP at 1-888-310-1122.
Cameron Bailey at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). The TIFF CEO will be delivering a talk entitled "Creating An Urban Cultural Hub" at Trent University on November 23, 2023. The talk is free and open to the public. (Canadian Press file photo)
The head of one of the world’s biggest and most important film festivals will be speaking at Trent University on Thursday, November 23rd.
Cameron Bailey, CEO of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), will be delivering a talk entitled “Creating An Urban Cultural Hub” for Trent University’s Tapscott-Lopes Business and Society Lecture, which brings prominent speakers to the university and the community to address issues of values and ethics as they pertain to business and society.
Bailey’s talk, which is free and open to the public, begins at 7 p.m. in Stohn Hall in the Trent Student Centre at 1680 West Bank Drive in Peterborough, and will also be livestreamed for those unable to attend in person. He will also be delivering the same talk earlier in the day at 1 p.m. at the Trent Durham GTA Advanced Learning Centre at 11 Simcoe Street North in Oshawa.
Born in London, England to parents from Barbados, Bailey spent his early childhood in Barbados before moving to Canada with his family at the age of eight. Educated at the University of Western Ontario in London, he worked as a film reviewer for various media companies including Toronto’s NOW Magazine and CBC Radio One before joining TIFF in 1990 as a seasonal programmer.
More than two decades later, he was named TIFF’s artistic director and, in 2018, was promoted to the newly created position of artistic director and co-head. Following the resignation of co-head Joana Vicente in 2021, Bailey was named the festival’s executive director and, later that year, was appointed CEO.
“Few people understand the importance of the arts and cultural sector better than Cameron Bailey,” reads a description on Trent University’s website. “Bailey brings a comprehensive wealth of experience to his position, and under his lead the festival continues to grow in size and significance every year. In his engrossing and highly customized talks, Bailey traces what it takes to grow a cultural organization, from engaging staff at all levels, to harnessing the energy of local citizens and politicians to, finally, capturing the attention of the world.”
The City of Peterborough is advising transit riders to be prepared for a possible labour disruption as soon as Saturday (November 18) as the city and the transit union local continue negotiating a new contract.
Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 1320 will be in a legal strike position and the city will also be in a legal lockout position as of 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, although neither side has yet indicated there will be a labour disruption.
The city and the union have began bargaining since May, including meetings with a provincially appointed conciliation officer. On November 1, the city received an official notice from the Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development, known as a no board report, that starts a countdown toward a legal strike or lockout date.
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ATU Local 1320 represents 103 full-time and around 20 part-time city employees. According to a media release from the city, it is not intending to lockout employees at this time. The city also says the union local has indicated it will provide notice before a strike.
The two sides have scheduled two days of bargaining meetings this week. The city says it is advising residents now of a possible labour disruption as transit riders would need time to find alternative arrangements for transportation if there is a strike or lockout.
“We are committed to achieving an agreement that is fair and reasonable for our employees and Peterborough residents,” states the city’s chief administrative officer Jasbir Raina in the media release. “We remain hopeful that an agreement can be reached to avoid a work stoppage and its impact on transit customers.”
The city will share any updates at peterborough.ca/transit and on its social media accounts.
The Township of Selwyn has received entry-level certification under Nature Canada's Bird Friendly City program. (Graphic: Bird Friendly Selwyn)
The Township of Selwyn is one of four municipalities that have been newly certified as “bird friendly” under Nature Canada’s Bird Friendly City program.
Along with Selwyn Township, Richmond Hill in Ontario, Devon in Alberta, and Hudson in Quebec are the new municipalities that have received the certification. Selwyn Township joins Peterborough in the Kawarthas region as two of the 24 municipalities across Canada that are certified as being bird friendly.
Nature Canada grants the certification to municipalities that have met or exceeded a minimum standard in three categories: reducing threats to birds in their municipality, protecting and restoring natural habitat and increasing climate resiliency, and actively engaging their community in these actions through education and outreach. Each municipality received a certification level of entry, intermediate, or high depending on their lowest score in any of the three categories.
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“The communities that make up the Township of Selwyn are proud to receive a Bird Friendly City Certificate through Nature Canada’s certification program,” says Selwyn Township Mayor Sherry Senis in a media release. “The township has increasingly made strong efforts towards becoming more sustainable by introducing new programs to our residents and taking on various corporate projects that will make positive leeway towards fighting climate change.”
“From the introduction of countertop composters to the installation of EV chargers and becoming a certified Bee Friendly Community, this Bird Friendly City Certification is another step towards becoming a greener community. As a township, we would like to express our appreciation to Nature Canada for supporting communities like ours to become a more
welcoming, safe haven for birds.”
To become certified, nature groups, municipal officials, and other community groups work with Nature Canada, one of the oldest national nature conservation charities in Canada that represents a network of over 130,000 members and supporters and more than 1,000 nature organizations.
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Like many of the 24 municipalities that have received the Nature Canada certification, Selwyn Township has been certified at the entry level.
“Our work is not over by any means now that we have achieved this first goal — we have lots more we want to accomplish,” writes Carly Davenport on the Bird Friendly Selwyn website. “Priorities like increasing tree canopy in our parks, creating connected greenspaces, reducing plastic pollution from our waterways and wetlands, promoting accessible birding locations, promoting community science, educating on the threats that birds face in our community, and ultimately ensuring that as we continue to grow as a community we do so in ways that do not have a negative impact on our local biodiversity.”
The City of Kawartha Lakes may soon be the third bird friendly city in the Kawarthas. At its October 24th meeting, city council supported a resolution for the Bird Friendly Kawartha Lakes team to submit a certification application to Nature Canada. The Bird Friendly City of Kawartha Lakes group — consisting of representatives from the Kawartha Lakes Environmental Advisory Committee, Kawartha Conservation, Kawartha Land Trust, Fleming College, Kawartha Field Naturalists, Kawartha Wildlife Centre, and Kawartha Bird Control — will be preparing and submitting an application on behalf of the municipality in February 2024.
For the past 25 years, the CPKC Holiday Train has been touring Canada and the United States to raise money, food, and awareness for the important work that food banks do in their communities. (Photo: CKPC)
Celebrating its 25th anniversary year, the CPKC Holiday Train will be making a stop in Northumberland County on November 28 featuring a live musical performance by Canadian alt-rockers Anyway Gang.
A combination of Canadian Pacific (CP) and Kansas City Southern (KCS) railways, CPKC is the first and only transnational rail network in North America. For the past 25 years, the CPKC Holiday Train has been touring Canada and the United States to raise money, food, and awareness for the important work that food banks do in their communities.
Professional musicians play free concerts from the brightly decorated train’s stage, with CPKC making a donation to the local food bank at each stop while encouraging attendees to do the same. Since 1999, the CPKC Holiday Train has raised more than $22.5 million and more than five million pounds of food for community food banks across North America.
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The 2023 CPKC Holiday Train runs from November 20 to December 19, with the Canadian route going across the country.
From 11:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. on Tuesday, November 28th, the train will stop in Brighton, after earlier stops in Belleville and Trenton and before proceeding on to Bowmanville, Oshawa, and Toronto.
In Brighton, the train will stop east of the CPKC railway crossing on Prince Edward Street and will feature a live musical performance by Canadian alt-rockers Anyway Gang, with CPKC making a donation to the Brighton Fare Share Food Bank. Members of the Northumberland Ontario Provincial Police will be on hand for traffic control.
VIDEO: “Big Night” – Anyway Gang
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Formed in 2018, the Anyway Gang consists of four friends from four of Canada’s most notable bands: Dave Monks from Tokyo Police Club, Sam Roberts from Sam Roberts Band, Menno Versteeg from Hollerado, and Chris Murphy from Sloan.
The group released their debut single “Big Night” in September 2019 followed by their self-titled debut album in November of that year, with their second album Still Anyways released in May 2022.
Apsley folk artist Sandy McQuat is one of many returning artists whose work will be on display during the Apsley Holiday Extravaganza at the North Kawartha Community Centre on November 18, 2023. The event features 35 artists and makers based in Apsley and surrounding areas showcasing a range of products from home goods to tasty treats and art work, with admission proceeds supporting the North Kawartha Food Bank. (Photo courtesy of Rachel Conlin)
Get stocked up on holiday decorations and gifts for everyone on your list by visiting the “explosion” of local creations for sale at this year’s Apsley Holiday Extravaganza.
Held annually on the third Saturday in November, the fundraising event is an afternoon to browse and shop works from dozens of artists and creators based in Apsley and surrounding areas, with food and beverages provided by local caterers. This year, the extravaganza is taking place on Saturday (November 18) from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the North Kawartha Community Centre at 340 McFadden Road.
Admission to the extravaganza costs $2 or the donation of one non-perishable food item, with all proceeds going to the North Kawartha Food Bank. Last year’s event raised $740 in cash and several bins of food for the food bank.
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For years, the event was a smaller Christmas craft fair hosted by local artists at the Royal Canadian Legion as part of the Apsley Autumn Studio Tour. When fibre artist Rachel Conlin took over as organizer in 2019, she wanted to open the space up to even more crafters.
“I thought I’d take it to the next level with a bigger venue and get more people inside,” says Conlin.
After hosting a successful event relocated the North Kawartha Community Centre in 2019 followed by a years-long hiatus during the pandemic, Conlin brought back the extravaganza in 2022. Now, the event runs twice a year with the artists gathering in the springtime as well.
Coe Hill wildlife artist Brenda Rudder is one of many local artists returning to the Apsley Holiday Extravaganza taking place at the North Kawartha Community Centre on November 18, 2023. Rudder paints animals and birds on canvas, wood, and glass. (Photo courtesy of Rachel Conlin)
This year’s holiday extravaganza will be the largest yet, with 35 artists and makers in attendance, hailing from Apsley and surrounding areas from Peterborough to Bancroft.
Vendors are chosen through a juried application process and represent a range of different artworks and products including jewellery, woodwork, soaps, candles, body and self-care products, and home-baked goods.
This year, the event will also feature include East Indian cuisine catered by Peterborough’s Jess’ Kitchen and a bistro-style lunch from Apsley’s The Grape and Wedge, including charcuterie boards, soups, and wraps. Food can be enjoyed at the community centre’s seating area, with take-out options also available.
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If an afternoon spent browsing locally made goods while enjoying a delicious meal isn’t enough, also new this year is face painting and bubble braiding from Wilberforce’s Pockets the Clown to entertain the children all afternoon long.
Conlin guesses about 40 per cent of the vendors are new to the extravaganza this year, including Bancroft’s Virginia Sweets Bakery and potter Amy Doole from Maynooth. Returning artists include Apsley glass artist Sue Rankin, Coe Hill wildlife artist Brenda Rudder, and Peterborough’s Laura Dunford of Sweet Flowering Yoga & Natural Body Products.
“We get quite a few great artists who are on the Apsley and Bancroft studio tours, and others who are great but are newer to the community,” notes Conlin.
Gail West of The English Potter in Lakefield displays her work at the 2022 Apsley Holiday Extravaganza at the North Kawartha Community Centre. The 2023 event on Saturday, November 18th will offer gifts for everyone on your list this holiday season, with a range of handmade items from local creators including art work, soaps, home goods, and tasty treats. Catered by Peterborough’s Jess’ Kitchen and Apsley’s The Grape and Wedge, admission proceeds will support the North Kawartha Food Bank. (Photo courtesy of Rachel Conlin)
Conlin herself will be in attendance with wool creations from her own business, Irish Hills Farms, where she hand-dyes wool and spins yarn to create both hanging wall art and wearable art including vests and scarves.
“At the extravaganza, I’ll have some felted wool collars as wearable art, felted pictures, and a lot of sock yarn and other, big chunky yarn that people like to knit with,” she says, adding that she’ll also have some of her luxurious and biodegradable soaps, hand-felted with adorable designs.
For more information and to see a list of local artists and makers who will be in attendance at the event, follow the Apsley Holiday Extravaganza on Facebook and Instagram.
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