It was 5:30 in the afternoon by the time Jennie Ireland received the diagnosis she’d been dreading.

She’d spent the day trying to keep busy, but the moment of truth had arrived. She held her breath as her doctor sat down across from her. When she heard the words, “It’s not good news,” life as she knew it came to a screeching halt.

As a 42-year-old single mom with a seven-year-old son and aging parents, the breast cancer diagnosis put her in a state of panic.

“I was completely terrified and desperately worried about the future,” she says. “Getting sick put everything I loved at risk. It could have devastated my life in more ways than one.”

Jennie remembers that time around her diagnosis as a difficult one, when she had to make tough decisions. On sleepless nights, she worried what her illness would mean for her son, Liam. “Would I be able to take him to his hockey practices and help him with his schoolwork? Would I watch him grow up? And my parents — would I be there to help them as they got older?”

Jennie explains what she was most concerned about. “The thought of leaving them all behind was unbearable.”

Jennie refused to give up hope, though. For the many people in our region who have experienced or supported a loved one through a medical crisis — whether it was cancer or one of the hundreds of other reasons anyone could find themselves needing the hospital — they too know how hard it can be. Not only coping with an illness itself, but the impact on all the areas of life.

“That’s why receiving care at Peterborough Regional Health Centre was my lifeline,” says Jennie. “Being able to get care in my community meant less worry and, I believe, had a positive impact on my recovery. Without it, I would’ve had to travel to Toronto, Oshawa or even Kingston, for months on end. But since I was able to get care close to home, I could focus on what mattered most — getting better and keeping life as normal as possible for my son.”

Jennie later discovered that it was because of the generosity of donors that she didn’t have to travel for treatment.

“Because the government doesn’t fund equipment, it’s donors who fund the technology that PRHC’s expert, compassionate healthcare teams use to provide lifesaving care to patients like me,” she says. “Donations really do make a difference. I know I didn’t realize the full extent, though, until I experienced it firsthand.”

Jennie says that once she had a diagnosis, it felt like everything started to happen at once.

“My days were filled with scans, surgeries, and rounds of chemo and radiation,” she says.

That led to her becoming familiar with every corner of the hospital, from the CT and MRI suites in Diagnostic Imaging, to the operating rooms, cancer care unit, radiation suite, and even, on occasion, the Emergency Department.

It’s all this behind-the-scenes, donor-funded care that makes it possible for PRHC to provide lifesaving care — right here in Peterborough — under one roof. This allows patients like Jennie to focus solely on their health without the added stress of arranging travel, meals, and lodging.

“My dad drove me to my appointments,” says Jennie. “My mom cooked dinner on infusion days when I was at my weakest and dealing with chemo side effects. Most importantly, I didn’t have to disrupt my son’s daily routine.”

Now, as she celebrates her sixth year as a survivor, Jennie is embracing every moment with her family with an even deeper appreciation. Every warm hug. Every infectious laugh. Every precious memory.

“Everything,” she stresses. “Because I’m aware of how easily it could all be taken away. So, I’m so thankful for all the ways donors have supported world-class care of all kinds at our hospital.”

Jennie says she was amazed to find out that more than 600,000 people in the region rely on PRHC for patient care. Patients come from the city and county of Peterborough and as far as the City of Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland County, east Durham, and the Haliburton Highlands.

They come to PRHC for lifesaving treatment for cancer, heart attacks and strokes. For surgery so they can feel good again, and for mental health treatment so they can have hope. They come in emergencies, and when they’re living with chronic conditions. They come to have babies, and sometimes, they come to say goodbye.

This past June, PRHC turned 15 years old, meaning much of the hospital’s equipment is no longer new. Jennie says she became a PRHC Foundation supporter to help the health centre upgrade its technology so that more patients can get the care they need when they need it most, right here. Her support is also a testament to her gratitude for her own care experience.

This past winter, she shared her patient story as a Hockey Mom Ambassador for the Peterborough Petes Pink in the Rink fundraising initiative for PRHC, and she regularly participates in events like the annual Peterborough’s Dragon Boat Festival that benefit the hospital.

Though fall is officially upon us, it can be hard to fully let go summer — just ask the committee behind the variety show fundraiser coming to Peterborough’s Market Hall Performing Arts Centre this fall.

A group of local and visiting performers are keeping the summer vibes in full swing as they take to the stage for a night of camp-themed live music, entertainment, and laugh-out-loud hilarity at the Keep’n It Campy variety show fundraiser at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, November 11th. Funds raised go towards supporting the Lumara Grief & Bereavement Care Society’s Camp Kerry Ontario.

Although tickets for the in-person performance sold out within three days, tickets for a live stream of the production are still available.

“People can have their own trailer park parties,” says comedian and Keep’n It Campy host Andrew Finlan. “We’re basically extending trailer season into November and we’re hoping that’s a way to further support Camp Kerry and Lumara Society.”

Alongside Finlan, Keep’n It Campy includes special guests Kate Brioux, Linda Kash, Danny Bronson, Stephen Cullen, Paul Crough, Lisa Devan, Bridget Foley, dancers of the Next Generation Dance Company, and more.

While the show is all fun and games, it began with a goal of raising funds for the work done at Camp Kerry. Established in 2007 in British Columbia, Camp Kerry is a four-day family bereavement retreat program, wherein qualified counsellors and trained volunteers support families through music and art therapy, activities, nature, sharing circles, games, memory services, and more.

“Camp Kerry Ontario and Lumara Grief and Bereavement Care are truly one-of-a-kind in terms of where whole families can attend,” explains Angela Gaskell, who joins Finlan on the variety show’s committee. “It’s such a huge impact. You see families there that you just know probably haven’t laughed or done something fun together since the loss of the person they’re grieving.”

Gaskell and her family first attended the retreat in 2014 following the passing of her husband. At the time, Camp Kerry was new to Ontario, introduced with the help of Shelley Hermer, a Peterborough social worker who had previously volunteered at the British Columbia program.

“I was so struck by the healing that I witnessed when I was in B.C. and I knew that we didn’t have anything like that in Ontario,” Hermer explains. “I’ve worked in children’s mental health, so I’ve seen the need for family-based treatment right here as well.”

Now Hermer is Camp Kerry’s regional program manager for Ontario and Atlantic Canada and is preparing for the next retreat, which launches on Thursday, October 12th. After a few years attending the retreat, Gaskell and her family have continued to join the program in volunteer and “mentor family” capacity.

“It made a huge difference for us and so I just want it to continue, and I want people to know what it’s about,” Gaskell says. “[Grief] is a part of life and you’re always going to know somebody that can benefit from such an amazing organization, with tons of things even beyond Camp Kerry Ontario.”

To keep Camp Kerry as accessible as possible, the Lumara Society heavily relies on fundraisers and donations. Currently priced at $750 per family, the cost represents only one-third of the actual amount the organization must spend to send a family to camp. Still, the Lumara Society does not want cost to be a barrier for those looking for support.

“Any fundraising we do is really important, or it would otherwise limit the number of families that we could take and the kind of supports that we can use for them and have throughout the year,” explains Hermer, who adds that all of the proceeds raised at the variety show fundraiser will be used towards Camp Kerry families in Ontario.

As for Gaskell, she is very familiar with the importance of fundraisers. The popular Gaskell Cup hockey tournament began in 2012 as a simple fundraiser for her family when her 33-year-old husband Kirk was diagnosed with leukemia. After Kirk passed away that same year, the non-profit organization HOPE (Helping Others Participate Equally) organized and ran the annual event, which raised $75,000 between 2013 and 2015 to sponsor a room in Kirk’s name at Hospice Peterborough’s then-new residential hospice, and subsequently raised funds for the GPHSF Your Family Health Team Foundation and Camp Kerry. After the pandemic put a halt to the event, Gaskell wanted to come up with an all-new fundraiser.

Enter Andrew Finlan, a retired high school principal and old friend and colleague of Gaskell’s who has always harboured the dream of being a stand-up comedian.

After years spent finessing his skill at Toronto’s Second City after retirement, Finlan has done upwards of a hundred shows and been well involved in Peterborough’s theatre scene. He had also been a camp director for Market Hall’s children’s theatre program for 12 years.

Having not performed since 2019, Finlan was eager to get back onstage when Gaskell asked if he would help her arrange a fundraiser for Camp Kerry Ontario.

“I thought, if I’m going to get back on stage knocking on 60 years old, I want there to be a bigger purpose,” he recalls.

As for the show’s theme, that was all inspired by a purchase Finlan made during the pandemic. Calling himself Bubbles from the Canadian mockumentary sitcom Trailer Park Boys, Finlan became the “proud owner” of a trailer at Spring Rock Camp in Young’s Point.

As for Keep’n It Campy, while all the performers will have free range with their skits and performances, including some audience participation, each performer will include camping stories and experiences.

Finlan himself will kick off the show with a stand-up performance, before later returning to the stage for a sketch parodying his experience at his trailer park. His character Earl, along and his wife Madge (played by Kate Brioux), inherit a trailer park called Sandy Shores they then try to pitch to buyers — which proves not to be easy as Earl is a “hypoglycemic mess with asthma and panic attacks,” and Madge is concerned about their diabetic cat.

Finlan assures his many neighbours at Spring Rock Camp who have already purchased their tickets that imitation is the greatest form of flattery.

With in-person tickets for the Market Hall show completely sold out, Finlan encourages people to purchase streaming tickets and embrace the trailer park lifestyle right from their own living rooms.

“Get your pyjamas, a six-pack of whatever you like, Miss Vickie’s chips, and get into trailer park mode,” he says.

Gaskell adds she’s grateful the additional streaming option will allow people from across the country to learn about and support Camp Kerry, especially the many supporters in B.C. where the camp first began.

The Keep’n It Campy organizers are still accepting donations for the gift baskets that will be given away as part of the show. Individuals and businesses can donate entire themed baskets from baking and movie nights to self-care, car detailing, or any other creative ideas they may have. Individual item donations will also be accepted, which the committee will then use to make a basket.

“People come up with all kinds of stuff,” explains Gaskell. “There’s really something for everybody.”

On show night, a $20 ticket will give audience members 25 ballots which they can put into any (or all) baskets of their choice, and winners will be drawn throughout the evening. Proceeds from the baskets will help send even more families to Camp Kerry.

“I love promoting good people and Camp Kerry is good people,” says Finlan. “(We’re bringing) some light energy to the topic of grief so I can model what Camp Kerry and the Lumara Society is already doing.”

Keep’n It Campy takes place at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, November 11th at Market Hall Performing Arts Centre in downtown Peterborough. Streaming access to the show is available for $35 at tickets.markethall.org.

For more information about making a donation for the show’s gift baskets, call Angela Gaskell at 705-768-8252.

This story has been updated with a correction and additional information about the Gaskell Cup.

When Terry Guiel, executive director of the Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area (DBIA), first met then-new Peterborough Police Services chief Stuart Betts, he told him “We’ll get along great but if you try to move the police station out of the downtown, we’re going to war.”

Well, the first shots have been fired.

Armed with what he terms “good information” from “multiple sources,” Guiel alleges the decision on where to locate a much-needed larger and more modern police station has been made — and it’s nowhere near the downtown core.

That location, says Guiel, is the sprawling former Johnson and Johnson property on Lansdowne Street West.

“I called this out back in October 2019 when I presented to the police board,” says Guiel. “I saw some drawings for a big flat building with parking lots. I told them the only place that could go is along Highway 7 or 115 because it needs six acres. I was quoted as saying ‘It shouldn’t be out in a cow pasture.’ Well, this is pretty darn close.”

“It’s a great site for them (the police service) but it’s a terrible site for the community. It’s a terrible site for the east end. It’s a terrible site for the north end. It’s a terrible site for Lakefield. It’s a terrible site for downtown.”

On Monday (October 2), in response to Guiel and questions from local media representatives Guiel had spoken to, Chief Betts issued an email statement to address what he called “the rumour that the Peterborough Police Service is looking to relocate from the downtown.”

“Let me clear and state with clarity that, as the Chief of Police, and the chair of the Facilities Committee looking into the facility’s requirements for the Police Service, Peterborough police will now, and for the long-term, have a very large and prominent operational presence in our downtown. Any allegations to the contrary are fictitious and unfounded.”

Acknowledging that a “third party consultant” (Kingston-based Shoalts and Zaback Architects Limited) undertook a study “to provide options for properties that may be acquirable for a new police facility,” Chief Betts writes “none were suitable without a significant financial expense that exceeds the capital funds identified for a police facility in the City’s capital budget.”

“A new facilities model is being explored and, at the heart of that new model, is maintaining our operational presence downtown,” Chief Betts writes. “I have been very clear that is my expectation, and that has been supported by the (police services) board and city council.”

Chief Betts adds “speculation” to the contrary “is baseless and inappropriate, and could compromise the safety and security of our current and future policing needs.”

He concludes “I hope this will put the rumours to rest,” adding “I have demonstrated to you all that I am transparent in my approach to communication and public safety in the city, and that extends to police facilities.”

In response to Chief Bett’s email, Guiel urged more transparency on where things are at and the plan moving moving forward, writing “The downtown contributes 32 per cent to the commercial tax base. Our members pay huge towards the police budget.”

“Please invite me to the next police board meeting and answer my questions, and hear my arguments and concerns that were ignored in 2019 and are still ignored today.”

Guiel added a series of questions that he says demand answers, including how long will the downtown police station be kept active “before you must sell it,” and when will public consultations on the recommended site or sites be held.

Contacted by kawarthaNOW, Peterborough Mayor Jeff Leal — who sits on the Police Services Board and is a member of the police facility review committee — confirms “a number of sites are being looked at.”

“We’re scouring the whole downtown area to see what (site) would be suitable for a facility that would accommodate the needs of the Peterborough Police Service.”

Speaking in his capacity as mayor, he adds “There needs to be (police) footprint downtown. That’s a pretty consistent approach for all police services right across the country.”

While Mayor Leal confirmed the Shoalts and Zaback report is done, he stopped short of revealing its recommendations.

“He (Chief Betts) is still determining to this day what the service’s exact needs are going forward,” the mayor said. “He’s looking at his organization as any chief would. At the end of the day, we’ll be relying on his advice based on what he sees as the needs over the decades to come.”

“We have an obligation, both to the men and women who wear the uniform each and every day, and to the citizens of Peterborough, to clearly indicate what our plans will be.”

Also contacted for comment by kawarthaNOW were Police Services Board members Gary Baldwin and Drew Merrett, the latter a current member of the police facility review committee. Neither would confirm nor deny Guiel’s claim the former Johnson and Johnson property has been settled upon, noting any comment should come from board chair Mary ten Doeschate. A subsequent call made to her wasn’t returned by deadline.

Guiel says, if his sources are wrong, then the Shoalts and Zaback report should be made public — something that hasn’t happened yet — as proof.

“This report cost taxpayers $141,250,” says Guiel. “They were to study possible downtown locations — up to seven potential downtown-only locations. Where’s the report? I contacted Sholtz and Zaback. I contacted Mary (ten Doeschate). I contacted the chief, the mayor, and Gary Baldwin. Nothing. No one I spoke to would even confirm that the report is done.”

Guiel says a recent city council caucus meeting, during which he says a report on a property on Lansdowne Street West was provided, lends credence to what his sources have told him.

Guiel adds he has talked to central area property owners “who were keenly offering their properties” for sale for the new police station. As examples, he points to the former Baskin and Robbins location on Aylmer Street and the vacant property at the southwest corner of Park and Lansdowne streets.

“You can put something anywhere,” says Guiel. “All you need is a bulldozer, imagination, and some money. You can close down a street to make the property footprint bigger.”

Based on what he says he’s learned, Guiel says the downtown core “is being abandoned in its hour of need.”

“My job is to protect my members and the downtown and that’s what I’m doing,” explains Guiel. “I told my board that this is going to be a most major passion of mine and that this is a hill I’m prepared to die on. Our board chair (Sacha Lai-Svirk) attended a DAC (Downtown Action Committee) meeting several months ago. She gave a good report about police stations needing to be in the downtown. She gave examples of where they have been moved from the downtown and it has been a disaster.”

“It (Lansdowne Street West) is great for Millbrook and Cavan (but) downtown loses 200-plus employees that would be eating and shopping downtown, plus the people that come (to the police station) for interviews, meetings, and crash reporting,” referring to the collision reporting centre that is located in the downtown police station.

To the inferred possibility that the current downtown police station will remain in place for some police-related functions regardless of where a new station is built, Guiel maintains that’s a carrot being dangled to appease the downtown and the community, noting his assertion that an excuse to “evacuate” the downtown core and “move into their nice shiny big flat building” will follow at some point.

“A motion passed from council that passed unanimously, which they’re going against, was that it (the new police station) must be in the downtown. When I pushed the case for it being located downtown in 2019, they told me, ‘Terry, slow down. You’re ahead of yourself.’ They literally laughed at me. And now here we are.”

Situated on a 1.6 acre site, the current Peterborough police station at Water and McDonnel streets opened in 1968. In June 2021, the cost to replace the outdated building was pegged at $68 million — up substantially from the $47 million cost estimated in 2019. An earlier report recommended that a new 95,000-square-foot building be built on a six-acre site.

Cobourg police are asking for the public’s help in locating a missing 13-year-old boy.

Austin Ivany of Cobourg was last seen at 8 p.m. on Sunday (October 1) on Northwood Drive in Cobourg, getting into a grey or brown coloured four-door sedan.

He is believed to be in the city of Ajax within the Durham region.

Police and his family are concerned for Austin’s safety.

Anyone with information on Austin’s whereabouts are asked to contact the Cobourg Police Service at 905-372-6821.

If you prefer to remain anonymous, you can call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS or submit a tip online at stopcrimehere.ca/.

Peterborough’s Cody Caldwell is one of 12 wheelchair rugby athletes who have been nominated to represent Canada at the Santiago 2023 Parapan Am Games, which take place in Chile’s capital from November 17 to 26.

The Canadian Paralympic Committee and Wheelchair Rugby Canada announced the roster on Monday (October 2), which also includes Ontario athletes Patrice Dagenais of Embrun, Matt Debly of Windsor, Rio Kanda Kovac of Toronto, Travis Murao of Toronto, Eric Rodrigues of Mississauga, and Mike Whitehead of Windsor, British Columbia athletes Byron Green of Victoria and Trevor Hirschfield of Parksville, Quebec athletes Anthony Létourneau of Boisbriand and Patrice Simard of Quebec City, and Alberta athlete Zak Madell of Okotoks.

Patrice Simard and Mike Whitehead are the longest-serving members of the team, with six and five Paralympic Games appearances to their names, while Rio Kanda Kovac and Matt Debly will be participating in their first multi-sport games.

The 35-year-old Caldwell began his wheelchair rugby career in 2008 after becoming a quadriplegic in a diving accident. He decided to take up wheelchair rugby when, just a week after his accident, he saw the 2005 film Murderball, which documented the rivalry between the Canadian and U.S. wheelchair rugby teams leading up to the 2004 Paralympic Games.

A former Peterborough Petes AAA goalie and soccer player, Caldwell adapted quickly to wheelchair rugby and soon earned a reputation for his mix of intelligence and speed. He made the national team in 2013, and has competed with Team Canada at two Parapan American Games and two Paralympic Games.

Caldwell helped Canada win gold at the 2015 Parapan Ams and silver in 2019. He has also been a member of the last three world championship teams, when Canada took silver in 2014, was sixth in 2018, and fifth in 2022.

Prior to being officially named to the Canadian Parapan Am Team, all nominations are subject to approval by the Canadian Paralympic Committee. The approved final roster will be announced closer to the start of the Santiago 2023 Parapan Am Games.

The wheelchair rugby tournament in Santiago takes place from November 18 to 23, with the winner earning a spot in the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games next summer.

At the Parapan Am Games in Lima four years ago, Canada finished second to the U.S. and later earned its ticket for the Paralympic Games at a last-chance qualifier. The team finished fifth at the Tokyo Games, a placement it matched a year later at the 2022 world championships.

Canada is currently number five in the World Wheelchair Rugby World Rankings.

“Congratulations to all 12 athletes nominated for the wheelchair rugby team,” says Josh Vander Vies, co-chef de mission of the Santiago 2023 Canadian Parapan Am Team, in a media release. “We know how important the Parapan Am Games is on this team’s road to Paris and how much work they have put in, and we will do everything we can to support them on the ground at the games.”

“A very warm welcome to the entire wheelchair rugby team,” adds co-chef de mission Karolina Wisniewska, “This is an experienced team with clear goals in Santiago, and it will no doubt be a very exciting, nail-biting tournament. I cannot wait to cheer on the entire team in Santiago.”