Pictured with his wife Lynn, Dr. Jeremy Fletcher will begin a family medicine practice at the Omemee Medical Centre on August 4, 2026 and will accept patients through the provincial Health Care Connect program. (Photo courtesy of Kawartha Lakes Health Care Initiative)
The Kawartha Lakes Health Care Initiative (KLHCI) has announced that Dr. Jeremy Fletcher will begin a family medicine practice at the Omemee Medical Centre on Tuesday, August 4.
Dr. Fletcher will accept patients through the provincial Health Care Connect program. Residents interested in becoming patients should register online at ontario.ca/healthcareconnect rather than contacting the medical centre directly.
According to KLHCI, Ontario residents are no longer required to be without a family doctor to register with Health Care Connect.
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Before becoming a physician, Dr. Fletcher worked as a paramedic. He received his medical degree from the American University of Antigua in 2019 and completed his family medicine residency at Queen’s University in 2022.
Since completing his residency, Dr. Fletcher has been working as an emergency medicine physician at Northumberland Hills Hospital in Cobourg.
“Having Dr. Fletcher choose to practise at the Omemee Medical Centre is important to Omemee and the surrounding communities,” says KLHCI chair Stacey Gudmundsson in a media release. “We wish him much success with his practice.”
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Dr. Stuart Bothwell, lead physician for the City of Kawartha Lakes Family Health Organization, says the organization is looking forward to supporting Dr. Fletcher as he establishes his practice and begins providing additional primary care in Kawartha Lakes.
“I am looking forward to providing care to the citizens of Omemee and the surrounding area,” Dr. Fletcher says.
The announcement follows KLHCI’s recruitment earlier this year of three family doctors for a new medical practice at the Lindsay Medical Centre.
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Dr. Usman Khurshid and Dr. Kanayo Odunze began offering walk-in primary care services at the Angeline Street South clinic in May, with Dr. Uche Nkemdeme joining them full time in June.
The practice was established to serve Kawartha Lakes residents without a primary care provider and to help reduce the number of people seeking treatment for primary care concerns at the Ross Memorial Hospital emergency department.
A non-profit charitable organization, KLHCI is the lead organization for family doctor recruitment and retention in the City of Kawartha Lakes.
Northumberland County five-piece indie folk band Lo & the High Road (led by Lauren Halász and Colin McMahon) perform traditional Celtic folk songs and their own Celtic-inspired originals at The John at Sadleir House in downtown Peterborough on Saturday night. (Photo: Ashlynn Paterson)
Every Thursday, kawarthaNOW publishes live music events at pubs and restaurants in Peterborough and the greater Kawarthas region based on information that musicians provide directly or that venues post on their websites or social media channels. Here are the listings for the week of Thursday, July 23 to Wednesday, July 29.
If you’re a musician or venue owner and want to be included in our weekly listings, email our nightlifeNOW editor at nightlife@kawarthanow.com. For concerts and live music events at other venues, check out our Concerts & Live Music page.
With the exception of karaoke, we only list events with performing musicians. Venues may also host other events during the week (e.g., dancing, DJs, comedy shows).
A view of the west side of Mark Street United Church at 90 Hunter Street East in Peterborough's East City as demolition continues of the church's former Christian Education Centre, the site of TVM Group's new 17-storey high-rise apartment building, on July 23, 2026. (Photo: Bruce Head / kawarthaNOW)
Almost a year after Peterborough city council approved a controversial 17-storey high-rise in East City, the first visible stage of the development is underway.
Demolition of the Christian Education Centre beside Mark Street United Church at 90 Hunter Street East began during the week of July 20. The 1957 addition is being removed to clear the property at 90 Hunter Street East for a mixed-use building being developed by Toronto-based TVM Group.
The original church building, designed by Peterborough architect W.R.L. Blackwell and constructed between 1928 and 1929, is not being demolished. It will remain the property of Mark Street United Church.
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To be located on the site of the demolished addition and extending to the north, the 17-storey development will contain 205 market-rent apartments — 66 one-bedroom, 110 two-bedroom, and 29 three-bedroom units — along with commercial space and four levels of structured parking. The plans include 201 vehicle parking spaces and 206 bicycle parking spaces on a site measuring around 3,350 square metres, or less than one acre.
When completed, the building will be taller than any building yet constructed in Peterborough, eclipsing the 14-storey Charlotte Towers in the city’s downtown. However, it will not be the only 17-storey building in the city, with Peterborough-based developer Ashburnham Realty also receiving approval for a 17-storey mixed-use rental building on Crescent Street behind the Art Gallery of Peterborough and near the shore of Little Lake.
On Thursday (July 23), kawarthaNOW spoke to a member of the demolition crew at the Hunter Street site, who was unable to confirm when construction would begin but suggested it would proceed as soon as demolition has been completed.
VIDEO: Demolition beside Mark Street United Church in Peterborough’s East City
In any case, the demolition is the first clear indication to date that the project is proceeding, following a lengthy and divisive municipal approval process.
The development emerged from an agreement between TVM Group and the board of trustees of Mark Street United Church. In exchange for the neighbouring church property, the church received four rental condominium units valued at $2 million in TVM Group’s nearby East City Condos development at Hunter Street East and Armour Road.
Rental income from those units is intended to provide the church with a continuing source of revenue. TVM Group also agreed to construct a new 1,800-square-foot hall on the north side of the original church building at no cost to the congregation, replacing the larger Christian Education Centre now being demolished.
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When the arrangement was publicly explained in June 2024, TVM Group president and CEO Amit Sofer said the Christian Education Centre was underused and expensive for the church to maintain. He said the condominium units would give the church long-term financial stability instead of a one-time payment for the land.
At the time, Daryl Bennett, chair of the church’s board of trustees and its property development team, said the church had deliberately chosen income-producing real estate rather than putting the proceeds of a conventional sale in the bank.
The development presented to East City residents during an informal open house at the church in June 2024 was considerably different from the one city council ultimately approved. The original proposal was for a 10-storey building containing 156 apartments, commercial space, and 121 parking spaces.
A rendering of TVM Group’s 17-storey residential-commercial building to be constructed at 90 Hunter Street East beside Mark Street United Church in Peterborough’s East City. On September 3, 2025, Peterborough city council voted 7-4 to approve a zoning by-law amendment to allow construction to proceed on the building, which will be the tallest in Peterborough. (Graphic: RAW Design Inc.)
Even at 10 storeys, the proposal raised concerns among neighbouring residents about its height and scale, the shadows it would cast, increased traffic on Hunter, Mark, and Rogers streets, and the potential for tenants and visitors to park on nearby residential streets.
Those concerns grew substantially when the developer’s formal application revealed in the spring of 2025 that the building had increased from 10 to 17 storeys. Although the number of apartments only increased by 49, the revised design also added structured parking and moved the residential tower onto a narrower footprint.
TVM Group did not hold a second open house on the 17-storey version before submitting it to the city, which was one of the complaints from opponents. Residents pointed out the original community consultation had been based on a substantially shorter and wider building.
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Opposition eventually included two public protests, a neighbourhood website, an online petition that had attracted more than 450 signatures by August 2025, and numerous delegations to city council.
Those opposing the development maintained that a 17-storey tower was incompatible with an established neighbourhood consisting predominantly of detached homes, heritage properties, and low-rise businesses.
Their concerns included shadowing, privacy, traffic, the four-storey parking structure’s proximity to neighbouring properties, the effect on the historic setting of the church, and the precedent the development could set for further high-rises along Hunter Street East.
A view from Hunter Street East of the demolition beside Mark Street United Church in Peterborough’s East City on July 23, 2026. (Photo: Bruce Head / kawarthaNOW)
Some opponents stressed they were not against adding housing to East City or increasing density in principle.
“East City should be available to other people as well, and high density is probably the way to go for Peterborough to meet its housing goals,” neighbouring resident Desmond Vandenberg told kawarthaNOW in May 2025.
However, he argued there was an appropriate limit to the building’s height and that a lower development with storeys stepping down toward neighbouring homes would provide a better transition into the residential area.
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For his part, Sofer said the revised design addressed several concerns raised about the 10-storey proposal. The taller tower has a narrower footprint that will reduce the impact of the shadow, the height of the building’s podium was reduced, the tower was moved closer to Hunter Street, and the new design provided greater setbacks from homes to the north.
He also argued the project responds to government direction to create more housing through intensification, by using existing municipal infrastructure instead of encouraging further urban sprawl. Sofer described demand for rental housing in Peterborough as “insatiable” and said the building would add housing, jobs, tax revenue, customers, and public parking to East City.
The project does not include affordable housing, with all 205 units planned as market-rent apartments.
A view of the west side of Mark Street United Church at 90 Hunter Street East in Peterborough’s East City as demolition continues of the church’s former Christian Education Centre, the site of TVM Group’s new 17-storey high-rise apartment building, on July 23, 2026. (Photo: Bruce Head / kawarthaNOW)
In an August 2025 report to city council, staff concluded the proposed zoning amendment was consistent with the provincial planning statement and conformed to Peterborough’s official plan.
Staff noted Hunter Street East is included in the official plan’s downtown core area, where intensification is encouraged. Although a previous version of the plan included a 10-storey height limit, that restriction was removed following provincial changes and a decision by the city to accept a provincial modification eliminating building-height policies in the designation.
The staff report also concluded the building met the official plan’s definition of compatible development, noting that “compatible” does not require a new building to be the same as, or even similar to, existing development — raising a question among opponents if the city would determine that any proposed development is incompatible.
City staff also supported the increase from 10 to 17 storeys, explaining that the taller and narrower tower would cast a shadow that moves more quickly than the shadow of the original shorter and wider proposal. Municipal reviews also found sufficient capacity in water, sewer, transportation, and public school infrastructure, while the development’s parking supply exceeds the minimum required by the zoning by-law. Forty-eight visitor spaces on the main level are expected to be available to the public.
Mark Street United Church’s Christian Education Centre, pictured here in 2024, is now being demolished to make way for TVM Group’s new 17-storey high-rise apartment building. (Photo: Paul Rellinger / kawarthaNOW)
Following a five-hour public meeting on August 25, 2025, council meeting as general committee voted 7-4 to approve the zoning amendment. Council gave its final approval on September 3 after another lengthy meeting, a protest outside city hall, and 10 additional public delegations.
Mayor Jeff Leal and councillors Kevin Duguay, Lesley Parnell, Matt Crowley, Don Vassiliadis, Andrew Beamer, and Dave Haacke all supported the zoning amendment. Councillors Keith Riel and Gary Baldwin, representing Ashburnham Ward where the development is located, voted against it, as did Town Ward councillors Joy Lachica and Alex Bierk.
A motion from Riel to limit the development to the originally proposed 10 storeys was defeated 6-5.
Before demolition could proceed, council also had to consider the property’s heritage status. Although Mark Street United Church is listed on the city’s heritage register, it is not formally designated under the Ontario Heritage Act.
City staff advised council that the Christian Education Centre was not an identified heritage attribute of the church and that its removal would not alter the original church. Council subsequently voted 7-4 not to object to its demolition, with the same four councillors opposed.
The original church will remain on the heritage register, with mitigation measures intended to protect its heritage attributes as development proceeds around it.
TVM Group previously estimated the development would take between 18 and 24 months to complete once construction was underway. A completion date has not been publicly announced.
Local photographer Kirk Doughty captured this shot of the 2018 Canada Day fireworks over Little Lake in Peterborough. (Photo: Kirk Doughty)
The City of Peterborough has rescheduled the cancelled Canada Day fireworks display to the Civic Holiday long weekend.
On Thursday (July 23), the city announced the fireworks display will take place in Del Crary Park at around 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, August 1, following the Peterborough Musicfest concert featuring a tribute to country music stars Garth Brooks and Shania Twain.
The fireworks display over Little Lake was originally scheduled for Wednesday, July 1 after the Peterborough Musicfest concert featuring tribute band Neon Nostalgic. However, the threat of additional severe thunderstorms resulted in Musicfest organizers cancelling the concert, and the city cancelled the fireworks display soon after.
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The city has also announced temporary road closures will be in effect from noon to 10:30 p.m. on August 1 for the fireworks.
Perry Street will be closed from the east side of George Street to the west side of Crescent Street, Lake Street from the east side of George Street to the west side of Crescent Street, Crescent Street from the north side of Romaine Street to the south side of Perry Street, and Lock Street from the north side of Romaine Street to the south side of Crescent Street.
Local traffic will still be permitted to access the areas within the road closures.
Niagara Region brass-funk band My Son The Hurricane performs a free-admission concert at Peterborough Musicfest in Del Crary Park on July 25, 2026. (Photo: Colin Smith)
Peterborough Musicfest presents My Son The Hurricane
When:Saturday, July 25, 2026 at 8 p.m. Where: Del Crary Park (100 George St. N., Peterborough) How much: Free admission
The evening will also feature Alycia Hebert at 6:30 p.m. as part of the Cogeco Future Sound Series. Bring your own lawn chairs or blankets (lawn chairs are available to rent). VIP seating available for sponsors. No smoking, alcohol, or pets permitted. There’s no public parking at Del Crary Park, but there’s neighbourhood street parking nearby and ample parking in downtown Peterborough.
Over the several years that Porter Sound has overseen the sound and lighting requirements of visiting Peterborough Musicfest headliners, it’s a pretty safe bet that the technical skills and patience of Bill Porter et al have been put to the test.
From the outside looking in, that’s OK. It’s their job and they do it well.
However, just when it seemed every concert presentation challenge that could been met had been met, along comes a band with up to 14 members that will push those skills to the limit. All those required microphones, amps, and cords come on top of the fact that there’s only so much real estate available on the already cramped Del Crary Park stage.
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But the show does go on, and on it will go Saturday (July 25) when My Son The Hurricane kicks off the second half of the annual summer music festival. As always, admission to the 8 p.m. concert is free, thanks to the support of multiple sponsors.
While the brass funk band’s website lays claim to having 14 members, the version coming to Peterborough may have a few less due to stage limitations. Still, this concert promises to be as much of a visual spectacle as it is a display of top-rate musicianship. Then there’s the choreography when all is set in motion.
Founded in 2010 and hailing from the Niagara region, My Son The Hurricane is billed as “a multi-horn, multi-drummer, multi-singer brass funk band” that dares its audience not to dance. Instrument-wise, there are trumpets, saxophones, trombones, drums, guitars, keyboards and percussion — everything but the kitchen sink, but don’t completely rule that out.
VIDEO: “Does Your Mama Know” – My Son The Hurricane (2025)
Fronting that formidable wall of sound is singer and rapper Sarah Faz, whose joining the band was rooted in misfortune that befell former lead singer Sylvie Kindree.
In late 2022, Kindree was struck by a car while jogging. Following a period of healing, she stepped away in fall 2024, but not before making the time to work with Faz to help her adapt to the band’s frenetic sound and over-the-top stage show, making the transition easier for all.
Musically, My Son The Hurricane has recorded three albums. The band’s debut album, Is This What You Want, was released in 2016, followed in 2019 by Ride the Bullet! and, just last year, Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow. Prior to the latest album, the single “Mr. Holland’s Locust” introduced the band to a worldwide audience in 2023, when a video clip of band members dancing to the tune — notably pink-shirted and eccentric frontwoman Kindree — went viral as a social media meme.
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With Faz replacing Kindree as the focal point on a stage where there’s much to take in, My Son The Hurricane undertook a 2025 tour of Canada, the United States, and Europe that saw it play more than 70 dates. This year, the band is staying closer to home, with their show schedule including a September 10 gig at Lindsay’s Academy Theatre.
While it’s difficult to define My Son The Hurricane’s sound, co-founder and drummer Danno O’Shea did his level best during a 2024 interview with Louie Botko of CHCH News.
“I like to call it voltage-enhanced Lawrence Welk,” said O’Shea. “It’s a full-on show. It’s full of salt the whole show. There’s choreography, there’s dancing, there’s some rapping, there’s singing — there’s all sorts of everything. We’re all about creating the big circus show.”
In a 2024 YouTube video by musical website Dirty Sunbeams, O’Shea was asked whether he preferred “to laugh or to love.”
“If you got the chance to hang out with us after or before the show, you’d understand that they are the same thing for us,” he said. “This is a band that laughs a lot. We poke a lot of fun at each other, but it’s all in good fun. That’s how we show our love.”
As for the band’s unusual moniker, it comes from the name of an upbeat jazz-funk instrumental tune originally released by the Charlie Hunter Trio on their 2004 album Friends Seen and Unseen.
Prior to My Son The Hurricane taking the stage, the Cogeco-sponsored Future Sound Series will see Whitby country singer-songwriter Alycia Hebert perform from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., near the food trucks at the George Street entrance to Del Crary Park.
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Peterborough Musicfest is presenting 16 free-admission concerts during its 39th season, staged in Del Crary Park on Wednesday and Saturday nights until August 19.
Overseen by executive director Tracey Randall and staff, a board of directors, and numerous volunteers, Peterborough Musicfest’s stated mission remains “to provide diverse, affordable live music to enrich cultural and economic prosperity in our community.”
For more information on this concert or the 2026 season, visit www.ptbomusicfest.ca or call the Peterborough Musicfest office at 705-755-1111.
kawarthaNOW is proud to be a headline sponsor of Peterborough Musicfest’s 2026 season.
A naturalized playscape was the latest addition to The Children's Garden, installed in Ecology Park in 2023. GreenUP is looking for help from the community to extend the current play space and revive environmental learning opportunities for children and families. (Photo: GreenUP)
GreenUP will soon invite children to help shape the future of outdoor play at Ecology Park after receiving funding to reimagine the park’s Children’s Garden.
Each week, GreenUP provides a story related to the environment. This week’s story is by Ashley Burnie Seeds, Education & Active Transportation Program Manager, GreenUP.
The project, supported by the Community Foundation of Greater Peterborough through the Community Foundations of Canada Free to Play initiative, promotes child-led outdoor play and aims to enhance opportunities for children to explore, build, and imagine in nature.
The enhancements will build on decades of outdoor education at Ecology Park, where generations of children have explored forests, ponds, gardens, and streams through camps and school programs.
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For many families in the region, Ecology Park has been a place where outdoor childhood memories are made.
Adults who attended a camp or school program at the park in younger years have begun to return with their children so they too can play in the willow tunnel, discover frogs in the pond, taste vegetables directly from the garden, explore the nature playscape, and experience the excitement of finding something unexpected under every log and leaf.
“The stations provided such an awesome opportunity for us to come together and play imaginary games,” says Maisie, former Earth Adventures camper and current counselor at Camp Kawartha. “They helped us grow our friendships and community.”
Elements of the old Ecology Park Children’s Garden, such as the bug buffet pictured here, taught children about the natural world in fun and tactile ways. With new funding support, GreenUP plans to reinvigorate Ecology Park as an environmental education destination with open-ended play elements, encouraging families to explore. (Photo: GreenUP)
GreenUP’s Earth Adventures camp operates over eight weeks each summer and welcomes children ages five to eight for a full week of discovery, creativity, and exploration.
Campers investigate the diversity of habitats found within Ecology Park including forest and meadow areas, demonstration gardens, the frog pond, a mature perennial flower garden, and Mead Creek, the picturesque stream that loops from Little Lake.
Each week at camp features a new nature-based theme encouraging children to explore everything from insects and wildlife to food gardens and trees through hands-on activities and unstructured play.
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These opportunities have never been more important. Researchers and educators are raising concerns about declining opportunities for outdoor play.
According to a recent ParticipACTION Report Card on Physical Activity for Children & Youth, only 22 per cent of children and youth five to 17 years of age accumulated more than two hours per day of total time engaged in any unstructured play.
In addition to summer camp, Ecology Park welcomes school groups throughout the spring and fall for curriculum-connected outdoor learning experiences. Within this program, students learn about nature by investigating it firsthand.
Ecology Park hosts GreenUP’s Earth Adventures camp in July and August, as well as classes from kindergarten to grade 7 during the spring and fall. Kids engage in short lessons with staff followed by hands-on activities that reaffirm their new knowledge. (Photo: Melanie Ellison / GreenUP)
Whether exploring concepts of soils and compost, insects and habitats, or fossils and rocks, children engage with the themes through observation and play. Programs can even be tailored to meet the unique learning goals of individual classrooms.
Ecology Park’s five-acre site has undergone many changes in recent years. Nearly a decade ago, GreenUP’s community came together to fund the construction of a children’s education shelter, which expanded opportunities to deliver high-quality outdoor programming.
In 2020, additional support enabled the creation of accessible pathways, a barrier-free washroom, and stronger connections to the Trans Canada Trail, while 2023 fundraising efforts resulted in the building of a natural playscape.
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Despite these additions, recent visitors have missed other engaging offerings that once made Ecology Park an even more exciting and educational place for families.
Many of the former Children’s Garden’s interactive activity centres, games, and animal costumes — which taught children how different insects eat, how compost builds soil, and how wildlife survives in the garden and the forest — have worn down due to use and exposure to the elements.
Thanks to the Free to Play funding, GreenUP has begun reimagining the Children’s Garden at Ecology Park to encourage self-guided play in the hope that new offerings will allow even more children to build, imagine, invent, and collaborate in new ways at the park.
Earth Adventure camper Maisie is pictured here in 2014. Imaginative, child-led, curiosity-driven, free-choice play in nature is an important part of child development. GreenUP intends to reinvigorate the interactive play stations in the Ecology Park Children’s Garden by engaging children in a co-design process. (Photo: Jackie Donaldson / GreenUP)
The next step will be to ask the community for donations to support project implementation, while children will be engaged to help co-design the space.
With approximately 6,000 visitors to Ecology Park every year, learning opportunities benefit children and families beyond GreenUP’s programming. Being a public space, the Children’s Garden is enjoyed by all, whether engaged in camp or a school trip or simply stopping by.
As children’s schedules become increasingly structured and screen time continues to rise, it is more important than ever to provide opportunities for children to experience the kind of self-guided exploration that builds confidence, creativity, resilience, physical literacy, and a lifelong connection to nature.
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Some of the most valuable learning happens outside of the classroom — while balancing across a log, building something unexpected with sticks and stones, or simply following curiosity, wherever it leads.
Help GreenUP enhance Ecology Park as a local environmental education destination. Visit greenup.on.ca/donate-now/ and direct your donation to “Climate Action and Education Programs.”
Save the date: GreenUP will host a Family Night at Ecology Park on Thursday, August 27. All are welcome.
Bellmere Winds Golf Resort is located on the north shore of Rice Lake in Keene. (Photo: Bellmere Winds Golf Resort / Facebook)
A 63-year-old Warkworth man has died after suffering severe injuries as a result of a propane explosion at Bellmere Winds Golf Resort in Keene.
At around 3 p.m. on Wednesday (July 22), Peterborough County Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) and fire and emergency medical services responded to a report of a propane explosion at the golf course.
Police say the man was transported from the scene by ambulance before being airlifted to a Toronto-area hospital with life-threatening injuries.
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According to a statement from Great Blue Resorts, which owns Bellmere Winds Golf Resort, the man was an employee of the resort and the incident happened at one of the cottages.
“Our thoughts are with our team member and their loved ones during this difficult time,” the statement reads, adding that the company is “cooperating fully with the appropriate authorities as they investigate the incident.”
Police notified the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development of the incident.
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On Thursday, Peterborough County OPP issued an update on the location of the explosion and the status of the victim.
According to the OPP, the explosion occurred in a residential trailer on property owned by Bellmere Winds Golf Resort. The OPP also reported that the victim succumbed to his injuries in the hospital and was pronounced dead on Thursday.
The investigation into the explosion is being conducted by the Peterborough County OPP major crime unit in conjunction with the Office of the Fire Marshal, Technical Standards and Safety Authority, the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development, the Office of the Chief Coroner, and the Ontario Forensic Pathology Service.
The original version of this story has been updated with the latest information provided by the Peterborough County OPP.
Actor Lindsay Wilson talks to Jasper Chesser in a scene from "Wild Irish Geese" as (left to right) Padrick Wilson, Indigo Chesser, and Darragh O'Connell look on during a media day event at 4th Line Theatre in Millbrook on July 22, 2026. Megan Murphy's play about the Peter Robinson emigration returns to the Winslow Farm from August 4 to 29 after its sold-out world premiere last summer. (Photo: Jordan Lyall / kawarthaNOW)
While staging the same production in back-to-back summers isn’t all that rare for 4th Line Theatre, it is a reflection of the quality of the work chosen for another run.
That said, the fact that Wild Irish Geese saw each performance of its August 2025 world premiere sell out sure didn’t hurt its case for a return this August to the Winslow Farm near Millbrook.
Written by Peterborough playwright and actor Megan Murphy, Wild Irish Geese relates the story of 2,024 Peter Robinson emigrants in 1825 — their hopes and dreams, and their anguish over leaving behind in Ireland the only life they knew for the uncertainty and challenge of building a new life in a strange land.
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The brainchild of prominent Upper Canada politician Peter Robinson, the emigration “experiment” saw nine ships make the ocean crossing from Ireland, making landfall at Quebec City before their human cargo proceeded by river and land, via Kingston and Cobourg, to their new home in and around Scott’s Plains, later named Peterborough.
With last year seeing a number of events held to commemorate the bicentennial of the Robinson emigration, the timing was perfect for the premiere of Murphy’s play. Now, 4th Line Theatre is banking on the momentum of that year-long commemoration carrying over for the play’s August 4 to 29 run.
On Wednesday (July 22), 4th Line hosted a media day at the Winslow Farm for the remount of Wild Irish Geese, which saw some of the actors performing scenes from the play on the set of the current production, Leanna Brodie’s Schoolhouse, which closes on Saturday — including Murphy herself.
“Wild Irish Geese” playwright Megan Murphy in Irish storyteller mode during a media day event at 4th Line Theatre in Millbrook on July 22, 2026. Murphy will reprise her role as seanchaí for the return run of her play from August 4 to 29 at the Winslow Farm. (Photo: Jordan Lyall / kawarthaNOW)“Wild Irish Geese” playwright Megan Murphy speaks with kawarthaNOW’s Paul Rellinger during a media day event at 4th Line Theatre in Millbrook on July 22, 2026. Murphy will reprise her role as seanchaí for the return run of her play from August 4 to 29 at the Winslow Farm. (Photo: Jordan Lyall / kawarthaNOW)
“This is my first big play, so I feel honoured,” says Murphy of the remount, adding “I owe a great debt of gratitude to all of the (Robinson emigration) descendants who came last year in droves. It was amazing how many came.”
“We had the front of house manager, when she gave her little speech off the top, ask how many people are descendants. Every single night, a minimum of 10 hands (went up). Some nights were like 50 hands. The night that the whole Hickey clan came was hilarious. I felt so much pressure.”
Tasked with writing the play some six years ago by 4th Line Theatre founder Robert Winslow, Murphy jumped into the creative process with both feet, not only meeting with several local Robinson descendants and going through bins of material provided by them, but also going to Ireland for a fuller understanding of the Robinson emigration story from a different perspective.
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As a bonus, with a few minor exceptions, the entire original cast is back for the second coming of Wild Irish Geese. That includes Murphy, who’s reprising her role as the play’s seanchaí — a traditional Irish storyteller.
“I come from a long line of Irish storytellers, so I was like ‘This kind of makes sense,'” says Murphy of her narrator role.
“I love that I get to break that fourth wall. I love talking to the audience. I feel like I’m the host and everyone has come to my big house and I’m like ‘Welcome to my farm.’ There’s something kinetic about this experience, and about theatre, and about being in a space with people. It’s a thing we missed during COVID.”
Murphy says the original script is being adhered to for the most part, but “there have been changes.”
“In fact, last night I made a few more, so we came in this morning a little early to work on a couple of scenes,” she says. “We’ve had time to go into the little details and the minutiae, and find more of the nuance.”
M. John Kennedy as Upper Canada politician Peter Robinson rapping during a media day event for “Wild Irish Geese” at 4th Line Theatre in Millbrook on July 22, 2026. Kennedy is reprising his role in Megan Murphy’s play about the Peter Robinson emigration, which returns to the Winslow Farm from August 4 to 29 after its sold-out world premiere last summer. (Photo: Jordan Lyall / kawarthaNOW)“Wild Irish Geese” actor M. John Kennedy speaks with kawarthaNOW’s Paul Rellinger during a media day event at 4th Line Theatre in Millbrook on July 22, 2026. Murphy will reprise her role as seanchaí for the return run of her play from August 4 to 29 at the Winslow Farm. (Photo: Jordan Lyall / kawarthaNOW)
Also among the returning cast members is veteran actor M. John Kennedy, who portrays Peter Robinson. This is his third 4th Line play, having previously appeared in The Great Shadow (2022) and The Tilco Strike (2023).
“I think he was genuinely interested in helping people and making the world better,” assesses Kennedy of his character.
“One of the things that’s mentioned at the end of the play that Meg wrote is he oversaw a bunch of further ways of emigration but also went well over budget. The government asked him to pay the money back out of his own personal account, which he did. He was very interested in trying to make this a more viable place to live. He really did want to give these people a chance at a better life.”
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Asked what drew him to the story, Kennedy says there were a few things, including his connection to one of the Robinson emigration families.
“My mother’s family came over on the boats in 1825,” he says, noting his father’s family followed suit later during the Irish Potato Famine.
“When Meg was working on the script, I was involved in the first read-through. The script is such an excellent combination of the emotional story of the characters but, like many other shows at 4th Line, there’s humour and fun. We need that as way in, even if it’s just to relieve the pressure of the stress of this story.”
“Wild Irish Geese” playwright Megan Murphy and actor M. John Kennedy, who have been friends since high school, during a media day event at 4th Line Theatre in Millbrook on July 22, 2026. The play about the Peter Robinson emigration returns to the Winslow Farm from August 4 to 29 after its sold-out world premiere last summer. (Photo: Jordan Lyall / kawarthaNOW)“Wild Irish Geese” actors M. John Kennedy and Paul Crough during a media day event at 4th Line Theatre in Millbrook on July 22, 2026. Megan Murphy’s play about the Peter Robinson emigration returns to the Winslow Farm from August 4 to 29 after its sold-out world premiere last summer. (Photo: Jordan Lyall / kawarthaNOW)
“It’s a beautiful story,” Kennedy says. “It’s also the story of my people. There was no hesitation. I love being here at 4th Line. It’s a good time all around.”
And then there was the opportunity to rap. That’s right. Rap. Not once but, as part of this restaging, twice.
“I think one thing that theatre does better than anything else is go ‘Alright, we’re going to do this thing but also this thing’ … this sort of magic realism that we get to see.”
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Also returning to the Wild Irish Geese fold, as director, is 4th Line managing artistic director Kim Blackwell. She says this is the eighth time a play has been staged in back-to-back seasons.
“We just feel when a show sells out, there’s a real appetite for it,” she says.
“In a practical sense, the actors all know their lines, we have the costumes, and we have the sets. Almost 10,000 people saw Wild Irish Geese last summer. We’re hoping some will want to come back and see it, and that we tap into new audiences that have heard about it.”
kawarthaNOW’s Paul Rellinger speaks with 4th Line Theatre managing artistic director Kim Blackwell during a media day event for “Wild Irish Geese” at the Winslow Farm in Millbrook July 22, 2026. As she did for Megan Murphy’s play about the Peter Robinson emigration during its sold-out world premiere last summer, Blackwell will be directing the play for its restaging from August 4 to 29. (Photo: Jordan Lyall / kawarthaNOW)
“Megan is such a beloved person and personality in our region,” Blackwell adds. “She’s such a gem. People really adore her. I think people will want to see her again.”
Blackwell notes that one principal actor in a secondary role and one volunteer actor weren’t able to join the production, “but everyone else is back. It’s like coming back to summer camp.”
She says the return rate speaks volumes.
“I think it says a lot about the play. I think it says a lot about the experience we had together last year. They all love Meg, and love the play.”
Young actor Jasper Chesser performs in a scene from “Wild Irish Geese” with (left to right) Lindsay Wilson, Indigo Chesser, and Darragh O’Connell during a media day event at 4th Line Theatre in Millbrook on July 22, 2026. Megan Murphy’s play about the Peter Robinson emigration returns to the Winslow Farm from August 4 to 29 after its sold-out world premiere last summer. (Photo: Jordan Lyall / kawarthaNOW)Actor Paul Crough lifts Jasper Chesser in a scene from “Wild Irish Geese” with (left to right) Lindsay Wilson, Indigo Chesser, Darragh O’Connell, and Padrick Wilson during a media day event at 4th Line Theatre in Millbrook on July 22, 2026. Megan Murphy’s play about the Peter Robinson emigration returns to the Winslow Farm from August 4 to 29 after its sold-out world premiere last summer. (Photo: Jordan Lyall / kawarthaNOW)
“We only have two weeks to get the remount up,” Blackwell points out. “It’s a very fast process, but we’re digging a bit deeper. Fresh eyes and fresh people — we’re finding things inside of it, which I think will be beautiful for audiences.”
Sponsored by Pyle Wealth Advisory – CIBC Private Wealth Wood Gundy with support from The Hickey Family Bursary, Wild Irish Geese features a large cast, with Paul Crough, Sebastian Sage, Lindsay Wilson, Indigo Chesser, and Darragh O’Connell among those reprising their 2025 roles.
Behind the scenes, assistant direction is by Mandy Roveda, musical direction is by Justin Hiscox, costume design is by Bonnie Garland, choreography is by Monica Dottor, original set design is by Michelle Chesser, fight direction is by Edward Belanger, Indigenous story consultation is by Patti Shaughnessy, sound design is by Steáfán Hannigan, and intimacy direction is by Greg Carruthers.
“Wild Irish Geese” musical director and composer Justin Hiscox (left) and musician Jason Edmunds discuss the music in “Wild Irish Geese” during a media day event at 4th Line Theatre in Millbrook on July 22, 2026. Megan Murphy’s play about the Peter Robinson emigration returns to the Winslow Farm from August 4 to 29 after its sold-out world premiere last summer. (Photo: Jordan Lyall / kawarthaNOW)A section of the wall at the Winslow Farm in Millbrook displays past plays staged at 4th Line Theatre, with the number of performances marked, include the world premiere production of “Wild Irish Geese” in 2025. Megan Murphy’s play about the Peter Robinson emigration returns from August 4 to 29 for its second run. (Photo: Jordan Lyall / kawarthaNOW)
Performances run at 6 p.m. Tuesdays to Saturdays from August 4 to 29, with preview performances on August 4 and 5 followed by opening night on August 6, and an added Monday performance on August 24.
Tickets are $55 for adults and $48 for children and youth ages 5 to 16, with a discounted price of $42 for both adults and youth on preview nights, plus fee.
Tickets and gift certificates are available by phone at 705-932-4445 (toll-free at 1-800-814-0055), online at 4thlinetheatre.on.ca, and at 4th Line Theatre’s box Office location at 9 Tupper Street in Millbrook.
kawarthaNOW is proud to be a media sponsor of 4th Line Theatre’s 34th season.
Noel Bennett, who is currently executive vice-president of clinical services and chief nursing executive at Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC), has been appointed as the hospital's interim president and CEO effective September 25, 2026, succeeding outgoing president and CEO Dr. Lynn Mikula. (Photo: PRHC)
Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC) has appointed longtime hospital executive Noel Bennett as its interim president and CEO, effective September 25.
Bennett, who is currently PRHC’s executive vice-president of clinical services and chief nursing executive, will succeed Dr. Lynn Mikula when she leaves the regional hospital this fall to become president and CEO of Sinai Health in Toronto.
“The board of directors has every confidence in Noel’s leadership, and we look forward to seeing him make this move into PRHC’s top role,” said PRHC board chair Scott Milligan in a media release issued Wednesday (July 22).
“This hospital has made great strides on its strategic goals over the last two years, and we anticipate a smooth transition in the fall between two leaders who share a bold and ambitious vision for the future of this hospital.”
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A registered nurse with more than 20 years of clinical and leadership experience in Canada and abroad, Bennett joined PRHC as a nurse in 2008. He subsequently became manager and then director of emergency and critical care before joining the hospital’s senior leadership team in 2021.
Bennett became associate vice-president in April 2021 and was appointed vice-president the following year. He assumed the additional position of chief nursing executive in January 2023.
In his current role, Bennett oversees several inpatient and outpatient medical programs, along with patient flow and collaborative practice. He also represents PRHC in the regional partnership responsible for Epic, the digital health information system used by several hospitals across central Ontario.
Bennett helped lead the development of PRHC’s nursing strategy, which the hospital launched in 2025 as one of the first of its kind in Canada. That year, the hospital also hosted its inaugural nursing symposium and presented its first nursing innovation awards.
Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC) vice president and chief nursing executive Noel Bennett (left) and president and CEO Dr. Lynn Mikula watch as occupational therapist Beth Morgan uses a digital communication board within the regional hospital’s Reactivation Care Centre in December 2024. (Photo courtesy of PRHC)
“It’s an honour and a privilege to take on leadership of PRHC at such an important time, and I want to thank the board of directors for this incredible opportunity,” Bennett said.
“I look forward to continuing to work closely with our dedicated leadership team to maintain the momentum we’ve been building, to achieve the ambitious goals we’ve set out for ourselves, and to support the people of this organization as we fulfill our shared purpose as one team, here when you need us most.”
Bennett earned a bachelor of health sciences degree in nursing in 2008 and a master’s degree in health management in 2017. He has also completed the Canadian College of Health Leaders program and holds the organization’s Canadian Health Executive designation.
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The hospital’s board also recognized and thanked Dr. Mikula for her contributions as both a physician and senior leader.
Dr. Mikula, who has led PRHC as president and CEO since 2023, will begin her new role at Sinai Health in October. The Toronto health network includes Mount Sinai Hospital and Hennick Bridgepoint Hospital, both affiliated with the University of Toronto’s Temerty Faculty of Medicine.
She joined PRHC as a staff general surgeon in 2011 and subsequently served as chief of staff, chief medical executive, and executive vice-president. Mikula was also the hospital’s executive lead during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Under Dr. Mikula’s leadership, PRHC launched a five-year strategic plan, a workplace well-being framework, and its first equity and reconciliation strategy, which included introducing an Indigenous navigator position.
The hospital also opened its Reactivation Care Centre, added implantable cardioverter defibrillator procedures to its cardiac program, developed a custom data analytics platform, and established a formal research partnership with Trent University.
PRHC was named one of Canada’s best employers by Forbes in both 2025 and 2026 and received Accreditation with Exemplary Standing for the third consecutive time in a decade.
The City of Peterborough is piloting its new youth transit pass program, which provides complimentary access to Peterborough Transit for youth aged 13 to 18 after school, on weekends and holidays, and during school breaks. (Photo: Jessica Todd / GreenUP)
Peterborough Transit has launched a pilot program providing free transit to residents ages 13 to 18 during specified times.
Under the Youth Transit Pass Pilot Program, eligible young people can ride Peterborough Transit free on weekdays after school, on weekends and statutory holidays, and during winter break, March Break, and summer vacation.
Peterborough city council unanimously approved the pilot program in September 2025 as part of the city’s Transportation Master Plan.
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“Although youth aged 13 to 18 currently represent a small share of total ridership, they hold significant potential to help shift travel behaviour, increase transit use, and build a culture of sustainable mobility within the community,” reads a city staff report presented to council.
The city says providing early and affordable access to public transit will help remove barriers for young people while improving access to employment, recreation, after-school programming, and other community activities.
“The Youth Transit Pass Program gives young people the opportunity to build confidence and independence while becoming more familiar with public transit,” said councillors Keith Riel and Don Vassiliadis, co-chairs of the city’s municipal operations portfolio, in a joint statement.
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“By providing free transit access during key times along with rider orientation, the program will help reduce cost and access barriers for youth across Peterborough,” Riel and Vassiliadis added.
Councillor Lesley Parnell, council’s appointee to the Peterborough Youth Commission, said free transit was strongly requested by local high school students and members of the commission and its youth council.
“Free transit for youth enables their independence, mobility to participate in after-school sports, jobs, recreational activities, plus they learn to be comfortable with public transit and are more likely to become lifelong transit users,” Parnell said.
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Eligible young people can register at peterborough.ca/youthtransitpass to receive a Peterborough Youth Transit Pass. Parental consent is required, and secondary school students must submit a copy of their school timetable or student card.
Passes issued during the pilot will expire in September 2027 and must be renewed at that time.
Students entering Grade 7 or 8 in September 2026 will receive transit orientation at selected schools in spring 2027.
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