Some of the participants of the United Way Haliburton Kawartha Lakes inaugural Coldest Night of the Year fundraising walk in 2024. Taking place in communities across Canada, the initiative invites participants to get out of the comfort of their homes to experience life on the streets for vulnerable and unhoused people while raising funds for local charities. In the Kawarthas region, the 2026 walk is taking place on Saturday, February 28 in Lindsay, Peterborough, Cobourg, and Port Hope. (Photo courtesy of United Way Haliburton Kawartha Lakes)
The nights might be cold in the greater Kawarthas region, but the hearts sure are warm.
This Saturday (February 28), people in Lindsay, Peterborough, Cobourg, and Port Hope will be raising funds for vulnerable community members through the national “Coldest Night of the Year” fundraising walk. Teams and individuals will step out of the warm comfort of their homes for two-kilometre or five-kilometre walks to raise money for local charities serving people experiencing hurt, hunger, and homelessness.
A charitable program of Kitchener-based charity Blue Sea Foundation, the Coldest Night of the Year has raised over $75 million in 190 communities across Canada since 2011, with net proceeds supporting charity partners dealing with homelessness and related issues.
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“We’re all walking for the same purpose, but it’s to help our own local communities,” says Shantal Ingram, co-executive director of the United Way Haliburton Kawartha Lakes. “That was what drew us in — being part of the bigger group, but also knowing that we’re making an impact locally.”
The United Way Haliburton Kawartha Lakes will be hosting the annual walk in Lindsay for a third year, with the goal of raising $25,000. The family-friendly event will begin at Fleming College’s Frost Campus (200 Albert St. S.) with the two-kilometre route going to the United Way office and back, while the five-kilometre walk will follow a route through Lindsay.
“It’s been a really snowy, challenging winter, so I think it’s a great way for either team-building or to spend time with family and friends and get out and meet other people from the community, raise some money for a good cause, and support the people in the community that may have been struggling this winter being cold, without somewhere to live, or without enough food to eat,” says Ingram. “Raising funds for this event will help support initiatives in the community that address those situations.”
Participants in the 2025 Coldest Night of the Year event raising funds to support the work of Street Level Advocacy of Peterborough. Also being held in Lindsay, Cobourg, and Port Hope on February 28, 2026, the family-friendly events offer both two-kilometre and five-kilometre routes, each equipped with rest stops along the way. The walks in each community will be followed by a light community meal. (Photo: Street Level Advocacy of Peterborough)
In Peterborough, Street Level Advocacy is hosting the initiative with the goal of raising $40,000. The walk will begin at the Bridge Youth Centre (256 Brock Street) and all funds raised will directly support street outreach with those experiencing homelessness and hunger.
In Cobourg, Hope and Light Urban Outreach is aiming to raise $30,000 through the walk that will begin at the Cobourg Memorial Temple (412 Victoria St.). Funds raised will support a food security program that provides over 200 healthy meals to vulnerable people weekly, in addition to other initiatives.
Next door in Port Hope, the Green Wood Coalition has set an ambitious goal to raise $60,000 with the walk beginning at St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church (131 Walton St.). The street-level group uses a community model to support people living with poverty, mental illness, and substance dependency through arts, community meals, support groups, and other programming.
In each community, the walk begins at 5 p.m. with check-in at 4 p.m. There will be rest stops along the way and a light meal to follow.
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Coldest Night of the Year provides the opportunity for businesses, organizations, and family or friend groups to join together to raise essential funds for the community. Over the years, United Way Haliburton Kawartha Lakes has seen groups get innovative, hosting their own fundraisers and events to funnel into Coldest Night of the Year.
“If you’re part of a service group, there might be other ones throughout the country that are raising funds so you can join and see who can raise the most,” Ingram says. “There are all these different aspects to make it fun while also supporting a really important cause.”
Participants can sign up as a solo walker, start a new team, or join an existing team — such as the United Way’s team, “UWHKL Giver’ to Shiver.” There is no fee to sign up.
“If you can’t come out and walk, you can donate directly to that team,” Ingram notes. “I know some people are doing some fundraising on their own but they’re not able to walk, so then they can drop their raised funds on the day of the event or donate online directly to the team.”
Crayola in Lindsay is one of several local businesses that have put together a team to once again fundraise for United Way Haliburton Kawartha Lakes through the Coldest Night of the Year. Taking place on February 28, 2026, the event raises funds to support organizations servicing those who are facing homelessness and hunger. (Photo courtesy of United Way Haliburton Kawartha Lakes)
“It’s a great way for everyone to get involved,” says Ingram. “You don’t need to raise a lot of money, but if you do it as a group, then it all adds up together and you’re making a great contribution to your community.”
Not sure how to begin your fundraising efforts? Coldest Night of the Year is running the “get5” campaign, suggesting that just contacting five potential donors can go a long way.
“Think of five people you know and ask them for $20 or $25, and now you’ve already raised $125,” Ingram says. “You can ask your uncle that lives in Scotland if they want to donate because they can do that right through the website. They can find your name and donate to support you.”
Adults 18 and older who raise $150 or more and youth 17 and under who have raised $75 will both be presented with a commemorative toque for their efforts. Those who go above and beyond and raise $1,000 will be awarded a button to acknowledge their success.
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Whether you’ve raised $1,000 or just a few dollars, Ingram says the most important part is to put yourself in someone else’s shoes for a night.
“It might not be the coldest night of the year — we’ve had a few pretty cool days this winter — but it can help you understand what people in your community are experiencing during the winter when they don’t have anywhere warm to go. Maybe they’re out there walking in the cold, their clothes are wet, they have nowhere to dry off.”
“Put yourself in someone else’s shoes for a little bit and understand how people in your community may be struggling this winter,” she adds.
For more information on individual walks, to register, or to make a donation, visit cnoy.org.
Adult participants who raise more than $150 and youth participants who raise more than $75 in support of one of the local Coldest Night of The Year fundraising walks will receive a specialty commemorative toque. (Photo courtesy of Blue Sky Foundation)
GE Vernova plans to demolish 25 buildings at its factory complex at 107 Park Street North in downtown Peterborough. (Photo: Google Maps)
Peterborough city council has voted against asking GE Vernova to provide a demolition plan for 25 buildings in the historic General Electric (GE) factory complex at 107 Park Street North in downtown Peterborough, and has also voted against asking city staff to obtain more information about the contaminants on the site.
Both decisions were made despite several councillors acknowledging the health and safety risks to the community from the potential demolition.
At its regular meeting on Monday night (February 23), council considered two amending motions put forth by councillors Alex Bierk and Joy Lachica — the two councillors in whose ward the factory complex is located — at last Monday’s general committee meeting in response to a report from municipal operations commissioner Ilmar Simanovskis that provides a high-level outline of a health and safety approach for the demolition of buildings at the GE Vernova site.
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Proposed amendments to city staff’s health and safety report
Last October, based on a motion from councillor Bierk, council had directed city staff to develop the report in response to community concerns about the demolition given the long history of toxic substances used at the factory complex.
The report outlines which agencies could be involved in the demolition and describes their regulatory authority, and includes a guideline document for a community health and safety approach, proposing a “joint oversight table” that would include the city, the Ontario Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP), Lakelands Public Health, GE Vernova, the demolition contractor, and an independent environment monitor hired by the city and funded by GE Vernova.
At last week’s general committee meeting, councillor Bierk said the report did not reflect what he had asked for in his original motion.
“My concern for this report is simple,” he said. “It explains jurisdiction, but it does not provide the city’s plan that council requested for this site. I am moving to not defer this, but to refer this back to staff so that council can actually receive that plan with clear deliverables, roles and timelines, and I have a motion which I will submit to the clerk.”
Councillor Bierk’s motion requested that staff report back with a “city health and safety plan” for the GE Vernova site that is not limited to the demolition plan itself, referring to the original discussion on the item in October that led to the staff report.
After the motion lost in a 5-5 vote, councillor Joy Lachica put forward a detailed amendment to the main motion that council request that GE Vernova disclose its full demolition plan under the Ontario Building Code through the city’s chief building official and to all members of municipal council as part of its application for demolition.
Due to the length and detail of councillor Lachica’s motion, councillor Gary Baldwin put forward a motion to defer consideration of the motion to give councillors time to review the motion before voting on it at the regular city council. His motion carried 8-2, with councillors Lachica and Bierk voting against the deferral.
The debate at last week’s general committee consumed almost two hours and, at Monday night’s council meeting, councillors spent almost another two hours debating the item.
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Neighbourhood resident urges council to “take power back”
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Council only heard from a single public delegation at the meeting: Nicholas Lato, who lives on Frederick Avenue near the GE factory complex and whose child attends Prince of Wales Public School on Monaghan Road northwest of the complex.
“You gave away the power from this council to determine how the demolition proceeded and you gave a large chunk of the power to General Electric, presumably for nothing in return,” Lato said, referring to a previous decision by council to only proceed with heritage designation of a few of the buildings at the site and permitting GE Vernova to demolish the rest.
“It’s up to you to figure out to take enough power back that we determine how the demolition proceeds, not General Electric. I imagine everybody here doesn’t trust General Electric to do what’s best for the community.”
Councillor Keith Riel asked Lato if he would have bought his home knowing what he knows now, and whether he intends to sell it.
“I would not have bought it, and we are wondering if we should sell,” Lato replied.
In response to councillor Lesley Parnell, who told Lato that council has already decided on the heritage designation, he said, “That’s what I’m saying — you screwed up and you need to fix it. You need to figure out what levers you still do have after you gave it away.”
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Legal limits debated as demolition plan motion fails
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Later in the meeting, after council voted to approve general committee’s decision from the previous week to reverse its earlier decision and exclude from heritage designation all four buildings at the GE site leased by BWXT Nuclear Energy Canada Inc., councillors debated the amending motion from councillor Joy Lachica that would require the city’s chief building official to request a demolition plan from GE Vernova.
“We need to be proactive, to use this window to take charge of the narrative,” councillor Lachica said. “This is our city, this is our Prince of Wales community, this is our Town Ward. It is our city and region that could be impacted by the scale of something like this.”
While he said he supported the intent of the motion and the need to ensure the safety of the community, councillor Matt Crowley echoed concerns raised by the city’s legal staff at general committee that the motion would direct “a chief building official that is free from political (and) bureaucratic influence to do a thing from the municipality, which we are not allowed to do.”
In response to a question from councillor Crowley, the city’s legal services director Alan Barber confirmed the independence of the city’s building official and outlined the responsibilities of those involved in any demolition.
“There is comfort to be had for members of council and for members of the public that anything that happens on that site will be watched by the (provincial) ministries with oversight, will happen in accordance with the statutory requirements of the Building Code Act, and under the professional obligations of the owner’s engineer of record,” Barber said.”
“One final thing I’d like to say about what the city can’t do, is it would be improper to try and add a condition onto the owner, through a council resolution or otherwise, that would change what the owner is required to submit under the building code to get a permit,” Barber added. “That is improper and should not be done.”
Councillor Crowley said that, “while every single one of us around this table have dire concerns,” he didn’t want to be in a position where he’s putting the city at risk for a lawsuit. He suggested instead that, when city staff receive a demolition plan from GE Vernova through the proper process, they could come to council to provide an overview of the plan.
For his part, councillor Keith Riel said GE Vernova “will do the bare minimum” to protect the community.
“They’ll tear the buildings down, they’ll fence it off, they’ll seed it and plant a couple of trees, and you’re left with a 43-acre brownfield in the City of Peterborough,” he said. “The problem with the site is underneath the ground.”
“I can tell you they know exactly what contaminants are there, exactly what it’s going to cost them to remediate the property complete(ly). They already know that — they’ve drilled enough holes, they’ve done enough sampling … they know what their liability is. They’re trying to get off scot-free. I have dealt with this company for 38-and-a-half years. I’m not trying to sit here and fear monger — I’m telling you how they operate.”
Councillor Bierk said he’s “not buying” the argument about what the city can’t do — “all that we’re doing here is asking for something.”
“The worst that can happen is they can say no,” he added, noting that the chief building official could bring information to council in closed session and advise council if they are overstepping their authority.
In response to questions from councillor Baldwin, city CAO Jasbir Raina said that GE Vernova has not yet applied for a demolition permit and that it was under no obligation to do so, but would otherwise be required to maintain the buildings, noting that the company is spending around $5 million a year for such maintenance.
Although he said he understood the “spirit and intent” of the motion, councillor Kevin Duguay said he found it “unnecessary and somewhat superfluous” given the existing process for demolition.
“For the city at this point to introduce any language that would suggest we expect more from our chief building official, or more of the process above and beyond the prescribed regulatory framework would be inappropriate,” he said. “I’m satisfied there’s a process that will follow, that will protect the interests of our community.”
Council then voted on councillor Lachica’s amending motion, which lost 3-8, with councillors Bierk, Lachica, and Riel voting in favour.
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Council rejects asking city staff to obtain contimination information
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Following the defeat of councillor Lachica’s amending motion, councillor Bierk reintroduced his original motion with changes, asking city staff to report back to council with any available information about the extent of contamination on or around the site, and that the city request GE Vernova to provide any available information about contamination on or around the site.
Councillor Baldwin said he couldn’t support the motion, after the city’s infrastructure commissioner Blair Nelson told him “I’m not certain that we have any of the information” about contamination and the city would have to hire an outside consultant if testing is required.
After councillors Riel and Lachica spoke in support of his motion, councillor Bierk said “I feel like we’re in the Olympics right now, with all the mental gymnastics and the twisting and turning that’s going on with the logic around this.”
“I did not mention a consultant. I did not mention doing core sampling of bricks at General Electric. I’m not an idiot, I understand that we don’t have the capacity or the funding to do that. That’s not what I’m asking. It says very clearly in the preamble (of the motion) ‘to the city’s best available knowledge.'”
“I’m not asking for us to do anything beyond our capacity,” he said. “We need the subject matter experts in our city to review the documents that they can get their hands on — the documents through the ministry (of environment), the documents through these many meetings, and give the public a sense of what the contamination is, because we have not heard a clear and definitive answer through any of this discussions as to what that is.”
“We own sidewalks and roads and sewers, and we own portions (of the rocks that keep Little Lake around there. We own all that, and I see them (GE Vernova) testing around there, and the public sees them testing around there. We don’t know what they’re testing for. We don’t know how frequently.”
“What’s the list of contaminants? There’s a lot of conjecture going on in the community. ‘Can you set the record straight? Can you tell us what’s going on at that site and how it’s happening?’ This is what the ask is, and I don’t understand the resistance to this.”
In her comments, councillor Parnell said GE Vernova is a private company that holds all the liability and that the motion could place the city in “legal jeopardy.” She asked Barber if councillor Bierk’s motion could be considered as interfering with the authority of the chief building official prior to a demolition permit application.
Barber replied that, while the debate and the motion itself is not “definitive evidence that council is interfering” with the chief building official, somebody could conclude that council is seeking to influence the chief building official.
To avoid that perception, he suggested that council could reconsider the motion at a later date after GE Vernova has made its application for a demolition permit and the chief building official has issued their decision to either approve or deny the permit.
“That may be the safest course of action, to both limit the city’s potential liability and to best protect the city’s reputation so that no one outside of this room could think that council is trying to influence the (chief building official),” Barber said.
After some further debate, council voted on councillor Bierk’s motion, which lost 4-7, with councillors Lachica, Bierk, Crowley, and Riel voting in favour.
Councillor Crowley proposed an amendment to the main motion to request city staff obtain a copy of GE Vernova’s demolition plan when it is available, but Mayor Jeff Leal ruled it out of order as it was too similar to councillor Lachica’s motion that council had already voted against.
Council then voted on the main motion to receive the report from commissioner Simanovskis, which carried 9-2, with councillors Lachica and Duguay voting against, although Duguay subsequently said he voted incorrectly.
A 41-year-old Peterborough County man is facing a charge of attempted murder following a report of intimate partner violence on Monday (February 23).
Shortly after 9 a.m. on Monday, officers with the Peterborough County Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) received a call related to an assault that had taken place at a home in the county.
The caller advised police their former partner had arrived at the caller’s house that morning and had assaulted them. After the assault took place, the accused man left in his vehicle.
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Emergency medical services were dispatched to the home based on the victim’s description of their injuries.
When police arrived at the home, officers spoke with the victim who was then taken to a local hospital for treatment of their injuries.
After obtaining a description of the suspect and their vehicle, officers soon located and arrested the suspect.
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The Peterborough County OPP Major Crime Unit began an investigation and, as a result of the investigation, charged a 41-year-old Peterborough County man with attempted murder. The accused man was held in custody for a bail hearing before the Ontario Court of Justice in Peterborough.
“Victims of intimate partner violence are not alone,” a police media release states.
“If you need support or know someone that does, there are local resources here to help. You can contact the Victim Services of Peterborough Northumberland for assistance. A toll-free call can also be placed to 1-888-822-7729 where your information will remain anonymous and confidential. If you are in an immediate crisis, do not hesitate, call 9-1-1.
Environment Canada has issued a special weather statement for most of the Kawarthas region for snow beginning Tuesday evening (February 24) and ending overnight.
The special weather statement is in effect for Peterborough County, the City of Kawartha Lakes, and Northumberland County.
Snow associated with an Alberta Clipper will sweep across the area Tuesday evening and overnight.
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Environment Canada is forecasting snowfall amounts of 5 to 10 cm and reduced visibility in areas of heavier snow.
The highest snowfall amounts are expected to be along the Oak Ridges Moraine in the southern areas of the region.
Roads and walkways will likely be difficult to navigate due to accumulating snow. Prepare for deteriorating travel conditions and allow extra time for travel.
Located in the Township of Cavan Monaghan, Staples Maple Syrup is a family business that has been producing award-winning maple syrup for over five decades, with its products available at local businesses and farmers' markets including the Peterborough Farmers' Market. Since they are often too busy to promote their product, the farm is an active participant in agricultural programs led by Peterborough County, including Kawartha Choice FarmFresh and the Kawartha Local Food Wholesale project. (Photo courtesy of Staples Maple Syrup)
According to Jill Staples of Staples Maple Syrup, connecting with buyers can often be the most difficult part of farming. That’s why she ensures she has a strong network of partners and buyers across the region by participating in agricultural programs led by Peterborough County.
Located in the Township of Cavan Monaghan, Staples Maple Syrup was started by Jill’s husband, Robert Staples, in 1973. Since then, it has become a multi-generational family business, now operating with 3,500 taps across three sugar bushes. Certified organic, lead-free, and federally inspected, the family’s maple syrup has won numerous awards in addition to being a four-time world champion at the Royal Winter Fair.
Visitors from around the world have stopped by the Staples Maple Syrup year-round farmstand, while their products can be found at local businesses including Kyoto Coffee and Millbrook Foodland. The family has also been selling syrup and treats at the Peterborough Farmers’ Market for more than 50 years.
Jill says Staples Maple Syrup has “found networking to be very important” in helping to market its products to buyers, which is why the farm participates in Kawartha Choice FarmFresh, an initiative delivered through Peterborough County, the City of Peterborough, and the City of Kawartha Lakes. The regional economic development program provides a network to share resources and provides an online database for buyers to find local producers.
“We’re so busy that it’s hard to find the time to get out there and promote the product, so having it promote us as a group is really important,” Jill says.
Every year, Staples Maple Syrup invites visitors to the sugar bush to learn about maple syrup production and buy products during Maple Weekend. After being unable to participate last year due to the damage caused by the spring ice storm, Staples Maple Syrup will be welcoming visitors back to the sugar bush for this year’s event from 1 to 4 p.m. on Sunday, April 6, 2026. (Photos courtesy of Staples Maple Syrup)
Jill has also been on the steering committee for the Kawartha Local Food Wholesale project, which aims to expand local produce capacity by streamlining connections with local food buyers such as restaurants, retailers, and tourist attractions. She was involved in the early stages of training and is now one of the producers who will be making their products available to buyers through the program’s Green Circle Food Hub.
“There needs to be connections with farmers and restaurants and stores to get local produce because people are wanting to eat local more now,” says Jill. “They don’t want to buy out of province and they want to support their local businesses. I’ve always felt it important that we should have a food hub around this area, because we have a lot of good producers here.”
While Staples Maple Syrup has faced recent weather-related challenges that have affected syrup production and yield, including last year’s spring ice storm that destroyed much of the canopy, Jill says the farm will be welcoming visitors back to the sugar bush on Sunday, April 5 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. for this year’s Maple Weekend.
Organized by the Ontario Maple Syrup Producers Association, the annual event on Saturday, April 4 and Sunday, April 5 offers the public the chance to visit local producers to find out how maple syrup is made, enjoy free samples of fresh maple syrup and confections, and more.
Staples Maple Syrup is located at 439 Highway 7A in Cavan. To learn more and order products online, visit staplesmaplesyrup.ca.
The Local Advantage in Peterborough County is a branded editorial feature series celebrating the farmers, food producers, food retailers, and agri-tourism businesses that make The Kawarthas thrive, created in partnership with Peterborough County’s Economic Development & Tourism Division.
Agriculture is a key economic driver and a point of pride for Peterborough County, with local farms producing a wide variety of high-quality goods, from traditional crops and livestock to organic and specialty products, reflecting the strength and diversity of this vital sector. With a growing focus on sustainability, local food systems, agri-innovation, and agri-tourism, agriculture offers strong potential for growth and diversification.
The Local Advantage with Peterborough County series spotlights the Kawartha Choice FarmFresh and Kawartha Local Food Wholesale initiatives, which aim to strengthen connections from farm to table across our region.
For more information about economic development and tourism in Peterborough County, visit www.ptbocounty.ca/ecdev and The Kawarthas Tourism at thekawarthas.ca.
The 25th anniversary Peterborough's Dragon Boat Festival takes place on June 13, 2026 on Little Lake at Del Crary Park in downtown Peterborough. (Photo courtesy of Peterborough's Dragon Boat Festival)
Peterborough’s Dragon Boat Festival will celebrate a quarter century of paddling for cancer care this summer, marking 25 years as one of the region’s signature fundraising events.
The 25th anniversary festival takes place Saturday, June 13 at Del Crary Park, once again featuring dragon boat races on Little Lake alongside artisan and food vendors, a family fun zone, a beer garden, and more.
Registration for teams opens at 12:01 a.m. on Wednesday (February 25) at ptbodragonboat.ca, with the first three teams to register winning a complimentary dragon boat lake practice.
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Organizers say the milestone anniversary will be reflected not only in celebrations, but in the event’s fundraising goal. This year’s target is $325,018.01 for the Peterborough Regional Health Centre Foundation — a 25 per cent increase over last year.
In a media release, festival chair Michelle Thornton explained the goal’s specific figure carries symbolic meaning, including that two in five Canadians will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime, that one in eight women will face a breast cancer diagnosis, and that .01 per cent of men will also be diagnosed with breast cancer.
“But most importantly, what’s raised here, stays here,” Thornton said, noting the funds support cancer care close to home. “We all know someone who has been affected by cancer and, by paddling together, we can make a lasting impact on the lives of family, friends, and neighbours in our region.”
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Hosted by the Survivors Abreast Dragon Boat Team, Peterborough’s Dragon Boat Festival was first launched in June 2001 as Liberty Mutual’s “Day on the Water,” becoming Peterborough’s Dragon Boat Festival the following year.
Since then, the festival has become a favourite community event to kick off the summer season and has raised more than $4.9 million for breast and other cancer screening, diagnosis, and treatment at Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC).
Last year alone, the festival raised a record-breaking $400,104.01.
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Survivors Abreast president Janice James said the team, founded in 1999, has always focused on breast cancer awareness and raising funds for the PRHC Foundation.
“We know first-hand the importance of the work the PRHC Foundation does and their continuing mission to bring the best cancer care the world has to offer, right here to our hospital,” James said.
Lesley Heighway, president and CEO of the PRHC Foundation, called the 25-year milestone “an absolutely remarkable testament to what a community can achieve when we all come together for a cause that touches so many lives.”
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As all funds raised by paddlers and donors are donated to the PRHC Foundation, the festival relies on sponsors to cover expenses in creating the best experience possible for participants. That includes Kawartha Financial Services (formerly Kawartha Credit Union), which is marking its 25th consecutive year as the event’s presenting platinum sponsor.
“This milestone reflects a shared legacy of compassion, community spirit, and support for local healthcare, and we are proud to continue standing alongside the many teams, volunteers, and partners who make this event such an enduring force for good,” said Kawartha Financial Services president Norah McCarthy.
Organizers say plans are already underway to commemorate the 25th anniversary on festival day, as Peterborough once again gathers on the shores of Little Lake to paddle in support of cancer care across the region.
encoreNOW for February 23, 2026 features (from left to right, top and bottom) the Highly Likely festival at Take Cover Books in Peterborough, "Midnight Madness" at the Peterborough Theatre Guild, "Tom Thomson's Wake" at the Capitol Theatre in Port Hope, Craig Cardiff at the Market Hall in Peterborough, Séan McCann at the Bancroft Village Playhouse, and the documentary "We Lend A Hand: The Forgotten Story of Ontario Farmerettes" at Bancroft Village Playhouse. (kawarthaNOW collage)
encoreNOW is a bi-weekly column by Paul Rellinger where he features upcoming music, theatre, film, and performing arts events and news from across the Kawarthas.
This week, Paul highlights the Highly Likely festival at Take Cover Books in Peterborough, the Peterborough Theatre Guild’s Midnight Madness, Tom Thomson’s Wake at the Capitol Theatre in Port Hope, Craig Cardiff at Peterborough’s Market Hall, Séan McCann at Bancroft Village Playhouse, and a screening of We Lend A Hand: The Forgotten Story of Ontario Farmerettes at Bancroft Village Playhouse.
Music and literature come together at Take Cover Books in Peterborough
VIDEO: “Ever Since You’ve Been Gone” – Rachella Wred (2024)
In addition to co-owning Take Cover Books in downtown Peterborough, book-loving brothers Sean and Andrew Fitzpatrick are musicians whose past organizing and promoting of grassroots shows is yet another shared attribute.
Now the brothers are combining their two loves and, with Miracle Territory, are hosting “Highly Likely” at their 59 Hunter Street East book store over four days starting Thursday (February 26).
Billed as “a festival of music and literature,” the event will feature 18 musical acts and writers, with a number of music and literary genres represented.
On Thursday, starting at 7:30 p.m., Intimidators (unplugged), Caged Animals, Rachella Wred, and Jessica Bebenek will perform followed on Friday by Niko Stratis, Saline, Backseat Dragon, HitnRun, and DJ Purdon, also starting at 7:30 p.m.
On Saturday, there are two free shows, starting at 12:30 and 7:30 p.m. respectively. The former will feature Brooklin Stormie and King Spatula’s Rubber Band, and the latter will see Burs, Newberry, and Anna Fitzpatrick perform, along with Avery Brown, Erica Richmond, Jessica Westhead, and Kayleigh Mochan reading their new work from Give a Sheet Press.
The festival wraps up March 1 from 4:30 p.m. with Fragmented Forms, Markus Floats, Wax Mannequin, and Claire Foster closing things out. During the festival, attendees can also experience a special sound art installation by Garrett Gilbart.
A festival pass costs $100, while tickets to any one of the three ticketed shows cost $30 ($15 for students). Visit takecoverbooks.ca/highly-likely-festival to order.
Dave Carley’s “Midnight Madness” takes to the Peterborough Theatre Guild stage
Eddy Sweeney as Wesley and Carling Dulder as Anna during a rehearsal of the Peterborough Theatre Guild’s production of “Midnight Madness” by award-winning Peterborough-born playwright Dave Carley. Directed by Jane Werger, the heartfelt comedy runs for 10 performances from February 27 to March 14, 2026. (Photo: Jordan Lyall Photography)
The Peterborough Theatre Guild has mined familiar and celebrated talent for the fifth production of its 2025-26 season.
Midnight Madness, a comedy written by Peterborough native Dave Carley, will open on Friday (February 27) for a 10-show run at the Guild Hall at 364 Rogers Street in East City.
Directed by Jane Werger, the play is a fast-paced exploration of the unexpected turns that can change a life.
It’s set at Bloom’s Furniture, where manager Wesley (Eddy Sweeney) is closing the doors of the store and on his career. In walks Anna (Carling Dulder), a former high school classmate, who has returned to town to start a career as a lawyer. As the pair recall the humiliating events that drove them both of them from high school before graduation, they reconcile with their past and find a spark of romance.
And then there’s Mr. Bloom (Jack Burke), whom the audience won’t see but who plays a key role as the store manager whose voice booms over the store P.A. system.
Carley, who will be attending a performance of his play, is no stranger to the Guild. Way back in 1979, when he was a student at the University of Toronto, he wrote Susanna! — a musical spoof based on the life of 19th-century English-born Canadian author Susanna Moodie — for staging by the Guild. Six years later, his play Hedges also took to the Guild stage, and subsequently represented Canada in Japan at an international theatre festival. To date, Carley’s work has been produced hundreds of times across North America and around the world.
During a recent sit-down with kawarthaNOW, Werger said Carley’s story “touches your heart.”
“There’s the comic situation of meeting after high school, and chatting about things that happened, and Mr. Bloom coming over the intercom, but then it gets to bad stuff that happened in high school. It’s a laugh-at-life comedy, but there are tears too.”
Midnight Madness will be staged at the Guild Hall at 364 Rogers Street in Peterborough’s East City with evening performances at 7:30 p.m. on February 27 and 28, March 5 to 7, and March 12 to 14, with 1:30 p.m. matinee performances on March 1 and 8.
Remembrances of Tom Thomson at the heart of new musical at Port Hope’s Capitol Theatre
VIDEO: “Tom Thomson’s Ghost” – Shipyard Kitchen Party (2020)
John Eaton, Sacha Law and Jason Murphy are returning to Port Hope’s Capitol Theatre in March to shed some light on what is an enduring Canadian mystery.
Known collectively as Shipyard Kitchen Party, the talented trio’s staging of its musical Tom Thomson’s Wake is set two years after the renowned painter’s 1917 death at age 39.
To this day, debate lingers around whether Thomson’s drowning death on Algonquin Park’s Canoe Lake was the result of foul play or a suicide. Fuelling that debate is the fact that Thomson was a seasoned canoeist. As such, an accident seems a remote possibility.
The three cast members, portraying Thomson’s friend, mentor, and lover, come together to share memories of him. As they do, one question emerges: Did any one of them really know the man?
Tom Thomson’s Wake features East Coast-style music derived from an original score, along with high-definition images of Thomson’s art and that of the famed Group of Seven, of which he remains considered an unofficial member, having died before its formal establishment.
Those who enjoyed Shipyard Kitchen’s Party stagings of its popular The Newfoundland Songbook will find much to like here.
Curtain is 7:30 p.m. on Friday, March 6 and Saturday, March 7, with matinee performances at 2 p.m. on March 7 and Sunday, March 8. Tickets cost $55 ($45 for those under 30) and are available at capitoltheatre.com.
Folk/roots music storyteller Craig Cardiff is Market Hall bound
VIDEO: “Dirty Old Town” – Craig Cardiff (2020)
As a singer and songwriter in the Canadian folk/roots music realm, Waterloo-born Craig Cardiff has rightfully earned his high standing.
With numerous albums to his credit dating back to 1997, the Juno and Canadian Folk Music Award nominee is a master storyteller whose live performances are known as much for the quality of the music as they are for his engagement with his audience — something accentuated by his “Book of Truths” initiative, which sees a notebook circulated at his shows for attendees to anonymously share stories, confessions or secrets. That’s about as intimate as it gets.
While Cardiff has appeared at many major festivals, he has habitually performed wherever there’s an audience for his music. As such, he has made it a habit of performing in the homes of fans across the country. Add in his activism related to a number of causes, and his leading numerous workshops, and we’re left with a man in perpetual motion.
On Saturday, March 7 at Market Hall in downtown Peterborough, the audience will be treated to the full Cardiff experience in the form of two shows: a 4 p.m. “family-friendly” concert followed by an 8 p.m. all-ages performance.
Tickets cost $24, $14 for youths aged 13 to 18, and $9 for kids aged 4 to 12, and are available at www.markethall.org.
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Séan McCann bringing Great Big Sea memories to Bancroft
VIDEO: “Stronger” – Séan McCann (2022)
With 2026 marking 33 years since the founding of renowned Canadian folk rock band Great Big Sea, co-founder Séan McCann is marking the anniversary the best way he knows how: bringing the band’s iconic music to the masses.
That effort includes a performance on Wednesday, March 11 at the Bancroft Village Playhouse that will see McCann not only run through a number of Great Big Sea favourites but share stories of his native Newfoundland and, no doubt, his 1993 founding of the band with Alan Doyle.
From 1996 to 2016, Great Big Sea was the 16th best-selling Canadian artist in Canada, and the sixth best-selling Canadian band in Canada. The band called it a day in 2013, setting the stage for successful solo careers for both McCann and Doyle.
McCann has recorded and released five solo albums, and in 2019, his impressive body of work, both with Great Big Sea and on his own, saw him named a member of the Order of Canada. Billed as “Séan McCann Sings The Great Big Songbook,” his Bancroft show is sure to check all the right boxes for fans of the band and its high-spirited co-founder.
Ontario farmerettes’ inspirational story comes to the big screen in Bancroft
VIDEO: “We Lend A Hand: The Forgotten Story of Ontario Farmerettes” trailer
Those who enjoyed 4th Line Theatre’s 2024 staging of Alison Lawrence’s adaptation of Shirleyan English and Bonnie Sitter’s book Onion Skins and Peach Fuzz: Memories of Ontario’s Farmerettes, but still want more, will be glad to hear an acclaimed film version of the story is headed our way.
On Thursday, March 12, again at the Bancroft Village Playhouse, the documentary We Lend A Hand: The Forgotten Story of the Ontario Farmerettes will be screened as part of the venue’s presentation of TIFF Film Circuit screenings.
Not unlike the 4th Line Theatre production, the film centres on the largely overlooked contribution of the 40,000-plus teenage girls and young women who toiled on Ontario farms during the Second World War, replacing the labour of men who had headed overseas to fight.
Via archival footage, photographs, and first-person interviews, the film relates how farmerettes harvested crops, operated machinery, and sustained Canada’s food supply while gaining independence, skills, and confidence at a pivotal time in their lives.
If you took in the 4th Line Theatre production, this film will no doubt be of interest. If you didn’t, this is an inspirational chapter of Canadian life during the war years that’s well worth taking in.
Screenings are at 2 and 7 p.m. Tickets cost $13 ($6.99 for youth 18 and under) and can be ordered at www.villageplayhouse.ca.
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Encore
A tip of the hat to my friend Phil Jolicoeur, whose organizing and producing of the 1980s music-themed Harmony For Healing sold-out concert last Thursday (February 19) at the Market Hall added to the thousands of dollars raised for the Canadian Mental Health Association Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge’s assertive outreach suicide prevention program since the annual concert’s inception in 2024. The show was founded by Jolicoeur in memory of his mom Karen, who was a big music fan. The final Healing For Harmony concert will be held next year, with music of the 1990s featured. It’s anticipated that show will meet, or surpass, the goal of $50,000 raised via all four concerts. Having organized and produced Peterborough Performs: Musicians United To End Homelessness since 2020, I well know how much work Jolicoeur puts into this. Hence my full admiration.
No doubt fans of The Weber Brothers — of which there are many — are thrilled to hear Ryan and Sam have recorded a new album and are set to debut it right here in Peterborough at the Market Hall on Friday, May 1. The boys have reinvented their sound over and over, and this new offering will surely offer yet another side of their abundant talent. The Market Hall album release concert will be the first of a few local shows during which the Weber Brothers will debut their new music. They’ll do likewise on May 14 at Lindsay’s Academy Theatre and on June 28 at Havelock’s Stone Hall. Watch for show details on kawarthaNOW as those dates draw nearer.
Environment Canada has issued a cold warning for much of the Kawarthas region for Monday night (February 23) into Tuesday morning.
The “yellow” cold warning is in effect for Peterborough County, Kawartha Lakes, Haliburton County, and Hastings Highlands.
Temperatures will drop below -20°C Monday night, with northwest winds of 30 km/h gusting to 50 km/h creating wind chills of at least -30°C by early morning.
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Although temperatures will moderate on Tuesday, wind chills near -15°C will continue into Tuesday afternoon.
The wind chill values will create a risk of frostbite, which can develop within minutes on exposed skin. Watch for colour changes on fingers and toes, pain, numbness, a tingling sensation, or swelling. If present, move indoors and begin warming.
Remember: if it’s too cold for you to stay outside, it’s too cold for your pet to stay outside.
The City of Peterborough launched its green bin program to collect organic waste from around 28,000 single-family households in October 2023. (Photo: City of Peterborough)
More than two years after launching its organic waste diversion program for single-family households, the City of Peterborough will be expanding it to a small number of restaurants and food-generating businesses to evaluate a larger expansion of the program.
The city launched the first phase of its curbside green bin program in October 2023, collecting organic waste from around 28,000 households. In 2024, the program diverted more than 6,800 tonnes of methane-producing organic material from the city-county landfill, processing it into compost at the Peterborough Organics Facility.
The second phase of the program involves expanding the green bin program to restaurants, multi-residential properties, and small commercial sites.
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In December, city council approved a report for an implementation program that included the first step of phase two, focusing on restaurants primarily within the Downtown Business Improvement Area (DBIA) and in the surrounding areas that use the city’s garbage collection service, potentially also including other food-generating establishments.
“These establishments generate a significant volume of organic waste, making them strong candidates for early implementation,” the report states, noting that each small restaurant typically produces between 10 and 25 kilograms of organic waste per day.
“The initial rollout will include approximately 25 voluntary participants, primarily at restaurants. This focused approach will allow the city to refine collection methods, address logistical constraints, and optimize service routes within a high-density commercial area.”
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Businesses interested in participating in the project can fill out a form at peterborough.ca/greenbin until March 6. The city says those not selected for the initial rollout of the project will be considered as the program expands.
Some of the operational challenges the city has identified in collecting organics from downtown restaurants include one-way streets that limit the collection vehicles’ automated arm use, on-street parking obstructing green bin placement, limited indoor or outdoor storage space for bins, scavenging from bins, bin sizes suitable for high-volume generators, and determining optimal collection frequency.
The initial rollout to 25 participants will allow the city to evaluate the program in 2026 and 2027 before expanding it to additional restaurants. Following the expansion to restaurants, the city will focus on organics collection at multi-residential buildings that receive city garbage collection services, scheduled to take place from 2028 to 2030.
Rose Terry as the Queen of Hearts and Hermoine Rivision as Lady Macbeth for Heather Doughty's latest photography project "Villains." Launching ahead of International Women's Day on March 6, 2026 at Doughty's studio in downtown Peterborough, the visual and audio exhibition explores how media, social media, and mob mentality can completely change a narrative and turn a strong and powerful woman into a villain. (Photos: Heather Doughty Photography)
Did you know that, until King Triton of The Little Mermaid changed the story because he was threatened by her power, Ursula the Sea Witch was merely using her magic to give a voice and confidence to the merfolk?
According to Peterborough photographer Heather Doughty, that’s just one of the “true” and silenced stories behind some of the most popular female villains. In her latest exhibition Villains, these women finally get to share their stories.
Launching during the First Friday Art Crawl on March 6 at Doughty’s studio at the Commerce Building in downtown Peterborough, Villains explores how media and social media can entirely change a narrative and turn a person into a villain — especially when that person is female.
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“These are hard, strong, powerful women which always wind up on the wrong side of stories because men are the ones in power,” says Doughty. “A powerful woman can be a threat to a man.”
After witnessing first-hand how mob mentality can alter the truth, Doughty began thinking about women who are on the wrong side of history — both real and fictional — who perhaps had their own realities warped and manipulated.
“Part of the exhibition is recognizing the power of media, social media, crowd mentality, and gossip, how people in power can exert and change narratives, and the fact it still happens today,” says Doughty. “It’s still happening to women the exact same way that it happened to these women, even if they’re fictional.”
Irish Millie as 16th-century Irish “Pirate Queen” Grace O’Malley and Dena Hemming and Nicole Truman as fictional film characters Thelma and Louise for Heather Doughty’s latest photography project “Villains.” Through photography with local women as models, audio recordings, and a video, the project shares the “true” stories behind famously vilified women in history and fiction. (Photos: Heather Doughty Photography)
From the Queen of Hearts in Alice in Wonderland and Maleficent in Sleeping Beauty to Shakespeare’s Lady Macbeth to the real-life Irish Pirate Queen Grace O’Malley and Bonnie Parker of Bonnie and Clyde fame, each woman is now given the chance to tell their own story.
“Bonnie Parker would be what today is classified as at-risk youth,” Doughty says. “She came from a broken family. She had no opportunity. She didn’t have access to proper education, and she ran into some trouble and spiralled.”
To tell the women’s stories, Doughty came up with a short list of popular villains and recruited local women to write their true stories.
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Those local women include Erica Richmond, Irish Millie, Madison Sheward, Rose Terry, Nicole Lemke, Karen August, Hermoine Rivision, Dena Hemming, Sahira the Djinn, Nicole Truman, Colleen Kimi, and Valerie Yeo.
“This community is full of amazing, incredible women,” says Doughty. “I’m so honoured that I get to work with them and I’m so honoured that they took this project on because they tell the stories that push back against being silenced.”
Doughty’s photographs of each women were done in her studio with a minimalist set design and the support of Selena Wilson of SKW Beauty and Leigh Morris of Beauty by Leigh.
In Heather Doughty’s “Villains” project, Nicole Lemke as Ursula the Sea Witch from “The Little Mermaid” explains that she was using her magic to give merfolk their voice and independence back. King Triton began spreading the narrative that she was dangerous because she was a threat to the companies who made profit off the insecurities of merfolk. The “true” stories of vilified women in history and fiction will be shown through photographs, audio recordings, and a video during the exhibition, which launches ahead of International Women’s Day during the First Friday Art Crawl on March 6, 2026. (Photo: Heather Doughty Photography)
“Originally, I had this really grand idea of recreating their worlds, but then I thought ‘No, when the viewer comes into the exhibit, I want them to look at the Queen of Hearts and strip away that Disney card,'” says Doughty. “I want them to see this is her because she’s human. I decided I wanted to strip away all the residual familiarity and focus on the individual.”
This intimate look at villains as humans, Doughty says, is one of the reasons she believes “everyone loves a villain.” The demand to understand a villain’s origin story is clear through the success of blockbuster movie adaptions like Cruella, Maleficent, and Wicked over the past several years.
“Villains are more relatable and so human,” Doughty says. “Humans are not perfect, but social media makes us strive for this perfect world. Heroes are perfect. Villains are relatable because they have flaws and they’re human — they show humanity’s real side.”
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Each of the photos will be exhibited alongside a QR code that links to an audio recording of the villain’s story, done with support from Andrew Witkowicz. There is also a video to go along with the exhibition, made by TE Media & Design.
Though Doughty shot the project last summer, she says the silencing of women’s stories is something that continues to come up in the public and is especially something to think about leading up to International Women’s Day on Sunday, March 8.
“Men have always been in the position of power and telling the story,” Doughty says. “As one of my villains says, the stories are always skewed to show men’s perspectives, men’s power. If what really happened doesn’t show a man in a good light, then it gets changed. If you can convince enough people of that story, there you go, you’ve rewritten history. We see it as it’s happening right before our eyes.”
Sahira the Djinn as Maleficent from “Sleeping Beauty” for Heather Doughty’s “Villains” project, launching on March 6, 2026 at her downtown Peterborough studio. Though she initially planned to create each character’s world as their background, Doughty eventually decided to give them a very minimalistic set so that the focus is the woman and the story they are telling. (Photo: Heather Doughty Photography)
Though the stories Doughty explores throughout the exhibition are historical or entirely fictional, she says women’s stories continue to be shaped and altered time and time again.
“Our civilization has been taught that if a woman says something, it should be questioned, and if she keeps repeating it and she keeps getting in the way, she’s being difficult,” Doughty says. “That’s where this project is, and that’s why I tell women’s stories.”
Villains will be on display from 6 to 11 p.m. on on Friday, March 6 at Platform D on the second floor of the Commerce Building (129-1/2 Hunter Street West) in downtown Peterborough.
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