With more than 70 homes participating, you never know what you may find at the East City Neighbourhood Yard Sale in Peterborough on May 13, 2023. (Stock photo)
The East City Neighbourhood Yard Sale is returning in Peterborough for its third year from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday (May 13).
This year’s neighbourhood yard sale promises to be the biggest yet, with more than 70 homes across East City and beyond participating. The neighbourhood yard sale will go ahead rain or shine.
Most participating homes are located between the Otonabee River and Ashburnham Drive from Parkhill Road East in the north to Maria Street in the south. A few homes just beyond East City are also participating, including north of Parkhill Road East, east of Ashburnham Drive (south of Maniece Avenue), and even east of Television Road (south of Old Norwood Road).
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“Whether you’re a seasoned collector, a bargain hunter, or just looking for some good old-fashioned fun, there will be something for everyone,” reads the Facebook event description. “From furniture to clothing, books, toys, tools, and everything in between, you never know what gems you’ll find.”
This year, a few East City businesses are also participating by hosting sidewalk sales on Hunter Street East from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., including Revive Hair Lounge, Flossophy, Kelcey’s Nutrition Centre, De.Kor, and Juniper Peterborough.
Anishinaabe dancer and workshop facilitator Kelli Marshall and Sara "Shahrazi" Shahsavari are two of the artists performing during Artsweek Peterborough's "Hot Spots" series of performances at the Peterborough Square courtyard until May 10, 2023. Shahsavari curated the series, which also features Cale Crowe, Elizabeth Jenkins, Saskia Tomkins, Jade Moulton, Will Ward, Adrian Lowe, Ále Suárez, and Harbhajunkie. (Photo courtesy of Artsweek Peterborough)
As part of Artsweek Peterborough, the courtyard at Peterborough Square is the home of “Hot Spots,” a series of 10 half-hour performances by Peterborough artists taking place at 12:30 and 5:30 p.m. until Friday (May 10).
Artsweek organizer Electric City Culture Council (EC3) asked musician Sara Shahsavari to curate the series of performances, consistent with Artsweek’s theme to present “art in unexpected places.”
“I was very honoured and really grateful that EC3 reached out to me to be a part of Artsweek and to help shine the spotlight on other artists that are on the margins, or new or just starting their artistic journey,” says Shahsavari, who is also the founder of Borderless Records and director of the Borderless Music and Arts Festival.
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EC3 executive director Su Ditta calls Hot Spots “a really great variety of performers, musicians, spoken word poets, dancers, solo acts, duos, and trios,” adding the series is focused on artists who “don’t get enough exposure and not enough people know about them and how fabulous their work is, and again, to put it in unexpected places.”
With Hot Spots providing an opportunity for underrepresented or marginalized artists to shine, Shahsaravi was the ideal choice for curator.
“We asked Sara Shahsaravi to work with us because she organizes the Bordlerless Festival and has a lot of context and expertise in BIPOC artists in the city who are really strong performers,” Ditta says.
Master violinist Saskia Tomkins and multi-disciplinary artist Jade Moulton. (Photos courtesy of Artsweek Peterborough)
Shahsavari — a singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and artist who performs under the name Shahrazi — is among the artists who will perform over the course of the week.
They will perform alongside master violinist Saskia Tomkins and multi-disciplinary artist Jade Moulton on Wednesday at 12:30 p.m., and then again on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. with Kelli Marshall, an Anishinaabe (Ojibway) dancer and workshop facilitator.
“It’s really important for EC3 and Artsweek to keep developing and supporting all the great local artists,” Shahsavari says. “Who else is doing stuff that’s interesting and how can we get them involved? Putting it all together in this amazing multidisciplinary, really creative festival is so cool.”
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Other performers throughout the week include Will Ward (Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.) and Harbhajunkie (Friday at 5:30 p.m.), both of whom represent a newer generation of musical talent emerging within Peterborough.
Harbhajunkie, the stage name of Mridul Harbhajanka, released a collection of atmospheric songs called Making Tunes and Eating Fruit earlier in 2023, in addition to her work recording and performing with Peterborough music collective Effigy Girl.
Ward has performed twice in as many months at Sadleir House, most recently as part of ArtsweekPLUS which saw him take his majestic piano and vocals to the stage as part of a bill that featured local acts Corpus Colossal and Garbageface and Halifax’s Plural.
Musicians Adrian Lowe and Mridul “Harbhajunkie” Harbhajanka. (Photos courtesy of Artsweek Peterborough)
Hot Spots kicked off on Monday afternoon with a performance by musicians The Colton Sisters, with dancer and choreographer Mintu Maria James leading five accomplished dancers in a mixed program of classical Indian dance and Bollywood dance on Monday evening.
Also performing at Hot Spots is Alderville First Nation singer-songwriter Cale Crowe at 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, followed by spoken-word artist and two-time Canadian Independent Poetry Slam Championship finalist Elizabeth Jenkins at 5:30 p.m.
Musician Adrian Lowe, who mixes keyboard and loop pedal and describes his music as “contemporary classical new age”, performs at 12:30 p.m. on Thursday. Queer, trans, and non-binary Venezuelan-American singer-songwriter and instrumentalist Ále Suárez, who infuses Latin styles with R&B and jazz, will perform at 12:30 p.m. on Friday.
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“Every day, there’s an hour’s worth of performance and it’s all free,” Ditta notes. “It’s everything from DJs to spoken word poets, Indian fusion, dance, Indigenous dance and drumming. It’s a really beautiful, inspiring, well-put-together program.”
For complete details of Artsweek 2023, including any last-minute schedule changes, visit artsweekpeterborough.ca.
kawarthaNOW is proud to be the official media sponsor of Artsweek Peterborough 2023. Spoken-word artist Elizabeth Jenkins and Venezuelan-American singer-songwriter and instrumentalist Ále Suárez. (Photos courtesy of Artsweek Peterborough)
Some of the tents pitched by unsheltered people at the Rehill parking lot in December 2022 near the City of Peterborough's overflow shelter at 210 Wolfe Street in downtown Peterborough. The tent encampment has created a range of issues for homeowners and business owners in the area. (Photo: Matt Crowley / Twitter)
A majority of Peterborough city council, meeting as general committee on Monday night (May 8), endorsed a staff recommendation that the city use new provincial homelessness funding to enhance the city’s Wolfe Street overflow shelter by this fall with temporary modular housing units and support services for unhoused people tenting near the shelter.
It was the key recommendation of a comprehensive homelessness strategy plan report (see below for details) presented to council by the city’s new social services director Rebecca Morgan Quin and homelessness programming manager Jocelyn Blazey.
“I do want to emphasize from the outset that what we’re talking about is a high-level concept,” Morgan Quin said. “If we have council’s approval to move forward with the concept, we have a lot of details to work out. But we have spoken to community partners in a general way about what this could look like, and we will get started working as soon as we have that approval.”
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Following Morgan Quin and Blazey’s presentation of the plan, councillors posted a series of questions to the presenters and to the city’s community services commissioner Sheldon Laidman. Questions included how the city will engage with homeowners and business owners in the neighbourhood, whether drug and alcohol use would be allowed in the modular housing units, whether tents would still be allowed after the modular housing units are installed, who would operate the enhanced shelter, and whether the enhanced shelter would be permanent.
Mayor Jeff Leal, a former provincial cabinet minister, lauded the work of city staff and councillors Keith Riel and Alex Bierk (chair and vice chair of the city’s homeless portfolio) by describing the report as a “cabinet-quality report.” Leal also proposed an additional recommendation for the report to create a neighbourhood liaison committee of five to seven people. including one councillor and one police officer.
“We’re resourcing the area in a way that’s going to meet the needs of not only the people that are unhoused, but it’s going to meet the needs of the neighbourhood,” councillor Bierk said. “We’re offering structure there that currently doesn’t exist. This is an emergency response. Mark my words, this will be better than what we have now, and this is definitely better than us not doing this tonight and continuing to have the situation at Wolfe Street get out of hand.”
City of Peterborough social services director Rebecca Morgan Quin and homelessness programming manager Jocelyn Blazey presented the city’s homelessness service strategy to city council’s general committee on May 8, 2023. (kawarthaNOW screenshot)
Bierk asked Morgan Quin to describe some of the benefits of the enhanced Wolfe Street shelter for the neighbourhood.
“One of the pieces in the plan that we haven’t really touched on but is definitely something we hear from neighbours is lack of facilities for people,” Morgan Quin said. “If people are concerned with (unsheltered people) using someone’s front yard as their washroom, then providing washrooms could be a major step up. If people are concerned with shopping carts going missing and (unsheltered people) wandering all over the city and they don’t want to see that, if people have a place that they can be and they can store their things, they don’t have to carry it with them everywhere — they’re not carrying it with them because they want to, they’re carrying it with them because they’re afraid that someone will steal it while they are away. It will improve the feeling in that neighbourhood. It will also alleviate some of the concerns that people have downtown.”
Following the questions to the presenters, councillors debated the homelessness strategy plan report.
“The era of tenting is over,” Mayor Leal said. “We just can’t allow it. If we’re making this kind of investment, the elimination of tents is an absolute must.”
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“This is not a plan written on the back of a napkin,” councillor Bierk said. “This is a plan with a lot of variables, but we’re going to put faith (in) the experts in our community to work with the city and to work with us to make sure that all those unknowns and all those variables are done with evidence-based approaches that are going to work for people that are unhoused and people in the community.”
Councillor Dave Haacke requested the report’s key recommendation to use provincial funding to enhance the Wolfe Street shelter — the backbone of the plan to address the immediate homelessness crisis — be separated out so councillors could vote on it independently from the rest of the report, saying he supported the report other than the key recommendation.
“If this doesn’t pass tonight, we’re back at square one,” councillor Bierk said. “We can recommend everything but (the key recommendation), but we still don’t have a plan. We still have to deal with the current reality — which, yes, you’re right councillor Haacke, we can all agree upon, that the current reality is not working. So what happens if we don’t accept this plan? We still have no plan and things continue to get worse. I support this. I have faith it’s going to work. I have faith that over time the neighbourhood will come to see that it’s going to address the needs of the community while we work towards those mid-term and long-term goals.”
VIDEO: Peterborough city councillor Alex Bierk – May 8, 2023
After voting unanimously to endorse the report without the key recommendation, councillors voted 7-4 vote to also endorse the key recommendation.
Mayor Jeff Leal and councillors Joy Lachica, Alex Bierk, Keith Riel, Matt Crowley, and Kevin Duguay voted to endorse the recommendation and councillors Dave Haacke, Andrew Beamer, Don Vassiliadis, and Lesley Parnell voted against it.
The general committee endorsement will go forward to the regular city council meeting on Tuesday, May 23rd to be considered for approval. Registered delegations will be able to appear before council at that meeting to support or oppose the endorsement.
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Homelessness Service Strategy and Update
The city’s May 8th “Homelessness Service Strategy and Update” makes a number of recommendations to address the city’s homelessness crisis, most notably that the city create temporary modular housing units near the overflow shelter at 210 Wolfe Street and that the city fund an emergency winter response program, both by the fall of this year.
The modular housing units could be single cabins, multi-room units, dorm-style units, or connectable units. The enhancements at Wolfe Street would also include access to bathroom and shower units, storage for belongings, access to support services, and security supports.
The report recommends reallocating over $3.4 million to fund the Wolfe Street enhancements and the emergency winter response program. The funding includes an almost $2.5 million increase over the next three years provided to the city in 2023 from the Ontario government’s Homelessness Prevention Program (for a total allocation of almost $7.7 million), $667,000 in funding for the Wolfe Street overflow shelter, and $267,000 for a daily meal and drop-in centre space through the One Roof Community Centre at St. John’s Anglican Church, which has informed the city is will no longer provide the service as of the end of December.
Homeowners and business owners in the area of Wolfe Street bounded by Aylmer, Dalhousie, and George Street have been dealing with ongoing issues including vandalism, theft, intoxication and drug use, and public urination and defecation as a result of the tent encampment of unhoused people in the area. Google Maps even includes a user-submitted marker for “Peterborough’s Famous Tent City”. (kawarthaNOW screenshot)
The city currently funds 74 shelter beds available 24/7 — 32 beds at Brock Mission, 12 beds at Cameron House, and 30 beds at YES Shelter for Youth & Families — as well as the 32-bed overnight shelter at Wolfe Street.
According to the report, over the first three months of 2023, the average occupancy of these beds was 86 per cent, ranging from 79 per cent occupancy at YES Shelter for Youth & Families to 100 per cent occupancy at Brock Mission. As of April, there were 302 people on the city’s by-name priority list of people either staying in shelters, living outside, or in precarious housing situations, with more than half of them experiencing chronic homelessness. There were 53 people in the city identified as sleeping outside in April.
“There is a significant number of individuals who are unsheltered near the Wolfe Street Overflow Shelter,” the report states. “This is causing stress in the neighbourhood while it is unsafe, unsuitable, and unhealthy for those tenting.”
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The report recognizes that, regardless of the availability of beds, some unsheltered people choose not to use the shelter system. The most common reasons unsheltered people give for not using the shelter system are because of concerns about their own personal safety or that of their personal belongings, because their friends or family members are living outside, or because of the lack of autonomy (the ability to come and go when needed) in the shelter system.
“By providing modular units, clients who are currently unsheltered would be safer and be supported towards stabilization, and ultimately permanent housing,” the report states. “The usage of temporary modular building units not only provides a more secure, safe, and healthier form of temporary housing for those currently unsheltered but also provides a better model for paying for shelter services.”
City staff are recommending the modular units be located at 210 Wolfe Street and the Rehill parking lot because it is city-owned property that is large enough to accommodate the number of units required and the Wolfe Street building has already been retrofitted to provide bathrooms, showers, and meals. As the Wolfe Street building also has office space, it has the potential to serve as a community hub for unsheltered people to get services from community agencies.
As part of the plan, fencing would be installed to enhance privacy for people using the temporary housing and for neighbours in the Wolfe Street area.
“There are concerns that any locations outside of the downtown core will not be utilized by individuals who need or prefer to be able to easily access services downtown,” the report states. “Providing locations only outside of downtown will ensure that persons will continue to attempt to tent in downtown area parks.”
“While the specifics of this plan still need to be determined, staff are seeking council support for the concept and location, and the delegation of decision-making abilities to ensure all elements required can be implemented by the fall of 2023,” the report states. “Staff are not proposing a specific timeframe that the Wolfe Street enhancements would remain in place to allow time to invest in permanent solutions and plan for next steps.”
“The goal is that clients will be supported to move into existing supportive housing programs and or resolve their experience of homelessness but, in the meantime, will be provided a unit that is more secure, safer, healthier, and more able to meet individual needs. This plan will meet both the needs of the current clients who are unsheltered, while also supporting the neighbourhood that is currently at Wolfe Street. It is expected that reorienting supports from the Overflow Shelter to these modular units along with better security, site improvements, and on-site storage may lessen the impact on the neighbourhood.”
According to the report, while city staff “do not believe that one site on the periphery of the city or away from the downtown can meet the needs and preferences of those currently unsheltered and tenting,” they are recommending “additional locations be pursued to provide temporary modular units on private lands elsewhere in the city with appropriate supports.”
“This would serve to alleviate the usage of Wolfe Street and can provide alternative options for those unsheltered. Staff are recommending that additional locations be pursued to provide temporary modular units on private lands elsewhere in the city with appropriate supports.”
In April, Habitat for Humanity Peterborough and Kawartha Region announced it had partnered with Peterborough Action for Tiny Homes (PATH) to lease the former Peterborough Humane Society building at 385 Lansdowne Street East to PATH for three years to provide transitional shelter support by hosting 15 sleeping cabins with access to shower and bathroom facilities in the main building. In December, city council voted against a temporary use by-law and potential site plan exemption application to allow PATH to use a property at 834 Park Street for this purpose.
The report proposes that the Wolfe Street building could also be used as the proposed winter emergency response program location.
“As demonstrated last year, there is a need for a winter drop-in program in addition to the shelters,” the report states, referring to the Stop Gap Drop-In Space operated by community agencies from January to April this year, after city council voted in December not to provide $100,000 in funding for the Stop Gap Drop-In Space.
“There was a significant number of clients who utilized that space and where it was often at capacity. It is clear that there needs to be a specific overnight drop-in space during the winter to keep individuals in the community out of the elements and support them to stay alive.”
To provide a 24/7 emergency winter response program, the report states, it is likely the $267,000 in funding previously allocated to One Roof would need to be augmented by the increased Homelessness Prevention Program funding from the province.
Selwyn native J.R. Avon scored the game-winning goal when the Peterborough Petes defeated the North Bay Battalion 3-2 on May 8, 2023 at to take the Eastern Conference championship in seven games. (Photo: David Pickering)
The Peterborough Petes captured the Eastern Conference championship in seven games on Monday night (May 8), defeating the North Bay Battalion 3-2 on their home turf in a closely fought match.
The Bobby Orr Trophy winners advance to the OHL final for the first time in 17 years to take on the London Knights — the same opponent the Petes swept in the 2006 OHL final to take home the J. Ross Robertson Cup.
At Monday night’s game at North Bay Memorial Gardens, the Batallion’s Josh Bloom opened the scoring in the first period. Owen Beck of the Petes tied it up in the second period before teammate Brennan Othmann also scored to gave the Petes a 2-1 lead, with a goal by North Bay’s Liam Arnsby ending the second period in a tie.
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Selwyn native J.R. Avon broke the tie early in the third period to give the Petes a 3-2 lead, which they held to defeat North Bay. Goalie Michael Simpson stopped 22 of 24 shots for his 12th win of the playoffs.
The OHL final begins in London at 7 p.m. on Thursday (May 11) when the Petes face off against the Western Conference champion Knights.
Game two of the best-of-seven series will also take place in London on Saturday, with home games at the Peterborough Memorial Centre next Monday and Wednesday.
Canada's only free-admission accredited zoo, Peterborough's Riverview Park & Zoo is home to more than 150 animals and over 40 species, including squirrel monkeys. (Photo: Riverview Park and Zoo)
Peterborough’s Riverview Park & Zoo was temporarily closed due to a fire on Monday (May 8).
On Monday morning, the zoo announced on social media it would be closed until further notice, without providing any details about the reason for the closure.
Around an hour later, the zoo announced it had reopened and that the closure was due to a fire.
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“Emergency response plans were successful and all animals and staff are safe,” the zoo stated.
According to a media release from Peterborough Fire Services issued on Monday evening, they responded to the report of a fire alarm activation in the primate building at the zoo at 7:50 a.m.
“While fire crews searched to locate the fire in the attic, employees of the zoo worked simultaneously to safely remove all the monkeys, turtles, and other animals from the structure,” the media release reads. “The fire was extinguished and no animals were harmed in the process.”
Peterborough Fire Services believes the cause of the fire was electrical in nature. The estimated damage is $40,000.
The Riverview Park & Zoo is Canada’s only free-admission accredited zoo, with the zoo and park grounds open year-round from 8:30 a.m. until dusk. Beginning on Victoria Day (May 22), the zoo’s miniature train ride opens daily (weather permitting), along with the zoo’s gift shop, snack bar, and splash pad.
This photo by Karen Suggitt of Baddow Road Photography of a black bear playing with a sapling in the woods in Kawartha Lakes was our top Instagram post for April 2023. (Photo: Karen Suggitt @karen_suggitt / Instagram)
April is my favourite month and it always flies by way too fast. This April in the Kawarthas was a mixed bag of everything that Mother Nature could throw at us. We had snow, we had sleet, we had frost, and we had buckets of rain. We had March cold and we had July heat. When spring finally arrived and the ice broke and the snow finally melted away, we welcomed back many of our favourite things.
Open water is back with the sky and sunsets reflected in our beautiful lakes, paddling is back, and the herons and loons are back. Coffee on the dock is back for the lucky few who can access cottage country early in the season. And it seems that the trilliums are back early this year — they started to bud late in April, but you’ll see them in full bloom in our May column. And nothing says spring like a black bear wandering in the woods, and our top photo tells that story.
Many thanks, as always, to our intrepid local photographers who bring The Kawarthas to us every month.
Do you want to get on our top photographers list? All you need is an Insta account and to tag us using our hashtag #kawarthanow when posting your photo.
We share photos from across our readership area, which is the five-county area surrounding Peterborough which includes Peterborough, Northumberland, City of Kawartha Lakes, Haliburton, and Hastings (we sneak in the occasional Algonquin Park picture as well, particularly if it’s by a Kawarthas photographer).
To see our daily shares of photos, follow us on Instagram @kawarthanow and check out our feed’s highlight reels for recaps of every month in 2023.
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#1. Black bear playing in the woods in Kawartha Lakes by Karen Suggitt @karen_suggitt
Cottage Vacations offers a range of cottage properties for rent across the Kawarthas region, including this newly renovated cottage in northern Peterborough County. On the shores of picturesque Crystal Lake, this 850-square-foot cottage creates the ultimate coastal escape without the price of flights. The main cottage, which can sleep six, with an additional bunkie makes it a perfect destination for two families to unwind in the summer. (Photo courtesy of Cottage Vacations)
With cottage season soon in full swing, there’s good news for people looking to rent a cottage in the Kawarthas and cottage owners in the Kawarthas wanting to rent out their cottage: Ontario’s premier cottage rental company Cottage Vacations is expanding its operations in the region.
Since 1999, Cottage Vacations has offered hundreds of privately owned waterfront cottages for rent in Muskoka, Parry Sound, Georgian Bay, Simcoe, Haliburton, and the Kawarthas. Last September, Sandra Wilkins joined Cottage Vacations as the territory manager overseeing the Kawarthas region — including Peterborough and the Kawarthas, Kawartha Lakes, and Haliburton — which has recently experienced significant growth in cottage rental availability.
“There’s such a need in this area,” says Wilkins, acknowledging that this demand is what attracted her to the role. “I’m excited for the future — not just for myself, but for cottage owners and cottage renters in the whole area I’m working in.”
Jay Katzeff, president of Cottage Vacations, and Sandra Wilkins, territory manager for the Kawarthas, including Peterborough and the Kawarthas, Kawartha Lakes, and Haliburton. (Photos courtesy of Cottage Vacations)
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When Cottage Vacations president Jay Katzeff took over the Muskoka-based company last February, he noticed a high rate of Kawarthas rentals on the market, compared to properties in traditional cottage country like the Muskokas. He attributes this increase to the region offering a similar cottage experience but at a lower price point.
“People saw a lot of opportunity in the Kawarthas and it just continues to grow,” Katzeff explains. “It’s a fantastic vacation market and it’s a fantastic community. It has all the amenities one could ask for.”
While pandemic travel restrictions increased the demand for cottage rentals over the past couple of years, travel is now returning to normal and rental demand is returning to pre-pandemic levels. At the same, more owners are looking to rent their cottages to help offset increased ownership costs.
Full of traditional and modern charm, this cottage on Crego Lake in the northeast corner of Kawartha Lakes near Kinmount features three bedrooms and soaring ceilings with tons of natural light. (Photo courtesy of Cottage Vacations)
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“Because interest rates have gone up, and cost of ownership has gone up, more people have turned to renting their properties,” says Katzeff. “They need that cash flow, so more owners are looking to rent their properties than ever before.”
Although Cottage Vacations has always listed some cottages in the Kawarthas since its founding in 1999, Katzeff felt it was an “obvious next step” to onboard someone located in and dedicated to the region given its recent growth in rentals.
“You need to have someone who lives and breathes and understands the Kawarthas market,” he notes, referring to Wilkins. “There’s nuance to every lake and there’s nuance to every property.”
Cottage Vacations is offering even more rental properties in the Kawarthas. This cottage is located on beautiful Crystal Lake, southeast of Kinmount and north of Bobcaygeon in northern Peterborough County. (Photo courtesy of Cottage Vacations)
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Labelling themselves as “matchmakers,” Cottage Vacations offers something that other companies in the short-term rental industry don’t: a hands-on, personalized experience for both owners and renters.
“We are there to support the owner, to make sure it’s the right rental group for their property so they’re going to have the best experience,” Katzeff explains. “And we’re there to support the renter, to make sure the property they’re paying for is going to be the best one for their vacation.”
To do this, Wilkins visits each property before it gets listed, eliminating the potential for false advertising and owner biases. Though renters can find a variety of properties — ranging from a basic rental to a luxurious one — at Cottage Vacations, not just any property can be listed on the platform; it must meet certain standards.
At Cottage Vacations, available rental properties vary from classic cottage country to luxury lakehouse and everything in between. This luxury property can be found on the shores of Twelve Mile Lake in Haliburton County, with six bedrooms spread across the three storeys. Infused with natural light, the open concept interior provides uninhibited views of the lake. (Photo courtesy of Cottage Vacations)
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“We evaluate whether the property is going to meet needs of the renters that we attract,” Wilkins says.
“We take pride in being very honest,” Katzeff adds, explaining the company knows their listed properties inside and out so they can make accurate recommendations based on a renter’s needs. “If there are one hundred steps from the deck to the water, we tell you there are one hundred steps from the deck to the water. That’s why renters can rely on us.”
Cottage Vacations is equally dedicated to protecting the interests of cottage owners, requiring renters to fill out a thorough application form.
“We make sure the people who are renting our properties are going to take care of them and are going to treat the property with respect,” Katzeff points out.
Cottage Vacations offers in-house professional photography to all its owners to help capture and showcase their properties’ best attributes, including this stunning kitchen and dining area of a luxury cottage on Twelve Mile Lake in Haliburton County. (Photo courtesy of Cottage Vacations)
The company also keeps a database of renters and, if a cottage owner has a bad experience with a renter, they don’t allow the renter to book again on the Cottage Vacations platform.
Along with these protections, Cottage Vacations is also working to address the “absentee owner” issue which, according to Katzeff, is creating a bad name for the short-term rental industry — leading municipalities like the City of Kawartha Lakes to consider a short-term rental by-law and licensing program.
“We want to work with municipalities, townships, and neighbourhoods to let us manage those properties,” he says. “We are here to protect this industry and we’re here to protect these neighbourhoods.”
Cottage Vacations properties range from deep to shallow entry. Finding a cottage to suit your group’s needs has never been easier. Located near Wilberforce on Grace Lake, this cottage features a large sandy beach for guests to enjoy. (Photo courtesy of Cottage Vacations)
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While companies like Airbnb and Vrbo have received much of the criticism around short-term rentals, Cottage Vacations understands the “simplicity” of their platforms is appealing to renters. The company will soon be launching an updated website offering a user-friendly rental process similar to the one offered on these platforms. Clients will be able to easily complete rental applications and provide payment details directly on the website.
Both owners and renters are still welcome to pick up the phone and speak directly with someone in the office anytime they require.
“Our updated website will marry the ease and appeal of Airbnb with the safety net of working with an agency,” Katzeff says.
Welcome to Reverence on Kennisis Lake, a gorgeous Canadian Shield cottage with granite outcrops located in the heart of the 100,000-acre Haliburton Forest. This log-construction cottage will serve as your base for all the outdoor adventure the region has to offer. (Photo courtesy of Cottage Vacations)
With the recent launch of Cottage Vacations Real Estate Brokerage, the company is taking their services a step further to also help people looking to purchase their own rental property.
“Cottages are big investments and you have to have the right information,” says Katzeff, explaining new cottage owners often have unrealistic expectations of the rental market after receiving inaccurate information from real estate agents.
“We’re able to leverage 23 years of rental history and data from between 150 and 300 properties all over cottage country to help you make the best decision on your purchase.”
Located on Lake Scucog in Janetville near Lindsay, the Loon Street Lodge is just 90 minutes away from Toronto, making it an ideal destination for those looking to escape the big city in the summer. (Photo courtesy of Cottage Vacations)
As for Wilkins, she is currently enrolled in the Real Estate Salesperson Program, delivered by Humber College, so she can also help people looking to buy a rental cottage in the Kawarthas.
“It just makes sense because we have people who have rented from Cottage Vacations for years and years and years,” she says. “They may be now so in love with the concept and be in the position to buy their own.”
For those who buy a rental cottage through Cottage Vacations Real Estate Brokerage, the company can also help them with the entire rental process.
Cottage Vacations at the Spring Cottage Life Show, held from March 23 to 26, 2023 at the International Centre in Mississauga (from left to right): president Jay Katzeff, Real Estate Broker Of Record Tyler DaCosta, Muskoka/Georgian Bay territory manager Tammy Rice, and Kawarthas territory manager Sandra Wilkins. (Photo courtesy of Cottage Vacations)
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“We stay involved,” Katzeff says. “We’re not just going to help you buy the property. We’re also going to manage it for you, to make sure that you achieve the outcome you’re looking for. We bring it to life with real numbers, real data, real information, and then we’re there to help you succeed.”
For new cottage owners entering the rental market, both Katzeff and Wilkins want to be along for the journey.
“You let us help you find the perfect property,” says Katzeff. “Let us stay with you before, during, and after the transaction. And when you’re ready to upgrade it or sell it, let us be there for you too.”
Cottage Vacations will soon be launching their updated website with plenty of rentals still available for summer bookings. In the interim, you can browse available properties at cottagevacations.com, where cottage owners looking to rent out their properties can also arrange an appointment.
For more information about Cottage Vacations Real Estate Brokerage and to see featured listings, visit cvrealestate.com.
This branded editorial was created in partnership with Cottage Vacations. If your organization or business is interested in a branded editorial, contact us.
Located at 83 Robinson Street in Peterborough's East City, the John C. Sullivan House was built in 1886 and designed by famed Peterborough architect William Blackwell. The Sullivan family, which founded Sullivan's Pharmacy, sold the home in the Roman Catholic diocese in 1936 which used it as a convent from 1941 until 1953. (Photo: Bruce Head / kawarthaNOW)
Update – Listed with Forest Hill Real Estate Inc., the asking price for John C. Sullivan House is $1,399,800. The home has a total of eight bedrooms and four full bathrooms, including a three-bedroom apartment on the third floor. You can take a 3D tour.
The John C. Sullivan House, a historic home built for the founder of Sullivan’s Pharmacy in Peterborough’s East City that later served as a convent, is apparently going up for sale.
A real estate sign with a “Coming soon to MLS” label was recently placed in front of the property, which is located at 83 Robinson Street across from Immaculate Conception Catholic Elementary School.
According to information from the City of Peterborough’s heritage register, the mansion — which became known as Lakeview (presumably because its highest south-facing windows would have a view of Little Lake) — was built in 1886 for John C. Sullivan, who hired famed Peterborough architect William Blackwell to design it.
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Among many other buildings, Blackwell also designed the Academy Theatre in Lindsay in 1893, the Young Men’s Christian Association building in downtown Peterborough in 1896, and King George Public School in East City in 1913.
As for Sullivan, he was a grocer by trade who opened a store in Ashburnham Village, in the building on Hunter Street East just west of where Sullivan’s Pharmacy is located today. Sullivan and his Irish-born wife Mary lived in rooms over the grocery store before having the Robinson Street house built. In 1913, two of the couple’s children opened a pharmacy in the same building and John C. Sullivan’s grandson Hugh Sullivan took over operation of the pharmacy when his father passed away.
Hugh Sullivan later bought Irwin’s drug store and moved it to the current location of Sullivan’s Pharmacy, which he operated with his son Peter until selling the business in 2014 to Jason Hinton and Doug Shier (Hinton is now the sole owner).
A real estate sign with a “coming soon to MLS” label was recently placed in the John C. Sullivan House at 83 Robinson Street in Peterborough’s East City. (Photo: Bruce Head / kawarthaNOW)
In 1936, the Sullivan family sold the Robinson Street property to the Roman Catholic Episcopal Corporation for the Diocese of Peterborough, which conveyed it to the Sisters of the
Precious Blood of the Diocese of Peterborough in 1941.
For the next 12 years, the mansion served as a convent for nuns whose principal occupation was making wafers for Holy Communion.
The house had several different owners from 1953 until 1967, when it began to be used as a boarding house. In 1981, John and Theresa Topic, both professors at Trent University, purchased the home with the intent of converting it back to a single family dwelling.
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In 1985, the house received heritage designation from the City of Peterborough.
Described as one of the largest homes in Peterborough, the John C. Sullivan House is considered one of the best examples of the bracketed Italianate style of architecture in the city.
Public information about the ownership and use of the property after 1985, when the house received heritage designation, is currently unavailable.
The original version of this story, which included information about John C. Sullivan’s business from research completed by Gina Basciano for the City of Peterborough, has been updated with corrections supplied by Peter Sullivan.
Dr. John Beamish presents at Hospice Peterborough's annual general meeting in 2018. One of the founding members of Hospice Peterborough in 1988, Dr. Beamish served in many roles at the organization before becoming its medical director in 2018. (Photo: Hospice Peterborough)
Dr. John Beamish, medical director of Hospice Peterborough and a tireless advocate for hospice palliative care, has retired.
One of the founding members of Hospice Peterborough in 1988, Dr. Beamish has served in many roles in the organization over the past four decades, including as board member, staff mentor, and donor.
In 2018, he became Hospice Peterborough’s medical director for community programs and the hospice care centre which opened in 2019 at 325 London Street in Peterborough. He was a driving force behind the 10-bed residence, which provides around-the-clock end-of-life care for hospice clients and family members.
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Also a family physician, Dr. Beamish provided palliative care to patients living in the city and county of Peterborough for more than four decades.
“During this time, palliative care has evolved from a discipline on the fringes of medicine to a respected part of the care continuum,” reads a newsletter from Hospice Peterborough announcing Dr. Beamish’s retirement. “He is considered by many to be a trailblazer in the palliative field.”
“In the early days of Hospice Peterborough, Dr. Beamish would participate in weekly client and system reviews that resulted in not only better care for clients, but also incredible growth of Hospice and palliative supports in the community for clients and their families. His knowledge, responsiveness, good humour, and ability to empower patients with information to make their own care decisions continue to be commended today.”
Dr. John Beamish (middle) received the Paul Harris Fellow award from the Rotary Club of Peterborough Kawartha in 2021 for community service. (Photo: Rotary Club of Peterborough Kawartha)
After retiring from his family practice in 2020, Dr. Beamish continued to provide palliative care at Hospice Peterborough and at Peterborough Regional Health Centre.
He became a local hero during the height of the pandemic when, to limit the risk of Hospice Peterborough clients’ exposure to the virus, he volunteered to be the only palliative physician for the care centre residents, never taking a day off.
“He came in every day for four months, without complaint, and, as always, showed kindness, compassion, and good humour,” says Hospice Peterborough executive director Hajni Hos.
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Dr. Beamish also played an integral role in establishing community health initiatives including Ontario’s Community Palliative On-call Physician (CPOC) group and the 360 Clinic, which provides more equitable healthcare to people who struggle to use regular services in the community.
In 2021, he was awarded the Dr. S. Lawrence Librach Award for Palliative Medicine in the Community for excellence and leadership in palliative care, as well as the Rotary Club of Peterborough Kawartha’s Paul Harris Fellow award for community service.
Hospice Peterborough is collecting well wishes to compile into a book to present to Dr. Beamish. You can send your well wishes to admin@hospicepeterborough.org by Friday, June 2nd.
Peterborough band Charlie Horse (Alan Black, Clifford Maynes, Trevor "Tiny" Davis, and JP Hovercraft) performs rarely heard country songs recorded by The Rolling Stones along with "country-fried" Stones favourites at The Ganny in Port Hope on Saturday afternoon. (Photo courtesy of Charlie Horse)
Every Thursday, we publish live music events at pubs and restaurants in Peterborough and the greater Kawarthas region based on information that venues provide to us directly or post on their website or social media channels. Here are the listings for the week of Thursday, May 4 to Wednesday, May 10.
If you’re a pub or restaurant owner and want to be included in our weekly listings, please 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).
kawarthaNOW.com offers two enews options to help readers stay in the know. Our VIP enews is delivered weekly every Wednesday morning and includes exclusive giveaways, and our news digest is delivered daily every morning. You can subscribe to one or both.
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