Peterborough and Area Master Gardeners mentored new gardeners of all ages at a Growing Together: Gardening Basics workshop on June 6, 2026 at GreenUP Ecology Park. Participants planted a range of herbs and vegetables into containers while connecting with others across multiple generations. (Photo: Andréanna Sullivan / GreenUP)
Each week, GreenUP provides a story related to the environment. This week’s story is by Andréanna Sullivan, Landscape Program Coordinator, GreenUP.
On a sunny Saturday afternoon in early May, more than 40 community members gathered at the New Canadians Centre for GreenUP’s first workshop in the Growing Together series. Participants left with tomato plants, seeds, practical gardening knowledge and, perhaps most importantly, the confidence to grow something of their own.
Growing Together is a new initiative developed in partnership with the Peterborough and Area Master Gardeners and supported through the Government of Canada’s New Horizons for Seniors Program.
The series recognizes the important role seniors play as mentors, educators, and community leaders by creating opportunities for experienced gardeners to share their knowledge with others.
Advertisement - content continues below
The inaugural workshop, Starting Your Own Food Garden, focused on helping people take their first steps into growing food. Participants included newcomers to Canada, seniors, experienced gardeners, and people who had never grown anything before.
The workshop created space for conversations about food, gardening, and community while providing practical skills that participants could take home and use immediately.
One of the most rewarding aspects of the event was the exchange of knowledge across generations. The Peterborough and Area Master Gardeners brought decades of gardening experience, while participants contributed their own questions, stories, and enthusiasm. Learning flowed in many directions.
The workshop was also a reminder that gardening does not need to begin with a large backyard or years of experience. Many people are interested in growing food but feel overwhelmed by where to start.
Questions about soil, sunlight, watering, and plant selection can make gardening seem more complicated than it is. By breaking it down into simple practical steps, the workshop helped make growing food more approachable.
GreenUP is hosting multiple gardening workshops in partnership with the Peterborough and Area Master Gardeners in 2026 as part of Growing Together, an event series funded by the Government of Canada’s New Horizons for Seniors Program. GreenUP Ecology Park’s accessible infrastructure, like the education shelter shown in this photo from the June 6 Gardening 101 workshop, are important spaces for facilitating knowledge sharing and social connection between community members of all ages. (Photo: Andréanna Sullivan / GreenUP)
That same theme continued at the recent Gardening Basics workshop at GreenUP Ecology Park and will carry through the remainder of the Growing Together series.
Upcoming Saturday afternoon workshops include Gardening with Children on July 4, Gardening with Pollinators on September 26, and Gardening as we Age on October 17.
Each session combines practical activities, discussion, and opportunities for participants to learn directly from experienced gardeners.
Advertisement - content continues below
While Growing Together is a new program, the partnership between GreenUP and the Peterborough and Area Master Gardeners has deep roots.
Since 2005, Master Gardeners have staffed information tables at the nursery’s opening weekends and other GreenUP events. Several current members were involved in those early years and continue to share their knowledge with the community today.
In addition to leading workshops, the Peterborough and Area Master Gardeners have been volunteering as garden mentors at the GreenUP Ecology Park Native Plant Nursery throughout this spring and early summer.
The Peterborough and Area Master Gardeners and GreenUP are building on their long-standing partnership at GreenUP Ecology Park Native plant nursery in 2026. Every weekend until July 5 and 6, volunteer master gardeners have been on hand at the nursery to share their knowledge and answer visitor questions about gardening and plant selection. (Photo: Natalie Stephenson / GreenUP)
“It has been really lovely to see the excitement of visitors who are coming to discover native plant species,” says Mary-Kathleen Dunn, a Master Gardener in training and garden mentor at Ecology Park.
Every Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Master Gardeners have been on site at the nursery to help visitors select plants, answer gardening questions, and share practical growing advice drawn from years of experience. The final sessions this season are July 4 and 5.
“It’s been truly wonderful interacting with the staff here. We all learn from each other. You’ve never totally arrived as a gardener, and that’s the beauty of it.”
Advertisement - content continues below
Gardening naturally brings people together. Whether sharing seeds, comparing successes and failures, or helping someone troubleshoot a struggling tomato plant, gardeners have long built community through shared learning.
The Growing Together series is part of a broader effort to strengthen social connections amongst older adults while celebrating the knowledge and experience that exists within the community.
As the growing season unfolds, these workshops will continue creating opportunities for connections to happen. Some participants may leave with a planter full of herbs. Others may leave with a new gardening technique, a helpful tip, or a renewed sense of confidence. All are valuable outcomes.
For information about upcoming Growing Together workshops and for the registration link, visit greenup.on.ca/events.
The youth team behind Empire Beez in Trent Hills (left to right: Sebastian Smith, Owen Musson, Eloise Smith, and Penelope McEvoy) stand with the beehive they installed at the Simpson Street Community Garden in Campbellford. The group launched the small business last year with the aim of raising awareness around honeybees and installing community beehives. The team will be unveiling the beehive during a garden talk held by IncrEdible Trent Hills on July 9, 2026. (Photo courtesy of Blythe Weber)
Just as a bee colony relies on teamwork to make things happen, so too does Empire Beez.
The youth-led small business reached their goal of installing their first beehive at a community garden in Trent Hills last week. The hive will not only help the gardens and pollinators thrive, but provide public learning opportunities.
The efficiency in which honeybees work together is one of the reasons 13-year-old Sebastian Smith, the founder of Empire Beez, has long held an interest in the insect. His passion proved contagious, and he convinced friends Owen Musson and Penelope McEvoy, also both 13, and his 10-year-old sister Eloise to fall in love with bees alongside him.
Advertisement - content continues below
Share on Bluesky
“I really liked them because they aren’t solitary insects — they don’t live by themselves,” Sebastian says. “They work together in one super-organism with all these different bees helping not just for themselves, but for the whole entire colony.”
“They make honey and pollinate one-third of our food. If you’re going to sit down for dinner, one-third of that plate would have been pollinated by bees, and I just find that really amazing.”
“That’s why we can’t lose the bees with colony collapse disorder, because if we do, things are going to be pretty bad,” adds Penelope.
A resident of the Municipality of Trent Hills, 13-year-old Sebastian Smith is the founder of Empire Beez. Always harbouring an interest in bees, he learned about them by joining the junior beekeeper program led by Dancing Bees Equipment in Port Hope. Upon learning about colony collapse disorder, he launched the business to raise awareness about declining bee populations and to raise funds to install community beehives. (Photo courtesy of Blythe Weber)
Colony collapse disorder (CCD) is a phenomenon that occurs when the majority of worker bees in a colony suddenly leave behind the queen, some food, and brood (baby bees). Experts remain uncertain about the core cause of CCD, though some theories include pesticide poisoning, Varroa mite infestations, and changes in habitat.
When Sebastian heard about CCD, he knew he had to do something to raise awareness and try making a difference.
“I thought we could make a business that could help get people noticing more about the declining population and help people get more interested and pulled in and connect the community together,” he says.
Advertisement - content continues below
Share on Bluesky
Empire Beez launched last summer with a “My Future My Career” microgrant from the Business & Entrepreneurship Centre Northumberland. With the microgrant, Empire Beez began attending markets and events to speak to people about declining bee populations and raising funds by selling products like necklaces, artwork, crocheted bees, tattoos, and, of course, honey.
The funds earned through the market sales allowed Empire Beez to purchase the equipment needed to build their beehive from Dancing Bee Equipment in Port Hope, where Sebastian and Eloise learned about beekeeping as members of the junior beekeepers program. The team is grateful to have received a discount from Dancing Bee Equipment.
Earlier this month, Empire Beez built and installed their community beehive at the Simpson Street Community Garden in Campbellford. The garden is maintained by IncrEdible Trent Hills, a not-for-profit organization that aims to unite and nourish the communities of Trent Hills and beyond by supporting and strengthening the local food system.
The Empire Beez team (left to right: Penelope McEvoy, Eloise Smith, Owen Musson, and Sebastian Smith) painted and constructed the beehive they installed at the Simpson Street Community Garden in Campbellford. The youth-led business hopes to raise enough funds to continue installing beehives in community gardens around Trent Hills. (Photo courtesy of Blythe Weber)
Ashley Townsend, the community gardens coordinator at IncrEdible Trent Hills, says the organization has been looking for opportunities to turn their two community gardens — they also steward the Doxsee Avenue garden in Campbellford — into “more of an ecological park” that supports wildlife and provides learning opportunities.
So when they were approached by Empire Beez, she says it was a “no-brainer” to install the beehive.
“They were just so enthusiastic, and they want to talk to people and tell them about sustainability and what we can do,” Ashley says. “That was another thing that just super aligned with what our organization is about, especially the community garden. If it’s educational, I am so there for it, so it felt like the perfect little partnership.”
Advertisement - content continues below
Share on Bluesky
For Sebastian, the learning has already started at the garden.
“I’m really liking being with the bees in the hive,” he says. “Even though I’ve only done it twice, I’m jumping up and down to go again and just see how much they’ve thrived and how much they’ve built.”
“I just feel a very special connection with them because we put everything into it. We painted the hive, we assembled the hive, we put the bees into the hive, and I really want them to have a good home.”
Over the past year, the team at Empire Beez in Trent Hills has attended regional markets and events to sell honey, jewellery, tattoos, crocheted bees, and other bee-themed items to raise the funds needed to purchase equipment and build and install community beehives. The business was launched with a micro-grant provided by Business & Entrepreneurship Centre Northumberland through its “My Future My Career” program. (Photo courtesy of Blythe Weber)
Eloise named the queen bee of their hive Nyuki, for a character in The Way of the Hive, a graphic novel that follows the life of a honeybee.
“The character really touched my heart in this book, and we actually learned a lot about the hive,” she says.
On Thursday (July 9) at the Simpson Street Community Garden, Empire Beez will be leading a special presentation during the “Herbs & Honey: A Garden Gathering” event hosted by IncrEdible Trent Hills.
Held from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., the garden talk will begin with Meghan Lewis sharing a curated selection of her favourite herbs and tips for growing healthy plants, with a focus on sustainable, bee-friendly gardening.
Advertisement - content continues below
Share on Bluesky
Then Empire Beez will unveil the new beehive and use an observation hive to show guests what’s going on inside.
“I’m going to be explaining what the bees are really doing in that hive, because a lot of people don’t really know what’s actually going on in there,” Sebastian says, noting he’ll also be breaking down some common myths about bees. “We’re going to educate the people about bees and we’re going to try to do some education events throughout the year.”
Empire Beez founder Sebastian Smith holding a jar of honey with his arm around his sister Eloise. Along with Sebastian’s friends Owen Musson and Penelope McEvoy, the pair are working together to run the small business that raises awareness around honeybees and installs community beehives. (Photo courtesy of Blythe Weber)
As for why they chose to put their beehive in a community garden, the team at Empire Beez says the goal was always to get the wider public involved and eager to learn about bees.
“It’s more visible and accessible for people,” says Owen. “It’s a nice place that people can come to and just learn and have an opportunity to learn more about bees.”
“Also, the site is perfect,” adds Sebastian, noting the creek gives the bees a water source. “We thought if we brought the bees there, the bees could pollinate the garden, and it would help the garden thrive more. It’s helping in two ways: it brings the community together and it makes the garden thrive.”
Share on Bluesky
The group agree that getting to share their knowledge with others while inspiring action from the community is one of the goals at Empire Beez.
“The best part about Empire Beez, in my personal thought, is just seeing all the people who are very engaged and want to learn more,” says Owen. “It makes me happy that people care a lot.”
As they continue to attend events this summer to share their knowledge and raise the funds to support their beehive, the four young entrepreneurs are also interested in installing new hives at other gardens across the Municipality of Trent Hills.
“The more hives we get, the more we help the community, the more the bees will thrive,” says Penelope. “It’s a win-win for everything.”
A 28-year-old Whitchurch-Stouville man who was operating a boat on the Otonabee River on Tuesday afternoon (June 30) is facing two charges after a 39-year-old Oshawa man fell off the boat and drowned.
Just after 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, officers with Peterborough County Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) along with fire and emergency medical services responded to a call about a man who had fallen off a boat on the Otonabee River in the Township of Otonabee-South Monaghan.
The caller, who was also travelling on the river, advised police that a boat with four people had gone by when one of them fell into the water. The caller said the person was not wearing a life jacket and the caller did not see him resurface.
Advertisement - content continues below
Officers arrived on scene while a nearby OPP marine unit made its way to the location by water. Officers then made contact with the three people who were still on the boat, which remained near the location where the person went into the water. Police took them to shore while the area was searched for the missing person.
While speaking with the passengers, police determined they had been consuming alcohol and an officer made a demand of the driver to provide a breath sample. The driver complied and was then was arrested and taken to the Peterborough County OPP detachment for further testing.
Divers with the OPP Underwater Search and Recovery Unit located the body of the victim shortly before 9 p.m. A 39-year-old Oshawa man was pronounced dead at the scene.
Advertisement - content continues below
As a result of the investigation, police charged a 28-year-old Whitchurch-Stouville man with operation causing death and operation while impaired (blood alcohol concentration of 80 plus).
The accused man was held in police custody for a bail hearing.
The drowning is still under investigation, and police are asking that anyone who may have witnessed the incident or has video footage and who has not yet spoken to police to contact the Peterborough County OPP at 1-888-310-1122.
Running from July 6 to 12, Kawartha Lakes Pride Week 2026 includes the annual family-friendly Pride in the Park event at Victoria Park in Lindsay on Saturday, July 11. Other events takes place during the week in both Lindsay and Fenelon Falls. (Photo: City of Kawartha Lakes)
For 2SLGBTQIA+ residents and allies in the City of Kawartha Lakes, Pride doesn’t end in June.
Kawartha Lakes Pride is celebrating Pride Week from Monday, July 6 to Sunday, July 12 with a series of events in Lindsay and Fenelon Falls.
“Kawartha Lakes Pride exists so that our residents know it’s okay to be exactly who you are, where you are,” Rylee Hynes of Kawartha Lakes Pride told kawarthaNOW. “Radical, unapologetic acceptance is always our goal.”
Advertisement - content continues below
Although Pride Month is marked across Canada in June, Kawartha Lakes Pride celebrates Pride Week in July, while Peterborough-Nogojiwanong Pride celebrates Pride Week in September.
Pride Week in Kawartha Lakes officially kicks off with a raising of the Pride flag at the Kawartha Lakes police station in Lindsay on Monday morning and culminates the following weekend with the family-friendly Pride in the Park event at Lindsay’s Victoria Park on Saturday.
Pride in the Park is sponsored by Ampere (formerly Pinnguaq) and the Lindsay and District Chamber of Commerce with other Pride Week events sponsored by various businesses and organizations.
“Without their unwavering support, none of this would be possible,” Hynes said. “We are so grateful.”
Advertisement - content continues below
While Pride Week is intended to be a celebration of diversity and inclusion, the 2SLGBTQIA+ community continues to face discrimination and hate despite the legal and social progress made in Canada and beyond.
When Kawartha Lakes Pride shared a video on its Facebook page promoting Pride in the Park, the video made by a local digital agency attracted a number of homophobic and hateful comments.
“I hope they get everyone’s info and exterminate you all in prison,” stated one commenter.
“The only way we’re going to eliminate this mental illness from the planet is by castrating and neutering the people with this sickness as well as the couple that produced them,” stated another.
For its part, Kawartha Lakes Pride responded to the negative comments rather than simply deleting them, while many other people spoke against the negative comments and expressed their support for Pride.
“Hateful comments from pathetic individuals on posts like this underscore the reason Pride events are necessary,” one person wrote.
A full list of Pride Week events in Kawartha Lakes is provided below.
Advertisement - content continues below
Sunday, July 5
Prior to the beginning of Pride Week, St. James Anglican Church at 19 Bond St. E. in Fenelon Falls will be hosting a Sunday Pride 2SLGBTQIA service at 11 a.m. on the topic “Celebrating Life in its Fullness” based on John 10:10.
Attendees will have a chance to meet Reverend Moumita Biswas, the parish’s new minister, who is an ordained Anglican priest and gender justice specialist. She joins the parish following her ministry in India, where she also served as executive secretary for the Women’s Concerns Ministry of the National Council of Churches in India.
Monday, July 6
Pride Week officially begins with a raising of the Pride flag at 9:30 a.m. the Kawartha Lakes police station at 6 Victoria Ave. N. in Lindsay.
Celebrations begin later that morning in Fenelon Falls when the Maryboro Lodge Museum at 99 Francis St. W. will host “Bring Your Own Pride Picnic” from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The free family-friendly event features face painting, balloons, bandana decorating, Pride Flag sticks, a music circle, rainbow cupcake decorating, karaoke, and more. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own picnic basket.
The event will also feature a community project led by local artist and author Jamie Milroy entitled “The Pride Stories Project,” which asks attendees to share their stories of Pride.
Tuesday, July 7
Tuesday’s celebrations begin at 11 a.m. at Kindred Coffee Bar at 148 Kent St. W. in Lindsay when Peterborough’s Betty Baker will present her popular Drag Queen Story Time.
In the evening, The Grove Theatre in Fenelon Falls will present a Pride performance of its show 70s Dance Party at 8 p.m. at the amphitheatre at the Fenelon Fairgrounds. The high-energy tribute to the decade of disco, rock, and glam will feature hits from the Bee Gees, ABBA, Fleetwood Mac, KISS, Journey, Queen, and more. Visit the box office at 2 Water St. in Fenelon Falls and use promo code PRIDE2026 for discounted tickets.
Following the performance, an after party will be held at Aureum Trattoria at 102 Lindsay St. in Fenelon Falls.
Wednesday, July 8
Two social events will celebrate Pride on Wednesday, including a Pride Tea at 1 p.m. at Maryboro Lodge Museum at 99 Francis St. W. in Fenelon Falls and Coffee and Conversation from 6 to 8 p.m. at White Cottage Café at 45 Lindsay St. in Fenelon Falls.
Thursday, July 9
From 9:30 to 10:30 a.m., Fieldside Yoga at 1407 Elm Tree Road just outside Lindsay will host Come As You Are Body Positive Yoga, a blend of gentle hatha yoga, restorative postures, breath work, and a grounding guided meditation.
Inclusive to all bodies, identities, and experience levels, the session is free but advance registration is required at l.bttr.to/SavFg.
The popular Pooch Pride event returns to Adelaide Clinic at 1 Adelaide St. N, Lindsay at 7 p.m. featuring a bouncy castle, cotton candy, music and family-friendly activities, with the pet parade starting at 7:30 p.m. After the parade, prizes will be awarded for best-dressed pooch and best-dressed human.
Special guests include Bo Dukes Pet Food Bank and Kawartha Lakes Humane Society. Attendees can meet the Bo Dukes team and learn how they’re helping pets and families in the community, while the humane society will share pet adoption opportunities and ways to support local animals in need.
Advertisement - content continues below
Friday, July 10
On Friday evening at 7 p.m., Kawartha Lakes Pride presents “Who Wears the Pants – A Queer Opera Experience” at Immanuel Baptist Church at 20 Bond St. E. in Fenelon Falls.
Hosted by opera singer Catherin Carew, the cabaret-style performance explores the impact 2SLGBTQIA+ people have had on opera and classical music throughout history.
The free all-ages event also features drag king Vivienne Illion and pianist Steven Kettlewell as special guests.
Saturday, July 11
The annual family-friendly Pride in the Park event, which takes place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Victoria Park at 190 Kent St. W. in Lindsay, features live music, drag story time, caricatures, friendship bracelet station, face painting, temporary tattoos, bubble magic, balloon twisting, art, vendors and community partners, and more.
The event will also include a free clothing swap tent hosted by Vicky’s Values and Women’s Resources. Drop off gently used clothing to Ampere at 12 Peel St. in Lindsay before July 11. Any clothing that remains from the clothing swap will be brought to Vicky’s Values for redistribution in the community.
Saturday’s Pride celebrations conclude in the evening with the Pride After Dark Drag Show and DJ Dance Party at Pie Eyed Monk at 8 Cambridge St. N. in Lindsay. Doors open at 8 p.m. for the age-of-majority event, with the drag show beginning at 9 p.m. Tickets are $25 and are available at KLPAfterDark2026.eventbrite.com.
Sunday, July 12
Kawartha Lakes Pride Week wraps up on Sunday with two events.
First up is “Bird is the Word” at 8 a.m. at Ken Reid Conservation at 277 Kenrei Rd. in Lindsay. This guided bird watching and nature walk, sponsored by Ampere and led by Bird Friendly Kawarthas Lakes, is free and open to all ages.
At 10:30 a.m., Cambridge Street United Church at 61 Cambridge St. N. in Lindsay will be hosting a Pride service with refreshments.
Peterborough County Tourism has designed four traveller personas that highlight different ways to experience The Kawarthas based on what you enjoy, what inspires you, and how you like to spend your time while you're visiting this region. The Otter represents families travelling with a purpose in mind, whether to explore nature, discover a hidden gem or a unique experience, learn about local history or culture, or just have meaningful fun. (Graphic: Peterborough County Tourism)
Whether you are looking for a family-friendly experience, outdoor adventure, an exploratory road trip, or peaceful relaxation, there’s a version of The Kawarthas that fits your style.
To help you find it, Peterborough County Tourism has designed four traveller personas — The Otter, The Bear, The Fox, and The Bee — that highlight different ways to experience The Kawarthas based on what you enjoy, what inspires you, and how you like to spend your time while you’re visiting this region. To discover your traveller persona, complete the quiz at thekawarthas.ca/quiz/.
This story is for Otters — families travelling with a purpose in mind, whether to explore nature, discover a hidden gem or a unique experience, learn about local history or culture, or just have meaningful fun. Otters enjoy spending quality time together and want to return home with memories that will last a lifetime.
Here are some not-to-be-missed destinations to travel like an Otter in The Kawarthas.
EXPLORE
Lovesick Kayaking
Located in the Township of North Kawartha, Lovesick Kayaking offers guided kayak tours of Lovesick Lake, Stoney Lake, or Burleigh Falls, providing paddling families with the opportunity to experience the flora and fauna of The Kawarthas. (Photo courtesy of Lovesick Kayaking)
Discover why The Kawarthas is the Anishinaabe (Ojibwe) word for Land of Shining Waters by exploring the region’s waterways.
At Lovesick Kayaking, located in the Township of North Kawartha, guide and owner Alex Grant will take your family on an immersive kayak tour full of breathtaking views of Lovesick Lake, Stoney Lake, and Burleigh Falls.
The tour will give you an up-close view of the flora and fauna that make up the unique landscape where the granite of the Canadian Shield meets the limestone of the St. Lawrence Lowlands.
Located in the Township of Havelock-Belmont-Methuen, The Pearly Acre is a not-for-profit sanctuary offering an interactive destination for families seeking fun and education. The Pearly Acre hosts tours where visitors can learn all about the pot-bellied pigs and other animals on the farm where, to make a meaningful impact, visitors can sponsor a pig or order a custom painted pet portrait where all proceeds support the sanctuary. (Photo courtesy of The Pearly Acre)
Did you know that pot-bellied pigs are highly intelligent and sociable animals?
Your family can find out more fascinating facts at The Pearly Acre, a not-for-profit sanctuary in the Township of Havelock-Belmont-Methuen for rescued and abandoned pot-bellied pigs. Book an immersive tour that will give you opportunity to go into the pig pen and interact with the animals, including a llama and three alpacas, while learning all about them and their life at the sanctuary.
You can even sponsor a pig or order a custom painted pet portrait done by owner Sarah Heydon, with all proceeds going right back to the sanctuary.
Located in the Township of Cavan Monaghan, Red Mill Maple Syrup is a premium producer of maple syrup where owners and Quebec natives Sebastien Poulin and Julie Vallieres bring decades of syrup-making experience. In addition to producing a variety of all-natural unique maple syrup, Red Mill Maple Syrup hosts regular tours and tastings, inviting families to learn about the production of maple syrup from tree to table. (Photo courtesy of Red Mill Maple Syrup)
Learn about Quebecois culture right here in The Kawarthas with a visit to Red Mill Maple Syrup in the Township of Cavan Monaghan.
Owners Sebastien Poulin and Julie Vallieres, who were both raised in a region of Quebec well-known for maple syrup, bring decades of experience to the sugar shack named for Millbrook’s famous Needler’s Mill.
Kids will discover the magic of maple syrup production from tree to table by getting a behind-the-scenes tour of the sugar shack. When you visit during maple syrup season, they can even take part in a tree-tapping experience. No matter the time of year you visit, don’t forget to sample the unique syrups at the tasting bar!
Located in the Township of Otonabee-South Monaghan, Escape Maze hosts a range of activities for families including escape mazes, outdoor trail games, disc golf, and laser tag. To extend the fun, guests can camp overnight by pitching their own tent, staying in a cabin, or staying in an old-timey caravan. (Photo courtesy of Escape Maze)
Adventure for the whole family awaits at Escape Maze in the Township of Otonabee South Monaghan, which offers mind-bending immersive escape rooms, fun trail games, disc golf, and laser tag all on one property.
Work together to solve the puzzles to get you out of a themed escape room, race through the fields and woods to complete challenges before time runs out, find out how good you are at throwing flying discs into baskets, or suit up for a high-energy game of laser tag (don’t worry, it’s actually infrared light).
Pair an escape room with another activity for a full day of fun family adventure! To make it even more of an experience, spend the night on the 129-acre family farm beside the Otonabee River by booking a cabin or old-timey caravan, or by pitching your own tent.
For more information and to book an adventure, visit escapemaze.ca.
Canada’s Dinosaur Park
Located in the Township of Asphodel-Norwood, Canada’s Dinosaur Park was established in 1999 as a sanctuary for hundreds of reptiles, including alligators, crocodiles, turtles, and more. To help raise proceeds to care for the reptiles, the park offers families the opportunity to see life-sized replicated animatronic dinosaurs as well as immersive educational experiences such as digging for real dinosaur fossils in the boneyard. (Photo courtesy of Canada’s Dinosaur Park)
Education, fun, and adventure all come together at the country’s only dinosaur park and reptile sanctuary. Canada’s Dinosaur Park in the Township of Asphodel-Norwood was established in 1999 as a not-for-profit registered reptile sanctuary and is now home to 200 rescued alligators, crocodiles, caimans, snakes, turtles, and lizards from around the world. See them up close and take the croc-walk if you dare!
Prepare to be awed by more than 100 life-sized replicated animatronic dinosaurs, including two based on the largest Tyrannosaurus Rex fossils discovered to date. You can also experience the thrill of discovery by digging for real dinosaur bones in the park’s boneyard, check out the new feathers and fossils museum, or tee up for a round of 18-hole championship mini-golf at a unique course that flows through megalithic standing stones like those at Stonehenge.
At the end of the adventure, your entire family will feel good knowing that all proceeds from admission fees are used to maintain the rescued reptiles.
Held every Friday afternoon until Thanksgiving, the Havelock Farmer & Artisan Market in the Township of Havelock-Belmont-Methuen is the only afternoon farmers’ market in The Kawarthas and offers locally grown produce, meats, maple syrups, and baked goods, as well as artisan products including jewellery, fibre arts, bath and body products, and more. (Photo courtesy of Havelock Farmer & Artisan Market)
Your family can take home a taste of The Kawarthas by visiting the Havelock Farmer & Artisan Market, the only afternoon farmers’ market in the region.
From 1 to 6 p.m. every Friday until Thanksgiving, the market is held on the south side of Highway 7 in the village of Havelock.
From meats, maple syrup, produce, and preserves to jewellery and fibre arts, you’ll find something to remind you of your travels.
Central Smith is a family-run producer of premium ice cream located in Selwyn Township that serves up unique specialty flavours. At the dairy bar, customers can order a cone, sundae, milkshake, frozen yogurt, or a full container to take home. (Photo courtesy of Central Smith)
When the kids are screaming for ice cream, make a stop at Central Smith Creamery in Selwyn Township.
A favourite destination for local residents, Central Smith was founded in 1896 as a farmers’ co-op that produced cheese and butter from milk provided by local farmers. Today, the family-owned business produces premium ice cream in more than 60 unique flavours.
Step up to the dairy bar to get ice cream cones, ice cream and yogurt bars, sundaes, milkshakes, and frozen yogurt, or grab a full container to take home — if it makes it that far!
For more information, including a list of all the ice cream flavours, visit www.centralsmith.ca.
Wildflower Bakery
Located in the Township of Havelock-Belmont-Methuen, Wildflower Bakery specializes in sourdough bread made using certified organic ingredient and bakes European pastries made with local ingredients. With a café on site, the bakery also serves specialty coffee and has small art gallery displaying work from local artists. (Photo courtesy of Wildflower Bakery)
For more treats for the road or to take home, pick up some artisan baking at Wildflower Bakery in the Township of Havelock-Belmont-Methuen.
Husband-and-wife team Scott Williams and Lea Tran make European-style pastries made with locally sourced ingredients and specialty sourdough bread using certified organic ingredients.
You can find everything from cinnamon buns and danishes to butter tarts, cupcakes, croissants, and more. This Havelock bakery also serves up specialty coffees and has a small art gallery displaying work from local artists.
Doo Doo’s Bakery in the Township of Otonabee-South Monaghan is renowned for its award-winning butter tarts and also offers other sweet treats and desserts. (Photo courtesy of Doo Doo’s Bakery)
Originally baked by Canada’s settlers, butter tarts are a popular treat widely considered to be our national pastry. They are a dessert of cultural pride in many communities across Ontario and The Kawarthas is no exception.
Doo Doo’s Bakery in the Township of Otonabee-South Monaghan is renowned in the region for its butter tarts, which the bakery has been producing for more than 25 years, winning award after award after award-including at the Royal Canadian Winter Fair and at both the Kawartha Northumberland Butter Tart Tour and Ontario’s Best Butter Tart Festival.
There’s a butter tart at Doo Doo’s Bakery for every member of your family, whether they prefer them plain or with raisins (a national debate), with pecans or walnuts, or in more adventurous flavours including chocolate peanut butter, cheesecake, maple bacon, pumpkin, currant, maple whisky, and more. There’s even a gluten-free version of the classic plain butter tart.
To learn more and to order for pickup or shipping, visit doodoos.ca.
STAY
Beachwood Resort
Celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2026, Beachwood Resort in Selwyn Township is a family-friendly destination with a range of accommodations including full cabins and condos, as well as outdoor recreation activities, walking trails, an onsite restaurant, and more. (Photo courtesy of Beachwood Resort)
Celebrating its 100th anniversary this summer, Beachwood Resort in Selwyn Township has long been a destination of choice for families.
Sitting on 1,100 feet of shoreline on Lower Buckhorn Lake and surrounded by 330 acres of forest and walking trails, Beachwood Resort can accommodate even the largest family gathering with its two to four bedroom lakeside cottages.
There are lots of opportunities for guests to enjoy water activities, playground games, poolside lounging, pickleball, tennis, volleyball, badminton, and many more family-friendly activities. The resort’s onsite restaurant serves a breakfast buffet, lunch, and dinner, including a selection of entrees for children.
Located in the Municipality of Trent Lakes, Shambhala Bed and Breakfast draws travellers and families from across the world. Located on more than 40 acres of natural landscape, Shambhala Bed and Breakfast is child and pet-friendly with suites that can accommodate the whole family. (Photo courtesy of Shambhala Bed and Breakfast)
Immerse the whole family in nature at Shambhala Bed and Breakfast, offering child and pet-friendly accommodation on the edge of Buckhorn in the Municipality of Trent Lakes.
The name derives from Sanskrit text meaning “a place of tranquility” and that’s exactly what you’ll find when stepping into this log cabin that rests on over 40 acres of natural beauty.
With a two-bedroom family suite that includes a full kitchen, accessible trails, and a pond onsite, Shambhala Bed & Breakfast attracts families from around the world seeking a unique experience.
Connect with Mobile Visitor Services during your travels in The Kawarthas
During the summer, Peterborough County Tourism’s Mobile Visitor Services team will be popping up at events and attractions throughout The Kawarthas. Share your traveller persona by email or through Facebook or Instagram and you can connect with the team when you’re on the road and pick up a free water bottle and UV-coated and water-resistant stickers branded with your traveller persona. (Photo: Peterborough County Tourism)
When you’re travelling in The Kawarthas, keep your eye out for Peterborough County’s Mobile Visitor Services. Their team will be popping up at events and attractions throughout the eight townships in Peterborough County.
Share your traveller persona by email with tourism@ptbocounty.ca or through Facebook or Instagram @TheKawarthas and you can connect with the Mobile Visitor Services team when you’re on the road and pick up a free water bottle and UV-coated and water-resistant stickers branded with your traveller persona.
Not only will your family get unique keepsakes, but you will also have the opportunity to learn from knowledgeable local ambassadors, receive personalized recommendations, and get insider tips for making the most of your experience in The Kawarthas.
To see where the Mobile Visitor Services team is popping up this summer, check the listings at thekawarthas.ca/findus/.
This story is one of a four-part series created in partnership with the Peterborough County Tourism and Communications Division.
Drawing on national research from the Canadian Tourism Data Collective’s Traveller Segmentation Program, Peterborough County Tourism has identified four visitor profiles that represent the typical travellers who come to The Kawarthas.
Known as traveller personas, each draws its name from wildlife that inhabit the natural landscape of The Kawarthas: The Otter, The Bear, The Fox, and The Bee. Which one are you? Find out by completing the quiz at thekawarthas.ca/quiz/.
The Otter – All Trails Lead Home
The Otter is a purposeful traveller, looking to find meaning in every place they pass by and every face they see on the journey. For the Otter, it is important to move as a unit, because experiences mean more when they’re shared, and memories are more vividly recalled when filled with ones to love.
The Bear – Rest While You Roam
The Bear is a wise, lumbering traveller, understanding that to really know a place, one needs to stop and breathe it in. Appreciating every berry and butterfly around them, they carve out joy from the simplicity of calm days, good food, and beautiful views. In a world of speed, a Bear sees the world for what it is — imperfect, but entirely incomparable.
The Fox – Brave the Unknown
The Fox is an adaptive traveller, ambitious in each new adventure. Their determined spirit means every problem has twice as many solutions. If there can be found a hill to climb, The Fox will climb it. If there exists a gorge to cross, The Fox will be there to leap it. For every great story, you can be sure. A Fox will be behind it.
The Bee – Sweet as Honeycomb
Like moving from flower to flower, Bees make certain to learn from every place and pollinate the next with stories they have collected. For a Bee, it is vital to share the most vast and wonderful parts of the world with every new person they may meet.
Lakelands Public Health has announced that around 60,000 current or former residents of Peterborough County and the City of Peterborough may have been affected by a cybersecurity incident first discovered at the end of January.
In a media release issued on Tuesday (June 30), the health unit says an unauthorized third party gained remote access to a limited portion of its network at Lakelands Public Health’s Peterborough office location.
According to the health unit, the third party accessed, extracted, and encrypted files containing personal information and personal health information from its servers. All files were successfully restored from backups.
Advertisement - content continues below
“At this time through continuous monitoring and expert input, there is no evidence that the information involved has been misused for fraudulent purposes or published online,” Lakelands Public Health states in the media release.
Lakelands Public Health, which was formed through the merger of the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit and Peterborough Public Health, says the incident may affect people who received services from its Peterborough location or whose health-related information, such as laboratory results, was received by the organization between 1996 and January 2026.
The information involved may include some combination of names, birth dates, home addresses, telephone numbers, OHIP numbers, medical diagnoses, medication information, treatment information, OHIP billing codes, dates of service, vaccination information, and healthcare provider information.
Lakelands Public Health says not every individual had all categories of information affected, with the type of information involved varying depending on the services they received.
The media release provides more details about the incident than were available when Lakelands Public Health first publicly disclosed the cybersecurity incident on February 3, after some internal systems were disrupted on January 29.
At that time, the health unit said it had secured its systems and activated its incident-response protocols after becoming aware of the incident and had engaged a third-party cybersecurity firm to investigate and contain the breach and support recovery efforts.
Lakelands Public Health said in February that systems used to manage infectious disease data and clinical appointments, including immunization and sexual health services, appeared not to have been affected.
Advertisement - content continues below
In Tuesday’s release, the health unit notes it immediately isolated affected systems, contained the incident, launched an investigation with third-party cybersecurity experts, notified law enforcement, and strengthened network security measures.
Lakelands Public Health says it has also notified the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario.
“Protecting personal information and personal health information in our care remains a top priority,” the health unit states, adding that it will “continue to monitor for any signs that the information involved has been misused or disclosed online” and will post updates on its website at www.lakelandsph.ca.
Advertisement - content continues below
The health unit says that, based on the findings of cybersecurity experts, the risk of identity theft or fraud related to the incident is considered low.
However, residents are being advised to remain vigilant by monitoring personal accounts and statements, reporting suspicious activity to service providers or law enforcement, and being cautious of unsolicited communications requesting personal information.
Lakelands Public Health says it will never contact people by email or text message asking them to provide sensitive personal information.
Anyone with questions about the incident can contact Lakelands Public Health at 249-588-0044 from Monday to Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
Linlor Farm and Forest is one of many local food producers featured at the Havelock Farmer & Artisan Market in Havelock-Belmont-Methuen Township. They are members of Kawartha Choice FarmFresh, an economic development initiative supported by Peterborough County, the City of Peterborough, and the City of Kawartha Lakes. (Photo courtesy of Havelock Farmer & Artisan Market)
With the increasing consumer interest in purchasing food grown close to home, producers at local farmers’ markets like Havelock Farmer & Artisan Market are growing their sales with the help of agricultural programs supported by Peterborough County.
According to Farmers’ Markets Ontario (FMO), sales at farmers’ markets across the province have increased by 10 to 12 per cent annually over the past decade, reaching approximately $800 million.
Elmer Buchanan, who manages Havelock Farmer & Artisan Market and is also chair of the FMO board, says the trend is a result of the continued desire for consumers to know where — and who — their food is coming from.
“It’s the chance for a direct connection between the producer and the consumer — there are still a lot of people who enjoy the opportunity to talk to the person who produced or grew the product,” Buchanan says. “It’s part of the growing local food phenomenon, and farmers’ markets are where the rubber meets the road and you can actually do it and not just talk about it.”
Connecting local producers with consumers is one of the reasons Buchanan helped establish the Havelock Farmer & Artisan Market in 2018. A farmer himself, he also brings his past expertise as Hastings-Peterborough MPP from 1990 to 1995, when he served as Ontario’s Minister of Agriculture and Food and was widely praised for his handling of the agriculture portfolio.
With the growing interest for consumers in purchasing locally grown food, the Havelock Farmer & Artisan Market was founded in 2018 and continues to run seasonally on Friday afternoons in the Village of Havelock. Market manager Elmer Buchanan says the Kawartha Local Food Wholesale program, delivered in part by Peterborough County, will help farmers expand beyond farmers’ markets and connect with wholesale buyers such as restaurants, food retailers, tourist attractions, golf courses, and more. (Photo courtesy of Havelock Farmer & Artisan Market)
The Havelock Farmer & Artisan Market runs on Fridays annually from the Victoria Day long weekend in May through the Thanksgiving long weekend in October. Located on the south side of Highway 7 in the Village of Havelock in Havelock-Belmont-Methuen Township, the market is open from 1 to 6 p.m. during the summer, with food vendors on-site beginning at 11 a.m. On the last Friday of every month, the market also features a farm display.
Visitors to the market will not only find a range of locally grown produce, meats, maple syrups, and baked goods, but artisan products as well, including jewellery, fibre arts, bath and body products, and more.
Many of the farmers who attend the Havelock Farmer & Artisan Market are members of the Kawartha Choice FarmFresh economic development initiative. Supported by Peterborough County along with the City of Peterborough and the City of Kawartha Lakes, the program provides a brand identity for local producers, a network for members to share and access resources, and an online database for consumers to find local producers.
While Buchanan says farmers’ markets are a great way for local producers to meet customers, he points out many farmers don’t have the resources or time to expand beyond farmers’ markets and make connections with local food buyers, such as restaurants, food retailers, tourist attractions, golf courses, and more.
That’s why Peterborough County has also partnered with the City of Peterborough and the City of Kawartha Lakes to deliver the Kawartha Local Food Wholesale program, which aims to increase the capacity for local food distribution by connecting local food producers with wholesale buyers through the Green Circle Food Hub developed by Graze & Gather.
Buchanan says the two agricultural programs supported by Peterborough County are important because he believes local farms are the future when it comes to food security.
“Developing those kinds of networks is where we’re going to get our food security from,” Buchanan says. “I applaud the work that people have put into making it happen.”
To learn more about the Havelock Farmer & Artisan Market, visit www.havelockmarket.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.
Lake associations in the Kawarthas are joining the "Let's Get the Lead Out" initiative, an Ontario-wide campaign encouraging anglers to switch to lead-free fishing tackle to protect loons and other wildlife. Associations in Haliburton County and Peterborough County have been hosting tackle exchanges and raising awareness to the dangers of angling with lead tackle. (Photo: Let's Get The Lead Out website)
With loons having returned to Ontario cottage country, lake associations in the Kawarthas are joining a campaign to protect them by encouraging anglers to get rid of their lead-based tackle.
The grassroots “Let’s Get The Lead Out” campaign was launched by the Wolfe Lake Association in Westport in 2022 to encourage anglers to switch to lead-free fishing tackle, in response to studies showing lead poisoning is the leading cause of death for adult common loons.
The highly toxic metal also poisons other wildlife, including ducks, geese, herons, swans, eagles, ospreys, gulls, otters, turtles, and game fish.
Advertisement - content continues below
According to federal government research, 545 metric tonnes of lead — equivalent to 20,000 car batteries or 44 fully loaded dump trucks — enters Canada’s lakes and rivers every year from lost fishing tackle.
Suzanne Montgomery, director at large for the Drag and Spruce Lakes Property Owners Association in Haliburton County, came across the campaign through her network and connections with other lake associations.
“We’ve got a lot of residents who really cherish our loons as well as the rest of our wildlife,” she says. “Everyone in the lake community here is very concerned about our loons and wanting to ensure that we do everything to protect them, so this was something that fell in line with that.”
A common loon with her two loonlets. Loons intentionally eat pebbles from the bottom of lakes to help them digest food and can mistake lead sinkers that have sunk to the bottom of a lake for pebbles and swallow them. Even just one small lead sinker is enough to poison a loon and kill it within two to four weeks. (Photo: Mark Peck)
Montgomery was surprised to learn how quickly lead, which is highly toxic, can kill a loon.
Because loons swallow their food whole, they intentionally eat pebbles from the bottom of lakes that act like surrogate teeth in their gizzard to grind up indigestible fish bones, crustacean shells, and aquatic insect exoskeletons. They can mistake lead sinkers that have sunk to the bottom of a lake for pebbles and swallow them.
Even just one small lead sinker is enough to poison a loon and kill it within two to four weeks of ingestion.
The Let’s Get The Lead Out campaign encourages fishers to swap their lead tackle for sinkers and jigs made from tungsten, bismuth, steel, tin, or ceramics. Some of these alternatives are more durable, have improved sensitivity on the fishing line, and are not toxic.
Montgomery suggests anglers can even drill a hole in a pebble or a stone to create a sinker.
“There are cheaper alternatives if you think outside the box,” she says.
Advertisement - content continues below
In the spring, Montgomery conducted a survey across members of the Drag and Spruce Lakes Property Owners Association to determine how much they knew about the dangers of lead tackle.
“What was interesting about the poll results is that a lot of the respondents had awareness of lead and the harm it can do to wildlife and our ecosystems and some of them already fish with lead-free tackle,” Montgomery says.
“Others actually gave us commitments that they were going to start fishing with lead-free tackle, that they were going to empty their tackle box, swap it, and were going to now start fishing without lead. They had an idea (about lead poisoning) but didn’t realize to the extent and now they’re committed to making the change.”
A municipal grant for the “Let’s Get the Lead Out” campaign and other initiatives of the Drag and Spruce Lakes Property Owners Association supported the build of kiosks at each of the lakes’ boat launches and public beaches. The association has posted signs to educate locals and visitors about the “Let’s Get the Lead Out” campaign and the dangers posed by fishing with lead tackle. (Photo: Drag and Spruce Lakes Property Owners Association)
The survey is the same metric Montgomery will be using to track progress following a series of educational events and exchanges happening throughout the summer. Recently, the association used a municipal grant to erect kiosks at lake boat launches and public beaches. The kiosks include posters and other information around lead-free fishing.
“For Haliburton, our tourism is completely tied to our environment, and the more we can do to educate people, the better,” says Montgomery. “Even if people who visit our lakes see our kiosks and see the Let’s Get the Lead Out signage, they’ll consider fishing lead-free. The more we can sway even one person here or there, it all helps.”
The grant also allowed the association to purchase lead-free tackle to distribute to residents and members who are getting rid of the lead currently in their tackle boxes. These exchanges will take place at member events throughout the summer, including at the association’s annual general meeting on July 12, where the more lead tackle members swap, the more likely they are to win prizes from local businesses.
Advertisement - content continues below
Since beginning the exchanges, the Drag and Spruce Lakes Property Owners Association has collected more than four pounds of lead tackle, which will be brought to trusted partner recycling facilities.
“I won’t take it anywhere unless I know for sure it’s definitely not going back into the fishing tackle industry,” says Montgomery.
The association has also partnered with other local organizations to support the initiative, including getting Outdoors Plus, to stock more lead-free tackle and provide posters and educational resources. They are also working with U-Links Centre for Community-Based Research to further assess barriers to the program, and will be hosting lunch and learns to help other local lake associations develop their own campaigns.
“If we can make it easier for someone else, we’re more than happy to do that,” Montgomery says.
Outdoors Plus is supporting the Drag and Spruce Lakes Property Owners Association in Haliburton County to promote lead-free fishing through participation in the “Let’s Get the Lead Out” campaign by hanging educational signs and stocking lead-free alternative fishing tackle, including tungsten, bismuth, steel, tin, or ceramics. (Photo: Outdoors Plus)
Other lake associations in the Kawarthas have similarly taken notice of the Let’s Get the Lead Out campaign.
In 2024 and 2025, the Lake Kasshabog Association in Peterborough County held tackle exchanges during events, offering rewards for those who participated, and placed signs at each of the boat launches and near major lake entrances.
Anglers on the lake were also approached with information and tungsten tackle to exchange with their own. Over the two years, 12 pounds of lead were collected from local tackle boxes and redirected from lakes.
Since its founding in 2022, Let’s Get the Lead Out has expanded to 29 lake associations across Ontario, with 500 pounds of lead tackle collected and safely recycled.
Advertisement - content continues below
During that time, the campaign has also been circulating a petition calling on the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to ban the sale and use of lead sinkers, weights, and jigs under 50 grams in weight and any lead-headed tackle under 6.5 cm in length across all lakes in the province.
In the U.S., similar bans have been effective in New Hampshire, New York, and Maine, where lead-related deaths in loons and another animals began to decline after their bans were implemented.
“That’s going to create a larger public campaign beyond lake associations, and that would be wonderful,” says Montgomery. “If that builds the momentum for a wider breadth of people to have awareness, that’s a bonus.”
For more information about the Let’s Get The Lead Out campaign and to sign the petition, visit fishleadfree.ca.
North Kawartha Township mayor Carolyn Amyotte raised a notice of motion at the meeting of Peterborough County council on June 24, 2026 identifying concerns with the voters' list in her municipality for the upcoming municipal election, identifying that a significant number of seasonal residents appear to be missing from the list. (kawarthaNOW screenshot of Peterborough County video)
Peterborough County council is sounding the alarm for voters and the Ontario government alike that there are discrepancies on the voters’ list for the 2026 municipal election.
A motion brought before council on Wednesday (June 24) by North Kawartha Township mayor Carolyn Amyotte urges the province to prioritize the verification of all voter information in a timely manner.
“It’s really important that we get these lists as accurate and as complete as possible, prior to them being handed over to the municipalities,” Amyotte told kawarthaNOW following the notice of motion.
Advertisement - content continues below
On October 26, residents of the eight municipalities that form Peterborough County — Township of Asphodel-Norwood, Township of Cavan-Monaghan, Township of Douro-Dummer, Township of Havelock-Belmont-Methuen, Township of North Kawartha, Township of Otonabee-South Monaghan, Township of Selwyn, and Municipality of Trent Lakes — will be voting for members of their lower-tier councils whose leadership makes up the membership of county council.
Amyotte said that many residents of the county live in the region on a temporary or transient basis, referring in particular to seasonal cottage owners. It is these individuals that Amyotte noticed were not included consistently on voter registration lists provided by the province.
In 2022, the Ontario government passed Bill 204 stating that Elections Ontario would be taking over responsibility for the provision of voter registration lists for municipal elections from the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC).
Unlike elections at the provincial and federal level, during municipal elections individuals may vote in multiple municipalities where they own property or reside. However, according to Amyotte, this is not always known by cottage owners.
“A lot of folks don’t realize that they can actually vote where they cottage, as long as they’re a property owner,” Amyotte said.
Advertisement - content continues below
Earlier this month, Amyotte noticed a significant reduction in the number of eligible voters, compared to the 2022 municipal election, when reviewing the registration lists with the election returning officer.
Although she recognizes that voters continue to register every day, initially Amyotte identified over a 40 per cent reduction in eligible voters listed.
“It was significantly and noticeably impacting the non-resident eligible voters, which for us is seasonal residents — that’s cottagers,” she added.
In its voter’s guide, the Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing states that individuals can qualify to vote in a municipality as a non-resident voter “if you own or rent property in a municipality, but it’s not the one where you live.”
This also includes students living away from their home community to attend post-secondary education, if they intend on returning after their schooling is completed.
Amyotte said that data accuracy is especially important at the municipal level due to the high percentage of people using remote voting options such as mail-in ballots or telephone voting. As such, voters may not have the opportunity to register in-person at the polling station on October 26.
Both Amyotte and Municipality of Trent Lakes deputy mayor Carol Armstrong, who seconded Amyotte’s motion at council, spoke about the importance of non-resident voters ensuring they are registered in their Peterborough County municipalities to make sure their voice is heard.
“Not to be dramatic, but it ends up being taxation without representation,” said Armstrong at Wednesday’s council meeting.
Advertisement - content continues below
During the meeting, Peterborough County warden Bonnie Clark said she had discussed the issue of non-resident voters being unintentionally omitted from voting lists at an executive meeting for the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO). Clark noted that awareness of this issue was not comprehensive across all AMO board members.
“We need to get the word out, how best we can,” said Clark.
Amyotte’s resolution, which passed council unanimously, will be shared with the Premier, provincial partners including MPPs, the AMO and the Rural Ontario Municipal Association (ROMA), and other municipalities and relevant partners.
“Your vote is your voice — so speak up,” said Amyotte.
To check whether you’re on the voters list, to update your information, or to add yourself, visit www.registertovoteon.ca.
Advertisement - content continues below
A list of all uncertified candidates registered in each of Peterborough County’s eight municipalities, as of June 29, is provided below. Each municipality’s council comprises a mayor, deputy mayor, and three councillors.
Township of Asphodel-Norwood
Mayor: Patrick Wilford (incumbent), Rodger Bonneau, Stephanie Hodge-Greaves
Deputy Mayor: Lori Burtt (incumbent)
Councillor at Large (three): Paula Warr (incumbent), Barry Walsh (incumbent), Trever Donnelly, Joseph Maddison, Cory Kozmik
Township of Cavan Monaghan
Mayor: None to date
Deputy Mayor: None to date
Ward 1: Nelson Edgerton (incumbent)
Ward 2: None to date
Ward 3: Lance Nachoff (incumbent), David Lundrigan
Township of Douro-Dummer
Mayor: J. Murray Jones, Peter Leahy
Deputy Mayor: Harold Nelson (incumbent), April Hope
Councillor at Large (three): Beverly Flagler (incumbent), Bill Seabrook, Krista Thomas, Paul Wood, Richard Wood
Township of North Kawartha
Mayor: Carolyn Amyotte (incumbent)
Deputy Mayor: Ruth Anne McIlmoyl
Councillor at Large: None to date
Ward 1 (previously Chandos): Bruce Paterson
Ward 2 (previously Burleigh Anstruther): Jim Whelan, Guy Sprung
Township of Otonabee-South Monaghan
Mayor: Bonnie Clark
Deputy Mayor: Mark Allen
Councillor at Large: Tara Loucks, Joe Crowley
Otonabee Ward: Nick Powers (incumbent)
South Monaghan Ward: Terry Holmes (incumbent)
Township of Selwyn
Mayor: Ron Black
Deputy Mayor: None to date
Ennismore Ward (Ward 10): Mary Coulas
Smith Ward (Ward 20): None to date
Lakefield Ward (Ward 30): Michael Barrett
Municipality of Trent Lakes
Mayor: Terry Lambshead (incumbent)
Deputy Mayor: John Braybrook
Councillor at Large: Carol Armstrong
Harvey Ward: Peter Franzen (incumbent)
Galway-Cavendish Ward: Joe Cadigan (incumbent), Caroline McGee, Ira Peters
The original version of this story has been updated to correct the title of the list of candidates for the Municipality of Trent Lakes, which was mislabelled as the Township of Otonabee-South Monaghan, and to add a link to the voter registration website.
encoreNOW for June 29, 2026 features (from left to right, top and bottom) "Spamalot" at The Grove Theatre in Fenelon Falls, "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" at the Bancroft Village Playhouse, "Come From Away" at Port Hope's Capitol Theatre, Lighthouse at Peterborough Musicfest, the Lakefield Jazz, Art and Craft Festival, and "Sore Losers" at Globus Theatre in Bobcaygeon. (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 Spamalot at Fenelon Falls’ The Grove Theatre, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at the Bancroft Village Playhouse, Come From Away at Port Hope’s Capitol Theatre, Lighthouse at Peterborough Musicfest, the Lakefield Jazz, Art and Craft Festival, and Sore Losers at Bobcaygeon’s Globus Theatre.
Monty Python rules all summer long at The Grove Theatre in Fenelon Falls
VIDEO: “Spamalot” promo
There are some comedy films that, if you don’t laugh out loud at least once while watching them, you best check yourself for some sign of life.
Take Monty Python and the Holy Grail, for example. The 1975 British comedy film, written and starring the ridiculously funny Monty Python comedy group of Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin, is still widely considered one of the best comedy films of all time. In fact, in 2011, ABC’s Best In Film: The Greatest Movies Of Our Time listed it second to front runner Airplane!
It took 30 years, but the hilarious spoof of Arthurian legends made its way to Broadway in the form of Spamalot, where it amassed close to 1,600 performances, made a ton of money, and was nominated for 14 Tony Awards, taking home three including for Best Musical.
More than two million people took in Spamalot on Broadway. That certainly bodes very well for The Grove Theatre which, starting Friday (July 3), is staging Spamalot all summer long at its outdoor venue in Fenelon Falls.
Audiences can expect all the laugh-out-loud moments associated with the related film, including killer rabbits, the knights who say Ni, and the bridge-keeper’s ridiculous three-question test. And, course, there’s lots of music, including the signature song “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life” that was repurposed from the 1979 film Monty Python’s Life of Brian.
Curtain is 8 p.m. from July 3 to 6, 10 and 11, 13 and 14, 22 and 23, and 28, and August 5, 14 and 15, 18 and 19, 27, and 30. Tickets costs $64.50 at www.grovetheatre.ca.
Spelling bee pressure mounts at Bancroft’s Village Playhouse
VIDEO: “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” promo
Oh boy, local theatre lovers are being spoiled big-time this summer, with yet another Tony Award-winning musical comedy to take in, with this one in Bancoft.
With book by Rachel Sheinkin and music and lyrics by William Finn, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee opens a 14-show run on Wednesday, July 8 at the Bancroft Village Playhouse.
The winner of both Tony and Drama Desk awards, the musical comedy takes us to Putnam Valley Middle School where six precocious elementary school students, guided by three equally quirky adults, compete in a spelling bee.
While disclosing hilarious and touching stories from their home lives, the kids spell their way through a series of (potentially made-up) words, hoping never to hear the soul-crushing, pout-inducing, life un-affirming “ding” of the bell that signals a spelling mistake.
Six enter the bee and one emerges a champion, with a juice box awaiting the others. The result is “a riotous ride, complete with audience participation.” I’m guessing that, like the Broadway production, a few audience members will be invited onstage to compete.
Curtain is 7 p.m. from July 8 to 11 and 15 to 18, with 2 p.m. matinee performances on July 9, 11 and 12, 16, and 18 and 19. Tickets cost $41 ($36.50 for seniors and $26.50 for students/youth/arts workers) and are available at www.villageplayhouse.ca. Of note, the show isn’t recommended for younger children as it does contain some mature content and themes.
Advertisement - content continues below
“Come From Away” lands safely at Port Hope’s Capitol Theatre
VIDEO: “Gander’s Ripple Effect: How a Small Town’s Kindness Opened on Broadway”
Amidst all the tragedy, despair, and fear that September 11, 2001 will forever be associated with, there’s the remarkable kindness and empathy that the people of Gander, Newfoundland showed that day, and over the days following the terrorist attacks south of the border.
Of course, that had to be brought to the stage, and it was in the form of the multi-awarded musical Come From Away. Based on events in Gander following the arrival of 38 rerouted passenger planes carrying almost 6,600 people that landed in quick order at Gander International Airport, Come From Away is nothing short of a tribute to the remarkable spirit and welcoming open arms of Newfoundlanders.
Conceived by Toronto lawyer and theatre producer Michael Rubinoff, he reached out to the Canadian writing team of Irene Sankoff and David Hein to get the story down on paper after he was turned down by several writers. Sankoff and Hein, who lived in New York City at the time of the attacks, were all in, visiting Gander in 2011 to interview residents. While the characters are “a tribute” to the real people involved, every event in the musical is based on a corresponding real-life event.
Leave it to Port Hope’s Capitol Theatre to stage this ambitious production, which it is doing for an extensive run starting Friday, July 10.
Directed by Rob Kempson with musical direction by Jeff Newberry and choreography by Genny Sermonia, the sizable cast includes Peterborough musicians Beau Dixon and Melissa Payne — both far from being strangers to local audiences. The result is a touching story that speaks to the indomitable human spirit that so often prevails in the midst of despair and uncertainty.
Broadway World assures “You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and you’ll be a better person when you leave the theatre.” That’s a pretty good endorsement.
Curtain is 7:30 pm on July 10 and 11, 16 to 18, 23 to 25, July 30 to August 1, and August 6 to 8, with 2 p.m. matinee performances on July 12, 14 to 16, 18 and 19, 21 to 23, 25 and 26, 28 to 30, August 1 and 2, 4 to 6, and 8 and 9. Tickets cost $50 ($40 for those under 30) and are available at capitoltheatre.com — if you can get them, given that many performances are already sold out.
Lighthouse again promises one fine night during Peterborough Musicfest at Del Crary Park
VIDEO: “One Fine Morning” – Lighthouse (1972)
When it comes to staying power, Lighthouse is in a league of its own.
The horn-heavy Canadian rock band made its debut on May 14, 1969 at The Rock Pile in Toronto following an introduction by, of all people, Duke Ellington. Band co-founder Skip Prokop died in 2017 but his partner, keyboardist Paul Hoffert, is still at it at age 82.
The recipient of Juno Awards for Best Canadian Group of the Year in 1972, 1973, and 1974, Lighthouse’s combination of rock, jazz, swing, and classical musical elements gave it a distinct sound and a resulting huge following on the strength of mega-hits such as “One Fine Morning,” “Sunny Days,” “Hats Off To The Stranger,” and “Pretty Lady.”
While Lighthouse hasn’t recorded an album in decades, it remains a beloved Canada Walk of Fame legacy act with nine gold records and three platinum discs in its rearview mirror.
On July 11 at Del Crary Park, the 39th season of Peterborough Musicfest will welcome back Lighthouse, featuring Hoffert and fellow original member Russ Little on trombone. As always, admission is free to the 8 p.m. sponsor-supported concert, which will be preceded at 6:30 p.m. by local jazz and blues singer Carling Stephen doing a turn on the Future Sound Series stage just inside the George Street entrance to the park.
Stellar music lineup at the Lakefield Jazz, Art and Craft Festival
VIDEO: “Need a Little Sugar in my Bowl” performed by Carling Stephen
For all its warts, I love that Peterborough is my home and has been since 1989. It’s been a great place to raise our kids and a city that has offered me so many opportunities, professionally and personally.
But, and it’s a big but, if I was fixing to move somewhere else, Lakefield would be squarely in my sights. Millbrook is quaint, as is Omemee and Norwood, but Lakefield is one happening place, and anyone who knows me knows I like happening.
The village that is home to the Lakefield Literary Festival, Performing Arts Lakefield, and a great venue in Lakefield College’s Bryan Jones Theatre is also home to the annual Lakefield Jazz, Art and Craft Festival, which will be held from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday, July 11 at Isabel Morris Park, cradled next to the Otonabee River.
As its name implies, the all-ages festival will feature lots of art and crafted items to browse, but the jazz part of the equation is the big draw.
To that end, organizers of the summer celebration have again gifted us a great lineup, starting at 11 a.m. with Peterborough quintet Carpe Noctem, featuring Pete Woolidge on keys, Craig Paterson on bass, John Climenhage on drums, Mark Davidson on tenor sax and, filling in for Andy Cragg, Steve McCracken, also on tenor sax.
Following, in order, are New Orleans sound-inspired The Dixie Demons, fabulous Peterborough-based jazz/blues singer Carling Stephen, two-time Juno Award-nominated pianist Steve Holt leading his Jazz Impact Quintet, Toronto jazz fusion ensemble Snaggle led by multi-award-winning pianist Nick Maclean and, closing things out at 8:10 p.m., the Keith Guy Band and its homage to R&B greats such as Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, and Stevie Wonder, to name a few.
That is one diverse and stellar music lineup for the very reasonable $12 admission at the gate. For more information, visit lakefieldjazzfest.ca.
Strikes, spares, and misses make for laughs at Globus Theatre in Bobcaygeon
Globus Theatre in Bobcaygeon is premiering actor Bradley Austin’s new play “Sore Losers” from July 15 to 25, 2026. (Photo courtesy of Globus Theatre)
One of my favourite winter things to do, besides cursing the @&$#@% Leafs, is bowl — specifically bowling of the 10-pin variety on Tuesday nights at Lakeview Bowl.
So it is that when a play about bowling is coming to these parts, you have my attention. Bowling has been the subject of feature films, the hilarious Kingpin and The Big Lebowski being two notable examples. It’s about time my winter obsession received its due on stage.
Written by Bradley Austin, new Canadian comedy Sore Losers opens on Wednesday, July 15 at Bobcaygeon’s Globus Theatre, and it’s a world premiere to boot.
Sore Losers tells the story of a family-run bowling alley, operated by Burt and his niece Angie, that is facing financial ruin due to the opening of the sleek and modern Galaxy Bowl. Unlike their famously successful fathers who were bowling champions, Burt and his pal Jim have won squat.
Desperate to save the business and their pride, Jim comes up with an outrageous plan to win the provincial title that hinges on recruiting the town’s clueless new dentist for a ragtag team that hopes to finally come in on top. Strikes, spares, and misses ensue, as do a lot of laughs.
Curtain is 8 p.m. from July 15 to 18 and 22 to 25, with 2 p.m. matinee performances on July 18 and 25. Tickets cost $50 at www.globustheatre.com, with a $100 dinner and show package also available before evening performances.
Advertisement - content continues below
Encore
Billed as “a day of faith, music and community,” Gospel Fest 2026 will be held on Saturday, July 11 in Campbellford at Old Mill Park. Presented by Second Chance Ministries and starting at noon, a number of gospel music acts will be featured right through to 7 p.m. Admission is free with a non-perishable food item for the Campbellford Food Bank. Donations to this year’s benefactor The Children’s Foundation are requested, so bring a few dollars along.
Also on July 11, “a hot time in the old town” is assured as family and friends of singer Jane Archer gather at the Black Horse Pub in downtown Peterborough for her 75th birthday bash. The blues/R&B/classic country/Americana singer will be joined by her son Michael, who arrives fresh from vibrant music scene in Austin, Texas. Things get underway at 9 p.m., but do yourself a favour and arrive for 5 p.m. to catch Emily Burgess headlining the early show. Happy Birthday, Jane!
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.
Submit your event for FREE!
Use our event submission form to post your event on our website — for free.
To submit editorial content or ideas, please contact us.
