Peterborough-area residents struggling with poverty, be it of the generational or systemic variety or a combination of both, have a local ally in turning their lives around with an eye on better days ahead.

However, unlike most other initiatives and programs that aim to help people via dollars and other finite resources, Bridges Peterborough uses conversations and their resulting relationships as its currency.

Growing out of the faith-based Bedford House Community Ministry founded by Lynn and Allan Smith-Reeve, Bridges Peterborough is working to challenge the prevailing ways of addressing poverty through bridging teams, a small-group experience where under-resourced participants develop strategies with middle-income mentors to build a more stable life.

Self-described as being comprised of ‘ordinary citizens who are passionate about challenging current ways of addressing poverty’, Bridges Peterborough is a coordinated response to prevalent societal challenges — including increases in poverty, precarious employment, and opioid addiction, and the lack of affordable housing.

Jacques Graveline is one of those ‘ordinary citizens’. A longtime Peterborough musician and singer-songwriter, he is also the newly minted chair of the Fleming Student Administrative Council board. In his capacity with Bridges Peterborough, Graveline is a co-facilitator of ‘Bridging Artists Forward’, a bridging team that will begin meeting weekly in March for four months. Plans are also in works for a second bridging team, called ‘Getting Ahead While Getting Out’, for people who are preparing for their release from the prison system.

A bridging team is comprised of 15 to 20 participants — people living in poverty, also described as under-resourced or catalysts, and mentors of middle income who may or may not have lived experience — coming together to share food, fun, and storytelling. The end goal is to learn from one another towards a more stable life.

VIDEO: Bridges Peterborough – Bridging Teams 2020

“We use a workbook so everyone is not only speaking the same language and also understand what each other is going through — the hurdles, what resources people have, and what they don’t have,” Graveline explains. “By the end (of the program), participants have a new circle of community. You’ve had the team asking lots of questions and storytelling, all while developing relationships. When you’re done, they don’t say ‘See you later.’ Meaningful relationships have been built.”

Graveline was introduced to the Bridges Peterborough model while he was a student at Fleming College. Required to do a research project on a specific Peterborough community, he chose Bridges Peterborough “just to find out who even knew about it.”

That exposure led to him being asked to work on the group’s recruitment strategy, a paid marketing position and, eventually, the chance to co-facilitate the Bridging Artists Forward team.

As an artist himself, Graveline brings a wealth of personal experience to the role. He has, in the truest sense, walked the walk.

“You get stuck in your ways as an artist,” Graveline says. “You’re comfortable smoking pot and drinking beer. You work hours that might take away from your being creative. You’re too tired or you just don’t want to create, or you don’t make the time for it. Your creativity is put on the back burner.”

After reading the book Bridging Out Of Poverty: Strategies For Professionals And Communities, Graveline found himself “able to put the pieces together” about generational and systemic poverty.

“I grew up in generational poverty,” Graveline notes. “There were a bunch of hidden factors I didn’t know about, like budgeting or simply making a plan. It sounds silly but when you read a book, sometimes it changes your trajectory. This book changed my approach to how I’m going to live my life. My mental health is better. I have more confidence. My party lifestyle is less. More opportunities have come from just understanding the road map.”

The work of the Bridges Peterborough teams meshes with the themes of the book, a key one being the importance of having a role model or mentor “to kind of steer you.”

“Growing up in poverty, your parents are always working, your school marks don’t matter, you walk outside and there’s a bunch of people sitting on their stoops drinking and smoking,” Graveline says. “That’s all you know. You don’t aspire to do anything else besides that. When you mature, you’re maturing in that direction versus other directions.”

“Artists can get easily stuck in their ways and (become) hopeless in a sense. This is about making a change in your life with a strong supportive network that’s not just there for those four months. It’s not ‘Here you go, you’ve graduated.’ It’s like AA (Alcoholics Anonymous). They stick with you. You have someone to call after. You’re not just left on your own.”

For team participants, says Graveline, the social capital they will gain is huge.

“There are artists who will never get into the Commerce Building here for a First Friday Art Crawl unless they know somebody. You’re not going to get on a bill for an event unless you know somebody. They’re just not getting into the fold. You come away with not only with more confidence, but also a stronger support system.”

On a more personal level, Graveline gains the most satisfaction from “being part of something good for the community.” In addition, he’s learned “how much we all have in common with complete strangers. When you see someone change their trajectory and see that confidence grow, that’s pretty satisfying.”

Bridges Peterborough needs two things to support both the Bridging Artists Forward and Getting Ahead While Getting Out bridging teams: participants and funds. The organization has a goal of raising $36,000, of which 85 per cent has already been attained. The money helps pay team facilitators as well as purchase grocery store gift cards given in recognition of the leadership and commitment of under-resourced people helping in the work.

To learn more about Bridges Peterborough, to join, or to make a donation, visit bridgespeterborough.ca.

This story has been updated to correct some factual errors.

Ross Memorial Hospital in Lindsay has become the first hospital in Ontario to use an Insignia femoral stem implant in hip replacement surgery.

Orthopaedic surgeon Dr. Sebastian Heaven performed the inaugural surgery last Wednesday (February 15) on patient Arthur Goard.

The Insignia femoral hip stem, manufactured by Michigan-based Stryker Corporation, was recently approved by Health Canada.

In hip replacement surgery (also known as hip arthroplasty), damaged bone and cartilage is removed and replaced with a prosthetic implant. There are two techniques used to secure the implant in place: one uses a type of bone cement and the other relies on the natural bone growing into and over the implant. The implants used for hip replacement surgery can either have a collared stem or a collarless stem.

Collared stem implants, which consist of a metal stem inserted into the femur and a collar that fits around the top of the stem, are designed to provide additional stability to the implant by helping to prevent it from shifting or rotating within the bone. Collarless stems are designed to allow for more natural movement of the hip joint, as they do not restrict the range of motion in the same way that collared stems can.

According to Dr. Heaven, there is increasing movement towards using collared stems in hip replacements that don’t use bone cement, which is the majority of hip replacement procedures in North America. Research shows improved survival of collared implants versus their collarless versions, ultimately meaning a lower likelihood of needing a second surgery after hip replacement.

“The implant we’ve used has some unique proprietary design features that are all geared towards maximizing the probability that the implant is stable and grown onto by the patient’s own bone, functionally making it a part of their body,” Dr. Heaven explains in a media release.

“Collared stem design and its behaviour after implantation when compared to collarless designs was also the topic of my master’s thesis, so it’s an area of particular interest for me. I’m delighted our smaller, rural hospital can be at the forefront of available hip implant technology.”

Hip replacement surgery is considered a highly successful procedure, with a very high rate of patient satisfaction and long-term success in relieving pain and restoring mobility. Ross Memorial Hospital conducts around 150 hip replacements every year, and Dr. Heaven foresees the majority of them in the future will use the Insignia femoral stem implant.

Peterborough police are seeking a suspect in an armed assault at a convenience store on Monday evening (February 20).

At around 6 p.m., officers were called to the business in the Monaghan Road and Chamberlain Street area. After arriving, officers learned a man had walked into the store, pointed a firearm at the clerk, and fired before fleeing the area.

Through an investigation, police determined the weapon was a pellet gun and that nothing was taken from the business. The clerk was struck in the face but did not require medical attention.

The suspect is described as a white man with a thin build and around 5′ 8″ tall. He was wearing a dark camouflage jacket and dark pants, red running shoes, and a dark bandana with a white pattern covering his face.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Peterborough Police crime line at 705-876-1122 x555.

If you prefer to remain anonymous, you can contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at stopcrimehere.ca.

Environment Canada has issued a winter storm warning for the southern Kawarthas region for Wednesday (February 22), with a snowfall warning now in effect for the northern region.

The winter storm warning is in effect for southern Peterborough County, southern Kawartha Lakes, and Northumberland County, and the snowfall warning is in effect for northern Peterborough County, northern Kawartha Lakes, Haliburton County, and northern Hastings County.

An approaching Colorado low will bring a winter storm to much of southern Ontario, beginning early Wednesday evening into Thursday. In the southern Kawarthas region, light snow will become heavy at times early Wednesday evening. Snow may mix with ice pellets and freezing rain Wednesday night, with total amounts of snow and ice pellets between 15 and 25 cm.

Snow may mix with ice pellets Wednesday night, though snow is expected to remain the predominant precipitation type. Snow or ice pellets will taper off Thursday morning to patchy freezing drizzle. Snow accumulations may be lower in areas that experience a greater period of mixing with ice pellets.

The wintry mix will taper off Thursday morning to a risk of patchy freezing drizzle. Another wintry mix of precipitation is possible Thursday afternoon into Thursday evening.

In the northern region, snow (heavy at times) will develop Wednesday evening, with total amounts of 15 to 20 cm expected. The highest snowfall accumulations are expected south of a line from Bracebridge to Cornwall. There will be reduced visibility in heavy snow and local blowing snow.

Snow will become light Thursday morning and may become mixed with freezing drizzle. Another round of snow, possibly mixed with ice pellets, will affect the area Thursday afternoon and evening.

Surfaces such as highways, roads, walkways and parking lots may become difficult to navigate due to accumulating snow. Take extra care when walking or driving in affected areas. There may be a significant impact on rush hour traffic in urban areas. If visibility is reduced while driving, slow down, watch for tail lights ahead and be prepared to stop

This story has been updated with the latest forecast from Environment Canada.

There will be intermittent single-lane closures on Kirkfield Road, at Lock 36 near the village of Kirkfield in the City of Kawartha Lakes, from Tuesday (February 21) until Friday.

Parks Canada advises the single-lane closures are needed to facilitate the placement of a crane as work continues on repairs to the Kirkfield Lift Lock. Flaggers will be in place, and the public can expect short delays.

The Kirkfield Lift Lock suffered a severe mechanical failure last September, resulting in the site’s closure for the remainder of the 2022 navigation season.

In January, Parks Canada awarded a contract for repairs to be completed to return the site to full service by the beginning of the 2023 navigation season.

The work on the lock includes repairs to the structural, mechanical, and electrical components of the lock, system improvements to increase safety controls and access improvements to critical system components, and backup system improvements to minimize impacts on future maintenance activities.

Located a few kilometres north of Kirkfield, the Kirkfield Lift Lock is the second highest hydraulic lift lock in the world with a lift of 15 metres (49 feet). The lock is situated at the highest point along the Trent-Severn Waterway at 256.20 metres (840.5 feet) above sea level.

Peterborough’s Sherbrooke Heights Animal Hospital has successfully reached its goal of raising $2,250 in just over a week to purchase medical supplies to help treat injured survivors of the February 6th magnitude 7.8 earthquake in southern Turkey and northern Syria.

On Friday (February 17), veterinarian Dr. Kristy Hiltz presented the donation to Mark Cameron, president and cofounder of the Canadian International Medical Relief Organization (CIMRO), who visited the veterinary clinic accompanied by CIMRO’s disaster response service dog Zaria.

A resident of Hastings in Northumberland County, Cameron had launched an urgent appeal on behalf of CIMRO last week, seeking donations to help the internationally recognized organization purchase needed drugs and medical supplies to treat as many injured people as possible with life-saving surgeries.

Cameron is a friend of Dr. Hiltz and her husband David McNab, a retired OPP officer. Upon learning of CIMRO’s appeal, she launched the “Suitcase Full of Suture” fundraiser and asked people to donate enough money to purchase 15 boxes of suture material that CIMRO can use repair wounds of those injured during the earthquake.

Sherbrooke Heights Animal Hospital matched donations to the fundraiser up to $500. According to Dr. Hiltz, Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto also donated medical supplies for CIMRO.

Cameron will soon be flying to Turkey to deliver drugs and medical supplies to CIMRO’s team on the ground in the region, which includes local physicians.

Family Day is observed on the third Monday of February, except in British Columbia where it’s celebrated on the second Monday of February.

In Ontario, it’s a statutory holiday under the Employment Standards Act and Retail Business Holidays Act, so all provincial and most municipal offices and services are closed. All liquor and beer stores are closed, as are most shopping malls and large retail stores. While all major grocery stores are closed in Peterborough, many are open in other communities. Since Family Day is not a federal statutory holiday, federal government offices and many federally regulated businesses remain open. Regular collection and delivery of mail occurs on Family Day.

For your convenience, we provide this list of holiday hours for 284 selected businesses, services, and organizations across the Kawarthas. This information comes from their websites and social media accounts, which may or may not be up to date, so please always call them first to confirm their hours (we’ve included phone numbers), especially where you see “call” or “call to confirm” or if you are travelling any distance. If your business or organization is listed and the hours are incorrect, please let us know by using our content feedback form. We do not have the hours for restaurants in this list as there are far too many to include.

Search by business name, location, or keyword:

Beer & Liquor Stores

Drug Stores, Pharmacies & Health Services

Government Services

Grocery Stores

Malls & Box Stores

Other Stores

Recreation & Leisure

Veterinary Clinics

Almost two weeks after a cybersecurity incident, Ross Memorial Hospital (RMH) in Lindsay is still dealing with the aftermath.

“Significant progress has been made in a short period of time due to RMH team members’ hard work, and with the support of local and regional partners, and third-party cybersecurity experts,” reads a media release from the hospital issued on Friday (February 17).

“Given the complexity of the cybersecurity incident and its effects across the IT environment, RMH anticipates that it will be a number of weeks before operations return to normal.”

On the evening of February 5, the hospital declared a “code grey” after staff reported difficulties accessing electronic systems and the hospital’s information technology team identified unusual activity in the systems. At Ontario hospitals, a code grey is initiated after the loss of a critical system such as a utility or information technology (for example, due to ransomeware) that results in the potential loss of use of hospital facilities.

As a result of the cybersecurity incident, multiple electronic systems at Ross Memorial Hospital went offline including email and the Epic electronic medical records system. Haliburton Highlands Health Services also issued a code grey, due to the integrated information technology system it shares with Ross Memorial Hospital, with some email accounts going offline.

Ross Memorial Hospital has already restored some of the affected systems and continues to work to bring all the affected systems back online. There continue to be delays in retrieving diagnostic imaging results, leading to potentially longer wait times for patients.”

While the hospital works to address the delays, patients with less urgent conditions are encouraged to consider alternate options for care, such as their primary health care provider, pharmacist, after-hours clinic, virtual care, or by calling Telehealth Ontario at 1-866-797-0007.

After-hours clinics can often treat non-urgent and minor illnesses and ailments, such as earaches, sore throats or prescription refills.

The hospital says it is unable to provide a timeline for when the code grey will be lifted, but will continue provide updates on its website at rmh.org and via the hospital’s social media channels.