Local theatre artist and writer Kate Story spoke to Peterborough City Council on January 9, 2023 in support of the city's artist grant program. For the 2023 budget, city staff had recommended not to continue the program, which was established in 2022 as a $40,000 one-year initiative to help local artists weather the impact of the pandemic. (kawarthaNOW screenshot of city council video)
Continuing a grant program for local artists and enhancing homelessness support services are two of the changes made to the City of Peterborough’s draft 2023 budget during a series of meetings held by city council’s finance committee this week that concluded on Wednesday night (January 18).
Other significant changes include providing no increase for transit expenses, deferring a water and sewer service upgrade project for the Peterborough Airport, and deferring the city’s contribution to the Eastern Ontario Regional Network cell gap initiative.
The changes will reduce the originally proposed increase to the city’s all-inclusive property tax rate from four per cent to 3.15 per cent, which would add $53.24 per year for each $100,000 of residential assessment. For example, a home assessed at $600,000 would see an additional $319 annually in property tax. This compares to a 2.87 per cent property tax increase approved in the 2022 budget.
Advertisement - content continues below
Some of the changes made by city council’s finance committee to the draft budget include:
Holding Peterborough Transit expenses at the 2022 level, reducing the 2023 net requirement by $951,000.
Deferring an $800,000 project to upgrade water and sewer service to the Peterborough Airport, until a land deal is reached to bring the airport property within city boundaries.
Using $200,000 from the social services reserve to add a third worker at the overflow shelter program and Brock Mission to provide better support for referrals to services, assist with housing searches, develop more of a harm-reduction focus, address service restrictions differently, and other functions.
Deferring a proposed $150,000 project for the next stage of the development of a Downtown Heritage Conservation District Plan.
Advertisement - content continues below
Deferring a $140,900 contribution to the Eastern Ontario Regional Network (EORN) cell gap initiative.
Establishing a permanent annual individual artist grant program at $50,000 a year through a three-year agreement with Electric City Culture Council, using funding from the capital budget in 2023 and including the program in the operating budget in 2024 and 2025.
Removing a plan to provide $55,000 a year to the Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area (DBIA) for three years for a new “systems navigator” staff position that would help downtown businesses navigating social issues.
Contributing up to $10,000 from the capital levy reserve for the creation of a monument recognizing the impact of occupational disease on individuals and families.
Finance committee will meet on Monday (January 23) to consider the Peterborough Police Service budget, and the city’s 2023 draft budget will be considered for approval by city council the following Monday.
Peterborough GreenUP shares 10 must-see environmentally themed films to watch during the virtual 2023 ReFrame Film Festival, which runs from January 26 to February 3. (Collage: kawarthaNOW)
This year’s ReFrame Film Festival will take place between January 26th and February 3rd with a slate of provocative films set around themes of social and environmental justice.
Previous attendees of the ReFrame Film Festival will know that many themes presented at the festival are timely and urgent, pulling at the heartstrings of documentary fans and new-to-film viewers alike.
Each week, GreenUP provides a story related to the environment. This week’s column is by Lili Paradi, Communications Manager at GreenUP.
ReFrame hopes to “light up the darkest time of the year with inspiring activist stories, fascinating trips across the world, incredible images and thought-provoking discussion.” Interested individuals can now access the full lineup of films using ReFrame’s interactive film guide at reframefilmfestival.ca/film-guide/.
Advertisement - content continues below
The festival will open with an in-person screening of All the Beauty and the Bloodshed by Laura Poitras at Showplace Performance Centre on Thursday, January 26th at 7 p.m.
The majority of film screenings will be held virtually, with in-person festival events including the opening night, Q&As, panel discussions, and an exhibition at Artspace.
GreenUP sees the urgent importance of climate action reflected in the many environmentally themed films featured at ReFrame this year. Read on to learn more about 10 must-see films from near and far which will be featured in the 2023 lineup.
VIDEO: “Bigger Than Us” trailer
Films at the festival this year highlight youth voices and stories.
Bigger Than Us by Flore Vasseur features 18-year-old Melati, a young Indonesian woman who works towards tackling the plastic pollution issue that is impacting her country. Sometimes risking their lives and safety, the youth in this film passionately and courageously protect people, the climate, and access to education and food.
Organizing climate movements as a young person has a steep learning curve. High Tide Don’t Hide, filmed in New Zealand and directed by Niva Kay, Emily McDowell, Nia Phipps and Phil Stebbing, follows the struggle of young people empowering themselves to take climate action in their communities.
Advertisement - content continues below
The shorts program “Confronting the Climate Crisis” features four films that show people and places impacted by changes in the environment. A standout film in this program, Rewilding the Classroom, looks at the Youth Leadership in Sustainability program developed by local educator Cam Douglas. In the film, we learn about youth as they explore the reality of environmental crises in Nogojiwanong/Peterborough.
One of the pertinent issues the festival hopes to highlight this year is the opioid crisis, a challenge we may not immediately think of when taking action for the environment.
Devil Put the Coal in the Ground, directed by Peter Hutchison and Lucas Sabean, shows that the overdose crises and the environment are interconnected. Uniquely structured upon the personal storytelling of West Virginians, this film is a meditation on the suffering brought on by the coal industry and its decline.
VIDEO: “Devil Put the Coal in the Ground” trailer
Environmental documentaries at ReFrame also touch on stories of hope and inspiration. These next two films are light-hearted and inspirational.
George Tsougrianis’ Wild Prairie Man is an intimate look at the life of a man enthralled with the endangered ecosystem of Grasslands National Park. Located in the Northern Great Plains of Canada, capturing the beauty of the Grasslands has been a 20-year odyssey for wildlife photographer James R. Page.
As well, try The Colour of Ink by Brian Johnson, which uncovers the mystery of an old art medium through the eyes of Toronto inkmaker Jason Logan. Harvesting colours from the natural world — weeds, berries, bark, flowers, rocks, rust — Logan makes ink from just about anything.
Advertisement - content continues below
Environmental films highlight the interactions between people and the environment, reminding the audience that we are connected with nature, no matter where we are.
The Seeds of Vandana Shiva, a feature-length documentary directed by Jim Becket and Camilla Becket, presents the remarkable life story of the Gandhian eco-activist and agro-ecologist Vandana Shiva. A classic David versus Goliath tale, the film shows how Vandana, a brilliant scientist, became a star of the international organic food movement.
Premiering in Canada for the first time is Norwegian Headache by Rune Denstad Langlo. This film looks at how Norwegian government decision-making can be the difference between environmental protection or environmental detriment. It follows the precedent-setting legal battle of Article 112 of the Norwegian Constitution, which speaks to the right for future generations to have a clean environment.
VIDEO: “The Seeds of Vandana Shiva” trailer
ReFrame also features documentaries that address environmental racism and advocacy for Indigenous communities.
Resita Cox’s Freedom Hill connects the dots between climate change, race, and poverty in a film that highlights the historically significant town of Princeville, North Carolina. As a result of racism, a black community has settled in the flood plain that is now Freedom Hill. This community will be directly impacted by increased extreme weather events and is a strong example of how marginalized communities are disproportionately impacted by climate change.
The perspective of the Tsay Keh Dene First Nation is shared in Luke Gleeson’s The Scattering of Man – DƏNE YI’INJET. This community suffers from the environmental, cultural, and social repercussions of the W.A.C Bennett Dam being built on Peace River in the Rocky Mountain Trench, territory that has been inhabited by Tsay Keh Dene for millennia.
Advertisement - content continues below
Share on Bluesky
“ReFrame is excited to present the stories of people and communities fighting for environmental justice at the local, national, and global levels,” says ReFrame Creative Director Amy Siegel. “We hope these films will incite audiences beyond the festival. We are facing a climate emergency, and I believe film and art can play a part in informing, inspiring, and galvanizing the community to take action.”
GreenUP is once again excited to be a sponsor supporting the ReFrame Film Festival. Audiences can purchase ticket packs of 5, 8, or 10, or a virtual festival pass for those who want to take in all the films. Pay-what-you-can standalone tickets are also available for every film. Opening night tickets are sold separately.
Environment Canada has issued a freezing rain warning for the southern Kawarthas region for Thursday afternoon and evening (January 18).
The freezing rain warning in in effect for southern Peterborough County, southern Kawartha Lakes, and Northumberland County.
Freezing rain, which may be mixed with ice pellets and snow, is expected to begin Thursday afternoon. Ice accretion up to a few millimetres is possible on untreated surfaces.
Advertisement - content continues below
Freezing rain will transition to light flurries, possibly mixed with freezing drizzle, early Thursday evening.
The risk of freezing drizzle will end Friday morning.
Surfaces such as highways, roads, walkways and parking lots may become icy and slippery. Take extra care when walking or driving in affected areas. Ice build-up may cause tree branches to break. Utility outages may occur.
Part Time CFO Services LLP founder and president Darryl Goodall (second from left) and other Part Time CFO representatives presented a $25,000 donation to Five Counties Children's Centre CEO Scott Peppin (second from right) for the Northumberland Backyard Project, which would see a large property behind Five Counties in Cobourg transformed into an outdoor green space for treatment, recreation, cultural awareness, and education programs. (Photo courtesy of Five Counties)
Cobourg-based financial management services company Part Time CFO Services LLP has donated $25,000 to the Northumberland Backyard Project, which would transform the property behind Five Counties Children’s Centre in Cobourg into an outdoor green space for treatment, recreation, cultural awareness, and education programs.
The Northumberland Backyard Project is being led by Five Counties, a charitable organization providing therapy services that assist children who are delayed in their development to build the skills they need in everyday life such as walking, talking, and activities of daily living, in partnership with Northumberland County, Nogojiwanong Friendship Centre, YMCA Northumberland, and the local EarlyON Child and Family Centre.
The outdoor green space, which would be available to clients, families, and visitors of the project partners and other community program providers, would include the installation of fencing and an accessible playground — the first of its kind in the area — along with sensory play equipment, an accessible garden area, a gazebo, storage space, and eventually a track. The 25,200-square-foot property at 800 Division Street in Cobourg currently cannot be used because of safety, traffic, and accessibility concerns.
Advertisement - content continues below
Share on Bluesky
The $25,000 donation from Part Time CFO Services LLP represents around 10 per cent of the remaining funds needed to develop the Northumberland Backyard Project, and brings the initiative almost halfway to meeting its fundraising goal of $255,000.
“We appreciate the significant investment Part Time CFO Services LLP is making in our kids, families, and community by supporting the Northumberland Backyard Project,” says Five Counties CEO Scott Pepin in a media release. “Agencies in our community have seen growing waitlists due to increased need and the pandemic. We recognize the importance of this outdoor project to create more space and opportunities for our kids and families. We’re very grateful for supporters like Part Time CFO Services LLP that see value in this project.”
Northumberland resident Darryl Goodall, the founder and president of Part Time CFO Services LLP, is an active sports enthusiast who has been a long-time volunteer for organized outdoor recreation activities, including as coach and head referee of the Port Hope Minor Soccer Club.
“Our staff believe in giving back to Northumberland, and that’s why Part Time CFO Services LLP is proud to support Five Counties and its partners on a project that will provide life-changing opportunities for kids,” Goodall says. “Our investment in the backyard project will help kids get the treatment and support they need that benefits them for the rest of their lives.”
Environment Canada has issued a freezing drizzle advisory for much of the greater Kawarthas region until Wednesday morning (January 18).
The freezing drizzle advisory is in effect for Peterborough County, Northumberland County, Haliburton County, and Hastings Highlands.
Periods of freezing drizzle, at times mixed with snow, will continue into Wednesday morning. There is also a risk of freezing rain overnight. There is a risk of freezing drizzle in the City of Kawartha Lakes, but it is currently not included in the advisory.
Advertisement - content continues below
Precipitation is expected to taper Wednesday morning.
Surfaces such as highways, roads, walkways and parking lots may become icy and slippery. Watch for taillights ahead and maintain a safe following distance.
Freezing drizzle can produce thin, hard-to-detect layers of ice. Slow down driving in slippery conditions. Take extra care when walking or driving in affected areas.
According to Adam McInroy of McInroy & Associates Private Wealth Management, having a solid financial plan during a year of financial upheaval like we experienced in 2022 will help you avoid making decisions you may regret years down the road. You can book some time with Adam or one of the members of his team at their Bobcaygeon-based practice and they will sit down with you to review your financial goals, your investment portfolio, and your larger financial plan. (Stock photo)
While most people are relieved to see 2022 — with its record-high inflation and never-ending interest rate hikes — in their rear-view mirror, the question remains: what’s the best way to manage our financial future when there’s so much ongoing uncertainty?
“It was a very challenging year regardless of who you are or what your financial situation was,” says Executive Financial Consultant Adam McInroy CFP, CLU at Bobcaygeon-based McInroy and Associates Private Wealth Management.
While Adam says no one can predict what 2023 will bring, he’s certain of one thing: those with a solid financial plan are in a much better place when it comes to navigating a year of financial upheaval.
“We’re hearing tons of analysis and market experts’ forecasts of what 2023 is going to be like,” Adam explains. “I don’t know what the markets are going to provide. I don’t know where the interest rates are going to go. But what I do know is having an emergency fund makes a solid difference when we go through times of financial challenges that no-one predicted and that are uncontrollable.”
“Having flexibility within your cashflow allows you to adapt to the rising cost of living, minimizing the taxes you pay and putting more money in your pocket. Strategically planning your income streams means reduced or no OAS clawback, giving you more cashflow to enjoy your retirement with.”
Financial planning, according to Adam, isn’t just about investing.
“Investments are the sexy thing that everyone likes to talk about,” he says. “But a lot of the hype around investing is more for entertainment purposes as opposed to actually being based on solid financial advice.”
Share on Bluesky
If there was a silver lining to 2022, Adam says, it was the important lessons the year taught us about minimizing debt.
“We rarely understand the impact of our decisions until we go through a year like 2022,” he explains. “When times are good, we never think that it’s important to pay down debt. We don’t think of the other components of a financial plan, like having an emergency fund or play through the “What if” scenarios that we face during uncertainty. ‘What if I couldn’t work for several months?’. ‘What happens if suddenly we went to one income?'”
“Going into 2023, it’s important to recognize that a financial plan is more than just an investment portfolio. Two of the biggest things we’re hearing are ‘My friends are concerned about the cost of living and how it will impact their retirement, but you’ve shown us clearly the impact that it will have so I’m able to sleep soundly at night and turn off the noise of the news’ or ‘I really should have talked to you before I made this decision because, as it’s impacting me negatively now, I wish I had made a different decision.'”
Adam McInroy, Executive Financial Consultant of McInroy & Associates Private Wealth Management, at his Bobcaygeon-based practice. Adam and his team work with clients to help them make the right wealth management decisions for their individual situation, which is especially important during a financially tumultuous year like we experienced in 2022. (Photo: McInroy & Associates Private Wealth Management)
Helping clients understand the ‘puzzle pieces’ of their financial plan and how to put them together is key to maintaining discipline and patience, Adam points out.
“Understanding what the picture is on the front of your puzzle box and what puzzle pieces are needed to make that picture a reality is what we do. When we start to put those puzzle pieces into a plan, things suddenly start to make sense and give you the confidence you need to retire in the comfort and dignity you deserve.”
“We saw at least five people retire as planned in 2022. When they looked at their portfolios and said ‘It’s going down downhill’, we told them ‘No, we have a plan in place. This is still what it looks like.” They retired without fear, with a smile on their face, and on their own terms.'”
Having a solid financial plan can also provide the certainty needed to invest in real estate, despite the seemingly overwhelming challenges of entering the housing market.
“We saw two young couples buy their first homes in 2022,” Adam says. “Not anything fancy, but they got into the housing market. They were successful because they followed the strategy that was laid out for the last two or three years. They ignored the rhetoric that housing is unaffordable. They ignored the fancy entertainment investing trends and they stayed with a tried-and-true method.”
Share on Bluesky
A solid financial plan also helps avoid another effect of the psychology of money: making major changes in January simply because a new year has dawned.
“We meet with clients throughout the year because life events happen throughout the year,” Adam explains. “People who retire don’t all retire in January. Most of our clients know full well what retirement is going to look like, regardless of the date they choose to retire. However, what they don’t know is specifics and how small decisions will impact them directly.”
“For instance, when to take CPP and OAS — a big conversation for a lot of pre-retirees right now. We hear a lot of ‘One website tells me this, another website tells me that’. It’s critical to make it simple to understand, but specific to their situation and flexible for the uncertainties that are possible. We present that information to them so they understand it, and they have access to their digital financial plan at any time for their own what-if scenarios.”
Helping clients understand the impacts of their financial decisions is a key role of Adam McInroy and his team at Bobcaygeon-based McInroy and Associates Private Wealth Management, including advising whether your investments and financial plan are well-suited to your long-term goals or whether you should consider alternatives to strengthen your financial plan and portfolio. (Photo: McInroy & Associates Private Wealth Management)
Helping clients understand the impacts of their financial decisions is a key role of Adam and his team at McInroy and Associates Private Wealth Management.
“It’s important to empower clients to make decisions, but it’s also important they have someone walking alongside them while they’re making those decisions — making sure those decisions aren’t negative, today or 20 years down the road,” Adam notes. “Or, if they’re choosing to make what we think is a negative decision, ensuring they know the consequences or potential outcome of that decision.”
Share on Bluesky
When all is said and done, Adam says the service he and his team offer clients is rooted in their seeing “opportunities that most people don’t understand and don’t know exist.”
“We’ve seen a lot of different markets come and go. And we can certainly empathize with people who find the current environment challenging so, as 2023 kicks off, we’d like to help if we can, and so here’s what we’re offering: a cup of coffee and a second opinion.”
McInroy & Associates Private Wealth Management is located at 21 King Street West in Bobcaygeon. For more information, visit www.mcinroypwm.com. (Photo: McInroy & Associates Private Wealth Management)
Share on Bluesky
“By appointment, you’re welcome to come in and sit with us for a while,” Adam says. “We’ll briefly ask you to outline your financial goals and what your investment portfolio is intended to do for you. Then we’ll review the portfolio and your larger financial plan with you.”
“If we think your investments and financial plan continue to be well-suited to your long-term goals, we’ll explain why in plain simple language. If on the other hand we think some of your investments and financial planning strategies no longer make sense with your goals, we’ll explain why and — if you’d like — recommend some alternatives to strengthen your financial plan and portfolio.”
McInroy & Associates Private Wealth Management is located at 21 King Street West in Bobcaygeon. You can email Adam at adam.mcinroy@igpwm.ca or call 705-748-1950. For more information about McInroy & Associates Private Wealth Management, visit www.mcinroypwm.com.
Investors Group Financial Services Inc.
This is a general source of information only. It is not intended to provide personalized tax, legal or investment advice, and is not intended as a solicitation to purchase securities. Adam McInroy is solely responsible for its content. For more information on this topic or any other financial matter, please contact McInroy & Associates Private Wealth Management.
This is one of a series of branded editorials created in partnership with McInroy & Associates Private Wealth Management. If your business or organization is interested in a branded editorial, contact us.
Peterborough Symphony Orchestra music director and conductor Michael Newnham invites you to "An Intimate Welcome" at Showplace Performance Centre in downtown Peterborough on February 4, 2023. The third concert of the 2022-23 season will include the orchestra's five principal string players performing work by Dvorák, the orchestra's wind players performing work by Mozart and Gounod, and more. (Photo: Huw Morgan)
The Peterborough Symphony Orchestra returns to Showplace Performance Centre in downtown Peterborough on Saturday, February 4th for “An Intimate Welcome,” a concert featuring works by Dvorák, Mozart, Gounod, and Brahms.
Welcoming audiences back to the Peterborough Symphony Orchestra is a recurring theme of all of this season’s concerts, since the 2022-23 season is the first one since the pandemic began where the orchestra is performing a full slate of five in-person concerts.
“An Intimate Welcome,” the third concert of the season, is also another first for the orchestra. According to music director and conductor Michael Newnham, for the first time there will be no soloist and the concert will focus on smaller groups from the orchestra.
Advertisement - content continues below
That includes the orchestra’s five principal string players — Jennifer Burford and Nora Pellerin (violins), Elizabeth Morris (viola), Zuzanna Chomicka-Newnham (cello) and Filip Stasiak (bass) — who will perform String Quintet No. 2 in G Major, Op. 77, written by 19th-century Czech composer Antonín Dvorák.
Originally composed in early 1875, the four-movement composition is scored for two violins, viola, cello, and double bass. Dvorák wrote the piece for a chamber music competition in Prague the following year, sponsored by the Umelecká beseda (artistic circle), where it was unanimously awarded a prize of five ducats (gold coins) for the “distinction of theme, the technical skill in polyphonic composition, the mastery of form, and the knowledge of the instruments.”
“This is a refreshingly beautiful work from the middle of the Romantic period,” Maestro Newnham explains. “Like much of Dvorak’s music, it reflects and was inspired by the music of the Austro-German composers on one hand, and on the other hand, by music from his native Czech homeland. There’s a certain folksy, dance-like quality to this, and it really puts the spotlight on these five fabulous musicians.”
VIDEO: “String Quintet No. 2” by Dvorák
The evening’s program will then turn to the orchestra’s wind players, who will perform two works. The first is Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Serenade No. 12 in C Minor, K. 388.
Written by the 19th-century German-Austrian composer in 1782 or 1783, the four-movement work is scored for two oboes, two clarinets, two horns, and two bassoons.
“This is Mozart at the height of his powers,” Maestro Newnham says. “It is a piece written for eight wind instruments which manages to plumb the heights and depths of the human condition, all in less than 20 minutes.”
Advertisement - content continues below
This will be followed by a performance of 19th-century French composer Charles Gounod’s Petite Symphonie. Gounod is best known for his 12 operas, the most popular of which has always been 1859’s Faust, and his Ave Maria based on a prelude by Bach, which has become a feature at funerals, wedding masses, and quinceañeras (a Latin American celebration of a girl’s 15th birthday).
Gounod wrote Petite Symphonie late in his career, in 1885, for French flutist and impresario Paul Taffanel and his chamber music society. The four-movement composition is scored for a wind ensemble of nine players.
“Gounod, who lived about 100 years after Mozart, was fascinated by his music,” Maestro Newnham notes. “This is kind of a light, airy musical ‘dessert’.”
VIDEO: “Petite Symphonie” by Gounod
Following the performance of Petite Symphonie, Maestro Newnham says “all of the players team up at the end of the concert to play some passionate and red-hot Hungarian Dances by Brahms.”
German composer Johannes Brahms was first exposed to Hungarian music, including traditional Hungarian folk dances, after he met the Hungarian violinist Ede Reményi in 1850 and accompanied him in a number of recitals over the next few years. In 1869 and 1880, Brahms wrote two sets of the Hungarian Dances — 21 lively dance tunes based mostly on Hungarian themes.
Varying in length between one and five minutes, each dance has been arranged for a wide variety of instruments and ensembles. They were among Brahms’s most popular and lucrative works.
Advertisement - content continues below
“An Intimate Welcome” begins at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, February 4th at Showplace Performance Centre at 290 George Street North in downtown Peterborough. A pre-concert “Meet the Maestro” talk takes place at 6:45 p.m., where the Peterborough Symphony Orchestra’s music director Michael Newnham will take the Showplace stage for an intimate chat about the evening’s program.
In keeping with the “An Intimate Welcome” theme, the audience is invited to attend a post-concert reception with Maestro Newnham and the orchestra’s musicians in the Nexicom Studio lounge.
Single tickets are $33, $48, or $55 depending on where you sit, with student tickets $12. Tickets are available in person at the Showplace Box Office from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Thursday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday, or online anytime at showplace.org (student tickets are only available online).
New this season is a “rush ticket” option, where seats are available on the day of the concert for only $20 (online only, depending on availability).
kawarthaNOW is proud to be a media sponsor of the Peterborough Symphony Orchestra’s 2022-23 season.
Holiday Shopping Passport grand prize draw winner Noah Sloan was presented with his grand prize of a $1,500 Boro gift card by Iceman Video Games store manager Holly Butler on January 14, 2023. Sloan completed his winning passport after purchasing a new game console at the downtown Peterborough business. (Photo courtesy of Peterborough DBIA)
Noah Sloan is $1,500 richer thanks to a passion for video games and shopping locally.
Sloan won the grand prize in the annual Holiday Shopping Passport program of the Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area (DBIA).
Sloan’s winning passport was drawn last Wednesday (January 11) at The El (P), a restaurant at 380 George Street North in downtown Peterborough. He completed his passport at Iceman Video Games at 390 George Street North in downtown Peterborough, where he had purchased a new game console.
Advertisement - content continues below
Share on Bluesky
“I still can’t believe I won — it’s surreal,” says Sloan, who was presented with his grand prize by Iceman Video Games store manager Holly Butler on Saturday.
“I think now more than ever it’s important to support small businesses with the economy the way it is,” he adds. “I really appreciate our downtown and love that I can bring my dog along while shopping the stores. I’m still wrapping my head around winning and look forward to exploring all the new shops and restaurants with my gift card.”
The Holiday Shopping Passport program ran from November 14 to January 11. Throughout the program, shoppers were rewarded with a passport stamp for every $10 they spent at a participating downtown Peterborough location. Each completed passport (20 stamps) were entered into a draw, including three early bird draws of $500 Boro gift cards.
Advertisement - content continues below
Heather Adey, Karen Scott, and Helen Lovick were the early bird draw winners. This year, winners also received a Peterborough Musicfest Diner’s Book, filled with coupons valued at $600 in savings at local restaurants, with 100 per cent of the proceeds going directly towards musician fees for the summer outdoor music festival.
According to the Peterborough DBIA, this season’s Holiday Shopping Passport program generated just over $2.3 million in local spending.
“What I love about this program is anyone can win when they shop downtown,” says Peterborough DBIA executive director Terry Guiel. “Some past winners filled out dozens of passports, while others completed just one.”
Port Hope pop surrealist artist Oli Goldsmith, known for his album art and video work for the rock band Our Lady Peace, is showing 23 mixed media artworks in his solo exhibition "Threading Perennial" on display until March 23, 2023 at the Art Gallery of Northumberland in Cobourg. (Photos courtesy of Art Gallery of Northumberland)
A new solo exhibition called “Threading Perennial” by Port Hope artist Oli Goldsmith is on display at the Art Gallery of Northumberland in Cobourg until March 25.
The 43-year-old Toronto-born Goldsmith defines his work as “pop surrealism.” He combines digital and traditional paint techniques with various additions including custom vinyl die-cuts, silkscreen, digital transfer, and graffiti paint markers in layered art resin and acrylic sheets on wood panel.
Goldsmith is known for his work with the Toronto-based rock band Our Lady Peace. His album art for the band’s 2000 record Spiritual Machines was nominated for a Juno award for best album artwork. He also directed and animated the music video for the album’s song “In Repair,” which won awards for best video, best director, and best post-production at the MuchMusic Video Awards in 2001.
Advertisement - content continues below
Goldsmith’s “Threading Perennial” exhibition features 23 mixed media artworks finished in resin on wood panels, with up to 100 images combined together in a single composite work.
According to a media release from the Art Gallery of Northumberland, the exhibition is a multi-sensory experience that encourages the viewer to stretch their mind as they take in the details, images, words, and transitionary experiences relayed in the art.
“This exhibition will not let go of you,” says the gallery’s executive director Olinda Casimiro. “A million visual cues pulling you into the narrative of one artwork alone will leave you contemplating the tricomplexity;s of the work itself. The art is fluid, the mood is hyper yet appealing, and the process is speckled with symbolic and nonsensical cues that leave the meaning behind the art up to interpretation of the viewer.”
‘Doublewide Chunky Hopeful Ironrail’ and ‘Face to windy patterned existence’ are two of the 23 mixed media artworks by Port Hope pop surrealist artist Oli Goldsmith in his solo exhibition “Threading Perennial,” on display until March 23, 2023 at at the Art Gallery of Northumberland in Cobourg. (Photos courtesy of Art Gallery of Northumberland)
Goldsmith himself describes his exhibition as “a collection of several strands of recent work in my idiosyncratic manner — something of a magic carpet.”
“All are welcome to come check out my world,” he says. “This art show celebrates that which can never be said.”
A collection of domes and spheres crafted by Goldsmith are also on display within the gallery and are available for purchase.
The Art Gallery of Northumberland is located on the third floor of the west wing of Victoria Hall at 55 King Street West in downtown Cobourg. The gallery is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday to Friday and from 12 to 4 p.m. on Saturday. Admission is free. For more information, visit artgalleryofnorthumberland.com.
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.
