Kawartha Lakes police are seeking the public’s help in identifying a suspect in the armed robbery of a Lindsay business on Thursday night (February 2)

At around 10:10 p.m. on Thursday, officers were called to a business on Lindsay Street South after an employee reported the female suspect entered the store and demanded money and cigarettes.

She removed what appeared to be a handgun from their pocket and showed it to the employee before fleeing the store with a quantity of cash and cigarettes.

The employee was not injured.

Officers searched the area but did not locate the suspect.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Kawartha Lakes Police Service at 705-324-5252. If you prefer to remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or submit a tip online at khcrimestoppers.com.

Tickets are on sale for YWCA Peterborough Haliburton’s Empty Bowls fundraising event taking place Saturday, February 25th at The Venue in downtown Peterborough.

All proceeds from the 19th annual event will help address food insecurity in the Peterborough area. Last year’s event raised $31,000 for YWCA Nourish Food programs to prevent and relieve hunger in the city and county of Peterborough.

From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on February 25, ticket holders will visit The Venue at 286 George Street North where they’ll have a 30-minute time slot to browse and select a hand-crafted bowl donated by local artisans of the Kawartha Potters Guild and Kawartha Woodturners Guild.

Each $50 ticket also includes a local restaurant coupon card featuring discounts from participating restaurants and businesses, redeemable for six months, including Amandala’s, Baked 4U, Black Honey, Central Smith, Fresh Dreams, Gerti’s, Naked Chocolate, Pastry Peddler, Sam’s Place, Stickling’s, That’s A Wrap!, and The Cheese Fromage.

“In Peterborough, one in seven households are experiencing food-insecurity,” explains YWCA’s Nourish manager Joëlle Favreau. “Every ticket for YWCA Empty Bowls helps individuals and families most at risk of experiencing food insecurity put fresh, local, affordable food on their tables, while also supporting the systemic changes required to end food insecurity and poverty.”

Tickets are available online at www.ywcapeterborough.org or by calling YWCA Peterborough Haliburton at 705-743-3526. Don’t delay getting your tickets as they sell out fast.

“We’re extremely grateful for the continued support of our community and our sponsors — including Kawartha Cardiology Clinic, Cornerstone Family Dentistry, and The Venue — who truly understand that food insecurity is a critical health issue and a core barrier for women experiencing gender-based violence,” says YWCA executive director Kim Dolan.

Empty Bowls is a grassroots movement by artists and crafts people in cities around the world to care for and feed the hungry in their communities. Annual events support food-related charitable organizations, raising millions of dollars to help end hunger and address food insecurity.

YWCA Peterborough Haliburton collaborates with organizations like Peterborough Public Health and Peterborough GreenUP to support the creation of a network of places dedicated to eating, cooking, growing, and advocating for good food throughout Peterborough City and County.

For more information about Nourish and YWCA Peterborough Haliburton, visit www.ywcapeterborough.org.

kawarthaNOW is proud to be a media sponsor of the 2023 YWCA Empty Bowls fundraiser.

Environment Canada has issued an extreme cold warning for the entire Kawarthas region for Thursday night (February 2) into Friday morning, and again for Friday night into Saturday morning.

The extreme cold warning is in effect for Peterborough County, the City of Kawartha Lakes, Haliburton County, Hastings Highlands, and Northumberland County.

In the wake of a strong cold front, a blast of cold Arctic air will reach southern Ontario late Thursday night.

In the southern Kawarthas region, wind chills are expected to reach -35°C to -40°C late Thursday night into Friday morning, with wind chills reaching -40°C to -45°C in the northern region. After moderating during the day Friday, wind chills are again forecast to reach as low as -40°C Friday night into Saturday morning.

Environment Canada issues extreme cold warnings when very cold temperatures or wind chill creates an elevated risk to health such as frost bite and hypothermia. Risks are greater for young children, older adults, people with chronic illnesses, people working or exercising outdoors, and those without proper shelter.

Dress warmly in layers that you can remove if you get too warm (the outer layer should be wind resistant) and cover up. Frostbite can develop within minutes on exposed skin, especially with wind chill.

Remember: if it’s too cold for you to stay outside, it’s too cold for your pet to stay outside.

Devon Girard is the new executive director of Community Futures Peterborough, a not-for-profit organization supporting small businesses in the City and County of Peterborough with flexible financing.

A Peterborough native, Girard has more than two decades of experience in communications, government, not-for-profit, and media. She most recently led the Women’s Entrepreneurship Strategy at Northumberland Community Futures Development Corporation (CFDC), where she founded StrikeUP Canada, Canada’s largest digital conference for women entrepreneurs.

“Devon’s proven ability to unite stakeholders and lead new initiatives will no doubt serve our communities for years to come,” says Charlina Westbye, Community Futures Peterborough board chair, in an announcement on Thursday (February 2). “We couldn’t be more excited to welcome Devon to the Community Futures Peterborough team.”

Prior to her time at Northumberland CFDC, Girard was director of marketing and communications at three Peterborough companies: Park Place Financial, Peak Benefit Solutions Inc., and Farm Life. Before then, she spent almost a decade in various senior roles in the British Columbia government, where she led large-scale projects for the 2010 Olympics and also served as a political advisor to the Premier and Minister of Economic Development.

From 2017 to 2020, Girard was a board director of Community Futures Peterborough, holding the positions of governance chair and vice chair until she left the board to work for Northumberland CFDC.

Girard is taking over from Gail Moorhouse, who recently left Community Futures Peterborough after almost five years as executive director to pursue a career in governance and board training.

“I am thrilled for the opportunity to join the team at Community Futures Peterborough and work with our incredible partners to shape our entrepreneurial landscape and local economy,” Girard says. “I am grateful for the support of our board of directors as we embark on this exciting chapter for the organization.”

Girard lives in Peterborough with her husband and two daughters.

Funded by the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario), Community Futures Peterborough has invested more than $38 million in 1,000 small businesses since 1985, creating or maintaining more than 4,000 jobs in the City and the County of Peterborough.

Environment Canada has issued a snow squall watch for much of the Kawarthas region for Thursday afternoon (February 2) into evening.

The snow squall watch in effect for Peterborough County, Kawartha Lakes, Haliburton County, and Hastings Highlands.

A brief but intense snow squall, associated with a fast-moving arctic cold front, will push southeastward across southern Ontario Thursday afternoon through early evening. Heavy snow will combine with gusty northwesterly winds to give near zero visibility at times.

With snowfall accumulations of 2 to 5 cm in an hour or two and wind gusts of 50 to 70 km/h, expect sudden whiteout conditions in heavy snow and blowing snow.

Snow squalls cause weather conditions to vary considerably; changes from clear skies to heavy snow within just a few kilometres are common. Travel may be hazardous due to sudden changes in the weather. Visibility may be significantly and suddenly reduced to near zero.

Plunging temperatures in the wake of this front will usher in the coldest air of the season so far, with temperatures approaching -30°C (-40°C with wind chill).

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

Susan Leask of Peterborough is one of 16 recipients of the 2022 Ontario Senior Achievement Awards, the provincial government announced on Tuesday (January 31).

The awards recognize people for significant contributions to their communities after the age of 65.

This includes fundraising, leading community beautification projects, helping with programs such as Meals on Wheels, volunteering in hospitals, local churches, senior organizations, retirement homes and long-term-care homes, and supporting and empowering the aging population by serving as advocates for veterans, people who are homeless, new immigrants, the Francophone community, people with disabilities, and job seekers.

The recipients were honoured by Lieutenant Governor Elizabeth Dowdeswell and Ontario Minister for Seniors and Accessibility Raymond Cho at a recognition ceremony in the Lieutenant Governor’s Suite at Queen’s Park in Toronto.

“I am pleased to recognize the impressive recipients of the 2022 Ontario Senior Achievement Award,” said Dowdeswell. “I would like to thank each person for their outstanding contributions to their communities and for making a positive difference in the lives of Ontarians.”

Leask has been a dedicated and active volunteer at Hillsdale Terraces, a long-term care home in Oshawa operated by the Regional Municipality of Durham, since 2015 and has been registered as a regular and active volunteer within the home.

“As Family Council President, Susan has built strong and consistent council membership that welcomes, educates, and supports families who join,” reads her award citation. “She represents families at Strategic and Operational Planning Days, and Quality Improvement and Regional LTC Advisory Committees.”

Leask was also recognized for using her gardening expertise to help improve the quality of life for the home’s residents.

“Since 2017, Susan has also been volunteering in the Serenity Garden and has worked to transform it into a multi-season sanctuary for residents, families and staff. Her contributions to resident care, tasks and projects have made her an invaluable member of the Hillside Terraces family.”

The other 15 recipients are Jean Aitcheson of Stratford, Donna Cansfield of Etobicoke, Elizabeth Churcher of Tweed, Larry Duffield of Windsor, Réjeanne Fairhead of Ottawa, Lorraine Finn of Barry’s Bay, John Harper of Toronto, Matt Mathews of Burlington, Joan McSweeney of Leamington, Jean Roy of Toronto (now of Ottawa), Martine Rutherford of Beardmore, Anton Schwab of Uxbridge, Gwendolyn The of Toronto, Reijo J. Viitala of Sudbury, and Earl Windsor of Winchester.