Prominent Peterborough lawyer, former city councillor, and civic leader Ann Farquharson has passed away at the age of 68.

kawarthaNOW learned on Monday (November 24) that Farquharson died sometime over the weekend at her home.

Born and raised in Peterborough, Farquharson was the second of three children to Belleville natives Gordon and Elizabeth. Her father, a decorated pilot with the Royal Canadian Air Force during the Second World War, was a prominent lawyer in Peterborough for 55 years. Her mother was active in the Peterborough community for over 50 years, and was named Citizen of the Year in 1989 for her work restoring Hutchison House and the Pagoda Bridge at Jackson Park.

Farquharson attended Westmount Public School and Thomas A. Stewart Secondary School before going on to study at Trent University, where she graduated in 1981 with an honours degree in North American history. Following in her father’s footsteps, she studied law at the University of British Columbia and was called to the bar in 1985.

She returned to Peterborough in 1986 and began practising law with her father and his partner James Daly in their law firm, where she focused on family law, real estate, and litigation. She worked alongside her father until he retired in 2002 at the age of 81.

In 2006, she entered local politics and was elected as a Town Ward councillor and served a four-year term. Aside from her time in local politics, she was also a longtime Liberal supporter and organizer.

Farquharson had a long history of civic leadership in Peterborough, sitting on the boards of the Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area, the Peterborough Chamber of Commerce, the Big Brothers and Big Sisters Association of Peterborough, the former Peterborough Civic Hospital (now Peterborough Regional Health Centre), and the Peterborough Lakefield Police Services Board.

She also served on committees with Five Counties Children’s Centre, PRHC’s Women’s Health Care Centre, the Down Syndrome Association of Peterborough, the Arborough Games, the Save The Market Hall campaign, the Peterborough Theatre Guild, the Peterborough Centennial Celebration, the Peterborough Youth Commission, the Festival of Lights (now Peterborough Musicfest), and the Peterborough Law Association.

Farquharson was also chair of the Citizens’ Advisory Committee for Flood Planning, sponsorship chair of the Peterborough Flood Relief Concert, president of the Peterborough chapter of the Trent University Alumni Association, and a cabinet member with the YWCA Crossroads Safe Haven committee.

In 2018, the Trent University Alumni Association recognized Farquharson for her contributions to the university, the association, and the community with the Spirit of Trent Award. She continued to be involved with Trent University throughout her career, including serving as Trent University’s human rights lawyer for several years, providing legal advice on the rights and obligations of stakeholders and assisting in dispute resolutions and advanced solutions.

Farquharson established the Gordon Henry Taylor Farquharson Bursary at Trent University in memory of her father, who passed away in 2004 at the age of 83 (her mother, Elizabeth, passed away three years later at the age of 80).

Farquharson remained very active in the community prior to her death, including most recently by volunteering as a member of the United Way Peterborough & District’s 2025-26 campaign cabinet, participating in a public open house about the city’s proposed community planning permit system, and appearing before Peterborough city council to provide her opinion on the police station expansion project.

The original version of this story was updated to indicate that Farquharson died at her home sometime over the weekend.

The Salvation Army’s new thrift store in downtown Peterborough officially opens on Thursday (November 27).

Located beside Dollarama in the Market Plaza at 81 George Street North across from Del Crary Park, the store spans almost 10,000 square feet and will offer a variety of gently used clothing, household items, electronics, art, books, and more.

The store is managed by The Salvation Army Thrift Store, National Recycling Operations (NRO), which operates more than 100 locations across Canada. The Peterborough store is the organization’s 40th store in Ontario.

“As more people look for ways to stretch their budgets while making sustainable choices, we’re thrilled to open our doors in Peterborough,” says Ted Troughton, managing director of The Salvation Army Thrift Store.

“This new location will provide an accessible shopping experience for individuals and families while helping fund Salvation Army programs and services that support those in need.”

Funds generated through the sale of donated items help support the Salvation Army’s local programs such as food banks, shelters, rehabilitation for those struggling with addictions, and emergency relief efforts.

The grand opening will be held from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday, with the store open those same hours six days a week (closed Sunday).

The opening of the new store marks the return of a Salvation Army thrift store to Peterborough after four years without one.

The previous store, located in the Brookdale Plaza on Chemong Road, closed in October 2021 due to increasing competition from other thrift stores.

Being stuck for hours in a hospital emergency room waiting for care is no one’s idea of fun. But even here, little acts of kindness can make a world of difference.

Jordie Barrie knows and demonstrates this daily.

As a child, he came to Five Counties Children’s Centre for speech and occupational therapy. He credits the treatment he received at Five Counties for helping him thrive as an adult — including in his career as a porter (or patient transfer attendant).

“I want everyone to know how special the staff are at Five Counties,” Jordie says. “They focused on my most challenging issues and, by meeting my needs as a child, helped me as an adult. I had the chance to develop the personal skills and knowledge to have the great life I have now. I walked out of Five Counties ready to be my best.”

Jordie’s best way of living is hard to miss.

As a porter, he transports patients around our local hospital for different procedures. Often, he is the one tasked with moving patients from ER into a hospital room once they’re admitted.

This past June, a work colleague of mine who had to take a relative to the emergency department saw the power of Jordie at work.

In a nearby ER cubicle, my Five Counties colleague noticed how friendly, upbeat, and approachable Jordie was in greeting and introducing himself to an older man who was alone in the ER, awaiting admission. The quiet, withdrawn man had not spoken or smiled for hours, but was soon grinning and chatting with Jordie, as he wheeled the patient to a hospital room.

“People aren’t here for good reasons, so you just kind of make the best of the situation and, you know, help them out the best you can,” Jordie says, matter-of-factly.

Jordie’s hospital co-workers realize his superpowers.

“Jordie always brightens the room when he walks in,” one says.

Another colleague notes, “There’s no getting Jordie down. He’s the world’s cheerleader. We need more Jordies in the world.”

We at Five Counties wholeheartedly agree, and are glad to highlight Jordie’s success after his experience receiving treatment at the Centre.

“While I was getting assistance to improve my communications skills, I was also learning how to socialize and make friends, and I made some good ones while I was at Five Counties. It was more than just about learning,” Jordie recalls.

He is grateful for what he has: close family and friends, a job he loves, an ability to talk to people, and an interest in volunteering, including giving his time and talents at many Five Counties fundraising events.

“I don’t know where I would be without the support I got at Five Counties,” Jordie adds.

His parents, Shelley and Tim, echo the sentiment: “The early support from Five Counties laid the foundation for Jordie’s success in school, college, career and — ultimately — his life.”

In marking our 50th anniversary in 2025, Five Counties is pleased to highlight the successes of Jordie and other alumni. And as the holiday season approaches, we ask you to please consider donating to Five Counties to reduce wait times and ensure more children and youth with physical, developmental, and communication needs get the care they need when they need it the most.

Donate today to support the Jordies of tomorrow.

Imagine training for months for just minutes of a competition that requires your entire concentration and focus — you can’t let your gaze stray for even a moment despite an abundance of noise around you.

That is exactly what Linda Touzin will be up against when she competes at the 2026 Taekwondo Canada National Championships from February 5 to 7 in Halifax, where she will represent Ontario, Toronto, and Peterborough — specifically, Blue Wave Taekwondo, a not-for-profit school that supports people training in the martial art and combat sport.

With volunteer instructors, including Touzin who is a co-founder, the club meets every Tuesday and Thursday in various age groups at the Peterborough Sport and Wellness Centre. Living by the motto “Taekwondo for all,” the club is inclusive to all ages, demographics, and abilities, and even supports athletes with competition fees and finances.

“We do it out of giving back to the community,” says co-founder Marcelo Sarkis, who is Touzin’s coach. “What is most important for us at Blue Wave is, at least from the youth side, creating future community leaders that will give back to the community and will respect the environment, respect their fellow individual, and at the same time learn a skill set that can help them throughout their life.”

Now 67 years old, Touzin took up taekwondo 21 years ago to get more exercise. At the time, she never imagined she would have such high aspirations and compete at a national level.

“I just kept going,” she says. “As you get a new belt level, you learn new things. There’s always more challenges, more things to learn, refining techniques that you’ve learned before. All of that really kept me involved and kept me going through all those years.”

Touzin earned a silver medal at the 2025 Taekwondo Canada Nationals in Montréal in February this year, and in October earned gold at the 2025 Taekwondo Ontario Team Selection Games in Markham.

Touzin competes in the poomsae category, which involves sequences of choreographed non-contact defensive and offensive movements performed in a set pattern. A Korean word meaning “form” or “pattern,” poomsae is used in taekwondo to develop technique, precision, and mental discipline.

“Not only is poomsae a way to practise your techniques when you don’t have a partner, but it also acts as a form of meditation because you’re executing it on your own,” says Sarkis. “You’re not just being assessed physically, but you’re being assessed mentally, and part of the presentation is also spiritual.”

At a high level of performance competition, athletes are required to perform random poomsae — forms that are randomly selected on the spot, testing their ability to execute any required poomsae with precision, adaptability, and readiness — and are then judged based on accuracy and presentation.

The judges will evaluate Touzin on how disciplined she is in her pose, including whether her gaze is focused, whether she’s confident, and whether she’s keeping her head up.

“You must be mind over body and you’re controlling the situation,” says Sarkis. “No one else is there to assist you with that performance.”

This is why during training, Touzin prepares not only for the competition physically by learning all the poomsae, but mentally as well. At Blue Wave Taekwondo, the other members all have fun trying to distract Touzin as she’s practising so she learns to maintain focus and composure.

“You have one minute of intense focus and part of doing that is just the repetition. Repeat, repeat, repeat — doing your poomsae over and over and over again many, many times so that it becomes almost instinctive,” Touzin says.

“Then the other aspect is trying to focus during many distractions, so putting me in different situations where people are talking, people are calling to me, people are doing a different pattern beside me, or walking in front of me — any distraction so that I can learn to focus, because that’s a huge part of it.”

Though Tourzin will be competing in the over 65 female category against athletes from other provinces when she’s at the nationals, Touzin says its only herself she will be looking to beat.

“I find it a little bit easier mentally to say ‘This time I’m going to do better than last time,'” she explains. “If I win, yay, all the better. That would be great. It would be great for me, it would be great for the club, it would be just great overall, or if I medalled, regardless of the medal. But I find if I can make improvements every time I compete, I’m happy with that.”

Though Touzin had to push herself to engage in competition the first time, she now finds it to be “addictive.”

“It pushes you to refine your technique,” she says. “It really pushes you because you don’t want to go and not do well. It forces me to practise more and not to be complacent and not say ‘I don’t feel like doing that anymore’ because it’s not easy.”

Though Blue Wave Taekwondo has members from the age of seven to Touzin’s age, she says she notices that the number of athletes at competition level does “drop off quite a bit” after the 30 to 40 age groups, and there aren’t as many people competing in her age category.

For his part, Sarkis says this is changing, partly because of poomsae’s accessibility for older adults. Like tai chi, the Chinese martial art that has evolved into a form of exercise and meditation, poomsae is a non-contact sport. However, unlike tai chi with its slow and flowing movements, poomsae emphasizes sharp and powerful movements and strong stances for taekwondo techniques like blocks and punches.

“We are seeing more and more individuals who are older showing interest in competing in poomsae,” he says, noting it’s a relatively new category at the provincial and national levels in comparison to kyorugi (sparring). “I think we’re going to see an upward trend just because of the benefits of poomsae for older individuals.”

Among these benefits are improved balance, strength, bone health, and flexibility.

“And you can do taekwondo anywhere,” Sarkis adds. “You don’t need to go to a gym. You don’t need to have weights — it’s just mostly body weight exercises.”

Touzin also wants to see more women engaging in the sport, noting “it’s not just for young people, and it’s not just for boys and men.”

“We do have a strong female demographic at Blue Wave that’s very competitive and very successful,” Sarkas agrees. “They look up to Linda as a mentor when it comes to competition. She’s constantly pushing herself outside that envelope, so they say ‘If she can, so can we.'”

For more information about Blue Wave Taekwondo, visit bluewavetaekwondo.ca.

Ontario NDP leader Marit Stiles was in Peterborough on Friday (November 21), expressing her party’s strong opposition to tabled legislation that she says will “make it easier for big corporate landlords to evict tenants.”

Bill 60, dubbed the Fighting Delays, Building Faster Act, passed its first reading on October 23.

The legislation introduces a number of proposals related to housing, infrastructure, and development, and includes several tenancy-related initiatives such as reducing compensation for renters being evicted, shortening eviction processes for rent arrears, limiting the time available for appeals of Landlord and Tenant Board decisions, and limiting renters’ rights to raise issues at rent arrears hearings.

Behind closed doors at Hunt Terraces on Bonnaccord Street, Stiles met with a small group that included city councillors Joy Lachica, Alex Bierk, and Keith Riel, along with community housing representatives. Both Riel and Bierk sit on the board of the Peterborough Housing Corporation.

Following that discussion, Stiles made her views on Bill 60 clear.

“We have a homelessness issue, not just here in Peterborough but all across the province,” said Stiles, adding that Bill 60 “is going to make it worse, not better.”

“The Landlord and Tenant Board isn’t working for anyone. It’s not working for small landlords. It’s not working for renters. We do need to address that, but the fix is not what this government has put in this legislation.”

“The (Ford) government is rushing through this bill. They’ve already got it to the point where the only thing left to do is have a final vote. We expect that to happen this Monday (November 24).”

“That’s really unfortunate. We’ve heard a big uproar from people across the province who are really worried. What they want is an opportunity to be heard — consultations and hearings, like we should be doing with every piece of legislation. But Doug Ford and his people have decided they’re not interested in hearing from people. They’re listening to big developers and they’re pushing it through in record time.”

Stiles said the NDP will introduce a motion Monday to force a debate on the bill. While she anticipates the bill will pass at some point, she’s hopeful rent controls for tenants and protections for those evicted by corporate landlords will be revisited, giving the Ford government “an opportunity to reverse course right away.”

“My message to people is it doesn’t end there. We have seen this government repeal bills. They’ve backtracked before. We have won battles weeks, months and, sometimes, years later. I’m going to keep putting the pressure on the government not to enact the legislation.”

“I know that (Peterborough-Kawartha MPP) Dave Smith and Conservative MPPs across the province are hearing from folks (on Bill 60). One of the largest groups worried about their housing is seniors on a fixed income. I know the Conservatives care about seniors — they need to listen to them and do the right thing. If anything, pause the legislation. Let’s have some hearings, let’s have debate and discussion.”

Asked what specific measures the NDP is asking for, Stiles quickly answered “real rent control.”

“We also we want to make sure that when a tenant leaves, there’s vacancy control so the next tenant doesn’t have an outrageous (rent) increase. We’ve got to stop rent from increasing at a rate far beyond what wages are rising at. That’s what has everything out of whack.”

“We’re also talking about introducing something called Homes Ontario. The province has got to get back into the business of building deeply affordable homes. We can’t rely on the market to do that. Developers want their piece, but we need a provincial agency that’s helping to build now.”

“Here in Peterborough, and in the region, there are so many exciting projects that the city and non-profit agencies are ready to build. They have the land. They have the plans. They just need provincial partner. The province should be prioritizing that.”

“For the last five weeks, I’ve been asking Doug Ford to straighten out his government. We have seen what I’ve called outright corruption on the part of this government; giving out grants and funds to their friends and donors. They won’t take responsibility for that. These are the hard-earned tax dollars of the people of Ontario. We need to end Doug Ford’s gravy train and start focusing on where people are at right now. Housing is a big part of that.”

Stiles added both provincial and federal governments stopped building affordable housing in the early 1990s. That has resulted in municipal governments trying to fill the void.

“The municipal taxpayer is bearing the cost of that,” she said. “We need to get back in the business of building deeply affordable homes. That means we need to have, just like every other province in the country, some sort of a provincial organization there to build truly affordable homes.”

“The people of Peterborough are going to continue to pay more and more for services the province downloads onto municipalities. When somebody loses their home, if they’re a renter and they’re evicted and they can’t afford housing, the services those people need, whether it’s shelter or other kinds of supports, are being borne by the municipality.”

“Doug Ford did away with rent control. We need to bring it back. And we need to build more housing that is truly deeply affordable for people. We need options. You know, right now, housing is not being built by anyone. This a moment for the province to get involved; to say this is a once in a generation opportunity to build homes that people truly need.”

Asked if there are any provinces in Canada currently addressing the affordable housing shortage effectively, Stiles answered quickly.

“British Columbia is doing an incredible job at building affordable housing, and bringing in controls to make sure that rent doesn’t go too high,” she said.

“They are ready to work with the federal government to build fast affordable homes. We can’t only rely on the private sector. We have to be looking at how governments can help coordinate some of this and fund it. BC is doing a great job, also cracking down on some of the worst big corporate landlords and those companies that are just amassing housing and then not actually renting. We have to control some of these things. That’s a role for government to play.”

Following her time at Hunt Terraces, Stiles visited One City Peterborough and, before leaving the city, knocked on a few doors to hear directly from residents.

Stiles’ visit to Peterborough comes two days after the United Way Peterborough & District released its 20th annual “Housing is Fundamental” report, which examines housing challenges, affordability trends, and housing-related pressures facing residents in Peterborough and the surrounding areas.

The report shows that rents have risen far faster than inflation over the past 20 years. For example, a two-bedroom apartment in the Peterborough area cost an average of over $1,500 per month in 2024 — an increase of almost 89 per cent since 2005 and $309 higher than inflation during that period. To afford a two-bedroom apartment, an individual or family requires an annual household income of over $60,000.

Stiles’ comments during her Peterborough visit echo some of the calls by the report’s researcher and author Paul Armstrong, including large-scale government investments in social and supportive housing and policy tools such as rent controls and vacancy controls to preserve affordability.

A native of St. John’s, Newfoundland, Stiles has been leader of the Ontario NDP and leader of the Official Opposition since 2023. She was first elected to Queen’s Park in 2018, representing the riding of Davenport in Toronto. She subsequently won re-election to her seat in 2022 and 2025.

Is there any greater testament to someone’s talent, accomplishments, mentorship, and influence than the establishment of a legacy fund in their honour?

For 35 years, as founder and conductor of the Peterborough Singers, Syd Birrell has checked all those boxes, and no doubt many more. Now, as Birrell nears his retirement from the beloved choral music group, an ambitious fundraising campaign for a legacy fund in his name has been launched.

The goal is to raise $250,000 by the end of the non-profit charitable organization’s 2025-26 season in May, with a shorter-term goal of attaining $100,000 by the end of this year when Birrell, who is in his early seventies, retires. More information about the fund can be found at www.peterboroughsingers.com/support-us/syd-birrell-legacy-fund/, where donations can also be made.

In a message about the Syd Birrell Legacy Fund, Birrell explains it “is not a monument, but rather a toolkit.”

“It will help the choir with things like supporting emerging young artists, hiring world-class soloists who lift the roof, and maintaining all the invisible gears that keep the machine running,” he says. “Above all, the success of this campaign for the Legacy Fund will help ensure that the music will go on … for the next 35 years!”

Campaign director John Jalsevac, a 15-year member of the Peterborough Singers, says the main long-term vision for Syd’s Legacy Fund is to secure bequests “so we’re not scrambling to meet the budget in any single year.”

“What we’re doing is getting way ahead financially, supported by investments bringing in interest. That what’s going to make sure this choir is here another 30 or 40 years from now. We’re really aiming to cement this as a cultural institution that will be here decades from now.”

“It’s a balancing act at the beginning, making sure as we have a new artistic director come in we have the funds we need to run the choir, but also moving toward putting money into long-term investments. By leaving more and more of the principal intact, hopefully, over time, we’ll have a significant investment fund to keep the choir sustainable.”

Also an accomplished organist, Birrell founded the Peterborough Singers in 1990 as the Peterborough Symphony Singers, an unauditioned choir that annually performed Handel’s Messiah with the Peterborough Symphony Orchestra. Three years later, frustrated with the difficulties related to rehearsing an ever-changing roster of singers for that oratorio, Birrell and his wife Pamela (herself a soprano soloist) formed the Peterborough Singers as a year-round, auditioned choir.

Each season since has seen the group perform four concerts, ranging from classical oratorios to the annual preventation of Handel’s Messiah, and tributes to mainstream artists songs to music from Broadway, Celtic, blues, and gospel genres.

Noting “It’s almost impossible to overstate what Syd has done for Peterborough and the arts,” Jalsevac adds Birrell brings a lot to the table that people don’t see or hear about.

“He’s a man who takes the people in the choir very, very seriously,” says Jalsevac, adding “He has a huge heart. He’s constantly helping people.”

“As an example, my son — who joined the choir — was working last year on a science fair project that had to do with aerospace stuff. Syd heard about it and immediately put him in touch with a friend of his who works at the Peterborough Airport, and brought my son out to meet with him.”

“One of the things that Syd has put a huge amount of emphasis on is finding and mentoring young musicians. He has a relationship with one of the professors with the University of Toronto’s vocal program. He connects with him every year to find out who his most promising students are, and then he goes and auditions them, and then hires the best of them for shows. A lot of young singers have their first paid gigs with the Peterborough Singers. One of the priorities of the fund is to keep that side of Syd’s legacy alive.”

Jalsavec admits the fund goal of $250,000 is ambitious, but is buoyed by the fact that “people are very, very passionate about the Peterborough Singers.”

“People know that Peterborough should not have a choir that’s as good as the Peterborough Singers. People who have moved here from Toronto who have come to our shows have said “I was paying a hundred bucks for a ticket, even a hundred and fifty bucks, in Toronto to see a choir that wasn’t as good as this one.'”

“Syd has cultivated relationships with a number of donors who donate to what’s called the Conductor’s Circle. He’ll do personal outreach to get donations (for the legacy fund). But in terms of asking the entire choir (to solicit donations), the only other time we did that was during COVID as a single ask. That brought in more than $40,000. People really responded in a big way then, and we expect they’re going to respond in a big way now, not only not only to keep the choir going and thriving, but also out of love and respect for Syd.”

For his part, Peterborough Singers board chair Dr. Carey Gibson says Birrell “has created a warm community in which countless people have found a sense of belonging.”

“Thanks to Syd’s three and a half decades of service, our city is a much more musical, connected, compassionate and beautiful place. We created Syd’s Legacy Fund out of a desire to do everything in our power to preserve that legacy for the next generation of music lovers and singers.”

With Birrel about to retire, the board is currently conducting a search for a new artistic director.

“How do we find a new director that not only emphasizes the quality of the music, but also understands, and maintains, the sense of community that Sid has built?” asks Jalsevac.

With that search continuing and Syd’s Legacy Fund launched, all roads now lead to the Peterborough Singers’ presentation of Handel’s Messiah on Sunday, December 14 at 3:30 p.m. and Monday, December 15 at 7:30 p.m., with both performances at Emmanuel United Church.

Those concerts, which feature six soloists at each performance, mark Birrell’s last go directing the choral group.

“I think Syd has no idea what’s going to hit,” says Jalsevac.

“I know he knows that he’s built something special, but in my conversations with him, I don’t think he knows just how attached people are to him and his vision for the choir. I’m going to be sad to know Syd’s not at the helm anymore but, on the other hand, there’s going to be a real spirit of jubilation celebrating 35 years. I think Syd’s going to be blown away by the appreciation that he’s going to receive.”

Jalsevac says it’s no accident that Handel’s Messiah is the curtain closer on Birrell’s career, referring to his eight-year-old son James, who was diagnosed with the nerve cancer neuroblastoma when he was only three years old.

“Twenty-four years ago, Syd conducted Handel’s Messiah,” Jalsevac says. “He went home after and his son passed away from cancer hours later.”

Following James’ death on December 18, 2001, the Birrell family started The James Fund For Neuroblastoma Research, which has since raised millions of dollars for research into the disease, one of the most fatal childhood cancers, and which supports families at SickKids in their battle against neuroblastoma.

Jalsevac notes that Birrell has decided to retire after the Handel’s Messiah performances, rather than continue on for the entire 2025-26 season.

“The Handel’s Messiah concerts, for Syd, sum up everything the Peterborough Singers is,” he says. “That show has got him and his family through very tough times. He wants to go out on that symbolic note.”

For more information on the Peterborough Singers’ 2025-26 season and to order tickets, visit www.peterboroughsingers.com.

VIDEO: The Syd Birrell Legacy Fund