Peterborough's Matt Snell in "Schnitzelback", his award-winning short parody film about a man who has created a tribute polka band to celebrate his love of rock group Nickelback. Snell made the film in Peterborough in 2020 with help from a group of friends who call themselves Cathedral Hill Productions. (Screenshot courtesy of Matt Snell)
A short parody film made by Peterborough’s Matt Snell won the Best Canadian Film award at the Canadian International Comedy Film Festival in Winnipeg on October 8.
Written and directed by Snell, “Schnitzelback” also stars Snell as a man who has created a tribute polka band to celebrate his love of rock group Nickelback.
The 39-year-old Snell, who has a MFA in Creative Writing from the University of British Columbia and is a writer and content marketing specialist for Peterborough’s Birchbark Media, made the film in Peterborough in 2020 with help from a group of friends who call themselves Cathedral Hill Productions.
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“In 2016, four of us were moved by the Halloween spirit to make a horror movie,” Snell says. “We did it on a lark — no one had much experience, and it was already October. We jokingly called ourselves Cathedral Hill Productions, after the (Peterborough) neighbourhood we lived in and because the pompous sound of it contrasted with the schlock we were making.”
That first short film, about a couple and their unusual relationship with a pumpkin, was called “Pumpkineater.” Other short films created by Cathedral Hill Productions include “Santa Sees Something” (2017), “Havesters” (2017), “Vote for Ferd” (2018), “LHP: Understanding Lower Half Possession” (2019), and “RaRa My Lifestyle” (2021).
Peterborough’s Matt Snell at the Canadian International Comedy Film Festival in Winnipeg on October 8, 2022, where his short parody film “Schnitzelback” won the Best Canadian Film award. (Photos courtesy of Matt Snell)
As for “Schnitzelback”, Snell and his friends had to make adjustments to accommodate the restrictions of the pandemic.
“When COVID hit, I thought we’d have to suspend our series,” Snell says. “But that didn’t feel right, so we found a way to make a movie safely with the limitations. I think it turned out to be the funniest one we’ve done yet.”
Snell and his wife Rebecca Reeves flew to Winnipeg for the festival.
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“It’s been a very quiet, anxious couple of years,” he says. “To be in a room full of people laughing along with us was exactly what we needed. I can’t wait to put out the next one out this Halloween.”
The Canadian International Comedy Film Festival award is not the first for Cathedral Hill Productions. “RaRa My Lifestyle”, a self-referential short about an amateur filmmaker who aspires to make the great Canadian horror film, was an Awards of Excellence winner at the 2021 Canada Shorts Film Festival.
Snell has also received a grant from the Electric City Culture Council in Peterborough, which he says will go towards a film to be released in 2023.
VIDEO: “Schnitzelback” – Cathedral Hill Productions
Peterborough police were called to Thomas A. Stewart Secondary School at around 11:50 a.m. on Friday (October 21) after a concerned citizen reported what appeared to be a firearm in a vehicle with several students outside the school.
To ensure the safety of the students, a “hold and secure” was implemented, which requires students to stay in place.
After police arrived at the school, officers and staff were able to locate the students in question. School officials seized two replica handguns: a water gun and a wooden prop gun.
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Investigation revealed the items were in the process of being donated to the school’s drama program.
No criminal charges are expected, and students returned to class when the “hold and secure” was lifted at around 12:20 p.m.
“Peterborough Police Service thank our partners at the school for the timely handling of the incident,” reads a media release.
Suzanne Cody (left) and Gwyneth James (right), senior partners at Cody & James Chartered Professional Accountants in Peterborough, presented a $3,500 cheque to Brock Mission executive director Bill McNabb on October 20, 2022. (Photo courtesy of Cody & James CPA )
Peterborough’s Cody & James Chartered Professional Accountants has turned shredded paper into cash, raising $3,500 for Brock Mission’s homeless shelters.
During September, Cody & James CPAs encouraged the community to bring in boxes of material to be shredded in exchange for a suggested donation of $15 per box to Brock Mission.
According to senior partners Suzanne Cody and Gwyneth James, the firm accepted more than 1,400 gallons of shredding material.
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The resulting funds raised are move than double the amount raised in 2019, the last time the event was held due to the pandemic.
“The fundraiser was developed by Cody & James CPAs as a way to give back to our community in way that focuses on the current need within our community,” reads a media release.
“The team chose the Brock Mission as this year’s recipient in recognition of the crucial work it provides for the Peterborough homeless population.”
Couture Candy PTBO owner Lisa Couture (right) presents a $16,700 cheque to Peterborough Regional Health Centre Foundation staff Meghan Moloney (left) and Valerie Gagnon at Lansdowne Place Mall, representing the proceeds of Couture Candy PTBO's "Supporting Cancer is Sweet" fundraiser in support of cancer care at Peterborough Regional Health Centre. (Photo courtesy of PRHC Foundation)
Couture Candy PTBO has raised $16,700 to support cancer care at Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC).
Lisa Couture, owner of the specialty sweet shop, launched her “Supporting Cancer Care is Sweet” in June, aiming to raise $10,000 and later raising the fundraising goal to $15,000.
“We hoped we would hit our goal, but to get so far past it has been absolutely amazing,” Couture said in a media release. “Thank you to everyone who supported us and to my team for all their hard work.”
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Throughout the campaign, Couture Candy PTBO donated a portion of the proceeds from sales of more than 10 of their most popular products to the campaign. Couture and her team also collected donations, giving donors a chance to display their names and messages throughout the store, and held ice cream fundraisers throughout the summer with support from Central Smith Creamery.
In September, Lansdowne Place’s specialty leasing manager Ron Conley offered Couture a free month of space for a pop-up Couture Candy PTBO location in the mall.
Other businesses and individuals also contributed, with Whelan’s Flooring donating $1,000 — the single highest donation of the campaign — and Justin Armitage holding a haircut challenge and raising $2,125.
On Thursday (October 20), Couture Candy PTBO presented a cheque for $16,700 to representatives of the PRHC Foundation.
“Thank you to Lisa and her team, and every single individual and business who contributed to the fundraiser by purchasing some delicious candy, or by making an extra special donation,” said PRHC Foundation president and CEO Lesley Heighway.
“The number of patients from Peterborough and the surrounding region who rely on PRHC for cancer treatment continues to climb every year. Your donations are helping our hospital serve more cancer patients, support earlier cancer diagnosis, and provide safer, more effective treatments.”
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For more information about Couture Candy PTBO and to order, visit couturecandyptbo.ca.
For more information about the PRHC Foundation and to donate, visit prhcfoundation.ca.
Toronto-based rock band Harm & Ease performs at the Red Dog in downtown Peterborough in support of their latest EP "Camino Loco" on Saturday, October 22 with local bands Burning Bridges and The Mickies. (Photo: Joe Lopes)
Every Thursday, we publish live music events at pubs and restaurants in Peterborough and the greater Kawarthas region based on information that venues provide to us directly or post on their website or social media channels. Here are the listings for the week of Thursday, October 20 to Wednesday, October 26.
If you’re a pub or restaurant owner and want to be included in our weekly listings, please email our nightlifeNOW editor at nightlife@kawarthanow.com. For concerts and live music events at other venues, check out our Concerts & Live Music page.
Governor general Mary Simon will deliver the keynote address at a conference at Trent University on Saturday (October 22).
Entitled “Northern Nationalisms, Arctic Mythologies, and the Weight of History,” the conference is being held in honour of eminent Arctic historian and former Trent University professor Dr. Shelagh Grant.
As well as teaching history and Canadian studies at Trent University for 17 years, Grant was the first historian and first woman to receive the Northern Science Award in 1996, and was active on various Inuit policy advisory committees, editorial boards. and northern scholarship committees.
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Grant, who died in July 2020 of esophageal cancer at the age of 82, was part of the original team involved in the founding of The Canadian Canoe Museum. In August, Grant’s family donated $250,000 for the new museum currently being constructed beside Beavermead Park in Peterborough.
Saturday’s national conference will bring together established and emerging scholars to explore various themes in the study of the Canadian North.
Canada’s first Indigenous governor general, Mary Simon was born in 1947 in Kangiqsualujjuaq, Nunavik (Quebec), to Nancy May (Angnatuk-Askew), her Inuk mother, and Bob Mardon May, her father, who moved to the Arctic to work for the Hudson’s Bay Company. Simon gained national and international recognition for her work on Arctic and Indigenous issues and for her efforts in advocating for Inuit rights, youth, education, and culture.
The governor general will speak at 12:15 p.m. in the Great Hall at Champlain College.
Shelagh Grant, who passed away in 2020 at the age of 82, was an award-winning author, historian, Arctic expert, and avid canoeist who was involved in the founding of the Canadian Canoe Museum in Peterborough and was a long-time supporter. (Photo via Trent University)
An example of a commercial waste system designed to maximize waste diversion. Colour-coded bins, restrictive openings, bins placed close together, and clear signage are all identified as key opportunities to increase stream separation, resulting in less material headed to landfill. (Photo courtesy of Busch Systems)
Not only is this week Waste Reduction Week in Canada, but it’s also the Business Development Bank of Canada’s Small Business Week. In recognition of the significance of this week, Green Economy Peterborough — the Peterborough region’s sustainability hub — is challenging local businesses to look for opportunities to lower organizational waste.
Each week, GreenUP provides a story related to the environment. This week’s column is by Emily Twomey, Program Assistant, Green Economy Peterborough.
The City of Peterborough is one of Ontario’s leaders in landfill waste diversion, at a rate of 53 per cent of waste diverted overall. However, a 2021 report from the Ontario’s auditor general estimates only 15 per cent of waste is being diverted within the industrial, commercial, and institutional sector in the province.
Improving waste management in this sector is key to meeting the province’s target of 80 per cent diversion by 2050, as well as averting a potential landfill shortage.
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An event called “Wasted Opportunities: The Business Benefits of Waste Reduction,” hosted earlier this year by Green Economy Peterborough, brought together guest speakers and members of the business community to discuss the changing landscape of waste reduction for businesses in the Peterborough area.
A movement to mandate businesses to take responsibility for their waste is clearly underway. New legislation in Ontario makes producers responsible for managing the waste generated from their products and packaging, reducing the burden on the consumer and placing the onus on the corporate sector. The provincial government has directed municipalities to begin transitioning recycling to an extended producer responsibility system by 2024, providing a business case for producers to examine waste reduction sooner, rather than later.
“Everybody produces waste — there’re always opportunities,” said Laurie Westaway, owner of local waste management business Wasteaway, at the Wasted Opportunities event. “We’re shifting from trash to value. We’re changing the linear model of take, make, and dispose to a circular economy, where products and packages are designed and produced and considered for their end of life.”
Laurie Westaway founded her local waste management business Wasteaway to identify, develop and implement waste minimization programs for organizations, while keeping them informed of regulatory changes in the space. (Photo courtesy of Laurie Westaway)
A circular economy is a framework designed to minimize waste, regenerate nature, and recirculate products. Rather than disposing of products and materials at their end of life, they are reused, repurposed, remanufactured, or recycled to circulate back into use.
Wherever products and materials are being recirculated, there are business opportunities to be found.
Scott Anderson, co-owner of Chop Value’s Toronto East Micro-factory in Peterborough, finds value in turning waste into resources under a circular economic model by giving disposable chopsticks a second life as fine wood products.
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“It’s our mission to operate within a circular economy and show that a profitable business can emerge from the waste cycle system,” Scott says.
Waste management also offers businesses the benefit of a trusted sustainability marketing brand. The Global Sustainability Study of 2021 found that in the past five years, 85 per cent of consumers have shifted their purchasing behaviours to companies that are more sustainable.
To add to the list of benefits, waste mitigation allows local businesses to stay ahead of legislation. Ontario will soon ban organic materials from landfills, which will lower the production of methane resulting from the breakdown of food waste, a greenhouse gas 28 times more potent than carbon dioxide.
VIDEO: “Wasted Opportunities: The Business Benefits of Waste Reduction”
With the organic material ban and the City of Peterborough launching its city-wide organic waste collection and processing program in 2023, local organizations should prepare for the shift ahead of time. Services like 1.5 Degrees Composting Solutions can help businesses make the switch to composting now.
Across all waste categories, a successful system has three elements: knowledge, motivation, and routine.
“Recycling is really a behavioural-driven process,” says Alex Cooley, senior advisor at waste system manufacturer and retailer Busch Systems. “Unlike trash where you set out a bin, recycling is much more complex.”
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Research indicates that placing bins side by side reduces contamination, and shows that other aspects of design are also crucial. A University of Michigan study found that using different coloured recycling bins increased recycling from 52 to 88 per cent. Colour-coding bins also reduce cross-contamination of waste streams.
“Colour distinction is a visual prompt,” Cooley says. “Getting people stop having to think about it or having to read anything to get this basic understanding that (recycling and garbage) are not the same.”
Cooley mentions implementing restrictive openings to recycling containers. In a 2008 Rutgers and Indiana University study, restrictive lids increased recycling by 34 per cent and decreased trash by 95 per cent.
Not sure where to start for your organization’s waste management? Waste audits, such as this one conducted by a student group at the Peterborough Golf & Country Club, are an effective way to target where you may be able to improve. (Photo courtesy of Laurie Westaway)
“Changes (like that) can help people to slow down long enough to actually focus their attention on what they are doing,” Cooley adds.
Routine then comes with time, and with successful implementation of the model.
Waste management can be integrated into every aspect of your business, making it a wasted opportunity not to build sustainable business models. Green Economy Peterborough can help your business find an accurate picture of how waste factors into your organization’s impact.
Green Economy Peterborough is currently recruiting members for 2023 and is offering an early bird rate to those who join before November 1st. To find out more, visit greeneconomypeterborough.ca or contact Hub Coordinator Natalie Stephenson at natalie.stephenson@greenup.on.ca or 705-745-3238 ext. 223.
Matt Strano, CEO of Peterborough-based cleaning products company Charlotte Products Ltd., speaks after being named Business Citizen of the Year at the Peterborough and the Kawarthas Chamber of Commerce's 19th annual Business Excellence Awards at Showplace Performance Centre in downtown Peterborough on October 19, 2022. (kawarthaNOW screenshot)
The Peterborough and the Kawarthas Chamber of Commerce handed out its 2022 Business Excellence Awards at Showplace Performance Centre in downtown Peterborough on Wednesday night (October 19), recognizing businesses, organizations, and individuals in over 20 categories with more than 50 finalists.
Among the recipients, Matt Strano of Charlotte Products Ltd. received the coveted Business Citizen of the Year and Friendly Fires received the Employer of the Year award.
The 19th annual event was the first held since the Peterborough Chamber of Commerce merged with the Kawartha Chamber of Commerce & Tourism, and the first in-person Business Excellence Awards since the pandemic began. The event was introduced by the chamber’s new president and CEO Sarah Budd, replacing the retired Stuart Harrison, and emceed by Megan Murphy, with Kate Suhr performing on-stage jingles to recognize each award winner.
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Strano, the CEO of Peterborough-based cleaning products company Charlotte Products Ltd., was recognized both for his business leadership and his positive impact on the broader community, including by establishing Charlotte Cares, a program that supports local charitable organizations including Habitat for Humanity, One Roof Community Centre, Hospice Peterborough, Five Counties Children’s Centre, Peterborough Humane Society, and more.
A father of three teenage daughters, Strano also serves as a mentor, volunteer, and coach with many organizations including the Peterborough City Soccer Club, which named him volunteer of the year in 2020, and is a participant in Junior Achievement, One Roof Community Centre, and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Peterborough. He serves on the board of Peterborough and the Kawartha Economic Development and is very active in the Kawarthas Manufacturers Association.
During the early days of the pandemic, Charlotte Products Ltd. collaborated with local companies to localize supply chains and to respond to demand for disinfectant and sanitizer products, doubling their production capacity in just two weeks.
Alicia Doris accepts the Local Focus award for her business Living Local Marketplace, which showcases and shares the work of local artisans and small businesses. (kawarthaNOW screenshot)
Other award recipients included Living Local Marketplace for Local Focus, Lang Pioneer Village Museum for Tourism, the Peterborough Humane Society for Marketing & Promotion, Millbrook Mercantile for Retail, and The Mane Intent, which received both the Health & Wellness and Micro Business awards.
A complete list of all award recipients is provided below.
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Recipients announced on October 19
Local Focus – Living Local Marketplace
Entrepreneurial Spirit – Organized by Design
Health & Wellness – The Mane Intent
Customer First – Kawartha Country Wines
Tourism – Lang Pioneer Village Museum
Marketing & Promotion – Peterborough Humane Society (Our Pet Project)
The President’s Award – Ashley Lamothe (Creative Kwe)
Micro Business – The Mane Intent
Skilled Trades – New Beginnings Contracting Services
Green Initiatives – The Nutty Bean Café
Professional Services – Gauvreau Accounting Tax Law Advisory
Hospitality – The Boardwalk Board Game Lounge
Commercial Development or Renovation – Lakeshore Designs (Boathouse Boutique and Bikini Beans Cafe)
Retail – Millbrook Mercantile
Not-for-Profit – Community Care Peterborough
Employer of the Year – Friendly Fires
Business Citizen of the Year – Matt Strano (Charlotte Products Ltd.)
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Previously announced recipients
Businesswoman of the Year (Entrepreneur) – Brenda Ibey (The Avant-Garden Shop)
Businesswoman of the Year (Organization) – Alicia Dafoe (Village Dental Centre)
4-Under-40 Profiles in memory of Kathy Windrem – Dr. Nicole Edgar (Peterborough Centre of Naturopathic Medicine), Michael Gallant (Lett Architects Inc.), Chad Hogan (Market Hall Performing Arts Centre), Caitlin Smith (ReCreate Space)
New Canadian Entrepreneur of the Year – Faheem Mohammadzada (Brothers Pizza)
Peterborough County Farm Family of the Year – The Cornish Family (Indian River Acres)
Ross Memorial Hospital is located at 10 Angeline Street North in Lindsay. (Photo courtesy of Ross Memorial Hospital)
A facility-wide COVID-19 outbreak has been declared at Ross Memorial Hospital in Lindsay and increased visiting restrictions are now in place, according to a media release from the hospital.
The Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit declared the outbreak on Wednesday (October 19), with 18 COVID-19 positive patients admitted to the hospital as of early Wednesday and the hospital’s Surgical South and Rehab units already declared in outbreak on October 12.
To prevent transmission of the virus and to protect staff and patients, visitors will need to pass COVID-19 symptom screening and will only be allowed into the hospital to see patients who are near end-of-life (within weeks), who are under 18 years of age (supported by parents or legal guardians), who require a support person (when receiving a life-altering diagnosis, experiencing a mental health crisis, or are developmentally or intellectually delayed), who require a support person to safely attend their appointment (e.g., due to dementia, significant developmental or intellectual delay, the inability to effectively communicate, mobility issues that cannot be supported by the health-care team), or who are giving birth at the hospital (supported by birthing partner).
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While patients requiring emergency medical care should still go to the emergency department, the hospital is urging those with less urgent conditions to consider alternate options for care such as their primary health care provider, pharmacist, after-hours clinic, virtual care, or calling Telehealth Ontario at 1-866-797-0000.
After-hours clinics can often treat non-urgent and minor illnesses and ailments, such as earaches, sore throats, or prescription refills.
The earliest the facility-wide outbreak may be lifted is Saturday, October 29th.
For more information about Ross Memorial Hospital’s visiting restrictions and protocols, visit rmh.org/covid-19
Environment Canada has issued a winter weather travel advisory for Haliburton County overnight Wednesday (October 19).
Westerly winds and a cool air mass will allow for the development of lake effect snow bands off of Lake Huron and Georgian Bay. Precipitation is expected to switch over from rain to snow Wednesday evening, and then remain as snow overnight.
Total snowfall amounts of 5 to 10 cm are expected, with the highest amounts over higher terrain and grassy surfaces. There will also be reduced visibility in snow at times.
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Accumulations on primary roads may be closer to the lower end of the snowfall range due to warmer road temperatures. Higher accumulations are expected over higher terrain and grassy surfaces.
Precipitation will switch back over to a mix of rain and snow by Thursday afternoon.
Motorists should expect hazardous winter driving conditions and adjust travel plans accordingly. Prepare for quickly changing and deteriorating travel conditions. If visibility is reduced while driving, slow down, watch for tail lights ahead and be prepared to stop.
Surfaces such as highways, roads, walkways and parking lots may become icy and slippery. Snow squalls cause weather conditions to vary considerably; changes from clear skies to heavy snow within just a few kilometres are common.
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