A Vaughan teenager has drowned in Shadow Lake near Norland in Someville Township in the City of Kawartha Lakes.

Just before 6 p.m. on Thursday (August 11), officers with the Kawartha Lakes detachment of the OPP responded to a call about a possible drowning.

Police learned a man had been swimming when he failed to resurface. According to a media release, “extraordinary life-saving efforts were taken by good Samaritans including a nearby boater that dove into the deep water, recovered the swimmer, and brought him to the shore.”

Haliburton County Emergency Services along with City of Kawartha Lakes Fire and Rescue conducted CPR and transported the man to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Police have released the name of the victim as 18-yaer-old Trons Yalda of Vaughan.

Kawartha Lakes OPP are investigating the death in conjunction with the Office of the Chief Coroner for Ontario, and say no foul play is suspected. A post-mortem examination is scheduled to take place at the Centre of Forensic Sciences in Toronto.

Peterborough police held a town hall-style meeting on Thursday (August 11) to address concerns about escalating violent crime in the southeast area of Town Ward, an area bounded by Lansdowne, Park, Sherbrooke, and Aylmer streets.

The public meeting, which took place in the gym at the Central East Ontario YMCA on Aylmer Street and was livestreamed on YouTube, included a speakers panel with acting police chief Tim Farquharson, Peterborough Police Services board chair Mary ten Doeschate, detective inspector John Lyons, operations division inspector Jamie Hartnett, and community development and engagement coordinator Emily Jones.

Each member of the panel took a turn addressing a crowd of around 40 people before fielding questions and comments from concerned residents.

In his opening comments, Farquharson referenced the four brazen shootings in the neighbourhood between April 20 and July 11, two of which were fatal.

“We too are dismayed to see this level of violence,” he said. “There’s no doubt that creates feelings of anger, frustration, and fear. The (police) service acknowledges that and understands it.”

Compiled crime statistics, Farquharson said, “show our community is changing. In the past five years, we’ve seen calls for service increase by 19 per cent, criminal code offences increase almost 16 per cent, and non-offence calls increase by 25 per cent.”

One factor driving those numbers up, he added, is Peterborough having been “identified as a market for organized criminals who are taking advantage of some of our most vulnerable.”

Both Farquharson and ten Doeschates spoke to police staffing, with ten Doeschates noting the Police Services Board recently approved the hiring of eight new officers. Farquharson said that, while new officers will help, the positive impact it will have on overall police performance and response will take some time.

As enlightening and forthcoming as the information provided was, it did little to alleviate the fears and resulting concerns of some in the audience who spoke.

One woman, who resides in the neighbourhood after moving to the city from Niagara Falls, described what she has witnessed on a consistent basis and the police response she has experienced.

“I see fights, I’ve seen needles, seniors’ houses broken into,” she said. “We call (the police). When you do come — and I don’t mean this as any disrespect; I am a PSW and I understand (staffing) shortages — we’ve been told ‘Go back to bed’ when we’re woken up in the middle of night when a store is getting its windows bashed in.”

“We’re scared, we’re terrified, and it’s every day we’re seeing this (crime), and at all hours of the night. We have offered our help as a community many times to do whatever we can, and we still haven’t seen the results of that. We’re all on board for that. We matter, and so does our mental health.”

In response to that candid take, operations division inspector Jamie Hartnett acknowledged the resident’s comments captured the reason for the gathering.

“We’re trying our best but we know our best isn’t good enough right now,” he said, assuring “We will do our best moving forward.”

“We are challenged with some of the shortages (in officers). I apologize on behalf of the service (for the alleged ‘Go back to bed’ response). That’s inappropriate. There’s no reason anyone should be spoken to like that by one of our members.”

In his comments, detective inspector John Lyons confirmed what many residents have already assumed: the dramatic violent crime spike is being driven by increasing illicit drug activity.

“We don’t have random situations going on,” he said. “Quite often it (violent crime) is targeted. There was a day when we knew the majority of the people involved in crime in the city. A lot of our crime now is committed by people coming into our city.”

The increased use of firearms in acts of violence, according to Lyons, is a marked departure from not all that long ago when gun-related violence in the city was rarely seen. Statistics for the city area in question, provided by Harnett, bear that out.

“In 2017, we had six firearm-related offences; in 2018, we had seven. In the past two years (2020 and 2021), we’ve had 23 and 16 respectively. Break and enters have increased significantly, from 79 in 2019 all the way up to 147 in 2021. Robberies also increased during that time.”

“We’re listening to the community and the concerns. Every day, we’re trying to do the best we can with what we have. We spend more time in this area when time permits, (but) it’s probably not enough.”

Following the meeting, Farquharson acknowledged proactive policing, as opposed to reactive enforcement, is a high priority.

“We have become a reactive police service,” he admitted. “Most services in the province are (like) that because of the number of calls that aren’t necessarily police-related. People just want to see the police in a timely manner — not four days later, not 12 hours later. When we had (a) rapid response unit for six months, it paid dividends. The problem now is we just don’t have the staffing model in place.”

“We’re saying it’s going to be a little bit of time. In the meantime, we’re working on a lot of challenges. But if we can get the community making those calls and giving us information we need, that gives our crime analysts information and we know where to go.”

Meanwhile, both Farquharson and Lyons were thrilled with the turnout for the meeting, each putting great value on what they heard.

“I heard a lot of honesty, I heard some frustration, but I heard truth,” Lyons said. “That, to me, is what town halls are about. I’ve been to many where people are afraid to speak their piece because they’re afraid of repercussions. What I saw tonight were honest people standing up and saying what they felt, and some of the (police) responses they have received.”

“Some of those responses haven’t been adequate, but we don’t know unless we know. If we can come here and get some honest and true feedback, we’re able to inwardly look at what we’re doing, and try and find solutions.”

A Peterborough police officer is being praised for a recent act of kindness beyond his normal police duties.

According to a Facebook post by the Peterborough Police Service on Thursday (August 11), the officer had been conducting a well-being check on a 76-year-old resident.

“During the conversation the officer learned the resident had just had a medical procedure and was distraught they weren’t able to cut their lawn,” the post reads.

“Without hesitation, the officer took five minutes and was able to cut the lawn for the resident, who was very grateful for the assistance and compassion.”

The Facebook post has since received over 1,800 positive reactions as well as many glowing comments.

“There are so many acts of kindness and good news stories the police do that are never talked about,” reads one comment.

Although the post did not identify the officer at his request, in the comments the officer’s mother identified him as Constable Brandon Bigelow, who joined the service in 2018.

Following a trend with hospitals across Ontario, Ross Memorial Hospital in Lindsay is urging area residents to consider alternative options for non-urgent care due to pressures on the hospital.

“Ross Memorial Hospital is impressing upon the local community the severity of the challenges the hospital is facing today due to high patient volumes and a second COVID-19 outbreak,” the hospital states in a media release on Thursday (August 11).

The statement came on the same day the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit declared a COVID-19 outbreak in the hospital’s medical middle unit on Thursday. Last Friday (August 5), the health unit also declared a COVID-19 outbreak in the hospital’s medical north unit.

The hospital is asking patients 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 hospital states, adding that health care professionals at the hospital “are working around the clock to treat patients as quickly as possible while continuing to administer exceptional care.”

Last Thursday (August 4), Peterborough Regional Health Centre also asked area residents with non-urgent care needs to seek alternative options rather than coming to the emergency department, stating that high patient volumes and staffing shortages were creating “significant pressure” at the hospital.

Mary Simon, Canada’s first Indigenous governor general, has granted viceregal patronage to Peterborough’s Canadian Canoe Museum, the museum announced on Wednesday (August 10).

The governor general grants patronage to national organizations that demonstrate outstanding contributions to society by supporting and promoting Canadian values, diversity, inclusion, culture, and knowledge.

The Canadian Canoe Museum, which is currently constructing a new home on the waterfront at Little Lake in Peterborough, has the world’s largest collection of canoes, kayaks, and paddled watercraft.

As part of its process to design and develop exhibits at the new facility, the museum has invited Indigenous peoples to share their stories in their own voices. The museum is reconnecting the watercraft to their Indigenous communities of origin, and has developed a collaborative relations process to work together to care for the canoes and share the cultural histories and stories held within the collection.

“We believe that, as sites of cultural and historical preservation, museums play a key role in shaping our understanding of our past and collective future,” says the museum’s executive director Carolyn Hyslop in a media release. “Indigenous peoples around the world designed, built, and used the first canoes and kayaks.”

“These vessels retain their enduring connection to Indigenous cultures across Canada and are powerful living embodiments of knowledge, languages, and beliefs. Through the collaborative relations process, we are working with communities to share these stories, perspectives, languages, and voices throughout the new exhibits and museum.”

Michi Saagiig Anishnaabemowin (the local Anishnaabemowin dialect) will be included on exterior and interior signage in the new museum, along with English and French, with additional Indigenous languages to be featured in exhibits relating to specific watercraft.

The museum has also commissioned new canoe and kayak builds from Inuit and First Nations communities and builders to fill gaps in the museum’s collection and to allow for a greater diversity of stories to be shared and to preserve and pass down traditional knowledge to younger generations.

As Canada’s first Indigenous governor general, Mary Simon has focused her efforts on reconciliation. Victoria Grant, chair of the museum’s board and a member of Temagami First Nation, says the canoe is an important part of the reconciliation process.

“Together, we need to learn, understand, and acknowledge our shared history,” Grant states. “We can’t do that without first knowing and understanding the impact of the canoe in Canada’s story, from those very early times when the first visitors came to our shores. The Canadian Canoe Museum provides us with an opportunity to learn, to feel, to smell, and to see the canoe in its diversity and diversity and endurance.”

Viceregal patronage does not mean the governor general will be involved in the museum’s governance or its fundraising efforts, and does not guarantee the governor general’s involvement in or attendance at events held by the museum.

The new Canadian Canoe Museum is expected to open in the summer of 2023.