International Overdose Awareness Day (IOAD) is on Thursday (August 31), and there are several events taking place across the Kawarthas region.

Initiated in 2001 by Sally J. Finn at The Salvation Army in St. Kilda, an inner seaside suburb in Melbourne in Australia, IOAD has since become the world’s largest annual campaign to end overdose, remember without stigma those who have died from overdose, and acknowledge the grief of the family and friends left behind.

The year’s theme, “Recognizing those people who go unseen,” is about acknowledging people in communities who are affected by overdose but might go unseen in the crisis.

IOAD events are being organized in Peterborough, Lindsay, Cobourg, Port Hope, Haliburton, and Bancroft by organizations including regional health units, Moms Stop the Harm, Peterborough AIDS Resource Network (PARN), Ontario Network of People Who Use Drugs, John Howard Society of Kawartha Lakes and Haliburton, and Green Wood Coalition.

“My heart goes out to those who have been impacted by the loss of loved ones, and those who have responded to the drug poisoning crisis,” says Peterborough’s medical officer of Health Dr. Thomas Piggott. “Each year we have the opportunity to reflect on our support systems and services and commit to building a better community to support people who use drugs and their loved ones. On August 31st, we will grieve those that we have lost, and renew our vow to demand better drug policies that are based in healthy equity and human rights.”

“Every drug poisoning is someone’s loved one — let’s take the time to remember the ones we’ve lost, the ones left behind, and those who are doing the critical work to help prevent more drug poisoning fatalities,” says Dr. Natalie Bocking, medical officer of health for the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit. “On behalf of all of us I would like to acknowledge the many lives lost and their grieving loved ones left behind. Let’s end the stigma and focus on remembering the person behind the statistic.”

In Peterborough, in advance of IOAD on Thursday, harm reduction and naloxone distribution pop-ups will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. on Tuesday at the Peterborough Public Library (345 Aylmer St. N.) and from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Wednesday at Peterborough Public Health (185 King St.). On Thursday, Moms Stop the Harm Peterborough will host a memorial event at Millennium Park (131 King St.) from 1 to 4 p.m., including stories from family members who have lost loved ones as well as information about substance use, overdose prevention, and harm reduction training.

In Lindsay, an event will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Thursday in Victoria Park (190 Kent St. W.) to remember those lost to drug poisoning and to support grieving loved ones. The event will feature live music, activities, and a butterfly release ceremony at 2:30 p.m. For more information, contact Natasha James at John Howard Society of Kawartha Lakes and Haliburton at 705-340-0228 or njames@jhscklh.on.ca.

In Cobourg, a flag-raising ceremony will takes place at 10:45 a.m. on Thursday at Victoria Hall (55 King St. W.), following by a memorial and awareness event from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and a candlelight vigil at 8 p.m. Everyone is invited to submit the name and/or a memory of a loved one to be read at the vigil by emailing IOADNorthumberland@gmail.com.

In Port Hope, a flag-lowering ceremony will be held at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday at the Port Hope Police Service ( 55 Fox Rd.). Everyone is welcome to attend the ceremony and join in a moment of silence.

In Haliburton, an IOAD event will take place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday at Head Lake Park (13 York St.) featuring feature guest speakers, music, refreshments, and activities. For details, contact Katlin Archibald at 705-559-3904 or katlin@parn.ca.

In Bancroft, an IOAD event takes place from 1 to 3 p.m. on Thursday at North Hastings Community Trust (19 Valleyview Dr.) to raise awareness of overdose, to promote education around naloxone and safer drug use supplies, to share personal stories, and to participate in some art related activities to remember the lives of friends and family who have lost their lives to overdose.

The City of Peterborough has announced Peterborough Transit will be implementing several route service changes effective Sunday (September 3).

“Changes will streamline some routes, improving efficiency and helping to ensure buses are on schedule,” reads a media release. “The new schedule will accommodate seasonal transit demands as ridership increases as school resumes and businesses return to regular operation after the summer season.”

Among the changes, weekday service will resume on Route 11 and 11A Water following the summer break, providing direct service from Trent University to Traill College and the Peterborough Terminal. Late-night service will resume on Route 5 The Parkway and Route 6 Sherbrooke.

Highlights of the route changes are provided below.

Route 4 Weller

• Route 4 Weller will travel to the Museum from Sherbrooke Street at Woodglade Boulevard via the Peterborough Terminal in the eastbound direction, and the reverse in the westbound direction. There is a new bus stop on Glenforest Boulevard at Denure Drive in the westbound direction.
• Route 4 Weller will no longer be servicing the Chandler Crescent area. Route 9 Parkhill will now service this area.

Route 5 The Parkway Southbound / Route 8 Monaghan Southbound

• Route 5 The Parkway and Route 8 Monaghan, in their southbound direction, will now be servicing new stops at the Shorelines Casino and the GO Transit park-and-ride lot on Fisher Drive. These currently service these stops in the northbound direction.

Route 6 Sherbrooke

• Route 6 Sherbrooke will now travel from Sherbrooke Street to Woodglade Boulevard, then to Kawartha Heights Boulevard, to Spillsbury Drive, to Fortye Gate, to Foryte Drive, to Stenson Boulevard, to Fleming College Way, and the reverse in the eastbound direction.
• Route 6 Sherbrooke will no longer travel on Brealey Drive to Fleming College. Route 9 Parkhill will now service this area.

Route 9 Parkhill

• Route 9 Parkhill will continue west on Parkhill Road to service Chandler Crescent. From Parkhill Road, the route will turn left onto Brealey Drive to Fleming College, and then reverse in the opposite direction. There will be new bus stops in both directions on Brealey Drive at Glenforest Boulevard and on Brealey Drive at Ireland Drive. There will also be a new stop in the westbound direction at Chandler Crescent.
• Route 9 Parkhill will no longer travel from Parkhill Road to Ravenwood Drive to Glenforest Boulevard, to Woodglade Boulevard, to Kawartha Heights Boulevard, to Pillsbury Drive, to Fortye Gate, to Fortye Drive, to Stenson Boulevard and to Fleming College Way. Route 6 Sherbrooke will now service this area.

Route 5 The Parkway

• Evening weekday and Saturday Route 5A The Parkway trips will depart hourly, with southbound trips from the terminal to Fleming College between 8:02 p.m. and 11:02 p.m. and northbound trips from Fleming College to the Peterborough Terminal between 8:05 p.m. and 3:05 a.m.

Route 6 Sherbrooke

• The weekday departure from Trent Bata at 7:40 p.m. will end at the Peterborough Terminal.
• Evening weekday and Saturday trips will operate as follows:
  • From Trent Bata to the terminal: Every 30 minutes from 8:10 p.m. to 11:10 p.m. and hourly from 11:10 p.m. to 2:10 a.m.
  • From the terminal to Trent Bata: Every 30 minutes from 8:02 p.m. to 11:32 p.m.
  • From the terminal to Trent Bata via Armour Rd and Trent Gzowski: Hourly from 8:32 p.m. to 2:32 a.m.
  • From the terminal to Fleming College: Hourly from 7:32 p.m. to 2:32 a.m.
  • From Fleming College to the terminal: Hourly from 7:40 p.m. to 10:40 p.m.

Peterborough Transit will continue using conventional and on-demand service on weeknights, Saturdays, and statutory holidays.

In addition to the route changes, three road infrastructure projects during the fall will affect certain Peterborough Transit routes construction. On Lansdowne Street from Park to George streets, stops will be out of service in both directions for Lansdowne Route 7A, Chemong Route 2, and Technology Route 10. On Armour Road from Hunter to Clifton streets, Lansdowne Route 7A northbound trips will detour via Rogers to Dufferin. On Parkhill Road to George Street, Parkhill Route 9 and Water Route 11A will be detoured via McDonnel Street.

For more information on route changes, visit www.peterborough.ca/transit or call Peterborough Transit customer service at 705-745-0525.

Fleming College in Peterborough is launching a new hairstyling program in January, with a wide variety of courses to teach students all aspects of the hairstyling business from the basics of hair care to running a salon.

According to a media release from the college, the program has been “designed by multi-award winning and internationally recognized industry professionals and entrepreneurs, including Peterborough’s Harmony Hair Salon owner Chris Asta.”

Instructors will train students in the latest in hair cutting, styling, and colouring techniques, with the onsite “Academy Salon” using environmentally sustainable Aveda products and high-quality Italian-designed equipment. Students will also study the retail and business side of the hairstyling industry.

The program, offered in a compressed three-semester format, will include mentoring by leading industry experts. By the end of the program, “students will have developed a full portfolio of their work to complement their resumes,” according to the media release. A hair fashion show takes place at the end of the third semester.

For more information about the program and to apply, visit flemingcollege.ca/programs/hairstyling.

The launch of the new program comes after a decision by Fleming College earlier this summer to end 13 programs, including its culinary skills, culinary management, and food and nutrition management programs.

In a memo sent to staff on June 15 and obtained by kawarthaNOW, college president Maureen Adamson said the decision to cut the programs came “after several years of enrolment decline in some programs, a global pandemic, and the ever-evolving demographics of learners,” adding that a suite of new programs would be created “to support labour market needs.”

More than 600 people took part in the fifth annual Lock & Paddle event at the Peterborough Lift Lock on Saturday (August 26), paddling their canoes and kayaks into the two tubs at the world’s tallest hydraulic lift lock to be lifted 65 feet (20 metres) into the air.

According to Parks Canada, a total of 403 canoes and kayaks were packed into the Peterborough Lift Lock over four lockages — which is more than previous events.

Organized by Parks Canada to celebrate the national historical site, the event returned after a three-year absence due to the pandemic. The theme of this year’s event was “Lift Your Spirits,” with Parks Canada encouraging all participants to decorate their vessels and wear costumes for the event.

For the first Lock & Paddle event in 2016, 138 canoeists and kayakers broke the world record for the number of canoes and kayaks in a single lockage. In 2017, that record was broken again for Canada 150 celebrations, when 328 canoes and kayaks filled the two chambers in a single lockage.

In 2018, the objective was to get as many paddlers as possible through the Peterborough Lift Lock in a three-hour period, with 262 canoes and kayaks making the journey. In 2019, for the first time, the event was held in the evening and featured a lighted paddlecraft parade, lighted night-time lockage, and free overnight camping.

The event was not held in 2020, 2021, or 2022 because of the pandemic.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Caroline Goodenough (@goodenough.images)

A 69-year-old boater drowned on Pigeon Lake in Kawartha Lakes sometime between late Sunday night (August 27) and early Monday morning, apparently after falling overboard.

At around 12:40 a.m. on Monday morning, officers with Kawartha Lakes Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), members of the marine unit and fire and rescue, along with a helicopter from Joint Rescue Coordination Centre at 8 Wing Trenton, began a search after responding to a call about a missing boater.

Shortly before 6 a.m., searchers located the lifeless body of the missing boater submerged in the water.

Police have identified the victim, who was the lone occupant of his boat, as a 69-year-old Kawartha Lakes man.

While police are continuing their investigation, they say he was was found not wearing a life jacket.

The OPP are reminding boaters, personal watercraft users, and paddlers to wear a life jacket or personal flotation device (PFD) while on the water. Capsized vessels and falling overboard are the top contributing factors in boating deaths every year.

A little rain didn’t dampen the enthusiasm of local motorcyclists participating in Peterborough’s first-ever United on the Highway Poker Run on Saturday morning (August 26) to raise funds for United Way Peterborough & District.

Originally scheduled for July 15 but postponed because of inclement weather, the event went ahead rain or shine on Saturday, with riders and their bikes gathering in the parking lot of the VentureNorth building in downtown Peterborough between 8:30 and 10:30 a.m. to register for the event in advance of an 11 a.m. departure for the poker run.

A poker run is a fundraising event, where participants — often riding motorcycles — must visit five to seven checkpoints within a specified amount of time, drawing a playing card at each one. The objective is to collect the best poker hand at the end of the run to win prizes.

The United on the Highway Poker Run was organized by the Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area (DBIA), in partnership with Cogeco and the United Way. Peterborough DBIA executive director Terry Guiel , who is a motorcycle enthusiast himself, came up with the idea.

“The best fundraisers are the ones that are interactive and fun for everyone involved,” Guiel said in a media release. “People have been very excited about being able to play this classic game while exploring downtown Peterborough and the Kawartha.”

“I thought this would be a unique way to mix my passions for the downtown, motorcycles, and also raising money for amazing local organizations in our community.”

Some of the prizes for the United on the Highway Poker Run including $500 and $1,000 worth of motorcycle-related items, along with a downtown shopping spree and more. Prizes were donated by sponsors including Lafarge, Euphoria Wellness Spa, Liftlock Cruises, Classy Chassis, Team VanRahan Century 21, Cogeco, Sink or Swim Tattoos, and Peterborough & the Kawarthas Tourism.

Proceeds from the event will support United Way Peterborough & District.

“When the rubber hits the road, kind hearts and strong passions for community are even more revved up,” said United Way CEO Jim Russell. “We are so grateful to Terry and the team at the DBIA for driving this event, and for helping build a more resilient Peterborough. Bikers are very giving people and we want to thank everyone who (attended) and who generously donated a prize.”

When photographer Heather Doughty first had the idea of celebrating remarkable women in the community, her goal was to get 52 women to agree to be photographed — one a week for a full year. Now, nearly five years later, Inspire: The Women’s Portrait Project has celebrated more than 500 women.

On Sunday, September 17th, Doughty will be launching a display of Inspire’s latest project called ‘Mom Bod 2.0’, where portraits of remarkable mothers and their stories will be publicly displayed on the windows at the VentureNorth building in downtown Peterborough.

The inspiration for the project dates back to Doughty’s own childhood when she was raised by “a fiercely independent woman,” as she describes her mother. Unheard of for women at the time, her mother returned to work shortly after giving birth. Following the death of her husband (when Doughty was just nine years old), she then became a single mother and never remarried.

Doughty was already a photographer by then, with her first camera a Kodak Brownie her father gave to her when she was very young. After he passed, she used her photos of him to keep their connection and her memories alive. Now, as a professional wedding and boudoir photographer, Doughty gives others the chance to “hold time” in their own hands.

“I love to capture the feeling of things,” Doughty explains. “I want you to look at the images I create, and I want you to have a feeling, a connection. In every aspect of what I do with my photography, I do it so that the viewer feels connected.”

Doughty says her “absolute favourite thing to do” is “body positive boudoir,” which ultimately prompted her to begin the Inspire project. She explains that oftentimes when she’s photographing women, they come in shy because there’s a piece of their body they’re unhappy with.

Doughty tries to get them comfortable and feeling proud and supported and, by the end of the session, their attitude towards their own body has changed.

“When the women leave, they feel so powerful,” says Doughty. “You can just see it when they walk out the door. They feel sexy and they feel alive.”

Seeing women feel empowered made her want to create something to help women tell their stories.

“Inspire came from a conversation about how society puts so much pressure on women to be this stereotype,” she recalls. “I wanted a project where I could photograph women just candidly. I just want to show them how beautiful they are and how important they are.”

Knowing how some women don’t like to be photographed, Doughty wasn’t sure she would get many to agree to be in front of the camera for her project. She asked four women who inspired her if she could take their portrait, and also asked them to write their own story in 500 to 1,500 words. Then she asked those women to nominate a couple of other women, and then those women to nominate a few more, and so the process continued.

Today, Inspire has expanded to other projects, including Mom Bod, of which the second instalment will be launching next month. Named for the colloquial term for the post-pregnancy and early motherhood body, the goal of the project is to showcase and celebrate mothers who are proud to have mom bods — while actively changing the connotation of the term.

“Why is mom bod a derogatory term and dad bod is a sexy stereotype?” Doughty asks. “Moms grew humans. Mom bods are beautiful and they created life.”

The first instalment of Doughty’s Mom Bod project launched at the VentureNorth Building last July. In all the portraits, which hang full-size from the windows of the building, the women are dressed in sports bras and leggings and candidly photographed in any position they want, “because that’s how you get the true essence of a person” says Doughty.

Something that hadn’t been done for Inspire’s previous projects, each portrait had a QR code that would lead to an audio recording of the mothers reading their own stories. Doughty says hearing women speak their own words in their own voice creates empathy and understanding.

“I firmly believe that if you don’t know a person, that’s when fear can come in, and a fear of a person leads to walls,” explains Doughty. “If you hear a person’s story, or even just the way they frame a sentence or the way they speak, the minute that happens, you become connected and, all of a sudden, a community is built.”

Another of Inspire’s projects that really highlights stories from women in the community is the FarmHER project. This one was inspired by Doughty’s great-great-grandmother who, after her husband died in a tragic accident, took over a farm all on her own while raising six children and remaining a single mother.

Doughty, who grew up north of Buckhorn in a farming community, calls her great-great-grandmother a “trailblazer” for continuing to farm despite the taboos of the age.

“When you think of a farmer, most people think of men,” she points out. “If you think of the woman, it’s the farmer’s wife with a kid on her hip in the kitchen — which is 110 per cent true, but (for her great-great-grandmother) she’s also driving a tractor. She’s equally as capable as her partner.”

The FarmHER project is a bit more in depth, with Doughty aiming to visit women on their farms once in the spring or summer and once in the winter to show the different aspects and day-to-day life on the farm. The project will launch at the Lang Pioneer village as early as 2024.

Another Inspire project currently in the works involves recreating a photo from 1960. Photojournalist Ormond Gigli famously took a photo titled ‘Girls in the Windows’ featuring dozens of women — including his own wife — dressed in their finest attire standing candidly in the empty windows of a New York City brownstone that was demolished the next day.

Don’t worry … Doughty didn’t make the region’s most inspiring women stand in a soon-to-be-demolished building’s empty windows (the Inspire board wouldn’t let her, she jokes). Instead, she took a snapshot of one of the windows of the J.J. Turner building, blew it up lifesize, and set it up in her own studio.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Inspire: Womens Portrait (@inspirewomens)

With help from The Neighbourhood Vintage and Statement House, 52 Inspire nominees were dressed up for the occasion and their photos were taken in the window frame.

Though technical difficulties have set her back a bit, the photo re-creation will be launched this fall and will be Inspire’s exhibit at the SPARK Photo Festival in April 2024.

Also next year, Inspire will also host their second International Women’s Day event and will bring back Day of the Girl, a project that celebrates young women in the community.

“It’s a beautiful event to host in person because the girls get to come, their parents come, the grandparents come,” Doughty says, adding that’s why they chose not to run it during the pandemic. “It’s so positive and so full of energy.”

In 2021, Inspire also launched the “She Inspires Me” photo essay project that encouraged people from around the world to submit a photo they had taken of a woman in their life who inspires them and up to 1,500 words on why. They received nominations from as far as Australia, Israel, and Germany, with stories of remarkable women, including a group called the Port Melbourne Icebergs who meet up every day to swim together in the ocean in matching swimsuits.

Though it’s no surprise to Doughty just how many inspiring women there are in the world, or just how many people are eager to recognize and celebrate these women, she admits she’s surprised by how much the project has grown and how wide an audience it has reached.

“It’s beautiful and amazing,” she says. “I’m hoping that we can at some point hit one thousand portraits and then have a big party, because that would be incredible to have all these people together.”

The Mom Bod 2.0 exhibit launches at the VentureNorth Building at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday, September 17th. To keep up to date on upcoming project launches, visit inspirethewomensportraitproject.com or follow Inspire on Instagram and Facebook. You can find more of Heather Doughty’s photography on her website at heatherdoughtyphotography.com.