For the next three weeks, Chapters Peterborough will be raising funds to support the library at Immaculate Conception Catholic Elementary School in Peterborough’s East City.

From September 12 to October 2, every dollar raised in the store at 873 Lansdowne Street or online will go directly to Immaculate Conception’s school library to purchase new books.

The campaign is part of the Indigo Love of Reading Foundation’s annual Adopt a School Program, designed to raise both funds and awareness about the importance of school libraries. During the campaign, Indigo-owned stores across Canada “adopt” a local or remote high-needs elementary school to support them through in-store fundraising.

According to the Indigo Love of Reading Foundation, government funding for Canadian school libraries and librarians has been declining since the 1990s. To offset decline funding, schools and parents have resorted to fundraising efforts.

Parents have also purchased more books for their children to read at home. However, families with fewer resources rely on school libraries to help their children succeed in school, and the libraries offer access to printed, audio, and electronic resources for students who might not otherwise have such access.

Studies also show that students in schools with well-staffed, stocked, and funded libraries score from 10 to 25 per cent higher on standardized tests than students in schools with poorly resourced libraries.

Nicole “Nikki” Tripp, the Learning Commons Specialist (a.k.a. librarian) at Immaculate Conception, applied to the Adopt a School Program earlier this year and the school was accepted.

“With the majority of our library budget coming from book fair fundraisers, new purchases for our library have been slim since 2019,” Tripp explains.

As well as donating to Immaculate Conception’s library in-store at Chapters Peterborough, you can also donate online.

Depending on the amount raised in-store and online, Immaculate Conception will receive funds either in the form of an Indigo e-gift card or an Indigo corporate account for the school. Indigo will also provide a 30 per cent discount on the list price on books purchased by the school using the funds, giving the school the opportunity to stretch the funds even further.

“With this funding, our goal is to increase the number of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) non-fiction books that we have for all grade levels and update fiction series with the newest additions that students are waiting for — specifically, graphic novels,” Tripp says.

For more information about the Indigo Love of Reading Foundation, visit www.indigoloveofreading.org.

If you noticed nine large motorized canoes filled with 50 men and woman in red outfits heading down the Trent-Severn Waterway from Bobcaygeon to Peterborough on Friday (September 9), you were seeing the 3rd Canadian Rangers Patrol Group on a historic voyage from Parry Sound to Ottawa.

Many people in southern Ontario are unfamiliar with the Canadian Rangers, a sub-component of the Canadian Army Reserve which is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year.

Established in 1947, the Canadian Rangers — predominantly First Nations peoples living and serving in their communities — work in remote, isolated, and coastal regions of Canada. There are five Canadian Ranger Patrol Groups across Canada, with the 3rd Canadian Rangers Patrol Group covering remote coastal and inland regions of northern Ontario.

The 3rd Canadian Rangers Patrol Group comprises 27 individual patrols covering an area of northern Ontario almost as large as the combined size of France and Germany. The area is home to more than 50,000 people living in 49 First Nation communities, many of which have no year-round road access.

“A lot of where we operate in northern Ontario is only accessible by water, so it makes a lot of sense,” says Major Charles Ohlke, referring to the voyage to Ottawa, which is also a training exercise during which the Rangers will be instructed on safe watercraft operation and first aid.

The motto of the Canadian Rangers is “Vigilans,” meaning “The Watchers,” which reflects their role to support both the national security and public safety operations of the Canadian Armed Forces. The 3rd Canadian Rangers Patrol Group is Canada’s military presence in northern Ontario.

So far in 2022, members of the 3rd Canadian Rangers Patrol Group have participated in 10 ground search-and-rescue missions and have rescued 13 people, including two stranded truckers on an ice road, an injured Attawapiskat First Nation snowmobiler, and two young hunters who were stranded about 100 kilometres away from their communities after their all-terrain vehicles broke down.

The 3rd Canadian Ranger Patrol Group expedition left Parry Sound on September 5, traversing Georgian Bay to enter the Trent-Severn Waterway at Port Severn.

They travelled through Buckhorn, Peterborough, and Rice Lake on Friday, which was day four of their voyage.

On Saturday, they will be travelling from Rice Lake to Healey Falls, and then to Campbellford and Frankford on Sunday. After arriving in Trenton on day seven, they will traverse Lake Ontario to Kingston and then head north through the Rideau Canal to Ottawa, finishing their 13-day journey in Ottawa on September 17.

“This exercise not only serves as an event to recognize our 75 years of service to Canada,” says Lieutenant-Colonel Shane McArthur, commanding officer of the 3rd Canadian Rangers Patrol Group.

“It’s also an opportunity for Canadians to interact with Canadian Rangers and learn about what we do within Ontario and the Canadian Armed Forces.”

Leslie Menagh is the new interim director of Artspace, the non-profit artist-run centre in downtown Peterborough, effective Monday, September 19th.

The organization’s board of directors made the announcement on Friday (September 9). Artspace had been seeking an interim director since December 2020, when previous director John Lockyer left the position.

Menagh is best known as the founder of the social enterprise Madderhouse Textile Studios, a workshop and professional development space for textile and fibre artists which shifted into garment design and production during the pandemic.

As well as being a social entrepreneur, Menagh is an arts administrator, artist, craftsperson, and curator. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Art from NSCAD University.

After being closed during August, Artspace’s gallery at 378 Aylmer Street is reopening this Saturday (September 10) from 12 to 4 p.m. with “Port Monteau,” a series of new video and sculpture works by Toronto based-artist Mikiki.

The work created for Port Manteau follows a self-led research trip, during which the artist returned home to Ktaqmkuk/Newfoundland to reconnect with family and land. The exhibition will grow over the next few months as Mikiki continues to work in the space.

At 6:30 p.m. next Wednesday (September 14), Artspace will host a one-hour public meeting and by-election of new board members. Everyone is welcome to attend, with members having a vote in the by-election. After the meeting, Artspace will host a walk-through of the gallery where you can meet board members and new staff and share thoughts about Artspace’s new Maker Space.

For more information about Artspace or to become a member, visit artspaceptbo.ca.

Peterborough GreenUP is asking for support after Ecology Park, located at 1899 Ashburnham Drive in Peterborough, recently suffered its third break-in this season.

“We have lost a variety of tools, and a bunch of peace of mind went with them,” the non-profit environmental organization wrote on social media on Thursday (September 8).

Ecology Park is home to the Native Plant & Tree Nursery, which sells plants, trees, shrubs, compost, wood chips, and more.

“If you are able to support us during this time, cash donations will be appreciated and used to further secure our facilities, and replace items such as garden carts and tools which are desperately needed on a daily basis to run our nursery,” GreenUP wrote.

To donate, visit www.greenup.on.ca/donate-now/.

You can also support GreenUP by shopping at the Native Plant & Tree Nursery, which is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Thursdays and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Fridays through Sundays until October 7.

Queen Elizabeth II died peacefully at the Scottish residence of Balmoral Castle on Thursday afternoon (September 8), Buckingham Palace has announcerd.

At 96, Queen Elizabeth was the longest-reigning monarch in British history.

Her son Prince Charles, 73, who has been heir to the throne since the age of three, becomes King. His wife Camilla Parker Bowles is now Queen Consort. Prince William is the new heir to the throne at the age of 40.

“The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon,” reads a statement from Buckingham Palace. “The King and the Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow.”

The Queen has been under medical supervision at Balmoral Castle. Earlier on Thursday morning, Buckingham Palace has stated “The Queen’s doctors are concerned for Her Majesty’s health and have recommended she remain under medical supervision.” British media reported that the Queen’s children and grandsons, William nd Harry, had rushed to Scotland to be at her bedside.

On Thursday afternoon, the Royal Family released a statement on behalf of King Charles, whose regnal name will be King Charles III.

“The death of my beloved Mother, Her Majesty The Queen, is a moment of the greatest sadness for me and all members of my family,” King Charles III writes. “We mourn profoundly the passing of a cherished sovereign and a much-loved mother.”

“I know her loss will be deeply felt throughout the country, the Realms and the Commonwealth and by countless people around the world,” the statement continues. “During this period of mourning and change, my family and I will be comforted and sustained by our knowledge of the respect and deep affection in which the Queen was so widely held.”

Upon the death of her father King George VI in 1952, Elizabeth — then 25 years old — became queen of seven independent Commonwealth countries: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Pakistan, and Ceylon (known today as Sri Lanka), as well as Head of the Commonwealth.

Current and former world leaders have posted tributes to the Queen:

It was with the heaviest of hearts that we learned of the passing of Canada’s longest-reigning Sovereign, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. She was a constant presence in our lives – and her service to Canadians will forever remain an important part of our country’s history.

— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) September 8, 2022

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II embodied the British nation’s continuity and unity for over 70 years. I remember her as a friend of France, a kind-hearted queen who has left a lasting impression on her country and her century.

— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) September 8, 2022

My thoughts and prayers are with the Royal Family and all the people Her Majesty inspired throughout her lifetime of service. pic.twitter.com/r5pjncyCu8

— Bill Clinton (@BillClinton) September 8, 2022

"Queen Elizabeth ably led England through dark moments with her confidence in her people and her vision for a brighter tomorrow. Our world benefitted from her steady resolve, and we are grateful for her decades of service as sovereign." – President Bush https://t.co/aG8uVcMaJo pic.twitter.com/FKQnq6ANoh

— George W. Bush Presidential Center (@TheBushCenter) September 8, 2022

The City of Peterborough is inviting input from residents on preliminary options to realign Ashburnham Drive between Maniece Avenue and McFarlane Street and to replace the existing McFarlane Street bridge crossing of the Trent-Severn Waterway north of the Peterborough Lift Lock.

Realigning Ashburnham Drive and replacing the McFarlane Street bridge are two recommended projects of the Eastside Transportation Study, which assessed transportation infrastructure needs and priorities associated with development planned east of the Trent-Severn Waterway and growth within the east portion of the city over the next 30 years. Peterborough city council reviewed the study’s recommendations in March 2022.

According to the Eastside Transportation Study, Ashburnham Drive near the Peterborough Lift Lock at Hunter Street is frequented by visitors but does not have sidewalks or dedicated cycling infrastructure, and parking is limited to a gravel shoulder. North of the Lift Lock, the roadway is located on a berm that forms the east bank of the Trent Canal, resulting in poor sight lines and creating challenges to make physical improvements including sidewalks, cycling infrastructure, transit stops, and pedestrian access.

As for the McFarlane Street bridge, it is limited to one lane and does not have a cycling lane, posting potential safety concerns for cyclists who often use the bridge.

The three preliminary options for realigning Ashburnham Drive involve shifting the roadway east or further east between Maniece Avenue and McFarlane Street, or shifting the roadway east between Hunter Street and McFarlane Street and reconstructing Ashburnham Drive from Maniece Avenue to Hunter Street.

The five preliminary options for replacing the McFarlane Street bridge include constructing a new two-lane bridge that can accommodate both vehicles and cyclists and pedestrians, or retaining the existing bridge for cyclists and pedestrians only and constructing a new two-lane bridge for vehicular use only either north or south of the existing bridge.

Members of the public can review information about the preliminary options at connectptbo.ca/ashburnhamea, where a recorded presentation and a PDF copy of the slides in the presentation is available until September 30.

In addition, a live virtual presentation will take place from 1 to 2:30 p.m. and from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on Friday, September 23rd. The same presentation will be shared in both the afternoon and evening sessions followed by a question and answer period. To register for the virtual presentation, visit connectptbo.ca/ashburnhamea.

Interested residents who are unable to register online can call Jenn Robinson at 905-944-6232. Residents who wish to have their name added to the study’s mailing list or would like more information about the study can email ashburnhamEA@peterborough.ca.