In celebration of the bicentennial of the Peter Robinson emigration of Irish settlers to the Peterborough region, Peterborough Musicfest is presenting three Irish-themed concerts from August 2 to 9, 2025: U2 tribute band Acrobat on August 2, Canadian Celtic rockers Mudmen with local fiddler Irish Millie on August 6, and Irish trio The Celtic Tenors on August 9. (Graphic: Musicfest)
Peterborough Musicfest has announced three more concerts for the 38th season of the free-admission summer outdoor music festival, all with an Irish theme in recognition of the bicentennial of the Peter Robinson emigration of Irish settlers to the Peterborough region.
The three Irish-themed concerts take place during August 1 to 10, a week selected to be the focus of the bicentennial celebrations by Nine Ships 1825 Inc., a non-profit organization named after the the nine ships that carried the Irish emigrants across the Atlantic in 1825. The organization chose the week in part because the Civic Holiday, long recognized as Peter Robinson Day in Peterborough, is on August 4.
“We’re thrilled to see Musicfest join the city-wide tribute to our Irish heritage with such an outstanding musical line up,” Nine Ships board chair Brendan Moher in a media release. “This week of Irish music enhances the commemorative spirit of the Nine Ships event, offering residents and visitors an engaging way to honour the legacy of the Peter Robinson settlers.”
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On Saturday, August 2, the Toronto-based U2 tribute band Acrobat — named after the famous Irish rock band’s second album — will take to the stage in Del Crary Park.
Then, on Wednesday, August 6, Canadian Celtic rockers Mudmen will perform, with local fiddler Irish Millie opening thanks to sponsorship by Nine Ships 1825.
Musicfest will complete its Irish music hat trick by bringing internationally renowned The Celtic Tenors from Ireland to Peterborough on Saturday, August 9. Formed in Dublin, the trio of Matthew “Gilly” Gilsenan, George Hutton, and Daryl Simpson blends opera, classical, Irish traditional, and pop influences in their signature harmony-rich style.
VIDEO: “Red is the Rose” – The Celtic Tenors
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“This is a fantastic opportunity to honour our community’s Irish heritage through music, and align our programming with a moment of shared historical reflection,” says Peterborough Musicfest executive director Tracey Randall. “The Musicfest team is thrilled to be part of this cultural moment.”
Peterborough Musicfest runs from June 28 until August 16 with concerts every Wednesday and Saturday night in Del Crary Park in downtown Peterborough. All concerts are free and open to the public.
The 38th season will open and close with concerts by two famous Canadian musicians who are each making their fifth Musicfest appearance.
Juno award-winning Millbrook native Serena Ryder will open the season on Saturday, June 28, and Juno award-winning Sarnia native Kim Mitchell will close out the season Saturday, August 16.
Musicfest will be announcing additional concerts in the weeks leading up to the season. For concert details and updates, visit www.ptbomusicfest.ca.
This story has been updated: James Nelson has been replaced by George Hutton in The Celtic Tenors.
The Theatre On King's artistic administrator Kate Story and artistic director Ryan Kerr in 2017. The pair have announced they are resigning from the black-box theatre that Kerr founded in downtown Peterborough in 2013. (Photo: Sam Tweedle / kawarthaNOW)
It’s the end of an era at The Theatre On King (TTOK), with founder Ryan Kerr and Kate Story announcing they are resigning from their roles as artistic director and artistic administrator of Peterborough’s only black-box theatre after over 12 years.
Kerr and Story will be passing the torch to TTOK general manager Shannon McKenzie, who will continue to run the space.
Kerr founded TTOK in January 2013 as a result of a collaboration between the 2003-formed Peterborough Theatre Users Group and Fleshy Thud, a dance-theatre collective led by Kerr.
His vision was for TTOK to fill a void in the local arts scene that resulted from the closure of the Union Theatre — a hub for avant-garde performances and artistic innovation — 17 years before.
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“When I started TTOK in 2013 there hadn’t been a small performance space in Peterborough since the Union Theatre closed down in 1996,” Kerr told kawarthaNOW in 2018, when TTOK moved from its back alley home at 159 King Street to its current street-front space a few doors away at 171 King Street.
“That means between 1996 and 2013 there was an entire generation of young artists in this town that had nowhere to experiment or bust their chops, and a lot of us (senior artists) had nowhere to call home or to create our work.”
Since it opened, TTOK has presented hundreds of independent presentations and performances including theatre, improv, dance, storytelling, music, poetry, installations, visual art, and more — including productions created and performed by both Kerr and Story.
“In a space like TTOK, because the costs are low, you can almost do anything you want and break even,” Kerr told kawarthaNOW. “This is a nice small place where people can get on stage the first time. There isn’t another place in town like this where you can actually touch the performers.”
The Theatre On King founder artistic director Ryan Kerr performing in his one-man play “Unexploded Ordnance”, co-created with and directed by Kate Story, at The Theatre on King in downtown Peterborough in 2018. (Photo: Andy Carroll for Public Energy)
Now, seven years after that interview and after struggles to remain financially viable during the pandemic and fighting to secure the annual municipal funding that helped keep TTOK running, Kerr says he is burned out.
“These last 12 years have taken a toll on me, physically, mentally, emotionally, and every other way you can think of,” he says in an emailed statement.
“It is time to try to take care of myself and my loved ones. All good things must come to an end at some point and I think this is the point at which it must end. I have given this much thought and deliberation and I believe that this is the right choice.”
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For her part, Kate Story — Kerr’s romantic and artistic partner and an author, playwright, and performer who has been involved in TTOK since its beginnings — has been dealing with the aftermath of a cancer diagnosis last year.
“I am very grateful not to have cancer any more, and for all the care I’ve received,” Story says in a statement. “At the same time, I’d be lying if I said I feel like the same person. I am not. And although my burn-out from the work at TTOK is nothing like what Ryan has been experiencing, I too was wrung out even before my diagnosis.”
“For those of you who wondered why there wasn’t a lot of theatre at the theatre over the past months, all this is a big part of why.”
Kate Story and Ryan Kerr at the announcement of Artsweek 2018. The pair performed in “Sorry about what happened at the mall”, a contemporary dance work set inside Peterborough Square on the escalators and lower hallway. (Photo: Jeannine Taylor / kawarthaNOW)
As for Shannon McKenzie, who joined TTOK in 2019, Kerr says she been taking on more and more of the day-to-day business of running TTOK — including bookings, bookkeeping, and communication — over the past few years, “so she has a good idea about the workings of TTOK.”
“I wish her all the best and know she — and the energy she brings to the job — will take TTOK into a new phase in these precarious artistic times,” he says.
Kerr adds that he and Story they will be working with McKenzie through the transition over the next few months. One of McKenzie’s first priorities will be signing a new two-year lease for the space, which expires this year.
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Before Kerr and Story step away from TTOK, they have one final production to mount — one which they have been working on since 2017.
Death in Reverse: Project Baroness is a multi-disciplinary theatre show that explores Dada art, political resistance, and the relevance of art. An anti-establishment art movement that emerged in response to the horrors of World War I, Dadaism rejected traditional art values and embraced chaos, absurdity, and anti-bourgeois sentiment.
Written by Story with Kerr, directed by Kerr, and presented in collaboration with Public Energy Performing Arts and Trent Radio, Death in Reverse: Project Baroness runs for three evening performances at TTOK from May 8 to 10, with a live-to-radio broadcast and recording by Trent Radio.
Kate Story in May 2023 during an open rehearsal of “Project Baroness”, which was originally slated to premiere at The Theatre on King in downtown Peterborough in fall 2023. Directed by Ryan Kerr, “Death in Reverse: Project Baroness” runs from May 8 to 10, 2025, with a live-to-radio broadcast and recording by Trent Radio. (Photo: Andy Carroll)
“A multi-disciplinary, live, staged radio drama based on radical art?” Story asks. “It’s the kind of project that would only happen at TTOK.”
Along with Story, performers include Aaron Cavon, Kate Alton, Naomi DuVall, Matt Gilbert, Dan Smith, Brad Brackenridge, and Lindsay Unterlander. Benj Rowland will provide the music, with sets and projections by Annie Jaeger with Laura Thompson.
The Kawartha Lakes Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) recently responded to separate incidents of suspected threats at two high schools in the Kawartha Lakes.
The first incident happened at Fenelon Falls Secondary School at around 12:44 p.m. on Monday (April 14), when the Kawartha Lakes Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) was informed of a concerning message received by the high school.
As a precautionary measure, police placed the school in lockdown while they investigated the incident. A lockdown is initiated when there is a threatening incident or threat of school violence in relation to the school. During a lockdown, all classrooms are locked so that staff and students are safe in their location, and no one is allowed to enter or leave the school.
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The lockdown remained in effect while officers conducted a comprehensive investigation at the school, and was lifted at 1:41 p.m. when police and school officials determined there was no threat to the safety of students, staff, or the school premises.
According to an email from Trillium Lakelands District School Board, the second incident happened at Lindsay Collegiate and Vocational Institute on Tuesday (April 15), when Kawartha Lakes OPP briefly placed a hold and secure on the school after they learned about a suspected threat.
Due to the proximity of Central Senior School, police also placed a hold and secure on the elementary school.
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During a hold and secure, exterior doors are locked and classroom routines and lessons continue. Students are not permitted outside and cannot be signed out while a hold and secure is in place. Parents or guardians are not able to pick up their students during a hold and secure.
No details were released by the school board about when the school was placed in a hold and secure and for how long, only that it “was lifted quickly.”
Police have not released any information about the nature of either of the suspected threats at the schools or whether they were related.
Municipality of Brighton council has declared April 14 - 19, 2025 as "Love Local Week" in Brighton. The week encompasses initiatives which encourage people to shop locally and support area businesses, including 1,000 Love Local tote bags available at select retail businesses in Brighton to customers who make a purchase of $30. (Photos: Municipality of Brighton / Facebook)
While the Municipality of Brighton is regularly promoting its downtown and the offerings of its overall business community, the introduction of U.S. tariffs are driving home a new campaign that encourages shoppers to spend their dollars locally and purchase Canadian goods.
To that end, the Municipality of Brighton has declared the third week of April as “Love Local Week,” which is on now until Saturday (April 19).
“Council has declared (Love Local Week) in Brighton to encourage residents to get out and support local businesses,” Caroline Birch, Brighton’s economic development and executive offices coordinator, told kawarthaNOW.
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“To complement the declaration and further encourage residents to get out and support local, we’ve partnered with the Brighton (Downtown Business Improvement Area) to purchase 1,000 Love Local tote bags that will be available at select retail businesses in Brighton to customers who make a purchase of $30,” Birch said.
“Through the tote bag part of this initiative, we are working with local businesses to track purchases which will give us a general figure of the economic impact the Love Local Week has on Brighton’s economy,” Birch added.
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In addition to Love Local Week, the municipality also earlier introduced a social media campaign to promote buying locally.
“We started with a digital awareness campaign through social media to raise awareness of the Brighton businesses that make or carry products that are either local or Canadian.”
That evolved into the creation of a Facebook group called “Made in Canada, Bought in Brighton.” It serves as a space for residents and businesses to share products they’ve found in Brighton that are made in Canada, and the group has grown to more than 300 members.
“We came up with the idea for the campaign right after the initial tariffs were announced back in February,” Birch said. “We knew that there would be a lot of uncertainty amongst our businesses and residents and wanted to create a way that we could focus those uncertain feelings into action that benefited our local businesses.”
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Birch said the municipality hopes that through both the digital campaign and Love Local Week, residents become more aware of the opportunities they have to purchase local and Canadian goods from small and local businesses in Brighton and that “they use their power as consumers to support these local establishments.”
She also hopes local businesses feel supported by the community as they continue to navigate the uncertainty of the current economic landscape.
On a broader scale, Northumberland County announced earlier this year the launch of a 33-member coalition poised to promote and bolster the local economy amidst growing economic challenges due to the ongoing tensions around international trade.
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The coalition is comprised of 33 Northumberland businesses, associations, municipalities, and community members. Called “Prosper in Northumberland,” the endeavour is a collaborative initiative intended to champion local businesses, strengthen the economy, “and stand proudly behind local goods and services,” a media release from Northumberland County noted.
Prosper in Northumberland encompasses a commitment to making purchases locally, investing in homegrown businesses, and, ultimately, supporting the livelihoods of fellow Northumberland residents through these actions.
Kate Campbell, Northumberland County’s director of communications, told kawarthaNOW the impetus for the coalition stems from meetings of municipal CAOs and economic development officers in all seven municipalities held earlier this winter. They gathered in February to develop a coordinated response to the recent trade developments, particularly the U.S.-imposed tariffs on Canadian goods that were introduced earlier in March.
New Stages Theatre is presenting a staged reading of Emil Sher's acclaimed real-life drama "The Boy in the Moon", based on Canadian journalist and author Ian Brown's award-winning 2009 memoir of the same name, for one night only on May 3, 2025 at Market Hall Performing Arts Centre. (Graphic: New Stages Theatre)
For the penultimate show of its 2024-25 season, New Stages Theatre is presenting a staged reading of Emil Sher’s acclaimed real-life drama The Boy in the Moon for one night only on Saturday, May 3 at Market Hall Performing Arts Centre.
Directed by New Stages’ artistic director Mark Wallace, the staged reading will feature Cliff Saunders, Linda Kash, and Sydney Marion, and several local performers will also be lending their voices for the play.
The Boy in the Moon is based on Canadian journalist and author Ian Brown’s award-winning 2009 memoir The Boy in the Moon: A Father’s Search for His Disabled Son, which grew from a series of features he wrote for the Globe and Mail about Walker, the severely disabled son he has with Globe and Mail film critic Johanna Schneller.
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Walker has cardiofaciocutaneous (CFC) syndrome, a genetic disorder so rare that only 1 in 810,000 people are born with it. CFC syndrome is characterized by a combination of distinctive malformations of the head and face as well as developmental and intellectual delays.
When Brown began his newspaper series, Walker had just turned 12 and weighed only 54 pounds, was still in diapers, couldn’t speak, and needed to wear special cuffs on his arms so that he couldn’t continually hit himself.
“Sometimes watching him is like looking at the man in the moon — but you know there is actually no man there,” Brown writes in his book. “But if Walker is so insubstantial, why does he feel so important? What is he trying to show me?”
Brown sets out to answer that question in a journey that takes him into deeply touching and troubling territory.
“All I really want to know is what goes on inside his off-shaped head,” he writes. “But every time I ask, he somehow persuades me to look into my own.”
Emil Sher’s play “The Boy in the Moon” is based on Canadian journalist and author Ian Brown’s award-winning 2009 memoir “The Boy in the Moon: A Father’s Search for His Disabled Son”, which grew from a series of features he wrote for the Globe and Mail about Walker, the severely disabled son he has with Globe and Mail film critic Johanna Schneller. (kawarthaNOW collage)
A national bestseller, The Boy in the Moon was the winner of the Charles Taylor Prize for both literary non-fiction and Canadian non-fiction, the Trillium Book Award, and was named a best book by both the Globe and Mail and The New York TImes.
Canadian playwright Emil Sher’s adaptation of The Boy in the Moon was co-commissioned by the Great Canadian Theatre Company and the Belfry Theatre, and premiered at the Great Canadian Theatre Company in September 2014.
“I was drawn to Ian’s book because of the compelling, difficult questions he asks,” Sher wrote in his notes for the original production. “I felt driven to plant many of those same questions on stage. What is the value of a life like Walker’s? It is not a life that can be measured by traditional yardsticks. You need a different measuring stick, let alone a different yard.”
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Sher said the stage version of the book “weaves in conversations I had with Walker’s mother, Johanna Schneller, and his sister, Hayley” as well as reflections that Brown shared during an interview in Australia and in an online documentary that aren’t in the book.
As for what audiences can expect from the play, Sher noted “The Boy in the Moon doesn’t serve up any tidy, bite-sized answers because there are none.”
“We’re left, instead, to sort through an experience — complicated, colourful, painful, moving — that has been dropped in our laps.”
The 2017 production of The Boy in the Moon by Crow’s Theatre in Toronto was nominated for three Dora awards in 2018, including for outstanding new play.
“This work is generous, funny, and deeply moving in a way that I’ve rarely encountered,” said Crow’s Theatre artistic director Chris Abraham. “This play challenges us to have more humanity, it challenges us to think about the fundamentally fragile and uncertain nature of parenting and of life, and it is striking for the rare candour of the source material.”
For New Stages’ staged reading of Emil Sher’s “The Boy in the Moon”, Cliff Saunders will read the role of Walker’s father Ian Brown, with Linda Kash reading Walker’s mother Johanna Schneller, and Sydney Marion reading Walker’s sister Hayley. (kawarthaNOW collage)
For New Stages’ staged reading of The Boy in the Moon, Cliff Saunders will read the role of Walker’s father Ian Brown, with Linda Kash reading Walker’s mother Johanna Schneller, and Sydney Marion reading Walker’s sister Hayley.
Saunders is one of Canada’s most celebrated actors, having performed on Broadway, in Chicago, at the Stratford Festival, in Toronto, and across the country. Kash is well-known to Peterborough audiences for her comedy and improv work, but is also a dramatic actor who has appeared on stage and the big and small screens. Marion is a rising star who is a recent graduate of the Randolph School of Performing Arts, where she won the school’s triple threat award.
Voice actors for the staged reading include local performers Kate Suhr, Hilary Wear, Laura Lawson, and Maria Luis Belmes. Along with Wallace as director, the crew includes Bruno Merz (Showmakers Peterborough) providing original sound design with stage management by Esther Vincent.
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“Staging Disability: A Playwright’s Perspective” with Emil Sher
Join playwright Emil Sher at Traill College’s Bagnani Hall on Sunday, May 4 at 2 p.m. as he shares his journey in adapting “The Boy in the Moon” for the stage. How do you give voice to an on-stage character who is front-and-centre but never seen? Pay-what-you-can tickets are available at eventbrite.ca/e/1334212267809.
Playwright Emil Sher will be in attendance and will participate in a question-and-answer session with the audience following the play.
Fewer than 50 tickets remain for the May 3rd staged reading at the Market Hall, which begins at 7 p.m. and runs for approximately 90 minutes. The play is recommended for audience members 14 and over due to mature themes.
General admission tickets are $28 ($14 for students, arts workers, and the under-employed) and are available online at markethall.org, by calling 705-749-1146, or by visiting the box office at 140 Charlotte Street.
kawarthaNOW is proud to be media sponsor of New Stages Theatre Company’s 2024-25 season.
Three drivers were injured, one seriously, in a multi-vehicle collision on Highway 7 east of Lindsay on April 14, 2025. (Photo: Kawartha Lakes OPP)
A 21-year-old Peterborough man was seriously injured in a multi-vehicle collision on Highway 7 east of Lindsay early Monday morning (April 14).
At around 7 a.m. on Monday, Kawartha Lakes Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), Kawartha Lakes Fire, and emergency medical services responded to a report of a serious collision involving three vehicles on Highway 7 between Slanted Road and River Road.
One of the drivers, a 21-year-old Peterborough man, was airlifted to a Toronto trauma centre with life-threatening injuries.
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The other two drivers, a 74-year-old Fenelon Falls man and a 59-year-old Cameron man, were transported to a local hospital with undisclosed injuries.
Police closed Highway 7 in the area of the collision for several hours to investigate and document the scene.
The investigation continues. Anyone who may have witnessed the collision or has video/dash cam footage and has not yet spoken with the police is asked to contact the City of Kawartha Lakes OPP Detachment at 1-888-310-1122.
Izzy Condon from Kaawaate East City Public School sits at Peterborough police chief Stuart Betts' desk on April 8, 2025. The Grade 5 student's essay on what she would do if she were police chief for a day won the police service's annual "Chief For A Day" contest. Izzy will serve as police chief on Tuesday, May 20. (Photo courtesy of Peterborough Police Service)
Izzy Condon from Kaawaate East City Public School will be chief of the Peterborough police for a day in May.
The Grade 5 student won the Peterborough Police Service’s annual “Chief For A Day” contest after reading her essay to Chief Stuart Betts and a panel of judges at the Water Street police station last Tuesday (April 8), along with five other finalists.
The six finalists were chosen from around 50 contest entries the police received from students in Grade 5 classes in the Peterborough area. Students were asked to answer the question, “If you were chief for a day, what would you do?”
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As well as reading their essays, the six finalists also received a tour of the station and a chance to sit in the chief’s chair.
As the contest winner, Izzy will serve as police chief on Tuesday, May 20.
She will be fitted with a full police uniform and experience a day in the life of the chief, including being sworn in, meeting the officers and different units, and reading her essay to the Peterborough Police Service Board at their regular meeting.
Peterborough police chief Stuart Betts with Izzy Condon, who won the police service’s annual “Chief For A Day” essay contest. The Grade 5 student from Kaawaate East City Public School was one of six finalists who read their essays to Chief Stuart Betts and a panel of judges at the Water Street police station on April 8, 2025. (Photo courtesy of Peterborough Police Service)
Ontario premier Doug Ford, flanked by Peterborough County warden Bonnie Clark and Peterborough-Kawartha MPP David Smith, visited Peterborough County on April 13, 2025 along with emergency preparedness and response minister Jill Dunlop to discuss the county's response to the ice storm and its financial impacts. (Photo: Office of MPP Dave Smith)
What it lacked in notice it more than made up for in substance.
That’s Peterborough County Warden Bonnie Clark’s assessment of her meeting on Sunday (April 13) with Ontario Premier Doug Ford at the Douro-Dummer public works depot off County Road 4.
Joined by Peterborough-Kawartha MPP Dave Smith, Deputy Warden Sherry Senis, and Douro-Dummer Mayor Heather Watson, Clark updated Premier Ford on the devastating impacts that the recent ice storm has had on the county’s infrastructure and tree canopy.
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“We were told Friday that he was coming,” says Clark. “The time frame was moving a little bit, but we were told to keep a window around the noon hour (Sunday) for when he thought he would be here.”
“I’ve had some people comment ‘Well, wasn’t that a little late.’ No, it wasn’t. He could still see the state we are in. There was a continuous flow of residents coming in (to the depot) with loads of debris and branches.”
“The premier seeing the continuous stream (of people) and the mountain of debris was a great visual. A visual is worth a thousand words and indeed it was on Sunday.”
Ontario premier Doug Ford, along with emergency preparedness and response minister Jill Dunlop and Peterborough County warden Bonnie Clark, examines some of the debris from the recent ice storm that Peterborough County residents have dropped off at the Douro-Dummer public works depot during a visit on April 13, 2025. (Photo: Office of MPP Dave Smith)
The warden says Premier Ford, who was joined by emergency preparedness and response minister Jill Dunlop, provided more than just a boost to her own morale and that of her political colleagues and residents dealing with the storm’s aftermath.
“He was very forthcoming, asking ‘What do you need?'”, Clark says.
“I said we need 10-inch (tree limb circumference) or greater (wood) chippers. He said ‘We’ll be on that immediately.’ Minister Dunlop texted me about 20 minutes after she had left and confirmed they were on that.”
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“He asked me ‘What more do you need?’,” Clark adds. “Basically, we talked about trying to meet the threshold for emergency funding. The door wasn’t shut on a request to talk further once we have all of our costs in. That’s a moving ball that’s getting larger as I speak. But that door has been opened and we will be talking further to the premier.”
“You keep track of all your bills and it is basically three per cent on what you have taxed the taxpayer. It’s very hard to meet the threshold. I talked about that and he (Premier Ford) is open to more talks around that.”
Warden Clark also made Premier Ford aware that, when the derecho storm swept through the region in May 2022, the county’s wood chipper bill was around $20,000. In the aftermath of the ice storm, she said, “we will be looking at likely a $200,000 bill.”
Ontario premier Doug Ford operates a front end loader during a visit to Peterborough County on April 13, 2025. (Photo: Office of MPP Dave Smith)
“I also explained to him that Peterborough County is close to 4,000 square kilometres (in size),” Clark says. “We are the size of Prince Edward Island, we are six times the size of the City of Toronto, and 61 times the size of the City of Peterborough.”
“I also mentioned that the tree canopy in the county has some age on it. That age did not serve it well. Over 1,000 hydro poles have been replaced. We were very thankful that New Brunswick and Quebec sent (hydro) crews. They were able to bring poles. At the maximum, we had 900 hydro workers on the ground working.”
Responding to another common criticism, Clark emphasizes the premier’s visit wasn’t a photo op — something that’s evident in the fact there was no advance notice given to the media of the visit.
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Because the premier was scheduled to visit storm-ravaged Haliburton County and the City of Kawartha Lakes on the same day, adds Clark, she was told she would only have five minutes to talk with him.
“I went along with that. I said, ‘Sure, that’s fine.’ Premier Ford left 25 to 30 minutes after we chatted. He sat down, I explained the damaged, and we showed him photos. He spent six times (the amount of time) staff had allotted him. He did not push to leave. I was impressed.”
“The premier said ‘You get your numbers together, from both the county and from the municipalities. I want to know the full picture.’ I’m feeling good about him looking at our numbers and us being able to be compensated.”
During a visit to Peterborough County on April 13, 2025, Ontario premier Doug Ford also greeted and thanked first responders. (Photo: Office of MPP Dave Smith)
Meanwhile, asked to put a percentage on how much the county has recovered to date, the warden refuses to hazard a guess — and for good reason.
“In travelling through the municipalities, I’ve seen huge limbs on hydro lines. With any wind, we’re going to have blackouts again. It’s four steps ahead and I think we’re going to get a step back. We’re very close to where every permanent resident has their hydro, but we still have our seasonal residents. Our fire routes and private roads — we don’t know if there’s still lines down.”
The cost to the county resulting from the storm, says Clark, will be substantial.
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However, with recovery efforts still very much the focus, dealing with the expense is a matter for another day.
“Our strategic plan has always said ‘Customers first,'” Clark says.
“This is not only customer service. It’s safety as well. We have to clean up those piles (of branches and debris). We have a fire potential here. It (the clean-up effort) is going to take a bite out of our budget, but it has to be a priority because of safety.”
Peterborough County warden Bonnie Clark sat down with Ontario premier Doug Ford for around a half an hour to discuss the county’s ice storm response needs during the premier’s visit to the county on April 13, 2025. (Photo: Peterborough County)
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But the warden there’s a silver lining to the continuing emergency, and it’s one that fills her heart.
“I’ve always thought that we have very caring people. Many of the hydro workers told me people were friendly, bringing them coffee and sandwiches. Some of our restaurants stayed open extended hours in order for them to have anything on the menu that they wanted.”
“Workers I talked to were pleasantly surprised by that, but I told them ‘That’s Peterborough County. That’s called community.’ Also, neighbours helping neighbours. I’m more proud than I am surprised. This is what I have grown up with all my life. I’m just really proud of our residents.”
Ontario premier Doug Ford hugs Peterborough County warden Bonnie Clark during a visit to the county on April 13, 2025. (Photo: Peterborough County)
Ahead, Clark says there remains much work to be done, particularly in more remote areas that are home to seasonal residents.
“The clean-up is wild,” she assesses, adding “It’s breathtaking for all the wrong reasons.”
The warden’s foremost message to residents at this point is simple: be safe.
“And please reach out (to the county) if you need anything. Our obligation is to our residents. Don’t fail to reach out to us or your municipal office.”
After visiting Peterborough County on April 13, 2025, Ontario premier Doug Ford and emergency preparedness and response minister Jill Dunlop went on to visit the City of Kawartha Lakes and Haliburton County. (Photo: Office of MPP Laurie Scott)
This story has been updated to correct the size of Peterborough County in a quote by Warden Clark.
Community Futures Peterborough and municipal and business organization partners have come together to create a "tariff toolkit" aimed at helping local businesses navigate the impact of tariffs. (kawarthaNOW collage of supplied photos)
Community Futures Peterborough and municipal and business organization partners recently launched a new resource aimed at helping local businesses navigate the current economic challenges related to the current trade dispute with the U.S.
Community Futures Peterborough — in collaboration with the Business Advisory Centre, the City of Peterborough, the County of Peterborough, the Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area (DBIA), and the Peterborough and the Kawarthas Chamber of Commerce — has developed the “tariff toolkit” as a strategic resource to support businesses in the community.
With shifting trade conditions between Canada and the U.S. creating uncertainty for local businesses, “businesses need actionable strategies to navigate these challenges effectively,” a media release noted.
Community Futures Peterborough and its partners met at Market Hall Performing Arts Centre in Peterborough earlier in March to connect businesses with industry experts who provided initial guidance on minimizing the impact of tariffs.
“Our businesses are the backbone of our local economy — employing our friends, families, and neighbours, while producing high-quality goods and services,” said Peterborough County Warden Bonnie Clark in the release.
“Tariffs and global uncertainty are taking a toll and having an impact on our businesses. This toolkit is designed to strengthen small businesses as they work through these imposed tariffs and consider diversifying their strategies, products, and services.”
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While U.S. President Donald Trump recently paused global reciprocal tariffs over 10 per cent for a 90-day period, the previously announced tariffs on Canada — including on aluminum and steel and the auto sector — remain in place. The U.S. also imposed substantial tariffs on China, only then to create exceptions for some electronic products.
The specifics of the tariffs may change but the need for businesses to rethink their approach to trade remains constant, the partners said.
“We have always been mindful of not only the direct impacts tariffs themselves have on businesses but also tariff speculation and lasting change in consumer buying patterns,” said of Community Futures Peterborough executive director Devon Girard. “Those are the effects our area businesses are feeling right now.”
The tariff toolkit aims to offer both insights and “actionable steps” that businesses can work on with their advisors “to develop a resilient approach” to international trade. It is intended to serve as “a practical resource to help businesses assess their current trade strategies and explore new opportunities.”
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The toolkit contains guidance in key areas, including understanding the financial impact of tariffs, identifying alternative sourcing strategies, expanding customer bases beyond tariff-affected regions, mitigating financial exposure through hedging and risk management, repositioning brand messaging in response to trade shifts, and leveraging local and international partnerships to drive growth.
“Businesses have the opportunity to thrive when the marketplace is stable and predictable,” said Peterborough-Kawartha MP Dave Smith.
“The unpredictability thrust on the global market by the Republican administration in the United States has placed us in an unstable situation that is difficult for any industry to navigate. Initiatives like the Tariff Toolkit from Community Futures provide our local job creators with some tools to help them navigate this uncertain time and find ways to better position themselves to have the resilience needed to successfully navigate the choppy waters and come out stronger.”
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Meanwhile, Warden Clark, who also serves as chair of the Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus (EOWC), has been vocal for some time about the issue of tariffs and their impact on eastern Ontario communities.
With the issue being one of the EOWC’s top priorities, the caucus has gathered a lot of regional data and has reached out to allies across the borders and local chambers of commerce to “share our region’s sectors and businesses and financial impacts,” Clark said.
In February, the EOWC held a special meeting to pass the resolution “EOWC Support of Canadian and Ontario Governments’ Negotiations with the United States Government on Trade Tariffs.”
The EOWC recommended its federal and Ontario government partners invest in infrastructure and housing to stimulate and stabilize Canada’s economy and create jobs, eliminate trade and legislative barriers to ensure municipalities can buy locally, and remove any impediments to ensure municipalities can give preference to Canadian companies in capital projects and for other supplies.
Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit (SIU) is investigating the death of a 60-year-old man in Minden Hills after an interaction with police on Sunday afternoon (April 13).
Shortly after 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, a person contacted the Haliburton Highlands Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) to report they were concerned about the well-being of a man at a residence on Gelert Road between Louise Lane South and Ingoldsby Road in Minden Hills Township.
Police were told that the man had left his property with a firearm.
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According to the SIU, soon after OPP officers arrived on the scene, there was an exchange of gunfire between an officer and the man, who was concealed in some bushes on the property. The man was subsequently found dead.
“His fatal injury was determined to be self-inflicted,” the SIU states.
The SIU has assigned three investigators and three forensic investigators to the case.
The SIU is urging anyone who may have information about this investigation, including video or photos, to contact the lead investigator at 1-800-787-8529 or online at www.siu.on.ca/en/news_template.php?nrid=10281. The case number is 25-PFD-140.
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