Gary and Karry Stata of Lindsay are multi-millionaires after winning more than $21 million in Lotto 6/49.

The Statas won $21,593,703.80 in the February 26th draw.

The couple, who have been married for 45 years, have been playing the lottery for decades.

“We only play Lotto 6/49,” Gary said while the couple was at the OLG Prize Centre in Toronto to pick up their winnings. “This is our first big win.”

Gary said he noticed an advertisement for the jackpot which prompted him to purchase their ticket.

“I was watching the news and saw that someone in our community had a winning ticket,” he recalled. “I was at home when I compared our numbers to the winning numbers on OLG.ca and noticed they matched. I can’t even tell you how many times we looked at this ticket and thought something must be wrong.”

“We called our daughter right away,” Karry added. “She could tell by my voice something was up. She was just as shocked as we were.”

“It’s still hard to imagine this is where we are,” Gary said.

Karry said she was so overwhelmed her head ached.

“We’re just regular Kraft dinner and fried bologna people,” Karry said, laughing.

Peterborough police are asking for the public’s help in identifying a vehicle believed to be involved in a series of thefts in late February and early March.

The incidents happened at three separate businesses in Peterborough between Tuesday, February 22nd and Wednesday, March 2nd.

In each case, catalytic converters were removed from vehicles at the businesses.

In an earlier media release, police identified one of the businesses as being located in the Rye Street and Lansdowne Street area and another in the Jameson Drive and Fisher Drive area.

Police believe the suspects in the thefts were operating a silver Dodge Caravan, with six-spoke rims and a small dent on the passenger side above the tire.

Anyone with information is asked to call Peterborough Police at 705-876-1122 x555 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at www.stopcrimehere.ca.

The New Canadians Centre has launched an urgent appeal for funds to support Ukrainians who come to Peterborough and Northumberland through a special federal program.

The federal government recently created the Canada Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel (CUAET) program to help Ukrainians and their family members come to Canada as quickly as possible and to provide them with the ability to work and study while in Canada. Through the program, displaced Ukrainians will be able to stay in Canada as temporary residents for up to three years.

“This is a special pathway not typically applied to refugee resettlement,” reads a media release from the New Canadians Centre. “NCC is deeply concerned because there is no resettlement funding offered by the federal government for people arriving through this program and displaced Ukrainians will have very limited access to income supports.”

According to NCC executive director Andy Cragg, who addressed Peterborough City Council at its meeting on Monday (March 28), at least 70 Ukrainians have arrived or are expected to arrive in Peterborough or Northumberland through the federal program.

That’s why the non-profit organization is seeking to raise $20,000 for its client emergency fund, which provides support for basic needs including food, shelter, and medical treatment.

“In the last two years, NCC staff have been working with an unparalleled number of individuals and families in crisis,” reads the media release. “The funds raised will support those fleeing Ukraine and other newcomers in times of need.”

Donations can be made online at nccpeterborough.ca/donate-now or by cheque made out to “New Canadians Centre”.

Any additional donations will go to the organization’s Peterborough Welcome Fund which enables it to provide programs and services to respond to urgent and emerging needs of clients arriving from anywhere in the world.

On Wednesday (March 30) from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., the New Canadians Centre is also hosting a virtual information session on local and federal responses to the war in Ukraine. The organization will share information on the CUAET program, private sponsorship, and how to support Ukrainians locally and abroad. Attendees will also have a chance to hear from local families who have been affected by the crisis in Ukraine.

You can register for the free session on Zoom at bit.ly/NCC_Ukraine.

The session will be limited to 100 participants, but the recording will be posted on social media and on the New Canadians Centre website at nccpeterborough.ca after the event.

This story has been updated with additional information.

A week after the Ontario government lifted its mask mandate, the Kawarthas region has the highest COVID-19 wastewater signal in Ontario — a leading indicator of the number of COVID-19 cases in the community.

According to the most recent data published by the Ontario COVID-19 Science Advisory Table, the Central East region — which includes Peterborough Public Health, Haliburton, Kawartha, and Pine Ridge District Health Unit, and Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit — is reporting the highest wastewater concentration of the virus that causes COVID-19.

Sampling of wastewater for the virus is the most accurate method for estimating COVID-19 transmission, now that the Ontario government has restricted eligibility for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing to at-risk people. People infected with COVID-19, even if they aren’t showing symptoms, can shed the virus in their stool.

Dr. Peter Jüni, the science table’s departing scientific director, estimated last week there are between 20,000 and 25,000 daily infections in the province based on the wastewater signal.

“We are now starting to see exponential growth again and what worries me is that it looks as if it will be relatively steep,” Jüni said. “It’s really important for people to take it slow and not get ahead of themselves with increasing their contacts, with going to crowded places and with dropping their masks.”

According to the science advisory table, the COVID-19 wastewater signal is a “weighted mean of standardized, biomarker-normalized concentrations of SARS-CoV-2 gene copies” sample across 101 wastewater treatment plants, pumping stations, and sewersheds in the province’s 34 public health unit regions. The science advisory table says there’s a five-to-seven day lag between the detection of the virus in wastewater and the diagnosis and reporting of COVID-19 cases.

As of March 16, based on complete data, the concentration of the virus in wastewater in Central East region was around 0.8, double the provincial average of around 0.4. As of March 23, based on incomplete data and provisional estimates, the concentration in Central East region was approaching 1.5 — more than double the provincial average of 0.7 for the same period.

In terms of how this breaks down for the health units in Central East Region, Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit is reporting increases in the wastewater signal for Midland, Barrie, and Collingwood. As of Monday (March 28), Haliburton, Kawartha, and Pine Ridge District Health Unit is reporting a large increase in the wastewater signal for the Cobourg sewershed and a smaller increase for the Lindsay sewershed.

Unlike the other two health units in Central East region, Peterborough Public Health does not currently publish wastewater surveillance information on its COVID-19 dashboard. kawarthaNOW reached out to the health unit and was told current local wastewater data will be released sometime this week.

After Central East region, the next highest COVID-19 wastewater signals in Ontario are in Eastern region followed by the North and the GTA.

The test positivity rate in Ontario appears to be reflecting the increase in the COVID-19 wastewater signal.

On Monday, the Ontario government reported a test positivity rate of 17.9 per cent — the highest since late January — based on 6,243 PCR tests that were completed.

Although the wastewater signal continues to climb in Central East region as well as the rest of Ontario, it remains unclear what this means aside from an increase in daily infections.

While the number of people in Ontario hospitalized with COVID-19 has been gradually increasing over the past three weeks, the number of admissions to intensive care units has continued to decline.

In Peterborough and Lindsay, the number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 has remained relatively stable.

More than a week into spring, winter is not done with us quite yet.

Environment Canada has issued a special weather statement for possible snow, ice pellets, and freezing rain on Wednesday afternoon and evening (March 30).

The special weather statement is in effect for Peterborough County, Kawartha Lakes, Haliburton, and Hastings County.

A mix of snow and ice pellets is expected to move into the area Wednesday afternoon and persist into Wednesday night. Freezing rain is possible before precipitation changes over to rain overnight on Wednesday or early Thursday morning.

A freezing rain warning may be needed as the system approaches. However, there remains considerable uncertainty regarding the timing and amount of freezing rain.

Untreated surfaces such as roads, parking lots, and walkways may become slippery.

This story has been updated with the latest forecast from Environment Canada, including removing the estimate of 5 cm of snow and ice pellet accumulation.

Home games for Electric City FC’s inaugural season will be played at the Fleming Sports Complex in Peterborough.

On Monday (March 28), Peterborough’s newest sports franchise announced a partnership with Fleming College to use the two lighted artificial turf fields, located at Fleming College’s Sutherland Campus, as Electric City FC’s home stadium for both men’s and women’s games during the 2022 League1 Ontario season.

“We are excited to play our inaugural season at Fleming College, overlooking the rolling hills of Peterborough County, on the beautiful campus of Fleming and home to the Fleming Knights,” says Electric City FC president Rob Jenkins in a media release. “We are thankful for the staff at Fleming College who have been great to work with and have been very accommodating in meeting our needs. We are excited to have them on board as a long-term partner as they have committed their support for the club for years to come.”

According to the media release, the partnership will see both Fleming College Athletics and Electric City FC promote Fleming Knights Soccer, Fleming College, and the community of Peterborough “as a must-visit destination for Canadian soccer fans from May to August.”

The two fields will be transformed into a home stadium that, in addition to the FIFA 1 Star certified soccer pitch, will feature local food vendors, music, a kids’ zone, beer gardens, a supporters’ area, a family zone, and a VIP area. The capacity of the stadium is being temporarily increased to 2,000 for the season.

“It is an honour for Fleming to be selected as the home stadium for the 2022 men’s and women’s League1 Ontario season,” says Fleming College President Maureen Adamson. “As a community partner and public asset, we look forward to welcoming athletes to our beautiful campus and strengthening our partnership with Electric City FC.”

The first Electric City FC men’s home game takes place on Saturday, May 7th, when the club takes on Windsor TFC. The following Saturday, the women’s team will kick off against Blue Devils FC of Oakville.

“We hope the international, national and provincial attention these games will draw will help to rejuvenate and shine a spotlight on this community, showcasing it to the rest of the country,” Jenkins says. “We are looking forward to an absolutely historic opening match at Fleming on May 7th.”

Season tickets are now to those who purchased season ticket deposits and will be available to the general public at 11 a.m. on Wednesday (March 30). Single=game tickets will be available to the public as of Tuesday, April 19th.

For more information about Electric City FC, including season tickets, visit www.electriccityfc.com.

Police have not yet located a missing 50-year-old man from the Buckhorn area and are asking the public for help.

Robert Ladoceur was last seen in Peterborough on Tuesday, March 22nd and is believed to be travelling by foot.

Police and family are increasingly concerned for his health and well-being.

Ladoceur is described as Caucasian, 5’9″, around 185 lbs with a muscular build. He has short brown hair and green eyes.

Investigators with Peterborough County OPP are asking rural property owners to check their fields and outbuildings in further attempts to locate Ladoceur.

Investigators are asking that anyone with information about his whereabouts to contact the OPP Communication Centre at 1-888-310-1122, the Peterborough County OPP detachment at 705-742-0401, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

Port Hope has joined the growing list of communities in Ontario offering the ability to pay for parking using your phone.

Beginning on Friday (April 1), residents and visitors in Port Hope will be able to use the HotSpot Parking app to pay for all parking at all metered and pay-and-display parking machines in the municipality.

“This new app makes parking easier and allows a diversified option for payments,” says Port Hope mayor Bob Sanderson in a media release. “By increasing the municipality’s technological capabilities, we are making it easier for residents and visitors to enjoy the downtown.”

To use the pay-by-phone option, you will need to install the free HotSpot Parking app, which is available for both Apple and Android devices. The app also provides alerts when parking time is almost up and the ability to extend your parking time. If there is parking time left over, drivers can apply the credit to their next trip or donate the credit to the United Way using the app.

HotSpot charges a 25-cent fee per use, or frequent users can pay $2 for a monthly membership or $20 for an annual membership for unlimited use. Memberships can also be used in other communities where the HotSpot Parking app can be used to pay for parking, including in Peterborough.

The introduction of the app does not affect the standard municipal parking rates, and residents and visitors can continue to use standard methods to pay for parking if they prefer.

For more information about the app and parking within the municipality, visit porthope.ca/parking.

Ross Memorial Hospital in Lindsay recently completed renovations to create a new operating room as part of its commitment to clear a pandemic-created surgical waitlist by the end of the year, and has already completed a successful total knee replacement in the new operating room.

The hospital received $442,100 in one-time and capital funding through the Ontario Ministry of Health’s Surgical Innovation Fund to complete the renovations, which brings the total number of active operating rooms in the hospital to seven.

Renovations in the operating room included new lighting and an anaesthetic machine, as well as equipment for both general surgery and orthopaedic surgery. The funding also covered the cost of training staff on the new equipment.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has presented challenges in the delivery of health care, including the ramping down of non-urgent and non-emergent surgeries and procedures,” says Ross Memorial Hospital president and CEO Kelly Isfan in a media release.

“Ross Memorial sincerely appreciates the Ministry of Health making the Surgical Innovation Fund available so that our operating room renovation was possible. The hospital will continue to use every available resource to ensure our community has access to the healthcare services they need.”

In the first year of the pandemic, between April 2020 and March 2021, Ross Memorial Hospital had a total of 5,700 operating room cases.

Dr. Sebastian Heaven, an orthopaedic surgeon at the hospital, performed the first procedure in the newly renovated operating room on March 17th. He and his surgical team completed a successful total knee replacement surgery on patient Georgina Lawrence.

“Our newly renovated operating room will substantially increase Ross Memorial’s capacity to perform surgeries and procedures for patients within our community,” says Jennifer Burns-West, the hospital’s director of surgery, obstetrics, pharmacy, dialysis, Health First, and surgical obstetrics and pharmacy.

“Our team is determined and working diligently to clear our surgical waitlist by the end of 2022.”

Around 70 people attended a Global Climate Strike event at Confederation Square in downtown Peterborough on Friday afternoon (March 25) to demand governments take action against climate change.

Local photographer Sean Bruce provided kawarthaNOW with photos and a video of the event, which was led by the Youth Climate Action Club of Peterborough-Nogojiwanong.

The group, which was formed last fall by four local elementary school students passionate about raising awareness about climate change, has since expanded to include over a dozen climate activists from nine to 14 years of age.

Friday’s event was part of Fridays for Futures, an international youth-led and organized grassroots global climate strike movement that started in August 2018, when a 15-year-old Greta Thunberg began a school strike for climate.

Several members of the Youth Climate Action Club spoke during the event at Confederation Square, demanding climate action from the federal, provincial, and municipal governments.

Their demands include halting new fossil fuel projects or pipelines, transitioning away from fossil fuels to renewable energy, making a commitment to affordable and accessible green energy, ensuring clean water in all First Nations communities, providing free public transit, and preserving greenspace.

VIDEO: Global Climate Strike in Peterborough, Ontario (March 25, 2022)

Some of the messages displayed on participants’ protest signs included “Our house is on fire”, “There is no Planet B”, “You’ll die of old age, we’ll die of climate change”, “System change not climate change”, “We love the Earth”, and “The oceans are rising and so are we”.

For more information on the Youth Climate Action Club, visit them on Facebook and Instagram.

Here are some more photos by Sean Bruce of Friday’s event.