Port Hope police have confirmed that a woman’s body discovered on Thursday (May 19) is that of missing 29-year-old Madison (Madi) Chard.

The Port Hope resident left her family home on Friday, April 22 to visit a friend and then she mysteriously disappeared.

Her mother received a final text message from Madison at 5:49 p.m. that day before her phone “went dark,” according to a Facebook post by her father Mark Chard. Madison’s phone was later recovered.

After she disappeared, police released a description of Madison, including photographs of some of her distinctive tattoos. Due to the circumstances of her disappearance, police speculated Madison could have been a victim of human trafficking.

At 3:20 p.m. on Thursday afternoon, a woman’s body was discovered in a wooded area near the Ganaraska River south of Jocelyn Street. After notifying the family, Port Hope police confirmed on Friday morning the body was that of Madison.

“She’s at rest with the angels,” wrote Madison’s father on his Facebook page early Friday morning. “Thank you to everyone who tried to help in this very broken world. Leave our family to grieve and if you have any information, contact the police so our daughter can rest in peace.”

The Northumberland Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) and Port Hope police are conducting a joint investigation into Madison’s death.

A post-mortem examination was conducted on Saturday (May 21) at the Centre of Forensic Sciences in Toronto. While further examination is underway and could take several months to complete, police say foul play is not suspected at this time.

Police are working with the community to establish a timeline of Madison’s actions prior to her death. Investigators are asking anyone who may have any information to come forward, including with any observations, conversations or any interactions they may have had with her prior to her disappearance.

The Northumberland OPP Crime Unit and Central Region Forensic Identification Services Unit are continuing the investigation under the direction of the OPP’s Criminal Investigation Branch and in conjunction with the Port Hope Police Service and the Office of the Chief Coroner for Ontario.

Anyone with information about Madison’s disappearance is asked to call Port Hope Police at 905-885-8123, the Northumberland OPP at 1-888-310-1122, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS or online at stopcrimehere.ca.

This story has been updated with information about the post-mortem examination.

Kawartha Lakes Food Source has recognized Patty Jones with the Barbara Truax Volunteer Award for her dedication to the not-for-profit charitable organization.

Since 2018, Jones has volunteered with Kawartha Lakes Food Source, which procures and distributes food to 35 local agencies, advocates for food security and poverty-related issues, and collaborates with the community to support those in need.

“She gardens in our open garden beds, she picks up donations from our community partners who house our blue barrels, and she has travelled across the City of Kawartha Lakes to deliver the ingredients for our family cooking project,” reads a media release from Kawartha Lakes Food Source announcing the award. “All of these roles, and she still wants more, in her effort to help as many people as she can.”

Jones is also one of the volunteers with the most accumulated volunteer hours, having worked over 140 hours in 2021.

“Patty brings a tremendous positive energy with her wherever she goes, and completes any task she’s assigned with a smile,” says community engagement coordinator Kate Dorotheou.

Kawartha Lakes Food Source established the Barbara Truax Volunteer Award — named to honour one of the organization’s longest-serving volunteers — in 2018, and awards it each year to someone who has been an active volunteer for more than three years, is a positive force within the community, and is committed to the cause.

Truax joined the Kawartha Lakes Food Source board in 2002 at the very beginning of the organization, and remained an active committee member until late 2017. Although she has taken a less active volunteering role in the past few years, Truax still continues to participate in Kawartha Lakes Food Source events and shares her experience and expertise with staff and volunteers.

With the arrival of the warm weather, road work season has begun in Peterborough.

The City of Peterborough has announced road work projects that will take place from now until November. The work includes surface repaving, micro-surface treatments, and pavement crack sealing.

The city has identified 10 of the highest-priority streets that require surface repaving and micro-surface treatments. The road work is being done for the city by Coco Paving Inc.

Seven roads that will receive new surface asphalt paving are Fairbairn Street between Wolsely and Hillside streets, Ford Street between Chamberlain and Lansdowne streets, Langton Street between Hilliard and Water streets, Lansdowne Street West between Monaghan Road and Park Street South, Monaghan Road between Edison Avenue and Riverside Drive, Sherbrooke Street between Bethune and Reid streets, and Woodglade Boulevard between Glenforest and Kawartha Heights boulevards.

For Fairbairn Street, Lansdowne Street West, and Sherbrooke Street, grinding and paving operations will be conducted under road closure at night between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m. to reduce the impact on traffic. For Monaghan Road and Woodglade Boulevard, grinding and paving operations will be conducted under road closures during July and August to coordinate with reduced activity at nearby schools during the summer.

Two roads that will receive full-depth asphalt pavement structures are Parkhill Road East between Television Road and the Trent Canal and Television Road between Parkhill Road and the CP Rail tracks. Pulverizing, grading, and paving operations on these roads will require a single-lane closure, with flagging operations for a duration of an estimated five days for each side of the road.

One road that will receive micro-surface treatment is Milroy Drive between Chemong Road and Towerhill Road.

Along with surface repaving and micro-surface treatments, pavement crack sealing will take place at various locations across the city.

The pavement crack sealing, which is being done for the city by Fine Line Markings Inc., will help to extend the life of roads by preventing infiltration of water into the asphalt pavement surface and the structure below the road.

While no road closures are expected during the pavement crack sealing, all locations where the work is being done will experience short delays with flagging operations and lane reductions. Traffic lanes may also be shifted where required.

The schedules for all road work may change due to delays or inclement weather.

Information about all road work projects in the City of Peterborough is available on the city’s interactive road construction map at peterborough.ca/constructionmap.

Members of the Peterborough chapter of Pflag, a national charitable organization founded by parents to help themselves and their family members understand and accept their LGBQIA2S children, were in Millennium Park on Tuesday (May 17) to recognize International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia and to remember two past local leaders of the organization.

The group gathered at the rainbow bench, located on the park’s walkway near No Frills beside the Nogojiwanong information panels, that Pflag Peterborough donated with the help of the City of Peterborough. The bench includes a plaque honouring the work of the Pflag Peterborough’s past leaders Joyce Barrett and Catherine Ginies.

Joyce Barrett, who had been involved with Pflag since the Peterborough chapter was first organized, was a family physician specializing in obstetrics. She and her husband Dr. John Hambley had two biological children along with several “chosen” daughters. One of their children identified as LGBQIA2S. Barrett took Dianne McKay, the past Pflag Peterborough president, to the first Pflag meeting.

Catherine Ginies, a co-leader with McKay, also had an child who identified as LGBQIA2S. Ginies, who designed Pflag Peterborough’s first website, was a very active member, working throughout the region and organizing many Pflag events.

“Both Joyce and Catherine were tireless supporters of their children and the LGBQIA2S community,” the organization states in an email provided to kawarthaNOW.

“Both died prematurely, much too young, and are missed by everyone that knew them. Their families and friends are delighted with the Rainbow Bench that Pflag Peterborough purchased together with the City of Peterborough, which we dedicated with a plaque to the memory of Joyce and Catherine, and for the tireless work they did.”

Pflag Canada originated in 1970s’ Toronto, where meetings of non-LGBTQ but welcoming family members were held under the banner of Parents Of Gays (POG). That group eventually amalgamated with Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (FFLAG), a group founded in October 1981. The new organization was rebranded as Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (or Parents FLAG). In recognition of more inclusive language used in the community, Pflag is no longer an acronym but stands on its own as the organization’s name.

Pflag Canada, which operates with the slogan “Family For All,” currently has 59 chapters across Canada. While there is also a U.S. organization called Pflag, which originated in New York City in 1972, Pflag Canada developed independently.

For more information about Pflag Peterborough, visit pflagpeterborough.com.

The Peterborough Police Service announced on Tuesday afternoon (May 17) they are not laying any charges in connection with last week’s protest against federal NDP leader Jagmeet Singh, which saw a small group of protesters accost Singh with verbally abusive language.

In a video statement, acting Peterborough police chief Tim Farquharson said the two investigators assigned to the incident “scoured social media and over the past week have watched and analyzed the clips provided by various sources” and also spoke to the complainants in the matter.

“While the behaviour, actions, and comments are disrespectful and should not be encouraged or condoned, they fail to rise to the threshold of being criminal in nature,” Farquharson said, adding “We recognize that this may not be the news some have wanted to hear.”

The decision of the police that “there are no grounds to proceed with criminal charges at this time” comes on the same day Peterborough mayor Diane Therrien issued a statement condemning the protestors for their behaviour and calling on all political leaders to do the same.

“The fact that exchanges between those with differing opinions continues to be disrespectful and unproductive is troubling and the systemic undercurrent of hate and anger should bother us all as a community,” Farquharson said. “As we have during the past several years, the service continues to encourage residents to be respectful in their expression of opinion.”

In a video statement issued last Thursday (May 12), Farquharson said police would “use every investigative tool possible to deal with (the protestors’) actions.”

VIDEO: Acting Peterborough Police Chief Tim Farquharson