Peterborough artist Nick Leniuk, who is a first-generation Canadian with Ukrainian heritage, is raising funds for humanitarian efforts in Ukraine by auctioning a special work of art.

Best known for his tree sculptures, Leniuk has created a piece called “Rise Above” that features a hand-carved serpentine stone sunflower — the national flower of Ukraine — with a peace emblem centre. Mounted on a raw board stained with the colours of the Ukranian flag, the work measures 21.5 inches wide by 13.5 inches tall and is strung for wall mounting.

When looking for a sunflower to incorporate into the piece, Leniuk connected with an artist on Instagram named Yana @yamurchik.art — who happens to be Russian — and asked her if he could use her sunflower design. She was thrilled to have Nick use her design.

“A piece of my soul is embedded in each of my illustrations,” Yana says. “Thank you Nick for the opportunity to be involved in a good cause. I believe that only kindness and participation will save this world.”

Leniuk is accepting bids for “Rise Above” until 4 p.m. next Monday (March 28) through direct message via his Instagram and Facebook accounts. He will donate all proceeds from the auction to the Canada Ukraine Foundation-Ukrainian Canadian Congress.

Leniuk’s personal connection with Ukraine comes through his father Antony, who immigrated to Canada from Ukraine after World War II. He settled in Kapuskasing in Ontario, got married, and raised five children.

In May 2020, Leniuk was planning a visit to Ivano-Frankivsk in Ukraine to bury some of his father’s ashes at the grave site of his grandparents. He had to cancel the trip because of the pandemic but hopes to be able to visit his father’s birthplace in the future.

For more information on Leniuk’s fundraising effort or to view the art piece in person, email him at nleniuk@cogeco.ca.

Spring officially arrives Sunday morning (March 20), although the weather in Peterborough and the Kawarthas will still have a touch of winter over the coming days — and it’ll be a few weeks yet before we start seeing buds on trees.

For the first day of spring, Environment Canada is forecasting a cloudy day with a high of 8°C and a good chance of rain showers or flurries in the morning.

Monday will be sunny in the morning and reach a high of 10°C, before daytime temperatures return to the single digits for the rest of the week.

The arrival of spring in the northern hemisphere is marked by the vernal equinox at 11:33 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time, which is the moment when the earth’s axis is perpendicular to the sun, so the sun’s rays shine directly on the equator.

From then on, the northern hemisphere will increasingly tilt towards the sun, and we’ll begin to get more hours of daylight than night.

There’s an equinox in the spring and another in the fall, the difference being whether the sun’s rays are crossing the equator into the northern hemisphere (spring) or into the southern hemisphere (fall).

The word equinox comes from the Latin words for “equal” and “night”, but it doesn’t mean there are actually equal hours of day and night.

At sunrise and sunset, it’s still light even though the centre of the sun’s disk is below the horizon … so there are always a few more minutes of daylight than night on vernal equinox.

Daylight hours will continue to increase until the summer solstice — the longest day of the year and the official beginning of summer — which occurs this year on Tuesday, June 21st at 5:13 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time.

Spring is celebrated with festivals around the world, including Holi (“festival of colours”) in India, the Chinese New Year, and Passover and Easter in western culture.

Easter began as a pagan festival in the celebrating the return of life in the northern hemisphere. After the advent of Christianity, it became associated with the resurrection of Christ. However, remnants of Easter’s pagan roots can be seen in the eggs and rabbits we associated with Easter — symbols of fertility.

This year, Easter Sunday falls on April 17th. Generally, Easter is observed on the Sunday following the first full moon after the vernal equinox.

Northumberland OPP have charged a Whitby man following a fatal collision involving a single motor vehicle that struck a hydro pole in the Municipality of Port Hope early Saturday morning (March 19) and killed a Campbellcroft man.

At around 1:30 a.m., police and emergency services along with Hydro One responded to the collision, which took place on County Road 10 around three kilometres north of Campbellcroft.

The vehicle’s passenger was pronounced dead at the scene. The vehicle’s driver was airlifted to a Toronto-area hospital with serious injuries.

County Road 10 was closed for several hours while police complete their investigation.

On Monday, police identified the victim as Daniel Nicholas Thomson, 32, of Campbellcroft and the driver as Mathieu Richard, 31, of Whitby.

Richard has been charged with impaired operation causing death.

The accused man is scheduled to attend the Ontario Court of Justice in Cobourg on April 6, 2022.

This story has been updated with the identify of the victim and the driver.

Five long-term care homes in Peterborough County are receiving more than $7.2 million in provincial funding to increase staffing levels this year.

On Tuesday (March 15), the Ontario government announced it will provide $673 million to long-term care homes across Ontario this year to hire and retain up to 10,000 staff, leading to more direct care for residents.

Peterborough-Kawartha MPP Dave Smith was at Fairhaven Long-Term Care Home in Peterborough on Friday (March 18) to announce the funding for long-term care homes in Peterborough County. He was joined by Peterborough County councillor and Fairhaven board member Karl Moher, City of Peterborough councillor Keith Riel, and Fairhaven executive director Lionel Towns.

“Our seniors deserve the best care possible,” MPP Smith said. “This $7.2 million investment takes us one step further in delivering the care loved ones in our community rightfully expect.”

The Ontario government has committed $4.9 billion to hire more than 27,000 long-term care staff by 2024-25, increasing the average daily hours of direct care per resident by one hour and 21 minutes — compared to an increase of 22 minutes between 2009 and 2018 — for a total of four hours of direct care in the next four years.

Direct care is hands-on care provided by registered nurses, registered practical, nurses and personal support workers that includes personal care, such as help with eating, bathing and dressing, as well as other tasks such as helping residents move and providing medication. Seniors entering long-term care today are older and have more complex medical needs than they did just a decade ago.

In Peterborough County, five long-term care homes are receiving a total of $7,212,576:

• Fairhaven Long-Term Care Home in Peterborough – $2,232,672
• St. Joseph’s at Fleming in Peterborough – $1,744,272
• Extendicare Inc. in Peterborough – $1,517,520
• Extendicare Inc. in Lakefield – $872,136
• Riverview Manor Nursing Home in Peterborough – $845,976

“Our region has one of the highest seniors populations in Canada and the demand for long-term care in our region will continue to grow,” Moher said. “It is our jobs as representatives to ensure that our residents receive the additional care and support that this funding will provide for.”

Friday’s announcement follows $3.2 million in funding provided to the five long-term care homes last year, part of a $270 million investment in the first year of the governemnt’s $4.9 billion plan, which included $911,908 for Fairhaven. That funding allowed Fairhaven to hire 25 new full-time and 19 part-time positions.

In addition to the $673 million announced this week, the province plans to invest $1.25 billion in 2023 and $1.82 billion in 2024.

League1 Ontario announced its 2022 men’s and women’s premier division regular season schedule on Friday (March 18). The schedule includes the inaugural season for Electric City FC, Peterborough’s new soccer club.

In the men’s division, other new teams include Simcoe County Rovers (Barrie) and Burlington SC, with St. Catharines Roma Wolves and the newly rebranded BVB IA Waterloo (formerly Waterloo United) participating in the division for the first time.

New teams in the women’s division include Burlington SC, Pro Stars FC (Brampton), St. Catharines Roma Wolves, Simcoe County Rovers (arrie home), and Canada Soccer’s NDC-Ontario squad, with Guelph Union and the newly rebranded BVB IA Waterloo (formerly Waterloo United) participating in the division for the first time.

The Electric City FC men’s team will kick off for the first time against Guelph United on Thursday, April 21st at Alumini Stadium in Guelph, with the first home game in Peterborough on Saturday, May 7th against Windsor TFC.

The Electric City FC women’s team will kick off for the first time against Alliance United on Saturday, April 23rd at Centennial College in Toronto, with the first home game in Peterborough on Saturday, May 14th against Blue Devils FC of Oakville.

See below for the full schedule of Electric City FC men’s and women’s games.

Men’s Schedule

April

• Thu Apr 21 at 7:30 p.m. – Electric City FC at Guelph United (Alumini Stadium, Guelph)
• Sat Apr 30 at 8:00 p.m. – Electric City FC at North Toronto Nitros (Downsview Turf 2)

May

• Sat May 07 at 8:00 p.m. – Windsor TFC at Electric City FC (Fleming Stadium)
• Sat May 14 at 7:00 p.m. – Electric City FC at Unionville Milliken SC (Bill Crothers Turf West)
• Sat May 21 at 3:00 p.m. – Prostars FC at Electric City FC (Fleming Stadium)
• Sat May 28 at 1:00 p.m. – Electric City FC at Sigma FC (Paramount Fine Foods Centre 1)

June

• Sat Jun 04 at 3:00 p.m. – Pickering FC at Electric City FC (Fleming Stadium)
• Wed Jun 08 at 8:30 p.m. – Alliance United at Electric City FC (Fleming Stadium)
• Sat Jun 11 at 8:00 p.m. – Electric City FC at Masters FA Saints (L’Amoreaux #1)
• Fri Jun 17 at 9:00 p.m. – Electric City FC at Scrosoppi FC (Bishop Reding)
• Wed Jun 22 at 8:00 p.m. – Waterloo United at Electric City FC (Fleming Stadium)
• Sat Jun 25 at 8:00 p.m. – Electric City FC at Hamilton United (Elite Ron Joyce Stadium)

July

• Sat Jul 02 at 3:00 p.m. – Woodbridge Strikers at Electric City FC (Fleming Stadium)
• Sat Jul 09 at 3:00 p.m. – Blue Devils at Electric City FC (Fleming Stadium)
• Wed Jul 13 at 8:00 p.m. – Burlington SC at Electric City FC (Fleming Stadium)
• Sat Jul 16 at 6:00 p.m. – Electric City FC at North Mississauga SC (Churchill Meadows Turf 1)
• Sat Jul 23 at 3:00 p.m. – Simcoe County Rovers at Electric City FC (Fleming Stadium)
• Fri Jul 29 at 8:00 p.m. – Electric City FC at Darby FC (Whitby Soccer Centre Dome)

August

• Sun Aug 07 at 8:30 p.m. – Electric City FC at Vaughan Azzurri ( North Maple Regional Park Turf #2)
• Sat Aug 13 at 3:00 p.m. – FC London at Electric City FC (Fleming Stadium)
• Sat Aug 20 at 3:00 p.m. – St. Catharines Roma Wolves at Electric City FC (Fleming Stadium)

Women’s Schedule

April

• Sat Apr 23 at 3:00 p.m. – Electric City FC at Alliance United (Centennial College)
• Sat Apr 30 at 2:00 p.m. – Electric City FC at Pickering FC (Pickering Soccer Centre)

May

• Fri May 06 at 9:00 p.m. – Electric City FC at Darby FC (Fleming Stadium)
• Sat May 14 at 3:00 p.m. – Blue Devils FC at Electric City FC (Fleming Stadium)
• Wed May 18 at 8:00 p.m. – North Toronto Nitros at Electric City FC (Fleming Stadium)
• Sun May 22 at 4:00 p.m. – Electric City FC at Guelph Union (Alumni Stadium, Guelph)
• Sat May 28 at 6:00 p.m. – Electric City FC at North Mississauga SC (Churchill Meadows Turf 1)

June

• Wed Jun 01 at 8:00 p.m. – Hamilton United Elite at Electric City FC (Fleming Stadium)
• Sat Jun 04 at 4:00 p.m. – Electric City FC at Prostars FC (Victoria Park Brampton)
• Sat Jun 11 at 8:00 p.m. – Tecumseh SC at Electric City FC (Fleming Stadium)
• Wed Jun 15 at 8:00 p.m. – Simcoe County Rovers at Electric City FC (Fleming Stadium)
• Sat Jun 18 at 3:00 p.m. – FC London at Electric City FC (Fleming Stadium)
• Wed Jun 22 at 8:00 p.m. – Electric City FC at Burlington SC (City View Park F1)
• Sat Jun 25 at 3:00 p.m. – NDC Ontario at Electric City FC (Fleming Stadium)

July

• Sun Jul 03 at 7:00 p.m. – Electric City FC at Unionville Milliken SC (Bill Crothers Turf West)
• Wed Jul 06 at 8:00 p.m. – St. Catharines Roma Wolves at Electric City FC (Fleming Stadium)
• Sun Jul 10 at 3:00 p.m. – Electric City FC at Woodbridge Strikers (Vaughan Grove Turf)
• Sat Jul 16 at 3:00 p.m. – Waterloo United at Electric City FC (Fleming Stadium)
• Sun Jul 24 at 7:00 p.m. – Electric City FC at Vaughan Azzurri (North Maple Regional Park Turf #2)

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

This story has been updated with schedule changes issued on April 8, 2022.

Peterborough Public Health is strongly recommending area residents continue wearing face masks for a few weeks after the Ontario government’s mask requirement ends on Monday (March 21).

In a media release, medical officer of health Dr. Thomas Piggott says the latest local wastewater data indicates a recent increase in transmission in the area. While levels have decreased significantly since the peak of the omicron wave in January, he explains, they are still at a level comparable to peak transmission levels of prior waves.

On Thursday (March 17), the Ontario COVID-19 Science Advisory Table reported the wastewater signal for COVID-19 — based on the detection of the virus at 101 wastewater treatment plants, pumping stations, and sewersheds in all 34 public health unit regions — has stopped its previous decline and it now showing a slight increase. The highest increases are in the central east and eastern regions of the province.

“We recommend wearing a mask while indoors and around others for at least a few more weeks until we better understand the context of COVID-19 transmission in our region,” Dr. Piggott says. “There are still thousands of local residents who remain at risk of serious disease if they get infected, and only 55 per cent of eligible area residents are fully vaccinated with all three doses of COVID-19 vaccine.”

Those who are most at risk of severe illness from COVID-19 are elderly and immunocompromised people and those with at-risk health conditions including diabetes, obesity, heart disease, kidney disease, liver disease, cerebral palsy, intellectual disability of any severity, and sickle cell disease, as well as those receiving active cancer treatment and solid organ or stem cell transplant recipients.

“Wearing a mask shouldn’t be thought of as an all or nothing,” Dr. Piggott says. “It’s really about decreasing risk. I would still rather see someone wear a mask just in their highest-risk interactions — such as around large groups, indoors, or poorly ventilated areas — than not at all.”

For the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit, medical officer of health Dr. Natalie Bocking is also recommending residents wear masks in settings at higher risk of virus spread, such as crowded indoor locations.

“We know masks are an effective and easy way to slow the spread of COVID-19,” Dr. Bocking says in a media release. “Even after Ontario lifts its mask mandate, wearing a mask indoors is an important step that people can take to protect both themselves as well as community members vulnerable to severe illness from the virus.”

“If someone decides to continue wearing a mask or a business still chooses to require mask use for customers, it is a decision that should be respected and supported,” she adds.

While the provincial requirement to wear a face mask in most indoor settings ends on March 21, masks will still be required when using public transit and in healthcare settings (including hospitals and COVID-19 vaccination clinics), long-term care homes, and congregate-care settings.

People recovering from COVID-19 infection and those who are close contacts but who are not required to self-isolate must also wear face masks outside the home, including in school and childcare settings (except for those under two years old). Current federal rules also require returning international travellers to wear a mask for 14 days in public settings.

Dr. Piggott also cautions people to keep face masks on hand, in case public health guidance requires them again in the future as the pandemic evolves.

Peterborough Transit routes to Fleming College have returned to normal after a strike at Ontario’s colleges was averted at the last minute on Thursday night (March 17).

The Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) — representing 16,000 full-time and partial-load professors, instructors, librarians, and counsellors — had been poised to strike at 12:01 a.m. on Friday.

Since last July, the faculty union has been negotiating a new collective agreement with the College Employer Council (CEC), which represents Ontario’s 24 public colleges. On Monday, the union give notice that it would begin a full walk-out strike on Friday.

OPSEU and the CEC returned to the bargaining table for last-minute negotiations on Thursday and agreed to enter binding interest arbitration — a mechanism used to resolve disputes in the collective bargaining process where disputing parties agree in advance to accept the terms of a deal as decided by a neutral third party.

The agreement means there will be no strike, and all work-to-rule strike activities will also cease. A strike would have affected around 250,000 Ontario college students, including 16,000 students at Fleming College’s Peterborough, Lindsay, and Haliburton campuses.

On Thursday, Peterborough Transit had announced plans to reroute all buses away from Fleming College and take several bus stops out of service in the event of a strike. On Friday morning, Peterborough Transit announced all routes have returned to normal.

Original story:

With faculty members at Ontario’s public colleges poised to go on strike on Friday (March 18), Peterborough Transit will be rerouting buses away from Fleming College’s Sutherland Campus.

The Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) — representing 16,000 full-time and partial-load professors, instructors, librarians, and counsellors — and the College Employer Council — representing Ontario’s 24 public colleges — have been negotiating a new collective agreement since last July. The faculty union has twice rejected the College Employer Council’s offer, and the union give notice on March 14 that it would begin a full walk-out strike at 12:01 a.m. on Friday.

OPSEU and the College Employer Council returned to the bargaining table for last-minute negotiations on Thursday, with management urging the union to call off the strike and to continue meeting on Friday and through the weekend if necessary. A strike means that all programs, classes, and placements will end, affecting around 250,000 Ontario college students — including 16,000 students at Fleming College’s Peterborough, Lindsay, and Haliburton campuses.

If no agreement is reached on Thursday, Peterborough Transit will not operate on the Fleming College Sutherland campus. At 11:30 p.m. on Thursday, all routes that normally serve Fleming College directly will be temporarily detoured to start and end at the Peterborough Sport and Wellness Centre (775 Brealey Drive) for the duration of the strike.

Peterborough Transit says passengers travelling on The Parkway Route 5, Sherbrooke Route 6, Lansdowne Route 7, Monaghan Route 8, and Parkhill Route 9 trips may experience delays due to the impact of the required changes.

Here are the other changes Peterborough Transit has announced:

• The main Fleming College bus stop and the bus stops on Fleming College Way at Brealey Drive will be out of service.
• All Fleming College routes will drop off Fleming College riders at the northbound bus stop on Brealey Drive just north of Stenson Boulevard.
• A new temporary bus stop on southbound Brealey Drive just north of Fleming College Way will serve as the pick-up location for The Parkway Route 5 and Monaghan Route 8 trips.
• The existing northbound bus stop on Brealey Drive, just north of Stenson Boulevard will serve as the pick-up locations for Sherbrooke Route 6 and Lansdowne Route 7 trips. This is the same stop as the drop-off location.
• A new temporary bus stop on eastbound Stenson Boulevard, adjacent to the plaza will serve as the pick-up location for Parkhill Route 9 trips.
• Lansdowne Route 7 service will detour via Brealey Drive to the bus stop at Brealey Drive and Stenson Boulevard and to the Wellness Centre.

In addition, the following bus stops will be out of service during the strike:

• Westbound Lansdowne Street at Brealey Drive to Fleming College (buses will serve the southbound bus stop on Brealey Drive, south of Lansdowne Street).
• Southbound Dobbin Road at Lansdowne Street to Fleming College (buses will serve the southbound bus stop on Brealey Drive, south of Lansdowne Street).
• Northbound Dobbin Road at Lansdowne Street to Trent University or Willowcreek Plaza (riders should use eastbound bus stop on Lansdowne Street, east of Brealey Drive).

At its first virtual meeting this year, 100 Women Peterborough has chosen Bridges Peterborough as the organization that will receive what is expected to be close to $10,000 in donations.

A collective philanthropy group, 100 Women Peterborough met on Zoom on Tuesday (March 15) to raise funds for an organization in need. Prior to the pandemic, the group met in person four times a year, with each of the members committing to donate $100 at each meeting. The group has been meeting virtually during the pandemic, with attendance at meetings optional in recognition of the financial impact of the pandemic on some members.

Whether meeting in person or virtually, the group hears presentations from three organizations randomly drawn from a larger list of organizations nominated by the group’s members. The organization receiving the most votes from members receives the donations contributed by the group’s members.

The three organizations that presented to 100 Women Peterborough at Tuesday’s virtual meeting were Bridges Peterborough, Camp Kawartha, and Teachers for Kids Charity, with Bridges Peterborough chosen by majority vote to receive the funds.

Growing out of the faith-based Bedford House Community Ministry founded by Lynn and Allan Smith-Reeve, Bridges Peterborough is working to challenge the prevailing ways of addressing poverty. The organization responds to rising levels of poverty, increasing precarity in employment, rising opioid addictions, and lack in housing that is affordable.

Over the past five years, Bridges Peterborough has developed bridging teams, a small-group experience where under-resourced participants known as “catalysts” develop strategies with middle-income mentors to build a more stable life. The organization also formed The Company of Conversation Changers, a group of consultants with lived experience in poverty who provide advice and support to help facilite the bridging team process.

VIDEO: Bridges Peterborough’s Bridging Team Company of Conversation Changers Project

The donation from 100 Women Peterborough will directly fund the bridging teams program.

“Being part of a bridging team has given me a sense of community,” says Rebecca Turland, who presented during the meeting for her work in The Company of Conversation Changers. “My self-worth has improved and I’m earning a living wage which has eliminated the burden of debt I was carrying.”

100 Women Peterborough was founded in February 2018 by Rosalea Terry, Catia Skinner, Wendy Hill, and Alyssa Stewart, who were inspired by similar groups in other communities.

“As our first meeting falls just after International Women’s Day, we are reminded that the work that our group does to empower women in our community to make change is more important than ever,” Terry says.

“Women are known for being passionate about the causes that they support and the charities that come to present often walk away with much more than just the money that is donated,” she adds. “They now have an army of incredible women spreading information about their organization through their networks. It is powerful.”

The collective philanthropy movement began in the United States in November 2006, when Karen Dunigan of Michigan formed the “100 Women Who Care” group. After their first meeting, the women raised over $10,000 for the purchase of 300 new baby cribs for a local organization.

The movement has grown over the past 16 years to include groups of men, women, youth, and children around the world, with more than 210 chapters in Canada alone.

Since its formation, 100 Women Peterborough has collectively donated more than $135,000 to 16 local organizations: Hospice Peterborough, Peterborough Youth Unlimited, One Roof Warming Room, New Canadians Centre, Cameron House, Five Counties Children’s Centre, Casa De Angelae, Lakefield Animal Welfare Society, Community Care Peterborough, Kawartha Sexual Assault Centre, Community Counselling and Resource Centre, Peterborough Pregnancy Support Services, Heads Up for Inclusion, Kawartha Youth Orchestra, Peterborough GreenUP, and Bridges Peterborough.

Women interested in joining 100 Women Peterborough should visit www.100womenptbo.ca for more information.