Peterborough Public Health applauds city staff and city council for their support at general committee this past week of a plan that will bring positive action on homelessness and improve health in our community.

There are few things more central to our health than a home. When we have one, we are sheltered from the elements, shielded from illness and disease, and protected from a range of health conditions that can have very little to do with our biology or genes. When we don’t, nothing else matters.

I have had several opportunities in my role as the medical officer of health, and as a doctor, to speak directly with and listen to people living outside and unsheltered in our community. I have listened to their health concerns. I have met individuals managing insulin for their diabetes, caring for complex wounds, or trying to make progress on a substance use disorder while living in a tent. Quite simply, it’s an impossible task.

How can someone address these health challenges, which are difficult for anyone, while also trying to battle the elements on a bench or in a tent?

The highly visible and mounting challenge of homelessness that we are seeing in our community is not unique to Peterborough. Across the province and throughout the country, communities are grappling with how to support the increasing number of people who need help due to rising inequality.

It is clear from city staff’s report that the current system for homelessness is not meeting the needs of those who are sleeping outside. Inadequate space in the shelter system and the lack of truly affordable housing for individuals on limited income, combined with other barriers such as substance use and stigma, are making the work of health and healing worse. This impacts our health system and impacts us all. It is time for a change.

Peterborough Public Health applauds @cityptbo staff and Council for the support of critical action on homelessness, and the key health issues it’s linked to, at General Council this past week. pic.twitter.com/1LRwhgD1vL

— Dr Thomas Piggott (He/Him) MD PhD (@twpiggott) May 12, 2023

The recent staff report to Peterborough city council to establish modular housing at Wolfe Street is an acknowledgement that change is needed. It presents a thoughtful, innovative and immediate response to the crisis of homelessness in our community.

If passed, it will enable partners across the health and social system to work together to address the crisis head on.

These are tough decisions for leaders in our community to make, as we grapple with this increasing challenge. I commend city staff and council for leading with heart, and with a recognition that healing starts with a home.

The general committee endorsement of the staff report will go forward to the regular city council meeting on Tuesday, May 23rd to be considered for approval.

Champion spellers from Peterborough elementary schools won great prizes for themselves and their schools during the Rotary Club of Peterborough’s ninth annual School Spelling Bee on Saturday (May 13).

More than 60 students from grades 4 to 8 competed in the regional final, selected from 4,200 students across Peterborough County who competed in mini-spelling bees at their schools.

The spelling bee final consisted of a junior challenge for students in grades 4 to 6, and a senior challenge for students in grades 7 and 8.

Olivia Jones of Saint Catherine Catholic Elementary School placed first in the junior division and Noah Hofman of Kenner Intermediate School placed first in the senior division. Each student won an overnight camp session at Camp Kawartha, a family photo shoot from Miranda Studios, and $225 to use toward a youth program at the Art School of Peterborough.

Arthur Zadro of Our Lady of the Wayside Academy placed second in the junior division and Sonny Gillis of Saint Catherine Catholic Elementary School placed second in the senior division. Each student won a Trent Excalibur Ultimate Camp session and $100 to use toward a youth program at the Art School of Peterborough.

Kaiden Surphlis of James Strath Public School place third in the junior division and Crepe Cochrane of Adam Scott Intermediate School placed third in the senior division. Each student won an iPad courtesy of YourTV Cogeco and $50 to use toward a youth program at the Art School of Peterborough.

The winning students’ schools also received $1,000, $500, and $250 respectively to use toward literacy programs and materials.

The School Spelling Bee was organized by the Rotary Club of Peterborough’s literacy committee.

“The Rotary Club of Peterborough is grateful to all teachers, principals, parents, and guardians for organizing the mini-spelling bees at their schools and within their home schooling community,” reads a Rotary media release. “We recognize that it can be resource intensive. Thank you for supporting young people in our community and the Rotary Club of Peterborough’s literacy committee’s goal of promoting literacy and a love of reading and writing.”

A unique celebration of local food and drink that also supports the culinary tourism industry is coming to Lang Pioneer Village in Keene on May 28 and 29.

“Feast On the Farm: A Taste of Peterborough & the Kawarthas” is a partnership between Peterborough & the Kawarthas Economic Development and the Culinary Tourism Alliance, a not-for-profit food tourism development organization. Feast On® is a certification program that recognizes Ontario restaurants and purveyors (growers, producers, suppliers, and distributors) committed to sourcing and celebrating Ontario-grown food and drink.

The two-day event begins on Sunday (May 28) with a Consumer Day from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. that features a gastronomic experience for foodies prepared by local chefs, followed on Monday (May 29) with an Industry Day from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. for industry professionals only that includes speakers, networking, and local food and drink.

For Consumer Day on Sunday, three Peterborough chefs — Brad Watt of Publican House Brewery and Pub, Tyler Scott of Rare Escape, and Lisa Dixon of Black Honey Cafe — will present curated dishes paired with local beverages including craft beer from Bobcaygeon Brewing Company and spirits from Persian Empire as well as Ontario Vintners Quality Alliance (VQA) wines by sustainable winegrowing certified wineries from across the province.

The day’s menu includes canapés (red fife wheat bannock with smoked trout mousse and radish sprouts finish; maple-poached Otonobee bacon with spiced pea purée), mains (confit duck on red fife fry bread with goat ricotta, wild leek salsa verde, and maple syrup; Kawartha pork and wild leek sausage with wild rice and cheddar porridge, finished with maple and pollen; fried zucchini nest with soft egg sous vide beet “down” finished with sumac-spiced hollandaise), and dessert (local herbal tea infused panna cotta with maple syrup and puffed wild rice granola).

The menu also includes a vegan and gluten-free canapé option (falafel with apple slice and carrot paté for the canapés), as well as vegetarian options for the mains: roasted oyster mushrooms on red fife fry bread with goat ricotta, wild leek salsa verde, and maple syrup; roasted Kendal Hills Farm mushrooms with wild rice and cheddar porridge, finished with maple and pollen; and fried zucchini nest with sous vide tofu and miso “hollandaise”.

The $125 ticket cost (plus tax and fees) includes a selection of food and drink, a behind-the-scenes experience at Lang Pioneer Village, and a $25 Feast On gift voucher that can be redeemed at participating Feast On restaurants (there are more than 150 Feast On certified restaurants in Ontario). Tickets are available at ontarioculinary.com/fonfarm/feast-on-the-farm-peterborough-the-kawarthas/.

Every ticket purchased for Consumer Day on Sunday also supports Ontario’s culinary tourism industry, by subsidizing the cost for restaurants and food purveyor professionals to attend Industry Day on Monday.

Industry Day is for all professionals who want to learn about incorporating local Ontario ingredients into their menus and implementing sustainable practices in their businesses through the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Keynote speakers for Monday’s Industry Day include Judy Song of Ocean Wise, a conservation program created to educate consumers and businesses about the issues within the world’s fisheries and aquaculture operations and empower them to make informed decisions when purchasing seafood, and Leah White of Second Harvest, who will provide a tactical and educational session with concrete solutions and a roadmap to reduce food waste and food insecurity and to participate in a national food recovery network.

Along with a welcome breakfast and coffee bar, attendees will enjoy a family-style lunch — curated by Chef Jeff Curtis of Elmhirst’s Resort — featuring Elmhirst’s own brisket sliders with red fife beaver tails for dessert. A locally curated cheeseboard and preserves will be provided during the afternoon. Vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free options will also be available. Attendees will also enjoy a selection of wines from Rolling Grape Vineyard.

Tickets for Industry Day are $75 (plus tax and fees), which includes a $25 Feast On voucher. Tickets are available at culinarytourismalliance.com/industry-day-peterborough-kawarthas.

Two people were seriously injured when a motorcycle and a passenger vehicle collided south of Emily Provincial Park in Kawartha Lakes late Friday afternoon (May 12).

At around 5:20 p.m., Kawartha Lakes Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) responded to a report of serious two-vehicle collision on Emily Park Road between Grassy Road and Valley Road involving a passenger vehicle and motorcycle.

The motorcycle’s driver and passenger were transported to a local hospital and then flown by air ambulance to a Toronto-area trauma centre with life-threatening injuries.

No other injuries reported at the scene.

Emily Park Road was closed from Grassy Road to Valley Road for several hours while police documented the scene.

Police are continuing to investigate the collision. Anyone who may have witnessed the collision or has dashcam footage is asked to contact the City of Kawartha Lakes OPP at 705-324-6741 or 1-888-310-1122.

The Peterborough police are asking for the public’s help in locating a 33-year-old woman.

Jordan Slavik is white, 5’5″, and has a thin build, brown eyes, and long straight blonde hair.

She is driving a silver 2015 Mazda CX5 with Ontario licence plate CHTZ 120.

Police say they have concerns for her safety.

Anyone with information is asked to call Peterborough Police at 705-876-1122 x555.

If you prefer to remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or online at stopcrimehere.ca.

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

Since 2018, Sutherland 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.

A media release from Kawartha Lakes Food Source announcing the award describes Sutherland as “a master sorter with her speed and accuracy of checking best before dates and categorizing the food we receive in our distribution centre,” adding she received the award “because of her dedicated work and her help with icing Tim Hortons Smile Cookies, tracking our inventory, and helping with our Easter Dinner initiative.”

“Joanne is exceedingly reliable in her volunteer tasks,” reads the media release. “She always tells amazing stories about the trails she’s recently hiked and is a joy to work with.”

Kawartha Lakes Food Source relies heavily on the support of volunteers, who are involved with food sorting, food pick-ups, distribution centre and inventory organization, Lindsay Community Food Bank operations support, office support, garden work, and more. The not-for-profit organization established the Barbara Truax Volunteer Award — named to honour one of Kawartha Lakes Food Source’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.

For more information about Kawartha Lakes Food Source and to volunteer, visit kawarthalakesfoodsource.com.