YWCA Peterborough Haliburton and the Kawartha Sexual Assault Centre are collectively receiving over $200,000 in provincial funding to help address the growing demand during the pandemic for rural services for women who have experienced violence and exploitation.

Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock MPP Laurie Scott and Peterborough-Kawartha MPP Dave Smith made a virtual announcement on Thursday (February 10), along with Kim Dolan, executive director of YWCA Peterborough Haliburton.

YWCA Peterborough Haliburton will be receiving $142,949 to support the Haliburton Emergency SafeSpace (HERS) program — which provides a safe space within Haliburton County so that women and their children can move away from the abusive situation in their home, without leaving their support systems, jobs and schools, families and friends behind — as well as an additional $8,272 for training initiatives.

“The YWCA Peterborough Haliburton and Kawartha Sexual Assault Centre provide services to the most vulnerable members of our community,” Scott said. “This funding will help ensure they can continue to deliver supports and operate local shelters during the pandemic, especially for those who are in rural and remote areas and face transportation barriers.”

The Kawartha Sexual Assault Centre will be receiving $55,088 to deliver crucial services and supports to survivors of human trafficking and women who have experienced violence.

The funding will be used to support a collaborative project between Kawartha Sexual Assault Centre and Niijkiwendidaa Anishnaabekwewag Services Circle to provide public education (including events, conferences, and workshops) in Curve Lake First Nation, Alderville First Nation, and Hiawatha First Nation for human trafficking victims and survivors and those at risk of human trafficking.

“Today’s funding will help so they can write a better ending to their story,” Smith said during the announcement, acknowledging Scott’s advocacy work for services for vulnerable women in her riding.

The funding from Ontario’s Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services is part of the Ontario government’s $3.6 million investment in rural frontline agencies to address the growing strain on services due to COVID-19.

According to Dolan, calls to the HERS program from women experiencing gender-based violence have increased throughout the pandemic.

“For women who are living with violence, there’s always unpredictability and uncertainty,” said Dolan. “(The pandemic has) added additional barriers to women who are contemplating leaving. It’s made it much more complicated for women to reach out and for services to reach in.”

For the fourth time in the past year, the reopening of the Bobcaygeon Swing Bridge has been delayed — this time until the fall.

“Parks Canada was recently informed by the contractor that progress on the refabrication of the mechanical components for the bridge has been slower than expected and has resulted in further delays to the rehabilitation project schedule,” reads a media release from Parks Canada on Wednesday afternoon (February 9).

The project to rehabilitate the bridge, which began in October 2020, was originally scheduled to be completed last May. Delays with the fabrication and delivery of hydraulic and mechanical components, and the discovery that some components of the bridge were in worse condition than originally anticipated, changed the expected completion date to the summer.

Last July, Parks Canada announced the bridge would not reopen in the summer because key mechanical components involved in rotating the bridge needed to be refabricated as they did not meet safety and quality standards. The refabricated components were to be installed in October following the closing of the navigation season, with the bridge expected to reopen for vehicle use in December.

In December, Parks Canada announced a new consultant has been brought onto the project to review and finalize the design and the refabrication of required components for the bridge. After the review of the project, the contractor advised Parks Canada the reopening of the bridge needed to be pushed to spring 2022 due to issues mainly associated with the mechanical component refabrication.

“Design and refabrication of the mechanical components for the bridge continues offsite,” Parks Canada states. “The components are expected to arrive on location through the spring and summer 2022 at which time they will be installed. Once installation of the components has begun, the remainder of the bridge work will be able to continue with an expected completion in late summer/early fall and bridge reopening scheduled for fall 2022 once testing has been completed.”

Parks Canada says the bridge work is not expected to impede boat navigation, as the work does not impact the nearby Lock 32.

The enhanced pedestrian access over the upper lock gates and its access paths will continue to remain open until the bridge project has been completed.

“Parks Canada is working closely with the Contractor to bring the project to its completion,” reads the media release “Further updates will be provided as new information becomes available.”

Last fall’s “Love You” campaign by Shoppers Drug Mart stores in Peterborough has resulted in a $14,081 donation to YWCA Peterborough Haliburton to help local women safely escape violence and abuse.

During the campaign, Shoppers Drug Mart customers were encouraged to make a donation by purchasing paper icons in Peterborough stores, with 100 per cent of the donations helping to fund YWCA Crossroads Shelter and support programs for women experiencing gender-based violence.

“We are truly thankful for the combined support of our community and the entire Peterborough Shoppers Drug Mart team,” says Kim Dolan, executive director of YWCA Peterborough Haliburton, in a media release.

“The need for violence against women support services has remained high since the onset of the pandemic,” Dolan adds. “This generous donation will provide much-needed safety, resources and support to women in crisis.”

The Shoppers Drug Mart “Love You” fall fundraising program is an annual four-week campaign to improve women’s health. Since 2011, the program has supported more than 450 women’s charities annually across Canada.

“The YWCA is an absolutely essential resource for women and children living in Peterborough,” says Mohan Joshi, owner of the Shoppers Drug Mart locations on High Street, Chemong Road, and Landsdowne Street. “We are honoured to be able to continue our commitment to their work in partnership with our generous customers and staff team.”

With the 2022 Ontario election slated for June 2, Peterborough-Kawartha provincial Liberal candidate Greg Dempsey has heard a plea for a permanent guaranteed basic income in Ontario from local artists and arts sector leaders.

Dempsey and Dane Bland, his rival for the local Liberal nomination held last November, co-hosted an arts-focused virtual community forum on Tuesday evening (February 8) that was attended by people from the Peterborough-area arts community.

During the discussion, Dempsey reiterated his strong commitment to the provision of a guaranteed basic income, noting it’s the “singular policy reason” that drove him to seek the nomination.

While making a decent living in the arts has always been a challenge, noted several participants, the pandemic has taken the struggle to make ends meet to a whole other level.

“Musicians, actors, painters, and writers have a different perspective on what it means, and feels like, to create art in this digital age due to digital demonetization,” said musician, actress, and playwright Kate Suhr.

“You can go on YouTube to listen to any song you want and not pay a thing,” Suhr explained. “Artists receive 700th of a cent per stream. On Spotify, they receive .003 cents per stream. The money from subscriptions first goes to the record labels and then it is divvied up amongst the musicians.”

“Those who are not so lucky to have a label backing them are surprised to earn maybe $500 a year. In 2015, my SOCAN cheques (paid for accumulated streams) totalled $4,700. My latest cheque gifted me a whopping $2.50. I didn’t cash that cheque due to embarrassment.”

In making her case for more support for artists, Suhr noted she has “yet to meet a person on this earth who does not consume art in any shape or form,” adding “The arts are crucial to the world. Without the arts, we would be lost. It’s how we learn to grieve, process, heal and connect to both ourselves and one another.”

Artists, said Suhr, “rely on ticket sales and the selling of merchandise to make a living. With no shows, there’s just no living. It is now about survival.”

“We’re taxed mentally, spiritually and emotionally. When human beings become stressed they become apathetic. They feel dampened. It’s not a conducive environment for creativity, to say the least. I’m here to speak about how alone we feel and unsupported.”

In 2017, a guaranteed basic income was provided as a pilot project by the provincial Liberal government in five Ontario communities, including Lindsay in the City of Kawartha Lakes. Almost 4,000 people were enrolled in the pilot when the newly elected Ford government scrapped the initiative the following year, stating “The three-year study of no-strings attached payments is not the answer Ontario families need.”

The decision to scrap the pilot project after one year was met with much criticism from advocacy groups. When the federal government provided its Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) during the pandemic, calls grew louder to implement a guaranteed basic income.

“It (guaranteed basic income) allows people to live without the constant worry of ‘Where am I going to live?’ and ‘How am I going to feed my family?’,” said Dempsey, noting the Ontario Liberal party has made it very clear it will reinstate the program if it wins the next provincial election.

Kim Blackwell, managing artistic director of 4th Line Theatre near Millbrook, said the theatre company “was able to stay afloat through the pandemic” but only at the expense of letting go “most all of our artists.”

“Artists are some of the most vulnerable people during the pandemic yet they are some of the most important people in our society,” Blackwell said. “I know, as an artist and an arts leader, about the transformative power of art to change the world, to change people’s lives. I see that at the (Winslow) farm almost every single night that we share with our audience.”

For her part, Su Ditta, the executive director of the Electric City Culture Council (EC3) in Peterborough, called for a Liberal commitment to the Ontario Arts Council — in particular its program of grants provided individual artists.

And Katherine Carleton, the Peterborough-based executive director of Orchestras Canada who was invested in the Order of Canada in 2017 for her efforts to promote a thriving arts and culture sector in Canada, called for a platform “that addresses the role of the arts and culture in Ontario communities and addresses the very real needs of the arts and culture sector as we try to move on from COVID.”

Another topic raised was the loss of venues both before and during the pandemic.

Janet Clarkson, a potter had her own art gallery for 25 years and is involved with the Buckhorn Art Festival, said vacant church spaces provide an opportunity.

“If we can find a use for them, maybe somebody won’t find a use for the jackhammer to knock them down,” she said.

In his opening comments, Bland spoke specifically to the loss of venues.

“These places weren’t just venues for performers — they were hubs for creators to gather,” he said.

“It’s often said that issues like education, or housing, or job creation, should take precedence over conversations like this one, but for artists, their livelihoods, their homes, and their jobs are tied to creation. For them, support of their community does mean housing and it does mean livelihood.”

Among others taking part in the forum and commenting were author and Lakefield Literary Festival chair John Boyko and Showplace Performance Centre board chair Wayne Bonner.

The Ontario government is expanding access to free rapid antigen testing kits to the general public for at-home use.

Starting Wednesday (February 9), the province will be distributing 44 million test kits over the next eight weeks to over 2,300 pharmacies and grocery stores across Ontario, as well as to community partners in vulnerable communities, with 5.5 million kits distributed each week.

The rapid testing kits will be free, while supplies last, with a limit of one box of five tests per household per visit.

“Participating retailers will receive additional supply from the province each week and have the ability to determine how tests are distributed in order to best serve the community, including through appointment bookings, at checkout, or through online orders,” reads a media release.

A list of participating retailers, as well as information on how retail locations are distributing rapid test kits, can be found at ontario.ca/rapidtest.

For your convenience, here is a list of locations in the greater Kawarthas region where the free test kits will be available (as of February 9):

City of Peterborough

• Charlotte Care Remedys Rx Pharmacy, 100-270 Charlotte Street
• Costco Pharmacy, 485 The Parkway
• Morello’s Your Independent Grocer Peterborough, 400 Lansdowne Street East
• Lansdowne Pharmacy, 196 Lansdowne Street East
• Metro, 1154 Chemong Road
• Real Canadian Superstore, 769 Borden Avenue
• Rexall, 85 George Street North
• Rexall, 1154 Chemong Road
• Sherbrooke Heights Pharmacy, 1625 Sherbrooke Street West
• Shoppers Drug Mart, 1875 Lansdowne Street West
• Shoppers Drug Mart, 741 Lansdowne Street West
• Shoppers Drug Mart, 250 Charlotte Street
• Shoppers Drug Mart, 971 Chemong Road
• Sobeys, 1200 Lansdowne Street West
• Sobeys, 501 Towerhill Road
• The Clinic Pharmacy Rx, 26 Hospital Drive
• Walmart, 1002 Chemong Road
• Walmart, 950 Lansdowne Street West

County of Peterborough

• Village Pharmacy, 135 Queen Street, Lakefield
• Keene Drug Mart, 1105 Heritage Line, Keene
• Centennial Family Pharmacy, 2375 County Road 45, Norwood

City of Kawartha Lakes

• Village Gate Pharm-Rx, 101 East Street South, Bobcaygeon
• Fenelon Falls Pharmacy, 53 Colborne Street, Fenelon Falls
• MacArthur Drugs, 21 Colborne Street, Fenelon Falls
• Sobeys, 15 Lindsay Street, Fenelon Falls
• Food Basics, 363 Kent Street West, Lindsay
• Kawartha Lakes Pharmasave, 4A-55 Angeline Street North, Lindsay
• Loblaws, 400 Kent Street West, Lindsay
• Pharmasave Integrated Care Pharmacy, 10 Moose Road, Lindsay
• Remedy’s Rx On Kent, 108 Kent Street West, Lindsay
• Rexall Pharma Plus, 401 Kent Street West, Lindsay
• RX Drug Mart Lindsay, 51 Kent Street West, Lindsay
• Shoppers Drug Mart, 343 Kent Street West, Lindsay
• Shoppers Drug Mart, 74 Kent Street West, Lindsay
• Little Britain Pharm, 415 Eldon Road, Little Britain
• Kinmount Pharmacy, 503-31 County Road, Kinmount

Northumberland County

• Brighton Clinic Pharmacy, 4 5-46 Prince Edward Street, Brighton
• Pharma Plus, 1 Main Street, Brighton
• Sobeys, 14 Main Street, Brighton
• Maclaren Pharmacy, 79 Bridge Street East, Campbellford
• Rx Drug Mart Campbellford, 16 Grand Road, Campbellford
• Cobourg Care Pharmacy, 5A-609 William Street, Cobourg
• Cobourg Pharmacy, 6A-9 Elgin Street East, Cobourg
• Metro, 1111 Elgin Street West, Cobourg
• Shoppers Drug Mart, 270 Spring Street, Cobourg
• Walmart, 73 Strathy Road, Cobourg
• York Super Pharmacy, 500 Division Street, Cobourg
• Davis’ Your Independent Grocer, 20 Jocelyn Road, Port Hope
• Food Basics, 125 Hope Street South, Port Hope
• Health Centre Pharmacy, 5-15 Henderson Street, Port Hope
• Warkworth Pharmacy, 26 Main Street, Warkworth

Haliburton County

• Todd’s Your Independent Grocer Haliburton, 5121 Country Road 21, Haliburton
• Rexall, 224 Highland Street, Haliburton
• Shoppers Drug Mart, 186 Highland Street, Haliburton
• Highland Remedy Rx, 33 Bobcaygeon Road, Minden
• Minden Pharmacy, 110 Bobcaygeon Road, Minden

Hastings County

• North Hastings Family Pharmacy, 217 Hastings Street North, Bancroft
• Shoppers Drug Mart, 118 Hastings Street North, Bancroft
• Johnston’s Pharmacy, 6 Front Street East, Hastings
• Johnston’s Pharmacy, 57 St. Lawrence Street East, Madoc
• Marmora Pharmacy, 38 Forsyth Street, Marmora
• Nickle’s Pharmacy, 26 Forsyth Street, Marmora

While Peterborough has so far been spared the mass protests against vaccine mandates that have caused great disruption in communities across Canada, the city hasn’t been spared the hateful talk and symbolism heard and seen at those protests.

That’s the word from Peterborough city councillor Kemi Akapo, who took to Twitter on Saturday (February 5) to acknowledge that she’s “on edge” whenever she leaves her home and, as a result, has been taking “extra precautions.”

“The last time I felt this way was when I was living in a country going through a coup d’etat,” tweeted the Town Ward representative, a native of Nigeria who moved to Peterborough in 2005 to attend Trent University and has been a case management coordinator with the New Canadians’ Centre since May 2020.

“Last night I went out to pick up take-out from a local restaurant and while I was walking there, someone in a truck waving a flag with a racist symbol yelled ‘Faggot n****r’ at me and sped off.”

In an exclusive interview with kawarthaNOW, Akapo says there’s something in the air — something much more ugly and sinister than the pleasant aroma emitted daily by Quaker.

“There’s a lot of anger and the pandemic has certainly exacerbated that,” says Akapo. “People are afraid for their families. People’s mental health has been severely affected. Accessing health care in Ontario is basically impossible with ridiculously long waiting lists.”

Even though the main action is in Ottawa and Toronto, there are signs, flags and insignias here in town. I’ve noticed I’ve become hyperaware of my surroundings in a way I’ve never felt in Ptbo. 1/

— Kemi Akapo (@kemi_akapo) February 5, 2022

“But when people are afraid, one the first displays of that is anger and sometimes that anger is misplaced. Being a leader in the community, I sometimes face the brunt of that anger. I can understand that to some extent, but not when that anger turns violent or racist.”

Akapo is quick to point such acts are “not just a Peterborough thing,” noting it’s high time Peterborough residents not only recognized that bigotry in all its forms is here and everyone has a part to play in addressing it.

“There’s a laundry list of really great things about Peterborough but Peterborough is not immune to racism, sexism, and homophobia. It’s just like any other community. All of that exists here. Do I face daily incidents of racism? Certainly not, but it does exist.”

In late 2021, Akapo pulled herself off Twitter as a result of hateful and disrespectful messages sent to her.

“It had gotten to the point where it was constant,” she recalls. “It was endless and it was distracting me from the work I really want to do: focus on policy, do good planning, and help the residents of Peterborough.”

She says her experiences, coupled with the anti-vaccine protests outside the East City home of Peterborough Medical Officer of Health Dr. Thomas Piggott that led to two arrests, have resulted in her being “more aware of my surroundings” when she’s outside her home.

“Who’s around me? If I enter a space, where can I exit in a hurry? Things I wouldn’t have normally thought of. I’ve put into place protective measures that I hadn’t felt I needed before.”

Akapo adds that the heightened American extremism of recent years is daily finding an ever-growing welcome mat in Canada, and that is disturbing on its own merit.

“As a result, some people feel more emboldened. Everybody has the right to speak and say what they feel, but it’s the manner in which you express frustrations that is the issue.”

Not lost on Akapo, as it shouldn’t be on anyone, is that February is Black History Month.

“It’s not just a heavy month where you’ve got to be reminded of all the hard things that happened,” she points out. “It’s also a time of celebration, but in that celebration we have to be reminded of the realities of what black people face.”

kawarthaNOW reached out to the Community Race Relations Committee of Peterborough for comment but hadn’t heard back by deadline. Visit racerelationspeterborough.org for its core objectives, available programs and resources, and a listing of local Black History Month events.

Looking ahead, Akapo says she has made a decision regarding her candidacy in the 2022 municipal election and will make an announcement soon. In the meantime, she’s concerned that her experience may keep potential candidates away.

“Part of me didn’t want to speak up about this because I don’t want to scare people away, but I felt a need to be honest about what is happening. I’d rather have an informed person running for council than someone who runs for council and then is surprised and shocked and not prepared to deal with it when it happens.”

“I know more now than I knew then,” she adds, referring to 2018 when she ran for a Town Ward seat. “That’s part of life — you live and you learn.”

Two Dishes Cookshop is closing its Charlotte Street restaurant as of Tuesday, March 1st after eight years in business.

Located at 261 Charlotte at the corner of Bethune, the neighbourhood restaurant focusing on local and seasonally inspired food and made-from-scratch baked goods was opened in 2014 by sisters Susan and Paula Houde.

On Monday (February 7), Susan posted a lengthy message on social media announcing the restaurant would be closing and explaining why.

“Change is tough but it comes whether we like it our not,” she writes. “There isn’t one reason we’re closing, there are many. As you can imagine the last two years have been hard for us, as they have been for everybody, and the pandemic-related issues have played a part in our plans and projections of where our business can go.”

“The cookshop has also been in the middle of a construction zone for the past year with another year to go, and while it’s not the primary reason, the reality is it’s made things much more difficult for us.”

“Change is rarely driven by just one factor though, and as much as those specific issues play a part, there is a natural timing of emotion and circumstance at play that tells us it’s time to try something new. We just feel it in our bones.”

Although the Charlotte Street location is closing, Susan adds, Two Dishes Cookshop will still have a presence at local farmers’ markets. They also have plans to launch new ways of getting food to customers, including take-home meals, delivery options, pop-ups, catering, a new vintage food trailer, cooking workshops, and more.

“From the day we opened we’ve felt the love from people who valued what we do,” she writes. “The support we’ve had from our community over the last eight years (and especially the last two) has kept us going during late nights and early mornings. Making food we love, for people we love is why we get up at 5:30 a.m.. Nothing has changed about that, we’re just going to be finding new ways to do that beyond the walls on Charlotte St.”

“We’re excited about the possibilities and hope you’ll stick with us as we bring these ideas to life,” Susan writes, also thanking the staff who have worked at Two Dishes Cookshop.

Community Care Peterborough’s Meals To Go fundraiser is returning in March, after an absence last year due to the pandemic, delivering $10 lunches to local businesses in the city of Peterborough and — new this year — in Lakefield as well.

Part of the annual March for Meals campaign, which sees Meals on Wheels providers across Ontario increase awareness of the availability and value of Meals on Wheels programs, the funds raised by Meals To Go will support Community Care’s Meals on Wheels program, which provides high-quality and affordable meals to seniors living alone and more, and the Give A Meal subsidy program, which provides a free meal to a senior who is struggling financially.

“This year, with the addition of deliveries into Lakefield, we are planning for 600 lunches to be ordered and hoping to raise $4,000,” says Iris Crowder, client services coordinator for Community Care Peterborough, in a media release. “The Meals to Go lunch is $10 per person and, for every additional $10 donation participants make, they are providing a meal for a senior who truly can’t afford one for themselves.”

Prepared at The Mount Community Centre’s kitchen in partnership with the Community Training and Development Centre and packaged by Outpost Packaging, with cheese donated by Cross Wind Farm, the lunches will be delivered directly to workplaces by Community Care’s Meals on Wheels volunteers.

Delivery dates in Peterborough are Wednesday, March 2nd and Wednesday, March 30th, and in Lakefield on Tuesday, March 1st and Tuesday, March 29th. Curbside pickup at The Mount Community Centre (1545 Monaghan Rd., Peterborough) is also available on those dates between 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.

This year’s lunch menu has a southwestern theme and includes a starter of a flavourful homemade mango coconut curry soup, an option of a grilled chicken wrap (with cheddar cheese, tomato, corn, black beans, and zesty chipotle mayo) or a salad (with grilled chicken, tomato, corn and black beans on a bed of fresh greens), and a moist date cake with coconut frosting for dessert. Vegetarian and lactose-free menu options are also available upon request.

Operating in Peterborough since 1964, the Meals on Wheels program ensures seniors can receive hot nutritional meals to help them remain healthy in their own homes. The program also provides a social visit by a caring volunteer and a safety check for those who are isolated. Sometimes, a Meals on Wheels volunteer may be the only person a senior interacts with on a given day.

Community Care also offers a Meals on Wheels subsidy program for those who can’t afford regular meals. In 2021, more than 50 people benefited from the subsidy program, receiving around 1,809 meals at no cost.

“The Meals on Wheels program that we provide to clients in the City and County of Peterborough truly empowers them to live independently and healthier at home,” says Community Care executive director Danielle Belair. “We are seeing an increase in the need for this program and there is an increased demand on us to provide more subsidies for low income clients. The donations that we receive through the Meals To Go fundraiser certainly help us to meet this growing need.”

Meals To Go lunches are $10 each. You can order online at commcareptbo.org/mealstogo, where you can also download a printable order form. Orders must be received at least seven days prior to your selected delivery or pickup date.

Donations are encouraged when ordering, with charitable tax receipts available for donations of $10 or more.