Otonabee Conservation is asking Peterborough residents to donate to help revitalize the Jackson Creek Trail.

The “Your Metres Matter” campaign is raising funds to resurface and repair points of erosion on the trail, so that it continues to be accessible and safe for all trail users.

Each $50 donation will help to revitalize one metre of trail.

“More than ever, people are accessing trails to get exercise, boost their mental health, relieve stress, and spend quality time with family,” explains Dan Marinigh, chief administrative officer at Otonabee Conservation, in a media release.

“During the pandemic, the trail is seeing an increase in use as many residents seek the calm of nature nearby, and have taken up hobbies like bird watching, hiking, dog walking, biking, and cross-country skiing. The trail is in need of repairs to restore its longevity.”

Many new homes are also being built along the Jackson Creek corridor, which will see an even bigger increase of trail users. Six new subdivisions and 3,400 new homes are being built adjacent to the trail, which means there will be over 8,000 more people living within walking distance to the trail.

It will take $225,000 to revitalize all 4,500 metres of the trail. Since the fundraising campaign launched on December 1, more than $11,000 has already been raised — including through the Your Metres Matter Community Challenge.

The community challenge asks clubs, businesses, and workplaces that use the Jackson Creek Trail to challenge each other in a friendly community competition.

So far, Runner’s Life, Peterborough Nordic Club, Wild Rock Outfitters, and the board and staff at Otonabee Conservation have accepted the challenge, collectively helping to raise $7,700 for the campaign, which translates to 154 metres of trail. To get your group name on the Community Challenge list, email Karen Halley at khalley@otonabeeconservation.com.

“We are so grateful for the support we are receiving, and especially from the groups and community members who regularly utilize the trail,” Marinigh says. “The response we are having with this friendly community competition unites us with a common goal to care for and revitalize a trail we all love.”

Each donation of $50 or more to the Your Metres Matter campaign will receive a charitable tax receipt, a photo card, a sticker for your bike or water bottle, and a commemorative Jackson Creek Trail badge you can wear while using the trail.

A donation of $500 or more — supporting the revitalization of at least 10 metres of trail — will be recognized on a new trailhead sign to be placed along the trail.

To make a donation, track progress of the campaign, and to learn more about the Your Metres Matter campaign or the Community Challenge, visit the Otonabee Conservation website at otonabeeconservation.com.

The Christmas spirit is alive and well in Gabi Hintelmann, the winner of the second $500 early bird draw in the Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area’s Holiday Shopping Passport program.

Hintelmann will be using her $500 Boro gift card to purchase toys from The Toy Shop at 176 Hunter Street West in downtown Peterborough to donate to YWCA Peterborough Haliburton.

“It’s the season of giving and I wanted to pass this gift on,” Hintelmann said in a media release. “Helping children is something I’m very passionate about and I hope this donation will help brighten the holidays for quite a few children in our community.”

For ever $10 people spend at any of more than 150 participating downtown business, they receive a stamp in their holiday shopping passport. When a passport is filled with 20 stamps (representing $200 in spending), the completed passport is entered into a draw for three $500 early bird prizes and a $1,500 grand prize.

Hintelmann’s winning passport was drawn on Wednesday (December 8) at Maple Moose Pub at at 331 George Street in downtown Peterborough. Her winning passport came from John Roberts Clothiers at 321 George Street North in Peterborough, where she purchased some Christmas presents for her family.

Owner John Martin presented her with her $500 gift card on Wednesday.

“Gabi is a wonderful customer who frequently supports the downtown core and our small business community,” Martin said. “I’m so pleased that she won. It couldn’t have happened to a more deserving person.”

Hintelmann is the second winner of three $500 early bird prizes drawn on Wednesdays in December. Derek Banville was the December 1st winner, and the remaining $500 winner will be drawn on December 15. The $1,500 grand prize winner will be drawn on Wednesday, January 12th.

You can get a holiday shopping passport at any of the participating shops, boutiques, salons, restaurants, and cafes in downtown Peterborough. Visit theboro.ca/holiday-shopping-passport/ for a list of all the participating businesses.

To start off your holiday shopping passport with no purchase necessary, you can get complimentary stamps at the Peterborough Public Library (345 Aylmer St. N.), the Peterborough & the Kawarthas Visitors Centre (270 George St. N.), and the Boro Holiday Hub (373 George St. N.).

Environment Canada has issued a special weather statement for all of southern Ontario, including the entire Kawarthas region, with a forecast of heavy rain and strong winds Friday night (December 10) into Saturday night.

With temperatures rising to well above freezing on Friday, rain is forecast to begin Friday evening over southwestern Ontario and spread over the remainder of southern Ontario Friday night.

Showers, at times heavy, will continue all day Saturday as temperatures remain above freezing. Rainfall amounts of 25 to 45 mm will be possible by Saturday night.

In addition, very strong southwesterly winds gusting up to 70 km/h are expected to develop Saturday afternoon.

By Saturday evening these winds are forecast to shift to the northwest with wind gusts up to 90 km/h possible, particularly along the shores of Lake Huron and Georgian Bay.

Light snow will develop Saturday night, as temperatures fall rapidly in the wake of a strong cold front.

Some damage to trees and local power outages will be possible due to these strong winds.

The Monarch Ultra Relay Run has raised $10,000 for Camp Kawartha.

The bi-annual ultra marathon was held from September 19 to October 9, with 58 runners participating in a 1,800-kilometre journey that departed Peterborough and headed through southwestern Ontario before looping back to Barrie.

As with the inaugural run in 2019, which saw 46 runners follow the monarch butterfly’s 4,300-kilometre migratory route from Canada to Mexico over the span of seven weeks, this year’s run raised awareness about the plight of the monarch butterfly and other pollinators.

This year’s run also saw the Monarch Ultra team partner with Camp Kawartha, a non-profit organization in Peterborough that offers outdoor environmental programming for youth and adults, with the goal of raising funds to help Camp Kawartha empower the next generation of environmental stewards.

During their 21-day journey, the team met with mayors, media, community leaders, and business owners to share their message of protecting pollinators and natural spaces. They handed out milkweed seed packages and provided monarch education resources to help homeowners create pollinator gardens.

“Long-distance running combined with the flight of monarch butterflies is at the heart of our work, and our vision to raise awareness of biodiversity loss,” said Carlotta James, a pollinator advocate, ultra-runner, and co-founder of the Monarch Ultra.

According to James, a highlight of this year’s cross-province journey was running to Point Pelee National Park, Canada’s most southern point where the team witnessed dozens of monarch butterflies fly across Lake Erie as they migrated towards Mexico, the overwintering home for the eastern population of monarch butterflies.

The monarch’s epic migratory journey was the original inspiration for the Monarch Ultra, with runners echoing the endurance and determination of the monarch butterfly, a species that can fly over 4,000 kilometres from southern Ontario to the Sierra Madre Mountains while facing many challenges.

“Witnessing the runners’ grit and determination to finish their relay leg is a memory I hold dear to my heart,” James said. “For many of the runners who ran distances of 30 or 50 kilometres for the first time, there was a massive sense of achievement.”

The Monarch Ultra team will celebrate their successful fundraising campaign for Camp Kawartha on Monday (December 13), when they will present the organization with a cheque for $10,000.

The public is invited to attend the event, which begins at noon at the Camp Kawartha Environment Centre at 2505 Pioneer Road in Peterborough. All COVID-19 protocols will be in place.

The Monarch Ultra team is already preparing for their next run which, pandemic willing, will be heading back to Mexico in 2023. For more information, visit www.themonarchultra.com.

VIDEO: Monarch Ultra 2021

One person is dead following a fire on Thursday morning (December 9) in Cambray, about 10 kilometres northwest of Lindsay in Kawartha Lakes.

At around 1:15 a.m. Thursday, City of Kawartha Lakes OPP and emergency services called to a structure fire at a trailer park in Cambray.

A 62-year-old Cambray man was located at the scene and transported to hospital where he was later pronounced dead.

Police have identified the victim as Andre Beaucage. The cause of death remains under investigation pending a post-mortem examination.

Police remain at the scene of the fire as an investigation continues, with the assistance of the Office of the Ontario Fire Marshal and the Office of the Chief Coroner.

Anyone who has information or was a witness to this fire and has not yet spoken with police, is asked to contact the City of Kawartha Lakes OPP at 1-888-310-1122.

On a snowy Monday morning, instructor Jenn Stubbert situates a camera to capture herself head to toe as she marches, toe taps, and shuffles around an open space in her home. Her movements are synced to the beat of an upbeat Justin Bieber song, and she calls out instructions in a peppy voice.

About 10 other people — all in their own homes — are tuned in on Zoom to watch Stubbert and follow her movements.

They’re participating in the virtual version of Minds in Motion, one of the Alzheimer Society of Peterborough, Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland, and Haliburton’s most popular programs. Minds in Motion is a social and physical activity program for people living with early to mid-stage dementia and their care partners.

In addition to these one-hour online sessions, Minds in Motion has been safely bringing back in-person classes. Stubbert teaches two-hour in-person sessions in Peterborough, Northumberland, and Haliburton, and — come 2022 — in the City of Kawartha Lakes as well.

Participants follow COVID-19 protocols such as masking and physical distancing as they take part in an hour of exercise, followed by an hour of social recreation.

“This is your workout!” Stubbert calls out as she instructs her online Minds in Motion class to march to the beat. She reminds participants the higher they march, the harder it will be. Stubbert gives variations, both easier and more difficult, of each movement so that everyone can meet their own individual body’s abilities. One participant does the movements from a chair.

“I like to keep it fun,” Stubbert tells kawarthaNOW. “I know for myself, if I were going to be in an exercise class, I’d want my instructor to have fun with it and keep it light.”

“My biggest thing is that they’re moving. If they don’t follow me, that’s fine. It’s about getting the circulation moving and the blood flowing.”

The physical activity portion of a Minds in Motion session is proven to help improve the balance, mobility, flexibility, and alertness of those living with dementia. Accompanying care partners experience those physical benefits too.

Just as important is the social aspect of the program, with participants enjoying social activities in a safe space where they find mutual support from others who face similar circumstances.

Stubbert leads participants through activities that function as conversation starters. For example, she makes her way through a list of “Never have I ever …” style questions, one of which asks if anyone in the class has ever shot a gun. Stubbert prompts those who answer yes to elaborate further.

Stubbert says these discussions quickly turn into story trading, allowing care partners to see their loved ones reminisce about good times in their lives.

“When they’re sitting at home and it’s just the two of them, they may not have that discussion because they’ve been together for 50 years and they don’t talk about it anymore,” Stubbert explains. “But we hear funny stories all the time about cool things they used to do.”

Stubbert says the conversations often take off in hilarious directions. For example, a debate broke out when she asked a class, “If you were to be a bird, what kind of bird would you want to be?” One gentleman said he would want to be a duck.

“It became a big debate about if a duck is a bird,” Stubbert recalls. “It was this 10-minute conversation about a duck — yet everybody there was involved in this conversation.”

That level of interaction with others is especially important for people with dementia. According to a 2017 report from Canada’s National Seniors Council, older adults living with Alzheimer’s disease or other related dementia are at greater risk for social isolation.

Minds in Motion combats this problem by giving those with dementia a safe place to socialize, where they don’t have to worry about how their memory loss will be perceived.

“They don’t feel alone,” notes Stubbert. “They can talk about it if they wish. They are seeing their friends in the group who also have memory loss, so they don’t feel like they’re the only ones in the world with these challenges. Someone will say, ‘Oh, I’m so forgetful’ and then somebody else will say, ‘Oh, me too! Don’t worry about it.'”

Minds in Motion also helps build the confidence of participants to engage in other social activities. For example, the program has helped make some participants more comfortable taking part in other community programs, such as aqua-fit.

The sense of community in a Minds in Motion class is immense, Stubbert says, with some members going on to spend time together outside of class.

“Some couples have all gone out for lunch after the program,” Stubbert says. “They’re also going to each other’s anniversary parties and birthday parties. There was one group of 12 that became friends — they went and saw Mamma Mia together.”

Stubbert’s enthusiasm leading the program is key to its success, according to Andrea Cant, Executive Director for Alzheimer Society Peterborough Kawartha Lakes Northumberland and Haliburton.

“Jenn is uniquely gifted at motivating our clients to get moving and come out of their shells,” Cant says. “The energy she brings is remarkable. The benefits of Minds in Motion are so obvious when you see everyone in such a great mood after her classes.”

Minds and Motion participant Ryan Marjoram agrees, giving a glowing testimonial after completing a session led by Stubbert.

“We’ve just experienced two hours of pure pleasure,” Marjoram says. “A large part of that is due to the leader. She gets us going in the morning — a lot of us are a little tired, and she’s just got so much enthusiasm, it’s just oozing out of her.”

“The ideas she brings forth on a weekly basis, and the way she interacts with people — she makes it fun,” he adds. “That’s what it’s all about. People forget about dementia for two hours. They laugh, have fun, exercise, and test their minds.”

There’s a reason Stubbert is so passionate about her work and why she genuinely cares about each person who attends a Minds in Motion session. She became inspired to work for the Alzheimer Society after following her own grandmother’s journey with Alzheimer’s.

“My grandparents brought a lot of joy to my life,” Stubbert explains. “It was my turn to give back and fight for something I so strongly believe in supporting. And I completely love what I do. I go to work and get to go have fun.”

Stubbert was recently recognized for her work with a nomination for the Peterborough Petes Community Player of the Game award.

“I was completely blown out of the water,” Stubbert says. “I find those who come to my program really support me and go out of their way to tell me what they think of me and how much they appreciate me.”

Stubbert is equally as appreciative of those who participate in her classes, noting she has seen lives transformed through Minds in Motion and the Alzheimer Society as a whole.

“The first class I ever ran, a gentleman came in with a walker and he was quite unsteady on his feet,” Stubbert recalls. “His wife was a huge supporter and did the homework with him every single day. He came to every single class and, by the end of the eight weeks, he was walking with his cane occasionally.”

Around 76,000 Canadians — including 14 out of every 1,000 seniors — are diagnosed with dementia each year, and one in five Canadians have experience caring for someone living with dementia.

“The population of Peterborough is aging,” Stubbert points out. “Focusing on programs that are needed, such as for those who have dementia, is important because we can give tips and strategies on coping with it. We can’t slow the progression down, but we can help manage it.”

Your donations to the Alzheimer Society of Peterborough, Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland and Haliburton help fund social recreation programs like Minds in Motion. To give a monthly gift, a one-time donation, or to donate in honour or in memory of someone important to you, visit donatealz.ca.

For more information about to Alzheimer Society of Peterborough, Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland and Haliburton, visit alzheimer.ca/pklnh. You can also follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

This story was created in partnership with the Alzheimer Society of Peterborough, Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland and Haliburton.