Two Ottawa residents were killed when their plane crashed in rural Port Hope on Saturday night (August 13).

At around 8:51 p.m., the Northumberland Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) received information that a Piper Cherokee aircraft had crashed into a field near a private airstrip by Kellogg Road and Massey Road in Port Hope.

OPP and emergency services arrived at the scene, where the two occupants of the aircraft — identified as 74-year-old Alvin Crosby of Ottawa and 72-year-old Suzanne Parent of Ottawa — were pronounced dead.

The OPP have since cleared the scene.

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada is continuing an investigation to determine the cause of the crash.

The Piper Cherokee is a popular family of two-seat or four-seat light aircraft built by Piper Aircraft and designed for flight training, air taxi, and personal use.

Four men are now facing charges following an attempt at the Peterborough police station on Saturday afternoon (August 13) by followers of self-proclaimed “Queen of Canada” Romana Didulo to “arrest” Peterborough police officers, with police also seeking two suspects for assaults on a counter-protester.

Based in British Columbia, Didulo espouses a mix of sovereign citizen beliefs, QAnon conspiracy theories, and new age spirituality. She claims she has supernatural abilities, including invisibility, because she is a member of a highly advanced alien race called the Arcturians who possess miraculous medical technology. She has more than 70,000 followers on the encrypted messaging app Telegram.

Didulo’s name first began surfacing during the pandemic, when she encouraged her followers to distribute “cease and desist” orders to health care workers, politicians, and others supporting COVID-19 restrictions and vaccinations. Last November, Didulo was detained by police after she encouraged her followers to “shoot to kill” anyone who gives vaccines to children. She has also called on her followers to stop paying their energy and water bills and taxes.

One of Didulo’s followers in the Peterborough area is Frank Curtin, who organized and led Saturday’s protest at the Peterborough police station in response to a call from Didulo on Telegram.

“Who amongst you are prepared to keep your city safe, peaceful and secure after you’ve peacefully arrested Peterborough Ontario Police?” Didulo had asked her followers.

Didulo, who was in Peterborough for Saturday’s protest, claims her followers have raised more than $100,000 so she can “tour Canada” in an RV along with her entourage.

Curtin met with Didulo in her RV on Saturday.

Weird, he looked so happy earlier today when he had a meeting her on an RV. Shame pic.twitter.com/NT62otneok

— Johnny Fondue (@Eatsfood2) August 13, 2022

Didulo emerged from her RV at one point to offer vegetables and sardines to her supporters.

Q: What does a Queen feed her subjects?

A: Veggies & sardines

(There’s no punchline, this is real life.) #cdnpoli #Peterborough #QAnon pic.twitter.com/If57IV3TWE

— Caryma Sa'd – Lawyer + Political Satirist (@CarymaRules) August 13, 2022

At around 1 p.m., Curtin led a group of around 30 people to the Peterborough police station at 500 Water Street in downtown Peterborough.

Dramatic march from Confederation Square to the @PtboPolice station, where Romana Didulo’s supporters plan to arrest the entire (?) police force and turn them over to the military.

Respectfully, this is batshit. #cdnpoli #Peterborough #QAnon pic.twitter.com/DgouHsppLe

— Caryma Sa'd – Lawyer + Political Satirist (@CarymaRules) August 13, 2022

The group remained outside the police station for several hours, attempting to gain access.

At one point, there was an incident between a protester and a counter-protester.

Counter-protester endures three separate physical assaults from an older lady who grabs his knapsack, lifts her foot to his crotch, and rips off his mask.

This happened directly outside @PtboPolice station. There’s not a single cop in sight. #cdnpoli #Peterborough #QAnon pic.twitter.com/Ba7lRtHpjb

— Caryma Sa'd – Lawyer + Political Satirist (@CarymaRules) August 13, 2022

At around 4 p.m., police officers arriving for their shift were blocked by protesters, who also tried to gain access to a secured entrance of the police station.

According to the police media release, “the officers attempted to take a protester into custody when officers were surrounded. A protester then struck two officers.”

Frank Curtin and another man get arrested, Romana followers freak out at what’s happening. #ptbo #Romana https://t.co/Rk8F0SUV9R pic.twitter.com/VkjJaaWQ1G

— Johnny Fondue (@Eatsfood2) August 13, 2022

Police arrested a 54-year-old Millbrook man and charged him with mischief and resisting arrest, as well as a 56-year-old man and charged him with two counts of assaulting police.

Although police no longer release names of accused people in media releases, Curtin can be seen in videos posted in social media being dragged by four officers into the police station.

Both accused men were held in custody and appeared in court on Sunday (August 14).

Following the arrests, some protesters remained outside the police station until the evening, with Didulo leaving Peterborough in her RV around 7 p.m.

Later in the evening, Didulo posted on social media that she had asked protesters to “be Peaceful and Calm” and that “Putting oneself in harms way is not the way to do it …”

Rough translation: “everything that went wrong today is Franks fault not mine.”

That’s how this??ends, the most predictable thing that’s happened today. pic.twitter.com/BeVYSfGLKx

— Johnny Fondue (@Eatsfood2) August 14, 2022

On Monday (August 15), Peterborough police announced a third man had been arrested Sunday in connection with the incident.

“Officers took a 31-year-old Peterborough man into custody for his actions during the incident at the rear door of the police station which included kicking the door to the station and striking an officer while doing so,” reads a media release. “The suspect then repeatedly kicked at the door and further encouraged others to participate. The suspect then went to another area and began yelling and banging on the windows of several police cars with officers in them.”

The accused man was arrested and charged with assaulting a peace officer with a weapon, two counts of counselling an indictable offence which is not committed, mischief, and obstructing a peace officer. He was held in custody and appeared in court on Monday.

Peterborough police are also seeking two suspects after several incidents involving the counter-protester, after the man waved down officers who were on general patrol.

“Officers learned that the victim’s sign was ripped, and he was verbally threatened in one incident and had his mask ripped off by another person while out in front of the police station,” reads a media release.

VIDEO: Update from Peterborough Police Acting Chief Tim Farquharson

The first suspect is a white woman, approximately 65 years old, 5’3″ in height, and wearing a light blue plaid blouse and sunglasses. The second suspect is a 50-to-60 year-old man with a white moustache and goatee, around 5’7″ in height, and wearing a black leather vest with chains hanging from the pocket, blue jeans, and a black head scarf.

Here are photos of both suspects being sought by @PtboPolice

Please help identify them. pic.twitter.com/D5W77PgxjS

— Tanya (@TanyaFusco) August 15, 2022

After videos and photos of the two suspects were widely circulated on social media, one of the suspects — a 55-year-old Peterborough man — turned himself in to Peterborough police on Wednesday afternoon (August 17). The man, who is accused of ripping down the counter-protester’s sign, was arrested and charged with mischief under $5,000. He was released on an undertaking and is scheduled to appear in court on August 30.

Police are continuing to investigate the female suspect who was observed ripping a mask off the counter protester.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Peterborough Police Crime Line at 705-876-1122 x555 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at www.stopcrimehere.ca.

This story has been updated with new information about the two suspects in the assaults on the counter-protester.

As numerous employers in Peterborough and the Kawarthas and the City of Kawartha Lakes continue to experience a labour shortage in the aftermath of the pandemic, a new workforce development program aims to reverse that trend in a big way.

Matching job seekers with local jobs in demand, the Pathways to Prosperity program focuses on those who are unemployed or underemployed, either as a result of employment-limiting barriers or pandemic-related job loss or uncertainty.

Funded in part by the federal government and the province — Peterborough-Kawartha MPP Dave Smith announced $2.7 million for the program back in April — Pathways to Prosperity offers job seekers four weeks of Fleming College-provided skills training for various certifications, followed by a five-week local job placement.

With funding in place until March 31, 2023, the program is administered by Peterborough & the Kawarthas Economic Development (PKED) in partnership with Fleming College, City of Kawartha Lakes Economic Development, Muskoka-Kawartha Employment Services, and the Workforce Development Board.

For employers who sign onto the program, there is a 50 per cent wage subsidy for each participant’s full placement period. In addition, each participating employer’s supervisors and managers will be offered free leadership training and support to ensure a successful placement experience.

The program is targeting food service line cooks and general labourers in construction, manufacturing, and agriculture as positions to be filled.

“Our goal is to address the needs that our businesses have been sharing with us,” explains PKED President and CEO Rhonda Keenan. “We know employers are having a hard time with workforce, but we also know we don’t have a strong group participating in the labour market. COVID impacted so many people, over and above others having some barriers to employment.”

“We also know businesses have been scrambling to try and figure everything out — to adjust, pivot, and do those things everyone was talking about constantly during COVID. This program addresses the needs of both job seekers and employers.”

Rebecca Mustard, Economic Development Manager for the City of Kawartha Lakes, notes the Pathways to Prosperity program “is targeted at key economy-driving industries” in the region.

“This is all about how we get our labour force and the jobs available matched for community prosperity,” she says.

“All four sectors — food service, construction, manufacturing, and agriculture — are what we call export industries in economic development. They bring external wealth into the community. You really want to have a solid foundation of those industries, and this program is an opportunity to increase their workforce.”

According to Statistics Canada, more than 367,000 jobs were vacant in Ontario in May. The Pathways to Prosperity program will give job seekers in Peterborough and the Kawarthas and the City of Kawartha Lakes the skills and the certifications they need for high-demand local jobs.

“Job seekers are getting key certifications they’ll need when working,” Mustard explains. “That’s big for job seekers but it’s also great for employers, because they’re getting employees who have some of the basic requirements they need to be working in their facilities or at their locations.”

The program, which has taken in its first few cohorts for construction and agriculture general labourers, is now accepting new participants — both employers and job seekers — for all four sectors.

Those looking for work who want to participate can register for an information session at investptbo.ca/jobmatch/jobseekers/ or by contacting any of the employment service agency partners listed at investptbo.ca/jobmatch. Employers who want to participate can apply at investptbo.ca/jobmatch/employers/.

Keenan notes the training aspect of the program alone makes it invaluable for job seekers who want to pursue a new career or a career change.

“That education sets you up for so many career paths,” she says. “It’s basic but solid foundational training.”

Mustard adds that, while each Pathways to Prosperity work placement is limited to five weeks, the intent is to match job seekers with opportunities that may lead to permanent employment.

“We have that end goal — sustainable, long-term employment for the individual and for the business,” she says.

For job seekers reluctant to re-enter the workforce because they believe only low-paying jobs are available, Keenan points out the “growth potential” associated with entry-level positions at many local employers.

“While you might start at a lower rate, you can move very quickly up to a higher rate when you have the skills an employer needs,” she says. “There are good-paying jobs in the community, but employers need skilled workers to fill them. Pathways to Prosperity is a way to get those skills, many of which are also transferable to other jobs.”

For job seekers who may have past preconceptions about jobs in the food service, construction, manufacturing, and agriculture sectors, Keenan notes the Pathway to Prosperity program provides a way for them to test the waters.

“We’re creating a safe and coached approach to entering those jobs so it’s not scary and overwhelming,” she says. “The training gives them that foot in the door to decide whether the job is something they want to do.”

If a job seeker signs up for a particular sector and discovers it isn’t right for them, Keenan notes, they can re-apply for placement in another sector.

“This program is all about helping people learn about an industry, get some fundamental basic skills to succeed, get placement with an employer to see what it’s like to work in that industry, and have the supports for the first year of their employment to be able to navigate working for that employer in that industry,” Mustard adds. “We want to set them up for success.”

Mustard says employers in the City of Kawartha Lakes “are really interested in the program,” adding “there are jobs waiting at their end.”

“We want people to want to work in their communities. We want people to work in an industry they’re interested in, using this program to launch them into that industry. Getting back out there is tough. This program is designed to help you do that and succeed. We will cheer you along and give you all that we can to ensure you succeed.”

Keenan adds employers in Peterborough and the Kawarthas are also eager to participate in the program.

“Peterborough and the Kawarthas and the City of Kawartha Lakes are such great places to work,” Keenan says. “We have so many passionate businesses that do so many great things. They need workers right now. We want to see people working where they live. This is a great way to be able to attain skills, support our local businesses, and grow our local economy.”

“The program is exciting because it involves economic development, our post-secondary college institution delivering training the way they do very well, and our employment service organizations,” Mustard says. “All of us are working together to support the economy from a position that looks at the job seeker and the needs of the employer, and the growth and sustainability of each sector.”

This Employment Ontario program is funded in part by the Government of Canada and the Government of Ontario.

This branded editorial was created in partnership with Peterborough & the Kawarthas Economic Development. If your business or organization is interested in a branded editorial, contact us.

A Vaughan teenager has drowned in Shadow Lake near Norland in Someville Township in the City of Kawartha Lakes.

Just before 6 p.m. on Thursday (August 11), officers with the Kawartha Lakes detachment of the OPP responded to a call about a possible drowning.

Police learned a man had been swimming when he failed to resurface. According to a media release, “extraordinary life-saving efforts were taken by good Samaritans including a nearby boater that dove into the deep water, recovered the swimmer, and brought him to the shore.”

Haliburton County Emergency Services along with City of Kawartha Lakes Fire and Rescue conducted CPR and transported the man to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Police have released the name of the victim as 18-yaer-old Trons Yalda of Vaughan.

Kawartha Lakes OPP are investigating the death in conjunction with the Office of the Chief Coroner for Ontario, and say no foul play is suspected. A post-mortem examination is scheduled to take place at the Centre of Forensic Sciences in Toronto.

Peterborough police held a town hall-style meeting on Thursday (August 11) to address concerns about escalating violent crime in the southeast area of Town Ward, an area bounded by Lansdowne, Park, Sherbrooke, and Aylmer streets.

The public meeting, which took place in the gym at the Central East Ontario YMCA on Aylmer Street and was livestreamed on YouTube, included a speakers panel with acting police chief Tim Farquharson, Peterborough Police Services board chair Mary ten Doeschate, detective inspector John Lyons, operations division inspector Jamie Hartnett, and community development and engagement coordinator Emily Jones.

Each member of the panel took a turn addressing a crowd of around 40 people before fielding questions and comments from concerned residents.

In his opening comments, Farquharson referenced the four brazen shootings in the neighbourhood between April 20 and July 11, two of which were fatal.

“We too are dismayed to see this level of violence,” he said. “There’s no doubt that creates feelings of anger, frustration, and fear. The (police) service acknowledges that and understands it.”

Compiled crime statistics, Farquharson said, “show our community is changing. In the past five years, we’ve seen calls for service increase by 19 per cent, criminal code offences increase almost 16 per cent, and non-offence calls increase by 25 per cent.”

One factor driving those numbers up, he added, is Peterborough having been “identified as a market for organized criminals who are taking advantage of some of our most vulnerable.”

Both Farquharson and ten Doeschates spoke to police staffing, with ten Doeschates noting the Police Services Board recently approved the hiring of eight new officers. Farquharson said that, while new officers will help, the positive impact it will have on overall police performance and response will take some time.

As enlightening and forthcoming as the information provided was, it did little to alleviate the fears and resulting concerns of some in the audience who spoke.

One woman, who resides in the neighbourhood after moving to the city from Niagara Falls, described what she has witnessed on a consistent basis and the police response she has experienced.

“I see fights, I’ve seen needles, seniors’ houses broken into,” she said. “We call (the police). When you do come — and I don’t mean this as any disrespect; I am a PSW and I understand (staffing) shortages — we’ve been told ‘Go back to bed’ when we’re woken up in the middle of night when a store is getting its windows bashed in.”

“We’re scared, we’re terrified, and it’s every day we’re seeing this (crime), and at all hours of the night. We have offered our help as a community many times to do whatever we can, and we still haven’t seen the results of that. We’re all on board for that. We matter, and so does our mental health.”

In response to that candid take, operations division inspector Jamie Hartnett acknowledged the resident’s comments captured the reason for the gathering.

“We’re trying our best but we know our best isn’t good enough right now,” he said, assuring “We will do our best moving forward.”

“We are challenged with some of the shortages (in officers). I apologize on behalf of the service (for the alleged ‘Go back to bed’ response). That’s inappropriate. There’s no reason anyone should be spoken to like that by one of our members.”

In his comments, detective inspector John Lyons confirmed what many residents have already assumed: the dramatic violent crime spike is being driven by increasing illicit drug activity.

“We don’t have random situations going on,” he said. “Quite often it (violent crime) is targeted. There was a day when we knew the majority of the people involved in crime in the city. A lot of our crime now is committed by people coming into our city.”

The increased use of firearms in acts of violence, according to Lyons, is a marked departure from not all that long ago when gun-related violence in the city was rarely seen. Statistics for the city area in question, provided by Harnett, bear that out.

“In 2017, we had six firearm-related offences; in 2018, we had seven. In the past two years (2020 and 2021), we’ve had 23 and 16 respectively. Break and enters have increased significantly, from 79 in 2019 all the way up to 147 in 2021. Robberies also increased during that time.”

“We’re listening to the community and the concerns. Every day, we’re trying to do the best we can with what we have. We spend more time in this area when time permits, (but) it’s probably not enough.”

Following the meeting, Farquharson acknowledged proactive policing, as opposed to reactive enforcement, is a high priority.

“We have become a reactive police service,” he admitted. “Most services in the province are (like) that because of the number of calls that aren’t necessarily police-related. People just want to see the police in a timely manner — not four days later, not 12 hours later. When we had (a) rapid response unit for six months, it paid dividends. The problem now is we just don’t have the staffing model in place.”

“We’re saying it’s going to be a little bit of time. In the meantime, we’re working on a lot of challenges. But if we can get the community making those calls and giving us information we need, that gives our crime analysts information and we know where to go.”

Meanwhile, both Farquharson and Lyons were thrilled with the turnout for the meeting, each putting great value on what they heard.

“I heard a lot of honesty, I heard some frustration, but I heard truth,” Lyons said. “That, to me, is what town halls are about. I’ve been to many where people are afraid to speak their piece because they’re afraid of repercussions. What I saw tonight were honest people standing up and saying what they felt, and some of the (police) responses they have received.”

“Some of those responses haven’t been adequate, but we don’t know unless we know. If we can come here and get some honest and true feedback, we’re able to inwardly look at what we’re doing, and try and find solutions.”

A Peterborough police officer is being praised for a recent act of kindness beyond his normal police duties.

According to a Facebook post by the Peterborough Police Service on Thursday (August 11), the officer had been conducting a well-being check on a 76-year-old resident.

“During the conversation the officer learned the resident had just had a medical procedure and was distraught they weren’t able to cut their lawn,” the post reads.

“Without hesitation, the officer took five minutes and was able to cut the lawn for the resident, who was very grateful for the assistance and compassion.”

The Facebook post has since received over 1,800 positive reactions as well as many glowing comments.

“There are so many acts of kindness and good news stories the police do that are never talked about,” reads one comment.

Although the post did not identify the officer at his request, in the comments the officer’s mother identified him as Constable Brandon Bigelow, who joined the service in 2018.

Following a trend with hospitals across Ontario, Ross Memorial Hospital in Lindsay is urging area residents to consider alternative options for non-urgent care due to pressures on the hospital.

“Ross Memorial Hospital is impressing upon the local community the severity of the challenges the hospital is facing today due to high patient volumes and a second COVID-19 outbreak,” the hospital states in a media release on Thursday (August 11).

The statement came on the same day the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit declared a COVID-19 outbreak in the hospital’s medical middle unit on Thursday. Last Friday (August 5), the health unit also declared a COVID-19 outbreak in the hospital’s medical north unit.

The hospital is asking patients with less urgent conditions to consider alternate options for care such as their primary health care provider, pharmacist, after-hours clinic, virtual care, or calling Telehealth Ontario at 1-866-797-0000.

“After-hours clinics can often treat non-urgent and minor illnesses and ailments, such as earaches, sore throats or prescription refills,” the hospital states, adding that health care professionals at the hospital “are working around the clock to treat patients as quickly as possible while continuing to administer exceptional care.”

Last Thursday (August 4), Peterborough Regional Health Centre also asked area residents with non-urgent care needs to seek alternative options rather than coming to the emergency department, stating that high patient volumes and staffing shortages were creating “significant pressure” at the hospital.