Ontario reported a new pandemic high of 18,445 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday (January 1), the fourth straight day of record-breaking infections as the highly transmissible omicron variant continues to sweep across the province.

Saturday’s record exceeds the previous records of 16,713 new cases set on Friday, 13,807 on Thursday, and 10,436 on Wednesday. The seven-day average of new daily cases now stands at 12,496, more than double what it was only a week ago.

While Public Health Ontario released Saturday’s case numbers in its daily epidemilogical summary report, the Ontario government will not be updating its data — which includes hospitalizations and ICU usage — until Tuesday (January 4). As of Friday, there were 1,144 COVID-related hospitalizations in Ontario and 192 patients in ICUs due to COVID-19.

According to Public Health Ontario, it’s likely the actual number of Ontarians with COVID-19 is higher due to changes in the availability of testing because of the omicron variant.

Most of the new cases are in larger urban centres, including Toronto (4,721), Peel (1,730), York (1,711), Ottawa (1,482), and Hamilton (1,032).

In the greater Kawarthas region, Hastings Prince Edward is reporting 236 new cases, Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge is reporting 151, and Peterborough is reporting 144.

As of Friday, there were 2,405 active cases in the greater Kawarthas region, including 1,040 in Hastings Prince Edward, 746 in Peterborough, and 619 in Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge (352 in Northumberland, 231 in Kawartha Lakes, and 36 in Haliburton).

During a virtual media conference on Thursday, Ontario’s chief medical officer of health Dr. Kieran Moore announced a series of changes to public health measures and guidance in the province.

The changes included limiting eligibility for PCR tests to high-risk people, reducing the isolation period for fully vaccinated people, reserving rapid antigen tests for health care and the highest-risk settings, restricting spectator capacity to 50 per cent of capacity or 1,000 people (whichever is less) indoors at sports venues, concert venues, and theatres, offering fourth doses to long-term care residents, mandating third doses for all long-term care staff, students, volunteers, caregivers, and support workers, and delaying the return to school by two days.

Notably absent from Thursday’s media conference were Ontario Premier Doug Ford, health minister and deputy premier Christine Elliott, and education minister Stephen Lecce, prompting widespread public criticism.

Ford’s last media conference was on December 17, when the province announced additional public health restrictions to contain the spread of the omicron variant. On that date, Ontario was reporting 3,124 new cases.

Saturday’s report of 18,445 new cases far exceeds the 10,000 cases by the end of December, projected on December 16 by Ontario’s science advisory table if people did not reduce their close contacts by at least 50 per cent.

The City of Kawartha Lakes is temporarily closing the pools at Lindsay Recreation Complex in Lindsay and Forbert Memorial Pool in Bobcaygeon and cancelling all aquatic programming from Sunday, January 2nd to Saturday, January 8th.

The municipality announced the temporary closure on Friday (December 31), “to help ensure the safety of the public and staff” given the omicron wave of the pandemic.

Any registrations for drop-in public swim programs during this time period will be cancelled and refunds will be issued automatically to registered participants. Drop-in public swim programs are scheduled to resume on Sunday, January 9th.

Registered aquatic programs, including swim lessons and aquafit classes, that were scheduled to start the week of January 3rd will be delayed one week, and will instead begin the week of January 10th.

The session end date will be extended by one week to make up the missed class.

Residents who have any questions and concerns can email aquatics@kawarthalakes.ca.

Environment Canada has issued a winter weather travel advisory for much of the Kawarthas region for Saturday night (January 1) into Sunday.

The advisory is in effect for Peterborough County, Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland County, and central Hastings County.

Snow is expected to develop over the area late Saturday afternoon or Saturday evening. The snow will continue into Sunday with peak snowfall rates of 1 to 2 cm per hour possible.

Total snowfall amounts of 5 to 10 cm are possible by the time the snow comes to an end on Sunday afternoon.

Travel may be hazardous Saturday night and Sunday morning as untreated surfaces are expected to become snow covered and icy.

This snow is the result of a low pressure system passing south of Lake Erie Saturday night. There is still uncertainty regarding the track of this system. Should the low pressure system track farther south, the resulting snowfall amounts would be less.

Motorists should expect hazardous winter driving conditions and adjust travel plans accordingly. Consider postponing non-essential travel until conditions improve.

On the same day Ontario reported a pandemic high of new COVID-19 cases due to the highly transmissible omicron variant, the provincial government announced a series of changes to public health measures and guidance.

The changes include limiting eligibility for PCR tests to high-risk people, reducing the isolation period for fully vaccinated people, reserving rapid antigen tests for health care and the highest-risk settings, restricting spectator capacity to 50 per cent of capacity or 1,000 people (whichever is less) indoors at sports venues, concert venues, and theatres, offering fourth doses to long-term care residents, mandating third doses for all long-term care staff, students, volunteers, caregivers, and support workers, and delaying the return to school by two days.

“Today we are reporting 13,807 new cases of COVID-19 in Ontario,” said Dr. Kieran Moore, Ontario’s chief medical officer of health, during a virtual media conference on Thursday (December 30). “I know that this number and the numbers that we have seen in the last few days feel overwhelmingly high but, with a doubling time of approximately three days, we must be prepared to see our cases continue to grow.”

“The good news is that with this increase of cases, we have not seen a corresponding rapid increase in hospitalizations and ICU admissions. Today we are reporting 965 people in hospital, and 200 people in ICU due to COVID-related critical illness.”

Dr. Moore added that, while omicron is clearly more transmissible, preliminary findings from Public Health Ontario suggest it is less virulent than earlier strains of the virus.

“The risk of hospitalization or death was 54 per cent lower for omicron cases as compared to delta cases,” he said, cautioning that the number of hospitalizations and impacts on the health care sector will still be “significant” due to the variant’s high transmissibility.

Dr. Moore said the province has asked hospitals to update their daily reporting to distinguish the number of people admitted to hospital or ICUs for COVID-19 from those who are admitted for other reasons, “such as a broken bone or appendicitis,” but who also test positive for COVID-19.

Effective Friday (December 31), publicly funded PCR testing will only be available for high-risk people who are symptomatic or who are at risk of severe illness from COVID-19 — including for the purposes of confirming a COVID-19 diagnosis to begin treatment — and workers and residents in the highest-risk settings as well as vulnerable populations. Eligible groups for PCR testing are outlined at news.ontario.ca/en/backgrounder/1001387/updated-eligibility-for-pcr-testing-and-case-and-contact-management-guidance-in-ontario.

This change means the government is asking members of the general public with mild symptoms of COVID-19 to no longer seek PCR testing. There will also be no PCR tests for asymptomatic people in the community. The government is also no longer requiring or encouraging most people with a positive result from a rapid antigen test to get a confirmatory PCR or rapid molecular test.

“This we recognize reflects some significant changes from our previous COVID testing strategy, which meant that anyone with symptoms could receive a PCR test,” Dr. Moore said. “But the omicron variant is rapidly spreading, and we must preserve these resources for those who need them the most.”

Dr. Moore said the government has a limited supply of rapid antigen tests and is prioritizing the tests for health care and highest risk settings. This includes rapid antigen test use for “test-to-work” situations where asymptomatic staff in these sectors can return to work when they would otherwise be on isolation at home. Rapid antigen testing may be used to confirm if a symptomatic person has COVID-19, with no requirement for a confirmatory PCR or rapid molecular test.

“This means that, if you have symptoms of COVID-19 and are not eligible for a PCR test and do not have access to a rapid antigen test, you should assume that you have COVID-19 and isolate according to our revised guidelines.”

Ontario is also changing the required isolation period for people with COVID-19 who are vaccinated and children under 12 — as well as their household contacts — to five days following the onset of symptoms. If their symptoms are improved for at least 24 hours after five days, they can end isolation as long as they continue to follow all public health and safety measures including masking and physical distancing. Non-household contacts of these people are not required to isolate, but must self-monitor for symptoms for 10 days.

People with COVID-19 who are unvaccinated, partially vaccinated, or immunocompromised will be required to isolate for 10 days.

While the government recommends that those who work or live in high-risk health care settings return to work after 10 days from their last exposure or symptom onset or from their date of diagnosis, to ensure sufficient staffing levels in health care settings, they have the option to return to work after isolating for seven days, based on a negative PCR on day six or two negative rapid antigen tests on day six and seven. The province will provide the testing through the health-care setting.

When it comes to case and contact management, Dr. Moore said that public health will “shift its focus” to positive cases in high-risk settings such as long-term care homes and retirement homes.

“Other individual cases will be asked to identify and inform their own close contacts,” Dr. Moore said. “This means that not everyone will get a call from public health with guidance or next steps.”

Dr. Moore said lower-risk individuals with COVID-19 symptoms who think or known they may have been exposed should visit ontario.ca/exposed for more information.

Effective immediately, the province will be making fourth doses of mRNA vaccines available to residents of long-term care homes, retirement homes, Elder Care Lodges, and other congregate care settings if at least three months, or 84 days, have passed since their third dose.

By January 28, all staff, students, volunteers, caregivers, and support workers in long-term care homes will be required to get a third dose of a COVID-19 vaccine if they are eligible for one. All visitors to long-term care homes will be required to provide proof of a booster dose once the temporary pause on general visitors is lifted.

Effective at 12:01 a.m. on Friday (December 31), Ontario is restricting spectator capacity to 50 per cent of the usual seating capacity or 1,000 people (whichever is less) in the indoor areas of
spectator areas of facilities used for sports and recreational fitness activities (e.g., sporting events), concert venues, and theatres. Previously, the capacity limit on these settings was 50 per cent regardless of the maximum capacity of the venue.

“Finally, I know many parents and students are anxious to hear about the return to school,” Dr. Moore said. “I and colleagues from across Ontario have always maintained that schools should be the last to close and the first to open. It is critical to the positive mental health and academic success of our children.”

Dr. Moore confirmed students will return to in-person learning on Wednesday (January 5), two days later than originally scheduled.

“This will provide our schools with extra time to begin to put in place additional health and safety measures,” Dr. Moore said, which include:

• More rigorous screening and monitoring of symptoms for students, parents, and staff.
• Providing non-fit-tested N95 masks for staff in schools and licensed child care settings as an optional alternative to medical or surgical masks, and additional supply of free high-quality three-ply cloth masks for students and children in January.
• Providing an additional 3,000 standalone HEPA filter units to school boards.
• Continuing PCR testing eligibility for symptomatic elementary and secondary students, education staff, and participating private and First Nation operated schools who have received a PCR self-collection kit through their school.
• Temporarily permitting only low-contact indoor sports and safe extra-curricular activities starting in January.
• Updating COVID-19 reporting requirements for school boards and child care in January.
• Supporting the projected hiring of over 2,000 staff, including additional teachers, custodians, and mental health workers.

“I understand that we’re all tired and just want this pandemic to be over,” Dr. Moore said. “Unfortunately though, we need to get through this omicron wave.”

“I’m hopeful that, with the effort that we are putting in now, 2022 will prove to be a year that we are able to get the better of this virus.”

A Minden restaurant has closed after failing to comply with COVID-19 regulations, according to a media release from the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge (HKPR) District Health Unit issued on Thursday (December 30).

On December 14, the health unit served the owner of Minden’s 50 Diner, located at 12311 Highway 35 in Minden, with a Section 22 order under the province’s Health Protection and Promotion Act. The order required the owner to comply with all provincial measures for restaurants required by the Reopening Ontario Act, and associated regulations, or to close the premises.

The health unit issued the Section 22 order after receiving multiple complaints about the restaurant not following provincial COVID-19 regulations. Health unit staff visited the restaurant multiple times to provide information and education to the owner before progressing to further enforcement measures.

On December 19, the restaurant posted on its Facebook page that it was no longer providing dine-in service.

“Unfortunately we can not willingly participate in this vaccine passport segregation that is taking place,” the Facebook post reads in part.

On December 23, a Superior Court judge made an order, with the consent of the parties, that the restaurant remain closed until further order of the court.

“Because patrons are not always fully masked while in a food premise, the province’s Reopening Ontario Act requires that restaurants take additional actions to prevent spread of COVID-19,” says medical officer of health Dr. Natalie Bocking in the media release. “By not complying with provincial regulations for indoor masking and proof of vaccination, operators put their staff and customers at risk.”

“We are grateful to the many operators in our region who continue to work with HKPR in meeting the provincial requirements and helping to prevent the spread of COVID-19,” Dr. Bocking adds.

If you could grant the Peterborough region a special gift for 2022, what would it be? This is part two of our three-part holiday column series featuring the responses of local leaders to the question, “What is your green wish for our community for 2022?”

Last week, we featured the wishes of local politicians and business leaders. This week, as 2021 comes to an end, we are excited to ring in the New Year with our next set of green wishes from local environmental and social justice leaders.

We would love to hear from you too! Please share your green wish for 2022 with us on social media @PtboGreenUP or or by visiting greenup.on.ca/green-wish.

Happy holidays from the team at GreenUP!

Tegan Moss, Executive Director at GreenUP

I often experience feelings of connection and contentment when I am outside. Be it a brief moment on my ride to work or after hours spent with a shovel in my garden, something will capture my attention and call me into the present moment.

An earthworm reminds me that the soil is living. A sunbeam strikes a leaf that is breathing in CO2. Pollinators buzz by with a backdrop of wispy clouds. For just a few breaths I might stand awestruck with the beauty and resilience of the natural world.

My green wish for 2022 is that everyone be able to feel their own connection to nature, and that together we can use those feelings as fuel to take action and address the climate crisis.

Scott McKinlay, Board Member with For Our Grandchildren

After almost two years of countless WTFs (Wishes That Failed), one thing has become abundantly clear: people from all walks of life have found solace in nature.

So my wish for 2022 and beyond is that people and governments will continue to find, preserve, and nurture opportunities to reconnect with our natural roots. Experiences in nature not only inspire compassion for our Earthmates, but they rekindle an appreciation for the delicate balance between earth, wind, water, and fire.

We need more victories like the heritage designation of Jackson Park, and less destruction in pursuit of short-term gains.

Malaika Collette, Climate Activist and Program Coordinator with Kawartha World Issues Centre

My green wish for our community in 2022 is that we will grow even stronger as a climate community and continue to build relationships with one another while planning engaging and impactful events.

I hope our community can plan and participate in mass mobilizations to continue to show the power that our community has in creating change.

I would also like to see climate change prioritized in both the upcoming provincial and municipal elections.

Julie Cosgrove, Executive Director of the Kawartha World Issues Centre

My green wish is that we pause to recall that moment months ago when the skies cleared and the blue deepened, when birds flocked and animals crept back into our quiet neighbourhoods, and know what it is exactly that we love about this beautiful place, our home.

Zen master and peace activist Thich Nhat Hahn refers to love as a capacity more than a feeling.

My wish is that we realize our collective capacity to protect what we love and value, to enable the transformation which climate change and a just COVID recovery require of us, before it’s too late.

Jacob Rodenberg, Executive Director of Camp Kawartha and Co-author of the Big Book of Nature Activities

Here is hoping we can go beyond doing less harm by striving to do good. Let’s create natural rich spaces where both nature and people thrive. Let’s go beyond merely sustaining and work towards regenerating. We can bring nature back.

We can infuse our built spaces with nature both inside and out. We can use natural materials — so that when their life cycle is over, they become part of the soil. Let’s plant food right next to where we live, so we can harvest local and healthy food. Let’s design products based on the circular economy. In nature nothing goes to waste — so every product, when its useful life is over, can be re-purposed for something else.

In these challenging times, the answer is located right where it has always been: in nature.

Drew Monkman, Author, Naturalist, Columnist, Retired Teacher, and Co-author of the Big Book of Nature Activities

My hope is that Bird Friendly Peterborough, a local conservation organization, will be successful in having Peterborough designated as a Bird Friendly City.

In the past 50 years, North American bird populations have dropped by more than 25 per cent. We can reverse this trend with science-backed action.

Certification would be a source of community pride and tell the rest of Canada that our city takes important actions to help birds and reverse the declines in our own backyard. See www.birdfriendlypeterborough.ca.

Cam Douglas, Lead Teacher and Coordinator of Youth Leadership in Sustainability

My green wish is focused locally and politically this year. I hope that the candidates that step forward for our 2022 municipal election understand the imperative of moving away from business as usual in city budgeting, policy, and operations to address the related biodiversity and climate crises our community and planet are facing.

I hope too that our citizenry actively and vocally move the political space towards action on these crisis, so that our leaders can more easily manoeuvre in the right direction. Finally, I hope our city’s youth are engaged directly and sincerely in decision-making, and that that they can see their priorities reflected in council decisions.

Our response to COVID shows what we can do together when we’re at our best. Rest, breathe, then let’s get to work!

Brianna Salmon, Executive Director of Green Communities Canada

My green wish for 2022 is that communities across the country come together to rebuild from the COVID-19 pandemic, drawing upon the lessons we’ve learned about the power of collective action, the need to prioritize those who are most vulnerable, and the importance of investing in locally.

To address the climate crisis, we will need these lessons as well as a monumental and sustained commitment from all levels of society.

In 2022, I hope we meet this challenge with solutions that are creative, inclusive, and lasting.

Please return next week for the third and final instalment of our green wish 2022 series when we’ll feature green wishes from local cultural leaders and celebrities.

We’d love to hear from you, too. Share your green wish on our social media pages @PtboGreenUP or by visiting greenup.on.ca/green-wish.

Elizabeth (Betsy) McGregor, an internationally recognized champion of women, has been appointed to the Order of Canada.

The Douro-Dummer resident is one of 135 appointments to the Order of Canada announced by Governor General Mary Simon on Wednesday (December 29), which include novelist Yann Martel and former senator and chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Murray Sinclair. Martel and Sinclair were named as companions of the Order of Canada, the highest of the honour’s three levels. The other two levels of the order are officer and member.

McGregor was named as a member, which recognizes outstanding contributions at the local or regional level or in a special field of activity, “for her promotion of women in science and for her commitment to nurturing Canada’s next generation of leaders.”

McGregor is a former fellow of the Harvard Kennedy School and Harvard Medical School, where she coordinated an international working group on science and ethics and served as a member of Harvard’s Women’s Leadership Board. At the United Nations’ Commission on Science and Technology for Development, McGregor was director of studies for the gender working group leading into the Beijing Fourth World Conference on Women.

A doctor of veterinary medicine, McGregor also founded the World Women’s Veterinary Association, was founding architect of the Women Leader’s Network of APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) in collaboration with Canadian International Development Agency, and authored the Guidebook on Mainstreaming Gender in Science and Industry Ministries for Commonwealth Governments. UNESCO invited McGregor to co-author its inaugural chapter, ‘The Gender Dimension of Science’, for their UNESCO World Science Report.

McGregor ran as the federal Liberal candidate for the Peterborough riding in the 2008 and 2011 elections. After withdrawing from politics, she went on to author the acclaimed 2019 book Women on the Ballot: Pathways to Political Power, which profiles the stories of 95 women across Canada at different levels of politics and party affiliations.

Order of Canada recipients will be presented with their insignia at investiture ceremonies to be held on future dates.

Created in 1967, the Order of Canada is one of the country’s highest honours, with the order’s insignia of Desiderantes Meliorem Patriam (“They desire a better country”) reflecting the intent of the honour. More than 7,500 people from all sectors of society have been invested into the Order of Canada.

In 2019, Lynn Zimmer, a founder of Canada’s first crisis shelter for women fleeing domestic violence and the former long-time executive director of YWCA Peterborough Haliburton, was also appointed as a member of the Order of Canada.

kawarthaNOW published almost 2,000 stories in 2021, making it a challenge to select the top 21 stories of the past year.

It’s no surprise a large portion of our stories were related to COVID-19. We’ve decided to exclude almost every pandemic-related story from our top 21 because, frankly, we’re as tired of the pandemic as the rest of you.

Instead, we’ve chosen a selection from among the most-read, most-shared, and most interesting stories from the past 12 months. Some stories are tragic, some are sad, some are uplifting, some are inspiring, and some are just entertaining.

Here are our top 21 stories for 2021, presented chronologically.

1. Trent University founding president Thomas H.B. Symons passes away

On January 2, Trent University announced that its founding president Thomas Henry Bull Symons had passed away at the age of 91.

In 1961, while teaching history at the University of Toronto, Professor Symons was approached by a committee of Peterborough citizens who asked him to create a university for the city. He accepted the challenge and, at 33 years old, became the youngest university president in Canada. He served as Trent University’s president and vice-chancellor for 11 years until 1972.

He also played an instrumental role in the founding of Fleming College and over a dozen other colleges and universities around the world. His leadership in education and his contributions to society and the nation were widely recognized, including by his investment as a member of the Order of Canada in 1976 and the Order of Ontario in 2002.

2. Buckhorn man hailed as hero for saving a deer that had fallen through the ice

On January 15, we shared news about a Buckhorn man who was being hailed as a hero for saving a young deer that had fallen through the ice on Lower Buckhorn Lake.

The man’s neighbour Shelley Fine shared the news with photos on Facebook, where it quickly went viral.

Fine, who only identified her neighbour by his first name Rob at his request, described his heroic efforts to save the deer.

3. Don Skuce Memorial Music Collective reveals three winning original songs by Peterborough musicians

On February 1, we shared the results of the inaugural writing contests of the Don Skuce Memorial Music Collective.

In 2020, Peterborough native Greg Wells, now a Los Angeles-based Grammy award-winning producer and musician, was looking for a meaningful way to honour his friend, the late Don Skuce. Skuce, the former longtime owner of Ed’s Music Workshop in Peterborough and highly reputed guitar luthier, died in June 2018 at age 66 after a long battle with cancer.

The end result of Wells’ efforts led to the formation of the Don Skuce Memorial Music Collective that offers Peterborough-area musicians the opportunity to have a submitted original song recorded locally by producer James McKenty before being sent for final mixing and mastering, free of charge, by Wells at his Rocket Carousel Studio in Los Angeles.

4. Peterborough woman bequeaths $741,000 to local humane society for new animal care centre

On February 24, we reported on a Peterborough woman who bequeathed $741,000 to the Peterborough Humane Society to be used to fund the building of the society’s new animal care centre.

Cynthia (Cyndy) Richards passed away in November 2019 at the age of 71 after a long illness. She grew up in Peterborough before eventually moving to Alberta, where she owned horses and rescued cats. She returned to Peterborough in 2000, where she worked as an x-ray technician at Peterborough Regional Health Centre until she retired. She was an an avid volunteer at the Peterborough Humane Society.

In recognition of her gift, the cat adoption program at the Peterborough Humane Society’s new animal centre will be named the Cynthia Richards Cat Adoption Program.

5. Selwyn Township family releases second parody video on pandemic anniversary

On March 13, we highlighted a Selwyn Township family who marked the one-year anniversary of the World Health Organization declaring a global pandemic by releasing a parody video.

“Life in a Pandemic (don’t it stink)” features Ashton Kelly singing original lyrics set to the tune of Canadian musical icon Alanis Morissette’s 1996 hit “Ironic” — with the parody video mirroring Morissette’s original music video.

This is not the family’s first time tackling a COVID-19 parody song project. Last April, Ashton nd her family released their first parody song and its accompanying video on YouTube: “Something to Do-ah (The Isolation Song)” to the tune of “Hallelujah” by Leonard Cohen.

6. Residents of the Kawarthas report multiple sightings of a giant beaver

On April 1, we wrote a story about some residents of the Kawarthas who had reported seeing a bear-sized animal, with huge teeth and a long tail, emerging from the water of local lakes as the winter ice broke up.

Two residents on Jack Lake near Apsley created a Facebook group where others posted their encounters with the strange animal, believed to be a descendant of the prehistoric giant beaver (Castoroides), a huge rodent that roamed North America more than 10,000 years ago during the last ice age, along with the mastodon and giant sloth.

kawarthaNOW emailed scientists at several Ontario universities for comment on this story, but only received a single response: “This has got to be an April Fool’s joke, right?” the email said.

7. Peterborough community mourns tragic deaths of entrepreneur Jessica Dalliday and her newborn daughter

In what is perhaps the most tragic story of 2021, on April 6 we reported the deaths of well-known entrepreneur Jessica “Jess” Dalliday (nee Patterson) and her newborn daughter.

The owner and CEO of Pilates on Demand, Jess passed away in hospital following a complication that led to the passing of her newborn daughter Angeline less than a week before. Jess left behind her husband Michael and their two-year-old daughter Rachel.

kawarthaNOW recently learned that Michael has stepped away from his career as a physician assistant in emergency medicine to run Pilates on Demand and to carry on his late wife’s legacy.

8. Our top nine Instagram photographers for March 2021

Every day, our publisher Jeannine Taylor share photos on kawarthaNOW’s Instagram account @kawarthaNOW on Instagram from photographers from across the Kawarthas.

And, every month, we share the top nine photographers from the previous month. On April 11, we shared our top Instagram photographers for March, with the top post a stunning photo by Carolyn Camp of a barred owl in flight in the Kawartha Lakes.

Carolyn’s photo prompted more than 26,300 people to share our March Instagram story.

9. Peterborough’s Christian Rose featured in three episodes of NBC’s sci-fi drama series ‘Debris’

We published several stories in 2021 about actors in the Kawarthas achieving success, but this one stood out.

On May 30, we shared the story of 20-year-old actor and musician Christian Rose from Peterborough who, after feeling discouraged about his acting career, hastily made a self-tape audition for NBC’s sci-fi drama series Debris.

That self-tape audition led to Christian, who uses a wheelchair, being cast in a recurring role in the series. Although the show ended up being cancelled after one season, Christian considered this his “first really big role.”

10. Peterborough community creates memorial to honour 215 Indigenous children found buried at former B.C. residential school

One of the biggest — and most shameful — stories of 2021 was the discovery in May of the remains of 215 Indigenous children buried at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School in British Columbia. The news, which has made headlines around the world, once again shone a terrible light on Canada’s treatment of its Indigenous peoples.

Less than week later, a group of Indigenous women from Nogojiwanong-Peterborough created a makeshift memorial on the steps of Peterborough City Hall, leaving children’s shoes, stuffed animals, and medicines.

We wrote this story about the memorial on June 1, along with a follow-up story on June 14 when, after consulting with Chief Laurie Carr of Hiawatha First Nation and Chief Emily Whetung of Curve Lake First Nation, Peterborough Mayor Diane Therrien directed city staff to build a wooden platform to house the memorial.

11. Indigenous-led culture-based private school will open this September in Nogojiwanong-Peterborough

On July 14, we published a story about Ashley Wynne — an Anishinaabe mother of four — who founded an Indigenous culture-based private school in Nogojiwanong-Peterborough.

Frustrated about the lack of Indigenous language and culture curriculum in Ontario public schools, Ashley decided to open Sage and Sunshine after homeschooling some of her children throughout the pandemic, incorporating Indigenous language and culture into the Ontario curriculum.

Recognizing that members of the Indigenous community may be unable to afford private school tuition fees, she also began raising funds to support eight Indigenous families to attend the school.

12. Omemee’s ‘Emily Garbage Shark’ paddles Pigeon River picking up trash along the way

On July 17, we shared the story of Christine Hoogkamer, an Omemee woman who finds and removes trash from Pigeon River near Emily Provincial Park during her regular paddles.

Christine posts photos of her garbage hauls, along with photos of the wildlife she encounters, on an Instagram account where she’s coined herself ‘Emily Garbage Shark’.

She hopes her efforts to keep the waters of Pigeon River clean will raise awareness, prompting people to make sure their own garbage does not end up in the water or even to begin picking up litter themselves.

13. ‘Hateful’ and ‘racist’ Facebook comments compel a Peterborough couple to bring a Syrian refugee to Canada

On July 29, we published a story about retired OPP officer Dave McNab, who reached out to Rashid, an 18-year-old Syrian refugee living alone in Turkey, who suffered online abuse and racism when he posted about his dream to come to Canada in a Facebook group.

Not only did Dave begin teaching Rashid English, he and his wife (veterinarian Kristy Hiltz) began the process of helping Rashid realize his dream by sponsoring him to come to Canada.

In November, Dave received the 2021 YMCA Peace Medal for his efforts to help Rashid, along with other acts of kindness.

14. Missing mare and her foal finally reunited with their Peterborough County owners

On August 30, we published a story about two horses, missing for a week from a farm in Peterborough County, that were finally reunited with their owners.

The 12-year-old palomino mare named Calypso and her 10-week-old foal escaped from the farm owned by the Chambers family and disappeared. For a week, the Chambers desperately searched for the horses, with the help of neighbours and others.

Shortly after we published and shared our original story abut the missing horses, a neighbour located the horses on their property about three kilometres away. With the help of a neighbouring family, the horses were corralled and taken home.

15. Shantelle and Yannick Bisson have embraced life in the Kawarthas with two cottages and a marina on Chandos Lake

We’ve written stories before about Shantelle and Yannick Bisson, who bought a cottage on Chandos Lake in 2017 and subsequently purchased the then-closed West Bay Narrows Marina, reopening it as Shantilly’s Place.

Shantelle is a parenting expert and author and entrepreneur, and her husband Yannick is famous for playing the role of Detective William Murdoch on the CBC television series Murdoch Mysteries since 2008.

On September 16, we published this story about how the couple has embraced life in the Kawarthas (they now own a second cottage) and how the new grandparents are building a family legacy in North Kawartha.

16. Political neophyte Michelle Ferreri unseats former Liberal Cabinet minister Maryam Monsef in Peterborough-Kawartha

On September 20, Canadians went to the polls. While the Liberals once again formed a minority government, political neophyte Michelle Ferreri unseated former Liberal Cabinet minister Maryam Monsef in Peterborough-Kawartha.

It was only the second time in almost 60 years that Peterborough-Kawartha, known as a bellwether riding, has elected a candidate who is not a member of the party that has formed the federal government.

A social media marketer and former broadcaster running for political office for the first time, Ferreri defeated Monsef — who has been a Cabinet minister in the past two Liberal governments — by 2,738 votes.

17. Hundreds of people come together as ‘Team Mellie’ to support Peterborough woman with brain cancer

On October 15, we shared the bittersweet story of Peterborough’s Melissa Lamore and her family. In 2020, Melissa was diagnosed with glioblastoma, the same aggressive brain cancer that claimed the life of The Tragically Hip’s lead singer Gord Downie.

Melissa, her husband Alex, and her son and daughter Murphy and Megan have received the moral support of hundreds of people on Facebook, along with financial support through two crowdfunding campaigns.

After many months of treatment and surgeries, Melissa made the decision in October to stop further treatment and spend her remaining time with her family — including her last Christmas.

18. Peterborough music community mourning the loss of gifted saxophonist Jonathan ‘Jonny’ Wong

On October 18, we shared the news that well-known musician Jonathan “Jonny” Wong had passed away at the age of 36 following a battle with leukemia.

A member of the award-winning blues band The 24th Street Wailers, Jonny was known for his superb saxophone playing and high-energy presence, both on and off the stage. He received four horn player of the year awards from the Toronto Blues Society.

He often performed in Peterborough, and was a close friend of Emily Burgess, lead singer and guitarist of The Emily Burgess Band and a member of The Weber Brothers Band. During the pandemic, Jonny had just embarked on a new career as a web developer when he became ill.

19. Peterborough’s new Animal Care Centre will revolutionize animal wellness in Canada

On November 13, we published a story following an exclusive tour of the new $10-million Peterborough Animal Care Centre currently under construction.

The Peterborough Humane Society’s existing Lansdowne Street location, which opened in 1956, can no longer keep pace with the growing demand for animal care services and kennel space.

The new 24,000-square-foot centre, set to open in October 2022, will provide care and housing of animals in need, a spay and neuter clinic that can accommodate 25 animals daily and, in partnership with the Ontario SPCA, Canada’s first provincial dog rehabilitation centre that will care and support animals that have been abused, neglected, or traumatized.

20. Peterborough’s Jackson Park and Hamilton Park to be designated as a ‘cultural heritage landscape’

On December 7, we shared the news that Peterborough city council has endorsed designating Jackson Park as a “cultural heritage landscape” under the Ontario Heritage Act — eight years after the city had proposed building a four-lane bridge through the park.

The designation would include both Jackson Park at 610 Parkhill Road and the adjacent Hamilton Park at 575 Bonaccord Street.

Council’s decision to proceed with the heritage decision comes eight years after the City of Peterborough’s doomed Parkway Corridor project, which proposed a four-lane bridge that would span Jackson Park.

21. ‘Questionable Taste’ cooking show filmed in Peterborough highlights local food in the Kawarthas region

It’s no secret that kawarthaNOW, as a locally owned independent business, is a strong supporter of everything local — from local arts to local food to local businesses. So this story hits all the marks for us.

‘Questionable Taste’ is a cooking show filmed in Peterborough with three Peterborough natives behind the camera: co-directors Chad Maker and Kirk Comrie and cinematographer Michael Hurcomb. Hosted by actor Ray Galletti, the show brings celebrity guests into the kitchen where the attempt to recreate a favourite recipe using at least one locally sourced ingredient.

Not only do three of the celebrity guests have a local connection (Lakefield-born-and-raised musician Royal Wood and North Kawartha cottage and business owners Shantelle and Yannick Bisson), but the show also features locally owned businesses in the Kawarthas.

The Ontario Hockey League has postponed the next three Peterborough Petes regular season games “as result of Covid-19 protocols affecting the club,” according to a media release on Tuesday (December 28).

The postponement includes the next two home games at the Peterborough Memorial Centre on Thursday (December 30) and Saturday (January 1), when the Petes were set to face off against the Barrie Colts and the Niagara IceDogs respectively, as well as the Petes game against the IceDogs at the Meridian Centre in St. Catharines on Friday (December 31).

“The Ontario Hockey League and the Peterborough Petes will not be providing comment at this time,” reads the media release, which provides no details on the reason for the postponement,

The three postponed games will be rescheduled to later dates.

When the new dates are confirmed, digital tickets issued for the three games will be reissued.

Physical tickets will also be honoured for the rescheduled games.

Children 12 years of age and younger can ride Peterborough Transit for free during 2022, beginning Sunday (January 2).

Under the pilot program, eligible children will not require a transit pass to ride the bus and will not be required to provide proof of age.

The pilot program applies to all regular transit routes in the City of Peterborough as well as registered users of the specialized van service. It does not include The Link bus service that runs between the city and Selwyn Township.

The intention of the pilot program is to create “more lifetime transit riders” according to city councillor and transportation co-chair Kemi Akapo.

“Children will not only learn to navigate the city and see public transit as their chosen travel option, they will also appreciate and contribute to the benefit of public transit in reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” Akapo says in a media release.

When boarding the bus, either the child or the adult they are travelling with must let the bus driver know that they are 12 years old or under. Alternatively, children can show the driver a free child pass. The passes are available upon request by contacting Peterborough Transit customer service at 705-745-0525.

The pilot program was approved by city council during a finance committee meeting in November.

To offset the cost of lost fares, up to $25,000 from the city’s climate change action plan capital project will be transferred to Peterborough Transit’s 2022 operations budget. Staff will report back to council during the 2023 budget process to provide an update on the results of the pilot project.

Other transit systems in Ontario already operate similar programs. The TTC began offering free rides for children 12 and under in 2015, and GO Transit did the same in 2019.