Many volunteers at Winfield Shores Harbour Park, this year's Depave Paradise project in Lakefield, were older adults who continue to lead the maintenance of the parkette in their neighbourhood.
Enhancing urban spaces using the principles of universal design, which meets the needs of all people regardless of age or ability, will be even more important as the percentage of people in the Peterborough area who are over 65 continues to increase in the next 25 years. (Photo: Hayley Goodchild / GreenUP)
“What age do you consider to be old?”
That’s the provocative question at the heart of a video (see below) from the Disrupt Aging campaign by AARP that has garnered more than 1.3 million views on YouTube since 2016.
Each week, GreenUP provides a story related to the environment. This week’s column is by Hayley Goodchild, NeighbourHOOD and Residential Programs Coordinator at GreenUP.
The video debunks stereotypes about aging by inviting millennials and older adults to talk about their lives and teach one another something they’re good at. At the end, the millennial participants revisit their earlier assumptions around the meaning of old. The takeaway? Many people live life to the fullest well into their seventies, eighties, and beyond.
Advertisement - content continues below
You’ll get no argument from this elder millennial. Many volunteers at this year’s Depave Paradise project in Lakefield were older adults, who ripped up asphalt by hand and moved many yards of soil over multiple days. Since then, a group of committed volunteers — all older in age — have been leading the maintenance of this wonderful parkette in their neighbourhood.
At the same time, many people do develop challenges as they age, from declining vision and mobility, to social isolation, and more. According to the Age-Friendly Peterborough Community Action Plan, “the Peterborough region has an older age profile than the provincial average, and the percentage of people over 65 in the region is projected to increase substantially over the next 25 years, with a sharper increase expected in the County.”
While life expectancy and quality of life in older age are both increasing, people are more likely to have one or more disabilities as they age, such as a chronic health condition. Such issues aren’t necessarily unique to older adults. Even though the average age of onset of a disability is the early forties, people of all ages have diverse abilities and accessibility needs.
VIDEO: Millennials Show Us What ‘Old’ Looks Like | Disrupt Aging
Through GreenUP’s NeighbourHOOD programs, we’ve heard from many people about the ways that urban spaces could be enhanced using the principles of universal design. Universal design is design that meets the needs of all people regardless of age, ability, and other factors.
For example, older residents in Peterborough’s Kawartha Heights neighbourhood, some of whom provide child care for their grandchildren, have explained that local green spaces are geared more toward young, able-bodied children.
Shaded seating areas, accessible washrooms and pathways, and exercise equipment are just some of the features they would like to see added to parks in their neighbourhood. These enhancements could support people of all ages and abilities.
Advertisement - content continues below
Roads and sidewalks also present many barriers.
“In many of our neighbourhoods, even when there are sidewalks, the width of the sidewalk, the quality of the pavement, and the location of curb cuts all contribute to whether or not folks can use them effectively,” explains Laura Keresztesi, GreenUP’s NeighbourHOOD Programs coordinator.
“In neighbourhoods like Jackson Park-Brookdale, Talwood, and Downtown Jackson Creek, folks who use mobility aids say they are often forced to travel on the road, where they don’t feel safe. Other residents avoid using particular intersections because of the speed and unpredictability of traffic.”
According to a Statistics Canada survey on disability, one in seven Canadians aged 15 years and older reported a disability, representing around 3.8 million Canadians, with the average age of onset of disabilities in the early forties. In the Downtown Jackson Creek neighbourhood in Peterborough, there are several reasons why people using wheelchairs are forced onto the street even where sidewalks are available. (Photo: GreenUP)
The need is obvious: urban spaces should meet the needs of people of all ages and abilities. We were thrilled to learn that Green Communities Canada is emphasizing age-friendly design in its latest round of Depave Paradise projects.
“Depave projects help communities adapt to climate change by allowing rain to soak into the ground where it falls, reducing the risk of flooding, and helping to protect the health of our waterways,” explains Brianna Salmon, executive director of Green Communities Canada. “They also create valued community green spaces in areas that were previously underutilized, and this means they provide an opportunity to transform spaces with the public interest in mind.”
“We are encouraging an intentional approach to engaging older adults because we recognize that they are a demographic who can be disproportionately impacted by urban design,” continues Salmon. “We want them to be part of the conversation, and celebrate their involvement with the Depave program, because we believe that a site designed with age-inclusive principles benefits everyone.”
Advertisement - content continues below
To kick-off our next Depave project in an age-friendly way, GreenUP is hosting a virtual community conversation on Thursday, November 25th. This session will focus on age-friendly, accessible design and continue these discussions with residents throughout the greater Peterborough region.
The event will feature short presentations from community members and other aging, accessibility, and planning experts. Learn more about what age-friendly and accessible universal design means to residents throughout the greater Peterborough region. Then we’ll explore how parks, roadways, and parking lots can be enhanced in age-friendly and accessible ways.
Peterborough GreenUP is hosting a free virtual session on exploring age-friendly design on November 25, 2021. (Graphic: GreenUP)
GreenUP’s NeighbourHOOD work is generously funded by the Community Foundation of Greater Peterborough (CFGP). Depave Paradise is a program of Green Communities Canada (GCC) that is funded through a private trust. For more information about the Community Conversations event, or Depave Paradise, please contact Hayley Goodchild at hayley.goodchild@greenup.on.ca.
UPDATE Thu Nov 18 9:18 p.m. – The Peterborough Police Service reports Stephanie Black has been located safe and sound.
The Peterborough Police Service is asking for the public’s assistance in locating missing person Stephanie Black.
She was last seen in the Wolfe Street and Aylmer Street area last Friday (November 12).
Black is described as Indigenous, 5’3″ with a medium build, short blue hair mixed with dark hair, and is missing a tooth on the left side of her mouth. She is possibly wearing dark clothing.
Advertisement - content continues below
Family and police are concerned for her well-being.
Anyone with information is asked to call Police at 705-876-1122 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or online at www.stopcrimehere.ca
Peterborough's 18th annual ReFrame Film Festival, running from January 27 to February 4, 2022, will take place priamrily in a virtual format and will be available to audiences across Canada. Early bird virtual passes go on sale as of November 18, 2021. (Illustration: Casandra Lee / Design: SJ Graphics)
Peterborough’s ReFrame Film Festival is returning for its 18th year and, for the second year in a row, the documentary film festival will take place virtually.
Early bird virtual passes are available on Thursday (November 18) for the 2022 festival, which will last for a full nine days.
The festival takes place from Thursday, January 27th to Friday, February 4th and, as always, will feature a wide range of thought-provoking and inspiring documentary films rooted in social and environmental justice.
Advertisement - content continues below
The virtual format, which makes all the films available for on-demand viewing on the Eventive virtual platform, was first introduced at the 2021 festival in response to the pandemic.
The new format proved popular with viewers, who were able to enjoy the films from the comfort and safety of their own homes over the course of a full week, without having to choose between simultaneous screenings, as is the case with the traditional three-day in-person festival.
Switching to a virtual format for the 2021 festival also expanded the audience beyond the Peterborough area to everyone in Ontario, and the 2022 ReFrame Film Festival will take that one step further, making the films available to audiences across Canada to enjoy.
The 2022 ReFrame Film Festival runs from Thursday, January 27 to Friday, February 4. (Illustrations: Casandra Lee / Design: SJ Graphics)
“We heard our audiences say they found the online experience safe, convenient, and accessible,” says Amy Siegel, ReFrame’s creative director, in a media release. “We’re excited to expand our platform and bring this community-minded event to homes from coast to coast.”
Looking for a holiday gift? Although the festival does not begin until January 27, ReFrame is releasing a limited number of early bird virtual passes online on Thursday (November 18). For $55, the virtual pass will let you stream all the films at the 2022 festival.
While the 2022 festival is primarily virtual, there will be some special in-person screenings with details to be announced at a later date. The virtual passes are not valid for any in-person screenings.
To purchase early bird virtual passes, and for more information about the 2022 festival (the film schedule is yet to be released), visit reframefilmfestival.ca.
Millbrook's outdoor theatre company 4th Line Theatre has launched a new interdisciplinary residency program that will provide grants to four artists in the greater Kawarthas region to create original works or develop existing works in the disciplines of theatre, music, dance, and film. Pictured is Peterborough filmmaker and storyteller Megan Murphy at the Winslow Farm, the home of 4th Line Theatre. (Photo: Jess McDougall)
4th Line Theatre will be giving grants to four artists in the greater Kawarthas region to create original works or develop existing works in the disciplines of theatre, music, dance, and film.
On Tuesday (November 16), the Millbrook outdoor theatre company announced its new interdisciplinary residency program, which will provide residencies for artists based in Millbrook, Peterborough, Lakefield, Port Hope, Cobourg, and the surrounding communities. The residencies will begin in January.
“In our continuing effort to give regional artists opportunities to explore and create new work, we have developed these longer form residencies for just that purpose,” says Kim Blackwell, 4th Line’s managing artistic director, in a media release.
Advertisement - content continues below
4th Line Theatre is now seeking project proposals from local artists or artist collectives to create original works or develop existing works during their residency, giving priority to artists who explore the history of the region in whatever medium they chose to work.
Artists who follow 4th Line Theatre’s mandate to develop and present original Canadian works of artistic excellence that explores regional themes, history and heritage — and to present this work in a politically responsible and culturally sensitive manner — will also receive special consideration.
4th Line Theatre will be award four grants of $2,500 to four successful candidates in the disciplines of theatre, music, dance, and film.
The deadline for artists to submit proposals is 5 p.m. on Monday, December 13th. Applications from artists must include a 500-word description of the proposed project, what category they are applying under, and a CV or bio. All proposals must be emailed to Jess McDougall, 4th Line’s artistic administrator, at jess@4thlinetheatre.on.ca.
Advertisement - content continues below
Successful applicants will be notified by Monday, December 20th, with the four residencies to begin in January 2022.
In October 2022, 4th Line Theatre will be feature a hybrid presentation (digital and live) of the artists’ work, showcasing a performance from each of the four resident artists.
For more information about the residencies, contact Jess McDougall at 705-932-4448 or jess@4thlinetheatre.on.ca.
Central Smith Creamery's ice cream delivery truck won't be delivering ice cream on December 17, 2021. Instead, the Selwyn business will be using the truck to pick up food donations from participating local businesses, organizations, and schools. (Photo: Central Smith Creamery)
On December 17, Central Smith Creamery’s ice cream delivery truck won’t be delivering ice cream. Instead, the Selwyn company aims to fill it with non-perishable food items for area food banks.
The family-owned business is challenging other local businesses, organizations, and schools to get involved by collecting food donations beginning on December 1.
On Friday, December 17th, Central Smith’s ice cream delivery truck will visit the participating locations to pick up the collected food, with the aim of filling the truck completely.
Advertisement - content continues below
“We want to support the communities in our own backyard,” Central Smith writes in an email to kawarthaNOW. “According to the Peterborough Food Action Network, between 2017 and 2018, 14.5 per cent of Peterborough residents lived with food insecurity. It’s called the season of giving and we want to challenge everyone to give back.”
Businesses, organizations, and schools that want to participate can email jenn@centralsmith.ca for more information. Central Smith will arrange a pickup time on December 17.
Local residents can also get involved by dropping off food donations at Central Smith Creamery at 739 Lindsay Road in Selwyn.
For more information about Central Smith Creamery, visit www.centralsmith.ca.
Enniskillen General Store, a family-owned business with locations in Enniskillen, Port Perry, Bowmanville, and Oshawa, is hosting a grand opening celebration of its new Peterborough location in Marsdale Plaza across from Beavermead Park on November 19, 2021. (Photo: Enniskillen General Store)
businessNOW™ is our round-up of business and organizational news from Peterborough and across the greater Kawarthas region.
businessNOW covers business and organizational news from across the Kawarthas. If you’d like us to promote your news in businessNOW, please email business@kawarthanow.com.
We feature Enniskillen General Store opening a new location in Peterborough, Sir Sam’s Ski and Ride in Haliburton under new ownership, Peterborough’s Noblegen one of 10 Canadian finalists in NASA and Canadian Space Agency’s Deep Space Food Challenge, and the Peterborough Symphony Orchestra announcing a new general manager.
We also feature Caitlin Smith as the new owner of ReCreate Space in Peterborough, Port Hope’s Capitol Theatre receiving a $100,000 pandemic-recovery grant from Mazda Canada Inc., Peterborough’s BWXT being awarded a $50 million contract to help refurbish Darlington Nuclear Generating Station, Flying Colours Corp. in Peterborough seeking new paint technicians, and other business and organizational news — including Tim Shauf, CEO of The Commonwell Mutual Insurance Group in Kawartha Lakes, becoming the campaign chair of the Ross Memorial Hospital Foundation’s upcoming capital campaign.
Enniskillen General Store opens new location in Peterborough
Enniskillen General Store is almost finished redecorating their new Peterborough location across from Beavermead Park. The new store opens on November 19, 2021. (Photo: Enniskillen General Store / Facebook)
Enniskillen General Store is about to open a new location in Peterborough.
In 2014, the Sheehan family purchased the Enniskillen General Store on Old Scugog Road in Enniskillen, which originally opened in 1840. The family-owned business has has since expanded with locations in Port Perry, Bowmanville, and Oshawa — and now in Peterborough.
Enniskillen General Store is known for its affordable over-sized ice cream cone featuring more than 40 flavours of Kawartha Dairy Ice Cream. They also sell unique soda pops and candies as well as home and cottage decor.
Advertisement - content continues below
The Peterborough store is located in Marsdale Plaza, beside just off Ashburnham Road across from Beavermead Park, in the former Mister Convenience location. It’s an ideal location to sell ice cream, with the park heavily used in the summer and with the new Canadian Canoe Museum currently under construction beside Beavermead Park.
The grand opening of the new location begins at 11 a.m. on Friday (November 19), with free ice cream for the first 105 attendees.
Sir Sam’s Ski and Ride in Haliburton is under new ownership
Bob Bishop (left) and Noreen Bishop (holding the circa-1970 family photo) founded Sir Sam’s Ski and Ride in 1965. After 56 years, the Bishop family has sold the business to the Wilkinson family. (Photo: Sir Sam’s Ski and Ride)
After 56 years of ownership and operation by the Bishop family, Sir Sam’s Ski and Ride in Haliburton is under new ownership.
The Wilkinson family has purchased the business from the Bishops, who founded the family-oriented ski and snowboarding resort in 1965.
“We could not have done this without your support,” says general manager Chris Bishop in a media release thanking customers, staff, and suppliers. “Our father and mother Bob and Noreen had a dream and a vision all those years ago to create a winter skiing facility that would promote Haliburton and Eagle Lake as a winter destination and that it would become an economic driver for the entire Haliburton Highlands. They accomplished this goal.”
The Bishops will be working with the Wilkinsons over the winter to help with the transition, with the Wilkinson family making some changes incuding renovations of the chalet.
Sir Sam’s, which also offers mountain biking in the off-season, attracts thousands of visitors across the region every year.
Peterborough’s Noblegen one of 10 Canadian finalists in NASA and Canadian Space Agency’s Deep Space Food Challenge
Noblegen is one of 10 Canadian finalists in the NASA and Canadian Space Agency Deep Space Food Challenge, which seeks to create innovative food production technologies for long-duration space missions that might also have potential to benefit people on Earth. (Photo: Canadian Space Agency)
Peterborough-based biotech company Noblegen has been selected as one of the 10 Canadian finalists in the Deep Space Food Challenge, for its proposal to turn human poop into food.
The challenge, launched by NASA and the Canadian Space Agency in January, is seeking “novel food production technologies or systems that require minimal inputs and maximize safe, nutritious, and palatable food outputs for long-duration space missions, and which have potential to benefit people on Earth.”
Noblegen’s “Space Euglena Production System” proposes using microbes to break down human waste into feedstocks that can be transformed into food using Noblegen’s single-cell microorganism called Euglena gracilis.
“We will maximize our efficiency by taking advantage of Euglena’s photosynthetic capacity, and growing microbes in energy-efficient bioreactors monitored and controlled by an autonomous AI system,” states Noblegen’s entry.
VIDEO: Welcome to the Deep Space Food Challenge
Noblegen has already used Euglena to launch its food and ingredient brand Eunite, which includes protein-rich flour, texturized protein and protein crisps, and an egg substitute.
The next step in the challenge is for all 10 finalists to build a food production technology prototype over the next year, demonstrating the prototype in summer 2002. Four finalists will receive a grant of $100,000 and will have 12 to 18 months to build a full-scale food production technology. A winner will be selected in spring 2024, with a grand prize of a $380,000 grant.
Earlier this month, magazine and research firm Corporate Knights (“the voice for clean capitalism”) selected Nobelgen founder and CEO Adam Noble as one of Canada’s top 30 under 30 sustainability leaders for 2021.
Peterborough Symphony Orchestra announces new general manager
Lee Bolton is the new general manager of the Peterborough Symphony Orchestra. (Photo courtesy of the PSO)
The Peterborough Symphony Orchestra (PSO) has announced the appointment of Lee Bolton as the general manager of the non-profit organization on a part-time basis.
A Peterborough native, Bolton has extensive experience in arts education and administration, beginning as stage manager for student productions at Thomas A. Stewart Secondary School in Peterborough.
While a student at York University, she founded Second Mile Theatre, which toured original plays to seniors’ centres and homes across the GTA. She was also artistic director of Yukon Educational Theatre, and spent 14 years in Vancouver training emerging actors at the William Davis Centre for Actors’ Study and serving as education coordinator for Full Circle First Nations Performance.
After completing her MA in theatre making at the University of Leeds in the UK, Bolton returned to Canada to become executive director of the 800-seat Imperial Theatre in Saint John, New Brunswick, here she worked with the PSO’s music director Michael Newnham in his capacity as music director for Symphony New Brunswick.
Advertisement - content continues below
After six years at Imperial Theatre, she returned to Peterborough, working with the Canadian Association for the Performing Arts and becoming general manager of Toronto-based Driftwood Theatre, Ontario’s leading outdoor summer touring theatre company. Currently theatre coordinator at Nozhem First Peoples Performance Space at Trent University, Bolton co-founded the Nogojiwanong Indigenous Fringe Festival with Joanne Argue and Drew Hayden Taylor.
The PSO has also launched a newly designed website at thepso.org/, created by local designer Amy LeClair. The website contains information about the PSO’s 2021/22 season, which includes three concerts at Showplace Performance Centre in the first half of 2022 — the orchestra’s first in-person concerts since the pandemic began.
Caitlin Smith is the new owner of ReCreate Space in Peterborough
Caitlin Smith, the new owner of ReCreate Space, a professional organizing business in Peterborough. (Photo courtesy of Caitlin Smith)
Caitlin Smith is the new owner of ReCreate Space, a professional organizing business in Peterborough.
The 33-year-old Smith, an artist and craftsperson who moved to Peterborough in 2012, purchased the business this past February from former owner Krista Brailey.
ReCreate Space offers services including move management, consulting and advising on a specific problematic area of the home or completing a whole home re-organization, and working with small businesses to streamline their processes, work spaces, filing and inventory systems.
“I help clients declutter, pare down, reorganize their belongings, and develop easily maintained systems to make their lives a little bit easier,” Smith tells kawarthaNOW. “I work together with the client to create simple systems that work with their lifestyle so they save time, feel a sense of calm and control, and are able to concentrate on the things in life that are most important.”
Smith is one of 12 entrepreneurs taking part in the fall 2021 intake of the Peterborough & the Kawarthas Business Advisory Centre’s Starter Company Plus program.
For more information on ReCreate Space, visit www.recreatespace.ca or call 705-808-0431.
Port Hope’s Capitol Theatre receives $100,000 pandemic-recovery grant from Mazda Canada Inc.
The Capitol Theatre in Port Hope, designated as a National Historic Site in 2016, has received a $100,000 grant from Mazda Canada Inc. (Photo: Alana Lee Photography)
Port Hope’s Capitol Theatre has received a $100,000 grant from Mazda Canada Inc. to help the non-profit organization recover from the pandemic.
The grant is part of Mazda’s $1 million “Local Legends” campaign to support the rebuilding of small businesses across Canada that have been significantly affected by COVID-19 lockdowns.
“The pandemic has threatened the viability of the arts and cultural sector as well as the financial stability of the artists and tradespeople that serve as the foundation of what we do,” says Erin Peirce, managing director of the Capitol Theatre, in a media release. “Recovery is still a long way away for us all, but these funds are essential to the survival of our institution and the community it serves, the artistic experiences we share and the memories we create.”
Mazda Canada is also calling on Canadians to nominate small businesses that are Local Legends in their own communities that they want to see supported. Nominations are open until Thursday, November 18th and can be submitted online at www.mazda.ca/en/mazdalocallegends/.
Peterborough’s BWXT awarded $50 million contract to help refurbish Darlington Nuclear Generating Station
An aerial view of Darlington Nuclear Generating Station in Clarington. (Photo: Ontario Power Generation)
BWXT Nuclear Energy Canada Inc. has been awarded a $50 million contract to help refurbish the Darlington Nuclear Generating Station in Clarington.
A fuelling machine head, the most complex equipment of the fuel handling system in a CANDU reactor, is part of the remote-controlled system that allows the continuous change of the nuclear fuel while the reactor is operating.
A team of more than 250 employees, engineers, skilled trades and other specialized personnel in BWXT Nuclear Energy Canada Inc.’s Peterborough facility will design and supply complex parts and assemblies to enable refurbishment of all eight fuelling machine heads at Darlington.
Advertisement - content continues below
Engineering work on this project began in 2020, with component supply occurring from 2022 to 2026.
The 30-year-old Darlington plan is in the midst of a planned midlife overhaul. The first of four units was shut down in 2016 and returned to service in 2020. A second unit is currently being refurbished, with the four-unit project slated for completion in 2026.
Darlington generates enough electricity to meet about 20 per cent of Ontario’s power needs, enough to power two million homes.
Flying Colours Corp. in Peterborough seeking new paint technicians
The state-of-the-art paint hanger at Flying Colours Corp. in Peterborough. (Photo: Flying Colours Corp.)
Flying Colours Corp. in Peterborough is holding a recruitment event on Saturday (November 19) for new paint technicians at its paint hanger at the Peterborough Airport.
The company, which specializes in the custom completion and maintenance of mid- to large-size business jets, is seeking to fill a number of positions, including paint preparation and paint application technicians as well as supervisory roles.
Flying Colours is hoping to attract applicants with previous experience as a paint professional in the automotive, boat/yachting, or freight sector, although a number of the available positions will be supported by on-the-job training.
During the event, job seekers will be shown around the facility, with existing employees on hand to explain their roles. Management representatives will respond to specific company questions while the human resources team will be accepting resumes and organizing interviews.
The recruitment event takes place from 4 to 7 p.m. in building 95 at 901 Airport Road in Peterborough. To schedule an interview in advance, resumes can be sent to hr@flyingcolourscorp.com with Paint Technician Event in the subject line.
Other business and organizational news
Tim Shauf, CEO of The Commonwell Mutual Insurance Group in Kawartha Lakes, is the campaign chair of the Ross Memorial Hospital Foundation’s upcoming capital campaign, the largest campaign in the Lindsay hospital’s history. (Photo: RMH Foundation)
Tim Shauf, CEO of The Commonwell Mutual Insurance Group in Kawartha Lakes, is the campaign chair of the Ross Memorial Hospital Foundation’s upcoming capital campaign. The largest campaign in the Lindsay hospital’s history will create a new system that incorporates patient health information records and digitally connects them to medical technology and tools, and will also address the need to replace multiple pieces of diagnostic and bedside equipment, all of which will connect to a new clinical information system.
Peterborough-based Little Lake Cemetery Company has purchased the former Fallis & Shields Funeral Home in Millbrook and has renamed it Mill Valley Funeral & Cremation Centre. The business will provide funeral and cremation services to Millbrook and surrounding communities.
Deborah Annibalin is the new administrator of the Cobourg’s Downtown Business Improvement Area (DBIA).
Peterborough’s Electric City Culture Council is seeking a production coordinator and marketing and communications associate for the 2022 Peterborough Arts Awards and Mayor’s Luncheon for the Arts. The eight-week positions, funded by the Canada Summer Jobs program, are open to those 18 to 30 years old. For more details, visit www.ecthree.org/2021/11/09/ec3-is-hiring-paa-csj/.
Strexer Harrop and Associates of Bridgenorth has rebranded as Strexer Harrop Consulting Group (SHCG). SHCG was established in 2017 when Harrop Group (est. 2008) merged with Strexer Consulting (est. 2016).
The Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area (DBIA) has announced that Dawn Pond has joined the DBIA team permanently in her new role as the placement project manager, focusing on rejuvenating under-used spaces in the downtown through community participation and partnerships with local organizations. Current staff member Hillary Flood has taken on an expanded role at the DBIA as the new communications and marketing manager.
Two organizations in the greater Kawarthas region have won a 2021 Ontario Tourism Resiliency Award in Innovation from the Tourism Industry Association of Ontario. Elmhirst’s Resort in Keene won for Sustainability in the Accommodations category, and Westben in Campbellford won for Innovation in the Attractions category in recognition their digital campaign to connect with the community during the pandemic.
Fenelon Falls real estate developer and builder The Kawartha Group has donated $10,000 gift to the Ross Memorial Hospital Foundation’s campaign to fund the cost of a new MRI for the Lindsay hospital.
Peterborough resident Tanna Edwards is serving a two-year term on the board of directors for Soroptimist International of the Americas, Inc. a global women’s volunteer organization that provides women and girls with access to the education and training they need to achieve economic empowerment. Edwards has been a member of Soroptimist International of Peterborough, one of 1,200 Soroptimist clubs throughout the world, since 1994.
For business-related events in the Kawarthas, check out our Business Events column.
Greg and Amanda da Silva, owners of The El gastropub in Cobourg, will soon be opening The El (P) gastropub in downtown Peterborough. The Peterborough restaurant, opening in the space previously occupied by the Old Stone Brewery and Hot Belly Mama's, will feature accessible food inspired by art and travel like this Korean Fried Chicken Sandwich featured at the Cobourg restaurant this summer. (Photo: The El)
This month, food writer Eva Fisher learns about The El (P) gastropub coming to downtown Peterborough, tries pizza with a Sri Lankan twist with Pizza Kollo in downtown Peterborough, gets ready for the holidays with the Millbrook Farmers’ Market Holiday Market, and takes a peek at the delicious Christmas menu of the Pastry Peddler in Millbrook.
The El (P) to bring new gastropub to iconic Old Stone location in downtown Peterborough
Greg and Amanda da Silva opened The El gastropub in Cobourg, renovating the former El Camino, after relocating to Cobourg from Toronto in search of a small-town life. They are now expanding with a second location, The El (P), in downtown Peterborough. (Photo: The El)
A new gastropub (and ultimately a microbrewery) called the El (P) is set to open at 380 George Street North in downtown Peterborough — the space previously occupied by the Old Stone Brewery and Hot Belly Mama’s, which closed this past February due to the pandemic.
Restaurateurs Amanda and Greg da Silva aren’t new to the restaurant business: the couple already runs The El in Cobourg. They opened The El after relocating to Cobourg from Toronto in search of a small-town life, purchasing and renovating the former El Camino restaurant.
“We’ve fallen in love with the smaller community and the downtown community and working together in partnership with other businesses downtown in Cobourg, so we’re really excited to do that in Peterborough as well,” Amanda says.
Advertisement - content continues below
They describe their cuisine as “accessible food for everyone”, but the experience at The El (P) will go beyond the food.
“We’re super into art and music and travel so anything that we do we bring that all in together. So if it’s something as simple as doing a really good hamburger or a really good fried chicken, we still bring different worldly flavours to top those off with.”
Amanda adds that they have plans inspired by street food for the new restaurant.
A mural by The Paint Factory now adorns the entrance to The El (P), a new gastropub opening soon at 380 George Street North in downtown Peterborough. (Photo: The El)
Instagram posts of the renovations reveal new murals by The Paint Factory in the space.
The El (P) will open to friends and family in December, with a grand opening in January. The brewery will take longer, with plans to open in about a year.
You can follow The El (P)’s journey on Instagram @the_el_p.
Pizza Kollo in downtown Peterborough offers pizza with a Sri Lankan twist
The Chili Chicken pizza at Pizza Kollo in downtown Peterborough is a fusion of Italian and Sri Lankan flavours. (Photo: Pizza Kollo)
Pizza Kollo at 230 Charlotte Street in downtown Peterborough opened this January and has become a go to for their unique take on fusion pizza.
The restaurant is owned by brothers Josiah and Joel Patric. Josiah says that they had dreamed about opening a restaurant for a long time.
“We always had this idea about opening a restaurant. We had this traditional recipe and we thought of making pizza with a Sri Lankan twist to it. We thought it would be a very good new thing for the pizza market here in Peterborough.”
If you prefer to stick with the classics, Pizza Kollo also offers more traditional pizzas including Pepperoni and Cheese. (Photo: Pizza Kollo)
Their pizzas include an Indian Chili Chicken pizza made with authentic Indian Chili Chicken. There’s also the Columbo Street Pizza, which is topped with street chicken, jalapenos, red onion and mozzarella and spiced with Sri Lankan spices.
Mary’s Green Pizza is a vegetarian option with a yogurt and mint sauce base and spinach, green pepper, onion, and a secret herb.
“Vegetable pizza lovers love that pizza,” Josiah adds, “because it tastes totally different than tomato-based pizzas.”
Pizza Kollo offers chicken wings that are oven baked, not deep fried. (Photo: Pizza Kollo)
If you’re not a pizza fan, Pizza Kollo offers authentic chicken biryani at a low price — a price that Josiah set thinking of Indian students in Peterborough looking for a taste of home.
“I was a student before in the USA. I studied in Dallas and had to travel at least 40 minutes on the highway to get some biryani, and it wasn’t that cheap at all.”
Pizza Kollo also offers side dishes that have become classic for a midnight pizza feast, but there is no deep fryer in sight. The fries at Pizza Kollo are air fried and the wings are oven baked.
Cider, cheese, and Christmas trees: the Millbrook Holiday Market is back
The Millbrook Farmers’ Market Holiday Market on November 21, 2021 will feature cheese, cider, meat and other treats from 38 different vendors. (Graphic: The Millbrook Farmers’ Market)
The Millbrook Farmers’ Market Holiday Market is back for its second year, and will take place on Sunday (November 21) from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the parking lot of the Old Millbrook School at 1 Dufferin Street in Millbrook.
Market manager Christine Ball says that, with a total of 38 vendors, the holiday market has a lot to offer.
“We have everything from cider and cheese to Christmas decorations, clothing, and meat. There’s a broad range of different items.”
Christine attended the last Christmas Market in 2019.
“It was lovely. It was indoors and we had a lot of different vendors. It was a really warm community feeling — kind of a crackle in the air. It was a very very nice event.”
Advertisement - content continues below
After a year’s pause because of the pandemic, the event is back and has been modified for safety.
“This year we’re doing it outside. It’s a little bit different but, in the lead up to it, we had a lot of really good feedback from the community so we’re pretty excited.”
Christine says that the Millbrook Farmers’ Market has a special sense of community.
“I’ve been to markets all over the world and I think that in our little town we have a pretty spectacular market. It’s all because of the vendors, but it’s also our community and how engaged they are and how excited they are to support us.”
Dawson Tree Farm will be at the holiday market on Sunday raising money for the Millbrook food bank and the Millbrook Legion. Buy a bow for $2 and your name goes into a draw for one or two fresh Christmas trees.
Indulge yourself during the holidays with the Pastry Peddler’s Christmas menu
The Christmas menu at the Pastry Peddler in Millbrook includes beautifully presented treat platters, packaged ready to serve for holiday gatherings. (Photo: The Pastry Peddler)
Also in Millbrook, the Pastry Peddler has released its new Christmas menu, featuring a delicious variety of holiday cookies, bars, hors d’oeuvres, and brunch classics.
Located at 7 King Street East, the Pastry Peddler has offered a Christmas menu every year since they opened, with a few changes every year.
Deanna Bell, who co-owns the business with Colin Hall, says that developing new menu items is a collaborative effort.
“We all research and try different things. If we find something good, we bring it to the baker’s attention and they usually give it a whirl and see how it goes.”
Advertisement - content continues below
New to the menu this year are Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies, Peppermint Hershey Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies, Cheesecake Brownies, and Chewy Gingerbread Blondies.
Deanna recommends the Raspberry Coconut Bar.
“It’s new and it’s really yummy,” she says.
There are also some new savoury offerings: bacon and cheese turnovers with french onion dip, and cranberry and brie brioche bites.
The Pastry Peddler’s Toblerone Shortbread Cookies are a holiday classic. (Photo: The Pastry Peddler)
The most popular item on the menu is the Toblerone Shortbread.
Deanna estimates the Pastry Peddler makes about 5,000 cookies each holiday season, with baking beginning in November for the busy holiday season.
Orders can be placed by phone at 705-932-7333. Pastry Peddler staff request a week’s notice for the hors d’oeuvres, tourtiere and quiche, but 48 hours’ notice is sufficient for the cookies and bars.
Police are investigating after human remains were discovered in Hastings Highland Township northeast of Bancroft.
On Saturday (November 13), a hunter called the Bancroft OPP after finding partial skeletal remains in a wooded area near Boulter Road.
Police say there is no threat to public safety, but there will be a large police presence in the area throughout the week as part of the investigation.
Advertisement - content continues below
The identity of the deceased person has not yet been determined, according to police.
The OPP Criminal Investigation Branch is leading the investigation in collaboration with the Office of the Chief Coroner for Ontario, the Centre of Forensic Sciences, OPP Forensic Identification Services, and OPP Emergency Response Team.
Anyone with information regarding this incident should contact the Ontario Provincial Police at 1-888-310-1122. If you wish to remain anonymous, you can call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), where you may be eligible to receive a cash reward of up to $2,000.
Mental health advocate Jon Perrin (right) accepts the citizen of the year award from Shawn Harris of IG Wealth Management, the award's sponsor, at the Lindsay and District Chamber of Commerce's Awards of Excellence celebration on November 12, 2021. (Photo: R.A. Bloom Creations)
Jon Perrin, who became a mental health advocate after developing posttraumatic stress disorder in his role as a Kawartha Lakes OPP officer, has been named Lindsay’s citizen of the year.
The award was presented to Perrin at the Lindsay and District Chamber of Commerce’s 2021 Awards of Excellence celebration on Friday night (November 12) at Celebrations in Lindsay, honouring local businesses and organizations.
Jon Perrin and his wife Jennifer, a registered nurse and manager with over 20 years experience, founded the Twisted Trauma Foundation.
Advertisement - content continues below
Jen and Jon Perrin, who founded the non-profit the Twisted Trauma Foundation. (Photo: Jon Perrin / Facebook)
Twisted Trauma Foundation is a non-profit organization that raises awareness and money for mental health programs and initiatives in local communities, with Jon being the face of the organization.
The organization held its first annual charity hockey this past Saturday, raising just over $2,500 for the family of Mike Broderick, an officer with the Kawartha Lakes Police Service who died suddenly on November 5.
Perrin received two standing ovations during the Friday night celebration, one as he made his way to the stage and the second just before accepting the award.
He spoke to the support of his wife Jennifer and credited the award to her as well.
Diane Steven, manager at the Kawartha Lakes Small Business & Entrepreneurship Centre (KLSBEC), received the business leader of the year award at Friday night’s event, recognizing her 20-year role heading the municipally run organization that helps new and existing businesses achieve success. Almost half of the recipients at the Awards of Excellence celebration have been KLSBEC clients.
The City of Kawartha Lakes Family Health Team, headed by executive director Aasif Khakoo, received the diversity and inclusion award — the Lindsay Chamber’s newest Award of Excellence, intended to educate the community about the benefits of welcoming diversity in the region.
Advertisement - content continues below
The other recipients of the Lindsay Chamber’s 2021 Awards of Excellence are:
Mariposa Woolen Mill (Agriculture Excellence)
Kawartha Art Gallery (Arts & Culture Excellence)
Fresh FueLL (Customer Service Excellence)
Pinchin Ltd. (Employer of the Year)
Kawartha Care Wellness (Health & Wellness)
NanoNation Canada (Innovation Excellence)
Matty G Digital Marketing (Marketing Excellence)
Lindsay Advocate (Media Excellence)
Browning Reptiles (New Business of the Year)
Kawartha Lakes Food Source (Not for Profit Excellence)
Diane Steven (left), manager of the municipally run Kawartha Lakes Small Business & Entrepreneurship Centre, accepts business Leader of the year award from Johanna Hawkshaw of Cogeco YourTV, the award’s sponsor. (Photo: R.A. Bloom Creations)
Dave Morello and David McNab are two of four recipients of the 2021 YMCA Peace Medal from the YMCA of Central East Ontario. (kawarthaNOW collage of photos by Morello's Your Independent Grocer and Kristy Hiltz)
Peterborough’s Dave Morello and David McNab are among four recipients of the YMCA of Central East Ontario’s 2021 Peace Medal.
Morello is the owner and operator of Morello’s Your Independent Grocer in Peterborough, and Dave McNab is a retired OPP officer, a Trent University professor, and a community activist.
For the YMCA, “peace” is more than just the absence of violence and conflict — it means developing fairness, inclusion, empathy, security, and respect for diversity. The charity use peace as an acronym for the values of participation, empathy, advocacy, community, and empowerment.
Advertisement - content continues below
The YMCA presents Peace Medals to individuals or groups who — without any special resources, status, wealth, or position — demonstrate a commitment to those values through contributions made within their local, national, or global community. The Peace Medals are presented every year during YMCA Peace Week, which takes place this year from November 13 to 20.
Morello is being honoured with a Peace Medal for his commitment to his community, which he demonstrates by supporting local charitable events at his grocery store, along with numerous volunteer roles and charitable contributions with and to organizations such as Easter Seals, Rotary Club of Peterborough, Five Counties Peterborough, and Hospice Peterborough.
He has received a number of awards in recognition of his community work, among them the Queens Diamond Jubilee Medallion, Peterborough and District Volunteer of the Year, and Peterborough Business Citizen of the Year,
McNab is being honoured with a Peace Medal for his acts of kindness and efforts to help others.
He and his wife Kristy Hiltz were instrumental in founding Salaam Peterborough, a group of families who came together in 2015 to sponsor a refugee family from Syria.
This past summer, McNab connected with Rashid, an 18-year-old Syrian refugee living alone in Turkey who was subject to online abuse and racism after he posted a desperate plea to come to Canada. McNab, who has been helping Rashid learn English and raising funds to bring him to Canada, also recently drove across the nation in a Lamborghini to help a young cancer survivor,
Advertisement - content continues below
The YMCA of Central East Ontario is also presenting 2021 Peace Medals to Eric and Liz Lehtinen of Belleville, in recognition of their support of over a dozen charitable organizations and their volunteer work, with a posthumous medal to John Williams of Quinte in honour of his community leadership and support of local not-for-profit organizations.
All four recipients of the 2021 YMCA Peace Medal will be recognized in a virtual ceremony at 10 a.m. on Thursday, November 18th. The event, which will be held on the Zoom video-conferencing platform, is free and open to all. For more information and to register, visit eventbrite.ca/e/y203919547857.
For more information about YMCA Peace Week, including 2021 Peace Week activities, and for full biographies of the 2021 YMCA Peace Medal recipients, visit ymcaofceo.ca/ymca-peace-week/.
kawarthaNOW.com offers two enews options to help readers stay in the know. Our VIP enews is delivered weekly every Wednesday morning and includes exclusive giveaways, and our news digest is delivered daily every morning. You can subscribe to one or both.
Submit your event for FREE!
Use our event submission form to post your event on our website — for free.
To submit editorial content or ideas, please contact us.
