Thanks to Peterborough police service dog Gryphon, three suspects in an early morning break and enter have been apprehended and are facing charges.

At around 3:15 a.m. on Friday (December 16), Peterborough police were called to a break and enter in progress at a home in the London Street and Water Street area.

Upon arriving, officers learned three suspects had entered the home but fled when the homeowner confronted the trio. PSD Gryphon was able to track the group for several blocks and they were taken into custody.

As a result of the investigation, a 26-year-old Peterborough woman, a 23-year-old Peterborough woman, and a 25-year-old Peterborough man have each been charged with breaking and entering a dwelling house with intent to commit indictable offence, and the man and 23-year-old woman have also each been charged with failing to comply with a probation order.

Police learned that the man was wanted on a warrant for breach of probation. The trio were released on an undertaking and will have separate court appearances in early January.

PSD Gryphon is a two-year-old Dutch Shepherd who joined the Peterborough Police Service’s canine unit in March. He is trained in human scent detection and location, suspect apprehension, article detection, handler protection, and narcotics detection. His handler is police constable Dillon Wentworth.

They came. They saw. They praised.

Several leading members of Peterborough’s arts community gathered at the Peterborough Public Library on Wednesday night (December 14) to celebrate the 75th birthday of poet, composer, and musician Madame Daphne Jane Rogers Molson, hailing her tireless support of fellow artists as well as the community in general.

A number of presentations were made, including a citation recognizing the Peterborough native’s birthday milestone from city council read by Mayor Jeff Leal, who lauded the guest of honour as “someone who helps make our city a truly inspiring place to live, work and play.”

Tables crammed full with certificates, honours, and medals recognizing Molson’s poetry spoke clearly to her literary contributions, providing full evidence of her stature as a member of the International Poetry Writers’ Who’s Who. Available for purchase were copes of her published work, including her 2021 work Peterborough, Ontario, Canada: City Hallowed In Centennial Fame, Remember You And Your Famous Name.

“Daphne is a cherished and outstanding citizen,” said Mayor Leal. “She models resiliency. She teaches us how to be courageous and to follow our passions every day, no matter how hard the challenges we may face. We’re proud of her many artistic and cultural accomplishments, and honoured and grateful for her support of different organizations.”

And there have been challenges for Molson, particularly in regards to her health. Besides longstanding mental health issues, she has breast cancer for which she has refused treatment. That, however, has done little if anything to dampen her creativity and her boundless support of other artists.

Celebration co-organizer Su Ditta, executive director of the Electric City Culture Council, said Molson “should be at the top of the list” of local arts community ambassadors.

“We’re celebrating a life dedicated to the arts — someone who is an ardent supporter of the arts and art of all kinds,” Ditta said. “Daphne writes, she composes music, she plays music, she’s a visual artist, she works with painting groups.”

“Daphne has some health problems but has shown incredible resilience, fortitude, and courage throughout her life against many odds. She has a better social life than I do. She goes to the Puck and Pint; she goes to Lakers games. She’s just an inspiration and we wanted to celebrate that.”

But for all the kind words that were spoken, the greatest testament to Molson’s impact was in the clear recollections by her friends of the first time they made her acquaintance.

“I met her at an East City garden party fundraiser that Artspace had,” recalled Ditta. “There was a workshop with floating Japanese fish on bamboo poles — beautiful handmade paper fish. Daphne made one. She got up and started marching back and forth in front of the band that was playing jigs and reels. That got my attention and it caught the attention of everyone there. Before I knew it, there was this incredible scene happening with local musicians playing this beautiful music, art everywhere, and Daphne getting all these folks who didn’t know each other standing up and moving back and forth and dancing.”

“That night, it had gotten cold. It was raining. My mom, sister and I were driving across the Hunter Street bridge and there she was, all by herself. We gave her a ride home. We’ve been close friends ever since.”

Public Energy executive director Bill Kimball also harkened back to that first encounter.

“We met when I was a student at Trent around 1978 or 1979,” he said. “It was at the lunch counter at Parkway Variety (where Levantine Grill is now). I was there with my partner Martha and we ordered hot fudge sundaes. While we were eating them, we hear this voice from the other side of the room, calling out to us, asking ‘Is that quite luxurious?’ We knew we were in the presence of someone special. How often does someone ask you that?”

“What we’re celebrating is a person who has no limits on her enthusiasm for life and art. Someone who, despite her mental challenges, can express that in a way that appeals to a broad range of people. There’s nothing that’s not genuine about Daphne. She doesn’t have a bad word to say about anybody.”

Meanwhile, Art Gallery of Peterborough curator Fynn Leitch took time to declare Molson “a beloved wonder,” adding her “interest in supporting and remaining connected with the community is a part of her everyday practice.”

“She has carefully documented the history of the arts here, in addition to the history of the city. She has worked diligently to gather and share the story of Peterborough. It’s a real form of love; a generous gift to this and future generations. I’ve loved the conversations we’ve had about the amazing work that artists do, but also creating spaces in which we could think about things like colour and texture, and the types of communities we could build.”

Leitch too recounted her first encounter with Molson, back on one of her first days working at Artspace.

“Elizabeth Fennel introduced me to Daphne, to her outfits, and to her incredible value for the community as an artist, a poet, a composer, a musician and an avid arts supporter,” Leitch said. “They told me to take very good care of you.”

Despite a lack of financial support from the City of Peterborough, a coalition of community agencies is planning to go ahead with an emergency winter response to Peterborough’s homelessness crisis.

More details are expected to be announced next week but, according to Peterborough Police Service community engagement and development coordinator Emily Jones, a partnership involving the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), Fourcast, One City Peterborough, the United Way of Peterborough and District, and the police service is working toward soon opening an overnight drop-in centre for unhoused people, most likely at the former Trinity United Church on Reid Street.

That collaboration gained traction earlier this week following Peterborough city council’s second denial of Town Ward councillor Alex Bierk’s call for $100,000 to support the operation of the overnight drop-in centre. Jones was among those who addressed council before the vote.

The organizations involved are committing $200,000 for the operation of the drop-in centre at a building now owned by the Peterborough Poverty Reduction Network.

According to Jones, a chunk of that money — $130,000 — will come from an earlier-provided federal grant managed by the police service for the operation of the Mobile Support Overdose Resource Team (MSORT).

As for the logistics involved with establishing and opening the drop-in centre, including staffing, One City Peterborough is taking the lead. The organization is hiring a coordinator for a winter overnight drop-in program as well as overnight drop-in workers.

Jones told kawarthaNOW on Wednesday (December 14) that all involved “are working very diligently” to get the drop-in centre set up and open as soon as possible.

“The biggest barrier will be getting people in place to do the job,” she said, admitting “It’s going to be a bumpier road” without the funding that was requested of the city.

“Without that $100,000, we’re not going to be able to run it as long. In reality, the funding that we have will probably keep it open for maybe two months. We would have liked to have some extra funds to keep it going longer. Ultimately, we’ll continue to look for funding.”

Approached for comment, both United Way CEO Jim Russell and One City Peterborough co-executive director Christian Harvey declined, noting more details of the plan will be revealed at some point next week.

In the meantime, Jones is heartened by the collaborative spirit that is fuelling the initiative.

“I often hear from various members of the community that our non-profits don’t work well together and we’re all in our silos,” she said. “I have seen nothing but the opposite. It’s just so inspiring.”

“There are, of course, disagreements between non-profits, but we come together especially when there’s grant proposals (involved). I’m not going to make a grant proposal without talking to every single partner I have. We’re not competing. We’re working together.”

This is a developing story. kawarthaNOW will publish more details as they’re made available.

For the third year in a row, Peterborough philanthropists David and Patricia Morton have donated $50,000 through the Morton Family Foundation in support of the YWCA’s services for women and children experiencing gender-based violence in Haliburton County.

YWCA Peterborough Haliburton operates the Women’s Centre in Haliburton County and Haliburton Emergency Rural SafeSpace (HERS).

“We are deeply moved by the continued support from Patricia and David in the Haliburton County community,” says Kim Dolan, executive director of YWCA Peterborough Haliburton, in a media release. “As the demand for our services continues to change in the COVID-19 recovery period, the Mortons’ compassion for others ensures that we can serve the rural women and children in Haliburton County, providing them with the resources and support they need to feel safe again.”

The Women’s Centre offers the resources women need to escape gender-based violence and find safer ways to move forward with their life, including access to transition supports such as safe transportation, clinical therapy, a family law lawyer, and court support and guidance.

HERS provides safe and supportive temporary accommodations for women, with and without children, who are fleeing abuse in Haliburton County. The service, designed to be available on an as-needed basis to help reduce costs, offers space for as many as two families at a time. With HERS, women can move away from the abusive situation in their home without leaving their support systems, jobs and schools, and families and friends behind. HERS has been fully occupied since January 2021.

According to YWCA Peterborough Haliburton, rural women in Haliburton County have reported far more serious and complex abuse throughout the pandemic. Like women’s organizations across the province, the YWCA faces heightened demand and increasing costs.

This is the third straight year the Mortons have donated $50,000 to support the YWCA’s services for women and children experiencing gender-based violence in Haliburton County.

“We feel fortunate to be able to continue to support such a worthy cause because isolated rural women are especially vulnerable to domestic abuse and gender-based violence,” says Patricia Morton on behalf of the Morton Family Foundation, “And shockingly this abuse is now significantly on the rise throughout rural Canada, as in rural Haliburton County. Thank goodness our YWCA is here for these oppressed and endangered women, and dedicated to providing the essential safety and vital support services to help them move forwards to build much better lives.”

“As a man I am just appalled and disgusted by violence against women and children,” David Morton adds. “I am grateful at least to have this opportunity to extend a helping hand to the brave women who, with the wonderful support of our YWCA, are striving hard to empower themselves.”

Members of the community who wish to donate or find ways of supporting YWCA services in Haliburton County can visit www.ywcahaliburton.org or contact Ria Nicholson directly at 705-743-3526 x113 or rnicholson@ywcapeterborough.org.

The Mortons are well-known philanthropists in the Peterborough community, having made generous gifts to organizations including Trent University, Peterborough Humane Society, United Way of Peterborough & District, and the Morton Community Healthcare Centre in Lakefield.

In April 2020, during the height of the first wave of the pandemic, they encouraged the community to donate to the Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC) Foundation by matching donations up to $50,000.