One person is dead and another in critical condition following a two-vehicle collision in Trent Hills in Northumberland County on Friday afternoon (February 18).

At around 2:30 p.m. on Friday, Northumberland OPP responded to reports of a head-on collision between a car and a pickup truck on County Road 35 between Godolphin Road and Woodview Road, around six kilometres west of Campbellford.

As a result of the collision, the two occupants in the car were transported to hospital, where the passenger was pronounced dead and the driver remains in critical condition with life-threatening injuries.

The driver of the pickup truck was not injured.

County Road 35 between Godolphin Road and Woodview Road remained closed until around 8 p.m. on Friday night while police conducted an investigation.

Peterborough resident Christina Dicosmo is more than $44,000 richer after winning the Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC) Foundation’s 50/50 lottery for January/February.

Dicosmo won the grand prize of $42,472.50 when her ticket number D-1817142 was drawn on Thursday (February 17). Dicosmo also had the choice of a bonus prize of either a $2,500 Resorts of Ontario gift certificate or an additional $2,000 in cash. She chose the cash bonus prize, making her total winnings $44,472.50.

Since the lottery launched last fall, over $200,000 has been awarded. Previous grand prize winners include Mary Overholt, Judy Johnston, and Wendy Bianco.

The next PRHC Foundation 50/50 lottery, presented by Peterborough Subaru, is now underway. Tickets are on sale online only at prhcfoundation5050.com, where you can buy 10 tickets for $10, 40 tickets for $20, 160 tickets for $40, or 400 tickets for $75. Ticket buyers must be 18 years of age or older and in the province of Ontario to play.

The more tickets you purchase, the greater your odds of winning. Half of all the ticket sales in the 50/50 lottery go the PRHC Foundation to support equipment and technology at the hospital that the government doesn’t fund.

The lottery runs until midnight on Thursday, March 31st with the grand prize winner drawn the following day. The grand prize consists of the jackpot, which grows every time more tickets are purchased, plus a bonus prize of a $2,500 Resorts of Ontario gift certificate or $2,000 cash.

Ticket buyers are also automatically entered in two early bird draws of $1,000 each, which will be held on “WINter Wednesdays” on March 3 and March 17.

For more information about the PRHC Foundation, visit prhcfoundation.ca.

Ross Memorial Hospital’s COVID-19 assessment centre will be moving back to the hospital at 10 Angeline Street North in Lindsay after the Family Day long weekend.

Located at the Victoria Park Armoury since January 11, the assessment centre will begin operating out of the hospital again on Tuesday (February 22).

The assessment centre offers by-appointment-only COVID-19 tests from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Friday excluding statutory holidays. The assessment centre also offers clinical assessments, where health care professionals can provide an assessment if your COVID-19 symptoms are getting worse, but are not severe enough to require an emergency department visit.

If you are eligible to book an appointment for a COVID-19 test or a clinical assessment, call 705-328-6217. If you are unable to get through, the hospital advises living a single voicemail message (refrain from leaving multiple messages) and you will receive a call back within one or two business days.

Ross Memorial Hospital says it is also finalizing a plan for the assessment centre to offer community members Paxlovid, an antiviral drug recently approved by Health Canada that treats adults with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 who are at high risk of progressing to serious disease, including hospitalization or death.

Ross Memorial Hospital has conducted more than 60,000 COVID-19 tests since it began conducting tests in March 2020.

Two years to the day after the murder of 18-year-old Alex Tobin in Omemee in the City of Kawartha Lakes, the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) has released a video appeal for information to help them solve the murder and continues to offer a $50,000 reward for anyone with information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for Tobin’s death.

On February 18, 2020 at around 1:07 p.m., Tobin was shot in an apartment at 36 King Street East in Omemee, a small apartment building located across from Omemee Foodland, and died in hospital. Witnesses described two suspects who were seen fleeing the building on foot and then departing the area in a motor vehicle on Highway 7.

The following day, Kawartha Lakes OPP arrested two men based on the descriptions and charged them with second-degree murder. Almost two months later, the charges were withdrawn agains the two men.

The video appeal for information released by the OPP includes members of Tobin’s family.

According to an OPP media release, a team of OPP investigators led by major case manager Chris Josiah, a detective inspector with the OPP’s criminal investigation branch, “is committed to locate Alex’s killers, bring them to justice and provide resolution to Alex’s family and community.”

“Our team has conducted numerous canvasses and interviewed several persons who have provided important information in relation to Alex’s death,” Josiah states. “We believe there are more witnesses with information who haven’t come forward yet. We hope this video encourages people to come forward.”

VIDEO: Do you know who killed Alex Tobin?

A $50,000 reward continues to be offered for anyone with information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for Tobin’s murder.

The OPP is urging anyone who may have information that would assist with the homicide investigation to call the OPP’s dedicated tip line at 1-844-677-5020.

Those who wish to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or submit tips online at ontariocrimestoppers.ca/submit-a-tip/submit-a-tip.

As the deadline nears for responses to a survey seeking the public’s opinion on the potential use of body-worn cameras by Peterborough police, a spokesperson from the Peterborough Police Service says such outreach is a vital component of the community policing model at the core of its operations.

“If we are truly a community-based police service, then we need to be engaging the community whenever possible,” says Emily Jones, the service’s Community Development and Engagement Coordinator.

“In my position, I’m pretty mindful of the relationship between the community and police in general, making sure the polarization between community and police is lessened,” Jones says. “Any opportunity we can take to lessen that, I would like to take it. We continue to say we are a community-based police service and that we do community policing. I try to keep us accountable for that as best I can.”

The survey, being conducted in partnership with the Trent Community Research Centre with forensic science student Sabrina Wolanczyk taking the lead, is seeking input from residents of the City of Peterborough, the Village of Lakefield, and the Township of Cavan-Monaghan.

The survey can be found online at trentu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_4NuHFe0YLLijHNA, where it will remain available until Monday, February 28th. Paper copies of the survey can be requested by calling the Peterborough Police Service at 705-876-1122 ext. 290.

While participation in the survey is voluntary and anonymous, there are questions on age, gender, ancestry, career, and in which municipality the survey respondent resides or works.

According to Jones, the timing of the service’s outreach on officers’ use of body-worn cameras topic isn’t by accident.

“The issue around police-worn body cameras, although it has been around a long time, got really politicized over what has happened in the United States in the last couple of years,” says Jones. “Although what has happened in the United States is not always the reality in Canada, it’s still part of the dialogue here and so it’s still part of people’s concerns.”

Jones adds that, with a number of police services across Canada either reviewing the use of body-worn cameras or have implemented the measure (as is the case with the Toronto Police Service), the Peterborough Police Service sees a need to get the process started sooner rather than later.

“There is the factor of protection but, in the long run, they would help with evidence collection and more accountability,” she says of the advantages of body-worn cameras.

“The more the technology is available, and the more services use it across Ontario and Canada, the more likely it is that Peterborough is going to want to engage in that technology. We want to make sure the community feels comfortable before we make that decision.”

“Another reason for doing this now is we had an opportunity to partner with Trent. I’m not sure we would have had the capacity to do this without their help. It’s a really great way to engage younger folks who are doing research into community issues.”

Jones adds a separate survey on the issue is being circulated internally to garner the thoughts of officers and the service’s civilian employees.

“A lot of officers see the benefit of body-worn cameras but are very mindful of the added work that goes into it, including new policies and new training,” she explains. “The internal survey is very similar to the public survey, but it focuses a little bit more on ‘How is this going to impact your work?’ and ‘Do you think it’s going to benefit your work?'”

Once compiled, Jones says, the results of the public survey will be released as part of a final report expected to be completed on March 21.

“Because of the ethics involved in the research, she (Wolanczyk) has to make the results public. It’s our intention to facilitate that for her.”

Jones says the number of survey responses received to date has been beyond what she anticipated.

“We have done other surveys but I don’t know that they’ve been on this scale,” she points out.

Meanwhile, for those who may be wondering if their input will carry weight, Jones assures the information received will have an impact on the service’s decision on whether to proceed with body-worn cameras.

“The survey results are going to influence whatever goes forward. If the survey indicates yes — the community is interested in the service pursuing this — then it becomes a budgetary issue.”

Jones says the survey is a “preliminary starting point” for involving the broader community in an important decision that affects both police officers and the people they serve.

“This is about making sure the community is heard and making sure we are engaging with them,” she explains. “Police don’t exist in a vacuum and neither does the community.”

The survey is available online at trentu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_4NuHFe0YLLijHNA until Monday, February 28th. To request a paper copy of the survey, call the Peterborough Police Service at 705-876-1122 ext. 290.

This story has been created in partnership with the Peterborough Police Service.

With the local COVID-19 situation showing marked improvement, and a number of pandemic-related restrictions now lifted, Peterborough’s medical officer of health says while “we’re in a very good position now,” the virus is still present and remains a threat.

“It’s on all of us to continue to make individual level risk assessments”, said Dr. Thomas Piggott at a Peterborough Public Health virtual media briefing Thursday (February 17).

“We need to continue to take precautions, in particular those who are more vulnerable to severe COVID-19 (infection),” he added, listing those who have not been vaccinated, those with a medical condition, those with a weakened immune system, and the elderly as still being at risk.

“We are not through the pandemic yet. It’s very important to remember that. We’ve experienced significant new variants and waves on multiple occasions. We need to keep that in mind as we move on to the next stage.”

As of Thursday, the provincial government has eased or lifted a number of pandemic-related restrictions. These include: 100 per cent capacity allowed in food and drink establishments; 100 per cent capacity allowed in indoor sport and recreational fitness facilities; 50 per cent seating capacity in arenas, concert venues and theatres; 25 per cent capacity in nightclubs, restaurants where there is dancing, bathhouses and sex clubs; and expanded capacity for indoor weddings, funerals and religious services where two-metre social distancing can be maintained.

In addition, the social gathering limit has been increased to 50 people indoors and 100 people outdoors, and to 50 people indoors for organized public events with no limit outdoors.

Also, with no workplace outbreaks reported locally, Dr. Piggott has repealed his earlier formal recommendation requesting that employees be permitted to work from home wherever possible.

These new guidelines come into effect as the local COVID-19 picture brightens considerably. As of late Wednesday afternoon, there were 195 confirmed active cases in the Peterborough region — a decrease of 55 since the last media briefing on February 3. To date this week, 49 new cases are being reported, a third of the 155 new cases reported all of last week.

Also showing major improvement is the decreasing number of active outbreaks, dropping to six from 14 reported two weeks ago. And the situation is also improving at the Peterborough Regional Health Centre, with no outbreaks reported and just eight COVID-related in-patients receiving care. Still, five more deaths have occurred in the region, bringing the local pandemic death toll to 55.

With the province planning to lift the requirement for vaccine certificates to be shown to gain entry to public spaces on March 1, Dr. Piggott addressed the hesitancy that may be felt in congregating without that safeguard in place.

“I can understand that some people will feel more anxious and concerned than others, either because of their own perspectives or beliefs, or because of their own circumstances,” said Dr. Piggott.

“Our board of health wrote to the province last week requesting consideration that a third dose be incorporated (into proof of vaccination). As it stands now, with two doses, the proof of vaccination is helpful for individual precautions, but it’s not helpful in being reassured that those around you won’t spread omicron. A third dose is really needed to know the risk of spreading the virus is lower.”

“As it stands now, with a two-dose requirement, I don’t think the vaccine passport is as helpful as it has been during previous parts of the pandemic. I can understand where the province is coming from with the movement on that front. However, I anticipate that many (businesses) will continue to utilize that tool.”

This all said, with the vaccine certificate mandate soon to lifted, Dr. Piggott acknowledged the local board of health’s request for a third-dose vaccine certificate requirement is now a moot point.

On the local vaccination front, there has been steady if unspectacular uptake. To date, 83.1 per cent of residents aged five and up have received two doses, while 53.3 per cent have received three doses. In the age five to 11 category, 54.4 per cent have received one dose while 29.6 per cent have received two doses.

“(Vaccination) rates continue to increase slowly,” said Dr. Piggott, noting 4,000 doses have gone into local arms over the past two weeks.

As for the possibility of a vaccination drop-off as a result of the improving COVID-19 picture and hence a heightened sense of safety, Dr. Piggott said there has already been an “expected slowdown.”

“I don’t think people realize just how important a third dose is,” he explained. “Even now, with where we are and with increasing protection against future waves and variants, the booster is helpful. What our team is working on is finding ways to communicate and help people with their questions and their hesitancies around vaccines, and make it as easy as possible for them (to get vaccinated).”

Meanwhile, among those on the briefing call was Peterborough-Kawartha MP Michelle Ferreri — her first appearance at a Peterborough Public Health media briefing since she was elected last fall.

Ferrieri delivered prepared remarks, saying the need for wider and easier access to rapid test kits “should have been addressed long before now.” Later, she noted that while she has no desire to be “political” concerning pandemic issues, she said “It was a lack of leadership that got us to this point” — a not-so-subtle shot at the ruling Liberal government’s response to the Ottawa protest and encampment.

“We’ve had protests for years in this country. Crisis management is going out and listening to people, defusing the situation and moving on. I put a lot of blame on our prime minister. It didn’t need to get to this point.”

Inspector John Lyons of the Peterborough Police Service addressed the “slow roll” vehicle convoy being planned for this Saturday (February 19) in Peterborough, departing Fleming College’s Dobbin Road parking lot at 11 a.m. and making its way to downtown Peterborough.

“We are definitely prepared for what may happen,” Lyons said. “We’ll take whatever actions are necessary to ensure the safety of those involved.”

“If we had the ability to thwart it from happening, we would certainly try to do that,” he added. “But we also understand that people do have the right to come out and take part in peaceful protest.”

Also on the briefing all were Peterborough-Kawartha MPP Dave Smith, Peterborough County Warden J. Murray Jones, and Peterborough Board of Health chair and Selwyn mayor Andy Mitchell.

Peterborough police suspect arson after a fire destroyed a storage shed at a Lakefield school on Wednesday night (February 16).

At around 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, officers were called to a shed fire at St. Paul Catholic Elementary School in Lakefield.

The 10-by-12-foot shed, used to store sports-related equipment and playground supplies, was destroyed by the fire. Damage is estimated at $10,000. There were no injuries.

After arriving at the scene, a witness told officers they had seen three people in the area shortly before and after the fire.

Police continued to investigate the fire.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact Peterborough police at 705-876-1122 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at stopcrimehere.ca.

No shortage of excitement in #Lakefield tonight. Structure fire behind St Paul's School (behind our house!) with lots of flames. Thanks to @SelwynTownship Fire Department on scene quickly. Video/photos available @CHEXNewswatch @LakefieldHerald @kawarthaNOW @wiredwoman @HaPerkins pic.twitter.com/YPjVsUHrvJ

— Mz Emma (@Hey_MzEmma) February 17, 2022

Peterborough police are reporting 13 firearms are missing from a tractor trailer containing over 2,000 firearms that was stolen in Peterborough early Sunday morning (February 13).

Peel Regional Police recovered the stolen trailer in Peel region and it was returned to Peterborough on Wednesday (February 16). Peterborough police and the firearms manufacturer (Savage Arms of Lakefield) completed an inventory check and have determined 13 of the small-calibre firearms are missing.

“Any unaccounted-for firearms is concerning to Peterborough police and investigators ask anyone who may have information on this incident to call the Peterborough Police Crime Line at 705-876-1122 x555 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477,” reads a media release.

Police are continuing to search for suspects in the theft. When the theft occurred, suspects appear to arrive in the truck yard in a four-door blue sedan, which then follows the stolen tractor trailer unit out of the yard.

“Peterborough Police would like to re-iterate investigators are taking this incident very seriously and encourage anyone with information to contact the Peterborough Police Crime Line or Crime Stoppers,” police say.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Peterborough police at 705-876-1122 x555 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at stopcrimehere.ca.