In From The Cold, Peterborough’s coolest Christmas concert, is back for its 22nd year on Saturday, December 11th with a live performance from St. James United Church.

Because of the pandemic, the concert will not be open to the public and tickets will not be sold. Instead, it will be livestreamed — for free — at 8 p.m. at stjamesplayers.ca/live.

“A year ago I never would have guessed that, this year, we would not be back at the Market Hall performing to a full house once again,” says concert organizer John Hoffman. “Although things are much better with the pandemic, there were still some uncertainties around safety when we had to make decisions about staging the concert.”

Hoffman is hoping that, in lieu of purchasing concert tickets, viewers and supporters will donate generously to the In From The Cold online fundraiser at Canada Helps in support of Peterborough’s YES Shelter for Youth and Families — the beneficiary of the annual fundraising concert since it was first held in 2000.

For 20 years, In From The Cold has been a live concert performed at Market Hall Performing Arts Centre in downtown Peterborough over two nights every December, with each concert recorded for a Christmas Day broadcast on Trent Radio.

Last year, because of the pandemic, a live concert was not possible. Instead, a radio concert was broadcast featuring a retrospective of songs from 20 years of Trent Radio recordings. That radio concert raised a record total of almost $13,000 for YES, bringing In From The Cold’s 21-year fundraising total to more than $150,000.

As always, this year’s livestreamed concert will be hosted by folk/vocal ensemble Carried Away (John Hoffman, Susan Newman, and Rob Fortin), along with their musical friends Curtis Driedger, fingerstyle guitarist Michael Ketemer, and Celtic harpist Tanah Haney.

This year’s special guests include the McDonnel Street Gospel Quartet (Curtis Driedger, Sweet Muriel Mountain, Dianne Latchford, and Colin MacAdam), a group that has been performing around Peterborough for the past two years, including several pop-up concerts under the Hunter Street Bridge this past summer. The quartet will perform several Christmas songs in a spirited old-time country gospel style. Surprise guest Washboard Hank (Fisher) will also be performing.

In From the Cold is one of Peterborough’s most cherished Christmas concerts, offering an enchanting mix of Celtic-style carols and seasonal songs you won’t hear at other concerts, performed by some of Peterborough’s top folk and roots musicians.

If you’ve never experienced In From the Cold, watch the short film below and find out why so many people think of this concert as the real start of the Christmas season.

VIDEO: “In From The Cold” by filmmaker Rodney Fuentes (2018)

Here’s what a few audience members have said about past From the Cold concerts:

“The two ladies sitting in front of us turned to each other at the end and said ‘Now Christmas can begin!’ In From the Cold has become such a well-loved tradition for so many!”

“Beautiful decorations and lovely, relaxed folksy music start the holiday on the right foot! Such wonderful talent!”

“Had a great time at the In From The Cold concert last night. The music was excellent, and passionately performed.”

“In From the Cold is the start of the real Christmas season.”

Concert Sponsors

In From The Cold and the YES Shelter for Youth and Families are grateful for the continued generous support of businesses and organizations in the Peterborough community. The sponsors for this year’s livestreamed concert are:

Platinum Sponsor

• Jo Pillon, Sales Representative, Royal LePage Frank Real Estate, Brokerage
• LLF Lawyers

Gold Sponsors

• Bell Media (Pure Country 105 / MOVE 99.7 / Bounce 91.9)
• Camp Ponacka
• Kawartha Credit Union
• kawarthaNOW.com
• MacDougall Insurance and Financial
• Moving Media
• Teachers for Kids
• Wild Rock Outfitters

Red Sponsors

• Sam’s Place

Green Sponsors

• Ashburnham Ale House
• Long & McQuade Peterborough

kawarthaNOW is proud to be a long-time sponsor of In From The Cold.

While the outcome of Peterborough’s 2022 municipal election remains to be seen, we now know one thing for certain: the city will have a new mayor.

Speaking on the newest episode of her Cogeco YourTV program Peterborough Matters that premiered Friday (November 12), Peterborough Mayor Diane Therrien confirmed her name won’t be on the ballot when voters go the polls on October 24, 2022.

“I am announcing that I will not be seeking re-election for mayor,” said Therrien.

“This is a decision I thought a lot about. It’s a city that I love but there is a myriad of reasons why and I will be elaborating on those over the remainder of my term.”

“Life it too short to do things that don’t bring you joy. There are many things about the job that I love, but there are also a lot of challenges. It’s been an honour and a privilege but also a significant challenge. I’ll be elaborating on what some of those challenges are, and outlining some of the ways I think council and the municipality can move forward, and needs to move forward, to be a truly progressive city.”

Therrien added a desire “to be out of the public eye for awhile” is the reason that, at this point, she will not seek election to another level of government.

VIDEO: Peterborough Mayor Diane Therrien on YourTV’s Peterborough Matters

“That’s something that’s not on the table,” she said, dismissing outright any rumour or suggestion she will seek the nomination as the local NDP candidate in next spring’s provincial election.

“I’ve met with (Ontario NDP leader) Andrea (Horwath) several times. People kind of know which way I tend to lean. But again, the rigours of governing in a pandemic and also being a young woman in a front-facing position — we’ve seen the stuff that our former MP (Maryam Monsef) went through and some of the other (city) councillors go through. There’s still a lot of rooted misogyny that women in politics, and women in leadership roles in general, deal with — but particularly women who are in the public eye.”

While not the primary reason she’s not returning to politics, Therrien says numerous hateful messages aimed at her on social media and via email sent to her City Hall office are as disturbing as they are disrespectful.

“I’m a pretty tough cookie and you sign up for this job knowing that you’re going to be a lightning rod. I’ve never been one to say you can’t criticize decisions I make, but some of the attacks are really personal. There’s a line.”

“The most disheartening part is I’ve had countless women say ‘I want to run but I’m going to because I don’t want to deal with that.’ We need more men to step up and call it out. We also need our MPP (Dave Smith) and our new MP (Michelle Ferreri) to call it out. It really needs to be a community-wide initiative to stem that.”

In a statement issued exclusively to kawarthaNOW, Therrien noted “real change” moving forward is dependent on “a majority of council and City staff willing to enthusiastically carry out the decisions of that majority.”

“I have seen fantastic work by both council and staff, but I have also seen efforts to stifle much-needed progress in many other areas,” she wrote.

“There is still significant opportunity for continued progress but it will require bold new leaders on council who have the courage to make hard decisions. This means electing a council with a mandate for change. It also means electing representatives who are committed to action, not lip service or populism.”

Born in Mississauga, Therrien attended McMaster University in Hamilton. After receiving her undergrad in history and peace studies, she came to Peterborough to attend Trent University. In 2012, she graduated with her Masters from the Canadian Indigenous Studies program and went on to a contract position as a policy advisor with the Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs in Toronto.

But Peterborough tugged at her heart and she returned, taking a three-year contract with the Peterborough Poverty Reduction Network. In 2014, she set her sights on a city council seat and was elected as a Town Ward representative at age 28.

Four years later, in October 2018, she was elected mayor at age 32, soundly defeating incumbent Daryl Bennett. In doing so, she became just the third woman to hold the city’s top elected position since 1850 — the others being Aileen Holt in 1962, appointed when Mayor Stanley McBride retired to become sheriff, and Sylvia Sutherland, from 1986 to 1991 and again from 1998 to 2006.

During both election campaigns, Therrien was candidly advised by friends and associates that she had two strikes against her: she’s a woman and she wasn’t born in Peterborough. Still, she overcame both suggested challenges to emerge victorious.

“During the (mayoralty) campaign, that was less of an issue, but part of the challenge and the environment I’m dealing with are some very rooted ideologies and perspectives that I would say are quite insular,” she said on Peterborough Matters.

“That’s problematic for a rapidly growing city that’s diversifying and has increasing challenges. Folks like myself and Councillor (Kemi) Akapo and Councillor (Stephen) Wright can get elected, but there’s also very much a lot of the old guard still in some of those other positions of power.”

Asked why make her intentions known now as opposed to waiting until next year, Therrien confirms she “sort of made this decision about a year ago.”

“I was only ever going to do two terms (council) at the max. I’m a firm believer in term limits. I know there are other people probably considering to run, so it’s good to know what I’m doing.”

“I care most about the well-being of the city, not about my own political career. If there are progressive people that want to come forward, it’s good for them to know that there’s a pathway. And just for my own mental health and wellbeing, I wanted to do it (announce her intentions) sooner than later. People keep asking me about it. There’s all this speculation. There’s a lot of political posturing going on.”

“We’re going into budget,” Therrien added. “Making it known that this is the last budget cycle I’ll be here for — and the Official Plan and the Transportation Master Plan, all these big decisions that are coming up — it’s a bit liberating to be able to say I’m going to be making decisions based on the best long-term interests of this community and it doesn’t matter if I lose votes over it or not.”

Asked if making her decision public has lifted a weight off of her shoulders, Therrien had a quick answer: “Totally.”

“This isn’t a decision I took lightly. I’ve had people say ‘I wish you would stick it out and run for another term.’ I appreciate that but you have to do what feels right inside for you. When you know it’s the time, you know it’s the time.”

Her decision made and announced, Therrien is urging her fellow councillors join her “in making the next 11 months as productive as possible.”

“Regardless of whether you plan to run for re-election, this is your opportunity to show the people who elected you that you are here to make real, substantial progress. This is what the people of our great city expect.”

Holiday shopping passports are now available at 150 participating shops, boutiques, salons, restaurants, cafés, and other businesses and organizations in downtown Peterborough.

For every $10 you spend at a participating location in “The Boro”, you earn a stamp in your passport. When your passport is filled with stamps, you complete the form and drop the completed passport off at a ballot box at one of the participating locations. See a list of all participating locations below.

Each completed passport is a ballot for one of three early bird draws (held on December 1, 8, and 15) for a $500 Boro gift card, with the final grand prize draw for a $1,500 Boro gift card taking place after the holiday season on January 8.

“Every year our Holiday Shopping Passport program brings an excitable shopping buzz into our downtown core,” says Terry Guiel, executive director of the Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area (DBIA). “In order to combat online and big box shopping trends, we have to support programming that celebrates the physical shopping experience.”

The year’s holiday shopping passport features a new festive design and comes in a smaller, purse-friendly format.

You can get your passport started at no cost with a complimentary stamp when you use the Peterborough Public Library at 345 Aylmer Street North, when you drop by the Peterborough & the Kawarthas Visitor Centre in the VentureNorth building at 270 George Street North, or at the new Boro Holiday Hub (launching soon at 373 George Street North). There’s a limit of one complimentary stamp per person.

According to the DBIA, last year’s program saw shoppers stamp more than $2.5 million worth of holiday shopping passports.

To make it easier for people to shop downtown, the City of Peterborough will be providing free two-hour parking beginning Black Friday (November 26) until the end of December, courtesy of Wolfe Lawyers.

For more information on businesses in downtown Peterborough, visit theboro.ca.

2021 Holiday Passport Locations

• Absolute Hair
• African Dishes
• Amandala’s
• Antoinette Bridal
• Arken Beauty
• Art School of Peterborough
• Avant Garden Shop
• B!ke
• BioPed Footcare
• Black Honey Bakery
• Black Honey Dessert & Coffeehouse
• Blackhorse Pub
• Blue Streak Records
• Boardwalk Game Lounge
• Boater’s World
• Brick House Craft Burger Grill
• Brothers Pizza
• Cahill’s Outerwear
• Candy Couture
• Capra Toro
• Champs
• Charlotte Mews
• Charlotte Paint/Benjamin Moore
• Charlotte’s Web
• Chaska
• Cheslers Shoe Store
• Chumleighs
• Cork and Bean
• Cottage Toys
• Cozy Home Design
• Crepes of Wrath
• Curry Mantra
• Curry Village
• Dan Joyce
• Dirty Burger
• Dodrio
• Dream Cyclery
• Dreams of Beans
• Dueling Grounds
• Earth Food Store
• Electric City Bread Co
• Electric City Works (Chalk Therapy)
• Euphoria Wellness Spa
• Fab Factory
• First Stop Swap Shop
• Flavour
• Fontaine’s Source for Sports
• Food Forest Café
• Fork It
• Fresh Dreams
• Full Tilt Cycle
• Gentry Apparel
• Gerti’s Pub
• Grady’s Feet Essentials
• Greater Peterborough Chamber of Commerce
• Green Street
• GreenUP
• Grey Guardian Games
• Hanoi House
• Hi Ho Silver
• Hobies Sports Ltd.
• Iceman Video Games
• Insight Optical
• Island Cream Caribbean Cuisine
• Jamican Hot Pot
• Jasmine Thai Cuisine
• John Roberts
• Just Like New
• K and C Costumes
• Kettle Drums
• Kingan Home Hardware
• Kit Coffee
• Knock On Wood
• Kollect This Inc
• La Hacienda
• La Mesita
• Larry Electric & Motor Service
• Laurie Jones & Co Hair Designers
• Lavender Moon
• Lift Lock Escape
• LiLi’s Convenience
• Maple Moose
• Marie Cluthé Antiques and Collectibles
• McThirty’s Pub
• Mercado La Hacienda
• Meta 4 Gallery
• metaphorhome
• Minh’s Grocery Store
• Mr. Sub
• my Own Clouds
• Naked Chocolate
• Nateure’s Plate
• Needles in the Hay
• NeedleWorks
• Pammets Flowers
• Papas Billiards
• Pasta Shop
• Peterborough Kawartha Tourism
• Peterborough Photo Services
• Peterborough Public Library
• Pettigrew Spa & Salon
• Pipe Dreams
• Pizza Kollo
• Pizza Parlor
• Plant Bakery
• Providence
• Ptbo Inn and Suites
• Rare Grill House
• Rawscoe’s Sport Collectibles
• Real Thai Cuisine
• Reboot
• Ritual Apothecary
• Runner’s Life
• S.O.S
• Sam’s Place
• Sandy’s Cigar & Variety
• Smiles To You
• Solid Leather
• Sparq
• Speak Easy
• St Veronus
• Starks
• Studio East
• Sugar Me Right
• Sullivan Law
• Sustain
• Taso’s Pizzeria
• T-Elle Boutique
• The Boro Holiday Hub
• The Cell Shop
• The Cheese Shop
• The Edison
• The Food Shop
• The Hawk Express
• The Social
• The Toy Shop
• The Whistle Stop
• Things from Mom’s Basement
• Tiny Greens
• Tonic Hair Salon
• Tribal Voices
• True North Smoke
• Turnbull Café
• Unicorn Hair Salon
• Union Studio
• Village of Thai
• Watson & Lou
• Wild Rock Outfitters
• Wing House
• Y-Drive
• Yo Yo’s Yogurt Café

The City of Peterborough has announced that construction at the bus terminal on Simcoe Street in downtown Peterborough has been completed.

Bus routes through the downtown will revert to their designated stops at the terminal effecting Sunday (November 14).

Transit routes were relocated out of the terminal’s bus bays in July due to rehabilitation work being done at the Simcoe Street parking garage structure.

Routes that will resume stops directly into the bus terminal include Route 2 Chemong (northbound and southbound), Route 4 Weller (eastbound and westbound), Route 5 The Parkway, Route 6 Sherbrooke (eastbound to Trent University), and Route 10.

Route 6 Sherbrooke (westbound to Fleming College) and Route 11 Water will continue to serve the bus terminal from the westbound bus stop on Simcoe Street.

The temporary bus stop on southbound Aylmer Street at Simcoe Street for Route 4 Weller will be removed.

The northbound bus stops on Aylmer Street at Sherbrooke Street and at King Street will be reinstated.

With new COVID-19 cases trending higher again in Ontario, the provincial government has put the brakes on lifting capacity limits on night clubs, strip clubs, and similar settings.

Ontario’s chief medical officer of health Dr. Kieran Moore made the announcement during a media briefing on Wednesday afternoon (November 10). However, he also expressed optimism the pandemic remains under control in Ontario.

“Out of an abundance of caution, we are pausing the next step of the plan to reopen Ontario and manage COVID-19 for the long term,” Dr. Moore said. “This means that the planned lifting of capacity limits in remaining settings where proof of vaccination is required will not be moving ahead on November 15.”

These settings include food or drink establishments with dance facilities, such as nightclubs and wedding receptions in meeting/event spaces where there is dancing, strip clubs, and sex clubs and bathhouses.

The pause — which will remain in place until December 15 when the province will reevaluate the decision — comes after Ontario has seen an increase in some of its key indicators over the past two weeks, including the effective reproductive number, the percentage of positive tests, and weekly case rates.

On Thursday, the provincial government reported 642 new cases, the highest increase in daily cases since October 9 when 654 new cases were reported. Some regions of the province, such as Sudbury, Simcoe Muskoka, and Windsor-Essex, have recently seen rapid double-digit case increases.

Dr. Moore said the province was always anticipating an increase in cases with the easing of restrictions and as more people move indoors due to the colder weather.

“It’s spreading mostly from the 20 to 39 year old age group, it’s mostly in social settings where we take off our masks, where we have close contact as we move indoors in closed spaces, and that’s where most of the transmission is occurring,” he said.

Dr. Moore pointed out that the rate of transmission in schools, especially secondary schools, remains low due to increased vaccinations among the 12 to 17 year old age group.

“As we go forward to have vaccinations for five to 11 year olds, I think our elementary schools will even be further protected,” he added.

After the province revisits the pause on lifting capacity limits on December 15, the next major decision date will be on January 17, when the government will decide whether to lift vaccine certificate requirements for restaurants and bars, sports and recreational fitness facilities, waterparks, and casinos and bingo halls.

“The plan will continue to be, in the second week of January, to reassess the data that will reflect the holiday season, the return to school, colleges, and universities, and at the time make any further determination on further removal of public health measures,” Dr. Moore said. “It will be driven by the data and the analysis.”

Despite the recent increase in cases, Dr. Moore remains optimistic, citing the province’s capacity for lab testing and public health follow-up, the coming vaccine for five to 11 year olds, new antiviral medications, and the fact Ontarians are still adhering to public health practices.

“I have to thank Ontarians for continuing to remain vigilant, continuing to come forward to get vaccinated and now, with our third doses, we’ll even be better protected,” he said. “Some people will look at the cup and say it’s half empty, I’m saying it’s half full — that we have systems in place to best protect Ontarians going forward, that caution and vigilance is required, but we’re in a much better place than we’ve even been before, with new tools at our disposal very soon.”

Dr. Moore also assured Ontarians the province as a whole will not be “stepping backwards” because of recent increases, but will instead take additional public measures with individual health units as required.

When asked by a reporter what new developments would give him cause for alarm, Dr. Moore referred to two “major gamechangers” that could threaten the province’s strategy.

“An influx of returning travellers with high positivity and/or a new strain that the vaccine doesn’t prevent against always keeps me up at night,” he said, adding that international surveillance, some testing of returning travellers, and genome sequencing of positive results from returning travellers would be needed.

As we mark the 100th anniversary of the poppy as Canada’s official flower of remembrance, I am drawn once again to the symbolism and mysteries of this plant.

“In Flanders Fields” was written by poet and soldier John McCrae, who was born in Ontario.

McCrae noticed the red poppy (Papaver rhoeas) was one of the first flowers blooming in and around the crosses marking the graves of soldiers after the 1915 battle in Belgium’s Ypres Salient. This phenomenon was noticed across the battlefields of Europe in the wake of the terrible loss of life and environmental devastation of the First World War.

In a November 2020 story in CBC News’ What on Earth? newsletter, Meneka Raman-Wilms asks why — of all plants — “were poppies the first to grow there? And why did they grow in such abundance?”

Raman-Wilms reached out to Egan Davis for answers. Davis is the principal instructor for the horticultural training program at the University of British Columbia’s Botanical Garden.

“A poppy is one of those pioneer, ruderal plants,” explains Davis. “Their role is basically to patch [a] site after major disturbance.”

Davis explains that seeds from these pioneer plants, like fireweed in Canada, are waiting in the soil to respond to a disturbance that removes most trees and vegetation, like a forest fire, flood, or human activity.

“I can’t imagine anything more disturbing to the earth and to human society than war,” Davis says. “But when poppies germinate after the war, that’s a sign of promise.”

Hence the red poppy is a symbol that helps us remember both the devastation of war and the promise of peace.

Did you know that the common poppy is actually considered a weed? The beautiful red poppy is known by common names like the corn poppy or field poppy, because of its propensity for being first and fast to take over over agricultural fields shortly after they’ve been tilled and new crops have been planted.

Studies suggest that poppies can regenerate poor-quality soil, making way for the return of other plant species.

“I love growing poppies,” shares Jill Bishop, whom you may know from the Nourish Project and as the Urban Tomato Lady. “They are very beautiful — both the flowers and the seed heads that they create. They are incredibly abundant. Each seed head generally contains dozens of seeds. They are pretty easy to grow and don’t need rich soil. They will self-seed and come back year after year. In my opinion, a worthwhile addition to any garden.”

The species of poppy that John McCrae described has variations in pink, orange, yellow, white, blue, and purple.

There is also variation in the commemorative poppies that people may choose to wear in addition to the traditional red poppy on Remembrance Day. White poppies — sometimes controversial — are symbols of peace and remembrance for all victims of war, including civilians, and as a challenge to the glamorization or justification of war.

Purple poppies are sometimes worn to remember the millions of horses, donkeys, and other animals that served and lost their lives in war.

This delicate nature of the poppy also symbolizes the fragility of life itself.

“I appreciate the delicate beauty of the poppy,” Bishop says. “They grow great in the garden, but they wilt quickly as cut flowers and in storms — fleeting beauty to be enjoyed while in full bloom.”

That delicate nature also presented a bit of a challenge when, 100 years ago, the precursor to the Canadian Legion first proposed the poppy be Canada’s official flower of remembrance. How can people wear a poppy at Remembrance Day ceremonies if they wilt so quickly as cut flowers?

Silk or cloth poppies were the original solution. Today, the Royal Canadian Legion is in charge of manufacturing the plastic poppies we wear each year. Proceeds from sales go to the Legion’s Poppy Trust Fund to support veterans.

Many First Nations artisans and leaders find it meaningful to create beaded poppies to commemorate lost loved ones and all veterans. As Laurie Leclair points out in an article in Anishinabek News, this practice is a bit controversial in regards to how poppy production and sales are regulated by the Legion.

First Nations, Métis, and Inuit are too often overlooked in colonial narratives and commemorations of war. While people may often associate November with Remembrance Day, November is officially recognized as Indigenous Peoples Awareness Month, and this month features several other days in honour of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit people — including Indigenous Veterans Day (November 8) Treaty Recognition Week (November 1 to 7), Louis Riel Day (November 16), and Inuit Day (November 7).

As Leclair points out, from 1914 to 1918, “4,000 status First Nations people enlisted in the war. This number does not include those who joined up but did not self-identify as Indigenous.”

While the red poppy was introduced to North America, the wood poppy or celandine poppy (Stylophorum diphyllum) is a member of the poppy family native to North America. The wood poppy is listed as endangered in Canada.

“This is the most protected species of flower in Canada,” says Joseph Pitawanakwat, an Anishinaabe plant medicine teacher from Wiikwemkoong First Nation on Manitoulin Island. “There are only three known populations of [wood poppy in Canada], all along the Thames River in London.”

“What makes this plant super special is that you have a couple of communities of it growing along the Thames River in southwestern Ontario, and where this plant is from is the Kentucky, Missouri area of the United States, which is over 800 kilometres away. That’s the nearest population of this plant.”

Pitawanakwat explains that, in order to germinate, the seeds of the wood poppy must fall within eight to 12 inches of the parent plant. Any farther, and they won’t grow.

Given that the wood poppy is limited to spreading eight to 12 inches per generation, it is remarkable — and mysterious — that we have isolated wood poppy populations in Ontario and 800 kilometres further south in Kentucky, with nothing in between.

The poppy is a captivating plant. This beautiful and delicate pioneer species helps rejuvenate soil after human-caused and natural disturbances. Symbolically, the red poppy helps us honour veterans and remember all those who lost their lives in war.

The 25th annual Tim Hortons Smile Cookie campaign in the Peterborough area, which ran in September, has raised $68,991.15 to support mental health care at Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC).

During the week of September 13th, people were encouraged to buy Tim Hortons chocolate chunk “Smile Cookies” for $1 each at one of the 14 participating Tim Hortons locations in Peterborough, Lakefield, Bridgenorth, and Curve Lake, with all proceeds going to the PRHC Foundation for mental health care services at the regional hospital.

The donation from Tim Hortons to PRHC means that almost 68,000 Smile Cookies were baked, decorated, and purchased during the week-long campaign.

“Thank you so much to everyone — our Tim Hortons restaurant partners and their hardworking teams, the volunteers who helped ice the signature smiles, everyone who purchased and enjoyed those delicious Smile Cookies, and those who shared our social media posts and their own Smile Cookie selfies in support of this wonderful initiative,” writes the PRHC Foundation in a Facebook post on Wednesday (November 10).

According to Melinda Wall, director of mental health services at PRHC, there were more than 35,000 mental health related patient visits to PRHC last year, an increase of 3,000 from the year before.

“In the past decade, the number of visits by adults and adolescents seeking support in our mental health and addictions crisis unit has doubled to 3,600 visits in 2020,” adds Wall, who attributes the increases in part to the COVID-19 pandemic and its resulting economic impacts.

The Tim Hortons Smile Cookie program started in 1996 to help raise funds for the Hamilton Children’s Hospital in Ontario. Today, more than 625 local charities and organizations in communities across Canada benefit from Smile Cookie sales, receiving 100 per cent of the proceeds (excluding taxes).

Cobourg police are seeking the public’s help in identifying a suspect linked to multiple vehicle thefts in Cobourg in October and November.

Police received a total of six reports of theft from vehicles around Cobourg over the weekends of October 22 to 24 and November 5 to 8. In all cases, a vehicle window was smashed and personal property was taken from the vehicles.

In addition to these reports, police received multiple reports of theft from unlocked vehicles over the same time period.

Most recently, police responded to a call from a resident on Munson Street who reported their car window was smashed and a wallet stolen from the vehicle overnight on Saturday (November 6).

Thefts took place on October 22 on Westwood Crescent, October 23 on Fairbanks Road, October 24 on Sutherland Crescent, November 5 on Fraser Crescent, November 6 on Daintry Crescent, and November 7 on Munson Crescent.

Police have obtained home surveillance video footage and are releasing images of a person believed to be linked to several of the incidents.

VIDEO: Vehicle theft suspect (October 24 on Sutherland Crescent in Cobourg)

Anyone who recognizes the suspect, or anyone with video surveillance or dash cam footage of the areas of the incidents, is asked to contact Criminal Investigation Branch Detective Sgt. Linney at 905-372-6821 ext. 2229.

If you prefer to remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or visit stopcrimehere.ca.