One person is dead following a fire on Thursday morning (December 9) in Cambray, about 10 kilometres northwest of Lindsay in Kawartha Lakes.
At around 1:15 a.m. Thursday, City of Kawartha Lakes OPP and emergency services called to a structure fire at a trailer park in Cambray.
A 62-year-old Cambray man was located at the scene and transported to hospital where he was later pronounced dead.
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Police have identified the victim as Andre Beaucage. The cause of death remains under investigation pending a post-mortem examination.
Police remain at the scene of the fire as an investigation continues, with the assistance of the Office of the Ontario Fire Marshal and the Office of the Chief Coroner.
Anyone who has information or was a witness to this fire and has not yet spoken with police, is asked to contact the City of Kawartha Lakes OPP at 1-888-310-1122.
As we approach the winter solstice on December 21, the shortest day of the year, we experience the longest shadows of the entire year. With a new year on the horizon, this is a chance to connect with nature by bird watching or stargazing and to reflect on what's behind us and what's to come. (Photo: Leif Einarson)
Each week, GreenUP provides a story related to the environment. This week’s column is by Leif Einarson, Communications Manager at GreenUP.
December marks the turning point between seasons and between years. This is a chance to increase how much we appreciate what’s right in front of us by looking both forwards and backwards. Spending time in nature can help us with this reflection while also providing many health benefits.
You may be wondering how we can enjoy the benefits of green space when things are mostly brown or snow-covered.
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A recent study demonstrates that the benefits of time spent in nature have more to do with our intentions than the amount of time or time of year. This study compared two groups of adults.
Both groups were asked to take 15-minute walks every day for eight weeks. The first group was given no instructions about how to take those walks, but the second group was told to be intentional about finding “awe” or “wonder” in their natural surroundings.
As a result, that second group demonstrated “greater joy” and “measurably broader smiles” than the first group. The second group also demonstrated “greater decreases in daily distress over time” as well as greater increases in positive emotions and feelings of social connection.
Here are three ways you can bring some intentional awe and reflection to your time in nature this holiday season and into the new year.
1. Bird watching
A common goldeneye swimming in open water during the winter. Winter bird watching can bring much joy and is a great way to connect with nearby nature. The Peterborough Field Naturalists are hosting the 70th annual Christmas Bird Count on December 19, 2021. (Photo: Martin Parker / Peterborough Field Naturalists)
One great way to enjoy awe walks with intention at this time of year is by bird watching.
“Simply counting and looking for birds is the ideal antidote to the pressures, excesses and mad rush of the holiday season,” shares local naturalist Drew Monkman in his book Nature’s Year in the Kawarthas.
You can visit the event calendar at the Peterborough Field Naturalists website at peterboroughnature.org to learn more about how to participate in the 70th annual Christmas Bird Count on December 19th. The Christmas Bird Count is the longest running wildlife survey in Peterborough County.
If you are not able to join the bird count with one of the field parties, you can still assist by registering to count birds with a walk in your neighbourhood or at your backyard bird feeder.
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2. Stargazing
December nights are as long as the days of June. One bonus to this darkness is the opportunity for stargazing. Residents of Peterborough and the Kawarthas are lucky to be relatively close to dark sky preserves like Torrance Barrens and North Frontenac.
What is a dark sky preserve? These areas are intentionally protected from light pollution and are recognized as some of the best night-sky viewing sites in the world.
Located just outside of Buckhorn, Kawartha Highlands Provincial Park provides excellent night-sky viewing — even though it cannot be recognized as a dark sky preserve because the property is near developments with artificial lighting.
A composite image of the Geminid meteor shower in December 2020 in Spruce Woods Provincial Park in Manitoba. For winter stargazing, dark sky preserves like Torrance Barrens and North Frontenac are relatively close to the greater Kawarthas region, and Kawartha Highlands Provincial Park also provides excellent night-sky viewing (Photo: Ryan Lucenkiw Nature Photography / Instagram)
Like noise pollution, light pollution can have adverse effects on our health and the integrity of natural ecosystems. We depend on a healthy circadian rhythm (day-night balance) for regular sleep and good health. Artificial lights — whether from street lights, illuminated advertising, or the screen of that phone in your hand — can interfere with our circadian rhythm and contribute to chronic illness.
Humans are not the only organisms negatively impacted by light pollution.
“Light pollution also disrupts the hormonal and growth cycles of many plants, especially flowering trees,” says Hayley Goodchild, program coordinator at GreenUP. “Some tree species require shorter daytime hours during the dormant season to trigger healthy patterns of flowering and fruiting at other times of year. Light pollution at night can disrupt that.”
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Clear, dark evenings at this time of year are perfect for walks in a nearby park. Stop, look up, and feel awe at the billions of stars in the Milky Way. The Geminid meteor shower is one of the busiest meteor showers of the year, featuring as many as 120 to 160 shooting stars per hour.
This meteor shower typically occurs around December 12th to 14th annually. The best time for viewing is likely Monday, December 13th around 9 to 10 p.m.
If you are lucky enough to spot a falling star — and even if you don’t — we invite you to make a Green Wish for 2022 and share it with us at @ptbogreenup on social media or email me at leif.einarson@greenup.on.ca. We look forward to sharing Green Wishes from across the community in our column later this month.
3. Reflecting
Winter is time to reflect on the cycles of the natural world. A monarch butterfly caterpillar enjoys its milkweed meal in the Kawarthas last summer. With luck, this caterpillar metamorphosed into a butterfly and is now overwintering in the oyamel fir forests of Mexico. With much more luck and coordinated conservation efforts across three nations, the great-grandchildren of this caterpillar may return to the Kawarthas. (Photo: Leif Einarson)
As we approach the winter solstice on December 21, we find ourselves at the opposite end of the year as the summer solstice in June. Reflecting on these natural patterns can help us build stronger relations between past and future.
What was happening in gardens and greenspaces six months ago and what will be happening six months from now? What were you doing six months ago, and what do you want to be doing six months from now?
At the other end of the year, during the summer solstice, yards, gardens, and natural spaces were and will again be busy with native pollinators.
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Right now, some of these native pollinators are nesting inside hollow stems or in burrows underground. Approximately 70 per cent of the native bee species in North America are ground-dwelling bees.
Of course, one of the pollinators most well-known for its overwintering strategy is the monarch butterfly. The caterpillars that ate local milkweed last summer are currently 4,000 kilometres south, metamorphosed into butterflies overwintering in the oyamel fir forests of Mexico.
It will take multiple generations and transformations before the great-grandchildren of those butterflies return to the Kawarthas.
A recent study found that people who were intentional about finding awe or wonder in their natural surroundings during 15-minute daily walks were more joyful and had less daily distress than people who just took the daily walks. (Photo: Leif Einarson)
Thinking of these overwintering pollinators makes me wonder how I want to focus on growing and transforming now, to realize goals both six months and three generations in the future.
I hope you enjoy your daily dose of nature this winter, and try to keep it going right through into 2022. May it bring you happiness and good health.
Remember that a personal crisis can come about suddenly and unexpectedly, but also as a natural part of the life cycle. If you or someone you know is in crisis or needs help, the Four County Crisis Line is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week at 705-745-6484 or toll-free at 1-866-995-9933. The Four County Crisis Line provides free, confidential mental health crisis intervention support over the phone, for people 16 years and over.
Instructor Jenn Stubbert (third from left) leads participants in a "Minds in Motion" class offered by the Alzheimer Society of Peterborough, Kawartha Lake, Northumberland, and Haliburton. The program provides people living with early to mid-stage dementia and their care partners with gentle and easy-to-follow physical activities followed by fun social activities. The program runs online for one hour weekly and in person for two hours weekly. (Photo courtesy of the Alzheimer Society)
On a snowy Monday morning, instructor Jenn Stubbert situates a camera to capture herself head to toe as she marches, toe taps, and shuffles around an open space in her home. Her movements are synced to the beat of an upbeat Justin Bieber song, and she calls out instructions in a peppy voice.
About 10 other people — all in their own homes — are tuned in on Zoom to watch Stubbert and follow her movements.
Your donations to the Alzheimer Society of Peterborough, Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland and Haliburton help fund social recreation programs like Minds in Motion.
To give a monthly gift, a one-time donation, or to donate in honour or in memory of someone important to you, visit donatealz.ca.
They’re participating in the virtual version of Minds in Motion, one of the Alzheimer Society of Peterborough, Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland, and Haliburton’s most popular programs. Minds in Motion is a social and physical activity program for people living with early to mid-stage dementia and their care partners.
In addition to these one-hour online sessions, Minds in Motion has been safely bringing back in-person classes. Stubbert teaches two-hour in-person sessions in Peterborough, Northumberland, and Haliburton, and — come 2022 — in the City of Kawartha Lakes as well.
Participants follow COVID-19 protocols such as masking and physical distancing as they take part in an hour of exercise, followed by an hour of social recreation.
“This is your workout!” Stubbert calls out as she instructs her online Minds in Motion class to march to the beat. She reminds participants the higher they march, the harder it will be. Stubbert gives variations, both easier and more difficult, of each movement so that everyone can meet their own individual body’s abilities. One participant does the movements from a chair.
Jenn Stubbert (third from left) leads participants during an in-person Minds in Motion session. During the first hour of the class, participants engage in fun physical exercise. In the second hour, they enjoy refreshments and participate in social activities. (Photo courtesy of the Alzheimer Society)
“I like to keep it fun,” Stubbert tells kawarthaNOW. “I know for myself, if I were going to be in an exercise class, I’d want my instructor to have fun with it and keep it light.”
“My biggest thing is that they’re moving. If they don’t follow me, that’s fine. It’s about getting the circulation moving and the blood flowing.”
The physical activity portion of a Minds in Motion session is proven to help improve the balance, mobility, flexibility, and alertness of those living with dementia. Accompanying care partners experience those physical benefits too.
Just as important is the social aspect of the program, with participants enjoying social activities in a safe space where they find mutual support from others who face similar circumstances.
Stubbert leads participants through activities that function as conversation starters. For example, she makes her way through a list of “Never have I ever …” style questions, one of which asks if anyone in the class has ever shot a gun. Stubbert prompts those who answer yes to elaborate further.
Stubbert says these discussions quickly turn into story trading, allowing care partners to see their loved ones reminisce about good times in their lives.
Along with COVID-safe in-person Mind in Motion classes in Peterborough, Northumberland, and Haliburton, and (come 2022) in the City of Kawartha Lakes, program lead Jenn Stubbert offers one-hour online sessions on Zoom. (Photo courtesy of the Alzheimer Society)
“When they’re sitting at home and it’s just the two of them, they may not have that discussion because they’ve been together for 50 years and they don’t talk about it anymore,” Stubbert explains. “But we hear funny stories all the time about cool things they used to do.”
Stubbert says the conversations often take off in hilarious directions. For example, a debate broke out when she asked a class, “If you were to be a bird, what kind of bird would you want to be?” One gentleman said he would want to be a duck.
“It became a big debate about if a duck is a bird,” Stubbert recalls. “It was this 10-minute conversation about a duck — yet everybody there was involved in this conversation.”
That level of interaction with others is especially important for people with dementia. According to a 2017 report from Canada’s National Seniors Council, older adults living with Alzheimer’s disease or other related dementia are at greater risk for social isolation.
Minds in Motion combats this problem by giving those with dementia a safe place to socialize, where they don’t have to worry about how their memory loss will be perceived.
As well as providing gentle physical activities, Minds in Motion also helps build the confidence of participants to engage in other social activities outside of the program. (Photo courtesy of the Alzheimer Society)
“They don’t feel alone,” notes Stubbert. “They can talk about it if they wish. They are seeing their friends in the group who also have memory loss, so they don’t feel like they’re the only ones in the world with these challenges. Someone will say, ‘Oh, I’m so forgetful’ and then somebody else will say, ‘Oh, me too! Don’t worry about it.'”
Minds in Motion also helps build the confidence of participants to engage in other social activities. For example, the program has helped make some participants more comfortable taking part in other community programs, such as aqua-fit.
The sense of community in a Minds in Motion class is immense, Stubbert says, with some members going on to spend time together outside of class.
Minds in Motion gives those with dementia a safe place to socialize, where they don’t have to worry about how their memory loss will be perceived. Instructor Jenn Stubbert leads participants through activities that function as conversation starters, allowing care partners to see their loved ones reminisce about good times in their lives. (Photo courtesy of the Alzheimer Society)
“Some couples have all gone out for lunch after the program,” Stubbert says. “They’re also going to each other’s anniversary parties and birthday parties. There was one group of 12 that became friends — they went and saw Mamma Mia together.”
Stubbert’s enthusiasm leading the program is key to its success, according to Andrea Cant, Executive Director for Alzheimer Society Peterborough Kawartha Lakes Northumberland and Haliburton.
“Jenn is uniquely gifted at motivating our clients to get moving and come out of their shells,” Cant says. “The energy she brings is remarkable. The benefits of Minds in Motion are so obvious when you see everyone in such a great mood after her classes.”
Minds and Motion participant Ryan Marjoram agrees, giving a glowing testimonial after completing a session led by Stubbert.
Jenn Stubbert, the enthusiastic program lead for Minds in Motion, keeps the physical portion of the program fun and upbeat by incorporating dance routines into the exercises. Stubbert was recently nominated for the Peterborough Petes Community Player of the Game for her work with the Alzheimer Society. (Photo courtesy of the Alzheimer Society)
“We’ve just experienced two hours of pure pleasure,” Marjoram says. “A large part of that is due to the leader. She gets us going in the morning — a lot of us are a little tired, and she’s just got so much enthusiasm, it’s just oozing out of her.”
“The ideas she brings forth on a weekly basis, and the way she interacts with people — she makes it fun,” he adds. “That’s what it’s all about. People forget about dementia for two hours. They laugh, have fun, exercise, and test their minds.”
There’s a reason Stubbert is so passionate about her work and why she genuinely cares about each person who attends a Minds in Motion session. She became inspired to work for the Alzheimer Society after following her own grandmother’s journey with Alzheimer’s.
“My grandparents brought a lot of joy to my life,” Stubbert explains. “It was my turn to give back and fight for something I so strongly believe in supporting. And I completely love what I do. I go to work and get to go have fun.”
Stubbert was recently recognized for her work with a nomination for the Peterborough Petes Community Player of the Game award.
“I was completely blown out of the water,” Stubbert says. “I find those who come to my program really support me and go out of their way to tell me what they think of me and how much they appreciate me.”
Stubbert is equally as appreciative of those who participate in her classes, noting she has seen lives transformed through Minds in Motion and the Alzheimer Society as a whole.
“The first class I ever ran, a gentleman came in with a walker and he was quite unsteady on his feet,” Stubbert recalls. “His wife was a huge supporter and did the homework with him every single day. He came to every single class and, by the end of the eight weeks, he was walking with his cane occasionally.”
Around 76,000 Canadians — including 14 out of every 1,000 seniors — are diagnosed with dementia each year, and one in five Canadians have experience caring for someone living with dementia.
Alzheimer Society programs like Mind in Motion are supported through community donations. Before the pandemic, the not-for-profit organization held group fundraising events such as the annual Walk for Alzheimer’s and the Pulling For Dementia Fire Truck Pull (pictured). The event saw teams raise funds for the Alzheimer Society with a commitment to pull a 44,000-pound fire truck as far as they could. (Photo courtesy of the Alzheimer Society)
“The population of Peterborough is aging,” Stubbert points out. “Focusing on programs that are needed, such as for those who have dementia, is important because we can give tips and strategies on coping with it. We can’t slow the progression down, but we can help manage it.”
Your donations to the Alzheimer Society of Peterborough, Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland and Haliburton help fund social recreation programs like Minds in Motion. To give a monthly gift, a one-time donation, or to donate in honour or in memory of someone important to you, visit donatealz.ca.
For more information about to Alzheimer Society of Peterborough, Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland and Haliburton, visit alzheimer.ca/pklnh. You can also follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
This story was created in partnership with the Alzheimer Society of Peterborough, Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland and Haliburton.
The Peterborough Theatre Guild brings the classic family-friendly musical "Annie" to the stage at Showplace Performance Centre in downtown Peterborough from February 11 to 26, 2022. (Graphic: Tribune Content Agency, LLC)
The Peterborough Theatre Guild is returning to the stage in February with the family-friendly musical Annie — its first full production since the pandemic began.
Show postponed
On January 2, 2022, the Peterborough Theatre Guild announced the February run of “Annie” has been postponed due to the omicron wave of the pandemic. The production will be rescheduled to a later date in 2022.
Tickets went on sale Wednesday (December 8) for the show, which runs from February 11 to 26 at Showplace Performance Centre in downtown Peterborough, at tickets.showplace.org. Tickets are $32 for adults, $30 for seniors, and $20 for students.
Originally scheduled for May 2020, the production has been rescheduled twice (once to July 2020 and then again to November 2021). All tickets previously purchased will be honoured for the February 2022 run.
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Based on the popular Little Orphan Annie comic strip by Harold Gray that debuted in 1924, the classic Broadway musical is the winner of seven Tony Awards, including best musical and best score. With book by Thomas Meehan, music by Charles Strouse, and lyrics by Martin Charnin, Annie features some of the greatest musical theatre hits ever written, including “Tomorrow”.
Annie tells the tale of the orphan who, in 1930s New York City, is determined to find the parents who abandoned her years ago on the doorstep of orphanage is run by the cruel Miss Hannigan. With the help of the other girls in the orphanage, Annie escapes to foil Miss Hannigan’s evil machinations and finds a new home and family in billionaire Oliver Warbucks, his personal secretary Grace Farrell, and a lovable mutt named Sandy.
The Peterborough Theatre Guild’s production of Annie is directed by Jerry Allen, who first directed the show for the Guild in 1986, with music direction by Justin Hiscox and choreography by Melissa Earle.
The original cast when the Peterborough Theatre Guild production of “Annie” was first announced in 2020. Top row (left to right): Annabel Campbell, Makayla Vaughan, Bria Cahorn, Jalen Brink and Aimee Simmons; second row: Skyleigh Hurd, Lucy Dorsett, Shay-Lyn Burd, Juliet Martin, Portia Hitchins; bottom row: Indigo Chesser, Victoria Lyons (missing: Rowan Dummit). The Guild has not yet confirmed the cast for the February 2022 production. (Photo: Peterborough Theatre Guild / Facebook)
Performances take place at 7 p.m. on February 11 and 12, 17 to 19, and 24 to 26, with matinee performances at 2 p.m. on February 13, 20, and 26.
While the Peterborough Theatre Guild has not yet announced the cast for the February 2021 production, the original cast when the show was first announced in 2020 included Shay-Lyn Burd as Annie, Annabel Campbell, Makayla Vaughan, Bria Cahorn, Jalen Brink, Aimee Simmons, Skyleigh Hurd, Lucy Dorsett, Juliet Martin, Portia Hitchins, Indigo Chesser, Victoria Lyons, and Rowan Dummitt.
Wild Rock Outfitters staff members Bridget Moore (left) and Rachel Dean celebrating the outdoor retailer's winning holiday window display in the annual contest sponsored by the Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area (DBIA). Wild Rock claims a $1,000 prize as the first place winner. Statement House and Green Street came in second and third, winning $500 and $200 respectively. (Photo courtesy of Peterborough DBIA)
Wild Rock Outfitters has won the annual holiday window contest in downtown Peterborough.
The outdoor retail store at 169 Charlotte Street came out on top in an online vote, held from November 19 to December 6, where move than 2,400 votes were cast by local residents for their top three window displays.
As the first place winner, Wild Rock claims a $1,000 prize for its decorated window displaying different outdoor equipment and gear against a wintry background of water and trees.
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“This holiday season has been all about community, getting outdoors, and supporting each other,” says Tori Silvera, general manager of Wild Rock, in a media release. “Our staff brought their fabulous ideas and talents together to create a beautiful expression of just that, and we’re so happy they’ll be rewarded for their efforts.”
Second place and $500 went to vintage retailer Statement House at 378 Water Street, and third place and $200 went to electric bike and scooter retailer Green Street at 237 George Street
“It feels very festive downtown right now thanks to the creativity of our brilliant shop owners,” says Terry Guiel, executive director of the Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area (DBIA), which sponsors the annual contest. “This year’s theme was Holiday Cheer and our businesses curated wonderfully cheery holiday window displays this season.”
Statement House at 378 Water Street won second place. (Photo courtesy of Peterborough DBIA)Green Street at 237 George Street won third place. (Photo courtesy of Peterborough DBIA)
JoEllen Brydon is the third of six Nogojiwanong-Peterborough artists who are each participating in a five-week residency in Trent Radio's innovative "Your Radio is Their Stage" project, where artists receive mentorship, equipment, training, and support to reimagine their art as a work for broadcast radio. (Photo: Karen Graham)
The art of creative storytelling is passed on as an heirloom in artist JoEllen Brydon’s family. When her grandparents emigrated from Northern Ireland in the 1920s, they brought along their folkloric traditions.
kawarthaNOW has published profiles of each of the participating artists in Trent Radio’s “Your Radio Is Their Stage”. You can also read about textile artist Melanie McCall, painter Jose Miguel Hernandez, artist Gillian Turnham, and community artist John Marris.
Growing up, she watched her Irish family integrate poems, songs, and gossip into their conversations. Brydon’s late mother, Jean Armstrong Brydon, made creative storytelling her career as a journalist.
Armstrong’s written voice was as lively and witty as their family’s colourful conversations.
Now an internationally recognized artist based in Cavan, Brydon also has the storytelling gene which she, like her mother before her, has translated into a career. Brydon’s artistic practice adapts the day-to-day stories of friends, neighbours, and strangers into vibrant oil and acrylic paintings.
During her Trent Radio artist residency, JoEllen Brydon is creating a multi-media installation capturing the life and work of her mother Jean Armstrong Brydon, a journalist who penned The Globe and Mail’s popular Elizabeth Thompson advice column for 12 years. (Photo courtesy of JoEllen Brydon)
Brydon also retells buried stories by designing and creating large-scale mixed-media installations. During her artist residency with Trent Radio’s “Your Radio is Their Stage” project, she is completing her third installation: a retelling of the stories left by her mother.
“My mother was the advice columnist for The Globe and Mail from 1966 to 1978,” Brydon says. “She worked under the pen name Elizabeth Thompson, and I’ve got all the columns, the articles, the letters, and the copy she typed.”
Through the Trent Radio residency, Brydon receives mentorship, equipment, training, and support to develop an audio component for the project. She is lifting a few of her mother’s Elizabeth Thompson columns off the page by translating the advice-seeking letters, along with her mother’s responses, into recorded voice-acting.
Brydon says finding a voice actor to capture her mother’s voice as Elizabeth Thompson was important. She landed on Leslie Ashton, who has a background in theatre, voice, and puppetry. Ashton knew Jean Armstrong Brydon personally,
“The train came by every day at 2:15. The house would give a similar shudder.” by JoEllen Brydon (acrylic on canvas, 48″ x 60″). Brydon’s paintings tell the day-to-day stories of people she meets as well as the tales of her ancestors rooted in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. (Photo courtesy of JoEllen Brydon)
“Mom’s friend’s daughter Leslie, who I grew up with and who also grew up with Mom, is the one I got to be Elizabeth,” says Brydon. “We’ve done some of the recordings, and she’s really nailing it. I didn’t need someone who sounded like Mom, but I wanted to get someone who felt like Mom.”
Brydon says her mother had an edge to her personality, which was evident in her Elizabeth Thompson columns.
“She was a very progressive writer and thinker,” Brydon explains. “She tackled social issues that people were starting to be willing to explore. And she tried to tackle trivial things. She was a great writer. She had the storytelling gift, and her writing was entertaining.”
In addition to the audio component, Brydon’s project will feature her mother’s typewriter and other writing tools. Visually, the project will see large-scale photographs of those who wrote the advice-seeking letters along with paintings made by Brydon that illustrate the stories within the columns.
Like her mother’s narrative voice, Brydon’s paintings are vibrant. She comes up with ideas for paintings by listening to people telling anecdotal stories.
An “Elizabeth Thompson Advises” column, written by JoEllen Brydon’s mother Jean Armstrong Brydon, answered a reader who asked what his father should do about a neighbour’s apple tree dropping fruit on his property. As Elizabeth Thompson, Armstrong Brydon’s writing was witty, sympathetic, and socially aware. She would often encourage her readers to go beyond the biases of the era. Leslie Ashton will voice Jean Armstrong Brydon in JoEllen Brydon’s upcoming Trent Radio broadcast. (Photo courtesy of JoEllen Brydon)
“If I hear a story, I often just write it down,” says Brydon. “I usually sit down to do some drawings, and at some point, (the vision for the painting) comes to me. And often, even after the painting is started, something else will come to me, and it’ll change.”
Brydon likes to paint anecdotal stories that feel familiar to a wide range of people. She also likes to deal with parts of daily life that may be fading into the past — like the mail, or the traditional telephone.
For example, her painting entitled “The train came by every day at 2:15. The house would give a familiar shudder” is based on a Peterborough story about a building that is now gone.
“There’s a building that was called The Old Banana Factory at Dublin and Aylmer,” notes Brydon. “Artists used to live in the building in an apartment upstairs. The train came about two feet from the window every day. Their daughter used to wave at the conductor, and he’d wave back.”
But since Brydon’s current project centres around her mother’s life, working on it has hit differently than her other projects.
She has been slowly working on the project since her mother passed away in 2019. When the opportunity to apply for the Trent Radio artist residency came along, everything fell into place for the project, since Brydon already knew she wanted to include an audio component in the project.
“I’m so lucky that they chose me to be one of the artists in this residency because it’s so perfect for this project,” Brydon notes. “It’s been an emotional process. I’ve been working on this for a couple of years. Sometimes I have to put it away, give it some time, and then go back to it.”
As part of her upcoming Trent Radio broadcast, JoEllen Brydon is bringing to life some of her late mother Jean Armstrong Brydon’s advice columns in audio and as visual art. Pictured is a painting illustrating the question a reader asked her mother about a neighbour’s apple tree dropping fruit on his father’s property. (Photo courtesy of JoEllen Brydon)
In the quest to retell her mother’s stories, Brydon uncovered buried ones she didn’t know existed. She recalls her mother asking everyone to send in letters for the Elizabeth Thompson column, since she always needed more material, and Brydon wrote a letter herself.
“I remember her always asking us to write, but I don’t remember doing it,” Brydon says. “I found a letter that I’m pretty sure I wrote and her answer. She signed it ‘Jenny’. And then I remembered that Jenny was my favourite name when I was a little girl.”
Re-discovering and reviving her mother’s stories makes this a unique and special project for Brydon. She’s keeping her mother’s story alive in all of her work, though, every time she uses the storytelling gift passed down by her mother.
To learn more about JoEllen Brydon’s folkloric artistic practice, visit her website at www.joellenbrydon.com. You can also follow Brydon on Facebook.
“Family Advisor is gone but her advice still rings in ears.” by JoEllen Brydon (acrylic on panel, 14″ x 14″). As part of her upcoming Trent Radio broadcast, JoEllen Brydon is bringing to life some of her late mother Jean Armstrong Brydon’s advice columns in audio and as visual art. (Photo courtesy of JoEllen Brydon)
The audio component of Brydon’s completed project is set to broadcast from 6 to 7:30 p.m on Sunday, December 12th on Trent Radio at 92.7 CFFF FM in Peterborough, 287 on Cogeco Cable, and online at www.trentradio.ca.
Trent Radio’s “Your Radio Is Their Stage” artist residency project runs until March 2022, with Brydon’s residency concluding on December 12.
Textile artist Melanie McCall was the first to complete her residency on October 17, followed by Jose Miguel Hernandez on November 14 and now JoEllen Brydon. The remaining three artist residencies will be with Justin Million (poetry), Gillian Turnham (Islamic art), and John Marris (community arts). The reimagined work of all six participating artists will also be broadcast next April.
“Your Radio Is Their Stage” is made possible by the Community Radio Fund of Canada, the only organization mandated to support campus and community radio stations in Canada financially.
This story was created in partnership with Trent Radio, a producer-oriented broadcast facility that started as a Trent University student club in 1968. Sponsored and designed by students from Trent University, Trent Radio incorporated as a registered charity in 1978. Trent Radio currently holds a Community Broadcast License, and is a resource that is shared with the Nogojiwanong-Peterborough community.
Carolyn Scatterty and Kim Miller are co-owners of Poho Boho in downtown Port Hope. Now open in its new location at 93 Walton Street, the eclectic shop celebrates bohemian-style clothing and furniture and work by local artisans, with a focus on sustainable fashion and design. (Photo: April Potter / kawarthaNOW)
Poho Boho, a unique shop celebrating bohemian-style clothing and furniture and local art, has officially reopened in its new location at 93 Walton Street in downtown Port Hope.
When co-owner Kim Miller first met business partner and friend Carolyn Scatterty, she was a big fan. Kim owned “a number of pieces” from Carolyn’s thrifted clothing and upcycled vintage textile line, On Second Thought Upcycling. At the time, Kim was booking vendors for local markets and invited Carolyn to showcase her work, knowing they were destined for bigger things.
“During the pandemic an opportunity presented itself,” explains Kim. “My friend owns a tattoo shop in downtown Port Hope, Nick’s Studio. She was pivoting to keep her shop alive. She decided to temporarily lease the storefront to help cover costs during lockdown. It provided me access to a downtown retail space while also helping a friend. I launched Poho Boho in the summer of 2020, a celebration of everything local and bohemian.”
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Kim’s goal for the shop was to provide a judgment-free place for women to “play” and try on unique clothing items. Poho Boho’s mission is to celebrate unconventional and timeless style, as well as a variety of local Northumberland artists.
“Carolyn was obviously the first person I reached out to,” says Kim. “Together we contacted people that we both knew, and we ran Poho Boho out of Nick’s Studio for about six months.”
Kim says that it didn’t take very long for Carolyn’s upcycled items to take off.
Northumberland-Peterborough South MPP David Piccini presents Poho Boho co-owners Kim Miller and Carolyn Scatterty with a certificate of recognition in honour of the shop’s grand opening on November 26, 2021. (Photo: April Potter / kawarthaNOW)
“Her stuff was selling like hotcakes,” Kim recalls. “She had one rack to start and our customers, mostly boho babes, were buying it up faster than she could restock it.”
As a curator of boho thrift shop items and with an eye for reclaimed found object art, Kim and Carolyn share the same type of clientele. The duo realized that Poho Boho and On Second Thought were inseparable brands.
But when pandemic lockdown restrictions were lifted, Nick’s Studio reclaimed Kim’s pop-up space and Poho Boho had to temporarily close.
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“I had a small studio close by and I was hoping to move to a new space, but all I could find was retail space,” explains Carolyn. “So I called Kim and suggested that we open a storefront downtown.”
The shop’s new location, across the street from Nick’s Studio, proved to be perfect after a few eclectic design upgrades.
“Poho Boho became Carolyn’s atelier, her studio, the place where she does her magic,” Kim says. “We predominantly feature her stuff in the store, but also sell things from other local artists. It’s vintage, it’s boho, and it’s almost as if the original Poho Boho now runs in the front of On Second Thought Upcycling’s studio.”
Co-owner Carolyn Scatterty at work in her studio space at Poho Boho in downtown Port Hope. The shop predominantly feature her work but also sells work from other local makers. (Photo: April Potter / kawarthaNOW)
Carolyn adds that the space is much more than that — it’s a place where Kim creates an ambience that feels like home for customers.
“Many people visit and say they don’t want to leave. People enjoy the space that Kim has created, and we love that because we want people to feel welcome here. We have so much for them to see.”
Kim feels like customers experience a “moment of arrival” when they fully immerse themselves in the space.
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“Everything is repurposed or reimagined and when customers browse our racks, they see that every piece is unique,” Kim says. “It creates excitement and, even if they aren’t prepared to buy today, we want them to feel comfortable trying things on and playing dress up.”
“When people have fun and play it creates an intoxicating vibe because people are experiencing true joy,” she adds. “We get to share that vibe with our customers — it’s why we do this.”
Every piece at Poho Boho is one of a kind, whether it’s Carolyn’s creations, local art, or vintage and thrift items that have been curated and consigned to fit the “boho babe aesthetic”.
Poho Boho is located at at 93 Walton Street in downtown Peterborough, across the street from its previous location at Nick’s Studio. (Photo: April Potter / kawarthaNOW)
“The local artisans represented in our shop are all makers of handmade things here in Northumberland County,” says Kim. “The group is comprised of many well-established local brands including Fluke Craft, Kiki and Co, as well as other brands run by female entrepreneurs. We have close to a dozen artisans in the shop, and we’ve also had pop-ups too.”
“Our intention is to have a place where women can be safe without judgment to celebrate their individual style. The definition of bohemian is unconventional — there are no rules. We want you to wear what you like, what makes you feel good, we want you to rock it, that’s our philosophy.”
Poho Boho also takes donations of pre-loved textiles and will consign special items that any self-declared boho fan would gravitate towards. As Carolyn’s services are in high demand, she has had to be very selective about what can be upcycled.
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“Because I’m committed to sustainability, I get a little stressed when I have too much in my workspace,” she explains. “I feel like I have to use everything because that’s what I’m here for. But I’m also just one person and unique pieces take time to create.”
“When I realized the true environmental impact of fast fashion, I vowed to never buy new clothing again. That was four years ago and that’s how I got started. Clothing that ends up in a landfill will rot over time and create just as much methane as anything else does so it’s a carbon footprint issue. We collect things before they ever get there.”
“And if someone buys an item from me, that they later don’t want anymore, I have a buyback program, I’ll buy it back and reinvent it again. Newer fabrics don’t hold a candle to the old stuff. You can tell when you work with it that there are many lives left, and we owe it to the original textile creator to honour that.”
Poho Boho co-owner Carolyn Scatterty is committed to sustainability, specializing in thrifted clothing and upcycled vintage textiles. (Photo: April Potter / kawarthaNOW)
Fortunately, Carolyn has also found a way to upcycle her offcuts by donating them to a rugmaker who will weave them into boho rugs the shop hopes to sell.
“For me it’s a real stress reliever to know that my offcuts won’t end up in a landfill,” adds Carolyn. “I try to use everything that I can but some of the small pieces can be very time consuming to upcycle. Now someone else can create wonderful things with them.”
Kim has designed an “inspiration wall” where Carolyn hangs unique textiles. Customers find things on this wall that spark custom design ideas that have become very popular.
Every piece at Poho Boho in Port Hope is one of a kind, whether it’s co-owner Carolyn Scatterty’s creations, local art, or vintage and thrift items that have been curated and consigned to fit the “boho babe aesthetic”. (Photo: April Potter / kawarthaNOW)
“People will tell us that they have something special in a hope chest at home, family heirlooms, and clothing that reminds them of people they love,” Kim explains. “Carolyn will do a custom piece for them, so that they can rejoice in family memories and give new life to items that might not see the light of day otherwise.”
Carolyn says the message of sustainability is getting stronger and that the repurposing energy is contagious.
“Customers know they are in a space where upcycling is not just what we do, it’s what we encourage others to do,” she says. “We’re at the forefront and that’s very exciting.”
Poho Boho in Port Hope also features products from local makers, like this jewellery from Vintage Virgo in Northumberland County. (Photo: April Potter / kawarthaNOW)
Kim also brings her unique upcycling talents to Poho Boho. What Carolyn does with textiles, Kim does with found objects that would otherwise end up in the trash.
“I love the mashup of industrial design and boho art,” says Kim. “I will search for found objects like stair risers and salvaged foundry moulds and reimagine them — reclaiming them and sparing them from landfills. It makes this space creative and interesting and adds a storied feel to it.”
Carolyn adds that Kim’s eye for thrift items adds to the nostalgia. Visitors reminisce about things they had growing up, triggering good memories. Reimagined items still feel fresh and inspire playfulness, wonder, and imagination.
Poho Boho co-owners Kim Miller and Carolyn Scatterty pose with a reclaimed stair riser transformed into art. Kim searches for found objects she can reclaim and reimagines them, often mashing up industrial design and boho art. (Photo: April Potter / kawarthaNOW)
One of the things that Kim and Carolyn both love about Poho Boho is its sense of community.
“We’ll have a group of girls in here, someone will try something on, and suddenly everyone is commenting on how great it looks,” says Kim. “For us, feeling good in what you wear is all that matters, but to be encouraged by women you don’t know — women supporting other women — is really cool, and we get to witness that all of the time.”
Poho Boho is located at 93 Walton Street in downtown Port Hope. You can also find them on Facebook and Instagram.
Representatives of Fourcast and the Community Foundation of Greater Peterborough gathered on December 7, 2021 at the future site of the new Peterborough Opioid Response Hub at 220 Simcoe Street to announce the $160,000 goal of the Light The Way To $160K fundraising campaign has been attained. Fourcast vice chair Ron Black, Mobile Supportive Overdose Resource Team program manager Kerri Kightley, and Community Foundation of Greater Peterborough executive director Jennifer Debues provided a tour of the renovated space and fielded media questions. (Photo: Paul Rellinger / kawarthaNOW)
Pending final building inspection approval, Peterborough’s Opioid Response Hub will open in early January 2022 at the location of the former Greyhound bus terminal at Simcoe and Aylmer streets in the downtown.
On Tuesday (December 7), representatives of Fourcast (Four Counties Addiction Services Team) and the Community Foundation of Greater Peterborough gathered to announce the $160,000 goal of the Light The Way To 160K campaign has been attained. With that money in hand, renovations to the building are complete, meaning a variety of wrap-around addiction-related services and supports will soon be offered at the site.
“In just a few months, we received more than 100 donations from individuals, half a dozen from local businesses, a few from churches and professional associations, and a grant from the City of Peterborough, plus contributions from four endowed funds held at the Community Foundation,” said foundation executive director Jennifer Debues.
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“Along with the money, many of the donations came with messages of support,” Debues said. “People shared that this initiative is very close to their hearts. Gifts were often made in memory of loved ones.”
Debues added that donations to the campaign are still most welcome and can be made until early January by visiting www.cfgp.ca/LightTheWay or by mailed cheque to the CFGP, 261 George Street North, Peterborough K9J 3G9. Cheques should be made out to Community Foundation of Greater Peterborough with CTS Fund on the memo line.
Fourcast is partnering with PARN – Your Community AIDS Resource Network, Peterborough 360 Degree Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic, the Mobile Support Overdose Resource Team (MSORT), Peterborough Drug Strategy and Peterborough County-City Paramedics for the hub’s day-to-day operation and provision of walk-in access to sterile drug use equipment, addiction treatment, mental health supports and wound care.
Community Foundation of Greater Peterborough executive director Jennifer Debues handed over a cheque to Fourcast vice-chair Ron Black, signifying that the $160,000 goal of the Light The Way To 160K has been reached, much to the benefit of Peterborough’s Opioid Response Hub expected to open early in 2022. (Photo: Paul Rellinger / kawarthaNOW)
In addition, pending provincial approval, the hub will be home to a Consumption and Treatment Site (CTS). The application to operate a CTS has been in the province’s hands for some time now. According to MSORT program manager Kerry Kightley, that’s far from an ideal situation.
“It’s very frustrating to be waiting (for CTS approval) because there are people dying,” she said.
“We hear that we are one of two applications that are moving forward. We’re hoping our local MPP can put some pressure on the provincial government to see that application move forward. We’re hoping demonstrations of support from our community also puts some pressure on the provincial government saying that this is needed and wanted.”
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While that approval is pending, Kightley said the campaign result has “given us a little bit of hope, a little bit of reassurance, that Peterborough, as a community, is quite supportive” of not only the services the hub will provide but also those of a CTS.
“This isn’t just about using substances, this is about connecting people to the supports that they need,” Kightley said. “When we walk through the door of the hospital, we all feel uncomfortable with ‘Where do I go? Who do I connect with?'”
“Our team will be able to navigate the health system, and social services system supports, for folks who are affected by the drug poisoning crisis and help link them to those services and help them retain those services.”
Extensive renovations to the former Greyhound Bus Terminal at 220 Simcoe Street (at Aylmer Street) are very close to complete, clearing the way for Peterborough’s Opioid Response Hub to open at that location in early 2022. (Photo: Paul Rellinger / kawarthaNOW)
Also on hand during the announcement was Evan Brockest, a health promoter with Peterborough Public Health who deals specifically with substance abuse and addiction challenges.
“We’re constantly working away at addressing the stigma that distorts people’s perspective of why people experience challenges around substance abuse and addiction,” he said. “We have a lot of work to do beyond this site. That said, this (Opioid Response Hub) is so critical in terms of a response.”
“What we’re seeing is a connecting of the dots between a multifaceted integrated system of support and care that’s going to be able to operate on a just-in-time basis. As soon as someone walks through that door, whether they’re looking for harm reduction supplies or for a safe place to use drugs, that will be here in one place.”
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“The drug poisoning crisis is everyone’s issue,” Brockest added. “If we were to walk around the room here, each one of us has some kind of connection to what’s happening in our community and across the country. That really underscores why we need everyone contributing to the solution. What we’re seeing here is a clear indication that our community is willing to step up to save lives.”
A survey conducted by the Peterborough Drug Strategy in November 2019 bears that out, showing 74 per cent of more than 1,600 people surveyed agree a CTS site will benefit the community. Survey participants ranked the reduction of injuries and deaths from drug overdose and poisonings, the prevention of blood-borne infections, and fewer publicly discarded needles and drug litter as key benefits of providing a CTS.
A separate survey of injection drug users showed 91 per cent would access a CTS site in downtown Peterborough if it were available.
Dr. Kieran Moore, Ontario's chief medical officer of health, provided an update on the COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario at a media conference in Toronto on December 7, 2021. (kawarthaNOW screenshot of CPAC video)
With COVID-19 cases continuing to increase in Ontario and with the release of “disconcerting” modelling data from the province’s science advisory table, the Ontario government announced on Tuesday (December 7) it is extending its pause on the lifting of capacity limits in remaining higher-risk settings where proof of vaccination is required.
The announcement comes more than a week before the pause was set to expire. Originally, capacity limits on food or drink establishments with dance facilities (such as night clubs and wedding receptions in meeting/event spaces where there is dancing), strip clubs, and sex clubs and bathhouses were going to be lifted on November 15. On November 10, the government announced a pause until December 15 because of rising cases.
At a media conference in Toronto on Tuesday afternoon, Ontario’s chief medical officer of health Dr. Kieran Moore said the pause would also allow the government to evaluate the impact of the omicron variant which is now circulating in Ontario.
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“We must remain cautious in the face of the virus, and this pause will allow us to continue monitoring trends in public health and health care indicators while also learning more about the omicron variant,” Dr. Moore said.
The science table projects that, not taking into account any impact from omicron, ICU occupancy will likely grow to between 250 and 400 beds in January, putting hospitals under strain again. Along with continuing to follow public health measures to reduce transmission, the science table said Ontario needs to increase vaccinations, particularly among five to 11 year olds.
Data from Ontario’s science advisory table shows that vaccination continues to be highly effective, particularly in preventing ICU admissions. (Graphic: Ontario Science Advisory Table)
“There’s no doubt that the months ahead will require continued vigilance,” Dr. Moore said. “The science table’s modelling released today has shown us that cases continue to rise even without the omicron variant factored in. And while hospitalization and ICU admissions are currently stable, they too will grow. While we expected to see increases as we enter the winter months, the emergence of omicron serves as a stark reminder of just how quickly things can change, and we must always keep our guard up.”
Dr. Moore added we still don’t know much about the transmissiblility and severity of omicron and its impact on vaccine effectiveness.
“What we do know is that the basic public health measures are effective against COVID-19 and the delta variant, and will also be effective against omicron,” he said. “As we enter the holiday season, I’m encouraging all Ontarians to avoid large crowds, practise physical distancing, wear your mask and wear it properly, wash your hands frequently, stay home when you’re sick, and get vaccinated.”
Dr. Moore said he is concerned about the coming months and the potential impact on Ontario’s health care system, and urged anyone who is not yet vaccinated to do so.
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“The modelling is disconcerting,” he said. “We’re seeing a continued rise in cases across Ontario and it’s impact on the healthcare system. To me, as a public health physician, all of the cases for the most part are preventable. It saddens me deeply to see the vast majority of individuals in our intensive care units — they’re unvaccinated. They never took advantage of the means to protect themselves. We know these vaccines are safe, they’re effective, they will decrease the severity of infections in Ontarians. It’s absolutely preventable what is happening in our acute care sector.”
“If you haven’t been vaccinated yet, please reconsider. They are highly beneficial to you as an individual, to your family, to the community. They will decrease the impact on our acute care sector.”
A graphic from Ontario’s science advisory table uses Swiss cheese as a metaphor to show the relative effectiveness of current public health measures at preventing infection, with vaccination the most effective. (Graphic: Ontario Science Advisory Table)
Dr. Moore said it is possible that the proof of vaccination requirement, originally projected to be lifted on January 17, may remain in place.
“A basic means of protecting individuals is stopping the mixing of unvaccinated and vaccinated, and if our cases continue through and after the holidays, we will make recommendation of government to continue the (vaccine) certification process in play,” he said.
He urged Ontarians who have decided against getting vaccinated to reconsider their decision.
“You have a 23 times higher risk of being admitted to the intensive care unit if you are not vaccinated. You have a 13 times higher risk of being admitted to hospital if you are not vaccinated. And you have a five times higher risk of getting the illness itself — symptomatic COVID-19 — if you are not vaccinated.”
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“Those numbers alone should cause alarm, should raise awareness, and should cause individuals to pause and why they haven’t taken the benefit of these safe and effective vaccines to protect themselves and their family,” Dr. Moore added. “The risk is going up — now’s the time to reconsider and to protect yourself and, frankly, all Ontarians and our health system.”
He noted that, unlike the previous wave of the pandemic, case increases and the impact on the health care system is “differential” across the province, with some health units including Windsor-Essex, Algoma, Sudbury, and Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox & Addington being affected more than cities like Toronto.
“This is a different game, now that there’s such a different rate and impact on the acute care sector across Ontario,” he said. “We’re really having to try to put fires out where they come up, work very closely with those communities to limit the spread, and we’ll continue to do that diligent and hard work with our sister health units.”
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