A thunderstorm passes over a lake in North Kawartha Township on July 5, 2021. (Photo: Jeannine Taylor / kawarthaNOW)
Environment Canada has issued a severe thunderstorm warning for all of Kawartha Lakes and Haliburton County for Wednesday afternoon and evening (August 11).
Conditions are favourable for the development of dangerous thunderstorms that may be capable of producing damaging wind gusts up to 100 km/h and up to ping pong ball-sized hail.
Thunderstorms have developed over Michigan and are tracking towards the area. These thunderstorms are expected to arrive late Wednesday afternoon. Thunderstorms are expected to move east of the area late in the evening.
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Large hail can damage property and cause injury. Very strong wind gusts can damage buildings, down trees and blow large vehicles off the road. Remember, severe thunderstorms can produce tornadoes. Lightning kills and injures Canadians every year. Remember, when thunder roars, go indoors!
Environment Canada issues severe thunderstorm watches when atmospheric conditions are favourable for the development of thunderstorms that could produce large hail, damaging winds, or torrential rainfall.
The Office of the Fire Marshal and Emergency Management recommends that you take cover immediately if threatening weather approaches.
Stratford and Shaw festival regulars Billy Lake, Heather McGuigan, and David Ball perform on August 5, 2021 at the inaugural show at The Grove Theatre in Fenelon Falls. (Photo: Fred Thornhill)
The unofficial opening of The Grove Theatre — the new outdoor amphitheatre built into the garden grove of the fairgrounds in Fenelon Falls — was a huge success, according to organizers.
Performances staged late last week and this past weekend included an opening night show featuring an intimate Broadway cabaret show with Heather McGuigan and friends, two comedy sets by Toronto comedian Elvira Kurt, and two sold-out improv sets by Colin Mochrie and Debra McGrath.
“The Grove Theatre team was overjoyed to hear an outpouring of support from ticket buyers, who seemed to be equally as impressed with the natural idyllic setting as they were with the high-calibre performances from Canadian cultural icons,” reads a media release.
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Fenelon Falls Brewing Company was on site providing refreshments for guests.
Originally, The Grove Theatre was going to celebrate its official opening at the 450-seat open-air venue this summer with a production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Musical, but that large-scale show has been postponed until 2022 because of the pandemic.
Instead, The Grove Theatre is presenting smaller productions during August, allowing for limited seating in accordance with COVID-19 safety guidelines. Audience members arrive for the inaugural show at The Grove Theatre, the new outdoor amphitheatre built into the garden grove of the fairgrounds in Fenelon Falls. (Photo: Fred Thornhill)[
Here are the remaining performances coming to The Grove Theatre this month.
Thursday, August 19 – Comedy Night at The Grove
A joke-filled evening with award-winning comedy from Simon B. Cotter, Gilson Lubin, with emcee Scott Harris.
Friday, August 20 – Julian Taylor
An up-close-and-personal night of music with musician Julian Taylor, whose current release “The Ridge” has received Polaris, Juno, and Summer Solstice Indigenous Awards nominations. Taylor was also named Solo Artist of the Year at this year’s Canadian Folk Music Awards.
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Saturday, August 21 – Bob May
Presented in partnership with Fenelon Live, a fellow initiative under the Kawartha Community Works Cooperative, local musician Bob May will perform an intimate and light set.
Sunday, August 22 – Glad All Over: British Invasion Concert
A concert featuring England’s greatest songs of the sixties, including tunes by the Dave Clark Five, Herman’s Hermits, Petula Clark, The Rolling Stones, and The Beatles.
Nicole Myers-Mitchell, general manager of The Grove Theatre in Fenelon Falls, welcomes guests to the inaugural show at The Grove Theatre in Fenelon Falls. (Photo: Fred Thornhill)
Sunday, August 22 – The Liverpool Sessions: The Beatles from Studio to Stage
A concert featuring a 10-piece ‘Lonely Hearts Club Band’ performing Beatles favourites from Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, Abbey Road, and more.
Thursday, August 26 – Heather’s Garden Variety: Clover
An evening of Broadway favourites performed by Stratford and Shaw festival regulars Heather McGuigan, Jade Repeta, and Alexis Gordon.
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Friday, August 27 – Crystal Shawanda
A concert by Juno and Canadian Music award-winning blues and country musician Crystal Shawanda, whose debut album Dawn of a New Day became the highest-charted album by an Indigenous person from Canada and reached #2 on the Billboard Top Country Charts.
Saturday, August 28 – The Greg Tarlin Juggling Show
An energetic, light-hearted comedy variety show suitable for all ages.
The audience at opening night at The Grove Theatre in Fenelon Falls on August 5, 2021. (Photo: Fred Thornhill)
Saturday, August 28 – Dance in The Grove
An evening of summer dance featuring Bill Coleman and Company and Worldly Women presented by Dance Fachin.
Sunday, August 29 – Local Female Musicians Concert
A concert featuring local singer-songwriters Cassie Noble (Lindsay), Tania Joy (Uxbridge), Shannon Roszell (Fenelon Falls), and Vicki Heacock (Fenelon Falls).
David McNab, who is leading an effort to bring 18-year-old Syrian refugee Rashid to Canada, accepts a $1,000 donation from Brenda Ibey, owner of The Avant-Garden Shop, for his fundraising campaign. Thanks to the generosity of Ibey and other business owners, along with individual donors from Peterborough and around the world, McNab has exceeded his goal by 50 per cent of raising $8,000 to cover the costs of supporting Rashid in Canada. (Photo: Clayton Ibey)
A fundraising campaign to help bring Rashid, an 18-year-old Syrian refugee, to Canada has exceeded its original goal by 50 per cent in less than a week — raising almost $13,000 to help cover the costs of sponsoring Rashid during his first year in Canada.
The campaign was launched last Tuesday (August 3) by Rashid’s Canadian friend David McNab, a retired police officer living in Peterborough, and exceeded its goal within the week.
“I didn’t dare dream that there would be so much support and that we would be successful in such a short period of time,” McNab says. “It is truly heartwarming to see how the Peterborough community has embraced Rashid. It is equally wonderful to receive support from the rest of Canada, USA, the United Kingdom, and other areas of the world.”
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McNab first encountered Rashid after the teenager posted about his dream to come to Canada in a private Facebook group dedicated to birding in Canada. Some members of the group proceeded to attack Rashid for his post, bullying and insulting him, including with racist slurs.
McNab soon befriended Rashid, who is surviving on his own in Turkey after having fled Syria as a child. Via Zoom, McNab began helping Rashid learn English, and was soon impressed by the teenager’s work ethic, character, and “wonderful personality.”
“Rashid has been working harder on his English than I ever expected and his progress is remarkable,” McNab explains. “When I recently praised him on his effort, he responded, ‘I have a dream.’ It is his goal to become a Canadian citizen and to study to become an engineer.”
“He is overwhelmed by the support and the warmth of the people who have gotten behind him and his dream. He is also thrilled to have such a warm welcome from the people of Canada before he even gets on the plane.”
David McNab (right), a retired OPP constable, conducts an online English lesson with Rashid, an 18-year-old Syrian refugee living alone in Turkey. McNab connected with Rashid after the teenager had posted a desperate plea in a Facebook group about coming to Canada and was subjected to abuse, including racism. McNab and his veterinarian wife Kristy Hiltz, who have been involved in sponsoring Syrian refugees to come to Canada in the past, have begun the process to bring Rashid to Canada. (Photo courtesy of David McNab)
Part of the process of sponsoring a refugee to come to Canada is being able to cover a year of costs for rent, food, clothing, transportation, and more. Of the estimated cost of $18,000 to support Rashid, McNab and his wife (veterinarian Kristy Hiltz) contributed $5,000, with social advocate Michael VanDerHerberg contributing another $5,000.
McNab then started a crowdfunding campaign to raise the remaining $8,000, and as of the date of this story has raised $12,768. McNab says the extra donations will be used to cover unexpected expenses and to help Rashid with his education when he comes to Canada.
“I’m grateful to the business community for also becoming involved and showing tremendous support,” McNab says. “The Avant-Garden Shop, Paul Tinney Auto, The Wild Bird Trading Company, Lizzie Brand with Pampered Chef, and Heaven on Seven Catering have been very generous.”
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Now that the fundraising goal has been met, McNab can complete Rashid’s sponsorship application. He has approached a Peterborough church to see if they can act as the sponsorship agreement holder with the federal government.
“This is a critical step in a sponsorship and their potential support is something I’m extremely grateful for,” McNab says.
In addition to the donations, NcNab says he has also been receiving messages of encouragement and offers of help with developing Rashid’s English skills.
“I’m especially grateful to the media for helping this fundraiser become noticed,” McNab adds.
“When kawarthaNOW began spreading the word, Rashid’s dream to Canada received a lot of attention on social media and this gave us a huge boost in donations and other support. CHEX/Global News picked up the story and it spread even further. I cannot imagine this being possible without the help we have received.”
Here’s an update on COVID-19 cases in Ontario as well as in the greater Kawarthas region.
Ontario is reporting 321 new cases today, with 9 of Ontario’s 34 health units reporting double-digit increases — Toronto (96), Peel (31), Hamilton (31), York (30), Windsor-Essex (22), Middlesex-London (17), Halton (16), Simcoe Muskoka (15), and Waterloo (10) — and 10 reporting no new cases at all.
The seven-day average of daily cases has risen by 23 to 306.
The number of hospitalizations has increased by 6 to 100, with the number of ICU patients decreasing by 6 to 109 and the number of patients on ventilators increasing by 2 to 72. Ontario is reporting 2 new COVID-related deaths, with none in long-term care homes.
Of the new cases, 67% are among unvaccinated people, with 46% of hospitalizations and 50% of ICU admissions among unvaccinated people.
Over 19.9 million vaccine doses have been administered, an increase of 48,278 from yesterday, with more than 9.3 million people fully vaccinated, an increase of 37,862 from yesterday, representing over 63% of Ontario’s total population.
COVID-19 cases in Ontario from July 10 – August 9, 2021. The red line is the number of new cases reported daily, and the dotted green line is a five-day rolling average of new cases. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)COVID-19 hospitalizations and ICU admissions in Ontario from July 10 – August 9, 2021. The red line is the daily number of COVID-19 hospitalizations, the dotted green line is a five-day rolling average of hospitalizations, and the purple line is the daily number of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)COVID-19 vaccinations in Ontario from July 10 – August 9, 2021. The red line is the cumulative number of daily doses administered and the green line is the cumulative number of people fully vaccinated with two doses of vaccine. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)
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There is 1 new case to report in Peterborough, with the number of active cases increasing by 1 to 2.
Numbers are unavailable for Kawartha Lakes, Haliburton, Northumberland, and Hastings Prince Edward as the respective health units only issue reports on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Numbers for Tuesday will be included in Wednesday’s update.
There are 44 active cases in the greater Kawarthas region, an increase of 1 since yesterday, including 24 in Hastings Prince Edward (10 in Quinte West, 6 in Belleville, 5 in Central Hastings, and 2 in Prince Edward County), 15 in Kawartha Lakes, 3 in Northumberland, and 2 in Peterborough. There are no active cases in Haliburton.
Since the pandemic began in the greater Kawarthas region, there have been 1,646 confirmed positive cases in the Peterborough area (1,622 resolved with 22 deaths), 1,195 in the City of Kawartha Lakes (1,135 resolved with 58 deaths), 956 in Northumberland County (936 resolved with 17 deaths), 126 in Haliburton County (125 resolved with 1 death), and 1,180 in Hastings and Prince Edward counties (1,144 resolved with 12 deaths). The most recent death was reported in Hastings Prince Edward on July 28.
Environment Canada has issued both a heat warning and a severe thunderstorm watch for the entire greater Kawarthas region for Tuesday (August 10).
The heat warning is in effect for the next three days for Peterborough, Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland, and Hastings County. The severe thunderstorm watch is effect for the same areas, as well as Haliburton County, for Tuesday afternoon and evening.
Hot and humid conditions, with humidex values reaching 40°C, are expected for the next three days.
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Daytime temperatures will reach the high 20s to low 30s from now until at least Thursday. These high temperatures will combine with high humidity to result in humidex values near 40°C each day. Warm temperatures above 20°C each night will provide little relief from the heat.
Cooler and less humid air is expected to arrive Friday or by this weekend.
On Tuesday afternoon and evening, conditions are favourable for the development of severe thunderstorms across the region.
These thunderstorms will be capable of producing strong wind gusts up to 90 km/h and locally heavy rainfall of 50 mm within a single hour.
Strong wind gusts can toss loose objects, damage weak buildings, break branches off trees and overturn large vehicles. Heavy downpours can cause flash floods and water pooling on roads. Lightning kills and injures Canadians every year. Remember, when thunder roars, go indoors!
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Environment Canada has also issued a weather advisory for Kawartha Lakes that conditions will be favourable for the development of funnel clouds.
These types of funnel clouds are generated by weak rotation under rapidly growing clouds or weak thunderstorms.
This weak rotation is normally not a danger near the ground. However, there is a chance that this rotation could intensify and become a weak landspout tornado.
Husband-and-wife team Vince and Stephanie Frasca of Frasca's Ridge Maple Co. operate a maple cart in Douro-Dummer on long weekends, where you can buy made-from-scratch doughnuts, maple tarts, fudge, and more, all made from the maple syrup they produce on their three-acre property. You can also purchase some of their products anytime by contacting them on social media. (Photo: Frasca's Ridge Maple Co.)
This month, food writer Eva Fisher grabs a sweet treat at Frasca’s Ridge Maple Co.’s maple cart in Douro-Dummer, shares the charcuterie love with Sharecuterie Boards in Peterborough, checks the status of renovations at The Cow & Sow Eatery in Fenelon Falls, and samples a slice at Pizza Bodega in downtown Peterborough.
Frasca’s Ridge Maple Co. serves made-from-scratch maple treats on Labour Day long weekend
According to Vince Frasca, Frasca’s Ridge Maple Co.’s maple tarts are their best treat, with the shell made from their maple sugar and the filling made with their maple syrup and maple sugar. (Photo: Frasca’s Ridge Maple Co.)
Your Labour Day long weekend just got a lot sweeter. Frasca’s Ridge Maple Co. (2162 White Lake Road West, Douro-Dummer) is offering made-from-scratch doughnuts, maple tarts, fudge, and more from their maple cart located at the corner of County Road 6 and White Lake Road West.
Owners Vince and Stephanie Frasca originally started making syrup on a small scale, with just 12 trees. They would boil the sap over a fire. Two years ago, they moved to a three-acre property in Douro-Dummer where they could expand their hobby into a small business.
Currently the maple cart is restricted to long weekends only.
Frasca’s Ridge Maple Co.’s maple fudge has no added sugar, just maple syrup. (Photo: Frasca’s Ridge Maple Co.)
“My wife and I make everything,” Vince says. “We both work full-time jobs still so we do the carts on long weekends, so we at least have some time off.”
They make the fudge and maple butter the week before, and then on the Friday morning of the long weekend they bake the doughnuts and tarts.
“The tarts and doughnuts are recipes that we’ve come up with over the years, and instead of using white and brown sugar we swap everything with maple sugar.”
The doughnuts from Frasca’s Ridge Maple Co. are made from scratch by husband-and-wife team Vince and Stephanie Frasca. While many of their maple products are available to order any day, maple tarts and doughnuts are only available from their maple cart on long weekends. (Photo: Frasca’s Ridge Maple Co.)
Vince says that the tarts are a must try.
“The shell is made with our maple sugar and the filling is made with our maple syrup and maple sugar. In my opinion they’re the best thing we make because they’re super, super mapley.”
The commitment to purely maple products extends to the fudge.
“The maple fudge is literally maple syrup and the few ingredients that turn it into a fudge,” Vince says.
The cart is open next on the Labour Day weekend, on Friday afternoon (September 3) and Saturday (September 4). If you can’t make it to the cart, you can order fudge, maple butter, and maple syrup anytime for pickup by contacting Frasca’s Ridge Maple Co. on Instagram or Facebook.
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Did someone order charcuterie? Sharecuterie Boards offers decadence to go
Victoria Seguin, owner of Sharecuterie Boards, assembles and delivers beautiful charcuterie boards. (Photo: Laura Elliot and Linda Seguin)
How would you like to get a beautifully presented charcuterie board delivered to your door? Sharecuterie Boards in Peterborough offers hand-crafted charcuterie boards for two or for a family. featuring delicious treats from local businesses.
Ingredients for Victoria Seguin’s charcuterie boards are sourced from local small businesses. (Photo: Sharecuterie Boards)
Owner Victoria Seguin started the business five months ago. The midst of a pandemic might seem like an unlikely time to develop a business built around a food that many associate with parties, but Victoria found that, even alone, charcuterie is a great way to treat yourself.
“This is something I did for myself during COVID as a weekly self-care ritual,” she recalls. “It was my date night with myself and I would make myself a beautiful board and enjoy the shopping and the prepping.”
Her beautiful boards caught the eye of those around her.
“A girlfriend told me, ‘You would be stupid not to turn this into a business!’ I thought about it and said, ‘Well, that’s one thing that I’m not.'”
She sat on the idea for two months until one morning she woke up and decided the time was right.
“I worked in fitness, and I think we all know that fitness took a big hit during the COVID lockdowns. We’d just got into the third lockdown and I was just finding myself in a rut. I needed to create a routine and just not wait any more.”
What began as a form of self care during the pandemic has become a business for Victoria Seguin. (Photo: Sharecuterie Boards)
Victoria sources her ingredients locally from small businesses.
“The smaller butcher shops, the smaller cheese shops — I have a mom-and-daughter team from Omemee that does the jams.”
Sourcing locally became particularly important to her as she saw the devastation of the pandemic on local businesses.
“I saw all these businesses closing in Peterborough and I just thought, ‘Why can’t I be a small business that supports other small businesses?'”
Sharecuterie Boards are delivered on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Victoria is also planning to offer a Wednesday lunch. To order, contact her through Instagram or Facebook.
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The Cow & Sow Eatery in Fenelon Falls gets a new look but keeps the friendly personality
Fenelon Falls’ iconic The Cow & Sow Eatery is currently undergoing major renovations, with a grand reopening scheduled for September. A new sign was installed at the end of July. (Photo: The Cow & Sow Eatery)
A fresh new look is in store for The Cow & Sow Eatery (38 Colborne St., Fenelon Falls, 705-887-5111). Since early this year, the popular Fenelon Falls restaurant and bar has been undergoing a major renovation, with plans to reopen on September 22nd.
The Cow & Sow was originally part of the Mansion House Hotel, built in the late 1800s, and has been home to a variety of businesses since then. In 2019, Emily Forbes and her mother Lorraine Forbes purchased the restaurant from former owner Dickon Robinson, who established it in 1996.
After years of use, structural renovations were required, which presented an opportunity for Emily and Lorraine to make some major changes.
Daughter-and-mother team Emily and Lorraine Forbes purchased The Cow & Sow Eatery in 2019 from former owner Dickon Robinson, who established it in 1996. (Photo: The Cow & Sow Eatery)
“We’ll be doing all new floors, new bar, and new paint,” Emily says.
The kitchen will also be overhauled, with new fridge and freezers and a new prep area.
The renovations have unearthed some of the building’s history.
“We’ve uncovered a really neat brick wall in behind the bar that was part of the original Mansion House,” she points out.
Renovations at The Cow & Sow Eatery have unearthed some of the building’s past, including this brick wall that was once part of a historic hotel. (Photo: The Cow & Sow Eatery)
The upstairs space will also undergo renovations, but these won’t be as extensive.
“We’re fixing up the floor and patching up walls and just sprucing it up a lot.”
Following the renovations, Emily plans to maintain the same welcoming atmosphere that became the restaurant’s hallmark under Dickson’s ownership.
“It was a place where the servers knew you by your first name, you just felt really welcomed and that you belong,” she reflects. “You could come in from a workday in your work boots and still in your work clothes, or you could have a girls’ night out getting dressed up, and everyone fit. That’s what I want people to still feel when they come in.”
A cornerstone restaurant in Fenelon Falls, The Cow & Sow Eatery is slated to reopen on September 22, 2021 after major renovations are completed. The restaurant was purchased in 2019 by Emily and Lorraine Forbes, whose family were regular patrons of the restaurant during its previous ownership. They intend to maintain the friendly atmosphere of the restaurant. (Photo: The Cow & Sow Eatery)
Emily speaks from experience. Before buying the business, they were regular patrons.
“It was our family’s favourite restaurant,” Emily says. “We went there at least once a week when we would cottage up here, and then my parents moved to the cottage full time and they would go multiple times per week.”
Maybe that’s why, when they reopen, Emily plans to keep things running in much the same way they have been.
“We’re not thinking too far ahead,” she says. “We really want to just get back on our feet, shake the dust off a bit, and deliver quality and consistent food and service.”
For more information on The Cow & Sow Eatery and for updates on their grand reopening, visit thecow.ca.
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Pizza Bodega brings New York style pizza to downtown Peterborough
Pizza Bodega specializes in New York style pizza that ranges from traditional to wild. Pictured is the spicy pickle pizza. (Photo: Pizza Bodega)
If you’re a fan of thin crust, New York style pizza — the kind that’s made with three cheeses and a quality sauce — you’ll want to head to Hunter Street in Peterborough.
Pizza Bodega (201 Hunter St W, Peterborough), which operates out of Spanky’s, opened on July 31st.
Owner Sean Crooks has years of experience in the restaurant business.
“I spent almost 20 years in the food industry, in the kitchen — I started in the dish pit,” he says.
His first cooking job was on the pizza and salad line at East Side Mario’s.
“Since that time, I’ve cooked many different styles of food in many different style of restaurant. As chefs, we’re always looking for our comfort zone. Being a big fan of pizza, it pulled me back in. My career has come full circle.”
Pizza Bodega operates out of Spanky’s in downtown Peterborough. Pictured is the K’s Deli Pie. (Photo: Pizza Bodega)
So what’s the key to a great pizza, according to Sean?
“It’s proper dough, a really great sauce, and the three main cheeses on a plain cheese pizza.”
That’s not to say that every Pizza Bodega pizza is that traditional. The menu ranges from the classics to a spicy pickle pizza, with roasted garlic cream, fior di latte cheese, dill pickles, double smoked ham, and fresh dill.
There’s also a Lebanese pizza (which happens to be vegan), with fresh herb za’atar, marinated seasonal vegetables, and freshly squeezed lemon, and a bianco pizza with roasted garlic cream, three cheeses, fresh rosemary, roasted garlic, and honey.
Christine Jaros launched her chemical-free pest control business, VerminX, during the pandemic. While she can handle a variety of pest issues, Christine's specialty is the removal of wasps, bees, and hornets from inside buildings. As a beekeeper, she understands the ecological value of honeybees and relocates them instead of destroying them. (Photo: Logan Stabler)
The pandemic has brought circumstances that have changed many people’s careers forever. Whether you lost or quit your job, began working from home, or reinvented your business to meet current needs, for many people, work doesn’t look the same as it did pre-pandemic.
For Christine Jaros, this is the case since she built her own pest control company, VerminX, from the ground up during the pandemic.
Christine has owned an apartment building for over 20 years and, throughout that time, learned how to do just about anything you can think of relating to maintenance and preventative maintenance. So, when her friend and neighbour had a rodent issue in her home last year, Christine was her go-to girl for help.
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“I had rats in my home the year prior and dealt with them pretty effectively on my own,” Christine explains. “I had bait boxes and I knew what to do.”
But, when she went to purchase baits, she was denied because she wasn’t a farmer and didn’t have an exterminator’s licence.
“That spurred me on because I don’t like being told when I can’t do something,” Christine recalls.
After obtaining her exterminator’s licence, VerminX owner Christine Jaros received the help she needed to launch her business (along with a $5,000 grant) by participating in Starter Company Plus, a provincially funded program for entrepreneuers administered by Peterborough & the Kawarthas Economic Development’s Business Advisory Centre. (Photo: Logan Stabler)
Right away, Christine ordered the materials and manuals she needed to study for the exterminator’s exams. Not long after, she drove to Scarborough for the exam and passed.
With her licence in hand and a name for her business in mind, Christine still needed some support to launch her new venture. That’s when she participated in the winter 2021 intake of Starter Company Plus, a provincially funded program administered by Peterborough & the Kawarthas Economic Development’s Business Advisory Centre.
The eight-week program aims to teach new entrepreneurs the necessary skills to start and grow their business, including creating a business plan. Of the 12 entrepreneurs who participated in the program, six were awarded a grant of $5,000 based on the strength of their business plan and the viability of their business.
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Christine was one of the six entrepreneurs who was awarded a grant, which she then used to help insure her business, VerminX Pest Control, which launched this past spring.
Being eco-conscious is essential to Christine in every facet of her life, so it made sense to her to run her pest control business without relying on chemicals and pesticides.
“The importance, for me, is that it limits my toxicity levels,” she explains. “I’ve always been extremely conscious of food pesticides and chemicals. It was important for me to maintain that integrity when running my business. For the customers, it is a win-win because I’m getting the job done and not creating another issue.”
VerminX owner Christine Jaros plans to expand her business by hiring one or two employees by next year. Working in a traditionally male-dominated field, Christine has found most of her customers to date have been women, who represent more than 50 per cent of homeowners. (Photo: Logan Stabler)
Christine believes that her ethical pest control business fills an important niche in the market.
“Many people are trying to figure out how to keep their houses clean by using eco-friendly cleaning products,” she says. “This is just another plank in building a cleaner house and keeping our environment as eco-friendly as we can without adding more problems to it.”
So far, Christine has had a very positive response from the community and has generated a lot of word-of-mouth business. She notes that all of her clients have been women so far. Since she is a woman in a traditionally male-dominated field, Christine speculates that some women are more comfortable with another woman entering their home to do the job.
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“More than 50 per cent of homeowners are women, and they’re usually single women with kids, which is fairly representative of my client base,” says Christine. “I think they feel more comfortable, especially during COVID, with me coming into their house.”
Although Christine launched VerminX during the pandemic, she says it hasn’t had a significant impact on her business since extermination is already a relatively COVID-safe business. Exterminators always have to wear masks and gloves. In addition, pest control was deemed an essential service throughout the province’s various lockdowns.
Christine adds that launching her own business during the pandemic was also a welcome distraction.
“It’s been something for me to focus on — building something — instead of getting bogged down on the COVID numbers and the day-to-day panic and anxieties.”
Christine Jaros’ pest control business VerminX specializes in the removal of wasps, hornets, and bees, but she can also help homeowners deal with other common pests, including rats, mice, moles, squirrels, chipmunks, skunks, raccoons, and more. (Photo: Logan Stabler)
According to Christine, while the pandemic hasn’t affected the viability of her pest control business, it has had an impact on the types of jobs for which she is hired.
For example, with more people feeding birds in their backyards during the pandemic, bird populations have increased — as has the rodent population because of the increased availablity of food. Homeowners are experiencing more issues with birds and squirrels nesting on window ledges and in attics.
At the same time, the bed bug population has fallen over the past year since people are moving around less. Christine speculates the bed bug population will rise again as the pandemic dwindles and people move around more. Her chemical-free solution for this common pest issue uses fungal spores and, unlike common chemical treatments, can be sprayed right onto mattresses.
Gypsy moths are another pest species that have arisen in the past year. Gypsy moths are a problem in Ontario since they are an invasive species originally from Europe, threatening their new environment by disrupting local ecosystems. Christine’s solution for this species is a BTK bacteria spray.
“The bacteria pulverizes their intestinal tract and they die,” Christine explains. “The good thing about using the BTK is it’s considered biological treatment. Birds can still eat the caterpillars after they’ve ingested it and be completely fine. It doesn’t affect other creatures that might be in the area.”
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The BTK spray treatment only works when gypsy moth caterpillars are about one-quarter of an inch large, so it is too late for Christine to handle this issue this year. For next year, she is looking into a hormone disruption solution meant for after the caterpillar stage. When the males are flying around, they would be attracted to a box instead of to mate.
While she is an expert at dealing with many different species of pests, Christine’s specialty is wasp and bee removal from inside homes — something she has lots of experience with since she is also a beekeeper.
For wasps and bees, Christine builds a containment for the hive, drills a hole into it, and vacuums them out. Wasps are hit with dish soap and drown, while honey bees — important pollinators — are kept alive and contained until Christine can release them into a new hive.
According to Christine, she starts an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) system when she is hired for a pest removal job. She says the system involves a lot of communication between herself and her client.
“When I start the IPM system for a client, I do an assessment,” explains Christine. “We have a chat, and we talk about if they’ve seen the pests, if they’ve seen evidence of pests, and if they’ve found a nest. Based on those findings, we make a plan together.”
Christine says it’s important to approach any pest control issue with an open mind and to not make any judgements.
“Clients are generally feeling very vulnerable and upset when something like this happens,” she notes. “Whether it be bed bugs, rats, or raccoons in their attic, it’s overwhelming for the average homeowner to know what to do and how to do it.”
For those DIYers who want to deal with pests on their own, but need some advice on the best methods, Christine says she is happy to do consultations.
VerminX serves Peterborough and the Kawarthas region. To contact Chrstine, email christine@verminx.ca or text or call 705-917-4480. For more information, visit verminx.ca.
Electric City Football Club president Rob Jenkins, sporting the team's official colours of yellow and black, officially announced Monday (August 9, 2021) at the Silver Bean Café on the shores of Little Lake in Peterborough that the professional soccer franchise will make its League1 Ontario debut in May 2022. (Photo: Paul Rellinger / kawarthaNOW)
Professional soccer will debut in Peterborough in May 2022, with the yellow-and-black colours of the Electric City Football Club (ECFC) taking to the pitch as the newest team entry in League1 Ontario men’s division play.
On Monday afternoon (August 9) at the Silver Bean Café in downtown Peterborough, ECFC president Rob Jenkins made it official before introducing each member of the club’s local ownership group as well as revealing the goal of adding a women’s team at the same level in 2023.
“I’ve been blown away by the community of Peterborough and its people over the past year since I got involved,” said Jenkins, who arrived from Calgary after launching two very successful soccer clubs in that city, including Calvary FC of the Canadian Premier League.
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“After much speculation and rumours, and possibly the worst-kept secret in sports history, I’m very proud to officially announce the newest addition to the Peterborough sporting community and the Canadian soccer landscape,” Jenkins added.
“This is a club for the community, by the community, and with the community. Our goal is to share the talent, hard work and passion this remarkable community has with the rest of Ontario, Canada, and the world through the beautiful game.”
Jenkins took time to “dispel a myth” he has heard from some during his time here — “that Peterborough is not a soccer town.”
A large crowd watched on August 9, 2021 at the Silver Bean Café in Peterborough as the Electric City Football Club was officially announced, with the team set to begin play in May 2022 as part of the League1 Ontario’s men’s division. The club’s ownership group is also looking at bringing a woman’s professional soccer team to Peterborough in 2023. (Photo: Paul Rellinger / kawarthaNOW)
“I recently spent some time at Trent Valley Archives and have been chatting with people, and I was interested to find out that soccer — or football as it was called in Peterborough prior to 1940 — was first recorded as being played here in 1881,” Jenkins explained.
“With that in mind, we wanted to come up with a club name and colours that represented the hard-working industrial heritage of Peterborough but also inspired growth and ambition for future generations, while acknowledging the importance that electricity has played in the foundation of this city.”
Former PtboCanada owner Neil Morton is one of the members of ECFC’s ownership group, with the other members being Kyle MacDonald, Burton Lee, Mo Von Roeder, Beth McClelland, Jo Gillan, Richard Wood, Alex Bridal, Siam Grobler, Alvaro de la Guardia, Paul Bennett, and majority owner Gregory Couch.
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“We’re making history today and it’s beautiful,” Morton said. “I’ve literally had goose bumps all day in anticipation of this moment. I believe this club belongs at this moment in time in Peterborough. It’s going to be a kick-ass endeavour in the community and beyond. We’re going to build a global brand and it’s going to attract people to want to play for us and to be fans. This will be a game changer for Peterborough.”
According to Morton, the group has done its homework and likes very much what it has heard and seen.
“I grew up playing soccer here,” he said. “I know what it’s like. A lot of kids play to a certain age and there’s no academy and they’re done with soccer. It (the desire to keep playing) is percolating under the surface and it’s ready to emerge. The defining moment is here for that to happen. We’re giving kids hope they didn’t have before. They want to play pro soccer. They’ll grow up here, go to an academy, which we are going to have, and play soccer for their hometown.”
Members of the ownership group backing the Electric City Football Club were joined by club supporters at the official announcement of the club’s formation at the Silver Bean Café in Peterborough on August 9, 2021. (Photo: Paul Rellinger / kawarthaNOW)
Following the official announcement, Jenkins provided kawarthaNOW with a rough timeline as to next steps in ECFC’s evolution.
Firstly, the location of the club’s home playing field remains a work in progress, with Jenkins noting the former Rona property on Chemong Road in Selwyn Township is still “in consideration”.
“We’re looking at a number of different properties but we’re having conversations with them (Hybrid Sports, which owns the former Rona property) in terms of us potentially being able to play there,” Jenkins said.
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In the meantime, a contingency plan that would see ECFC play at an established field is in the works, should a new facility not be developed and available in time for the club’s first game in May 2022.
Jenkins said an announcement regarding the club’s head coach will happen “some time in the fall”, followed in January by player acquisitions.
“Once we get a coach, we’ll build the style of play we want to have,” he said. “Then we’ll bring in players that fit that style. It’s a hard-working city. We want that kind of player. We want that kind of mentality.”
VIDEO: Electric City Football Club Teaser
The team logo, says Jenkins, is “firm” and will be unveiled this Friday (August 13) on social media and possibly at a live event.
Founded in 2014 by Ontario Soccer, League1 Ontario began with a 10-team men’s division. That has since grown to 15 teams in the women’s division and 21 teams in the men’s division.
League1 Ontario serves as a critical bridge between the high-performance youth level and the professional levels of the game.
Owned and managed by Canadian Soccer Business (CSB) since 2019 and sanctioned by FIFA through Canada Soccer and Ontario Soccer, League1 Ontario’s primary focus is to showcase and develop Canada’s future soccer stars.
For more information about the Electric City Football Club, visit electriccityfc.com.
Here’s an update on COVID-19 cases in Ontario as well as in the greater Kawarthas region.
Ontario is reporting 325 new cases today, with 10 of Ontario’s 34 health units reporting double-digit increases — Toronto (90), Peel (47), York (29), Hamilton (29), Windsor-Essex (26), Waterloo (23), Durham (14), Halton (12), Grey Bruce (11), and Simcoe Muskoka (10) — and 11 reporting no new cases at all.
The seven-day average of daily cases has risen by 22 to 283.
The number of hospitalizations has increased by 5 to 94, but more than 10% of hospitals did not submit data for the daily bed census yesterday so the actual number of hospitalizations may be higher. The number of ICU patients has decreased by 2 to 113 and the number of patients on ventilators has decreased by 6 to 70. Ontario is reporting no new COVID-related deaths.
Over 19.9 million vaccine doses have been administered, an increase of 29,949 from yesterday, with more than 9.3 million people fully vaccinated, an increase of 24,307 from yesterday, representing just over 63% of Ontario’s total population.
COVID-19 cases in Ontario from July 9 – August 8, 2021. The red line is the number of new cases reported daily, and the dotted green line is a five-day rolling average of new cases. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)COVID-19 hospitalizations and ICU admissions in Ontario from July 9 – August 8, 2021. The red line is the daily number of COVID-19 hospitalizations, the dotted green line is a five-day rolling average of hospitalizations, and the purple line is the daily number of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)COVID-19 vaccinations in Ontario from July 9 – August 8, 2021. The red line is the cumulative number of daily doses administered and the green line is the cumulative number of people fully vaccinated with two doses of vaccine. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)
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In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 12 new cases to report over the weekend, including 6 in Hastings Prince Edward, 3 in Kawartha Lakes, 2 in Northumberland, and 1 in Peterborough. There are no new cases in Haliburton.
A new outbreak, involving 2 cases, was declared at an unidentified workplace in Prince Edward County on August 7.
An additional 18 cases have been resolved in the region including 6 in Kawartha Lakes, 6 in Hastings Prince Edward, 5 in Peterborough, and 1 in Haliburton.
The number of active cases has increased by 2 in Northumberland and has decreased by 4 in Peterborough, by 4 in Kawartha Lakes, by 1 in Haliburton, and remains the same in Hastings Prince Edward.
There are currently 43 active cases in the greater Kawarthas region, a decrease of 7 since August 6, including 24 in Hastings Prince Edward (10 in Quinte West, 6 in Belleville, 5 in Central Hastings, and 2 in Prince Edward County), 15 in Kawartha Lakes, 3 in Northumberland, and 1 in Peterborough. There are no active cases in Haliburton.
Since the pandemic began in the greater Kawarthas region, there have been 1,645 confirmed positive cases in the Peterborough area (1,622 resolved with 22 deaths), 1,195 in the City of Kawartha Lakes (1,135 resolved with 58 deaths), 956 in Northumberland County (936 resolved with 17 deaths), 126 in Haliburton County (125 resolved with 1 death), and 1,180 in Hastings and Prince Edward counties (1,144 resolved with 12 deaths). The most recent death was reported in Hastings Prince Edward on July 28.
During the week of August 9, 2021, the City of Peterborough will be removing the curbside pickup parking zones, first created in January 2021 to provide for 15 minutes of free parking for people to pick up food or shopping orders. Regular parking will resume in the spaces used for the zones. (kawarthaNOW screenshot from City of Peterborough video)
The designated curbside pickup parking zones in downtown Peterborough will be removed this week, with regular parking resuming in the zones.
The City of Peterborough has decided to remove the zones as curbside pickup activity has declined with the resumption of in-person retail, personal services, and indoor dining in step three of Ontario’s reopening plan.
The city created the curbside pickup zones the past January during the province-wide lockdown to provide 15 minutes of free parking for people making quick stops to pick up food or shopping orders.
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In a media release issued on Monday (August 9), the city states it consulted with the Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area (DBIA) and some downtown businesses before making the decision to remove the zones.
With the removal of the zones, people can park in the space for up to two hours. On-street parking in downtown Peterborough is limited to a maximum period of two hours unless otherwise posted, and parking rates are $1.50 for each hour.
Customers can pay for parking at a parking meter or a pay-and-display machine with coins. The HotSpot App allows customers to pay for parking with credit or debit.
Parking is free evenings after 6 p.m., weekends and statutory holidays. The first hour of parking is also free at the King Street Parkade on King Street between George and Aylmer streets.
kawarthaNOW.com offers two enews options to help readers stay in the know. Our VIP enews is delivered weekly every Wednesday morning and includes exclusive giveaways, and our news digest is delivered daily every morning. You can subscribe to one or both.
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