The iconic Hi Tops restaurant sign, a piece of Peterborough’s history, needs a new home.

The 20-foot sign had been on display on Hot Belly Mama’s in downtown Peterborough, but owner Travis Smith closed the restaurant earlier this year because of the pandemic.

“Ever since Hot Belly Mama’s closed we knew this day would come and now it has,” writes Bill Kimball on Facebook. “The long-term goal is to restore the sign, as nearly all the neon has been saved and is ready to be reunited with the sign itself. But until the plans and financing are put in place for that, it needs to be stored and I do not have space at my home.”

Kimball, artistic director of Public Energy, was instrumental in saving the sign back in 2013, when owner Ed Hum closed the former Hi Tops restaurant on George Street in downtown Peterborough. Kimball asked Hum (who has since passed away) if he could have the sign.

In March 2013, at the invitation of owner Dave Tobey, Kimball agreed to have the sign placed inside The Spill in downtown Peterborough, which was directly across the street from the former Hi Tops restaurant. It was hung on the south wall there in two pieces until The Spill closed permanently in October 2017.

In January 2018, when Smith found out The Spill was closing, he asked Kimball whether he could display the sign in Hot Belly Mama’s. It was displayed there in one piece until Smith closed the restaurant in February, along with the adjoining Olde Stone Brewing Company brew pub and restaurant.

Kimball is now looking for a temporary or permanent home for the sign.

“Can you store it?,” he asks on Facebook. “Or do you have a business that would like to display it?”

Kimball is asking anyone who can help to email him at billkimball22@gmail.com.

On Kimball’s Facebook post, suggestions so far include the basement at Artspace, the Commerce Building foyer, Sadleir House, and the Peterborough Museum and Archives.

On the latter suggestion, Kimball says he already made an inquiry to the museum.

“They can accept artifacts like this but do not restore them,” Kimball writes. “They display them as is. I want to hold out for a restoration.”

Peterborough County OPP are asking for the public’s help in identifying three suspects in a $25,000 theft from Gateway Powersport & Marine, located at 2252 Heritage Line east of Peterborough.

Overnight on Saturday (September 25), two men and a woman drove through a locked security gate and stole two personal watercraft that were on a trailer and an all-terrain vehicle.

The stolen items are described as:

• a 2015 Seadoo GTI SE 155, blue and white in colour with Vehicle Information Number (VIN) YDV81719J415
• a 2016 Seadoo Wake-Wake 155, blue and white in colour with VIN YDV33893C616
• a 2006 Bombardier 250, yellow in colour with VIN RFGUB25196S000565
• a 2016 Triton single-axle trailer, grey in colour bearing Ontario marker P6973A and VIN 4TCSM1125GH243465.

The value of the stolen items is estimated at $25,000.

The first suspect is described as male, Caucasian, average height and build, dark hair, wearing black and white athletic shoes, blue shorts and a black t-shirt, with a symbol in the middle.

The second suspect is described as female, Caucasian, above average height and large build, dark hair wearing grey and white athletic shoes, black pants and a black tank top.

The third suspect is described as male, Caucasian, average height and build, dark hair wearing a black pants, black jacket and black athletic shoes.

The vehicle used in the theft is a black Ford F150 with an extended cab.

Investigators are actively looking for information that may lead to the arrest of the suspects in this case.

Police urge the public to call in tips to the Peterborough County OPP at 705-742-0401 or the non-emergency line at 1-888-310-1122.

If you prefer to remain anonymous, you can contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS or online at stopcrimehere.ca.

Volunteers from the Rotary Club of Peterborough planted 481 new trees along the Rotary Trail in Peterborough on Saturday (September 25).

The tree-planting initiative was sponsored by RBC Dominion Securities with a $3,000 donation through the RBC Foundation, with assistance provided by the City of Peterborough’s forestry division.

The 481 new trees are in addition to the City of Peterborough’s regular tree planting program, which sees about 400 trees planted annually.

The trees were planted adjacent to the Rotary Centennial project, which built a new shade shelter on the trail near Hazlitt Street, and include a variety of native trees.

The tree planting supports the city’s urban forest strategic plan, which aims to improve soil and water conservation, store carbon, moderate local climate by providing shade, increase wildlife habitat, and improve the land’s capacity to adapt to climate change.

“Planting a tree is the simplest way to mitigate climate change,” said Michael Papadacos, the city’s manager of infrastructure management, in a media release.

“Donations, partnerships, and public education are all needed to protect our urban canopy,” Papadacos added. “The city’s urban forest has lost approximately 10 per cent of its canopy in the last five years. Planting new trees is a high priority.”

Local development company the Excelsior Group contributed 100 trees to the initiative.

“Trees are the life blood of this planet we call our home,” said Satish Thakkar of Excelsior Group, who noted the planting event took place on the birthday of his recently passed wife. “Planting trees in the memory of a departed loved one is the best tribute one can give and keep them alive.”

VIDEO: Donations bolster the City’s urban forest with new trees on Rotary Trail

This Thursday (September 30) is the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, intended to remember and honour the lost Indigenous children and survivors of Canada’s residential school system as well as their families and communities. Several events are taking place in both Indigenous and settler communities throughout the greater Kawarthas region to mark the day.

The Canadian government established National Day for Truth and Reconciliation this past June, in response to the Call to Action #80 from the 2015 final report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which states:

“We call upon the federal government, in collaboration with Aboriginal peoples, to establish, as a statutory holiday, a National Day for Truth and Reconciliation to honour Survivors, their families, and communities, and ensure that public commemoration of the history and legacy of residential schools remains a vital component of the reconciliation process.”

As well as remembering and honouring those lost to residential schools and the thousands of survivors, National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is a day for Canadians to educate themselves about the heritage, culture, stories, and experiences of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples.

September 30th is also Orange Shirt Day, when Canadians are encouraged to wear orange to raise awareness of the tragic legacy of Canada’s residential school system. The day originated as a result of the St. Joseph Mission Residential School Commemoration Project and reunion events in 2013 in Williams Lake, BC.

The orange shirt and the slogan “Every Child Matters” were chosen because of the childhood experience of Phyllis Webstad, from the Stswecem’c Xgat’tem First Nation (Canoe Creek Indian Band), on her very first day at the St. Joseph Mission Residential School.

VIDEO: Phyllis Webstad – On Orange Shirt Day

“I went to the Mission for one school year in 1973/1974,” Webstad states. “I had just turned 6 years old. I lived with my grandmother on the Dog Creek reserve. We never had very much money, but somehow my granny managed to buy me a new outfit to go to the Mission school. I remember going to Robinson’s store and picking out a shiny orange shirt. It had string laced up in front, and was so bright and exciting — just like I felt to be going to school!”

“When I got to the Mission, they stripped me, and took away my clothes, including the orange shirt! I never wore it again. I didn’t understand why they wouldn’t give it back to me, it was mine! The colour orange has always reminded me of that and how my feelings didn’t matter, how no one cared and how I felt like I was worth nothing. All of us little children were crying and no one cared.”

The date of September 30 was chosen for Orange Shirt Day because it is the time of year when Indigenous children were taken from their homes to residential schools.

“It is an opportunity for First Nations, local governments, schools and communities to come together in the spirit of reconciliation and hope for generations of children to come,” according to the Orange Shirt Day website at www.orangeshirtday.org.

Local events

In the greater Kawarthas region, National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day on Thursday will be marked with various events in both Indigenous and settler communities.

On Thursday, Hiawatha First Nation will be hosting an outdoor community gathering from 4 to 7 p.m. at 431 Hiawatha Line, outside the new Gathering Space. The event will include an opening prayer and smudging, remarks from Chief Laurie Carr, social dancing, barbecue, and more.

The free event is open to on and off-territory citizens of Hiawatha First Nation, residents and staff of Hiawatha First Nation, and members of their households. Those attending are encouraged to wear their regalia or orange shirts.

Curve Lake First Nation will be hosting two events. An “Every Child Matters” walk at 12 p.m. will begin and end at the Curve Lake First Nation Community Centre at 20 Whetung Street East. Participants are encouraged to wear an orange shirt.

At 6:30 p.m., members of Curve Lake First Nation and their households are invited to gather under the Pow Wow arbour at Lance Wood Park (38 Whetung St. E.) for an open mic event where people can share their songs, poems, stories, and drum beats. A sacred fire will be burning from sunrise until the end of the event. Attendees are asked to bring a chair and a flashlight and to dress for the weather.

Nogojiwanong Friendship Centre in Nogojiwanong-Peterborough, in partnership with Niijkiwendidaa and Lovesick Lake Native Women’s Association, will be hosting a drop-in event from 12 to 3 p.m. in the backyard of 580 Cameron Street. The event will include a sacred fire and two readings of Phyllis Webstad’s book The Orange Shirt Story at 12:20 p.m. and 2:30 p.m.

An interactive canvas to be signed in commemoration of relatives will be also available, and tobacco offerings are welcome (space is limited to 20 people, so reserve a time with Rebekah Rego at wellness@nogofc.ca). All are welcome to attend, but physical distancing guidelines are in effect and masks are mandatory.

First Peoples House of Learning at Trent University in Nogojiwanong-Peterborough will be hosting an Orange Shirt Day event from 12:30 pm to 2:30 p.m. at the Traditional Area, behind the Emwayaang Building at 1600 West Bank Drive. There will be a sacred fire as well as guest speakers, lunch, and an open mic. Limited orange shirts will be available for Indigenous students who do not have one. If it rains, the event will take place in the Gathering Place.

Also at Trent University, a Treaty Rock will be unveiled from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m., outside of the Bata Library on the bus loop. Trent University president Leo Groarke, chancellor Stephen Stohn, and Curve Lake First Nation Chief Emily Whetung and Elder Doug Williams, will unveil three limestone boulders bearing the symbols of the dodem (clan totems) carvings of the Treaty 20 Michi Saagiig signatories, accompanied by an educational plaque identifying Trent’s Symons Campus lands situated on Michi Saagiig traditional territory. Members of Trent University’s board of governors and the Curve Lake First Nation community will be attending. This event is by invitation only.

Settlers Taking Action and Responsibility at Trent (START) will have a table at the podium in front of the Bata Library at 1600 West Bank Drive, where you can paint a rock for a memorial, purchase a button, learn more about the legacy of residential schools in Canada, and make a donation to an Indigenous organization.

Gzowski College is hosting a Three Sisters Community Lunch at 12 p.m. in the GC Quad for all students and faculty (while supplies last).

Fleming College will be releasing a video on September 30 where members of the Fleming community, both Indigenous and settlers, come together for a conversation about what the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation means to them. A social media campaign is also planned to engage the students and community with various resources and events. The college community is invited to share pictures wearing orange shirts with the tag #MiigwechFleming.

The Unitarian Fellowship of Peterborough is hosting an event from 6:30 to 7 p.m. in front of 775 Weller Street in Nogojiwanong-Peterborough to remember the impacts of residential schools and the ones who did not return home. The event will include brief reflections and a group photo. Those attending are encouraged to wear orange shirts.

The Memory, Truth and Justice event takes place from 4 to 5 p.m. at Confederation Park in Peterborough (across from City Hall). While walking in a circle, each person gathered will read, one-by-one, the actions recommended by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the names of the missing and murdered women and girls in Canada, and, as they become known, the names of those buried at residential schools. This event is held every Thursday. Participants continue each week where they left off the previous week. When they are done, after many weeks, they will begin again.

In partnership with Alderville First Nation, the Town of Cobourg will host a ceremony at 12 p.m. for the unveiling of the Indigenous ‘Seven Feathers’ Crosswalk on Albert Street at Second Street. The crosswalk will feature seven feathers representing the seven grandfather teachings of the Anishinaabe people: love, respect, courage, honesty, humility, truth, and wisdom.

In Bobcaygeon, the settler group Truth and Reconciliation Community Bobcaygeon is hosting an event at 5 p.m. outside the public library at 21 Canal Street East that will honour lost Indigenous children. The event will include a land acknowledgement and remarks by Dorothy Taylor of Curve Lake First Nation, the Secwepemc Honour Song, and remarks from local dignitaries. The event will also display the group’s “215+ Taken” art installation featuring stones painted by more than 50 members of the community (including children) to represent the Indigenous children whose bodies were found buried next to the Kamloops Indian Residential School.

The Food Forest (135 Hunter St. W., Peterborough) is hosting an open mic at 7 p.m., with all forms of art are welcome, including poetry, music, impressions, comedy, spoken word. The vegetarian/vegan restaurant will be donating half of food and alcohol sales to the Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund.

For those unable to attend an event, the Gord Downie & Charlie Wenjack Fund has partnered with radio stations across Canada to rebroadcast “Amplifying Indigenous Voices”, which shares stories from Indigenous leaders, residential school survivors, elders, musicians, and teachers. Originally broadcast on June 30 following the discovery of the remains of 215 children buried at the site of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School, the rebroadcast can be heard in the greater Kawarthas region on Oldies 100.9 in Brighton, myFM 93.3 and Classic Rock 107.9 in Cobourg, Canoe FM 100.9 in Haliburton, and Oldies 96.7 and Freq 90.5 in Nogojiwanong-Peterborough.

This story has been updated with additional events at Trent University.

A 45-year-old Fergus man is dead after his off-road vehicle crashed early Sunday evening (September 26) south of Minden.

At around 6:04 p.m. on Sunday, the Haliburton Highlands OPP, Haliburton County Paramedic Services, and Minden Hills Township Fire Department responded to a single-vehicle collision involving an off-road vehicle on County Road 121 east of Highway 35 in Minden Hills Township.

As a result of the collision, the driver was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead a short time later. Police have identified the victim as Tom White, 45, of Fergus, Ontario.

County Road 121 at Rice Road was temporarily closed while police investigated the scene.

This is the second serious single-vehicle collision involving an off-road vehicle in Haliburton County in the past two weeks. On September 17, a man was airlifted to a Toronto-area trauma centre in critical condition after a collision on Black River Road in Minden Hills Township.

Due to the increased number of off-road vehicles at this time of year, the OPP is reminding riders to exercise caution and ride within laws that are designed to keep them safe. Always wear an approved helmet, never drink and ride, ride with others, and ride within your skill level.

Time will tell if the legislated proof of vaccination requirement of restaurant patrons will make a noticeable difference in reducing the impact of COVID-19 but, short term, it has seen varying actions taken by eatery owners and operators.

As of Wednesday (September 22), those seeking access to a long list of premises, including restaurants, must show proof of having been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as well as proof of identification showing their name and date of birth.

Failure to comply with the requirement can result in charges under the Reopening Ontario Act with a set fine amount of $750 for individuals and $1,000 for corporations. Maximum penalties based on a prosecution include fines of up to $100,000 and up to a year in jail for an individual, up to $500,000 and up to a year in jail for an individual who is a director or officer of a corporation, and up to $10 million for a corporation.

Based on a flurry of social media posts, the proof of vaccination requirement is causing the most consternation in the restaurant sector, with owners having to make a difficult choice based on what’s right for their business.

Does a restaurant carry on as per normal, turning no one away at the risk of being fined or charged, or comply with the requirement at the risk of losing those customers who aren’t fully vaccinated?

Jodi Hogarth, the owner of Honky Tonk Restaurant on Ward Street in Bridgenorth, is complying with the requirement — but not without a fair number of concerns.

“The first day, we had to turn four or five people away that didn’t have their vaccine slips with them,” she says.

“A couple of them we knew were vaccinated because they’ve been in before and we discussed it, but we didn’t visually see it so we told them to bring it next time. They might not come back because we wouldn’t let them in despite knowing they’re vaccinated, but we have to follow the rules.”

Noting all her staff — most have been with her several years — are fully vaccinated, Hogarth says one customer asked to see proof of vaccination from one of her staff.

“I have no problem with that, even though it’s not the law,” she adds.

Asking patrons for proof of vaccination, says Hogarth, is “nerve wracking.”

“The girls don’t want to do it. Yesterday (Wednesday}, I had to deal with a customer who just walked in and sat down. When he was asked for his vaccine slip, he said ‘Don’t be silly, just serve me.’ And he’s a regular. Probably 90 per cent of my business is repeat customers.”

Going takeout only wasn’t an option, says Hogarth, as most of their menu is of the breakfast variety.

“Who wants to take out over easy eggs? By the time you get to the parking lot, they’re cold.”

Even during the lockdowns, she says it was cheaper to close and pay her rent from savings than go the takeout route, adding “My hydro bill is about $1,500 a month, but when I shut down it was $150.”

Asked for her thoughts on restaurant owners who aren’t asking for proof of full vaccination from their customers, Hogarth says that wasn’t a consideration in her mind.

“I can lose regular customers and end up belly up or I can not comply and be fined through the ass and end up belly up, so I might as well give it a good shot. There’s a big sign on the door that says you must provide proof. If you walk in past that sign (without providing of vaccination), you’re the problem, not me.”

“So far, 99.9 per cent of people have been awesome and totally in compliance. They support us. We had a full restaurant this morning (Thursday). We had to ask one person to leave and everyone there supported us in that.”

Meanwhile, at Apollo Grill’s two Peterborough locations — one in Mapleridge Plaza on Lansdowne Street West and the other in the Towerhill Plaza — co-owner Kerry Ladoucier-Rennick has taken a different approach, by completing closing indoor dining and going the takeout and delivery route only.

“I don’t have a bouncer at the door — my girl is behind plexiglass at the counter,” she says, adding “I’m not hiring somebody to do that (check for vaccine confirmation at the door).”

“We didn’t receive emails or instructions from the government or our local health unit giving us the tools and the education and the training for us to implement this. My girls wouldn’t know, if they looked at somebody’s certificate, if it’s theirs or if it’s fake. What are they looking for?”

According to Ladoucier-Rennick, closing indoor dining means the restaurant can avoid upsetting customers on both sides of the vaccine passport debate.

“We thought, if we ask people for it (vaccination proof), those we turn away are going to be upset and a lot of them would be regulars. If we don’t ask, the people who are double vaccinated and feel everyone should be, are going to be very upset.”

“When customers are upset they post one-star reviews, which hurts business. They call the health unit, which ties up health inspectors coming out to handle silly little complaints.”

Ladoucier-Rennick admits defying the legislation and allowing all through the doors, vaccinated or not, “was a thought” but quickly adds “You’re screwed either way. People are going to say ‘Why didn’t you ask me (for proof of vaccination)? Are you telling me all these people aren’t vaccinated? I don’t want to sit here then.”

She notes most of the comments on Apollo Grill’s Facebook page have been positive.

“They’re saying ‘Good for you … you’re not playing this game. You’re not discriminating’ There are some who are twisting things and trying so hard to make this into us being anti-vaxxers and anti-maskers. Vaccines are a very different issue from the vaccine passports.”

One restaurant south of Peterborough that is outright defying the proof of vaccination requirement is Local No 90 Bar and Kitchen in Port Hope, with owner Dana Hubbard pledging via Facebook to “operate as normal.”

“I cannot in good conscious participate in creating segregation amongst a community who has shown my business support and love throughout the years,” reads her Facebook post, which has seen more than 1,000 comments since she posted it on Wednesday.

That action is in stark contrast to the owners’ approach at two Peterborough restaurants: Imperial Tandor on Lansdowne Street West and Ashburnham Ale House on Hunter Street East.

“For the safety of our guests as well as our staff, it’s important for us to introduce policies for the benefit of everybody,” says Imperial Tandor co-owner Jim Grover. “We are taking this very seriously. We have a very strict policy that our staff is double vaccinated or provide us proof of a negative COVID test.”

Although it’s only been two days since the proof of vaccine requirement came into effect, Grover says no problems with customers have been encountered.

“Our patrons have been very cooperative,” he says.

Grover adds the risk of losing customers because of the proof of vaccine requirement pales in comparison to be being compliant with provincial legislation and keeping all who enter his restaurant’s doors safe.

“Sometimes you have to make those hard decisions, right?”

Meanwhile, Ashburnham Ale House owner Scott Wood admits “It’s a pain” but says it’s the right thing to do as a responsible owner.

“We are on the front lines. The direction we’ve given our staff is to go through with compliance and do your best to be expedient and step people through the process. In the event someone gives you a hard time and get confrontational, we’ll call public health and the police if necessary. What else can we do?”

“It’s been going really well so far,” he adds. “It’s a lot of work, but 99 per cent of those coming through the door are aware they need proof of vaccination. They’re ready to display that and they’re fine with it — they really are.”

Wood says, despite the differing opinions on the requirement and the debate that’s stirring up, there remains a bigger issue at play.

“I just wish more Canadians would go and get vaccinated so we wouldn’t need a vaccine passport,” he explains. “Freedom of choice, sure … but in order to get on with this and get to not having to have a vaccine passport, the answer is getting vaccinated. It’s a simple as that. Without doing that, I don’t see a way forward.”