Marshall Dominey with his $5 million Lotto 6/49 prize. (Photo supplied by OLG)
A Trenton man has won $5 million in the June 2nd Lotto 6/49 draw.
Marshall Dominey, a retired mechanic, says he has played Lotto 6/49 (and Lotto Max) for 40 years.
When he stopped at the store to check his tickets, he thought at first someone else had won.
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“I saw ‘big winner’ on the ticket checker screen and I thought it was for the lady checking her tickets with the cashier,” he recalls. “I checked it again and I was in complete shock. I stared at my ticket forever, thinking ‘It can’t be me!'”
A father and grandfather, Dominey plans to share his winnings with his family and save some for future travel.
“I’m excited to enjoy some new adventures,” he says. “This amount of money is life changing — it’s surreal.”
Dominey purchased his winning ticket at West End Convenience on Dundas Street in Trenton.
All the major party candidates for Peterborough-Kawartha riding in the next federal election have now been confirmed: incumbent Liberal Maryam Monsef, Conservative Michelle Ferreri, NDP Joy Lachica, and Green Chanté White. (Collage of supplied photos by kawarthaNOW)
All four major party candidates for the riding of Peterborough-Kawartha in the next federal election have now been selected — and, for the first time, they are all women.
Michelle Ferreri won the nomination to be the candidate for the Conservative Party of Canada on Wednesday night (August 4), defeating John Rich, after a member vote at the Peterborough Curling Club,
A Trent University graduate, Ferreri worked for 12 years at CHEX Television (now Global Peterborough), and then at The Loomex Group, before launching her own independent media company.
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Also on Wednesday night, recent Trent University graduate and social advocate and volunteer Chanté White was acclaimed as the Green Party candidate during a virtual meeting, after Guy Hanchet withdrew from the race.
In April, the NDP chose educator Joy Lachica as their candidate. Lachica, who relocated from Toronto to the Peterborough area last year, is an active member of the Elementary Teachers of Toronto Local and a member of the provincial executive of the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario.
The three candidates are challenging Liberal incumbent Maryam Monsef, who will be seeking her third term as Peterborough-Kawartha MP. She is currently the Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Rural Economic Development.
While the federal election must be held on or before October 16, 2023, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is widely expected to call an election later in August, with the vote to be held in mid to late September — despite growing concerns that Canada is facing a fourth wave of COVID-19 due to the delta variant.
According to CTV news, as of Tuesday (August 3), the Liberals have nominated 226 candidates, the Conservatives have nominated 275 candidates, the NDP have nominated 126 candidates, and the Greens have nominated 97 candidates.
In the Peterborough Public Health and Peterborough Petes 'Get a Shot to Take a Shot' campaign, Peterborough-area residents who receive a COVID-19 vaccine dose between August 9 and September 30, 2021 will be entered into a draw for 250 pairs of free tickets to a Petes home game, with five of those winners getting the opportunity to shoot the puck in the net from centre ice to win seats in the Petes' executive suite. (Graphic: Peterborough Petes)
Peterborough Public Health and the Peterborough Petes have teamed up to motivate Peterborough-area residents who are not yet vaccinated by offering them a chance to win free tickets to a Petes home game during the 2021-22 season.
In the two-month ‘Get a Shot to Take a Shot’ campaign, anyone who gets a vaccine dose between Monday, August 9 and Thursday, September 30 — at a clinic run by Peterborough Public Health, Peterborough Regional Health Centre, or a local pharmacy — will have a chance to win one of 250 pairs of free tickets.
People receiving a vaccine dose during this time will be provided with a QR code to enter the contest. People who receive both first and second doses during the contest period can enter twice.
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“Increasing local vaccination rates as quickly as possible is vital to fending off the delta variant, so we are thrilled to team up with the Petes through this exciting campaign,” says medical officer of health Dr. Rosana Salvaterra in a media release.
“We need to reach 90 per cent coverage rates of eligible individuals to achieve herd immunity in order to prevent spreading COVID-19 and the disruption it can cause to things our community loves, like hockey.”
A virtual draw will be held on September 30 to draw the 250 winners. A second draw will be held among those winners to provide five people with the opportunity to shoot the puck in the net from centre ice during the first intermission of an upcoming Petes home game. The winner of the shootout can enjoy an additional Petes home game from the Petes’ executive suite.
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“We understand that the safest and quickest way to return to a hockey season with an arena full of cheering fans is dependent on vaccine uptake,” says Burton Lee, the Petes’ executive director of business operations.
“It will be an honour to host hundreds of local fans who have done their part to keep the Peterborough community safe at games next season.”
To date, 69.6 per cent of eligible Peterborough-area residents 12 years of age and over have been fully vaccinated. A total of 91,149 residents have received two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, representing 71 per cent of adults and 47 per cent of youth ages 12 to 17.
Ron Armstrong of Woodville received his second dose of COVID-19 vaccine at the drive-through vaccination clinic at the Lindsay Exhibition on July 13, 2021, the 50,000th dose administered at the clinic since it opened in March. Carol Henley, a registered nurse at Ross Memorial Hospital, administered the vaccine. (Photo courtesy of Ross Memorial Hospital)
In another sign of the decreased demand for vaccinations, the drive-through COVID-19 vaccination clinic at the Lindsay Exhibition (LEX) will be closing on Friday, August 27.
Ross Memorial Hospital, which operates the clinic, is advising anyone who has a vaccination appointment booked at the clinic after August 27 to rebook their appointment to an earlier date.
Alternatively, people can just drive to the clinic between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. Monday to Friday for a vaccination. No appointment is needed.
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Both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are available at the clinic.
Since it opened on March 18, Ross Memorial Hospital has administered almost 60,000 vaccine doses at the clinic.
“Our drive-through vaccination clinic has received such overwhelmingly positive feedback from the community for its functionality and the outstanding efforts of our hard-working staff,” says Ross Memorial Hospital’s president and CEO Kelly Isfan in a media release. “The expertise, care and compassion they have delivered at the LEX during this historic effort is truly something to celebrate.”
After the clinic closes on August 27, residents can still get a vaccination at one of the local clinics listed on the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit’s website at hkpr.on.ca/2021/07/30/vaccination-clinics/ or by contacting their primary care provider.
Vaccinations are also available at selected pharmacies in the region. Locations can be found on the Ontario government website at covid-19.ontario.ca/vaccine-locations.
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Next week, Ross Memorial Hospital will be running the following pop-up vaccination clinics in smaller communities in Kawartha Lakes (no appointment needed):
Bolsover Community Centre (12 Bolsover Rd., Bolsover) – Wednesday, August 11 (9 – 11 a.m.)
Norland Recreation Centre (7675 Highway 35 N., Norland) – Wednesday, August 11 (1 – 3 p.m.)
Kinmount Community Centre (4995 Monck Rd., Kinmount) – Thursday, August 12 (9 – 11 a.m.)
Baddow Community Centre (60 Sommerville Rd., Coboconk) – Thursday, August 12 (1 – 3 p.m.)
Manvers Community Centre (697 Highway 7, Bethany) – Friday, August 13 (10 a.m. – 12 p.m.)
To date, 119,151 residents of Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland, and Haliburton have received two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, with 69.4 per cent of residents 12 years of age and older fully vaccinated.
In 2021, the City of Peterborough is again offering subsidies of up to $500 to eligible homeowners who install rain gardens on their properties. Many trees, shrubs, grasses, sedges, and flowers are well-suited to rain gardens including a number of native species such as blue flag iris. (Photo: Hayley Goodchild)
After one of the driest springs on record, July was 150 per cent wetter than average, with rainfall recorded every two of three days. This kind of weather-related volatility will become more common as climate change intensifies.
Each week, GreenUP provides a story related to the environment. This week’s column is Hayley Goodchild, Neighbourhood and Residential Programs Coordinator at GreenUP.
The good news is that installing a rain garden on your property can help manage these extremes.
In 2021, the City of Peterborough is once again offering subsidies of up to $500 to eligible homeowners who install rain gardens on their properties.
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Why rain gardens?
A rain garden is a bowl-shaped garden that collects water from your roof, driveway, or other hard surface, and allows the water to drain into the ground instead of entering the stormwater system. Rain gardens are an important part of green urban infrastructure that keeps our waterways healthy.
“Currently, only 25 per cent of the City of Peterborough’s stormwater is filtered for pollutants before entering natural waterways, such as the Otonabee River or Jackson Creek,” explains Curtis Mei, the city’s stormwater systems coordinator.
Cup plant, dogwood, and other water-loving and drought-tolerant native plants soak up the rain at the rain garden in the Jiimaan’ndewemgadnong Pocket Park in downtown Peterborough. (Photo: Geneviève Ramage)
“When it rains, urban runoff (stormwater) carries sediment and pollutants from vehicles, fertilizers, road salt, animal waste, and grass clippings into these waterbodies, which pollutes natural habitat and our source of clean drinking water,” Mei adds.
By diverting rainfall away from roads and sewers, rain gardens also reduce pressure on the municipal stormwater system, which in turn lowers the risk of localized flooding. This will become more important as rain events intensify.
All rain gardens share certain features, such as an inlet where water enters the garden and an outlet that allows for the safe overflow of rain during extremely heavy storms. Rain gardens also include a variety of plants. Beyond that, rain gardens come in all sizes, shapes, and styles.
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Many trees, shrubs, grasses, sedges, and flowers are well-suited to rain gardens, including a number of native species. Moisture-loving plants — such as blue flag iris (iris versicolor) or river birch (betula nigra) — should be placed toward the centre of your garden, where conditions are wetter.
Plants that can tolerate longer periods of drought should be placed around the perimeter of the garden, where conditions are drier. Many of my favourite drought-tolerant species — such as butterfly milkweed (asclepias tuberosa) and prairie dropseed (sporobolus heterolepis) — work well on the edges of rain gardens.
If you’re concerned about mosquito habitat, don’t be. Rain gardens are not the same as ponds or bogs. They are designed to absorb water within about 24 hours, which isn’t enough time for mosquito larvae to develop. In fact, rain gardens are often quite dry.
A rain garden between the sidewalk and pathway on a property in Peterborough’s The Avenues neighbourhood, installed with the support of GreenUP’s Ready for Rain program in 2017. To qualify for the City of Peterborough’s Rain Garden Subsidy Program, a rain garden must be installed at least three metres (10 feet) from any building foundations. (Photo: Ben Hargreaves)
So how does the City of Peterborough’s rain subsidy program work?
“A rain garden subsidy is a simple and effective way of providing financial support to residents of the City of Peterborough who provide stormwater management at the source, reducing the negative impacts of urban runoff,” Mei explains.
The first step is to complete a pre-application questionnaire through the City of Peterborough website at peterborough.ca, which will determine your eligibility and provide an estimated subsidy amount based on the roof area you intend to capture and your proposed garden size.
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Rain gardens aren’t suitable for all properties. You need a location at least three metres (10 feet) from any building foundations. The area should also be free of tree roots and underground utilities. Rain gardens can be installed in either in front or back yards.
Next, applicants attend a design workshop hosted by GreenUP. The final design workshop of the 2021 season will be held on Zoom from 7 to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, August 24th. For more information or to register, visit greenup.on.ca/event/rain-garden-subsidy-program-design-workshop-2/.
Finally, applicants must draft their design, submit it for approval, and install the garden before the end of this fall.
A rain garden designed and installed by a Peterborough resident as part of the City of Peterborough’s 2020 Rain Garden Subsidy Program. (Photo: Kat Tepylo-Murphy)
If this sounds like a lot of work, keep in mind that GreenUP and city staff are available to assist residents throughout the process. Homeowners can also put the subsidy amount toward the cost of hiring a qualified landscaper to design and install a garden on their behalf.
“Building our rain garden was a great experience from start to finish,” explains Kat Tepylo-Murphy, one of last year’s subsidy recipients. “We enjoyed learning about the plants, building it, and talking to all our interested neighbours as we put it together.”
“The rain garden looks so much nicer than the grass we had before and we’re happy knowing that it helps the environment too,” Tepylo-Murphy adds. “We love watching it fill up on rainy days.”
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Interested applicants and landscape contractors should plan to attend the August 24th workshop. Those who cannot attend but still wish to apply should contact program coordinator Hayley Goodchild at hayley.goodchild@greenup.on.ca.
Looking for further inspiration? Check out these demonstration rain gardens installed by GreenUP at the following locations: the Jiimaan’ndewemgadnong Pocket Park at the corner of King and Water streets (Euphoria Spa and the Depave Paradise rain garden at the corner of Brealey and Lansdowne streets.
Chantel Coyle, co-owner of Modern Makers Market, at the Chamberland Street location of the creative retail hub. Before opening the shop in November 2020, Modern Makers Market was an events-based business promoting local makers. They are returning to their roots by hosting a welcome back pop-up event on August 14 and 15, 2021. (Photo: Rejeanne Martin)
Modern Makers Market is holding a welcome back pop-up event on the weekend of August 14th at their retail shop at 651 Chamberlain Street in Peterborough.
The welcome back event is a momentous occasion for co-owners Chantel Coyle and Sarah McCarley, who originally founded Modern Makers Market with Laura Kasperlik in 2017 as an events-based way to promote local makers to the Peterborough community. It’s their first event of the year due to the pandemic.
The pop-up market — which runs indoors and outdoors from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, August 14th and Sunday, August 15th — features 16 local guest vendors along with the 30-plus makers from across Canada and the world already in the store.
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“We’re going to be celebrating small business as a ‘You did it — you got through this pandemic’ event,” says Chantel. “It’s an event of love for small businesses in the community.”
Makers at the pop-up market will include A Bee’s Closet, Dawn Moon Studio, Blue Oasis, Honest AF Mom, Grey Willow Creations, Dragon Fly Design Studio, Dwyer Art, Perfectly Beaded Evelyn PearlBow Co., Pipher Blooms, Church House Studio, and Dog Rags, along with food vendors Hanoi House Peterborough, Taste of Russia, Lisa Bakes, and Sweet & Stuff’d Cookie Co.
The Modern Makers Market shop has been reconfigured for the welcome back event to allow for physical distancing, and the doors will be open to allow for traffic flow between indoor and outdoor markets.
After meeting five years ago at the Peterborough Farmers’ Market, Chantel Coyle and Sarah McCarley decided to collaborate and launched Modern Makers Market, an events-based company promoting local makers. In November 2020, they opened a retail location. Chantel and Sarah are still business partners today, although Sarah is currently working on the business remotely from Australia due to COVID-19. (Photo: Rejeanne Martin)
“We’re spreading everyone out to make sure that there’s enough room to be COVID compliant,” explains Chantel, adding the shop is located in a residential area with a park just down the street. “You won’t have to worry about parking issues or the congestion of other places in the city. It’s a unique space to be in.”
According to Chantel, the pop-up market will be a great COVID-safe option for people looking for something fun and social to do on the August 14th weekend after months of restrictions, while also supporting local makers.
“It’s something to do in the middle of the month when you might not have plans because COVID has cancelled a lot of them,” Chantel says. “That’s the one thing people have been missing throughout the pandemic — human connection.”
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At the welcome back event, guests can learn about various local businesses all in a single setting. Even if guests don’t necessarily make a purchase from every vendor, the event will expand their knowledge of different local options for the future.
“Local businesses are the backbone of the community,” Chantel points out. “I hope the businesses who come feel supported and the community comes out for them. I hope the people who do come are thoughtful and come with the intent to support the vendors.”
The first in-person Modern Makers Market event for 2021 is also a return to their roots. Before the pandemic, Chantel and Sarah regularly held pop-up markets events where local artisans could sell their products. The pandemic transformed the Modern Makers Market, with Chantel and Sarah offering makers a way to sell their products while still keeping their staff and customers safe.
When the pandemic hit, shutting down Modern Makers Market’s events-based business model, owners Chantel Coyle and Sarah McCarley shifted by opening an in-person retail location and improved their website for online shopping. Now that events are allowed again, the pair hope to make up some of the revenue they and their vendors have lost during the pandemic. (Photo: Rejeanne Martin)
Last November, the pair opened the Modern Makers Market retail location on Chamberlain Street for restricted in-person shopping, carrying products from over 30 different small businesses from across Canada and worldwide. Products in the store vary from week to week, depending on which vendors are currently on contract.
When the province locked down again at the end of 2020 and in-store shopping was prohibited, Chantel and Sarah adjusted again by moving entirely online. In addition to online events and giveaways, they hired a local web designer to restructure their e-commerce website. Now, through their multi-vendor online platform, each vendor has their own digital space.
“When businesses sign up and pay for their spot, they can set up what looks like their own store on our website,” explains Chantel. “Vendors can also link to their own shop on their page. It’s really easy and user friendly.”
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The investment into improving their online store was worthwhile, according to Chantel, since 40 per cent of their sales are still online even after reopening the physical store.
Modern Makers Market has also recently teamed up with SwiftPost to offer easy shipping throughout Canada and the U.S. Businesses can sign up for a SwiftPost account, package their goods, and drop the package off at Modern Makers Market for SwiftPost to pick up and deliver.
“We’re cutting out steps and turning into a one-stop-shop for businesses,” Chantel explains. “I’m proud to say we thrived and evolved into something that we wouldn’t be now if the pandemic hadn’t happened.”
Chantel Coyle, co-owner of Modern Makers Market, working at the Chamberland Street shop. For their welcome back pop-up event on August 14 and 15, 2021, the shop will be configured to provide a COVID-safe shopping experience, with an indoor and outdoor market featuring traffic flow control and enough room for physical distancing. (Photo: Rejeanne Martin)
That includes a partnership with Hudson’s Bay, with Modern Makers Market offering a pop-up shop in the Hudson’s Bay location in Oshawa Centre until January 2022.
According to Chantel, it has taken a combination of hard work and community support to get Modern Makers Market to where it is right now.
“We have a lot of support but also we’ve worked a lot of hours,” says Chantel. “Sarah lives in Australia due to COVID, so she’s up all night answering emails and I’m up all day operating things. It’s a cool team dynamic that we have going on — but I’m hoping she comes home one day.”
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While Modern Makers Market has done relatively well despite the pandemic, they’ve also faced challenges. The return to in-person events is an important step towards recovering lost revenue.
“These events coming up are strategies to make back financials because we do have a lot of catching up to do,” says Chantel.
“We’re going to be working hard to turn that around for the vendors in our store — and for us.”
The Modern Makers Market pop-up event takes place at 651 Chamberlain Street in Peterborough from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, August 14 and Sunday, August 15, 2021. (Graphic: Modern Makers Market)
In terms of how the community can support the Modern Makers Market and the vendors they carry, Chantel asks everyone to keep local businesses in mind when shopping. You can also support Modern Makers Market and their vendors by following and engaging with them on social media.
“It doesn’t cost anything to follow and share,” Chantel notes.
To learn more about Modern Makers Market, their vendors, their welcome back pop-up event, and future events, visit modernmakersmarket.ca and follow them on Facebook and Instagram. Modern Makers Market also has a second Instagram account @modern.makers.shop dedicated to the retail shop.
Here’s an update on COVID-19 cases in Ontario as well as in the greater Kawarthas region.
For the third day in a row, Ontario is reporting fewer than 200 new cases, with 139 reported today. The seven-day average of daily cases has decreased by 2 to 199.
Of Ontario’s 34 health units, 7 are reporting double-digit increases — Toronto (26), Waterloo (19), Peel (18), York (15), Hamilton (12), Durham (11), and Windsor-Essex (10) — and 17 are reporting no new cases at all.
The number of hospitalizations has risen by 41 to 112, but some of this increase may be a result of underreporting by more than 10% of hospitals over the long weekend. The number of ICU patients has increased by 2 to 108 and the number of patients on ventilators has decreased by 2 to 76.
Ontario is reporting 11 COVID-related deaths, but 7 of these deaths occurred between December and February and are being reported now as part of a data clean-up. The number of new deaths yesterday is 4.
Over 19.6 million vaccine doses have been administered, an increase of 60,094 from yesterday, with more than 9.1 million people fully vaccinated, an increase of 48,008 from yesterday, representing almost 62% of Ontario’s total population.
COVID-19 cases in Ontario from July 4 – August 3, 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 4 – August 3, 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 4 – August 3, 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 6 new cases to report, including 3 in Kawartha Lakes and 3 in Hastings Prince Edward. There are no new cases in Peterborough, Northumberland, or Haliburton.
An additional 8 cases have been resolved, including 5 in Kawartha Lakes, 2 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton.
The number of active cases has increased by 3 in Hastings Prince Edward, decreased by 2 in Kawartha Lakes, decreased by 2 in Northumberland, decreased by 1 in Haliburton, and remains the same in Peterborough.
There are currently 42 active cases in the greater Kawarthas region, a decrease of 2 since yesterday, including 19 in Kawartha Lakes, 13 in Hastings Prince Edward (9 in Quinte West, 3 in Central Hastings, and 1 in Prince Edward County), 5 in Northumberland, 4 in Peterborough, and 1 in Haliburton.
Since the pandemic began in the greater Kawarthas region, there have been 1,643 confirmed positive cases in the Peterborough area (1,617 resolved with 22 deaths), 1,185 in the City of Kawartha Lakes (1,121 resolved with 58 deaths), 954 in Northumberland County (932 resolved with 17 deaths), 126 in Haliburton County (124 resolved with 1 death), and 1,161 in Hastings and Prince Edward counties (1,136 resolved with 12 deaths). The most recent death was reported in Hastings Prince Edward on July 28.
4th Line Theatre in Millbrook is Canada's premier outdoor theatre company. (Photo: 4th Line Theatre / Facebook)
Eleven festivals and events across the greater Kawarthas region are collectively receiving more than $900,000 in one-time funding from the Ontario government — including the Lindsay Exhibition, Globus Theatre, 4th Line Theatre, Peterborough Musicfest, and ReFrame Film Festival.
The funding is part of $43 million for 439 festivals and events across Ontario through the province’s Reconnect Festival and Event Program (known as Celebrate Ontario before the pandemic)
Lisa MacLeod, Ontario’s heritage, sport, tourism and culture industries minister, made the funding announcement in Toronto on Wednesday (August 4).
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“For more than a year, the pandemic has disproportionately impacted tourism and culture — two major industries that bring people together and our communities to life,” MacLeod said. “Increasing our annual support for festival and events will give the sector a much-needed boost as we continue to deal with the effects of COVID-19.”
The government developed the Reconnect Festival and Event Program to help festival and event organizers adapt to new public health measures with virtual events, drive-through events, and other COVID-safe activities.
In the greater Kawarthas region, the following 11 festivals and cultural organizations hosting events are receiving a total of $904,386 in funding:
2020/21 International Plowing Match & Rural Expo (Kawartha Lakes) – $250,000
Peterborough-Kawartha MP Maryam Monsef and David Britton, director of Ontario waterways for Parks Canada, with the first of 4,000 trees to be planted along the Trent-Severn Waterway National Historic Site of Canada, which is celebrating its 101st anniversary of through navigation this year. (Photo: Parks Canada)
Parks Canada is planting 4,000 trees along the Trent-Severn Waterway National Historic Site of Canada this year.
On Wednesday (August 4), Peterborough-Kawartha MP Maryam Monsef and David Britton, director of Ontario waterways for Parks Canada, broke the ground near the Peterborough Lift Lock for the first of the trees to be planted.
“This beautiful tree is just the start of a project that will see greener spaces and cleaner air from Trenton through to Port Severn,” Monsef said.
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The Trent–Severn Waterway comprises 386 kilometres of canals that connect Lake Ontario at Trenton to Lake Huron at Port Severn. The tree planting also commemorates the 101st anniversary of through navigation on the waterway.
The project is part of an initiative by Parks Canada to plant 150,000 trees in 2021 in up to 18 national parks across the country, to help fight climate change, clean the air, and protect biodiversity.
The trees will be planted as part of the federal government’s commitment to plant two billion trees, projected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 12 megatonnes annually by 2050.
Brenda Ibey, owner of The Avant-Garden Shop, is donating $1,000 towards Dave McNab's campaign to bring Rashid, an 18-year-old Syrian refugee, to Canada. McNab met Rashid after the teenager posted in a Facebook birding group about his dream to come to Canada and received abuse from some members. Ibey's shop has done well during the pandemic based on the increased demand for birding supplies and her bird seed and feeder supplier, Newmarket-based Wild Bird Trading, has even offered Rashid a job when he comes to Canada. (Photo courtesy of Brenda Ibey)
When Brenda Ibey learned about the plight of a 18-year-old Syrian refugee and a Peterborough couple’s efforts to bring him to Canada, she decided to step up and help — and she’s calling on others in the community to join her.
Ibey owns The Avant-Garden Shop in downtown Peterborough, a home and garden store that also specializes in birding supplies. Unlike many businesses, Ibey says her shop has done well during the pandemic, largely because of her loyal customers coupled with an increased interest in birding and gardening.
“The Avant-Garden Shop has done well during the pandemic with many customers intentionally buying and supporting local,” Ibey tells kawarthaNOW. “This has been so great to see and to feel the support of the birding and gardening community.”
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While her business regularly donates to various fundraisers, Ibey says she has been trying to decide on what to donate to this year to show how thankful she is for her supportive community.
Then she learned about Rashid, an 18-year-old Syrian refugee currently living in Turkey who wants to come to Canada. Dave McNab, a retired police officer, recently connected with Rashid when the teenager was subjected to some hateful and racist comments after posting about his dream to come to Canada in a Facebook birding group.
Along with his wife, veterinarian Kristy Hiltz, McNab has begun the process of sponsoring Rashid to come to Canada. Part of the sponsorship process includes raising $18,000 in costs to support Rashid in Canada for a year.
After social advocate Michael VanDerHerberg, who is helping with the sponsorship process, offered $5,000 towards the cost, McNab and Hiltz contributed another $5,000 and have created a GoFundMe campaign to raise the remaining $8,000.
Rashid’s plight and the connection to birding has prompted Ibey to donate $1,000 to the cause — which is also close to her heart because her own family was sponsored to come to Canada in 1955. Ibey’s parents, in turn, sponsored another family to come to Canada.
Since Rashid’s call for help began on a birding Facebook group, Ibey is hoping members of the birding community will also step up and contribute towards the costs of supporting Rashid during his first year in Canada.
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That’s already happened in the case of The Avant-Garden Shop’s bird seed and feeder supplier, Newmarket-based Wild Bird Trading. After learning about Rashid, the company’s president Mark Bennett and his wife Laura have offered to give him a job when he comes to Canada.
“When I got into business I never would have thought about how wonderful gardeners and birders are,” Ibey says. “They are so supportive — Kristy and Dave included.”
Along with her donation, Ibey says she will be contacting some of her customers and other businesses who may be willing to donate.
“We’ll do as much as possible to help Rashid,” Ibey says.
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