Peterborough police have responded to a recent Statistics Canada report that the Peterborough area had the highest rate per capita of police-reported hate crime in Canada in 2020.

Released last Thursday (March 17), Police-reported hate crime in Canada, 2020 states there were 19.4 hate crimes per 100,000 population in the Peterborough census metropolitan area (CMA) — an increase of 126 per cent over the number of hate crimes reported for the Peterborough CMA in 2019 and far exceeding the Canadian average of seven. The next highest rates in 2020 were in Ottawa (16.6), Guelph (15.1), Vancouver (13.8), and Thunder Bay (11.1).

While Canada’s Criminal Code contains sections that relate to hate speech — including the offence of “advocating genocide” against a group, the “public incitement of hatred,” and the “wilful promotion of hatred — there’s no actual definition of a “hate crime”. That’s why police prefer to use the phrases “hate-motivated” or “bias-motivated” when referring to such crimes — where a crime such as assault or mischief has been committed with evidence of hatred or bias toward the victim.

In a media release on Monday, Peterborough police reviewed their hate-motivated or bias-motivated crime statistics for 2019 to 2021 for the area they serve, which includes the City of Peterborough, the Village of Lakefield, and Cavan-Monaghan Tonwship. This is only a portion of the Peterborough CMA, which also includes all of Selwyn Township, Douro-Dummer Township, Otonabee-South Monaghan Township, and Curve Lake and Hiawatha First Nations. Peterborough County OPP and First Nations police services serve the remainder of the Peterborough CMA.

In 2020, Peterborough police investigated 36 incidents, determining 24 of the incidents were a crime with six charges laid as a result. Of the 36 incidents, 19 remain unsolved. This compares to 22 such incidents in 2019 (10 determined a crime with two charges laid and 10 incidents remaining unsolved) and 31 such incidents in 2021 (18 determined a crime with four charges laid and 16 incidents remaining unsolved).

“Peterborough police are both disappointed and appreciative of the statistics,” said Tim Farquharson, acting chief of the Peterborough Police Service. “Disappointed that reports of such incidents continue to have to be made and appreciative that people continue to come forward about their experiences.”

As for why Peterborough police did not lay charges in all incidents, Farquharson said “Investigations into hate-motivated or bias-motivated crimes are extremely complex and are not taken lightly.”

“It’s important for the public to know that, in order to lay charges in crimes of this nature, a criminal offence must have occurred or the victim’s race, nationality, ethnicity, language, colour, religion, sex, age, mental or physical disability, sexual orientation must be deemed to have motivated the crime, which is what makes it so complex.”

According to Statistics Canada, Canadian police reported 2,669 criminal incidents in 2020 that were motivated by hate — the largest number recorded since comparable data became available in 2009 and an increase of 37 per cent over 2019.

Hate targeting the Black and Jewish populations remained the most common types reported by police across Canada, representing 26 per cent and 13 per cent respectively. These were followed by hate crimes targeting the East or Southeast Asian population (11 per cent) and those targeting a sexual orientation (10 per cent).

According to Farquharson, the Peterborough police statistics do not appear to show the targeting of one specific group.

“That said, we do see some increases in these types of incidents as it relates to national and/or international situations,” he added. “Ultimately, there should be no room for hate in our community, and we hope to see these numbers go down.”

VIDEO: Tim Farquharson, Acting Chief, Peterborough Police Service

“Several years ago, Peterborough police created the Stop H8 Crime campaign to inform the public,” Farquharson said. “This information continues to be relevant, and we encourage people to pass this message along to their networks and to know that it’s important to report hate incidents and hate crimes.”

“Part of the continued commitment by Peterborough police is to look at ways to make reporting hate incidents and hate crimes easier as well as ongoing training into diversity, equity, and inclusion for all members of the service.”

Environment Canada has issued a special weather statement for the greater Kawarthas region for freezing rain and rain on Wednesday (March 23).

In southern Peterborough County and southern Kawarthas Lakes, freezing rain is possible beginning Wednesday morning. The freezing rain is expected to change to rain in the afternoon or evening. Ice accretion of 2 to 5 mm and rainfall amounts of 10 to 20 mm are possible.

In northern Peterborough County and northern Kawarthas Lakes, a mix of snow and ice pellets this morning is expected to change to freezing rain Wednesday afternoon. The freezing rain will begin to change to rain in the evening. evening. Ice accretion of 2 to 5 mm and rainfall amounts of 10 to 20 mm are possible.

In Haliburton and Hastings counties, a mix of snow and ice pellets late Wednesday afternoon is expected to change to freezing rain in the evening and then rain overnight. Ice accretion up to 5 mm and rainfall amounts of 10 to 20 mm are possible.

In Northumberland County, rain is forecast to begin late Wednesday afternoon or early in the evening. Total rainfall amounts up to 25 mm will possible before the rain tapers off Thursday morning.

The strong easterly winds, in combination with any ice accretion, may result in localized power outages. Localized flooding in low-lying areas is also possible, as the partially frozen ground may have a reduced ability to absorb the rainfall.

This story has been updated with the latest forecast from Environment Canada.

The Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit has changed the way it reports COVID-19 data for the City of Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland County, and Haliburton County.

Effective Monday (March 21), the health unit’s online COVID-19 dashboard now separates COVID-19 data from 2022 from historical data for 2020 and 2021, provides a year-to-date summary of COVID-19 data in lower-tier municipalities, and also provides the results of COVID-19 wastewater surveillance currently being done at municipal treatment plants in Lindsay and Cobourg.

In a media release, the health unit says splitting of COVID-19 data into current and historical categories aligns with the change in Ontario’s PCR testing eligibility at the start of they year, and also coincides with the timeline when the omicron variant became the main circulating strain of COVID-19 in the region.

In December, the Ministry of Health restricted eligibility for PCR tests only to at-risk people who live or work in the highest-risk settings or who may be at the highest risk of severe illness if they get infected with COVID-19, along with household members of staff who work in highest-risk settings and patient-facing health care workers.

“Given lab-confirmed COVID-19 case numbers are no longer a true measure of virus activity in the community due to limits on PCR testing eligibility, we are updating our COVID-19 dashboard to provide a clearer, more current picture of virus activity in our region,” says medical officer of health Dr. Natalie Bocking.

The health unit’s revised COVID-19 dashboard will continue to report key daily indicators including lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases and active cases, hospitalizations, ICU admissions, deaths, outbreaks in high-risk settings, tests completed, and percent positivity.

The reporting of the seven-day COVID-19 incidence rate and cases by immunization status has been discontinued.

“Due to current limits on PCR testing eligibility, these statistics represent only a small segment of the population and therefore not a true picture of COVID-19 activity in the area,” Dr. Bocking says.

With COVID-19 activity plateauing and slowly declining in the area, the health unit has also reduced the frequency of updates to Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays (except holidays) rather than each weekday.

A group of children and youth in Peterborough/Nogojiwanong who are passionate about raising awareness about climate change are leading a local event for Global Climate Strike day on Friday (March 25).

The event takes place at 3:30 p.m. in Confederation Square, across from Peterborough City Hall.

Last October, four local elementary school students heeded the call from young Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg and decided to form their own climate justice group. Calling the group the Youth Climate Action Club, they have joined forces with local high school students to organize the local Global Climate Strike day.

“For somebody my age, I don’t know what my future will be or the future for the next generations,” says Alex Hodson, a grade 5 student and one of the founding members of the Youth Climate Action Club. “Nature is resilient and will come back, but humans are acting in a way that will lead to our own extinction if we don’t change.

The Global Climate Strike event on March 25th is part of the international Fridays for Futures movement, which demands policy makers and world leaders consider “people not profit” and take urgent and decisive measures to reduce global emissions.

“It scares me that people and societies are not changing, that we don’t learn more about this when we are young,” Hodson says. “Adults need to do more.”

Friday’s event in Confederation Park will feature speakers from across generations, including Curve Lake First Nation Elder Dorothy Taylor as well as Hodson and other members of the Youth Climate Action Club, which now includes over a dozen activists from nine to 14 years of age.

The event and the Youth Climate Action Club are also supported by local organizations the Peterborough-Kawarthas chapter of The Council of Canadians, For Our Grandchildren, the Peterborough Alliance for Climate Action, and OPIRG Peterborough.

Everyone is invited to join the Youth Climate Action Club at Confederation Park on Friday. Signs and masks are encouraged.

For more information on Youth Climate Action Club, visit them on Facebook and Instagram.

Peterborough artist Nick Leniuk, who is a first-generation Canadian with Ukrainian heritage, is raising funds for humanitarian efforts in Ukraine by auctioning a special work of art.

Best known for his tree sculptures, Leniuk has created a piece called “Rise Above” that features a hand-carved serpentine stone sunflower — the national flower of Ukraine — with a peace emblem centre. Mounted on a raw board stained with the colours of the Ukranian flag, the work measures 21.5 inches wide by 13.5 inches tall and is strung for wall mounting.

When looking for a sunflower to incorporate into the piece, Leniuk connected with an artist on Instagram named Yana @yamurchik.art — who happens to be Russian — and asked her if he could use her sunflower design. She was thrilled to have Nick use her design.

“A piece of my soul is embedded in each of my illustrations,” Yana says. “Thank you Nick for the opportunity to be involved in a good cause. I believe that only kindness and participation will save this world.”

Leniuk is accepting bids for “Rise Above” until 4 p.m. next Monday (March 28) through direct message via his Instagram and Facebook accounts. He will donate all proceeds from the auction to the Canada Ukraine Foundation-Ukrainian Canadian Congress.

Leniuk’s personal connection with Ukraine comes through his father Antony, who immigrated to Canada from Ukraine after World War II. He settled in Kapuskasing in Ontario, got married, and raised five children.

In May 2020, Leniuk was planning a visit to Ivano-Frankivsk in Ukraine to bury some of his father’s ashes at the grave site of his grandparents. He had to cancel the trip because of the pandemic but hopes to be able to visit his father’s birthplace in the future.

For more information on Leniuk’s fundraising effort or to view the art piece in person, email him at nleniuk@cogeco.ca.

Spring officially arrives Sunday morning (March 20), although the weather in Peterborough and the Kawarthas will still have a touch of winter over the coming days — and it’ll be a few weeks yet before we start seeing buds on trees.

For the first day of spring, Environment Canada is forecasting a cloudy day with a high of 8°C and a good chance of rain showers or flurries in the morning.

Monday will be sunny in the morning and reach a high of 10°C, before daytime temperatures return to the single digits for the rest of the week.

The arrival of spring in the northern hemisphere is marked by the vernal equinox at 11:33 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time, which is the moment when the earth’s axis is perpendicular to the sun, so the sun’s rays shine directly on the equator.

From then on, the northern hemisphere will increasingly tilt towards the sun, and we’ll begin to get more hours of daylight than night.

There’s an equinox in the spring and another in the fall, the difference being whether the sun’s rays are crossing the equator into the northern hemisphere (spring) or into the southern hemisphere (fall).

The word equinox comes from the Latin words for “equal” and “night”, but it doesn’t mean there are actually equal hours of day and night.

At sunrise and sunset, it’s still light even though the centre of the sun’s disk is below the horizon … so there are always a few more minutes of daylight than night on vernal equinox.

Daylight hours will continue to increase until the summer solstice — the longest day of the year and the official beginning of summer — which occurs this year on Tuesday, June 21st at 5:13 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time.

Spring is celebrated with festivals around the world, including Holi (“festival of colours”) in India, the Chinese New Year, and Passover and Easter in western culture.

Easter began as a pagan festival in the celebrating the return of life in the northern hemisphere. After the advent of Christianity, it became associated with the resurrection of Christ. However, remnants of Easter’s pagan roots can be seen in the eggs and rabbits we associated with Easter — symbols of fertility.

This year, Easter Sunday falls on April 17th. Generally, Easter is observed on the Sunday following the first full moon after the vernal equinox.

Northumberland OPP have charged a Whitby man following a fatal collision involving a single motor vehicle that struck a hydro pole in the Municipality of Port Hope early Saturday morning (March 19) and killed a Campbellcroft man.

At around 1:30 a.m., police and emergency services along with Hydro One responded to the collision, which took place on County Road 10 around three kilometres north of Campbellcroft.

The vehicle’s passenger was pronounced dead at the scene. The vehicle’s driver was airlifted to a Toronto-area hospital with serious injuries.

County Road 10 was closed for several hours while police complete their investigation.

On Monday, police identified the victim as Daniel Nicholas Thomson, 32, of Campbellcroft and the driver as Mathieu Richard, 31, of Whitby.

Richard has been charged with impaired operation causing death.

The accused man is scheduled to attend the Ontario Court of Justice in Cobourg on April 6, 2022.

This story has been updated with the identify of the victim and the driver.

Five long-term care homes in Peterborough County are receiving more than $7.2 million in provincial funding to increase staffing levels this year.

On Tuesday (March 15), the Ontario government announced it will provide $673 million to long-term care homes across Ontario this year to hire and retain up to 10,000 staff, leading to more direct care for residents.

Peterborough-Kawartha MPP Dave Smith was at Fairhaven Long-Term Care Home in Peterborough on Friday (March 18) to announce the funding for long-term care homes in Peterborough County. He was joined by Peterborough County councillor and Fairhaven board member Karl Moher, City of Peterborough councillor Keith Riel, and Fairhaven executive director Lionel Towns.

“Our seniors deserve the best care possible,” MPP Smith said. “This $7.2 million investment takes us one step further in delivering the care loved ones in our community rightfully expect.”

The Ontario government has committed $4.9 billion to hire more than 27,000 long-term care staff by 2024-25, increasing the average daily hours of direct care per resident by one hour and 21 minutes — compared to an increase of 22 minutes between 2009 and 2018 — for a total of four hours of direct care in the next four years.

Direct care is hands-on care provided by registered nurses, registered practical, nurses and personal support workers that includes personal care, such as help with eating, bathing and dressing, as well as other tasks such as helping residents move and providing medication. Seniors entering long-term care today are older and have more complex medical needs than they did just a decade ago.

In Peterborough County, five long-term care homes are receiving a total of $7,212,576:

• Fairhaven Long-Term Care Home in Peterborough – $2,232,672
• St. Joseph’s at Fleming in Peterborough – $1,744,272
• Extendicare Inc. in Peterborough – $1,517,520
• Extendicare Inc. in Lakefield – $872,136
• Riverview Manor Nursing Home in Peterborough – $845,976

“Our region has one of the highest seniors populations in Canada and the demand for long-term care in our region will continue to grow,” Moher said. “It is our jobs as representatives to ensure that our residents receive the additional care and support that this funding will provide for.”

Friday’s announcement follows $3.2 million in funding provided to the five long-term care homes last year, part of a $270 million investment in the first year of the governemnt’s $4.9 billion plan, which included $911,908 for Fairhaven. That funding allowed Fairhaven to hire 25 new full-time and 19 part-time positions.

In addition to the $673 million announced this week, the province plans to invest $1.25 billion in 2023 and $1.82 billion in 2024.

League1 Ontario announced its 2022 men’s and women’s premier division regular season schedule on Friday (March 18). The schedule includes the inaugural season for Electric City FC, Peterborough’s new soccer club.

In the men’s division, other new teams include Simcoe County Rovers (Barrie) and Burlington SC, with St. Catharines Roma Wolves and the newly rebranded BVB IA Waterloo (formerly Waterloo United) participating in the division for the first time.

New teams in the women’s division include Burlington SC, Pro Stars FC (Brampton), St. Catharines Roma Wolves, Simcoe County Rovers (arrie home), and Canada Soccer’s NDC-Ontario squad, with Guelph Union and the newly rebranded BVB IA Waterloo (formerly Waterloo United) participating in the division for the first time.

The Electric City FC men’s team will kick off for the first time against Guelph United on Thursday, April 21st at Alumini Stadium in Guelph, with the first home game in Peterborough on Saturday, May 7th against Windsor TFC.

The Electric City FC women’s team will kick off for the first time against Alliance United on Saturday, April 23rd at Centennial College in Toronto, with the first home game in Peterborough on Saturday, May 14th against Blue Devils FC of Oakville.

See below for the full schedule of Electric City FC men’s and women’s games.

Men’s Schedule

April

• Thu Apr 21 at 7:30 p.m. – Electric City FC at Guelph United (Alumini Stadium, Guelph)
• Sat Apr 30 at 8:00 p.m. – Electric City FC at North Toronto Nitros (Downsview Turf 2)

May

• Sat May 07 at 8:00 p.m. – Windsor TFC at Electric City FC (Fleming Stadium)
• Sat May 14 at 7:00 p.m. – Electric City FC at Unionville Milliken SC (Bill Crothers Turf West)
• Sat May 21 at 3:00 p.m. – Prostars FC at Electric City FC (Fleming Stadium)
• Sat May 28 at 1:00 p.m. – Electric City FC at Sigma FC (Paramount Fine Foods Centre 1)

June

• Sat Jun 04 at 3:00 p.m. – Pickering FC at Electric City FC (Fleming Stadium)
• Wed Jun 08 at 8:30 p.m. – Alliance United at Electric City FC (Fleming Stadium)
• Sat Jun 11 at 8:00 p.m. – Electric City FC at Masters FA Saints (L’Amoreaux #1)
• Fri Jun 17 at 9:00 p.m. – Electric City FC at Scrosoppi FC (Bishop Reding)
• Wed Jun 22 at 8:00 p.m. – Waterloo United at Electric City FC (Fleming Stadium)
• Sat Jun 25 at 8:00 p.m. – Electric City FC at Hamilton United (Elite Ron Joyce Stadium)

July

• Sat Jul 02 at 3:00 p.m. – Woodbridge Strikers at Electric City FC (Fleming Stadium)
• Sat Jul 09 at 3:00 p.m. – Blue Devils at Electric City FC (Fleming Stadium)
• Wed Jul 13 at 8:00 p.m. – Burlington SC at Electric City FC (Fleming Stadium)
• Sat Jul 16 at 6:00 p.m. – Electric City FC at North Mississauga SC (Churchill Meadows Turf 1)
• Sat Jul 23 at 3:00 p.m. – Simcoe County Rovers at Electric City FC (Fleming Stadium)
• Fri Jul 29 at 8:00 p.m. – Electric City FC at Darby FC (Whitby Soccer Centre Dome)

August

• Sun Aug 07 at 8:30 p.m. – Electric City FC at Vaughan Azzurri ( North Maple Regional Park Turf #2)
• Sat Aug 13 at 3:00 p.m. – FC London at Electric City FC (Fleming Stadium)
• Sat Aug 20 at 3:00 p.m. – St. Catharines Roma Wolves at Electric City FC (Fleming Stadium)

Women’s Schedule

April

• Sat Apr 23 at 3:00 p.m. – Electric City FC at Alliance United (Centennial College)
• Sat Apr 30 at 2:00 p.m. – Electric City FC at Pickering FC (Pickering Soccer Centre)

May

• Fri May 06 at 9:00 p.m. – Electric City FC at Darby FC (Fleming Stadium)
• Sat May 14 at 3:00 p.m. – Blue Devils FC at Electric City FC (Fleming Stadium)
• Wed May 18 at 8:00 p.m. – North Toronto Nitros at Electric City FC (Fleming Stadium)
• Sun May 22 at 4:00 p.m. – Electric City FC at Guelph Union (Alumni Stadium, Guelph)
• Sat May 28 at 6:00 p.m. – Electric City FC at North Mississauga SC (Churchill Meadows Turf 1)

June

• Wed Jun 01 at 8:00 p.m. – Hamilton United Elite at Electric City FC (Fleming Stadium)
• Sat Jun 04 at 4:00 p.m. – Electric City FC at Prostars FC (Victoria Park Brampton)
• Sat Jun 11 at 8:00 p.m. – Tecumseh SC at Electric City FC (Fleming Stadium)
• Wed Jun 15 at 8:00 p.m. – Simcoe County Rovers at Electric City FC (Fleming Stadium)
• Sat Jun 18 at 3:00 p.m. – FC London at Electric City FC (Fleming Stadium)
• Wed Jun 22 at 8:00 p.m. – Electric City FC at Burlington SC (City View Park F1)
• Sat Jun 25 at 3:00 p.m. – NDC Ontario at Electric City FC (Fleming Stadium)

July

• Sun Jul 03 at 7:00 p.m. – Electric City FC at Unionville Milliken SC (Bill Crothers Turf West)
• Wed Jul 06 at 8:00 p.m. – St. Catharines Roma Wolves at Electric City FC (Fleming Stadium)
• Sun Jul 10 at 3:00 p.m. – Electric City FC at Woodbridge Strikers (Vaughan Grove Turf)
• Sat Jul 16 at 3:00 p.m. – Waterloo United at Electric City FC (Fleming Stadium)
• Sun Jul 24 at 7:00 p.m. – Electric City FC at Vaughan Azzurri (North Maple Regional Park Turf #2)

For more information about Electric City FC, including season tickets, visit www.electriccityfc.com.

This story has been updated with schedule changes issued on April 8, 2022.