Kawartha Lakes Ontario Provincial Police have arrested and charged a man with second-degree murder after a body was recovered from Sturgeon Lake near Fenelon Falls on Sunday (July 11).
At the time the body was recovered, police indicated the death was suspicious and they believed it was not a random incident.
A port-mortem examination was conducted at the Centre of Forensic Sciences in Toronto, and police have released the name of the victim: 65-year-old Shirley Hatley of Sault Ste Marie.
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Investigators have arrested and charged Norman May, 56, of Bruce Mines with second-degree murder.
In a media release, police do not indicate when they arrested and charged May. However, since he appeared for a bail hearing before the Ontario Court of Justice in Lindsay on Monday (July 12), police may have had him in custody shortly after the body was recovered.
May remains in custody after the bail hearing, and the investigation continues under the direction of the OPP Criminal Investigation Branch.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the OPP at 1-888-310-1122. You can also contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or submit your information anonymously online at www.kh.crimestoppersweb.com.
Portions of downtown Peterborough were underwater on July 15, 2004 when a freak storm dumped more than 150 mm of rain in parts of the city in less than an hour. (Photo: City of Peterborough Emergency & Risk Management Division)
It’s hard to believe it’s been 17 years since Peterborough experienced the Great Flood of Thursday, July 15, 2004.
The original version of this story was published in July 2014 on the 10th anniversary of the Great Flood of Peterborough.
Unlike many Peterborough residents and businesses, kawarthaNOW came through the Great Flood relatively unscathed. Our 150-year-old house has always had a wet basement, and we have two sump pumps installed for the spring overflow. When it flooded, the sump pumps ran for three weeks straight — but we didn’t lose anything of value.
However, whenever there’s a severe thunderstorm watch for Peterborough, we still wonder with trepidation if another Great Flood is coming.
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In a way, the 2004 Peterborough flood actually started in Alberta. On Sunday, July 11th, 2004, the City of Edmonton — already soaked from days of rain — experienced a small but spectacular storm that dumped more than 150 mm of rain in parts of the city in less than an hour.
Mud and water poured down streets and through windows. A record flash flood washed out roads, filled underpasses, flooded basements, turned streets into rivers and intersections into lakes. Enormous water pressure in the sewer system blew hundreds of manhole covers into the sky.
That same storm system slowly worked its way east across Canada, travelling 2,700 kilometres until it reached Peterborough three days later, on Wednesday, July 14th.
The driver of this car attempted to drive through the flood waters. (Photo: City of Peterborough Emergency & Risk Management Division)A car stands abandoned on a flooded road. (Photo: City of Peterborough Emergency & Risk Management Division)
There, fed by cool air from the north and moist air from the south, the system produced intense rainstorms that began on Wednesday evening and continued for five hours during the early morning hours of Thursday, July 15th.
Measurements of the amount of rain that fell on Peterborough during the storm varied, from 100 mm (4 inches) recorded at the Peterborough Airport to 240 mm (9.5 inches) recorded at Trent University.
Much of the rain fell in fewer than five hours early Thursday morning, with 78.8 mm (3 inches) falling between 3:30 a.m. and 4:30 a.m. alone.
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If all of that sounds like a lot of water, that’s because it is — it totals 14 billion litres, the same amount of water that flows over Niagara Falls in about 40 minutes.
Any city’s drain and sewer system would have a challenge dealing with that much rain, but it was an impossible task for Peterborough’s. Normally, the city’s sewage system deals with about 1.3 million gallons per day; during the storm, the sewage treatment plant measured a peak flow of 7 million gallons of waste water.
At the time of the storm, over 80 per cent of the pipes in the city’s storm water system (some of which were built a century ago) were undersized and didn’t meet modern standards, creating bottlenecks in moving the flood water.
Residents used whatever they had on hand to cross flooded roads. (Photo: City of Peterborough Emergency & Risk Management Division)Peterborough firefighters pumped out over 1,868 basements, garages, and backyards as a result of the flood. (Photo: City of Peterborough Emergency & Risk Management Division)
Downtown Peterborough, where the rainfall was concentrated, consists of largely impervious paved surfaces, including streets that are not well designed to convey flood water over land. In addition, groundwater that seeped into cracked or misaligned sewer pipes created excess water in the system, leading to back-ups and basement flooding.
All of these factors combined meant the city’s sewers simply couldn’t cope with the volume of water, resulting in sudden and severe flooding. Peterborough’s fire department was soon inundated with calls from across the entire city, ranging from flooded basements to fire alarms.
City utility and social services were overburdened with responding to the consequences of the flooding. The City of Peterborough declared a state of emergency after the storm, which stayed in effect for two weeks. Many city staff worked 18 to 20 hour a days until the state of emergency was finally lifted on July 29.
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Here are some interesting facts about the impact of the flood:
171 long-term care residents were evacuated from Extendicare Nursing Home to the Evinrude Centre.
500 homes and businesses had hydro meters pulled from flooded basements.
Hundreds of flood-damaged water heaters required replacement.
1,000 homes had gas lines disconnected.
498 electrical systems were disconnected.
There were 28 motor vehicle accidents.
The city issued emergency clothing to more than 1,300 people and emergency food to more than 1,000 households.
The Salvation Army served over 10,000 meals.
Firefighters pumped out over 1,868 basements, garages, and backyards.
25 people who were trapped in or on cars needed to be rescued.
Cleaning up flood-related garbage and debris was a major undertaking. Around 12,500 tons of materials were placed in the landfill in the two weeks following the flood (four times the normal amount).
The Peterborough Museum and Archives had recently relocated the Balsillie Collection of Roy Studio Images (valued at over $8 million) to a 400-square-foot climate-controlled storage facility on the lower level of the Peterborough Public Library. Flood water shattered plate glass windows on the ground floor of the library and a torrent of sewage-contaminated water and debris spilled into the lower level, immersing 10 per cent of the Balsillie Collection under a foot of water for 24 hours.
Downtown Peterborough offices, including those of Artspace, were submerged under the flood waters. (Photo: City of Peterborough Emergency & Risk Management Division)Almost 200 long-term care residents were evacuated from Extendicare Nursing Home to the Evinrude Centre as a result of the flood. (Photo: City of Peterborough Emergency & Risk Management Division)
In the end, the flood resulted in $95 million in insured losses in Peterborough, according to the Insurance Bureau of Canada. Overtime and expenses for city staff responding to the flood amounted to $1.4 million.
Costs of repairs and restoration (including roads, bridges, culverts, buildings, and the Museum photo archives) equalled $21 million, with the Ontario government providing $25 million for emergency repair and restoration costs for city infrastructure. The impact of lost revenue and productivity for businesses and residents likely amounted to millions of dollars as well.
Making matters worse, the 2004 flood came only 25 months after another major flood in June 2002, when Peterborough suffered through a severe summer storm that generated more than 70 mm (3 inches) of rain in a 24-hour period. Many Peterborough residents and business owners had just recovered from damages caused by the 2002 flood when they were hit again by the 2004 flood.
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Shortly after the 2004 flood, the City of Peterborough hired UMA Engineering Ltd. (now known as AECOM Ltd.) to prepare a flood reduction master plan. Since the completion of the plan in 2005, the city has undertaken a series of studies to assess vulnerability and has updated stormwater management designs and infrastructure to protect the city from future flooding damage.
Since 2005, the city has completed detailed flood reduction studies for waterways within the city (including Bears Creek, Byersville-Harper Creek, Curtis Creek, Jackson Creek, Meade Creek, Riverview Creek, and Thompson Creek).
Examples of recent flood reduction projects include replacing culverts to reduce the risk of flooding in Eact City, installing a large storm sewer system on Marina Boulevard that will capture major flood waters and divert it around at-risk property, conducting annual inspections of stormwater management ponds to ensure they are ready to hold back water during heavy rain events, and regular flushing and cleaning of the storm and sanitary sewer system to ensure that are ready when the next big rain comes.
The flood caused massive damage to city roads. (Photo: City of Peterborough Emergency & Risk Management Division)Around 12,500 tons of materials were taken to landfill in the two weeks following the flood. (Photo: City of Peterborough Emergency & Risk Management Division)
In addition to upgrading infrastructure, the city now offers stormwater management incentive programs for residents.
These include a rain garden subsidy program to offset the cost of installing green infrastructure on private property to absorb stormwater, and a flood reduction subsidy program to help residents cover the cost of flood reduction efforts — such as installing a backwater valve to prevent sewage backup into homes, downspout disconnections, and catch basin disconnections.
Let’s all hope that the city’s efforts over the past 17 years will help to ensure that there are no more Great Floods in Peterborough.
Hayley Goodchild of Peterborough GreenUP and Shaelyn Wabegijig of the Kawartha World Issues Centre are the project coordinators for a local initiative to implement five priority areas (Indigenous leadership, poverty eradication, clean water and sanitation, quality education, and climate action) from the 17 sustainable development goals adopted by the United Nations in 2015. After working on the initaitive since last year, the pair recently met for the first time in person at GreenUP's Ecology Park. (Photo: Genevieve Ramage)
Each week, GreenUP provides a story related to the environment. This week’s guest column is by Shaelyn Wabegijig, Co-ordinator, Kawartha World Issues Centre.
Like many communities around the world, Nogojiwanong/Peterborough is ramping up efforts to deal with the critical issues before us. Following a virtual forum held in March, where community group representatives and interested individuals came together to learn about and discuss a local strategy to address global challenges, we are now ready to take the next step.
The issues of greatest importance to our region — as identified in a community gathering in February 2019 — are prioritizing Indigenous leadership, eradicating poverty, quality education, clean water and sanitation, and climate action.
Four of these five priority areas were selected from the 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) adopted by the United Nations in 2015. The fifth, prioritizing Indigenous leadership, was chosen by our community to frame and lead the other four priority action areas.
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An Indigenous Leadership Action Team was created to prioritize Indigenous leadership. Made up of representatives primarily from local Michi Saagiig First Nations — along with an Elder advisor and two Michi Saagiig Anishinaabe consultants — the action teams representing poverty, education, clean water, and climate action were guided to understand and consider their issue from an Indigenous worldview and perspective.
To help the action teams, the Indigenous Leadership Action Team highlighted existing resources, offered important insight, and identified voices missing from the consultation process.
At the spring forum, the community was introduced to the five action teams tasked with leading the local SDG response. Four months later, our local action teams, as supported by the Kawartha World Issues Centre and GreenUP, are ready to share their approach, strategies, and the opportunities they see for our community.
The 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) adopted by the United Nations in 2015, with the four priority action areas for Nogojiwanong/Peterborough outlined in black. A fifth priority area, prioritizing Indigenous leadership, was chosen by the local community to frame and lead the other four priority action areas. (Graphic: United Nations)
To promote an understanding of the local SDG project, what the priority areas mean locally, and how they can be addressed, the action teams created reports for our use. They can be found alongside the local SDG project overview at www.kwic.info/advancing sdgs.
Below you’ll find a sample of next steps from each of the action team reports. While reading them, consider how they might be applied to your own lives, work, and community.
In the report from the Indigenous Leadership Action Team, team members recommend we work towards increasing access to cross-cultural, land-based learning. This will enable us to build stronger relationships with each other and the land.
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The report also suggests creating more opportunities for youth, identifying and supporting Indigenous champions, and promoting the development of reciprocal relationships between local decision-makers and Indigenous communities.
Finally, the Indigenous Leadership report encourages a shift in our current system to one where we are open to transformation through Indigenous knowledge, relationships and worldviews. This would enable us to move beyond “us and them” to a more collaborative way of living together and moving forward.
The next step in the local SDG process, as recommended by the No Poverty Action Team Report, involves ensuring that those who have experienced, or are experiencing, poverty are included in the development and delivery of anti-poverty initiatives. To address their challenge, this team also recommends building deeper partnerships and support systems between community organizations, including those that haven’t historically identified themselves as part of the anti-poverty movement.
Before the pandemic, a group of students from Holy Cross Catholic Secondary School in Peterborough helped to plant trees, shrubs, and perennial flowers at Applewood Retirement Residence in the city’s Kawartha Heights neighbourhood, as part of Peterborough GreenUP’s Sustainable Urban Neighbourhoods program. This is an example of how the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal of “quality education” can be implemented locally. (Photo: Hayley Goodchild)
The local Quality Education Action Team wants to ensure we’ve included the input and engagement of people who’ve been excluded from quality education initiatives in the past, especially youth from traditionally marginalized groups. Quality education initiatives should respond to the specific needs of a community. Greater representation during both program design and implementation will ensure that these initiatives provide meaningful opportunities for all learners.
Next steps from the Clean Water and Sanitation Team Report include developing or building upon existing local groups, partnerships, and networks in a way that enables a diversity of stakeholders to advocate for clean water. This team is interested in collecting data on local water and watershed health in order to initiate meaningful future improvement.
Our local governments and community groups have already put much thought and consultation into developing a response to climate change in our communities. In their report, the Climate Action Team indicates that an important next step in addressing this issue is to prioritize the implementation of these plans and policies, and to collaborate across sectors to maximize their impact.
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Ultimately, the SDG action team reports provide a model for how to approach and advance the key priority areas for our community and engage individuals that are often excluded in local decision-making.
“Great efforts have been made to include as many voices as possible in this project,” says Brianna Salmon, executive director of GreenUP. “Like the global SDG movement, the project is committed to ensuring no one is left behind. We want everyone to feel welcome to share their concerns and to be a part of the solutions.”
Many in our global community agree that now is the time for change and transformation. While global frameworks like the sustainable development goals are helpful in getting national priorities on track for positive change, we need real action at the local level.
On February 24 and 25, 2021, the Kawartha World Issues Centre and GreenUP hosted a community forum in Peterborough/Nogojiwanong to update and further develop the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals at the local level. More than 200 people, representing various communities, interests, and organizations, attended the forum via Zoom. (Screenshot: Shaelyn Wabegijig)
As a community, we’ve been gifted with a diversity of citizens — including you — who have the knowledge, skills and determination to improve our world and address the challenges we face.
The local SDG team encourages you to continue the conversations we’ve started, look for opportunities to implement these recommendations, and build relationships to move this project forward, together, in a good way.
Ashley Wynne is opening Sage and Sunshine, an Indigenous culture-based private school, in Nogojiwanong-Peterborough in September. Wynne, an Anishinaabe mother of four and an early childhood educator, is passionate about learning her Indigenous language and culture and sharing it with others. Wynne belongs to the Turtle Clan, chief of the water clans. Water clans are traditionally responsible for teaching and healing. (Photo courtesy of Ashley Wynne)
After noticing a lack of Indigenous language and culture curriculum in Ontario public schools, Ashley Wynne — an Anishinaabe mother of four — is channelling her frustrations into meaningful action by opening an Indigenous culture-based private school.
The school, called ‘Sage and Sunshine’, is located at 1434 Chemong Road in Nogojiwanong-Peterborough and will open in September for children aged four to nine.
Wynne is an early childhood educator with over 10 years of experience working with children. She homeschooled three of her four children throughout the pandemic, incorporating Indigenous language and culture into the Ontario curriculum. The idea for Sage and Sunshine grew from there.
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“I had planned on homeschooling my kids forever after the pandemic is over, because this kind of learning is what I want for them,” Wynne tells kawarthaNOW. “Then the Nogojiwanong Friendship Centre saw the activities I was doing with my kids because I was posting them online. They sent me some families who were struggling with online learning.”
After a year of success schooling Indigenous children in a way that connects them to their Indigenous heritage, Wynne looked into opening a private school. She recognized that many other Indigenous families living off-reserve are also looking to educate their children in a way that values their roots and traditional knowledge.
When Sarah Susnar, co-owner of Lavender and Play in Peterborough, told Wynne she had a vacant classroom for the school, Wynne committed fully to the project this past January.
Ashley Wynne’s eight-year-old son learning about the four medicines in Anishinaabemowin, the Ojibwe language. Wynne’s private school Sage and Sunshine will provide urban Indigenous children with a safe learning environment to experience individualized learning plans that represent unique academic goals. (Photo courtesy of Ashley Wynne)
Although the experience of homeschooling during COVID-19 pushed Wynne to bring Sage and Sunshine to life, the project is a long time coming. Wynne is passionate about bringing Indigenous language and culture to urban Indigenous children and has advocated for years to get more Indigenous teachings into public schools.
“When my first child started public school, I called the school board and asked if I could get her into one of the schools that teach Ojibwe,” recalls Wynne. “They said that they couldn’t take anybody that’s not in the right district.”
Wynne continued to feel disappointed with her children’s access to Indigenous education when the once-a-week, hour-long, after-school Ojibwe class her oldest child attended shut down after the teacher left and was not replaced.
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Wynne has continued to fight for her three younger children to have access to their culture in school.
When the pandemic hit, Wynne proved she could take her children’s cultural education into her own hands — an education she feels is vital for urban Indigenous children to have to keep their Indigenous culture alive for future generations.
“It’s a lost language and a lost culture because of what happened in residential schools,” notes Wynne. “We just have lost all our culture. This is the generation that’s getting it back and starting to learn more about what happened. We need to get it back so it can go on for more generations, or it will just die here.”
Ashley Wynne (centre) with her family. When the pandemic hit, Wynne began homeschooling three of her four children, incorporating Indigenous language and teachings with the Ontario curriculum. Her experience homeschooling led her to launch an Indigenous culture-based school called Sage and Sunshine to ensure Indigenous children aged four to nine learn about their heritage, culture, and language. (Photo courtesy of Ashley Wynne)
Wynne grew up in Sault Ste Marie as an urban Indigenous child whose only access to her culture was the Ojibwe language. Wynne’s non-Indigenous mother had no knowledge to pass on and, according to Wynne, neither did her Indigenous father, who had been displaced from his culture.
“My dad doesn’t know anything about his culture,” says Wynne. “He wasn’t allowed to practice his culture. Growing up, I didn’t think anything of it. I didn’t realize that I was missing out on so much.”
Wynne notes she did not even hear about the residential school system until she was in college at age 23.
“That was my awakening,” Wynne recalls. “Then I knew to dig deeper. Over the years, I’ve done a lot of work.”
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Wynne is proud of having done that work to pass her Indigenous culture along to future generations, to ensure the children at Sage and Sunshine do not experience the same disconnect to their heritage as she did.
She says the children at Sage and Sunshine will be proud of their culture, and the incorporation of Indigenous teachings in their school day will feel natural to them — the same experience Wynne’s own children have had from her homeschooling.
“They’re just immersed in it, so they’re proud of who they are,” says Wynne. “They’re aware of everything that happened — that’s something I didn’t learn until college. I’m proud of them for that.”
At Sage and Sunshine, Indigenous children aged four to nine will participate in drumming and dancing workshops, medicine walks, and learn about different types of traditional Indigenous art. A typical day will incorporate Indigenous language and culture, as well as math, literacy, science, and social studies lessons. Children will also have access to hands-on resources, including educational apps. (Photo courtesy of Ashley Wynne)
A typical day at Sage and Sunshine will incorporate Indigenous language and culture and have a flexible schedule to allow children to have as much time as they need for each task. Elders and other knowledge keepers will also visit the school to teach lessons.
“Elders are the most highly respected people in our community,” says Wynne. “Each age group has specific roles and responsibilities which can be indicated on the medicine wheel. The youth (red) learn. Elders (white) share wisdom. Therefore, elders and youth are especially connected.”
In a combined classroom of kids aged four to nine, children can learn at their own pace. Wynne notes that, in this combined learning environment, the older children gain pride from helping the younger children.
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“Traditionally, that’s how Indigenous people thrived from learning,” says Wynne. “We would learn in families and communities.”
Although Wynne has fought to keep the cost of Sage and Sunshine tuition low, many of the Indigenous community are in a lower income bracket, so she is raising funds to support eight Indigenous families to attend the school.
“Many Indigenous families are unable to pay private school tuition fees, and I don’t want this to be a barrier for them or an added stress on their families,” explains Wynne. “Money should not be the determining factor for whether or not their children can have access to their culture every day at school.”
The medicine wheel is an example of crucial Indigenous teaching which children will learn at Sage and Sunshine. Each age group has specific roles and responsibilities, indicated on the medicine wheel. Infants and young children bring joy to the community (yellow), the youth learn (red), the adults protect (black), and the elders share wisdom (white). (Photo courtesy of Ashley Wynne)
For those looking for an Indigenous-led organization to support in response to the uncovering of unmarked graves at Canada’s former residential schools, Wynne says her GoFundMe campaign is a great place to start.
Wynne notes schools like hers begin to redress the injustices exhibited in the Canadian residential school system.
“School is the way they took our culture, so I think it is the way that we should be getting it back,” Wynne points out.
While learning about their culture is beneficial to the Indigenous children at her school, Wynne adds that Indigenous teachings can also offer a lot for the future of Canada as well. For example, Indigenous perspectives could be vital in years ahead as we continue to tackle the climate crisis — such as the Indigenous teaching called the seven generation philosophy.
“It’s acknowledging the seven generations before where you are now got you to where you are now,” Wynne explains. “Every decision you make, you need to think of the even generations forward. That’s a big reason that I’m starting the school — for the seven generations to come after me.”
Ashley Wynne and her daughter on Orange Shirt Day, which honours the survivors of Canada’s residential school system. Although Wynne had Sage and Sunshine in the works long before the recent discoveries of unmarked graves at former residential schools, Sage and Sunshine comes at a crucial moment for Canada. Wynne says schools like Sage and Sunshine will begin to redress the harm done by the residential school system, which was created for the purpose of stripping Indigenous people of their language and culture. (Photo courtesy of Ashley Wynne)
If you are not able to donate but would still like to support the school, Wynne asks that you spread the word.
“Please tell everybody you know,” Wynne urges, adding she would also welcome suggestions on any other programs or funding opportunities to help support Sage and Sunshine. “I really appreciate all the resources that have been shared with me.”
Here’s an update on COVID-19 cases in Ontario as well as in the greater Kawarthas region.
Today, Ontario is reporting 153 new COVID-19 cases, with 6 of Ontario’s 34 health units reporting double-digit increases — Toronto (28), Waterloo (23), Grey Bruce (20), Peel (19), Middlesex-London (12), and Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph (10) — and 10 health units reporting no new cases at all. The seven-day average of daily cases has decreased by 6 to 164.
Hospitalizations have increased by 1 from yesterday to 174, with the number of ICU patients falling by 12 to 180 and the number of patients on ventilators decreasing by 7 to 116.
Ontario is reporting 7 new COVID-related deaths today, with none in long-term care homes.
Almost 17.5 million vaccine doses have been administered, an increase of 179,197 from yesterday, with almost 94% of Ontario’s total population now having received at least one dose. More than 7.2 million people have been fully vaccinated, an increase of 159,521 from yesterday, representing over 49% of Ontario’s total population.
COVID-19 cases in Ontario from June 13 – July 13, 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 June 13 – July 13, 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 June 13 – July 13, 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 is 1 new case to report in Hastings Prince Edward. There are no new cases today in Peterborough, Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland, or Haliburton.
On July 13, a new outbreak was declared at an unidentified congregate living facility in Peterborough.
An additional 6 cases in the region have been resolved, including 3 in Peterborough, 2 in Hastings Prince Edward, and 1 in Kawartha Lakes.
Regional active cases have decreased by 3 in Peterborough and by 1 in Hastings Prince Edward, and remain unchanged in Kawartha Lakes.
There are currently 43 active cases in the greater Kawarthas region, a decrease of 4 since yesterday, including 21 in Kawartha Lakes, 19 in Peterborough, and 3 in Hastings Prince Edward (1 in Belleville, 1 in Tyendinaga & Deseronto, and 1 in North Hastings). There are no active cases in Northumberland or Haliburton.
Since the pandemic began in the greater Kawarthas region, there have been 1,623 confirmed positive cases in the Peterborough area (1,582 resolved with 22 deaths), 1,136 in the City of Kawartha Lakes (1,070 resolved with 58 deaths), 946 in Northumberland County (929 resolved with 17 deaths), 122 in Haliburton County (121 resolved with 1 death), and 1,136 in Hastings and Prince Edward counties (1,122 resolved with 11 deaths). The most recent two deaths were reported in Peterborough and Kawartha Lakes on June 29.
The Bobcaygeon Swing Bridge, pictured in 2007, is located on Main Street at Canal Street in Bobcaygeon, (Photo: John Vetterli via Wikipedia)
Parks Canada has announced the Bobcaygeon Swing Bridge, located on Main Street at Canal Street in Bobcaygeon, will not reopen this summer for vehicle use as originally planned.
In late May, after a delay in completing the rehabilitation of the bridge, Parks Canada announced a temporary measure would be installed by the end of July to complete bridge swings.
However, in a media release issued on Wednesday (July 14), Parks Canada advised the temporary measure is not going ahead as the contractor was unable to submit quality control documentation of some mechanical components.
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“The contractor is unable to provide adequate substantiation, as required under their contract, that key mechanical components involved in rotating the bridge meet industry safety and quality standards,” the media release reads. “As such, Parks Canada will not allow the installation of these components, and has instructed that they be refabricated.”
Parks Canada states the refabrication of components, being completed at an offsite machining shop, will take an additional 10 to 12 weeks.
Installation of the refabricated components will begin following the closing of the navigation season in October, with the bridge expected to reopen for vehicular traffic in December.
A full testing of the swinging operation will take place the following spring, along with landscaping work.
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While the bridge will remain closed for vehicles, enhancements have been completed on the upstream lock gate that enable a temporary canal crossing to and from the downtown core for most personal transportation devices, including scooters, wheelchairs, and walkers.
The enhancements include widening the lock gate, adding temporary ramps, and modifying the approaches.
Modifications to the lock gate will not affect boat navigation.
The Venue in downtown Peterborough is a multipurpose event space that hosts a wide range of events including conferences and conventions, weddings, business meetings, galas and other fundraisers, concerts, art shows, and sports events. (Photo: REALTOR.ca)
Michael and Catia Skinner have sold The Venue in downtown Peterborough to Kevin and April Sendel, owners of Personal Touch Catering and Personal Touch Banquet Hall.
The Skinners made the announcement in a media release on Wednesday (July 14).
“Catia and I could not be happier that The Venue’s new owners are not only highly experienced event and catering professionals, but they are locally based with an intimate understanding of what makes Peterborough’s people and organizations so special,” Michael Skinner says.
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“Whether The Venue’s events have celebrated shared loves of music, business, food or supporting a cause, people and community have always been our greatest passion,” he adds. “The level of detail and care Kevin and April have for executing events will create a seamless transition for our current and recurring clients.”
The Skinners say the new owners will be keeping The Venue name and are preparing to reopen the space on September 1st, depending on pandemic restrictions. The Sendels, who have more than a decade of experience hosting events with a team of over 30 employees, will also continue to operate Personal Touch Catering and Banquet Hall independently of The Venue.
“The Venue is an incredible facility and such an important contributor to our downtown,” Kevin and April Sendel say.
The Venue is located at 286 George Street North in downtown Peterborough. (Photo: REALTOR.ca)
“Our team looks forward to embarking on this new chapter of growth and opportunity,” the Sendels add. “We would like to thank The Venue team for assisting us through this ownership transition. We look forward to meeting the many clients of The Venue in the coming months.”
The Skinners put The Venue, a multifunctional event space located at 286 George Street North, up for sale in January 2021.
Originally listed for $2,450,000, the price was dropped to $2,399,000. The Skinners did not reveal the final selling price in the media release.
Michael Skinner purchased the building, previously The Vibe nightclub, in 2006 and opened it in 2010 after a $1-million renovation. It was subsequently operated by Catia Skinner, CEO of Kawartha Entertainment Group Inc.
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The 14,000-square-foot building — which features a lobby wine bar, main hall, and balcony lounge — has a capacity for 900 guests for a cocktail party or for 400 seated guests. Since opening, The Venue has hosted concerts, conferences, trade shows, weddings, and special events.
In February, Michael Skinner told kawarthaNOW that, while the decision to list The Venue for sale was “not directly COVID related”, the pandemic’s adverse effects on business was a factor.
“Most of the events we run there are networking social events,” he said at the time, noting he was forced to lay off 53 employees when the pandemic hit last March, keeping three on who were then laid off last November.
To inquire about hosting an event at The Venue, contact Kevin and April Sendel at 705-876-0008.
Quinn Vandermey performs on the piano to a temporarily seatless main theatre at Showplace Performance Centre in downtown Peterborough. New state-of-the-art seats will be installed in the Erica Cherney Theatre by October 2021, with the venue planning to welcome audiences into those new seats in November. Supporters of the non-profit organization can help cover the $410,000 cost of the project by purchasing naming rights for the seats. (Photo: Paul Rellinger / kawarthaNOW)
While there are a number of reasons anchoring Showplace Performance Centre general manager Emily Martin’s excitement to welcome audiences back to the downtown Peterborough venue, they all take a back seat to what has her really pumped.
Come late October, the now strangely barren main theatre — the 640 old seats have been removed — will be home to new state-of-the-art seating, a refurbishment that’s long overdue and been a few years in the planning for the non-profit charitable organization.
Under the banner Take A Seat For Act II, a push is on to help cover the new seats’ cost by providing the opportunity for anyone to name a seat — in one’s own name, the name of a loved one, an organization’s name, or even a pet’s name — for a $1,000 donation.
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All donations are tax deductible with a charitable receipt issued and can be paid in full at once or via a multi-payment pledge. Seat naming rights, and more related information, can be obtained by phoning 705-742-7469 or by going online to Showplace’s recently redesigned website at www.showplace.org.
The replacement of the seats, estimated to cost about $300,000 (with another $110,000 to replace the floor and for painting, lighting, and electrical), is part of a larger capital projects fundraiser with a $2 million goal that has Showplace board chair Pat Hooper and longtime Beth McMaster serving as co-campaign champions, and actress Linda Kash and actress/filmmaker Megan Murphy contributing as co-campaign ambassadors.
On Tuesday (July 13), Martin provided kawarthaNOW with an exclusive glimpse of the main theatre minus the 640 seats that have taken up that space since Showplace opened its doors in October 1996. The seats originally installed were already well used at that time, having come to the venue from the Annapolis Naval Academy in Maryland.
Emily Martin, general manager of Showplace Performance Centre, enjoys one of the new seats to be installed in the venue’s Erica Cherney Theatre by October 2021. Supporters of the non-profit organization can help cover the $410,000 cost of the project by purchasing naming rights for the seats. (Photo: Paul Rellinger / kawarthaNOW)
In true full-circle fashion, Lett Architects, which was involved in Showplace’s design and construction, is involved once again with this project.
“Bill Lett worked on the original Showplace as a co-op student,” Martin points out.
“It was so weird at first when the seats were gone,” she adds, referring to the now-seatless Erica Cherney Theatre. “You walk out on Friday night and come back Monday morning and go ‘Oh yeah, this is empty now.’ I’ve gotten used to it now.”
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The new seats, made by Montreal-based Ducharme Seating, are “spectacular” according to Martin, noting one of the new seats is in the venue’s lobby window so passersby can take a look.
“They’re fresh and new, they’re really comfortable, and there are cup holders too,” says Martin. “We did focus groups with users of the space and sponsors before we undertook any of this work. Cup holders were the number one thing we kept hearing.”
“There’s also going to be more accessible seating because some of the seats can actually be removed, so we’ll have accessible options we didn’t have before,” she adds. “In addition, some end-row seats will have swing-away panels for easier access, for someone with a walker to just slide in to their seat.”
In preparation for the installation of new seats in Showplace Performance Centre’s Erica Cherney Theatre, the floor has been completely redone and new sconces are being installed around the perimeter of the balcony. Supporters of the non-profit organization can help cover the $410,000 cost of the project by purchasing naming rights for the seats. (Photo: Paul Rellinger / kawarthaNOW)
Also in the main theatre, the floor has been completely redone and new sconces are being installed around the perimeter of the balcony.
“There are lights there but we never had them on because half of them didn’t work, so with the new sconces the balcony can by lit up like it used to be,” Martin says, referring to when the building housed a movie theatre.
Martin promises those returning to the venue post-pandemic will notice a “shocking” change.
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With the new seats, Martin says Showplace’s capacity “will go down a little bit” due to building code requirements, adding the other biggest change people will notice is more space between the front row and the stage.
“Right now we’re scheduled to have the new seats put in come mid October. It’s like eight or nine days to get the entire theatre done.”
What happened to the old seats?
Showplace donated some of the old seats to the Peterborough Theatre Guild and some to the Peterborough Petes. Seats that were in very bad shape were disposed of, including seats that were attached to each other and couldn’t be separated for reuse.
After the new seats are installed, and barring any unexpected pandemic developments, Martin expects Showplace will be able to once again welcome audiences back into the theatre in late fall.
“We’re still three to six months away from being able to fully re-open large venues to the way they were,” Martin explains. “The analogy I use is that large venues are like cruise ships. You can’t turn a cruise ship on a dime. It’s very similar here. You can’t just turn a switch on and you have a full audience. There are still too many unknowns.”
“It’s great to say, in theory, you can have 50 per cent capacity — that’s 300 people — but you have to have a plan for that, and staffing. That said, our goal now is November (for the staging of shows) in some capacity.”
One of the new seats for Showplace Performance Centre’s Erica Cherney Theatre, made by Montreal-based Ducharme Seating, is displayed in the venue’s lobby window so passersby can take a look. Supporters of the non-profit organization can help cover the $410,000 cost of the project by purchasing naming rights for the seats. (Photo: Paul Rellinger / kawarthaNOW)
While Martin says some people have questioned why Showplace would undertake a seat replacement project during the pandemic, she points out the non-profit organization had already planned before the pandemic to undertake the project at this time.
While not being able to host any shows so far in 2021 has created financial challenges for the venue, in a way it has been beneficial for the seat replacement project.
“This kind of renovation takes four to six months to complete,” she says. “We started in April with the removal of the old seats. We didn’t want to come out of COVID and say ‘Oh, thanks for coming back but we’re going to shut down for four to six months to put in the new seats.’ It all worked out.”
To purchase a seat, or to make a donation to Showplace, call the box office at 705-742-7469 or visit www.showplace.org.
This story has been updated with information about what happened to the old seats.
Here’s an update on COVID-19 cases in Ontario as well as in the greater Kawarthas region.
Today, Ontario is reporting 146 new COVID-19 cases, with 5 of Ontario’s 34 health units reporting double-digit increases — Toronto (43), Waterloo (36), Peel (13), Hamilton (11), and Middlesex-London (10) — and 17 health units reporting no new cases at all. The seven-day average of daily cases has decreased by 3 to 170.
Hospitalizations have increased by 32 from yesterday to 173, but part of this increase may be due to underreporting on the weekend as 10% of hospitals did not submit data for the daily bed census. The number of ICU patients has fallen by 12 to 192 and the number of patients on ventilators remains unchanged from yesterday at 123.
Ontario is reporting 7 new COVID-related deaths today, including 2 in long-term care homes.
Almost 17.3 million vaccine doses have been administered, an increase of 176,834 from yesterday, with almost 93% of Ontario’s total population now having received at least one dose. More than 7.1 million people have been fully vaccinated, an increase of 157,734 from yesterday, representing over 48% of Ontario’s total population.
COVID-19 cases in Ontario from June 12 – July 12, 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 June 12 – July 12, 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 June 12 – July 12, 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 2 new cases to report, including 1 in Peterborough and 1 in Kawartha Lakes. There are no new cases in Northumberland, Haliburton, or Hastings Prince Edward.
An additional 8 cases in the region have been resolved, including 6 in Peterborough and 2 in Kawartha Lakes.
Regional active cases have decreased by 5 in Peterborough, have increased by 1 in Kawartha Lakes, and remain unchanged in Hastings Prince Edward.
There are currently 47 active cases in the greater Kawarthas region, a decrease of 4 since yesterday, including 22 in Peterborough, 21 in Kawartha Lakes, and 4 in Hastings Prince Edward (1 in Tyendinaga & Deseronto and 3 in North Hastings). There are no active cases in Northumberland or Haliburton.
Since the pandemic began in the greater Kawarthas region, there have been 1,623 confirmed positive cases in the Peterborough area (1,579 resolved with 22 deaths), 1,135 in the City of Kawartha Lakes (1,069 resolved with 58 deaths), 946 in Northumberland County (929 resolved with 17 deaths), 122 in Haliburton County (121 resolved with 1 death), and 1,135 in Hastings and Prince Edward counties (1,120 resolved with 11 deaths). The most recent two deaths were reported in Peterborough and Kawartha Lakes on June 29.
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