A pedestrian who was struck by a vehicle early Monday evening (November 8) in Little Britain, around 14 kilometres southwest of Lindsay, has died in hospital.

At around 6:10 p.m. on Monday, Kawartha Lakes OPP and emergency services responded to a report of a vehicle colliding with a pedestrian on Little Britain Road.

The pedestrian was transported to a Toronto-area hospital with life-threatening injuries, where he later died.

Police have identified the victim as 68-year-old Hugh Manley of Fenelon Township.

Little Britain Road was closed from Eldon Road to Valentia Road for several hours while police documented the scene.

Police are continuing to investigate the collision. Anyone who witnessed the collision or has dash cam footage is asked to contact the City of Kawartha Lakes OPP at 1-888-310-1122.

A 44-year-old motorcyclist is dead following a collision on Highway 7 just west of Lindsay late Monday afternoon (November 8).

Just after 5:30 p.m. on Monday, Kawartha Lakes OPP and emergency services responded to a collision between a motorcycle and an SUV on Highway 7 at Colborne Street.

The driver of the motorcycle was transported to hospital, where he was pronounced dead a short time later.

Police have identified the victim as 44-year-old Aaron Finn of Oakwood.

Highway 7 was closed between Elm Tree Road and Kent Street for several hours while police documented the scene.

Police are continuing to investigate the incident. Anyone who witnessed the collision or has dash cam footage is asked to contact the City of Kawartha Lakes OPP at 1-888-310-1122.

Two men have drowned after their canoe capsized on Moose Lake in Haliburton County on Sunday morning (November 7).

Haliburton Highlands OPP responded to a report at around 10:27 a.m. on Sunday that a canoe had capsized. with three men going into the water.

While one of the men was able to swim safely to shore, the other two men did not.

Police have since confirmed the two men’s deaths, but are not releasing their identities until next of kin have been notified.

Haliburton Highlands OPP are continuing to investigate the incident and are being assisted by the Underwater Search and Recovery Unit and Technical Collision Reconstruction investigators.

Investigators are asking anyone with information to call Haliburton OPP at 1-888-310-1122.

Greg Dempsey will be the Liberal candidate for Peterborough-Kawartha in the next provincial election, to be held no later than June 2, 2022.

Dempsey won the nomination after an online vote held Saturday (November 6), beating out his competitor Dane Bland.

“Greg is truly committed to improving life for those in Peterborough-Kawartha and brings a lifetime of experience advocating on behalf of Canadians to the table,” says Ontario Liberal Party leader Steven Del Duca in a media release. “By electing Greg Dempsey as their MPP, families in Peterborough-Kawartha will have a strong fighter on their side.”

Dempsey, who was born and raised in Peterborough and graduated from Adam Scott CVI in 1999, holds a BA in economics and a BSc in computer science from Bishop’s University in Quebec, a law degree from the University of Victoria, a certificate in International Indigenous Studies from Columbia University in New York, and a cum laude LLM in International Human Rights Law from Utrecht University in the Netherlands.

Since 2008, Dempsey served in the Canadian Foreign Service, representing Canada at the UN in New York, at the Human Rights Council in Geneva, and in Kabul, Afghanistan. Dempsey has also supported the Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s special advisor on LGBTQ2S+ issues.

He returned to Peterborough in 2019 to serve as communications director on former Peterborough-Kawartha MP Maryam Monsef’s 2019 re-election campaign. Since 2020, he has worked with former Minister Ralph Goodale on Canada’s response to the downing of flight PS752 in Iran.

“From my roots in Peterborough, I’ve built a career bringing people together,” Dempsey says. “I’m committed to electing a better, more caring provincial government — one that will take decisive action on the climate crisis, support the under-resourced, partner with Indigenous peoples, and restore our relationship with healthcare and education workers.”

Dempsey will be vying against PC incumbent Dave Smith in the next provincial election. The Ontario NDP have not yet announced their nomination candidates for the Peterborough-Kawartha riding.

B!KE – Peterborough’s Community Cycling Hub celebrated its 15-year anniversary on Friday (November 5) with a party and concert in the alley behind their location at 293 George Street North in downtown Peterborough.

As well, they welcomed their new executive director Mark Romeril and bid farewell to Tegan Moss, their outgoing executive director of 10 years.

The event ran from 8 to 11 p.m., with drinks donated by Publican House Brewery. Peterborough band Pop Machine began rocking the alleyway at around 9 p.m., playing a danceable mix of pop, rock, and funk.

Romeril, excited for the event, saw it as a chance to meet some more of the community he’ll be working with.

“It’s been a long time since anything like this has really been organized by B!KE,” he said.

Although Romeril is new to Peterborough, working with cycling, advocacy, and charity is his background. He previously had a fundraising role with the non-profit Cycle Toronto, where he worked for seven years.

“When I think of B!KE, a social enterprise is one way I’d describe it, a charity is another — a community space and a bike shop as well,” Romeril said. “There’s a lot of overlap in those things, but they do have different fits and feelings.

“Each of them comes together in a really special way that I think makes B!KE not only unique, but important for the community that we’re in.”

It’s clear how B!KE sees itself is perfectly in line with his statement, with proof of this displayed on the vision, mission, and values board posted behind the bar for all partygoers to see.

Vision:
People empowered to travel by bike

Mission:
Teach people to maintain, repair and ride bikes
Provide a workshop space and tools for bikes
Provide access to new and used bikes and parts
Advocate for people on bikes

Values:
Fun; inclusivity; self-reliance; sustainability; wellbeing.

Starting in 2006, B!KE has lived up to this mandate, partnering with organizations like Peterborough GreenUP, the City of Peterborough, the Peterborough Bicycle Advisory Committee, and more to work with schools and the community to teach cycling, safety and repairs, as well as hosting events such as glow rides.

They also offer a supervised workshop space with tools, parts, and volunteers willing to guide you along the process of repairing your bike.

Although B!KE is a non-profit, they do have a full bike shop, selling bikes and parts at all price ranges. There is something for everyone, and they can feel at ease knowing that they are supporting an organization that is focused on much more than just profit.

For more information about B!KE, visit communitybikeshop.org.

The Kawartha Lakes Police Service has announced the death of one of its officers.

Constable Mike Broderick died suddenly on Friday (November 5).

The police service announced Constable Broderick’s death “with profound sadness and heavy hearts” in a media release on Saturday morning.

Constable Mike Broderick graduated from Fleming College in 2006 and joined the Kawartha Lakes Police Service in April 2009. He was currently working in the uniform division.

He leaves behind a wife and daughter.

“Mike was an extremely dedicated officer who served his community with professionalism and compassion,” said Chief Mark Mitchell. “His death is heartbreaking for all of us. Our thoughts are with his family, friends and loved ones and we will continue supporting them through this tragic time.”

Supports are also being made available to members of the Kawartha Lakes Police Service.

At the request of the Kawartha Lakes Police Service, the Ontario Provincial Police Criminal Investigations Branch will be conducting the death investigation along with the Coroner’s office.

Constable Mike Broderick’s family has requested privacy while they are grieving the loss of their loved one.

Gymnastics Ontario has now placed Marcel Rene, owner and operator of Champion Gymnastics in Peterborough, under interim suspension effective immediately.

On Monday (November 1), Rene, 71, had already received a lifetime suspension from Gymnastics Ontario — the sport’s governing body in Ontario that sets operating standards and practices for member clubs — but that suspension was to take effect January 1, 2022, allowing Rene to continue his role at Champion Gymnastics.

The immediate suspension follows Rene’s interviews with both kawarthaNOW and the Peterborough Examiner, in which he claimed his lifetime suspension was not the result of anything “nefarious”, was “strictly a personal thing”, and was a “private matter between myself and Gymnastics Ontario” that did not involve Champions Gymnastics club.

In a statement about the suspension emailed to kawarthaNOW on Tuesday, Gymnastics Ontario CEO Dave Sandford stated Rene’s suspension resulted “following complaints” received by the organization, but provided no details about the nature of the complaints “out of respect for the complainants.”

After Rene’s media interviews, Lindsay lawyer Jason Ward contacted the Peterborough Examiner at the request of his clients, Kaylie Hengg, 22, and Tonya “TJ” Kirkwood, 35, who had filed civil actions against Rene and Champion Gymnastics in November 2020 and January 2021 respectively, alleging sexual harassment in the workplace.

Ward subsequently provided kawarthaNOW with copies of the statements of claims for both women and the statements of defence from Rene, as well as the results of a code of conduct and ethics investigation conducted by an independent third party on behalf of Gymnastics Ontario.

“Kaylie Hengg and Tonya Kirkwood are equally courageous, brave and inspiring,” Ward writes in an emailed statement to kawarthaNOW. “They are shocked and dumbfounded by Mr. Rene’s representations to the media about himself and their lawsuit against him.”

“They have sacrificed their own privacy and well being to step forward and publicly expose what happened to them and how it will forever change their lives. They did so to raise more awareness about sexual misconduct in gymnastics and elsewhere and to hopefully protect others in future.”

Both women were previously athletes at Champion Gymnastics and were working as coaches at the club when the harassment allegedly took place.

The women’s statements of claims against Rene both allege he “engaged in prolonged and continuous sexual harassment and other improper conduct” through verbal and non-verbal conduct. Both statements include multiple allegations of inappropriate jokes, unwelcome comments of a sexual nature, and unwelcome sexual solicitations while the women were working at Champion Gymnastics.

Rene’s statements of defence against both claims deny some of the allegations and admit to others, but state that each woman “was an active participant in sexual humour” and that neither “express(ed) any discomfort”.

In one example from the statement of defence, “The Defendants admit that on one occasion in or around June 2020, Mr. Rene stated that he would not ‘physically assault’ Ms. Hengg because he viewed her as a friend, but that because he is a guy, the thought of it is ‘always in the back of [his] head’.”

As for the independent code of conduct and ethics investigation conducted for Gymnastics Ontario, the investigator found that inappropriate jokes and sexually charged comments took place, as did private interactions and sexual invitations, and that these constituted workplace harassment and sexual harassment that were unwelcome by both the women.

“I find that the behaviour exhibited by Marcel against Kaylie and TJ, meets the minimum threshold to constitute both workplace harassment and sexual harassment, as defined within the code,” the investigator concluded.

The civil actions were settled out of court, with Rene agreeing to a lifetime suspension of membership in Gymnastics Ontario, according to Sandford.

During his interviews with media following news of the lifetime suspension, Rene did not mention the allegations or civil actions against him, telling kawarthaNOW “The only reason there’s a sort of sensationalist attachment to this is I run a gymnastics club,” and stating “It’s not a big thing.”

These public comments led to Hengg and Kirkwood instructing Ward to release information about their allegations to the Peterborough Examiner.

“Neither will tolerate Mr. Rene’s deliberate attempts to re-victimize them, particularly for his own benefit,” Ward says in his emailed statement to kawarthaNOW. “Today no one should condone any attempt by any other to minimize, trivialize or conceal inappropriate and insidious sexual misconduct, particularly in the workplace.”

“Our clients firmly believe this an attempt by Mr. Rene to manipulate the media and the public by means of declaring mistruths and falsehoods, designed to protect only himself and his business, while continually degrading, discounting and endangering those who have suffered during what is supposed to be a life-enriching experience.”

Within 48 hours of the women’s complaints against Rene first being published in the Peterborough Examiner, Gymnastics Ontario issued a notice of the immediate membership suspension of Marcel Rene, including a prohibition on coaching and training of athletes and contacting Champions Gymnastics’ students, parents, staff, or employees.

“Effective immediately, Marcel Rene has been placed under interim suspension by Gymnastics Ontario,” the notice reads. “Mr. Rene is not to have any contact with members of Gymnastics Ontario, in relation to Gymnastics Ontario matters, while the suspension is in effect.”

On Friday (November 5), after this story was published, Marcel Rene provided a statement to kawarthaNOW:

“The dispute between myself and two former employees has been settled,” the statement reads. “While I deny the allegations of sexual misconduct, I understand that my actions have had an unintended effect on my former employees and I regret that.”

“I will be abiding by the agreement I made with Gymnastics Ontario to step away from Champions Gymnastics. I want to be clear that this matter had nothing to do with the youth who take part in the programming at Champions. The Club remains in good standing with Gymnastics Ontario and will continue to serve the community as they have for over 32 years.”