Ontario NDP leader Andrea Horwath visited Peterborough early Wednesday afternoon (May 23) to survey some of the damage caused by Saturday’s devastating wind storm.

Mayor Diane Therrien and Peterborough-Kawartha NDP candidate Jen Deck joined Horwath for a walk around a neighbourhood in East City, surrounded by local media.

Horwath called on the province to provide urgent support and relief to Peterborough and other communities that have been hit particularly hard by the storm.

Hours before Horwath’s visit, Therrien announced the City of Peterborough was declaring a state of emergency as a result of the storm. The declaration makes the municipality eligible for any provincial financial assistance with extraordinary costs associated with emergency response and repairs to essential property and infrastructure following a natural disaster.

Before coming to Peterborough, Horwath was in Etobicoke to announce her plan to ensure young people and students get access to the mental health care they need, when they need it.

After her Peterborough visit, she headed to Belleville where she will meet with local volunteers and supporters.

Greg Dempsey has the air of a favourite teacher or coach. In conversation, he leans his head down or to the side as though trying to get closer to whomever he’s speaking with. He’s tall after all. He looks you in the eye, and listens, very carefully.

I’ve watched Greg interact with constituents at his rain-soaked campaign launch, I’ve listened to him debate, and I’ve paid attention to his Tweets.

When I spoke to him via Zoom recently, he was exactly what I’d come to expect — engaged, thoughtful, and bright.

Born and raised in Peterborough, Dempsey left town after graduating high school in 1999 and went on to earn four degrees from three universities. A trained lawyer, Dempsey decided to eschew the glamorous grind of corporate law and instead opted for a career of service with Global Affairs Canada, the arm of the federal government that manages diplomatic relations, promotes international trade, and provides consular support.

Over the course of the next 14 years, Dempsey was sent to work in Afghanistan, New York, and Ottawa. He tells me he came back to his hometown at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic because his life in Ottawa had come to a standstill.

On his own, and with out-of-country assignments on indefinite pause, Dempsey called his mother.

“Canada has seen fit to send me to a lot of really interesting places to do a lot of really important things, and then there I was in my empty apartment by myself,” he says. “So I called up my family and said okay, it’s time to be back in Peterborough. If I can do my job from Peterborough then let’s do that, so that’s why I decided to come back.”

I wanted to get a better understanding of who Greg Dempsey is, what he’s passionate about, who influenced him growing up, and why he decided to run for public office. It was also important for me to be sure to centre the concerns of kawarthaNOW readers in my questions about party policy.

In order to get a sense of what’s on your minds, we published a poll that asked you to rank 11 issues of concern, as well as to tell me what we may have missed. With that in mind, what follows is our lightly edited (for length and clarity) conversation.

Justin Sutton: We know you’re a human rights lawyer who has worked for Global Affairs Canada, serving in Kabul, Afghanistan, the United Nations, and the Privy Council Office. Aside from Human Rights Work, what else are you passionate about?

Greg Dempsey: There was a real turning point in my career when I was in Afghanistan I would say. I’ve always been interested in that country — I was interested in the sacrifice that Canadian forces troops had made there, and I really thought that Canada still needed to have a voice in Afghanistan.

One of the jobs that I got to do there was run the “Canada Fund for Local Initiatives” which is a small program we have in each of our embassies abroad in developing countries to help local organizations with different things.

My very favourite was working with an organization called “Free to Run”, which helped get girls involved with sports and especially in running because in Afghanistan the girls can’t openly participate in sports — it’s too looked down upon. So they would help find locations where they could just go out and play soccer, or just go on a run. It was a tiny little organization, and we got to help them directly.

I actually went up to Bamiyan Province to see one of their projects and that really made a huge impact on me because at the UN we worked on these huge issues that were very important but we were like beyond 10,000 feet on all of the issues, right? But here I was in Afghanistan with this tiny little organization that was really making an impact in girls’ lives and I got to meet some of the girls that were actually impacted by the work of that organization, and I think that was the moment where I recognized that this was some of the work that I wanted to do.

So, when the opportunity came up to run for provincial office, you know the province, I think, has the most direct impact on people’s lives. Municipal government has a similar impact but, if you’re choosing between federal and provincial, the provincial government really is in people’s lives more than the federal government.

JS: You’ve talked a lot about the influence your parents and grandmother have had on you. I’ve even heard you mention a well-known local science educator, Drew Monkman, as an important influence. Who else has had a profound impact on you and why?

GD: People ask me why I decided to run for the Liberal Party of Ontario and the very short answer to that question is Peter Adams. I went to high school during the Mike Harris years, and I remember I was in my grade nine social science class. It was the day after the 1995 provincial election, and we were talking about the election of Mike Harris as premier and whether or not that was going to matter. (It) turns out — spoiler alert — it did matter a lot.

Both of my parents were teachers and then we were out on the picket lines and I walked the picket line with my teachers and my mom, and Peter Adams came out to say hi and to chat with folks and express his support. Later, I got to canvass with Peter Adams, and he was just an incredibly lovely, caring politician. So from that point on, I kind of thought of myself as a Liberal.

JS: Is there an artist/musician/filmmaker/comedian whose work has informed your worldview?

GD: I do enjoy the odd Taylor Swift song. I’m little bit of a Swifty — she writes great songs! The band that I grew up listening to is called Travis and the lead singer of Travis [Fran Healy] is a great advocate for rights and social justice. I also love Metric; I’ve seen them five or six times. That was the last concert I went to in fall 2019. I miss going to concerts; I can’t wait to get to go do that again.

JS: In addition to wanting to know more about who you are, I wanted to centre this interview on the concerns of our readers. So we published a poll that put 11 issues to them and asked them to rank them. We also asked them to tell us if we missed anything. One observation I would make straight away is that our readers had trouble ranking what many said are co-equal, interconnected issues. So accepting upfront that our methodology is flawed, I’d like to take you through the results.

The number one issue of concern to 27 per cent of survey respondents is healthcare. Several respondents link their healthcare concerns to Bill 124, which limits wage increases for nurses, nurse practitioners, and other healthcare professionals. Others suggested mental healthcare should be much more of a priority for the next provincial government.

My observation is that the pandemic has revealed multiple intersecting cracks in the public healthcare system to Ontarians who may not have paid close attention before the pandemic. Do you think that’s a fair characterization of the concern and can you briefly outline the Liberal plan and connect it to your own point of view and skill set?

GD: I agree completely. There have been cracks showing in our healthcare system going back governments. We have the basis for an amazing system but, yes, a lot of cracks are showing. I will say that the very first thing that we will do will be to repeal the wage capping Bill 124. I think it’s a matter of fairness when we see inflation (rising) and we see the incredible work that healthcare workers have done — nurses and PSWs, and administration staff and everybody in our hospitals and our healthcare centres and our long-term care facilities. We need to pay them fairly.

When I talk to people in Peterborough (the issue) they’re most worried about is access to a family doctor. We need and deserve an MPP that is going to be willing and eager to make those tough phone calls and lobby on our behalf.

You’ll notice that when I asked our current MPP why it took so long to get a supervised consumption and treatment site in Peterborough, he blamed Dr. Piggott for that. I do not think that is fair — I mean, you’re the MPP (so) you should be accountable for how long things take. I want to make sure we get a community health centre in as quickly as possible.

JS: Climate change/environment was chosen by 21 per cent of respondents as their second ranked issue of concern. We covered the Liberal plan fairly extensively in our coverage of the environmental debate. Could you talk about this issue from a more personal perspective and outline the ways in which you think you can be helpful in pushing this issue forward.

GD: I’ve spoken to a lot of people between the ages of 16 and 25 and climate change is by far their top issue and they are feeling depressed about the progress that we are not making and what the world will become because of our overuse of fossil fuels and the massive amounts of carbon that we continue to pump into the air.

I was incredibly lucky that Drew Monkman was my grade four teacher, and almost every lesson in his class was infused with an environmental lesson and we created a community garden at the back of the school, and we would talk about Earth Day in a way that I did not get previously or subsequently and that just had a really big impact on the way that I looked at the world. It is the singular issue that the Doug Ford conservative government is handling so incredibly poorly.

They are doing a disservice to us, They are doing a disservice to future generations and Ontario can be a leader on these climate issues. I’ve studied international climate change law; I know people look to Ontario and they look to Canada for leadership.

The one thing about the previous Liberal government I’m most proud of is the cancellation of all of the coal-fired power plants. The removal of them from our electricity grid was the single best decision, I think, by a provincial government in the history of Canada to deal with climate and pollution. It was absolutely a game-changer. I do not think there is any way for us to take the emergency too seriously. We need to be leaders on this, and it’s quite frankly one of the reasons why I’m running in the election for the Ontario Liberal Party.

JS: Housing was chosen by 16 per cent of respondents as their third ranked issue of concern. House prices have skyrocketed, rents are tipping over into being flatly unaffordable. I’ve personally seen family’s take to Facebook Marketplace practically begging for someone to offer them an affordable place to live. How will a Liberal government respond to this crisis and effect meaningful change reasonably quickly?

GD: It’s a really, really big challenge. I think we need to be absolutely focusing on affordable places to live and that requires partnering with the municipalities, partnering with developers, but also partnering with housing advocates. There’s been a lot of incredible work in the community, like Peterborough Action for Tiny Homes, and the Mount Community Centre is an absolute beacon of incredible work to help people find rent geared to income housing, but it is an absolute crisis in our community.

I’m really proud of our plan that is going to get the province of Ontario back in the business of building housing. The Conservative plan basically gives all of the power over to developers; it punishes municipalities for actually taking the time to do an environmental review, or by-law review, or a review of the Indigenous rights implications of a development. It’s a plan to build million-dollar homes for people who don’t live in Peterborough and will do absolutely zero to fix the housing crisis for the people who need it.

We will create a new Ontario corporation to deal with housing. The houses it builds will only go to first-time home buyers, not foreign buyers, and not to people who are flipping houses. We also need help with by-law reviews to look at properties in the city and county of Peterborough that could be better used. Our plan looks at strip malls that are not being used, changing by-laws around allowing things like lane-way houses (and) turning a single-family home into a duplex or triplex.

This will be the choice for people in Peterborough-Kawartha. Do we want to build more million-dollar houses that will pave over our farmland or do we want to build denser homes that are small, affordable, safe, and convenient for people who need to get into the housing market who are under-housed or housing insecure who just want a place to live?

JS: Several people linked the housing crisis to the low rate of ODSP and the general rise in poverty in our community. How do you answer those who say the Liberal plan to raise the ODSP rate by 20 per cent doesn’t go far enough? One person told us they spend 89 per cent of their benefit on rent and can barely survive on the 11 per cent leftover. How do you answer their genuine concerns and feelings of hopelessness?

GD: It is just completely unacceptable what we’re giving people on ODSP. Our platform is fully costed. People know we will deliver these rate increases, but what I have been thinking about really is that the ODSP system as a whole is broken. It’s why I’m so excited that we’re going to bring back the basic income pilot because I think that bringing in basic income at a rate that is going to allow everyone to live in dignity, not just those who are on ODSP but indeed everyone. That’s going to be a complete game changer for this province.

It’s going to change how we do social assistance completely. I believe it’s going to save the province a whole bunch of money in emergency room visits, in shelter beds, in food back visits … just general health indicators. I think it has the opportunity to an amazing amount of good — much more good than raising the rates of ODSP by a certain amount would ever be able to do.

So in the short term, we will be raising the rate by 20 per cent over two years. I believe that government can do, when done well, such amazing good in people’s lives. We should be looking for big changing policies and that’s why I’ve run my entire campaign on restoring the basic income pilot.

JS: Finally, quite a number of community members told us they’re alarmed and fearful of the rise in political polarization, especially within the context of Jagmeet Singh’s visit to Peterborough on May 10. They want to know what you will do, if elected to represent Peterborough-Kawartha, to help ease seemingly intractable, and increasingly hate-fuelled, polarization.

GD: What happened in Peterborough on May 10 was wholly unacceptable. I believe that we have to confront hate and not let it grow deeper roots in our communities.

I am absolutely committed to working together, alongside all leaders in our community, to come together to speak with one voice and condemn the words, actions, and behaviours on display that day. This hate has no place in our community. That work requires building positive working relationships across the political divides with all elected officials. I reached out to every elected official in Peterborough-Kawartha following my nomination. We hosted dozens of great discussions and have already started the work of bringing people together.

My education and career demonstrate that I have the skills to build that collaboration, something that is currently lacking from our current MPP. I’m looking forward to taking up this important challenge once I’m elected on June 2.

The City of Peterborough has joined other communities in central Ontario by declaring a state of emergency in response to the severe wind storm on the Victoria Day weekend.

On Wednesday morning (May 25), Mayor Diane Therrien announced she and the city’s emergency management team had submitted a declaration of a state of emergency to the Ontario government.

Other communities that have already declared states of emergency include Uxbridge in Durham Region, communities in the Ottawa area, and North Kawartha and Douro-Dummer Townships in Peterborough County.

Municipalities can declare states of emergency under Ontario’s Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act, making them eligible for any provincial financial assistance with extraordinary costs associated with emergency response and repairs to essential property and infrastructure following a natural disaster.

As of Wednesday morning, Hydro One reports almost 100,000 customers across Ontario remain without power due to the storm, which resulted in over 1,600 broken poles, 200 damaged transformers, and 1,000 kilometres of downed power lines.

While power was restored to most of Peterborough by Tuesday night, a Hydro One spokesperson told CBC Ontario Morning 28,000 customers in the Peterborough area still have no power as of Wednesday morning. Restoration is expected to be completed by Wednesday night.

Update: yesterday the emergency Management team and I submitted declaration of state of emergency to the province. @HydroOne crews continue to work to restore power. For updates and city services available, check https://t.co/3x2Fd2L53F

— Diane Therrien (@DianeNTherrien) May 25, 2022

Four Peterborough women competed at the 2022 Speedo Canadian Masters Swimming Championships in Quebec City on the Victoria Day long weekend, collectively taking home eight medals and eight ribbons.

Stephanie Dancey, Renee Oake, Amanda Devlin, and Debbie Murphy Quinlan — representing the Trent Torpedoes Masters of the Trent Swim Club — competed in a total of 19 races at Laval University.

This was the first Canadian Masters Swimming Championships held since the pandemic, which also made training difficult for the four women. Despite on and off pool closures over the past three years, the women continued to train at the Peterborough YMCA.

As well as swimming in individual competitions, the women come together for their first time as a relay team, winning a bronze medal in the 50-metre relay.

For Stephanie Dancey, who joined Masters swimming later in life, this was her 13th swim meet in the past seven years and her second time competing nationally.

Amanda Devlin, a former Trent Torpedoes competitive swimmer, competed in her second National Masters race in over 26 years.

Renee Oake, also former Trent Torpedo competitive swimmer, returned to competition after 28 years, winning medals in a number of events.

Debbie Murphy Quinlan, who competed for the first time since the World’s 37 years ago, won a silver medal in the 1,500-metre freestyle race.

Portions of Peterborough are still without power and reliable internet service almost three days after a brutal spring storm ripped through southern Ontario and Quebec Saturday afternoon (May 21). The storm killed 10 people, including four in the greater Kawarthas region.

Saturday afternoon’s weather event is being called a “derecho,” a widespread straight-line wind storm associated with a fast-moving group of severe thunderstorms that can cause hurricanic or tornadic-force winds, as well as actual tornadoes.

The derecho that struck Ontario and Quebec on Saturday afternoon toppled hydro transmission towers and broke utility poles, damaged homes, and uprooted trees, with broken branches also taking down power lines and damaging property. Environment Canada estimates winds reached 132 kilometres per hour in some areas. It is one of the most destructive and deadly wind events in Canada’s history, according to The Weather Network.

As of Tuesday morning, Hydro One reported it had restored service to more than 479,500 customers, with more than 150,000 customers still without power. Damage includes more than 1,400 broken poles, 300 broken crossarms, nearly 200 damaged transformers, and countless downed trees and branches. In the Ottawa area, Hydro One crews are re-building four transmission towers that were toppled by the storm.

“Hydro One crews along with approximately 500 employees from other utilities, including out-of-province and international partners, and contractors have mobilized in the hardest hit areas of central and eastern Ontario to assist with restoration efforts.” Hydro One states. “Due to the severity of damage, restoration efforts are expected to continue for several days before power is restored to all customers.”

In the City of Peterborough, public works crews are removing downed trees from streets and sidewalks. Fallen trees that are caught in live power lines have to be left until the power lines are safely addressed. Ontario Hydro told kawarthaNOW that, in areas of Peterborough still without power due to downed lines, hydro might not be restored until late Wednesday evening.

This is the longest power outage in Peterborough since the Northeast blackout of 2003. As it became clear that power would be out for some time, residents rushed to obtain generators. Vehicles lined up outside Canadian Tire on Lansdowne Street just after the store opened early Monday morning to buy a limited supply of generators.

Many traffic signals at intersections in Peterborough remain without power, with police reminding drivers to treat these intersections as four-way stops.

So far, 10 people have lost their lives due to the storm, most by being hit by falling trees. In the greater Kawarthas region, victims include a 30-year-old man who died after being struck by a tree in Ganaraska Forest, a 64-year-old Cornwall woman who died when she was struck by a falling tree in North Kawartha Township, a 74-year-old Port Hope woman who died after begin struck by a falling tree at her home, and a 61-year-old Lakefield man who was struck by a falling tree near his home and later succumbed to his injuries.

In Peterborough, there were several close calls, including at GreenUP’s Ecology Park Native Plant & Tree Nursery, which was hosting its annual spring opening event when the storm struck. A tree came down in the sale area, but there were only “scrapes and bruises” according to Ecology Park’s Vern Bastable, who displayed a gash on his arm when kawarthaNOW visited the park the following day.

At least 20 trees were uprooted or severely damaged at Roger’s Cove park, including trees that came down near the splash pad and playground equipment. Additional trees fell along the cycling path towards Beavermead Park, including one that took down the temporary fence enclosing the construction at the Canadian Canoe Museum. The lone large tree on the site, that is being preserved during construction, survived the storm.

At Beavermead Park campground, crowded with RVs and tents for the long weekend, several branches and trees came down but there was no evidence of major damage or injuries.

The City of Peterborough has advised that city facilities will be closed to the public for regular services on Tuesday (May 24) to reduce non-essential travel in the community that could impede recovery efforts and slow down emergency service response with unnecessary traffic. With a power outage at its Charllot Street office, Peterborough Social Services has set up a temporary location at the Peterborough Public Library for in-person services for emergency basic needs assistance for clients.

Residents without power who want to charge electronic devices and mobility aids can do so from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Peterborough Public Library, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Peterborough Sport and Wellness Centre, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Healthy Planet Arena, and from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Peterborough Museum and Archives. Bring your own charging cables. Regular services will not be available at these locations.

The city has advised garbage and recycling collection will proceed as normal this week. Rgular green waste collection will also take place as resources allow, and unlimited quantities of yard waste can be put out for collection when it is in reusable containers that are labeled, bushel baskets, or paper yard waste bags. However, with the significant volume of green waste from trees on public and private properties, the city has said green waste collection will take time.

The Peterborough landfill at 1260 Bensfort Road is open from 8 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. on Tuesday. However, with no internet or phone service, it is only able to accept customers with accounts or cash for transactions at this time.

Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board announced all schools in the city and county of Peterborough, as well as Enniskillen, Hastings, North Hope, Percy Centennial, Plainville, and Roseneath Centennial Public Schools, would be closed Tuesday due to the storm. Remote learning would not be available.

Peterborough Victoria Northumberland and Clarington Catholic School Board announced that all schools with power as of Monday night would be open for in-person learning Tuesday morning for staff and students that are able to attend (check the school board’s website or social media accounts for a current list). However, the school board added that “many families remain without power and have not had access to hot water for several days and may not be able to send their children to school even if there is an opportunity to do so.” St. Thomas Aquinas virtual elementary and secondary schools would proceed for those who can connect.

Trillium Lakelands District School Board announced Scott Young Public School, Lady Eaton Elementary School, Grandview Public School, and Rolling Hills Public School would be closed to staff and students on Tuesday and transportation would not be running. Students would move to remote learning for the day, with parents receiving communication from their school with more information. Updates will be posted on the school board’s website and communicated to parents.

The YMCA’s Balsillie Family Branch is not open on Tuesday due to issues caused by the power outage and storm damage. When power is restored, staff will be cleaning up debris on the property, preparing the facility, and getting the pool ready. Once a reopening day and time is determined, the YMCA will share an update on social media and by email to members. Arrangements have been made for Peterborough child care to open on Tuesday and families are being contacted.

In Peterborough County, Lang Pioneer Village in Keene has delayed its season opening, originally scheduled for Tuesday, due to a lack of power and running water.

Port Hope police have confirmed that a woman’s body discovered on Thursday (May 19) is that of missing 29-year-old Madison (Madi) Chard.

The Port Hope resident left her family home on Friday, April 22 to visit a friend and then she mysteriously disappeared.

Her mother received a final text message from Madison at 5:49 p.m. that day before her phone “went dark,” according to a Facebook post by her father Mark Chard. Madison’s phone was later recovered.

After she disappeared, police released a description of Madison, including photographs of some of her distinctive tattoos. Due to the circumstances of her disappearance, police speculated Madison could have been a victim of human trafficking.

At 3:20 p.m. on Thursday afternoon, a woman’s body was discovered in a wooded area near the Ganaraska River south of Jocelyn Street. After notifying the family, Port Hope police confirmed on Friday morning the body was that of Madison.

“She’s at rest with the angels,” wrote Madison’s father on his Facebook page early Friday morning. “Thank you to everyone who tried to help in this very broken world. Leave our family to grieve and if you have any information, contact the police so our daughter can rest in peace.”

The Northumberland Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) and Port Hope police are conducting a joint investigation into Madison’s death.

A post-mortem examination was conducted on Saturday (May 21) at the Centre of Forensic Sciences in Toronto. While further examination is underway and could take several months to complete, police say foul play is not suspected at this time.

Police are working with the community to establish a timeline of Madison’s actions prior to her death. Investigators are asking anyone who may have any information to come forward, including with any observations, conversations or any interactions they may have had with her prior to her disappearance.

The Northumberland OPP Crime Unit and Central Region Forensic Identification Services Unit are continuing the investigation under the direction of the OPP’s Criminal Investigation Branch and in conjunction with the Port Hope Police Service and the Office of the Chief Coroner for Ontario.

Anyone with information about Madison’s disappearance is asked to call Port Hope Police at 905-885-8123, the Northumberland OPP at 1-888-310-1122, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS or online at stopcrimehere.ca.

This story has been updated with information about the post-mortem examination.

Kawartha Lakes Food Source has recognized Patty Jones with the Barbara Truax Volunteer Award for her dedication to the not-for-profit charitable organization.

Since 2018, Jones has volunteered with Kawartha Lakes Food Source, which procures and distributes food to 35 local agencies, advocates for food security and poverty-related issues, and collaborates with the community to support those in need.

“She gardens in our open garden beds, she picks up donations from our community partners who house our blue barrels, and she has travelled across the City of Kawartha Lakes to deliver the ingredients for our family cooking project,” reads a media release from Kawartha Lakes Food Source announcing the award. “All of these roles, and she still wants more, in her effort to help as many people as she can.”

Jones is also one of the volunteers with the most accumulated volunteer hours, having worked over 140 hours in 2021.

“Patty brings a tremendous positive energy with her wherever she goes, and completes any task she’s assigned with a smile,” says community engagement coordinator Kate Dorotheou.

Kawartha Lakes Food Source established the Barbara Truax Volunteer Award — named to honour one of the organization’s longest-serving volunteers — in 2018, and awards it each year to someone who has been an active volunteer for more than three years, is a positive force within the community, and is committed to the cause.

Truax joined the Kawartha Lakes Food Source board in 2002 at the very beginning of the organization, and remained an active committee member until late 2017. Although she has taken a less active volunteering role in the past few years, Truax still continues to participate in Kawartha Lakes Food Source events and shares her experience and expertise with staff and volunteers.