Ron Armstrong of Woodville received his second dose of COVID-19 vaccine at the drive-through vaccination clinic at the Lindsay Exhibition on July 13, 2021, the 50,000th dose administered at the clinic since it opened in March. Carol Henley, a registered nurse at Ross Memorial Hospital, administered the vaccine. (Photo courtesy of Ross Memorial Hospital)
Ross Memorial Hospital in Lindsay, which operates the drive-through COVID-19 vaccination clinic at the Lindsay Exhibition Fairgrounds, marked its 50,000th vaccine dose on Tuesday (July 13).
Ron Armstrong of Woodville, who attended the clinic with his wife Christina, received the 50,000th dose — administered by Carol Henley, a registered nurse from Ross Memorial Hospital.
Both Ron and Christina are two of the 17 million Canadians who have been fully vaccinated to date.
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“We’re here for safety reasons, obviously,” Armstrong said. “We wanted to do our part as Canadian citizens to bring an end to this pandemic. And the drive-through clinic here is well executed. I was impressed.”
Ross Memorial Hospital is encouraging anyone who has an second-dose appointment booked at the drive-through clinic for later than July 31 to get their vaccination sooner, as there are thousands of available appointments in July. You are eligible to receive your second dose if 28 days have passed since you received your first dose of Pfizer or Moderna, or if 56 days have passed since you received your first dose of AstraZeneca.
To rebook an appointment, visit the provincial booking system at ontario.ca/bookvaccine or call 1-833-943-3900.
Anyone 12 and older looking to receive their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine can visit the Lindsay Exhibition Fairgrounds clinic between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. Monday through Friday. No appointment is needed.
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This week, Ross Memorial Hospital is also hosting the following walk-in clinics, with no appointment needed, throughout the City of Kawartha Lakes:
Bolsover Community Centre (12 Bolsover Rd., Bolsover) on Wednesday, July 14 from 9 to 11 a.m.
Norland Recreation Centre (7675 Highway 35 N., Norland) on Wednesday, July 14 from 1 to 3 p.m.
Kinmount Community Centre (4995 Monck Rd., Kinmount) on Thursday, July 15 from 9 to 11 a.m.
Baddow Community Centre (60 Somerville 3rd Concession, Coboconk) on Thursday, July 15 from 1 to 3 p.m.
Manvers Community Centre (697 Highway 7, Bethany) on Friday, July 16 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
The clinics, which are open to individuals 12 and older, are intended for local and seasonal residents, with priority given to those needed their first dose of vaccine. Youth aged 12 to 17 will receive Pfizer and adults will receive Moderna.
No appointment is needed for these clinics, but you will need to bring your Ontario health card.
Additional vaccination clinics will be scheduled at each location in August.
Married couple Shannon Mak and Roland Hosier own sister restaurants Le Petit Bar and St Veronus Cafe and Taproom. The entrepreneur couple has worked tirelessly throughout the past 15 months to see their businesses survive the pandemic. (Photo: St Veronus / Facebook)
The pandemic has prompted tremendous change for many small businesses. In the COVID era, to adapt is to survive, especially for the restaurants forced to close to indoor dining for months at a time during various lockdowns.
Married couple Roland Hosier and Shannon Mak — owners of St Veronus Cafe and Taproom and Le Petit Bar in downtown Peterborough — say surviving the past 15 months meant reinventing their businesses.
Sister businesses, St Veronus and Le Petit Bar are located together on the corner of Hunter and Water streets in downtown Peterborough. The first significant pandemic pivot for both restaurants was takeout, something neither restaurant offered before the pandemic.
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“It can be different for other restaurants, but for businesses like ours, the shift to takeout was like reinventing our restaurants,” Shannon says about Le Petit Bar, which opened in 2012 as a Paris-style wine, cheese, and charcuterie bar. “We actively did not do takeout.”
During the first COVID lockdown, Shannon and Roland overhauled the Le Petit Bar menu to start offering takeout. The menu now includes dinner items as opposed to just bar snacks and charcuterie.
While takeout has helped both St Veronus and Le Petit Bar keep their lights on during the pandemic, sales do not compare to what they were when in-person dining was allowed. Roland and Shannon note that since costs like rent have not also dropped, they’ve experienced a significant financial shortfall during the pandemic.
Previously only open for sit-down dining, both St Veronus and Le Petit bar began a takeout program during the pandemic. This ‘Burger Pierrot’ is an example of the Belgian-inspired food currently available for outdoor dining and takeout at St Veronus. (Photo: St Veronus / Facebook)
“(Switching to takeout) has been very challenging,” says Roland. “It leaves you, in my experience, with about 15 to 20 per cent of what your sales normally are.”
As the pandemic continued, Le Petit Bar continued to evolve. The government started permitting businesses to sell alcohol off-license, so Roland and Shannon changed the inside of Le Petit Bar into a bottle shop and marketplace.
Le Petit Bar Marché and Bottleshop sells Le Petit Bar wine and St Veronus’s beers, as well as a small selection of snack foods like cheese and charcuterie. Legally, to buy beer or wine from the marché, you must also purchase a food item.
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“We created a new business,” Shannon explains. “At Le Petit Bar, over the past 15 months of developing the shop, the list of wines has grown. There’s a super neat list of different natural, organic, and bio-dynamic producers. We sell stuff you won’t find anywhere else in the city and not at the LCBO.”
The marché is open for in-person shopping with limited capacity and also has an online shop.
“We sell beer that you won’t find anywhere else in the city and some even in the province or the country,” Roland remarks.
The Le Petit Bar Marché and Bottleshop offers organic, biodynamic, and natural wine, as well as Belgian beer, cheese, charcuterie, and other gourmet goods to go. The marché also has an online shop. (Photo: Le Petit Bar / Facebook)
Le Petit Bar’s sister business St Veronus is a Belgian café and taproom that has been operating in downtown Peterborough since 2002. In addition to their Belgian beers, their menu is also Belgian inspired.
Both St Veronus and Le Petit Bar have also offered collaborative takeout packages at points throughout the pandemic. Shannon and Roland put together four-course takeout packages for special events and long weekends — an offering they say was successful.
Another popular offering was an online wine tasting event with a paired dinner.
“The online dinner and tasting were successful,” Roland notes. “Hopefully, we do not have to do stuff online in the future, but now we know we can.”
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During step two of Ontario’s reopening plan, Roland and Shannon have continued to reinvent their restaurants by offering outdoor dining on patios created as a response to pandemic restrictions.
Roland credits their landlord, Ashburnham Realty, for helping to create a beautiful back patio for St Veronus — one shared with fellow tenants The Food Forest and Providence.
“They have poured a concrete pad out back in the courtyard,” Roland notes. “We’re now able to have a nice patio back there this year, so we’re really grateful for them.”
The St Veronus back patio beer garden is located in the Bankers Commons courtyard, which has an entrance on Water Street. The patio is tented in order to operate during rain. Reservations are recommended, and tables are held for 10 minutes. (Photo: St Veronus / Facebook)
“We’ve received a lot of comments about that patio saying it feels like a hidden gem,” he continues. “We’ve got exactly the same tables and benches you’d find at a German beer garden or an Austrian beer garden. We get comments saying that it feels quite European.”
The Le Petit Bar patio is petit with a pleasant atmosphere, just like the bar.
The Petit Bar patio is located in front of St Veronus and Le Petit Bar. Dinner is served from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., and drinks are served on the patio starting at 2 p.m. Reservations are recommended. Le Petit Bar patio and shop hours are weather dependent. (Photo: Le Petit Bar / Facebook)
“Le Petit Bar’s patio is in the parking lane in front of Le Petit Bar and some of St Veronus,” Shannon explains. “It is small. Unfortunately, the way the city allotted space this year, we have about half the amount of space this year that we got last year. We have four tables, though, and that’s great.”
You can order the same dinner items found on their new takeout menu at the Le Petit Bar patio. However, the inside of the restaurant will remain the marché, even after the province moves into step three of the reopening plan that permits unlimited indoor dining.
“Until the fall, when we have a minute to think about what the next phase of that business is, we’re not sure when or if we’ll have people inside that building,” explains Shannon.
Shannon and Roland ask their customers to be understanding as they continue to adapt to the current and upcoming stages of the pandemic.
“We want everyone to know that it’s our business to create an experience for you and for you to have a nice time,” says Shannon.
“We’re confident that we’re operating in a manner that’s as safe as possible for our staff and the general public,” Roland adds. “We would ask people if we can’t accommodate them or if things are not ‘normal’ that they are patient. We have to be very diligent about all the things we do to comply with the public health directives.”
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As for community support, Shannon and Roland say they have felt it and are grateful for it.
“We’ve felt a ton of support,” says Shannon. “We’re fortunate. We have a lot of regulars that would come every week for takeout. They kept it afloat, for sure.”
Shannon asks that the community continues showing up for local businesses even as things continue to reopen.
“I think the hard part is still to come,” Shannon remarks. “I think the challenging part is going to be when we’re focused on recovery without the generous government subsidies we’ve been receiving.”
“If you want these places to be here at this time next year, we ask that you keep showing up for them and think about your local business before you think about a chain or a big-box store.”
The Le Petit Bar Marché and Bottleshop was developed with sister restaurant St Veronus during the pandemic when indoor dining was prohibited but the government began permitting restaurants to sell alcohol off-license. In order to buy wine or beer from the marché, you must also buy a food item. (Photo: Le Petit Bar / Facebook)
St Veronus Cafe and Taproom is located at 129 Hunter Street West in Peterborough. They are open Tuesday through Saturday from 12 a.m. to 10 p.m. To make a reservation on their beer garden patio or place a takeout order, you can call 705-743-5714.
Le Petit Bar is located at 399 Water Street in Peterborough. You can shop in the marché and have drinks on the patio from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. Dinner is served on the patio from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. You can call 705-775-7384 to make an outdoor dining reservation or to place an order for takeout.
A resident receives a COVID-19 vaccination at the Fenelon Falls immunization clinic. (Screenshot from HKPRKHU video by kawarthaNOW)
The Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit is now offering more walk-in COVID-19 vaccination clinics during July in Cobourg, Fenelon Falls, and Minden for anyone 12 years or older who needs a first or second dose of vaccine — with no appointment necessary.
“We are receiving a lot more vaccine which means we can offer more appointments and opportunities for people to get vaccinated,” says Dr. Natalie Bocking, the health unit’s medical officer of health, in a media release. “Our goal is to vaccinate as many residents as possible so we can all be protected from COVID and not have to see any further shutdowns, illness or deaths.”
While there are still thousands of appointments available to be booked at health unit clinics until the end of July, Dr. Bocking says residents can also now visit a clinic as a walk-in for their first or second dose. No appointment is required, but anyone coming to a clinic is asked to bring their Ontario health card.
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Walk-in vaccinations are available at the following clinic locations and dates:
Cobourg Community Centre (750 D’Arcy Street, Cobourg) from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Clinics are scheduled for July 13, 14, 15, 16, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, and 24.
Fenelon Falls Community Centre (27 Veterans Way, Fenelon Falls) from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Clinics are scheduled for July 16, 17, 18, 23, 24, and 25.
S.G. Nesbitt Memorial Arena (55 Parkside Street, Minden) from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Clinics are scheduled for July 13, 14, 15, 20, 21, and 22.
In addition to the walk-in clinics, people who prefer to book an appointment can so so through the provincial booking system at ontario.ca/bookvaccine.
Vaccinations are also available at selected local pharmacies, pop-up clinics being hosted by local hospitals, family health teams, and community health teams. The health unit says walk-ins are also welcome at many of these clinics.
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Dr. Bocking is urging all area residents who already have a second-dose appointment booked for August, September, or October to get their second dose sooner, as the delta variant is now prevalent across the province.
“We know the delta variant is more transmissible and can cause more severe illness, so it’s important people get their second dose as soon as they can to ensure they are protected,” Dr. Bocking says, adding that two doses offer better protection from the delta variant.
Dr. Bocking is also encouraging youth aged 12 to 17 to get vaccinated, as in-person learning is expected to resume in the fall.
“While most young people who got COVID did not suffer severe symptoms, we don’t know if that will be the case with the variants of concern we are seeing now,” she says. “For their protection, and the protection of their family and community members, it’s important that our youth get vaccinated.”
Here’s an update on COVID-19 cases in Ontario as well as in the greater Kawarthas region.
Today, Ontario is reporting 114 new COVID-19 cases, with only 3 of Ontario’s 34 health units reporting double-digit increases — Grey Bruce (18), Waterloo (15), and Toronto (10) — and 13 health units reporting no new cases at all. The seven-day average of daily cases has decreased by 8 to 173.
Hospitalizations have increased by 12 from yesterday to 141, but 10% of hospitals did not submit data for the daily bed census so the actual number of hospitalizations may be higher. The number of ICU patients has increased by 2 to 204 and the number of patients on ventilators has fallen by 9 to 123.
Ontario is reporting no new COVID-related deaths today.
More than 17.1 million vaccine doses have been administered, an increase of 121,653 from yesterday, with over 92% of Ontario’s total population now having received at least one dose. Almost 7 million people have been fully vaccinated, an increase of 110,327 from yesterday, representing over 47% of Ontario’s total population.
COVID-19 cases in Ontario from June 11 – July 11, 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 11 – July 11, 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 11 – July 11, 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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After a single-day respite of no new cases in the greater Kawarthas region at the end of last week, there are 22 new cases to report across the region over the last 3 days, including 12 in Kawartha Lakes, 8 in Peterborough, 1 in Northumberland, and 1 in Hastings Prince Edward. There are no new cases in Haliburton.
There is one new COVID-related hospitalization in Peterborough.
An additional 26 cases in the region have been resolved over the past 3 days, including 16 in Kawartha Lakes, 7 in Peterborough, 2 in Hastings Prince Edward, and 1 in Northumberland.
Regional active cases have decreased by 4 in Kawartha Lakes and by 1 in Hastings Prince Edward, and have increased by 1 in Peterborough.
There are currently 51 active cases in the greater Kawarthas region, a decrease of 4 from July 9, including 27 in Peterborough, 20 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 1,622 confirmed positive cases in the Peterborough area (1,573 resolved with 22 deaths), 1,132 in the City of Kawartha Lakes (1,067 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.
A rendition of what the new Scotts Mills Dam at Lock 19 on the Trent-Severn Waterway in Peterborough will look like when completed. (Graphic: Parks Canada)
There’s both good news and bad news for Peterborough residents living near Scotts Mills Dam at Lock 19, located south of Lansdowne Street where it crosses the Otonabee River.
The bad news is they can expect to endure additional noise in the late evening and early morning hours while the dam replacement project continues.
The good news is that, without this additional noise, the project would take at least an additional year to complete.
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On Monday (July 12), Parks Canada announced some changes to the work hours for the ongoing project. Construction on the project began in spring 2019 and, for the first two years of the project, contractors were instructed to work from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., including on weekends, with a variety of noise levels allowed at different times.
To keep the project on track for completion in spring 2022, Parks Canada has approved an additional work shift by contractors, which will result in longer hours for light construction noise.
However, heavy construction noise would still be restricted to certain hours of the day and evening.
Activities generating heavy construction noise will be allowed Monday to Saturday from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. and on Sunday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. These activities can include installation of piles, use of machinery or vehicles equipped with backup alarms, demolition and excavation, use of air compressors, drilling and bush hammering, and loading, hauling, and placement of rip rap or concrete.
Activities generating light construction noise only will be allowed daily from 5 a.m. to 7 a.m. and from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. These activities can include general carpentry (including the use of handsaws and hammering), general craning (including form work placement and fuelling), rebar placement, concrete finishing and parging, and general site cleaning, cleanup, and organization.
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Without the extra work shift, Parks Canada explains in a media release, construction would continue until at least summer 2023. With the change in work hours, construction is expected to conclude in spring 2022, with restoration to follow that summer, as scheduled.
“Parks Canada is thankful the public’s patience and understanding during this critical construction project,” the media release reads.
According to Parks Canada, the new dam once completed will respect the historic look of the site and will have a life expectancy of more than 80 years. It will optimize hydraulic capacity, increase the safety of water management operations, and be constructed in a way that allows improved access for maintenance activities.
In addition, the project will be the first step in creating a more public-friendly lock site. Once restored, the dam will include pedestrian access onto the dam itself.
A pop-up COVID-19 vaccination clinic is taking place in Apsley on Thursday afternoon and early evening (July 15).
Following recent clusters of COVID-19 cases in North Kawartha Township, Mayor Carolyn Amyotte contacted Peterborough medical officer of health Dr. Rosana Salvaterra to see if a pop-up clinic could be arranged to take place in the township.
The clinic, which runs Thursday from 2 to 7:30 p.m. in the North Kawartha Community Centre at 340 McFadden Road in Apsley, is for any North Kawartha resident 12 years and older.
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Priority will be given to those who need their first dose of vaccine, with Moderna available for adults and Pfizer available for children and youth.
“My sincere thanks to Dr. Salvaterra and the health unit staff, the Peterborough Family Health Team, our township staff, and our North Kawartha volunteer firefighters who have quickly mobilized to bring this clinic to our community with only a few days notice,” Mayor Amyotte says in a video posted on Facebook.
To book an appointment, call the North Kawartha Township office at 705-656-4445 between 9 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Since this clinic is not part of the provincial vaccination booking system, appointments can only be booked by calling this number.
VIDEO: North Kawartha Mayor Carolyn Amyotte announces pop-up clinic
Attention North Kawartha! Peterborough Public Health is bringing a pop-up vaccination clinic to Apsley this Thursday July 15, 2021 from 2pm until 7:30pm. This clinic will be for any North Kawarthan ages 12 and up with the priority for those who need to get their first shot. Starting Monday July 12, 2021 please call (705)656-4445 to book your appointment. Be well and take care folks.
Peterborough police are seeking these two suspects after an armed robbery at a convenience store in the George Street North and Parkhill Road area on July 9, 2021. (Police-supplied photo)
Peterborough police are searching for two suspects following a robbery at a convenience store late Friday night (July 9).
At around 10:30 p.m. on Friday, officers were called to a convenience store in the George Street North and Parkhill Road area.
Police report the store clerk had been threatened by one man who was brandishing a knife while a second man watched the door. The pair made off with some cash and the clerk was not injured.
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The canine unit was called to search the area but did not locate the suspects.
The first suspect is described as a white male in his mid-to-late 20s, medium build, with what appears to be a circular dark tattoo on the top of his left hand. He was wearing a light blue Puma rain jacket with a white hood, black pants, a teal-brimmed ball cap, and white shoes with blue edging. His face was covered with a black mask and sunglasses.
The second suspect is described as a white male in his mid 20s, with a thin build. He was wearing a black hoodie with a large horizontal white stripe and a white hood, beige pants, and black shoes with white edging. His face was covered with a black mask and he was wearing a toque underneath his hood.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Peterborough police crime line at 705-876-1122 x555 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or online at www.stopcrimehere.ca.
This story was updated to correct a typo in the sixth paragraph.
Police are investigating a suspicious death after a body was recovered Sunday (July 11) from the water near Fenelon Falls in the City of Kawartha Lakes.
On Sunday morning, officers of the Kawartha Lakes OPP were notified a body had been discovered in the water in the Fenelon Falls area.
In a media release, the OPP state they believe the death is not a random incident and that there is no threat to the general public.
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Police have not released any details about the gender of the victim or the suspected cause of death, but state a post-mortem examination will be conducted to confirm the cause of death.
They are also not releasing the name of the deceased person, as family members have not yet been notified.
The investigation is ongoing with members of the City of Kawartha Lakes OPP Crime Unit, Forensic Identification Services, and the Underwater Search and Recovery Unit under the direction of the OPP Criminal Investigation Branch and in conjunction with the Office of the Chief Coroner for Ontario and the Ontario Forensic Pathology Service.
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.
Here’s an update on COVID-19 cases in Ontario as well as in the greater Kawarthas region.
Today, Ontario is reporting 166 new COVID-19 cases — the lowest increase since last July 17 when 166 cases were also reported.
Of Ontario’s 34 health units, only 4 are reporting double-digit increases — Toronto (28), Waterloo (28), Peel (18), and Grey Bruce (18) — with 12 health units reporting no new cases at all. The seven-day average of daily cases has decreased by 7 to 181.
Hospitalizations have fallen by 35 from yesterday to 130, but 10% of hospitals did not submit data for the daily bed census so the actual number of hospitalizations may be higher. The number of ICU patients has increased by 5 to 202 and the number of patients on ventilators has decreased by 2 to 132.
Ontario is reporting 6 new COVID-related deaths, with none in long-term care homes.
Almost 17 million vaccine doses have been administered, an increase of 170,537 from yesterday, with almost 92% of Ontario’s total population now having received at least one dose. Almost 6.9 million people have been fully vaccinated, an increase of 153,322 from yesterday, representing over 46% of Ontario’s total population.
COVID-19 cases in Ontario from June 10 – July 10, 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 10 – July 10, 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 10 – July 10, 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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Numbers for the greater Kawarthas region are unavailable on weekends as health units in the region no longer publish reports on Saturdays or Sundays.
The Ontario data indicates that, for July 10, Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit had 7 new cases, Hastings Prince Edward Public Health had 1 new case, with Peterborough had no new cases. The weekend’s numbers will be confirmed when regional health units issue their reports on Monday.
As of July 9, there were 56 active cases in the greater Kawarthas region, a decrease of 4 from July 8, including 26 in Peterborough, 25 in Kawartha Lakes, and 5 in Hastings Prince Edward (1 in Tyendinaga & Deseronto, 2 in Central Hastings, and 2 in North Hastings). There are no active cases in Northumberland or Haliburton.
Since the pandemic began in the greater Kawarthas region, there have been 1,614 confirmed positive cases in the Peterborough area (1,566 resolved with 22 deaths), 1,120 in the City of Kawartha Lakes (1,051 resolved with 58 deaths), 945 in Northumberland County (928 resolved with 17 deaths), 122 in Haliburton County (121 resolved with 1 death), and 1,134 in Hastings and Prince Edward counties (1,118 resolved with 11 deaths). The most recent two deaths were reported in Peterborough and Kawartha Lakes on June 29.
Peterborough native Kelly McMichael released her first solo album, "Waves", in May 2021. Co-produced with Jake Nicoll, the 10-track record includes the single 'Stepping Stone', which McMichael originally wrote years ago with the help of Beau DIxon during the 24-Hour Music Project showcase at the Historic Red Dog in Peterborough. (Photo supplied by Kelly McMichael)
When the doors of Peterborough Collegiate and Vocational School (PCVS) closed for good in June 2012, many mourned the loss of the high school’s integrated arts program — including Peterborough-raised singer-songwriter Kelly McMichael.
Fortunately that program subsequently found a new home at Thomas A. Stewart Secondary School, continuing to encourage young musicians, actors, artists, and dancers who would go on to find their creative place in the world — not unlike many of McMichael’s fellow PCVS grads, including comedian Sean Cullen, dancer Evelyn Hart, and singer Serena Ryder.
“Being a part of the PCVS integrated arts program was definitely where it all started for me,” McMichael reflects. “Being surrounded by such a vibrant arts scene and inspiring peers; knowing that people were going on to pursue careers in the arts and seeing that as a possibility for myself was great.”
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“I knew I was going to do something in the arts but I wasn’t sure what that was or how it would come about,” she adds. “I did 4th Line Theatre (in Millbrook). I did a lot of visual art. I took fine art at the University of Guelph, but music was always my number one thing. I used to be very shy, so I didn’t have a lot of confidence in myself but I managed to come around.”
What was possible for McMichael has since become very real, an early indication of what was to come being her 2007 claim of the Emerging Artist Award bestowed by the Peterborough Folk Festival — “That was a nice little kick off to feeling like I had a shot at a music career,” she recalls.
After years of collaborating with other musicians in a number of bands, dividing her time between Peterborough, Toronto and St. John’s, McMichael released her first solo album, Waves, this past May.
AUDIO: ‘Stepping Stone’ by Kelly McMichael from “Waves”
Co-produced with Jake Nicoll, the 10-track Waves was years in the making but has proven well worth the wait. As of this writing, the single ‘Stepping Stone’ was sitting in the top spot of the Best Music of 2021 (So Far) list compiled by The East, a popular blog of all things East Coast arts and culture.
And yes, the song has a Peterborough connection, penned years ago for its debut as part of a 24-Hour Music Project showcase at the Historic Red Dog on Hunter Street East.
“I was partnered with Beau Dixon,” McMichael recalls of the development of ‘Stepping Stone’. “I had part of the song idea that I came into the session with. We developed it together, along with a couple of other ones for the performance we had to give the next night. I’ve since revised it a bunch but I gave Beau writing credits because he helped me develop that song.”
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Long before Waves was recorded and released, McMichael cut her musical teeth with a number of acts, including a Peterborough-based yacht rock cover band that also featured Peterborough musician Dave Tough. In Toronto, her time as a keyboardist with Gentlemen Reg, fronted by Indie rock singer Reg Vermue, was instrumental to her career — no pun intended.
“Toronto was sort of where the action was,” says McMichael, who also co-fronted Rouge during her time in the big city. “If you wanted to pursue a career in music you needed to be there, but Toronto wasn’t my vibe.”
“There are a lot of good things about it, but I enjoy a little more space, a little slower pace, and more nature,” she adds. “It’s why I love being part-time in Peterborough at the family cottage on Clear Lake. I’m always back around here (Peterborough), hanging out on The Only Café patio.”
Kelly McMichael performing with her former band Rouge at Pride in Toronto in 2014. The singer-songwriter now lives in St. John’s, Newfoundland, but visits her hometown of Peterborough regularly. (Photo: Rouge / Facebook)
When she’s not visiting her home town of Peterborough, McMichael is living in St. John’s in Newfoundland.
“That’s why I like Newfoundland. I like being near the ocean. There’s nothing better than that. And St. John’s has a bit more going on than Peterborough. I’m able to work.”
McMichael made the move east in 2013.
“I didn’t love it at first,” she recalls. “The weather was really hard for me to take but I really liked the people. Everyone is so friendly and easy to get along with, and there are so many musicians. There’s music happening all the time. Music is really ingrained into the culture. And more people are willing to come out to shows. That really grew on me.”
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In St. John’s, McMichael performed solo under her own name but also under the name Renders.
“Renders is my fun pop electronic alter-ego,” she says, noting her new album is a big departure from that style of music, featuring more intimate material culled from her experiences of both the personal and musical variety, captured in a more mainstream classic pop-rock sound.
Pivotal to what was ahead for McMichael was her co-producing an album for folk-rock band Fun, for which she also wrote one of the songs.
“I had sort of given up on pursuing my own (album) project more seriously,” says McMichael. “The experience of working in the studio with (co-producer) Jake turned things around. We had a really great working relationship and seemed to be on the same page. I was like ‘Maybe I’ll get to record an album with Jake.'”
VIDEO: “Out The Window” – Kelly McMichael
“I was sitting on a lot of songs for the album,” McMichael explains. “I had been playing a lot, backing up other people and making demos, performing them here and there to not very many people in Peterborough and not very many people in St John’s. I finally seemed to catch some people’s attention and was given grant money to make an album.”
“I had spent a year refining a lot of songs. I recorded demos of Stepping Stone again and again and again. I have a lot of ideas and I get them in different ways. I think it’s good to have a variety of different ways of collecting ideas (for songs). I did a lot of hiking at Signal Hill close to where I was living and ideas would come to me. Playing the songs live helped too, refining each song until they felt right”
Noting she “wanted to pursue everything to the fullest … dream big and go 100 per cent in the most fun and elaborate way,” McMichael extended that process to the album’s cover art. which features her on a horse with the Atlantic Ocean as a backdrop.
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“There are a few different styles and genres on the album, so I thought it would be fun to have an element of surprise,” McMichael says. “I lived on a horse farm in Omemee at one time, so it was a reminder of that. The ocean is a tie-in to my life here in Newfoundland. I want people to ask ‘What is she doing? I want to know more.'”
2020 was to be a big year for McMichael “but then COVID happened.” A North American tour with singer-songwriter Sarah Harmer — it was scheduled to begin at Peterborough’s Market Hall — was postponed indefinitely.
“I was supposed to be on the road and suddenly I was moved back to my mom’s house in Peterborough. I didn’t have anywhere to live because I was subletting a place in Toronto and was supposed to be on the road. I couldn’t work on my album because Jake was also on the road with another band in Europe and he was stranded and then moved in with his parents in Ontario. He put together a new studio so we managed to finish it.”
The cover of Kelly McMichael’s first solo album “Waves” features her on a horse with the Atlantic Ocean as a backdrop.
“It was hard for me, being used to being super fast-paced and then having this pause, not being able to finish my record,” McMichael says. “Those first couple of months were a big adjustment. It’s pretty difficult to change gears like that and not know what your purpose is anymore. You’re used to getting attention performing all the time, and suddenly you’re not getting that.”
The good news is the tour with Sarah Harmer has been rescheduled for February to May 2022. That, coupled with the early reviews for Waves, sees McMichael in a good place. She echoes many music industry insiders when she says the reception to live music is going to return stronger than ever. And a follow-up album is indeed in the works.
“I’d like to make it with the same people. The band members are spread out across the country. I don’t know when that will happen but Jake and I have started talking about it.”
VIDEO: Kelly McMichael performs live solo acoustic version of “Stepping Stone”
In the meantime, there’s another Peterborough connection to her upcoming tour with Sarah Harmer.
“I remember going to see Sarah at Showplace when I was in Grade 11,” McMichael says. “Singing those songs and playing them live with her is pretty amazing, then getting to do my own stuff and getting a lot of great press and attention for this album that I’d been plugging away at for years and years and years, It hadn’t really felt like I broke through until recently.”
With the pandemic hopefully soon in the rearview mirror, McMichael is optimistic she can further build her musical career with the success of Waves.
“To have some traction with my own songs is pretty awesome,” she says. “It makes up for feeling sad and shy and unsure for so many years. It’s kind of nice that it took this long to get here. Sure, I could have had something that I would have just taken for granted and moved on from when I was 25, but that probably wouldn’t have been as good as what it is now. I’ll take it.”
For more on Kelly McMichael, or to stream or purchase Waves, visit kellymcmichael.com.
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