The Ontario government has approved the City of Kawartha Lakes’ funding application for the reconstruction project for King Street in Omemee and will provide up to $3 million from the province’s Connecting Links program.

The funding announcement was made on Thursday (April 21) in downtown Omemee.

“This funding is great news for the community and businesses in Omemee and will provide much needed improvements to local transportation and the streetscape downtown to keep people and goods moving,” said Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock MPP Laurie Scott.

The King Street project, which has been part of the City of Kawartha Lakes transportation master plan since 2012, will see a full reconstruction of the road between James Street North and the Pigeon River bridge, including replacements of storm sewers, curbs, gutters, sidewalks, and streetscape improvements, as well as resurfacing of the road.

“Today’s announcement is exciting as it continues the momentum we’ve built around our downtowns,” said Kawartha Lakes Mayor Andy Letham. “From Lindsay to Fenelon Falls and now Omemee, we’re making our community hubs more accessible and enjoyable to visit. We couldn’t have moved ahead in Omemee without the generous support of the province and our local MPP Laurie Scott.”

Design of the project has been underway since 2020 and was contingent on receiving provincial funding.

“This project means a lot to the people of Omemee,” said Ward 6 councillor Ron Ashmore. “It will make walking, driving, and parking along the Main Street easier and safer. It will also make it more enticing for those who pass through on Highway 7 to stop, stay a while, and support our local businesses. I’m thrilled that the province has assisted council to move forward with the project,”

At a special meeting at the end of November, council approved $1 million contribution to the project from the municipality’s capital contingency reserve, pending the province’s approval of $3 million in funding.

Now that provincial funding has been approved, construction is expected to begin later this spring with a completion date of fall 2022.

During construction, one lane along King Street will be closed. Access to downtown businesses will be maintained, along with as many parking spaces as possible.

VIDEO: Downtown Omemee Reconstruction – Public Information Session #2

Peterborough entrepreneur and environmentalist Carlotta James is running for councillor in the city’s Northcrest Ward in the October 24, 2022 municipal election.

James, who chose Earth Day (April 22) to make her announcement, is best known as the co-founder of Three Sisters Natural Landscapes and the co-founder of the Monarch Ultra Relay Run.

“On Earth Day, we celebrate the work of many in our community to protect our local environment,” James says in a media release. “I am announcing my candidacy on this particular day to showcase my platform that focuses on environmental sustainability and entrepreneurial leadership, and also, to take a moment to reflect on all the ways nature provides for and nourishes us: through water, wildlife, wild spaces, resources, and food, as well as for our collective well-being and mental health.”

A mother of one who describes herself as “a devoted community-builder,” James moved to Peterborough in 2013. For the past seven years, she has run Three Sisters Natural Landscapes, a landscaping business that specializes in transforming spaces into pollinator habitat.

As a pollinator advocate and a marathon runner, James also co-founded the Monarch Ultra Relay Run to raise awareness about the plight of the threatened monarch butterfly and other pollinators.

The inaugural 2019 run, which saw ultra-runners complete a 4,300-kilometre journey from Canada to Mexico, was followed last year by an 1,800-kilometre run across southern Ontario that also raised $10,000 for Camp Kawartha in Peterborough.

According to James, through these local and global experiences she has built strong financial management, large-scale project and logistics planning, and problem-solving skills.

“I will advocate for the residents of Northcrest Ward at city hall with community-first decision-making so that everyday citizens shape our city’s present and future,” James says. “As your city councillor for Northcrest Ward, I will support small-business growth, bring community ideas to life that revitalize our ward, and work with you to build a healthy, resilient, and economically prosperous city.”

Other candidates for Northcrest Ward include incumbent and deputy mayor Andrew Beamer and real estate brokerage owner Dave Haacke. Haacke was Northcrest Ward councillor from 2014 to 2018, when he was defeated by Stephen Wright, who has announced he intends to run for mayor.

FLATO Developments Inc. is donating $1.2 million to Fleming College in Lindsay — the largest single gift in the college’s history.

The announcement took place at the college’s Lindsay campus on Thursday (April 21), which was also attended by Ontario premier Doug Ford, Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock MPP Laurie Scott, and Fleming College president Maureen Adamson.

Launched in 2005 and based in Markham, FLATO Developments Inc. develops housing projects across southern Ontario, including in Lindsay and Cameron within Kawartha Lakes. The company has previously made donations to Ross Memorial Hospital in Lindsay and Kawartha Lakes Food Source, among others, and most recently entered into a 15-year $1.375 million sponsorship agreement with the Academy Theatre in Lindsay, which is now called FLATO Academy Theatre Lindsay.

“At FLATO we believe in supporting the communities where we build,” says FLATO Developments Inc. founder and president Shakir Rehmatullah in a media release. “Education is a very important part of the community and we’re excited to support Fleming College and help provide students with the resources they need to succeed.”

Of the $1.2 million donation, $720,000 will be put toward Fleming’s FLATO Capital Innovation Fund. The fund will allows Fleming faculty to teach students using the latest equipment that reflects the highest industry standards and practices, and provides reliable financial support for purchases in a rapidly shifting economy.

The remaining $480,000 will be used to create the FLATO Student Scholars Program, which will provide scholarships to several hundred incoming students at Fleming College’s Frost Campus over the next 10 years.

“With this donation, FLATO Developments Inc. and its founder Shakir Rehmatullah cement a legacy here at Fleming College,” says Fleming College president Maureen Adamson. “We are grateful for this gift, and we are grateful to find a partner in FLATO which shares our belief in supporting our community.”

In recognition of the donation, Fleming College will name the main foyer at Frost Campus as The Shakir Rehmatullah Atrium.

“This is not just an investment in Fleming College,” Adamson says. “This is an investment in people, in their hopes and dreams, and in their future careers.”

Peterborough police have released more details about a shooting incident that took place on Park Street South on Wednesday afternoon (April 20).

At a media conference on Thursday, police said a 31-year-old Mississauga man died as a result of the shooting, which is now being investigated as a homicide.

At around 1 p.m. on Wednesday, police received a 9-1-1 call from home at 124 Park Street South between Princess and Romaine. After arriving, police found two male victims — a 31-year-old and a 29-year-old, both of Mississauga — with gunshot wounds.

Both victims were taken to Peterborough Regional Health Centre, where the 31-year-old man succumbed to his injuries. The 29-year-old man sustained non-life-threatening injuries and was treated and released.

Police are seeking four male suspects in the shooting, all between 20 and 30 years old, who police say may be from out of town. Police say there is no risk for public safety at this time, as they believe the two victims and the four suspects are associated with each other.

Police are continuing the investigation and will release more details when available.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call Detective Constable Mike Penney at 705-876-1122 x232 or anonymously on the Peterborough Police Crime Line at 705-876-1122 x555 or at Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at www.stopcrimehere.ca.

VIDEO: April 21, 2022 media briefing with Detective Sergeant Josh McGrath

Due to a record number of COVID-19 patients, extremely high patient volumes in the emergency department usage, and pandemic-related staff shortages, Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC) is asking the public to consider available alternatives before seeking care at the hospital if their situation is not an emergency.

“PRHC, like hospitals across Ontario, is very much still in the midst of the pandemic,” says Dr. Lynn Mikula, the hospital’s chief of staff and chief medical executive, in a media release issued on Thursday (April 21).

“While mandates have lifted in most public spaces, PRHC is not operating in its pre-pandemic state, and in fact a number of key factors continue to converge at the hospital as we grapple with the effects of this sixth wave of COVID-19.”

As of Wednesday, there were 37 inpatients at PRHC with COVID-19, with one COVID-19 outbreak in Unit C3 of the hospital.

“With very high patient volumes and acuity and a higher-than-usual number of patients who require isolation protocols to prevent the spread of illness inside the hospital, individuals who come to the emergency department for care should expect to wait longer than usual to be seen for all but the most acute illnesses and conditions,” read the media release.

The hospital is asking anyone who is considering coming to the emergency department for non-urgent healthcare to consider other options, such as contacting their family doctor if they have one or calling the free Telehealth Ontario service at 1-866-797-0000 for round-the-clock health advice or information.

Dr. Mikula also says hospital workers have seen an increase in aggressive and abusive behaviours from some members of the public.

“PRHC staff and physicians are working incredibly hard right now, putting in long hours under increasingly challenging conditions in order to provide life-saving care for hundreds of patients each day,” she says. “I would like to be clear that violent and abusive behaviours, which create an unsafe and disruptive environment for our healthcare workers, patients and caregivers, will not be tolerated.”

The Green Party of Ontario has announced the nomination of Robert Gibson as the party’s candidate for Peterborough-Kawartha for the 2022 provincial election.

Gibson, who has a bachelor degree in environmental science from Trent University, is a freelance journalist and long-time contributor to Arthur, Trent University and Peterborough’s independent student newspaper, where he also served as treasurer and internal affairs commissioner on the Arthur board.

He has reported on environmental issues, including environmental deregulation and the vulnerability of Ontario’s wetlands, and hosted the ‘Environmental Soup’ podcast through Trent Radio for a number of years.

“Doug Ford’s sprawl agenda and failure to protect wetlands has serious local consequences in Peterborough-Kawartha, including severe, expensive flooding,” Gibson says in a media release. “Ontario Greens are the only party with a real plan to protect the nature that protects us.”

According to the Green Party website, Gibson’s other priorities are supporting a better pandemic response, challenging urban sprawl, and ending Ontario’s affordable housing crisis.

The 2022 provincial election will be held on Thursday, June 2nd. There are currently six candidates for the Peterborough-Kawartha riding: incumbent Dave Smith of the Conservatives, Greg Dempsey of the Liberals, Jen Deck of the NDP, Robert Gibson of the Green Party of Ontario, Tom Marazzo of the Ontario Party, and Dylan Smith of the None Of The Above Party.

Kawartha Lakes police are seeking a suspect in the armed robbery of a convenience store in Lindsay on Wednesday morning (April 20).

At around 8:50 a.m., police responded to a report of a robbery at a William Street North convenience store in Lindsay.

The lone male suspect had approached the counter and brandished a weapon, demanding money and cigarettes from the clerk before leaving the store. He was last seen exiting the store running eastbound on Wellington Street.

There were no physical injuries reported.

The suspect is described as a white man, approximately 5’8″ with a medium build. When he entered the store, he was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt with “Zoo York” logo, grey sweatpants, and a black face mask.

Police collected physical evidence from the scene and, after searching the area, located discarded clothing matching that worn by the suspect in the convenience store.

Anyone who may have information about this incident is asked to contact the Kawartha Lakes Police Service at 705-324-5252. To provide your information anonymously, call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or submit a tip online at www.khcrimestoppers.com.

Peterborough police continue to investigate a shooting incident that took place on Park Street South on Wednesday afternoon (April 20).

At around 1 p.m., police received a 9-1-1 call from a residence on Park Street South between Princess and Romaine.

“Several” people were taken to hospital according to police, who have not released any information on their condition.

The suspect or suspects in the incident are still at large, but police believe the shooting was not random and say there is no concern for public safety.

Police will be holding a media briefing on the incident on Thursday morning.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call Detective Constable Mike Penney at 705-876-1122 x232 or anonymously on the Peterborough Police Crime Line at 705-876-1122 x555 or at Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at www.stopcrimehere.ca