Habitat for Humanity Peterborough & Kawartha Region has announced Susan Zambonin will be the non-profit organization’s new chief executive officer effective October 4.

Zambonin, who is currently the organization’s chief operating officer, has been involved with Habitat for Humanity for 18 years. She was previously chief executive officer of Habitat for Humanity Kingston Limestone Region and Habitat for Humanity PEI, and also served as executive officer of the Canadian Home Builders’ Association in PEI.

A Rotarian and volunteer, Zambonin has won several awards, including a Paul Harris Fellow from the Rotary Club of Charlottetown and an International Outstanding Contribution Award, Mentorship Award, and Award of Excellence from Habitat for Humanity Canada.

“With Susan’s extensive leadership experience, construction knowledge, and determination to build more affordable homes, we are confident that we can help more families across the Peterborough and Kawartha Region achieve affordable homeownership,” says Jill Bennett, chair of the board of directors for Habitat for Humanity Peterborough & Kawartha Region, in a media release.

“Susan has a proven commitment to Habitat’s core values, helping over 110 families into affordable homeownership through 66 builds in Canada and four global village builds.”

Zambonin will take over from Sarah Budd, who announced in July she would be leaving the chief executive officer position on October 1.

Budd led Humanity Peterborough & Kawartha Region for almost 15 years, overseeing the organization’s inclusion of the City of Kawartha Lakes and the County of Haliburton in its service area, the expansion from one ReStore to three ReStores, and Habitat for Humanity Canada’s first-ever multi-residential development at Leahy’s Lane in Peterborough.

“The board would like to thank Sarah for her amazing contributions and commitment during her time as CEO,” reads a media release. “Most recently, her leadership and vision were instrumental in managing the organization through the pandemic and moving the organization from a builder of single-family homes to a developer of multi-residential communities.”

Peterborough County OPP are asking for the public’s help in identifying a man who stole a $15,000 go-kart from a Norwood home.

On Tuesday, August 17 at around 5 a.m., a man went to a Spring Street home in the Village of Norwood and stole the go-kart. The theft was reported to the police three days later.

The go-kart, valued at $15,000, is a 2012 black CRG Black Rider with Mojo tires and a Micron 4 computer screen attached to the steering wheel.

The suspect is described as Caucasian man with a beard, slim and average height, wearing black and white running shoes, jeans, a light-coloured hoodie, and a ball cap.

The vehicle used in the theft appears to be a 2002-2005 silver or grey Chevrolet Silverado with an extended cab.

The exact year, make, and model of the vehicle is uncertain at this time.

Investigators are looking for information that may lead to the arrest of the suspect in this case.

Police urge the public to call in tips on this case, or others, to the Peterborough County OPP at 705-742-0401 or the non-emergency line at 1-888-310-1122.

If you prefer to remain anonymous, you can contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS or online at stopcrimehere.ca.

The Ontario government is lifting its pandemic pause on the renewals of driver’s licences, licence plate stickers, Ontario photo and health cards, and more.

If you are among the 17 per cent of Ontarians who have deferred renewing, you now have until February 28, 2022 to bring most provincial documents up to date.

You will also be responsible for paying any deferred fees when you renew. For example, if you are renewing in 2021 a sticker that expired in 2020, you will be charged for both 2020 and 2021 — a $240 fee in southern Ontario.

When the pandemic hit in March 2020, the government paused the requirement to renew these products when ServiceOntario centres were closed to the public. For some products like licence plate stickers, Ontarians could still renew them online but were not required to do so.

The government continued the pause on renewals over the past 18 months, even after ServiceOntario centres reopened, to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. Any government-issued products that expired on or after March 1, 2020 remained valid.

That ends on February 28, 2022, when most products must be renewed. However, some products must be renewed earlier and some can be renewed later. The government has waived some normal requirements so that renewals can be done online. Products will be mailed directly with an ability to print proof of renewal.

Here’s a list of renewal requirements:

Driver’s licences

Drivers under the age of 80 (class G/M) whose licences expired after March 1, 2020 must renew them by February 28, 2022. However, drivers won’t be required to update their licence photo as part of the renewal.

Senior drivers 80 years and older (class G/M) whose licences expired after March 1, 2020 must renew them by February 28, 2022. However, they will not have to attend a senior driver’s group education session program or visit a ServiceOntario centre in person to renew their licences.

Novice drivers (class G1, G2, M1, or M2) with licences expiring between March 1, 2020 and December 31, 2022 have until December 31, 2022 to complete testing to maintain or upgrade their licence. They also have until December 31, 2022 to complete a beginner driver education course if they enrolled in one during the pandemic.

Commercial drivers (class A, B, C, D, E and F) whose licences expired after March 1, 2020 must renew them by February 28, 2022.

School bus driver (class B and E) who have completed their road test by December 31, 2021 will have until June 30, 2022 to complete their school bus driver improvement course.

Licence plate stickers

Licence plate stickers for all vehicles except heavy commercial vehicles must be renewed by February 28, 2022.

Licence plate stickers for heavy commercial vehicles must be renewed by December 31, 2021.

Drivers who have not renewed their licence plate stickers during the pandemic will be required to pay the fee for previous years, in addition to the current year renewal fee.

Accessible parking permits

All eligible accessible parking permits with expiry dates between March 17, 2020 and February 28, 2022 must be renewed before March 1, 2022.

Ontario photo cards

Ontario photo cards with expiry dates between March 1, 2020 and February 28, 2022 must be renewed by February 28, 2022.

Ontario health cards

All expired Ontario health cards with a photo must be renewed by February 28, 2022.

For additional renewal requirements (including for driving instructors, carrier products, and vehicle registration and safety inspections), visit the Ontario government website.

September is Local Food Month in Peterborough. Peak harvest season provides us with an opportunity to highlight the vital importance of Peterborough-area food and farms in our local culture and economy.

We are lucky to live in a region rich in local food sources. Not only are we surrounded by rich farmland, fresh water, and lush forests, but we are also surrounded by knowledgeable and hard-working growers, farmers, foragers, and stewards of the land. These people can help us access this bounty of fresh food as it comes into peak harvest season. We depend on these stewards and their care of the land for our food and future.

Local food comes in many forms: a carrot picked proudly from a community garden, a bushel of paste tomatoes from a farmers’ marketm corn from a favourite farm stand just in time for dinnerm wild rice harvested from a local lakem meats lovingly raised by local farmers, as well as cheese, milk, and other dairy products stocking grocery store shelves with a “Made with Ontario” sticker. These and so many other delicious options can be found across Peterborough and the Kawarthas.

September is an excellent time to buy local, to support farmers, and to engage in our food systems. This concept of eating locally seems more important than ever as we look to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. This September, let’s buy local and support our local farms, and work together to increase sustainability and equity in all aspects of our food systems.

Buying local builds local business. Shopping locally means putting money back into the local economy, where it can circulate to support multiple small businesses and create new jobs.

Buying local also means you are eating what is fresh and most in season. This reduces food miles, as food does not need to be shipped long distances to get to your plate.

Finally, buying local helps support farmers and producers who are contributing to the health of our ecosystems overall. If each person living in the Kawarthas spent just $5 per week on local food, this would contribute $55 million to our local economy annually.

When looking to determine what is local, it is best to shop directly from farmers via farm stands, farmers’ markets, or by purchasing a Community Shared Agriculture (CSA) share directly, or through grocers and shops that showcase where they source their products from.

Despite such local bounty, not everyone in this region has equal access to local food systems. For our local food to thrive sustainably, equity must be part of the conversation.

Peterborough has great resources to learn more about the many components of our food system.

For a wide range of information about food in our community, visit Local Food Peterborough at localfoodptbo.ca. This website contains information about finding local food, what’s in season, starting a farm, and much more. The site contains links to over 20 videos showcasing local farms in our region.

Want to learn more about growing your own food, joining or starting a community garden, cooking, and preserving fresh local food, and advocating for fair and just food system? Check out the Nourish Project at nourishproject.ca.

Our food system is complex, and farmers come in many forms. If you eat fresh local food, migrant farmers likely played a critical role in getting that food on your plate. Every year, Ontario welcomes over 25,000 temporary foreign workers, who harvest or are otherwise involved in food production, particularly fruits and vegetables. Ontario brings the highest number of migrants workers in Canada.

For many migrant farmers, their jobs and rights hinge on the farms that employ them. Many farm labourers come to Canada through the federal government’s Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program. Through this program, migrant farmers are issued work permits to fill vacant positions at a specific farm for a specific length of time. As citizens, it is important that we are aware of this issue and advocate for all farmers to be respected and treated fairly.

To ensure that our food systems are sustainable and secure, workers’ rights must be central. The New Canadians Centre in Peterborough recently released a five-minute film (below) showcasing the story of one local farmer who comes to Circle Organic each season from Mexico.

This harvest, let’s consider the many aspects about what makes our local food systems truly sustainable. Let’s not only think about how we spend our food dollars and how those decisions can positively impact our community and environment. Let’s also think about how we can work together to ensure that all farmers are respected for the critical work they do, that the land we grow upon is protected, and that all members of our community have equal access to the bounty that surrounds us.

Access to fresh, healthy, and culturally appropriate foods is not equal for far too many Canadians. For many people food insecurity is not simply a matter of having enough food available, but having the available income to purchase this food.

Food banks, emergency food, and reclaiming wasted food are not viable long-term solutions. To ensure all members of our communities have equal access to fresh foods, we need to advocate for universal basic income.

VIDEO: The Hands That Feed Us – New Canadians Centre

With an election looming, we can do more than just shop local to support our local food systems. Let’s ask candidates these questions:

• How will you support all local farmers and food systems?
• How will you ensure that all Canadians have access to fresh, locally produced, and culturally appropriate foods?
• How will you support Indigenous communities in ensuring they have sovereign access to their traditional foods?
• How will you reduce climate chaos by protecting farmland, rewarding farms and farmers who contribute to a reduction in greenhouse gases, and protecting precious resources such as water and soil?
• How will you ensure that all community members earn enough to purchase the fresh food that is available in our region?

Let’s put local food on the election menu.

As of Wednesday, September 22, all Ontarians — except children under 12 and those with valid medical exemptions — will be required to provide proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 (two doses plus 14 days after their second dose) to gain entry to higher-risk indoor public settings where face masks cannot always be worn.

The Ontario government provided details of a COVID-19 vaccine certificate (commonly called a “vaccine passport”) during a technical media briefing on Wednesday morning (September 1), followed by an announcement by Premier Doug Ford in the afternoon — Ford’s first media conference in more than a month.

“It’s no secret — this is something I did not want to do,” Ford said. “This is a serious step that we’re not taking lightly, and I know this is going to be very difficult for some people. Let me be clear: this is a temporary tool we won’t use for a day longer than we have to.”

“But after talking to (Ontario chief medical officer of health) Dr. Moore, I know that this is what we have to do right now in the face of this fourth wave, because these certificates are necessary to keep our hospitals safe and to avoid another lockdown,” Ford added.

There are two phases to the vaccine certificate, which will be required to gain entry to the following settings:

• Restaurants and bars, except for outdoor patios, delivery, and takeout
• Nightclubs, including outdoor areas of the establishment such as patios
• Meeting and event spaces, such as banquet halls and conference/convention centres
• Facilities used for sports and fitness activities and personal fitness training, such as gyms, fitness and recreational facilities, except for youth recreational sport
• Sporting events
• Casinos, bingo halls and gaming establishments
• Concerts, music festivals, theatres and cinemas
• Strip clubs, bathhouses and sex clubs
• Racing venues (e.g., horse racing)

With the exception of outdoor spaces at nightclubs, the vaccine certificate requirement does not apply to outdoor settings. It also does not apply to grocery stores, pharmacies, medical care settings, personal care settings such as hair salons, retail settings, religious settings such as churches, or polling stations for the federal election.

Government officials also confirmed the vaccine certificate requirement does not apply to employees of the listed businesses and facilities, although they may implement a mandatory vaccination policy using the requirement if they want.

While children under 12 do not require the vaccine certificate to gain entry to the listed settings, parents accompanying children to these settings must provide proof of vaccination.

The first phase of the vaccine certificate, which begins on September 22, will require Ontarians to show a copy of the vaccination receipt they were issued after receiving their second dose of vaccine, along with a piece of government-issued photo ID to gain entry to the above settings.

To obtain a PDF of their vaccination receipt, people can log into into the provincial booking portal at covid19.ontariohealth.ca using their health card, date of birth, and postal code. They can then print a paper copy of the PDF or keep the downloaded PDF on their phone. Ontarians who don’t have internet access can call the provincial vaccine booking line at 1-833-943-3900.

The second phase begins a month later, when the government will issue Ontarians a “digital vaccine certificate”, an enhanced certificate that includes a unique QR code. A new verification app will be launched no later than Friday, October 22 that businesses and facilities can download and use to scan and validate the QR code on the certificate. Along with the certificate with the QR code, people would also need to show a piece of government-issued photo ID.

Government officials said the digital vaccine certificate is intended to be more secure than the existing vaccine receipts (which could be modified and forged), reduce privacy concerns by exposing less personal information, and make it easier for businesses and facilities to validate a person’s vaccination status.

The government will be providing detailed guidance for businesses and facilities, to address situations such as where a person on a restaurant’s outdoor patio (where proof of vaccination is not required) needs to go inside the restaurant to use the washroom. The guidance will also include information on what forms of government-issued ID are acceptable.

People with legitimate medical exemptions to getting vaccinated would be allowed entry to the listed settings by showing a copy of their medical exemption. Eventually, a QR code would be provided on the medical exemption document that could also be scanned by the new verification app.

A negative COVID-19 test or a recent COVID-19 infection does not entitle people to enter the listed settings, except in situations where people are going to a wedding or a funeral held in an event space. In those situations, people can use proof of a negative test to gain entry, but only between September 22 and October 12.

Government officials said the start date of September 22 for the vaccine certificate is intended to give people and businesses enough time to adapt, to download their vaccination receipt, and to get a second dose of vaccine if they were hesitating. The date also coincides with cooler weather, when more people will be heading indoors.

Officials added the vaccine certificate is intended to be a temporary measure to reduce COVID-19 transmission and to encourage more people to get vaccinated, and will be monitored and evaluated.

Penalties, including fines, for not adhering to the vaccine certificate policy will be defined in regulations to the Reopening Ontario Act.

Peterborough police are asking for the public’s assistance in locating a missing person 13-year-old girl.

Marley Day was last seen at 2:30 a.m. on Tuesday (August 31) in the area of Charlotte and Aylmer Street in downtown Peterborough.

She is described as Caucasian, 5’5″ tall, with freckles.

Day has shoulder-length brownish/blondish hair and was last seen wearing a black Hot Wheels sweater.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Peterborough Police Service at 705-876-1122.

If you prefer to remain anonymous, you can contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS or online at stopcrimehere.ca.