The Labour Day long weekend began in tragedy following a fatal collision on Highway 115 just south of Peterborough on Friday afternoon (September 2).

At around 3:30 p.m., a commercial motor vehicle was topped in the northbound lanes near Airport Road due to traffic when it was rear-ended by a pickup truck.

The pickup truck was then rear-ended by a second commercial motor vehicle.

The lone occupant of the pickup truck was pronounced dead at the scene.

On Wednesday (September 7), police identified the victim as 35-year-old Nathan Wagstaff of Peterborough.

Peterborough County OPP closed the northbound lanes of the 115 between Airport Road and County Road 28 for several hours while they documented the scene.

Detours were in place, and northbound traffic on the 115 was backed up by several kilometres at 5 p.m. on Friday afternoon.

The cause of the collision remains under investigation. Anyone who may have witnessed the collision or has dashcam footage and has not yet spoken with police is asked to contact the Peterborough County OPP Detachment at 705-742-0401 or 1-888-310-1122.

This story has been updated to include the identity of the victim.

Two people who wish to remain anonymous have donated a 61-acre woodlot in Peterborough County to Kawartha Land Trust, a non-government charitable organization working to protect land in the Kawarthas.

Known as Pipers’ Woods, the mature woodlot is part of a larger extensive forested area. Situated on limestone bedrock with shallow soil, the older trees and abundance of wildflowers on the property took many years to establish themselves.

The two donors purchased the property several decades ago, and the wide diversity of flora and fauna in Pipers’ Woods reflects their long-time interest in land stewardship and sustainable forestry, They decided to gift the property to Kawartha Land Trust to ensure the forest and its abundant wildlife would not be disturbed by future development or logging.

“As we are getting older, this donation was part of our estate planning,” the donors state. “We had previously read and heard about the good work of Kawartha Land Trust.”

Tree species in the property’s coniferous swamp include eastern white cedar, balsam fir, and white spruce, while the upland deciduous forest hosts sugar maple and red and white oak, as well as butternut — a species classified as “endangered” under Ontario’s Endangered Species Act.

The property is also home to two bird species at risk: the eastern wood-pewee and the wood thrush. The wood thrush, which thrives in core forest habitats like Pipers’ Woods, has seen its population decline in Canada by 83 per cent between 1970 and 2011.

To ensure the preservation of its sensitive habitat, Kawartha Land Trust is not disclosing the location of Pipers’ Woods and, at the request of the donors, the property will not be open to public access.

“We’re extremely grateful to the donors of Pipers’ Woods for their generosity and commitment to protecting land in the Kawarthas,” says John Kintare, executive director of Kawartha Land Trust.

“This mature forest will continue to be home to species like the barred owl that prefer older forests that cannot be quickly or easily re-established once gone.”

Kawartha Land Trust now protects 27 properties — including 11 in the past two years — comprising almost 5,800 acres and providing additional safe havens for wildlife in the Kawarthas while securing important ecological landscapes to help combat climate change.

For more information about Kawartha Land Trust, visit kawarthalandtrust.org.

Aaron McFadden, a teacher at Holy Cross Secondary School in Peterborough, is going to spend this Saturday night (September 3) in Peterborough’s first “tiny home” for people experiencing homelessness.

The sleep-out is a fundraiser for Peterborough Action for Tiny Homes (PATH), a grassroots initiative that constructed the small sleeping cabin with the help of volunteers and local businesses. It’s the first step in their ultimate vision to build a village of 50 tiny homes to help house some of the 317 people without a home in Peterborough, including 15 people this winter.

The prototype cabin, which is “roving” around different locations in Peterborough in September, was built by Chris Cleary of Cleary Homes with a volunteer construction crew. Drew Merrett of Merrett Home Hardware supplied materials for the cabin at cost along with Ken Wood at Charlotte Paint and Wallpaper. In partnership with PATH, Grace United Church raised $10,000 in a fundraising initiative spearheaded by church member Bev Templar.

On Saturday, the sleeping cabin will be located near the Old Stone Schoolhouse on Rubidge Street, opposite Cathedral of St. Peter-in-Chains. After attending 5 p.m. mass, McFadden will begin his sleep-out at 6 p.m. He will be available to speak with visitors and will accept donations through TipTapPay.

“Early in my teaching career, I took the opportunity to travel and teach internationally for about six years,” McFadden, says. “That experience has helped open my eyes to see the inequities in this world. When I returned home I use that same attitude to explore and learn about our country and our community.”

This is not the first time McFadden is camping out to raise awareness and funds for the homelessness. For the past two winters, he’s camped out in his backyard to raise funds for the YES Shelter for Youth and Families, bringing in over $3,000.

“I am very happy to sleep out in the tiny home cabin for one night,” he says. “My belief is that learning experiences are the most powerful we can have, and I look forward to the night and the people that I will meet. When we invest in ourselves and our community, it’s a better world.”

After McFadden’ sleep-out, the sleeping cabin will be at Cathedral of St. Peter-in-Chains until September 10, when it will move to Emmanuel United Church for a week.

It will also be at the Purple Onion Festival in Millennium Park on September 25.

You only have a few days left to visit The Canadian Canoe Museum at 910 Monaghan Road, with the museum closing the doors for good at 4 p.m. on Labour Day.

The museum will open again next summer at its new $40-million waterfront facility currently under construction at 2077 Ashburnham Drive on the shores of Little Lake.

The museum first opened at its Monaghan Road location, previously the head office of the Outboard Marine Corporation, in 1997.

“It will be bittersweet to see visitors walk through our red doors one final time,” says executive director Carolyn Hyslop in a media release. “This building holds more than 25 years’ worth of memories and has served us well, allowing us to grow and evolve into the dynamic museum we are today.”

“That said, closing our current location marks a significant milestone in our project timeline and brings us one step closer to the water’s edge. We are all looking forward to moving into a purpose-built facility on the water, which will allow us to expand our offerings in ways that are not possible here at 910 Monaghan Road.”

Designed by Peterborough’s Lett Architects Inc., the museum’s new facility is being constructed on a five-acre site just east of the Trans Canada Trail connecting Beavermead Park with Roger’s Cove. The two-storey, 65,000-square-foot building will feature a new collection hall that will allow for all of the museum’s collection of more than 600 watercraft and 500 paddles to be on display.

The museum’s new facility will also include a new suite of exhibits, a lakefront events and education space, an artisan and canoe building studio for hands-on learning, a library and research room, and a café with a fireplace and outdoor terrace.

The Canadian Canoe Museum’s Monaghan Road location is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. until Monday, September 5th.

After the museum closes, staff will disassemble the galleries, prepare all watercraft and small artifacts, pack up the museum’s archives including library and offices, design and develop the new exhibits for the new location, and continue fundraising.

On Thursday, September 8th from 7 to 9 p.m., the museum will host “25 Years of a Museum in the Making: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow,” a free virtual storytelling event that will be livestreamed on Zoom from the museum’s galleries, where some of the museum’s long-time supporters will share stories of their involvement with the museum.

Speakers will include James Raffan, Vicki Grant, Dale Standen, Mike Harrington, Jeremy Ward, Phyllis Williams, Bill Lockington, and Carolyn Hyslop.

To register, visit canoemuseum.ca/25-years.

Almost two years after the tragic shooting of 18-month-old Jameson Shapiro in Kawartha Lakes, Ontario’s police watchdog has announced manslaughter charges have been laid against three Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) officers involved in the shooting.

A media release from the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) issued on Wednesday (August 31) states that SIU director Joseph Martino has “reasonable grounds” to believe the three OPP officers “committed criminal offences” in relation to the infant’s death, and “has caused charges to be laid against each of the officers.”

OPP constables Nathan Vanderheyden, Kenneth Pengelly, and Grason Cappus have each been charged with one count of manslaughter and one count of criminal negligence causing death.

On November 26, 2020, the OPP responded to a report of a domestic dispute near Bobcaygeon involving a firearm, and that a 33-year-old man had abducted his infant son. When they attempted to stop the man’s pick-up truck on Pigeon Lake Road east of Lindsay, it collided with another vehicle and seriously injured an OPP officer.

Police confronted the driver and three officers fired shots at the pick-up truck, injuring the man. The body of the infant was later found in the pick-up truck, along with a handgun. The boy’s father succumbed to his injuries almost one week later.

After an initial investigation and months of speculation, the SIU confirmed in February 2021 the infant had died as a result of being shot by police.

At that time, SIU spokesperson Monica Hudon wrote in an email that the three officers involved in the shooting had “not as yet availed themselves of an opportunity to be interviewed.”

In August 2021, the SIU announced the investigation was “in a hold pattern” awaiting the results of specialized forensic testing of some of the ballistic evidence by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the U.S. In November 2021, the SIU announced it was reviewing the FBI’s forensic report and was continuing “to actively investigate this tragic case.” Over the following nine months, the SIU provided no further public updates on the investigation.

In response to the SIU’s announcement of charges, OPP Commissioner Thomas Carrique issued the following statement:

“On November 26, 2020, a family suffered the tremendous loss of their child, and the Ontario Provincial Police extends to them our deepest sympathies. Our mission is to protect our citizens, uphold the law and preserve public safety. When a tragedy such as this occurs, it affects the families, the community and our whole service. It is devastating when an innocent life is lost during an incident.’

“We thank members of the public who awaited the findings of the SIU, rather than speculating on what occurred. We respect the mandate and responsibilities of the SIU and will not comment further as this matter proceeds through the appropriate court processes.”

Rob Stinson, president of the Barrie-based Ontario Provincial Police Association, also issued a statement in response to the announcement of charges:

“This incident is a tragic circumstance for all involved. We are fully supporting our members charged and our officers and civilian staff affected, with some still off work. It has impacted many people, families, first responders, and our members. Every single day police officers make split second decisions that most will never have to make and wouldn’t want to make. This case is now before the courts. Everyone is entitled to due process. Our members have cooperated with the investigation in accordance with the law.”

This story has been updated with additional information about the SIU’s investigation and a statement from the Ontario Provincial Police Association.

The Town of Cobourg has announced an agreement of purchase and sale to donate a parcel of municipally owned vacant land, located at 604 Daintry Crescent, to Habitat for Humanity Northumberland.

Last October, the non-profit affordable housing organization submitted a proposal to Cobourg council proposing the land be declared surplus so Habitat could build a single detached home on the 0.2-hectare property, stating they already had a list of approved families waiting for affordable housing.

In December, council directed staff to declare the Daintry Crescent land as surplus and, at council’s committee-of-the-whole meeting on August 15, approved a motion to proceed with agreement of purchase and sale of the property for a nominal fee of $2. At the August 22 regular council meeting, council approved a by-law to execute the agreement of purchase and sale.

Under Habitat for Humanity’s model, approved families get “a hand up, not a hand out” through interest-free mortgages with no down-payment and mortgage payments geared to gross income. Families approved for housing are also required to contribute a minimum number of “sweat equity” hours into either building their home or otherwise volunteering for Habitat for Humanity.

As part of the agreement of purchase and sale for 604 Daintry Crescent, Habitat for Humanity Northumberland will assume all survey, zoning, and development and other costs, and the town will have an opportunity to review the design of the new build. Habitat will also work with town planning staff to ensure the new build complements the character of the existing neighbourhood.

Habitat will also ensure the community and neighbouring residents are kept up to date with regular mail notifications, and will hold an on-site community meeting will be held at a later date to introduce the final design details to residents and address any questions about the construction schedule.

A formal ground-breaking ceremony at 604 Daintry Crescent will take place at a later date.

A 51-year-old Peterborough man has been arrested and charged with mischief after he continued to disturb his neighbour by playing loud music.

Since August 20, Peterborough police have responded to several noise complaints in connection with a residence to a George Street South. The noise involved the occupant of the residence playing load music while the windows remained open.

During this time, police warned the occupant several times and also charged him under the city’s noise by-law.

On Monday (August 29) at 10:30 p.m., police went to the residence in response to another noise complaint. When officers attempted to speak to the occupant about the noise, he turned up the volume.

After obtaining a warrant, police entered the residence at 8 a.m. the following day, placed the occupant under arrest for mischief, and transported him to the police station.

Later the same day, police obtained another warrant to enter the residence and seize the stereo equipment the accused man was using to play music.

A 51-year-old Peterborough man has been charged with mischief for interfering with the lawful use and enjoyment of his neighbour’s property. He appeared in court on Tuesday (August 30) and was released.