Labour Day is a federal statutory holiday falling on the first Monday of September. Since Labour Day is a statutory holiday, all government offices and services and all liquor stores are closed, although a few beer stores are open. Most grocery stores are also open — except in the City of Peterborough, where all major grocery stores are closed on Labour Day. Most malls and big box stores are closed.

For your convenience, we provide this list of holiday hours for 265 selected businesses and services across the Kawarthas. This information comes from their websites and social media accounts, which may or may not be up to date, so please always call them first to confirm their hours (we’ve included phone numbers), especially when you are travelling any distance. Where you see “call to confirm”, that means we either couldn’t find any information or we don’t have a lot of confidence the hours listed on a business’s website are up to date.

If your business or organization is listed and the hours are incorrect, please let us know by using our content feedback form. We do not list restaurants as there are too many to include.

Search by business name, location, or keyword:

Beer & Liquor Stores

Drug Stores, Pharmacies & Health Services

Government Services

Grocery Stores

Malls & Box Stores

Other Stores

Recreation & Leisure

Veterinary Clinics

A 75-year-old Oakville man is dead following a three-vehicle collision Thursday afternoon (September 2) on Highway 35 north of Pontypool in Kawarthas Lakes.

At around 1:30 p.m. a passenger vehicle attempted to pass a transport truck on the highway, resulting in a collision.

The transport truck caught fire and sustained extensive damage. Another transport truck that was involved in the collision sustained minor damage.

The driver of the passenger vehicle, who police have identified as 75-year-old Oliver Gomes of Oakville, was pronounced dead at the scene.

A passenger in the vehicle was transported to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Highway 35 was closed until Friday morning while police completed an investigation.

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.