There will be no parade or large public gatherings for the 18th year of Pride in Peterborough, but that doesn’t mean Pride Week is cancelled. Plans are in the works for various community-run virtual events from Friday, September 18th to Sunday, September 27th to facilitate safe participation for all.

A testament to the resiliency of the community and the Peterborough Pride Committee’s commitment to provide space for participants to gather, share ideas, speak their minds, support each other, and have fun in a safe and accepting environment, “Pride in Other Spaces” aims to connect LGBTQ+ individuals and the community despite the challenges of our year of the virus.

“Obviously we’ve had mixed feelings about it,” says Rick Lambert of the Pride committee. “The small group of people that are involved in Pride organizing have had the same complex personal traumas during the pandemic as anyone else.”

“The consensus that we [the Pride Committee] came to was that individuals in the LGBTQ+ community can often feel isolated, and Pride brings an opportunity for people to come together and feel supported — that they’re not alone — so we felt compelled to do something,” Lambert adds.

“We were hearing from Toronto Pride and other Pride committees that were doing virtual events and there’s a lot of stuff that can be done online. As with any other year, we, the Pride committee, don’t actually run a lot of the events — rather, we invite the community to propose their own.”

At this point, around 10 to 15 virtual events are slated to take place throughout the week. Events will be posted at peterboroughpride.ca/events/. To propose an event, complete and submit the event application on Google Docs with all of your information and ideas. If you have any questions, you can email participate@peterboroughpride.ca.

“There are going to be various panel discussions, livestreams, and we have films that are going to be available for people to watch,” Lambert explains. “Instead of having a single event, there will be a link that they can go to watch the films at any time.”

VIDEO: “Changing The Game” official trailer

A Michael Barnett documentary, Changing The Game, which follows the lives of three high school athletes at different stages of their athletic seasons, personal lives, and unique paths as trans teens, will be presented online from September 18th to 27th by ReFrame Film Festival, Gender Journeys HKPR, and Peterborough Pride.

For details about how to connect to the event, visit the Facebook event page.

On Friday, September 18th, local drag icon Sahira Q will be hosting a virtual drag bingo event via Zoom as a part of Dis-Orientation Week, hosted by the Trent Queer Collective, the Trent Centre for Women and Trans People, and OPRIG Peterborough. Register for the event on the Zoom website.

On Sunday, September 20th, and every second Sunday following, Sahira Q will debut their DJ talents on Insta Live as a part of Peterborough Pride. There will also be an online drag event hosted by Fleming College on Thursday, September 24th. Follow Sahira Q @dragsahiraq on Instagram to stay updated about events.

“It’s definitely different than other years,” says Sahira Q, also known as Said Jiddaway when they’re offstage, “I remember last year, when I was on the Pride Committee, it was so much more hands-on — we were planning a parade and so many events.”

“It kind of sucks — some people look forward to Pride all year long; it’s their moment to connect with people like themselves. But we’re doing what we can and we’re doing our best to make sure that those people don’t feel left out this year.”

“I’ve done three digital events so far. It’s hard in a way because it lacks the interactivity of a live crowd, but at the same time, I’m working with it. Now I’m DJ-ing — I’m still producing content, just in a different way.”

“Ours is a community that needs connection and right now we can only connect through the internet. Online is not the same but it’s so important that there is still that connection, so I’m letting it be different but still good.”

To show support this year, Peterborough Pride is inviting everyone to show their “Pride in Other Spaces” by flying Pride-related flags or by decorating their homes and businesses to signal that they are a part of a welcoming community where nobody needs to feel isolated or unsafe.

“That way,” Lambert says, “if people are out and about, even if they’re not meeting with people, they can still feel supported and welcomed from the broader community, which is one of the things that we always hope comes from Pride every year.”

Throughout this pandemic, we have found safe ways to come together and care for each other as a community — to show our support. Pride in Other Spaces is another example of our ability to master the art of making the most of it. To support Peterborough Pride by making a donation, you can send an e-transfer to treasurer@peterboroughpride.ca.

The Peterborough District Masonic Association has donated $17,253.25 to YWCA Peterborough Haliburton’s Crossroad Shelter, which provides crisis and support services to local women and children fleeing abuse.

YWCA Peterborough Haliburton made the announcement on Monday (September 14).

“The leadership of caring men in our community who understand that responding to the impact of violence against women and their children, a responsibility we all share, is especially important in these uncertain times,” says YWCA Peterborough Haliburton executive director Kim Dolan.

According to the Masons’ Grand Lodge of Canada, “Masons are spiritual and moral men who choose to associate with groups of like-minded individuals for mutual benefit. What they find in Freemasonry is a disciplined and systematic course of self-improvement based on the Golden Rule: always do to others what you would like them to do to you.” There are 3.2 million masons across the world and more than 40,000 in Ontario.

Tom Mortlock, who is the District Deputy Grand Master of the Peterborough District Masonic Association, presented the cheque to YWCA Peterborough Haliburton. Together with his family and the MortWalk Construction Team, Mortlock has been actively involved in the YWCA’s Walk a Mile in Her Shoes fundraising event in Peterborough for many years.

“The essential service provided by the caring YWCA family is a resource that the Masons of Peterborough District were very proud to support this year,” Mortlock says.

This past May, YWCA Peterborough Haliburton announced it was ending the annual Walk a Mile in Her Shoes event after 11 years. The event has raised more than $950,000 for the Crossroad Shelter, including $103,028 in 2019.

Funds raised by the Peterborough District Masonic Association throughout the year were added to proceeds from the association’s “Stand a While in Her Shoes” event, a drive-through and drop-off fundraising event and bottle drive held at the Peterborough Masonic Temple on Rubidge Street in June.

Environment Canada has issued a frost advisory for overnight on Monday (September 14) and into Tuesday morning for almost all of the Kawarthas, including the City of Kawartha Lakes and Peterborough, Haliburton, and Hastings counties.

Patchy frost is expected overnight as temperatures drop to near or just below the freezing mark.

Some plants may be damaged or even destroyed by frost. Cover up plants, especially those in frost-prone areas. Take preventative measures to protect frost-sensitive plants and trees.

Environment Canada issues frost advisories are issued when temperatures are expected to reach the freezing mark during the growing season, leading to potential damage and destruction to plants and crops.

Northumberland County is not included in this frost advisory.

Police have recovered the body of a 39-year-old North York man who slipped under the water after the family’s canoe capsized on a lake in Minden Hills.

On Saturday (September 12), Haliburton Highlands OPP and emergency crews were called to assist with a capsized canoe on Moore Lake, about 17 kilometres south of Minden.

A family of four — including a man, woman, and two young children — has been paddling on the lake when their canoe capsized.

Boaters in the area came to the family’s assistance, pulling the woman and the two children out of the water. The man had already slipped under the water before he could be rescued.

The OPP’s helicopter and Underwater Search and Recovery Unit assisted in searching the lake for the missing man. Along with members of the Minden Hills Fire Department, they located and recovered the body of the missing man shortly after 6 p.m. on Saturday.

Investigators are citing absence of safety equipment as a significant contributing factor in this tragedy.

The OPP encourages all Ontarians to take personal responsibility for ensuring water safety for themselves and their children. It is important for everyone to be aware of proper boating and swimming practices, including wearing a lifejacket or PFD, learning how to swim, and not drinking or using drugs when swimming or operating a vessel.

This story has been updated to correct information previously provided by the police, who had stated the man who drowned had passed one of his children to rescuers before slipping under the water. Those involved in the rescue and witnesses have stated the man had already slipped under the water when the rest of the family was rescued and police have issued a clarification.

Student Transportation Services of Central Ontario (STSCO) is advising families to have a back-up plan in place after reporting on Friday (September 11) that almost 40 bus routes to public and Catholic schools have been cancelled for Monday (September 14).

STSCO, which provides school transportation for Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board and Peterborough Victoria Northumberland and Clarington Catholic School Board, has been informed that First Student bus company will have to cancel 38 school bus routes for both morning and afternoon runs on Monday due to a bus driver shortage.

On Thursday (September 10), First Student bus company was forced to cancel six bus routes to St. Paul Catholic Elementary School in Norwood, affecting 243 students, because of a driver shortage.

The routes cancelled for Monday are listed by school on stsco.ca and are also provided below.

As bus companies across Ontario are having difficulty hiring and retaining drivers during the COVID-19 pandemic, STSCO warns that bus route cancellations and delays may be a daily occurrence in the weeks ahead.

STSCO will post any disruptions on its website daily to give parents and guardians as much advance notice as possible.

Families in both Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board and Peterborough Victoria Northumberland and Clarington Catholic District School Board are asked to monitor the STSCO website in the mornings and evenings, sign up for automatic notifications, and follow @stsco_ca on Twitter for information on cancellations and delays.

PDF: Cancelled school bus routes for Monday, September 14, 2020
PDF: Cancelled school bus routes for Monday, September 14, 2020

UPDATE Fri Sep 11 7 p.m. – Readers have advised us that Lucy was found running loose on Thursday afternoon. The Peterborough Humane Society was called and picked up the dog. Lucy was reunited with her owners on Friday morning, before the police issued their media release about the dog. Police have been advised of the situation and we will update this story again when they issue an official update.

Original story below.

Peterborough police are seeking the public’s help in locating a stolen dog.

Sometime between 1 and 9 p.m. on Thursday (September 10), an unknown person or persons entered a home on Park Street in Peterborough and took a dog.

The dog, named Lucy, is part husky and part hound.

Anyone with any information is asked to contact Peterborough Police Service at (705) 876-1122 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS or online at www.stopcrimehere.ca

Here’s an update on COVID-19 cases in Ontario and the greater Kawarthas region.

Ontario is reporting 213 new COVID-19 cases, the largest daily increase since June. As has been the case for the previous two weeks, most of the new cases are in Toronto (71), Peel (38), and Ottawa (37), but there are now also more cases being reported in Waterloo (15), York (14), and Durham (9), with 6 cases also reported in each of Hamilton and Halton. The remaining 26 public health units are reporting five or fewer cases, with 18 reporting no new cases.

This is the highest daily increase in Ontario since June 29, when 257 cases were reported. Almost 70% of the new cases are among people under the age of 40, with 20% among people under 20. There are no new deaths to report and the number of people hospitalized because of COVID-19 has declined.

“All I’ve been asking is, please try to avoid these big gatherings, please try to avoid the weddings that I heard were 150, 170 people,” said Ontario Premier Doug Ford at a media conference with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday (September 11) during a groundbreaking ceremony for the Côté Gold Project in Gogama. “Just follow the guidelines and everyone will be okay.”

In the greater Kawartha region, there are no new cases to report in Peterborough, Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland, Haliburton, or Prince Edward and Hastings counties. An additional case has been resolved in each of Kawartha Lakes and Northumberland. There is currently 1 active case in Peterborough, 1 in Kawartha Lakes, 1 in Northumberland, and 5 in Prince Edward and Hastings counties.

Since the pandemic began in the greater Kawarthas region, there have been 106 confirmed positive cases in the Peterborough area (103 resolved with 2 deaths), 179 in the City of Kawartha Lakes (159 resolved with 32 deaths), 35 in Northumberland County (33 resolved with 1 death), 15 in Haliburton County (15 resolved with no deaths), and 52 in Hastings County and Prince Edward County (42 resolved with 5 deaths). The most recent death was reported in Northumberland on September 8.

Province-wide, there have been 44,068 confirmed cases, an increase of 213 from yesterday, with 39,598 (89.9% of all cases) resolved, an increase of 124. There have been 2,813 deaths (no change from yesterday) with 1,817 deaths reported in long-term care homes (no change from yesterday). A total of 3,245,837 tests have been completed, an increase of 32,501 from yesterday, with 31,384 tests under investigation, an increase of 5,534 from yesterday.

This report is based on data supplied by the province’s integrated Public Health Information System (iPHIS), as well as any additional information supplied by health units. This information is at least 24 hours old, so it is not real-time data. Note that each health unit reports the information in a different way.

Peterborough Public Health

Peterborough Public Health’s service area is the City and County of Peterborough and the Hiawatha and Curve Lake First Nations.

Confirmed positive: 106 (no change, last new case reported September 7)
Active cases: 1 (no change)
Deaths: 2 (no change)
Resolved: 103 (no change)
Total tests completed: Over 26,050 (increase of 105)
Institutional outbreaks: None (no change)

Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit

The Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit’s service area is the City of Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland County, and Haliburton County.

The health unit provides reports on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, excluding statutory holidays.

Confirmed positive: 229, including 179 in Kawartha Lakes, 35 in Northumberland, 15 in Haliburton (no change)
Probable cases: 0 (no change)
Hospitalizations (total to date): 15 (no change)
Deaths: 33 (no change)
Resolved: 207, including 159 in Kawartha Lakes, 33 in Northumberland, 15 in Haliburton (increase of 2, with 1 in Kawartha Lakes and one in Northumberland)
Active cases: 4, including 2 in Kawartha Lakes and 2 in Northumberland (no change)
Institutional outbreaks: None (no change)

Hastings Prince Edward Public Health

Hastings Prince Edward Public Health’s service area is Hastings County (including Bancroft) and Prince Edward County.

The health unit provides reports on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, excluding statutory holidays.

Confirmed positive: 52 (no change)
Active cases: 5 (no change)
Deaths: 5 (no change)
Hospitalized: 0 (no change)
Hospitalized and in ICU: 0 (no change)
Hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator: 0 (no change)
Recovered: 42 (no change)
Total tests completed: 25,893 (increase of 1,066)
Institutional outbreaks: None (no change)

Province of Ontario

Confirmed positive: 44,068 (increase of 213)
Resolved: 39,598 (increase of 124, 89.9% of all cases)
Hospitalized: 49 (decrease of 5)
Hospitalized and in ICU: 18 (increase of 4)
Hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator: 9 (no change)
Deaths: 2,813 (decrease of 1)
Deaths of residents in long-term care homes: 1,817 (no change)
Total tests completed: 3,245,837 (increase of 32,501)
Tests under investigation: 31,384 (increase of 5,534)

For more information about COVID-19 in Ontario, visit covid-19.ontario.ca.

Environment Canada has issued another frost advisory for portions of central and eastern Ontario, including Haliburton and Hastings counties.

Patchy frost is likely overnight on Friday (September 11), with temperatures dropping to near zero by 5 a.m.

Frost may damage frost-sensitive fruit trees and vegetable plants.

Cover up plants, especially those in frost-prone areas, and take preventative measures to protect frost-sensitive plants and trees.

The Ontario government has just launched a new page on its website reporting on COVID-19 cases in schools and licensed child-care centres.

Located at ontario.ca/page/covid-19-cases-schools-and-child-care-centres, the page will be updated every weekday with the most up-to-date COVID-19 information available.

The information includes a summary of cases in schools and licensed child care centres and agencies, whether a COVID-19 case is confirmed at a school (either in a child or a staff person), and where the numbers come from.

“The Premier and our government made a promise to parents, that we would ensure that they would have access to the same information that we have,” reads a statement issued by education minister Stephen Lecce and Peter Bethlenfalvy, treasury board president and minister responsible for the Ontario Digital Service.

“Over the last several weeks, we have been working with the Ministry of Health, the Ontario Digital Service and public health authorities, to ensure a rapid and transparent exchange of local COVID-19 data.”

kawarthaNOW.com plans to include any information about active school and child care cases in the greater Kawarthas region in our regular COVID-19 updates.

VCCS Employment Services Inc., a non-profit agency and resource centre in Lindsay, is receiving $225,032 in provincial funding for a project to connect job seekers and employers in the City of Kawartha Lakes and Peterborough.

Laurie Scott, MPP for Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock, announced the funding at the agency’s offices at 370 Kent Street West on Thursday (September 10).

“Improving employment services by focusing on the local needs of our community will help people upgrade important skills employers are looking for and enable them to get back into the work force in high-demand sectors that will contribute to the province getting back on track,” Scott said. “The Filling the Gap program will connect people to jobs and employers to people.”

Called “Filling the Gap: Using Competency-Based Hiring and Portfolio Development to Connect Job Seekers and Employers’, the VCCS Employment Services Inc. project will train 40 job seekers and 10 employers across a variety of local and regional industries where filling available employment opportunities has been a challenge. The project will focus on people who have been traditionally underrepresented in the labour market, including women, youth, persons with disabilities, and newcomers and international students.

“The implementation of competency-based hiring and portfolio development to highlight the skills of job seekers will enable employers to build a pipeline of talent to meet their hiring needs,” explained Brenda Roxburgh, executive director of VCCS Employment Services Inc.

“This community-based project will work in partnership with program stakeholders including those from literacy and essential skills services, workforce development, and regional employment service providers, as well as dedicated employer partners.”

In-class training, which will begin in October, includes focused competency portfolio development prior to a job placement or offer of employment by participating employers. Employers will receive individualized training plan development and ongoing support.

Funding for the Filling the Gap program comes from the Skills Catalyst Fund, administered by the Ministry of Colleges and Universities, which supports projects with innovative approaches to training and workforce development.

The Ontario government is investing $37 million in 86 projects to help thousands of job seekers get the skills they need to become job ready. Local training is provided by university, college, community, and industry organizations.

“As our economy continues to reopen, the need for training and retraining is essential,” Scott said. “Projects like Filling the Gap will connect people to the jobs they need and businesses to skilled workers.”