Parks Canada has announced another delay in the reopening of the Warsaw Road Swing Bridge on Parkhill Road East in Peterborough to vehicles and pedestrians.

On July 28, Parks Canada had announced the bridge would reopen on Saturday (August 7), but added “If additional adjustments or modifications are required as a result of the testing, the bridge opening will be delayed until they are completed.”

That’s exactly what happened, according to an email from Parks Canada issued on Friday.

“During commissioning of the swing bridge this week, the fit of key mechanical components on the bridge did not meet specifications,” the email states. “The components have been removed and are being remachined to ensure the proper fit. These components need to be properly in place on the bridge before testing and commissioning can restart to ensure safety.”

Parks Canada states it still expects the bridge to be reopened in August, but once again adds “If additional adjustments or modifications are required as a result of the testing, the bridge reopening will be delayed until they are completed.”

The bridge, originally constructed in 1956, was closed in October 2020 to replace the steel swing bridge structure, to repair the concrete abutments, and to replace mechanical and electrical operating systems. The bridge is now capable of handling full highway loading.

The bridge was originally scheduled to reopen in spring 2021. In May, Parks Canada announced the reopening of the bridge would be delayed until early July and, in July, until early August. During the closure, local traffic has been detoured along alternate routes.

Peterborough GreenUP has announced Tegan Moss will be taking on the role of executive director of the non-profit organization effective September 7.

Moss has been executive director at B!KE: The Peterborough Community Cycling Hub since 2011. Under her leadership, including through collaborations with GreenUP, Moss has greatly increased B!KE’s capacity for cycling education, including by launching in-school cycling programs, community bicycle repair and riding workshops, and Earn-A-Bike programs for youth and adults.

“I know I can speak for our board, staff, and partners when I say that we are excited to support and follow Tegan’s leadership as we celebrate GreenUP’s 30th anniversary and empower climate action towards the 2030 and 2050 sustainable development goals,” says Tammy Williams, chair of the GreenUP board, in a media release.

Moss has advocated for inclusive access to active transportation and infrastructure for many years. She has been recognized by the Share the Road Cycling Coalition with the Wheels of Change Award for Educating the next Generation, and with a Peterborough-Kawartha Women’s Leadership Award.

“I’m honoured to join GreenUP,” Moss says. “The Peterborough region needs urgent climate action. I’m inspired and eager to join this amazing team and our partners to shape a greener and more equitable future for the city and county of Peterborough.”

Moss takes over from Brianna Salmon, who has worked at GreenUP since 2008 in a variety of roles, including as executive director for the past five years. Salmon has been named executive director of Green Communities Canada, a national non-profit association of community-based environmental organizations that was formed in 1995.

With Moss’s imminent departure from B!KE, that organization is now seeking a new executive director. For more information, visit communitybikeshop.org/opportunities/

A Trenton man has won $5 million in the June 2nd Lotto 6/49 draw.

Marshall Dominey, a retired mechanic, says he has played Lotto 6/49 (and Lotto Max) for 40 years.

When he stopped at the store to check his tickets, he thought at first someone else had won.

“I saw ‘big winner’ on the ticket checker screen and I thought it was for the lady checking her tickets with the cashier,” he recalls. “I checked it again and I was in complete shock. I stared at my ticket forever, thinking ‘It can’t be me!'”

A father and grandfather, Dominey plans to share his winnings with his family and save some for future travel.

“I’m excited to enjoy some new adventures,” he says. “This amount of money is life changing — it’s surreal.”

Dominey purchased his winning ticket at West End Convenience on Dundas Street in Trenton.

All four major party candidates for the riding of Peterborough-Kawartha in the next federal election have now been selected — and, for the first time, they are all women.

Michelle Ferreri won the nomination to be the candidate for the Conservative Party of Canada on Wednesday night (August 4), defeating John Rich, after a member vote at the Peterborough Curling Club,

A Trent University graduate, Ferreri worked for 12 years at CHEX Television (now Global Peterborough), and then at The Loomex Group, before launching her own independent media company.

Also on Wednesday night, recent Trent University graduate and social advocate and volunteer Chanté White was acclaimed as the Green Party candidate during a virtual meeting, after Guy Hanchet withdrew from the race.

In April, the NDP chose educator Joy Lachica as their candidate. Lachica, who relocated from Toronto to the Peterborough area last year, is an active member of the Elementary Teachers of Toronto Local and a member of the provincial executive of the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario.

The three candidates are challenging Liberal incumbent Maryam Monsef, who will be seeking her third term as Peterborough-Kawartha MP. She is currently the Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Rural Economic Development.

While the federal election must be held on or before October 16, 2023, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is widely expected to call an election later in August, with the vote to be held in mid to late September — despite growing concerns that Canada is facing a fourth wave of COVID-19 due to the delta variant.

According to CTV news, as of Tuesday (August 3), the Liberals have nominated 226 candidates, the Conservatives have nominated 275 candidates, the NDP have nominated 126 candidates, and the Greens have nominated 97 candidates.

Peterborough Public Health and the Peterborough Petes have teamed up to motivate Peterborough-area residents who are not yet vaccinated by offering them a chance to win free tickets to a Petes home game during the 2021-22 season.

In the two-month ‘Get a Shot to Take a Shot’ campaign, anyone who gets a vaccine dose between Monday, August 9 and Thursday, September 30 — at a clinic run by Peterborough Public Health, Peterborough Regional Health Centre, or a local pharmacy — will have a chance to win one of 250 pairs of free tickets.

People receiving a vaccine dose during this time will be provided with a QR code to enter the contest. People who receive both first and second doses during the contest period can enter twice.

“Increasing local vaccination rates as quickly as possible is vital to fending off the delta variant, so we are thrilled to team up with the Petes through this exciting campaign,” says medical officer of health Dr. Rosana Salvaterra in a media release.

“We need to reach 90 per cent coverage rates of eligible individuals to achieve herd immunity in order to prevent spreading COVID-19 and the disruption it can cause to things our community loves, like hockey.”

A virtual draw will be held on September 30 to draw the 250 winners. A second draw will be held among those winners to provide five people with the opportunity to shoot the puck in the net from centre ice during the first intermission of an upcoming Petes home game. The winner of the shootout can enjoy an additional Petes home game from the Petes’ executive suite.

“We understand that the safest and quickest way to return to a hockey season with an arena full of cheering fans is dependent on vaccine uptake,” says Burton Lee, the Petes’ executive director of business operations.

“It will be an honour to host hundreds of local fans who have done their part to keep the Peterborough community safe at games next season.”

To date, 69.6 per cent of eligible Peterborough-area residents 12 years of age and over have been fully vaccinated. A total of 91,149 residents have received two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, representing 71 per cent of adults and 47 per cent of youth ages 12 to 17.

In another sign of the decreased demand for vaccinations, the drive-through COVID-19 vaccination clinic at the Lindsay Exhibition (LEX) will be closing on Friday, August 27.

Ross Memorial Hospital, which operates the clinic, is advising anyone who has a vaccination appointment booked at the clinic after August 27 to rebook their appointment to an earlier date.

Alternatively, people can just drive to the clinic between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. Monday to Friday for a vaccination. No appointment is needed.

Both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are available at the clinic.

Since it opened on March 18, Ross Memorial Hospital has administered almost 60,000 vaccine doses at the clinic.

“Our drive-through vaccination clinic has received such overwhelmingly positive feedback from the community for its functionality and the outstanding efforts of our hard-working staff,” says Ross Memorial Hospital’s president and CEO Kelly Isfan in a media release. “The expertise, care and compassion they have delivered at the LEX during this historic effort is truly something to celebrate.”

After the clinic closes on August 27, residents can still get a vaccination at one of the local clinics listed on the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit’s website at hkpr.on.ca/2021/07/30/vaccination-clinics/ or by contacting their primary care provider.

Vaccinations are also available at selected pharmacies in the region. Locations can be found on the Ontario government website at covid-19.ontario.ca/vaccine-locations.

Next week, Ross Memorial Hospital will be running the following pop-up vaccination clinics in smaller communities in Kawartha Lakes (no appointment needed):

• Bolsover Community Centre (12 Bolsover Rd., Bolsover) – Wednesday, August 11 (9 – 11 a.m.)
• Norland Recreation Centre (7675 Highway 35 N., Norland) – Wednesday, August 11 (1 – 3 p.m.)
• Kinmount Community Centre (4995 Monck Rd., Kinmount) – Thursday, August 12 (9 – 11 a.m.)
• Baddow Community Centre (60 Sommerville Rd., Coboconk) – Thursday, August 12 (1 – 3 p.m.)
• Manvers Community Centre (697 Highway 7, Bethany) – Friday, August 13 (10 a.m. – 12 p.m.)

To date, 119,151 residents of Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland, and Haliburton have received two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, with 69.4 per cent of residents 12 years of age and older fully vaccinated.