According to the Peterborough Performing Arts Recovery Alliance, a coalition of 13 arts organizations and live performance venues in Peterborough and the surrounding region, the future of local performing arts is in immediate jeopardy due to the continuing pandemic. For example, Market Hall Performing Arts Centre in downtown Peterborough is still carrying $10,000 in monthly expenses, despite having reduced its pre-pandemic expenses by between $30,000 to $50,000, with no revenue coming in. (Photo; Bradley Boyle)
The future of the performing arts is in immediate jeopardy due to the pandemic, according to a media release issued on Thursday (October 15) by the Peterborough Performing Arts Recovery Alliance.
The alliance is a member-led coalition representing 13 arts organizations and live performance venues in Peterborough and the surrounding region, including charitable organizations and private enterprise.
Members include 4th Line Theatre, Electric City Culture Council, Market Hall Performing Arts Centre, New Stages Theatre Company, Peterborough Memorial Centre, Peterborough Musicfest, Peterborough Symphony Orchestra, Peterborough Theatre Guild, Public Energy Performing Arts, Showplace Performance Centre, St. James Players, The Theatre on King, and The Venue.
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While the alliance’s members have been supported by government financial aid such as the wage subsidy and commercial rent relief programs, and have have taken steps to reduce expenses (including laying off staff), these measures have been insufficient to guarantee their future viability.
“Unfortunately, over six months without meaningful revenue has left our members in a desperate financial situation,” the alliance states.
To illustrate the issue, the alliance provides examples of the financial situation that two of its members are facing.
Market Hall Performing Arts Centre in downtown Peterborough is still carrying $10,000 in monthly expenses, despite having reduced its pre-pandemic expenses by between $30,000 to $50,000. With no revenue available to address the remaining expenses, the not-for-profit organization is looking at an accumulated deficit of $150,000.
The Theatre on King, a small black-box theatrical performance venue in downtown Peterborough, has lost 80 per cent of its revenue due to the pandemic. While the theatre’s sole full-time staff person has been collecting the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) instead of drawing a salary, and although the building’s landlord has provided a short-term rent reduction of 50 per cent, The Theatre on King will need at least $30,000 to continue to operate into 2021.
Performance venues in Peterborough range in size from the intimate black box theatre The Theatre on King (pictured) to the 4,329-seat Peterborough Memorial Centre, operated by the City of Peterborough. Other performance venues and performing arts organizations that are part of the Peterborough Performing Arts Recovery Alliance include Peterborough Musicfest, Peterborough Symphony Orchestra, Peterborough Theatre Guild, St. James Players, Public Energy, Showplace Performance Centre, The Theatre on King, and The Venue. (Photo: Bruce Head / kawarthaNOW.com)
“As we hit the pandemic;s second wave, we are gravely concerned about the future of the performing arts in the region,” the alliance states. “Without immediate relief, beloved venues and arts organizations are facing permanent closure.”
“We are reaching out to all levels of government, private industry, foundations, media, and the community to raise awareness and share our knowledge about what supports would make a difference to organizations like ours, both here and right across the country.”
The alliance is calling for stable and comprehensive multi-year funding measures, such as rent and tax relief, wage subsidies, operating support, funding for personal protective equipment, and subsidies for reopening with smaller audiences.
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“Direct support for our organizations equals support for the communities that rely on us, and the innumerable businesses — hotels, restaurants, cafes, pubs, and so many more — that depend on us for their success,” the alliance states. “The performing arts bring vitality, health, and wellness benefits, and our members generate an outsized economic impact on the city and region.”
For example, Peterborough Musicfest brings in at least $5 million to the local economy through its free-admission concerts every summer, the alliance states, and 4th Line Theatre in Millbrook has an economic impact of almost $4 million.
“The loss of venues and arts organizations would have a profound negative impact on businesses, on tax revenue, and on our reputation as a desirable place to visit, live, work, and invest,” the alliance states. “It would take years, if not decades, for Peterborough and the region to recover socially and economically from the gap left by our closure.”
According to the alliance, it will be more affordable to keep local arts organizations and performance viable now, rather than to allow them to permanently close and to attempt to rebuild the performing arts community in the future.
As of October 19, 2020, the COVID-19 assessment centre at Ross Memorial Hospital in Lindsay will move inside the hospital, in the former admitting area at the south side of the hospital. Free parking for people visiting the assessment centre is available in the short-term parking lot at the south side of the hospital, entering from Kent Street. Testing is by appointment only. (Photo: Google Maps)
Effective on Monday (October 19), the COVID-19 assessment centre at Ross Memorial Hospital in Lindsay will move inside the hospital.
The existing drive-through centre will close at the end of the day on Friday (October 16).
The new location of the assessment centre is in the former admitting area at the south side of the hospital (the current admitting department is now located inside the main entrance).
The entrance of the new location of the COVID-19 assessment centre at Ross Memorial Hospital in Lindsay. Testing is by appointment only. (Image: Google Maps)
The new location is separated from other clinical programs and areas within the hospital, “to support the safety of all patients, staff, and physicians” according to a media release from the hospital.
Testing is by appointment only. The hospital has provided the following instructions for booking and getting a test.
Call 705-328-6217 or request an appointment online at www.rmh.org.
Do not leave multiple messages or submit multiple forms.
Appointments are available Monday to Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 5:15 p.m.
You will receive a call back within one or two business days.
When arriving for your appointment
Arrive to the hospital at your appointment time.
Park in the short-term parking lot at the south side of the hospital, entering from Kent Street. There is no charge for parking for those visiting the assessment centre. All other patients should use short- or long-term parking on the north side of the hospital.
Wear a mask.
Bring your health card and identification.
Proceed to the south entrance (follow signage for COVID-19 Assessment Centre).
Maintain physical distancing from others awaiting testing.
If symptoms are severe, including difficulty breathing, chest pain, confusion or losing consciousness, you should be seen in the hospital’s emergency department immediately.
To stay up-to-date on the latest COVID-19 information at Ross Memorial Hospital, visit www.rmh.org/covid-19
Peterborough County OPP and the Havelock-Belmont-Methuen Fire Department responded to a fire at Havelock residence on October 13, 2020, where they located the body of a person. Police have now identified the victim as 70-year-old Barbara Stoddard of Havelock-Belmont-Methuen Township. The fire has been deemed non-suspicious. (Photo: OPP)
Police have released the name of the victim of a fire at a Havelock residence early on Tuesday morning (October 13).
At around 5:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Peterborough County OPP and the Havelock-Belmont-Methuen Fire Department were called to respond to a structure fire on County Road 30 south of the village of Havelock.
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At around 9 a.m., they located the body of a person within the structure, and have now identified the victim as Barbara Storring, 70, of Havelock-Belmont-Methuen Township.
The Office of the Fire Marshal was contacted and investigated the cause of the fire. The fire has been deemed non-suspicious and the police investigation is closed.
The City of Kawartha Lakes Police Service in Lindsay. (Photo: City of Kawartha Lakes)
For the first time, Kawartha Lakes police have issued a charge under the federal Quarantine Act after a Lindsay resident failed to self-quarantine after returning from travel abroad.
On Tuesday (October 13), the Public Health Agency of Canada contacted the Kawartha Lakes Police Service to request officers complete a quarantine compliance check at a residence in Lindsay.
The agency informed police a Lindsay resident had been ordered to remain inside their home, in quarantine for 14 days, after recently returning to Canada from a foreign country.
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When officers visited the resident’s home, they learned that the resident was away, visiting another community and not abiding by the quarantine order.
Officers returned to the person’s home the following day and issued the resident with a provincial offence notice for “Failure to comply with an order prohibiting or subjecting to any condition of entry into Canada”, contrary to section 58 of the Quarantine Act.
Upon conviction, the charge carries a fine of $1,130.
On Thursday (October 15), Ottawa police charged a 53-year-old woman under the Quarantine Act after she returned to work at a long-term care home four days after returning to Canada from a trip abroad. This was the first charge laid in Ottawa under the legislation.
A 2018 promotional photo for Peterborough's improv and sketch comedy troupe LLAADS, whose name was a acronym of the first names of its six members: Lindsay Unterlander, Adam Wilkinson, Luke Foster, Dan Smith, and Sarah McNeilly. The second "A", Adam Martignetti, is behind the camera. The troupe, which has now disbanded, is donating its savings to The Theatre on King, LLAADS' pre-pandemic performance home. (Photo: Adam Martignetti)
When the fine folks at kawarthaNOW.com invited me to be an arts and culture contributor, I wondered if there might ever come a time when I, as a practising theatre artist, would find myself awkwardly having to write about a production in which I had also participated.
Disclaimer: that time is now.
I am writing about LLAADS, a sketch comedy troupe that I am honoured to have performed with for just short of two years. Though writing about this endeavour isn’t nearly as awkward as I had anticipated, I think it’s safe to say that the subject/object dichotomy has flown the coop.
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This story is personal. It is a gesture of love, a celebration of life, and a pledge for the future.
If you’ve never heard of LLAADS, I will be so bold as to speak on behalf of the entire troupe when I say that we think you are an inherently flawed human being. Just kidding!
LLAADS member Adam Martignetti during a performance at The Theatre on King. He gets his own photo because he’s missing from this story’s feature photo and because his moose onesie should never be forgotten. (Photo: Eryn Lidster)
LLAADS is an acronym for the names of the troupe members: Lindsay Unterlander, Luke Foster, Adam Wilkinson, Adam Martignetti, Dan Smith, and Sarah McNeilly. The invisible “E”, which is also silent, represents our tech-goddess and Zen-master of cool, Eryn Lidster.
I will be forever grateful to Luke Foster and Dan Smith for founding LLAADS in 2018. They handpicked each of the talented and multifaceted members of the troupe. Their madcap idea to create and perform monthly sketch comedy shows brought us together as comedians and as friends, and we are better for it.
“We had no idea what was going to happen,” recalls Lindsay of LLAADS’ debut performance. “Without telling one another, three of us had drained our bank accounts before arriving for the show so that we’d have enough money to cover the cost of the venue rental, just in case it was a flop.”
“We ended up selling out that show,” she laughs, “and I guess the rest is history.”
It is only now, in retrospect, that I can truly appreciate the magnitude of our collective accomplishment. It really is quite historical.
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In just under two years, LLAADS created and performed 19 original sketch and improv shows. Not impressed? Let me break that down for you: we collectively wrote, memorized, blocked, designed, and performed 225 original scripts!
That’s an average of 12 a month, and that’s only the ones we performed (Dan, if I ever learn how to properly pronounce archaic British currency names, I promise to perform your poker script)!
To say it was a lot of work would be an understatement, my cortisol levels are spiking just thinking about it. Frankly, I don’t know how we did it but we did, and we did it well.
The LLAADS improv and sketch comedy troupe during a pre-pandemic performance at The Theatre on King in downtown Peterborough: a concerned Sarah McNeilly, an incredulous Dan Smith, a napping Lindsay Unterlander, a bemused Luke Foster, a pontificating Adam Martignetti, and a missing Adam Wilkinson. (Photo: Eryn Lidster)
“We weren’t always the most well-oiled machine but the comedy was slick,” laughs Adam Wilkinson.
“We always walked away with something we were proud of,” adds Lindsay.
In a true Hair Club For Men moment, I can honestly say that I’m not just a (former) member of LLAADS; I’m also a fan!
LLAADS member Lindsay Unterlander donning a face mask in September 2019. Either LLAADS was ahead of its time, or Lindsay knew something the rest of us didn’t. (Photo: Adam Martignetti)
I think we produced some really funny and cutting-edge comedy and, given the fact that we performed for sold-out audiences every month, I’ll wager that there exist some people in Peterborough who would be inclined to agree.
Our greatest strength was the collective itself. Due to the varying comedic styles of the troupe’s members, LLAADS comedy was dynamic. It was zany, cerebral, satirical, feminist, slapstick, political, physical, morbid, sometimes taboo, and always hilarious.
LLAADS was a many-headed hydra.
LLAADS members Luke Foster, Dan Smith, Sarah McNeilly, and Lindsay Unterlander workshopping material. In two years, the troupe collectively wrote, memorized, blocked, designed, and performed 225 original scripts. (Photo: Adam Martignetti)
“The LLAADS were a wondrous rabble, smashing together some of the unique talents of Peterborough,” proclaims Adam Wilkinson.
“Everyone involved had such a unique and individual contribution to the troupe,” adds Luke. “It really was a pleasure to be a part of and to witness.”
“I have fond, fonder AND fondest memories of pacing in the congested dressing room with Sarah,” says Dan. “We’d hear our trusted friends land that first big laugh and we’d stifle ours upon each other whilst silently plotting to top it.”
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“Being a part of the LLAADS was one of the great joys in my life,” says Adam Martignetti. “I created and performed with people I love, and pushed myself and others to be greater than we thought ourselves to be.”
“I didn’t realize how much I grew from it,” Lindsay muses. “It helped me find my voice as a woman in comedy. We could explore things that are taboo for women and work through them on the stage.”
The stage where we cut our teeth, The Theatre on King (TTOK), like every other live performance venue in our fair city, is at risk.
LLAADS members Dan Smith, Adam Wilkinson (back), Luke Foster, and Sarah McNeilly. (Photo: Adam Martignetti)
Earlier this week, Lindsay suggested LLAADS donate the money we had saved for festival fees, travel, and other miscellaneous expenses — a total of $1,000 — to help our beloved TTOK through this tough time in our year of the virus.
“Hanging onto a jar of money for a troupe that doesn’t really exist anymore while the space that made us possible struggles just feels wrong,” says Lindsay of LLAADS donation.
The poster for the very first LLAADS show, performed on March 31, 2018 at The Theatre on King in downtown Peterborough. (Graphic: Adam Martignetti)
“When COVID ends and we start something, it will be new,” she continues. “It will have a new name, and perhaps not all of the same people. This donation to TTOK is an attempt to help ensure the theatre will still be there when this is over.”
“I won’t imagine a future without TTOK,” Dan insists. “It welcomes and embraces and baffles and entrances and inspires and bathes a bald pate in gold paint.”
“TTOK itself, like a fountain of rainbow paint, spewed forth art of all forms, some of which were formless,” Adam Wilkinson explains.
“The LLAADS sprang out from that fountain, mixing some old with some new,” he continues. “I hope that our small gesture can keep that rainbow blood flowing ’cause, when this is all over, we will need some of that beautiful rainbow soul to remind us why life is worth living.”
“The LLAADS’ donation to The Theatre on King was, quite literally, the easiest decision the group has ever made,” Adam Martignetti concludes.
LLAADS, the Queen of Peterborough sketch comedy, channelling “Bohemian Rhapsody”. (Graphic: Adam Martignetti)
Though it was a great run, LLAADS has run its course. It’s only fitting that the last thing we should do together as a collective is to close the circle, in a sense, by giving back to the theatre that gave so much to us. By investing in the future, we are honouring our collective past.
LLAADS hopes this donation will inspire others to donate to The Theatre on King. Realistically if a bunch of broke comedians can donate, anyone can!
To donate to TTOK, visit publicenergy.ca/support/donate/ and choose “The Theatre on King” from the drop-down menu. Or watch Adam Martignetti’s hilarious and moderately helpful video, in his signature VHS aesthetic, below.
VIDEO: Local Theatre? Local Theatre! – Donate to The Theatre on King
Note: Eryn Lidster could not be reached for comments for this article. To be fair, I told you the “E” was silent.
LLAADS’ “silent E” behind the scenes: Eryn Lidster. (Photo: Adam Martignetti)
Here’s an update on COVID-19 cases in Ontario as well as in the greater Kawarthas region.
Today, Ontario is reporting 783 new COVID-19 cases, with the majority in Toronto (239), Peel (136), York (127), and Ottawa (89). There are smaller increases reported in Durham (40), Halton (28), Eastern Ontario Health Unit (23), Niagara (19), Hamilton (19), Simcoe Muskoka (15), Waterloo (13), Brant County (12), Southwestern Public Health (7), and Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph (6). The remaining 20 public health units are reporting 5 or fewer cases, with 14 reporting no cases at all.
Of today’s cases, 51% are among people under the age of 40. The positivity rate has decreased by 0.1% to 2.9% (this means that 2.9% of the tests that were performed on October 14 were positive for COVID-19). With 779 more cases resolved, the percentage of resolved cases has increased by 0.2% to 85.7%.
There have been 5 new deaths, and 22 additional people have been hospitalized since yesterday, for a total of 253. However, 2 patients have been discharged from ICUs and 4 fewer people are on ventilators. A total of 39,961 tests were completed yesterday, and the backlog of tests under investigation has increased by 9,756 to 36,314.
The number of new cases in Ontario schools today is 100, an increase of 4 from yesterday, with 55 student cases, 17 staff cases, and 37 cases among unidentified individuals. There are 20 new cases in licensed child care settings, an increase of 5 from yesterday, with 15 cases among children and 5 cases among staff.
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In the greater Kawarthas region, there is 1 new case to report in Peterborough for the second day in a row. There are no new cases in Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland, Haliburton, or Hastings and Prince Edward counties.
None of the new cases in Ontario schools and child care settings are in the greater Kawarthas region.
There are currently 7 active cases in the greater Kawarthas region, including 3 in Peterborough, 3 in Hastings and Prince Edward counties, and 1 in Haliburton.
Since the pandemic began in the greater Kawarthas region, there have been 133 confirmed positive cases in the Peterborough area (128 resolved with 2 deaths), 183 in the City of Kawartha Lakes (164 resolved with 32 deaths), 45 in Northumberland County (44 resolved with 1 death), 19 in Haliburton County (18 resolved with no deaths), and 63 in Hastings and Prince Edward counties (55 resolved with 5 deaths). The most recent death was reported in Northumberland on September 8.
Province-wide, there have been 62,196 confirmed cases, an increase of 783 from yesterday, with 53,291 (85.7% of all cases) resolved, an increase of 779. There have been 3,022 deaths, an increase of 5 from yesterday, with 1,969 deaths in long-term care homes, an increase of 1 from yesterday. An additional 22 people have been hospitalized, with 2 patients discharged from ICU admissions and 4 fewer patients on ventilators. A total of 4,534,334 tests have been completed, an increase of 39,961 from yesterday, with 36,314 tests under investigation, an increase of 9,756 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’s service area is the City and County of Peterborough and the Hiawatha and Curve Lake First Nations.
The health unit provides daily reports, including on weekends.
Confirmed positive: 133 (increase of 1) Active cases: 3 (increase of 1) Deaths: 2 (no change) Resolved: 128 (no change) Total tests completed: Over 32,550 (increase of 200) 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 from Monday to Friday, excluding statutory holidays.
Confirmed positive: 247, including 183 in Kawartha Lakes, 45 in Northumberland, 19 in Haliburton (no change) Probable cases: 0 (no change) Hospitalizations (total to date): 15 (no change) Deaths: 33 (no change) Resolved: 226, including 164 in Kawartha Lakes, 44 in Northumberland, 18 in Haliburton (no change) Active cases: 1 (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 from Monday to Friday, excluding statutory holidays.
Confirmed positive: 63 (no change) Active cases: 3 (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: 55 (no change) Total tests completed: 42,542 (increase of 67) Institutional outbreaks: None (no change)
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Province of Ontario
Confirmed positive: 62,196 (increase of 783) Resolved: 53,291 (increase of 779, 85.7% of all cases) Hospitalized: 253 (increase of 22) Hospitalized and in ICU: 62 (decrease of 2) Hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator: 31 (decrease of 4) Deaths: 3,022 (increase of 5) Deaths of residents in long-term care homes: 1,969 (increase of 1) Total tests completed: 4,534,334 (increase of 39,961) Tests under investigation: 36,314 (increase of 9,756)
New COVID-19 cases in Ontario from September 14 – October 14, 2020. The red line is the number of new cases reported daily, and the dotted green line is a five-day moving average of new cases. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)COVID-19 tests completed in Ontario from September 14 – October 14,2020. The red line is the number of tests completed daily, and the dotted green line is a five-day moving average of tests completed. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)
"All of my shows were cancelled and have since been moved online. It has definitely been a struggle but, once I learned the ways, it's been a triumph to be able to perform virtually during this tough time." Said Jiddawy, Graphic Designer/Illustrator/Drag Queen (Photo: Julie Gagne)
On August 31st, the Electric City Culture Council (EC3) in Peterborough launched “Essential”, a photography project that raises awareness of the precarious situation of local artists and arts organizations during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Part of EC3’s Peterborough Arts Alive initiative, the Essential project is a series of 17 photos by local photographer Julie Gagne that depicts 20 local artists during the pandemic. Each of the photos feature an artist or artists in their home or workplace and is accompanied by an artist statement about their experience of the pandemic.
Twice each week until the end of October, kawarthaNOW is publishing photos from the series. Today, we feature graphic designer/illustrator/drag queen Said Jiddawy.
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Graphic designer/illustrator/drag queen Said Jiddawy
Said Jiddawy, Graphic Designer/Illustrator/Drag Queen – The Essential Project. (Photo by Julie Gagne, design by Rob Wilkes)
A message from EC3 about The Essential Project
The 2020 COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on both individual artists and arts organizations in Peterborough. Performance venues and galleries have been closed, concerts cancelled, exhibitions postponed, entire seasons abandoned. Organizations and facilities are trying to grapple with the loss of revenue and an uncertain future. “Reopening” is not straightforward, to say the least.
Individual artists have lost their creative income and the opportunity to work together to create — something that is absolutely vital to them and to their audiences. Many have pivoted, and developed and presented some great virtual and digital projects. But nothing replaces live performance in front of a live audience and the catalytic energy that comes from being together to rehearse, discuss, and plan projects, to gather at an opening or artist talk.
Isolated at home, cut off from their communities and the lifeblood that is their artistic practice, local artists still found ways to keep our cultural life alive. Silenced and almost invisible, they kept working. But it hasn’t been easy.
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Local photographer Julie Gagne began photographing a number of Peterborough residents in their homes during the earlier stage of the pandemic and posted the photos on Facebook. The eloquent, haunting images of her “Within” portrait project included some artists, and those incredibly moving images caught the eye of EC3 executive director Su Ditta.
Julie’s photos made us think. We have all benefited from the work of artists during the pandemic: we’ve listened to music, read books, watched films, toured virtual exhibitions, tuned in to living room concerts. What has it been like for the artists? Will people remember how essential the arts were to getting through the pandemic when it comes to recovery funding and budget planning? Will arts organizations be supported in a robust recovery plan?
EC3 asked theatre artist Sarah McNeilly to curate and coordinate, and approached Julie Gagne to do a distinct series of photos that spoke to the experience of local artists and what art means to our lives, in good times and in bad. It’s essential.
This arts awareness project is both a witness to the struggles of, and a testament to the courage and contributions of this community during the COVID-19 lockdown. Our heartfelt thanks go out to Julie and everyone in the arts community who have kept us going.
Hydro One workers replacing a hydro pole. (Photo: Hydro One)
A planned power outage on Sunday (October 18) will affect almost 5,000 Hydro One customers in northern Peterborough County.
Hydro One is replacing hydro poles and will be switching off power in an area stretching from Upper Stony Lake in the south to the edge of Silent Lake Provincial Park in the north, and from Kawartha Highlands Provincial Park in the west to Highways 46 and 504 in the east.
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A total of 4,835 customers will be affected, including in the communities of Crowes Landing, Woodview, Nephton, and Apsley.
Hydro One will be switching off power at 8 a.m., with an estimated restoration time of 2 p.m.
The affected area of Hydro One’s planned outage from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on October 18, 2020. (Map: Hydro One)
One way to support a sustainable circular economy is by not buying single-use paper towels and napkins that go straight into the landfill. Instead, consider reusable alternatives like these "Unpaper Towels" and cloth napkins, handmade in Peterborough by Cheeks Ahoy and available at the GreenUP Store and Resource Centre. (Photo: Leif Einarson)
Each week, GreenUP provides a story related to the environment. This week’s story is by Leif Einarson, Communications and Marketing Specialist at GreenUP.
Let’s talk trash. Next week (October 19 to 25) is Waste Reduction Week in Canada.
Last week, federal Environment Minister Jonathan Wilkinson announced plans to eliminate single-use plastics by 2022. By 2030, Canada has committed to zero plastic waste.
But our trash does not vanish simply because it’s trash. In 2016 alone, 29,000 tonnes of plastic garbage polluted beaches, parks, lakes, and our air — this according to the Draft Science Assessment of Plastic Pollution informing the recent federal announcement.
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Below you’ll find six tips to help you trash talk constructively. These include local resources to reduce waste in your life and support broader waste reduction initiatives in Peterborough, and across Ontario and Canada. I’ve summarized these from the Waste Reduction Week in Canada website (visit wrwcanada.com to learn more).
Before we look at that list, let’s acknowledge that not all waste is created equal.
Apart from the visible tangible waste you deal with every day, there are also the less visible greenhouse gas emissions that we’re all responsible for.
The impacts of these emissions, however, are clearly visible. Human-caused climate change is apparent in our daily lives. This past summer was one of the hottest and driest ever in Peterborough: over 30 days above 30°C. The average in the 1990s was 6.3 days above 30°C. The Otonabee Region Conservation Authority declared a low water condition on June 18 and it is still in effect.
Sparo Lindsay of Union Studio in downtown Peterborough holds a bag of metal foils that have been collected and cleaned for recycling after being used for hair colouring. Local business communities have a powerful role to play as leaders in waste reduction and in building relations with their clients that demonstrate the value of sustainable business practices. (Photo: Ben Hargreaves)
We need to take climate action to reduce our waste, both individually and also collectively through bold, informed leadership. If you aren’t sure what those programs might be locally, check out GreenUP’s Climate Action Resource at greenup.on.ca/climate-action-resource/.
Climate action requires that we disconnect our daily lives and economies from fossil fuels. That action includes, for example, creating bike-friendly infrastructure so residents walk or use bikes instead of cars for trips under 5km. Climate action also includes reducing plastic waste. Plastics are, after all, made from petroleum.
The recent single-use plastic announcement by the federal government gives provinces and municipalities the leadership they need to take aggressive action on the underlying habit of “single use.” Whether your groceries come home in plastic or paper single-use bags, you are still participating in an economy of waste.
With that in mind, here is your six-step cheat sheet for breaking those wasteful habits and supporting a shift towards a sustainable economy.
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1. Draw a circle, not a line
Consider the coffee pod: Canadians use 2.8 million of these every day, and most end up in the garbage.
This is an example of a linear economy: with those coffee pods you can draw a straight line from raw resource, through manufactured product, to the landfill. This linear economy is not sustainable.
In a circular economy, products are designed to ensure we reuse resources by reinvesting them in new products again and again. Instead of a straight line from raw resources to landfills, we draw a circle that reduces resource extraction and waste.
You may think that recycling already draws that circle. Recycling, however, is not quite the same thing as a circular economy. Instead of finding a recycling solution after a product is already designed and bought, in a circular economy we would never design and produce wasteful products like coffee pods to begin with. In a circular economy, the start of product design is planning for the recovery and reuse of materials.
Learn more about the circular economy at wrwcanada.com.
People who typically avoid single-use plastics may find this difficult to do during the pandemic, with disposable masks and single-use containers of hand sanitizer. Some sources suggest that plastic waste has increased by over 300 per cent because of COVID-19. Avoid wasting emotional energy on guilt and blame. Do what you can, and remember that masks and other personal protective equipment should be disposed of safely and responsibly. (Photo: Leif Einarson)
2. Reuse textiles
It takes 2,650 litres of water to produce a single cotton t-shirt. North Americans send about 40 kilograms of clothing per person to landfill each year. Of that, 95 per cent could be reused or recycled. We need to use these resources responsibly.
What can you do? Swap or share, sell, or donate. Watch for opportunities when the local Free Market starts up again (visit opirgptbo.ca/free-market/ for details).
Get creative: DIY upcycle old items into new fashion items. Instead of buying new textile products, support sustainable reuse at places like Talize and Value Village. If you have old clothes that can’t be re-worn, consider reaching out to B!KE to see if they can re-purpose these as rags for their shop.
3. Eliminate e-waste
How can you reduce waste from electronics? Repair or refurbish instead of buying new.
Recycle to avoid sending electronics to the landfill.
If you must buy new, look for sustainable, circular approaches to product design.
For e-waste solutions in Peterborough, reach out to our local rebootcanada.ca.
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4. Pause before plastic
When you see plastic, pause and think.
As discussed above, most plastics are made from petroleum. Avoid products or foods that come with single-use plastic.
For more ideas on how to reduce plastics in your life, check out GreenUP’s monthly #ZeroWaste features by subscribing to our e-newsletter. You can also chat with Kristen LaRocque (coordinator at the GreenUP Store and Resource Centre) at kristen.larocque@greenup.on.ca about reducing plastic waste.
Did you know about 47 per cent of wasted food in Canada comes from homes? Of the 42,000 tonnes of waste dumped into the Peterborough landfill each year, approximately 5,880 of thatis wasted food. That is 650 garbage truck loads of wasted food!
Avoid “bought & forgot” waste by planning meals before you buy food, eating what you buy, getting creative with leftovers, and composting.
The value of food thrown away in Peterborough City and County each year is approximately $30.6 million. Local chef Tyler Scott’s family uses this white board in their kitchen to create lists of things to purchase, items to use up, and inspiration for their weekly meals. This approach helps them to reduce the number of trips they make and also helps to avoid food waste. (Photo: Tyler Scott)
6. Share and repair
Ownership is overrated.
For example, a membership to the Peterborough Tool Library means you can borrow instead of own tools: you’ll have more money and space to build neat things. You can also afford a much nicer bike if, instead of having your own shop, you get a membership to B!KE and make use of their shop and amazing tools and expertise.
How else can you share and repair in Peterborough? Advocate for bike and car share programs, and support local swap, repair, and reuse programs like Repair Café Peterborough or Habitat for Humanity Restore.
Consider participating in or creating swap events within your neighbourhood and workplace. Find new life for unwanted or damaged products and textiles.
With a little bit of thought, sharing and repairing can still be done safely by following COVID-19 requirements from Peterborough Public Health. A wasteful linear economy is bad for our health too.
Get ready for Waste Reduction Week, Peterborough. Follow @PtboGreenUP on social media for more tips and to share your own success stories!
Here’s an update on COVID-19 cases in Ontario as well as in the greater Kawarthas region.
Today, Ontario is reporting 721 new COVID-19 cases. Most of the new cases are in Toronto (270), Peel (170), and York (79), with smaller increases in Hamilton (41), Ottawa (39), Waterloo (23), Durham (22), Halton (21), Eastern Ontario Health Unit (20), Simcoe Muskoka (15), Brant County (7), and Middlesex-London (6). The remaining 22 public health units are reporting 5 or fewer cases, with 14 reporting no cases at all.
Of today’s cases, 53% are among people under the age of 40. The positivity rate has increased by 0.4% to 3% (this means that 3% of the tests that were performed on October 13 were positive for COVID-19). With 783 more cases resolved, the percentage of resolved cases has increased by 0.3% to 85%.
There are no new deaths, and only 1 additional person hospitalized since yesterday, for a total of 231. An additional 4 patients have been admitted to ICUs, with 1 additional patient on a ventilator. A total of 32,206 tests were completed yesterday, and the backlog of tests under investigation has increased by 2,138 to 26,558.
The number of new cases in Ontario schools today is 96, an increase of 44 from Friday, with 51 student cases, 13 staff cases, and 32 cases among unidentified individuals. There are 15 new cases in licensed child care settings, a decrease of 5 from Friday, with 9 cases among children and 6 cases among staff.
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In the greater Kawarthas region, there is 1 new case to report in Peterborough. There are no new cases in Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland, Haliburton, or Hastings and Prince Edward counties. None of the new cases in Ontario schools and child care settings are in the greater Kawarthas region.
There are currently 6 active cases in the greater Kawarthas region, including 2 in Peterborough, 3 in Hastings and Prince Edward counties, and 1 in Haliburton.
Since the pandemic began in the greater Kawarthas region, there have been 132 confirmed positive cases in the Peterborough area (128 resolved with 2 deaths), 183 in the City of Kawartha Lakes (164 resolved with 32 deaths), 45 in Northumberland County (44 resolved with 1 death), 19 in Haliburton County (18 resolved with no deaths), and 63 in Hastings and Prince Edward counties (55 resolved with 5 deaths). The most recent death was reported in Northumberland on September 8.
Province-wide, there have been 61,413 confirmed cases, an increase of 721 from yesterday, with 52,512 (85.5% of all cases) resolved, an increase of 783. There have been 3,017 deaths, no change from yesterday, with 1,968 deaths in long-term care homes, also no change from yesterday. An additional 1 person has been hospitalized, with 4 new ICU admissions and 1 new patient on a ventilator. A total of 4,494,373 tests have been completed, an increase of 32,206 from yesterday, with 26,558 tests under investigation, an increase of 2,138 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’s service area is the City and County of Peterborough and the Hiawatha and Curve Lake First Nations.
The health unit provides daily reports, including on weekends.
Confirmed positive: 132 (increase of 1) Active cases: 2 (increase of 1) Deaths: 2 (no change) Resolved: 128 (no change) Total tests completed: Over 32,350 (increase of 50) 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 from Monday to Friday, excluding statutory holidays.
Confirmed positive: 247, including 183 in Kawartha Lakes, 45 in Northumberland, 19 in Haliburton (no change) Probable cases: 0 (no change) Hospitalizations (total to date): 15 (no change) Deaths: 33 (no change) Resolved: 226, including 164 in Kawartha Lakes, 44 in Northumberland, 18 in Haliburton (no change) Active cases: 1 (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 from Monday to Friday, excluding statutory holidays.
Confirmed positive: 63 (no change) Active cases: 3 (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: 55 (no change) Total tests completed: 42,475 (increase of 144) Institutional outbreaks: None (no change)
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Province of Ontario
Confirmed positive: 61,413 (increase of 721) Resolved: 52,512 (increase of 783, 85.5% of all cases) Hospitalized: 231 (increase of 1) Hospitalized and in ICU: 64 (increase of 4) Hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator: 35 (increase of 1) Deaths: 3,017 (no change) Deaths of residents in long-term care homes: 1,968 (no change) Total tests completed: 4,494,373 (increase of 32,206) Tests under investigation: 26,558 (increase of 2,138)
New COVID-19 cases in Ontario from September 13 – October 13, 2020. The red line is the number of new cases reported daily, and the dotted green line is a five-day moving average of new cases. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)COVID-19 tests completed in Ontario from September 13 – October 13,2020. The red line is the number of tests completed daily, and the dotted green line is a five-day moving average of tests completed. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)
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