Overcrowding, littering, parking violations, and bad behaviour is continuing along sections of the Trent-Severn Waterway, prompting closures and other actions.
On Tuesday (August 4), the Northumberland OPP announced that “enhanced rules” will be implemented at Healey Falls, a tourist attraction located 10 kilometres north of Campbellford.
“The tourist area has seen a large increase in visitors resulting in numerous complaints involving overcrowding, parking violations, littering, and various other behaviours which might compromise public safety,” a police media release states.
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Police say Parks Canada will be posting prominent signage warning against littering, camping, fires, and parking in prohibited areas.
Parks Canada staff will be monitoring the area for people contravening the restrictions, which may result in enforcement action being taken by Parks Canada wardens and local police. Any vehicle found to be obstructing the roadway may be at risk of being towed.
This is the latest in a series of similar issues along the Trent-Severn Waterway in the Kawartha region during July.
A kawarthaNOW.com reader who wishes to remain anonymous submitted this photo on August 1, 2020 of a large tent with about 30 people along River Road between Peterborough and Lakefield. Camping on Parks Canada land in this area is prohibited, and there are no public washrooms. (Supplied photo)
Crown land at the popular Burleigh Falls was closed to the public on July 9th because of overcrowding, parking violations, and bad behaviour.
In early July, kawarthaNOW also reported illegal camping, littering, public defecation along the Trent Canal between Peterborough and Lakefield — which continues to take place despite efforts by Park Canada.
On July 28th, the Municipality of Trent Hills, which operates Crowe Bridge Park park on behalf of the Crowe Valley Conservation Authority, closed the park effective July 30th because of overcrowding and illegal parking.
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Then, on July 30th, the Municipality of Trent Hills announced the closure of the Ranney Gorge Suspension Bridge, located just south of Ranney Falls in Ferris Provincial Park.
The Ranney Gorge Suspension Bridge, located just south of Ramney Falls in Ferris Provincial Park in Northumberland County. (Photo: Northumberland Tourism)
The municipality says it closed the 300-foot-long bridge because of overcrowding and reckless behaviour.
Approaches to the bridge have now been barricaded and entry is prohibited.
The Innovation Cluster's new "Women Breaking Barriers" business accelerator program is designed to support female entrepreneurs in the science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM) and social innovation sectors. The program is ready to support 20 new or early-stage businesses in the Peterborough and the Kawarthas region with female-identified founders beginning this fall. There is no cost to participate thanks to a one-year $75,000 seed grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation, an agency of the Government of Ontario. (Photo courtesy of Innovation Cluster - Peterborough and the Kawarthas)
Did you know only six per cent of Canadian tech firms have a female CEO, and that more than half have no female executives at all?
What’s more, only four per cent of venture capital funding goes toward women-led companies, and female founders who are women of colour get less than one percent of venture capital each year.
The Innovation Cluster – Peterborough and the Kawarthas is working to change those statistics by launching an innovative new business accelerator program called “Women Breaking Barriers”, designed specifically to support female entrepreneurs in the innovation space including direct access to investment and financing.
Announced on Wednesday (August 5), the program is ready to support 20 new or early-stage businesses in the Peterborough and the Kawarthas region with female-identified founders beginning this fall.
The Innovation Cluster’s new “Women Breaking Barriers” business accelerator program will provide learning, growth, and financing opportunities for women-led startups with fewer than 10 employees, or for those who are just at the idea stage. (Graphic courtesy of Innovation Cluster – Peterborough and the Kawarthas)
With targeted training, mentorships, collaboration, and access to funding, Women Breaking Barriers is poised to change the lives of local female entrepreneurs in the science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM) and social innovation sectors.
This program has been made possible thanks to a one-year $75,000 seed grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation, an agency of the Government of Ontario.
“Women Breaking Barriers, made possible through this investment, is an important step in increasing the movement of women into STEM fields,” said Dave Smith, MPP for Peterborough-Kawartha. “Simply put, careers in science, technology, engineering and math are the well-paying jobs of the future. This is a great local initiative which I, the Ontario Trillium Foundation, and our government are proud to support.”
Intended for startups with fewer than 10 employees or for those who are just at the idea stage, the program will provide learning, growth, and funding opportunities through a process designed to bring great minds together.
“We know that by fostering a community of like-minded women in all levels of STEM and social innovation, we will arrive at innovative solutions that benefit all Canadians,” said Rose Terry, Marketing Manager and Senior Innovation Specialist at the Innovation Cluster.
Members of the Chimp Treats team, including founder and CEO Brooke Hammer (right), demonstrating the “each for equal” symbol for International Women’s Day 2020 at the Innovation Cluster’s The Cube business incubator in downtown Peterborough. Chimp Treats is an innovative health food company that creates frozen dessert products made entirely from fruit. The Innovation Cluster’s new “Women Breaking Barriers” program will support 20 women-led STEM and social innovation startups in Peterborough and the Kawarthas. (Photo courtesy of Innovation Cluster – Peterborough and the Kawarthas)
“If you’re coachable, if you have great ideas, and you want to go through the process together with lots of mentorship and support, we now have an accelerator program to fast track a female-led startup,” Terry said.
Since launching in 2004 with its renowned business incubator launched in downtown Peterborough in 2017 called The Cube, the Innovation Cluster has supported hundreds of startups by providing creative workspace, coaching, mentoring, and business development support services. The not-for-profit economic development organization launched a second business incubator in the City of Kawartha Lakes earlier this year and, with both locations delivering proof that collaborative environments grow success, the Women Breaking Barriers accelerator program is built on a wealth of past learning.
“It is difficult for women in tech to get financing and it is difficult for women, as founders, to get investment across Canada,” Terry explained. “This program takes all of that into account by getting women in front of financiers early on. We’re also working to create financing streams specifically for these women through Community Futures organizations in our region.”
On the back end of the program there will also be an opportunity to pitch to investors with the Peterborough Region Angel Network.
Manjit Minhas (second from right, back row) in March 2020 with local business people Dawn Hennessey (second from left, back row), Rhonda Barnet (centre, back row), and Sofie Andreou (right, back row), founders of FemSteamPtbo, an organization supporting young females in the Peterborough area to pursue education and career options in STEAM and skilled trades. Minhas, a Canadian entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and self-described beer baroness who is one of the celebrity investors on CBC Television’s popular Dragons’ Den series, was the guest speaker at the Innovation Cluster’s Electric City Talks series with a talk entitled “Empowering Women: Achieving Business Success in Male-Dominated Industries”. (Photo courtesy of Innovation Cluster – Peterborough and the Kawarthas)
Offering the program virtually allows accessibility benefits, such as women with increased childcare responsibilities as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and those residing outside of Peterborough. The program also only takes six months to complete and, best of all, it’s free.
“With the support of the Ontario Trillium Foundation, there is no cost to participants,” Terry said. “We are looking for people with a great idea who might have been displaced in the workforce due to COVID, or for people who feel the time is right to take their business to the next level in an environment with lots of support.”
Rose notes that many women in the male-dominated STEM space experience isolation, so the collaborative process will let women work closely with other women — something else that boosts the chance of success for new businesses.
Research shows companies led by women tend to perform better, so the Innovation Cluster is focused on moving the dial forward on equity and inclusion in tech and innovation. Supporting women in the tech space also leads to the establishment of a more resilient and sustainable workforce, as many in the digital workforce are better able to thrive despite COVID-related economic impacts.
“The digital sector has many advantages and we have a wealth of resources to draw on from the incubator and the Innovation Cluster,” Terry noted. “There has never been a better time to make this lifestyle change, to be done with ‘the job’ and to start working for yourself.”
Young female entrepreneurs pictured in pre-pandemic days in the Innovation Cluster’s The Cube business incubator in downtown Peterborough. To accommodate the impacts of COVID-19, the Innovation Cluster’s new “Women Breaking Barriers” business accelerator program will be offered virtually and will only take six months to complete. Thanks to a grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation, the program is offered at no cost to participants. Applications for the first cohort are due on August 27, 2020 at noon. (Photo courtesy of Innovation Cluster – Peterborough and the Kawarthas)
This is also an opportunity to commercialize research. The Innovation Cluster’s partnership with two world class education facilities in the region, Trent University and Fleming College, will ensure a smooth transition into business for the selected companies.
The Women Breaking Barriers program is a pilot project that will provide space for two sets of 10 female-identified founders to work through the six-month program. Their experiences will be tracked for a post-project case study that hopes to determine the sustainability of this type of program for the Peterborough and Kawarthas area.
“This is a groundbreaking program for women entrepreneurs in Peterborough and the Kawarthas,” said Nicole Stephenson, Vice Chair of the Innovation Cluster and Founder of Stephenson Law Group.
“By specifically supporting women led early stage and emerging growth companies, the Innovation Cluster is able to provide female entrepreneurs with access to essential resources such as capital, which is not otherwise readily available. This program not only helps break barriers, but it directly benefits the local community by driving economic growth.”
Women Breaking Barriers launches with its first female founders in September, so Terry encourages potential participants to start the outreach and application process now. Applications for the first cohort are due on August 27, 2020 at noon.
The Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) is an agency of the Government of Ontario, and one of Canada’s leading granting foundations. OTF awarded $115 million to 644 projects last year to build healthy and vibrant communities in Ontario. For more information, visit otf.ca.
This story was created in partnership with the Innovation Cluster – Peterborough and the Kawarthas.
A 50-year-old woman is dead following a head-on collision on Tuesday afternoon (August 4) near Cameron Road in Norland in the City of Kawartha Lakes.
At around 3:40 p.m. on Tuesday, the City of Kawartha Lakes OPP responded to a report of a two-vehicle collision.
The police’s initial investigation indicates that a vehicle travelling southbound on Highway 35 collided with a vehicle travelling northbound on Highway 35.
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The driver of the northbound vehicle, 50-year-old Samantha Lindquist, died as a result of the collision. A passenger in the vehicle she was driving was transported via Air Ornge ambulance to a Toronto-area hospital with serious injuries.
Highway 35 was closed between Cameron Road and Monck Road for several hours on Tuesday afternoon while police investigated and documented the scene.
The cause of the collision remains under investigation.
This story has been updated with information about the fatality and injuries as a result of the collision.
Michelle Gay is the owner of Garden Style Bridgenorth, a home and garden shop located in Sewlyn Township. Following her dream to own her own small business, she purchased the 20-year-old family-owned shop in 2018. Michelle has now reopened her doors and is welcoming her customers back into the store for a COVID-safe shopping experience. (Photo courtesy of Garden Style Bridgenorth)
For more than 20 years, Garden Style Bridgenorth has been a gathering place for people looking for items that create interest, warmth, and welcome in their homes and gardens.
This story is one of a five-part series sponsored by Selwyn Township, as part of the Township’s campaign to promote local businesses and community organizations as they recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
When Michelle Gay followed her dream and purchased the local family-owned business two years ago, she was committed to keeping the tradition of supplying unique accents, gifts and, above all else, some good old-fashioned retail therapy for everyone who visited the shop.
While this summer is nothing like her previous two as the new owner of Garden Style Bridgenorth, Michelle is thrilled to have her doors open to welcome back customers once again — especially the ones who made every effort to keep her going during a rough two months of retail lockdown because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
At Garden Style Bridgenorth, owner Michelle Gay offers an wide range of unique items for her customers, who include tourists, visitors, cottagers, and locals. (Photo courtesy of Garden Style Bridgenorth)
Garden Style Bridgenorth is a cozy treasure-filled space where customers of all ages find delight in whimsical pieces for home and garden. Michelle says it’s a destination for girlfriend gatherings and, of course, visitors to the area. In fact, tourist season from April through October has been what keeps the store afloat during the quieter winter months.
Delightful product offerings aside, Michelle is all about customer service and she thrives on the one-on-one connections she makes with shoppers who come back on a regular basis, or with those who have happened across the boutique by chance.
Although she’s a hugger by nature and someone who is happy to place a hand on an arm in a moment of shared enthusiasm, Michelle is doing everything she can to adapt to the new way of doing business during the COVID-19 crisis, helping her community stay safe so they can continue to support independent locally owned businesses like hers.
“We were pretty new to this business and still trying to build that rapport with all of our customers,” Michelle says during an early morning interview. She chose the early morning time because, once she’s in her shop, her customers need her undivided attention — especially now.
“Retail was a huge learning curve for me,” Michelle admits. “I have the spirit though, thanks to my family, who all ran their own businesses. I’m used to welcoming everyone and, when you come from the environment that I come from, you always put on a smile and you get on with it — no matter what.”
Michelle’s no-matter-what attitude was seriously put to the test in early March when she started catching wind of the crisis that was building globally.
Garden Style Bridgenorth is a locally owned independent home and garden shop offering garden-related items, rustic and vintage items, iron work and metal wall art, wooden items, bee houses, soy candles, pin cushions, tea towels, coasters and fridge magnets, ornaments, greeting cards, and much more. (Photo courtesy of Garden Style Bridgenorth)
“I’m not a regular news watcher, because it’s so negative,” she explains. “So I missed what was happening early on. Then stores started closing when we were already coming off our slowest months. The government made all their announcements and then I was left with a feeling of complete terror.”
That feeling of terror came not only because of the unknown illness that was claiming lives, but because Michelle’s dream of owning her own small business was suddenly under threat. She had expected the first few years to be challenging, but dealing with a global pandemic was not part of the plan.
After closing her store to the public, she then discovered her business didn’t qualify for any of the initial government financial relief programs. But she didn’t let that that stop her dream.
Garden Style Bridgenorth owner Michelle Gay is ensuring her customers have a COVID-safe shopping experience by limiting the number of shoppers allowed in the store at one time, providing hand sanitizer, regularly disinfecting surfaces, and wearing a face mask. She is also continuing to offer porch drops for those who are not yet comfortable going into stores. (Photo courtesy of Garden Style Bridgenorth)
“We started peddling our wares on Instagram, offering free delivery, porch drops, and people just responded,” Michelle recalls. “I have the best customers and this community is amazing.”
She says the shopping that people did through the past few months was a lifeline for her business.
“I can’t thank the community enough,” she says. “They helped me get through.”
And now it’s Michelle’s pleasure to return the favour by offering customers a safe shopping experience. There is the standard hand sanitizer and constant wiping of surfaces, but Michelle also wears a mask and has continued to offer porch drops for those who are not yet comfortable coming into stores.
Michelle has also had to adapt to a new style of customer service, because the leisurely pace of customers browsing the store that she previously loved has now been replaced with a more direct, intentional style of shopping.
“People know what they are looking for,” Michelle explains.
Garden Style Bridgenorth is located at 822-6 Ward Street in Bridgenorth. The store is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday and 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. Owner Michelle Gay will soon be launching online shopping as another way of helping customers to stay safe and support local. (Photo courtesy of Garden Style Bridgenorth)
There’s also way more focus on social media, and Michelle will soon be launching online shopping as another way of helping customers to stay safe and support local.
“I want everyone to feel comfortable, and I want to know how they are managing,” Michelle says. “I really love people and I want them to feel like they are coming through the front door of my home. I want people to know that I am here to care for you. That’s just how everyone needs to feel.”
That sense of caring is a big part of what Michelle loves about her shop and what she hopes will return in the months ahead, as more and more of the community get used to this new way of living.
“A lot of people used to come into the store not just to buy something, but for a visit to chat and to make a social connection,” Michelle recalls. “Behaviour is changed now, but I hope that comes back. That’s retail therapy and I can’t wait until all this is done.”
But until the all-clear is called on the pandemic, Michelle is committed to welcoming back everyone, including the tourists who are starting to return to the region. She’s also focused on returning the love, support, and caring that saw her through an unimaginable business challenge.
“I just want to hug people again,” she laughs. “I look so forward to that, to be close to the people I care about in the store and in the community. But right now, until things change, I am going to do everything I can to make it feel like there is not a plexiglass wall between us. I’m going to keep making connections.”
Garden Style Bridgenorth is located at 822-6 Ward Street in Bridgenorth. The store is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday and 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday (closed Monday). For more information, call 705-292-5304, email gardenstylebridgenorth@gmail.com or visit gardenstyle.ca. You can also follow Garden Style Bridgenorth on Facebook and Instagram.
The Township of Selwyn has created a comprehensive strategy to help assist local businesses and community organizations recover from the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Selwyn COVID-19 Economic Recovery Strategy includes a five-month multimedia marketing campaign to promote Selwyn’s businesses and community organizations, municipal grants for not-for-profit organizations, the Selwyn Business Re-Opening Program in partnership with Community Futures Peterborough that provides $250,000 to help Selwyn businesses with COVID-19 related adaptation expenses, and much more.
For more COVID-19 resources for Selwyn businesses, visit selwyntownship.ca.
In a sign that things are returning to some semblance of normality, transit fares and parking fees will resume in the City of Peterborough on Monday, August 10th.
Back in March, Peterborough Transit paused the collection of fares to protect the safety of customers and employees during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in Peterborough.
Now, protective measures like driver barriers and mandatory face coverings have been put in place so that customers can safely board at the front doors and pay fares.
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Starting on Tuesday (August 4), the sales location at the Peterborough Transit Terminal on Simcoe Street is available for cash, debit, and credit purchases. The customer counter from is open from 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday to Saturday, and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday.
Starting on August 10th, the sales location at Lansdowne Place mall will be available for debit-only purchases of transit passes.
While cash fare will be accepted on the bus, Peterborough Transit is also introducing a new touchless fare payment for customers with smartphones. Customers can load payments before they go with the HotSpot App available through Apple App Store and Google Play. For the first four months, Hotspot is waving its membership fee for its app for this service.
Wearing face masks is mandatory on public transit by directive of Peterborough Public Health. However, the city asks transit riders to understand that not everyone is able to wear a face covering and that there are exemptions under the public health directive.
Customers entering the Peterborough Transit Terminal customer service area are also required to wear face coverings. The number of customers inside the customer service area will be limited to support physical distancing. Seating and washrooms in the customer service area at the terminal remain closed.
Transit drivers will not need to wear a face covering when they are behind the protective barrier around the driver’s seat on a bus.
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As for parking, paid parking for municipal on-street and surface lot parking in the central area will also resume on Monday, August 10th.
The city temporarily paused paid parking for municipal on-street and surface lot parking in March as part of its response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
As normal activities resume in Peterborough, the demand for parking is increasing as is the need for turnover in parking spaces. Parking fees help pay for the monitoring and regulation of parking services to keep that healthy turnover in parking spaces.
There are about 385 on-street parking spaces, 400 spaces in municipal lots, and almost 1,200 spaces in parking garages in the central area.
There is one-hour free parking in municipal parking garages as well as free parking after 6 p.m. and all day on weekends and holidays at municipal on-street parking, surface lots, and parking garages.
Residents and visitors are reminded to use hand sanitizer or wash their hands before and after using the pay-and-display machines and parking metres.
The city also offers a parking app service through HotSpot Parking for paying for parking at all its surface lots, parking garages, and on-street parking. The app can be downloaded to smartphones from the Apple App Store and Google Play. HotSpot Parking has a monthly membership fee of $2 or users can sign up for $20 for a year for use of the app.
For more information on municipal parking services, including a map with the locations of the parking lots and parking garages, visit peterborough.ca/parking.
A suspect is in custody and facing attempted murder charges after a Peterborough police officer was stabbed while on duty late Sunday afternoon (August 2).
The incident occurred while the officer was investigating a theft at George (Red) Sullivan East City Bowl, at the corner of Burnham and Hunter Street East in East City.
According to police, when the officer confronted the suspect, the suspect became violent and a physical altercation between the officer and the suspect followed.
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Police say the suspect stabbed the officer during the altercation.
The officer was taken to Peterborough Regional Health Centre for treatment and is in stable condition as of Monday (August 3).
Cody Patterson has been arrested and is in custody. He is facing charges of attempted murder, assault with a weapon, theft Under $5,000, and breaching a weapon prohibition.
Police have not provided the identity of the officer who was stabbed.
Public health nurse Simone Jackson wearing personal protective equipment as she prepares to open a swab to test a patient for COVID-19 in Peterborough Public Health's clinic. (Photo courtesy of Peterborough Public Health)
Here is an update on COVID-19 cases in Ontario as well as the greater Kawarthas region.
Ontario is reporting 116 new cases, with Peterborough Public Health reporting its fourth new case since July 30. There are now four active cases in the Peterborough area.
Reports for Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland, Haliburton, and Hastings and Prince Edward counties are not issued on weekends.
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Since the pandemic began, there have been 99 confirmed positive cases in the Peterborough area (95 resolved with 2 deaths), 176 in the City of Kawartha Lakes (156 resolved with 32 deaths), 25 in Northumberland County (25 resolved with no deaths), 13 in Haliburton County (12 resolved with no deaths), and 44 in Hastings County and Prince Edward County (38 resolved with 5 deaths). The most recent death was reported on May 7 by Hastings Prince Edward Public Health.
Province-wide, there have been 39,449 confirmed cases, an increase of 116 from yesterday’s report, with 35,359 cases (89.6% of all cases) resolved, an increase of 122. There have been 2,778 deaths, an increase of 1, with 1,797 deaths reported in long-term care homes (no change from yesterday). A total of 2,235,697 tests have been completed, an increase of 30,443 from yesterday, with 17,839 tests under investigation, a decrease of 9,145.
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.
Confirmed positive: 99 (increase of 1) Active cases: 4 (increase of 1) Deaths: 2 (no change) Resolved: 93 (no change) Total tests completed: Over 21,600 (increase of 350) 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. These numbers are from July 31.
Confirmed positive: 214, including 176 in Kawartha Lakes, 25 in Northumberland, 13 in Haliburton (increase of 1, in Kawartha Lakes) Probable cases: 0 (decrease of 1) Hospitalizations: 14 (no change) Deaths: 32 (no change) Resolved: 193, including 156 in Kawartha Lakes, 25 in Northumberland, 12 in Haliburton (increase of 3, 2 in Kawartha Lakes and 1 in Northumberland) 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. These numbers are from July 31.
Confirmed positive: 44 (increase of 1) 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: 38 (no change) Total tests completed: 17,575 (increase of 122) Institutional outbreaks: None (no change)
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Province of Ontario
Confirmed positive: 39,449 (increase of 116) Resolved: 35,359 (increase of 122, 89.6% of all cases are resolved) Hospitalized: 72 (decrease of 1) Hospitalized and in ICU: 26 (decrease of 1) Hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator: 14 (increase of 2) Deaths: 2,778 (increase of 1) Deaths of residents in long-term care homes: 1,797 (no change, 64.7% of all deaths) Total tests completed 2,235,697 (increase of 30,443) Tests under investigation: 17,839 (decrease of 9,145)
New COVID-19 cases in Ontario from July 2 – August 1, 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 July 2 – August 10, 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)
A tornado at Sturgeon Lake in Kawartha Lakes on June 23, 2020. (Photo: Amy Reeds @amy_reeds / Twitter)
UPDATE – Sun Aug 2 6:35 p.m.
The tornado watch has ended.
Environment Canada has issued a tornado watch on Sunday (August 2) for portions of central and eastern Ontario, including Haliburton County, Hastings Highlands including Bancroft, northern Kawartha Lakes including Fenelon Falls and Balsam Lake Park, and northern Peterborough County including Apsley and Woodview.
Conditions are favourable for the development of severe thunderstorms that may produce tornadoes and scattered damaging wind gusts up to 100 km/h into Sunday evening.
A tornado watch means conditions are favourable for tornadoes and severe thunderstorms. Persons in these areas should be on the lookout for threatening weather conditions and listen for possible warnings.
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In the event of a tornado, or if a tornado warning is issued for your area, it is recommended you take the following actions.
Go indoors to a room on the lowest floor, away from outside walls and windows, such as a basement, bathroom, stairwell or interior closet. Leave mobile homes, vehicles, tents, trailers and other temporary or free-standing shelter, and move to a strong building if you can. As a last resort, lie in a low spot and protect your head from flying debris.
For the southern Kawarthas — southern Peterborough County including Peterborough and Lakefield, southern Kawartha Lakes including Lindsay, and Northumberland County including Port Hope and Cobourg — a severe thunderstorm watch is in effect.
Conditions are favourable for the development of severe thunderstorms that may be capable of producing strong wind gusts. Scattered wind gusts up to to 100 km/h are possible into Sunday evening, and a tornado is also possible.
Strong wind gusts can toss loose objects, damage weak buildings, break branches off trees and overturn large vehicles. Lightning kills and injures Canadians every year. Remember, when thunder roars, go indoors!
Local band Out On Bail (from left: Richard Simpkins, John Climenhage, Wylie Harold, and Wayne O'Connor) performs one of several numbers at Andy and Linda Tough's barn north of Norwood. The band is one of a number being featured as part of the "Live! At The Barn" series of shows recorded and presented by RMS Events and sponsored by Team vanRahan Century 21. Vidoes of the performances, along with inteviews with the musicians, will coming to YouTube starting August 21, 2020. (Photo: Paul Rellinger / kawarthaNOW.com)
What has happened in the barn has typically stayed in the barn, but then 2020 has proven to be anything but typical for all of us — including musicians who continue to find the doors to almost all live music venues closed to their talents.
Enter Andy and Linda Tough of RMS Events, a multimedia enterprise specializing in audio/video production and presentation for a range of clients. On their scenic rural property north of Norwood, a huge nondescript barn is anything but inside, with advanced recording equipment fronting a stage, large by pub standards, with table seating.
The pandemic has prevented the Toughs from inviting guests to live performances in the barn, as in past summers, but music is still very much in the fresh country air. This is much to the benefit to not only participating performers but, as it will soon turn out, to those craving their fix of local live music.
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The Toughs have recently launched “Live! At The Barn”, a series of live-off-the-floor recording sessions featuring area musicians, with the goal of presenting each session on YouTube starting August 21st.
On Thursday night (July 30), Wylie Harold and Out On Bail — Richard Simpkins, John Climenhage and Wayne O’Connor — performed their blues repertoire as the cameras rolled and the sound recording console lit up. Prior sessions have seen The Gunslingers, Pat Temple, and The Fabulous Tonemasters take a turn, while future recording dates are scheduled for House Brand and The Weber Brothers.
“Once COVID hit, all live music events were cancelled, and all our jams here at the barn were cancelled,” Andy says, explaining the motivation behind the Live! At The Barn series. “Not only can’t musicians play in a club, they can’t play with each other.”
The large barn that dominates Andy and Linda Tough’s property north of Norwood is not unlike any one of the many that dot the rural Ontario landscape. but it’s a different story inside where audio and video recording equipment is being put to full use to the benefit of local music bands starving to get together to do what they do during the pandemic. “The Live! At The Barn” series, presented under the RMS Events banner and sponsored by Team vanRahan Century 21, will see a number of recorded performances posted to YouTube starting August 21st. (Photo courtesy of RMS Events)
“We’ve got a big enough facility here. We can physically space people. It’s easy to clean because Mother Nature is our air exchange system. I had already planned to record our jams, so the system was already half set up.”
“It was like ‘Why don’t we see if musicians would like to come and play and record it?’ They get a video that I’ll give them for their own promotion purposes, and we can sell some sort of sponsorship to cover our costs so there’s no cost to the musicians whatsoever. That was key … obviously they’re not working.”
First to step up as sponsors of Live! At The Barn are Century 21 United Realty real estate agents Ben vanVeen and Catherine Hanrahan — Team vanRahan as they’re known collectively — who have worked with RMS Events on past events, including the Team vanRahan Summer Family Film Series.
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According to Catherine, not only is their sponsorship “a good fit” with their business’ focus on rural properties but, as vanVeen notes, both he and his partner are ardent local music supporters.
“It (COVID-19) has been a drag, not just for musicians but for guys like Andy, the A-V people and everyone working in the live performance industry,” she says, adding, “It’s nice to see something different and interesting that’s still really safe.”
While Catherine and Ben have been invited to barn jams before, this was the first time they were able to make the trek.
Andy Tough of RMS Events works the sound board during the live-off-the-floor recording of Wylie Harold and Out On Bail on Thursday night (July 30) for the “The Live! At The Barn” series. Andy is putting his audio and video recording skills to very good use during the pandemic, welcoming local music bands to his barn north of Norwood to record. The end result will be a series of shows posted to YouTube starting August 21, 2020. (Photo: Paul Rellinger / kawarthaNOW.com)
“It’s very cool,” Ben says. “It’s unique, The overall aesthetic is comforting. There’s all these different pieces that make up that aesthetic.”
“We have a barn (too)”, he adds, referring to his and Hanrahan’s farm near Havelock. “I love the old fixtures and what they’re collected here. He almost needs a little plaque beside each one reading ‘Found at …’. There’s a lot of history there.”
Musician Wylie Harold echoes that sentiment, describing the barn atmosphere as “warm … it’s in the room at all times”
Singer and guitarist Wylie Harold performs with his blues band Out On Bail Thursday night (July 30) as part of the “Live! At The Barn” series of recorded performances. Recorded and presented by RMS Events and sponsored by Team vanRahan Century 21, the series of shows will be available on YouTube starting August 21, 2020. (Photo: Paul Rellinger / kawarthaNOW.com)
Onstage and off, there was no wiping the huge smile off Wylie’s face — a grin anchored in the chance to be back on stage with his bandmates after months of not being able to do so.
“We miss the money obviously, but we miss playing music (together) … three or four guys locking into that magic pocket. We haven’t played together in the longest time. The last real gig I did was in December. I’ve done a couple of private functions. I did the chip truck (The Cabin at Trent) a few times. That was kind of cool. They sent me home with a bag of burgers. It was a nice little gig, but my calendar is empty like everyone else’s.”
Wylie doesn’t see live music returning to bars in any meaningful way soon.
“Alcohol makes you want to chat. It’s very social. I’m not sure what the future holds for live music. It’s not going to be walking into a bar, letting your hair down and letting it rip. I don’t know if there are better days ahead. I miss them all (his live music friends).”
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Beside the opportunity to get back together with Out On Bail, Wylie used the recording session to fine-tune songs that will be featured on his upcoming new CD. Not included on the track list is “Live Music Strong”, a song he wrote in homage of the power of live music performance.
“There’s nothing like live music. Good, bad or indifferent, wherever you are, live music just adds a little shine to anything.”
According to Andy, accompanying each concert session posted to YouTube will be an invite to donate to the featured act. Email addresses will be listed for e-transfers. A donation is not required to view the performance but, as Andy notes, it’s a chance to help out-of-work musicians.
Andy notes the each session’s video doesn’t just include the musical performance.
“We’re also interviewing each band to give people a profile of the people in the band as opposed to the musicians who are on the stage — where they came from, their influences, and that sort of stuff.”
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to limit the opportunities for musicians to perform together live, the door to Andy and Linda Tough’s barn north of Norwood is wide open, welcoming local bands to record concert videos for presentation on YouTube starting August 21, 2020 under the title “Live! At The Barn”. (Photo: Paul Rellinger / kawarthaNOW.com)
As for his RMS Events business, Andy notes the impact of the pandemic has been severe but his work on Live! At The Barn is keeping him happily busy.
“I’m in the worst business that I can be, because I do events with more than 50 people,” he says. “Everything just grounded to a halt, postponed, or cancelled outright. But, as Linda says, I can (now) walk to work and not have to load the car.”
Like Wylie, Andy is also concerned about the long-term impacts of the pandemic on the livelihood of local musicians.
“They don’t know where things are going. No singing and no dancing in clubs negates all the things they live for. How do bars depopulate for physical distancing and (still) make ends meet? They can’t make enough money to pay the musicians.”
Like everyone else, the Toughs are looking forward to life post-COVID, especially as that relates to live events they have planned for their barn space — events that were set to be organized and held this summer.
In the meantime, their focus is on Live! At The Barn.
Sponsor Team vanRahan urges people to check out each YouTube episode and do what they can to help out the featured performers.
“There are so many asks of people these days, but if you’re in a position to help and you enjoy the music, do what you can,” Catherine says.
“Local musicians tell local stories and we need those,” Ben adds. “They’re giving a lot to us, so if you can, give something back to them.”
Environment Canada has issued a rainfall warning for Sunday (August 2) for northern areas of the Kawarthas region, including northern Peterborough County including Apsley, northern Kawartha Lakes including Fenelon Falls, Hastings Highlands including Bancroft, and all of Haliburton County.
Heavy rainfall is expected on Sunday as an area of low pressure intensifies and tracks northeastward across southern and central Ontario.
Rain, at times heavy, is expected to begin early on Sunday morning and continue through to Sunday evening.
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General rainfall amounts of 40 to 60 mm are expected, with up to 75 mm possible in some areas.
Heavy downpours can cause flash floods and water pooling on roads. If visibility is reduced while driving, slow down, watch for tail lights ahead and be prepared to stop.
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