Fairhaven is a municipal long-term care home facility located at 881 Dutton Road in Peterborough. (Photo: Fairhaven)
Only four days after a COVID-19 outbreak at Fairhaven long-term care home in Peterborough was declared over, an employee has tested positive for the disease and another outbreak has been declared.
“Peterborough Public Health has informed Fairhaven that a person, who is employed by our home, has tested positive for COVID-19,” Fairhaven executive director Lionel Towns writes in an email on Tuesday (December 15).
Towns says the employee was not infected at Fairhaven and has not worked in the building for the past five days. However, as a result of the positive test, an outbreak has been declared for the Riverside 3 (R3) home area only.
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Towns stresses that there are no confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19 among residents at the municipally run home located at 881 Dutton Road.
“Our home has a strict staff/resident cohorting policy which means that the person who tested positive only worked on R3,” Towns writes. “Tomorrow morning, all staff and residents on this home area will be swabbed.”
While the outbreak is in effect, all visits to Fairhaven will be postponed.
“There is a high rate of community transmission in the areas surrounding Peterborough and we need to take everyone precaution possible to ensure that the virus does not spread, or is not introduced, to other areas of our home,” Towns writes. “It is too early to determine a projected end date for the outbreak; we will keep everyone informed as we receive more information.”
Peterborough police are warning the public about a rental scam that is resurfacing in the area.
The Peterborough Police Service has recently received numerous reports about area homes advertised on different websites as being available for rent when in fact they are not.
In the rental scam, fraudsters take a photo from an MLS listing of a actual property for sale and then post it online indicating the property is available for rent. Given the current rental market, a victim may provide the scammer with a security deposit or advance rent payment to secure the property. The victim eventually discovers the supposed rental property is occupied by a homeowner.
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Police are providing the following warning signs of a rental scam:
The landlord doesn’t want to meet you in person.
The landlord wants you to move in immediately, without ever physically viewing the rental property. They may claim this is because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The landlord insists on an advance rent payment or a security deposit before you sign a lease.
The rent is “too good to be true”.
The listing has several spelling errors, poor grammar, or excessive punctuation.
To avoid falling victim to a rental scam, always insist on scheduling a viewing of the property and meeting the landlord in person before signing a lease or paying any upfront fees.
Police are also reminding the public to be careful about how much personal information they provide to a stranger online.
Cobourg Community Centre is located at 750 D'Arcy Street in Cobourg. (Photo: Town of Cobourg)
The Town of Cobourg has announced it is extending the temporary closure of Cobourg Community Centre until January 11, 2021.
The town initially closed the facility at 750 D’Arcy Street on Friday (December 11) after users reported coming into close contact with a person who had tested positive for COVID-19.
Originally, the centre was going to be reopened on Monday after undergoing a thorough cleaning and sanitization, which was completed over the weekend.
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However, after consulting with Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit, the town’s emergency control group decided to extend the closure until after the holidays to reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19 within the community.
Effective immediately, all programming at Cobourg Community Centre has been cancelled.
The region served by the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit — which includes Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland, and Haliburton — was moved into the “Yellow-Protect” level on December 7th.
Since then, Northumberland County has experienced a significant rise in the number of COVID-19 cases, with 51 new cases reported over the last week. There are currently 47 active cases in Northumberland, although the health unit does not report the number of cases in individual municipalities.
“We are taking every necessary step to protect our community by stopping any potential spread of COVID-19, which is why we have decided to extend the closure of the community centre until after the holidays,” says Tracey Vaughan, Cobourg’s chief administrative officer.
The centre will be reopened at 8 a.m. on Monday, January 11th, pending the COVID-19 situation at that time.
“We will reassess in the new year based on the current numbers and where our public health region currently falls within the Province of Ontario’s COVID-19 Response Framework: Keeping Ontario Safe and Open.”
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Anyone who used the facility between Sunday, December 6th through Friday, December 14th is encouraged to self-monitor for COVID-19 symptoms, which include:
fever (feeling hot to the touch, a temperature of 37.8°C or higher)
chills
cough that’s new or worsening, barking cough, making a whistling noise when breathing
shortness of breath, sore throat, difficulty swallowing
runny, stuffy or congested nose
lost sense of taste or smell
pink eye
headache that’s unusual or long lasting
digestive issues
muscle aches, extreme tiredness that is unusual
falling down often.
Residents who have developed COVID-19 symptoms can be tested by appointment at the Northumberland Hills Hospital COVID-19 Assessment Centre (Northumberland Hills Hospital, 1000 DePalma Drive, Cobourg, 905-377-7783), Trent Hills COVID-19 Testing Centre (Campbellford Memorial Hospital, 146 Oliver Road, Campbellford, 705-395-1801), or the Canton COVID-19 Testing Centre (Port Hope Community Hub, 5325 County Road 10, 905-377-7783).
George Madill, owner of Primal Cuts at 550 Lansdowne Street West in Peterborough, is not a typical butcher. One of the few butchers in the Kawarthas trained in nose-to-tail butchery, Madill offers both sustainably raised meat and transparency, with all cutting and cooking done in full view of the customer. (Photo courtesy of Primal Cuts)
To put it simply, Primal Cuts in Peterborough is not your typical butcher shop and owner George Madill is not a typical butcher.
Since 2012, Madill has been running a hybrid of sorts: nose-to-tail butchery — with all meat cutting, trimming, and aging done on-site — alongside a full-service kitchen that hosts an array of ready-to-cook items and specialty goods, and a counter that flanks the front window for dining.
He says his focus has always been on bringing back what once reigned supreme and what’s been lost over the years: a neighbourhood butcher shop that emphasizes both sustainably raised meat and transparency.
Primal Cuts carries pasture-raised beef, Chantecler chicken, lamb, and heritage breeds of pork sourced from farmers across Ontario. There’s also fresh turkey, Cornish hens, partridge, and Muscovy duck from both Ontario and Quebec, high-end products including Wagyu beef imported from Australia and Kobe beef from Japan, and fresh and sustainable seafood. (Photo: Whitney Lu / whitcreative.co)
Those aren’t just catchwords as far as Madill is concerned. There are two coolers with large windows where you can see whole lambs, pigs, and cuts of beef hanging and also witness the dry-aging process. One of the shop’s walls is actually transparent — a glass pane that looks into the cutting room, dubbed “The Tank”.
Customers can watch the butchers at work and have real talks with them about what they’re taking home for dinner, where it’s from, and how it’s been treated.
“When you come into the shop, there’s no hidden back room,” Madill says. “It’s completely open, where all of our cutting and cooking is done in full view of the customer. This allows our customers to talk directly to our butchers for hands-on advice, to request what they want, and to see a cut of meat.”
“I want people to see that their meat doesn’t come on a Styrofoam tray. We’re taking it back to the good old days where you could talk to your butcher as he was cutting and wrapping your meat before your eyes.”
At Primal Cuts, there are two coolers with large windows where you can see whole lambs, pigs, and cuts of beef hanging and also witness the dry-aging process. One of the shop’s walls is actually transparent, with a glass pane that looks into the cutting room, dubbed “The Tank”. (Photo courtesy of Primal Cuts)
For years, he explains, the subtle art of butchering has been replaced by factory farming, where mass-produced meat has come under harsh criticism for its waste, excessive use of antibiotics, and hazardous conditions for animals.
Madill says whole animal butchery is one of many benefits of the farm-to-fork movement and the fact that more people want to know the origins of their food.
“We’re bringing back the traditional ways of caring for our meat and moving away from mass-produced meat,” Madill explains. “I’m an ethical butcher, as much as I can be when it comes to nose-to-tail. We don’t have a lot of waste in our kitchen and we try to utilize all the meat.”
A chalkboard at Primal Cuts showing all the cuts of meat and organ meats from swine. As a nose-to-tail butcher, owner George Madill tries to use all the meat from an animal, including the bones to make broths and stocks. (Photo courtesy of Primal Cuts)
Primal Cuts carries pasture-raised beef, Chantecler chicken, lamb, and heritage breeds of pork sourced from farmers across Ontario, including Campbellford, Hamilton, and Harrison.
Not only that, shoppers at Primal Cuts will find fresh turkey, Cornish hens, partridge, and Muscovy duck from both Ontario and Quebec, as well as superb pasture-raised beef from PEI.
The seafood counter at Primal cuts is full of fresh and sustainable varieties — Primal Cuts is a proud partner of Ocean Wise, an ocean conservation program that empowers consumers and businesses to choose sustainable seafood options that support healthy oceans.
The seafood counter at Primal Cuts is full of fresh and sustainable varieties. Primal Cuts is a proud partner of Ocean Wise, an ocean conservation program that empowers consumers and businesses to choose sustainable seafood options that support healthy oceans. (Photo courtesy of Primal Cuts)
Of course, there are also high-end products like Wagyu beef imported from Australia, available all the time, and Kobe beef from Japan, available for holidays.
Primal Cuts staff also makes broths and stocks from the animal bones, with zero preservatives or salt added.
“We wouldn’t have the opportunity to do that unless we had access to the whole animal,” Madill notes.
Primal Cuts also offers an array of take-home meals, nitrate-free deli meats, savoury meat pies, salads, specialty goods, and more. (Photo: Whitney Lu / whitcreative.co)
Customers can also enjoy a variety of nitrate-free deli meats, savoury meat pies, salads, and take-home meals.
Madill knows that how a customer plans to cook the meat influences the cut. If a cut of meat is too expensive or not available, he’ll recommend another cut that can save the customer money without sacrificing flavour.
The way meat is raised, Madill explains, is as important as how it tastes. None of the meat sold at Primal Cuts comes from animals that have been treated with antibiotics or hormones.
To run the Primal Cuts nose-to-tail program, Madill takes pride in collaborating with local farmers who raise their animals in a humane and natural way.
“The farmers I work with take great pride in the animals they raise,” he says.
Primal Cuts emphasizes both sustainably raised meat and transparency. To run the Primal Cuts nose-to-tail program, owner George Madill takes pride in collaborating with local farmers who raise their animals in a humane and natural way. None of the meat sold at Primal Cuts comes from animals that have been treated with antibiotics or hormones. (Photo: Whitney Lu / whitcreative.co)
To ensure shoppers get the best, most responsible meat available, Madill goes through an in-depth process: he has important conversations with the farmers, tours their land, inspects their livestock, and makes sure that both sides understand each other’s values and beliefs about the industry.
Twice he has made the trip to PEI to visit with farmers and work with Atlantic Beef Products, a beef processing facility that marries old-world farming traditions with innovative processing.
There’s no doubt that butchering is in Madill’s blood. He got his first introduction to meat-cutting skills decades ago while working a summer job at a grocery store on Brock Street in Peterborough when he was just 14 years old.
At Primal Cuts, meat doesn’t come on a Styrofoam tray. Owner and butcher George Madill says whole animal butchery is one of many benefits of the farm-to-fork movement and the fact that more people want to know the origins of their food. (Photo courtesy of Primal Cuts)
“There was a top sirloin sale,” he recalls. “I was asked if I wanted to help out in the meat department. That’s how I started out learning to cut meat.”
He eventually moved on to hone his skills at Butcher Block in Bridgenorth, training under the late Craig Green and Stan Knott, both highly skilled butchers in Peterborough.
The Butcher Block experience taught Madill much, he says. As a rookie, he learned how to cut, grind, weigh and package meats into retail-ready portions. He also learned a valuable old-school work ethic and the importance of paying attention to detail as well as to sales.
“Craig taught me a lot about sales. He said to me, ‘You can teach anyone how to cut meat, but if you don’t know what to sell, how to sell it and when to sell it, you’re not going to make it.'”
But it was Knott who got Madill interested in whole animal butchering, a bonus for Madill as few butchers are trained in the nose-to-tail butchery in the Kawarthas.
“Stan and I worked together for years,” Madill says. “It was during that time he showed me how to break the animal down and use every piece.”
Later Madill moved from Peterborough to Toronto, where he worked for nine years in two of the city’s premiere butcher shops and helped design and open a flagship butcher shop in the downtown core.
It was that entire process, he says, that sparked the vision of moving back to Peterborough, where he was born and raised, to open his own butcher shop aimed at sourcing meat from farms that grow healthy livestock and practice environmentally responsible techniques.
Along with meat, seafood, and prepared food, Primal Cuts offers branded clothing and accessories, cutting boards, Charcuterie boards, grilling planks, and more. (Photo courtesy of Primal Cuts)
Madill’s years of experience are shown in his broad knowledge of meat, from standard to exotic breeds. It’s also the reason his customers remain so loyal.
“Customers do their research and know what they want, so we really pride ourselves in taking care of them and offering the best quality of meat they won’t find anywhere else.”
And like with many of the old-fashioned butcher shops, Madill and his staff are happy to offer customers a few tips on how to prepare the meats. He says this hands-on approach and personal service to food that also sets Primal Cuts apart from other butchers and high-end food shops in Peterborough and the Kawarthas.
“Our customers continuously tell us how they’re blown away with our products and service,” Madill points out. “And that’s the key — we treat people how we want to be treated.”
Located at 550 Lansdowne Street West in Peterborough, Primal Cuts is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays. Curbside pick-up is also available by calling 705-775-6328.
Health and safety guidelines are in place to keep everyone safe and masks are mandatory to enter the shop. Due to the pandemic, the shop has paused indoor dining.
For more information, visit primalcuts.ca, where you can learn more about their products. You can also follow Primal Cuts on Instagram and Facebook.
This story was created in partnership with Primal Cuts.
A Kawartha Lakes police vehicle blocks access to Pigeon Lake Road east of Lindsay after a police shooting on November 26, 2020 that resulting in a 33-year-old suspect and an OPP officer being seriously injured. The suspect's one-year-old son was found fatally shot in the man's pickup truck. (Photo: CBC)
Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit (SIU) has issued an update on its investigation into a police shooting in Kawartha Lakes on November 26 that resulted in a 33-year-old man and his one-year-old son sustaining gunshot wounds.
The baby was pronounced dead at the scene, and the father succumbed to his injuries almost one week later.
In a media release issued on Monday (December 14), the SIU states it is not releasing the names of the victims out of respect for the family who has requested privacy.
“Understandably, there is a pressing public interest in this case, including how the child died and whether it was gunfire from the father or OPP officers that caused the death,” the SIU states in the media release.
“The SIU is working to make these determinations. Doing so, however, requires time as key evidence must be examined methodically in line with best practices.”
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The SIU says it has interviewed 14 witness officers to date, and three additional witness officers will be interviewed on Tuesday (December 15). Twelve civilian witnesses have been interviewed.
The SIU also says two police-issued rifles and one police-issued pistol were collected. The three officers who discharged these firearms multiple times were designated as subject officers.
A pistol was also located in the pickup truck. The pistol from the pickup truck has been sent to the Centre of Forensic Sciences (CFS) for examination. The police-issued firearms will be submitted to the CFS in line with their procedures, once the SIU is granted approval to do so from the CFS.
The incident occurred east of Lindsay on Pigeon Lake Road between Heights Road and Settlers Road. (Google Maps)
A post-mortem of the child was conducted on November 28th and of the father on December 4th. The SIU states it is awaiting the reports of the post-mortem examinations.
The SIU says examination of the pickup truck continues at the CFS and involves several steps that must be completed in sequential order. Following the exterior examination of the pickup truck — which was completed Thursday (December 10) — blood pattern analysis by an expert was begun of the truck’s interior and is ongoing.
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As this is happening, the SIU states, its forensic investigators are documenting, photographing, and collecting evidence such as projectiles that are retrievable without affecting other evidence. Once this step is complete, a trajectory analysis will be performed with the assistance of the CFS to aid in understanding the direction of travel of projectiles through the vehicle.
Following 3D imagery of the truck, the truck will be released to the SIU forensic investigators for another thorough search for evidence. Any relevant evidence obtained will be sent for testing, and in the case of projectiles, will be compared to the firearms collected.
“The SIU assures the public that it is working as expeditiously as possible,” the media release states. “To the extent information regarding the results of the aforementioned-examinations can be released, once they are completed, without undermining the integrity of the investigation, the SIU will do so.”
Here’s an update on COVID-19 cases in Ontario as well as in the greater Kawarthas region.
Ontario is reporting 1,940 new COVID-19 cases today, with the seven-day average of daily cases increasing by 2 to 1,841.
In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 20 new cases to report and 23 additional cases resolved, with the number of active cases in the region decreasing by 3 to 126.
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Most of the new cases reported today are in Toronto (544), Peel (390), York (191), Hamilton (134), and Windsor-Essex (114).
There are double-digit increases in Waterloo (71), Durham (68), Halton (64), Niagara (58), Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph (47), Ottawa (45), Middlesex-London (43), Simcoe Muskoka (33), Eastern Ontario Health Unit (27), Southwestern Public Health (26), Brant County (13), Huron Perth (12), Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox & Addington (11), and Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit (11), with smaller increases in Leeds, Grenville & Lanark (8) and Haldimand-Norfolk (7).
The remaining 13 health units are reporting 5 or fewer new cases, with 6 health units reporting no new cases at all.
Of today’s cases, 53% are among people under 40 years of age, with the highest number of cases (731) among people ages 20 to 39 followed by 521 cases among people ages 40 to 59. With 1,535 more cases resolved since yesterday, the percentage of resolved cases has decreased by 0.1% to 85.5%. The average positivity rate across Ontario since yesterday has increased by 1.4% to 4.6%, meaning that 46 out of every 1,000 tests performed were positive for COVID-19 on December 13.
Ontario is reporting 23 new COVID-19 deaths today, including 11 in long-term care facilities. Hospitalizations have increased by 44 to 813, but this number does not include data from around 40 hospitals. There are 9 fewer patients with COVID-19 in ICUs, with 7 more patients on ventilators.
A total of 57,091 tests were completed yesterday, and the backlog of tests under investigation has decreased by 19,006 to 32,045.
There are 137 new cases in Ontario schools today, a decrease of 14 from December 11, with 114 student cases and 23 staff cases. There are 26 new cases in licensed child care settings, a decrease of 2 from December 11, with 14 cases among children and 11 cases among staff.
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In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 20 new cases to report, including 15 in Northumberland, 4 in Kawartha Lakes, and 1 in Hastings Prince Edward. There are no new cases in Peterborough or Haliburton.
None of the reported cases in Ontario schools or licensed child care settings are in the greater Kawarthas region.
An additional 10 cases have been resolved in Northumberland, 7 in Hastings Prince Edward, 6 in Kawartha Lakes.
There is 1 new hospitalization in Hastings Prince Edward.
There are currently 126 active cases in the greater Kawarthas region, including 48 in Hastings and Prince Edward counties (with 22 in Quinte West and 20 in Belleville), 47 in Northumberland, 19 in Peterborough, 11 in Kawartha Lakes, and 1 in Haliburton.
Since the pandemic began in the greater Kawarthas region, there have been 247 confirmed positive cases in the Peterborough area (223 resolved with 5 deaths), 218 in the City of Kawartha Lakes (188 resolved with 32 deaths), 166 in Northumberland County (118 resolved with 1 death), 27 in Haliburton County (26 resolved with no deaths), and 223 in Hastings and Prince Edward counties (170 resolved with 5 deaths). The most recent death was reported in Peterborough on November 23.
Province-wide, there have been 142,121 confirmed cases, an increase of 1,940 from yesterday, with 121,563 resolved cases (85.5% of all cases), an increase of 1,535 from yesterday. There have been 3,972 deaths, an increase of 23 from yesterday, with 2,490 deaths in long-term care homes, an increase of 11 from yesterday. The number of hospitalizations has increased by 44 to 813, but this number does not include data from around 40 hospitals. There are 9 fewer patients with COVID-19 in ICUs, with 7 more patients on ventilators. A total of 7,019,734 tests have been completed, an increase of 57,091 from yesterday, with 32,045 tests under investigation, a decrease of 19,006 from yesterday.
The provincial data in this report is pulled from Ontario’s integrated Public Health Information System (iPHIS) at 12 p.m. the previous day. Data from local health units is more current and is usually reflected in the provincial data the following day. There may be discrepancies between the Ontario data reported today (which is from yesterday) and the local health unit data reported today (which is from today).
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: 247 (no change) Active cases: 19 (no change) Close contacts: 74 (increase of 23) Deaths: 5 (no change) Resolved: 223 (no change) Hospitalizations (total to date): 12 (no change)* Total tests completed: Over 37,900 (increase of 50) Institutional outbreaks: None (no change)
*Peterborough Regional Health Centre reports that, as of December 11, there is 1 patient with COVID-19 on an inpatient unit and 1 patient with COVID-19 in ICU (transferred from a partner hospital).
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 Saturday, excluding statutory holidays. As the health unit does not issue updates on Sundays, these numbers include December 13 and 14.
Confirmed positive: 411, including 218 in Kawartha Lakes, 166 in Northumberland, 27 in Haliburton (increase of 19, including 15 in Northumberland and 4 in Kawartha Lakes) Active cases: 59, including 11 in Kawartha Lakes, 47 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton (net increase of 3) Probable cases: 0 (no change) High-risk contacts: 174, including 35 in Kawartha Lakes, 138 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton (net increase of 37) Hospitalizations (total to date): 18, including 11 in Kawartha Lakes, 6 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton (no change) Deaths: 33 (no change) Resolved: 332, including 188 in Kawartha Lakes, 118 in Northumberland, 26 in Haliburton (increase of 16, including 6 in Kawartha Lakes and 10 in Northumberland) Institutional outbreaks: Extendicare Kawartha Lakes in Lindsay (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 daily reports, excluding statutory holidays.
Confirmed positive: 223 (increase of 1) Active cases: 48 (decrease of 6) Deaths: 5 (no change) Currently hospitalized: 1 (increase of 1) Currently hospitalized and in ICU: 0 (no change) Currently hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator (total to date): 0 (no change) Resolved: 170 (increase of 7) Swabs completed: 11,051 Institutional outbreaks: None (no change)
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Province of Ontario
Confirmed positive: 142,121 (increase of 1,940) Resolved: 121,563 (increase of 1,535, 85.5% of all cases) Hospitalized: 813 (increase of 44)* Hospitalized and in ICU: 244 (decrease of 9) Hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator: 149 (increase of 7) Deaths: 3,972 (increase of 23) Deaths of residents in long-term care homes: 2,490 (increase of 11) Total tests completed: 7,019,734 (increase of 57,091) Tests under investigation: 32,045 (decrease of 19,006)
*The number of hospitalized patients does not include data from approximately 40 hospitals.
New COVID-19 cases in Ontario from November 13 – December 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 November 13 – December 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)
Peterborough artist Brad Brackenridge performing his puppetry magic in "Life Comes To Resemble Unimaginative Literature: Or, The Moment Of My Death" at The Theatre On King in downtown Peterborough as part of the Bernie Martin Festival in November 2016. The performer and designer has been named the 2021 artist in residence at Artspace in Peterborough. (Photo: Andy Carroll)
Peterborough native Brad Brackenridge — recently selected as the 2021 artist in residence at Peterborough’s artist-run Artspace — is the type of artist that makes you believe in magic.
Be it his impressive acting range or his skilfully designed puppet creations, Brackenridge’s work captivates and enchants his audiences.
Brackenridge is the founder of puppet-based theatre company The Nervous System, which has created and mounted productions for Erring, Artsweek, A Certain Place: The Bernie Martin Festival, and Precarious: Peterborough ArtsWORK Festival among other major festivals.
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He has also created puppets for notable companies and festivals such as Shaw Festival, Spiel Players, and 4th Line Theatre, to name but a few.
Like many accomplished local artists, Brackenridge cut his teeth at the now-defunct Union Theatre.
“I started acting by taking a 10-part improv course with Rob Winslow [of 4th Line Theatre], which a dear friend encouraged me to take part in,” he recalls. “By the end of it, Rob had asked us if we wanted to be in a Brecht play, The Good Woman of Szechwan, at the Union Theatre. It kind of sprung from there.”
Brad Brackenridge preparing a life-size puppet for “Terror and Erebus”, an outdoor workshop presentation in August 2011 directed by Ian Carpenter. Brackenridge came up with the concept and designed and built the puppets and the set, as well as performing along with Charlie Glasspool and, Kate Story. (Photo: Ian Carpenter)
Since those early days, the actor has appeared in numerous film and theatre productions to critical acclaim — including recognition at the inaugural Peterborough Arts Awards in 2018 as outstanding mid-career theatrical artist.
However, it wasn’t until 15 years ago that Brackenridge made his first foray into the art of puppetry by means of an intensive workshop at the Banff Puppet Theatre in Alberta.
Part of the set for 2011’s “Terror and Erebus”, designed and built by Brad Brackenridge. (Photo: Brad Brackenridge)
“I had always had an interest in puppets and dolls as a young kid but, as an adult, I had nowhere to go to learn about the art form,” says Brackenridge. “Banff really was a transformative experience. It was intense — I’ve never really experienced anything like it. It re-invigorated my artistic practice.”
“Since then, puppetry has gained a bit of momentum in and around North America. In Europe, it’s just a given that puppetry is a very serious art form because it’s been around forever there. It’s not just for children’s theatre — there’s certainly nothing wrong with that — but there are so many possibilities for the art form to explore more adult themes.”
Brackenridge’s work is a far cry from the Muppets of our childhoods. His puppet creations are soulful, sometimes sorrowful, and always living, breathing characters.
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His scripts, often based on historical events, weave a tapestry of hope and despair that somehow transcends loss.
“I’m definitely drawn to adult themes, to an expression of myself that can’t necessarily be conveyed with straight-up performance,” he says.
“Puppetry allowed me to think about shows that I wanted to create in a different way that’s not necessarily an acting show — it gives you more control. Puppetry gives you a chance to explore boundaries because you’re not limited by size or time or space.”
Brad Brackenridge performing in “Nut. Cracker.” at The Theatre On King in downtown Peterborough in December 2018. (Photo: Andy Carroll)
“My first big show [using puppets] was Terror and Erebus,” recalls Brackenridge. “It was a huge outdoor show about the Franklin expedition, based on a short prose poem by Gwendolyn MacEwen, which I picked up by accident.”
“I remember thinking, ‘Wow, this is really cool!’ There were multiple characters in it and, instead of asking 50 actors to play those characters, I made them.”
Now, thanks to his residency at Artspace, the artist will have the opportunity to create and design many more works of art sure to enchant all who encounter them.
Brad Brackenridge designed the set and puppets for “Komachi on the Shrine”, his 2015 puppet play at The Theatre On King in downtown Peterborough with composer Kathleen Adamson. (Photo: Brad Brackenridge)
“With this residency, I can experiment and explore,” Brackenridge says. “I can make something and see how it works in space and explore the many different ways of working with the objects. It allows me to have 24-hour access to the space and to be able to work on multiple projects at once.”
“By having the time and space and freedom for development, it allows artwork to take on a life of its own.”
“I’m very humbled and honoured to be accepted — this is an incredible opportunity,” says Brackenridge of his residency at Artspace.
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“After eight months of this pandemic, it really has come at the perfect time to give me a little kick to turn it back on and get to these projects that are in various stages of development,” he adds.
The Artspace residency will also allow for community engagement, a welcome respite for the public after eight months of this pandemic limiting our chances to see art.
“I am going to remount a work that I did for the Emergency Festival called Vertep,” says Brackenridge. “It was a one-on-one performance that was set up kind of like a confessional. It’s something that can be done in a safe way — people can see it by appointment — so I’m looking forward to being able to revisit that work.”
“One the greatest things is sharing your work with people who otherwise might not have had access to that kind of art,” Brackenridge observes.
Brad Brackenridge flying a rocket ship in Planet 12 Productions produciton of “Santa Claus Conquers the Martians” in December 2019 at The Theatre On King in downtown Peterborough. (Photo: Derek Weatherdon)
“Being able to witness their discovery in and of itself is such a gift.”
This residency has closed the circle, in a sense, for the Peterborough artist who remembers his own moment of discovery at Artspace during his formative years.
“The first time I went to Artspace, it was this wacky gallery and there was this huge foam cactus,” recalls Brackenridge.
“I have such vivid memories of seeing that cactus. Now, however many years later, here I am doing a residency in the place that I saw as a young teen. It’s pretty mind-blowing.”
With any luck, some young teen will stumble upon the magic that Brad Brackenridge will create during his 2021 residency at Artspace and a world of unimagined possibilities will open to them.
This ice sculpture of a hockey player by Charlie "Woodchuk" Andolsek on the shores of Chemong Lake in Ennismore was created in advance of the 2019 annual PolarFest winter family festival in Selwyn Township. The 2021 festival has been cancelled due to COVID-19. (Photo courtesy of Steph Bush / @s0_fetchh on Twitter)
The Township of Selwyn’s PolarFest has been cancelled for 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with a virtual version of the Polar Plunge fundraiser still going ahead.
The PolarFest committee decided to cancel the 41st annual event, originally scheduled for February 5th to 7th, in consultation with township staff.
“As disappointing as it is to have to cancel PolarFest this year, we look forward to working with our PolarFest committee, community partners, and sponsors to welcome visitors in 2022,” organizers announced on Monday (December 14).
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PolarFest normally features lots of group activities for families, including a snowman building challenge, night hike on the Lakefield Trail, a candlelight skate, ice carvings, horse-drawn sleigh rides, and more.
The festival culminates with the Polar Plunge, where crowds of people watch as participants jump into Chemong Lake at Rotary Park in Ennismore to raise funds for their favourite charities and the Rotary Club of Bridgenorth-Ennismore-Lakefield.
Organizers say “a special at home and virtual edition” of the Polar Plunge will still take place on Sunday, February 7th. Details will be announced at www.belrotaryplunge.com.
Rotarians from three local Rotary Clubs take the Polar Plunge at the annual BEL Rotary event in 2018. A virtual version of the annual fundraiser will go ahead in 2021. (Photo: Lynne Chant / Rotary Club of Peterborough Kawartha)
Here’s an update on COVID-19 cases in Ontario as well as in the greater Kawarthas region.
Ontario is reporting 1,677 new COVID-19 cases today, with the seven-day average of daily cases decreasing by 35 to 1,839.
In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 9 new cases to report and 4 additional cases resolved, with the number of active cases in the region increasing by 5 to 129. However, these numbers do not include updates for Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland, and Haliburton, which are unavailable on Sundays.
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Most of the new cases reported today are in Toronto (456), Peel (356), and York (143).
There are double-digit increases in Hamilton (90), Durham (86), Windsor-Essex (72), Halton (62), Niagara (61), Waterloo (61), Ottawa (55), Simcoe Muskoka (36), Middlesex-London (25), Eastern Ontario Health Unit (23), Brant County (22), Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph (22), Huron Perth (17), Southwestern Public Health (17), Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox & Addington (13), Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit (13), Leeds, Grenville & Lanark (12), and Thunder Bay (10).
The remaining 13 health units are reporting 5 or fewer new cases, with 4 health units (all in northern Ontario) reporting no new cases at all.
Of today’s cases, 51% are among people under 40 years of age, with the highest number of cases (586) among people ages 20 to 39 followed by 471 cases among people ages 40 to 59. With 1,678 more cases resolved since yesterday, the percentage of resolved cases has increased by 0.2% to 85.6%. The average positivity rate across Ontario is not available on weekends.
Ontario is reporting 16 new COVID-19 deaths today, including 10 in long-term care facilities. Hospitalizations have decreased by 42 to 813, but this number does not include data from around 40 hospitals. Another 16 patients with COVID-19 have been admitted to ICUs, with 1 less patient on a ventilator.
A total of 58,190 tests were completed yesterday, and the backlog of tests under investigation has decreased by 16,603 to 51,051.
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In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 9 new cases to report, including 7 in Hastings Prince Edward (5 in Quinte West, 1 in Belleville, and 1 in Prince Edward County) and 2 in Peterborough. Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit does not provide reports on Sundays for Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland, and Haliburton.
An additional 3 cases have been resolved in Hastings Prince Edward and 1 additional case has been resolved in Peterborough.
There are currently 129 active cases in the greater Kawarthas region, including 54 in Hastings and Prince Edward counties (including 24 in Quinte West and 23 in Belleville), 42 in Northumberland, 19 in Peterborough, 13 in Kawartha Lakes, and 1 in Haliburton.
Since the pandemic began in the greater Kawarthas region, there have been 247 confirmed positive cases in the Peterborough area (223 resolved with 5 deaths), 214 in the City of Kawartha Lakes (182 resolved with 32 deaths), 151 in Northumberland County (108 resolved with 1 death), 27 in Haliburton County (26 resolved with no deaths), and 222 in Hastings and Prince Edward counties (163 resolved with 5 deaths). The most recent death was reported in Peterborough on November 23.
Province-wide, there have been 140,181 confirmed cases, an increase of 1,677 from yesterday, with 120,028 resolved cases (85.6% of all cases), an increase of 1,678 from yesterday. There have been 3,949 deaths, an increase of 16 from yesterday, with 2,479 deaths in long-term care homes, an increase of 10 from yesterday. The number of hospitalizations has decreased by 42 to 813, but this number does not include data from around 40 hospitals. Another 16 patients with COVID-19 have been admitted to ICUs, with 1 less patient on a ventilator. A total of 6,962,643 tests have been completed, an increase of 58,190 from yesterday, with 51,051 tests under investigation, a decrease of 16,603 from yesterday.
The provincial data in this report is pulled from Ontario’s integrated Public Health Information System (iPHIS) at 12 p.m. the previous day. Data from local health units is more current and is usually reflected in the provincial data the following day. There may be discrepancies between the Ontario data reported today (which is from yesterday) and the local health unit data reported today (which is from today).
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: 247 (increase of 2) Active cases: 19 (increase of 1) Close contacts: 51 (increase of 7) Deaths: 5 (no change) Resolved: 223 (increase of 1) Hospitalizations (total to date): 12 (no change)* Total tests completed: Over 37,850 (increase of 150) Institutional outbreaks: None (no change)
*Peterborough Regional Health Centre reports that, as of December 11, there is 1 patient with COVID-19 on an inpatient unit and 1 patient with COVID-19 in ICU (transferred from a partner hospital).
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 Saturday, excluding statutory holidays. These numbers are from Saturday, December 12.
Confirmed positive: 392, including 214 in Kawartha Lakes, 151 in Northumberland, 27 in Haliburton (increase of 14, including 12 in Northumberland and 2 in Kawartha Lakes)* Active cases: 56, including 13 in Kawartha Lakes, 42 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton (increase of 11, including 2 in Kawartha Lakes and 9 in Northumberland) Probable cases: 0 (no change) High-risk contacts: 137, including 24 in Kawartha Lakes, 111 in Northumberland, and 2 in Haliburton (no change) Hospitalizations (total to date): 18, including 11 in Kawartha Lakes, 6 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton (no change) Deaths: 33 (no change) Resolved: 316, including 182 in Kawartha Lakes, 108 in Northumberland, 26 in Haliburton (increase of 5 in Northumberland)** Institutional outbreaks: Extendicare Kawartha Lakes in Lindsay (no change)
*One additional case has been transferred from another health unit. This is not considered a new case, but has increased Northumberland’s case count by 1.
**A case in Kawartha Lakes previously reported as resolved is reported as active again.
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 daily reports, excluding statutory holidays.
Confirmed positive: 222 (increase of 7) Active cases: 54 (increase of 4) Deaths: 5 (no change) Currently hospitalized: 0 (no change) Currently hospitalized and in ICU: 0 (no change) Currently hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator (total to date): 0 (no change) Resolved: 163 (increase of 3) Swabs completed: 10,943 Institutional outbreaks: None (no change)
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Province of Ontario
Confirmed positive: 140,181 (increase of 1,677) Resolved: 120,028 (increase of 1,678, 85.6% of all cases) Hospitalized: 813 (decrease of 42)* Hospitalized and in ICU: 253 (increase of 16) Hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator: 142 (decrease of 1) Deaths: 3,949 (increase of 16) Deaths of residents in long-term care homes: 2,479 (increase of 10) Total tests completed: 6,962,643 (increase of 58,190) Tests under investigation: 51,051 (decrease of 16,603)
*The number of hospitalized patients does not include data from approximately 40 hospitals.
New COVID-19 cases in Ontario from November 12 – December 12, 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 November 12 – December 12, 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)
Leah McCracken (left) has been a registered nurse in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC) for the past 18 years. She and her colleagues like Kelsey Thibert (right) depend on your generous support for the equipment and technology they need. It helps them continue to provide urgent, lifesaving, and lifechanging care at your hospital. (Photo courtesy of PRHC Foundation)
Frontline healthcare professionals at Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC) will be ready for whatever comes this winter — but they need your continued support during this difficult year.
“Even in a pandemic, people are still having heart attacks, strokes and accidents, or coping with serious illnesses,” says Leah McCracken, a registered nurse in PRHC’s Intensive Care Unit (ICU). “Cancer patients still need specialized care. Babies are born needing help to breathe.”
By making a donation to the PRHC Foundation this holiday season, you can help the hospital invest in the lifesaving tools and technology that healthcare professionals like McCracken need to provide world-class care to patients from across our region.
When making your holiday gift, you can also share a message of thanks or best wishes with PRHC’s frontline workers, letting them know you’re thinking of them and helping them stay strong.
ICU nurse Leah McCracken and her colleagues work hard to deliver the highest quality of patient care every day at Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC). The ongoing support of donors is ensuring PRHC’s nurses, doctors and staff can continue to take care of every single person who turns to PRHC for care, whatever comes this winter. (Photo courtesy of PRHC Foundation)
Your messages of support provide comfort and encouragement to frontline workers like McCracken and her colleagues in the ICU, who care for some of the hospital’s sickest patients — including people battling COVID-19 and people like Rosalie, who received the lifesaving care she needed at PRHC this fall after suffering a heart attack.
“It all started one Sunday morning when she started having terrible chest pains while visiting her new cottage in Marmora,” McCracken recalls. “Rosalie was rushed to PRHC where she was admitted to the ICU after a cardiac angiogram.”
“Rosalie tells me most of that Sunday is a blur. But when her husband tells the story, he says that he wasn’t worried — that our staff knew what we were doing, and we were on it the whole time.”
This holiday, lift the spirits and warm the hearts of the hard-working physicians, nurses like Leah McCracken, and staff at Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC) with a tribute gift. You can share your message of thanks or best wishes along with your donation. Let PRHC’s frontline healthcare professionals know they’re in our hearts this season. (Photo courtesy of PRHC Foundation)
As a registered nurse in PRHC’s ICU for the past 18 years, McCracken has heard many stories like Rosalie’s. But this year “it really hit home for me,” she says.
“Now, more than ever, I realize how important it is for our hospital to invest in the best and latest equipment and technology to care for our sickest patients, at one of the most uncertain and frightening times in their lives.”
McCracken and her colleagues depend on that equipment and technology to do their jobs to the best of their ability. Many people are surprised to learn the government doesn’t fund hospital equipment or technology, which is why the most generous communities have the best hospitals.
“I know I speak for my colleagues across the hospital when I tell you how much we appreciate the generosity of our community,” McCracken says, referring to donations that have helped fund portable ultrasound machines for the ICU as well as new critical care beds that are essential to the comfort and safety of many ICU patients.
“But while we prepare for whatever comes this winter, we also need your help to ensure we can continue to take care of every single person who turns to us for lifesaving care and treatment,” she adds. That includes patients like Rosalie, who received the lifesaving care she needed during the pandemic, and others who are in urgent need of care in areas across the hospital.
Your gifts to PRHC Foundation this holiday season will help fund equipment for the hospital such as new Computerized Tomography (CT) scanners with advanced imaging capability to enable faster and more precise diagnoses and treatment, and reinvestment in facilities like the regional Cardiac Catheterization Lab so PRHC can keep stopping heart attacks in their tracks.
There are several ways to make a donation to the Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC) Foundation and send a message to healthcare providers. If you didn’t receive a tribute card pictured above in the mail, you can donate and send a note online at prhcfoundation.ca. You can also mail a tribute and donation to PRHC Foundation, 1 Hospital Drive, Peterborough ON K9J 7C6. (Photo courtesy of PRHC Foundation)
“The fact is, having access to tools like these leads to better care for your family, friends and neighbours,” McCracken says. “Your support also helps our hospital invest in the future, by attracting expert healthcare professionals to come to Peterborough to work at PRHC.”
McCracken is encouraging people to make the most generous gift they can to the hospital this holiday season.
“You can be sure we’ll continue to work hard to deliver the highest quality of patient care, whatever comes,” she says. “It’s your support today that will help us carry on.”
To make a gift to PRHC Foundation this holiday season, call 705-876-5000 or visit prhcfoundation.ca.
You can also send a message of thanks or best wishes to PRHC’s dedicated frontline healthcare professionals when making your donation. The PRHC Foundation will send your message on to the frontline workers you specify and share your message with the hospital community to lift their spirits and to inspire others.
Your generosity helps fund the vital tools healthcare professionals like Leah McCracken at Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC) must have to provide world-class care to patients from across our region, no matter the health crisis they’re facing. Because of your support, they’ll be able to keep doing their jobs to the best of their ability during this time of uncertainty. (Photo courtesy of PRHC Foundation)
This story was created in partnership with the Peterborough Regional Health Care Foundation.
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