Edwin Binney's Community Garden in Lindsay, an initiative of United Way for the City of Kawartha Lakes, Fleming College, and Crayola Canada, has already harvested and donated 5,944 pounds of produce in 2020 to 10 local food banks and 11 non-profit organizations. (Photo courtesy of United Way CKL)
Edwin Binney’s Community Garden in Lindsay has donated 5,944 pounds of produce so far this season, the United Way for the City of Kawartha Lakes (United Way CKL) announced on Thursday (September 10).
The community agriculture initiative, now in its second year of production, comprises 30,000 square feet of Crayola Canada’s previously unused land that United Way CKL and Fleming College staff developed into a fully operational community garden in 2019.
Last year, the community garden harvested a total 5,500 pounds of produce and the goal this year is to double that amount — a substantial achievement given the challenges posted during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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All of the produce grown at Edwin Binney’s Community Garden is donated to 10 local food banks and 11 non-profit organizations.
Recently, the United Way CKL began three pilot projects to deliver the produce to clients in the City of Kawartha Lakes and Haliburton.
Through Garden at Your Table, a collaboration between United Way CKL and Community Care City of Kawartha Lakes, produce from the community garden has been delivered directly to 50 clients in Kawartha Lakes. Through Garden at Your Table, a collaboration between United Way CKL and Community Care City of Kawartha Lakes, produce from Edwin Binney’s Community Garden has been delivered directly to 50 clients in Kawartha Lakes. (Photo courtesy of United Way CKL)
Fresh Produce Fridays, a pilot project led by United Way CKL, delivers produce to three social housing units in Lindsay. An extension of the pilot project in Haliburton is also in the works.
To find out more about Edwin Binney’s Community Garden and the work of the United Way CKL, and to make a donation, visit ckl-unitedway.ca.
Some of the reasons why people are participating in this year's Ovarian Cancer Walk of Hope on September 13, 2020. Because of the pandemic, there will be no group walk but registered participants will walk around their neigbourhoods in their social circles and there will be a livestreamed event on Facebook. In Peterborough, leading up to the virtual walk on Sunday, there will also be virtual arts workshops, a cupcake sale, and a porch decorating contest. In addition, Paul Plant will be carrying his canoe through downtown Peterborough on Sunday with volunteers collecting donations. (Graphic: Ovarian Cancer Canada)
For all the many challenges and resulting adverse effects that the COVID-19 pandemic has presented, it has forced many to think creatively — outside the box, if you will — to attain some degree of normalcy.
Just before the general shutdown in mid-March, a local committee chaired by Marilyn Robinson met to plan the Peterborough edition of the annual Ovarian Cancer Canada Walk of Hope in the fall. There was no reason at that time to think that it wouldn’t be business as usual for the national awareness-heightening fundraiser that traces its origins back to 2002.
“Everybody thought the shutdown was going to be a couple of months, so we were planning the walk like we normally would,” recalls Robinson, a 44-year survivor of the most fatal of all cancers in women.
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“In May our national office was saying ‘Well, we haven’t made any decision yet (on a live walk event), we’re going to have to wait and see what unfolds’,” Robinson explains. “Then in June they said ‘We’re going to do it regionally. It will depend on what your area has for guidelines, what phase you’re in, and whether or not you can have an actual walk or if it’s going to be virtual.'”
“It was at the beginning of July that the national office finally said ‘We’ve made the decision (to go virtual). We don’t want to take any risks no matter where you live.'”
And so it is that the 2020 Walk of Hope set for this Sunday (September 13) — which last year raised an impressive $30,000 for ovarian cancer research — will be hosted and presented virtually.
“It (not knowing the walk’s status) was very stressful,” Robinson explains. “We’d normally be looking for sponsors and doing all kinds of things in April and May, but we couldn’t do anything. The nice thing is we quickly learned we can do it this way if need be. It opened up a lot of challenges to be more creative.”
And more creative Robinson’s committee has indeed been, with special events planned as follows:
A virtual painting techniques class presented by artist Jane Hall on Thursday (September 10) at 7 p.m., and a virtual meditation session on Saturday (September 12) at 2 p.m. Both require a $10 donation to participate, and you must register in advance by emailing occpeterboroughwalk2020@gmail.com to receive the Zoom links.
Until Saturday (September 12) at Sprinkles bakery (360 George Street North, Unit 57, Peterborough Square), $1 from the purchase of a sunflower cupcake created by owner Amy Keller will go to the cause. The sunflower is the official emblem of Ovarian Cancer Canada.
A porch decorating contest will see a prize awarded for the most creative incorporating teal, the official colour of Ovarian Cancer Canada. Participants are asked to share photos of their porch creation on their social media platforms.
As for Sunday’s main event, a national broadcast will begin at 9 a.m. on the Facebook event page featuring opening ceremonies and pre-recorded speeches. Then, starting at 10 a.m., those who have registered for the walk are asked to walk around their neighbourhood — remaining, of course, in their social bubble.
Paul Plant, who lost his wife Karen Hoffman to ovarian cancer last year, raised almost $4,000 for the 2019 Ovarian Cancer Canada Walk of Hope in Peterborough by committing to carry his canoe on his shoulders for five kilometres. For the 2020 virtual walk, Plant will be carrying his canoe from downtown Peterborough into East City and back while volunteers collect donations. (Photo courtesy of Paul Plant)
Huge to the event is the return participation of Paul Plant, whose wife Karen died in July 2019 after a courageous battle with ovarian cancer. As was the case last year, Paul will walk while carrying a canoe over his head — he and Karen were avid paddlers.
Last year Plant brought in close to $4,000 of the $30,000 total raised. Recognizing the economic impact of the pandemic, Peterborough organizers revised this year’s fundraising to $13,000, but already just more than $15,000 has been pledged.
“It put new energy into the event when Paul contacted me and said he would walk,” Robinson notes. “We could actually do something live and energetic and motivating, instead of everything just being on a computer screen.”
Plant will begin his walk at No Frills on George Street in downtown Peterborough and proceed to Del Crary Park, before crossing into East City via the footbridge and then returning to downtown Peterborough via Hunter Street. He’ll be joined by volunteers with buckets collecting donations.
“Paul will be there (downtown) when the patios are full,” Robinson says. “We figure that will probably draw some attention.”
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Despite the show-must-go-on approach embraced by the organizing committee, Robinson admits keeping all involved motivated has been a challenge.
“Because we can’t get together, it’s hard to get motivated,” she says. “We usually have fun having our meetings. It’s a social thing. A Zoom meeting is much more business-like. You don’t tend to chit-chat as much.”
“The biggest thing for me isn’t so much the money raised. It’s the fact that more people realize how many women (ovarian cancer) affects and how fatal it is. Paul’s wife went through three years of fighting. One of two women (diagnosed) has less than five years to live.”
When Marilyn Robinson was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 1974 at the age of 11, she was the first person in Canada under the age of 21 to be diagnosed with the disease. Following the removal of a tumour from an ovary, she underwent 22 courses of radiation and two years of chemotherapy while her family travelled between Peterborough and Toronto. Here she is pictured in 1978, when she was in Grade 8, and today as chair of the Ovarian Cancer Canada Walk of Hope in Peterborough. The 2020 walk takes place on September 13th with a large virtual component due to the pandemic. (Photos courtesy of Marilyn Robinson)
Robinson herself was diagnosed at age 11 — the first person in Canada under the age of 21 to be diagnosed with the disease. Following the removal of a tumour from an ovary, she underwent 22 courses of radiation and two years of chemotherapy while her family travelled between Peterborough and Toronto. Along with her husband, she got involved with the local walk in 2014 when a search for new committee members was launched.
According to Ovarian Cancer Canada, all women are at risk of developing the disease but one is at higher risk if she is more than 50 years old, has a family history of certain types of cancer (such as ovarian, breast, endometrial, and colorectal), and is of Ashkenazi Jewish descent and/or has a genetic mutation linked with ovarian cancer.
Here’s an update on COVID-19 cases in Ontario and the greater Kawarthas region.
Today, Ontario is reporting 149 new cases, the lowest double-digit daily increase since September 4. Most of the new cases are in Toronto (50), Peel (41), Ottawa (16), York (13), Halton (7), and Waterloo (6), with the remaining 28 public health units reporting five or fewer cases and 21 reporting no new cases at all. Of today’s new cases, 70% are among people under the age of 40, with almost 20% of the cases among people under the age of 20.
In the greater Kawartha region, there are no new cases to report in Peterborough, Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland, Haliburton, or Prince Edward and Hastings counties. Hastings Prince Edward Public Health has removed 1 case, reported yesterday, from its total number of cases. Another case in Peterborough has been resolved, leaving 1 active case in Peterborough, 2 in Kawartha Lakes, 2 in Northumberland, and 5 in Prince Edward and Hastings counties. There are no active cases in Haliburton.
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Since the pandemic began in the greater Kawarthas region, there have been 106 confirmed positive cases in the Peterborough area (103 resolved with 2 deaths), 179 in the City of Kawartha Lakes (158 resolved with 32 deaths), 35 in Northumberland County (32 resolved with 1 death), 15 in Haliburton County (15 resolved with no deaths), and 52 in Hastings County and Prince Edward County (42 resolved with 5 deaths). The most recent death was reported in Northumberland on September 8.
Province-wide, there have been 43,536 confirmed cases, an increase of 185 from yesterday, with 38,958 (90% of all cases) resolved, an increase of 119. There have been 2,813 deaths (no change from yesterday) with 1,817 deaths reported in long-term care homes (no change from yesterday). A total of 3,171,062 tests have been completed, an increase of 20,929 from yesterday, with 8,357 tests under investigation, a decrease of 2,183.
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: 106 (no change, last new case reported September 7) Active cases: 1 (decrease of 1) Deaths: 2 (no change) Resolved: 103 (increase of 1) Total tests completed: Over 25,800 (increase of 50) Institutional outbreaks: None (no change)
Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit
The Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit’s service area is the City of Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland County, and Haliburton County.
The health unit provides reports on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, excluding statutory holidays.
Confirmed positive: 229, including 179 in Kawartha Lakes, 35 in Northumberland, 15 in Haliburton (no change) Probable cases: 0 (no change) Hospitalizations (total to date): 15 (no change) Deaths: 33 (no change) Resolved: 205, including 158 in Kawartha Lakes, 32 in Northumberland, 15 in Haliburton (no change) Active cases: 4, including 2 in Kawartha Lakes and 2 in Northumberland (no change) Institutional outbreaks: None (no change)
Hastings Prince Edward Public Health
Hastings Prince Edward Public Health’s service area is Hastings County (including Bancroft) and Prince Edward County.
The health unit provides reports on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, excluding statutory holidays.
Confirmed positive: 52 (decrease of 1) Active cases: 5 (no change) Deaths: 5 (no change) Hospitalized: 0 (no change) Hospitalized and in ICU: 0 (no change) Hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator: 0 (no change) Recovered: 42 (decrease of 1) Total tests completed: 24,827 (no change) Institutional outbreaks: None (no change)
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Province of Ontario
Confirmed positive: 43,685 (increase of 149) Resolved: 39,332 (increase of 136, 90% of all cases) Hospitalized: 55 (no change) Hospitalized and in ICU: 15 (decrease of 3) Hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator: 8 (no change) Deaths: 2,813 (no change) Deaths of residents in long-term care homes: 1,818 (increase of 1) Total tests completed: 3,188,667 (increase of 17,605) Tests under investigation: 20,062 (increase of 11,705)
New COVID-19 cases in Ontario from August 9 – September 8, 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 August 9 – September 8, 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)
Ray Henderson in 2017 in Peterborough. (Photo source: Facebook)
A former Peterborough resident charged in connection with an alleged 2013 sexual assault made his first court appearance via Zoom on Wednesday (September 9).
Raymond Frederick Henderson, the former artistic director of Peterborough’s Arbor Theatre who also taught at Fleming College, will make his next court appearance on Wednesday, October 14, 2020, represented by Peterborough lawyer Trevor Burgess.
Neither Henderson nor his lawyer were present for the appearance, but the next appearance date was agreed to by the Crown.
Henderson, 49, was arrested in July and charged with sexual assault and two counts of sexual exploitation.
Those charges were laid following a Peterborough police investigation into an allegation that he assaulted and exploited a female under the age of 18 at the time of the alleged incident.
A warrant was issued for Henderson’s arrest on July 6. Now living in Brantford, he turned himself in July 9 at the city police station at which time he was formally charged and released from custody.
Henderson was well known in Peterborough’s theatre community as an actor and director.
If you live in Peterborough and play Lotto Max, check your numbers.
OLG reports that the ticket for the second prize of the Lotto Max draw on Tuesday night (September 9) — worth $208,034.90 — was sold in Peterborough.
But that pales in comparison to the single winning ticket for the $65 million jackpot, which was sold in Timiskaming/Cochrane district in northern Ontario.
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An Encore ticket worth $100,000 was sold in Brampton.
OLG reminds players that they can check their tickets from home on olg.ca, by using the OLG lottery app on their mobile device, signing up on the OLG website for winning number email alerts, or by calling 1-866-891-8946 (toll free).
The next Lotto Max jackpot is estimated at $19 million. The draw will be held on Friday (September 11).
Over 12 months, the Innovation Cluster's "Women Breaking Barriers" program will help up to 20 female entrepreneurs fast track their companies in the fields of science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM) and social innovation. The Innovation Cluster announced the 10 participants of the first six-month cohort of the program on September 9, 2020. (Photo courtesy of the Innovation Cluster)
On Wednesday (September 9), the Innovation Cluster Peterborough and the Kawarthas announced the 10 participants in the first cohort of “Women Breaking Barriers” — a 12-month business accelerator program designed to help female entrepreneurs fast track their companies in the fields of science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM) and social innovation.
The products and services of the 10 participants’ companies include mobile applications, safety technology, community development, new and innovative products, agriculture innovation, and more.
Roselea Terry, marketing manager and senior innovation specialist who is leading the program, says the Innovation Cluster was “blown away” by the interest in the program and the number of applications they received.
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“The 10 female-led startups are sure to break barriers and make a dent in the Canadian startup ecosystem with their innovative solutions,” Terry says.
The participants in the first six-month cohort of the program are:
Amy Arthur, founder of Claxon, a personal safety device that can be initiated without using your hands.
Andrea Buckley Gilders, founder of Community Equity Housing Partners, a collaboration opportunity to create affordable residential units for individuals and families.
Danielle Greene, co-founder of Canadian Custom Genetics, which assist agribusinesses in obtaining animal genetics for herd health, growth, and prosperity.
Ellen Edney, founder of Mariposa Woolen Mill, which creates sustainable wool food packaging.
Jennifer Andersen, founder of Coupon Addict Inc., a mobile app that streamlines grocery saving opportunities.
Jessica Dalliday, founder of Pilates On Demand, a membership website that offers live and on-demand exercise classes taught through video.
Dr. Margaret Kalmeta, founder of Rapid Nexus Inc., a platform with a rapid wound-healing and infection-control technology able to close open diabetic wounds.
Othalia Doe-Bruce, founder of InnovFin Consulting Inc., an online education platform teaching emerging technologies using emerging technologies such as blockchain.
Robin Linton and Katherine Porter, co-founders of Undu Wearables Ltd., a modern wearable solution that leverages the age-old use of heat to combat pain caused by menstrual cramps.
Stephanie Hendren, founder of Peterborough Microgreens, which harvests live organic microgreens year-round from sustainable urban farm.
Over the next six months, the Women Breaking Barriers program will help the 10 participants accelerate their companies, including through training sessions, weekly mentorship with advisors, peer-to-peer learning, and community networking.
The program will also reduce financial barriers for the female founders by providing them with an opportunity, at the end of the six months, to pitch to the Peterborough Region Angel Network, which currently comprises more than 30 angel investors who have invested over $6 million in companies to date.
Women Breaking Barriers is supported by the Ontario Trillium Foundation, which is providing $75,000 in seed funding.
The overall program will be 12 months long, consisting of two separate cohorts of up to 10 women that will last six months each. Applications for the second six-month cohort will be announced at a later date.
"The pandemic has put a halt to a number of scheduled productions. I now have time, as we come slowly out of this, to channel my work into a new direction. Keep moving!" - Brad Brackenridge, Performing Artist (Photo: Julie Gagne)
On August 31st, the Electric City Culture Council (EC3) in Peterborough launched “Essential”, a photography project that raises awareness of the precarious situation of local artists and arts organizations during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Part of EC3’s Peterborough Arts Alive initiative, the Essential project is a series of 17 photos by local photographer Julie Gagne that depicts 20 local artists during the pandemic. Each of the photos feature an artist or artists in their home or workplace and is accompanied by an artist statement about their experience of the pandemic.
Twice each week until the end of October, kawarthaNOW is publishing photos from the series. Today, we feature performing artist Brad Brackenridge.
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Brad Brackenridge, Performing Artist
Brad Brackenridge – The Essential Project. (Photo by Julie Gagne, design by Rob Wilkes)
A message from EC3 about The Essential Project
The 2020 COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on both individual artists and arts organizations in Peterborough. Performance venues and galleries have been closed, concerts cancelled, exhibitions postponed, entire seasons abandoned. Organizations and facilities are trying to grapple with the loss of revenue and an uncertain future. “Reopening” is not straightforward, to say the least.
Individual artists have lost their creative income and the opportunity to work together to create — something that is absolutely vital to them and to their audiences. Many have pivoted, and developed and presented some great virtual and digital projects. But nothing replaces live performance in front of a live audience and the catalytic energy that comes from being together to rehearse, discuss, and plan projects, to gather at an opening or artist talk.
Isolated at home, cut off from their communities and the lifeblood that is their artistic practice, local artists still found ways to keep our cultural life alive. Silenced and almost invisible, they kept working. But it hasn’t been easy.
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Local photographer Julie Gagne began photographing a number of Peterborough residents in their homes during the earlier stage of the pandemic and posted the photos on Facebook. The eloquent, haunting images of her “Within” portrait project included some artists, and those incredibly moving images caught the eye of EC3 executive director Su Ditta.
Julie’s photos made us think. We have all benefited from the work of artists during the pandemic: we’ve listened to music, read books, watched films, toured virtual exhibitions, tuned in to living room concerts. What has it been like for the artists? Will people remember how essential the arts were to getting through the pandemic when it comes to recovery funding and budget planning? Will arts organizations be supported in a robust recovery plan?
EC3 asked theatre artist Sarah McNeilly to curate and coordinate, and approached Julie Gagne to do a distinct series of photos that spoke to the experience of local artists and what art means to our lives, in good times and in bad. It’s essential.
This arts awareness project is both a witness to the struggles of, and a testament to the courage and contributions of this community during the COVID-19 lockdown. Our heartfelt thanks go out to Julie and everyone in the arts community who have kept us going.
Theresa Connell and Marlene Dawson of Ross Memorial Hospital in Lindsay, two colleagues of late emergency department nurse Stacie Vokins, stand in the garden they dedicated to the memory of Vokins (shown in the picture frame), a 20-year employee of the hospital who passed away in November 2019. The garden, which includes heart sculptures by local artist Christina Handley, won the hospital's annual "Garden Cup". (Photo courtesy of Ross Memorial Hospital)
An award-winning garden at Ross Memorial Hospital has been dedicated to Stacie Vokins, a late emergency department nurse at the Lindsay hospital.
Each year, departments at the hospital adopt and beautify garden spaces around the property to compete for the annual “Garden Cup”.
This year, the emergency department chose to dedicate their garden space to Vokins, a registered practical nurse who mainly worked in the emergency department for more than 20 years. She passed away at Ross Memorial Hospital last November at the age of 42, after being diagnosed with cancer in January 2019, leaving behind her husband and two sons.
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Theresa Connell and Marlene Dawson, two of Vokins’ colleagues in the emergency department, coordinated with staff, physicians, community partners and Votkins’ family to create the memorial garden, which includes hostas and other flowers from Vokins’ own garden. The garden won this year’s Garden Cup.
“We incorporated purple flowers, because that was Stacie’s favourite colour, and yellow flowers, for remembrance,” Connell says. “The flowers from Stacie’s garden line both sides of the pathway as you walk in, like a hug from Stacie.”
Dawson says Vokins was “very family oriented, loved sports and was very competitive, so she would have loved that we worked together with her family, and that we won the competition.”
The team plans to keep the garden beautiful for many years to come.
“This isn’t just where we work,” Connell says. “This is our family.”
Here’s an update on COVID-19 cases in the greater Kawarthas region as well as in Ontario.
Today, the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit reported the death of a Northumberland County resident related to COVID-19. The health unit states the individual passed away with COVID-19 listed as the cause of death.
“While we have not seen a high number of COVID-19 cases in Northumberland, this person’s unfortunate passing is a reminder that we cannot become complacent about this virus,” says medical officer of health Dr. Lynn Noseworthy. “It is still in our community and it poses a threat to all of us, especially our older and more vulnerable residents.”
This is first death in the greater Kawarthas region since May 7, when a death was reported by Hastings Prince Edward Public Health.
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Hastings Prince Edward Public Health has reported 4 new cases in Prince Edward and Hastings counties since the last report on September 4. Two of the new cases resulted from travel, 1 from close contact, and the cause of transmission of 1 case is pending. Two of the cases were confirmed on September 4, 1 on September 5, and 1 on September 8. There are now five active cases in Prince Edward and Hastings counties.
There are no new cases to report in Peterborough, Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland, or Haliburton. An additional case in Peterborough has been resolved, leaving 2 active cases. One case in each of Kawartha Lakes and Northumberland has been resolved, leaving 4 active cases, including 2 in Kawartha Lakes and 2 in Northumberland. The outbreak at Campbellford Memorial Multicare Lodge was declared over on September 8. This outbreak was declared on August 26 after one symptomatic resident tested positive for COVID-19 during enhanced surveillance testing.
In Ontario, 190 new cases were reported for September 6 and 185 new cases were reported for September 7, with cases continuing to climb in large urban centres. Today, the majority of the new cases are in Toronto (48), Peel (42), Ottawa (37), York (19), and Waterloo (6). The remaining 28 public health units are reporting five or fewer cases, with 18 of them reporting no new cases.
Over the past two days, almost two-thirds of the new cases have been people 39 years of age or younger, with 46% among people ages 20 to 39 and 16% among people under the age of 19. The percentage of cases that are resolved has dropped from a high of 90.8% in August to 90% today.
Since the pandemic began in the greater Kawarthas region, there have been 106 confirmed positive cases in the Peterborough area (102 resolved with 2 deaths), 179 in the City of Kawartha Lakes (158 resolved with 32 deaths), 35 in Northumberland County (32 resolved with 1 death), 15 in Haliburton County (15 resolved with no deaths), and 53 in Hastings County and Prince Edward County (43 resolved with 5 deaths). The most recent death was reported on September 8 by the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit.
Province-wide, there have been 43,536 confirmed cases, an increase of 185 from yesterday, with 38,958 (90% of all cases) resolved, an increase of 119. There have been 2,813 deaths (no change from yesterday) with 1,817 deaths reported in long-term care homes (no change from yesterday). A total of 3,171,062 tests have been completed, an increase of 20,929 from yesterday, with 8,357 tests under investigation, a decrease of 2,183.
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: 106 (no change) Active cases: 2 (increase of 1) Deaths: 2 (no change) Resolved: 102 (increase of 1) Total tests completed: Over 25,750 (increase of 100) 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. However, the health unit has provided a report for Tuesday, September 8.
Confirmed positive: 229, including 179 in Kawartha Lakes, 35 in Northumberland, 15 in Haliburton (increase of 1, in Northumberland)* Probable cases: 0 (no change) Hospitalizations (total to date): 15 (no change) Deaths: 33 (increase of 1) Resolved: 205, including 158 in Kawartha Lakes, 32 in Northumberland, 15 in Haliburton (increase of 1, in Northumberland) Active cases: 4, including 2 in Kawartha Lakes and 2 in Northumberland (decrease of 2, including 1 in Kawartha Lakes and 1 in Northumberland) Institutional outbreaks: None (decrease of 1)**
*One case has been removed from Kawartha Lakes, as it was transferred to another health unit.
**The outbreak at Campbellford Memorial Multicare Lodge was declared over on September 8. This outbreak was declared on August 26 after one symptomatic resident tested positive for COVID-19 during enhanced surveillance testing.
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. However, the health unit has provided a report for Tuesday, September 8.
Confirmed positive: 53 (increase of 4) Active cases: 5 (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: 43 (increase of 3) Total tests completed: 24,827 (increase of 1,416) Institutional outbreaks: None (no change)
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Province of Ontario
September 6 (reported September 8)
Confirmed positive: 43,351 (increase of 190) Resolved: 39,077 (increase of 119, 90.1% of all cases) Hospitalized: 55 (increase of 3) Hospitalized and in ICU: 18 (increase of 3) Hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator: 8 (decrease of 1) Deaths: 2,813 (no change) Deaths of residents in long-term care homes: 1,817 (no change) Total tests completed: 3,150,133 (increase of 23,725) Tests under investigation: 10,540 (decrease of 7,158)
September 7 (reported September 8)
Confirmed positive: 43,536 (increase of 185) Resolved: 39,196 (increase of 119, 90% of all cases) Hospitalized: 55 (increase of 3) Hospitalized and in ICU: 18 (increase of 3) Hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator: 8 (decrease of 1) Deaths: 2,813 (no change) Deaths of residents in long-term care homes: 1,817 (no change) Total tests completed: 3,171,062 (increase of 20,929) Tests under investigation: 8,357 (decrease of 2,183)
New COVID-19 cases in Ontario from August 8 – September 7, 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 August 8 – September 7, 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)
Organized by Christina Adams in association with 4th Line Theatre of Millbrook, the Open Spaces Theatre Festival features five productions running from September 24 to 27, 2020 in outdoor spaces in downtown Peterborough.
The long awaited return of live theatre has finally come to Peterborough with the Open Spaces Theatre Festival, running at outdoor venues in downtown Peterborough from Thursday, September 24th to Sunday, September 27th.
Open Spaces, in association with 4th Line Theatre, will bring four (plus one!) original productions to safely distanced audiences. Tickets are now on sale via 4th Line Theatre.
Christina Adams, the founder of the festival, was travelling in Australia when the pandemic hit. Like thousands of Canadian nationals across the globe, Adams was forced to cut her travels short and return home this spring.
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Witnessing the utter havoc the pandemic has wrecked upon the arts and culture sector in Peterborough and the world over, Adams was inspired to do what she could to help.
“I was in theatre since I was about seven … It was a huge part of my life and I was watching the theatre suffer, like many industries, due to the pandemic,” recalls Adams.
“I just wanted to do something and give back a little bit to something that was so important in my life, especially if it means the local theatre community might be able to come out on the other side of this and continue to give to kids what it gave to me when I was younger.”
Adams brought her idea for a safe outdoor theatre festival to 4th Line Theatre’s managing artistic director, Kim Blackwell, who had the ability to help turn Adams’ dream into a reality.
“When Christina Adams reached out to me with the idea of doing something for artists and to bring theatre back to Peterborough, I thought it was a great idea,” says Blackwell. “4th Line Theatre is committed to supporting artists always and especially in this unpredictable time.”
“Daughter”, written by Kim Blackwell and directed by Lindy Finlan and featuring Dani Breau and Peyton Le Barr, is one of five live performances that will be staged during the Open Spaces Theatre Festival from September 24 to 27, 2020 in outdoor spaces in downtown Peterborough. (Graphic courtesy of Open Stages Theatre Festival)
The festival, which will feature four original performances on rotation throughout the weekend, with an extra performance featuring Linda Kash and her improv students on Thursday night only, will give all ticket proceeds (after taxes) directly to the participating artists. In addition to artists’ fees, a $2 donation from each ticket will be given to support the participating companies: The Theatre on King (TTOK), 4th Line Theatre, and Kash’s Peterborough Academy of Performing Arts (PAPA).
In addition to supporting individual artists and local theatre companies, the Open Spaces Theatre Festival prioritizes the safety of patrons and festival personnel alike. Perhaps more than most, Adams understands that safety is paramount.
“It’s a huge thing for me, living with a high-risk individual,” she explains. “That’s why we’ve thought of everything you can think of.”
Since March, Blackwell and the team at 4th Line Theatre — industry leaders when it comes to health and safety — have been working closely with provincial and national agencies as well as Peterborough Public Health to develop safety protocols, which have been extended to the Open Spaces Festival.
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As a result, audiences can expect some extra precautions while attending the festival. Upon arrival, patrons will be screened via questionnaire, as is standard practice for entry into many public spaces these days. The outdoor festival also asks audience members to bring their own chairs and masks, which they will be required to wear only until they safely reach their distanced seating. Each venue will be equipped with sanitization stations.
Furthermore, all staff, volunteers, and off-stage artists will be donning PPE. Cast sizes have been kept small, and singing will be performed behind barriers. Also, tickets have been made refundable to encourage audience members with even the slightest hint of a symptom to do the right thing by staying home.
“Because this is an introduction back to live performances, we’re really emphasizing practising safety,” Adams says. “We want to make sure that everyone involved — patrons and personnel — knows that their health and safety is being looked after.”
“Surviving Canada”, an interactive comedy show by Stephan Dyer and Juan Cajiao, is one of five live performances that will be staged during the Open Spaces Theatre Festival from September 24 to 27, 2020 in outdoor spaces in downtown Peterborough. (Graphic courtesy of Open Stages Theatre Festival)
With the Open Spaces Theatre Festival, theatre is coming back to Peterborough and it is coming back in full force. Programming for the festival consists of four original works, each performed on multiple dates, plus an additional PAPA performance on Thursday night only:
Surviving Canada is an interactive comedy show about the hardships and culture shock of moving to Canada. International award-winning comedians Stephan Dyer and Juan Cajiao share their immigrant experience in a show that combines improv, stand-up, storytelling, and audience interaction. The play will be staged in the parking lot of Ashburnham Realty, at the corner of Hunter Street West and Water Streets in downtown Peterborough, with performances at 7:30 p.m. on September 24th and 25th, at 1:30 and 3 p.m. on September 26th, and at 12 and 4:30 p.m. on September 27th.
The 13th Sign Walks Into a Bar, a mini musical rom-com with an astrological twist written and directed by Alessandra Ferreri and produced by Cordwainer Productions, is about an aspiring star who enters a bar hoping to secure a spot for himself on their reputable open mic night — despite the fact that the barista insists there is no space for him on their long-standing roster. The play will be staged in the parking lot of The Theatre on King, at 171 King Street in downtown Peterborough, with performances at 6 p.m. on September 24th and 25th, at 12 and 4:30 p.m. on September 26th, and at 1:30 and 3 p.m. on September 27th.
Daughter, Kim Blackwell’s debut work as a playwright starring Dani Breau and Peyton Le Barr with direction by Lindy Finlan, is an examination of family estrangement, the emotional cost of divorce, and the beauty of bread-making. The play explores love, loss, and the ultimate betrayal. The play will be staged in the parking lot of The Theatre on King, at 171 King Street in downtown Peterborough with performances at 7:30 p.m. on September 24th and 25th, at 1:30 and 3 p.m. on September 26th, and at 12 and 4:30 p.m. on September 27th.
Vision at Patmos is a one-man play in which the aged apostle John tells the story of his exile by the Romans on the small Greek island of Patmos, and gives a condensed account of the dramatic vision he experienced there. Written following actor and playwright Mark Finnan’s visit to Patmos, the play offers some enlightening new insights into what is the most mysterious and misunderstood book in the bible. The play will be staged in the parking lot of Ashburnham Realty, at the corner of Hunter Street West and Water Streets in downtown Peterborough, with performances at 6 p.m. on September 24th and 25th, at 12 and 4:30 p.m. on September 26th, and at 1:30 and 3 p.m. on September 27th.
PLAY ANYWAY, which will only be performed Thursday night, brings a presentation of improv by kids and teen students of PAPA, and is hosted by Linda Kash. Performances takes place at 6 and 7:30 p.m. on September 24th in Millennium Park in downtown Peterborough.
Pandemic notwithstanding, organizing a festival of this proportion is an ambitious task.
“I’ve never done anything like this before,” says Adams, a first-time festival organizer. “I’ve always been on the acting side of the theatre; this is quite a different viewpoint. It’s been great to have 4th Line theatre’s support — I definitely could not have done it without them helping me and guiding me through it all.”
“Ryan Kerr and Kate Story at The Theatre on King, one of the venues, have been amazing,” she adds. “They were so good at reaching out and helping me, no matter what I ran into.”
Support for this festival has come from the entire local theatre community, not just the festival participants.
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“In the Peterborough arts community, everyone is connected in some way,” says Adams. “Everyone really encourages each other. There’s always support, even from the theatre companies that weren’t able to participate. In one way or another, they’ve all helped out in their own ways.”
Indeed, there is an element of poetic justice in the Open Spaces Theatre Festival.
“Christina started working at 4th Line when she was eight years old, acting in Ryan Kerr’s play Attrition,” explains Blackwell. “That play was the first world premiere I ever directed and the lead character’s name was Maude — I named my daughter after her.”
“So now, almost 20 years later, 4th Line Theatre, Ryan’s The Theatre on King, me and Christina are all collaborating to bring live performance back to downtown Peterborough. It feels like somehow the circle has closed with beautiful symmetry.”
Christina Adams began acting at 4th Line Theatre in Ryan Kerr’s 2003 play “Attrition” (middle row, right). Coming full circle, she enlisted the help of of 4th Line Theatre in organizing the COVID-safe Open Spaces Theatre Festival, running September 24-27, 2020 in downtown Peterborough. (Photo source: Kim Blackwell / Facebook)
The “beautiful symmetry” that is the Open Spaces Theatre Festival has brought the theatre community together in a massive collaborative effort to safely bring live performance back to Peterborough audiences.
Show your support for the artists and companies involved in the festival, which runs from Thursday, September 24th to Sunday, September 27th, by purchasing tickets and gift certificates by phone at 705-932-4445 (toll free at 1-800-814-0055), online at 4thlinetheatre.on.ca, or at 4th Line Theatre’s box office at 4 Tupper Street in Millbrook.
Tickets are $17 each per performance or $60 for a festival pack. Patrons are asked to bring their own chairs and to wear masks until safely seated. Lunch box items, in partnership with Black Honey, will be available for $13 for patrons to enjoy before, after, or during the performances.
For updates, visit the Open Spaces Theatre Festival page on Facebook.
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