Prominent Peterborough lawyer, former city councillor, and civic leader Ann Farquharson has passed away at the age of 68.

kawarthaNOW learned on Monday (November 24) that Farquharson died sometime over the weekend at her home.

Born and raised in Peterborough, Farquharson was the second of three children to Belleville natives Gordon and Elizabeth. Her father, a decorated pilot with the Royal Canadian Air Force during the Second World War, was a prominent lawyer in Peterborough for 55 years. Her mother was active in the Peterborough community for over 50 years, and was named Citizen of the Year in 1989 for her work restoring Hutchison House and the Pagoda Bridge at Jackson Park.

Farquharson attended Westmount Public School and Thomas A. Stewart Secondary School before going on to study at Trent University, where she graduated in 1981 with an honours degree in North American history. Following in her father’s footsteps, she studied law at the University of British Columbia and was called to the bar in 1985.

She returned to Peterborough in 1986 and began practising law with her father and his partner James Daly in their law firm, where she focused on family law, real estate, and litigation. She worked alongside her father until he retired in 2002 at the age of 81.

In 2006, she entered local politics and was elected as a Town Ward councillor and served a four-year term. Aside from her time in local politics, she was also a longtime Liberal supporter and organizer.

Farquharson had a long history of civic leadership in Peterborough, sitting on the boards of the Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area, the Peterborough Chamber of Commerce, the Big Brothers and Big Sisters Association of Peterborough, the former Peterborough Civic Hospital (now Peterborough Regional Health Centre), and the Peterborough Lakefield Police Services Board.

She also served on committees with Five Counties Children’s Centre, PRHC’s Women’s Health Care Centre, the Down Syndrome Association of Peterborough, the Arborough Games, the Save The Market Hall campaign, the Peterborough Theatre Guild, the Peterborough Centennial Celebration, the Peterborough Youth Commission, the Festival of Lights (now Peterborough Musicfest), and the Peterborough Law Association.

Farquharson was also chair of the Citizens’ Advisory Committee for Flood Planning, sponsorship chair of the Peterborough Flood Relief Concert, president of the Peterborough chapter of the Trent University Alumni Association, and a cabinet member with the YWCA Crossroads Safe Haven committee.

In 2018, the Trent University Alumni Association recognized Farquharson for her contributions to the university, the association, and the community with the Spirit of Trent Award. She continued to be involved with Trent University throughout her career, including serving as Trent University’s human rights lawyer for several years, providing legal advice on the rights and obligations of stakeholders and assisting in dispute resolutions and advanced solutions.

Farquharson established the Gordon Henry Taylor Farquharson Bursary at Trent University in memory of her father, who passed away in 2004 at the age of 83 (her mother, Elizabeth, passed away three years later at the age of 80).

Farquharson remained very active in the community prior to her death, including most recently by volunteering as a member of the United Way Peterborough & District’s 2025-26 campaign cabinet, participating in a public open house about the city’s proposed community planning permit system, and appearing before Peterborough city council to provide her opinion on the police station expansion project.

The original version of this story was updated to indicate that Farquharson died at her home sometime over the weekend.

The Salvation Army’s new thrift store in downtown Peterborough officially opens on Thursday (November 27).

Located beside Dollarama in the Market Plaza at 81 George Street North across from Del Crary Park, the store spans almost 10,000 square feet and will offer a variety of gently used clothing, household items, electronics, art, books, and more.

The store is managed by The Salvation Army Thrift Store, National Recycling Operations (NRO), which operates more than 100 locations across Canada. The Peterborough store is the organization’s 40th store in Ontario.

“As more people look for ways to stretch their budgets while making sustainable choices, we’re thrilled to open our doors in Peterborough,” says Ted Troughton, managing director of The Salvation Army Thrift Store.

“This new location will provide an accessible shopping experience for individuals and families while helping fund Salvation Army programs and services that support those in need.”

Funds generated through the sale of donated items help support the Salvation Army’s local programs such as food banks, shelters, rehabilitation for those struggling with addictions, and emergency relief efforts.

The grand opening will be held from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday, with the store open those same hours six days a week (closed Sunday).

The opening of the new store marks the return of a Salvation Army thrift store to Peterborough after four years without one.

The previous store, located in the Brookdale Plaza on Chemong Road, closed in October 2021 due to increasing competition from other thrift stores.

Being stuck for hours in a hospital emergency room waiting for care is no one’s idea of fun. But even here, little acts of kindness can make a world of difference.

Jordie Barrie knows and demonstrates this daily.

As a child, he came to Five Counties Children’s Centre for speech and occupational therapy. He credits the treatment he received at Five Counties for helping him thrive as an adult — including in his career as a porter (or patient transfer attendant).

“I want everyone to know how special the staff are at Five Counties,” Jordie says. “They focused on my most challenging issues and, by meeting my needs as a child, helped me as an adult. I had the chance to develop the personal skills and knowledge to have the great life I have now. I walked out of Five Counties ready to be my best.”

Jordie’s best way of living is hard to miss.

As a porter, he transports patients around our local hospital for different procedures. Often, he is the one tasked with moving patients from ER into a hospital room once they’re admitted.

This past June, a work colleague of mine who had to take a relative to the emergency department saw the power of Jordie at work.

In a nearby ER cubicle, my Five Counties colleague noticed how friendly, upbeat, and approachable Jordie was in greeting and introducing himself to an older man who was alone in the ER, awaiting admission. The quiet, withdrawn man had not spoken or smiled for hours, but was soon grinning and chatting with Jordie, as he wheeled the patient to a hospital room.

“People aren’t here for good reasons, so you just kind of make the best of the situation and, you know, help them out the best you can,” Jordie says, matter-of-factly.

Jordie’s hospital co-workers realize his superpowers.

“Jordie always brightens the room when he walks in,” one says.

Another colleague notes, “There’s no getting Jordie down. He’s the world’s cheerleader. We need more Jordies in the world.”

We at Five Counties wholeheartedly agree, and are glad to highlight Jordie’s success after his experience receiving treatment at the Centre.

“While I was getting assistance to improve my communications skills, I was also learning how to socialize and make friends, and I made some good ones while I was at Five Counties. It was more than just about learning,” Jordie recalls.

He is grateful for what he has: close family and friends, a job he loves, an ability to talk to people, and an interest in volunteering, including giving his time and talents at many Five Counties fundraising events.

“I don’t know where I would be without the support I got at Five Counties,” Jordie adds.

His parents, Shelley and Tim, echo the sentiment: “The early support from Five Counties laid the foundation for Jordie’s success in school, college, career and — ultimately — his life.”

In marking our 50th anniversary in 2025, Five Counties is pleased to highlight the successes of Jordie and other alumni. And as the holiday season approaches, we ask you to please consider donating to Five Counties to reduce wait times and ensure more children and youth with physical, developmental, and communication needs get the care they need when they need it the most.

Donate today to support the Jordies of tomorrow.

Imagine training for months for just minutes of a competition that requires your entire concentration and focus — you can’t let your gaze stray for even a moment despite an abundance of noise around you.

That is exactly what Linda Touzin will be up against when she competes at the 2026 Taekwondo Canada National Championships from February 5 to 7 in Halifax, where she will represent Ontario, Toronto, and Peterborough — specifically, Blue Wave Taekwondo, a not-for-profit school that supports people training in the martial art and combat sport.

With volunteer instructors, including Touzin who is a co-founder, the club meets every Tuesday and Thursday in various age groups at the Peterborough Sport and Wellness Centre. Living by the motto “Taekwondo for all,” the club is inclusive to all ages, demographics, and abilities, and even supports athletes with competition fees and finances.

“We do it out of giving back to the community,” says co-founder Marcelo Sarkis, who is Touzin’s coach. “What is most important for us at Blue Wave is, at least from the youth side, creating future community leaders that will give back to the community and will respect the environment, respect their fellow individual, and at the same time learn a skill set that can help them throughout their life.”

Now 67 years old, Touzin took up taekwondo 21 years ago to get more exercise. At the time, she never imagined she would have such high aspirations and compete at a national level.

“I just kept going,” she says. “As you get a new belt level, you learn new things. There’s always more challenges, more things to learn, refining techniques that you’ve learned before. All of that really kept me involved and kept me going through all those years.”

Touzin earned a silver medal at the 2025 Taekwondo Canada Nationals in Montréal in February this year, and in October earned gold at the 2025 Taekwondo Ontario Team Selection Games in Markham.

Touzin competes in the poomsae category, which involves sequences of choreographed non-contact defensive and offensive movements performed in a set pattern. A Korean word meaning “form” or “pattern,” poomsae is used in taekwondo to develop technique, precision, and mental discipline.

“Not only is poomsae a way to practise your techniques when you don’t have a partner, but it also acts as a form of meditation because you’re executing it on your own,” says Sarkis. “You’re not just being assessed physically, but you’re being assessed mentally, and part of the presentation is also spiritual.”

At a high level of performance competition, athletes are required to perform random poomsae — forms that are randomly selected on the spot, testing their ability to execute any required poomsae with precision, adaptability, and readiness — and are then judged based on accuracy and presentation.

The judges will evaluate Touzin on how disciplined she is in her pose, including whether her gaze is focused, whether she’s confident, and whether she’s keeping her head up.

“You must be mind over body and you’re controlling the situation,” says Sarkis. “No one else is there to assist you with that performance.”

This is why during training, Touzin prepares not only for the competition physically by learning all the poomsae, but mentally as well. At Blue Wave Taekwondo, the other members all have fun trying to distract Touzin as she’s practising so she learns to maintain focus and composure.

“You have one minute of intense focus and part of doing that is just the repetition. Repeat, repeat, repeat — doing your poomsae over and over and over again many, many times so that it becomes almost instinctive,” Touzin says.

“Then the other aspect is trying to focus during many distractions, so putting me in different situations where people are talking, people are calling to me, people are doing a different pattern beside me, or walking in front of me — any distraction so that I can learn to focus, because that’s a huge part of it.”

Though Tourzin will be competing in the over 65 female category against athletes from other provinces when she’s at the nationals, Touzin says its only herself she will be looking to beat.

“I find it a little bit easier mentally to say ‘This time I’m going to do better than last time,'” she explains. “If I win, yay, all the better. That would be great. It would be great for me, it would be great for the club, it would be just great overall, or if I medalled, regardless of the medal. But I find if I can make improvements every time I compete, I’m happy with that.”

Though Touzin had to push herself to engage in competition the first time, she now finds it to be “addictive.”

“It pushes you to refine your technique,” she says. “It really pushes you because you don’t want to go and not do well. It forces me to practise more and not to be complacent and not say ‘I don’t feel like doing that anymore’ because it’s not easy.”

Though Blue Wave Taekwondo has members from the age of seven to Touzin’s age, she says she notices that the number of athletes at competition level does “drop off quite a bit” after the 30 to 40 age groups, and there aren’t as many people competing in her age category.

For his part, Sarkis says this is changing, partly because of poomsae’s accessibility for older adults. Like tai chi, the Chinese martial art that has evolved into a form of exercise and meditation, poomsae is a non-contact sport. However, unlike tai chi with its slow and flowing movements, poomsae emphasizes sharp and powerful movements and strong stances for taekwondo techniques like blocks and punches.

“We are seeing more and more individuals who are older showing interest in competing in poomsae,” he says, noting it’s a relatively new category at the provincial and national levels in comparison to kyorugi (sparring). “I think we’re going to see an upward trend just because of the benefits of poomsae for older individuals.”

Among these benefits are improved balance, strength, bone health, and flexibility.

“And you can do taekwondo anywhere,” Sarkis adds. “You don’t need to go to a gym. You don’t need to have weights — it’s just mostly body weight exercises.”

Touzin also wants to see more women engaging in the sport, noting “it’s not just for young people, and it’s not just for boys and men.”

“We do have a strong female demographic at Blue Wave that’s very competitive and very successful,” Sarkas agrees. “They look up to Linda as a mentor when it comes to competition. She’s constantly pushing herself outside that envelope, so they say ‘If she can, so can we.'”

For more information about Blue Wave Taekwondo, visit bluewavetaekwondo.ca.