Peterborough mayor Diane Therrien will be the next guest on 4th Line Theatre’s “Friday Morning Business Breakfast Talks with Kim Blackwell”.

The online event takes place at 8 a.m. on Friday, July 10th on the Zoom video conferencing platform. Register at eventbrite.com/e/business-breakfast-talk-kim-blackwell-in-conversation-with-diane-therrien-registration-111171547090.

The Friday Morning Business Breakfast Talks series is one of the virtual events under the umbrella “Nexicom Presents 4th Line Theatre @ Home”, which 4th Line Theatre has developed to keep the community engaged and connected during the COVID-19 pandemic. The outdoor theatre company in Millbrook has postponed its 2020 summer season due to the pandemic.

In her Friday morning talks, 4th Line’s artistic director Kim Blackwell invites local political and business leaders in the community to talk about their day-to-day challenges and opportunities, what led them on their chosen career paths, and the impact the “new normal” is having on how they lead, both in business and the communities they serve.

Born in Mississauga, Diane Therrien attended McMaster University in Hamilton for an undergraduate degree in history and peace studies. She moved to Peterborough to attend Trent University for a postgraduate degree and graduated with her Master’s Degree in Canadian and Indigenous Studies in 2012.

After working for the Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs in Toronto, Therrien returned to Peterborough to work as facilitator of community education and engagement with the Peterborough Poverty Reduction Network.

She ran for Peterborough City Council in Town Ward for the first time in 2014 and was subsequently elected. She sat on a number of city committees and boards including the Affordable Housing Action Committee, the Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area, and the Art Gallery of Peterborough.

In October 2018, Therrien was elected Mayor of Peterborough at the age of 32. She defeated two-term incumbent Daryl Bennett in a landslide after running a change campaign. She is only the third woman ever to hold the office of mayor in Peterborough.

Environment Canada’s heat warning is continuing, seven days after it was first issued, with even higher temperatures expected for the rest of the week.

The heat warning has also now expanded to include all of southern Ontario, with the exception of the northern Kawarthas region (including Haliburton and Hastings counties).

In the greater Kawarthas region, the highest temperatures will be in Peterborough and Kawartha Lakes.

Daytime temperatures will reach 34°C on Tuesday (July 7) and Wednesday, 33°C on Thursday, and 32°C on Friday.

However, humidex values will make the temperatures feel more like 39°C on Tuesday and Wednesday.

There is also a risk of thunderstorms in the afternoon of both days.

Overnight temperatures will remain at 20°C, providing little relief from the heat.

A slightly cooler air mass may move into the area on Saturday (July 11), bringing rain and temperatures in the mid to high twenties.

However, Environment Canada states there is “considerable uncertainty” about the system moving in by the weekend.

Environment Canada senior climatologist David Phillips predicts that July’s first heat wave is a “dress rehearsal” for the rest of the summer, which he says will be hotter and dryer than normal according to the agency’s seasonal forecast.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is predicting that 2020 may be the hottest year ever recorded, and will almost certainly rank among the five warmest years on record.

April 2020 was the planet’s second hottest April since record keeping began in 1880 and May 2020 was the hottest May on record. June 2020 is tied with June 2019 for the hottest June on record.

Most townships in Peterborough County have announced either total fire bans or fire restrictions as of Monday (July 6) due to extremely hot and dry conditions.

In North Kawartha, a total fire ban is in place until further notice. Absolutely no fireworks or open-air burning is permitted.

In Asphodel-Norwood, no open-air burning is permitted.

In Douro-Dummer, a fire ban is in place, prohibiting all open-air fires including campfires, burn barrels, and fireworks. All open-air burning permits are suspended. Certified gas appliances such as CSA-approved fire tables, bowls, pits, and BBQs are not considered an open-air fire and can be used in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions during the fire ban.

In Otonabee-South Monaghan, no open-air burning is allowed. This does not include a small and confined fire that is used to cook food on a grill, barbeque, or spit and is supervised at all times.

In Selwyn, brush burning or fireworks are not permitted. Small campfires are allowed but all fires must be supervised. No burning is allowed in built-up areas of the township, including Lakefield, Bridgenorth, Woodland Acres, Ennismore, and Young’s Point.

In both Cavan Monaghan and Havelock-Belmont-Methuen townships, no open-air burning is permitted except for campfires in the evenings from 7 p.m. until 6 a.m.

On Tuesday (July 7), Trent Lakes issued a ban on all open-air burning until further notice. This ban suspends all approved open-air burning permits and includes burning of clean wood and brush, outdoor campfires, all outdoor wood burning appliances, and fireworks.

This story has been updated to include an announcement from Trent Lakes.

Four people have been injured following a head-on collision on Highway 28 in Woodview south of Northey’s Bay Road.

The Peterborough OPP and emergency crews responded to the crash involving two vehicles, which happened at around 1:05 p.m. on Sunday afternoon (July 5).

Police say one person has been transported by air ambulance to a Toronto-area hospital and three people have been transported to a local hospital.

All injuries are considered non life-threatening.

Highway 28 is closed while police measure and document the scene. Detours are in place on Highway 28 at Northey’s Bay Road and Mount Julian-Viamede Road. The closure will remain in place for several hours while police investigate.

Highway 28 between Burleigh Falls and Woodview has been the scene of several serious accidents, including fatalities.

Most recently, 34-year-old Travis Richardson and 33-year-old Shane Simkins-Mather were killed in May when their car collided with a tractor trailer.

This story has been updated to include a photo from Facebook of the traffic on Highway 28.

With an extended heat warning in place for most of the Kawarthas region — including Peterborough, Kawartha Lakes, and Northumberland — municipalities are doing what they can to help residents cope with the high temperatures.

Environment Canada is now forecasting the hot weather to extend into “the foreseeable future”. Daytime high temperatures will exceed 30°C, with the humidity making it feel like the high 30s to low 40s. Overnight temperatures will remain around 20°C, providing little relief from the heat.

Here’s what’s available from municipalities in Peterborough and the Kawarthas for residents to cool down during the heat wave:

City of Peterborough

In Peterborough, a cooling room at One Roof Community Centre (99 Brock Street in downtown Peterborough) is open in the mornings and afternoons during the heat warning.

The cooling room, which is open between 9 a.m. and 12 p.m. and 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., has the following public health guidelines and measures in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic:

• Capacity will be limited to 15 people.
• If there is a lineup of people waiting to use the cooling room, there will be a one-hour limit on people staying in the cooling room.
• There will be chairs for visitors to rest while they cool down.
• Chairs will be regularly cleaned.
• Social distancing will be in place.
• Masks will be made available to people using the cooling room.
• Anyone entering the cooling room will be required to use hand sanitizer.

To help people cope with the heat, One Roof Community Centre is also distributing refillable water bottles and bottled water through its community meal program.

The City of Peterborough also offers water refill stations at the Peterborough Marina (92 George St. N.), Eastgate Memorial Park (2150 Ashburnham Dr.), and Beavermead Park (2011 Ashburnham Dr.). The Peterborough Public Library (345 Aylmer St. N.) is also providing refillable water bottles and will be able to refill water bottles during its curbside pickup hours: 1 to 3 p.m and 5 to 7 p.m. on Thursday and 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 2 to 4 p.m. on Saturday.

In addition to the water refill stations, municipal tap water is available in public washrooms at municipal parks, including King Edward Park and Millennium Park.

During the heat warning, the City of Peterborough is also temporarily extending the hours of operation for municipal splash pads from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. The splash pads are located at King Edward Park (455 George St. S.), Nicholls Oval (725 Armour Rd.), Roger’s Cove (131 Maria St.), Kinsmen Park (1 Kinsmen Way, at Sherbrooke St. and Clonsilla Ave.), and Barnardo Park (Barnardo Ave. north of Sunset Blvd.).

The four supervised wading pools in City of Peterborough parks are open and have daily lifeguard supervision from noon to 4:30 p.m. The wading pools are located at John Taylor Memorial Park (McKellar Street and St. Catherine Street), Knights of Columbus Park (Park Street and Lake Street), Turner Park (High Street and Chamberlain Street), and Chelsea Gardens Park (Southlawn Drive and Severn Road).

The beaches at Beavermead Park and Roger’s Cove are open and are currently safe for swimming according to the most recent water quality sampling conducted by the Peterborough Health Unit.

Kawartha Lakes

While there are no municipal cooling centre in the City of Kawartha Lakes, splash pads and washrooms are open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Garnet Graham Beach Park in Fenelon Falls, Tommy Anderson Park in Bobcaygeon, and Elgin Park in Lindsay. Safety and sanitization protocols are in place.

Beaches in Kawarthas Lakes are open with a reduced service level, but physical distancing of two meters must be maintained at all times and groups of more than 10 are prohibited.

Beaches are available at the following locations:

• Beach Park in Bobcaygeon
• Birch Point in Fenlon Falls
• Blanchards Road Beach in Bexley
• Bond Street in Fenlon Falls
• Burnt River Beach in Somerville
• Centennial Beach in Verulam
• Centennial Park West in Eldon
• Burnt River Four Mile Lake in Somerville
• Head Lake in Laxton
• Norland Bathing Area in Laxton
• Omemee Beach in Emily/Omemee
• Riverview Beach Park in Bobycaygeon
• Sturgeon Point Beach in Fenlon Falls
• Valentia Beach (Sandbar Beach) in Valentia
• Verulam Recreational Park in Verulam

All beaches are currently safe for swimming according to water quality testing conducted by the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit.

Cobourg

To provide relief from high temperatures, the Town of Cobourg has opened a cooling centre at the Market Building at 201 Second Street from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. for the duration of the heat warning.

Residents will also be able to refill their water bottles to stay hydrated.

In the past, the town has offered cooling centres at the Cobourg Community Centre, Cobourg Public Library, and Victoria Hall. However, these centres remain closed until further notice because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The following rules and restrictions will be in place at the Market Building cooling centre to ensure the health and safety of all staff and citizens:

• The washrooms inside the Market Building will remain closed. Portable washrooms, including an accessible unit, are available outside, behind the Market Building.
• The cooling centre will operate as a one-way for visitors. Citizens are asked to enter through the main door and exit through the back door.
• Masks are mandatory for all visitors, with the exception of those who cannot wear a mask due to medical reasons and for children under two-years old.
• There will be a maximum of six people allowed in the cooling centre at one time in order to obtain effective physical distancing.
• Visits will be limited to 30 minutes maximum to ensure all residents have the opportunity to enter the cooling centre.
• All visitors will be asked to answer health and travel-related screening questions and will be required to sign in and sign out.

The Victoria Park beach in Cobourg is closed for the entire summer due to COVID-19.

Port Hope

The Jack Burger Sports Complex at 60 Highland Drive is open as a cooling centre for Port Hope residents who require relief from the hot and humid temperatures as the heat warning continues.

Upon arrival, residents are asked to wear a mask and visit the staff at the reception desk for screening and registration. The cooling centre location is limited to the mezzanine area of the complex only.

The complex will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday to Friday and 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

Swimming at the Jack Burger Sports Complex will be available by reservation only beginning on Monday, July 6th. Adult, lane, and family swims can be reserved online or over the phone, while public swims can only be reserved over the phone. For more details, including pool schedules and how to make reservations, visit porthope.ca/aquatics.

This story has been updated to include the new cooling centre in Port Hope.