Peterborough police say the sound of fireworks being set off late at night is disturbing residents and startling pets. From May 15 to June 30, 2020, police have responded to 65 complaints of people setting off fireworks.
After a recent spike in complaints, Peterborough police are reminding city residents that the city’s noise by-law prohibits setting off fireworks.
From May 15th to June 30th, police have responded to 65 complaints of people setting off fireworks — 51 more calls than for the same period last year — according to a media release from the Peterborough Police Service.
The reports have come in from as early as 9:30 p.m. to as late as 1 a.m.
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The use of fireworks is dangerous and can cause injury or property damage. Fireworks are not permitted to be set off on city property.
The sound of fireworks being set off late at night is also disturbing residents and startling pets, police say.
Police are reminding residents the city’s noise by-law prohibits noise likely to disturb neighbours and other residents. Setting off fireworks would be covered under this by-law, according to police.
The by-law covers 24 hours a day 7 days a week. The set fine is $125.
“Please respect other residents’ lawful right to enjoy their property,” the media release concludes. “Police are recommending against setting off fireworks.”
The Traveling Milburys is John Cassano as Jeff Lynne, Roy Leblanc as Roy Orbison, Gerry Parsons as Tom Petty, Jerry Boyer as George Harrison, and Matt Greenberg as Bob Dylan. Each member of The Traveling Milburys comes from tribute bands dedicated to the individual artists. (Photo: The Traveling Milburys)
If you’ve been missing live music during the COVID-19 pandemic, there’s a unique opportunity coming up on Sunday, July 19th.
Like many drive-ins around the world, the Lindsay Drive-In has decided to host a live concert. Tribute band The Traveling Milburys will be headlining the show with special guests The Steelhorse Gypsies opening.
The Traveling Milburys faithfully recreates the look and sound of supergroup The Traveling Wilburys, which was comprised of Jeff Lynne, Bob Dylan, and the late Roy Orbison, Tom Petty, and George Harrison.
Each member of the Traveling Milburys omes from tribute bands dedicated to the individual artists, with John Cassano as Jeff Lynne, Roy Leblanc as Roy Orbison, Gerry Parsons as Tom Petty, Jerry Boyer as George Harrison, and Matt Greenberg as Bob Dylan. The band last performed in the Kawarthas at Market Hall Performing Arts Centre in Peterborough in November.
VIDEO: Introducing The Traveling Milburys
The Steelhorse Gypsies is a country rock band based in Orillia fronted by Bill McConnell with members Aaron Solomon, drummer Adam Zimmerman, Gordon Girvan, John Granberg, and Norm McMullen.
The group has been performing across the country in support of Wounded Warriors Canada, which provides mental health services for Canada’s veterans, first responders, and their families.
The cost for the July 19th concert is $90 per vehicle, or $50 per person for VIP front row tickets. Tickets are available at 10 a.m. on Friday, July 3rd at ticketscene.ca/events/29912.
The all-ages concert will go on rain or shine. Gates open at 6:30 p.m. with the show beginning at 8:30 p.m. The snack bar will be open, and outside food as well as alcohol and drugs are prohibited.
Every Friday during swimming season, we post The Beach Report™ — our weekly report of the results of water quality testing at beaches in the greater Kawarthas region — and update it throughout the week as conditions change.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, going to the beach is a different experience this year. Public health officials recommend staying home if you feel sick, visiting a beach close to your home to avoid unnecessary travel, bringing hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes, and maintaining at least two metres of physical distance from other beachgoers.
As of July 9, 2020, the following beach has been posted as unsafe for swimming:
Hastings Waterfront North – Trent Hills (sample date July 6)
The following beaches in Northumberland County are closed due to COVID-19:
Victoria Park in Cobourg (closed all summer)
Little Lake in Cramahe
Sandy Bay Beach in Alnwick Haldimand
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Below are the complete results of water quality testing at beaches in Peterborough, the City of Kawartha Lakes, Haliburton County, and Northumberland County.
In the City of Peterborough, Peterborough Public Health Inspectors sample the beaches at Rogers Cove and Beavermead every business day, and public beaches in the County of Peterborough are sampled at least once a week (except for Chandos Beach, Quarry Bay Beach, and White’s Beach which are sampled at least once in June, July, and August).
The Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit provides weekly testing results for beaches in the City of Kawartha Lakes, Haliburton County, and Northumberland County. Testing is based on the most recent test results from the provincial lab in Peterborough for water samples taken from these beaches.
During the summer, local health units sample water at area beaches and test for bacteria such as E. coli to determine if the water quality at a beach is safe for public use. Popular beaches, like the beach at Roger’s Cove in Peterborough’s East City, are tested every business day while most other beaches are tested weekly. (Photo: Bruce Head / kawarthaNOW.com)
Important note
The following test results may not reflect current water quality conditions. Water samples can take one to three days to process and heavy rainfall, high winds or wave activity, large numbers of waterfowl near a beach, or large numbers of swimmers can rapidly change water quality.
You should always check current conditions before deciding to use a beach. You should also monitor other factors that might suggest a beach is unsafe to use, such as floating debris, oil, discoloured water, bad odours, and excessive weed growth.
While we strive to update this story with the current conditions, you should confirm the most recent test results by visiting the local health unit websites at Peterborough Public Health and Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit. As noted above, the beaches at Rogers Cove and Beavermead are tested every business day so the results listed below may not be current.
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Peterborough City/County
City of Peterborough Beaches (sampled each business day)
Roger’s Cove (131 Maria St, Peterborough) – sample date 8-Jul-2020 – SAFE
kawarthaNOW is providing a daily report of COVID-19 cases in the greater Kawarthas region.
Here’s today summary: there are 95 confirmed positive cases in the Peterborough area (91 resolved), 169 in the City of Kawartha Lakes (141 resolved), 21 in Northumberland County (20 resolved), 10 in Haliburton County (9 resolved), and 43 in Hastings County and Prince Edward County (37 resolved).
There are 4 new cases to report today, including 3 cases in Kawartha Lakes and 1 case in Haliburton. There are no new cases to report in Peterborough or Hastings County and Prince Edward County.
The outbreak at Fenelon Court Long Term Care Home in Fenelon Falls, declared on June 11 after one symptomatic resident tested positive for COVID-19, was declared over on July 1.
There has been a total of 39 deaths. The most recent death was reported on May 7 by Hastings Prince Edward Public Health.
Province-wide, there are 35,370 confirmed cases, an increase of 153 from yesterday’s report. A total of 30,730 cases are resolved, an increase of 204 from yesterday. There have been 2,680 deaths, an increase of 4 from yesterday, with 1,712 of the deaths being residents in long-term care homes, an increase of 2. A total of 1,457,703 tests have been completed, an increase of 24,322 from yesterday, with 13,922 tests under investigation, a decrease of 9,404. Note: the government did not issue a report on July 1; however, those numbers were released on July 2 and are also available below.
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 and hospitals. This information is at least 24 hours old, so it is not real-time data.
We publish the daily report, usually by late afternoon, with the most current information released by health units. 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: 95 (no change, last positive case was on June 20) Active cases: 2 (no change) Deaths: 2 (no change) Resolved: 91 (no change) Total tests completed: Over 17,000 (increase of 550) 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.
Note: effective July 3, the health unit will no longer provide reports on the weekend.
Confirmed positive: 200, including 169 in Kawartha Lakes, 21 in Northumberland, 10 in Haliburton (increase of 4: 3 in Kawartha Lakes and 1 in Haliburton) Probable cases: No longer reported Hospitalizations: 13 (no change) Deaths: 32 (no change) Resolved: 170 (increase of 3) Institutional outbreaks: None (decrease of 1)*
*The outbreak at Fenelon Court Long Term Care Home in Fenelon Falls, declared on June 11 after one symptomatic resident tested positive for COVID-19, was declared over on July 1.
Fenelon Court Long Term Care Home in Fenelon Falls (no change)
Hastings Prince Edward Public Health
Hastings Prince Edward Public Health’s service area is Hastings County (including Bancroft) and Prince Edward County.
Confirmed positive: 43 (no change, last positive case reported on May 18) Probable cases: 181 (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: 37 (increase of 1) Total tests completed: 10,000 (increase of 742) Institutional outbreaks: None (no change)
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Province of Ontario
July 2
Confirmed positive: 35,370 (increase of 153) Resolved: 30,730 (increase of 204) Hospitalized: 119 (decrease of 109)* Hospitalized and in ICU: 40 (decrease of 3) Hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator: 26 (decrease of 4) Deaths: 2,680 (increase of 4) Deaths of residents in long-term care homes: 1,712 (increase of 2, 63.9% of all deaths) Total tests completed 1,457,703 (increase of 24,322) Tests under investigation: 13,922 (decrease of 9,404)
*Note: more than 30 hospitals did not report information for June 30; therefore, this is likely an underestimate and will increase in tomorrow’s counts.
July 1
Confirmed positive: 35,217 (increase of 149) Resolved: 30,526 (increase of 182) Hospitalized: 209 (decrease of 4) Hospitalized and in ICU: 43 (increase of 1) Hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator: 30 (decrease of 4) Deaths: 2,676 (increase of 4) Deaths of residents in long-term care homes: 1,710 (no change, 63.9% of all deaths) Total tests completed 1,433,381 (increase of 26,056) Tests under investigation: 23,326 (increase of 4,008)
New COVID-19 cases in Ontario from June 1 – July 1, 2020. The red line is the number of new cases reported daily, and the dotted green line is a five-day moving average of new cases. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)COVID-19 tests completed in Ontario from June 1 – July 1, 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)
Environment Canada has issued a severe thunderstorm watch for Peterborough and the greater Kawarthas region, including Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland, Haliburton, and Hastings Highlands.
Severe isolated thunderstorms are forecast to develop and move southeastward across the region late on Thursday afternoon and evening (July 2).
Locally damaging winds gusts may be associated with one or two of these storms, along with hail and frequent cloud-to-ground lightning.
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As the storms are expected to be isolated, many places will not be affected.
Strong wind gusts can toss loose objects, damage weak buildings, break branches off trees, and overturn large vehicles.
Lightning kills and injures Canadians every year. Remember, when thunder roars, go indoors!
The Office of the Fire Marshal and Emergency Management recommends that you take cover immediately if threatening weather approaches.
On Thursday (July 2), Peterborough Public Health issued its first extended heat warning of the season.
On Wednesday (July 1), Environment Canada issued a heat warning for much of southern Ontario, for a long-duration heat event expected to extend from Thursday through Sunday (July 5) and potentially into early next week.
Daytime high temperatures will be in the low to mid thirties, with overnight lows in the low twenties providing little or no relief from the heat.
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Environment Canada has updated its heat warning with the following forecast for temperatures from Thursday to Sunday:
Maximum temperatures Thursday: 32 to 35°C (humidex 35 to 38)
Maximum temperatures Friday: 32 to 34°C (humidex 36 to 40)
Maximum temperatures Saturday: 32 to 35°C (humidex 36 to 40)
Maximum temperatures Sunday: 31 to 35°C (humidex 37 to 42)
To help people cope with the heat, One Roof Community Centre is distributing refillable water bottles and bottled water through its community meal program.
The City of Peterborough 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.
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Extreme heat events are a potentially significant health risk and can have a severe impact on the health of vulnerable populations including infants, the elderly, shut-ins, persons with chronic diseases, people taking certain medications or using illicit drugs, the morbidly obese. and the marginally housed.
Heat-related illnesses such as dehydration, heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke are preventable. Drink plenty of water, even if you don’t feel thirsty. This decreases your risk of dehydration. Thirst is not a good indicator of dehydration.
The risk of heat-related illness increases with the amount of time spent in the heat, the temperature, and an individual’s sensitivity to heat. If you feel faint, find it hard to breathe, or feel confused and disoriented because of the heat, call 911 or go to the hospital’s emergency department. Remember to check in with family, friends, and neighbours, especially seniors who live on their own.
Extreme heat is often accompanied by poor air quality. Peterborough Public Health encourages you to monitor the Air Quality Health Index found at www.airqualityontario.com and plan outdoor activities accordingly.
Like those of many businesses and organizations, GreenUP employees have been working at home during the COVID-19 pandemic. Pictured is Jenn McCallum, GreenUP's water programs coordinator, working at her home desk. The benefits of working from home include increased productivity, better work-life balance, reduced costs for employers, fewer greenhouse gas emissions, and more. (Photo courtesy of Jenn McCallum)
You and your team have been working from home for more than three months now.
Each week, GreenUP provides a story related to the environment. This week’s story is by Linsday Stroud, Manager of Transportation and Urban Design Programs at GreenUP.
You’ve worked out most communication glitches, everyone is connected with their files, and supplies for at-home office set-ups have been doled out. By now everyone’s found a little nook to create an at-home office, while things like not having to commute and spending more time with family are welcomed.
Overall, you and your colleagues are enjoying the new arrangement.
It’s of little surprise that employees are embracing this new way of working. Pre-pandemic data hinted that remote work was preferred. Surveys regularly showed that 80 per cent of employees would like to work at home at least some of the time, yet only half that many reported doing so occasionally, and just 3.6 per cent do so half-time or more, reports Global Workplace Analytics (GWA), a research firm focused on the future of work.
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This discrepancy between reality and what was desired made a lot of sense. There are many barriers in determining the feasibility of working from home. Who can and cannot work from home? How would the team stay connected? Would productivity take a nosedive? How would health, safety, and security be managed?
For many who work in office-type jobs, an abrupt and full-time shift to working from home occurred in March. In many ways, this led to an unexpected and involuntary experiment. Workplaces were all of a sudden prototyping new policies and procedures to help their teams collaborate, complete projects, and address administration while working remotely.
Through trial and error, staff have addressed and found solutions for many of those initial questions. Now, after experiencing remote working first hand, organizations and their employees are beginning to wonder if things really have to go back to the “old normal”.
GreenUP finance manager Bev Bonner’s home office. As employers look to embrace remote working long-term, they are turning attention to new staff policies and ergonomic work-from-home set-ups for employees. (Photo courtesy of Bev Bonner)
To gather insights on how the shift in work was being received, GWA completed a global work-from-home experience survey this spring. It found that on average, employees would prefer to work from home two days a week, with 77 per cent desiring at least one day per week from home. The research firm estimates that about a quarter of the global workforce will spend multiple days per week working from home by the end of 2021.
While remote working is helping many businesses in the short-term, adopting remote working policies and practices long-term can bring numerous benefits to both businesses and the community.
Employee well-being and health policies often address the need to create work-life balance. Cutting out daily commutes and adapting a more flexible schedule benefits both employee and employer. Forty-six per cent of companies surveyed report that remote working has decreased turnover rates, and one American company that implemented a telework program found it reduced unplanned absences by 63 per cent according to GWA.
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In addition to employee satisfaction, people are finding that working from home can also improve business productivity. GWA’s work-from-home experience survey found that 70 per cent of employers said work performance was the same or better since they started working from home. In fact, employees reported that there are often more interruptions and distractions at the office.
Increased productivity is just the start of employer benefits. Workplaces can also save space and travel costs by shifting to long-term remote working arrangements. The shift creates great savings for the community too.
Commuting to and from work can be gruelling, as many of us make the trip at around the same times each day. Rush-hour traffic often pushes our transportation system towards its capacity limits. Working from home can help relieve our transportation infrastructure.
City of Peterborough transportation demand manager Sue Sauve’s home office space. As we move into the fourth month of working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic, employees are finding their groove with new home office set-ups, schedules, and furry office mates. (Photo by Sue Sauve).
In addition to the saved costs and precious land area that can now be allocated to other important community services, the reduction in car trips helps cities and communities address both climate change and air pollution. For every kilometre we do not drive, roughly 217 grams of greenhouse gas emissions are kept out of the atmosphere.
There are a number of additional community benefits to working from home. For example, the regular morning rush of getting kids to school before heading to the office is often a common reason why children are driven to school. But if the office is at home, walking or cycling may become easier alternatives for school transportation.
As we work our way through this pandemic, your workplace is likely to experience many more little experiments that challenge the traditional way things are done. If you are looking for help in planning these new policies and procedures, explore businesses that have long been implementing things like full or partial remote working, flex hour policies, and staggered days.
You can find a list of articles and resources on related policies like these at peterboroughmoves.com.
Environment Canada has issued a heat warning for the southern Kawarthas, including Peterborough, Kawartha Lakes, and Northumberland.
A long-duration heat event affecting much of southern Ontario is expected Thursday (July 2) through Sunday (July 5) and potentially into early next week.
Daytime high temperatures in the low to mid thirties with overnight lows near 20°C are expected.
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Hot and humid air can also bring deteriorating air quality and can result in the air quality health Index to approach the high risk category.
Extreme heat affects everyone. However, the risks are greater for young children, pregnant women, older adults, people with chronic illnesses and people working or exercising outdoors.
Drink plenty of water even before you feel thirsty and stay in a cool place.
Never leave people or pets inside a parked vehicle.
Watch for the symptoms of heat illness: dizziness/fainting, nausea/vomiting, rapid breathing and heartbeat, extreme thirst, and decreased urination with unusually dark urine.
Peterborough celebrities Linda Kash (pictured) and Megan Murphy appear in a video released by Showplace Performance Centre sharing the news that the downtown Peterborough performance venue will be keeping its doors closed until 2021. The not-for-profit organization is working to reschedule fall shows to 2021 and all already-purchased tickets will be honoured on the new dates. (Screenshot)
Due to the continued uncertainty around the COVID-19 pandemic, Showplace Performance Centre in downtown Peterborough has decided to keep its doors closed until the end of the year — but is working to reschedule all fall shows to 2021.
Local celebrities Linda Kash and Megan Murphy share the message in a light-hearted video released by the not-for-profit organization on Wednesday (July 1).
“We just want to give you a little update as to what is going on during these crazy times,” Kash says in the video as she’s cleaning surfaces in the Showplace lobby. “We had to make the difficult decision to close our doors until the end of the year.”
VIDEO: Showplace announcement featuring Linda Kash and Megan Murphy
“But we’re working with all sorts of theatre companies in town to make sure that, when you do return, it’ll be as wonderful and as safe as ever,” she adds.
Murphy, in the role of an employee at the Showplace box office, explains that already-purchased tickets for fall shows will be honoured in 2021.
“I know you were so looking forward to our wonderful programming this fall, but don’t worry,” she says. “We’re working hard to reschedule all those shows, so hang on to your tickets and we will keep you posted about future dates.”
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Murphy also says that, as an alternative, patrons can donate their ticket purchase to Showplace for a tax receipt.
“Showplace is a not-for-profit,” she notes. “Your donations will go a long way in helping to offset the operating costs of Showplace while our lights are dimmed.”
Shows scheduled for this fall at Showplace included the Snowed In Comedy Tour (September 9), Bruce Cockburn (October 16), Danny Bronson (October 22), The Stampeders (October 23), and Brent Butt (October 29).
For more information about tickets or donations, call the box office at 705-742-7469 or email boxoffice@showplace.org.
kawarthaNOW writer Paula Kehoe navigates between trees at Treetop Trekking in the Ganaraska Forest near Port Hope in 2017. The forest adventure company has opened for the season at five of its six locations in Ontario, including Ganaraska. (Screenshot)
If you’re looking for a fun outdoor adventure, Treetop Trekking is open again in the Ganaraska Forest near Port Hope.
The forest adventure company — which was forced to delay its normal spring opening due to the COVID-19 pandemic — has also opened it adventure parks in Barrie, Brampton, Hamilton, and Stouffville. The Huntsville location remains closed for now while maintenance is completed.
Treetop Trekking offers a variety of outdoor adventure activities including zipline and aerial game treks, where guests travel from tree top to tree top on a series of elements such as wooden bridges, balance logs, Tarzan swings, and ziplines.
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Because of the pandemic, Treetop Trekking guests will see some changes at the company’s parks, including fewer people in the area at one time, staff wearing personal protective equipment, hand sanitizer being readily available, and augmented cleaning procedures.
“It hasn’t been an easy spring for us,” says Treetop Trekking regional manager Jamie Hesser. “It really pained us when we had to close all of our parks and lay-off most of our staff in late March, just as we were preparing to open for the season”.
“Shortly after closing, we shifted gears to planning and getting everything in place to be able to open up safely and responsibly, if or when we were to receive the opportunity,” she adds.
kawarthaNOW writer Paula Kehoe rides the zipline at Treetop Trekking in the Ganaraska Forest near Port Hope in 2017. Guests can will see changes at Treetop Trekking parks this year due to COVID-19, including fewer people in the area at one time, staff wearing personal protective equipment (PPE), hand sanitizer being readily available, and augmented cleaning procedures. (Screenshot)
With the province now into Stage 2 of re-opening, Treetop Trekking hopes to salvage its summer and autumn season before closing up again in November.
“The next year is really going to be a challenge for us,” says Treetop Trekking marketing director Mike Stiell. “We know we’ve lost pretty much all of our group clients such as schools, corporate groups, and summer camps for at least this season.”
“We hope that over time the group market will begin to trickle back, but for now we are focused more than ever on families and small groups of friends that are looking for a fun staycation activity close to the city.”
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