Following a port-mortem examination, police have released the identities of two bodies found in a submerged car near Brighton on Monday, June 17th.

The bodies have been identified as those of 83-year-old Nickolas Missios and 83-year-old Aspasia Missios of Scarborough. The Missios were reported missing on June 6th.

The Missios’ bodies were found in their silver Subaru sedan, submerged in water west of the Murray Canal Swing Bridge along the Trent Severn Waterway.

Police have released no other details about their ongoing investigation into the deaths.

If anyone has information on this incident, they are asked to contact the OPP at 888-310-1122 or your nearest police authority. If you wish to remain anonymous, you may call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or submit your information online at www.stopcrimehere.ca.

Original story (published June 18, 2019)

Police are continuing to investigate after the bodies of two people were found in a submerged car near Brighton on Monday morning (June 17).

The car was submerged in water west of the Murray Canal Swing Bridge along the Trent Severn Waterway.

Police say the identities of the two people are still unknown, and have not released any information about their genders or ages.

The Northumberland OPP crime unit is continuing its investigation with assistance from the underwater search and recovery unit, the marine unit, technical traffic collision investigators, and central region forensic identification services.

The bodies have been sent to the Centre of Forensic Sciences, where a post-mortem examination will be conducted.

Anyone with information is asked to call the OPP at 1-888-310-1122.

Legendary KISS frontman and co-founder Gene Simmons is coming to the Peterborough Memorial Centre on Saturday, November 9th.

This won’t be a concert though — it’s billed as “an intimate conversation with the man behind the makeup”.

Simmons is currently performing with KISS for the band’s “End of the Road” tour this year, and his appearance in Peterborough — the last of three dates in Ontario, with London on November 6th and Niagara Falls on November 8th — takes place after the North American leg of the tour ends in September and before the band heads to Australia and New Zealand in November for their final shows.

“Simmons will share his life stories in this tell-all moderated discussion on how he approached his band as a business, stepping up to new opportunities and taking massive risks,” states a media release.

Audience members will be invited to take part in the conversation through an interactive question-and-answer session.

Tickets for the Peterborough show go on sale at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, June 26th, online at www.memorialcentre.ca, by phone at 705-743-3561 or in person at box office. Ticket prices will range from $59.99 to $114.99, plus taxes and fees.

Born in Haifa in Israel in 1949 as Chaim Witz, Gene Simmons was eight years old when his mother decided to move to the United States. They settled in New York City, and she felt that he needed to have a name that sounded more American, so she changed his name to Eugene Klein.

Simmons rose to fame after he co-founded the costumed rock band KISS, which became America’s top gold record award-winning group of all time and has sold more than 100 million albums worldwide. Simmons became famous as the blood-spitting, fire-breathing, bass-playing Demon with an exceptionally long tongue.

As well as being a musician, Simmons is a successful entrepreneur (KISS has more than 3,000 licensed and merchandise items) and has appeared both in film (Detroit Rock City) and on television, including his reality show Gene Simmons: Family Jewels that featured Simmons along with his wife, daughter, and son.

Hershe, the beloved resident moose of Haliburton Forest and Wild Life Reserve, has passed away.

The bull moose had been suffering from several health issues over the past few months and, although his health was closely being monitored and treated, he died just weeks after his eighth birthday.

Hershe’s presence at Haliburton Forest was the result of a tragic accident in early June 2011, in which his mother was killed in a vehicle collision near Pembroke.

Two three-week-old moose calves were discovered close to the scene of the accident, and Haliburton Forest was asked to take in the orphaned calves.

The odds of either calf surviving was very slim, and one of the two died within hours of arriving. However, the other calf thrived.

Haliburton Forest staff had been told the surviving calf was a female, but it turned out to be a male (only males have antlers). The initial confusion — is it a “he” or “she”? — led to the moose being named Hershe.

By all accounts, Hershe had a good life at Haliburton Forest. He had the freedom to roam a spacious four-acre treed enclosure with two ponds, where he would sometimes bathe.

The enclosure also provided ample food sources, with Hershe eating more than 50 pounds of fresh leafs and twigs every day.

Most days, Hershe enjoyed human interaction and would readily trot over to the fence to greet visitors. But he especially enjoyed visits from the logging horses and Paddy the donkey, who would sometimes be let into Hershe’s paddock to clean out the grass.

Hershe was raised alongside the horses at Haliburton Forest, and as a calf had imprinted on Princess, a large black mare.

Haliburton Forest staff often wondered whether Hershe thought he was a horse. For example, he would get down on his knees to graze, just like a horse.

Haliburton Forest posted about Hershe’s passing on their Facebook page on June 11, 2019:

More than 700 people have reacted to the post so far, with over 200 posting comments expressing their condolences, as well as their memories of visiting Hershe and photos of the friendly moose.

Haliburton Forest and Wild Life Reserve Ltd. is a privately owned forest located on 70,000 acres of hardwood forests, lakes, rivers and wetlands in the Haliburton Highlands of central Ontario and bordered by Algonquin Provincial Park to the north and east.

Located about three hours north of Toronto, Haliburton Forest features wilderness adventure activities including the Wolf Centre, the Walk in the Clouds forest canopy tour, groomed snowmobile trails, mountain biking, dog sledding, fishing, hiking, astronomy, wildlife observation, wilderness camping and accommodations, and an array of educational programs.

There’s also the annual The Forest Festival, a music festival that takes place at Haliburton Forest every August. This year’s festival runs from August 14th to 18th and features performances by Steven Page, Slocan Ramblers, The Satallites, Colette Savard & The Savants, Soul Stew, Amanda Rheaume, and Tom Allen’s Excosphere. As the Bone Lake Amphitheatre is closed for renovations, this year’s concerts will be staged at the Logging Museum.

For more information about Haliburton Forest, visit www.haliburtonforest.com. For more information about The Forest Festival, visit www.theforestfestival.com.

The free trolley service is returning this summer to downtown Peterborough.

The Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area (DBIA) first launched the service last summer, providing free trolley rides every Wednesday and Saturday to Peterborough Musicfest in Del Crary Park. The service was an immediate hit with tourists, diners, and Musicfest patrons.

This year, the San Francisco-style trolley will also offer rides to the Kawartha Craft Beer Festival, which takes place this year in Del Crary Park on Friday, June 14th and Saturday, June 15th.

After that, the trolley returns on Saturday, June 29th for the first Peterborough Musicfest concert of the season and will run on a regular schedule every Wednesday and Saturday evening until the final Musicfest concert of the summer on Saturday, August 17th.

“We want to support Musicfest in a way that also helps our downtown,” says DBIA Executive Director Terry Guiel. “The charm of the trolley coupled with us offering it as a free service is a fun and welcoming way for us to get people to enjoy the concerts while exploring our downtown restaurants and retail stores.”

“We’re thrilled to partner with the Peterborough DBIA to bring the trolley back for season 33 of Peterborough Musicfest,” says Peterborough Musicfest general manager Tracey Randall. “It was a huge hit last summer and adds some extra fun and convenience to our already exciting concert nights.”

All stops will occur on the right side of George Street. Trolley pickups will begin at Confederation Square (across from City Hall) and continue at the intersections with Brock, Hunter, Simcoe, Charlotte and King from 6 to 10 p.m.

New this year, the trolley will now go all the way to the Memorial Centre parking lot to pick up concert goers who park there. The longer route is intended to reduce vehicle congestion and to encourage more people to attend the concerts and bring more people to the downtown.

The trolley is owned and operated by Michael Bryant of Dromoland out of Little Britain (it is actually a converted bus made to look like a trolley). Bryant says the trolley is celebrating its 20th year in operation and he will celebrate this season with prizes and gifts for riders, including commemorative trolley tickets.

According to local historian Elwood Jones, real trolleys used to run in downtown Peterborough between 1904 and 1928, with a much earlier version in the 1890s.

The trolley is accessible and can hold 30 people seated and 15 standing.

The Peterborough DBIA notes the trolley is not intended as a substitute for Peterborough Transit. The demand for this free trolley will exceed its capacity, especially when the concerts end each night. Priority will be given to those with mobility issues, seniors, and expectant mothers or parents with young children, with seating based on availability.

In addition to the trolley, the Peterborough DBIA and Musicfest have teamed up with Peterborough Transit to promote cycling to the concerts. Peterborough Transit will be hosting free supervised bike parking at Del Crary Park. Bike lanes from downtown to Del Crary can be found on George Street as well as via Otonabee River Trail.

The trolley service is provided by the DBIA with sponsorship from Aon Inc., Cogeco Your TV, Ontario Carpet Supermart, Peterborough Inn & Suites, Shoreline’s Casino Peterborough, Peterborough Transit, and Miskin Law Offices.

Anyone thinking the growing opioid crisis in Peterborough is falling under the radar in terms of public concern would have found strong evidence to the contrary on Wednesday night (June 12) at the Lions’ Community Centre in East City.

A public meeting on the issue, co-hosted by Ashburnham Ward councillors Gary Baldwin and Keith Riel, drew close to hundred people to hear a concerted call for more community action during a year which, to date, has seen 19 deaths resulting from opioid-related overdoses — more than the total for all of last year.

Over the course of one weekend earlier in June, there were 13 opioid-related overdoses with two of those overdoses resulting in death.

“This opioid poisoning crisis is a call to action … it’s an invitation to step up and save lives,” implored Kim Dolan, executive director of PARN (Peterborough AIDS Resource Network), one of three speakers who took to the podium.

“The scale of this crisis is unlike anything we’ve ever seen. We’re trying to respond to something that’s being imposed on us from external sources. We can’t control that. What we can control is how we respond to what’s happening here and now. That requires a coming together, a putting aside differences, exploring spaces of possibility, leading with our hearts, and knowing there is no one answer to this.”

The gathering comes during the same week that provincial NDP leader Andrea Horwath came to Peterborough to discuss the crisis with Mayor Diane Therrien as well as with first responders and public health officials. And it comes less than a month away from a planned July 11 symposium on the matter to be held at Market Hall, jointly organized by Mayor Therrien and Ennismore Deputy-Mayor Sherry Senis.

In her comments, Dolan disputed the use of the word ‘crisis’ to describe the issue.

“I think back to 2004 and the flood. That was a crisis. Remember how community came together? People recognized there was a problem. We’re not seeing that here. What we’re seeing is a lot of finger pointing, and blaming of people for having weak characters — all the myths and stereotypes that create stigmas and discrimination and disenfranchise people.”

“We need a more robust response to opioid use in our communities. We need to ensure that people have access to accurate information and that we’re all doing a really good job referring people. We need to ensure that people have access to prescribed hydromorphone (an opioid used to treat moderate to severe pain).”

“Rather than trying to save people’s lives because they’ve ingested poison, let’s put aside our judgments about addictions and why people are using drugs in the first place. We need safe places to inject. We need a provincial government that is really clear about their response and is able to unfold funding and approvals for programs in a way that is clear, transparent, fair and equitable, and that they follow up on their promises.”

Also taking to the podium was Peterborough Deputy Police Chief Tim Farquharson who admitted, for most of his policing career, he was “all about enforcement” when it came drug addiction.

“We’re not going to arrest out way out of this (crisis),” said Deputy Chief Farquharson.

“When you start to learn about addiction, you learn it’s not a moral failure. It’s a medical disorder. You have to get your head around that piece first. I was all about enforcement; a guy who spent most of his career in drug units and in intel, working the prisons and gaining informants, doing surveillance, doing door kicks … the sexy part of policing.”

“I couldn’t get my head around the community-based part of it. It was (former police chief) Murray Rodd that took the time to mentor me and turned my whole view around about a collaborative approach. If I changed my view, I know anybody can.”

Crediting former Trent University professor Dr. Thomas Symons with telling him there are two things common to effective policing — compassion and confidence — Deputy Chief Farquharson said that starts at the leadership level, adding “You need a give a shit factor of 12 out of 10. If you don’t have that, we’re in trouble.”

“For a police officer to get his head around clean supply is really tough until you realize that people are dying. People are dying because we’re still arguing about how we allow a clean and safe supply.”

There has been good progress, said Deputy Chief Farquharson, like the Good Samaritan Bill.

“Anybody calling 9-1-1 in Peterborough doesn’t have to worry about any repercussions. We still want to get to the bottom of who’s trafficking. Nobody is going to be charged or arrested for calling 9-1-1, but if somebody overdoses that’s not to say your police service isn’t interested in where the fentanyl came from. We will still do our due diligence.”

Few in Peterborough have been as solidly on the front lines of addiction as Peggy Shaughnessy, the owner of Whitepath Consulting and Counselling Services whose Redpath program addresses the underlying issues around drug addiction. She spoke as well, urging the community at large “to come together and be strong.”

“We’re losing too many people and it’s not just your average Joe,” she said.

“It’s not ‘those’ people any longer. It’s young people, it’s middle class people, it’s rich people. I was on opioids for four years because of a back problem. I recently got myself off all of them. Every pill I took, I asked myself ‘Is this for pain or is it to take the edge off of the day?’ When you’re looking across at somebody else, that could be you as well.”

Shaughnessy, through Whitepath, advocates a proactive approach to dealing with the opioid overdose crisis rather than a reactive one, saying “If we’re ever to get a handle on our current crisis, we need to look at new solutions’. We’re confident the Redpath approach is a piece of the puzzle.”

Still, she urges more people have naloxone, a medication that temporarily stops the effects of opioid drugs, allowing time for medical help to arrive.

“If you look at the number of overdoses, that is not a true number because those are numbers that are going to the emergency department. Those who are chronic users are educated enough to look after each other.”

When all is said and done, noted Deputy Chief Farquharson, “Our community is trying to figure out what to do.”

“This is not going away. It’s been with us for thousands of years. We just haven’t had the poison (in the drug supply) that we now have. It’s a life and death matter and it’s not getting any better. We have a lot of work to do.”

What does your child love about Canada?

The Rotary Club of Peterborough and the County of Peterborough are inviting students in Grades 4 to 6 to participate in the 2019 Isadore Black Canada Day Essay Contest.

Students are asked to submit written essays of around 500 words describing what they think is great about Canada. Possible topics include our country’s geography, people, history, First Nations, sports and recreation, and government.

Three winners will be selected, along with two finalists.

The contest was founded in 1994 by the late Isadore Black, a Rotarian and former Citizen of the Year who was posthumously inducted into the Peterborough Business Hall of Fame in 2017.

The Black family, which continues to be involved in the annual essay contest, is providing a JBL Bluetooth Speaker to each of the three winners.

Each of the two finalists will receive a $100 iTunes gift card courtesy of the Rotary Club of Peterborough.

The five winners and finalists, along with two guests each, will be invited to attend the Canada Day Rotary Lunch Meeting on Monday, June 24th at the Holiday Inn Waterfront Peterborough. Local politicians will be at the lunch along with local media.

The contest deadline is Saturday, June 15th.

To submit an essay, or for more information, contact Rotary President-elect Kevin Duguay at kevin@kmdplanning.com or 705-931-0975 or event chair Karen Laws at karen@ontariodogtrainer.com or 705-761-2159.