Although she insists she doesn’t want any help, it looks like 87-year-old Marilyn Reid of Nephton is going to get some anyway.

Supporters have set up a GoFundMe campaign to help the long-time owner of Reid’s Log Cabin Snack Bar, located on County Road 6 at Hull’s Rd on Upper Stoney Lake in North Kawartha.

According to a report by Global News Peterborough yesterday (January 10), Reid has run out of funds to operate her convenience store and gas bar, and is unable to stock the shelves or fill the gas tanks.

Reid and her husband Bill began operating the convenience store in 1968, which has become a mainstay for both permanent and seasonal residents in the area over the past 50 years. Her husband passed away in 2002, and Reid has no family.

Reid — who has limited mobility and uses a walker to get around — is known to locals for her generosity, including allowing someone to pay later if they can’t afford something in her store.

In 2015, the community came together to raise $3,400 to help Reid purchase a new car. She lives behind the store and needs to drive to Lakefield for supplies.

“Mrs. Reid is a gem,” writes Stuart Harrison on the Stoney Lake Facebook page. “After a number of her neighbours got together to provide her with a car a few years ago, she made a habit of leaving a $5 bill every Sunday at the checkout at Lakefield Foodland as her way of paying it forward.”

While Reid tells Global News that she doesn’t want people to help, her neighbours and supporters are already rallying to raise funds.

In fact, the crowdfunding campaign at gofundme.com/helping-reids-store has set a ambitious goal, attempting to raise $250,000 to support Reid and her business. As of the date and time of this story, more than $2,000 had already been raised in less than 24 hours.

The organizer of the GoFundMe campaign is also encouraging local businesses or contractors to help support Reid and her “vital community business”.

You’ll want to bundle up and plug in your block heaters over the next few days, with temperatures set to plunge overnight tonight (January 10) to -19°C in Peterborough.

But with the wind chill, it’ll feel more like -29°C. Temperatures and wind chill values will be even lower in northern parts of the Kawarthas, such as Bancroft and Haliburton.

Temperatures during the day on Friday will be more moderate at -9°C in Peterborough but, with the wind chill, it will feel like -29°C in the morning and -14°C in the afternoon.

The frigid overnight temperatures and wind chill values will result in a risk of frostbite.

The cold overnight temperatures are forecast to continue over the weekend, with milder temperatures during the day.

Toronto’s medical officer of health issued an extreme cold weather alert for that city today, so we might expect local health units to do the same here.

Celebrating its 130th anniversary in 2019, Peterborough Public Health — in partnership with the Peterborough Historical Society — is hosting a one-day conference called “Back to the Future: 130 years of Public Health in the Kawarthas” on Saturday, February 9th.

The conference, which takes place from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Peterborough Public Health’s offices at 185 King Street in downtown Peterborough, includes speakers from across Ontario presenting on a range of topics including polio and local vaccination programs, diabetes among Indigenous populations, milk pasteurization, public health nursing, drinking water protection, and the history of sanitation efforts.

“We really want to show residents how public health shapes our lives every day, where it started 130 years ago, and how a population health approach can help address some of the biggest issues we face today in our community,” says Dr. Rosana Salvaterra, Peterborough’s Medical Officer of Health.

“With speakers representing various expertise, such as infectious diseases, Indigenous medicine, local history, nursing and the contributions of rural Women’s Institutes, we believe this event will leave participants better informed and inspired about what can happen when communities work together to improve health for all,” Salvaterra explains.

The keynote speaker will be Professor Kenton Kroker from Department of Science and Technology Studies at York University, who will present the topic “Inventing a Public for Ontario’s Public Health: 1882-85”. Other speakers include Indigenous elders, university professors, and public health leaders from across Ontario. See the full conference program below.

Early bird tickets are available now for $55 ($35 for students). After February 1st, tickets will be $60 ($40 for students). You can register online at eventbrite.ca or by calling 705-743-1000, ext. 264. The ticket price includes lunch, break refreshments, and access to all presentations.

In Ontario, public health rose to prominence prior to Confederation as the sanitary reform movement gained traction in the 1800s. Driven by scientific discoveries that infectious diseases were caused by microbes, an increasing number of individuals and volunteer organizations began promoting hygiene. Typhoid (for example) was widely believed to develop spontaneously, but there was growing evidence it was actually caused by exposure to contaminated water or milk.

In 1834, the Legislature of Upper Canada passed legislation allowing local municipalities to establish boards of health “to guard against the introduction of malignant, contagious and infectious diseases.” Some cities and towns established local health boards, usually after a serious epidemic of diseases such as cholera, typhoid, or smallpox.

In 1873, six years after Confederation, Ontario passed its first Public Health Act. By 1886, 400 boards of health were operating across the province. In 1889, the Town of Peterborough passed a by-law on February 18, 1889 to create the first permanent Board of Health.

Over the next 75 years, local boards of health were primarily responsible for improving the health of local residents. They identified that unpasteurized milk was killing children, and recommended the establishment of local bylaws mandating the pasteurization of milk. They also worked with municipalities to provide safe drinking water, treat sewage, make food safer, immunize school children, and control outbreaks.

On January 22, 1965, the City and County of Peterborough signed an agreement to establish a joint board of health and organization, the Peterborough County-City Health Unit, which was renamed Peterborough Public Health in 2016 (coinciding with the move from Hospital Drive to the current downtown Peterborough location).

For more information about the history of Peterborough Public Health, visit peterboroughpublichealth.ca/about-us/our-history.

Conference Program – Back to the Future

The Women’s Business Network of Peterborough (WBN) has donated $22,486.15 to YWCA Peterborough Haliburton — surpassing last year’s donation by more than $2,000.

The funds were raised through the networking organization’s annual holiday gala held in December at the Holiday Inn Peterborough-Waterfront.

For more than 30 years, WBN has supported the YWCA Crossroads Shelter, a service that protects local women and their children from violence and abuse while providing them with the resources they need to rebuild their lives.

“We feel strongly about giving back to our community and supporting our local YWCA’s Safe Night’s Sleep Program this year,” says WBN Program Director Lori McKee. “We are thrilled that we surpassed last year’s donation of $20,000 and that the money raised will help mothers and their children experience warm and secure nights.”

WBN revealed the final donation amount tonight (January 9) at its monthly members’ meeting at the Holiday Inn Peterborough-Waterfront, where McKee and WBN Program Director Danielle McIver presented a cheque to Donna Masters, YWCA Director of Philanthropy and Communications, and Ria Nicholson, YWCA Associate for Fundraising Events.

“This is further proof that we are indeed surrounded by a genuinely supportive community,” McKee says. “We are grateful for the generosity of our WBN members, guests, volunteers and local businesses for making this event a huge success. Thank you for all your hard work and support that has allowed us to reach our fundraising goal.”

The funds raised from the WBN Holiday Gala will support the YWCA’s Safe Night’s Sleep Program at Crossroads Shelter, which provides emergency shelter, meals, counselling and personal care supplies for women and children. Last year, YWCA Crossroads Shelter and Haliburton Emergency Rural SafeSpace provided 8,159 safe nights for women and children.

“The need for safety is ongoing,” Masters says. “Continued support helps change lives in Peterborough and Haliburton by sustaining a broad range of YWCA programs and services for women and their children. Together, we can continue to provide a path to safety and the opportunity for a fresh start.”

According to a report released by the Ontario Association of Interval and Transition Houses on December 6, 2018, 48 women were killed last year as a result of intimate partner violence in Ontario.

Three of those 48 victims were from the Kawarthas region: 35-year-old Heeley Rae Balanga of Kawartha Lakes, who was found dead after a fire in her home on May 29th (a 44-year-old man was charged with first-degree murder and arson); 51-year-old Wendy Allan of Lindsay, who was shot to death by her husband on August 19th in her home (her husband then committed suicide); and 71-year-old Sandra Finn of Peterborough, who was shot to death by her husband on August 22nd in a Home Depot parking lot (Terrance Finn was charged with first-degree murder).

One safe night at YWCA Crossroads Shelter costs $45.96, typically beyond what government funding provides, and includes everything from the physical safety of a private room and 24-hour support, to nutritious meals, linens, clothing, and personal care items.

WBN is a networking channel for women who wish to enhance and expand their business contacts and grow their businesses. Formed in 1961 as the Peterborough Chapter of the Canadian Advertising and Sales Association, the network has evolved into a dynamic and growing membership of women with diverse backgrounds and careers who meet to share their knowledge and experience and promote their businesses.

For more information about WBN and to read profiles of selected members, visit our special editorial section.