When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. When life gives you snow, make an epic snowbear.

That’s what two local men did when they constructed a huge snowbear in the front yard of their home on George Street in downtown Peterborough on Sunday (January 28).

“This is the work of myself and one good friend, late on Sunday night when the local conditions were ideal,” Jon Kolodziej tells kawarthaNOW.

Recent snowfall coupled with mild temperatures made for perfect snowman-making (and snowbear-making) conditions.

Kolodziej’s roommate Dana Beren Watts collaborated in the creation of the snowbear, which they call “Snowlar Bear 2020” or “Snowlar Bear #3” — meaning they’ve done it before.

According to Watts, the snowbear took around four hours to create, with Kolodziej spending a couple of hours on the initial sculpture before Watts joined him.

Several people noticed the snowbear on Monday, posting photos on Instagram.

View this post on Instagram

Spotted on George St. N. #ptbo #peterborough #winter #snow #snowsculpture #winterfun #wildlife #kawarthanow #kawarthas

A post shared by Allison MacGregor (@allison.macgregor) on Jan 27, 2020 at 1:56pm PST

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Complete with a hockey puck nose. Well done. ????

A post shared by Silver Bean Cafe (@silverbeancafe) on Jan 27, 2020 at 3:19pm PST

As for why Kolodziej and Watts created the giant snowbear, it’s mostly about the smiles.

“Here’s to brightening up the day in the little ways that we are all capable of,” Kolodziej says.

For his part, Watts also feels creating a “snowlar bear” (polar bear made of snow) draws attention to the impacts of climate change.

View this post on Instagram

Snowlar Bear #3 by Jon K and yours truly.

A post shared by Dana Beren Watts (@danaberenwatts) on Jan 26, 2020 at 7:32pm PST

Kawartha Land Trust, the only non-government charitable organization committed to protecting land in the Kawarthas, recently announced its newest protected property: the Fell Wetland, donated by Allan Fell and his family in 2019.

Located southwest of Fenelon Falls, the 50-acre property has been in the Fell family since 1908. It is relatively untouched by human activity and is home to a forested wetland and cattail marsh.

Lying within a wetland complex, the property contains a portion of a Provincially Significant Wetland (PSW) — an official Ontario government designation for wetlands that have been identified as being the most valuable through a science-based ranking system known as the Ontario Wetland Evaluation System.

Wetlands are among the most productive and biologically diverse habitats in the world, and the Fell property provides an excellent habitat for a biodiversity of flora and fauna.

Mitchell Creek runs through the property and leads to Cameron Lake, a part of the Trent Severn Waterway. This wetland system contributes significantly to the connectivity throughout the agricultural landscape, and is a major biodiversity hot spot in an otherwise highly disturbed area.

The wetland and forests on the Fell property also serve as an important corridor for wildlife movement in the area.

By linking together the fragmented natural areas near it, the Fell property contributes to the conservation and connectivity of habitats in and around its boundaries.

The property shows excellent natural value with outstanding provincially significant features.

The Fell Wetland lies within an Area of Natural and Scientific Interest, an official Ontario government designation for an area containing significant natural landscapes or features that are important for natural heritage, protection, appreciation, scientific study, or education.

It also lies within the Kawarthas Naturally Connected (KNC) Preferred Scenario, a collaborative process that uses the best available science to identify sites that should be protected in the Kawarthas to ensure healthy and connected ecosystems.

The KNC Preferred Scenario identifies the Fell Wetland an ecologically significant and an integral piece of our natural landscape.

One of Kawartha Land Trust’s goals when protecting a property is to ensure public access, but only when it is compatible with the long-term protection goals of the property and its features and when it corresponds with the wishes of the land donor. Due to its environmentally sensitive nature, the Fell Wetland property is not open for public access.

With the addition of the Fell Wetland property, Kawartha Land Trust is now protecting 18 properties covering more than 4,100 acres of diverse and significant land in the Kawarthas.

For more information and to make a donation, visit kawarthalandtrust.org.

This story was created in partnership with Kawartha Land Trust.

What do you call a telethon that doesn’t depend on television or telephones? For the first time ever, the United Way of Peterborough & District is presenting a “streamathon” on Facebook at 8 p.m. on Thursday, January 30th.

The free Facebook Live concert will be hosted by Peterborough musician Danny Bronson, who will be joined by other local musicians over the course of the evening, including Bridget Foley, Theresa McMullen, Ken DesChamps, Victoria Pearce, Kait Dueck, Carling Stephen, David Goyette, Kryn Vandermey, and Andrew Vatcher.

“I’m really looking forward to sharing the stage with these terrific performers and giving viewers an exciting event worth watching while supporting a great cause,” Bronson says.

You can watch the live-streamed event at 8 p.m. on Thursday, January 30th by searching for “Danny Bronson Live” on Facebook — or by visiting the United Way’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/UnitedWayPtbo/ or the Facebook event page at www.facebook.com/events/602003607214536/ — and, if you like, donate to the United Way during the event.

Unlike telethons of the past, the event will be available to anyone around the world from their mobile device or computer, so both area residents and expatriates can support the United Way, and viewers can interact with the performers in real time.

“We’re excited to offer this innovative online experience that updates the dynamics of a traditional telethon,” says 2019 United Way campaign chair David Goyette.

This is the first time the United Way of Peterborough & District is using a live-streamed event for fundraising.

“With such an amazing collection of local talent performing great music all evening, it will be like watching the ultimate kitchen party from your phone,” said Brittany Cadence, volunteer member of the United Way campaign cabinet.

“We think viewers will have fun interacting with the live stream on Facebook and help create an entirely new telethon experience to support the community.”

Police have charged a 60-year-old Peterborough man with an additional six counts of sexual assault in an ongoing investigation involving incidents at a local spa.

Gerard Sylvester Rodrigues, 60, of Parkhill Road West, had been previously charged with two counts of sexual assault following two incidents that occurred on December 6, 2019, when Rodrigues was employed as a registered massage therapist at a local spa. When police reported the charges laid against Rodrigues, they also indicated there may be additional victims.

Since that time, six new victims have come forward to police.

As a result of that further investigation, Rodrigues attended the Peterborough police station on Friday (January 24), where he was charged with an additional six counts of sexual assault. He is scheduled to appear in court later the same day.

Police have not released the name of the spa where the incidents took place.

This investigation is ongoing and police believe there are further victims. Anyone with further information is asked to call the Peterborough Police Service at 705-876-1122 ext. 261, Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS, or visit the Crime Stoppers website at stopcrimehere.ca.

Lindsay’s Anwen O’Driscoll is seeing continued success in her budding acting career.

The 20-year-old makes her Netflix debut on Thursday (January 23) as a supporting character in the Netflix original series October Faction, a week after appearing in Global Television’s new medical drama Nurses and with an upcoming appearance in season three of Starz’ American Gods.

Anwen, whose mother is published playwright and director Altraire Gural, began acting at the Lindsay Little Theatre when she was seven years old. She made her first television appearance on the YTV tween-comedy Life With Boys at the age of 11.

Anwen has already established herself on the Canadian television landscape in her role as Taylor Matheson in CBC Television’s highly rated series Burden of Truth but, with her Netflix debut, has now expanded into the U.S.

The Netflix original series October Faction, based on the comic book of the same name by Steve Niles, is about international monster hunters Fred and Deloris Allen (J.C. MacKenzie and Tamara Taylor) and their twin teenagers Viv (Aurora Burghart) and Geoff (Gabriel Darku).

After the death of Fred’s father, the Allen family relocates to a darkly mysterious town in upstate New York. Filming actually took place in Ontario, including several areas of Cambridge and Hamilton.

Anwen appears in six episodes as high school student Cathy MacDonald, a bespectacled loner who befriends Viv Allen in art class.

“It’s a horror supernatural teen drama and there are all the vampires and magic and fighting monsters and that sort of stuff,” Anwen told kawarthaNOW last February. “I’m the comedic relief, but my character is not in the comic book. She’s a bit of a goof ball.”

October Faction is available now on Netflix Canada.

VIDEO: “October Faction” Season 1 Trailer

Anwen’s Netflix debut follows her appearance last Monday (January 13) as patient Gabi Gonzalez in “Undisclosed Conditions”, the second episode of Global Television’s medical series Nurses.

Later in 2020, Anwen will play a supporting role as Sophie Palmers in season three of American Gods, the Starz series based on the fantasy novel by Neil Gaiman.

GreenUP’s Sustainable Urban Neighbourhoods (SUN) program invites Warsaw residents to join us as we explore how to conserve and protect water in Warsaw and create a Warsaw Water Action Plan.

This action plan will help area residents, businesses, local municipalities, and other stakeholders reduce the risks of flooding, protect water quality, and preserve the unique Indian River watershed.

On Wednesday, January 29th, the SUN team welcomes the Warsaw community to have their say at the Warsaw Water Gathering.

The event will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Township of Douro-Dummer municipal office (894 South St., Warsaw) and is a drop-in style event featuring free food and activities for the whole family. More information is available at greenup.on.ca/event/warsaw-water-gathering/.

Those unable to attend may also complete an online survey available at greenup.on.ca/warsaw until Friday, January 31st.

The Warsaw Water Action Plan will be released in the spring of 2020 and is intended to be a guiding document for decision-making in the future.

Participatory planning involves residents of the local community

Neighbourhood planning through programs like SUN is a key piece of the puzzle when building a community that is more resilient to climate change.

The SUN program uses an approach that is called participatory planning — or co-design — because everyone contributes ideas and priorities for their own community. The SUN model is based on and delivered in partnership with the Sustainable Neighbourhood Action Plan (SNAP) program from the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority.

“Neighbourhood planning allows for urban renewal solutions that are customized to respond directly to residents’ interests and priorities and local environmental conditions,” explains Adriana Gomez, senior program manager with the SNAP program.

In other words, plans that are tailored to the specific needs of a neighbourhood are more likely to resonate with the community than a one-size-fits-all approach. Planning at the neighbourhood or community level brings people together to share ideas, resources, and energy. It is easier to get involved when your friends and neighbours are tackling a local issue together.

As Gomez points out, “residents feel pride in working for their own community.”

Changes at the neighbourhood level can also impact the wider urban environment, which helps the township, the conservation authority, and other stakeholders reach their long-term targets efficiently.

Local impacts and benefits of a water action plan for Warsaw

SUN Warsaw is the first time these collaborative programs will be piloted within an urbanizing rural community. This pilot project will demonstrate how a water action plan can benefit a rural community now and for years to come.

Unlike larger municipalities such as Toronto or even the City of Peterborough, urbanizing rural communities and municipalities like Warsaw are often not able to provide the necessary resources for climate change action.

Often, smaller municipalities are left with few options other than installing grey infrastructure (pavement, pipes, and storm drains) that other municipalities are finding insufficient as mitigation against flooding and degrading water quality. With fewer resources, rural communities such as Warsaw are increasingly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.

The Warsaw community is well-positioned to take full advantage of GreenUP’s strong partnerships with the Township of Douro-Dummer, the County of Peterborough, and the Otonabee Region Conservation Authority, all of which currently support the SUN project through an advisory committee.

To demonstrate how these collaborative projects can become a reality, SUN has been breaking ground and creating a number of quick-start projects.

In Warsaw, SUN has already installed 218 square metres of planted shoreline at the Warsaw Community Centre and a rain garden at the municipal office. This is the equivalent area of half of an NBA-sized basketball court. An additional 282 square metres will be planted in Warsaw in 2020.

These projects demonstrate how local actions can reduce flood risk and protect water quality. For example, plants along shorelines help to reduce erosion, filter pollutants before they reach waterways, and provide habitat for fish and other aquatic animals.

Rain gardens reduce the runoff of pollutants into waterways by giving the water from rooftops or roads a place to go, where it can be slowly absorbed by the plants within the garden. The rain garden that SUN has already installed at Warsaw’s municipal office will absorb up to 170,000 litres of water annually — the equivalent volume of 110 hot tubs.

The environmental and economic benefits of the Indian River are important to Warsaw and area. The river is the beating heart of the community and the unique Warsaw Caves Conservation Area, with 30,000 visitors per year attracted to the old growth hardwood forest, unique limestone features (potholes, kettles, caves, and gorge), and shallow soils that define this conservation area.

The Indian River also provides habitat for various species at risk in Ontario, including the common nighthawk and monarch butterfly, and the federally at-risk painted turtle. An estimated 200 bird species nest in or migrate through the Warsaw area.

The RBC Foundation has generously provided funding to bring the SUN program to Warsaw for one year, with a particular focus on sustaining watershed health in the community. Warsaw is the first rural neighbourhood to pilot the SUN program.

Don’t live in Warsaw? Connect with GreenUP programs in your neighbourhood or get in touch to express interest. In the City of Peterborough, SUN has already created action plans uniquely tailored to the needs and priorities of the Kawartha Heights and East City-Curtis Creek neighbourhoods.

NeighbourPLAN is another GreenUP initiative supporting residents in the co-design of public spaces in three diverse Peterborough neighbourhoods.

For more information on SUN and its upcoming events, visit greenup.on.ca/sun/ or contact SUN program coordinator Jenn McCallum at jenn.mccallum@greenup.on.ca or 705-745-3238 ext. 208.

Throughout Peterborough and across the Kawarthas, close to each and every day, business owners and entrepreneurs put their nose to the grindstone, paying attention to all the details, big and small, that make their ventures a resounding success.

That makes sense. It’s what successful business people so. Still, when all is said and done, each takes little or no notice of the influential impact their work ethic has on those just starting out who are looking to emulate their success and carve their own niche.

Enter Junior Achievement of Peterborough Lakeland Muskoka (JA-PLM) which, since 2016, has annually recognized business champions via their induction into the Business Hall of Fame.

On Wednesday, January 22nd, the class of 2020 was introduced before a large crowd gathered in the lobby of VentureNorth in downtown Peterborough, many of them past inductees on hand to show their support.

Set to be inducted during a ceremony on Thursday, March 28 at The Venue are:

• Morris Cox of Brant Basics
• Lisa Dixon of Black Honey Bakery and Café
• Bill and Cora Edgar of Lucky Strike Bait Works
• Jim Glenn of Glen Isle Farms Limited
• Haig Kelly of Kelly Fuels
• Bill and Marion Morrison of Best Western Plus Otonabee Inn
• Sanjeev Sukumaran of The Ear Company-Peterborough Audiology

“The inductees unveiled today, as well as inductees from the past four years, are inspiring role models, for the students in our community,” said Mike Baxter, CIBC commercial banking manager and a JA-PLM board director.

“They have proven that you can make a good career and influence lives right here in Peterborough.”

Outgoing JA-PLM Chancellor Mike Skinner echoed that sentiment before introducing Trent Valley Honda general manager/principal dealer Monika Carmichael as the new chancellor for 2020. As part of her duties, she chairs the selection committee, which reviewed Business Hall of Fame nominations and ultimately selected the new batch of inductees.

“It was a real privilege to oversee the process we went through with the amazing people on the selection committee … we had the honour of going through, and hearing, amazing stories,” noted Carmichael, herself inducted into the Business Hall of Fame back in 2018.

To a person, each of the inductees was beaming over their induction with Lisa Dixon, the owner of Black Honey Bakery and Café in downtown Peterborough, nothing short of overwhelmed by her selection.

“For some reason I’m nervous … I’m much more comfortable at work than I am at a big occasion,” admitted Dixon, who opened her Hunter Street West business in 2005 and currently employs 24 staff.

“I realize if it for wasn’t me, and my hopes and ideas and ambition, we wouldn’t have a business to help them live. Staff have given me a lot of energy and reward me every day with their excitement.”

“What I’m most impressed with today is the years that people have put into their business. I thought 15 (years) was long. I just can’t imagine going another 10. It’s exhausting. I was hoping to have a coffee shop with desserts and eventually open a bakery. I did that but on top of that I’m now catering a lot of weddings.”

Like most any entrepreneur who has walked the walk, Dixon has learned lessons along the way.

“A risk, for some, may be scary but risk is are good as long you put thought to it. What I had, and still have, is excitement and anticipation and that’s because I backed what I do with confidence.”

For his part, Morris Cox, at age 84, still keeps his hand in Brant Basics that is now operated by his three grown children. He explained that he and partner started a business out of his home in 1965 that refurbished old typewriters for resale and then opened a store location about three years later.

“The biggest mistake that people make is they try to do everything at once … they go in way over their heads and all of a sudden the money isn’t coming in fast enough,” assessed Cox.

He notes Brant Basics, located on George Street North, found an early niche market providing high-end office furniture, which it still provides today. That brought sales to large companies such as Quaker Oats and Canadian General Electric. Retired some years ago, Cox still pops into store most days to lend a hand where he can.

“Now I go in and build something if I can. I stay for half a day and then I go home and have a nap.”

Near the lobby of VentureNorth, a wall-mounted touch screen display features bios of all the Business Hall of Fame inductees to date with the new inductees to be added upon their induction. Meanwhile, details on ticketing for the May 28 induction ceremony are forthcoming.

Established in 1955, Junior Achievement Canada has been inspiring and preparing youth to succeed by providing opportunities to learn financial literacy, entrepreneurship and work readiness skills with engaging programs and the help of dedicated volunteers.

Since 2007, Junior Achievement Peterborough, Lakefield, Muskoka has served an area stretching from the Grey-Bruce Peninsula to the Ontario-Quebec border. That effort has been aided by a number of corporate and media sponsors, KawarthaNOW.com among them.

For more information Junior Achievement of Peterborough Lakefield Muskoka, visit jacanada.org/plm.