Ken Tremblay, incoming President of the Rotary Club of Peterborough, tries out a piece of equipment at Peterborough's first adult outdoor gym at the official opening on June 13, 2018 at Beavermead Park. The Rotary Club of Peterborough and the Rotary CLub of Peterborough Kawartha each contributed $25,000 to the gym's construction, with the City of Peterborough contributing $40,000. (Photo: Jeannine Taylor / kawarthaNOW.com)
While a rainy and humid morning wasn’t the best weather for an outdoor workout, Peterborough’s first adult outdoor gym was officially opened today (June 13) with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Beavermead Park.
Representatives from the City of Peterborough, the Rotary Club of Peterborough Kawartha, and the Rotary Club of Peterborough attended the event, with remarks made by Mayor Daryl Bennett, Peterborough Kawartha Rotary Club president Len Lifchus, and incoming Peterborough Rotary Club president Ken Tremblay.
The outdoor gym equipment was funded by contributions of $25,000 each from Rotary Club of Peterborough Kawartha and the Rotary Club of Peterborough, with $40,000 committed by the City of Peterborough.
Peterborough Kawarthas Rotary Club president Len Lifchus, City of Peterborough Mayor Daryl Bennett, and incoming Peterborough Rotary Club president Ken Tremblay cut the ribbon officially opening Peterborough’s first outdoor adult gym on June 13, 2018 at Beavermead Park. (Photo: Jeannine Taylor / kawarthaNOW.com)
The Rotary Outdoor Gym is located in Beavermead Park just north of the beach volleyball courts and beside the beach. It includes a variety of exercise machines, some of which are accessible for people with disabilities.
At the opening, Peterborough Kawartha Rotary Club member Tom Bennett explained the background of the project, which was several years in the making. While the Rotary Club of Peterborough Kawartha conceived of the idea, both the Rotary Club of Peterborough and the City of Peterborough quickly came on board, he said.
“This is a gift to the City of Peterborough for the sesquicentennial year,” Tom Bennett said, and introduced the two Rotary Club presidents, city councillors Keith Riel and Gary Baldwin who represent the ward, and Mayor Daryl Bennett.
Peterborough-Kawartha Rotary Club member Wendy Swain, who was the chair of the adult gym project, with Brian Salter, Project Manager of New World Park Solutions in Brantford. New World Park Solutions, which designed and constructed the gym, is an authorized dealer for Playworld Systems, which supplied the equipment. (Photo: Jeannine Taylor / kawarthaNOW.com)
“This is another project where partnership plays such a vital role in what we do in this community,” Mayor Bennett said, acknowledging the contribution of the two Rotary Clubs.
“Fifty thousand dollars from Rotary and forty thousand dollars from the city makes it possible for a whole bunch of people in this community to make use of (the gym), for a long time.”
Peterborough Kawartha Rotary Club president Len Lifchus also spoke.
“On behalf of the 47 members of the Rotary Club of Peterborough Kawartha, we are delighted to give the city this gift, along with the Peterborough Club,” he said.
Peterborough city councillor Don Vassiliadis along with councillors Keith Riel and Gary Baldwin, who both represent Ashburnham Ward where Beavermead Park is located. (Photo: Jeannine Taylor / kawarthaNOW.com)City councillor and mayoral candidate Diane Therrien stands beside the Rotary Outdoor Gym sign. Sevearl years in the making, the project was announced in 2017 as part of Canada’s 150th birthday. Peterborough Mayor Daryl Bennett, who also made remarks at the opening, is pictured in the background. (Photo: Jeannine Taylor / kawarthaNOW.com)
Lifchus thanked project chair Wendy Swain, along with Rob Anderson from the city’s parks department and Phil Jacobs from the city’s public works department, for helping to make the project happen.
“We’ve already heard and seen people using this gym in the last couple of weeks since it was completed,” Lifchus added. “We’re really excited that the residents of Peterborough are helping us make a difference in our community, by jumping on the gym and participating and getting fit.”
After Lifchus finished his remarks, incoming Peterborough Rotary Club president Ken Tremblay also made remarks.
Rotary club member Donna Geary tries out a piece of the equipment. (Photo: Jeannine Taylor / kawarthaNOW.com)
“The 77 members of the Peterborough Rotary Club really came forward to support it,” Tremblay said. “It’s really important we can enrich the community to create a legacy of fitness and engagement … let’s hope we can become a real fit community.”
The gym was designed and constructed by New World Park Solutions in Brantford, an authorized dealer for Playworld Systems, which supplied the equipment.
New World Park Solutions project manager Brian Salter, who has been in the playground industry for 18 years, travelled to Peterborough to attend the official opening.
VIDEO: Official opening of Peterborough’s first outdoor adult gym
Business After Hours Woodview Hop – Wednesday, June 13th, 5 to 7 p.m.
On June 13, 2018, the Kawartha Chamber is hosting a Business After Hours event in Woodview beginning with a tour of Viamede Resort on Stoney Lake.
The Chamber’s next Business After Hours event is today (June 13) in Woodview. The Chamber will be visiting member businesses in the Woodview area, including Viamede Resort and Woodview on the Lake.
The event will begin with a tour of Viamede Resort’s facilities on Stoney Lake and then travel to Woodview on the Lake for a tour of their property on Julian Lake.
At Woodview on the Lake, attendees will enjoy refreshments of beer and wine accompanied with beef tenderloin sandwiches, fruit, cheese, and cupcakes.
Join the Chamber for a great kick off to the summer season! Register here.
Save the Date – November 8th
The Kawartha Chamber is proud to announce that its 19th Annual Awards of Excellence will be presented on Thursday, November 8th.
The event will be held this year at Lakefield College School — be sure to mark it in your calendars!
The Chamber looks forward to seeing you at this wonderful event.
Did You Know? Benefits of Chamber membership
Standard and Select Chamber memberships provide a great selection of extra marketing opportunities.
Standard and Select members receive greater visibility on the Chamber website with benefits including enhanced directory listings, and an ad that will display in the rotating ad space in the Chamber’s directory, results, and events pages. Both membership levels also provide the opportunity to write guest articles for the Chamber blog.
Select members receive even more benefits, including a 15-second ad for a full year on the Chamber’s flat screen monitors in the Lakefield ServiceOntario Office, the Douro-Dummer Community Centre, and the North Kawartha Community Centre.
For a full list of benefits, visit the Chamber’s Become a Member page.
Lakefield Charlotte Street Reconstruction Update And Paving Offer For Businesses
The installation of the new water main under Charlotte Street in Lakefield was completed on Monday, June 4th. Pressure and water quality testing will occur this week.
Balterre, the company overseeing the installation, says that the biggest part of the excavation is wrapping up.
Balterre is offering businesses and residences along Charlotte Street who were affected by the construction the same pricing as the township, should anyone in the area wish to have their driveway or parking lot resurfaced. The paving can be scheduled for this year at the same time as the first lift of asphalt is applied, or in 2019 with the second application of asphalt.
Federal Government Requests Business Owner Feedback On Proposed Tariffs
The Government of Canada is requesting feedback from business owners on the planned tariffs to be implemented July 1st, 2018 on a selection of American goods.
Spring Policy Survey Deadline Extended To Friday June 15th
The Ontario Chamber of Commerce has extended the deadline for members to answer the Spring Policy Survey.
The survey is now open until Friday, June 15th at 5 p.m. All responses will be kept strictly confidential.
The Ontario Chamber Network is committed to ensuring government understands the issues impacting business in this province. That’s why the Chamber needs your help to express the voice of business loud and clear at Queen’s Park.
Complete the survey, and in five minutes let the provincial government know what’s important to you.
Tourism Industry Awards Nominations Open
The Tourism Industry Association of Ontario has announced nominations for various tourism organization awards:
The Tourism Industry Awards of Excellence (TIAO)
Culinary Tourism Awards of Excellence (Culinary Tourism Alliance)
Ontario’s Choice Awards (Attractions Ontario)
Tourism Marketing & Travel Media Awards of Excellence (Destination Ontario)
The Lantern Restaurant & Grill (2281 McCracken’s Landing Rd. Unit 2, Douro-Dummer) has recently re-opened its doors for the warm weather.
The restaurant is open from 12 to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and from 12 to 7 p.m. on Sunday.
If you have recently opened for the season, or will open soon, please let the Chamber know at info@kawarthachamber.ca so they can spread the word.
Lang Pioneer Village Hosts 22nd Annual Father’s Day Smoke & Steam Show – June 17th
This Father’s Day, Lang Pioneer Village celebrates with the largest show of antique smoke and steam-powered engines in the Kawarthas.
The festivities run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, June 17th, concluding with a huge tractor parade through the village starting at 3:15 p.m.
Local collectors bring to life some of the oldest antique tractors and steam engines around as they compete for over 20 awards! The day will be filled with great events such as the Tractor Games, great vendors, and wagon rides through the village.
The L’ll Big Band is performing at Cenotaph Park in Lakefield. (Photo: The L’ll Big Band)
In celebration of the Lakefield Jazz, Art, and Craft Festival’s 20th anniversary, the Township of Selwyn is hosting a promotional jazz tour on Saturday, June 23rd.
Jazz bands will be playing at different times and locations in Lakefield. Bands and locations include the The L’ll Big Band in Cenotaph Park, Pete Woolidge and Federico Pontani at The Chocolate Rabbit and The Nuddy Bean, Sean Hully at Lakefield Pantry and Happenstance Books and Yarn, Chris Smith at The Thirsty Loon, and more.
Lakefield Literary Festival 2018 List Of Authors – July 13 to 15
Canadian actor and comedian Mary Walsh is one of the authors coming to the Lakefield Literary Festival, which runs from July 13 to 15. Walsh recently published her debut novel “Crying for the Moon”, about a determined young woman coming of age in 1960s Newfoundland. (Publicity photo)
The authors’ list for the 2018 Lakefield Literary Festival has been revealed. The festival will take place July 13th to 15th.
Some great authors are involved including Mary Walsh, Adam Shoalts, Beverley Jacobs, Barbara Mitchell, John Wadland, and Edna Manitowabi.
Tickets are available online at the website or at Happenstance Books & Yarn in Lakefield.
Camp Kawartha Surf ‘N’ Turf Gala Dinner And Auction Less Than Two Weeks Away
Nestled on the shores of Clear Lake, and with more than 185 acres of wetlands, woodlands and meadows, Camp Kawartha’s Outdoor Education Centre and summer camp (1010 Birchview Road, Douro-Dummer) is a natural for outdoor learning. (Photo: Camp Kawartha)
Camp Kawartha’s annual Surf ‘n’ Turf Gala and Auction fundraiser is less than two weeks away.
Attendees will enjoy a dinner of steak and lobster, and have the opportunity to bid on a variety of amazing items and services.
If your business or organization has a job opportunity you would like to advertise, you can add them to the Chamber’s website through your Member Information Centre account (or submit the description to info@kawarthachamber.ca) and the Chamber will share them in its next Newsflash.
Great Canadian Giving Challenge on Now until June 30th
The Great Canadian Giving Challenge is on now until June 30th.
Give to any registered Canadian charity by the end of June and they will be automatically entered to win $10,000! Note that donations must be made through the charity’s donation challenge page.
This challenge makes it a great time to donate to a cause you believe in! Visit the Challenge website at givingchallenge.ca for more details and to donate.
The Lakefield Triathlon is scheduled for Sunday, June 24th. This is an Ontario Youth and Junior Cup series race, open to athletes of all abilities aged four to 19.
The event is expected to bring hundreds of athletes and their families from all over Ontario to Lakefield.
Registration for the Triathlon closes on Wednesday, June 20th.
The races will start at Lakefield College School at 8 a.m. and spectators are welcome. Parking can be found at Lakefield College School until 8 a.m. and at the Lakefield-Smith Community Centre after that.
Camp Kawartha’s Surf ‘n’ Turf Gala Dinner and Auction – June 23rd
Jazz Tour Lakefield – June 23rd
Lakefield Triathlon – June 24th
Tek Savvy Seniors Seminar – June 27th
Family Paddle Day – June 27th
Lakefield Jamboree – June 28th to July 1st
For more information about the businesses and events listed above, please visit the Kawartha Chamber of Commerce & Tourism website at kawarthachamber.ca.
All photos supplied by Kawartha Chamber of Commerce except where noted.
After 15 years on Peterborough radio, Catherine Hanrahan has retiired to pursue a new career. (Photo: Heather Doughty / Inspire Project)
After 15 years as a radio host, Peterborough’s Catherine Hanrahan is retiring from radio to pursue a new career. Her last day will be July 12, 2018.
She made the announcement in her profile on Heather Doughty’s Inspire : The Women’s Portrait Project website at inspirethewomensportraitproject.com.
“I’m hanging up my headphones on July 12th and retiring from radio to pursue a new career,” Hanrahan writes.
“The past 15 years on the air in Peterborough have been rewarding in so many ways. I have had the opportunity to work with legends of the industry and legends in the making who were not only mentors but also friends who welcomed me into this community with open arms.
“It’s been a privilege to be invited into the homes, cars, and workplaces of the good people of this city day after day. There’s no other job like it and I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything.”
Catherine Hanrahan recently moved to the country with her partner, local realtor Ben vanVeen. (Photo: Heather Doughty / Inspire Project)
Ashley Wright with her two children, 11-year-old Brinlee and 13-year-old Logan. Logan lives with severe autisim and the Wright family was publicly shamed twice by the same man while they were visiting the Peterboroug Zoo on June 10, 2018. Wright has written an open letter to the man that is going viral. (Photo: Ashley Wright / Facebook)
A Belleville woman’s Facebook post about the public shaming of her autistic son on Sunday (June 10) at the Peterborough Zoo is going viral.
So far, Ashley Wright’s post has been shared more than 4,000 times with more than 4,000 “likes”.
In her post, Wright describes how she and her two children, 11-year-old Brinlee and 13-year-old Logan, drove two hours from Belleville to visit the Peterborough Zoo. According to Wright’s post, Logan lives with severe autism and other disabilities. He is also large for his age — over 6 feet tall and 190 pounds.
While the family was walking into the Peterborough Zoo, Logan was being loud, flapping his hands and jumping out of excitement.
Wright says a man with his own family was walking ahead of the Wright family when he glared back at them and yelled “Why do people bring kids like that out in public?”
A short time later, Logan acted out due to stress and, while Wright was trying to deal with it — including protecting herself, her daughter, as well as her son — the same man came up close to her and yelled again.
“Why do people bring kids like that out in public? They ruin society!”
Another man then intervened, told the yelling man to leave the family alone, and then asked Wright if she was okay. After finding out she was, he commended her and left the family alone.
Wright then took her son to see the camels, his favourite animals at the zoo. While the yelling man was also there, he didn’t say anything else.
Wright’s post, which was written as an open letter to the yelling man, ends with the following statement:
“All I can hope is that in the future if a situation like this happens again you don’t make another family feel the way you made ours feel today. I also sincerely hope your children don’t grow up feeling that kids like Logan shouldn’t be out in public.
“Because he needs that social interaction. He deserves to get to see his camels after a good week of behaviour. He deserves to be treated just as good as anyone else.”
Here is her complete post:
To the man at the Peterborough Zoo today who loudly yelled well glaring at us "Why do people bring kids like that out in…
There have been several incidents reported in the media of how individuals and families living with autism have been discriminated against, publicly shamed, and otherwise poorly treated.
Sometimes there are some positive stories though, raising understanding and tolerance of people who are living with autism.
On June 9th, a British father posted a photo on Facebook of a mother sitting in the middle of a sidewalk, cradling her autistic child to comfort him.
Adam Poole posted this photo on Facebook of a mother comforting her autistic child and provided advice to others on what they should and shouldn’t do in this situation. His post has been shared more than 65,000 times. (Photo: Adam Poole / Facebook)
“Just some advice for those with no experience of autism,” Adam Poole wrote. “When you see a child having what appears to be a meltdown in public, just walk past and keep your mouth shut. Don’t shake your head, don’t stare, just get on with your day.”
He finished his post with “Best mum I know”. His heartfelt message has been shared more than 65,000 times, with 42,000 “likes” and almost 4,000 comments.
Note: The original version of this post misidentified Ashley Wright as being from Peterborough rather than Belleville.
The Monaghan Café in Peterborough is under new ownership. A new menu offers fresh new options like the Sunny Up Pizza, a breakfast pizza with fresh herbs and a sunny-side up egg. Food is made from scratch and served with a bowl of fruit and homemade peanut butter, jam, and ketchup. (Photo: Eva Fisher / kawarthaNOW.com)
This month, our food writer Eva Fisher checks out the menu at the new Monaghan Café in Peterborough, talks to vendors at the new and old Saturday farmers’ market in Peterborough, gets ready for a picnic in downtown Cobourg during the Cobourg Food and Music Festival, and learns about cooking in the backcountry with The Land Canadian Adventures.
Bold new ownership at Monaghan Café in Peterborough
Monaghan Café’s new owner and chef Jeffrey Wilfong comes to Peterborough from Ste. Anne’s Spa in Grafton. (Photo: Eva Fisher / kawarthaNOW.com)
The Monaghan Café (1017 Monaghan Rd, Peterborough, 705-743-4800) has reopened under new ownership, and visitors to the classic Peterborough cafe will notice some changes.
A new menu offers fresh new options like the Sunny Up Pizza, a breakfast pizza with fresh herbs, a sunny-side up egg, and your choice of toppings (which could include seared salmon or pork belly, among others).
There are also a variety of Eggs Benedict, from the classic “Bubba” served with buttery hollandaise and your choice of pork belly or ham, to the “Not Just Florentine”, served with a generous serving of seared salmon and an avocado hollandaise.
There are also vegetarian and vegan options. The Garden Bowl features fresh vegetables, potato, diced tomato, avocado, vegan bacon, jalapeno pesto, and cashew hollandaise.
The Monaghan Café still serves breakfast with a side of tomato. (Photo: Eva Fisher / kawarthaNOW.com)
Owner and Chef Jeffrey Wilfong has 25 years experience as an Executive Chef, beginning with a position at the British High Commission in Ottawa. Since then he has traveled and worked in France, England and Thailand. He served as Ron Joyce’s personal chef at Fox Harb’r, and most recently he was the Executive Chef at Ste. Anne’s Spa in Grafton.
At the Monaghan Café, Jeffrey works with his partner Ève-Alexandra St-Laurent, who is in charge of front-of-house, administration and public relations.
“We’ve always wanted our own little place that we could call home, and open our doors for everyone to come into our home,” Jeffrey says.
The decision to open a restaurant came together suddenly.
“One morning I woke up, put my freshly pressed jacket on and got all dolled up and went to work, and realized an hour into my shift that I didn’t have it anymore,” Jeffrey recalls. “So I went to HR and resigned.”
After finishing his shift he went home to tell Ève-Alexandra the news, but it turned out that she had some news of her own.
“She said ‘Well, that’s wonderful because we just bought the Monaghan Café!'”
From that time it was a whirlwind: finding a home in Peterborough, moving in, finding a school for his daughter, and reopening the cafe.
Some of the best details of the cafe have been preserved. That includes the stellar original waitstaff, and the cups of coffee that seem to small at first, but are constantly being refreshed. You can also still order a side of tomato slices with your meal.
Peterborough now has two bustling Saturday farmers’ markets
With a brand new Saturday farmers’ market in downtown Peterborough, some vendors have left the Saturday market beside Morrow Park while others like Andrew McIlmoyle of Waymac Farms, which has been there since 1978, are staying. Andrew has been going to the market for his whole life. (Photo: Eva Fisher / kawarthaNOW.com)
On Saturday, June 9th, a new Peterborough Farmers’ Market was born.
The Peterborough Regional Farmers’ Market runs every Saturday from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Citi Centre Courtyard (located beneath the Charlotte Towers) in downtown Peterborough.
The inaugural market was a hit, with 41 vendors attending, many of whom had sold out by 11:30 a.m. Peterborough Regional Farmers Market President Neil Hannam was delighted with the turnout.
“We didn’t expect the whole city to arrive,” he says.
A number of the 41 vendors present were previously vendors at the Peterborough Farmers’ Market, a weekly market held beside Morrow Park.
That market is still in operation and is held at the same time as the new market.
Some vendors’ applications to the summer Morrow market were denied, and they are now at the new downtown Saturday market. Some chose to leave the Morrow market for other reasons, while others opted to stay. I spoke with vendors about their decision to stay or go.
Why did you stay?
New vendor Foragers Farm sees the Peterborough Farmers’ Market at Morrow Park as a great opportunity for farmers. (Photo: Eva Fisher / kawarthaNOW.com)
“We chose to stay here because we want to continue to be here for the customers who have made this market part of their weekly tradition, to include us in their Saturday of getting some perogies and a scone and just wandering around. That’s a great thing to do on a Saturday. We also chose to stay for our vendor friends, because we have so many here. Whether it’s our neighbours all around us or the Brunis next door, these are all people that we’ve spent the last five years of Saturdays with, and so they’re massively important to us.” – Graham Thoem, Hard Winter Bread Company
“I’ve been here all my life. As the late great Pino Bruni said, it’s paid a lot of bills. I jokingly say that it’s taken care of my farming habit for many years, and it’s true. In ’78 my dad started, and I wan born in ’83, so it’s a few years preceding me. Without this market being the way that it is, we would have never survived through the ’90s. I’m very thankful for this place.” – Andrew McIlmoyle, Waymac Farms
“I’ve come up here once or twice a year since I was younger. It’s always been a super vibrant, booming market with all different types of vendors. I’m in my second year as a farmer and I see it as a great opportunity to sell my stuff here.” – Tyler Davis, Foragers Farm (new to the Morrow market)
Why did you go?
Erin McLean of McLean Berry Farm says that a new market was necessary for vendors like her who already had their crops in the ground when their application for the Morrow market was denied. (Photo: Eva Fisher / kawarthaNOW.com)
“We submitted an application and we weren’t permitted to return. We’ve had crops in the ground for one to two years and tens of thousands of dollars, so we needed a place to sell things. We had to work with other people to make a place where we could sell.” – Erin McLean, McLean Berry Farm
“I choose to shift my business to the new market because I cannot tolerate the decision and how it was executed by the board of directors in throwing out several true blue farmers! As well, the air there at the old market was becoming very heavy and many consumers have stopped shopping there. It feels like it’s time for a new beginning, one that puts farmers first and the consumers as well.” – Sherry Patterson, Chick A Biddy Acres
Chick-a-biddy acres wasn’t ousted from the Morrow Park Farmers’ Market, but decided that for their farm it was time for a new beginning. (Photo: Eva Fisher / kawarthaNOW.com)
“The Farmers’ Market — I loved them, it was a great place, I spent eight years there, but they don’t follow their own rules. They aren’t taking any responsibility and I just feel that it’s not right.” – Martin Carbajal, La Mesita Catering
“This market’s so inviting for small farms. There are three other people here who are just like us, who just have an acre and love to grow vegetables.” – Ben Carlsen, Rhyzosphere
“I think there’s enough demand in Peterborough to support both markets and there are great vendors at both spots.” – Devin LeBel, Rhyzosphere
Second Annual Cobourg Food and Music Festival turns King Street into a “Grub Hub”
This year’s Cobourg Food and Music Festival on July 6, 2018, will be larger than last year’s, with a special section dedicated to treats and desserts. (Photo: Cobourg DBIA)
The Cobourg Downtown Business Improvement Area (DBIA) is hosting the second annual Cobourg Food and Music Festival on Saturday, July 7th from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Last year, the festival closed two downtown blocks. This year, three blocks will be barricaded for the festivities.
This year’s event will be picnic themed, with iconic red and white gingham tablecloths and plenty of picnic tables. Paige Wiggins, Event and Communications Coordinator for Downtown Cobourg, says that this event is all about eating communally.
At the Cobourg Food and Music Festival on Saturday, July 6th, vendors will fill the streets, offering food with a picnic theme. (Photo: Cobourg DBIA)
“We’re going for the concept of a big family picnic. We really want people to eat together. So we’re encouraging our restaurants to have a food and appetizer special, but something that they can easily make to go so that people can come and eat together.”
Festival-goers can enjoy “Treat Central”, a whole section of the festival dedicated to sweet treats.
Downtown Cobourg is home to Millstone Bread, The Dutch Oven, The Rustic Bean, The Human Bean, and the Black Cat Café, but more vendors will fill the street for the festival: KCC Catering, Our Little Bakery, Amina’s Bakeshop, A1 Gluten Free Gals, Whistle Stop Café, and more.
The Cobourg Food and Music Festival takes place on King Street on July 7th from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. (Graphic: Cobourg DBIA)
The rest of the festival, which Paige dubs the “Grub Hub”, will feature local restaurants already in the downtown, but will also contain food trucks. Paige is particularly excited for Meltdown Cheeserie, a food truck that specializes in over-the-top grilled cheese.
As the name implies, there will also be music. Max Mouse and the Gorillas, Storm the Palace, and Who Made Who (an AC/DC tribute band) are all slated to perform, among others.
Paige says that a food festival is an ideal way for people to build connection with their community.
“Even though people have different taste in music and different taste in food, there’s something about everyone sitting down at a table that brings conversation and a sense of community.”
The Land Canadian Adventures offers experiences for foodies gone wild
The Land Canadian Adventures offers culinary courses that enable you to eat well in the backcountry. Food on a trip can use traditional and even wild ingredients, like this meal of Three Sisters Stew and Cedar Tea. (Photo: The Land Canadian Adventures)
Could you make a delicious hot meal over a campstove?
The Land Canadian Adventures offers culinary courses that will not only enable you to eat well in the backcountry, they will teach you to identify and use wild edibles.
The Land Canadian Adventures is a team of local adventure guides who offer canoe trips, cycling trips, and a “School of the Wild Arts” to teach participants new skills such as photography, bushcraft skills, and backcountry cuisine.
The Land Canadian Adventures is a family business. From left: Avery, Briagh Hoskins-Hasbury, Lily, and Bretton Clark. (Photo: The Land Canadian Adventures)
Bretton Clark, who founded The Land Canadian Adventures with his wife Briagh Hoskins-Hasbury, understands that food is an important part of any backcountry experience. At their backcountry cooking workshops, they approach food a little bit differently than your standard cooking class.
“Your first priority consideration is making sure that your dietary requirements are being met,” Bretton explains. “This means dropping a bit of science right off the bat.”
Bretton says that caloric expenditure on a trip can average 4,000 calories a day, so people should plan to eat more than they are used to on a trip to make sure that they stay sharp and strong.
Bannock, served on a trip with The Land Canadian Adventures. (Photo: The Land Canadian Adventures)
From there, participants are taught to build a menu to meet their needs, and to use cooking gear to prepare food in the wild.
“The flavour is so welcome when you’re traveling all day. The trick here is to take the science and incorporate the art into it as well.”
For Bretton, that means pineapple upside-down cake prepared in a dutch oven buried in coals, or hot apple crumble prepared for breakfast on the fifth day of a trip. Or Southern Thai Red Curry. Or Three Sisters Stew. Or dried mango slices. Or a good hot cup of tea. Food on a trip can be as diverse as food served at home.
The Land Canadian Adventures offers Pick Paddle and Party workshops, which teach participants to identify and enjoy wild edibles. (Photo: The Land Canadian Adventures)
In addition to their backcountry cooking class, The Land Canadian Adventures offers “Wild Foodies Pick, Paddle and Party,” an experience that teaches participants to identify and enjoy wild edibles.
“Food is everywhere, it’s all around us… you can connect with nature by learning how it’s there to help, whether medicinally or nutritionally.”
Bretton says that once you start to recognize wild edibles, the whole landscape begins to look different.
On a trip it’s important to make sure your nutritional requirements are being met. That can mean stopping mid paddle for a quick snack break. (Photo: The Land Canadian Adventures)
“You can’t paddle through thousands of acres of sweet gale and not talk about the delicious little seed cones or the catkins with a peppery flavour … and when you make tea out of it it helps you to remember your dreams.”
Lean more about The Land Canadian Adventures and their foodie adventures at canoecampingtrips.ca.
This 12-foot canoe once owned by Canadian wildlife artist and naturalist Robert Bateman is one of the artefacts on display in The Canadian Canoe Museum's new 'Just Add Water: Little Boats with Big Stories' exhibit, opening on June 13, 2018 in Peterborough. (Photo courtesy of The Canadian Canoe Museum
You can see a canoe once owned by famous Canadian wildlife artist and naturalist Robert Bateman in a new exhibit at The Canadian Canoe Museum (910 Monaghan Rd., Peterborough) opening on Wednesday (June 13).
“Just Add Water: Little Boats with Big Stories” explores the scope of the museum’s collection, featuring artefacts from the museum’s extensive collection that have never been exhibited before.
The museum houses more than 500 watercraft and thousands of small artefacts and books, 80 per cent of which are stored in a warehouse space at the museum and are not available to the public except through specially arranged guided tours.
When the museum relocates to its new facility, to be built beside the Peterborough Lift Lock, the complete collection will become available to the public.
“This exhibit highlights the breadth of the collection as it examines and explores an array of stories and traditions that inspire us today,” says curator Jeremy Ward. “This exhibit will give visitors a taste of one of the experiences that will be offered in the new museum.”
One of the watercraft on display in the new exhibit is a 12-foot canvas-covered canoe owned by Robert Batemen, who is renowned for his paintings of Canadian nature and wildlife.
“Some of the most important, formative influences on my life were the four summers (1947-51) working, mostly as a ‘chore boy’ in Algonquin Park,” according to the text by Bateman that accompanies the exhibit.
“These summers were at the Wildlife Research Station. After hours, I would follow in the footsteps, or paddle strokes so to speak, of my heroes Tom Thomson and the Group of Seven. I would paddle to a picturesque spot and do a little oil painting.”
Built by legendary canoe builder May Minto, Robert Bateman’s canoe was featured in his painting “Rocky Point – October”, a print of which will also be on display at The Canadian Canoe Museum.
The museum acquired the canoe in 2016, and will be displaying it along with a print of Bateman’s painting “Rocky Point – October”, featuring the same canoe on the south shore of Lake Boshkung in Haliburton County. Bateman’s family owned a custom-built log home there since 1946, until the 88-year-old Bateman sold it in 2016.
Bateman’s canoe was built by May Minto, a legendary canoe builder from Minden. Bateman writes:
“When I had the chance to custom order a canoe from May Minto, one of Canada’s best canoe makers, I wanted a 12-footer which would be easy to transport but could carry 2 to 3 people in calm weather, so I could bring the family along. I mixed an olive drab colour to paint on it so that it would be easy to hide in the bushes.”
The ‘Just Add Water: Little Boats with Big Stories’ exhibit will include a photo booth where you can take a photo of yourself “portaging” this suspended canoe to post on social media. (Photo courtesy of The Canadian Canoe Museum)
Other artefacts in the new exhibit include a Fijian outrigger canoe, more than 30 paddles from around the world, and a digital kiosk featuring several objects from the museum’s collection not on display.
As well as the exhibit, the museum will be offering a photo booth where you can climb under a suspended canoe and impress your family and friends with your “portaging prowess”. The museum is encouraging people who use the photo both to use the hashtag #justaddwater and to tag the museum @CndnCanoeMuseum when posting their photos on social media.
Doors open at 6:30 p.m., with a presentation beginning at 7 p.m. in The McLean Matthews Gallery in the museum’s foyer. All are invited and welcome to attend. There is no charge for this event.
For more information on The Canadian Canoe Museum, visit canoemuseum.ca.
Award-winning Toronto crooner Micah Barnes will perform New York City jazz standards as well as his own compositions at the Nexicom Studio at Showplace Performance Centre on Saturday, June 23, 2018. (Photo courtesy of Micah Barnes)
As the title New York Stories implies, the acclaimed 2015 album by Toronto jazz crooner Micah Barnes was inspired by his time in New York City.
Showplace and Market Hall present Micah Barnes
When: Saturday, June 23rd at 8 p.m. Where: Showplace Performance Centre (290 George St. N., Peterborough) How much: $29.50
In the Nexicom Studio. Tickets available in person at Showplace Performance Centre (290 George St. N., Peterborough), by phone at 705-742-7469, or online at www.showplace.org.
In fact, he wrote the songs for the record while staying at the Savoy Park apartment complex in the central Harlem neighbourhood of Manhattan — on the very same block where the famous Savoy Ballroom once stood.
The iconic jazz club, known as “The Home of the Happy Feet”, operated from 1926 until 1958. It inspired the swing standard “Stompin’ At The Savoy” by Chick Webb, the jazz and swing music drummer who led the house band at The Savoy. The Savoy often featured a “Battle of the Bands” where Webb’s band would compete with other top bands — including the Benny Goodman Orchestra, the Count Basie Orchestra, and the Duke Ellington Orchestra — from opposing bandstands.
“It was a perfect place to write a new album,” Micah says in an Global TV interview. “The inspiration, all the musical history in that place, it just came up through the walls and made me become the composer I wanted to be.”
Micah Barnes wrote the songs on his 2015 album “New York Stories” while living in New York City, in an apartment at the site of the famous Savoy Ballroom where swing bands like the Benny Goodman Orchestra, the Count Basie Orchestra, and the Duke Ellington Orchestra performed. (Photo: Public domain)
It was also a stone’s throw from the famous Apollo Theatre and near the equally famous Cotton Club, and kitty corner from Billie Holiday’s first New York City address — perhaps explaining why Micah ended up writing “old school” (as he calls them) jazz tunes for New York Stories.
Micah will be performing songs from New York Stories — along with tunes from legendary New York songwriters like Irving Berlin, George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Fats Waller, Duke Ellington, Carole King, and Burt Bacharach — at Showplace Performance Centre at 8 p.m. on Saturday, June 23rd.
The concert takes place in the Nexicom Studio, a perfect venue that emulates the intimate jazz clubs of the past.
VIDEO: “New York Stories” compilation – Micah Barnes Live
Micah was born in 1960 in Vienna, Austria — with the city’s thriving tradition of cabaret prophesying his later musical career. His father was the Canadian composer, conductor, and jazz drummer Milton Barnes, and his mother Lily was a broadcaster and writer for CBC’s Mr. Dressup whose own mother was a concert pianist.
While Micah grew up listening to Billie Holiday, Ray Charles, Bessie Smith and Fats Waller, he didn’t start out singing jazz.
“I was in a rock and roll band when I as a teenager in someone’s basement,” he recalls. “I quit the band when I heard Billie Holiday. That did it. I said I’m going home, and I’m going to study my Fats Waller records, my Billie Holiday records. I’m going to learn the jazz standards. I was twelve.”
While still a teenager, he began performing in the cabarets and jazz clubs of Toronto and studied voice with José Hernandez and Bill Vincent. He continued performing in the 1980s as part of the cabaret act Micah Barnes Trio (along with his drummer brother Daniel) while also working in film, TV, theatre and radio.
Micah Barnes began performing jazz and cabaret in Toronto while he was still a teenager. After a stint with the a capella group The Nylons and a flirtation with hip hop and techn, he returned to jazz in 2015 with the release of “New York Stories”. He is currently working on an album of songs first performed by Las Vegas crooners like Sammy Davis Jr, Tony Bennett, and Frank Sinatra. (Photo courtesy of Micah Barnes)
In 1990, Micah joined the a capella pop group The Nylons, replacing the departing baritone Paul Cooper, and performed with the group until 1994.
“It was like going to university as a performer,” he says in a 2017 interview with Peter Hum of the Ottawa Citizen. “I still use much of what I learned today in terms of stage craft, business savvy, and also how to take care of myself physically, emotionally, and spiritually while on the road.”
After leaving The Nylons in 1994 to pursue his own creative interests, Micah recorded his first solo effort Loud Boy Radio — a mix of personal lyrics, rock and roll, hip hop, and techno — and moved to Los Angeles. As he toured the album as the band Loud Boy, he drew the attention of L.A. remix/production team Thunderpuss (Barry Harris and Chris Cox) and they collaborated to release the single “Welcome to My Head”, which hit number one on Billboard’s club chart.
Michah Barnes (second from right) with The Nylons. He performed with the a capella pop group from 1990 to 1994. (Photo courtesy of Micah Barnes)
Later, Micah recorded a self-titled piano and vocal version of his Loud Boy songs, and attracted a more jazz-oriented audience. When jazz diva Molly Johnson heard the record, she invited Micah to open for her during her national tour and he moved back to Canada.
In addition to performing, Micah is also a vocal and performance coach. He began teaching in 1996 while in L.A., operating his own school called Singers Playground. He was a vocal coach on CBC TV’s talent competition How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria? and his clients have included Emmy award-winning actress Tatiana Maslany, the multiple-role-playing lead of the Canadian sci-fi thriller television series Orphan Black.
“I got the call one day,” Micah says, referring to Maslany. “One of the clones on her show had to sing. So suddenly up the stairs bounces the petite, little, bright, smart, creative young woman and we went to work to get her singing voice in shape for Orphan Black. I had a blast and went on set to work with her.”
VIDEO: “New York Story” – Micah Barnes
VIDEO: “Harlem Moon” – Micah Barnes
With New York Stories, Micah has returned to his first love: jazz. The first single “New York Story” shot to the top of the jazz charts in both Canada and the US, and resulted in Micah being named the Toronto Indie Awards best Jazz Act of 2014. Mark Rheaume of CBC Radio proclaimed “The combination of Micah Micah and New York City is as logical as it is irresistible.”
And Micah’s love affair with jazz doesn’t end there. He is currently working on a new album featuring the famous singers and songwriters of the Las Vega strip, including songs first recorded by Sammy Davis Jr, Tony Bennett, Nat King Cole, Mel Torme, and Frank Sinatra.
Tickets for Micah’s June 23rd performance are $29.50 and are available in person at Showplace Performance Centre (290 George St. N., Peterborough), by phone at 705-742-7469, or online at www.showplace.org.
Micah Barnes (second from left) and his trio Michael Sand, Russ Boswell, and Al Cross. (Photo courtesy of Micah Barnes)
This 1968 Ford Mustang, owned by Cavan resident Ralph Heaslip, will be among the many vintage rides displayed Saturday, July 7th as the Millbrook Classic Car Show returns to the village's downtown. He's just the third owner of the vehicle, which was bought new at a Ford dealership in Bowmanville and has just 68,000 original miles on the odometer. (Photo courtesy of Ralph Heaslip)
What do the quiet streets of Millbrook have in common with the busy thoroughfares that crisscross San Francisco?
Well, a 1968 Ford Mustang looks — and sounds — equally impressive in both settings.
Fifty years ago, the late Steve McQueen, portraying San Francisco police detective Frank Bullitt in the film Bullitt, recklessly drove a dark green 1968 Mustang Fastback through the California city for a breathtaking 10-minute car chase scene that’s still widely hailed as the best ever staged in cinematic history.
The 1968 film “Bullitt” starring Steve McQueen is recalled today mainly for its iconic car chase, a 10-minute masterpiece shot in and around San Francisco and featuring a souped-up Highland Green 1968 Ford Mustang 390 GT 2+2 Fastback chasing a 1968 Dodge Charger 440 Magnum. (Photo; Warner Bros)
On Saturday, July 7th in pretty downtown Millbrook, Ralph Heaslip will much more serenely guide his red 1968 Mustang into place for the annual Millbrook Classic Car Show.
The Cavan resident’s vintage ride will be one of many classic cars on display as the annual show, again sponsored by the Millbrook and District Lions Club with support from the Millbrook BIA.
From 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on a closed King Street, up to 100 classic vehicles — each at least 25 years old — will be displayed for car buffs and the simply curious.
Dozens of classic vehicles on display when the popular Millbrook Classic Car Show returns to downtown Millbrook on Saturday, July 7th from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
To complete the setting, the Hewitt brothers will spin classic tunes from the 1960s and 1970s. And no one will go hungry as Royal Canadian Legion Branch 402 members serve breakfast until 10:30 a.m. at their 9 King Street East location, with the Lions’ food trailer handling the lunchtime feeding.
“You quite often get a thumbs up,” says Heaslip, a Lions member who has been a regular at the show for several years now, referring to his ’68 Mustang.
“When you have a pretty car, people like to look at it.”
He’s the third owner of the Mustang, which he says was bought new in Bowmanville at a Ford dealership. It has 68,000 original miles on its odometer. Heaslip gave it a paint job, put tires on it and has performed “some maintenance things”, but has otherwise tinkered little with the car.
The 2018 Millbrook Classic Car Show takes place from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, July 7th in downtown Millbrook.
“It was in pretty good shape when I got it,” he says. “Still, there’s always something.”
Stored in the winter, Heaslip’s pride and joy — it’s featured on the promotional poster for the show — gets regular exercise spring into early fall via driving tours, enjoyed with other classic car owners who are members of Kawartha Country Cruisers. Heaslip is also registered with the Antique Automobile Club of America.
“I bought it to enjoy it, so I drive it everywhere,” says Heaslip, noting he toured the car to Manitoulin Island and has also toured with it south of the border.
Among those doing the groundwork for the show is Linda Hughes, treasurer of the Millbrook and District Lions Club of which her husband Bill is the current president.
“It’s really awesome to see the car owners, they’re all so friendly and they really have a great time ogling everyone else’s cars,” says Hughes.
“We (the Lions) had our Pet Valu Walk For Guide Dogs event May 27th in downtown Millbrook and all of a sudden these vintage cars starting pulling into town. I thought ‘Oh no, don’t tell me they got the wrong date.’ It turns out they were out on a cruise and came into Millbrook for breakfast. We’re hoping to see them come out July 7th. We told them about it.”
The Millbrook Classic Car Show mainly features classic cars from North America, although there are some British models as well. (Photo courtesy of Andy Stevenson)
On the day of the show, Hughes will handle registration and food serving duties alongside her fellow Lions. As well, 50-50 tickets will be sold by Masonic Lodge membersm with the proceeds split between that group and the Lions. And at about 2 p.m., plaques will be awarded to the top 10 vehicles as voted upon by show attendees.
The show remains a flagship event for the Millbrook and District Lions Club. While this is the 13th annual show, its roots go back to the late 1990s and early 2000s when the Lions held a show on Medd’s Mountain. However, that location was eventually abandoned due the soft ground producing problems for the vehicles.
Come 2006, the show found a new home on King Street, sponsored by the Millbrook and District Chamber of Commerce with help from the Lions. The following year saw the Millbrook BIA present the show, again with the Lions’ assistance. Since 2008, the Lions have been involved full bore. That, however, hasn’t come without challenges as the club faces a hurdle all too common in service club circles — declining membership.
The Millbrook Classic Car Show is also a big day for local merchants, with shops and restaurants open in downtown Millbrook to serve the crowds.
“We have 43 registered members at the moment … we’re losing a lot and the younger ones aren’t coming in,” says Hughes, a Lions member with Bill for 13 years now. She adds when they joined, the club had 65 members.
Still, that has done nothing to dampen her enthusiasm for the show. In fact, the only thing that will dampen any enthusiasm, and everything else, will be rain on the day of.
“We had amazing weather last year, so fingers crossed on that one,” says Hughes, adding all downtown Millbrook shops will be open for business — their owners anxious to greet customers, both new and returning.
Developer Clear Global Capital Ltd. has purchased the historic St. Paul's Presbyterian Church in Peterborough. It was listed for sale in January with an asking price of $900,000. (Photo: Realty Executives Alison Ltd., Brokerage)
This week’s regional business news features the sale of the historic St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church in Peterborough to a developer, the opening of Rolling Grape vineyard and winery in Bailieboro, the hiring of 15 new staff in May by Peterborough-based Cambium, the winners of the City of Kawartha Lakes’ Downtown Dreams contest, the Lindsay & District Chamber of Commerce’s 2018 Evening of Excellence award winners, the Innovation Cluster hosting a hackathon to create solutions for barriers to accessibility, federal funding available for businesses and community organizations to increase accessibility, Camp Kawartha winning the Accessibility Champion Award, and the Eastern Ontario Regional Broadband Network seeking a board member.
New regional business events added this week include the Innovation Cluster hosting Yoga for Entrepreneurs in Peterborough on June 14th, the Haliburton Chamber and Workforce Development Board hosting a mental health workshop in Haliburton on June 18th, and the Peterborough Chamber hosting a seminar on marijuana and the workplace in Peterborough on June 27th.
Developer buys historic St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church in Peterborough
The sanctuary in St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church in Peterborough has been closed since 2014 for safety reasons. As the total costs of repairs to the property has been estimated at $2 million with an annual maintenance cost of $100,000, the church listed the property for sale in January for an asking price of $900,000. Developer Clear Global Capital Ltd. has now purchased the property. (Photo: Realty Executives Alison Ltd., Brokerage)
A developer has purchased the historic St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church at the corner of Murray and Water Streets in downtown Peterborough.
The 159-year-old church was listed for sale in January with Realty Executives Alison Ltd., Brokerage, with an asking price of $900,000.
Church officials announced last Monday (June 4) that the church has been sold to Clear Global Capital Ltd., with the deal closing on August 31, 2018.
The church’s decision to sell the historic building follows a 2014 structural review of the church that estimated it would cost $2 million to repair loose plaster, rotting support beams, writing, insulation, and the roof. Annual maintenance costs to maintain the property are $100,000.
In March 2009, the church was temporarily closed after cracks in the decorative plaster of the ceiling were discovered. That repair alone cost the congregation $38,000. However, the sanctuary in the original church building has remained closed since 2014 due to loose plaster falling from the ceiling.
The property houses two connected buildings with more than 23,400 square feet of floor space. It is also currently the temporary home of Brock Mission, whose former location Murray Street has been demolished with a new 18,000-square-foot facility being constructed on the same site with a scheduled completion date of later this year.
Church officials have not revealed the terms of the deal, other than that the developer is allowing existing tenants to continue to use the property for at least six months after the closing date, and that Brock Mission can continue to use the church until its new facility is ready.
The building does not have a heritage designation, and the developer’s plans for the property have not been revealed.
Rolling Grape vineyard and winery opens in Bailieboro
Rolling Grape, a vineyard and winery in Bailieboro, produces a Sauvignon Blanc, an Amplified Orange, and a Chardonnay as well as a Marquette. (Photo: Rolling Grape Vineyard / Facebook)
Rolling Grape Vineyard, a new vineyard and winery in Bailieboro, held its soft opening last Friday (June 8).
Owned by winemaker Jon Drew, the family-run vineyard and winery is located at 260 County Rd. 2., about 20 minutes south of Peterborough.
They produce small batch wines, including a Marquette, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Amplified Orange (a white wine fermented like a red).
Rolling Grape Vineyard offers a tasting room and is open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.
Peterborough-based Cambium hires 15 new staff in May
Cambium president and CEO John Desbiens. (Photo: Cambium)
Peterborough-based consulting and engineering firm Cambium has announced that it hired 15 new full-time employess in May, bringing its total employee count to 100 at its locations in Peterborough, Barrie, Oshawa, and Kingston.
Founded in 2006 with nine employees, Cambium offes environmental, geotechnical, building sciences, and construction monitoring services. The addition of 15 staff in a single month is a milestone for the company.
“We planned to expand but the pace of growth was at a much faster and steadier rate than we had expected,” says President and CEO John Desbiens. “Building our capacity and competency to meet the market demand has required ongoing organizational development.”
Over the past five years, Cambium has grown by around 500 per cent with additional services, new offices, and projects.
Desbiens says he expects continued growth at Cambium over the next three years as the company continues to develop its existing locations and pursue a broader geographic reach.
City of Kawartha Lakes announces winners of Downtown Dreams contest
These four businesses in Fenelon Falls, Coboconk, Omemee, and Lindsay receive a prize package as part of the Downtown Dreams contest. (Photo courtesy of City of Kawartha Lakes)
Last Wednesday (June 6), the City of Kawartha Lakes hosted the Downtown Dreams Business Showcase at the Academy Theatre in Lindsay and announced the four winners.
Downtown Dreams is a contest for new and existing businesses to open, expand, or move into the downtowns of Coboconk or Norland, Fenelon Falls, Lindsay or Omemee. The finalists of the contest are those businesses that most highly demonstrate passion, enthusiasm, compelling business objectives and knowledge in their field.
The winners are Agatha and Vinh Mac of Fenelon Falls Brewing Co. in Fenelon Falls, Jennifer Bacon of Yoga with Jenny in Coboconk, Eliana Evenaar and Phil Blais of Creation Café in Omemee, and Marie Rayner of Soulful Expressions in Lindsay.
Each business receives a prize package that includes: a free one-year membership to the local Chamber of Commerce; business and marketing consulting; business logo and business cards design; printing of business cards, letterhead, and envelopes; print and radio advertising; three months of telephone and internet services; photography services; and more.
Lindsay & District Chamber of Commerce 2018 Evening of Excellence awards winners
The Lindsay and District Chamber of Commerce 2018 Evening of Excellence took place on June 1st at the Lakeview Arts Barn in Bobcaygeon. (Photo: Laura Elizabeth)
The Lindsay and District Chamber of Commerce held its 2018 Evening of Excellence awards ceremony on Friday, June 1st at the Lakeview Arts Barn in Bobcaygeon.
Adam Hayward of Nesbitt’s Meat Market was named Business Leader of the Year and community volunteer Robyn McNabb was named Citizen of the Year.
Chris Karkabasis was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award. The former owner of the Cottage and then the Olympia Restaurant in Lindsay, Karkabasis is also a former councilor for the Town of Lindsay, a past president of the Lindsay and District Chamber of Commerce president, an a founder of the Lindsay Business Improvement Association.
The other winners announced on June 1st are:
DiBello Towing, New Business Of The Year
Kawartha Care Wellness Centre, Customer Service Excellence
Adelaide Clinic, Design Excellence
Mariposa Dairy, Innovation Excellence
Days Inn & Suites Lindsay, Tourism Excellence
Happy Days Houseboats, Marketing Excellence
Victoria County Career Services, Youth Mentorship Excellence
Kawartha Lakes Art Gallery, Arts Excellence
Horizon’s Family Dentistry, Employer of The Year
A Place Called Home, Not-For-Profit Excellence;
Innovation Cluster hosts hackathon to create solutions for barriers to accessibility
Participants in the Inclusive Design Challenge hackathon. (Photo courtesy of Innovation Cluster)
On Friday, June 1st and Saturday, June 2nd, the Innovation Cluster Peterborough and the Kawarthas hosted an Inclusive Design Challenge hackathon to bring awareness to everyday barriers for those with accessibility challenges, including vision and hearing loss.
The hackathon was part of the Ontario government’s BIG IDeA program that promotes advancing accessibility innovation in Ontario to create a culture of accessibility and inclusion.
The public, free event began at 4 p.m. on Friday at VentureNorth in downtown Peterborough, where participants had 24 hours to complete their solutions for a public showcase on Saturday afternoon.
Participants came up with the concept of a self-braking wheelchair. (Photo courtesy of Innovation Cluster)
Improving wheelchair accessibility was a focus of participants, including brainstorming the creation of an automatic braking system that would trigger when the user lost control. Members of the public who came to view the solutions during the showcase also provided ideas, such as an automated emergency communications device like OnStar for wheelchairs.
The research from the event will be documented on the BIG IDeA website at bigidea.one and be available to the public to promote the continuation of these innovations.
Federal funding available for businesses and community organizations to increase accessibility
The federal government is now accepting proposals for the small projects component of the Enabling Accessibility Fund (EAF).
The EAF provides funding for eligible capital projects that increase accessibility for people with disabilities in Canadian communities and workplaces, creating more opportunities for people living with disabilities to participate in community activities, programs and services, or access employment opportunities.
There are two funding streams under EAF.
For businesses and other employers, the workplace accessibility stream funds projects that improve accessibility and safety for people with disabilities through the construction, renovation, or retrofit of workplaces, and by providing accessible information and communications technologies so that people with disabilities can access employment opportunities.
For community organizations, the community accessibility stream funds projects that improve accessibility and safety for people with disabilities through the construction, renovation or retrofit of community facilities and venues, and by providing accessible information and communications technologies so that community programs and services can be accessed by people with disabilities.
Not-for-profit organizations, for-profit organizations (with up to 99 full-time equivalent employees), small municipalities (with population under 125,000), Indigenous organizations (including band councils, tribal councils and self-government entities) and territorial governments are eligible to apply for project funding of up to $100,000 under both the workplace and the community accessibility funding streams.
Eligible applicants can submit proposals until July 26, 2018. Examples of projects include the construction or renovation of accessible ramps and pathways, the installation of automatic door openers, retrofitting of washrooms and office spaces, and the provision of accessible information and communication technologies.
Camp Kawartha wins Accessibility Champion Award with honourable mentions for Workforce Development Board and Peterborough Axe Club
Council for Persons with Disabilities Chair John McNutt, Peterborough, Mayor Darryl Bennett, Carlo Raponi of Peterborough Axe Club, Executive Director of Camp Kawartha Jacob Rodenburg, and Scott Howard of Workforce Development Board. (Photo courtesy of Council for Persons with Disabilities)
The Council for Persons with Disabilities has awarded Camp Kawartha with the National Accessibility Champion Award.
The announcement was made on Friday, June 1st at VentureNorth in downtown Peterborough during the closing ceremony of National Accessibility Week.
The award recognizes Camp Kawartha for being innovative and inclusive for their business and operational philosophy, specifically by supporting full inclusivity for children and adults of all abilities.
The recent developments include an accessible cabin cluster comprising a large accessible deck for group activities, accessible sleeping quarters with power entry doors and accessible washrooms and showers, and a unique accessible climbing wall with special rigging allowing those in wheelchairs or with prosthetics to engage in climbing safely with their peers. They also added an accessible pathway to ensure every camper or student who wants to participate in waterfront activities can do so despite a steep incline down to the waterfront camp.
VIDEO: Axe Throwing for Persons With Disabilities
Honourable mentions were also awarded to Workforce Development Board, for the development of a guide called “Building Bridges, Breaking Barriers” that aims to help persons with disabilities achieve their full employment potential and provide a resource for business owners interested in making their operation more inclusive, and the Peterborough Axe Club, for making the sport of axe throwing accessible to persons with disabilities by training staff in various techniques to enable people with a disability to successfully throw axes and participate with their family and friends in this fast-growing and popular sport.
Eastern Ontario Regional Broadband Network (EORN) seeking a board member
The Eastern Ontario Regional Broadband Network (EORN) is seeking applications from residents in Eastern Ontario who would like to serve on the public to serve on its Board of Directors.
There is one immediate short-term vacancy with an option to renew for a two-year term in January 2019. This is a volunteer position requiring attendance at monthly board meetings and various other events and activities.
Qualified candidates with public or private sector expertise in finance, law, and/or technology are asked to visit the EORN website at www.eorn.ca for a job description.
If you are interested in applying to this position, forward your resume and cover letter to:
David Fell, CEO
County of Peterborough
County Court House
470 Water Street
Peterborough, ON K9H 3M3
or by email to dfell@eorn.ca. Applications will be accepted until 4:30 p.m. on Friday, July 6th.
Peterborough Chamber Breakfast Meeting with Michael Konopaski on June 12
Michael Konopaski of Inclusive Advisory speaking at a FastStart E-Connect event in December 2017. (Photo; Inclusive Adivsory / Twitter)
The next Chamber AM, a breakfast meeting hosted by the Peterborough Chamber of Commerce, takes place from 7 to 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, June 12th at Carousel Restaurant & Tavern (116 Lansdowne St. E., Peterborough) with a presentation from Michael Konopaski, who will speak on the topic “The Truth About Finding Happiness for Entrepreneurs”.
Michael is the Managing Director of Inclusive Advisory and the Chief Financial Officer of Aligned Capital Partners. Inclusive Advisory is a local, third generation, multi–discipline partnership of accountants, lawyers and wealth management professionals. He is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) and has a PhD from one of the top business schools in the world.
His research interests include the connection between happiness and entrepreneurship. Over the years, Michael has studied hundreds of entrepreneurs to find out how they built their business while simultaneously achieving happiness. His presentation will focus on helping you increase your well being while keeping ahead of your competition.
Networking begins at 7 a.m. with breakfast at 7:30 a.m. (where you can make your best 30-second elevator speech to the room) followed by the guest speaker at 8 a.m.
Kawartha Chamber of Commerce & Tourism hosts Business After Hours: Woodview Hop on June 13
Viamede Resort on Stoney Lake. (Photo: Viamede Resort)
The Kawartha Chamber of Commerce & Tourism is hosting its next Business After Hours event from 5 to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, June 13th in Woodview.
The “Woodview Hop” begins at 5 p.m. at Viamede Resort on Stoney Lake (595 Mount Julian – Viamede Rd.) and then travels to Woodview on the Lake (6242 Highway 28) at 5:45 p.m. for networking and refreshments from 6 to 7 p.m., including beef tenderloin on a bun, fruit and cheese, cupcakes, and wine and beer.
Business owners from the Woodview area will also be in attendance to speak about their businesses.
Artspace hosts its Annual General Meeting on June 13
Artspace, Peterborough’s non-profit artist-run centre that assists artists with the presentation of new work, is hosting its annual general meeting at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 13th in the main gallery at Artspace (378 Aylmer St. N., Peterborough).
Artspace will review the previous year’s operations and the organization’s audited financial statements, and will seek nominations for new members for the board of directors.
All members of the community are invited to attend, but only members in good standing with the centre are eligible to participate in voting.
The meeting will be held in a physically accessible space, and a cash bar and light refreshments will be provided.
Innovation Cluster hosts Yoga for Entrepreneurs in Peterborough on June 14
The Innovation Cluster Peterborough and the Kawarthas is hosting “Yoga for Entrepreneurs” from 12 to 1 p.m. on Thursday, June 14th on the ground floor of VentureNorth (270 George St. N., Peterborough).
Led by Celeste Terry, the yoga session is part of the Innovation Cluster’s Hands-On Series for the month of June called “Maintaining Mindfulness as an Entrepreneur”. The series is intended to help entrepreneurs avoid burnout by focussing on self-care.
Cornerstone Family Violence Prevention Centre Annual General Meeting in Cobourg on June 19
Cornerstone Family Violence Prevention Centre is holding its annual general meeting at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, June 19th in the Rotary Room at the Cobourg Public Library (200 Ontario St., Cobourg).
David Quesada, Community Outreach Officer with Horizons of Friendship, will be giving a special presentation on that organization’s partnership with Cornerstone, and will outline the itinerary for the upcoming gender-based violence knowledge exchange in Guatemala in which Cornerstone will be participating.
Cornerstone provides immediate shelter, counselling, and prevention services throughout Northumberland County.
Haliburton Chamber and Workforce Development Board host mental health workshop in Haliburton on June 18
The Haliburton Highlands Chamber of Commerce and the Workforce Development Board are hosting a free workshop on mental health from 7:30 to 10 a.m. on Monday, June 18th at Bonnie View Inn (2713 Kashagawigamog Lake Rd., Haliburton).
The “Mental Distress: Recognition and Response Workshop” will be presented by Jack Veitch, Health Promoter and Educator with the Canadian Mental Health Association Halburtion, Kawartha, Pine Ridge.
Workshop participants will learn about the difference between mental health and mental illness, as well as the stigma that surrounds mental illness. Participants will aloso learn about a variety of mental illness, including common symptoms and presentation. As well, simple verbal de-escalation techniques and communication strategies will be reviewed.
A light breakfast will be served at 7:30 a.m., followed by introductions by the Workforce Development Board at 8 a.m., with the workshop beginning at 8:15 a.m.
Peterborough Chamber hosts Leaders Lunch Series on trade and potential of student ambassadors on June 20
The Peterborough Chamber of Commerce is hosting its latest Leaders Lunch Series, “Harnessing Trade Opportunities and the Potential of Student Ambassadors”, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Wednesday, June 20th at Fleming College’s Kawartha Trades and Technology Centre (599 Brealey Dr., Peterborough).
Dignitaries from Brazil, China, and India will discuss trade opportunities and harnessing the potential of student ambassadors.
Keynote speakers are Sarah Kutulakos (Executive Director of Canada China Business Council), Mr. Anil Shah (National Convenor of Canada India Foundation), Mr. Ademar Seabra da Cruz Junior (Deputy Consul of Brazil to Toronto), and Ms. Paola Saad (Vice-President of the Brazil-Canada Chamber of Commerce).
Other speakers will include Douglas Kennedy from the Centre of Global Enterprise (Toronto) and more.
Kawarthas Northumberland annual tourism partner meeting on June 20
Todd Lucier, co-founder of Northern Edge Algonquin Retreat Centre, a retreat designer and IGNITE facilitator will be the guest speaker at the Kawarthas Northumberland annual tourism partner meeting. (Photo: Northern Edge Algonquin Retreat Centre)
RTO8’s Kawarthas Northumberland is inviting tourism operators from within the Kawarthas Northumberland region (City of Kawartha Lakes, City and County of Peterborough, and Northumberland County) to its annual partners meeting (annual general meeting) from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 20th at Iron Horse Ranch (804 Ontario 7A RR1, Bethany).
The meeting will provide tourism operators with the opportunity to meet Kawarthas Northumberland board members and staff, along with representatives and advisors from the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport, and to network with other tourism operators.
The guest speaker at the session will be Todd Lucier, co-founder of Northern Edge Algonquin Retreat Centre, a retreat designer and IGNITE facilitator. Lucier will speak on how tourism operators can leverage their own resources to build new and exciting visitor experiences, with an appreciation for the importance of community collaboration.
The event is free, but advance registration is required by 5 p.m. on Friday, June 15th. Register at Eventbrite.
Peterborough Chamber hosts seminar on marijuana and the workplace in Peterborough on June 27
The next seminar in the Peterborough Chamber of Commerce’s Lunch Box Learning series is on the topic “Marijuana and the Workplace” from 12 to 1 p.m. on Wednesday, June 27th in the Chamber boardroom (175 George St. N., Peterborough).
Chris Russell, a human resources lawyer with LLF Lawyers, and Matthew Savino of Savino Human Resource Partners, will present the seminar followed by a question-and-answer session.
The seminar is free to attend with a Chamber membership or a Women’s Business Network of Peterborough membership. Bring your own lunch.
Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area Annual General Meeting on June 27
The Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area (DBIA) is hosting its annual general meeting on Wednesday, June 27th in the Nexicom Studio at Showplace Performance Centre (290 George St. N., Peterborough).
Networking starts at 5:30 p.m. with business at 6 p.m. The meeting will include updates on what’s happening in downtown Peterborough, as well as a general election of the board.
Everyone is welcome to attend, although only DBIA members can vote.
For more information on joining the board, contact Joel Wiebe at the DBIA at 705-748-4774 or joelwiebe@peterboroughbia.com.
The Peterborough Police Service is warning the community about the virtual kidnapping scam after two students from China attending postsecondary institutions in Peterborough were recently targetted.
In the first incident, approximately $18,000 Canadian was extorted by the scammers. No money was handed over in the second incident.
Virtual kidnapping is an extortion scheme that tricks victims into paying a ransom to free a loved one they believe is being threatened with violence or death. Unlike traditional abductions, virtual kidnappers have not actually kidnapped anyone. Instead, through deceptions and threats, they coerce victims to pay a quick ransom before the scheme falls apart.
The scam was first identified in the United States by the FBI in 2013, with virtual kidnapping calls originating from Mexican prisons targetting Spanish-speaking residents of the Los Angeles area. Since then, the scam has spread internationally, with several cases of foreign students in British Columbia being targetted by Chinese scammers.
“This scam is not unique to Peterborough and has been circulating for some time in other parts of the country,” explains Staff Sergeant Daniel MacLean of the Criminal Investigations Unit. “This scam is extremely elaborate and sophisticated.”
Here’s how the scam works:
The victim gets a phone call, often from a number that appears to be coming from the Chinese Consulate.
They are told either that there is a Chinese warrant for their arrest, or that the Chinese police need their help with an investigation.
The scammers then convince the target to make a phony video in which they say they’ve been kidnapped or are the victim of a crime.
These videos are sent to the victim’s family members, who are extorted for money by paying the ransom.
The victim in Canada is convinced by the scammers to go to a motel and hide from local police.
“The Peterborough Police Service is working closely with both postsecondary institutions in Peterborough to ensure students are well informed and well educated regarding scams and frauds and that they feel safe,” MacLean says.
“Through pro-active crime prevention education and messaging, we hope to prevent any further victimization of our international student population.”
Peterborough police urge international students and the community at large to pay close attention to the following tips:
Do not trust your call display. It may say “Police”. In reality, it may be an actual scammer. It does not matter what the caller ID says, you cannot trust it.
If you get an urgent call from someone stating they represent the Chinese Consulate, a company or a government agency seeking personal information, hang up. Call the phone number on your account statement, in the phone book or on the company or government agency’s website to verify the authenticity of the request.
Never give out personal information in response to unexpected calls. This includes account numbers, social insurance number (SIN), information relating to your family members, your passport information, passwords or any information about your identity.
If someone on the phone tells you to keep a secret, alarm bells should be going off.
When in doubt, hang up. Call a trusted family member, friend, staff at your school, or the police.
As a reminder, the Chinese police will not arrest you in Canada, or ask you to take photos or videos of yourselves pretending to be the victim of crime.
Stop, pause, and think before reacting to any suspicious phone call or communication you receive.
If you receive a scam call please report it immediately to the Peterborough Police Service at 705-876-1122 or via the non-emergency crime online reporting system at crimereporting.peterboroughpolice.ca, Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS or www.stopcrimehere.ca, or the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre toll free at 1-888-495-8501.
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