Fleming College has announced a new scholarships initiative designed to reduce financial barriers for incoming students, while also supporting enrolment in programs for high-demand sectors including the skilled trades and applied health.

Beginning in the 2026-27 academic year, the college will invest $100,000 in its first-ever entrance scholarships program, which will provide $2,000 awards to 50 full-time domestic students.

Ten scholarships will be awarded in each of five demographic groups and program areas: mature learners, students entering the college’s new diagnostic cardiac sonography program, skilled trades students, applied health students, and Fleming alumni returning to study.

According to a media release, the initiative is intended to support recruitment and enrolment growth in high-priority program areas while continuing Fleming College’s broader commitment to student financial support through bursaries, awards, and scholarships.

“These entrance scholarships represent a meaningful investment in our students and in the future of our communities,” said Fleming College interim president Dr. Theresa Knott in the release.

“By reducing financial barriers at the point of entry, we are helping more students access education in high-demand fields while strengthening the talent pipeline for critical sectors like healthcare and skilled trades.”

The college’s announcement comes as post-secondary institutions across the province respond to gaps in student financial support as a result of recent changes to the provincial funding portion of the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP).

For programs that start on or after August 1, OSAP students will receive more of their provincial funding as loans rather than grants. While students previously could receive up to 85 per cent of provincial funding under OSAP as grants, depending on their financial situation, that will change to a maximum of 25 per cent, with remainder being loans.

Critics say the changes to OSAP’s provincial funding will significantly reduce access to post-secondary education and also increase student debt.

Fleming College’s entrance scholarships program is being funded by a combination of donor contributions, including the Fleming Forward Fund and private donors, and TD Insurance Affinity program revenue.

“This initiative demonstrates how philanthropy can directly impact student success and institutional growth,” said Katie Pezoulas, Fleming College’s executive director of advancement and external relations. “We are proud to work with our donors to create opportunities that not only support students financially but also align with the evolving needs of our communities and economy.”

Fleming College says the new initiative not only reduces financial barriers for students, but also supports the college’s strategic priorities to expand applied health programming and skilled trades education while enhancing student recruitment and retention.

The entrance scholarships will be available to full-time domestic students who accept their offer of admission by May 1, with the scholarships automatically awarded based on the academic achievement of students who meet the eligibility criteria.

With campus locations in Peterborough, Lindsay, Cobourg and Haliburton, Fleming College has more than 8,500 full-time and 445 part-time students, and 95,000 alumni.

For more information about entrance scholarships at Fleming College, visit flemingcollege.ca/entrance-scholarships.

The Peterborough chapter of The Order of the Eastern Star has donated $25,000 to YES Shelter for Youth and Families to support youth housing.

According to a media release, the Peterborough chapter’s donation was made possible from the sale of the chapter’s building several years ago.

“We’re very proud to be able to provide this help to the YES Shelter,” said Patti James, Worthy Matron of the Peterborough Chapter. “The heart and soul of the members of the Order of the Eastern Star has gone into raising money to help local charities and it feels meaningful to invest in something that will have a lasting impact on young people in our community.”

The Order of the Eastern Star is a worldwide fraternal not-for-profit organization, open to both men and women, with a commitment to charity, community service, and supporting those in need. It was founded in the late 1800s by Dr. Rob Morris, an American poet and Freemason, along with his wife Charlotte Mendenhall Morris, as a way for female relatives of Masons to share in the benefits of Freemasonry.

The Peterborough chapter’s $25,000 donation will directly support the renovation of one of the locations of the RISE Youth Housing Program operated by YES.

The program houses young people with the supports needed to resolve their homelessness permanently. It helps them find stability, build life skills, and move forward with confidence, while also creating a welcoming space where youth can access support, connection, and care.

Once complete, the renovated RISE location will create six additional housing units for young people who would otherwise be experiencing homelessness, along with a dedicated youth drop-in space open to all youth in Peterborough who are navigating housing instability.

YES executive director Aimeé Le Lagadec called the Peterborough chapter’s donation “incredibly significant.”

“Not only does it help us move closer to completing this much-needed space, but it also reflects a strong belief in the potential of the young people we serve,” Le Lagadec said. “We’re so grateful to the Order of the Eastern Star for choosing to invest in youth in our community in this way.”

With a month still to go before the nomination period opens for this fall’s municipal election, an unprecedented number of Peterborough residents have confirmed they are “possibly considering” a run for mayor — with many going as far to say they are “seriously considering” becoming a mayoral candidate.

Based on anonymous sources, social media posts and comments, and remarks overheard in local cafes, the number of people who say they are “thinking about it,” “keeping the door open,” or “just seeing what happens” has surged to a record level for a municipal election in the City of Peterborough.

“I’ve never seen this level of early indecision,” Dr. Alf Sprolio, a political scientist based in Peterborough, told kawarthaNOW. “Historically, people have always waited until the nomination period opens before they publicly state they are undecided about running for council. That so many people are already declaring they are undecided about running for mayor is especially hard to believe.”

The nomination period for candidates opens on Friday, May 1 and closes on August 21 — meaning people already have almost four months when they can remain undecided about whether to run.

Dr. Sprolio, who is conducting a study on what he calls “speculatory politics” in Peterborough, is investigating the causes of this year’s early indecision. To support his research, he has been tracking the number of early potential mayoral candidates and reaching out to them.

“So far, I’ve contacted 17 people who have said they are considering running for mayor but haven’t actually committed to doing so,” he explains. “It’s fascinating to find out who these people are and what is motivating them to think about running.”

They include an older resident who once spoke at a city council meeting and was upset when no councillors asked her any questions, a younger resident who comments “Just fix it” on every Reddit post about city council, and a business owner who describes himself as “somebody who gets things done.”

Dr. Sprolio said some of the people who have publicly declared they are considering running for mayor are waiting to see who else is considering running before they decide whether to continue considering it.

One of those potential candidates told Dr. Sprolio she is “heavily leaning toward maybe, but it’s too soon to say for sure.”

“You don’t want to rush into something like this,” she added. “It’s all about timing, and that means waiting to see if anyone else goes first before I decide whether to throw my hat in the ring. Right now, I’m just putting some feelers out there to see what people think.”

Dr. Sprolio said he has also interviewed some people who are considering running for mayor but haven’t yet publicly declared they are considering it.

“In a race of undeclared candidates, there’s definitely a risk to staying silent,” he said. “If people don’t know you’re thinking about running, they might assume you’re not thinking about running. That’s a tough place to come back from. Chances are you’ll be perceived as indecisive if you say you’re thinking about running only after everyone else has already said they are thinking about running.”

It remains unknown how many of the potential mayoral candidates will actually file nomination papers on or after May 1, but city officials are taking steps to help people make a decision while preparing for the possibility of a deluge of nominations if all the uncommitted candidates make up their mind to run.

That includes hosting an information session called “What to Consider if You’re Seriously Considering Whether You Want to Run for Council,” with the goal of helping people make up their minds about whether they want to put their name forward.

The city is also reportedly exploring options to manage the field of potential mayoral candidates, including a pre-nomination process with a mandatory “confirmation of consideration” form and a cap on the number of people who are allowed to be publicly undecided at any one time.

According to one anonymous source, the city may launch a “Try Before You Decide” pilot program, where participants would spend an afternoon reading city staff reports and attachments and answering email complaints about potholes and non-functioning street lights, before attending a mock five-hour evening council meeting where they would learn how to speak coherently in three-minute increments while debating issues with other participants without taking a break.

After kawarthaNOW asked Dr. Sprolio when he will be publishing his study on speculatory politics in Peterborough, he said “I won’t actually be publishing anything, because this is an April Fool’s Day joke.”

With files from Jeannine Taylor.

“Alf Sprolio” is an anagram for April Fool’s. We decided to take a more satirical approach for our April Fool’s Day story this year, mainly because people are tired of being tricked by AI-generated images and videos.

Here are our April Fool’s stories from the past eight years: