Hundreds of hand-knit and crocheted turtles have taken over Bancroft to remind motorists to watch for turtles crossing local roads and highways on the Victoria Day long weekend.

This is the third community yarn bomb created, crafted, and installed by a group of volunteers from Hospice North Hastings who call themselves “Knittervention”.

The volunteer group meets on a weekly basis, when they’re not volunteering to provide patient care at Hospice North Hastings and support at the two social enterprises operated by the small rural charity: the Bancroft Village Playhouse and the Vintage on Hastings thrift shop.

For the past few months, Knittervention members have worked on a top-secret operation to craft hundreds of uniquely styled turtles to raise awareness in the community, just as local turtles are starting to cross highways across the region.

The project began last fall, after Knittervention successfully installed a Remembrance Day yarn bomb that covered a Bancroft bridge with over 1,000 poppies. Bancroft resident Kelly Wallace from the Think Turtle Conservation Initiative contacted Hospice North Hastings with a request to partner for an upcoming project.

Wallace was working on a series of community lectures and a full-day event, all leading up to World Turtle Day on Wednesday, May 23rd. The Knittervention volunteers loved the idea of creating a turtle-themed yarn bomb and the idea was officially hatched.

Heather Brough, coordinator of Hospice North Hastings, says the turtle theme really works for the Knittervention group and for Hospice.

“The message is simple,” Brough explains. “Life is short so don’t rush through it. Slow down, appreciate the details, and watch for turtles.”

Brough also says that the Knittervention Group, through all of their yarn bombs, is helping to create positive awareness for Hospice North Hastings in the community.

“You might not always see us but we’re always here, working in the background, ready to help,” Brough says. “And we’re trying to make every moment a bit brighter for those we support and for everyone in our community with the care we provide and with the fun whimsical projects that we take on.”

Brough recalls that, when Knittervention members began crafting the turtles, everyone tried to use natural colours and earth tones.

“That didn’t last,” she laughs. “The turtles started taking on personalities, and then we started using more colours, and then there were turtles being created with themed shell designs,”

Brough says the yarn, wool, and stuffing was all donated by Hospice supporters. Vintage jewelry and buttons used for turtle eyes was selected from donations to Vintage on Hastings, the thrift shop run by Hospice.

“Every one of these turtles is unique,” Brough says. “They’re different styles, colours, and themes. We even have one with a Union Jack and two rings to celebrate the royal wedding.”

While the Knittervention group knit and crocheted their way through the long winter months and while real turtles slept, Wallace was busy offering workshops, lectures, and full-day turtle events — all to raise awareness for the time when these beautiful creatures would wake up, lay eggs, and start sharing our roads.

Wallace says the local yarn bomb was one more way to get the word out about the importance of turtles.

“As lake bed scavengers and consumers of decaying plant and animal matter, turtles — in particular the snapping turtles — act as the caretakers of lakes and wetlands,” Wallace says.

“The quality of the water would suffer considerably in their absence as the bacteria levels would rise. The activities of the turtles control aquatic vegetation, promote a healthy fish population, healthy wetlands and safeguard humans against the threat of recreational water illnesses causes by bacteria.”

Wallace also says the turtles are a source of wonderment that can be appreciated by all members of our community.

Last year, Wallace says the Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre, home to Kawartha Turtle Trauma Centre, admitted 920 injured turtles from across the region.

This number doubled from 2016 and, with turtles acting as the caretakers of our local lakes, they are definitely worth saving.

So after months of work, secret meetings, code words, and whispers, the turtles were installed at pedestrian crossings and on gateway signs in Bancroft on earlier today (May 17).

Vintage on Hastings (67 Hastings St. N., Bancroft) is Turtle Headquarters during the 10-day display. This is where people can grab turtle information as well as details for a scavenger hunt challenge.

Both local residents and visitors to Bancroft are encouraged to interact with the turtles, choose favourites, and to share on social media using the hash tags #turtlebomb, #bancroftyarnbomb, and #worldturtleday in the name of raising awareness for turtles — as well as #caringthroughculture and #iamhospice to raise awareness for hospice.

The Knittervention group installed their first yarn bomb project a year ago with support from the New Horizons for Seniors Program and, two yarn bombs later, the turtle yarn bomb has grown in scope and size with assistance from residents at the Riverstone Retirement Home and from children at Our Lady of Mercy Catholic School.

Local MP Mike Bossio and his team have also worked with Hospice North Hastings and the Knittervention Group to share some of the turtles with his colleagues in Ottawa.

MPs posed for pictures with some of the travelling, ambassador turtles, joining the Bancroft effort remotely, to raise awareness for our local turtles.

Now that the installation is complete, Wallace and Brough say they look forward to seeing how far the message to slow down, appreciate the beauty of life, and look out for others — in this case, the turtles we share out community with — will travel.

When people share photos on social media with the designated hashtags that are posted at the turtle crossings, the team will be able to track all the posts and follow the yarn bomb’s impact.

“At Hospice North Hastings we work on cultural projects and events as a way of raising funds and awareness for the programs and services we offer in our community,” Brough says. “We call this ‘caring through culture’ and we hope everyone will join us in sharing this yarn bomb on social media to help raise awareness for our community and the turtles we share it with.”

The Electric City Culture Council (EC3) has announced the shortlisted finalists for the inaugural Peterborough Arts Awards.

The six awards of $2,000 each will be presented to the winners at the sold-out Mayor’s Luncheon for the Arts on Friday, May 25th at the McDonnel St. Activity Centre in Peterborough.

EC3 received close to 50 nominations and decisions were made by a peer assessment jury. The shortlists have been arranged alphabetically by last name and do not reflect any other ranking.

Finalists were selected from multidisciplinary pools of nominees in the following categories:

Outstanding Emerging Artist (Sponsor: Merit Realty)

• Justin Million
• Elisha Rubacha
• Melody Thomas

Outstanding Mid-Career Artist (Sponsors: Betty and Bill Morris)

• Brad Brackenridge
• Laurel Paluck
• Shannon Taylor

Outstanding Senior Artist (Sponsor: BrandHealth)

• Michelle Berry
• Sydney Birrell
• Robert Winslow

Outstanding Achievement by an Indigenous Artist (Sponsor: LLF Lawyers)

• Leanne Betasamosake Simpson
• Sarah Charles-DeCarlo
• Drew Hayden Taylor

Arts Catalyst (Sponsors: Kate and Alex Ramsay)

• Krista English
• Ryan Kerr
• John K. Muir

Arts Champion (Sponsor: Ashburnham Realty)

• Fran Fearnley
• Beth McMaster
• Charlie Werger

The Peterborough Arts Awards are produced and presented by the Electric City Culture Council (EC3) a not-for-profit organization serving the arts, culture, and heritage sector in Peterborough and the surrounding region.

The Trent-Severn Waterway will open for the 2018 boating season on Friday, May 18th.

This is in stark contrast to last year, when high water levels and flows delayed the full opening of the waterway until early June.

This season, visitors to the waterway can take advantage of two free lockage days: on Sunday, June 24th and again on Canada Day.

New this year, paddlers get a 50 per cent discount on seasonal lockage permits for canoes and kayaks. The lockage permit is valid for the entire navigation season and provides passage through all of Parks Canada’s historic canals.

VIDEO: Welcome to the Trent-Severn Waterway

Also new for the 2018 navigation season is the recently launched Ontario Waterways Water Management InfoNet, accessible on the Trent-Severn Waterway website.

The portal contains background information on water management practices, water management updates, frequently asked questions about water management, various reports on water management, and the most recent water levels of lakes along the waterway.

For more information about the Trent-Severn Waterway, include things to do and lockage fees, visit www.pc.gc.ca/en/lhn-nhs/on/trentsevern.

Go big or go home.

To the great benefit of The Canadian Canoe Museum’s plan to relocate to a new state-of-the-art home in the shadow of the Peterborough Liftlock, the W. Garfield Weston Foundation has gone bigger — much bigger — than anyone could have imagined.

On Wednesday (May 16) at the museum’s current location on Monaghan Road, foundation director Garfield Mitchell announced a gift of $7.5 million to the project’s capital campaign. According to those in the know, that sum represents the largest ever one-time private gift to a charitable organization based in Peterborough city or county.

“Our family and its foundation has had a long and proud association with the canoe museum, stretching back to the 1990s when my aunt Hilary Weston, then Ontario’s lieutenant-governor, opened the museum’s Natural Heritage Centre,” said Mitchell.

VIDEO: W. Garfield Weston Foundation announces $7.5 million gift to The Canadian Canoe Museum

“Over the last two decades, all of us have seen this organization go from strength to strength, from assembling and preserving one of the world’s great heritage canoe collections to impressing itself on the minds of Canadians as an iconic national institution.”

He added the “inspiring vision” for the museum’s future “moved” his family to make the leadership gift to help with the construction of, and educational programming at, the new museum.

“All of you who have worked so hard on behalf of this institution deserve no less,” said Mitchell.

Later, Mitchell pointed to “unifying symbolism” of the canoe as a major factor in the museum garnering the foundation’s support.

“But it’s also about the community here,” he added.

“Right from the beginning, we saw a huge level of volunteer support for what in those days was a very young and small organization. But we always had faith that with the right support and resources, something phenomenal would come of it and it already has. Now there’s going to be something even more phenomenal birthed out of this.”

“We found in our giving through the foundation that it really pays to look at the level of volunteer and community support for projects. It’s not just about money. It’s about people and their belief in, and commitment to, projects.”

Asked how it feels to stand before a crowd and hand over $7.5 million, Mitchell said, “It’s very cool … I don’t do it every day. But we’re not taking a big risk. It’s money well spent.”

Following his announcement, Mitchell was bestowed a framed key to the city by Mayor Daryl Bennett — a rare presentation in itself.

While many wore smiles on this day, campaign chair Bill Morris showed remarkable composure. He’s excited, no question, but he’s also cognizant of the fact there’s much to be done yet before work begins on the site in early 2019.

“We’ve been across the country, from coast to coast to coast … there are many Canadians who have a history with the museum,” noted Morris.

“Sometimes it takes awhile to warm them up to a project like this but we’ve had strong commitments from all levels of government, and now this lead gift which really adds more credibility, so we’re really optimistic of what could happen over the next six months.”

Morris said in the first quarter of next year, it’s anticipated the $65 million campaign will be close to 90 per cent achieved, adding, “As time goes on, we’ll be making other announcements.”

Early on, the campaign enjoyed a momentum aided by contributions from four levels of government.

In February 2017, Peterborough-Kawartha MP Maryam Monsef announced the project is receiving $1,410,672 from the federal government’s Canada Cultural Spaces Fund. That money was earmarked to cover the cost of architectural and engineering plans.

Then, in late May 2017, Peterborough MPP Jeff Leal brought word that the Province will provide $9 million for the project

That was followed in December by a commitment of $4 million over eight years from the City of Peterborough and, this past March, $500,000 over eight years from the County of Peterborough.

In 2019, a public appeal campaign will be launched, said Morris.

The decision to explore relocating the museum to an on-water location in Peterborough was made at a board strategic planning retreat in 2007. Subsequent strategic planning sessions led to the articulation and expansion of two-long term objectives for the organization: build a strong and sustainable organization, and work toward re-situating, re-developing and re-inventing the museum as a national canoeing hub and a marquee tourist draw on a new site on the water in or near downtown Peterborough.

That call to action was written into a strategic plan titled Onto The National Stage, first published in 2010.

To be located on the Trent-Severn Waterway’s west bank just south of the Peterborough Lift Lock on Parks Canada property, the new museum is scheduled to open in spring 2022.

The project’s design architect is heneghan peng architects based in Dublin, Ireland. That firm, which is now working in partnership with architect of record Kearns Mancini Architects and landscape designer Phil Collins of Foggy River Farm, was awarded the design contract following a request for proposals which saw close to 100 applicants reviewed by a selection committee led by former longtime Globe & Mail architectural critic Lisa Rochon.

The new museum will be comprised of three main components: a 17,000 square foot exhibition gallery, a restaurant/café and a gift shop plus a 250-seat multi-purpose room.

At the museum’s current location, just 20 per cent of its 600-plus paddled watercraft are on display at any one time due to space restrictions. The new building will have a 20,000 square foot storage space that will be accessible to an estimated 50,000 to 60,000 visitors annually – double the museum’s current attendance.

Opened July 1, 1997, The Canadian Canoe Museum’s birth can be traced back earlier to when a committed group of paddlers and historians welcomed the Canadian Canoe Museum collection to Peterborough from Camp Kandalore in the early 1990s.

The initial plan was to locate the museum on Little Lake beside Beavermead Park on property owned by the City of Peterborough. However, before that property could be developed, Outboard Marine Corporation (OMC), which was closing its Peterborough operation, offered to sell its office and factory space on Monaghan Road for $1. The existing buildings and infrastructure made OMC the best site option at the time.

To learn more about the new museum project, visit canoemuseum.ca/museum-on-the-move/.

On Tuesday evening (May 15), political candidates for the upcoming provincial election in Peterborough-Kawartha met at Artspace in downtown Peterborough to discuss their positions on arts and culture in the community.

In attendance were NDP candidate Sean Conway, Liberal incumbent Jeff Leal, Green Party candidate Gianne Broughton, and Trillium Party candidate Rob Roddick.

The event was hosted by Artspace and the Electric City Culture Council (EC3) and moderated by Julia Harrison, President of ReFrame Film Festival. Candidates were given five questions in advance, which addressed the rights of artists, income disparity and precarious employment, equitable access to arts programs, and reconciliation with indigenous communities.

A main concern voiced by several candidates and the public in attendance was the precarious situation artists often find themselves in. In Peterborough and the Kawarthas, artists and cultural workers make up a large part of the community, but struggle to make a living.

“It’s a shame,” said NDP candidate Sean Conway. “A career in the arts shouldn’t be a struggle to get by.”

He acknowledged that an artist’s work falls outside the traditional employer-employee relationship, which means artists do not have access to benefits such as dental care programs or childcare. Conway stated that these benefits should be accessible to artists.

A musician himself, Conway said he understands artists’ struggles on a personal level.

“Artists shouldn’t be treated differently than other workers. We need to protect artists like we do workers.”

Liberal candidate Jeff Leal highlighted a number of initiatives by the Liberal government that will help artists and marginalized groups, which include the OHIP plus initiative, a benefit program that provides coverage for more than 4,400 medications for eligible citizens, free tuition for eligible students, and supplying broadband internet services to rural communities.

These services, Leal said, are an effort to create equality in the province and provide immediate benefit to those citizens in precarious employment, including artists.

According to Leal, an issue in politics is the inability to find common ground.

“We should value the arts simply because it’s the right thing to do,” he said, adding that governments need to prioritize investments in the arts sector and increase access to arts programs in rural communities.

All candidates agreed that the arts bring different perspectives to Peterborough and that schools are spaces where the arts can be cultivated in younger generations. Arts programs and spaces should be protected, rather than dismantled, they told the audience.

“We can’t close any more schools,” said Conway, noting that the closure of PCVS was a failure of the Liberal party.

A past student of Lakefield District Secondary School (also closed), Conway attended high school with students from Apsley and the surrounding rural communities. Students in these areas now have to travel to Peterborough for school. He said schools are a life force of communities and closing them decreases access to essential programs which encourage the arts.

Green Party candidate Gianne Broughton agreed that schools are a space where appreciation of the arts can begin. She would like to see funding concentrated on improving the classroom experience, rather than on administration.

When asked how they would address reconciliation, Leal stated that Canada has “a dark history and non-indigenous peoples need to accept this past.” Conway was passionate in his assertion that “reconciliation demands action, not symbols and gestures.”

The liveliest segment of the evening occurred during question period where members of the public revisited the concern of employment precarity.

One audience member explained that artists must put in several months of preparation and complete extensive application forms for only one year of funding, citing this process as a barrier to stable income.

Rob Roddick of the Trillium Party said he was not aware of this lengthy and tedious process, but said it is an important issue that needs to be addressed. Candidates were not able to offer a specific plan of how they would confront this barrier, but all agreed to look into the process.

A local poet asked candidates what independent arts and culture establishments they financially support within the community, a question that gathered applause from the audience.

Only Leal and Conway were able to address the question, with Leal responding that he and his wife buy tickets to support the performances at Market Hall and the Peterborough Theatre Guild.

“Rest in peace The Pig’s Ear Tavern. Rest in peace The Spill. Long live The Union Theatre!” said Conway, noting that he has played local venues as a musician and frequents many including The Black Horse Pub, Pappas Billiards, The Garnet, Market Hall, The Theatre on King, and The Historic Red Dog.

“There are countless wonderful places in Peterborough and I go to them all.”

When asked what they would do to protect the rights of artists if challenged in the Legislature, Conway said he would oppose any motion that threatens the arts “tooth and nail”.

Leal shared similar sentiments, stating that the arts, culture, and heritage sectors are worth fighting for.

The Green Party is all about protection, explained Broughton, and would apply that same perspective to the arts.

Dave Smith of the Conservative party, not present at the event due to a family emergency, sent his regards.

A written statement prepared by Smith noted that the arts are an important part of Peterborough and the Kawarthas and bring interesting perspective to our community. Historically, he said, when the arts are thriving, people are happy. Smith referred to an investment in the arts as an “investment in our well-being.”

Jacob Currier of the Libertarian Party, also not in attendance, provided a short statement, which read “The government has no place in the arts.”