Canadian home improvement retailer RONA will be closing its stores in Peterborough and Lakefield.

The announcement was made today (November 5) by Lowe’s Companies, Inc., the U.S. retailer that acquired RONA in 2016.

The two RONA stores (157 Chemong Road in Peterborough and 178 Water Street in Lakefield) are two of 31 stores in Canada and 20 in the U.S. that Lowe’s says are “underperforming”.

“While decisions that impact our associates are never easy, the store closures are a necessary step in our strategic reassessment as we focus on building a stronger business,” says Lowe’s president and CEO Marvin Ellison.

“We believe our people are the foundation of our business and essential to our future growth, and we are making every effort to transition impacted associates to nearby Lowe’s stores.”

Other RONA stores are located in the Kawarthas in Lindsay, Port Hope, Cobourg, and Campbellford.

Lowe’s expects to close most of the stores by the end of its fiscal year, February 2019, with closing sales taking place at most locations.

In his 1998 book The Greatest Generation, American journalist Tom Brokaw introduced us to many who were raised during The Great Depression and later went to war, their only motivation being it was “the right thing to do.”

As the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month nears — with this year’s Remembrance Day commemoration marking the 100th anniversary of the armistice that ended the First World War — Brokaw’s conclusion that we will never again see the likes of that generation reminds us that we should, we must, pay attention to the words of those who walked that perilous walk while they are still here to share them.

But their number is quickly dwindling. For example, of the some 3,500 members of the 1st Battalion of the 9th Infantry Brigade of the 3rd Canadian Division that came ashore at Juno Beach in Normandy, France in June 1944 and proceeded to help liberate Nazi-occupied France and Holland, just two are still alive.

Don Fowler, a Peterborough native, lives in Brockville. Douro native Joseph Sullivan, 98, is much closer — a resident of Fairhaven whose fourth floor room, with its numerous wall-displayed certificates and commendations, speaks to the pride of the man who resides there.

“It was a great experience, I don’t regret a day of it,” says Sullivan, his memory of names, places, and events associated with his war experience as a member of the Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Highlanders nothing short of remarkably precise.

“But we were always scared. We were quite naive. We had no idea of what we were going to get into. Yes, I consider myself lucky. I was in three bad explosions and each time somebody beside me was killed. I had scratches and bruises, but I survived. It wasn’t my time.”

A carpenter by trade, Sullivan enlisted in 1941, trained in Kingston, Peterborough, and at Camp Borden near Barrie, and shipped to England in 1942. A radio operator when he waded ashore at Juno Beach two years later, he was just 23 years old.

What followed for Sullivan and his comrades was 56 days on the front line as they advanced through France into Holland. Come the war’s end in early May 1945, Sullivan et al were in the German port city of Emden.

Upon returning home in late December 1945, he returned to work as a carpenter. However, back problems took their toll. In 1967, he began a new career selling real estate for Bowes and Cocks, retiring in 1978.

While Sullivan has never returned to France, France has come to him.

In 2015, that country awarded him the rank of Knight of the French National Order of the Legion of Honour in recognition of his helping liberate the country from Nazi occupation.

This year, he has been invited to join the Consulate General of France in Toronto for a Remembrance event on November 14th, but he won’t be attending. More important to him is the Remembrance Day ceremony being held at Fairhaven.

“It’s quite an honour to be recognized … it makes me feel good,” says Sullivan who, just this past February, was presented with the Sovereign’s Medal For Volunteers by Governor General Julie Payette — “She’s quite a girl,” he says.

The award was granted in recognition of his efforts to ensure veterans’ sacrifices are never forgotten.

“A lot of remembrance is gone,” says Sullivan. “I don’t whose fault that is. Part of it is maybe our (veterans’) fault. When we came back from the war, we were finished with it. We didn’t want to affiliate ourselves with it anymore. It was the past. It was time to move on.”

Sullivan did venture to Holland in 2005 for the 60th anniversary of that country’s liberation. Earlier, working with Dutch officials, he played a role in the renaming of 11 streets in the city of Zutphen. Those streets now bear the names of 11 members of the Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Highlanders who were killed in action there on April 4, 1945.

In Peterborough, Sullivan was also involved in the erecting of a memorial plaque in Confederation Park that honours the contributions of the Highlanders. And, of course, his own name is listed among the thousands of names on the Veterans Wall of Honour tucked in behind the Cenotaph.

“A lot of people don’t know why they’re wearing a poppy,” laments Sullivan. “It’s a decoration more than a remembrance. They don’t know the significance of it. Those that were killed beside me … I can see them. I see their faces every day, not just on Remembrance Day.”

While it would seem a man who has seen so much, and done more, would have no regrets, Sullivan has one.

“I never mastered public speaking. I’m okay talking, sitting here, but not in front of people. Over the years, I often wanted to go to schools to talk, but I didn’t because I felt I couldn’t. I wish I did that.”

Instead, Mr. Sullivan holds court at Fairhaven for anyone who wants to take the time to listen. Up until February 14, 2015 when she died, his wife Ella was also a resident at the long-term care home. Today he enjoys visits from their five children, seven grandchildren. and six great-grandchildren.

And, as he has done for years now, he boards a city bus pretty much every day and makes the trek to the Lansdowne Place Food Court where he enjoys lunch with friends. Inevitably, that conversation centres on world events — a topic which Sullivan has no shortage of opinions on.

“The world is headed for another war,” he says.

“Why can’t people live together peacefully? The Middle Eastern countries, they’re rich countries. The people are starving and they guys holding all the money do nothing. They could be living a good life. It doesn’t make sense.

“Until people can sit down and iron out their differences it’s going to be that way. War is terrible. Nobody wins. It’s ugly. A lot of young people didn’t come home. They can talk about the war to end all wars, but we haven’t got there yet.”

A lifelong reader, a copy of Mark Zuehlke’s Breakout From Juno: First Canadian Army and the Normandy Campaign, July 4 – August 21, 1944 sits on a tray table beside Sullivan’s easy chair. He references it as being an accurate narrative of Canadians’ huge role in the days that followed the D-Day landings.

Still, words on a page — while a valuable resource for generations to come — pale in comparison to the first-hand accounts offered by the likes of those who were there and fortunate to come home to live a full life.

“I am very fortunate,” acknowledges Sullivan, grateful not only for the years he has been granted but also for his being able to remember those years, and his varied experiences, with such clarity.

And like Brokaw, he agrees the world will never again see the likes of his generation.

“We knew we had a job to do and we didn’t question that. There were hard times but we got it done.”

Peterborough’s newest Saturday farmers’ market, the Peterborough Regional Farmers’ Market, has moved indoors for the winter.

The first market at the new location — on the lower level of Peterborough Square in downtown Peterborough — will begin at 8 a.m. on Saturday, November 3rd.

The first indoor market will feature kick-off activities, including a clown and buskers.

The new indoor location, which was previously occupied by the Peterborough Public Library while the Aylmer Street branch was undergoing construction, has been renovated to accommodate the market. The elevator from the underground parking in Peterborough Square also includes wraps to promote the new winter location.

The winter farmers’ market will build on the success of the summer market, with all primary producers verified as selling only what they have grown, raised, or produced. Craft and prepared food vendors will also be in the new space at Peterborough Square (see list below), along with an expanded kids’ area.

Now that the Wednesday Peterborough Downtown Farmers’ Market has ended for the season, the Saturday market at Peterborough Square is the only farmers’ market operating downtown during the winter (the farmers’ market inside the Morrow Building next to the Peterborough Memorial Centre also operates on Saturdays during the winter).

The Peterborough Regional Farmers’ Market will return to its outdoor location at Citi Centre in downtown Peterborough in April 2019.

For more information, visit www.ptboregionalfarmersmarket.org or email info@ptboregionalfarmersmarket.com. For highlights of what’s available at the market and updates, you can also follow the market on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Who’s at the winter Peterborough Regional Farmers’ Market

Primary producers

• Nautilus Farm
• Riel Acres farm
• Millar Farms
• Carolinas Colombia
• Warner Farm
• Hunnabees
• Pinehaven Farm
• Linlor Farm and Forest
• Circle Organic
• Wagner Farm
• Chick-a-biddy Acres
• OtonaBEE Apairy
• Allin’s Orchard
• Small spade
• Tiny Greens
• Leahy Stock farm
• G. Fenton farm
• Field Sparrow Farm
• Kawartha Winery
• Kendel Hills Game Farm
• Mcleans Berry Farm

Prepared food vendors

• Finest Gourmet Fudge
• A1 Gluten Free Gals
• KitCafe
• Curry Mantra
• Two Dishes Cookshop
• Hunky Dory
• Chef Marshall
• One Little Bakery and Sticklings Bakery
• Leahy Baking
• Belly of the Beast
• Kings Mill Cider
• Dave Smithye
• La Mesita Restaurante

Artisans

• The Willow Bark
• Cisco Pottery
• Solid Leather
• Hexagon Studios
• Curiously Made
• Reddick Studio Porcelain
• Funky Buddha Collection
• Feather and Stone
• SKS woodworking

When volunteers from Bancroft’s Hospice North Hastings covered a bridge with thousands of hand-crafted poppies last year, they inspired dialogue and the sharing of memories. Now, one year later, the poppies are making a comeback — but with a stronger, more direct message.

The volunteers who crafted the poppies last year spent hours thinking about peace and remembering those who had made the ultimate sacrifice while they made each flower. This year the focus was a bit different: it was still about peace and an important anniversary, but it was also about coming together as a community and providing caring and comfort, no matter what.

So, with this in mind, the women started pulling the big bags of poppies out of storage and they started to stitch all of the poppies together into one huge flower.

At more than 11 feet tall, it is the largest hand-crafted poppy in Canada, and is now hanging on the front of Vintage on Hastings (the store operated by Hospice North Hastings) until Remembrance Day to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the armistice that ended fighting in World War I between the Allies and Germany.

The poppy, made famous as a symbol of remembrance in the 1915 poem by Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae, has been embraced by people worldwide as they remember the fallen. One hundred years ago, on November 11, 1918, with the German resistance on its last legs, the armistice was signed. Canadian soldiers fought to the very end and, with this special anniversary, comes a renewed reflection on the fragile peace that has come and gone ever since.

Every remembrance about the war and every hope for peace is unique, just like the thousands of hand-crafted poppies made by the Hospice volunteers, but the message of their installation is clear — bring together these remembrances and the recognition of the great sacrifices made and create a fabric of hope for peace, comfort, and care.

Gathering at the Hospice House last Saturday (October 27), volunteers ate pizza, drank wine, and sewed poppies to the backing. With the light growing dim, the women talked about life, their work with Hospice, memories of service men and women they have known and, through all the conversations, there was a feeling of responsibility — a need to make life better for others, because to these women, that’s a responsibility that comes with freedom.

“The poppies are about our humanity,” explains Hospice coordinator Heather Brough. “When this piece is installed, we want there to be a connection with the community and we want people to think about the sacrifice that was made and what we are doing each day so that it was not done in vain.”

The conversation moves to housing insecurity, politics, human nature, and then returns to memories of those who served.

Helen Vermeersch grew up in a military family and her children now serve. She helped with the poppy project last year and at her son’s summer wedding, some of the poppies were on display with a book of remembrance — recognition that even in times of great joy, the sacrifices made should never be forgotten.

Helen’s honoured that her children will be in Bancroft for Remembrance Day and that they will get to see this latest installation.

Yvonne Heath, another member of the volunteer team, was tasked with actually mounting the 11-foot poppy on the front of Hospice’s storefront in downtown Bancroft, with the Town of Bancroft sending some of its public works crew to assist with the task.

“I used to play with Meccano so I’m working on a plan,” she says.

Yvonne sees the huge poppy as a symbol of peace, hope, and caring and she loves the idea of hanging it in front of the Hospice storefront to let people know, symbolically, that she and the other volunteers remember and are willing to face challenges to make the community a better place.

“We want to bring this home so now everyone will know how to get to us,” Yvonne says quietly.

Peace means different things to different people and for this group of women who spend their time volunteering in different capacities for Hospice, their commitment is clear: they will step up, they will care, and they will share what resources they have to provide comfort to those in need. And while they have not had to face the horrors of a battlefield, they honour and remember those who have with every stitch of this heartfelt local project.

The huge poppy, crafted from thousands of smaller poppies, will be on display on the front of Hospice’s store, Vintage on Hastings, at 67 Hastings Street North in Bancroft, until Sunday November 11th.

Vintage on Hastings will open on Remembrance Day and the poppy and some vintage displays will be on show for all who want to drop by to share memories.

It’s that time of year again: Daylight Saving Time (DST) ends at 2 a.m. on Sunday, November 4th, when clocks move back an hour.

The good news is that we regain that extra hour we lost in the spring; the bad news is that it will be dark by 5 p.m.

It’s also “time” to change the batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide alarms and to check whether they need to be replaced (if they are more than 10 years old, they probably do).

Who invented DST and why?

Although it’s commonly believed Benjamin Franklin came up with the idea for DST, it was actually New Zealand entomologist George Hudson who, in 1895, proposed a two-hour shift in the clocks (he wanted more daylight to collect insects).

“The effect of this alteration would be to advance all the day’s operations in summer two hours compared with the present system,” Hudson wrote in 1898, explaining his original proposal. “In this way the early-morning daylight would be utilised, and a long period of daylight leisure would be made available in the evening for cricket, gardening, cycling, or any other outdoor pursuit desired.”

A few years later, English outdoorsman William Willett also proposed advancing the clocks during the summer months (he wanted more daylight to golf).

The first governments to implement DST were Germany and Austria-Hungary in 1916, as a way to conserve coal during World War I. Britain and most other European countries adopted it shortly after, with the United States and Canada adopting it in 1918.

DST used to end on the last Sunday of October (and begin on the first Sunday of April) but, in 2007, the U.S. decided to change it to the first Sunday of November (and the second Sunday in March) in an attempt to conserve energy.

To avoid issues with economic and social interaction with the U.S., the Canadian provinces that observe DST followed suit.

What are the health effects of DST?

While the evidence is mixed, some research has found that “falling back” results in more accidents involving pedestians, while “springing forward” increases the risk of heart attacks and traffic accidents.

In any case, moving clocks forward or backward changes our exposure to daylight and affects our circadian rhythm (the body’s natural internal clock).

In the fall, gaining an extra hour of sleep may sound like a good thing but it can actually make you feel “jet lagged”.

It can take up to a week to adjust your internal clock to the shift in daylight hours. Here are some suggestions for how you and your family can adapt more quickly to the time change:

• Each night leading up to Sunday, try going to sleep 15 or 20 minutes later than normal (and waking up 15 or 20 minutes later than normal).
• Don’t stay up extra late on Saturday night because you are gaining an hour of sleep. That’ll just mess up your sleep schedule even more.
• Make sure you keep bedrooms dark in the morning (after DST ends, the mornings will be lighter earlier).
• Eat a healthy breakfast when you first wake up, as food is one way to tell your body it’s the beginning of the day.
• After the time change, expose yourself to daylight (or bright light indoors) during waking hours as much as possible, and avoid bright light when it’s dark outside.
• Reduce screen time in the evening, especially an hour or two before bedtime.
• Reduce your use of caffeine and alcohol during the day and increase your physical activity.