Nathalie Des Rosiers is the new Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF).

The Ottawa-Vanier MPP is one of three new female ministers in a Cabinet shuffle announced today (January 17) by Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne. Five other women in Cabinet were moved to other positions.

A newcomer to Cabinet, Des Rosiers replaces Kathryn McGarry, who becomes the new Minister of Transportation.

As Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry, Des Rosiers is responsible for managing Ontario’s natural resources (including fish and wildlife, Crown lands and forests, and provincial parks) as well as managing forest fires and surface water (flooding, droughts).

While Des Rosiers will be working at Queen’s Park in Toronto, the ministry’s headquarters is located at Robinson Place on Water Street in downtown Peterborough, which houses more than 1,000 government employees.

Born in Montreal, Des Rosiers was first elected to the Ontario legislature in 2016 as the MPP for Ottawa-Vanier. Before her appointment as Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry, she was the parliamentary assistant to the Minister of Housing and the parliamentary assistant to the Minister Responsible for Women’s Issues.

A lawyer who received her Master of Laws from Harvard University, Des Rosiers is a well-known professor and constitutional law expert. She served from 2009 to 2013 as General Counsel for the Canadian Civil Liberties Association. She has been in private practice in Montreal and London, Ontario, and was professor of law at Western Law School for many years.

Des Rosiers has received numerous honours including the Order of Canada, the Order of Ontario, an Honourary Doctorate from the Université catholique de Louvain in Belgium, an Honourary Doctorate from the Law Society of Upper Canada, the Medal of the Law Society of Upper Canada, the NUPGE Award from the National Union of Public and General Employees, and the APEX Partnership Award from the Association of Professional Executives of the Public Service of Canada.

Canadian Lawyer magazine named her as one of Canada’s 25 most influential lawyers in 2011 and in 2012.

In addition Des Rosiers and McGarry, other changes announced in today’s Cabinet shuffle include:

• Daiene Vernile, MPP for Kitchener Centre, moves into cabinet as Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport
• Harinder Malhi, MPP for Brampton-Springdale, becomes the new Minister of the Status of Women
• Mitzie Hunter becomes Minister of Advanced Education and Skills Development
• Eleanor McMahon becomes President of the Treasury Board and Minister Responsible for Digital Government
• Indira Naidoo-Harris becomes Minister of Education and remains Minister Responsible for Early Years and Child Care
• Dr. Helena Jaczek, Minister of Community and Social Services, will take on the responsibilities of Chair of Cabinet
• Steven Del Duca becomes Minister of Economic Development and Growth.

So why should we even remotely care that the temperature is forecasted to dip to a chilly -1°C overnight on January 26th?

After all, Peterborough residents have already shivered through far more frigid temperatures so far this winter and survived.

Well, even if we don’t care, Peterborough Cares does. And not only about the well-being of Peterborough Deputy Police Chief Tim Farquharson who will be spending that night outside but, in the much bigger picture, about the many homeless who endure Mother Nature’s wintry wrath on a day-to-day, night-to-night basis.

Starting at 4 p.m. on Friday, January 26th and continuing until 4 a.m. on Saturday, January 27th, the spunk and determination that has marked Farquharson’s policing career will be clearly evident as he stands out in the cold at King and George streets in the city’s downtown core.

The goal of “Stand With Tim” is to raise awareness of the plight of the homeless, as well as raise money for three organizations that toil to ease their burden: YES Shelter for Youth and Families, Brock Mission, and The Warming Room.

Presented under the Peterborough Cares umbrella — the organization was founded several years ago by Camille Parent and has since co-ordinated a number of fundraising initiatives — Farquharson’s 12-hour street shiver is gaining more traction as it nears. A GoFundMe campaign has raised $1,246 as of January 16th.

Now organizers are hopeful Peterborough Petes fans will bring donations of basic necessity items such as soap, shampoo, and toothpaste to the Peterborough Memorial Centre for the team’s home game versus Kingston on Thursday, January 18th.

Peterborough Cares volunteers will staff a booth in the lobby where monetary donations and outdoor clothing will also be accepted. The basic necessity items are destined for “blessing bags” that will be sent on to shelters for distribution to those in need.

Also, through the generosity of Dairy Queen, Peterborough Cares has 100 tickets to Thursday’s Petes-Frontenacs game. Those are being made available to YES, Brock Mission, and The Warming Room as well as other shelters for people using their services. As well, Century Transportation is putting up a bus to get ticket users to and from the game.

Thursday’s Petes game is Bell Let’s Talk night, and Bell has donated 200 warm winter hats to be distributed to local shelters.

“This has got a little bit of a buzz starting and I’m really hoping it’s not going to be just Tim standing outside in the cold,” says Lindsay Mitchell, vice-president of Peterborough Cares and director of media and events for the organization. “I’m really hoping to see a bit of a movement start to happen.

“But we couldn’t do it without Tim. He’s really brought attention to this issue. And it’s a huge issue in Peterborough. Not a lot of people realize that. At the end of the day, he wants to make a difference. We all do.”

Mitchell adds Farquharson’s “warm and compassionate” persona, combined with his exuberance for the event, will prove to be a major driver in whatever level of success is attained.

“He’s just a regular, kind guy who wants to help out,” she says. “If more people could get involved like this, even just giving their time, it would make a huge difference.”

Mitchell stresses that while it’s hoped that monetary donations will be substantial, the raising of awareness around homelessness is the name of the game.

“Not everybody has an easy life. Thank God we have these transitional spaces for people to go to and get nutrients that they need or basic items they can’t afford to buy.”

In a statement about the event issued prior to Christmas, Parent extolled Farquharson’s commitment to the project from the get-go, saying he was “blown away by his passion”, adding “He’s a tough man and will accomplish this hands down like everything else he tackles.”

Those who think Farquharson will spend a lonely 12 hours on the street best think again. As has been the case with virtually all Peterborough Cares events — Relly On The Roof for Habitat For Humanity and Morello’s annual barbecue and car wash for leukemia and lymphoma research and support dollars — live music will be staged in a big way.

Musicians Bobby Watson and Donna McKay, Stan Hammond and The Blues Brothers, Tami J Wilde, Rick Fines, Bailien (Brent Bailey and Shea Bailey) with special guest Sam Weber, and Michael Bell will all be lending their talents to the cause when the January 26th event kicks off at around 4 p.m.

Parent has also said he’ll join Farquharson for at least part of the marathon alongside members of the organizing committee.

Also fully committed is Wild Rock Outfitters, which has supplied Farquharson with winter gear to keep him toasty — or at least close to it.

As the “Stand With Tim” event draws near, Mitchell is optimistic awareness of the issue of homelessness will grow even more, along with donations.

“This has a grassroots, small town tone to it,” she say. “I think it’s going to resonate. We have such an amazing community where everyone comes together, so I’m really excited to see what’s going to happen.”

The Town of Cobourg has posted a video of an encounter between a red fox and a snowy owl at the Cobourg marina.

The encounter on January 4, 2018 was captured on security cameras installed at the marina by local company Focus Security.

The video begins with a fox running along the pier, when a snowy owl suddenly swoops in from behind and dive bombs the startled fox — which makes us wonder whether this is a continuation of an earlier incident between the two animals.

The owl flies off over the lake, with the fox watching. The fox then wanders around the pier area sniffing before running off, at which point the owl flies in and lands in the pier area. It appears as if the owl is tracking the fox.

The fox returns to the pier area and makes a small test lunge at the owl, apparently hoping to scare it off. The owl ruffles its feathers but stands its ground.

The fox begins to circle the owl, which constantly turns to keep facing the fox, who at several points comes within a couple of feet of the owl.

The standoff continues for a couple of minutes, and then the fox runs off again.

The owl takes off a few seconds later, heading in the same direction as the fox — which makes us wonder whether the encounter continues somewhere else.

It’s most likely the snowy owl and the fox were defending their territories, as both animals would be competing for the same winter food sources (small mammals like mice, squirrels, and rabbits).

This isn’t the first time someone has captured a continuing encounter between a fox and a snowy owl.

In November 2012, a video captured at Hudson Bay shows a snowy owl and an Arctic fox demonstrating similar behaviour. Over the course of about a week, the fox and owl were seen repeatedly dancing around each other, almost as if they were playing.

“For the most part the owl was oblivious, but at times it seemed it would taunt and goad the fox,” says David Briggs, senior expedition leader for the tour company Arctic Kingdom, who took the video and sent it recently to National Geographic.

There are also several other videos online documenting fox and owl encounters.

The fatal fire in Brighton on Wednesday, January 10th where two people were found dead was the “result of a homicide”, according to a media release issued today (January 15).

The Northumberland Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) also identified the two victims as a married couple, 62-year-old Louise Earle and 67-year-old Wayne Earle of Brighton.

The OPP have not confirmed why they believe the fire was a result of a homicide and whether one or both of the Earles were homicide victims.

However, police have advised there is no concern for public safety, which implies that one of the Earles was the alleged perpetrator.

At around 7:25 a.m. on Wednesday, January 10th, the fire broke out inside a home on Harbour Street overlooking Presqu;ile Bay in Brighton, a small town in Northumberland County 41 kilometres east of Cobourg.

While battling the fire, firefighters found one of the victims outside the home in the backyard, and located the second victim inside the home after the fire had been extinguished.

The Northumberland Crime Unit continues to investigate the circumstances surrounding the fire, under the direction of Detective Inspector Rob Hagerman of the Criminal Investigation Branch (CIB) with the assistance of the Office of the Fire Marshal (OFM) and the Brighton Fire Department.