A resident of R.J. Brooks Retirement Centre in Bancroft had died following a fire on March 15, 2018.
Update March 27, 2018 – Police have identified the victim of the fire as 75-year-old Margaret Kellestine of Bancroft. The Ontario Fire Marshall’s Office has determined that the cause of the fire was deemed accidental due to careless smoking.
An elderly woman has died in an early-morning fire at the R.J. Brooks Retirement Centre in Bancroft.
At around 2 a.m. on Thursday (March 15), the Bancroft Fire Department responded to a fire in one of the units in the facility, located at 1 Alice Street in Bancroft.
At 4 a.m., Bancroft OPP were called to the facility when a 74-year-old woman was found dead after the fire was extinguished.
The cause of the fire is unknown, and the woman’s name is not being released pending notification of next of kin.
Bancroft OPP, Bancroft Fire Department, the Ontario Fire Marshall’s Office, and the Office of the Chief Coroner are assisting with the investigation.
All residents have been evacuated from the R.J. Brooks Centre and have been moved to the Bancroft Bible Chapel, next door to the centre.
Police are asking people who wish to check on residents to do so at the Bancroft Bible Chapel.
Beard Free Brewing in Peterborough offers four core beers, named after local landmarks, along with two or three seasonal limited-release brews. Although the microbrewery has already supplied some local restaurants with beer, the storefront on The Parkway in Peterborough will be opening on March 23, 2018. (Photos: Beard Free Brewing)
Beard Free Brewing, Peterborough’s latest craft brewery, is opening on Friday, March 23rd.
Located at 649 Unit 4 The Parkway in Peterborough, the microbrewery is a partnership between head brewer Nyckolas “Nick” Dubé, John Rozema, and Steveon Zablosky.
Dubé and Rozema first met in April 2017, after Dubé organized a home brewers’ meet-up at St. Veronus, a Belgian restaurant and beer bar in downtown Peterborough.
“We talked beer for the night and then John reached out the very next day about the idea of opening a brewery in town,” Dubé tells kawarthaNOW.
A couple of months later, they were investigating branding and label design when they met Zablosky at Specialized Marking Systems Ltd., and he soon joined the venture.
Beard Free Brewing took some of their brews to the 2018 Bears’ Lair Entreprenurial Competition showcase, including a Winter Ale developed by Steveon Zablosky. (Photo: Beard Free Brewing)
Beard Free Brewing produces four core beers named after Peterborough landmarks — “Simcoe St”, their signature dry hopped India Pale Ale (IPA); “Harstone”, a malty Irish Red Ale; “Lock 21”, a classic cream ale; and “Little Lake”, a French Saison — along with two or three seasonal, limited-release brews.
For their seasonals, the brewery is launching with “Bench Warmer Amber”, a lower-carbonation English-style amber ale, and “Simcoe X Equinox West”, a west-coast style IPA and the first of their Hop Series.
“The Hop Series will be our way of playing around with different hops as they become available to us,” Dubé explains. “The core recipe will stay the same and the hops will rotate.”
Bottles will be available from the brewery’s storefront, which will also feature a small taproom. As it’s a small microbrewery, Beard Free Brewing will not be distributed through the LCBO, at least not initially.
Beard Free Brewing’s head brewer Nyckolas Dubé with a keg of Lock 21 destined for Publican House Brewery. (Photo: Beard Free Brewing)
Although the storefront has not yet opened to the public, Beard Free Brewing has already supplied bottles of Bench Warmer Amber to Electric City Bread Co., and Lock 21 was recently featured on tap at The Publican House.
“I have been told the Lock 21 has been a very tasty success there,” Dubé says. “They tapped the first keg on a Friday night and it was gone by Sunday afternoon!”
Beard Free Brewing’s operation is also eco-friendly, in that owners have partnered with a local farmer, Tom Staples of Pinewynd Farm in Cavan, who feeds the brewery’s spent grain to his heritage hogs.
Spent grain from Beard Free Brewing is used to feed the heritage hogs of Pinewynd Farm in the rolling hills of Cavan. (Photo: Pinewynd Farm)
Staples comes to the brewery every few days to collect the spent grain, which can become an issue if not disposed of quickly, Dubé explains.
“As it contains a lot of sugars from the brewing process and is wet, it will start to rot fairly quickly,” he says. “We get rid of the grain, the pigs get a nice sweet meal, and no grain is wasted in a landfill.”
Pinewynd Farm already supplies pork to Electric City Bread Co. and St. Veronus in Peterborough, so it’s possible that local restaurant patrons will someday be able to drink beer from Beard Free Brewing while eating pork from hogs fed on the grain used to brew that same beer.
Beard Free Brewing is named both for part of the wheat plant and because two of the three partners do not wear beards, unlike many craft brewers. The third partner will be shaving his beard for the March 23rd opening. (Logo: Beard Free Brewing)
As for the origin and meaning of Beard Free Brewing’s name, Dubé says it’s both a reference to a part of the wheat plant called the beard — the bristly material protecting the wheat kernel that’s removed before the malting process — and a satirical play of words based on the observation that many brewers have beards.
Both Rozema and Dubé are beardless (“l have tried multiple times to grow a beard but sadly it’s just not in my genes”) and they came up with the name before they met Zablosky — who currently sports a beard, though not for much longer.
“Given the name we have already convinced Steveon to shave it off during the soft launch opening weekend,” Dubé says. “We will be doing a raffle for some goodies and include the first cut of Stevon’s beard!”
Cindy Windover, President of the Kawartha Chamber of Commerce & Tourism board, and Emily Ferguson, Resource Development Manager with Habitat for Humanity Peterborough and Kawartha Region. Both the Chamber and Habitat for Humanity, along with several other Chamber members, are hiring. (Photo: Kawartha Chamber of Commerce & Tourism)
Matt Logan (2013 Young Professional) with his wife Tracey, Lisa Besseling (2015 Young Professional), and Erin McLean (2017 Young Professional) will be the panelists of the Kawartha Chamber of Commerce & Tourism Young Professionals BOSS session on March 20, 2018. (Photos courtesy of Kawartha Chamber of Commerce & Tourism)
The Chamber’s next B.O.S.S. (Business Owners Sharing Solutions) session is on Tuesday, March 20th and features a panel of Young Professionals.
The panel includes Erin McLean of McLean Berry Farm, Lisa Besseling of Stony Lake Furniture Co., and Matt Logan of Logan Tree Experts. Hear from these local professionals as they share their stories, successes, and challenges as young business owners.
The panel will discuss:
Starting and/or maintaining a successful business as a young professional
Juggling parenting while owning a business, and running a family business
Volunteering on boards and committees, or starting your own committee
Managing staff as a young professional
Maintaining a viable business year-round in cottage country
Marketing techniques
and much more.
The panel will also be answering your questions. The discussion will be moderated by Julia Wood of Peterborough & the Kawarthas Economic Development.
The BOSS seminar is being held at the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 77, 10 Nicholls Street, Lakefield from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, March 20th. A hot breakfast will be provided by Jack’s Family Restaurant. Cost to attend is $15 for Chamber members and $25 for future members. Register now.
The Chamber thanks its professional development sponsor, Lynn Woodcroft, Sales Representative with Royal LePage Frank Real Estate.
Save the Date: Volunteer Breakfast on April 18th
The Chamber’s Volunteer Appreciation Breakfast is taking place on Wednesday, April 18th at Burleigh Falls Inn & Suites.
This event is free for Chamber volunteers, and $20+HST for guests. All are welcome to attend.
This year’s guest speaker is Sarah Burke of Habitat for Humanity Peterborough & Kawartha Region. The event will run from 7:30 to 9 a.m.. Learn more.
The Chamber thanks its networking event sponsor, Blue Diamond Window Cleaning.
Earn a Free Chamber Membership
The Chamber is excited to announce a new initiative where you can earn your membership for free! There are two ways you can do this:
Pay your membership dues within 30 days of the invoice date and be entered into a draw for a free membership next year.
Refer a new member and once they have paid, you will earn 10% off next year’s membership. Refer 10 new members and yours is free.
Ontario Chamber of Commerce – Vote Prosperity Letter Campaign
The Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC) released its election platform, Vote Prosperity, last October, outlining 18 recommendations that address key issues facing Ontario’s business community.
Ahead of the upcoming provincial election, the OCC encourages you to read Vote Prosperity, and send a letter to your local candidates to ensure the voice of business is heard during the election campaign.
Vote Prosperity provides productive and reasonable recommendations. Send a letter and make sure your candidates are promoting prosperity in your community.
Peterborough Chamber Small Business Access Lunch – March 23rd
Join the Greater Peterborough Chamber of Commerce for lunch on Friday, March 23rd to learn about Small Business Access and the programs and resources available to help Ontario small businesses.
The Honourable Jeff Leal, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Minister Responsible for Small Business, and MPP for Peterborough will join the reception and provide a few remarks.
The event runs from 11:45 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the VentureNorth boardroom (270 George St. N., Peterborough). Learn more and register.
The amended PARG will be posted to the ministry’s website for six weeks, until March 23rd. After gathering further input, the final amended PARG will be released later in the spring.
All school boards and municipalities are encouraged to review the draft. Learn more.
A Free Income Tax Clinic is taking place on Thursday, March 15th from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Community Care in Lakefield. This tax clinic is for individuals with income less than $30,000 or families with income less than $40,000.
Brought to you by Community Care, St. John the Baptist Lakefield, and Lakefield Youth Unlimited. For more information contact 705-651-0156.
Free Income Tax Clinics are also taking place on April 6th and April 27th.
New Location for Robyn’s Nest
Robyn Jenkins and Evelyne Derkindren of The Robyn’s Nest Photography Company & Beauty Boutique.
Robyn’s Nest Photography & Beauty has recently moved.
Visit their new location at 25 Reid Street in Lakefield.
Otonabee Conservation Tree Seedlings – Order By March 23rd
The deadline for ordering tree and shrub seedlings from Otonabee Conservation is Friday, March 23, 2018. Seedlings will be available for pick-up in late April. (Photo courtesy of Otonabee Conservation)
Otonabee Conservation is pleased to offer the Tree Seedling Program to watershed landowners.
Through the program, you may order trees and shrubs from a selection of species that you can plant to reforest land or add to the biodiversity of your forest property. Order your tree seedlings by March 23rd.
Barbara Crowhurst is a retail specialist, business coach, writer, international speaker and trainer. She will be leading a retail makeover seminar on March 27, 2018. (Photo: Barbara Crowhurst)
Do you need a fresh perspective on how to make your retail business attractive to customers?
Join the Peterborough DBIA and Peterborough & the Kawarthas Economic Development as they welcome retail expert, Barbara Crowhurst for a morning session that will have you evaluate your business and consider how you generate traffic, engage more customers and generate higher revenues.
The session is taking place on Tuesday, March 27th from 8 to 11:30 a.m. at the VentureNorth Board Room (Lower Level), 270 George Street N, Peterborough. Tickets are $10.
Buckhorn Maplefest – March 17th and 18th, March 24th and 25th
Performing Arts Lakefield, Motus O presents The Prisoner of Tehran – March 23rd
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.
Peterborough-Kawartha MP and Minister of Status of Women Maryam Monsef speaking at the second annual International Women's Day Peterborough conference on March 8, 2018. The previous week, Monsef announced the creation of the Women of Peterborough–Kawartha Community Award during the inaugural Rural Women's Summit in Buckhorn. (Photo: Jeannine Taylor / kawarthaNOW.com)
Nominations are now open for the Women of Peterborough–Kawartha Community Award to recognize outstanding service to the community.
Maryam Monsef, Peterborough-Kawartha MP and Minister of Status of Women, announced the creation of the new award at the inaugural Rural Women’s Summit, an event she organized at the Buckhorn Community Centre on March 2, 2018.
Nominees for the award may demonstrate leadership in any one or more of the following categories:
Entrepreneurialism
Environmental Stewardship
Community leadership
Community Service
Work toward combatting poverty
Work toward ending discrimination
Work toward gender equality
Work toward Indigenous Reconciliation
Work toward rural community sustainability.
In order to be eligible for the award, nominees must reside, work, or study within the boundaries of the electoral district of Peterborough–Kawartha. There are no age restrictions on nominees, but there will only be individual awards (no group or paired awards).
Monsef will select the award recipients from the submitted nominations. Recipients will be notified in September, with an award ceremony to be held in October 2018 as part of National Women’s History Month.
Nomination submissions should be no more than 300 words, should describe why the individual is being nominated for the award, and should include both the nominator’s and the nominee’s full name and contact information.
The nomination deadline is Mother’s Day — Sunday, May 13, 2018.
Submit completed nominations directly to the Constituency Office of MP Maryam Monsef, either by email to Maryam.Monsef@parl.gc.ca or by postal mail to “Office of MP Maryam Monsef, 417 Bethune Street, Suite 4, Peterborough ON, K9H 3Z1” (no postage is required).
The Trees for Rural Roads program offers trees, free of charge to Clarington and Port Hope residents, to be planted on private land along municipal roads.
The municipalities of Clarington and Port Hope, with the assistance of the Ganaraska Region Conservation Authority, are running the “Trees for Rural Roads” program again this year.
The program offers trees, free of charge to Clarington and Port Hope residents, to be planted on private land along municipal roads. Native sugar and red maples will be available, along with white pine, white spruce, white birch, and red and white oak.
In 1871, the Ontario Government passed legislation encouraging the planting of trees along highways. Municipalities paid landowners up to 25 cents per tree for trees planted along the roads.
The majority of the trees planted during this time were native maples, resulting in a common sight on the rural landscape: lines of stately maples alongside roads and separating farmers’ fields.
These trees, now over a century old, are succumbing to old age, exposure to wind, insects, and disease.
Tree species available from the Trees for Rural Roads program include sugar and red maples, white pine, white spruce, white birch, and red and white oaks. (Photo courtesy of Ganaraska Region Conservation Authority)
First developed in 2012, the “Trees for Rural Roads” program aims to restore trees along roadsides, thereby maintaining this important part of the rural landscape.
In 2017, 688 trees were distributed and planted along municipal roads on private land in Clarington. The deadline to apply for this year’s program is March 31, 2018.
If you are a resident of Port Hope or Clarington and are interested in participating in the roadside tree planting program, contact Kelly Gibson, Interim Stewardship Technician at the the Ganaraska Region Conservation Authority, at kgibson@grca.on.ca or at 905-885-8173.
The City of Peterborough's Public Art Program is seeking Indigenous artists to create a new public artwork for Millennium Park to acknowledge Nogojiwanong on the traditional territory of the Michi Saagiig people. Pictured is a mural under the Hunter Street bridge in Peterborough by Toronto artist Kirsten McCrea that includes 'Nogojiwanong', the Anishinaabe name for what is now called Peterborough. (Photo: Kirsten McCrea)
The City of Peterborough’s Public Art Program has issued a call to Indigenous artists who are interested in creating artwork to acknowledge Nogojiwanong on the ancestral territory of the Michi Saagiig people.
Known as the Nogojiwanong Project, this major capital collaboration, with a budget of $45,000, has been undertaken in the spirit of kinship with local First Nations Indigenous peoples in recognition of the 200th anniversary of Treaty No. 20. — the agreement between the Michi Saagiig people and the British Crown that made it possible for Europeans to settle in this region.
In precolonial times, the Peterborough area was a gathering place for the Michi Saagiig of the Anishinaabeg. The territory of the Michi Saagiig, who were known as “the people of the big river mouths” and “the salmon people”, spanned from Gananoque in the east, along the north shore of Lake Ontario, and west to the north shore of Lake Erie at Long Point. It spread as far north as the tributaries that flow into these lakes, from Bancroft and north of the Haliburton Highlands.
As they travelled between their winter camps and their traditional fishing grounds at the mouth of the Ganaraska River on Lake Ontario, the Michi Saagiig would gather at the bottom of a turbulent stretch of the Otonabee River — the Anishinaabe name of the river is Odenabe, meaning “river that beats like a heart” — which they named Nogojiwanong, meaning “place at the foot of the rapids”.
When Peter Robinson and 2,000 Irish immigrants began a colony in the area in 1825, they named the location “Peterborough”.
Nogojiwanong was renamed “Peterborough” by colonial settlers after Peter Robinson and 2,000 Irish immigrants began a colony in the area in 1825. Pictured is a rendering of the settlement on the shoreline of the Otonabee River circa 1875. (Image: The Nogojiwanong Project)
Over the past few decades, efforts have been made to publicly recognize the traditional name of Nogojiwanong, including a sign (now in a state of disrepair) in Millennium Park erected in the 1990s by the now-defunct Peterborough Arts Umbrella and, more recently, a mural under the Hunter Street Bridge.
The Nogojiwanong Project will support innovative proposals from both emerging and established artists working in a range of contemporary and traditional disciplines and media. Artworks should consider the setting and stories from this land, and bring attention to the evolution of local treaties and inherent treaty rights, in particular Treaty No. 20.
The artwork will be installed at a site (to be determined) within Millennium Park overlooking the Otonabee River.
The deadline for the call for expression of interest is midnight on Monday, April 23, 2018. A short list of artists will be announced in early May, with the selected artist to be announced in early July. The expected completion of the project is November 2018.
In the 1990s, the now-defunct Peterborough Arts Umbrella erected a wooden sign in Millennium Park that read Nogojiwanong – ‘Place at the End of the Rapids’. The sign has not been maintained and has gradually fallen apart. (Photo: Kemi Akapo / Twitter)
The Nogojiwanong Project committee comprises representatives from Alderville First Nation, Curve Lake First Nation, Hiawatha First Nation, the Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation, the Nogojiwanong Friendship Centre, the Niijkiwendidaa Anishnabekwag Services Circle, and staff from the City of Peterborough.
Applicants are encouraged to attend an information session at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 4th. at The Nogojiwanong Friendship Centre (580 Cameron St., Peterborough), where City of Peterborough staff will outline the specifics of the project and requirements.
Applicants planning to attend the session are asked to RSVP to the Nogojiwanong Project Co-ordinator Wendy Trusler at wtrusler@peterborough.ca.
Over the past few decades, efforts have been made to publicly recognize the traditional name of Nogojiwanong, including this mural by Toronto artist Kirsten McCrea under the Hunter Street Bridge. The Nogojiwanong Project is the first project under the City of Peterborough’s Public Art Program to engage Indigenous artists. (Photo: Kirsten McCrea)
The Seasoned Spoon has been serving healthy and delicious meals from their Champlain College at Trent University in Peterborough location for 15 years. (Photo: The Seasoned Spoon)
This month, Eva Fisher celebrates 15 years with the Seasoned Spoon, explores a community cookbook project that you can be a part of, finds a local lunch delivered to your door in Campbellford, and catches up with a new group of women exploring the craft beer scene in Peterborough.
The Seasoned Spoon celebrates 15 years of feasts, food workshops, and so many bowls of soup
The Seasoned Spoon (1600 West Bank Drive Champlain College, Trent University, Peterborough, 705-748-1011 ext 6086) celebrated its 15th anniversary this March.
I spoke with The Seasoned Spoon’s Education and Outreach coordinator Caitlin Bragg about the Spoon’s evolution, from a group of committed volunteers serving soup every other week to a dynamic cooperative café and not-for-profit community organization — providing hundreds of people with access to affordable local foods and opportunities to learn about growing, cooking, preserving and advocating for sustainable, just. and inclusive food.
Before it had its current name, The Seasoned Spoon was a humble, politically motivated soup stand run by OPIRG Peterborough’s Food Issues Group (FIG).
This photo shows the old location, before The Seasoned Spoon moved to Champlain and took on its new name. (Photo: The Seasoned Spoon)
“The FIG started serving local, organic soup by donation in 2002 as a challenge the food service monopoly that Aramark had at Trent University at the time,” Caitlin says.
“The idea was to offer staff and students more diverse choices, as well as food for thought about prevailing institutional food policies.”
The stand became a popular place to get a delicious and healthy meal on campus. It was clear that this project had potential to change Trent University’s culinary landscape permanently.
“As the initiative grew, the project eventually elected a board of directors to better represent them and the seeds of Spoon cooperative were planted. With their new business model, the now named Seasoned Spoon Café began working towards a more permanent place.”
That place came with a new location at Champlain College, opened 15 years ago in February 2003, but the Seasoned Spoon still had room for growth, including, quite literally, room for growth through their partnership with the Trent Vegetable Gardens in 2006.
The 2017 Seasoned Spoon Staff. The Spoon currently has 22 staff members, with 17 staff, dozens of volunteers each semester and over 500 cooperative members. (Photo: The Seasoned Spoon)
They completed a root cellar in 2012, allowing them to serve their own vegetables year round. In 2016 they officially joined Trent’s residential meal plan. The Spoon currently has 22 staff members, with 17 staff, dozens of volunteers each semester, and over 500 cooperative members. The soup stand has become an institution.
In addition to healthy and delicious meals, The Seasoned Spoon now offers weekly workshops including Canning 101, Cheese Making, Apple Cider, sauerkraut and fermentation, bagel making, vegetarian cooking 101 and honey harvesting.
They also offer community meals twice a semester, where the community is invited to enjoy a feast featuring campus grown foods. These are offered on a by-donation basis, and often feature a guest speaker, film screening, or workshop.
To learn more about the Seasoned Spoon, visit them online at www.seasonedspoon.ca. They are open on Monday and Friday from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and from Tuesday to Thursday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., while classes are in session.
Nourish cookbook creates community in the kitchen
Nourish’s programming focuses on community. This photo was taken at their 2017 Harvest Dinner. (Photo: Elisha Rubacha)
Almost everyone has that recipe: one they have enjoyed with family and friends, one linked to a special memory, one that always brings people together. Nourish is collecting those recipes together in a new project, a cookbook entitled The Belonging Cookbook.
Nourish Project seeks to create belonging through food. They work predominately with people living on low incomes to build community locally. They take a respectful and forward-thinking approach to food programming.
Community Development Coordinator Joëlle Favreau explains:
“We work predominantly with people living on low incomes and we know that they are very skilled at maximizing their budget in the kitchen. What we hear, however, is that often they are missing real connections with others. The UK has just created a Ministry of Loneliness. I would have called it the Ministry of Belonging, but that’s beside the fact. Collectively, it is estimated that we have never been as lonely as we are now.
“Through our work, we are trying to grow connections and build community. Dietitians point out that when we eat with others, regardless of what we eat, we eat better.”
The aim of the cookbook is to get people thinking about how food builds connection in their own lives.
“We thought that recipes would be the entry point and the stories would help us all think more deeply about belonging, when we feel we belong most, where, why, and hopefully we can learn from those stories how to better grow belonging in our close circles and in our communities.”
The cookbook furthers Nourish’s aim to bring people of all backgrounds together through food.
“This past year, thanks to support from the Ontario Trillium Foundation, we were able been able to host workshops, dinners, and harvest trips seeking to bring people together who may not, otherwise, easily connect with one another, the cookbook is an extension of this project.”
To express interest in submitting a recipe, email info@nourishproject.ca. You will be contacted by a volunteer who can take your recipe over the phone. You can find out more at nourishproject.ca.
Benji’s Buns serves soup and sandwiches to your door with a focus on local
Chef Ben Lehman serves local lunches at new Campbellford takeout Benji’s Buns. (Photo: Benji’s Buns)
What do Dooher’s Bakery, Empire Cheese, Churchkey Brewery, Brown’s Farms, and Russett Farms all have in common? They’re great places to get delicious food, all local to the Campbellford area, and as of this past January they’ve all come together in one bun.
Lunch takeout Benji’s Buns (26 Bridge St West, Campbellford, 705-768-4567) opened on January 22nd, 2018. Owner Ben Lehman keeps the menu simple: soups and sandwiches for a daytime crowd, but with a honed focus on independent and local producers.
An ELT: Eggplant, lettuce and tomato made with smokey maple eggplant and served with a baked potato soup. Benji’s Buns uses products from independent producers whenever possible. (Photo: Benji’s Buns)
Take their beef brisket sandwich. Beef from Russett farms is simmered overnight in a reduction of Churchkey’s Holy Smoke with barbecue sauce and onions. The beef is topped with red cabbage coleslaw, grainy dijon mustard, horseradish and a vinegar dressing on a Dooher’s Bakery Poppyseed Egg Bun.
Have it with Churchkey’s Garlic Cheddar Ale soup, or French Onion soup with Empire Cheddar. The menu is a constant rotation of soups and sandwiches inspired by local producers.
To Ben, supporting local producers just makes sense.
“I believe it’s the right thing to do: buying local, supporting local. In return, they support me. Using local, you get better quality and you build a better relationship with the community.”
Teriyaki pork and grilled pineapple on an onion slider bun served with potato, beef, and vegetable soup. (Photo: Benji’s Buns)
Food from Benji’s Buns is available from their downtown pickup window or can be delivered to your home or office within Campbellford.
Watch out Peterborough, the Electric City Brigade of Beer Betches is in town!
The January meeting of the Electric City Brigade of Beer Betches, held at the Olde Stone Brewing Company. (Photo: Travis Smith)
Are you a woman who loves beer? If the answer is yes, you’ve just qualified to join the Electric City Brigade of Beer Betches, a new of women that meets monthly to drink and learn about beer.
The February meeting of the Electric City Brigade of Beer Betches featured beer from Cameron’s Brewing Company. (Photo: The Electric City Brigade of Beer Betches)
Sara George started the group this January after taking part in a monthly women’s beer drinking group out of Toronto years ago.
“We were in the middle of a brewery, and everyone was having a great time and drinking different beers. There was merchandise and really great food and my first thought was ‘Why doesn’t this exist in Peterborough? This needs to happen in Peterborough.'”
Five years later in 2017, Sara began her current position of Assistant Brewer at the Olde Stone Brewing Company (380 George St N, Peterborough, 705-745-0495) and it suddenly clicked. Sara credits Olde Stone owner Travis Smith with encouraging the idea and offering the brewery as the official headquarters of the group.
Once the group is more established, Sara will consider taking the Betches to other Peterborough breweries.
“I would love to be able to see partnerships happen. I would love to reach out and work with others in the community. We live in a really great area for craft beer.”
To join the Beer Betches, follow them on Facebook. They meet up on the last Monday of every month at 7 p.m.
Owners Robert Black and Barb Matchett expect to open Black's Distillery in Peterborough's East City this week. The distillery produces gin, vodka, rye whiskey, and barley whiskey from local grains, including heritage grain. (Photo: Robert A. Metcalfe)
This week, we feature the imminent opening of Black’s Distillery in Peterborough’s East City, Lock Stop Cafe in Buckhorn opening this spring, a new general manager for Kawartha Golf and Country Club, a trade show for tradespeople and contractors with experience working with heritage buildings, and upcoming regional business events including a Bill 148 information session with the Ministry of Labour, the Peterborough Chamber of Commerce’s Annual General Meeting, and a Kawarthas Northumberland Regional Ambassador information session.
We publish businessNOW every Monday. If you have business news or events you want to share with our readers, please email business@kawarthanow.com.
Black’s Distillery in Peterborough opens on March 14
Peterborough’s newest distillery will be open for business on Wednesday, March 14th.
Some of the equipment at Black’s Distillery in Peterborough. (Photo: Robert A. Metcalfe)
Owners Robert Black and Barb Matchett are putting the final touches on Black’s Distillery, located at 99 Hunter St. E. at the corner of Hunter and Mark Streets in East City, in the space previously occupied by Video 99.
Black tells kawarthaNOW.com that, having received final approval from the City of Peterborough this week, the distillery (and tasting room) will open for the first time on March 14th from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Black’s Heritage Vodka will be available for purchase.
Black’s Distillery produces gin, vodka, rye whiskey, and barley whiskey from local grains, including heritage grain.
The distillery will be selling its products from its storefront and has also applied to the LCBO for distribution in liquor stores.
In addition to selling spirits distilled on site from local grains, Black’s Distillery will also offer gift ideas. (Photo: Robert A. Metcalfe)
New Lock Stop Cafe in Buckhorn opening this spring
Kelli Coon is opening a new speciality coffee house and cafe in Buckhorn this spring.
Lock Stop Cafe (1919 Lakehurst Rd., Buckhorn) will have its grand opening at 11 a.m. on Saturday, April 21st.
Coon, a runner up in the 2017 Bears’ Lair entrepreneurial contest, also operates Ship Shape Service, a dockside interior boat cleaning service and a division of Coon’s Cottage Care in Buckhorn.
Kawartha Golf and Country Club hires new general manager
Kawartha Golf and Country Club has hired Jamie Carter as its new general manager, effective April 1st.
Carter, a career golf professional and club manager who has worked at golf clubs in Ontario for the past 28 years, was most recently general manager at the Dalewood Golf Club near Cobourg.
Carter will be leading Kawartha Golf and Country Club through its multi-million-dollar redevelopment, made possible by the sale of a 23-acre parcel of land along Clonsilla Avenue to AON Inc. AON plans to build a seniors-oriented housing development including apartments, condominiums and a full-service retirement residence.
Following completion of the sale, expected in late 2018, Kawartha Golf and Country Club will build a new clubhouse, construct two new holes to replace those on the parcel to be sold to AON, and expand its driving range and practice area.
Carter is a former president of the Ontario Professional Golfers Association who has represented Ontario on the PGA of Canada board of directors and served as governance chair.
He says that all functions of the golf course and clubhouse will continue without interruption this season.
Deadline extended for vendors for heritage trade show in Peterborough
Hutchison House is one of the oldest limestone houses in Peterborough. It was built by volunteers in 1837 for Dr. John Hutchison, the city’s first resident physician. (Photo: Hutchison House Museum)
The Peterborough Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee is looking for local tradespeople and contractors to participate in a heritage trade show on Saturday, April 7th.
The original March 9th deadline to apply has been extended to Friday, March 23rd. Application forms are available from the City of Peterborough website at peterborough.ca or at the nd at the Heritage Preservation Office (210 Wolfe St., Peterborough).
The goal of the heritage trade show is to connect contractors and tradespeople who specialize in heritage buildings with owners of heritage properties throughout the city. To participate, vendors must be able to demonstrate they have experience working with heritage buildings and that their work complies with the Standards and Guidelines for the Conservation of Historic Places in Canada.
A space at the event will cost $15. Completed forms must be returned by March 23rd to the Heritage Preservation Office or via email to eturner@peterborough.ca.
Learn more about medical marijuana at Peterborough Chamber breakfast meeting on March 13
Erika Calhoun of Bodystream Medical Marijuana Services, which has a location at 53 Hunter St. E. in Peterborough, will be speaking at the Peterborough Chamber’s March 13th breakfast event. (Photo: Bodystream)
Erika Calhoun of Bodystream Medical Marijuana Services will be the guest speaker at Chamber AM, the Peterborough Chamber of Commerce’s bi-monthly breakfast meeting, on Tuesday, March 13th.
The event takes place from 7 to 8:30 a.m. at Carousel Restaurant & Tavern (116 Lansdowne St. E., Peterborough). Networking begins at 7 a.m., followed by breakfast at 7:30 a.m. (where you can make your best 30-second elevator speech to the room), with Erika Calhoun speaking at 8 a.m.
The event is free (you only pay for your breakfast) but registration is requested. For more information and to register, visit www.peterboroughchamber.ca.
Kawartha Chamber hosts Young Professionals Panel on March 20
Matt Logan (2013 Young Professional) with his wife Tracey, Lisa Besseling (2015 Young Professional), and Erin McLean (2017 Young Professional) will be the panelists of the Kawartha Chamber of Commerce & Tourism Young Professionals BOSS session on March 20, 2018. (Photos courtesy of Kawartha Chamber of Commerce & Tourism)
On Tuesday, March 20th, the Kawartha Chamber of Commerce & Tourism is hosting the latest in its Business Owners Sharing Solutions (BOSS) serminars.
This month’s session features a panel of local professionals, each of whom is a past recipient of the Chamber’s Young Professional Award of Excellence: Erin McLean of McLean Berry Farm, Lisa Besseling of Stony Lake Furniture Co., and Matt Logan of Logan Tree Experts.
Erin, Lisa, and Matt will be sharing their stories, successes, and challenges as young business owners.
Julia Wood, Economic Development Officer for the Rural and Agriculture sectors at Peterborough & the Kawarthas Economic Development, will be moderating the session.
The Young Professionals session is takes place at the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 77 (10 Nicholls St., Lakefield) from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. The cost is $15 for Kawartha Chamber Members, and $25 for guests. A hot breakfast will be provided.
Bill 148 Information Session with the Ministry of Labour on March 20
On Tuesday, March 20th, the Peterborough Chamber of Commerce and Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Association (DBIA) are hosting an an information session with Kelly Howe, Regional Program Coordinator with the Ontario Ministry of Labour.
Howe will be speaking on how Bill 148 (Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act, 2017) changes the Employment Standards Act (ESA), along with the various ways a business could interact with the Ministry of Labour and differences between those interactions, as well as the powers a standards officer has under the ESA.
The event runs from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Peterborough Public Library (345 Aylmer St. N., Peterborough). Networking begins at 5 p.m., with remarks from Howe from 5:20 to 6 p.m. followed by a facilitated question-and-answer session from 6;05 to 6:30 p.m., and more networking and one-on-one question time with Howe from 6;30 to 7 p.m.
The session is open to Peterboough Chamber and DBIA members. For more information and to register, visit www.peterboroughchamber.ca.
Panel discussion on communicating with the media on March 20
Peterborough & the Kawarthas Business Advisory Centre is presenting a panel discussion called “Telling your Story: How to Effectively Talk with the Media” on Tuesday, March 20th from 6 to 8 pm. at Showplace Performance Centre (290 George St. N., Peterborough).
The panel discussion is intended for small business owners or entrepreneurs who struggle to share their story with local media. Panellists include local media professionals Paul Rellinger, Jessica Nyznik, and Catherine Hanrahan.
The discussion takes place in the Nexicom Studio. A cash bar will be available and light appetizers will be served.
Meet Trent University and Fleming College students seeking employment on March 20
The Trent Business Students’ Association is hosting “Peterborough Connects” from 12 to 1:45 p.m. at the Innovation Cluster (270 George St. N., Peterborough).
Employers can meet students from Trent University and Fleming College who are seeking employment, showcase their businessses, network with representatives from Trent University and Fleming College, and market any summer internship positions.
Lindsay & District Chamber of Commerce Annual General Meeting on March 21
The Lindsay & District Chamber of Commerce AGM will be held on March 21 at the the Kawartha Art Gallery. (Photo: Lindsay & District Chamber of Commerce)
The Lindsay & District Chamber of Commerce is holding its Annual General Meeting (AGM) from 5 to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, March 21st at the Kawartha Art Gallery (190 Kent St. W., 2nd Floor, Lindsay).
At the AGM you can find out about the Chamber’s activities and successes of the past year, learn about Chamber initiatives for the coming year, review the financial statement, and pass a motion to accept the slate of Board members as presented.
There will also be an opportunity to view the Annual Student Juried Art Exhibit, featuring the talents of Lindsay secondary school students.
Trent Hills Business Excellence Awards nominations open until March 23
Nominations for the Trent Hills Chamber of Commerce 2018 Business Excellence Awards are open until Friday, March 23rd.
Nominations are limited to businesses, organizations, or individuals in the Trent Hills community or who are a member of the Trent Hills Chamber of Commerce.
Award categories include Excellence in Business (three employees or fewer), Excellence in Business (four employees or more), Emerging Entrepreneur, Pride and Progress, Customer Experience Award (Service Business), Customer Experience Award, Community Impact, Ignite 2018 (Business), Ignite 2018 (Non-Profit Organization), and the Chair’s Award.
Makeover seminar for retail businesses on March 27
Barbara Crowhurst is a retail specialist, business coach, writer, international speaker and trainer. She will be leading a retail makeover seminar on March 27, 2018. (Photo: Barbara Crowhurst)
Peterborough & the Kawarthas Economic Development and the Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area are hosting “A Retail Makeover For Your Business” from 8 to 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday, March 27th in the boardroom at VentureNorth (270 George St. N., Peterborough).
The seminar will be led by Barbara Crowhurst, North America’s leading retail business coach and trainer, who will have you evaluate your business and consider how you generate traffic, engage more customers, and generate higher revenues.
Peterborough Chamber of Commerce Annual General Meeting on March 27
The Peterborough Chamber of Commerce is hosting its Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Tuesday, March 27th from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. at Peterborough Golf & Country Club (1030 Armour Rd., Peterborough).
The AGM will take a look back at highlights from 2017 and chamber members will be asked to approved the corporation’s audited financial statements, the actions of the board of directors for 2017, and the proposed bylaw change.
The AGM will be followed by a special presentation by keynote speakers Jeffrey Humble, Director of Planning and Development Services with the City of Peterborough, and Bryan Weir, Director of Planning with the County of Peterborough.
The event costs $20 for members and $30 for non-members. Doors open at 7 a.m. for networking, with breakfast at 7:30 a.m. followed by the AGM at 8 a.m. and guest speakers at 8;30 a.m. For more information and to register, visit www.peterboroughchamber.ca.
Kawarthas Northumberland Regional Ambassador session on March 28
Regional Tourism Organization 8 (RTO8) is seeking frontline staff and business operators who want to become Kawarthas Northumberland Regional Tourism Ambassadors.
RTO8 is hosting a session on Wednesday, March 28th from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Holiday Inn Peterborough Waterfront (150 George St., Peterborough) where you can learn what it takes to be a Regional Ambassador and the tools you can use to stay up to date on what the region has to offer.
You can also meet other people who share your interest in encouraging visitors to stay longer, explore farther, and spend more during their visit.
Lunch and refreshments will be provided. Space is limited. To register, contact Sarah Kerr at sarahp@rto8.com or 705-874-8505 ext.102.
PetSmart Charities of Canada donated $161,000 to the Peterborough Humane Society at the shelter's annual fundraising gala on February 24, 2018. Pictured from left to right: OSPCA CEO Kate MacDonald, OSPCA senior director Daryl Vaillancourt, PHS board chair Nicole Truman, PHS executive director Shawn Morey, PetSmart Peterborough's Star Shaw, gala emcee Ray Henderson (in costume), and Pet Smart Peterborough, Ray Henderson MC, amd PetSmart Charities regional relationship manager Dani Mailing. (Photo courtesy of Peterborough Humane Society)
PetSmart Charities of Canada has donated $161,000 towards the Peterborough Humane Society’s capital campaign for the society’s planned humane education centre and low-cost spay/neuter clinic.
PetSmart Charities presented a cheque to the Peterborough Humane Society at the shelter’s annual fundraising event, the Furball Gala, held on Saturday, February 24th at The Venue in downtown Peterborough.
“Together, PetSmart Charities of Canada and organizations like the Peterborough Humane Society are helping to reduce pet overpopulation in this region by promoting pet adoption and providing access to more affordable, accessible spay and neuter services,” says Dani Mailing, regional relationship manager at PetSmart Charities.
The Peterborough Humane Society already has a strong relationship with the local PetSmart store (898 Monaghan Rd., Peterborough) where cats, rabbits and other small pets from the shelter are brought into the store in the hopes of being adopted and finding their forever home.
“We’re so grateful that our community believes in the great work that we do here at the Peterborough Humane Society,” says Shawn Morey, Executive Director of The Peterborough Humane Society. “Because of their belief and generosity, we are that much closer to accomplishing the task at hand of raising the much-needed funds for the new build”.
The Peterborough Humane Society’s planned new facility will be home to a humane education and adoption centre, a low-cost spay and neuter clinic, and the Ontario SPCA’s Dog Rehabilitation Centre — the first of its kind in Canada.
“It will allow us to provide better care for the animals entrusted to our care,” Morey says. “They deserve this state-of-the-art new facility.”
If you are interested in supporting the Peterborough Humane Society’s capital campaign, either as a volunteer or as a donor, contact Frances Buzcko at fbuczko@thedennisgroup.ca for more information on how you can help. You can also donate online at peterboroughhumanesociety.ca.
PetSmart, North America’s largest pet retailer, founded PetSmart Charities of Canada, a registered Canadian charity, in 1999. In addition to finding forever homes for more than 25,000 shelter pets each year through its in-store adoption program in every PetSmart store, PetSmart Charities provides funding to registered charities. For more information, visit www.petsmartcharities.ca.
Soprano Leslie Fagan, who was recently appointed to the Order of Ontario, will perform with the Peterborough Symphony Orchestra (PSO) at 'Requiem' at Emmanuel United Church East on March 24, 2018. Also joining the PSO for a performance of Johannes Brahms moving choral composition 'A German Requiem' will be the full Peterborough Singers and baritone Alexander Dobson. (Photo: Tony Hauser)
As the roller coaster of weather continues this month across the Kawarthas, the Peterborough Symphony Orchestra (PSO) is preparing a thrilling and dramatic end to the winter season on March 24th with Requiem, a concert at Emmanuel United Church East in Peterborough.
The PSO’s March 24th Requiem concert at Emmanuel United Church East is sponsored by Scotiabank. Tickets are available from the Showplace box office.
Sponsored by Scotiabank, Requiem will feature the 58 musicians of the PS0 performing the music of German composer Johannes Brahms along with the 100 voices of the Peterborough Singers, baritone Alexander Dobson, and soprano Leslie Fagan, conducted by PSO Music Director Michael Newnham.
The PSO is pleased to be joined by these extraordinary guest artists to present the moving choral composition A German Requiem, to Words of the Holy Scriptures, Op. 45. Brahms wrote the work between 1865 and 1868, following the deaths of his friend and fellow composer Robert Schumann and Brahms’ mother.
Rather than creating a requiem in the Roman Catholic tradition to mourn the dead, the Protestant-raised Brahms wrote his composition with a focus on humanity, to bring comfort to the living.
A German Requiem is an ambitious and profound piece. It is Brahms’ largest composition, and one which has found renewed popularity in today’s society. Last year, the New York concert season featured several performances of it programmed with commissions and other works meant to offer hope and reflection on today’s social, political, and environmental conflicts.
‘Requiem’ marks the first time in over a decade the Peterborough Symphony Orchestra will perform with all 100 members of the Peterborough Singers (pictured here in 2013), which is celebrating its 25th season this year. (Photo courtesy of Peterborough Singers)
James R. Oestreich, music critic with The New York Times, wrote that the German Requiem “has become something of an anthem for our time”.
A portrait of German composer Johannes Brahms in 1865, the year he began work on ‘A German Requiem’. (Public domain)
Indeed, the themes of the large-scale work completed 150 years ago have a powerful, ageless appeal. Maestro Newnham explains that the composition “is about bringing comfort to all, helping us understand where we fit in the greater scheme of things
“This is the piece which made Brahms famous, still as a young man. Its style is the perfect combination of romanticism, classicism and music from the 16th and 17th centuries. It is timeless.”
Requiem marks the first time in over a decade that the PSO will perform with the full Peterborough Singers. This season the highly regarded vocal ensemble celebrates its 25th anniversary.
“The Peterborough Singers are one of the defining elements of musical life in our city,” Maestro Newnham says.
“Syd Birrell has built not only a very fine choir, but a huge family. Their joy of music making and sense of being in the moment is tangible whenever I see them. I am very grateful to Syd and the choir for the opportunity of joining with the PSO to perform Brahms’ German Requiem, one of the greatest works for choir and orchestra ever written.”
Soprano Leslie Fagan was appointed to the Order of Ontario earlier this year in recognition of her contributions as a singer, educator, and promoter of Canadian music. (Photo: MPP Jeff Leal / Twitter)
Also joining the PSO on March 24th are soprano Leslie Fagan, who was recently appointed to the Order of Ontario, and the acclaimed baritone Alexander Dobson, who will be performing with the PSO for the first time.
“Leslie Fagan and Alexander Dobson are at the forefront of operatic and oratorio singers in and outside of Canada,” Maestro Newnham says. “Both are very well-known in Peterborough and well-loved by the PSO musicians and our audiences. This is a dream team for Brahms’ German Requiem.”
Baritone Alexander Dobson is performing ‘A German Requiem’ three times this season, including his debut performance with the Peterborough Symphony Orchestra on March 24, 2018. (Photo: Melissa Tremblay)
Alexander explains that his connection with the German Requiem is intense, as he is singing it three times this season.
“The first being in Peterborough, then on to Edmonton and finally in Charleston, South Carolina at the Spoleto Festival,” he explains. “I had the great joy to sing it with the Orchestre Metropolitain and Yannick Nezet-Seguin conducting a few years back.”
That connection is also an emotional one for Alexander.
“It is a piece that is dear to my heart,” he says. “Not only from the sheer beauty of the music but also the scale of it. It is challenging for all involved and after putting all the pieces together it becomes extremely satisfying to perform.
“I am really looking forward to making my Peterborough Symphony debut with this piece especially, and to work for the first time with Maestro Michael Newnham. I have always been so impressed with his energy on the podium and the orchestra loves to play with him.”
The Requiem concert program also includes Joseph Haydn’s theatrical “La passione” symphony and excerpts from J. S. Bach’s Orchestral Suite no. 2.
The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. at Emmanuel United Church East (534 George St. N, Peterborough, formerly known as George Street United Church), but ticket holders are invited to attend Meet the Maestro, a popular pre-concert chat with Maestro Newnham, in the church at 6:40 p.m. Doors into the main seating areas of the church are scheduled to open at 6:30 p.m..
VIDEO: ‘A German Requiem’ performed by Berlin Philharmonic and Berlin Radio Choir
Although Requiem takes place at Emmanuel United Church East, single concert tickets are only available from the box office at Showplace Performance Centre (290 George St. N., Peterborough). Tickets are priced at $38.50 for adults and $10 for students. Visit the box office in-person, online at www.showplace.org, or call 705-742-7469 to buy tickets.
Seating at Emmanuel United Church East is general admission, but there will be sections of seats reserved for PSO season subscribers. Volunteers will be on hand at the church to assist audience members, including those who require use of the elevator to access the main floor of the church. The elevator entrance is located outside of the church, to the left of the main entrance on George Street.
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