Today (April 7), the Peterborough Police Service reported it has responded to the scenes of three accidental overdoses, each resulting in death, in the last 48 hours.

The three overdose deaths, suspected to be caused by the use of illicit drugs, are unrelated to one another.

Police are reminding the public of the risks of using drugs, particularly opioids. They are warning city and area residents about the potential dangers when using illicit substances, especially when it is unknown what may be mixed with them or their potential strength.

It has been reported across Canada that Fentanyl has been mixed with many illicit drugs. Fentanyl is a synthetic, short-acting analgesic and sedative.

If an individual is going to use a drug, it is suggested that they consider doing so in the presence of another person for safety and that there is Naloxone present. Naloxone is an opioid antidote that can reverse an overdose. Naloxone, once administered, can last for approximately 20 minutes to one hour, depending on the strength of the opioid, which allows an individual that may have overdosed to be treated medically.

Naloxone is available free of charge from numerous pharmacies, Peterborough Public Health at 185 King Street in Peterborough, and from PARN at 159 King Street in Peterborough.

If you suspect someone has overdosed on drugs, call 911 immediately for medical assistance.

For more information relating to opiates and Naloxone, visit peterboroughdrugstrategy.com.

If you love Instagram as much as we do, you’ll also love our monthly feature where we post the nine most popular Kawarthas photos from our Instagram account @kawarthanow.

For the past few years, we’ve been curating and sharing photos from local photographers on Instagram, who generously give us permission to share their images with our followers. We’re aiming to give them more exposure, so please do follow them on Instagram (handles included below) — and follow us too @kawarthanow.

We share great photos every day, so it’s hard to decide which ones to include! The photos we’ve selected are based on the total views for each photo by our Instagram followers during March.

#1. Warsaw Caves by Mike Markov @mikemarkov

Posted March 24, 2018. 5,880 views.

Good Saturday morning our #kawarthapeeps with this stunner from @mikemarkov #kawarthas #thekawarthas #warsawcavesconservationarea #warsawcaves #warsawON #kawarthalakes #dourodummer #springinthekawarthas

A post shared by kawarthaNOW® (@kawarthanow) on Mar 24, 2018 at 2:53am PDT

#2. Heart-shaped Wintergreen Moss by Brad Copping @bradcopping

Our March 17th St Paddy’s Day series of “the greens of the Kawarthas” was led by Brad Copping’s photo he took last summer.

Posted March 17, 2018. 5,837 views.

Good #stpatricksday morning our #kawarthapeeps! May the luck of the Irish be with you today and always. Swipe left to see all the beautiful #greens of the #kawarthas by these photographers and artists: Wintergreen moss by @bradcopping Hunter Street mural bloodroot leaf detail by @abbygailsatura Clover by @mariannebeacon Lock 23 Trent Canal by @mccullum.co Gannon Narrows Bridge by @mccullum.co Coon Lake dock by @theburleighridge_beareh Stoney Lake by @from_the_forest #green #irish #stpaddysday #40shadesofgreen

A post shared by kawarthaNOW® (@kawarthanow) on Mar 17, 2018 at 3:57am PDT

#3. Afternoon coffee by The Highlands Cottages @thehighlandscottages

Posted March 18, 2018. 5,492 views.

Good Sunday morning our #kawarthapeeps from @thehighlandscottages near #buckhorn. Spring is near! #springinthekawarthas #whyweliveinthekawarthas #welovethekawarthas #keepitinthekawarthas #kawarthaNOW #ourKNkawarthas #ourkawarthas #winterinthekawarthas #kawarthalakes #thekawarthalakes #thekawarthas #kawarthas #kawarthabeauty #kawarthanature #kawartha #kawarthapeeps #kawarthalife #kawarthacommunity #peterboroughontario #ptbokawartha #ptbo #ptboontario

A post shared by kawarthaNOW® (@kawarthanow) on Mar 18, 2018 at 4:50am PDT

#4. Lake Scugog morning by Rachelle Richard Mack @rachelle_richard_photography

Posted March 27, 2018. 5,303 views.

Good Tuesday morning our #kawarthapeeps from #lakescugog thanks to @rachelle_richard_photography #springinthekawarthas #kawarthalakes #thekawarthas #kawarthas

A post shared by kawarthaNOW® (@kawarthanow) on Mar 27, 2018 at 4:02am PDT

#5. Mennonite carriage in City of Kawartha Lakes by stilez @stilez

Posted March 19, 2018. 5,298 views.

Good Monday morning our #KNreshared from #cityofkawarthalakes by photographer @stilez There are several varieties of Mennonite and Amish groups in Canada, and—although they all share the same roots—each group practises its faith in unique ways. Here are some things you should know about your Mennonite, Old Order and Amish neighbours. http://www.canadianmennonite.org/stories/10-things-know-about-mennonites-canada #springinthekawarthas #whyweliveinthekawarthas #welovethekawarthas #keepitinthekawarthas #kawarthaNOW #ourKNkawarthas #ourkawarthas #winterinthekawarthas #kawarthalakes #thekawarthalakes #thekawarthas #kawarthas #kawarthabeauty #kawarthanature #kawartha #kawarthapeeps #kawarthalife #kawarthacommunity #peterboroughontario #ptbokawartha #ptbo #ptboontario

A post shared by kawarthaNOW® (@kawarthanow) on Mar 19, 2018 at 3:13am PDT

#6. Big Bald Lake morning clouds by Joe Yusiw @joe_yusiw

Posted March 25, 2018. 5,273 views.

Good Sunday morning our #kawarthapeeps from #bigbaldlake thanks to @joe_yusiw #buckhornON #bobcaygeon #springinthekawarthas #kawarthasunrise #kawarthaclouds #livinginthekawarthas #springkawarthas #peterboroughontario #ptbokawartha #ptbo #ptboontario #whyweliveinthekawarthas #welovethekawarthas #keepitinthekawarthas #kawarthaNOW #ourKNkawarthas #ourkawarthas #kawarthalakes #thekawarthalakes #thekawarthas #kawarthas #kawarthabeauty #kawarthanature #kawartha #kawarthapeeps #kawarthalife #kawarthacommunity

A post shared by kawarthaNOW® (@kawarthanow) on Mar 25, 2018 at 4:23am PDT

#7. Naturally dyed Easter eggs by Julia Luymes @julialuymesart

Posted March 30, 2018. 5,124 views.

Good morning our #kawarthapeeps – are we ready for the Easter weekend? Local photographer @julialuymesart blogged about the natural dyes used for these Easter eggs. Follow the link in her bio for her blog. (The orange dyes are onion skins!) #easterbasket #eastereggs #springinthekawarthas #local #easterinthekawarthas

A post shared by kawarthaNOW® (@kawarthanow) on Mar 29, 2018 at 4:11am PDT

#8. Little Lake sunset by Christopher Robson @christopher.j.robson

Posted March 21, 2018. 4,995 views.

Good Wednesday morning our #kawarthapeeps with last night's first sunset of spring over Little Lake! from @christopher.j.robson #littlelakepeterborough #otonabeeriver #trentsevernwaterway #tsw #springkawarthas #peterboroughontario #ptbokawartha #ptbo #ptboontario #riverthatbeatslikeaheart #whyweliveinthekawarthas #welovethekawarthas #keepitinthekawarthas #kawarthaNOW #ourKNkawarthas #ourkawarthas #kawarthalakes #thekawarthalakes #thekawarthas #kawarthas #kawarthabeauty #kawarthanature #kawartha #kawarthapeeps #kawarthalife #kawarthacommunity

A post shared by kawarthaNOW® (@kawarthanow) on Mar 21, 2018 at 2:53am PDT

#9. Eels Creek by James Groenwold @james_groenwold

Posted March 12, 2018. 4,944 views.

Good Monday morning our #kawarthapeeps with some Monday calm from #eelscreek #northkawartha #KNreshared from @james_groenwold #springinthekawarthas #whyweliveinthekawarthas #welovethekawarthas #keepitinthekawarthas #kawarthaNOW #ourKNkawarthas #ourkawarthas #winterinthekawarthas #kawarthalakes #thekawarthalakes #thekawarthas #kawarthas #kawarthabeauty #kawarthanature #kawartha #kawarthapeeps #kawarthalife #kawarthacommunity #peterboroughontario #ptbokawartha #ptbo #ptboontario

A post shared by kawarthaNOW® (@kawarthanow) on Mar 12, 2018 at 3:45am PDT

Parks Canada is preparing for the opening of the 2018 boating season on the Trent-Severn Waterway and will be conducting spring maintenance on some of its swing bridges and sites in the next few weeks.

Swing bridges in Peterborough will be temporarily closed, most significantly the Maria Street Swing Bridge, connecting Ashburnham Road to East City in Peterborough. It will be closed for two days beginning on Friday, April 20th. An alternate route from Ashburnham Road to East City is through the Peterborough Lift Lock tunnel.

The Parks Canada work on the bridges includes preventative maintenance tasks like washing and greasing swing bridges, and conducting visual inspections to ensure their safe operation.

The following swing bridges in Peterborough will be temporarily closed on the dates and times indicated, weather permitting:

• McFarlane Street Bridge will be closed for 24 hours from 6 a.m. on Tuesday, April 10th until 6 a.m. on Wednesday, April 11th.
• Warsaw Road Swing Bridge will be closed for five and a half hours from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 1st.
• Maria Street Swing Bridge will be closed for 48 hours from 6 a.m. on Friday, April 20th until 6 a.m. on Sunday, April 22nd.

Motorists are advised to plan alternate routes during these closures.

In addition to the temporary bridge closures listed above, Parks Canada will be conducting seasonal maintenance on certain bridges that cross the Trent-Severn Waterway beginning Monday, April 9th until mid May. This maintenance will not close the bridges, but vehicles may experience short delays of about 10 minutes.

Here is a list of the affected bridges:

• Brighton Road Swing Bridge
• Carrying Place Swing Bridge
• Glen Ross Swing Bridge
• Ranney Falls Swing Bridge (Campbellford)
• Hastings Swing Bridge
• Bobcaygeon Swing Bridge
• Bolsover Swing Bridge
• Boundary Road Swing Bridge
• Lakeshore Road Swing Bridge
• Couchiching Bridge
• Hamlet Swing Bridge (on Canning Road near Washago)
• Port Severn Swing Bridge

For more information about the Trent-Severn Waterway, visit www.parkscanada.gc.ca/trent.

When a business puts up $100,000 for the right to name something, it’s tough to argue that the name chosen should clearly reflect the business and its generosity.

But there’s no such demand from LLF Lawyers, which is sponsoring a newly developed public square located at Simcoe and Aylmer Street adjacent to the newly renovated Peterborough Public Library.

Instead, the prominent local law firm is turning to the public to decide on the name.

On Wednesday (April 4th) at the library, LLF Lawyers partner Bill Lockington revealed seven name choices for the space and invited the public to choose the winning name. The choices are:

• Firehouse Square, in recognition of the Peterborough fire hall once located at the site of the current library.
• Brigade Square, in recognition of the 1908 establishment of a permanent Peterborough fire brigade.
• W. A. Howard Commons, in recognition of Peterborough’s first fire chief who served from 1908 to 1917.
• Robertson Davies Square, in recognition of the novelist and long-time editor of The Peterborough Examiner.
• Dr. Thomas Greer Square, in recognition of the original owner of the home that stood at the public space site.
• Library Commons, in recognition of the library’s proximity to the space.
• Carnegie Square, in recognition of the Carnegie Foundation’s 1911 contribution to the library built on George Street adjacent to what is now City Hall.

LLF worked with city staff to compile a short list of seven names that reflect the community’s heritage and history and demonstrate a commitment to public access to and use of the space. For more information about the name choices, visit peterborough.ca.

People can vote online for their preferred name at www.surveymonkey.com/r/MGL63RD, or you can vote in person with ballots available at Peterborough City Hall and the library. Voting is open until Friday, April 20th with the name to be announced April 25th.

“It was never our intention that this space be named after our law firm,” stressed Lockington, whose firm is located on Aylmer Street directly across from the library and a stone’s throw from the public space.

“This is a community property and it’s a community investment, so the community should name it. This was a really great opportunity to do something in this area. We’re going to get enhanced infrastructure in this community we wouldn’t get otherwise. It’s our neck of the woods. It just made a lot of sense.”

For his part, City of Peterborough Sponsorship Co-ordinator Scott Elliott is thrilled LLF Lawyers has stepped up to the plate, adding it’s the city’s largest sponsorship to date dollar-wise.

LLF Lawyers’ sponsorship of the public square amounts to $100,000 over 20 years, with an initial $20,000 to cover the acquisition of a piece of public art and the balance divided into equal annual increments over the remainder of the time.

And, as Elliott pointed out, LLF Lawyers’ willingness to give away the naming rights hasn’t gone unnoticed.

“A national publication, very specialized in the sponsorship industry, contacted me directly,” he said. “They heard about this sort of new and unique thing happening in the City of Peterborough where someone was purchasing a naming right but didn’t want to name it after themselves. It’s very rare and it has garnered some national attention in the sponsorship industry.”

“This is outside the way traditional government operates. It’s important we find out what’s working, what’s not working, what are our challenges, where are the successes. There are always opportunities. It’s about creativity, it’s about marketing, it’s about achieving business objectives.

“Bigger cities like Toronto and Ottawa have had (public sponsorship) programs for upwards of 20 years. In that sense, we may be catching up but I would still say Peterborough is ahead of the curve on this for the most part.”

While the gathering’s primary purpose was to release details of the name voting procedure and LLF Lawyers’ sponsorship, it was also an opportunity for Toronto architect Patrick Li to display a model of “Your Story”, his artwork that will call the new public space home.

According to artist and Peterborough Public Art Advisory Committee chair Bruce Stonehouse, a call for submissions brought interest from 20 artists and designers with three chosen to further develop their proposals and submit a model.

Li’s design was chosen by a selection committee comprised of: Theresa Kerr from the Peterborough Public Library Board; Nan Sidler, a community member appointed by the Library board; David Miller, a community member appointed by the project sponsor; and Krista English and Julia Harrison of the City’s Public Art Advisory Committee.

“One work stood high,” Stonehouse said in reference to Li’s design. “The sculpture is engaging. It’s big, bold and beautiful. The form is like a twisting torso with energy it is just about to release. It’s alive, dynamic, and far from being static.”

At an earlier gathering announcing his artwork had been selected, Li gave his own take.

“This sculpture is made by the undulated fin-like columns to be reminiscent of a book cover that is twisting in the wind,” he said.

“There is movement to make the sculpture feel alive. Each person who walks inside it will have a chance to experience this fluidity and discover their own journey.”

According to Elliott, tenders to develop the public space have gone out with the work expected to be completed before year’s end.

For more information about the city’s corporate and small business sponsorship opportunities, visit www.peterborough.ca/sponsorpeterborough.