A team of volunteers with the Peterborough Humane Society is on its way to Montreal today (April 13) to pick up 15 of 80 dogs that were rescued from a South Korean meat farm by Humane Society International.

The dogs, which are mostly female, are all between eight months and one year old and of different breeds including Norwegian Elkhound, Tossa, and Korean Jindo.

Although they were quarantined in South Korea and then in Montreal and have already been examined by veterinarians, the dogs will receive additional medical screening after they arrive in Peterborough later this afternoon. All the dogs have been fully vaccinated, including for canine influenza.

The Korean dogs are scheduled to be spayed or neutered before they are made available for adoption. The Peterborough Humane Society will announce when viewings and adoptions will be available, which will be a minimum of 72 hours after the dogs arrive in Peterborough.

The dogs were brought to Canada by Humane Society International (HSI), which has worked in South Korea for the past three years and have permanently closed down 10 dog meat farms, transporting more than 1,200 dogs to safety in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.

“Weeks ago, these dogs lived a life of severe deprivation, crammed in barren wire cages, and chained to stakes in the ground on a South Korean dog meat farm,” says Rebecca Aldworth, executive director for HSI/Canada. “They had no protection from the cold and were denied even the most basic of their needs, such as proper food, veterinary care and socialization.”

HSI was able to rescue the dogs with support from the Eric S. Margolis Family Foundation and the Peterborough Humane Society, which recently became an HSI placement partner.

“We are extremely excited to be establishing this relationship with the team at HSI, in an effort to find these beautiful dogs deserving homes in our community,” says Peterborough Humane Society executive directory Shawn Morey.

“Over the past few weeks, we have been extremely diligent in the decision making to be sure these dogs will be great additions to local families. They have been quarantined, vaccinated, vetted, as well as behaviourally screened prior to moving forward with this program.”

Mike Swift, Canadian and Olympian Hockey star from the Korean Hockey team and a Peterborough hockey boy at heart, will be on hand to greet the dogs when they arrive in Peterborough.

“Being a dog lover and having been in Korea for the past seven years, it seemed like a great fit to support yet another great endeavour by the PHS team and its volunteers,” Swift says.

A number of local businesses are also supporting the dog transfer, including Kawartha Chrysler, Little Ceasars Pizza, NV Media productions, That’s a Wrap Catering, and Trent Valley Honda.

Developers are evil. And the only way to combat them is to train as a Navy SEAL and employ military-style tactics to seek out, destroy, and remove them from the community, joked Erik Hanson, the City’s Heritage Resources Coordinator.

Hanson was speaking to a full house at Lett Architects on Simcoe Street, at the Electric City Culture Council (EC3) discussion last night (April 11) on how to ensure that Peterborough’s arts community and heritage assets are preserved as a central aspect of the city’s identity.

The crowd of about 75 arts and heritage enthusiasts included at least one local developer: realtor/developer Paul Bennett, who recently took over the historic Braund building at the corner of Water and Hunter streets and has not announced any plans for the building which houses many artists and small businesses, but is replacing the windows.

The other speaker, well-known “mission-driven” Toronto developer Margie Zeidler, president of Urbanspace Property Group, shared insights on developing one of the first workplace commons at 401 Richmond back in 1994 when she was able to buy the building at $8 per square foot.

Zeidler said the climate for greed means that the best route to protect and create artist spaces can be with the preservation of heritage buildings and the low-cost spaces they can provide.

Zeidler, who was born in Peterborough, didn’t sugarcoat her answer when asked how to encourage developers to invest in the arts community and heritage properties.

“I don’t know how to get developers interested in arts and/or heritage,” she said. “Not many developers are interested in much beyond their financial pro formas. Sadly, we are in an age of unprecedented greed and because real estate has been one of the big factors in wealth creation, there isn’t much of an incentive to work very hard to do anything ‘extra’. Certainly not in Toronto, anyway.

“The only real way to make sure there are spaces for artists is to form a not-for-profit group that will have that as their mission (like Artscape). I find it is only in tough markets where it is hard to find tenants that developers get a bit more creative. I think the best you can do is find developers that already have these leanings and encourage them.”

Zeidler said that although the 401 is run as a for-profit, it is “looking less and less like that every day.”

It is rare to see capitalism do something good for the public commons — yet the onus for preservation is on the private sector. Zeidler said that heritage protection only happens when there are strong rules in place that politicians can’t meddle with. She also suggests organizing volunteers for a Peterborough chapter under the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario.

She said they learned many lessons when developing 401 Richmond, but the principles were built around the “three Cs” — community, culture and commerce — and how mixing these three together benefits everyone and can create “cross-subsidies” where one tenant is able to pay market rent while another may not.

Part of the 401 redevelopment included using the courtyard as the playground for the building’s daycare centre. Zeidler said, “The children’s voices help remind us why we are trying to create a better world.” This new “workplace commons” was so successful, the province commissioned a report to see if it could be replicated.

She said they also learned that supportive work environments are crucial for artists and smaller entrepreneurs for success. Many entrepreneurs, including artists, livelihoods can hinge on being able to acquire cheap space. And “artists always pay their rent,” she said.

Hanson noted that studies show most business owners have a sense of pride in being near heritage buildings. He also said that heritage can be an economic driver for any downtown.

As Hanson talked about how heritage designations are made (there are 128 designated buildings in the city, and also a Heritage Conservation District in the Avenues) and about the progress that Peterborough has made over the last 15 years, he said the City has been good at adaptive re-use especially with housing projects.

“We see so many beautiful examples of adaptive re-use,” he said, noting the Post Office redevelopment on Charlotte Street and others including the Y-Lofts, which was “more than 10 years in the making.”

Hanson also noted that the City’s updated Official Plan will include heritage designations and he encourages everyone to provide input (there is a survey online right now.)

Beyond the fact that these older buildings can provide cheaper rental spaces, they are also more environmentally friendly and have lower operational costs.

“The greenest building is the one already standing,” said Hanson, adding it is only through maintaining current buildings that we will be able to meet our goals with the Paris climate agreement.

Older buildings also have the lowest operating costs because of the way buildings were originally built for heating and cooling efficiency without controlled air, said Zeidler, adding that restoration provides new, local jobs, and skills.

“Buildings built after the Second World War are inherently more wasteful than the ones that were built before,” she said, adding that in the shoulder seasons at 401 they simply open up the windows. “Most new windows start to fail within 20 years. And we have windows that are 120 years old that have been restored and are on their way to last for another 120 years.

“When you demolish an old building, it’s not just a loss of a building, it’s a loss of memory and how we were once able to do fine and beautiful things.”

EC3 will be hosting planning charrettes (workshops) to engage citizens in updating the City’s Official Plan in the coming months. Stay tuned to www.ecthree.org.

The Peterborough Regional Heath Centre (PRHC) has opened the area’s first clinic to provide expedited, barrier-free treatment for patients who are addicted to alcohol or opioids.

The Rapid Access Addiction Medicine (RAAM) clinic has been operating in early March at 159 King St. Suite 302 in downtown Peterborough (co-located with PARN). It is open from 8 to 11 a.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

The RAAM clinic is staffed by PRHC physicians and registered nurses. No booked appointment or physician referral is necessary, although referrals from doctors, nurses, social workers, addiction counselors, and community providers are welcomed.

“Our Rapid Access Addiction Medicine clinic provides immediate access to lifesaving treatment by offering same-day counselling and addiction medication, and prescription therapies,” says Dr. Jim McGorman, an Emergency Department physician with PRHC who is now also treating patients at the new clinic.

“This care model has been shown to help save lives by engaging patients with both short- and long-term therapies as soon as they are ready to pursue those treatments.”

The RAAM clinic model is designed to initiate therapy for opioid or alcohol addiction and then triage clients to the most appropriate ongoing care provider. It is not intended to replace or duplicate the care provided by a family physician or a treatment clinic. RAAM clinics have been implemented in cities across Ontario including Oshawa and Scarborough, where they are helping to prevent opiate overdoses and reduce emergency department visits and inpatient stays for people with addictions.

According to a media release, the RAAM clinic at PRHC is working closely with other health care providers and resources in the community to ensure patients have access to additional supports following their initial treatment, as they move through the continuum of care.

The clinic is funded by $200,000 from the Ministry of Health and the Central East Local Health Integration Network (LHIN).

The RAAM clinic has been operating in its downtown location at 159 King St. Suite 302 (co-located with PARN) since March 5. It is open Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 8:00 a.m. to 11 a.m.

A group of local women is encouraging other women in Peterborough to get involved in politics by hosting “Cultivating Change – Engaging Women in Political Action” on Thursday, April 26th.

The event, which takes place from 5:30 to 9 p.m. at Ashburnham Reception Centre (840 Armour Road, Peterborough), includes a moderated panel discussion featuring three women with political experience: Gail Moorhouse (a former municipal candidate for Cambridge City Council). Lauren Hunter (a political organizer and consultant), and Mary Smith (Mayor of Selwyn Township and Deputy Warden of the County of Peterborough).

The non-partisan evening will include discussions and a question-and-answer session with the panelists, information on the upcoming municipal and provincial elections, information on campaign organization, and time for sharing experiences and networking.

Everyone is welcome to attend the event, which will include light food and refreshments. The event is free, but attendees are encouraged to register at Eventbrite.

“Cultivating Change – Engaging Women in Political Action” has been organized by a group of professional women who are working to encourage discussion, dialogue, and involvement in politics while seeking gender equity.

The group, which came together under the organization and inspiration of Gail Moorhouse, consists of Jocasta Boone (Director, Resonance Centre and Publisher, Electric City Magazine), Devon Girard (former political advisor), Gail Moorhouse (former council candidate), Louise Racine (Founder, Thirteen Moons and Peterborough International Women’s Day Conference), Jeannine Taylor (Founder/Publisher kawarthaNOW.com), Heather Watson (Founder and CEO, acorn30), and Lynn Zimmer (Executive Director, YWCA Peterborough Haliburton).

A brief biography of each of three panelists follows.

Lauren Hunter

Lauren Hunter’s experience in politics includes various roles on over a dozen campaign teams over the past 10 years, including municipal, provincial, and federal campaigns. She has also been a political staff at both the provincial and federal levels, and most recently worked with Maryam Monsef, MP for Peterborough-Kawartha.

Government relations, public affairs, and communications are at the heart of Lauren’s career. She currently acts as a management consultant for Laridae, where she leads strategy and planning projects, brings stakeholders together, and helps organizations implement change.

She was previously the Director of Operations at the Rideau Institute in Ottawa, and she holds a Bachelor of Public Affairs and Policy Management from Carleton University.

 

Gail Moorhouse

Gail Moorhouse was inspired to organize the Cultivating Change committee based on her personal experience in the 2010 municipal election, when she ran for city council in Cambridge and came in second.

While she was disappointed to not have won, she refers to the election as a fantastic experience, and is driven to share her experience as a candidate and inspire others to get involved and organize.

Gail is currently the Executive Director of Community Futures Peterborough, a not-for-profit organization that supports small business development through flexible financing and business counselling services.

 

Mary Smith

Mary Smith was elected to the position of Selwyn Township (formerly the Township of Smith-Ennismore-Lakefield) in 2010 and again in 2014. She is currently in her final term, having opted to not seek re-election in 2018.

Mary’s municipal career began in 1998, when she was acclaimed as Deputy Reeve of the Village of Lakefield and automatically became a Councillor for the County of Peterborough. Elected Lakefield Ward Councillor for the new Township of Smith-Ennismore-Lakefield in 2000, Mary served two terms in that position.

In 2006, she was elected Deputy Reeve for the Township of Smith-Ennismore-Lakefield and once again served on Council for the County of Peterborough. She is currently also Deputy Warden of the County of Peterborough.

 

For more information about “Cultivating Change – Engaging Women in Political Action”, visit the event’s Facebook page.