The City of Kawartha Lakes is implementing its annual spring burn ban earlier than normal this year — on Friday, March 23rd instead of April 1st.
The earlier-than-normal burn ban comes after City of Kawartha Lakes Fire Rescue Service responded to a large number of grass-related fires over the March 16th weekend.
“Although the ground may appear saturated or still have snow cover in some areas of the municipality, dry grass and debris catch fire easily and flames can spread quickly,” says Fire Chief Mark Pankhurst.
“Typically by the end of April, things have greened up and the risk of grass fires is dramatically reduced.”
All fire permit sales are suspended until further notice. Residents will be notified when the burn ban is lifted.
While the burn ban does not necessarily apply to those with agricultural or special burn permits — as special conditions already apply to these permits — those permit holders are advised to restrict burning and exercise extreme caution.
Under section 8.03 of Kawartha Lakes By-Law 2016-11, those having a fire during a burn ban can be charged under the Provincial Offences Act and will also be responsible for the costs incurred by fire control.
Locally grown strawberries are only a few months away! The Lakefield Farmers' Market is now accepting applications for new agricultural, prepared food, and artisanal vendors. The market opens for the season on Thursday, May 24th. (Photo: Lakefield Farmers' Market)
The Kawartha Chamber is hosting a workshop on the Employment Standards Act, 2000 (ESA) focusing on the recent changes to labour laws under the Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act, 2017 (Bill 148).
The session will include a speaker from the Ministry of Labour, and discussions on minimum wage, hours of work, public holidays, leaves of absence and more. A question and answer period will follow.
The session is taking place on Wednesday, April 4th at the Lakefield Legion. Doors open at 5 p.m. All business professionals are welcome, and encouraged, to attend. Admission is free but please register. Contact the Chamber office at 705-652-6963 or email events@kawarthachamber.ca for more details.
Guests are also encouraged to send their questions in advance for the Q&A portion. Email your questions to generalmanager@kawarthachamber.ca.
Now hiring! Application deadline March 23rd
Qualified applicants are invited to email cover letter, resume, and expected hourly wage by 4:30 p.m. on Friday, March 23rd to generalmanager@kawarthachamber.ca, indicating “Engagement Coordinator” in the subject line.
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.
Save the Date: BOSS Mental Health in the Workplace – May 9th
The Chamber’s next Business Owners Sharing Solutions (BOSS) session will focus on mental health in the worksplace.
The panel will include:
Ashley Challinor, Ontario Chamber of Commerce
Dave Pogue, Team 55 Tackling Suicide Awareness
Jack Veitch, Canadian Mental Health Association – Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge
This session is taking place at the Lakefield Legion from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, May 9th and will focus on coping strategies and techniques for mental health in the workplace. Admissions is $15 for Chamber members and $25 for future members! More details to come.
The Chamber thanks its professional development sponsor, Lynn Woodcroft, Sales Representative with Royal LePage Frank Real Estate.
Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC) – 2018 Throne Speech and NDP Five-Point Policy Plan
On March 19th, the Honourable Elizabeth Dowdeswell, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, delivered the Ontario government’s speech from the throne.
The throne speech, delivered ahead of next week’s budget and just months before the next election, focused on the theme of “care.” The top priorities for the government in lead up to the election include health care, home care, mental health and addictions, child care, and regional investments.
The OCC has provided a synopsis of the throne speech below. Throne speeches provide a general overview of the Government’s policy commitments rather than specific details. We will provide a detailed analysis of the government’s commitments following the release of the upcoming 2018 Budget on March 28th.
Peterborough-Kawartha MP Maryam Monsef is bringing together community members, innovators, artists, employers, and the local workforce for an afternoon of networking, learning, and connecting the needs of our community with the potential of our people.
This event is taking place from 2 to 6 p.m. on Wednesday, April 11th at McDonnel St. Activity Centre (577 McDonnel St., Peterborough).
Registration and details of the session will be available soon. For more information, contact Maryam Monsef’s office at 705-745-2108 or maryam.monsef@parl.gc.ca.
Welcome New Member
Abbeyfield House Society of Lakefield 705-652-3856, www.abbeyfield.ca
“Abbeyfield offers a warm, family-style house and a balance between privacy and companionship, security and independence, combined with the special caring element provided by dedicated volunteers and the support of a House Coordinator.
The Abbeyfield concept is very simple. Typically, twelve to fifteen residents of retirement age live in their own private bed-sitting rooms furnished with their own things. The residents share lunch and dinner, plus a self-serve breakfast from a well-stocked breakfast bar. Snacks and drinks are also available throughout the day.
A House Coordinator attends to the daily running of the house, the shopping and the preparation and serving of meals. Privacy and independence are preserved yet the gentle supportive domestic atmosphere provides companionship and freedom from worries and chores.”
Lakefield Farmers’ Market Call for Vendors
The Lakefield Farmers’ Market runs on Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. from May 24 until October 4, 2018, rain or shine. (Photo: Lakefield Farmers’ Market)
Lakefield Farmers’ Market is gearing up for the 2018 season and is excited to be putting the call out for new agricultural, prepared food, and artisanal vendors.
If you have a product you feel would be a valuable addition to the market, visit www.lakefieldfarmersmarket.ca and click on the “Apply Now” tab to look at the Vendor Handbook and fill out an application.
The market opens on May 24th this year, so mark your calendars and be sure to visit the market every Thursday for the best in locally produced foods and art.
Abbeyfield House Society of Lakefield Gala Fundraising Concert – April 23nd
Abbeyfield Society of Lakefield is pleased to announced its Gala Fundraising Concert on Monday, April 23rd at the Selwyn Outreach Centre. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
Tickets are available online and will also be available at Kawartha Home Hardware and Happenstance Books & Yarns in Lakefield, and at Long & McQuade in Peterborough.
The evening will feature the Cory Gleison Choir from Cardiff, Wales, and a special appearance by Rhythm & Grace. Come out and enjoy an enjoyable evening of exciting musical entertainment to help support building the first Abbeyfield House in Lakefield — a unique alternative housing option for Lakefield seniors. For more information, call 705-652-3856.
Building an Unstoppable Family Business – March 26th
Empowerment and motivational speaker Shawn Casemore will speak at the Kawartha Family Business Group on March 26, 2018.
The Kawartha Family Business Group (KFBG) is hosting “Building an Unstoppable Family Business” with Shawn Casemore from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Monday, March 26th at the Best Western Plus Otonabee Inn in Peterborough.
Family-owned businesses have a distinct advantage over other types of businesses. The pride and passion that lurks below the surface of a family-owned business is often much more powerful and more recognizable than in any other type of business. If not recognized and used effectively however, this pride and passion can become a detriment to the business and the family as whole.
Performing Arts Lakefield, Motus O presents The Prisoner of Tehran – March 23rd
Buckhorn Maplefest – March 24th and 25th
The Wakami Wailers in Concert – March 24th
The Easter Bunny is Back at Village Dental Centre – April 2nd
Taste of Europe at the BCC – April 7th and 8th
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.
Danger Will Robinson! The Robinson family gets Lost In Space again as Netflix reboots the iconic 1965 TV series, premiering on April 13, 2018. (Photo courtesy of Netflix)
Hopefully we’ll soon be spending more time outside enjoying warm spring weather, but if not, here’s what’s coming to Netflix Canada in April.
On April 13th, Netflix is launching a 10-episode remake of the iconic 1965 TV science-fiction series Lost in Space, starring Molly Parker, Toby Stephens, and Max Jenkins.
Another Netflix original, coming April 19th, is the first season of The Alienest, a dark crime drama about a psychologist attempting to catch a serial killer in New York City in 1896.
VIDEO: “Lost in Space” Trailer
Monty Python fans will rejoice as a slew of the classic British comedy troupe’s work comes to Netflix on April 15th, including the original Monty Python’s Flying Circus TV series, the films Monty Python and the Holy Grail and Monty Python’s Life of Brian, and a number of Monty Python specials.
Returning series include the second season of Ash vs. Evil Dead on April 2nd. the fifth season of The 100 with a new espisode every Thursday starting April 26th, and the second season of 3% on April 27th.
For documentary fans, the Netflix original Mercury 13 profiles the 13 women who were tested in 1961 for spaceflight but whose dreams were dashed when NASA only chose men to become astronauts.
And former late-night TV host David Letterman returns to Netflix with the next episode of My Next Guest Needs No Introduction With David Letterman featuring an interview with rapper and businessman Jay-Z, one of the best-selling musicians of all time.
Below is the complete list of everything coming to Netflix Canada in April (along with what’s leaving Netflix).
Real-life married couple Tamara Bick and Drew Antzis are developing a new version of their comedic and interactive 'Settle This Thing' relationship stage show at The Theatre on King in Peterborough over the next three months, in preparation for shows at the Montreal, Toronto, and Chicago Fringe Festivals this summer. (Photo: Sam Tweedle / kawarthaNOW.com)
Since May 2017, real-life married couple Tamara Bick and Drew Antzis’s stage show Settle This Thing has been a fixture at The Theatre on King (TTOK) in downtown Peterborough. The pair has become popular with the audiences that come to see their show, a fast and clever comedy where the two comedians bring their personal disputes out of the privacy in their home and onto the TTOK stage.
But this summer Tamara and Drew will be taking their performance to bigger cities and bigger stages. Lightning has struck three times, and the couple have been invited to bring Settle This Thing to the Montreal, Toronto, and Chicago Fringe Festivals.
“It’s like we’ve won the lottery three times,” Drew says. “Well, two times, but we were first on the waiting list for Chicago and someone dropped out. It could not be three better cities.”
For those not familiar with Settle This Thing, Tamara and Drew started it as a series of YouTube videos in 2012 while living in Los Angeles, where they met while working for Funny or Die.
The premise for the video series was that they would present their everyday household spats to the cyber audience. They’d present their different points of view, and then allow the audience to vote on who they think is right. Based on the number of votes each video got in the comments section, they would respect the decision of the audience and honour that decision in their real lives.
Although the original video series was relatively short, after relocating from LA to Peterborough so Tamara could be closer to her family, the pair decided to revisit Settle This Thing, but this time develop it as a live show.
VIDEO: A ‘Settle This Thing’ webisode from 2012
In their live show, Drew and Tamara spend an hour dissecting and analyzing certain aspects of relationships, as well as presenting brand new videos to the audience based on new household disagreements. Once again, whatever the audience votes for becomes the law of the land in the Antzis/Bick household.
“As a live show, there are a lot of major themes that we wanted to explore,” Tamara explains. “We wanted to explore relationships, parenting, marriage, in-laws, family, money, and all of that. So those are these major thematic umbrellas. We’ve been able to devote an entire show to one of these themes.”
For the Fringe Festival performances, Drew and Tamara have decided to restructure Settle This Thing even further by combining many of their previous performances into a single show. Although this is an ambitious undertaking, the pair have been working hard to create a coherent and entertaining script based on all of their previous TTOK performances.
“To go and do the Fringe Festival, we’ve decided to take four or five of these different themes and put them all together in one show, and try to cover the science of relationships,” Tamara explains. “By doing multiple different shows, it’s allowed us to explore the topics for an hour, and now we can distill it down to the best bits.
“We’re definitely narrowing in on what our one-hour fringe show is going to be and we’re super excited about it. We’re going to feature three Settle This Thing episodes, and do questions and answer sessions with the audience, and there’s improv involved. I think the finished project is going to be really fun to do, once we actually know what the show is.”
Since May 2017, Tamara Bick and Drew Antzis’s ‘Settle This Thing’ has been a fixture at The Theatre on King in downtown Peterborough. In their live show, Drew and Tamara spend an hour debating certain aspects of relationships and then have the audience settle the argument by deciding who’s right. (Photo: Andy Carroll)
To see Tamara and Drew on stage, and then visit with them in their home, is an odd but entertaining experience — because where the act ends and where the reality begins continues to be unclear.
There’s a natural banter between the two, with Drew being the optimistic straight man to Tamara’s pessimistic (she says “realistic”) cutting jabs at married life. The result is a wonderfully smart and natural way of communication where the gag just never stops.
“Our whole relationship started as a comedy bit,” Drew says. “We’re improvisers so we can’t say no. As an improviser, you have to say yes and just add on to it.”
“I want to say no to Drew, but then I would be a bad improviser,” Tamara shoots back.
So has the shtick of Settle This Thing helped improve their marriage? There doesn’t seem to be a clear-cut answer.
“It’s helping our marriage,” Drew says in his ever-optimistic manner. “It’s also helping people who come and see it because we do offer exciting tips and tricks.”
“But I wouldn’t say that we’re happier,” Tamara replies.
“I would say that we’re still married,” Drew points out.
“And not everyone can say that,” Tamara agrees. “Seventy per cent of couples crash and burn. So it’s like this: Are we happily married? Yes we are! But are we? Yes, we are. But are we?”
I can’t decide if they are or not. But as Drew and Tamara go on to reveal, divorce isn’t a viable option for them.
“We have children,” Tamara points out. “We have a house together and our money is all mushed together. It’s so complicated to separate.”
“Even if we wanted to, we can’t afford it,” Drew adds. “You sometimes have to choose between paying for your children’s education and getting a divorce.”
“Do you want the kids a good education or send them to public school?” Tamara says. “Do you want to get divorced? Yes. But can you afford it? No.
“So you stay together and you buy another house. I can live in this house. He can live in a house down the street. He can come to dinner on Sundays. It’ll be great.”
Drew Antzis began ‘Settle This Thing’ with Tamara Bick in 2012 as a series of YouTube videos while they were living in Los Angeles. (Photo: Andy Carroll)
Over the next three months, Drew and Tamara will be performing the Fringe Festival version of Settle This Thing at TTOK while they develop and fine tune the material. What they really need from our community is audience interest and participation to bring this funny and intelligent performance piece to its polished form.
“We’re doing the same show, but with tweaks,” Tamara says about their next batch of performances. “It’ll be different videos, different audiences, and lots of new material, so we can get used to doing it. The question and answer period, and the bits between us and the audience will definitely change.”
“We may punch things up depending on audience reaction,” Drew adds.
“It’s very possible that huge sections of it will get cut and we’ll replace it with something else,” Tamara says. “But right now we have a working script which is close to what we want to do in Montreal.”
I have attended three of Drew and Tamara’s Settle This Thing performances since May 2017 and each time I’ve been entertained by their natural humour, their ability to play off each other and the audience, and the intelligent and sometimes uncomfortable subject matter.
Their next three shows will be a presentation of the best of their previous performances, and they need audience support more than ever to help them develop the show before they venture off on their North American tour.
When Tamara Bick moved back to Peterborough so she could be closer to her family, she and Drew Antzis decided to resurrect 'Settle This Thing' as a live stage show. (Photo: Andy Carroll)
If you haven’t seen Settle This Thing yet, put at least one of their final three dates in Peterborough on your must-see list. If you like it, go back to the next date and bring your family and friends. With a much larger audience base about to experience this brilliant comedy show, it may be now or never for us to experience Settle This Thing on the small stage.
“Just focusing on the show, having fun with it, and making it what we want it to be is the main thing,” says Tamara in a rare moment of seriousness. “We’re not doing it for any particular reason but that we enjoy doing it and we enjoy making each other laugh.
“I think the show has a chance of living and breathing and going somewhere. It was born out of just wanting to sit on our couch and saying ‘You’re wrong. I’ll never agree with you. Let’s make someone else decide whose right.’ It was really fun to do.”
Tamara Bick and Drew Antzis will be continuing the development of the Fringe Festival version of Settle This Thing at TTOK on Friday, March 30th, Friday, April 27th and Friday, May 25th. The shows start at 8 p.m. and admission is $10.
For those who are travelling this summer, you can see Settle This Thing in Montreal between June 7th to 15th, in Toronto between July 4th and 15th, and in Chicago between August 30th and September 3rd (dates, times, and venues have yet to be announced).
Mike Schreiner, leader of the Green Party of Ontario, will visit Peterborough on March 24, 2018. (Photo: Green Party of Ontario)
Mike Schreiner, leader of the Green Party of Ontario, will be visiting Peterborough on Saturday, March 24th as part of 20-stop tour of Ontario.
Schreiner, who was elected leader in November 2009, is the local Green Party candidate in Guelph for the 2018 provincial election. He co-founded the Local Food Plus organization and runs two small businesses, WOW Foods and Earthdance Organics, in Guelph.
Beginning at 3:45 p.m. on Saturday afternoon, Schreiner will be at B!KE Community Bike Shop (293 George Street, Peterborough) in downtown Peterborough and will tour small businesses along George Street including Tiny Greens and Kawartha Local.
At 6 p.m., he will be attending a community meal and awards presentation at Peterborough Lions Banquet Hall & Meeting Centre, where he will deliver remarks followed by a question and answer session. At 8:30 p.m., if weather permits, he will participate in an Earth Hour Nature Walk along the Otonabee River, departing from the Lions Centre.
Gianne Broughton is running in the Peterborough-Kawartha riding as the Green Party of Ontario candidate. (Photo: Green Party of Ontario)
During his stop in Peterborough, there will be opportunities to meet Schreiner, as well as Peterborough-Kawartha Green Party of Ontario candidate Gianne Broughton.
Born in Montreal, Broughton attended the Native Studies program at Trent University in the late 1970s and early 1980s. After she graduated from teachers’ college, she volunteered in Nigeria to teach English for two years. She returned to Ontario to teach school for another two years, and then obtained her master’s degree in rural planning and development at the University of Guelph. She returned to Peterborough in 2015, where she runs her own business as a tutor.
This is Broughton’s first time running for political office. She is up against Liberal incumbent Jeff Leal, Progressive Conservative Party candidate Dave Smith, and New Democratic Party candidate Sean Conway.
The Ontario election will be held on June 7, 2018.
Opal (Jen) Elchuk and Kayla Stanistreet in "Captive:ated", one of 13 new works being presented by Public Energy at Emergency #22 from March 22 to 24, 2018. A twist on the Grimms Brothers' Rapunzel tales, "Captive:ated" is a work of circus theatre employing trapeze and braided silks and will be performed at Market Hall Performing Arts Centre on March 22 and 23. (Photo: Erin Hanes Photography)
Featuring courageous new dance, theatre, and performance work by local artists, the Emergency Festival returns to downtown Peterborough from Thursday, March 22nd to Saturday, March 24th.
Public Energy is presenting the 22nd version of the Emergency Festival, which first launched in 1993 and is named to reflect its commitment to showcasing emerging work from both established and emerging artists. More than 200 performance works have premiered through the festival, and many of which have been developed into full-length pieces.
Emergency #22 includes both performance newcomers and veterans, with 13 new works distributed presented over three programs at the Market Hall Performing Arts Centre and The Theatre On King. This year’s festival has something for everyone, including devised theatre, contemporary dance, belly dance, aerial circus arts, and multidisciplinary collaborations between professional artists and community performers.
Emergency #22 is presented in three programs at Market Hall Performing Arts Centre and The Theatre on King in downtown Peterborough from March 22 to 24, 2018.
Devised theatre, where artists undertake all aspects of creation from concept to writing to performing, is represented by Charlie Petch with Daughter of Geppetto, an updated twist on the Pinocchio story, Anne White with Aberdeen, a work that examines her fraught relationship with a family home, and Hermione Rivison with Passings and Parting in which her clown, Joy, faces down death.
The Emergency festival has always been associated with contemporary dancce, and Emergency #22 is no exception. Returning artists include the team of Wes Ryan and Becca Partington with The Caregiver and Old Men Dancing with Unfolding, their ninth Emergency work. Newcomers this year include Sarah Rudnicki with Pulse, a contemporary belly dancing work for five dancers, and Robyn Smith who colloborates with percussionist Bennet Bedoukian in Unblocking, a look at the frustrations, discomfort, and ultimate joy in the creative process of collaboration.
Peterborough’s busy circus community is also well represented with three works, each created by two artists and each involving aerial work that takes advantage of the height of the Market Hall stage. Thomas Vaccaro and Ethan Hinsehlwood present Parallels, Opal (Jen) Elchuk and Kayla Stanistreet perform Captive:ated, and Nicole Malbeuf and Nicole Kelly present Bad Days, Dark Days.
Charlie Petch performs “Daughter of Geppetto”, an updated twist on the Pinocchio story, with light, silhouette, animation, music, and spoken word, collaborating with choreographer Wes Ryan and projectionist Patricia Thorne. “Daughter of Geppetto” will be performed at Market Hall Performing Arts Centre on March 23 and 24. (Photo: Mona Mousa)
Collaboration is an important theme in Emergency 22, with three unique pieces featuring groups of five to 14 performers, ranging from eight years old to over 50, recruited from differing parts of the community. Mandy Livings presents Fly Away to Home with dancers from five different local dance studios, Leslie Menagh’s Migration Stories has an all-female cast of individuals telling their migrations stories, and Kate Story’s 0% is performed by an all-male cast.
Emergency #22 takes place in three programs, each approximately one hour long. Program A takes place at The Theatre on King (159 King St., Peterborough) on Thursday, March 22nd at 8 p.m., Friday, March 23rd at 9:30 p.m., and Saturday, March 24th at 2 and 6:30 p.m. Program B takes place at Market Hall Performing Arts Centre (140 Charlotte St., Peterborough) on Friday, March 23rd at 6:30 p.m. and on Saturday, March 24th at 8 p.m. Program C takes place at the Market Hall on Friday, March 23rd at 8 p.m. and on Saturday, March 24th at 6:30 p.m.
A full description of the performances in each program is available below.
Tickets are available for individual programs and for all three programs. Single program tickets are $15 each ($8 for high school students) or $35 for all three programs. Tickets are available from the Market Hall box office in person or by phone at 705-749-1146 (Monday to Friday from noon to 5 p.m.) or online anytime at markethall.org.
Program A – The Theatre On King
Thursday, March 22 at 8 p.m., Friday, March 23 at 9:30 p.m., and Saturday, March 24 at 2 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.. Approximately 70 minutes.
Passings and Partings – Hermione Rivison
Many people are bent on learning to live well. Yet each day brings us nearer to our demise. Joy, the clown, explores the art of dying well and plans for that day – whenever it might be. Created with the assistance of Deb Reynolds and her appraising eye.
Pulse – Sarah Rudnicki
Mixing elements of belly dance, fusion, street dance, veil work, and masks, Sarah Rudnicki explores the internal battle caused by the choice to show pain. The beauty of quiet strength, that which is soft can be strong. With a company of five dancers (4 trained in middle eastern dance) Pulse looks at our public and private faces, of how we wear invisible wounds.
Unblocking – Robyn Smith and Bennett Bedoukian
The hardest part is beginning, as performer Robyn Smith and percussionist Bennett Bedoukian explore the frustrations, discomfort and ultimate joy in the creative process of collaboration. Unblocking considers the risks we take in creating and the roadblocks that keep us from doing so, featuring both improvised and choreographed movement and sound, as the artists weave in and out of their comfort zones, alone and together.
Aberdeen – Anne White
Aberdeen is a house, a museum, a set, a family portrait, a fantasy. A current resident of Aberdeen wonders how much longer she can live there. And whether she should be fighting harder to save it.
Program B – Market Hall Performing Arts Centre
Friday, March 23 at 6:30 p.m. and Saturday, March 24 at 8 p.m. Approximately 50 minutes.
Captive:ated – Opal (Jen) Elchuk and Kayla Stanistreet
A twist on the Grimms Brothers’ Rapunzel tales, this work of circus theatre employs trapeze and braided silks extending the full height of the Market Hall stage and, through the characters of Rapunzel and her captor the Enchantress, explores themes of control, surrender, attachment, desire, and power struggles in relationships.
Fly Away to Home – Mandy Livings
Mandy Livings, a veteran Peterborough dancer and teacher, has created a joyful work reflecting the talents of her diverse group: 14 dancers, aged 8 to 50+, who come from four different local dance studios and a high school dance program. As the name implies, Fly Away to Home expresses joy and freedom in movement.
The Caregiver – Becca Partington and Wes Ryan
Tapping into their experiences as caregivers and artists, Becca and Wes have created a dance illustrating both the beauty and toil (emotional and physical) of caring for a loved one. With original music by Glenn Pierce (also drawing on his work as a caregiver), the work connects viewers with the conflicting feelings that arise when providing support through life and illness.
Parallels – Thomas Vaccaro and Ethan Hinsehlwood
Parallels sees a mentor and his apprentice reflecting on their relationship. One dreams of the future while the other recalls his earlier self, determined to not let his young student down. Employing visual projections by collaborator Patricia Thorne and the circus arts that are at the heart of the teaching — cyr wheel, aerials, rope — the mentor finds that he learns as much form the student as vice versa.
Program C – Market Hall Performing Arts Centre
Friday, March 23 at 8 p.m. and Saturday, March 24 at 6:30 p.m. Approximately 65 minutes. Note: 0% by Kate Story contains mature content.
Bad Days, Dark Days – Nicole Malbeuf and Nicole Kelly
Bad Days, Dark Days is a dance and aerial work in two acts with cloth manipulations. It is an attempt describe the impossible – to breathe life into, and give shape to, depression.
Migration Stories – Leslie Menagh
With a series of personal interviews at its core, Migration Stories endeavours to both differentiate and unify the voices of its intrepid cast members. But when narration and navigation are disrupted, movement itself becomes the shared language. Featuring a cast of seven individuals with their own immigration stories, working with creator/director Leslie Menagh and choreographer Sylvie Dasné.
Unfolding – Old Men Dancing
Unfolding is about who we are and what we have done in our lives. It is Old Men Dancing – now performing in their ninth Emergency – unfolding the past into the present, a group initiative created in part with guest artist Jean Bellefleur.
Daughter of Geppetto – Charlie Petch
When Pinocchio finds Geppetto shipwrecked inside The Terrible Dogfish, the marionette realizes his creator cannot recall the days he once called him daughter and together they write the true-life tall tale, The Adventures of Pinocchio. Charlie Petch presents this reimagined story with light, silhouette, animation, music, spoken word, collaborating with choreographer Wes Ryan and projectionist Patricia Thorne.
0% – Kate Story
Choreographed by Kate Story with original music by Steafan Hannigan, 0% is a short dance work performed by five men. It explores the artists’ reactions, emotions, and reflections in response to learning about CoSA (Circles of Support and Accountability), where community members play a direct role in the reintegration and risk management of those who have committed serious sexual offenses.
Emergency Festival #22 is made possible by Public Energy’s corporate sponsors and season funders. Show sponsors are Christensen Fine Arts and Dave Robertson, Century 21 Real Estate. Season sponsor are TD Bank, Lett Architects, Hi Ho Silver, kawarthaNOW, and WE Design. Fundres are the Government of Canada through the Canada Council for the Arts and the Department of Canadian Heritage, Ontario Arts Council, and the City of Peterborough.
Otonabee Conservation staff and volunteers (Meredith Carter, Dave Wood, and Jasmine Gibson) capturing fish from the Millbrook Dam spillway pool for transfer into Baxter Creek. Almost 800 fish were captured and released, along with more than 200 crayfish and a few frogs. (Photo courtesy of Otonabee Conservation)
Almost 800 fish, along with crayfish and frogs, that were living in a pool of water at the base of the Millbrook Dam spillway now have a new home.
The relocation of the fish, crustaceans, and amphibians was required as the pool is being drained for the reconstruction of the spillway, as part of the Millbrook Dam Reconstruction project.
On March 7, 2018, staff and volunteers with Otonabee Conservation — with the support of staff from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) — captured 797 fish and transferred them downstream into Baxter Creek.
The rescued fish represented nine species: 275 Brown Trout, 1 Brook Trout, 85 White Suckers, and over 400 Sculpin (Mottled and Slimy Sculpin species — commonly known to be trout food).
Staff from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (Jason Runtas, Jackie Wood, and Scott Gibson) holding a Brown Trout, one of 797 fish rescued from the pool at the base of the Millbrook Dam spillway. (Photo courtesy of Otonabee Conservation)Otonabee Conservation volunteer Dave Wood confirming the identification of a sculpin. (Photo courtesy of Otonabee Conservation)
Staff and volunteers also captured and released more than 200 crayfish and a handful of frogs.
Those involved with the fish rescue included Meredith Carter, Erin McGauley, Jasmine Gibson, Terri Cox, and Doug Clifford from Otonabee Conservation, Dave Wood (a volunteer with Otonabee Conservation), and Scott Gibson, Jackie Wood, and Jason Runtas from MNRF.
The contractor, FACCA Inc., kept the worksite safe and provided assistance when needed.
From left to right: Watershed Biologist Erin McGauley, Volunteer Dave Wood, Watershed Management Program Manager Meredith Carter, Planning Ecologist Jasmine Gibson, and Risk Management Official/Inspector Terri Cox with Otonabee Conservation. (Photo courtesy of Otonabee Conservation)
Kawartha Lakes Police Service Inspector Mark Mitchell volunteering in 2017. The 27-year veteran of the City of Kawartha Lakes Police Service will replace retiring Chief of Police John Hagarty in August 2018. (Photo: Mark Mitchell / Twitter)
Mark Mitchell will be the new Chief of Police of the City of Kawartha Lakes Police Service (KLPS), effective August 2018.
“Inspector Mitchell has very strong management skills and an exceptional proven leadership style”, says Police Services Boad Chair Don Thomas in a media release today (March 19).
“This is the first time in about 60 years that the Chief of Police has been hired from within the Police Service.”
Mitchell takes over the position from John Hagarty, who announced his retirement in September 2017 after serving as KLPS Chief for almost 12 years.
Mitchell began his policing career with the Peel Regional Police in 1988 and joined KLPS in 1990, where he has served as an Inspector for the past 10 years while being very active in the community.
In 2009, Mitchell took a leave of absence for a year to serve with the RCMP International Peace Operations Branch, where he helped soldiers train police officers in Afghanistan to fight terrorists. In 2001, he was awarded the South-West Asia Service Medal for his participation in the effort.
He has also received the Police Exemplary Service Medal and the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee medal.
“This is great news for the whole community,” says Kawartha Lakes Mayor Andy Letham, who is also a member of the police services board. “I don’t believe a country-wide search would have landed a more qualified candidate than Inspector Mitchell. We are luck to have him.”
Gilstorf & Gray of Bobcaygeon was one of the partners that assisted Modern Landscape Designers in staging the award-winning "Midnight in Paris" garden at Canada Blooms 2018. (Photo: Modern Landscape Designers)
This week’s business news includes Bobcaygeon’s Gilstorf & Gray being part of an award-winning team at Canada Blooms, Escape Maze’s new location at Lansdowne Mall in Peterborough, financing secured for FV Pharma Inc.’s indoor cannabis facility in Cobourg, the opening of Peterborough’s newest craft brewery Beard Free Brewing, the return of the Slingshot summer incubation program for young entrepreneurs, a $168-million contract for BWXT Nuclear Energy Canada Inc. to benefit Peterborough, and same-day grocery pickup now available at Walmart’s Chemong Road location in Peterborough.
Upcoming regional business events include Kawartha Chamber’s Young Professionals Panel on March 20, a public meeting on the Downtown Lindsay Heritage Conservation District Plan on March 22, a web markup language workshop in Peterborough on March 24, a small business training session in Bobcaygeon on March 28, and more.
We publish businessNOW every Monday. If you have business news or events you want to share with our readers, please email business@kawarthanow.com.
Gilstorf & Gray of Bobcaygeon part of award-winning “Garden of the Year” team at Canada Blooms
Robin Burrows, owner of Gilstorf & Gray of Bobcaygeon (fourth from left), with lead designer Julie Moore of Modern Landscape Designers (holding the plaque) and other team members accepting the “Tony Di Giovanni Award – Judges Choice Garden of the Year 2018” from Canada Blooms officials. (Photo: Modern Landscape Designers)
Canada Blooms wrapped up this past weekend and a local Bobcaygeon business was involved in the top awards at the show.
Robin Burrows, owner of Gilstorf & Gray of Bobcaygeon, was part of the Modern Landscape Designers team that won the prestigious “Tony Di Giovanni Award – Judges Choice Garden of the Year 2018”, as well as the “S.G. Ulbright Award – Outstanding Medium Size Garden”.
Robin was invited by Julie Moore of Modern Landscape Designers to participate on the team to help create “Midnight in Paris”, a garden based on the 2011 fantasy romance film starring Owen Wilson and Rachel McAdams and directed by Woody Allen, in keeping with the 2018 Canada Blooms “Let’s Go To The Movies” theme.
A detail from inside the “Midnight in Paris” greenhouse … note the Gilstorf & Gray cushion. (Photo: Modern Landscape Designers)
Robin staged the Midnight in Paris greenhouse that featured details and elements of an artist and gardener’s studio. The complex display required extensive design and construction setup including stonework, planted gardens, and a full greenhouse along with the meticulous staging details.
“It has been an amazing opportunity to showcase our shop, Bobcaygeon, and Kawartha Lakes to hundreds of thousands of consumers and industry professionals nationwide,” Robin says. “What a fabulous experience, and an honour to work with Modern Landscape Designers.”
Modern Landscape Designers recently relocated its business from the GTA to the City of Kawartha Lakes. For more information on Modern Landscape Designers, visit modernlandscapedesigners.com.
Escape Maze announces new location at Lansdowne Place called “PTBO Escape”
Escape Maze is known for their fun escape rooms located at 156 Cedar Bank Road in Peterborough, where Jake Walling and her family create an exciting world of game play where you and your friends are racing against the clock.
Now the business is opening a second location at Lansdowne Mall called “PTBO Escape”. They’ve just signed a lease and are renovating a unit at the mall.
The big announcement of the new location takes place live on the PTBO Escape Facebook page on Tuesday, March 20th at 10 a.m., but they’ve already posted a few teaser videos showing the renovation.
Today on #EscapeMazeTV Fred takes you on a tour of the new Location at Lansdowne Place Mall. There aren't any walls yet, but enjoy a sneak peak of where the walls will be!
Financing secured for FV Pharma Inc. indoor cannabis facility in Cobourg
FV Pharma Inc. has secured funding from Cannabis Wheaton Income Corp. to develop a cannabis cultivation facility in Cobourg at the site of the former Kraft food manufacturing plant, which closed in 2008. (Photo: Google Maps)
FV Pharma Inc. has entered into a binding agreement with Cannabis Wheaton Income Corp. to develop a new cannabis cultivation facility in Cobourg.
FV Pharma Inc. is located at the former Kraft food manufacturing plant on William Street in Cobourg, which includes an existing 620,000-square-foot facility on 32 acres of land as well as an additional 38 acres of land available for development. When the facility is completely developed in five years, around four million square feet will be available for cannabis cultivation and related businesses — which would make it the largest indoor cannabis cultivation facility in the world.
FV Pharma founder and CEO Thomas Fairfull secured a licence from Health Canada to legally grow medical marijuana last October, and the company entered into a letter of intent with Cannabis Wheaton in December. Cannabis Wheaton is a collective of entrepreneurs that provides financing and support for the legal marijuana industry.
Under the agreement, FV Pharma will provide Cannabis Wheaton with 49.9 per cent of all cannabis and cannabis-derived products produced at the Cobourg facility — an estimated 200,000 kilograms of cannabis per year when the facility is fully operational. In exchange, Cannabis Wheaton will assist FV Pharma with all aspects of the design, development, financing, build-out and operations of the facility, as well as the marketing, branding and distribution of all products produced at the facility.
Now that financing has been secured, FV Pharma expect to hire around 200 people in the next year to support the first phase of development for the facility. Additional jobs would be created as additional phases of development are completed.
When Kraft Canada closed its Cobourg plant in 2008, 250 jobs were lost.
New Peterborough craft brewery opening on March 23
Beard Free Brewing is located at 649 Unit 4 The Parkway in Peterborough and will be bottles from its storefront, which will also feature a small taproom. (Photo: 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.
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.
Bottles will be available from the brewery’s storefront, which will also feature a small taproom. As its a small microbrewery, Beard Free Brewing will not be distributed through the LCBO, at least not initially.
Slingshot incubation program for young entrepreneurs returns to Peterborough this summer
The Innovation Cluster and FastStart Peterborough are bringing back Slingshot, Peterborough’s summer incubation program for young entrepreneurs between the ages of 18 and 29 which launched for the first time last year.
Successful applicants will receive coworking space in the downtown Cube along with tools, resources, and funding opportunities to grow their business — a value of $5,000 for four months.
Last year’s participants were MaryBeth Miller and Melissa Butler of XXIV Social, Alex Gastle of Vetterview, Richard Cochrane of Status Exempt, Geoff Wolfer of Front Office Hockey, Mackenzie Evenden of Evenden Imaging, and Tyler Williamson of World Tea Podcast.
Participants in the inaugural Slingshot program in 2017 included businesses related to social media, drones, hockey, influencer marketing, podcasting, and digital solutions. (Photo: Innovation Cluster)
Applicants must be between the ages of 18 and 29, planning to start their company in Peterborough and the Kawarthas, and have an idea for a company or have been operational for under one year. Applicants outside of the region are encouraged to apply if they intend on making the move to Peterborough.
At the end of the summer, the most successful company will receive a $1,000 cash prize along with other prizes. Last year’s winner was Vetterview, a social media influencer marketplace created by founder and Slingshot participant Alex Gastle. He is now in London, England growing the company.
The application deadline is Monday, April 20th at midnight and successful applicants will move into the Cube to begin working on their company on May 1st.
Peterborough to benefit from BWXT Nuclear Energy Canada Inc. $168-million contract extension
BWXT Nuclear Energy Canada Inc. (BWXT NEC), a subsidiary of BWX Technologies, has been awarded a $168-million, five-year contract extension to manufacture fuel for Ontario Power Generation’s Darlington and Pickering nuclear generating stations.
Three of BWXT’s Canadian-based operations (Peterborough, Arnprior and Toronto) will directly benefit from the positive impacts of the contract extension.
The Arnprior operation produces zirconium-alloy tubes, while the Toronto facility produces natural uranium pellets. These components are shipped to the BWXT Peterborough facility where they are assembled into fuel bundles for the CANDU reactors.
BWXT NEC employs around 350 skilled employees at its Peterborough, Toronto, and Arnprior locations.
Formerly GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy Canada, the Peterborough location was acquired by BWXT Canada Ltd. in 2016. GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy Canada constructed its first building in Peterborough in 1905.
Same-day grocery pickup now available at Walmart in Peterborough
You can now order your groceries online from Walmart and pick them up at the Peterborough Supercentre location (1002 Chemong Rd., Peterborough).
The free service allows consumers to shop for their groceries online at Walmart.ca or through the Walmart smartphone app, and pick them up at the store on the same day.
VIDEO: Walmart Grocery Pickup
After trained Walmart staff prepare the order, shoppers pull into a designated pickup parking spot and call an assigned phone number. The order will be brought out to them and loaded into their vehicle. Orders must be placed before 11 a.m. for pick up after 4 p.m. The minimum order is $50 before taxes.
A similar service (“Click & Collect”) has been available at the Loblaw Real Canadian Superstore at Lansdowne Place in Peterborough since 2017.
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.
Public meeting on Downtown Lindsay Heritage Conservation District Plan on March 22
The Downtown Lindsay Heritage Conservation District. (Graphic: City of Kawartha Lakes)
The Downtown Lindsay Heritage Conservation Plan has been approved by City of Kawartha Lakes council and is moving forward to implementation.
All property owners in the downtown district are invited to a public meeting, co-hosted with the Downtown Lindsay BIA, from 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, March 22nd at the Olympia Restaurant (106 Kent St. W., Lindsay).
A stewardship guide will be available for all property owners who are seeking information on how to plan and acquire approvals for future changes or construction in the downtown district.
Trent Hills Business Excellence Awards nominations open til 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.
Web markup language workshop in Peterborough on March 24
Volunteers and staff from Ladies Learning Code. (Photo: Innovation Cluster)
The national not-for-profit Canada Learning Code is hosting workshop called “Ladies Learning Code: HTML & CSS for Beginners” from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, March 24th at The CUBE (270 George St. N., Peterborough).
Canada Learning Code workshops provide an inclusive opportunity for women, men and others who may often feel un-welcomed to enter the world of coding or are hesitant to start. The workshops provide a social and collaborative environment while promoting careers in technology.
This workshop will allow participants to learn HTML and CSS, the markup languages that drive the web and are an essential skill for web development. You will learn basic techniques and concepts that are translatable to programming languages, learn how HTML and CSS work together to create richer online experiences, learn how to create a rich website with images, video, and a CSS-defined layout, how to create a multi-page website, and what resources are available if you’d like to continue learning at home.
The workshop is for absolute beginners, so no previous experience or knowledge is required. You must bring your own laptop (although a limited quantity will be available for loan). The cost of the workshop is $55 and donations are encouraged to assist those who cannot afford to pay for the workshop.
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.
Small business training session in Bobcaygeon on March 28
The Kawartha Lakes Small Business Entrepreneurship Centre is hosting a free session on how to use the Business Model Canvas to start a new business or gain a better insight into their current business, and to learn more about the Starter Company Plus business training program.
The session takes place from 1:30 to 3 p.m. on Wednesday, March 28th at the Bobcaygeon Service Centre (123 East St. S., Bobcaygeon).
Additional sessions will take place in April in Coboconk and Omemee: from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, April 4th at the Coboconk Service Centre (9 Grandy Rd., Coboconk) and from 1:30 to 3 p.m. at Coronation Hall (1 King St. W., Omemee).
If you are interested in attending one of these three free sessions, email bminhas@kawarthalakes.ca or call 705-324-9411 ext. 1383.
Peterborough resident Jeremiah Brown has written "The 4 Year Olympian", documenting his four-year journey from a novice rower to an Olympic medalist. (Photo courtesy of Jeremiah Brown)
Should Jeremiah Brown one day find himself onstage accepting a Juno Award, the least surprised person in the room will be Jeremiah Brown.
For sure the lifelong musician would be thrilled, no question, but surprised? Not even close. But then should we expect anything less from someone who learned how to row competitively from scratch and, just four years later, brought home a silver medal from the London 2012 Summer Olympics as a member of Canada’s men’s eights team?
If that’s not impressive enough, the Hamilton-born Peterborough resident can now add ‘author’ to his resumé.
The 4 Year Olympian, Brown’s recounting of the determined journey that took him from novice rower status to the Olympic podium, will be released in Canada on March 24th with the U.S. release to follow in mid-April.
Jeremiah Brown (right) and other members of Team Canada’s men’s eights rowing team with their silver medals following the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. (Photo: Team Canada / Canadian Olympic Committee)
However, in Peterborough, his book is now available at Chapters (873 Lansdowne Street East) and Hunter Street Books (164 Hunter Street West).
“After the Olympics, I had the time to reflect on the experience,” recounts the 32-year-old Brown.
“My plan was to self-publish an ebook for college rowers — part memoir, part how-to. The early draft was pretty bad, but I sent it to 100 rowers asking for feedback. What I heard back was ‘we want to hear more about your story and the motivations that drove you’.
“In the same way I decided I’m going to go the Olympics, I decided I’m going to write a book.”
Such lofty ambition could be interpreted as cockiness, but that would sell short what motivated Brown then (and still does) to aspire to and attain goals that would seem well out of reach for the rest of us. To help us understand that, Brown points to a serious “run in with the law” when he was 17 years old and living in Cobourg — “A stupid prank that went too far.”
“I went through a process where I thought ‘I’m not a bad guy. I’m a good kid. I just made a stupid mistake’,” he recalls. “At one point I was facing eight months in youth penitentiary. That never happened but it was close. That kind of scared the shit out of me, but it also made me determined to prove to myself — and others — that I could achieve whatever potential I wanted to achieve.”
While Brown had no rowing experience prior to his beginning his journey to the Olympics, he was active athletically, playing minor hockey and later (at McMaster University in Hamilton where he attained a business degree) playing football for the Marauders.
Jeremiah Brown with Amy and their son Ethan while Brown was playing football at McMaster University in Hamilton. (Photo: Jeremiah Brown / Dundurn Press)
It was at McMaster, while the 19-year-old Brown was trying to make the varsity football team, that he learned Amy, his girlfriend of four years, was pregnant.
“An atomic bomb blasted through my ambitions, my future … our future,” he writes in his book. “The feeling was like anticipating being behind bars, only this was much worse. This was a life sentence.”
“I thought ‘Is this it? I’ve got to get the job, the mortgage and the car payments. Am I settling down? Is this the rest of my life?’,” Brown says, explaining his initial reaction to the news. “I’m very goal-oriented. To me, it was death thinking about everything being predictably predictable.”
After the initial shock, he regrouped and refocused his priorities.
“We’re going to do this together,” he says of his new plan at the time. “We’re going to raise this kid and we’re going to do a damn good job.”
While he and Amy looked after their new son Ethan, Brown continued to study at McMaster and play football. But then he suffered a serious shoulder injury, requiring surgery and eight months of rehabilitation, that shattered his dream of playing for the CFL.
“Things don’t always work out but sometimes they do. You don’t know until you try. I started rowing when I was 23. Most rowers at that level would have begun in high school.” (Photo courtesy of Jeremiah Brown)
During that final football season at McMaster, Brown had his first taste of rowing at a fundraiser organized by the university’s rowing team. He discovered the shoulder injury didn’t prevent him from rowing, but he wasn’t really interested in the sport. “I never thought I’d sit on a rowing machine again,” he writes in his book.
A couple of years later, he watched television coverage of the Canadian men’s eights gold medal performance at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.
“I thought, ‘Man, they look a lot like me. Maybe I should do that. What’s to stop me from being up on that podium?'”
Together with Amy and their now three-year-old son, Brown moved to British Columbia where he found work as an analyst with TD Bank in Victoria, where the national men’s eights rowing team trains. Before long he hooked up with rowing coach Doug White who, Brown says, “was keen to go on the journey with me.”
Jeremiah Brown with his Olympic silver medal. You can meet Brown and try on his silver medal at the Peterborough launch of his new book “The 4 Year Olympian” on March 31st at Chapter’s Brown will be donating a portion of proceeds of book sales at theat event to the Peterborough Rowing Club. (Photo courtesy of Jeremiah Brown)
“When you think about the lofty goals we have for ourselves, I get the sense a lot of people wait until people show a belief in them,” he says. “To begin on your own, it’s got to start from within. It’s your responsibility to start; to take the first step.
“When you begin, that’s when people recognize your conviction, your intensity, and your desire. It’ll come through if you’re genuine and really want to get after that goal. I made the promise to myself that I was going to do this; no matter how hard it gets, I’m going to stick with it.”
Under White’s guidance, Brown did just that and, remarkably, was named to the national rowing team in January 2011. Just three weeks before the 2012 Olympics got underway, he was named to the men’s eights team.
“The experience was a roller coaster,” Brown says. “We went in as the third-ranked crew in the world, so the expectation was to at least win bronze.
“In our first heat, we went at a higher stroke rate than we had ever done before, and came last by 13 seconds. In that event, that’s a disaster. We were distraught.”
But Brown and his teammates rebounded in a big way from that setback, earning a place in the men’s eights final and finishing second to three-time reigning champion Germany, earning the silver medal.
“My memories are of training with the guys and what we went through together. I’m proud of how we kept our composure and got through that. But at the end of the day, things become the past pretty quickly. A recipe for depression is to try to live forever in a moment in time you experienced.”
That understanding serves Brown well in his current position at the Canadian Olympic Committee as the national manager of “Game Plan”, an athlete wellness and transition program supporting 3,000 Olympic, Paralympic, and national team athletes across more than 54 sports.
“Situational depression strikes a lot of athletes. It’s a whole identity crisis thing: ‘Who am I now? The thing that I was chasing, it’s gone now.’ Our program is designed to try to make that transition smoother.”
VIDEO: “The 4 Year Olympian” Book Trailer
Like rowing, putting pen to paper in a purposeful way was a leap of faith for Brown — but early reviews of The 4 Year Olympian have been very positive. Ken McQueen of Maclean’s describes the book as “gutsy, unflinching and ultimately inspiring.” He could very well have been describing its author.
“My hope is people who read this book will be inspired and feel like it’s up to them and, if they take that first step, then they’re on their way,” says Brown.
“Things don’t always work out but sometimes they do. You don’t know until you try. I started rowing when I was 23. Most rowers at that level would have begun in high school. I can’t tell you I’m going to achieve every goal I set, but I know how to go about it. I’ve figured that out. I’ve demystified what it takes to achieve goals.
“There’s nothing to it other than being focused and consistently working at it every single day. I don’t care if it’s writing or rowing or being a musician, that’s a fundamental truth.”
“The 4 Year Olympian” by Jeremiah Brown will be available online on March 24, 2018, but copies are already available in Peterborough at Chapter’s and Hunter Street Books. (Photo: Dundurn Press)
Admitting his Olympic medal and now a published book are “tough acts to follow,” Brown is excited to further pursue another lifelong passion: music. He took classical piano as a youth for 10 years and has been playing the drums since he was seven.
“Music is something you can do all your life. And you can always improve. It’s such a joy to play with other musicians, so I’d like to become a better musician.”
Bottom line? We’d be wise to not rule out that Juno Award one day coming Brown’s way.
You can meet Brown — and try on his Olympic silver medal — at his Peterborough book launch at Chapter’s (873 Lansdowne St., Peterborough) from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, March 31st.
Brown will be donating 15 per cent of all book sales during the event to the Peterborough Rowing Club, to fund the purchase of a new rowing shell from Hudson Boat Works.
For information about Jeremiah Brown and The 4 Year Olympian, including where to buy the book, visit www.the4yearolympian.com.
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