As of June 30, 2017, the following beaches have been posted as unsafe for swimming:

• City of Kawartha Lakes – Eldon Township Area – Centennial Park West
• City of Kawartha Lakes – Emily/Omemee Area – Omemee Beach
• City of Kawartha Lakes – Fenelon Falls Area – Bond Street
• Northumberland County – Port Hope/Cobourg Area – Bewdley Beach

Here are the complete results of water quality testing at beaches in Peterborough, the City of Kawartha Lakes, Haliburton County, and Northumberland County.

In the City of Peterborough, Peterborough Public Health Inspectors sample the beaches at Rogers Cove and Beavermead every business day, and public beaches in the County of Peterborough are sampled at least once a week (except for Chandos Beach, Quarry Bay Beach, and White’s Beach which are sampled at least once in June, July, and August).

The Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit provides weekly testing results for beaches in the City of Kawartha Lakes, Haliburton County, and Northumberland County. Testing is based on the most recent test results from the provincial lab in Peterborough for water samples taken from these beaches.

Important note

The following test results may not reflect current water quality conditions. Water samples can take one to three days to process and heavy rainfall, high winds or wave activity, large numbers of waterfowl near a beach, or large numbers of swimmers can rapidly change water quality.

You should always check current conditions before deciding to use a beach. You should also monitor other factors that might suggest a beach is unsafe to use, such as floating debris, oil, discoloured water, bad odours, and excessive weed growth.

While we strive to update this story with the current conditions, you should confirm the most recent test results by visiting the local health unit websites at Peterborough Public Health and Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit. As noted above, the beaches at Rogers Cove and Beavermead are tested every business day so the results listed below may not be current.

Peterborough City/County

Backdam – SAFE

Beavermead – SAFE

Belmont Lake – Unavailable

Buckhorn – SAFE

Chandos – Unavailable

Crowe’s Line – SAFE

Curve Lake Henrys Gumming – SAFE

Curve Lake Lance Wood Park – SAFE

Douro – SAFE

Ennismore – SAFE

Hiawatha – SAFE

Jones Beach – SAFE

Kasshabog Lake – Unavailable

Lakefield – SAFE

Norwood – SAFE

Quarry Bay – Unavailable

Roger’s Cove – SAFE

Sandy Beach – SAFE

Selwyn – SAFE

Squirrel Creek – SAFE

Warsaw Caves – SAFE

White’s Beach – SAFE

City of Kawartha Lakes

Bexley Township Area

Blanchard’s Road Beach – OPEN

Bobcaygeon Area

Beach Park – OPEN 

Riverview Beach Park  -OPEN

Eldon Township Area

Centennial Park West  – POSTED

Emily/Omemee Area

Omemee Beach – POSTED

Fenelon Falls Area

Birch Point – OPEN

Bond Street – POSTED

Sturgeon Point Beach – OPEN

Laxton Township Area

Head Lake – OPEN

Norland Bathing Area – OPEN 

Mariposa Township Area

Valentia Beach (aka Sandbar Beach) – OPEN

Somerville Township Area

Burnt River Beach – Unavailable

Somerville – OPEN

Burnt River Four Mile Lake  – OPEN

Verulam Township Area

Centennial Beach  – OPEN 

Verulam Recreational Park – OPEN 

Haliburton County

Algonquin Highlands Area

Dorset Parkette – OPEN

Elvin Johnson Park (aka Stanhope Beach) – OPEN

Dysart et al Area

Eagle Lake Beach – OPEN

Haliburton Lake South Bay – OPEN

Sand Point (aka Indian Point) – OPEN

Pine Lake Beach – OPEN

Sandy Cove Beach – OPEN

Silver Lake (aka Kashawigamog Lake) – OPEN 

Highlands East Area

Gooderham Beach – OPEN

Paudash Lake Beach – OPEN

Lake Wilbermere Beach – OPEN

Glamour Lake Beach – OPEN 

Minden Hills Area

Bissett Beach – OPEN

Little Horseshoe Lake Beach – OPEN

Minden Rotary Lagoon Beach – OPEN

Minden Rotary Main Beach – OPEN

Twelve Mile Lake Beach – OPEN 

Northumberland County

Brighton Area

Cedardale – OPEN

Little Lake – OPEN

Campbellford Area

Crowe Bay Fun Park – OPEN

Hastings North – OPEN

Hastings South – OPEN

Seymour Conservation Area – OPEN 

Port Hope/Cobourg Area

Bewdley Beach – POSTED

Harwood Beach – OPEN

Port Hope Beach East – OPEN 

Port Hope Beach West – OPEN

Sandy Bay Park – OPEN

Victoria Beach (Cobourg) – OPEN

Wicklow Beach – OPEN

Forrest the cat is recovering from surgery he had this morning (June 28) at Sherbrooke Heights Animal Hospital.

The stray cat was found injured last Saturday (June 24) on North Asphodel 5th Line and brought into the Peterborough Humane Society.

Upon further examination, it was determined the cat — who the Peterborough Humane Society named Forrest — had been shot in the left front leg.

The bullet caused so much damage that Forrest’s entire leg had to be amputated.

Susan Dunkley, Manager Development & Outreach at the Peterborough Humane Society, tells kawarthaNOW that the surgery was completed successfully by “the incredibly talented team” at Sherbrooke Heights Animal Hospital.

She says the bullet appears to from a .22 caliber firearm; remnants have been sent for testing to verify the caliber.

Dunkley notes people have made a number of generous donations made to the “Milo Fund” at the Peterborough Humane Society to support Forrest’s surgery and his care — “the outpouring of love has been amazing”.

However, donations to date will cover just over half the costs of the very expensive surgery, so the Peterborough Humane Society is still seeking donations.

Dunkley also says that a number of people have already offered to care for Forrest or to adopt him, but it’s too early to make that decision.

“He has a long road of recovery ahead of him,” Dunkely explains. “At this time, we are not sure when he will be up for adoption.”

If you wish to donate towards the costs of Forrest’s surgery and care through the Milo Fund, visit peterboroughhumanesociety.ca/donations/milo-fund/.

The Milo Fund was set up over 20 years ago by the shelter, as a means for the community to help out with some of the costly surgeries and medications required for injured animals in their care.

This year, Canada Day celebrates the 150th anniversary of the July 1, 1867 enactment of the British North America Act that united three colonies into a single country called Canada within the British Empire. Originally called Dominion Day, the holiday was renamed “Canada Day” when the Canada Act was passed in 1982 to “patriate” Canada’s constitution.

The Canada Day holiday happens just after the kids get out of school and represents the first official long weekend of summer, with many communities hosting family-friendly celebrations including parades, festivals, barbeques, free musical events and fireworks. Of course, there’s even more happening this year with Canada 150.

As Canada Day is a federal statutory holiday, all government offices, banks, and liquor and beer stores are closed. However, many grocery stores and other businesses are open, as are most tourist attractions and recreational services. Since Canada Day falls on a Saturday this year, when government offices and services are already closed, the statutory holiday is usually observed on the next business day, so government offices and services are also closed or unavailable on Monday, July 3rd (a few observe the holiday on Friday, June 30th instead).

For your convenience, we provide this list of 249 selected businesses, services, and organizations from across the Kawarthas. While we strive to make the information on this list as accurate as we can, you should call first to confirm hours if you’re travelling any distance (we’ve included phone numbers). If your business or organization is listed and the hours are incorrect, please let us know by using our content feedback form.

Search by business name, location, or keyword:

Beer & Liquor Stores

Drug Stores, Pharmacies & Health Services

Government Services

Grocery Stores

Malls & Box Stores

Other Stores

Recreation & Leisure

Veterinary Clinics

An Orgne air ambulance flight crew captured this photo of a maple leaf in a field yesterday (June 28) as they returned from Peterborough and shared it on Twitter.

Here’s the original tweet and photo from Ornge.

Yesterday, our flight crew noticed this maple leaf in a field as they returned from #Peterborough. How are you celebrating #Canada150? pic.twitter.com/fbaMhP7s9o

— Ornge (@Ornge) June 29, 2017

When we first posted this story, we didn’t know the location or who made it, but thanks to social media a couple of people helped us out (a tip of the hat to Donna and James).

The maple leaf is located in Whitby, southwest of Brooklin, on the edge of the Heber Down Conservation Area, across from the North Whitby Off-Leash Dog Park and the Whitby Aeromodellers RC Club.

It’s the first step of Central Lake Ontario Conservation’s Canada 150 Project at Heber Down Conservation Area. Here’s a drone video of the maple leaf, which was completed in early June:

VIDEO: Drone Flight Over Heber Down Conservation Area’s Canada 150 Project

Information under the video describes the project in more detail:

“The first step in cutting the area in the shape of a 3-acre maple leaf was completed in early June. The project was first designed in our GIS Department then marked in the field using GPS coordinates to guide the areas staff in cutting the grass.

“The project is scheduled to be completed in late fall and will include a 750 metre accessible trail loop, picnic areas with a shelter, washroom facilities and a new viewing platform for our raptor watch program. The Canada 150 Project is currently under construction across from the Whitby leash-free dog park and the end of Cochrane Street, south of Winchester Road West.”

“This will be a wonderful addition to the north-east corner of Heber Down Conservation Area for visitors looking to relax, enjoy some family time and reconnect with the natural environment.

Thank you to the Canada 150 Community Infrastructure Program for funding the project and Jonnell Santa Rosa from the Whitby Aero Modellers RC Club for the drone flight.”

At yesterday’s meeting (June 27) of City of Kawartha Lakes Council, council resolved to submit an application to become the next “Bee City” designated by Bee City Canada.

Bee City Canada encourages municipalities and their residents to support bees and other pollinators on both public and private land and foster environmental awareness around this issue.

Since the Bee City program was first launched in the United States in 2012, 45 American cities have achieved Bee City certification. Since Bee City Canada came on board in 2016, six communities across the country have joined.

In Kawartha Lakes, a committee will be formed under City of Kawartha Lakes Environmental Advisory Committee (CKLEAC) consisting of community leaders, city staff and local experts to coordinate efforts.

“Becoming a Bee City will make Kawartha Lakes a visible role model for progressive initiatives designed to protect and encourage native pollinator populations,” says CKLEAC committee member Susan Blayney. “This is something we can all feel good about.”

Other commitments include displaying Bee City signage in a prominent location, maintaining information available to the public on initiatives to support pollinators, and annually recognizing Pollinator Week in the third week of June.

Kawartha Lakes is currently undertaking initiatives in support of a healthy pollinator population, including the Fenelon Landfill Pollination Project. This project involves a new type of seed mix that will be tested on the top of the landfill to promote the habitat of pollinating insects such as bees and butterflies.

Honey bees have experienced massive die-offs, but wild native bees also face challenges. These insects are responsible for the growth of 30 per cent of crops and 90 per cent of all wild plants. In this way, pollinators are vital to a healthy and resilient ecosystem.

The conservation of pollinators is critical to the sustainability of Kawartha Lakes’ natural areas, urban gardens, and small-scale farms. Certain pollinator species have been determined to be in decline due to habitat loss, climate change, pesticide use and disease or parasites.