Excuse Tim Farquharson for humming over and over the tune to a familiar Elton John song, but he’s still standing — and now he’s got great company in the form of cash and goods for three Peterborough homeless shelters.

Peterborough’s deputy police chief, joined by members of his Peterborough Cares support team, announced Wednesday (January 31) that his ‘Stand With Tim’ fundraiser brought in $10,392.45 — $3,464.15 each for Brock Mission, YES Shelter for Youth and Families, and The Warming Room.

On Friday, January 26th at 4 p.m., Farquharson began a 12-hour stay on the southwest corner of King and George streets, not only to raise money for the three shelters but also awareness of their services and, more notably, their need of community support.

Stand With Tim, as the fundraiser was billed, accomplished each of those goals.

“We were hoping to have a few thousand dollars … we had $3,000 when we started,” said Farquharson, clearly overwhelmed by the outpouring of support for the initiative — support that included performances by a number of Peterborough musicians and the presence of members of The Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment.

“Having young people, people from the bars, was actually good. I thought it might be a little rougher than it was. They were great. Probably seven out of 10 gave money.

“A lot of people said it would have been nicer if it was minus 25”, Farquharson said, referring to the relatively mild temperature overnight last Friday. “We wouldn’t have got a fraction of the money we did nor the awareness because nobody would have been out.”

While thrilled with the total raised, Farquharson later admitted to not being surprised.

“It’s Peterborough, right? People are just incredible.”

Lindsay Mitchell, who did much of the grunt work on the event alongside Peterborough Cares founder Camille Parent, echoed that sentiment.

“This is a special community. It really is. Everything that even starts as a grassroots event somehow snowballs into something big. The outpouring of community was mind-blowing.”

Representatives of each of the shelter beneficiaries were on hand for the announcement. Along with the cash, they divided a number of donated clothing items among them.

“The awareness piece is really huge; it’s as valuable as the actual cash,” said Bill McNabb, executive director of Brock Mission, noting the shelter has to raise $120,000 a year “to keep the doors open.”

“The funding we get from the City pays for the staffing but we have to pay for everything else…rent, hydro, food, all the necessities. This is a good day.”

Christian Harvey, director of The Warming Room, was equally thrilled.

“Homelessness will only end if we, as a community, work together. A donation like this shows how more and more people care about the issue. The more people are aware, the more change is possible. We need, as a community, as a country, to change our perceptions of homelessness.”

“If someone donates to homelessness, they’re going to tell someone. There’s going to be a conversation that starts around that. The more conversations that happen, the more, in upcoming elections, people will be asking candidates ‘What are you going to do around this?’ That matters.”

The largest single contribution to the final tally came from the Peterborough Police Service in the form of $1,500.

“We (City police) have always been champions of issues around poverty, homelessness, mental health .. .that’s what we do and we’re committed to it,” said Peterborough Police Chief Murray Rodd, crediting Peterborough Cares, and Farquharson in particular, with doing “God’s work.”

Joining Parent was the Peterborough Cares team comprised of Tim Burke, Darcy Bonner, Donna Mackay, and Mitchell. He said the roots of this fundraiser were planted years ago when he sat in on a homelessness-related meeting with Farquharson.

“Tim had a strong passion for the homeless, as I did. I said ‘We need to connect and do something.” I never forgot about that. I gave Tim a call and kind of figured he’d pass the buck to someone else. I didn’t know he would do this. I was just so touched.”

Although not set in stone, the plan is do the fundraiser again, possibly as early as this November.

Despite the continued and growing availability and popularity of ebooks and other technology-rooted reading sources, traditional printed books are more than holding their own in Peterborough.

At no time has that been more evident and celebrated than it was Tuesday morning (January 30) as the doors of the extensively renovated Aylmer Street main branch of Peterborough Public Library swung open for the first time.

“We are so very excited to be home again,” said library CEO Jennifer Jones as she welcomed a number of speakers to the podium, among them Mayor Daryl Bennett.

“It wasn’t an easy decision to spend $12 million of public money,” said Mayor Bennett.

“It’s $12 million that some people said we should be using for sports facilities, transportation infrastructure, affordable housing or homeless shelters. We spend money on all those, but we’re investing in this place because it represents good value for everybody in the community.”

“Libraries of the past have been called dinosaurs and, in some cases, that’s a true statement. This is not of that era whatsoever. We have built for the future. This renovation has reinvigorated not only this space but, in many ways, our entire downtown.”

With that, following the presentation of $250,000 towards the overall cost from the Peterborough Public Library Foundation, community members were led into the new space. To a person, the first reviews were over-the-top gushing.

VIDEO: The official opening of the Peterborough Public Library

“I am thrilled,” said former library board member Teresa Kerr.

“Number one is the light that shines and spreads throughout the building. It’s good for the people that work here; it’s good for the people who visit here. It makes you feel you’re not crowding anybody, you can move around.

“When I moved to this community, one of the first things I looked for was the public library. When I found it I thought ‘Well, OK, this is nice’. Over the years, I was convinced that the library wasn’t living up to its potential to serve its community and be a welcoming space for everybody. That has now changed.”

Equally impressed was Trudy Minicola.

“They’re using basically the same footprint but they’ve created all this airiness,” she assessed.

For her part, Tanaya Matchett said the hefty price tag is well worth the result.

“There are a lot of things that you can be critical about and not necessarily agree with, but I don’t think that investing in a free space that anybody can use could ever be a bad thing,” she said, adding, “It’s going to serve a lot of people and do a lot of good.”

With more than 600,000 visitors annually, the library’s main branch is arguably the most heavily used city facility. According to Jones, the printed book circulation stands at about 10,000 items weekly.

“That’s a big deal, but I think this space is more about learning in the community and our commitment to discovery. Everyone throws the word ‘literacy’ around, but it’s more about learning and discovery and being able to invest in that. We’ve gone our feet in both worlds. We still appreciate the print but we’re also embracing technology and this building meets us in the middle.”

Jones also spoke to the arduous process leading up to this day: a mammoth undertaking which saw the library move to a temporary home in Peterborough Square for 18 months while the branch was retrofitted and expanded.

“We’ve had our bumps. I’m not going to say we haven’t. You live in a motel for a year it wears on you, right? We’re so happy to be home.”

Opened in September 1980, the branch building was identified in 2013 by architectural consultant Michael Lundholm as no longer able to meet the community’s library needs, according to the city’s Community Services Director Ken Doherty. In 2015, he and the late Becky Rogers, library CEO at the time, secured City Council approval for the facelift.

“On my first tour (just after the building was gutted), I was struck by one comment made by the contractor site manager,” recalled Doherty. “He marveled at what good shape the building was in after almost 40 years. He said ‘It has great bones.’

“I have no doubt that’s due to the vision of people back in the late 1970s like Bob Porter, the library CEO of the day, and Jean Cole, on behalf of the library board, who hired renowned architect Raymond Moriyama to design and supervise the construction of the original building. Moriyama’s designs still inspire and provide the foundation for this new iteration of the library.

“The next time I toured the building was earlier this month. I stopped at the bottom of the stairs and looked across the main level. Two thoughts hit me almost simultaneously — my first reaction was ‘Wow’ — the view, the brightness, the windows, the openness, they all surpassed my expectations. My second thought was more sombre and literally brought a tear to my eye. It’s unfortunate that Becky could not be here to see her vision become a reality.”

Saying “This is the new library you deserve,” Doherty commended library staff and volunteers for meeting the challenges of the transition, to not only the Peterborough Square location but back to Aylmer Street.

Meanwhile, taking in all the excitement with a glint in his eye was Peter Berton, partner-in-charge with The Ventin Group.

It’s always exhilarating come into a building you’ve been working on for so long and it looks exactly the way you imagined it,” he said. “I’m watching people. It’s really fun to see their reaction. When they opened the gate, that was a bit of a chill.”

He too credited original architect Moriyama with designing “a great building…all the basics were here.”

“The original idea was to add two additions to the building but we told the library board we felt that two additions would be more expensive than one. Why not put more stuff into the lower level where the kids’ area is and use the space they already have? And then build a nice addition on the facade of the building and add windows on Bethune Street, so there’s interaction with that street?”

Fully accessible — a feature praised by Peterborough Accessibility Compliance Co-ordinator Mark Buffone — the centerpiece of the new-look branch is a grand central staircase leading to lower-level children’s department.

That feature, along with the abundance of natural light, drew the most praise. In addition to those features, larger and brighter public meeting rooms are now in place, each set to welcome community groups looking for a new meeting location.

Buttcon Limited of Concord, Ontario was the lead contractor on the project. It was awarded the Peterborough library contract in June 2016 and went to work immediately. Earlier in May, the library opened its temporary branch at Peterborough Square after the City of Peterborough signed a lease with mall management.

Earlier this month, the City Public Art Program announced that Toronto architect Patrick Li create the artwork for the new public square being developed adjacent to main branch at Aylmer and Simcoe streets. Sponsored by LLF Lawyers, the square will create a vibrant place for people to gather in the heart of the downtown core.

Still, as thrilled as Jones is with her new workspace and its ability to better serve library patrons for years to come, there’s still one thing on her wish list.

“I want five more branches but I’m not going to bring that up yet,” she said.

“We still need to learn the space. You don’t throw the house party the first day. We did. Now we actually have to move into the space.”

For more information on Peterborough Public Library services, visit www.ptbolibrary.ca

When Samra Zafar was a young girl, she was an academic achiever who dreamed of studying abroad at Harvard or Stanford to pursue a higher education.

Zafar grew up in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). She was the eldest of four daughters in a Pakistani Muslim working-class family, with her mother a teacher and her father an oil plant worker. At school, she stood out, particularly among the girls in her class, as outspoken and fiercely determined.

Despite her humble roots and coming from a culture where opportunities for young girls are few and far between, her father encouraged her to do well in her studies, often handing out sweets when she scored top marks on tests.

“School was something I was very passionate about,” Zafar says. “Each exam was a milestone for me and I was very ambitious. My father would often say, ‘My daughter is going to graduate from a top university someday.'”

Those aspirations came to a standstill at 16 when Zafar’s mother told her she had received a marriage proposal from a “well-settled” IT worker living in Mississauga, Canada, whose sister was a friend of Zafar’s mother.

Her parents thought this would give her a great opportunity to pursue her secondary education. Her soon-to-be husband and in-laws didn’t object to it either, Zafar notes.

“Even though I was terrified and didn’t want to do it, I was told by everyone around me that it was the right thing to do and that it was amazing that I had this marriage proposal. It was considered such an achievement.”

Traditionally in her culture, Zafar says, women have been taught from the time they are young girls to believe that marriage is their ultimate destiny and to be subservient to their male counterparts.

“Everything else she does before that is just a means to an end,” Zafar explains. “I didn’t have a voice — I felt compelled to go along with it, and I did.”

Zafar met her husband for the first time the day before they wed in July 1999. What carried her through at the time, she says, was the hope that she was going to go to university in Canada. However, once married and in Canada, things changed — for the worse.

She spent the next decade chastened by her husband and in-laws, abused both mentally and physically.

She became a young mother, was not allowed to leave the house, had no friends, and was not allowed to learn how to drive. She was without money and was constantly neglected.

“When the physical abuse happened, I realized this is what my life is going to look like. And I just accepted it, because that’s what I thought I deserved and I didn’t know any better. I became extremely miserable. I had suicidal thoughts all of the time, and even attempted to end my life. I was in a very dark place.”

It was five years later, pregnant with her second daughter, when Zafar went back to the UAE to visit her dying father. It was his last words to her that made Zafar decide she would no longer tolerate the marital abuse she had endured for too long.

“My father said to me, ‘Realize the strength you have inside of you. Go back and find a way to get out of your marriage.'”

When her father passed away, Zafar felt she had hit rock bottom and there was nowhere to go but up.

“I just had to start fighting. I knew the one thing that was going to make a difference for me would be some kind of financial independence.”

To earn her own money, she started a babysitting and tutoring service in her home and stashed away small amounts of cash to pay for university tuition, with the rest going to her husband and mother-in-law to earn their approval.

“That gave me more confidence and leverage to move on to the next step which was learning how to drive, buying a car, and eventually going out. It was those everyday battles I had to tackle.”

All the while, she was planning her escape with her two young daughters.

Zafar left her marriage at the age of 28, sought counselling at the university campus, and schooled herself on the various types of emotional abuse.

“I learned that what was happening to me was not my fault,” she recalls.

As a single mom, she pursued her education and, while working various jobs, managed to graduate as the top student in Economics at the University of Toronto — while winning numerous awards along the way, including the prestigious John Moss Scholarship awarded annually to a single student across all three campuses.

“Education is the pathway out of abuse and knowledge is power,” Zafar says. “The biggest thing that worked in my favour was perseverance and the determination of not giving up. When I graduated and won all of those scholarships, it was a sense of validation.”

For the past few years, Zafar has been working on launching Brave Beginnings, a non-profit organization she founded to support abuse survivors in their journey to build a life of respect and freedom.

Since her story has circulated, she receives hundreds of messages daily from women all over the world — including India, the Philippines, China and Malaysia — who are trapped in forced marriages and looking for help.

Her biggest reward, Zafar boasts, is an email she received last year from a father in Pakistan who, after hearing Zafar’s story, decided to cancel a marriage proposal for his 17-year-old daughter and send her to university instead.

“It was like everything had come full circle. I’ve received so many messages from women who have said, ‘You have given me the inspiration to walk out [of their marriage].’ Some women even send me their university transcripts telling me they just passed a course. It’s those kind of stories that keeps me going.”

Today, Zafar is the youngest alumni serving as a Governor for the University of Toronto, along with pursuing a rewarding career in commercial banking. She’s also a motivational speaker and a mentor empowering women to find their voice and to begin healing and moving from victim to survivor.

“My success would not have been possible if I did not have that connection and support from my peers and friends, who made me feel that I don’t have to do this alone. When others have faith in you, it teaches you to have faith in yourself.”

It’s as a motivational speaker that Zafar will bring her incredible story to Peterborough area women. She is one of three keynote speakers at Peterborough’s second annual International Women’s Day Conference, hosted by Thirteen Moons Wellness, that takes place on Wednesday, March 8th at the Ashburnham Reception Centre.

Propelled by her own experiences, Zafar will speak on the power of authentic leadership. Zafar says showing a vulnerable side of herself to her colleagues that they would unlikely see in the workplace has made her appear very human, trustworthy, and accessible — creating a connection that goes beyond a job title.

“Trust is a fundamental driver for all kinds of success and opportunities,” she says. “When you’re genuine and people see you as a human being, that’s when they connect with you. It makes you relatable. I’m very open, authentic, and treat people the way I want to be treated. Doing that has opened so many doors for me.”

Don’t miss your chance to hear Zafar speak at International Women’s Day Conference Peterborough, as tickets are selling fast! For more information about the conference and to register, visit www.iwdptbo.ca.

VIDEO: Samra Zafar at TEDxMississauga

Peterborough’s Leslie Fagan has been appointed to the Order of Ontario, the province’s highest honour.

The Honourable Elizabeth Dowdeswell, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario and Chancellor of the Order of Ontario, announced 23 new appointments to the Order of Ontario earlier today (January 29) — including comedian Dan Aykroyd, internet scholar Michael Geist, former politician Allan Rock, and science-fiction author Robert J. Sawyer.

The full list of appointees is shown below.

Leslie is recognized for her work as a revered soprano, voice teacher, and promoter of Canadian art songs and Canadian composers.

During her career, she has performed at Royal Albert Hall, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Bordeaux Opera House, and Roy Thomson Hall. She is professor of voice at Sir Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo and has given master classes at The Juilliard School, York University, Berkshire Choral Festival, and the American University of Sharjah, UAE and was an adjudicator for the New York Oratorio Competition.

Leslie will be performing with the Peterborough Symphony Orchestra at its “Requiem” concert on Saturday, March 24th at Emmanuel United Church East, along with the Peterborough Singers and baritone Alexander Dobson.

The Order of Ontario recognizes individuals from all walks of life whose exceptional achievements in their field have left a lasting legacy in the province. The Lieutenant Governor will bestow the honour to the newest appointees during an investiture ceremony at Queen’s Park on February 27, 2018.

The 2017 Appointees to the Order of Ontario

Dr. Upton Allen, Toronto – pediatric infectious disease specialist

He is an internationally recognized pediatrician whose multidisciplinary approach to preventing life-threatening infections among children with compromised immune systems has had profound national and global impacts.

Daniel Aykroyd, Sydenham – actor and entrepreneur

He is one of the world’s most popular entertainers, well-known for his time on Saturday Night Live and the 1984 classic movie Ghostbusters. He is also a successful businessman, co-founding House of Blues and Crystal Head Vodka, and philanthropist in the Kingston area.

Dr. Alan Bernstein, Toronto – cancer researcher and research leader

He is a renowned researcher, winning numerous awards, honours and international acclaim. He made game-changing contributions to our understanding of cancer, establishing the basis for important advances in cancer therapy. He has been a visionary leader as Director of Research at the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, the founding President of the Canadian Institutes for Health Research and is currently the President and CEO of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR).

Dr. David Cechetto, London – neuroscientist and director of international medical development projects

He is a pioneering researcher who has contributed much of what we know about neural control of the heart and blood vessels. In addition to his research and teaching, he continues to direct development projects in the health care sector in Rwanda.

Dr. Peter Chang, Thornhill – lawyer and psychiatrist

He has improved access to mental health services for Ontario’s East Asian communities. He established the Hong Fook Mental Health Association to provide culturally-sensitive services in five Asian languages, as well as the Hong Fook Mental Health Foundation to address the stigma of mental illness.

The Honourable Sandra Chapnik, Toronto – lawyer and judge

She has had an extraordinary and influential career as a lawyer and a judge with the Superior Court of Justice for Ontario. She is also a tireless promoter and mentor of women in law.

Dr. Tom Chau, Toronto – biomedical engineer

He has literally given voice to children who had none. His research and inventions provide novel ways for children with severe disabilities to communicate through movements and hums, vastly improving their quality of life.

Dr. Dorothy Cotton, Kingston – psychologist and mental health advocate

She is one of Canada’s leading experts in policing and mental illness. Her work has been critical in helping to change the way police interact with individuals experiencing mental health crises.

Peter Dinsdale, Ottawa – Anishinaabe community leader

He has devoted his life to improving the lives of Indigenous peoples and supporting reconciliation. He is currently President and CEO of YMCA Canada.

Leslie Fagan, Peterborough – singer and promoter of Canadian music

She is a revered soprano, voice teacher and promoter of Canadian art songs and Canadian composers. She recently released Thread of Winter, the first in a series of albums in the Canadian Art Song Series.

Michael Geist, Ottawa – scholar and public intellectual

A global thought leader, particularly in the area of Internet policy, copyright law and digital rights, he frequently shapes government policy in Canada and abroad on emerging technologies, and influences public debate through his books and other writings.

Shashi Kant, Toronto – professor of forest resource economics

The only Canadian to win the Queen’s Award for Forestry, he has an international reputation as an expert in the intersection of forest management and human rights, and is a leader in his field for considering sustainability and social aspects of forest management. He is the founding director of the University of Toronto’s ground-breaking Master of Science in Sustainability Management program.

Myrtha Lapierre, Ottawa – retired nursing professor

She broke barriers for black Francophone nurses in Canada, and is a leader among Ottawa health professionals and the Haitian-Canadian community.

Floyd Laughren, Sudbury – former MPP and Finance Minister

After 27 years as a Member of Provincial Parliament, including five years as Finance Minister, he retired and continued to be at the heart of Sudbury’s growth. Examples include chairing the Energy Board of Ontario, the Laurentian University Board of Governors and the Sudbury Credit Union. He is currently chair elect of the Health Sciences North Board of Directors.

Michael Lee-Chin, Burlington – entrepreneur and philanthropist

He is an entrepreneur who believes in the power of giving back. His gifts to local hospitals have improved patient care, and his historic contribution to the Royal Ontario Museum led to the creation of the iconic Michael Lee-Chin Crystal.

Gail Nyberg, Bowmanville – former Daily Bread Food Bank executive director and former school trustee

She helped create the first student nutrition program as a school trustee for East York and increased supports for newcomer children. As executive director of Daily Bread Food Bank, her recommendations and activism led to the creation of the province’s Poverty Reduction Strategy and the Ontario Child Benefit.

Dr. Dilkhush Panjwani, Toronto – psychiatrist

As a community psychiatrist for over 30 years, Dr. Panjwani has vigorously promoted dignity for those suffering from mental-health issues and workplace injuries, dedicated his career to helping patients without access to care, and advocated to end the social stigma of mental illness. He has also promoted pluralism by connecting diverse community organizations and initiating interfaith and intercultural dialogue.

Elder Geraldine Robertson, Sarnia – educator and advocate for residential school survivors

She has travelled across the country to encourage other residential school survivors to open up and strive toward healing, educated countless people on the intergenerational legacy of residential schools, and helped advocate for compensation for survivors.

Allan Rock, Ottawa – former politician and UN Ambassador

He is a visionary leader, formerly serving as a federal Cabinet Minister and Member of Parliament, who championed peace-building as Canada’s Ambassador to the UN. As President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ottawa, he revitalized the institution.

Robert J. Sawyer, Mississauga – celebrated science-fiction author

He is one of the world’s top science-fiction authors and a champion of the Canadian fiction industry. He has published 23 novels, including Flashforward, which was adapted for an ABC-TV series.

Sandra Shamas, Georgetown– writer, performer and comedian

She is an award-winning comedian who has mined the experiences of her own life. With her humour, she has shone a light on the cultural experiences of women. She is also now a seasonal farmer and an advocate for rural communities and the protection of farmland.

Elizabeth Sheehy, Ottawa – criminal law scholar

She is a world-renowned feminist criminal law scholar whose research into the law’s treatment of women has helped transform Canada’s justice system. She helped inspire new approaches to sexual assault law, and lends her expertise to rape crisis centres and women’s shelters.

Ilse Treurnicht, Toronto – CEO and advocate for women and innovation

Her leadership helped build the MaRS Discovery District into the world’s largest – and Canada’s leading – innovation hub. One of Canada’s first female CEOs of a venture capital fund, she advocates for measures to improve economic and social prosperity, and to help break the glass ceiling for other women.

The results are in from the second annual Common Kindness Day, and The Commonwell Mutual Insurance Group has crowned Lindsay as the kindest town.

On January 10th, customers of Boiling Over’s Coffee Vault (148 Kent St. W., Lindsay) paid forward a total of $337.72 for free coffees, and handed out roughly 140 free coffees.

The Commonwell created Common Kindness Day in 2017 to encourage Ontarians to appreciate acts of kindness and to inspire others to good deeds. The insurance company sponsored 10 independent cafes across Ontario to give out hundreds of free coffees with one request: that patrons consider paying the act of kindness forward.

Each customer was given a card suggesting they “show some neighbourly love” and asking them to help The Commonwell with the launch of the company’s annual Create a Ripple Effect (C.A.R.E) program donations.

Boiling Over’s Coffee Vault edged out cafes in Ottawa, Peterborough, and Whitby.

“We created Common Kindness Day because we believe in the kindness of strangers and the importance of creating strong community bonds,” says Commonwell president and CEO Tim Shauf.

“The citizens of Lindsay showed an exceptional sense of community and willingness to pay it forward this year. We’re proud to be part of a community that shares the same values and social commitment as The Commonwell”.

For more information about The Commonwell’s C.A.R.E. program, visit thecommonwell.ca/c-a-r-e/.

Is it a marketing ploy? A publicity stunt? A prankster with lots of money to throw around? A benefactor with bizarre tastes? Or something else?

Whatever it is, university student unions across Canada are perplexed by the anonymous Amazon-delivered packages they have been receiving over the past few months.

That includes the Trent Central Student Association (TCSA) at Trent University in Peterborough, which tells kawarthaNOW they have been receiving the packages from the online retailer since last November.

“This past week we’ve gotten packages every single day,” the TCSA says via Facebook message. “We receive several packages each week. Sometimes one item a day, sometimes multiple.”

CBC News first reported on Saturday (January 27) that several university student unions have been receiving the packages, including Ryerson in Toronto, the University of Regina in Saskatchewan, Dalhousie in Halifax, St. Francis Xavier in Nova Scotia, Wilfrid Laurier in Waterloo, Royal Roads in Victoria, and the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg.

The items arrive in Amazon packaging, but without any indication who sent them. Some of the products include sex toys such as vibrators, digital scales, smart phone and tablet cases, charging cords, wireless earbuds, turntables, and more.

The TCSA says they have also received similar items, as well as “dog toys, essential oil diffusers, a beading kit, and a watch.”

Ryerson University’s independent student newspaper The Eyeopener first reported the packages in a story from January 16th. According to the story by Alanna Rizza, the student union at Ryerson began receiving the packages in September, shortly after orientation week.

Some of the other university student unions have contacted Amazon to find out who is sending the packages, but Amazon has been unwilling to share customer information for privacy reasons. However, the company did confirm that some of the items were purchased using gift cards, which are untraceable.

CBC News has also contacted Amazon about the mystery packages, which requested photos of some of the shipping labels. CBC says Amazon is still investigating.