Wednesday, October 14, 2026
Home Authors Articles by Bethan Bates, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Articles by Bethan Bates, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Bethan Bates, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
87 Articles
Bethan Bates is a writer and charitable sector professional who is interested in the issues affecting our society. An experienced writer and editor, Bethan has covered a host of topics from local events to international affairs to media reviews. Through her work, writing, and volunteering, Bethan is dedicated to advocating for women’s and children’s rights. In her free time she can be found doing yoga, reading, or cuddling with her cat. Her reporting is funded by the Government of Canada through its Local Journalism Initiative.
Peterborough's Dragon Boat Festival is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2026, with this year's fundraising event taking place on Saturday, June 13 at Del Crary Park in Peterborough. More than 50 teams and over 500 participants will take to the water on Little Lake to support this year's goal of raising $325,018.01 for cancer care at Peterborough Regional Health Centre, taking the 25-year fundraising total to well over $5 million. (Photo: Peterborough Regional Health Centre Foundation)

Peterborough’s Dragon Boat Festival paddling toward $5 million fundraising milestone for cancer care

Bethan Bates, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter -
Celebrating its 25th year, the annual event for PRHC Foundation on June 13 aims to raise over $325,000 to support cancer diagnosis and treatment close to home.
The Gull River overflows in the Township of Minden Hills in April 2026. (Photo: Maryboro Lodge Museum)

Letting nature be can help reduce flooding risk in the Kawarthas, ecologist says

Bethan Bates, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter -
Kate Dickson of The Land Between says property owners can collectively make a big difference by restoring natural shorelines and protecting wetlands.
The National Day of Awareness for Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls and 2SLGBTQI+ people (MMIWG2S+) on May 5 is also known as Red Dress Day, first commemorated in 2010 to honour and bring awareness to the thousands of women, girls, and two-spirit people who have been subjected to disproportionate violence in Canada. Red Dress Day was inspired by Métis artist Jaime Black's REDress Project installation, wherein she hung empty red dresses in representation of missing and murdered Indigenous women as "an aesthetic response to this critical national issue." (Photo: Sam Javanrouh)

Red Dress Day gathering in Nogojiwanong/Peterborough on May 5 to honour ‘stolen sisters’ and...

Bethan Bates, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter -
Urban Indigenous Working Group invites the community to stand in solidarity and send a message that Indigenous women and girls are valued, protected, and loved.
Members of the City of Kawartha Lakes Family Health Team, including executive director Mike Perry (third from left), with Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock MPP Laurie Scott (third from right) during an announcement on April 20, 2026 of $1,834,000 in funding under the Ontario government's Primary Care Action Plan. (Photo: City of Kawartha Lakes Family Health Team)

‘Game-changing’ provincial funding aims to connect thousands more Kawartha Lakes residents to primary healthcare

Bethan Bates, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter -
City of Kawartha Lakes Family Health Team will use $1.8 million in new funding to hire new family doctors and increase system capacity.
A conceptual rendering of the single-family homes that Habitat for Humanity Peterborough & Kawartha Region (Habitat PKR) is planning to build in Norwood. Habitat PKR is seeking three families living or working in Norwood to become homeowners in partnership with the charity's affordable homeownership program, which works with families who do not qualify for traditional mortgages and face other financial barriers to purchasing their own home. (Rendering: Marshall Design Studio courtesy of Habitat PKR)

Habitat PKR seeks three Norwood families for affordable homeownership opportunity

Bethan Bates, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter -
Charity's latest development will offer three single-family homes with no down payment and geared-to-income mortgages for eligible local households.
Two of the 35-plus volunteers who participated in an Earth Day clean-up of Rogers Cove park in Peterborough on April 19, 2026, picking up litter along the Little Lake waterfront and in the park. The clean-up was organized by Becca Durbin, owner of Salix Environmental Consulting, in partnership with Clean Up Peterborough and the City of Peterborough. (Photo: Bethan Bates / kawarthaNOW)

‘A walk with a purpose’: Earth Day inspires community clean-up effort at Rogers Cove...

Bethan Bates, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter -
More than 35 volunteers joined Salix Environmental Consulting and Clean Up Peterborough on April 19 to collect litter and promote grassroots environmental action.
Parents and supporters at the Northview Community Campus in Peterborough, home to Northview Community Church and the Northview Daycare and Nursery School (Northview DaySchool), during an awareness event on April 19, 2026 with signs urging the church's board to reconsider the July 31 eviction deadline for Northview DaySchool and grant an extension. (Photo: Bethan Bates / kawarthaNOW)

‘We just need the time to relocate’: Parents seek extension to Northview DaySchool eviction...

Bethan Bates, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter -
More than 200 Peterborough children face displacement by July 31 as families call on Northview Community Church board for extended closure timeline.
A protest in Toronto on April 14, 2026 against changes to the Interim Federal Health Program (IFHP) that would require refugees to begin paying fees for some healthcare services starting May 1. (kawarthaNOW screenshot of CBC video)

Peterborough Family Health Team and New Canadians Centre oppose refugee healthcare cuts

Bethan Bates, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter -
Advocates say new federal co-payment fees will force newcomers to choose between healthcare and basic needs and result in higher downstream costs.
Sir Sandford Fleming College, Sutherland Campus. (Photo: NGA Architects)

Union leaders raise concerns about cuts after Fleming College and St. Lawrence College announce...

Bethan Bates, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter -
OPSEU warns of potential for additional program eliminations and faculty and support staff job losses as integration moves forward,
A new 12-bed emergency shelter in Lindsay opened at April 13, 2026 at the Community Integrated Care Hub ("The Hub"), a purpose-built space at 22 Peel Street designed to provide services for people experiencing homelessness and concurrent conditions including addictions. Led by the John Howard Society of the Kawarthas, The Hub is funded through the Ontario government's Homelessness Prevention Program and Building Faster Fund, with financial contributions from City of Kawartha Lakes, the United Way Kawartha Lakes and Haliburton, and the Kawartha Community Foundation. (Photo: John Howard Society of the Kawarthas)

New 12-bed emergency shelter opens in Lindsay with provincial support

Bethan Bates, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter -
Led by the John Howard Society of the Kawarthas, The Hub at 22 Peel Street offers wraparound services for people experiencing homelessness and addiction.
1...789Page 8 of 9

Become a #kawarthaNOW fan

36,162FollowersLike
25,988FollowersFollow
17,356FollowersFollow
4,914FollowersFollow
4,307FollowersFollow
3,278FollowersFollow

Sign up for kawarthNOW's Enews

Sign up for our VIP Enews

kawarthaNOW.com offers two enews options to help readers stay in the know. Our VIP enews is delivered weekly every Wednesday morning and includes exclusive giveaways, and our news digest is delivered daily every morning. You can subscribe to one or both.




Submit your event for FREE!

Use our event submission form to post your event on our website — for free. To submit editorial content or ideas, please contact us.

EDITOR'S PICKS

SIGN UP FOR OUR ENEWS




© Copyright kawarthaNOW® 1996 - 2026. All rights reserved. Unauthorized distribution, transmission, or republication strictly prohibited. Trademarks owned by kawarthaNOW include kawarthaNOW®, Keep It In The Kawarthas®, Web Sites That Work®, Kawartha Localist™, Know Your Locals™, businessNOW™, musicNOW™, artNOW™, nightlifeNOW™, encoreNOW™, and KNosh™.