Former Conservative MP Michelle Ferreri greets supporters before the arrival of Conservative Party of Canada Leader Pierre Poilievre in Keene on Sunday Ferreri ended up losing her seat to Liberal candidate Emma Harrison the reasons for the change arise from real people making real choices Based on the author’s interpretations and judgments of facts Lois Tuffin is a former editor-in-chief with Peterborough This Week I watched former MP Michelle Ferreri’s farewell video the night after she lost her seat It’s never easy when you’re the candidate whose name appeared on all those signs talking about what happened and what’s next What she said shows the disconnect that led to her serving only one term I admire anyone who puts their name forward for public office I quietly wondered how she would adapt to the job My first gasp at the video came when she said the vote “wasn’t rigged.” No kidding Our elections are strictly regulated and run by diligent teams of people Hundreds of comments showed that others picked up on it too That’s one reason why so many people voted for candidates other than Ferreri people living in the real world want and expect more from their elected officials don’t just talk about the problems; work to resolve them MPP Dave Smith has found funding to bring a detox centre and funding for a Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment Hub Even people who don’t identify as Conservatives voted for him this winter in recognition of what he does in his role Ferreri would shoot videos about how bad things were for people who are unhoused or addicted During Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre’s visit in Keene on Sunday he painted a picture that the local MP had obviously created in his mind “Michelle goes onto the street and meets with people who are trapped in homeless encampments She is known to go and sit on a street corner with someone who is suffering with addiction and she brings me their stories back to Parliament Hill,” he said When I talk to people about this community I invite them to see innovative projects arising from dedicated volunteers and non-profits I discovered messages from Conservatives from Alberta and New Brunswick who admire Ferreri’s rhetoric Many local people also said they felt she listened to their concerns her record of making real change in the riding was less than stellar it’s a case of the online world versus the physical one I was part of the No More MP Ferreri Facebook group I ultimately had to leave since the barrage of anger and disappointment about her was completely unhealthy They encouraged their friends and family to vote for Liberal candidate Emma Harrison They didn’t like how Ferreri spent time with angry They were embarrassed by her behaviour here and in Ottawa Ferreri aptly identifies that more voters switched from the NDP to Liberal The signs went up due to a deep dissatisfaction with the day-to-day job of this MP Seeing her not conceding to Harrison on Monday night just reinforced that she does not like to do the hard things She wrapped up the video by asking people what she should do next It will be interesting to see what she chooses Opinion articles are based on the author’s interpretations and judgments of facts, data and events. More details Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: Account processing issue - the email address may already exist Invalid password or account does not exist Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account People gathered outside city hall on Monday morning for a special ceremony and flag-raising to mark Red Dress Day Front row left to right are Florence Osawamick with Curve Lake First Nation Chief Keith Knott and Peterborough MP-elect Emma Harrison in the background Janet McCue (second from left) of Curve Lake First Nation and the Healing With Drums group drum and sing outside City Hall on Monday morning during a special ceremony and flag-raising to mark Red Dress Day Citizens and city staff members gathered for a smudging ceremony Red dresses were hanging in all the windows of city hall on Monday to mark Red Dress Day in Peterborough May 5 — Red Dress Day — is also known as National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women citizens and city staff members gathered for a smudging ceremony singing and traditional drumming with the drum group Healing With Drums to symbolize the silencing of those missing and murdered as well as Chief Keith Knott of Curve Lake First Nation Peterborough MP-elect Emma Harrison and Peterborough city councillors Alex Bierk and Joy Lachica advisor for Indigenous relations for the City of Peterborough was there handing out tobacco ties (small tobacco offerings tied up in red cloth and cinched with string) She said this was the first ceremony of its kind on the grounds of city hall adding she aims to “collaboratively work with the Indigenous urban community” to continue raising awareness Leal had asked citizens to participate in Red Dress Day by displaying red dresses in windows on a porch or in a visible outdoor space at home A display of children’s shoes that had been on a platform at the steps of city hall has been moved out of the elements The shoes were spontaneously placed there in late May 2021 by people in Peterborough and from local First Nations Shoes were placed in public across Canada at the time as a symbol of mourning the 215 Indigenous children whose remains were discovered on the grounds of a residential school in British Columbia as there were many stones and tobacco ties Knott said the entire area was smudged lately and the shoes were packaged and sent to be held by the Peterborough Museum and Archives while Indigenous communities decide where they should be kept for good She said all the stones were returned to the forest the tobacco ties must go into a sacred fire and the wooden platform was returned to its maker A few pairs of the children’s shoes are on display in glass cases in the lobby at city hall Knott said there will be QR codes added to allow people to learn more about the significance and symbolism of the shoes The Peterborough Petes have officially announced the full roster for their annual development camp presented by Sign-A-Fied, East Side Mario’s and Hybrid FHP A full camp roster can be seen below in alphabetical order: Scrimmage Teams can be viewed by clicking on the links below: Development Camp begins today with off-ice testing (not open to the public). On-ice scrimmages start on Saturday, May 3 beginning at 9:00 a.m. Camp attendees are split into three teams for the on-ice scrimmage portion of the weekend, with all scrimmages taking place at the PMC. Scrimmages are open to the public and will also be streamed on the Petes Facebook page with commentary Print out rosters will be available at the top of the Club Section for fans in attendance A full camp scrimmage schedule can be found by clicking here BUY TICKETS SEASON TICKETS BIRTHDAY PACKAGES GROUP EXPERIENCES FLEX PACKS BUY 50/50 TICKETS GAME ANNOUNCEMENT REQUEST PETES STORE Peterborough Veterinary Outreach is asking for the community’s help to replace over $2,000 worth of vaccinations and medications that were damaged due to the lengthy power outage following the devastating ice storm at the end of March Vaccines and medications such as insulin must be kept refrigerated to maintain their efficacy The volunteer-run initiative offers free veterinary services to residents on social assistance by hosting free monthly pet wellness clinics for their dogs and cats through One City Peterborough at the Trinity Community Centre at 360 Reid Street One City Peterborough issued an email appeal on Friday (May 2) on behalf of Peterborough Veterinary Outreach to ask for donations to help replace the supplies “With our next free vet clinic just over one week away we are urgently asking for your help,” the email reads “Without replacing these damaged supplies we simply cannot support all of the pets who are counting on us.” will go directly toward replacing the vaccines and medications lost in the storm To make a donation, visit www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/onecityptbo/campaign/PVO-supplies/ 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 Email        Team Pearce players Cam Crawford and Jenna White finish their match against Team Hamblin during the second annual Pickleball Tournament and the YMCA Strong Kids Campaign launch in Peterborough Saturday Team Hamblin player Kellie Bonnici returns next to teammate Erin Durand against Team Pearce during the second annual Pickleball Tournament and YMCA Strong Kids Campaign launch in Peterborough Saturday Team Hamblin’s Amanda McCaskie returns against Team Pearce during the second annual Pickleball Tournament and the YMCA Strong Kids Campaign launch in Peterborough Saturday Team Pearce player Cam Crawford returns against Team Hamblin during the second annual Pickleball Tournament and the YMCA Strong Kids Campaign launch in Peterborough Saturday Team Hamblin players celebrate against Team Pearce during the second annual Pickleball Tournament and the YMCA Strong Kids Campaign launch in Peterborough Saturday Funds raised from the tournament directly support the Strong Kids Campaign Balsillie Family Branch hosted its second annual Pickleball Tournament Saturday Local realtors Wade Hamblin and Shaun Pearce led their teams in the quest for the Golden Pickle the local YMCA branch launched its 2025 YMCA Strong Kids Campaign to ensure kids and families who have a financial need are able to access YMCA programs and services in the community The former Baskin Robbins plant on Aylmer Street in Peterborough is for sale for $1 Former downtown ice cream production plant has been on the market for three weeks The former Baskin-Robbins property in downtown Peterborough is for sale for $1 The one-acre piece of vacant land at 375 Aylmer St 23 days after an online listing first appeared The real estate advertisement describes it as a “brownfield redevelopment site” (it was an ice cream production plant for years before operations moved to Nova Scotia in 2012) Owner Don MacPherson is a local developer; he could not be reached for comment But real estate broker/owner Ben Shaughnessy of Stoneguide Realty Limited Shaughnessy said the asking price is $1 because it’s very difficult to assess the value of the property “It’s not like a brick bungalow where there’s 45 of them that just sold in the last month,” he said “So we’re trying to extract valuations from different marketplaces and see if it applies to Peterborough Shaughnessy said it’s much more common to see properties for sale for $1 in larger urban markets such as in Toronto “It’s pretty common practice for them,” he said “Peterborough is obviously a smaller market Shaughnessy said the property has “great zoning” that allows for both residential and commercial development He also said the downtown location is “second to none.” But he also said it will take a prospective buyer with imagination and plentiful resources to redevelop the site into apartments and stores “You have to have somebody with vision and deep pockets It’s a big project,” Shaughnessy said “There could be literally hundreds of (residential) units there That’s an out-of-town developer who’s going to look at that … We don’t have anybody Here’s a timeline of how the former Baskin-Robbins property has changed over the years: 2012: Baskin-Robbins closes its downtown Peterborough plant 2019: New owners apply for a rezoning to allow both residential and commercial uses on the site 2020: Plant is mostly demolished (a portion of one of the buildings remains to this day) 2020: Property owner Don McPherson tells The Examiner he planned to build three apartment buildings plus ground-floor commercial space But he says he would shelve those plans if a proposal for a supervised drug consumption site were approved for 220 Simcoe St June 2022: Peterborough’s supervised Consumption and Treatment Services Site opens at 220 Simcoe St June/July 2023: Property owners MacPherson Realty and Monkman Realty arrive at a settlement with the city over their long sought-after rezoning from industrial to residential and commercial uses The settlement was presented to the Ontario Land Tribunal in June June 2024: MacPherson offers to sell the Baskin-Robbins property to the city for “well below the market value,” if it were interested in an idea to build pickleball courts there The idea had come from then-president and CEO of Peterborough and the Kawarthas Chamber of Commerce Sarah Budd (who has since taken a new job as manager of community development for Peterborough County) Budd had proposed the city consider building pickleball courts on the Baskin-Robbins property rather than in Bonnerworth Park (at Monaghan Road and McDonnel Streets where area residents have been concerned about the potential for disturbing pickleball noise) But the city didn’t go for it; the pickleball courts are being constructed in Bonnerworth Park along with a bike track and upgrades to the park’s skateboard area Team White’s Gavin Lock (24) skates past team Black goalie Joseph D’Angelo (1) during the Peterborough Petes annual development camp East Side Mario’s and Hybrid FHP at the Memorial Centre on Saturday Team White’s Gavin Lock (24) checks team Black’s Case Hennessy (6) during the Peterborough Petes annual development camp on Saturday Team White’s Gerry DiCunzolo (25) attempts to check opponents Owen Hunks (14) and Thomas Paleczny (20) during the Peterborough Petes annual development camp and teammate Gavin Lock (24) attend the Peterborough Petes annual development camp on Saturday Team White’s Gavin Lock (24) shoots on net during the Peterborough Petes annual development camp presented by Sign-A-Fied East Side Mario’s and Hybrid FHP at the Memorial Centre in Peterborough on Saturday New York native Gerry DiCunsolo says he's committed to earning a spot on  Petes' roster New York native Gerry DiCunsolo says he’s committed to earning a spot on  Petes’ roster Gerry DiCunsolo says he’s 100 per cent committed to earning an OHL roster spot with the Peterborough Petes an option he may not have considered prior to a November NCAA rule change who moved to Buffalo when he was 10 and was coached by Petes alumnus Patrick Kaleta was one of three U.S born players at the Petes Development Camp at the Peterborough Memorial Centre (PMC) Friday through Sunday Also in attendance was 2023 sixth-round pick Gavin Lock making his first appearance at a Petes camp and 2008-born free agent Jack McHyman a defenceman who played for Mount St the Petes’ third-round draft pick last month had a whopping 54 goals and 86 assists for 140 points in 58 games for Shattuck-St “Watching the OHL it’s a super-competitive quick league with a lot of pace and I feel it fits with my game perfectly,” said DiCunsolo “With the new rule change and OHL players being allowed to play in college The OHL and Peterborough is definitely a spot I would want to continue playing hockey at.” even if they played one exhibition game in Ontario They abandoned that rule in November sparking an influx of American players to Canadian major junior hockey When asked if he would have had interest in Peterborough without the rule change I feel there would definitely be some interest for sure I don’t know if it would be as much as now because education is important to my family But playing in the OHL and getting drafted has always been a goal of mine Kaleta was his U13 coach with the Buffalo Jr “I learned a lot from him about how as much as hockey is the on-ice stuff He’s definitely been a very helpful mentor and leader for me He’s somebody I definitely look up to because he was super successful with the Petes and obviously had a super successful NHL career,” said DiCunsolo Petes GM and VP of operations Mike Oke said there’s been a noticeable increase in interest in the OHL from players on both sides of the border since the rule change “Players like Gerry can come to camp and not impact any NCAA eligibility and see how they would potentially fit into the OHL here in Peterborough,” said Oke “The primary focus of this weekend is to meet the players introduce them to the coaches and members of our staff and get them acclimated to Peterborough and the rink and educate them on the programs both on and off the ice “We can utilize the on-ice component for a little bit of evaluation Gerry demonstrated over the course of last year he’s a very talented player and fits the mould and demographics we’re looking for as we build around that 2007 2008 and now 2009 age group towards another championship run,” he said I think he’s shown why we considered selecting him as early as we did.” missed the early portion of this season with the USHL’s Dubuque Fighting Saints with a broken jaw He had two goals and two assists in 27 regular season games He’s made a verbal commitment to Western Michigan University for the fall of 2026 we had lots of conversations after the draft about the opportunities that would exist here and at that point in time his focus was on the NCAA,” said Oke “As much as they wanted to come up and take in a development camp or training camp the schedules never seemed to align with the hockey schedule he had and other commitments.” Lock’s team was eliminated from the playoffs last week and Oke said his family made a last-minute decision to attend the camp since it will have no negative bearing on his NCAA eligibility “It’s great to see him and to be able to talk to him about the Petes and the opportunities that would exist for him here before advancing to his college commitment,” said Oke 185-pound McHyman had two goals and 18 points in 56 games “He’s a player who was brought to our attention through different contacts and we watched some video on him,” said Oke “We thought we’d see how he fares with the group and introduce him to the OHL and the Peterborough Petes.” Petes alumnus and New York Rangers forward Brennan Othmann spoke to players prior to development camp and took to the ice Saturday afternoon to practice with coaches and a handful of players unable to participate in scrimmages because of injuries son of Petes all-time leading scorer Mike Harding Harding counted nine goals and 19 points in 35 games with 40 penalty minutes for the Lambton Jr said it was his first visit to the PMC in 30 years Pacey Adduono led all scorers through two days of scrimmages with three goals and three assists followed by Owen Hunks with three goals and two assists Ryan Wercholaz had two goals and two assists Players will return for training camp in the last week of August is a sports director and reporter at the Peterborough Examiner Peterborough Police issued a map in the summer of 2023 indicating the areas of the city where reports were made of antisemitic pamphlets being circulated Justice Kathryn Hawke found Douglas Skead not guilty after his lawyer proved the Peterborough Police Service defied Skead’s Charter rights after an officer unlawfully stopped Skead on his bicycle to further the investigation Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms violations by Peterborough Police Service officers have resulted in a not guilty verdict in favour of a Peterborough man accused of promoting hate Douglas Skead was charged with wilful promotion of hatred last year following an investigation into distribution of antisemitic flyers throughout Peterborough neighbourhoods in the spring and summer of 2023. The flyers made assertions about Jews and comparisons to Satan. Earlier this year, Justice Kathryn Hawke found Skead not guilty after his lawyer, Dylan Finlay, proved the Peterborough Police Service defied Skead’s Charter rights after an officer unlawfully stopped Skead on his bicycle to further the investigation. Hawke said the Charter breaches involved in the unlawful stop provided the key information officers needed to obtain a Search Warrant for Skead’s home the lead investigator noticed a man riding a bicycle on July 19 2023 that fit the description of the suspect in connection to the distribution of antisemitic flyers The investigator followed the man in order not to lose him and contacted dispatch to ask for a uniform officer to make a Highway Traffic Act (HTA) stop the responding uniform officer stopped the man The man hadn’t committed any HTA infractions the stop led to a sting of Charter breaches where the man was compelled to identify himself the investigator didn’t know the suspect’s name or address police were able to receive a search warrant for Skead’s home Hawke ruled the search of his home was warrantless due to how Skead’s identify was obtained which led to the exclusion of evidence seized from his home the prosecution the Crown conceded it couldn’t prove the charge and Skead was found not guilty Guest speaker Verling Fitzgerald from Mitchelstown County Cork in Ireland chats with panelists Dennis Carter-Edwards “Creating Thriving Communities: Government and Community Support for Immigration in 1825 and 2025,” as part of the Nine Ships 1825 Bicentennial celebrations held at the New Canadians Centre in Peterborough on Thursday Guest speaker Verling Fitzgerald at the “Creating Thriving Communities: Government and Community Support for Immigration in 1825 and 2025” presentation as part of the Nine Ships 1825 Bicentennial celebrations in Peterborough attend a panel discussion at the New Canadians Centre Irish settlers eventually built cabins and houses in the area around what is now Charlotte and Water streets in downtown Peterborough When 307 Irish families crossed the Atlantic to resettle in the wilderness that would become Peterborough they knew they would never see their loved ones in Ireland again It’s not something people often willingly do,” said the retired historian Carter-Edwards is a member of the board for Nine Ships 1825 the local organization that is commemorating the 200th anniversary of the emigration of 2,000 Irish settlers to the area that would become Peterborough Nine Ships is organizing a series of events throughout 2025, culminating Aug. 1 to 10, when there will be daily bicentennial events. (See nineships1825.com/ for details) Carter-Edwards was part of a free panel discussion on Thursday at the New Canadians Centre; the discussion covered both the Irish emigration of 1825 Also part of the panel were Abigayle Stoddart a researcher from Toronto Metropolitan University (who joined Thursday’s gathering at the NCC via video) Carter-Edwards set the scene by talking about the historic move of about 2,000 Irish settlers to this area in 1825 He spoke of Irish tenant farmers from southern Cork being displaced from their farms by landowners who wanted to consolidate their smaller rental plots into expansive farm operations The British government’s immigration scheme of 1825 was designed to take some of these displaced farmers and move them to the colonies the government fully supported this project with free passage rations — the whole nine yards — to get them established,” he said But the trip across the Atlantic was lengthy and arduous Carter-Edwards said: “This was 30 to 35 days in the hold of a ship with young children the Irish settlers found they had to clear the land and build temporary summer huts to inhabit while their permanent cabins were under construction “They (Irish) had to build these (temporary) structures out of poles and tree branches and they had to put mud over them,” Stoddart said The Irish settlers eventually built cabins and houses in the area around what is now Charlotte and Water streets in downtown Peterborough She added they also built Hutchison House (now a downtown museum on Brock Street) for their doctor (Dr Cragg spoke about modern-day immigration to Canada He said that while there are many refugees arriving here annually about 85 per cent of immigrants are “highly skilled people,” here “to contribute economically to Canada.” “Which is to say it is in our self-interest to get them here and allow them to be here,” he said Cragg noted that the 2021 census showed that nearly one in four people in Canada was born in another country Kelly has focused her study on recent immigration to Northern Ontario communities She said there’s been a recent influx of Indian migrants to Thunder Bay there’s a new cricket pitch in that community The pitch been very popular with newcomers to Thunder Bay long-established Thunder Bay residents to come and learn about a new sport,” she said the cricket pitch is now a place that brings people from diverse backgrounds together in a way that wasn’t possible before Co-owner Chris DuPlantis takes a break inside the newly-opened Back40 Smoke House on George Street in Peterborough on Friday A view inside the newly-opened Back40 Smoke House on George Street is taken in Peterborough on Friday Back40 Smoke House is located at 289 George St A duo of hot sauce experts has partnered to bring slow-cooked meats to downtown Peterborough “We’re just going for a family vibe where anybody is welcome to come enjoy it,” said Lowes “We’ve already received positive feedback from the community We just started our Instagram account and we’ve already passed 1,000 followers.” Lowes, a Peterborough native, launched Flame Splitter hot sauce with a partner in 2021 and his sauces are in 160 stores They’d often run into each other at markets or while stocking their sauces at stores Lowes says when he had the opportunity to open a restaurant in the heart of downtown, his first call was to James, who is no stranger to the business. He owns The Back40 Smoke Box in Fenelon Falls and Whitby “It will be a bigger version of the food trucks,” Lowes said “It’s going to have a nice vibe to it and I hope it becomes a staple in Peterborough.” The restaurant’s menu will spotlight authentic smoke house cuisine “Our platters are huge and feed five people He says there will be 12 local draft beers on tap The rotation and smoke house will have live music and special events including trivia night Lowes says the most exciting part of the restaurant will be its walk-up window to accommodate the bar rush the restaurant will close its doors at normal hours but offer a small menu for takeout through their window so that’s going to be really cool,” Lowes adds An architect’s drawing of the new six-storey Brock Mission building proposed for Chemong Road City's mayor used legislation to expedite Brock Mission development on Chemong Road City’s mayor used legislation to expedite Brock Mission development on Chemong Road A community group has filed a court challenge to oppose Peterborough Mayor Jeff Leal’s use of strong-mayor powers to expedite the development of a six-storey 52-unit transitional housing project on Chemong Road led by the Brock Mission Court documents obtained by the Examiner show that the challenge was brought forward by a group of residents called Northcrest Neighbours for Fair Process (NNFP) which alleges that the proposed development does not meet the definition of housing under the Municipal Act A court date of 9:30 on June 10 has been set in Superior Court told the Examiner that the group’s goal is to maintain a check on the extraordinary powers allowed to heads of council under the provincial legislation “The motivation is to fight for democracy at a local level and provincially as well,” she said The City of Peterborough declined to comment for this story as the matter is currently before the courts but documents show city hall intends to respond to the allegations On Feb. 3 of this year,  Leal announced his intention to invoke strong-mayor powers for the proposed project and outlined his intention to bring forward two bylaws, which would bypass the usual site plan and rezoning processes These bylaws were passed during a Feb. 24 council meeting with the support of four members of council, including Leal, while seven voted against it as 15 neighbours and community members spoke against moving forward during delegations to Peterborough City council. the head of council has the power to compel a vote and pass motions under the Municipal Act with the support of only one-third of council But I have to ask a fundamental question: do we still care about democracy Because that’s what’s at stake here — not transitional housing,” McNeilly said during a delegation to council prior to the passage of the bylaws the mayor released a directive to staff to oppose any proceedings against the city in response to notice from Belleville-based law firm O’Flynn Weese LLP that they had been retained and intended to file an application challenging the validity of the bylaws the group alleges that passing the two bylaws under strong-mayor powers is invalid under the Municipal Act and contends that council acted beyond its powers in enacting them as the proposed development does not meet the standards of provincial priorities outlined in strong-mayor legislation The application contends that the bylaws do not specifically “implicate a prescribed ‘provincial priority’” and are therefore invalid and ineffective Peterborough received strong-mayor powers in October of 2023 as part of an agreement with the province to build 4,700 housing units by 2031 According to a city staff report outlining the implications of the powers the provincial priorities outlined the province’s goal of building 1.5 million new homes by 2031 and constructing and maintaining infrastructure to allow for more homes to be built All the provincial priorities are outlined under the Municipal Act was originally passed by Premier Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservative government in 2022 and initially applied to the cities of Ottawa and Toronto and came as an amendment to the Municipal Act to allow heads of council to act upon provincial priorities set out by the provincial government the minister responsible for municipal affairs may designate municipalities and empower the heads of council to undertake certain actions including the vetoing of council budget resolutions as well as hiring and firing heads of city divisions and the city’s chief administrative officer the province extended the powers to 169 more municipalities across Ontario in addition to the 47 that had previously received them Since the expansion of the powers was announced, some Ontario municipalities have resisted accepting the province’s offer, including eight in Renfrew County Stratford and Gananoque have taken steps to reject the powers granted by Queen’s Park or ask for exemptions from the legislation On Thursday afternoon McNeilly explained that both she and the group do not see transitional housing and the democratic process as mutually exclusive “The issue is not what decisions are being made it’s how they’re being made that affects everyone.” The court challenge has the possibility of being precedent setting as a challenge to the legitimacy of the process allowed under strong-mayor powers admitting she remains unsure what impact the group’s challenge could have on reversing the legislation McNeilly hopes that what is happening in Peterborough will inspire others in municipalities across Ontario to push back “My biggest hope is we can inspire other communities to take a stand and say this is not how we do things here.” Critical vaccines and medical supplies for the Peterborough Veterinary Outreach (PVO) team were lost due to the ice storm and power outages last month putting this month’s free vet clinic in jeopardy Critical vaccines and medical supplies for the Peterborough Veterinary Outreach team were lost during April's ice storm Critical vaccines and medical supplies for the Peterborough Veterinary Outreach team were lost during April’s ice storm This month’s free vet clinic is in jeopardy after critical vaccines and medical supplies for the Peterborough Veterinary Outreach (PVO) team were lost due to the ice storm and power outages last month PVO offers free veterinary care once a month to people living on Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) and Ontario Works (OW) One City issued a plea for donations on Friday after the storm resulted in the loss of $2,000 in supplies we simply cannot support all of the pets who are counting on us,” the press release states PVO is powered entirely by volunteers and every dollar they receives goes directly toward helping pets in need and care for animals whose families struggle to cover the cost of veterinary services “Pets contribute to the quality of life of so many people but treatment needed to keep pets healthy is often out of reach and means owners can keep their pets safe and healthy,” explains One City executive director Christian Harvey and donations are needed as soon as possible to ensure the clinic goes forward You can donate by visiting the One City website Peterborough native Barrett Hayton will play on Canada’s National Men’s Team at the 2025 IIHF World Championship from May 9 to 25 Hayton is seen celebrating after captaining Canada to a win over Russia in the gold medal game at the World Junior Hockey Championships on Jan Tournament to be played in Sweden and Denmark from May 9 to 25 Peterborough native Barrett Hayton is one of 15 players Hockey Canada announced Thursday will wear the Maple Leaf with Canada’s National Men’s Team at the 2025 IIHF World Championship was one of seven players named to join Canada’s pre-tournament training camp in Budapest 26 assists and 46 points in 82 games with the NHL’s Utah Hockey Club this season 61 assists and 98 points in 57 games as Steelheads captain this season He represented Canada at the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships and is considered a top 10 prospect for the 2025 NHL Entry Draft was selected by general manager Kyle Dubas (Sault Ste player relations advisor Ryan Getzlaf (Regina senior vice-president of high performance and hockey operations A selection committee of four NHL executives — Dennis Bonvie (Antigonish NHL) — also assisted with player selections Among the 15 players are eight who have previously suited up for Canada at the IIHF World Championship (Adam Fantilli Mackenzie Weegar) and two who won the championship at the recent 4 Nations Face-Off (Konecny The initial roster also includes 11 players who have represented Canada at the IIHF World Junior Championship (Macklin Celebrini “We are excited to unveil the first 15 players who will wear the Maple Leaf at the 2025 IIHF World Championship as this a very competitive and talented group that provides a strong foundation of NHL and international experience and success,” Dubas said “We know these 15 players will give our team a chance to compete for a gold medal as they represent Canada with pride in Stockholm and Herning and we look forward to continuing to build our roster ahead of the world championship following the conclusion of round one of the Stanley Cup playoffs.”  Roster additions will be announced in the coming weeks seven players will join Canada’s National Men’s Team for its pre-tournament camp in Vienna and Budapest — Nicolas Beaudin (Châteauguay Canada will open the tourney against Slovenia on May 10 at 6:20 a.m Finland and Sweden in the preliminary round before the tournament concludes with the medal games on May 25 Canada’s National Men’s Team will play pre-tournament games in Vienna against Austria on May 4 and in Budapest against Hungary on May 6 Protesters attend a sit-in organized by Trent Central Student Association outside of Peterborough City Hall on Monday The protesters were calling for the resignation of Mayor Jeff Leal following his use of a racial slur during a guest lecture in a Trent University business administration class in March “It was a stupid thing for the mayor to do Sylvia Sutherland was Peterborough’s mayor from 1985 to 1991 and from 1997 to 2006 This isn’t the column I planned to write this week That was going to be reflections on the recent election Then an email arrived from Charmaine Magumbe former chairperson of the city’s Community and Race Relations Committee urging me to “add my voice” to the issue of Mayor Jeff Leal “using a racial slur when he was a guest speaker at a business lecture at Trent University.” “the silence coming from the community (on this issue) is horrible especially from the Christian community.” She points out that she knows that I am a member of All Saints’ Anglican Church and attached an email that was earlier sent to all the churches in which she notes that she serves on the board of Christ Lutheran Church I write this as one flawed Christian and human being to another There are those in the Christian community undoubtedly better equipped than I to answer your request to speak up any more than I think you are going to agree with what I write here been silent on this issue and you were right to call me out on that Just as you and all those who have spoken out on it with passion and conviction were right to do so You are asking me and all members of the churches to whom you circulated your message “to sign and share the petition calling for Mayor Leal’s resignation organized by the Coalition for a Better Peterborough.” The problem is that I don’t believe the mayor should be forced to resign over the issue I have known the mayor since we first served on council together in 1985 I have been critical of several of his actions on this council including his actions in relation to Bonnerworth Park his uncalled for use of undemocratic strong-mayor powers in support of a request from Brock Mission But I know this of Jeff Leal — he is not a racist The word he used at Trent University should never have been spoken unless it was in a literature class examining the works of Mark Twain The N-word is deeply offensive and hurtful The mayor acknowledged each of these in his apology the apology was flawed in that he said “I quoted a historical remark attributed to former U.S Johnson….” He did not use a quote from Johnson; he used a word that Johnson We all say words we wish we could take back It would be one thing if the mayor had actually meant the word as a slur coming directly from him but I don’t believe the fact that he did is a hanging offence It is a learning experience — perhaps for us all and others to sit down and reason together was Peterborough’s mayor from 1985 to 1991 and from 1997 to 2006 PTBOCANADA is a website about Peterborough One of only two hydraulic lift locks on the waterway it leaves a visible and lasting impact on Peterborough's landscape Quiet overnight mooring is located at the upper level There are plenty of services within a 10-minute walk to the East City area of Peterborough thekawarthas.ca kawarthasnorthumberland.ca The Honourable Steven Guilbeault Minister of Canadian Culture and Identity, Parks Canada, and Quebec Lieutenant Rotary member Catherine Hanrahan introduces students Verna Conlin-Hanley between second place runner-up Kieran Scerri and third place finisher Olivia Best in the junior category for grades 4-6 during the Rotary Club of Peterborough’s annual Spelling Bee at Fleming College in Peterborough on Saturday celebrates a word spelled next to Yohan Mubenga in the junior category for grades 4-6 during the Rotary Club of Peterborough’s annual Spelling Bee at Fleming College in Peterborough on Saturday celebrates between second place runner-up Kieran Scerri and third place finisher Olivia Best in the junior category for grades 4-6 during the Rotary Club of Peterborough’s annual Spelling Bee at Fleming College in Peterborough on Saturday participates in the junior category for grades 4-6 during the Rotary Club of Peterborough’s annual Spelling Bee at Fleming College in Peterborough on Saturday Students participate in the junior category for grades 4-6 during the Rotary Club of Peterborough’s annual Spelling Bee at Fleming College in Peterborough on Saturday celebrates a word spelled next to Levi Ho and Landon Hancock in the junior category for grades 4-6 during the Rotary Club of Peterborough’s annual Spelling Bee at Fleming College in Peterborough on Saturday reacts after taking first place in the junior category for grades 4-6 during the Rotary Club of Peterborough’s annual Spelling Bee at Fleming College in Peterborough on Saturday thousands of students from grades 4-8 from across the region participated in qualifying spelling bees at their schools We’re sharing this information with you It was provided by the Rotary Club of Peterborough This copy was reviewed and edited by the Metroland editorial team The Rotary Club of Peterborough held its annual spelling bee at Fleming College Saturday Students participated in the junior bee for grades 4-6 and the Intermediate bee for grades 7-8 This is the 11th annual Spelling Bee organized by the Rotary Club of Peterborough Education and literacy is one of Rotary International’s seven areas of focus the Rotary Club of Peterborough distributes thousands of dollars in bursaries for literacy programs in participating schools The Rotary Club of Peterborough was established in 1921 and has just over 70 members The club usually meets for lunch two Mondays each month It is one of four Rotary clubs in the immediate area and one of more than 45,000 clubs Kieran Scerri — Kawartha Montessori School Olivia Best — Queen Elizabeth Public School Henry Sharpe — Adam Scott Intermediate Public School Shreyas Balakrishnan — Kaawaate East City Public School Andrew McMullen of Fat Les’s Chip Stand (left); Bailey McGlennon emcee (right) showcase old and new poutines this year’s Peterborough Poutine Feast Mexican Street Corn Poutine and the classic Local fiddler Alanna Jenish rehearses at her home in Peterborough Jenish is an award winning Canadian fiddler and guitarist Local fiddler Alanna Jenish rehearses at her home in Peterborough on Thursday Alanna Jenish “completely shocked” by Instrumental Composer of the Year win for her album 'Daleview' at this year’s Canadian Folk Music Awards Alanna Jenish “completely shocked” by Instrumental Composer of the Year win for her album “Daleview” at this year’s Canadian Folk Music Awards The Canadian Folk Music Awards judges obviously agree as the Peterborough musician recently received Instrumental Composer of the Year for her album “I was honestly completely shocked,” said Jenish admitting “just being nominated” was a huge honour but rather for the experience — particularly the “incredible” jam sessions that “felt like home.” who wasn’t the only performer representing the area at the annual awards Lakefield’s Mary Frances Leahy won the Young Performer of the Year award for her album “First Light” and Peterborough’s Irish Millie — nominated for the Oliver Schroer Pushing the Boundaries Award and Young Performer of the Year for her album “Grace” — performed in the awards ceremony’s Children’s Concert Although a “rookie” when it comes to being nationally recognized for composing Jenish is a veteran when it comes to performing music It all started with Jenish and her sister Colleen attending fiddle and stepdance festivals with their Irish descent grandparents adding she was thrilled when her parents signed the two girls up for dance lessons their dad brought home a fiddle and the rest so it was an easy transition to playing,” said Jenish who holds an honours degree from the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Music but my heart is really in fiddle music … I think it’s because it’s so very community-oriented.” Jenish has performed across North America and Europe with artists including The Fitzgeralds She only delved into composing a few years ago partly as a way of honouring her sister who had passed away in 2018 “It was a really hard time for me,” said Jenish noting a quote she came across one day — “Sometimes miracles are just good people with kind hearts” — touched her deeply “I began focusing on family members and close friends … all of whom are hinted at musically in my album.” “Reflections,” contains many of the songs she and her sister played together “It was my way of honouring her memory,” said Jenish explaining “Daleview” is more an expression of moving forward I was so nervous about releasing the album I wasn’t sure about it … But I had time to reflect on it and I’m ready to work on something else now.” She’s also looking forward to hitting the stage Jenish’s music can be found on such streaming platforms as Spotify and Apple For more information, including upcoming performances, visit alannajenishmusic.com Club member Dave Levecque teaches visitor Jillian Daffern how to lawn bowl during an open house presented by the Peterborough Lawn Bowling Club in Peterborough on Saturday The club is also offering free lessons next week Visitor Ann Boyle learns to lawn bowl during an open house presented by the Peterborough Lawn Bowling Club in Peterborough on Saturday Visitor Ann Boyle learns how to lawn bowl during an open house presented by the Peterborough Lawn Bowling Club in Peterborough on Saturday Visitor Katherine Parker throws a bowl during an open house presented by the Peterborough Lawn Bowling Club in Peterborough on Saturday Visitors tried out the sport at the lawn bowling facility at 577 McDonnel St The Peterborough Lawn Bowling Club held an open house on Saturday For more information visit peterboroughlawnbowlingclub.org next to the Peterborough Lift Lock at 2:52 p.m Rheams received the $1,000 grand prize from the OFAH Under The Lock Fishing Derby The tag that was on ‘Walter’ who was caught by D.J Rheams next to the Peterborough Lift Lock at 2:52 p.m between Youth Education Manager David Ryrie and program support specialist Annie Layfield Rheams hooked Walter next to the Peterborough Lift Lock at 2:52 p.m Rheams hooked into the prized fish on Tuesday afternoon The much sought after “Walter,” a prized rainbow trout stocked into the Peterborough Lift Lock canal for the OFAH Under The Lock Fishing Derby Rheams hooked into the four-pound rainbow and netted himself $1,000 in the process This “Walter” was the second stocked into the canal for the derby when the first jumped the net on Sunday. According to a post on the OFAH Under The Lock Fishing Derby Facebook page the fish was caught further down the canal by anglers that were not registered derby anglers “They were allowed to keep the fish but not claim any prize,” reads the post His catch netted him the derby’s grand prize Rheams will be a father of a baby boy in June Prizes can still be claimed for registered derby participants who catch a tagged fish The derby continues until May 4. For more information, visit ofah.org/underthelock You will also start receiving the Star's free morning newsletter Peterborough 2025 federal election live results. Browse live results for all 343 ridings 308 of 308 polls are reporting as of 4:21 p.m. Follow our full coverage of the 2025 federal election 308 of 308 polls are reporting as of 4:21 p.m. Follow our full coverage of the 2025 federal election Harrison has 42,890 of 79,059 votes (54.25%) is in second place with 32,446 votes (41.04%) and Heather Ray Ferreri has represented the riding since 2021 Peterborough used to be named Peterborough—Kawartha The riding’s boundaries were updated for the 2025 federal election 28,742 voters cast ballots at advance polls Looking for another riding? Here are the full results for the 2025 federal election. The Liberals have 169 races called in their favour They have 8,535,128 votes and 43.69 per cent of the popular vote The Conservatives have 144 races called in their favour They have 8,059,938 votes and 41.26 per cent of the popular vote The Bloc Québécois have 22 races called in their favour They have 1,232,095 votes and 6.31 per cent of the popular vote The New Democrats have seven races called in their favour They have 1,231,198 votes and 6.3 per cent of the popular vote The Greens have one race called in their favour They have 243,471 votes and 1.25 per cent of the popular vote There were three independents and four vacancies in the 338-seat Commons the Commons has grown by five ridings starting with this election This article was automatically generated using data provided by Canadian Press and will update as riding results become available Walter had originally jumped over a netting barricade and was caught downriver by unregistered participants They got to keep the fish but a '“New” Walter was thrown into the canal on Saturday Rebekka Landon considers housing a human right and it’s one that not everybody has access to in Peterborough That is a reason why Landon is volunteering to help Peterborough Action for Tiny Homes (PATH) spread the word about an upcoming fundraiser and generate funding for the local group Community members are invited to attend “Lighting the Path: Music May 31 at Dreams of Beans at 141 Charlotte St Residents who can’t attend but who want to support PATH can make an online contribution “Unhoused people face many barriers when looking for shelter,” Landon told kawarthaNOW people will support a community-first approach to help some of our most vulnerable citizens.” PATH is a grassroots organization in Peterborough with a mission to provide housing for those experiencing chronic homelessness Peterborough city council voted against a staff recommendation for a temporary use by-law that would have allowed the building of 24 sleeping cabins at 385 Lansdowne Street East the former site of the Peterborough Humane Society Several nearby businesses and residents objected to the proposal although city staff said the group’s application met the criteria for a temporary use by-law at that location City council’s decision to reject the staff recommendation based on objections from the public rather than the validity of the temporary use by-law application prompted PATH to file an appeal to the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT) A media release from the group states that council’s decision “was not in the community’s best interest or the vulnerable individuals they serve.” PATH says it expects the OLT to make a decision on the appeal “sometime after June.” “While a lawyer is willing to represent us nearly pro bono we have no government assistance and rely on community support.” Landon said PATH hopes to raise at least $10,000 through this fundraiser to support the OLT appeal process “While it does not cover all the legal expenses we hope that word will spread to those who did not attend so that we can continue to get donations online,” she noted PATH’s appeal to the OLT will be a chance for the group to have the decision reviewed and “We’re asking for your help to raise the legal expenses which we want to keep separate from PATH’s ongoing operational costs for the cabin community and supportive programs.” The fundraiser on May 31 will provide an opportunity for people to support PATH while enjoying entertainment from local performers and hearing from guest speakers Those who can’t attend the event but wish to make a donation to PATH can do so on GoFundMe at gofundme.com/f/help-path-build-hope-for-the-future those who donate to the campaign will receive charitable receipts Landon said it’s an important cause for the community to support “We know that housing is a human right,” she noted “Our approach is a housing-first model within a community-first initiative.” Six students from Peterborough elementary schools spelled their way to success at the Rotary Club of Peterborough’s 11th annual spelling bee on Saturday (May 3) at Whetung Theatre at Fleming College earning prizes for themselves and their schools more than 4,000 students from grades 4 to 8 in schools across Peterborough County competed in qualifying spelling bees at their schools with the top spellers competing in the regional spelling bee championship which featured a junior division for students in grades 4 to 6 and an intermediate division for students in grades 7 and 8 Anne Catholic Elementary School was the top speller in the junior division with Kieran Scerri of Kawartha Montessori School placing second and Olivia Best of Queen Elizabeth Public School coming in third Henry Sharpe from Adam Scott Intermediate Public School placed first Teresa Catholic Elementary School coming in second and Shreyas Balakrishnan of Kaawaate East City Public School placing third The top spellers won prizes that include a week at Trent Excalibur Camp tickets for local events courtesy of Miskin Law cash for their schools’ literacy programs “Literacy is one of the seven areas of focus for Rotary International and the Rotary Club of Peterborough believes that the excitement for reading and writing generated by the annual Spelling Bee encourages children’s interest in improving their literacy skills and also helps to develop poise under pressure and public speaking skills,” reads a media release famously stated that “A symphony must be like the world — it must embrace everything.” the Peterborough Symphony Orchestra (PSO) will aim to embrace everything at the Emmanuel United Church when the musicians play Mahler’s Fourth Symphony for “Step into the Light,” the final concert of the PSO’s 2024-25 season “The Emmanuel United Church is a great venue to do concerts and especially acoustically because we’ll have a vocalist and sung music sounds really great — so warm and so inviting,” PSO music director and conductor Michael Newnham tells kawarthaNOW “It will be a great-sounding concert that we’re looking forward to.” She's coming from halfway across the country to do this While the season finale will feature the largest orchestra the PSO has seen this season 4 is one of his shortest at just under an hour with four movements (though an early version of it had six) the symphony remains one of Mahler’s most popular “The music itself is really different and has a feeling of lightness and this floating feeling,” says Newnham “There are also moments where there’s an amount of dream quality in the music.” a soprano soloist comes in to sing a song based on Des Knaben Wunderhorn originally intended to be use in Mahler’s Third Symphony The soprano represents a child with a naive and carefree vision of heaven that depicts music “It’s all about life and our place in the world and how nature works and what God has to do with everything and this simply is how a child would see these kinds of things,” explains Newnham “These are timeless issues and people tend to really love this symphony.” New Brunswick-based soprano Christina Raphaëlle Haldane will be joining the PSO for the performance Haldane has interpreted many lead opera roles across opera houses such as the Finnish National Opera She has also worked with PSO general manager Christie Goodwin on the East coast and will be visiting family in Peterborough when she joins the “Step into the Light” concert “This is the thing she does — Mahler,” says Newnham “She’s coming from halfway across the country to do this.” I thought it was just fantastic and really fresh and fun to listen to We're really grateful to be able to perform this music In a special treat for the season finale concert two more soloists will join the PSO for the recital of Canadian composer Kelly-Marie Murphy’s award-winning Double Concerto for cello and harp es Todo Uno” (“In the Darkness the piece explores the music of Sephardic Jews of the Iberian Peninsula and how it impacted other cultures as the diaspora settled in Morocco The piece was composed for the Azrieli Foundation after Murphy was awarded the 2018 Azrieli Commission for Jewish Music “I thought it was just fantastic and really fresh and fun to listen to,” Newnham says “We’re really grateful to be able to perform this music.” Playing the cello will be Stéphane Tétreault who is the recipient of the prestigious 2019 Virginia Parker Prize from the Canada Council for the Arts and was a nominee for the Oscar Morawetz Award for Excellence in Music Performance from the Ontario Arts Council He is also the laureate of the 2022 Prix Opus for “Performer of the Year” awarded by the Conseil québécois de la musique Tétreault has previously performed with the PSO and Newnham has since been “looking for ways of getting Stéphane to come back.” New to the PSO will be harpist Valérie Milot an award-winning musician who is a professor of harp and chamber music at the Montreal Conservatory of Music She is also the instigator of the Harpenning series of concerts and workshops that aim to increase the discoverability of the harp You get these lovely people who are performing on huge stages all over the world and they come to Peterborough and share their talent with us It's inspiring for the other musicians in the orchestra “They’re a really exciting duo and it’s always nice to work with people who already work together because there’s even more of an energy and interplay,” says PSO general manager Christie Goodwin Goodwin adds how special it is to have three soloists coming from across Canada for the concert “It’s really important to support and amplify our own artistic talents and it brings the world here,” she says “I think that’s why it’s important to have a regional orchestra because you get these lovely people who are performing on huge stages all over the world and they come to Peterborough and share their talent with us It’s inspiring for the other musicians in the orchestra.” Goodwin notes that having performers like Tétreault helps them feel a “connection.” “This is all about creating community and we can do that by bringing in somebody from Montreal and we feel like we know him because we heard him on our radio,” she says “we’re so grateful to the Azrieli Foundation for giving us this opportunity to play Murphy’s concerto.” Newnham has chosen “Fratres” (“Brothers”) written by Estonian composer Arvo Pärt in 1977 Pärt was facing constraints and creative censorship from the Soviet Union making the work not initially well-received “It’s this 20th-century imitation of what monks chanting in a monastery in the mountains might sound like and it’s a very spiritual piece,” Newnham says “It signalled a huge change politically for the Soviet Union because a composer was brave enough to write something that sounded like liturgical music and then it exploded (in popularity) — especially during the nineties after the fall of the Berlin Wall.” It's going to be the biggest orchestra of the season The sound in the church is going to be so beautiful Newnham will host a “Meet the Maestro” talk at 6:45 p.m. and guests will have the opportunity to get a preview and learn more about what’s in store for PSO’s 2025-26 season Goodwin promises “really different and interesting things” for the next season including a collaboration with the Peterborough Singers “I think people will find it pretty new and unique,” she says “We’ve got a lot of things that are going to satisfy everybody who likes their Mozart and beyond.” “Step into the Light” follows what was to be the penultimate concert of the season on March 29 it was cancelled due to the severe ice storm While Goodwin says the PSO is “so grateful to everyone who donated the value of their tickets” instead of asking for a refund as this allowed the orchestra to still pay the musicians despite the last-minute cancellation she also remains hopeful that “Step into the Light” will make up for the cancelled concert “It’s going to be the biggest orchestra of the season,” she says “The sound in the church is going to be so beautiful and it’s just going to float right up I think it’s beautiful and will be inspiring and energizing.” Tickets are $33, $48, or $55, depending on the seat you choose, with student tickets costing $12 for all seats. Tickets are available at thepso.org/step-into-the-light kawarthaNOW is proud to be a media sponsor of the Peterborough Symphony Orchestra’s 2024-25 season Peterborough Drug Strategy co-ordinator Lora Keitel and public health nurse Martha Faulkner have been tasked with co-ordinating the new Peterborough Youth Substance Use Prevention initiative unveiled last week PYSUP aims to improve social environments where children live Stopping substance use before it starts is the aim of the new Peterborough Youth Substance Use Prevention (PYSUP) initiative to prevent or reduce substance use harm by offering alternative choices The initiative uses the Icelandic Prevention Model (IPM) wherein a community works together to improve social environments via supports and opportunities for youth to prevent the initiation of substance use the organization who developed the program in Iceland citing successes in more than 20 countries The model created community and school leisure activities as well as parent/guardian and peer initiatives to engage youth in healthier alternatives to alcohol and substance use From 1998 to 2023 in Iceland statistics showed a dramatic reduction among Grade 10 students reported use of alcohol During the 25-year span the number of students who reported being drunk within the past 30 days decreased from 42 to six per cent Those who reported smoking daily declined from 23 to one per cent Those using cannabis dropped from 17 to six per cent “To truly prevent youth from starting to use substances our community needs to build a social environment where healthier choices are the easier more accessible choices,” said Lora Keitel co-ordinator of the Peterborough Drug Strategy She is co-ordinating the initiative with public health nurse Martha Faulkner Peterborough was one of seven Canadian communities to be awarded a $125,000 Public Health Agency of Canada grant to support working with Planet Youth to adapt the IPM PYSUP has also been supported with donations from the Community Foundation of Greater Peterborough ($10,000) and the Canadian Mental Health Association Haliburton Kawartha Pine Ridge ($25,000) CMHA HKPR has also pledged to donate funds from its Change the Cycle fundraiser on June 21 at Nicholls Oval Keitel went to Iceland to learn about the initiative and said it truly changed the country’s youth culture and the parental and community roles in engaging and supporting youth Parents play a key role and it started with input from youth “It’s about finding out what the youth feel is missing from their parental relationships or what they want their parents more involved with and figuring out ways with our community partners to facilitate that,” she said “We have so much good work already being done in our community,” said Faulkner “It’s bringing everyone together to be working smarter It goes beyond education about substance use “We don’t have to talk about substance use to be preventing substance use,” said Faulkner “It’s really about building relationships and that environment where the healthier choice is the easier choice We know that’s going to take time and it’s going to take the whole community coming together.” Peer support and creating safe spaces for youth to hang out is also crucial “Drinking isn’t cool in Iceland for young people so young people just don’t drink,” said Keitel “Their stats are staggeringly low for substance use because it’s not cool to do drugs.” “We know from our youth that they need to hear it from youth,” said Faulkner “They don’t want to hear it from adults.” The first step in adapting a local model is a survey to be done next school year among area Grade 10 students seeking input on the types of activities and initiatives they would be interested in participating in It will take six to eight weeks to analyze the results before working with the community co-ordinating table and three advisory groups “We’re being really intentional about building a really solid “We are moving a little bit slower by really getting those partnerships and collaborations We’ve been really focused the last few months on getting those key community stakeholders and partners engaged.” So far 19 agencies have agreed to collaborate “I strongly believe we owe it to young people to do all we can to address these challenges to wrap our arms as a community around them to ensure they have the best start possible,” said Dr “But we also owe it to young people to listen to and empower their voices.” “The work underway in Nogojiwanong (Peterborough) speaks to what’s possible when a community leads with a deep understanding of the value of long-term data-driven prevention,” said Planet Youth chair Jon Sigfusson virtually “It is a privilege for Planet Youth to stand alongside a people so committed to shaping healthier environments for their young people supported by shared knowledge and collaboration communities can lay the foundation for meaningful and enduring change.” A missing man from Peterborough has been located Peterborough police a girl who was reported missing has been located police said the 15-year-old was last seen at the GO bus terminal on Simcoe Street shortly before 1 p.m ** Editor’s Note: This story was updated at 9:07 a.m March 26 to indicate the missing girl has been located April 15 polling for the Peterborough riding Changes in polling methods may have reduced trust for some With less than two weeks before federal election results are announced polling for the riding of Peterborough would suggest it’s too close to call 338Canada, whose electoral projection model is based on polls and demographic data — had Liberal Emma Harrison slightly ahead of Conservative Michelle Ferreri on Tuesday (April 15) with 44 per cent support but the margin of error for both stood at eight per cent They called it a “toss up” — one of eight Ontario ridings in the category On the same morning, the Signal — another projection model from the Toronto Star and VOX Pop Labs — showed support for the Peterborough riding favoured Ferreri going so far as to call it “safe” for the Conservatives professor at Trent University’s department of political studies doubts either candidate is basing their pre-election strategies on these polls “The main parties in Canada usually run internal polling before and during an election so candidates normally have access to internal polling information that the public doesn’t see,” said de Clercy who also holds the position of Jarislowsky Chair in Trust and Political Leadership at Trent already have some information about where they stand in the polls … they’re not going to be pushed by local headlines.” for the voter — particularly those watching this riding closely — it’s been an interesting ride Ferreri’s lead remained steady at about 48 per cent support until Mark Carney was declared the winner in the Liberal leadership race on March 9 that support declined and Liberal chances improved the two candidates’ support mirrored each other and the Liberals have held a slight advantage since saw support decline from about 14 per cent to eight per cent during the same time period But if you consider the odds of winning the riding 338 currently is predicting a Harrison win with a 62 per cent chance of coming out on top compared to Ferreri’s odds at 38 per cent Ray’s odds have her at less than one per cent chance of winning Those who have followed polls closely over the year will notice some change in data collection she says most polling was done by reputable people who used random digit dialing telephone calls but a lot of polling happens with online panels who approximate the sorts of responses you would get with random digit dialing She said the changes in polling methods has reduced trust But that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be ignored “The information that the polls provide can be motivational It can’t get people off the couch and get them to the pole if they think their riding might be close or there’s some chance that their vote will really count.” It can also cut the other way if people live in an area where it looks like there is going to be a landslide victory particularly if the leading candidate is someone they do not support “They can sort of throw up their hands and say However voters use that bit of information can really help to inform who they vote for She said as someone who has studied election polls for about 30 years there is an art to posing questions and to interpreting the results Voters should consider the sources of the polling and treat results with some care it has correctly identified the winner 89.3 per cent of the time said it’s worth noting that the degree of uncertainty with respect to projections is highest at the individual riding level “As riding-level predictions are derived from federal vote share estimates and vote share in the last federal election rather than local polling data (which do not exist in sufficient numbers) they should be interpreted with due caution.” The Haliburton Kawartha Northumberland Peterborough Health Unit (formerly the HKPR District Health Unit and Peterborough Public Health) Board of Health oversees the Health Unit ensure that staff deliver programs and services in accordance with the Ontario Public Health Standards which are set by the Ontario Ministry of Health administers public health programs and services in alignment with the Health Unit's Mission In accordance with the Health Protection and Promotion Act the Board of Health for the Haliburton Kawartha Northumberland Peterborough Health Unit membership of the new Board of Health will include 9 municipal representatives (two from the County of Northumberland the new Board of Health intends to have section 50 representation as currently exists (one member from Curve Lake First Nation and one from Hiawatha First Nation) The new Board of Health will also include provincial appointees as outlined in the Health Protection and Promotion Act Interested members of the public can apply for a provincial appointment through the Public Appointments Secretariat. Learn more about the requirements, find additional details and view application process. Please email info@hkpr.on.ca to get more information about how to join the public session of the meeting Township of SelwynVice Chair: Deputy Mayor Cecil Ryall Municipality of Highlands EastCommittee Members The Haliburton Kawartha Northumberland Peterborough Health Unit (formerly the HKPR District Health Unit and Peterborough Public Health) would like to advise media and the community of an upcoming Board of Health meeting scheduled for Thursday The Board of Health meeting will be held in-person at the Hiawatha L.I.F.E Services and Administration Office 431 Hiawatha Line both the HKPR District Health Unit and Peterborough Public Health remain committed to engaging with the communities they serve partners and teams to determine future opportunities to continue the legacy of public healthcare across the City of Kawartha Lakes Northumberland County and the Greater Peterborough Area Agenda Packages and Meeting Summary Reports Motion passed in open session:That the Board of Health for the Haliburton Kawartha Northumberland Peterborough approve direction to the Chair Motion passed in open session:That the Board of Health for the Haliburton Kawartha Northumberland Peterborough Health Unit appoint Dr Thomas Piggott as Acting Medical Officer of Health and Chief Executive Officer subject to a signed employment agreement and Minister of Health final approval for Medical Officer of Health appointment February 19, 2025 (Peterborough, ON)Media AdvisoryAmended Agenda Package (addition of In Camera session)Summary Report Motion passed in closed session:That the Board of Health for the Haliburton Kawartha Northumberland Peterborough receive for information In Camera item 4.1 - Confidential update pertaining to exception Section 239(2)(d) Watch Past HKPR Legacy Board of Health Meetings Past HKPR District Health Unit Board of Health Meetings have been pre-recorded and posted on our YouTube channel allowing you to understand the topics being discussed and the direction of public health initiatives in the district area Click on the link to view past Board of Health Meetings Chat with someone from our Team for more information Email: info@hkpr.on.caPhone: 1-866-888-4577 We value your experiences with our services and invite you to share your feedback Your insights help us improve and better serve our community We provide public health programs and services to residents in the County of Haliburton City of Kawartha Lakes and Northumberland County that promote healthy living This website uses cookies to enhance usability and provide you with a more personal experience. By using this website, you agree to our use of cookies as explained in our Privacy Policy The Peterborough Petes wrapped up day two of 2025 Development Camp on Saturday afternoon with scrimmage four Team Hybrid leads the way with three wins and one loss A full round up of each afternoon scrimmage can be found below: East Side Mario’s – 1 (Kieran Raynor) A full recap of this morning’s scrimmages can be found by clicking here Peterborough has reaffirmed its reputation as a bellwether riding with Liberal candidate and political neophyte Emma Harrison unseating Conservative incumbent Michelle Ferreri as the Liberals led by Mark Carney will form their fourth consecutive government — a remarkable comeback given that only five months ago their defeat at the polls under Justin Trudeau seemed inevitable the Conservative incumbents in the three other ridings in the Kawarthas region — Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes and Hastings-Lennox and Addington-Tyendinaga — will hold onto their seats and it appears the Carney will not have the strong mandate he was seeking from Canadians to deal with the threats to Canada’s economy and sovereignty from U.S In the early morning hours after election day on Monday a minority Liberal government appeared likely The Liberals were elected or leading in 166 seats and the Conservatives in 146 with the Bloc Québécois holding the balance of power with 23 seats leaving them with only seven seats instead of the 24 seats they held before the election — and without the 12 seats needed for official party status NDP leader Jagmeet Singh announced his resignation after the results and after losing his own B.C If the Liberals fail to gain the 172 seats required for a majority they will need to depend on support from the NDP or the Bloc Québécois to avoid being defeated in any non-confidence motions Harrison held an early lead over Ferreri when the first polls reported and maintained and then widened that lead as the evening went on Strategic voting clearly played a large role in Harrison’s victory with NDP candidate Heather Ray receiving only 2,406 votes NDP candidate Joy Lachica received 13,302 votes in the 2021 election allowing Ferreri — who herself was a political neophyte at the time — to unseat Liberal incumbent Maryam Monsef by 2,738 votes receiving 27,402 votes to Monsef’s 24,664 who defeated Ferreri by over 10,000 votes (42,890 to 32,446) celebrated her win before a crowd of jubilant supporters at the Canadian Canoe Museum Thank you to Peterborough city and county for giving me this opportunity to serve as your next Member of Parliament anytime I have to introduce myself — everywhere I go I say ‘Hi blah blah blah’,” Harrison said during her victory speech “The theme of this whole speech is going to be this is not really about me — at all This whole campaign is built on so many incredible people and all of their efforts our incredible campaign manager Andy Mitchell … people keep thanking me but there are so many people who should be thanked the people of Peterborough who understood how important this election was not only nationally but in our community.” “Thank you to Peterborough city and county for giving me this opportunity to serve as your next Member of Parliament,” Harrison said including her “incredible” husband for his support including taking care of their three children while Harrison has been campaigning After explaining how she become the Liberal candidate Harrison thanked all her supporters and everyone she has met in the riding “The love and support has been endless,” she said “This has been an incredibly positive Harrison also acknowledged her relationship with Green Party candidate Jazmine Raine and NDP candidate Heather Ray and it was easy because wonderful people chose to put their name on the ballot and come forward and fight for what they believe in,” she said “I’m honoured to have been on the ballot with them regardless of whether they voted for me or not After also thanking Ferreri for her service as a Member of Parliament Harrison turned her attention to “newly elected prime minister” Mark Carney “He is a person who chose to put his hand up who decided to take on this huge role for all of us for the support he’s been given in his life and career and I feel the exact same way,” she said “People of this riding and of this community have supported me endlessly in my whole life “So this is but a small part of my ability to repay everyone who’s ever supported me I know people talk endlessly about tariffs and Donald (Trump) and all of those things what was on the ballot was humanity.” we have to move forward together as a country and as a people and support one another every single day.” Harrison said she is looking forward to working in Ottawa to deliver on the Liberals’ campaign promises joking that she is “incredibly irritating” when it comes to achieving results After mentioning commitments to building affordable homes Harrison said she “will fight any attempts to reverse the progress that has been made for women’s rights” as well as discriminatory practices that often marginalize women and people “I do intend to listen more than I speak and listen to the lived experience of people and believe them when they tell you what they’re saying,” she said “We need to stay united as residents and we cannot continue to create division not Ottawa’s voice in Peterborough … I look forward to showing you just what I can do.” As for other ridings in the Kawarthas region Conservative incumbent Jamie Schmale in Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes easily defeated Liberal challenger Nell Thomas by 13,483 votes (42,676 to 29,193) with the NDP’s Alyea Teel a distant third at 2,624 votes the race was tighter with Conservative incumbent Philip Lawrence beating Liberal John Goheen by only 2,022 votes (34,084 to 32,062) with the NDP’s Ava Becker receiving 2,057 votes In Hastings—Lennox and Addington—Tyendinaga Conservative incumbent Shelby Kramp-Neuman defeated Liberal Tracey Sweeney Schenk by 9,262 votes (36,007 to 26,745) with 2,351 votes for the NDP’s Ava Duffy Here are the unofficial election results for the greater Kawarthas region as reported by Elections Canada as of 8 a.m Formerly Northumberland-Peterborough South This story has been updated with the final preliminary vote and seat count as reported by Elections Canada on April 30 The Peterborough Public Library invites community members to take part in “The Red Dress,” a community art installation held in recognition of Red Dress Day the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and 2SLGBTQIA+ people (MMIWG2S+) available until May 5 in the Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Legacy Space at the library Installation will be in the Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Legacy Space until May 5 a collaborative art installation held in recognition of Red Dress Day is at Peterborough Public Library until May 5 The interactive installation is in the Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Legacy Space at the library Visitors are invited to contribute by adding pieces of red fabric or other textiles to a collective red dress Materials will also be provided on site for anyone who wishes to participate This initiative is presented in partnership with Niijkiwendidaa Anishnaabekwewag Services Circle and the Nogojiwanong Friendship Centre with gratitude for their guidance and collaboration Red Dress Day is observed on May 5 as a national day of awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Photo courtesy of Heather Doughty and Lang Pioneer Village Peterborough’s biennial festival of the arts is returning in fall 2025 and the Electric City Culture Council (EC3) has issued an open call for proposals for innovative new projects in any artistic discipline and for any location within the City of Peterborough Artsweek is an free extravaganza of pretty much every type of artistic endeavour you can imagine — music and performance of all kinds — created by local artists and arts organizations unfolding in public spaces all across the city which is set to run from September 29 to October 5 is also the 20th anniversary of the arts festival whose origins go back to 2005 when the City of Peterborough celebrated its 100th anniversary as an incorporated municipality Then-mayor Sylvia Sutherland appointed a committee to organize a year-long series of projects and events on the theme of “Imagine Peterborough,” with most of the activities focused on cultivating an investment in and recognition of Peterborough as a creative city Two members of the committee — local arts managers and champions Su Ditta and the late Liz Bierk — were charged with coming up with ideas to create designated legacy projects in the arts which ultimately led to the annual Artsweek festival the city transferred responsibility for Artsweek to EC3 (Peterborough’s independent municipal arts and heritage non-profit organization that was formed as a result of the city’s 2012 Municipal Cultural Plan) and a decision was made to make Artsweek a biennial festival allowing for more time to plan the event and — with an annual grant of $25,000 from the city — a bigger budget The first biennial Artsweek was held in 2018 and EC3 presented a COVID-modified festival in 2020 and early 2021 with a full-scale in-person festival returning in the spring of 2023 it appeared that Artsweek might not proceed for 2025 after Peterborough city council voted to completely defund EC3 during its budget deliberations — including the $25,000 allocated in 2025 for Artsweek — but council reversed that decision earlier this year with the city moving forward with a new Municipal Cultural Plan in 2025 the future of both EC3 and Artsweek beyond this year remains unclear The ongoing theme of Artsweek is “art in unexpected places,” and this year’s festival will be no different Artsweek 2025 can feature work in downtown Peterborough but also in other city wards EC3 is welcoming proposals that can include performance (dance or arts organizations may propose projects that can be conventional presentations or pop-ups as are partnerships and collaborations between arts groups or with other community-based organizations A peer jury will select projects from the open call to receive Artsweek grants While Artsweek grants will contribute between $1,500 and $5,000 towards selected projects EC3 encourages artists to seek out other funding sources to help contribute to the full cost of their projects if possible (Artsweek will support artists seeking other funding) Applications for Artsweek 2025 are open now until 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, June 10. For complete program guidelines and the application form, visit artsweekpeterborough.ca The City of Peterborough has declared a state of emergency in response to a freezing rainstorm that downed trees and cut off power for tens of thousands in the city Officials say recovery efforts are expected to take at least several days “The City encourages residents to avoid unnecessary travel as ice accumulation is knocking down power lines causing power outages and unsafe conditions,” officials said in a statement issued Sunday Authorities say the City’s Public Works department has received more than 1,000 calls within a 24-hour period and Peterborough Fire Services have received approximately 700 calls The hazardous conditions have prompted authorities to close all City parks until further notice Both the Peterborough Victoria Northumberland and Clarington Catholic District School Board and the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board say schools in the region will be closed on Monday due to the extreme ice storm and ongoing wide-spread power outages the City has opened reception centres at the following locations: “Thank you to Hydro One crews and our Public Works team that has been working around the clock throughout this significant weather event,” Mayor Jeff Leal wrote in a statement “I’m asking residents to avoid unnecessary travel as crews work to address fallen trees and power lines Call friends and loved ones to check on them.” “Cleaning up from this storm may take several days,” he added Leafs and Panthers players discuss Game 1 of round 2 of the playoffs Ontario Premier Doug Ford calls on Prime Minister Mark Carney to prioritize a list of projects including the proposed Highway 401 tunnel Monday is calling for rain and thunderstorms Stella Acquisto has the long-range forecast Could we see another indefinite pause on postal service in the country Negotiations are underway again as Canada Post and the workers’ union try to cut a deal to avoid a lockout or strike later this month listen to NewsRadio Toronto live anytime and get up-to-the-minute breaking-news alerts weather and video from CityNews Toronto anywhere you are – across all Android and iOS devices With only 12 days left in the federal election campaign prime minister and Liberal leader Mark Carney is set to visit Peterborough on Saturday afternoon (April 19) Liberals from across Peterborough will rally together to hear from the Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada Mark Carney,” reads an email sent to Liberal supporters “Join us as we stand together for Canadian workers The event is scheduled to begin at 1:15 p.m at the Peterborough Sport & Wellness Centre (775 Brealey Dr.) The Liberal candidate for the Peterborough riding is Emma Harrison who Peterborough is generally considered a bellwether riding having only elected an opposition MP four times when incumbent Conservative MP Michelle Ferreri was elected News of Carney’s Peterborough visit came while he was participating in the French language debate in Montreal Carney was a frequent target of Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre Bloc Québécois leader Yves-François Blanche The French language debate will be followed by an English language debate at 7 p.m The federal debate commission has disqualified Green Party co-leader Jonathan Pedneault from participating in both debates after the party “intentionally reduced the number of candidates running in the election for strategic reasons.” This story has been updated with the event location and a revised start time for the event