Peterborough Currents

23/08/2023

Wow! 🎉 Yesterday, we passed a big milestone in the evolution of Peterborough Currents. For the first time ever, more than 200 community members are pitching in to power our journalism. Thank you for this incredible support!

But we're not done yet. We're still less than halfway to our goal of gaining 40 new supporters by the end of the week.

If you haven't joined our community of supporters yet, now is the time!

Read more here: https://peterboroughcurrents.ca/announcements/weekly-newsletter-revenue-drive/

21/08/2023

Four years after city council passed the parks and facilities bylaw, its enforcement has become a part of daily life for people living rough and those tasked with continually moving them along.

Hundreds of “illegal tenting” incidents have been responded to at a cost of hundreds of thousands of dollars

19/08/2023

There's one piece of feedback we hear a lot from our readers. They love our work — they just wish there was more of it.

We want to deliver. Our goal is to transition from a biweekly newsletter schedule to a weekly one this fall. By going weekly, we believe we'll be able to serve the community better.

But it's going to take more resources. And we're already stretched thin.

We need 40 new supporters before we make this transition. With 40 new supporters, we'll know the Peterborough community is behind us.

Will you sign up to show your support?

Thank you!

A weekly newsletter will serve the community better — but it will also require more resources. We need 40 new supporters to make it happen.

10/08/2023

Rabbit sightings have increased dramatically in Peterborough. Ask any local gardener and they'll likely tell you about losing precious seedlings to hungry bunnies.

So what's going on?

“Cottontail rabbit abundance fluctuates from year to year depending on environmental conditions, such as winter severity and food supply,” said a spokesperson for the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry. However, the Ministry “does not actively monitor cottontail rabbit abundance,” the spokesperson said.

Dennis Murray, a biology professor at Trent University, said he hasn’t personally noticed an increase in rabbit populations. But he noted that last winter was milder than usual. “This could be beneficial at the tail-end of the toughest time of year for cottontail rabbits, which are at the northern edge of their range," he said.

Gardeners in Peterborough are contending with more and more hungry rabbits eating their plants. What's behind the local rabbit boom?

08/08/2023

After about a year of operating online, Take Cover Books opens its storefront on Hunter Street East today.

"This space is more than just a place to sell books," said Andrew Fitzpatrick. "We want to make it available as a community space."

Brother duo behind Take Cover Books want to spread empathy through reading.

04/08/2023

The local paramedics union said a “staffing crisis” is putting Peterborough residents at risk and called for better working conditions.

Deputy paramedic chief Craig Jones agreed there is a crisis in health care, but said "staffing is just one piece of a very complex puzzle."

“The health-care system is experiencing issues on multiple levels," Jones said.

CUPE 4911 president says better working conditions are needed to attract new paramedics to the region.

27/07/2023

There's new provincial funding available to expand access to primary care in Ontario, and at least two local groups have applied for some of it.

But they're facing stiff competition. There's $60 million available for the entire province, an amount one local health leader called that "a drop in the bucket" compared to what's needed.

The Ministry of Health is reviewing applications now, and we should know later this year whether any of the money will flow to Peterborough.

Learn more on our website:

There's a limited amount of new provincial money available for primary care. One local healthcare leader called it "a drop in the bucket."

24/07/2023

There's a whole new generation of film shooters in Peterborough. They're mostly young, and they're drawn to the medium's natural imperfections and the slow, methodical process it demands.

“Considering that our whole lives are online, it’s a nice disconnect and a reintroduction to some past technologies,” said photographer Jonathan Semugaza.

Like many other photographers in town, Semugaza goes to Peterborough Photo Service when he needs a roll developed.

Founded in 1956 by the grandfather of its current owner, Peterborough Photo Service is the only surviving photo lab in town, so the business was well positioned when film photography became popular again a few years ago.

The city's only surviving photo lab has seen a new wave of young people shooting film again.

20/07/2023

Peterborough Area Roller Derby (PARD) is gearing up for a double header versus teams from Guelph and Kingston this weekend.

PARD recently became a member of the WFTDA, the sport's international governing body. That means the team can now compete in WFTDA-sanctioned events and earn spots in the North American and world rankings.

This audio story will get you ready for this weekend's double header by introducing you to the team and the sport. Have a listen:

The team recently became a full member of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association, meaning they can now compete for official ranking points

19/07/2023

The City of Peterborough is facing a lawsuit from its own social housing agency over a 2021 sewage backup that caused damage at two apartment buildings.

The Peterborough Housing Corporation filed a statement of claim last month that alleges the sewage back up was caused by "negligence" on the part of the city and two construction companies hired by the city. The PHC is seeking $300,000 in damages.

PHC is a “stand-alone corporation” that provides social housing in the city and county of Peterborough, according to its website. While not a direct arm of the municipal government, the City of Peterborough is the corporation’s sole shareholder and the PHC is governed by a board of directors made up of city councillors and a member of Peterborough county council.

The 2021 incident caused flooding in two social housing buildings, displacing multiple tenants from their homes for weeks.

11/07/2023

The City is moving forward with plans to demolish 75 rent-geared-to-income townhouse units to make way for bigger mixed-income apartment buildings.

But where will the families who currently live in the townhouses go in the meantime? They don't know yet.

75 units of social housing could be torn down to make way for bigger, denser apartment buildings. Where will current tenants go in the meantime?

09/07/2023

It's hard to row in southern Spain during the summer because of the region's heat. So these young rowers from Seville have joined the Peterborough Rowing Club instead.

They'll be here until mid-August, and their visit will culminate with participation in the Royal Canadian Henley Regatta in St. Catharines.

Learn more in this audio story by Trent Radio's Local Journalism Initiative reporter Eddy Sweeney:

The rowers will be in Peterborough until mid-August. Their visit will culminate with participation in the Royal Canadian Henley Regatta in St. Catharines.

29/06/2023

With the federal government assigning more refugees to settle in Peterborough, more volunteers are needed to give the newcomers a warm welcome to the community.

Learn more about how this process works in our latest article.

The increase means more volunteers are needed to welcome newcomers to the community.

28/06/2023

The downtown portion of Bethune Street now prioritizes cyclists over cars, and bike riders are giving the new route rave reviews.

"It’s beautiful for bike riders,” said Maggie O'Donnell.

“It’s so convenient,” said Sean Hamit. “It’s an easy way through the centre of town.”

"It's like a cyclist highway," said Marissa Kidd.

Bethune Street from McDonnel to Townsend has been rebuilt to prioritize cyclists, and it's getting rave reviews from bike riders.

23/06/2023

If you’re reading this, we caught you just in time.

Meta announced this week that Canadians will no longer have access to news on Facebook and Instagram. This is in response to Bill C-18, the Online News Act, which was passed in hopes of making major tech companies like Meta and Google pay for the news content shared on their platforms.

Details are still becoming clear, but we are pretty sure this means that Peterborough Currents will no longer be able to link out to our articles on our Facebook and Instagram pages. Obviously, this is going to make it harder for us to connect with you. 👉 The solution? Sign up for our newsletter!

We put links to all of our journalism in our newsletter. Reading it is the best way to ensure you don’t miss any of our stories.

So if you haven’t already, we urge you to sign up now (for free!), and tell your friends! Don’t let big tech suppress the news. Make sure you still get the news you need to stay connected and informed.

Sign up here: https://peterboroughcurrents.ca/newsletter/

20/06/2023

Our co-founder Ayesha Barmania has chosen to pursue new opportunities and resign as co-publisher and co-editor of Peterborough Currents. You can now find Ayesha baking bagels, pretzels and other delectables at Mickaël’s in Omemee!

Ayesha contributed a lot to Peterborough Currents over the years. Read more about how they helped build the business in the announcement on our website.

And please join us in thanking Ayesha for their vision and hard work in support of local independent news for Peterborough!

An update from publisher-editor Will Pearson

15/06/2023

Tenants at two Peterborough Housing Corporation townhouse complexes received letters last month informing them that their properties are up first in the PHC's multi-phase redevelopment project. If approvals and funding are obtained, construction at 1190 Hilliard Street and 30 Alexander Avenue might begin within 18 to 24 months, the letters stated.

This is part of a multi-phase project that has been in the works for years. If fully realized, over 1,000 new units could be added to the City's housing portfolio.

But how affordable would that housing be? PHC's CEO told Currents that recent cuts to federal grant funding are posing challenges. At the same time, costs facing would-be developers are rising. As a result, "a large number of market units" might be necessary to make the projects viable.

1190 Hilliard Street and 30 Alexander Avenue have been identified as the first complexes to be redeveloped in PHC's multi-phase plan to build hundreds of new housing units.

13/06/2023

“Our twenties are meant for exploration, deepening relationships, establishing a career path, and embarking on a journey of self-discovery,” writes Lilian Dart, who is 26. “However, there is a growing feeling of dread among my twenty-something counterparts.”

Dart felt that sense of dread well up when wildfire smoke forced her to move her nephew’s second birthday party inside last week.

With the impacts of climate change becoming more pronounced, Dart and her peers “question the ethics of having children of our own,” she writes, “and we worry about what adulthood might look like for the nieces, nephews, and other children in our lives.”

Adding to Dart's unease was a recently published report from the City of Peterborough outlining that the Peterborough community is falling far short of the emission reduction targets set for it by the previous city council. When council declared a climate emergency in 2019, it set the goal of reducing the community’s greenhouse gas emissions by 45% from 2011 levels by 2030. But the current “best-case scenario” based on present policies and initiatives is a reduction of 14%, the report stated.

“As my nephew blew out the two small candles on his frosted cake, I tried to remain hopeful,” Dart writes. “But I am scared.”

Lilian Dart tried to be hopeful as her nephew blew out his birthday candles last week. But she couldn't shake her niggling fear for the future.