Community Archives — Page 5 of 96

City to remove parking meters in Bobcaygeon

Published on March 14, 2021 in Municipal by Kirk Winter

Council voted unanimously to remove the nine remaining parking meters from the downtown core in Bobcaygeon, and local councillor Kathleen Seymour-Fagan couldn’t be happier.

“The meters have not worked in years,” Seymour-Fagan said. “They confuse the tourists. They are unsightly. They need to go.”

Aaron Sloan, manager of by-law for the city, presented three different options to council: removing the meters by May of 2021 after engaging the Bobcaygeon Chamber of Commerce and other downtown stakeholders, removing the meters without public consultation, or repairing/replacing the meters.

Sloan told council that since 2015 ideas around parking in the city has completely changed, beginning with the removal of all parking meters in Lindsay. Sloan reminded council that Bobcaygeon is the last location left in the city with meters. Sloan also pointed out that the meters in Bobcaygeon are almost two decades old and their internal components are obsolete and becoming difficult to acquire. Repairs have already been priced at over $9,000, and considering that the meters generate less than $1,000 a year in income, the investment for the city in repairing the units seems unwise.

Seymour-Fagan told fellow councillors that downtown businesses in Bobcaygeon have grown tired of providing change to tourists and answering endless questions about the non-functioning meters and how people can make them work.

Sloan suggested to council the option that would see the removal of the parking meters after community consultation no later than May 2021. That option was selected and meters are expected to be removed before the Victoria day long weekend.

City supports two year trial program for urban chicken coops

Published on March 13, 2021 in Municipal by Kirk Winter

Urban dwellers in Kawartha Lakes who have an interest in raising their own chickens for meat and eggs will soon be getting their opportunity.

Council has approved a recommendation from bylaw enforcement to re-write the existing rules that prohibit this activity and implement a two-year trial program that will license 50 different urban sites across the city. At the end of the two-year pilot, bylaw enforcement will compile data and report to the city about the viability of extending and expanding the program.

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Perry departs Kawartha Family Health Team for role with Métis Nation of Ontario

Published on March 12, 2021 in Community by Roderick Benns

Mike Perry, long-time executive director of the Kawartha Lakes Family Health Team, will leave the organization in the coming weeks to take on a new opportunity with the Métis Nation of Ontario.

The new position is as “Lead – Government Law and Constitution with the Métis Nation of Ontario,” says Perry.

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“Aging tsunami” drives paramedic plans for the future

Published on March 12, 2021 in Community/Health by Kirk Winter

Province keeps municipalities guessing: Is paramedic funding down or up?

Consultants Todd MacDonald and John Prno gave council a first look at their 10-year master plan for the Kawartha Lakes paramedic service. Their proposed solutions are driven by demographics, and if adopted will see a considerable re-shaping of how and where the service does business from 2022-2031.

MacDonald and Prno suggested that over the next 10 years there will be “steady long-term population growth in Kawartha Lakes” and that the bulk of the growth is going to be in the population cohort above the age of 65.

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Olde Gaol Museum board says funding needed to hire staff or museum can’t open

Published on March 10, 2021 in Municipal by Kirk Winter

The volunteer board responsible for the Olde Gaol Museum presented to council a stark future for the city’s largest tourist attraction if it can’t get city funding soon.

Jane Gregory-Gill, a director of the Victoria County Historical Society, told councillors that if $132,000 for the hiring of two full-time staff is not forthcoming from the city, the museum will not be able to re-open for the 2021 tourist season. Currently, there are no salaried positions at the museum.

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Jane Junkin: Volunteer gets back as much as she gives

Published on March 10, 2021 in Community by Jamie Morris

“They are the heart and soul. Without their dedication, we wouldn’t be able to offer our programs.” That’s Graeme Morrison of Community Care; he’s talking about volunteers. Ask at any social agency or charity and you’ll be told the same.

At Community Care, volunteers do everything from cooking and driving for Meals on Wheels to assisting clients with income tax preparation to volunteering with hospice care. In the year before the pandemic put some services on temporary hold, 434 volunteers contributed about 70,000 hours (the equivalent of approximately 40 full-time jobs).

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Local man excited about possibility of outdoor rinks for hockey, skating

Published on March 8, 2021 in Community/Municipal by Kirk Winter

Allen Irvine grew up in Lindsay playing hockey every opportunity he could. Now, years later with children of his own, Irvine would like to see Kawartha Lakes expand the options for children to get out and play a game of shinny by considering the construction of an outdoor ice rink for community use during the winter months.

“I have played hockey my whole life,” Irvine said. “I have kids of my own now and there is nowhere to play hockey outside in Kawartha Lakes. With this new (COVID) world we are living in I think the rink would be well used and it is something we should do.”

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EORN lobbying for ‘ultra-fast Gig internet’ for area

Published on March 1, 2021 in Business/Community by Lindsay Advocate

The Eastern Ontario Regional Network (EORN) has made a formal submission to the federal and provincial governments seeking support to deliver ultra-fast Gig internet to homes and businesses across the region.

The submission has been sent to federal minister Maryam Monsef, who has responsibility for rural economic development, and Ontario’s Minister of Infrastructure Laurie Scott, who is tasked with rural broadband matters for the province.

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Kawartha Lakes Food Source launches Community Kitchen program with grant money

Published on March 1, 2021 in Community/Social Issues by Lindsay Advocate

Thanks to an Ontario Trillium Fund Seed Grant, Kawartha Lakes Food Source (KLFS) has started a Community Kitchen program.

This new program is an opportunity for clients of the Lindsay Community Food Market (a non-traditional food bank owned and operated by KLFS) to grow more engaged in their community and strengthen their food literacy.

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Comedian comes home, virtually, for special fundraiser

Published on February 25, 2021 in Community by Lindsay Advocate

It’s a bit misleading – but very very funny.

“I’m a bit of hillbilly” professional standup comedian Rebecca Reeds confesses to her audience in “Buddy,” her debut CD.

“People always think I have an accent…that I’m from somewhere cool,” continues Reed, who grew up in Lindsay and still has family here. “They always ask, ‘Where’s that accent from?’ And I just tell them it’s from a lack of education.”

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