The Lindsay Advocate - March 2019

WHITHER THE PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE? | CITY NOTES | WHO COOKED ADAM SMITH’S DINNER?

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A Woman’s Place is in the...

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WOMEN IN BUSINESS KEY BARRIERS TO WORK IN KAWARTHA LAKES UNPAID BUT ALWAYS WORK: A Reflection on Homemaking

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March 2019 • Vol 2 • Issue 12

PUBLISHED BY

Fireside Publishing House, a proudly Canadian company.

The Lindsay Advocate is published monthly and distributed to a wide variety of businesses and locations within Kawartha Lakes, North Durham and Southern Haliburton County. We are a proud member of the Lindsay and District, Bobcaygeon, and Fenelon Falls Chambers of Commerce.

TEAM ADVOCATE EDITORIAL

Publisher and Writer-at-Large: Roderick Benns Contributing Editor & Writer-at-Large: Trevor Hutchinson Research, Strategy & Development: Joli Scheidler-Benns Contributing Writers:

Ian McKechnie, Jamie Morris, Nancy Payne, Geoff Coleman, Judy Paul LETTERS TO THE EDITOR SEND TO

kawarthalakespublisher@gmail.com or 151 King St, Suite One, Lindsay, ON, K9V 1E4 ADVERTISING & MARKETING

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705-341-1496

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Graphic Design: Barton Creative Co. Photography: Erin Smith

CONTENTS 4 5 7 8 12 20 23 29 32 33 34 36 38

Letters to the Editor Benns’ Belief UpFront A Woman’s Place Women in Business Unpaid but always Work Key Barriers to work in Kawartha Lakes City Notes I Volunteer For...

Fenelon Falls Entrepreneur Friends & Neighbours with Jamie Morris Just in Time with Ian McKechnie Trevor’s Take

Sienna Frost

Visit www.lindsayadvocate.ca for many more stories FOLLOW US ON

d The Lindsay Advocate @lindsayadvocate Roderick Benns @roderickbenns

c /The Lindsay Advocate PRINTING

Printed by Maracle Inc. OUR PRIVACY POLICY The Lindsay Advocate is independently owned and operated. The opinions expressed herein are the views of the contributors and do not necessarily reflect those of this magazine. Photos, text, and art work contained in The Lindsay Advocate are copyrighted and may not be published, broadcast, or rewritten without the express permission of the Publisher. Liability for incorrectly displayed advertising is limited to publishing corrections or advertising credit for subsequent issues. The Publisher reserves the right to reject, revise, cancel, omit, discontinue or even decline to print advertising without reason or liability, and without notice. The Publisher has made every effort to ensure information contained herein was accurate at press time. The Publisher does not assume and hereby disclaims any liability to any party for damage, loss, or disruption caused by errors or omissions.

ABOUT US Even when life circumstances pulled me to other places, there was a greater part of me that always wanted to be home – in Kawartha Lakes. I’ve come back to try and make a positive difference in my community, this time with my family.

My wife and I created The Lindsay Advocate to be media with a social purpose, to advocate for people over corporations, to push for a fair society where all citizens can reach their full potential. We know our institutions, non-profit sector, and small businesses are critical community partners. We thank them for their support and pledge to work together for a healthier, more prosperous Kawartha Lakes. ~ Roderick and Joli

Advertising Sales: Contact us at 705-341-1496 • kawarthalakespublisher@gmail.com

A TE

LIN

DSAY AD O C V

Count on neighbours, donations, to address gap in senior services I applaud Roderick Benns for writing ‘Seniors in Crisis In Kawartha Lakes’ and showcasing the plight of so many seniors who suffer from various stages of decline in their mental competencies. Where Roderick and I differ in response to this crisis is our approach to resolving it.

An increase in government services is not the only way to improve the circumstances of these unfortunate people. A call for more voluntary help is also needed so as to not stretch the limited resources of public services already constrained by high levels of taxation. Since over one third of CKL’s citizens are seniors themselves, many living on pensions, then to increase their tax burdens is surely counterproductive.

Those of our citizens who have the highest degree of job and financial security are our employed public servants such as those in the article who were calling for more government funding and social services. What if these fortunate public servants offered to donate five per cent of their salaries on an ongoing basis to fund the additional services for which they are calling?

Or, what if our community of retirees formed their own voluntary ‘friend a neighbour’ program to check in on these struggling seniors?

Voluntarism and acts of neighbourly good were hallmarks of the kind of civil society that existed when my mother was growing up in the 1930s. Mom told me that no one in her neighbourhood locked their doors because “someone might need something.” This, from a young girl who owned two clothing outfits and one pair of shoes. By today’s standards, Mom would have been considered poor, but she was healthy and happy in her life circumstances since she and her siblings never knew anything different as they were growing up.

Roderick’s article read as a clarion call for more government. Instead, a plea to return to more acts of civil society, rather than calling for more tax-funded programs would have added hope, compassion and creativity to address a genuine need.

- Gene Balfour, Fenelon Falls

Can we afFord him?

When you walk on the financially vulnerable and sick people in your province, and go back on campaign promises, it is made abundantly clear that you are a liar of the finest quality. Your shameful actions are going to crush the poorest people and put them in a situation that destroys them and the potential they have to do good -- not just for themselves, but for their fellow Canadians. As Canadians, we lead by example when it comes to defending and supporting the most vulnerable. The actions you are taking are unnecessary and un-Canadian.

Whether you believe the basic income pilot was a mistake or not, it gave me a chance to reset my life. I had food, a place to sleep, and I was able to afford medication that was not covered.

It gave my body a chance to heal and my mind a chance to recover. What you call a political failure of the highest form, I call hope. I plea with you to consider the change this program had made in lives that were caught in limbo. You say there were problems with this program; then fix it and make it better.

Now you made getting an education in a desired field more difficult for individuals.

Limited education has always been a precursor to creating an environment that is the perfect condition for arrogance, ignorance, fear and hate to grow.

Please consider the difference that you can make.

- Curtis Stokes, Lindsay

We want your letters! Send us your thoughts to be featured on this page.

The Lindsay Advocate welcomes your Letters to the Editor. We reserve the right to edit letters for clarity or length.

Simply email thelindsayadvocate@gmail.com or mail to 151 King St., Suite 1, Lindsay, ON, K9V 1E4.

Please keep your letters to 200 words or less.

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BENNS’ BELIEF For the

RODERICK BENNS, PUBLISHER

WOMEN of

Kawartha Lakes

Regular readers of the Advocate will notice I look a little different in this issue – almost animated in my appearance. Given this is our one-year anniversary issue – and given that we often tackle some very serious topics here – we thought the least we could do is have some fun with our column photos.

Twelve issues ago Joli and I launched The Lindsay Advocate as a monthly magazine that would focus on the social and economic wellness of Kawartha Lakes. (It’s actually been a year and a half for our news site at lindsayadvocate.ca).

Wellness, to us, starts with big picture policy. It means we advocate for progressive social policies that will improve Canadian society. It also means we advocate for our small businesses as the engine of our local economy; the best form of capitalism is local and community-based, not corporate and faceless.

We believe in a society that has human values, not ‘market’ values.

In a society that prides itself on human values (like many Nordic nations), we find a way to have national pharmacare with universal health care like every other civilized nation in the world. We find a way to invest in child care; we value education; and we do everything we can to ensure people don’t slip into poverty, which only costs all of us more in the long run.

All of this costs public money of course and so we need to re-imagine the all-important federal tax code to achieve more income equality. It is difficult to justify a system that goes easy on the top earners while letting ordinary Canadians fight for the scraps.

We dedicate this issue of the Advocate to the all hard-working women out there in Kawartha Lakes and beyond. And by work we don’t just mean paid labour. In fact there is an absurdity of equating jobs with ‘work.’

Economist Arthur Pigou once observed, “If I hire a housekeeper, national income goes up. If I marry her, national income goes down.”

So, hats off to women everywhere. While more men are certainly stepping up, research continues to show that women still do the bulk of work in raising children, caring for family members, and building relationships and communities -- all the things that make life worth living.

At the same time, as this issue demonstrates, there are so many amazing women entrepreneurs, business leaders, and community members who are changing the face of Kawartha Lakes for the better.

We welcome your feedback on this, our anniversary edition of the Advocate.

www.lindsayadvocate.ca

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Carol Timlin

Carol Timlin retires from VCCS

Thirty-one years ago, VCCS was a fledgling dream as an employment service. It was Carol Timlin who started the agency back then with just herself and a part-time receptionist, along with a community board of directors.

Now, she’s set to retire this month after three decades of service.

Timlin says it’s the staff members who work at VCCS and all the people they have helped with their employment needs that she is most proud of.

“I still run into people who were clients of mine many many years ago, and many others that have used our service and have positive things to say about how we helped them to get where they are today.”

About a quarter of the staff have been with the agency over 20 years and many are also past clients.

“I am happy to be leaving the agency at a time when I know things are well in hand and there are such good people here to carry on the work.”

In retirement Timlin will continue her involvement with the Rotary Club and may look for some other volunteer and creative outlets. “I love to travel and will continue that to more exotic locations and may look at leading some small travel groups in the future.”

www.lindsayadvocate.ca

June 8, 2019

De-mystifying Watercolours with RoseMarie Condon September 14, 2019

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A

Woman’s Place

Whether at home, at work, or in unpaid caring roles, women play more critical roles than ever in shaping our lives

JOLI SCHEIDLER-BENNS “A woman’s place is in the home” is a phrase that goes back nearly 25 centuries from a Greek play written in 467 B.C. by Aeschylus. Women have always worked, but the emphasis on the home environment suggests that the unpaid work of child rearing, caring for the ill and elderly, cleaning and cooking should still fall on women. The landscape has changed in Canada over the years as women have entered the labour market; opened their own businesses as entrepreneurs; completed postsecondary education in record numbers; and added volunteer hours in their communities. However, the old adage still applies – even though more men have stepped up, women continue to dominate the unpaid labour sectors in the home and community while adding significantly to the GDP. Given that International Women’s Day is March 8, it is worth pointing out that here in Kawartha Lakes women have embraced a wide variety of roles, such as the entrepreneurs and small business owners you will see in this issue. They are also leading non-profits, caring for elderly parents, raising children and doing critical homemaking work, going to school (or back to school), and getting involved or leading community groups and initiatives.

Colleen Collins, executive director of the Lindsay and District Chamber of Commerce, says in 2018 about 36 per cent of new members were women-led businesses.

“There seem to be a lot of health and wellness related businesses that women are spearheading,” says Collins, although there is a great deal of diversity, too.

“I’ve also noticed women are being appointed or hired at more high profile positions then ever,” she says, pointing out Amy Terrill’s recent appointment as executive director of the Boys and Girls Club of Kawartha Lakes.

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LABOUR AND GDP

In most economic theories, labour is considered work that contributes to the GDP. A nanny for example is considered part of the labour force. Her caring of the children adds to the GDP and ‘counts’ as work. But if she marries the children’s father and continues to care for the children, it would be assumed that she would no longer be paid for these things as a wife. Her work is no longer ‘for sale’ in the market and becomes part of the unpaid work category. According to Statistics Canada in 2016, women spent 50 per cent more time doing unpaid work than men. Men spent 37 per cent more time than women doing income-generating activities.

Women currently make up 48 per cent of Canada’s total labour force. The global financial crisis of 2008 solidified the importance of women’s participation in the economy. Labour that was available after this became increasingly precarious, part-time and low wage -- and women were more likely to accept this type of work.

The World Bank and IMF recognized women as a huge factor in the global recovery noting that “the rise of women’s participation in paid work is contributing to GDP growth in almost every country in the world.”

Additionally, the OECD recognized that the “rising female participation in the labour force has been the mainstay of per capita real income growth [for Canada] over the last decade.” Interestingly, so many women have gone into the labour force that families with a stay-at home mother declined by 1,025,000 from 1,487,000 in 1976 to 493,000 in 2015.

One-third of women who limit their work to part-time cite a lack of access to affordable child care as the reason.

As well, it is worth noting that it is care of children that contributed specifically as a factor as one-third of women who limit their work to part-time cite a lack of access to affordable child care as the reason.

WOMEN IN FARMING

BY THE NUMBERS u 530 female farm operators in Kawartha Lakes. This has only dropped by 5 operators since the last census, compared to a loss of 130 male operators. u

100 farms operated by a female as the sole operator in Kawartha Lakes, an increase of 42% since the last census. That compares to a 20% increase seen at the provincial level. In Kawartha Lakes 7.9% of farms are operated by a female as a sole operator.

u The same number of sole female operators in the 2016 and 2006 Census. But since the number of male operators declined from 1,525 in 2006 to 1,250 in 2016, what it really means is that the proportion of female operators has increased significantly. u On farms with two or more operators, females make up 43% of operators in 2016. ~ Statistics courtesy of City of Kawartha Lakes.

CONT’D ON PAGE 11

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As governments like Canada’s increased their austerity measures by withdrawing important social and health services in the 1990s (and increasingly afterwards), women’s contribution of additional unpaid care work also increased. Women added ‘value’ here, given they were (and are) more likely to take service and care related occupations. They are also twice as likely to accept minimum wage work, three times as likely to work part-time, and more willing than their male counterparts to take on the increasing amount of unpaid care work.

WOMEN-OWNED BUSINESSES

According to Statistics Canada (2018), women-owned businesses increased significantly during the period from 2005 to 2013. According to the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) in 2015/2016, Canadian women are starting their own businesses at a faster pace than all other G20 countries. The most common type of businesses for women to start tend to be small businesses (less than 20 employees) and typically focused on the service or retail sectors. This reflects the majority of local women profiled in this issue, too.

The service industries for women also include educational services, arts, entertainment and recreation, and health care and social assistance.

Women are less likely to start businesses in goods-producing industries which are still dominated by men. According to Statistics Canada in 2011, over 37 per cent of businesses are owned by female entrepreneurs in Eastern Ontario.

Rebecca Mustard, manager of economic development, City of Kawartha Lakes, says women entrepreneurs are becoming more prevalent.

“Here in Kawartha Lakes, we’re seeing more and more women running their own businesses. Approximately 60 per cent of the consultations conducted through the Kawartha Lakes Small Business Entrepreneurship Centre (KLSBEC) are women seeking guidance and resources as they explore REBECCA MUSTARD the possibility of starting up a new Manager of Economic business or looking for ways to grow Development City of Kawartha Lakes their current business,” Mustard tells the Advocate.

“We’ve also seen a sharp increase in the number of women running businesses in our agriculture sector.”

Mustard says staff at the City are there to “encourage all entrepreneurs through a robust offering of mentoring, development and direction to funding sources.”

CONT’D ON PAGE 25

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Women

in

Business Melissa wemyss amelia rodin broghan dean karissa ward & monique meloche

Wards Lawyers PC Lindsay PHOTO: ERIN SMITH

At WARDS LAWYERS PC we are committed to being leaders in our community in the way we do business, how we practice law and the ways we give back to our community. We are proud to feature five of our business leaders (Melissa, Amelia, Broghan, Karissa and Monique) and share their perspectives on what qualities are important for successful leadership.

MELISSA WEMYSS, C.E.O. “Leadership is about the team – the culture they keep and embrace, it’s about empathy for your customers, clients, employees and communities where you do business, it’s about doing the right thing for the right reasons, being confident enough to take risk and responsible enough to think of those who your decisions and risk may affect.” – Kat Cole, President of Cinnabon AMELIA RODIN, Family Law Lawyer “I never dreamed about success; I worked for it.” – Estée Lauder, Cosmetics Mogul

BROGHAN DEAN, Articling Student “Know what you bring; know what you don’t bring, and build a team that covers everything you need.” – Angie Hicks, founder of Angie’s List KARISSA WARD, Business Lawyer “Leadership is the ability to guide others without force into a direction or decision that leaves them still feeling empowered and accomplished.” – Lisa Cash Hanson, Snuggwugg CEO MONIQUE MELOCHE, Personal Injury Lawyer “Leadership is not a formula or a program, it is a human activity that comes from the heart and considers the hearts of others. It is an attitude, not a routine.” – Lance Secretan, Author & Management Consultant WARDS LAWYERS PC is a full service law firm serving the City of Kawartha Lakes, Peterborough and surrounding areas.

84 Kent Street, West, Lindsay, Ontario K9V 2Y4 (705) 324-9273 • www.wardlegal.ca

Women

in

Business

MARLENE MORRISON NICHOLS Stewart Morrison Insurance Lindsay

Marlene grew up on a farm west of Little Britain with three sisters. Although they didn’t use the language of gender equality her parents never imagined that they weren’t capable of doing any task that was set before them.

Marlene’s father and mother both worked hard and were partners. Her mom was an RN and was a partner in the farm business. Her dad ran the farm and started his insurance agency in the 1960s.

He operated from two small offices, with manual typewriters and two part-time employees. “Today we have five offices and a staff of 30. It is a big company now and we are privately owned, one of the few brokerage in the area that are,” says Marlene, who has been leading the company herself for 30 years.

Driven and passionate, Marlene strives for excellence and provides a stable job environment for those who are depending on her.

Marlene is always looking for ways to create a safer, stronger and better community. She has worked to strengthen the local Chambers of Commerce, assisting in particular the Lindsay & District Chamber.

She has worked on large capital campaigns raising money for hospital expansions; doctor recruitment; Women’s Resources; Community Care; and sitting on committees to develop economic progress in Kawartha Lakes. She also spearheaded a Diversity Initiative through the Lindsay Chamber to City Council which was accepted unanimously.

While Marlene sees insurance brokerages in the area being purchased by large companies with no connection to local communities, she encourages brokers to consider Stewart Morrison Insurance if they want to make a change. The company also has a new website with new branding and a client portal.

“It will always be my personal passion to encourage women in business to believe in themselves and to overcome the fear; I am also dedicated to provide a safe and equitable place for women to work,” says Marlene.

“People are my motivation, particularly my daughters. They challenge me every day to be better and I have learned so much by talking with them, helping them get established in their education and respective careers.”

She attributes her success to the talented staff she works with and family and friends who are always there to support her.

Women

Women

Business

Business

ROBYN BARTON & MEGAN BARTON

JOEY HENDERSON

Barton Creative Co. Bobcaygeon

The Yoga Loft Lindsay

in

Barton Creative Co. offers design, marketing, & automation services to help entrepreneurs, business owners, and organizations maximize their reach and impact. Meet the Bartons, your new business best friends! Robyn is a creative specialist with formal graphic design education and over a decade of graphic design, branding, and marketing experience. Megan is a digital strategist specializing in website design, digital marketing, and automation. Together, they will help your business or brand make a strong first impression and attract your ideal client or customer. They can also show you how to streamline, systemize, and automate key parts of your business to save time, increase your earnings, and help you live your best life.

Shelly Hardaker and her family have made the City Of Kawartha Lakes home for 16 years.

A food services industry veteran, she worked for the previous Smitty’s owners before purchasing it from them three years ago.

Shelly has also worked in the dental industry while also taking Economics and Business Management courses. But it’s the “people, food and the ever-changing environment” that keep her coming back. “It’s a go, go, go industry.”

Known for “keeping it local” when it comes to food sourcing, Shelly says it’s important to “support those who support you.”

Since the Smitty’s franchise allows her to offer alternate menus along with the core menu, she is able to use locally-sourced products for specials.

“It’s a way of achieving creativity and diversity with food.”

The franchise owner also takes a leading role when it comes to environmental. Smitty’s has embraced compostable takeaway containers. As well, the straws they use look like plastic but actually break down completely in 36 months.

Shelly says it’s her children that keep her motivated and inspired. “Truth be told, I love my business. It keeps me physically and mentally challenged every day. I am very fortunate to have such amazing people, both my staff and customers.”

in

Joey Henderson grew up in Kawartha Lakes, having lived here since she was four years old. After she began practicing yoga just once a week she slowly began to notice a great deal of benefits. This positively affected all of her relationships and even her overall view on life. That’s when she decided to take her Yoga Teacher Training for personal reasons – but she quickly developed a passion to share yoga with others.

Joey purchased the Yoga Loft in January 2012, after it had been open for about two years. “I love the community we have built here in Kawartha Lakes. I feel especially grateful for the opportunity to hear people’s individual stories, of both love and hardships,” she says. Experiencing those one-on-one human connections -- especially in this day and age of so much disconnect with social media – is so important, she says.

PHOTO: ERIN SMITH

Women

in

Business

SHELLY HARDAKER Smitty’s Lindsay

Women

in

Business Dr. Jacquelyn Nicholls Adelaide Clinic Lindsay

Dr. Jacquelyn Nicholls grew up in Lindsay with a family deeply involved in the social, political and economic aspects of the community. A competitive dancer while growing up, she eventually chose York University for a double major in Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance.

Nicholls went on to the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College for her four year Doctor of Chiropractic. During this time she also went to McMaster University to study under Dr. Alejandro Elorriaga Claraco MD, learning Contemporary Medical Acupuncture.

For a time she lived in Alberta to work with the Alberta Ballet Dancers and also had her own private practice. Now, as of 2017, Nicholls is home in Lindsay and has opened the multidisciplinary Adelaide Clinic, which showcases techniques in Chiropractic and Neurofunctional Acupuncture along with state of the art Nutraceuticals. She also provides space for other practitioners, in acupuncture, massage, rehabilitation and kinesiology services, therapeutic dry cupping and reflexology.

“There is something amazing about being home in a community that knows you,” she says of her return to Lindsay. Her clinic location at 1 Adelaide St N., is also her home.

“This is significant for me as home is a place where restoration occurs, a place of safety and comfort -- all of this I strive to create for my patients.”

Nicholls says she thrives on treating whole families, or aiding someone who has had pain for years. Direct billing is also offered to over 12 different extended health insurance companies.

“I love being a Chiropractor as it allows me to solve difficult problems with creativity. It is a non-invasive, hands-on health care profession. I often tell patients if two bones are coming together to make a joint and it hurts; chiropractic is for you.”

Nicholls says her intent is to “create a lasting relationship of trust and care, assisting you to achieve happy, fulfilled and active life.”

Women

in

Business

TAMMY ADAMS Silver Lights Senior Services Lindsay

Colleen Collins, Executive Director of the Lindsay and District Chamber of Commerce, and Miranda Popovic, Administrative Officer of the Chamber, are two women everyone should meet before setting up their business in Kawartha Lakes. Colleen and Miranda can point entrepreneurs in the right direction for local support and assistance and sometimes possible funding opportunities.

“We have many connections in the community through our members that support small business owners.” “We are noticing a marked increase in women in business in our community with many executive director positions and important economic development positions at the City being held by women,” Colleen notes.

Colleen has been with the Chamber for over seven years, serving as Executive Director for the past two years.

She has over 30 years of strategic marketing, sales, and communications experience and is a Regional Tourism Ambassador with Kawarthas Northumberland (RTO8) and also sits on their Board of Directors.

Miranda joined the Chamber in June 2017 as Administrative Assistant. After just seven months she became Administrative Officer. She is the key point person in the LDCC Office with over 10 years of proven customer service. As a graduate of Loyalist College and a lifelong resident of Kawartha Lakes, Miranda brings area knowledge, professionalism, and a ‘can do attitude’ to everything she does.

With a background in Education and Social Services, founder Tammy Adams was born and raised in the Kawartha Lakes and launched Silver Lights Senior Services to help seniors in Lindsay, Ontario, live their best independent lives. So what does Silver Lights offer?

First and foremost, we are a trusted companion. This is not an impersonal pick you up and drop you off service.

You will get to know your companion and we will look out for your best interests and spend our time together how you like. When a companion arrives for an appointment, they will plan their time with you, helping you to get ready before heading out. Appointments can be spent going to things like appointments, the bank, or your favourite stores. And it doesn’t stop there - once they bring you home, they’ll help bring everything in and make sure it gets put away. Silver Lights Senior Services can even help you with your laundry and meal prep! Trust is very important to the Silver Lights Senior Services team, and all staff have police checks, driver’s abstracts, first aid, and CPR certifications. Now your time with friends and family can be dedicated to conversation and games instead of parking lots and crowded stores.

Women

in

Business

COLLEEN COLLINS & MIRANDA POPOVIC Lindsay + District Chamber of Commerce

PHOTO: SIENNA FROST

Women

in

Business KIM THOMPSON Miryal® Lindsay

“For the Earth, For Our Future” Kim Thompson grew up in the Lindsay area and still lives in Kawartha Lakes to this day. She and her husband, Chris Cookman, and son Jacob Cookman, own three businesses, Stigma Style Landscaping Inc., located in the Kawarthas and Greenbank Garden Centre and Cookman Corporation, located in Durham Region.

Kim’s passion of late though has to do with a new innovation she sells across Canada, sold in over 32 retail outlets, and used by growers and landscapers – an incredible discovery from a few short years ago about the power of mycorrhizae.

These are ‘helpful fungi’ in layman’s terms, something that creates an incredibly mutual beneficial relationship between fungi and plant roots. Thompson knew if someone could harness that power, to capture it for widescale use as a way to help things grow, and trap mineral nutrients and water for the plant, it could be a game changer. If that could occur, it could prevent the wholesale use of harmful, synthetic fertilizers.

She contacted leading Canadian soil scientist Dr. Leanne Philip, and Kim partnered with BioSyneterra Solutions Inc., based in Quebec and an all-natural probiotic called Miryal ® was developed, changing everything in her field. This ground-breaking product is what allowed Miryal® – now a registered trademark and is CFIA approved — to be brought to market.

The uses for Miryal® (pronounced Mye-ril) are innumerable, Thompson says, from gardeners, big and small landscape companies, farmers, plant and tree nursery owners, wetland experts, municipalities – and so many more.

“With Miryal®, I feel so passionately that this is an amazing product for the environment. How incredible would it be if this was widely used instead of fertilizers?” she points out.

Kim is quick to note that it is the hard work ethic of her team and passion for getting it “right the first time”, and her customers’ loyalty, that has led to the success of her businesses.

Women

Women

Business

Business

LIZ GRIMES

SANDY TERZO

Cathy Allan Ladieswear Lindsay

Dolce Fenelon Falls

in

in

Liz Grimes was born and raised in Lindsay, and brought her own family up here. It was 20 years ago that she fulfilled her dream of owning her own business. But her love of fashion was cultivated back in Grade 12 when she took the co-op program at LCVI. As a result, she ensures she regularly takes on co-op students as a way to give back and invest in young women’s lives. “One former co-op student, Kayla, is now our Assistant Manager,” says Liz. Liz was motivated to get into this business from her mentor, Catherine Allan (Thistle). So powerful was her influence Liz named her store after Allan.

“I love that wherever I go in our beautiful town I call someone by name. I look forward to work every day.”

Sandy Terzo grew up in Mississauga and lived in Brooklin for a time – but all that changed six years ago when she moved to Kawartha Lakes. Lucky us, considering her speciality is Portuguese and Italian desserts. (Her background is Portuguese and her husband is Italian.) That’s what makes her bakery unique in Kawartha Lakes. Sandy, whose passion has been baking since she was a child, has been in business four years. “The business name – Dolce – was my idea because it means ‘sweet’ in Italian.”

Sandy says she loves to see the satisfaction her products bring. She also values the friendly people that visit her bakery for a treat and coffee, and the great relationships she has built with her customers.

Women

Women

Business

Business

in

in

LAURA LeMIERE & TARYN BERGIN

Rebekah McCRACKEN Hamilton Creek Lindsay

PHOTO: SIENNA FROST

After 20 years in the Lindsay area, Kawartha Lakes feels like home to Rebekah McCracken, who grew up in nearby Uxbridge.

Three years ago Rebekah purchased Hamilton Creek from owner Cheryl Reid, who was set to retire. Now, the ‘smartly casual’ business is celebrating its 27th anniversary this month.

In 2017, Rebekah decided to open their Hamilton Creek Travel Trends location across the street.

“We were interested in offering our customers a larger selection of swimwear, casual travel styles and footwear year round.” Rebekah says she loves “helping women feel their best,” with the perfect outfit, and says she greatly values the sense of community in the downtown core. She also appreciates the fact that so many loyal customers “shop local.”

Boiling Over’s Coffee Vault Lindsay Laura and Taryn are two of the four owners of Boiling Over, along with Jamie Bergin and James Myette. Laura has lived in the Kawartha Lakes area her entire life and was recruited by James and Jamie while working elsewhere in Lindsay. Laura manages the day to day operations of the store. “Although I’m often found making lattes and taking your orders, I also do a number of things behind the scenes”. She values bringing in local products, local art, and free live music. Taryn helps with the strategic direction of the store. She spent most of her childhood summers with family in the area. “I have grown to love the town of Lindsay and now I consider it my home.” She loves the community of likeminded business people who have always been very supportive. “We love to see our fellow community members succeed!”

PHOTO: SIENNA FROST

Women

in

Business

CANDACE BUCKLEY Days Inn & Suites Lindsay

Candace Buckley was just 23 when she was hired as General Manager of the brand new Days Inn & Suites in Lindsay four years ago. She attended University of Guelph for business commerce, and majored in hotel and food administration.

During this busy time of her life, in the spring of 2015 she opened Lindsay’s newest hotel and then walked across the stage with her degree in hand just one month later.

Obviously driven in her field, Candace attributes her work ethic to growing up on a farm in the Lindsay area with four other siblings. “I suppose I became accustomed to working hard and often.”

Both Candace as General Manager and the hotel itself has won numerous awards and she attributes that to her amazing team. This year promises more innovation as they have just revamped their breakfast area “to create more of a coffee culture, cozy feel.”

She says these days business travellers don’t necessarily want to sit alone in their guest room but would rather work in a more public area on their laptop or among co-workers with a drink in hand, be it coffee, beer or wine. Some hightop tables and stools and even a couch and club chairs in the breakfast area will help create this new vibe. “Our breakfast area is licensed, which allows guests to enjoy some local brews or other spirits.”

Candace will continue this year to make Days Inn & Suites the premier hotel in Kawartha Lakes.

The premier employment service agency and resource centre in the City of Kawartha Lakes and surrounding area.

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IT MAY HAVE BEEN UNPAID BUT IT WILL ALWAYS BE WORK }} Why do we still see employment outside the home as having the most value?

I remember wondering why my mother felt so strongly about it. Every year we brought home the same information sheet from school to be filled out.

And every year she insisted that the line for her occupation be completed with the word “homemaker,” rather than what we kids would have written, “housewife.”

The line for my dad was easy—“farmer”—even if the work wasn’t. My mother grew a huge garden, drove the tractor, and fed pigs and cattle when my dad was away on municipal council business, along with looking after kids and the house. Obviously she was a partner on the farm, and obviously she was irreplaceable. So why did that one word matter so much to her? Well, I get it now.

After all, the word housewife connotes someone who is married to a building. (Yes, I’m aware that the word has its roots in the Middle English “hus” (house) and “wyf,” meaning “woman.”) Someone whose role is bounded by four walls and a roof, not to mention a lot of toilets to be cleaned. And even though on paper my mum may have appeared to be the definition of a traditional wife and mother, like so many women of her generation and before, that doesn’t begin to tell you everything about her.

She did indeed make a home for our family of six, with all the tedious, never-ending work that involved: vacuuming, dishes, laundry (dried on a clothesline, even in winter), errands, cooking three meals every day, driving kids to practices and lessons and work.

So yes, first of all: Work at home is work. Hard work.

It’s honourable and crucial and our society would fall apart if it weren’t done. Many of us recognize the rallying cry “Every mother is a working mother,” even if we’d now substitute the word “parent” for “mother.”

NANCY PAYNE

Largely because of my mum’s example, I feel a quiet rage any time someone dismisses a woman who stayed home with kids by saying “she never worked.” Are you kidding me? If you want to make that distinction, for heaven’s sake add “outside the home.” Because trust me—that woman worked.

And chances are good that, like my mum Genevieve Payne, she actually did work outside the home, too, doing everything from creating girls’ hockey and softball teams to serving at community dinners. She just didn’t do it for pay. Whether they had a salary or not, the women who came before us worked all the time, weaving the social fabric we take for granted now.

Meals on Wheels was started by a group of women at Cambridge Street United Church who saw a need and got to work, cooking meals in the church kitchen while their kids played around their feet. Women’s unpaid work (as well as men’s, of course) was absolutely vital to the creation of organizations as diverse and important as Hospice Kawartha Lakes, the Lindsay Art Gallery, the Ross Memorial Hospital’s auxiliary, Community Living, the Red Cross, parent councils at schools, Habitat for Humanity, and roughly a zillion church committees and fundraisers, to name just a few.

Today, 100 Women Who Care Kawartha Lakes— whose membership is well over 200, by the way— is a fundraising juggernaut organized by three women with little spare time but a lot of talent.

Our community is so much richer, kinder and more liveable because of this work, all of it freely and lovingly given. Wouldn’t it be great if we recognized that unpaid work, whether it’s done inside or outside the home has merit and dignity regardless of the gender of the person doing it, and should be given the respect CONT’D ON PAGE 22

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it deserves? Making a home where kids feel safe and loved is some of the most important work there is, so let’s start acting like it. Men who take parental leave or opt to stay home with children aren’t babysitting, as people (usually older women) used to say to my husband—they’re being parents. Women who choose to leave the paid workforce while they raise kids are not throwbacks or looking to take it easy.

Grocery shopping, cutting the grass, attending parent teacher meetings, washing uniforms, caring for aging relatives, keeping a house tidy, planning birthday parties, maintaining the car, doing the bookkeeping—it’s all important work. So is shovelling the neighbour’s walk, raising money for those in need, running a soccer league, reading to kids who need extra help, supporting local artists and actors, maintaining a neighbourhood rink, cleaning up litter along roads and waterways, putting together a float for the fair parade, organizing a Canada Day celebration—and all of those other jobs, big and small, that enhance life in Kawartha Lakes.

Paid or unpaid, we’re all in this together. To my mother and to all people of any age or gender who continue to work to make our homes and communities better, thank you.

to

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TRANSPORTATION AND CHILD CARE:

Key barriers to work in Kawartha Lakes

TREVOR HUTCHISON

Kawartha Lakes is a huge City in area; transportation remains a real barrier for those who want to work.

Until his work accident, ‘Tom’ had always had regular employment. Deemed medically unfit to work by a team of doctors, and denied WSIB benefits, Tom had to sell his possessions and eventually the family vehicle to feed his family. He had to move from Lindsay to a rural part of the city in search of less expensive rent. Finally cleared to return to work, Tom faced what employment professionals call a ‘barrier’ to work.

“The (time off from the) accident had used up every available dollar I could borrow from friends and family. I had already sold anything of value. I needed a car to get a job. And I needed a job to get a car. I was in this feedback loop of failure,” he says.

Experts identify many barriers to work, among them: a lack of childcare, a lack of education or training, a criminal record, domestic violence, age, gaps in employment history, a sick family member, and physical or mental health issues among them.

To be clear, these are not excuses used by people who don’t want to work: These are barriers that are preventing someone who wants to work from entering or re-entering the workforce.

According to Brenda Roxburgh, executive director of VCCS, “transportation is by far the biggest barrier that we see in the City of Kawartha Lakes.”

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CONT’D ON PAGE 24

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“There are jobs in Lindsay that qualified people from other parts of the city can’t get to reliably.

There are jobs in Fenelon Falls and Bobcaygeon that cannot be filled by people in Lindsay. “It is a conversation we have with the City at every opportunity we have,” continues Roxburgh.

A lack of affordable or flexible childcare is another employment barrier in the CKL that affects primarily women’s ability to re-enter the workforce. According to Roxburgh, an extended-hours child care program was investigated years ago when there were more factory jobs (and resultant shift-work) in Lindsay but the issue has not been recently pursued. The affordable childcare introduced in Quebec 20 years ago has seen employment participation of women aged 22-44 grow to 87 per cent (compared to a 91 per cent rate for men nationally), the highest level in the world and comparable to Nordic country rates, with fertility rates rising as well. In a March 2018 speech, Stephen Polotz, governor of the Bank of Canada said, “if we could simply bring the participation rate of prime-age women in the rest of Canada up to the level in Quebec, we could add almost 300,000 people to our country’s workforce.”

Training and education are also areas of concern here in Kawartha Lakes. One third of VCCS’ clients have a high school diploma or less, which is a lower level of education than provincial averages. However, a survey undertook by VCCS of the tourism and tourism-related employers in the City showed an overwhelming ‘skill gap’ in soft skills (showing up regularly and on-time, communication, etc.)

Some of these barriers to work involve complex issues or policy solutions that are beyond the municipal level, but the largest barrier -- transportation -- is firmly within the City’s responsibilities. Says Roxburgh, “we need to talk about, at a minimum, a regularly scheduled transportation service between the three largest economic centres in the city: Lindsay, Bobcaygeon and Fenelon Falls.”

“We also need to look at the scheduling of Lindsay Transit. If someone lives on St. David Street in Lindsay for example and has a job at Armada, that can be challenging to arrange. Add a child that needs to be dropped off in that mix (assuming an affordable day care

spot can be found) and transportation becomes a huge issue and a significant barrier” to re-entering the workforce.

Roxburgh points out “that in a rural setting, you have to problem solve around the expectation that government isn’t going to fix it.” But there are things a local government could do to help Tom to get back to work. It took a few months to find a job that made a ride-share possible. That is consistent with VCCS’ experiences.

“We find that if a client can find a way to work for the first week, ride-share opportunities with co-workers often become possible,” adds Roxburg.

In the absence of a rural transit system, “perhaps the City (with its staff and website infrastructure), could help with creating a formalized, local rideshare where individuals could work out rides” themselves.

Clearly something has to be done. We have people like Tom, who want to work and forever leave social assistance. And Roxburgh states that “it is a myth that there aren’t any jobs. On any given day we have 20 jobs on the VCCS board.”

What we are lacking is any municipal strategy and policy to put those two needs together and form a solution to transportation, the biggest barrier to work in the City of Kawartha Lakes.

What do you think about this issue?

Send us your thoughts, 200 words or less, to thelindsayadvocate@gmail.com.

Bricks and Mortar will not a home make! But it’s a start.

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CONT’D FROM PAGE 11

Women are also attending post-secondary school at record rates in order to be competitive in the workforce. As of 1990, 25 per cent of women aged 25-54 had not finished high school and only 14 per cent had a university-level degree. Currently women are outpacing men in Canada, with 56 per cent of the bachelor-level university degrees and 51 per cent of the master’s degrees. They also account for 58 per cent of the college graduates. These higher graduation rates aren’t reflected in the workforce as most are not in senior decision making roles.They are also underrepresented in STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) positions which tends to be higher paying fields.

Less women tend to enroll in these programs in general. Only 32 per cent of the graduates in mathematics and computer and information sciences are women. Further only 20 per cent of women graduate in engineering and related courses.

According to the GEM, 70 per cent of women entrepreneurs cite work-life balance as the initial reason for starting their own businesses. On the other hand, 59 per cent also note that work-life balance is also one of their biggest challenges. The large amounts of unpaid work done by women contributes to this challenge significantly. Care of children contributed specifically as a factor as one-third of women who limit their work to part-time cite a lack of access to affordable child care as the reason.

This situation has changed some since 1986, when Canadian mothers did 200 per cent more unpaid work than fathers. By 2015, mothers accounted for 38 per cent of the total hours of paid labour done by parents, up from 29 per cent since 1986. The saying “a woman’s work is never done” has certainly been true over the years. Women still spend an average of 3.6 hours per day doing unpaid household work which include chores, household shopping, cooking, car pooling, and caring for children or adult family members in addition to paid labour.

Caring for children is still largely dominated by women in Canada. In 2010, women spent an average of 50.1 hours per week on child care, more than double the average time (24.4 hours) spent by men. Women also tend to spend more time caring for aging parents or other family members than men.

According to The Conference Board of Canada (2018), volunteers (both women and men) contributed two billion hours to Canada’s work effort in 2017 contributing to economic activity by increasing the value of services provided. The volunteer service is valued at $55.9 billion dollars in 2017; this is equal to 2.6 percent of the GDP. If volunteering was considered an industry, its employment level would equate to the amount of people working in the field of education. The 2,072 million hours of volunteer work done by both females and males is equivalent to 1.1 million full-time jobs in Canada.

The landscape has changed some over time, but there are many who still see a “woman’s place” as “in the home.”

While many women have entered the labour force and become entrepreneurs, received degrees, and volunteered in the community, the “work” levels for the majority of women have only increased. A shift in the way we value and recognize unpaid work is necessary for families, the community, and our entire society as we are all dependent on unpaid work getting done. ~with files from Roderick Benns

PHOTO: SIENNA FROST

Crayola Canada recently made a $13,381 donation to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Kawartha Lakes

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READER SPOTLIGHT Courtesy of Kawartha Lakes Public Library

Denis Grignon

Lucky Man, thankfully, is not the retelling of hard partying debauchery that is often the trope of rock musician autobiographies. Granted, Greg Lakeis often unaware of, and unfazed by, the pretentiousness he and his 70s progressive rock brethren oozed. But, geesh it was still great music. And this turned out to be a refreshing, well-written and warm memoir by one of my favourite bass players and song writers.

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705.324.7323 • www.ccckl.ca Caring for the Communities of Kawartha Lakes

WHO ‘COOKED

ADAM SMITH’S DINNER?

’

JUDY PAUL

Katrine Marçal blows the whistle on the founding father of our economic system, Adam Smith, in Who Cooked Adam Smith’s Dinner?

When Adam Smith proclaimed that all our actions were motivated by self-interest, he used the example of the baker and the butcher as he laid the foundations for his ‘economic man’ theory. Smith reasoned the baker and butcher didn’t give bread and meat out of kindness, which was certainly an interesting viewpoint coming from a bachelor who lived with his mother for most of his life -- the same woman who cooked his dinner each night and certainly not out of self-interest.

Despite material growth in Western societies, we still face economic problems and Marçal argues convincingly that feminism is crucial to the solutions.

Economic man was meant to create prosperity and then step back. Instead of a step back, he has taken over, and been worshipped like a god.

Despite material growth in Western societies, we still face economic problems and Marçal argues convincingly that feminism is crucial to the solutions.

According to mainstream thinking economic man works, creates new companies, and makes money: “Those in society who are more disciplined will win, and therefore they deserve their success. Earning money becomes a sign that one is a good person.

That’s why it’s reasonable to lower taxes for highincome earners.”

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This pervasive story explains the lack of outrage at Canada’s growing inequality where financial gains have gone to the top 10 per cent.

Marçal challenges competition, rationality and wealth accumulation suggesting that “Neoliberalism tries to manufacture the reality that it insists already exists.” Because economic man needs some help to get going, deregulation, low taxes and related incentives prop him up.

Market principles are applied to everything; consequently education, health care and the environment are the losers.

When Ontario politicians state that a carbon tax will hurt jobs we know economic man is whispering in their ear. The environment is subservient to the market.

Market principles are applied to everything; consequently education, health care and the environment are the losers.

The last 40 years have seen critiques of economic man, yet he persists: “Economic man is the most seductive man on earth because he can take us away from all that frightens us. The body, emotion, dependency, insecurity and vulnerability. These don’t exist in his world. Our bodies become human capital, dependency ceases to exist, and the world becomes predictable. That is why we cling to him. He helps us escape our fears.”

By embracing those needs suppressed by economic man, we will accomplish great things like ending homelessness, providing a basic income for all citizens, and building a carbon free world.

“Feminism’s best-kept secret is just how necessary a feminist perspective is in the search for a solution to our mainstream economic problems,” writes Marçal. “It is involved in everything from inequality to population growth to benefits to the environment and the care crunch that will soon face many aging societies...”

Only a man, Marçal suggests, would imagine independence rather than dependence as the foundation for the human condition.

Who cooks your dinner?

What do you think about this issue? Send us your thoughts, 200 words or less, to thelindsayadvocate@gmail.com.

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The President of Stewart Morrison Insurance, Marlene Morrison Nicholls, knows these challenges well. Because of this she has developed a leadership team that is dedicated to provide equal opportunity to every applicant, both women and men from every walk of life. In doing so, there is a corporate and community environment that is supportive, providing professional training to build an exceptional team to serve you.

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It means that when you place your trust in SMI, you have a team of the most knowledgeable insurance professionals in the business. We hire local people who understand your lifestyle better than any solely online insurance practice, and we treat you like family. Never overselling, yet never underselling. We make sure you are protected right the first time, and we are here for you if you ever need to make a claim. With 24/7 emergency claims support, there is literally not a moment of the day we are not here for you.

Come on in and see the SMI Difference.

Marlene Morrison Nicholls is the president of Stewart Morrison Insurance.

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College Community Choir presents

40th Anniversary Concert “A Celebration of Singing”

our C h e ck o u t g up c o m in wo rksh ops

2pm - April 27th, 2019 • St. Paul’s Anglican Church, Lindsay

Upcoming Exhibitions

Tickets: $15 adult, $10 youth Available from: Cathy Allan Ladieswear, Choir members, and collegecommunitychoir@gmail.com

Month of March City Hall, Lindsay

November 15-16

“Made in Kawartha Lakes”, Fenelon Falls Community Centre

Ongoing

The Guild Room, Academy Theatre, Lindsay P.O. Box 13, Lindsay, ON K9V 4R8 info@kawarthaarts.ca • www.kawarthaarts.ca

NATURE NOTES WITH SUZANNE ALDEN

Kingfishers

Most Kingfishers migrate south in the winter, but a brave few will stay here if there’s an open source of water. They are solitary birds except when breeding, and excavate a tunnel in pond/river banks or dirt piles to nest in, 1 to 8 feet long. After diving from the air and catching a fish it will return to a perch and whack larger fish, stunning or killing them, making it easier to eat.

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CITY NOTES JAMIE MORRIS

1 A MARRIAGE MADE IN . . . CITY HALL? A proposal to allow the Clerk or Deputy Clerks to carry out Civil Marriage Ceremonies went to Council for approval on February 19.

The majority of Ontario cities and towns already provide this service, and of the almost 1,200 couples who’ve applied for licenses over the past five years almost half (45 per cent) expressed an interest in booking their ceremony at City Hall. The proposal called for a fee ranging from $250 (if held at City Hall during regular business hours) to $350 plus mileage (if held off-site).

2 COLOUR US SURPRISED. The orange spray paint flagging sidewalk “surface discontinuities” (official term) may be unsightly, but over the past seven years the sidewalk inspection and maintenance program that it’s part of has substantially reduced claims expenses specific to trip and fall claims. Direct claims costs have been reduced by approximately $100,000 a year.

3 A RECORD-SETTING 2019 BUDGET. Council has approved the municipality’s largest ever ‘water-waste water’ budgets and the largest ever tax-supported capital budget, while at the same time reducing the tax levy from the 3.8 per cent forecast to 3.5 per cent and ensuring a comfortable one million dollars in the capital reserve.

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4 A VOTE OF CONFIDENCE. With $80,000 in an Operations budget line for creation of a distinctive Kawartha Lakes “brand,” Council is opting to have the project completed in-house under the direction of the Communications department, rather than by a consultant. At a February Committee of the Whole, a number of councillors echoed the sentiment expressed by Mayor Lethem, who said, “I’m a big fan of the homegrown approach.” Lethem went on to add, “I don’t see a downside.”

The first stages, a brand audit and public and stakeholder engagement, will begin in the spring.

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TRANSFORM YOUR ORGANIZATION IAN McKECHNIE

“Organizations with a passion for Innovation, Excellence, and Leadership can change the world”

A few years ago, I had occasion to be in the chapel of the University of King’s College in Halifax, Nova Scotia, for a service of choral evensong.

Under the direction of renowned composer Paul Halley, the choir offered up a number of beautiful hymns and anthems, many featuring descants composed Measure...Tweak...Learn...Repeat!

by Halley himself. Wrote the Englishman Athalstan Riley in 1915, “The effect [of a descant] is thrilling; it gives the curious impression of an ethereal choir Contact Zero In about our Organizational Assessment Toolkit that will help you joining in the worship below; and those who hear it for the first time often assess and improve the following areas turn and look up at the roof!” of your business or organization: Having experienced this firsthand as a listener, I can attest to the effect • Strategy Execution • Organizational Health choral music has on the well-being of the soul. It’s a sentiment shared by the • Innovation College Community Choir’s Donna Dingman and Rae Fleming, who are eager • Project Management/Governance • Business Process Optimization to share with their fellow citizens the physical, spiritual, social, and emotional • Change Management benefits of singing as they and their fellow choristers gear up for the Choir’s 40th anniversary concert on April 27 under the direction of the indefatigable www.zero-in.ca Melissa Stephens – this year marking her 20th anniversary as musical director.

“A friend of mine sang in the choir,” Dingman recalls, who got involved with the choir after retirement. It was, she states, “affordable, welcoming, and fun right from the get-go.” An alto, Dingman loves the communal aspects of being in a choir. “Everybody is working towards the same goal of creating that joyful, beautiful sound we call music.”

Fleming concurs. He began taking singing lessons in Lindsay with Ruth Lillington about seven years ago after being encouraged by Gael Morrison to join the College Community Choir.“It took two or three years to develop my confidence,” he points out, but agrees wholeheartedly with Dingman about the many benefits of singing. Research studies consistently demonstrate that singing strengthens the immune system; improves posture; and even helps one enjoy a good night’s sleep. Singing can, moreover, lower stress levels and improve mental alertness.

Fleming says the late Neil Crory, a classical musical producer for the CBC, was once quoted as saying that “singing is a chance for my soul to dance.” This has no doubt been the case for members of the College Community Choir past and present, who at their 40th anniversary concert will be presenting a variety of pieces celebrating the impact of music on the soul and body.

So important has the impact of music been on choir members that they have endeavoured to support aspiring singers in a variety of ways. Students enrolled at Fleming College, the choir’s home base, can join for no cost; and young performers have been regular guests at the choir’s twice-yearly concerts.

Citizens of Kawartha Lakes are justly proud of what the College Community Choir has accomplished in its first 40 years.

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I VOLUNTEER FOR...

United Way Barbara Truax PHOTO: ERIN SMITH

Volunteering for the United Way for the City of Kawartha Lakes is in actuality helping more than 16 special groups yearly.

I derive deep personal joy when I contribute to this organization for it supports youth, seniors, poverty, health, education, the physically and emotionally challenged, visually impaired and hunger through its community gardens.

This year, through a new community partnership with Crayola and Fleming College this will increase food production and provide experiential learning. It gives me peace of mind knowing that in my small way I might benefit so many individuals.

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The Butterfly Effect: }} Fenelon business entrepreneur

It’s safe to assume that anyone who can grow a retail clothing business for 12 years despite a recession, the rise of online shopping, and the ever-changing vagaries of fashion must have a thorough understanding of ordering, suppliers, and inventory control. But to hear Natasha Booth of the Butterfly Boutique in Fenelon Falls tell it, what she really understands is people.

After working for several years as a social worker, she became a highly respected educational assistant with the Trillium Lakelands DSB. But the life-long dream of opening a boutique remained. In January 2007 she found a suitable retail location, got busy decorating, merchandising, painting and starting relationships with wholesale companies, and opened four months later.

Throughout that time, her mom remained a huge influence. “My Mom was my biggest inspiration and biggest fan. I grew up looking at a woman that just worked her buns off, and made it happen. She always told my brother, sister and I to dream big, but know that you’re going to have to work for it.”

The Women’s Resources Award for Business Woman of The Year nominee attributes her success to good buying and genuine customer service. Even during peak Christmas rush, purchases are wrapped and placed in a distinctive Butterfly Boutique bag.

“I know it is definitely more of a cost, but I feel like its an added experience to get your purchase beautifully wrapped… it sends our customers out the door knowing that they are valued and no matter what they have purchased that day, we are so grateful for their business.”

Booth stresses how important her staff are to the shop’s growth.

“The ladies I have the privilege to work with are so amazing and they all bring something unique to the table, whether it is merchandising, or social media. But the one thing I’m most proud of is their loyalty and customer service. We are always praised on our

GEOFF COLEMAN

customer service and that’s because it’s 100 per cent genuine.”

When asked what the best thing is about owning a boutique, Booth explains, “I love having the creative outlet to express myself…fashion is art to me. I was never amazing at drawing or painting, but I love putting an outfit together or redecorating a room. And, I love my customers -without them The Butterfly Boutique is nothing.”

Don’t be afraid to follow your dreams... you never know until you try.

We are so blessed to have such loyal, amazing customers that have grown with us over the years. Although there is so much behind-thescenes action (like ordering, book work, banking, payroll, event planning etc.), I love that I can be home when I need to be, now that my family has expanded.”

Even though there are challenges to face, Booth still encourages anyone considering a start-up.

“January to May 24 has made me think twice for 12 years, but don’t be afraid to follow you dreams… you never know until you try.”

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33

FRIENDS & NEIGHBOURS

ENTREPRENEUR

brings homemade Chinese food to Lindsay On November 30 (an auspicious date) a small green neon ‘open’ sign flashed on at 235 Kent St. in Lindsay (an auspicious location). It marked the launch of a new restaurant: Ping’s Home Made Chinese Food.

The obvious questions: Who is Ping? And…could it really be homemade?

Before meeting with Ping I stop in for lunch.

Journalistic due diligence explains the first visit. The food is why I go back, again and again -- to date a dozen times -- for lunches and take-out.

The food! Delicately-wrapped dumplings stuffed with finely-chopped Chinese chives, shrimp and egg.

Bok choi (most succulent of vegetables) and Chinese mushrooms. A fiery (by request) Sichuan sliced beef poached in chili oil. On a cold day, a satisfying plate of plump stir-fried Shanghai noodles to slurp -- ordered with pork to mark the arrival of the Chinese Year of the Pig. It all whets my appetite for the meeting with Ping Zhai, owner, manager, and -- most importantly -- cook.

JAMIE MORRIS

in a cooking school in Beijing, learning traditional Chinese culinary skills and techniques, becoming proficient in balancing flavours and preparing “signature dishes” (a number of them on her restaurant’s menu).

All of her classmates were training to work in restaurants. They and their teacher were surprised to learn Ping’s ambition was simply to cook well for her family.

When Ping immigrated to Canada she started in Toronto, writing opinion and news items for a Chinese media organization, but soon relocated to the Long Beach area near Cameron.

In her new home she took pleasure in feeding an expanding circle. Her son would bring friends home every day. “I might have five or six kids staying for dinner,” she says. Neighbours and friends came over, and in summers her parents -- visiting to escape the heat and smog of Beijing -- were at the table, too.

PING

In the interval between the 11:30 am to 2 pm lunch buffet and dinner take-out orders, Ping takes time to join me at a table in what was once the front porch of a two-storey, yellow-brick home, and shares her story.

Home for Ping was Beijing. Her parents were both engineers and very busy, and growing up in Beijing Ping prepared many family meals.

After high school she studied Journalism at Peking University, and became a reporter; she also taught Chinese Language and Literature in high schools for almost eight years.

But an interest in food and food preparation was a constant. During university she worked part-time in the restaurant of reputedly the most prestigious hotel in Beijing, the Grand. After university she spent a year

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Ping Zhai

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Everyone encouraged her to open a small restaurant, though she didn’t need much convincing -- even as a child playing with friends she’d pretended to have a restaurant.

It was Ping’s mother who spotted the house for sale at the corner of Kent and Albert Streets and identified it as a lucky -- “auspicious” -- location.

(There’s a Chinese expression that translates “golden corner, silver side.”)

Ping bought the house, and after extensive renovation and some Community Futures support turned it into the restaurant that opened November 30th. (It was her father who identified that as an auspicious day.)

HOMEMADE CHINESE FOOD?

So, the answer to that second question -- about whether what’s on offer is truly “Homemade Chinese Food” is an emphatic yes. Everything is made by hand, from fresh ingredients. Ping herself does almost all of the food preparation, and what she offers is what she’s been lovingly preparing for decades for her own family and friends.

HOW ‘TIS DONE

Before winding-up, a little about the time, effort and skill involved in bringing us homemade Chinese food. From Monday to Saturday Ping’s on the go for up to 12 hours. On many Sundays she travels to Markham and Scarborough to pick up ingredients such as shiitake mushrooms, chili oil and Chinese chives, garlic hearts and Chinese vinegar.

From Monday to Friday her first priority is the lunch buffet: 10 different dishes, rice and noodle, and appetizers such as spring or egg rolls, and dumplings.

At 10 am the steam table is warmed up and she preps ingredients (slicing, dicing, chopping) in her compact kitchen space, wielding a versatile vegetable cleaver. More complicated than it sounds: sizes and shapes have to match. If meat is sliced the vegetables are too.

At 11 am the cooking begins. She stir-fries in well-seasoned woks the size of inverted parasols, while other dishes are stewed, braised or boiled in large pots set atop a six-burner gas stove, or plunged into deep fryers.

From 11:30 am to 2:30 pm she’s refreshing the steam-table dishes in the steam-table and cooking up orders from the extensive take-out menu.

After that, it’s phone-in orders for pick-up or delivery.

She’s constantly fine-tuning the menu, careful to offer the familiar while also introducing customers to less familiar Cantonese, Sichuan and northern fare. (For one customer she even picked up and prepared chicken feet).

A LUCKY SIGN

Year of the Pig is a lucky sign, associated with enthusiasm, ambition, and hard work (three qualities Ping exemplifies).

It’s lucky for us she’s here to prepare authentic Chinese food, and teach us a little about a rich culture.This woman’s place is definitely in the kitchen.

Visit Ping’s website for hours and order information.

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"I want to ensure that we live in a society where everyone has an equal opportunity to be the best they can be.

Women in business still hit those glass ceilings and I’ve spent my life in business breaking through those barriers."

Marleen Morrison Nicholls President & Women in Business Advocate

35

JUST IN TIME

Remarkable

Kawartha Lakes’ women past and present

IAN McKECHNIE

The young lady in the accompanying picture is my great-grandaunt, Euphemia “Effie” McQuarrie (1885-1967), known by her extended family simply as “Aunt Ef.” Born in Argyle, she was once described as “small in stature, a very attractive girl with a good mind and a delightful personality.” Photographs of Ef, and Edwardian-era postcards she mailed to her siblings, portray her as a vivacious individual who personified what American writer Winnifred Harper Cooley called “The New Woman;” one who was independent, educated, and in control of her own destiny.

speech marking the 125th anniversary of that historic occasion, “Suffrage is not simply about the right to vote but also about what that represents. The basic and fundamental human right of being able to participate in the choices for your future and that of your community.”

Back here in Kawartha Lakes, some 14,208 kilometres away from New Zealand’s capital, women have made countless contributions to their communities over the years – but those contributions haven’t always been recognized in the “official histories” of the area.

Watson Kirkconnell’s County of Victoria Centennial History, published around the time of Aunt Ef’s death, lists nearly 200 brief biographies of past and present citizens who made their mark in this municipality and across the country. Astonishingly, all but two are men. Lady Flora McCrea Eaton (1880-1970) Euphemia “Effie” and Edith Firth (1927-2005) make the cut for their McQuarrie contributions to writing, but they’re it.

(1885-1967) Looking back, one wonders why Kirkconnell didn’t include a few more women in his list. He certainly wasn’t lacking in choices, for remarkable women from across Kawartha Lakes have been represented in the fields of art, medicine, and politics over the course of the 20th Century.

We begin with the arts. Anne Langton (18041893), whose collection of drawings can be seen at Maryboro Lodge in Fenelon Falls, can rightfully be called A schoolteacher by trade, Ef was well-travelled, the matriarch of the visual arts in Victoria County. writing from places as far away as Hawaii, San Francisco, Less well-known is Amy Matilda Goodwin (1879-1960), and Yosemite National Park. Among her destinations who inherited her father’s artistic flair and graduated was New Zealand, which, in 1893, became the first from what is now the Ontario College of Art and self-governing country in the world to give women Design around 1902. Women have also distinguished the right to vote. Said the Duchess of Sussex in a them-selves in the performing arts. Lindsay’s own Mae

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Edwards (1878-1937), for example, graced stages across Ontario, the Maritimes, and New England throughout the Vaudeville era before her retirement in 1935.

What about medicine? Dr. Olive Ray holds the distinction of being one of this community’s first female physicians, graduating from Trinity Medical College, travelling to China, and later setting up a practice in Cambray.

Like Dr. Julia Ogden of Murdoch Mysteries fame, Dr. Ray stands out in a profession that was then dominated by men.

The same could be said for women like Tilly Mann (1887-1928), who served as a nursing sister in France during the Great War. Decades before Canada’s mainline [patriarchal] Protestant churches began to ordain women, nurses like Tilly were ministering to the physical, spiritual, and emotional needs of those on active service. Nearly 90 years would pass before St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Lindsay – where Tilly worshipped – called a woman to its pulpit, with the Reverend Linda Park being inducted in 2002. Nor should we forget that nursing sisters like Tilly were among the first Canadian women to vote. Said one of Park’s predecessors in a 1918 sermon, “Let this war win a world victory for women.” He was right, although over a decade would pass before Canadian law recognized women as “persons.”

Finally, how have women influenced civic life in Kawartha Lakes? In the annals of local politics, Ada Greaves (1908-1977) stands out as a pioneer.

In 1943, Ada became the first woman elected to Lindsay’s Town Council.

Fourteen years later, in 1957, she became Warden of Victoria County – the second woman in the province to attain this distinction. In between, Ada spearheaded the development of Lindsay’s famous parks system, which continues to be enjoyed to this day. She likewise served on the board of Victoria Manor, the Children’s Aid Society, and the Chamber of Commerce.

“She was a feminist before her time,” recalls Jane Gregory Gill, whose widowed grandfather married Ada in 1960. Ada, says Jane, “was a very strong woman [with] very clear goals in her mind, and she didn’t let anyone stand in the way of those goals.” Born south of Kirkfield, Ada was very well-travelled and, like Aunt Ef and Dr. Olive Ray, believed that there was much to learn from other cultures. “She was an inspiration to be independent,” Jane goes on, “to think forward, not backward; to be who you are, [and] not let other people tell you who to be.”

On March 8, as the world celebrates International Women’s Day, give thanks for the lives of Ada Greaves, Tilly Mann, Olive Ray, Mae Edwards, Amy Goodwin, Anne Langton, Edith Firth, Flora Eaton, Effie McQuarrie, and those mothers, grandmothers, sisters, aunts, spouses, teachers, friends, and colleagues who continue to make our community a better place in which to live.

What do you think about this issue? Send us your thoughts, 200 words or less, to thelindsayadvocate@gmail.com.

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37

TREVOR’S TAKE

TREVOR HUTCHISON

Whither the PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE?

Growing up, Leslie Frost was a hero to me. In our cupboard at home we had some Pyrex flatware -- a wedding gift to my parents from Frost. The family connection was that my grandfather, who ran Bill’s Taxi in Lindsay, had driven for Leslie Frost. Rushing Frost’s forgotten passport from Lindsay to Toronto with police escort was the stuff of legend in my house. That I went to a school named after him only increased my sense of connection to the man.

I follow politicians of every stripe and I’ve found myself wondering lately how a politician like Frost would fare in today’s meme-based, factagnostic, political atmosphere. His nicknames were ‘Old Man Ontario’ and ‘The Great Tranquilizer.’ Would his ‘keep calm and carry on’ approach work now in an atmosphere that seems to crave only anger and division?

And while he was our our local MPP from 1937-1961 (first elected as a member of what was officially called the Liberal-Conservative Party) he was also a lawyer, the first chancellor of Trent University and a board of regent of the University of Toronto. That sounds like like the type of university ‘elite’ that even our current premier doesn’t trust.

Not to mention his policies. Under Frost’s premiership, spending on education went from $13 million to $250 million dollars. Unable to wrest control of the income tax from Ottawa, he introduced the first Ontario income tax. He introduced the first public health insurance in Ontario (the precursor to our OHIP). He championed legislation that prohibited racial or discrimination on private property and laid all the groundwork for the Ontario Human Rights Code which was passed the year after he retired. He introduced some of the country’s first ‘equal pay’ legislation for women. And it was under his watch that voting rights were extended to First Nations people in Ontario. Despite his fiscal prudence -- and with the resources of a new tax -- he oversaw giant investments in big government infrastructure, not the least of which was the 400 highway series.

His record is fairly progressive stuff.

As Psychology Today recently questioned in an article, I wonder: “Is social media destroying democracy.” I can only imagine what Frost’s Twitter account, were he alive today, would look like. It would be inundated by the angry social media mob and the radical right-wing trolls and bots would no doubt attack, wanting to “own” him. Given his policies, yellow vesters might consider him treasonous.

I’m not being rosy-eyed about the past here. But I do find myself missing a capable Progressive Conservative like Frost and the others that followed him.

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