The Lindsay Advocate - February 2024

Recognizing Black History Month

Family ties: The secret to Downeyville’s community bonds

Teaching unions’ history of rallying for change

Kawartha Lakes’ Premier News Magazine • February 2024

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FEBRUARY 2024 • VOL. 6 • ISSUE 69

The Advocate is published monthly & distributed through diverse businesses & locations throughout Kawartha Lakes & North Durham. We are a proud member of the Lindsay & District, Fenelon Falls & Bobcaygeon Chambers of Commerce.

Fireside Publishing House family of magazines is independent and 100% local, based in the Kawartha Region.

Publisher: Roderick Benns Editor/Business Development: Rebekah McCracken City + Online Editor: Ian McKechnie Contributing Editor: Trevor Hutchinson Contributors: Kirk Winter Ginny Colling Geoff Coleman Amanda Tayles David Rapaport Wesley Letsholo James Mulhern Gene Balfour Art Direction + Design: Barton Creative Co. Christina Dedes Photographers: Sienna Frost Geoff Coleman Web Developer: Kimberly Durrant Printed By: Maracle Inc. Cover image: A large group of Downeyville residents gather outside St. Luke’s Catholic Church after mass.

Photo: Geoff Coleman.

feature 16

cover 24

feature 34

Unions of Kawartha Lakes throughout history.

Downeyville residents know how to come together to strengthen their community.

Education is an investment, not an expense.

OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR OF THE INTERNATIONAL PLOWING MATCH. OCT. 1ST TO 5TH, 2024

• every issue • letters to the editor 6 • city notes 8 • business upfront 9 benns’ belief 11 • agree to disagree 13 • KL public library feature 39

Please send editorial inquiries to Roderick Benns at roderick@lindsayadvocate.ca or by calling 705-341-1496.

Send advertising inquiries to Rebekah McCracken at rebekah@lindsayadvocate.ca or by calling 705-328-5188, or to Cara Baycroft at 905-431-4638.

PRIVACY POLICY: The Lindsay Advocate is independently owned & operated. The opinions expressed herein are the views of the contributors & do not necessarily reflect those of this magazine.

Photos, text & art work contained in The Lindsay Advocate are copyrighted & may not be published, broadcast or rewritten without the express permission of the Publisher.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, & without notice. The Publisher has made every effort to ensure information contained herein was accurate at press time. The Publisher does not assume & hereby disclaims any liability to any party for damage, loss, or disruption caused by errors or omissions.

the sports advocate 44 • cool tips for a hot planet 49 just in time 50 • the marketplace 57 • trevor’s take 58

In 1855, The Lindsay Advocate was the very first newspaper in town. Now, 169 years later, we have been proud to carry on that tradition in our city since 2018. As your local ‘paper’ in magazine format, we are the last print news media of Kawartha Lakes, a responsibility we take seriously. Thank you for putting your trust in us as we work with you to strengthen our community.

— Roderick Benns, Publisher

“A point of view can be a dangerous luxury when substituted for insight and understanding.”

— Marshall McLuhan

to the editor Non-profits need volunteers, too, says Kawartha Lakes Food Source

Rabgey family has had positive impact on community

We read with interest the article “Who Cares?” in the December edition of the Advocate. While we appreciate your publication’s attention to significant trends in our community when it comes to voluntarism and helping others, we would like to comment on misdirections the article makes.

How wonderful to see the Rabgey family honoured for their consistent hard work supporting quality education and understanding of the Tibetan culture globally. (Lindsay residents honoured by Governor General, January Advocate.)

The magazine’s cover photo of two well-intentioned Fenelon Falls residents and a free food box on their property does not accurately represent the article. Additionally, their food box goes completely against food bank protocols and safe food handling practices that protect clients. For close to 22 years, the Kawartha Lakes Food Source, utilizing Feed Ontario guidelines has strived to inform the community about what we do to serve our community. “Who Cares?” undermines the perception of what a food bank is and how it should operate.

They have impacted so many lives with their kindness and dedication to a cause close to their own hearts, instilling enthusiasm in others to follow a path of global justice for marginal groups who need a larger collective voice to support their causes. We would be living in a better world today if their ideology was followed by others giving every human being the respect deserved to live on this planet in peace.

— Heather Horn, Bolsover

The article also examined the trend that local service clubs are struggling with attracting new members. Unfortunately, it did not contain information from many local established not-for-profit organizations that also rely heavily upon volunteers. These groups are required to follow established guidelines and rules in the recruitment and management of volunteers that are mandatory before any individual may begin volunteering with groups such as ours.

We welcome all public inquiries about how our organization operates, as well as ways to support KLFS through the giving of time or financial support.

While we applaud the Advocate’s desire to address growing concerns in our community, we respectfully take issue with messaging that the article sent, and impressions that could be misleading and misrepresentative.

— Dr. Rose Barg, president, and Heather Kirby, executive director Kawartha Lakes Food Source

Send us your thoughts to be featured here!

6

Isn’t it remarkable that the children of two refugees not only both obtained doctorates, but went on to devote their lives to the service of the people living today in modern Tibet, and as a result have affected countless lives in a part of the world that seems so remote and far away to most of us, and all too easily forgotten? The Rabgey family gives us a powerful example of how to care beyond the walls of your home, and to transcend the artificial boundaries of nations.

— Timothy Ward, Paris, France

The Advocate welcomes your letters. We do not publish anonymous letters unless it’s a matter of public importance and/or someone risks harm by writing us. We publish under strict guidelines & only if we can verify the person’s identity. Simply email roderick@lindsayadvocate.ca. Keep your letters to 200 words or less.

New natural gas tech is more carbon friendly In the January edition of the Advocate, columnist Ginny Colling suggests that shipping Canada’s LNG to Asia to help those countries get off coal, thus reducing their climate-harming emissions, “can’t stand the smell test these days.”

The problem with this is that she is doing her sniffing in all the wrong places. She cites research by scientist Bob Howarth of Cornell University purporting to show that LNG is at least 24 per cent worse than coal. A perusal of that research reveals these findings are based on studies involving older, inefficient LNG facilities in the U.S. Had she wished to test the air north of the border, she would have found the aroma to be more satisfying.

The new LNG facility under construction in Kitimat, B.C. by LNG Canada is meant to be the world’s lowest carbon producing LNG facility, expected to be run on renewable energy. The all-electric LNG facility will be supplied with clean hydro power by B.C. Hydro. When completed, this facility will emit less than half the GHG emissions of the average LNG facility currently in operation. The fact remains, as Colling points out, that we contribute less than two per cent to the world’s emissions. It follows from this that Canada’s efforts to reduce our own emissions are of no consequence from a global perspective. But by accelerating our LNG production for export to Asian countries to reduce their reliance on coal, we could offset multiples of our own emissions.

— Carl Sweetman, Lindsay

Fenelon Falls needs more infrastructure to support growth, says reader

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Re: Proposed Fenelon Falls housing and commercial development attracts huge crowd, online Advocate.

We have had a cottage on Long Point for many years. Our trips to Fenelon Falls for frozen yogurt, to shop and watch the boats at the locks will be a thing of the past with this huge development.

Where will all these people shop, find medical care and attend school? There is no infrastructure in place for growth of this size. Bad idea.

— Susan Downey, Kawartha Lakes

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Lindsay now has a front row seat on the action. Farmland will be devoured. Biodiversity will diminish. Quiet, small-town lifestyles will fade.

We asked for it, voted for it even, and now we got it. We had our cake, and it has now been eaten. Kiss it goodbye.

— Richard Procter, Brockville

FIND YOUR PLACE. LAUNCH YOUR BUSINESS. www.launchkawartha.ca

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city notes • Lindsay

Two new plays by Lindsay Little Theatre Lindsay Little Theatre presents Steel Magnolias, by Robert Harling and directed by Kathryn Condon. Tickets are available at lindsaylittletheatre.com for the following show dates, Feb 2, 3, 9, 10 at 7:30 p.m. and Feb 4 and 11 at 2 p.m.

A special performance on Feb. 14 at 7 p.m. includes refreshments. Bunny, by Hannah Moscovitch and directed by Logan Gerzymisch, has show dates on March 15, 16, 17, 22, 23 and 24 at 7:30 p.m.

Logie Park Skating Rink The Logie Park skating loop in Lindsay is now open. The loop is a 133 linear feet by 91 linear feet outdoor refrigerated skating loop and features a natural stone seating area for skaters to sit and take a rest during skating. The skating loop will be open to the public and free to use daily seven days per week from Noon to 7 p.m. The washroom facilities will also be open during regular hours of operation.

Norland

Outdoor skating Norland and area residents looking for some winter fun should make a point of trying out the village’s new outdoor skating rink, which opened at Ward Park on Jan. 7. Developed under the leadership of the Coboconk, Norland & Area Chamber of Commerce in collaboration with the Ward Park volunteer management committee, this new skating rink will be a place for the community to gather together for fun and exercise over the winter months for years to come. An Ontario Trillium grant made the project possible.

Fenelon Falls

Kinmount

Kinmount Heath Centre appreciates community support The Kinmount District Health Services Foundation thanks all who donated to the 2023 Christmas Appeal, including Bryant Insurance, Kinmount Pharmacy, Minden Collision, and Remedy’s Rx. Kinmount Downtown Pharmacy. The total raised to date is $12,227. Fundraising is necessary for doctor recruitment and improvements to the Kinmount Health Centre. Services now offered there include The Smile Studio’s dental hygienist, West Nursing Advanced Foot Care, and registered physiotherapist, Vivian Wong-Svoboda.

Dunsford

Family-friendly radar run near Dunsford On Feb. 18, the 6th Annual Radar Run and Family Day will be held at a new location – Romart Farms at the corner of Highway 36 and Steeles Line, east of Dunsford. This year the organizers are partnering with Big Brothers Big Sisters to make this an amazing family event. Events include snowmobile racing, BBQ, a kids zone and the largest skating rink in Kawartha Lakes.

8

Local brewing company’s plans delayed The Fenelon Falls Brewing Company is still undergoing a massive identity change – just not as quickly as the new owner originally intended. Waterbridge Confectionery Ltd, one of the largest privately-held confectionery companies in Canada, acquired the brewery a few months ago. In addition to changes in both the brewing and restaurant businesses, Waterbridge owner Brian Hicks promised the addition of an innovative chocolate and confectionery experience. However, due to “the design and planning process time, we will not be able to achieve what we desire and be ready for a spring opening,” says Hicks. “We will therefore bring the brewery and restaurant back…while we plan the renovation.”

Omemee

Dance at the Omemee Legion Love is in the Air at the Omemee Legion Valentine’s Dance featuring the Mark Edwards Band. February 16 from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. 50/50 draw and light meal included.

Got news in your village? Email Ian McKechnie, city editor, at advocatecityeditor@gmail.com

• business upfront

Janet Di Bello, left, welcomes two other agents to her team, including Alexis Trunks, right. Photo: Sienna Frost.

Randy Hyndman has been sharpening skates for more than 25 years. Photo: Sienna Frost.

New real estate team headed by Janet Di Bello

Hemy Hockey keeps it sharp at Rec Complex

Janet Di Bello burst onto the local real estate scene just two years ago.

Hemy Hockey may be small in dimensions, but the little shop has been doing big business for over the last two decades.

After a whirlwind couple of years, she is now ready for the next step in her evolution – developing a team to help her grow her brand even further.

Di Bello now welcomes two other agents, Alexis Trunks (and a second agent that could not be named at the Advocate’s press time.)

Along with her bookkeeper, Di Bello’s team now consists of four people who are ready to bring “unmatched marketing” to work for clients.

“We’re modern, we’re edgy,” says Di Bello, as to what sets her team apart.

“For every single listing we create a story about the house.

We create videos. It will be all over the internet. Our marketing reaches more people to tell those individual stories.”

Di Bello says they also pride themselves on being “very local.”

She says her three pillars are being community oriented, creating tailored experiences, and being results driven.

Reach Janet at janet@janetdibello.com or through janetdibello.com.

Randy Hyndman, the proprietor, began sharpening skates a little over 25 years ago after he found sharpeners to be in short supply – and with a background in coaching both minor hockey and power skating, Hyndman knew how important razor-sharp skates were. What began as a hobby in his backyard tool shed soon evolved into a lucrative business, and in 2004 Hyndman opened for business in his current location inside the Lindsay Recreation Complex.

Hemy Hockey is a service-oriented business. While Hyndman offers some specialty products for sale, his main focus is on what the trade calls custom profiling. Local figure skating clubs have entrusted their blades to Hyndman, as have hockey players from across the region. Customers who have moved across the country have even been known to send their skates back to Hyndman for sharpening.

Whether they be a youngster just getting out onto the ice, or an experienced goalkeeper, Hyndman insists that each of his customers “be treated like a pro.”

Hemy Hockey can be reached at 705-328-4216 or at info@hemyhockey.com.

9

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• benns' belief

Manufactured insecurity

By Roderick Benns Publisher

ILLNESS SUPPORT GROUPS

At one point in my childhood, we had a limousine with a soundproof interior window between the front and back seats.

Our Illness Support Groups offer an opportunity to meet others living with life-limiting illness and to share your concerns and experiences.

That was at the height of our relative opulence. My dad had inherited a decent sum of money but unfortunately had the financial acumen of a mushroom – and more than a few other vices. For instance, we owned 57 vehicles over a seven-year period. (I wish that were a typo.)

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Between multiple moves and losing money on each car trade-in (we never had more than two vehicles at a time) the money quickly vanished.

Recognizing that when we give others security, we create more security for ourselves should be a prevailing attitude, not seen as an exotic thought of the left.

Mine was an unusual childhood in that regard, but insecurity was its dominant feature.

Insecurity is the prevailing reality for too many people, all of us living our own stories, all narrated in different ways. (I choose Morgan Freeman – I called it first.)

The trouble is, we’ve built a world that emphasizes insecurity and amplifies fear. Pay your rent or mortgage, or else.

Work harder and longer, just to get by.

Can’t find a place to live at rates set by the ‘free’ market? You must be doing something wrong, to be so insecure.

These are the most negative consequences of unmitigated capitalism.

Astra Taylor, in her new book The Age

of Insecurity, calls this “manufactured insecurity.”

While there were social policy gains in Canada after the Second World War, such as unemployment insurance and wage and benefits advances made by stronger labour unions, it didn’t last long. Corporations and acquiescent politicians soon quashed this momentum.

Now, a third of us are trapped in the gig economy, working multiple jobs without benefits, as insecure as citizens can possibly be.

And yet there are ways to relieve the worst outcomes of our economic system.

It should start with a moral framework to help us reorganize our society. Working from the premise of what people need, rather than what the system demands, would be a good first start.

Recognizing that when we give others security, we create more security for ourselves should be a prevailing attitude, not seen as an exotic thought of the left.

We know what it takes. Figure out the framework to put people first. This will surely involve stronger unions, a basic income guarantee, fairly priced housing, and a public healthcare system that isn’t shortchanged by a lack of money and imagination.

Yes, the money is there for this. As Taylor writes, when just 10 billionaire men possess six times more wealth than the poorest three billion people on earth, we have a shocking inequality problem.

Insecurity has been manufactured by us. How we feel about that – and what we’re prepared to do about it – should be the defining challenge of our time.

11

• editorial •

The critical role unions play Unions have long been a cornerstone of Canadian society, playing a pivotal role in shaping the country’s labour landscape, including here in Kawartha Lakes.

They provide a collective voice for workers, ensuring fair wages, safe working conditions, and equitable employment practices. Unions also play a crucial role in political advocacy. They lobby for policies that protect workers’ rights and interests, contributing to the development of progressive labour legislation.

But perhaps the most important role they play is in how they contribute to greater income equality by advocating for fair wage distribution. They help to narrow the wage gap between different sectors and demographics, promoting a more equitable society.

It is common to hear negative comments from non-unionized workers because unionized workers typically make higher wages. But unions often set the bar for better wages for everyone, eventually. When they secure higher wages for their members, it can indirectly raise pay standards across the industry – including for non-unionized workers. Employers may then need to offer competitive wages to attract and retain skilled workers.

Bashing unions for their success in securing higher wages and benefits for workers is a race to the bottom in thinking. It is exactly the kind of thinking that large corporations like to exploit, to keep workers divided. The collective bargaining power wielded by unions serves as a counterbalance to the influence of powerful corporations, ensuring that the interests of workers are not eclipsed by profit-driven motives.

By negotiating collective agreements, unions also contribute to a more balanced distribution of wealth.

This equitable approach to wealth distribution is a cornerstone of a more successful, healthier society, for there is nothing more divisive in society than economic inequality.

As Lindsay resident David Rapaport writes in this edition of the Advocate, the new reality of our economy, replete with precarious work and ‘gig’ jobs means there are few protections for such workers. As he notes, “…unions that have the power to challenge the politics and economics of ultra-greed can effectively address those realities and inequalities.”

• spotlight letter •

Kawartha Lakes needs a ‘yes’ culture Re: Agree to Disagree, is Lindsay growing too fast, January Advocate.

Without (more) people, we won’t have labour (professional, skilled and unskilled) or the needed tax base to build infrastructure. Without infrastructure — like purpose-built mixed rental housing — we can’t accommodate people. So, yes, planning is key because everything is intertwined. But handwringing and trembling before problems can often be packaged to look like planning. What we really need is the courage to try what other jurisdictions have already tried creatively and successfully. I would love to see Kawartha Lakes have a “yes” culture, where every problem is an immediate opportunity to collaborate, using the resources and people we have.

— Diane Englestad, Fenelon Falls

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Agree to Disagree Unions have workers’ backs There are people that will tell you unions are a thing of the past, and they are no longer needed. I can tell you that until all workers stop dying for a job as the result of workplace hazards or diseases, they will always be needed. Every year, there are about 300 workers who have died on the job in Ontario.

For the last 124 years, unions have fought for and won many victories, such as weekends off, child labour laws, paid breaks, paid vacations, equal pay for equal work, sick leave, minimum wage, pregnancy leave, parental leave, the right to strike, anti-discrimination laws, overtime pay, occupational health and safety legislation, workers’ compensation, collective bargaining, ending the use of asbestos, gender equality, Westray Bill C-45, better mental health awareness, and domestic violence awareness in the workplace.

This is only a partial list of what union members have fought for over the years. There are people who will tell you unions force businesses to close. Why would they put their own members on the street? There are some who would say unions protect slackers. This is another myth; it is not the responsibility of the union to monitor workers.

Another anti-union argument is that unions force everyone to pay fees. While people who work in a unionized environment and oppose unions are not forced to join the union, they are required to pay union dues. This is because every worker in a workplace who benefits from a union contract should contribute financially to these advantages. For example, if a union negotiates wage and benefit increases, they go to all employees in the workplace, not just to those who chose to be union members.

— James Mulhern is the president of the Lindsay and District Labour Council.

Unions are self-serving My opposition to labour unions, particularly in tax-funded workplaces, is informed by my economics studies in property ethics, the Canadian constitution and a 36-year career as a professional recruiter.

All employment involves a property exchange between employee and employer. Business employers provide the job, compensation and workplace needed to achieve their objectives. Employees trade their body, mind, effort, time, relevant skills and work experience for acceptable terms.

Hiring new employees involves selecting people from competing choices. Individual compensation increases, bonuses and promotions are merit earned.

Collective bargaining agreements in unionized workplaces produce very different dynamics. Unions favour compliance with collective agreement rules while businesses favour productivity. In non-union workplaces, experienced job candidates are hired on merit and performance. Underperforming employees can be terminated. In tax-funded unionized workplaces that prioritize seniority and employee protection, hiring is typically restricted to short lists of available union members. Non-performing workers are not easily dismissed.

The wages, benefits and rules negotiated in collective agreements apply equally regardless of employee performance. Unions broker and enforce favourable labour arrangements exclusively for members, often claiming past negotiation successes which benefited privileged stakeholders over others. Have government negotiators effectively safeguarded the reliability, quality and affordability of public services for citizen stakeholders and taxpayers?

While “freedom to associate” allegedly protects “collective bargaining” constitutionally, what about workers’ freedom to not associate with unions or pay mandatory fees? Proven unnecessary in most modern business workplaces, has unionism become an archaic, self-serving overhead for all services funded by taxpayers?

— Gene Balfour is a retired Libertarian and PPC candidate living in Fenelon Falls.

MIKE GALLAGHER Business Manager

JOE REDSHAW President

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feature •

Unions in Kawartha Lakes New economies, new challenges

By David Rapaport

The recent history of the labour movement in Kawartha Lakes reflects the recent history of the labour movement in Canada. The local experience cannot be separated from its wider context.

On the national level, union density remains at about 30 per cent, the same level that we have seen since the 1960s.

Union density is the percentage of workers who are represented by a union, as their bargaining agent at work. That is one detail of what differentiates Canada from the United States. Union density rates in the U.S. were also about 30 per cent 50 years ago. Currently, that figure has been reduced to about 11 per cent. This is a result of more conservative and anti-union governments resulting in weaker social support systems. Unions have persistently been advocates for stronger public support systems, such as health care, employment insurance and income floors for more vulnerable people.

A big shift occurred in the later part of the last century.

With the general rise of free trade and more specifically the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), there has been a departure of manufacturing from Canada to cheaper and less regulated labour zones in other parts of the world.

This has been particularly harmful for southern Ontario, the 16

manufacturing heartland of Canada.

Post-Confederation and for more than a century, Canadian companies and workers benefitted from national policies that protected manufacturing plants and jobs. Mainly because of unions, industrial unions such as the Auto Workers (UAW, CAW, and UNIFOR) and the Steel Workers (USWA), these jobs became well-paying and secure. They served as the economic and commercial backbone of communities across southern Ontario – Lindsay included. Troubled by the prospect of the flight of business and deindustrialization, the labour movement opposed former prime minister Brian Mulroney’s free trade agreement (FTA) with the United States – expanded to include Mexico in 1993.

The union movement is most responsible for the shared prosperity that we experienced in the not-sodistant past.

The former Union Carbide factory in Lindsay, which was located on Colborne Street East.

The worst-case scenario did result as many businesses fled.

Canada lost good paying union jobs. Now we are paying the price in smaller communities, those that cannot compete for the more specialized and higher paying jobs in the high tech, telecommunications economies. For those jobs, a move to Toronto, Ottawa, Kitchener-Waterloo, and other large centres is usually essential.

Deindustrialization clearly resulted in the loss of good jobs in our community. The General Electric (GE) experience in Peterborough is a well-documented example. By the late 1960s, GE employed about 6,000 workers in Peterborough in well-paying jobs, in skilled jobs, in union jobs. The United Electrical Workers (UE) was the bargaining agent for these workers for decades and delivered good wages for their membership.

The work at the GE plant and the jobs disappeared slowly in the late 20th century as large areas of southern Ontario joined the so-called rust belt in the U.S. (The rust belt includes parts of the northeastern and midwestern U.S. characterized by declining industry.) Companies fled to cheaper labour zones knowing that free trade agreements allowed open, duty-free access into the Canadian market. Today, the GE plant in Peterborough is no more, at least from a manufacturing perspective. It stopped manufacturing in 2018. Now, only a handful of engineering and sales roles remain. A similar tragedy can be written for Oshawa; just substitute General Motors for GE and the Canadian Auto Workers for UE.

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The Canadian economy continues to polarize between high end jobs in the so-called creative economy and high-tech sector and low-end jobs in the precarious labour market and the ubiquitous gig economy.

The challenge for the labour movement is to organize workers at the lower end, where jobs are poorly paid, less secure, lack benefits and are directed by artificial intelligence and computer platforms. There are attempts to organize these workers – in the retail sector, in ride-share companies and food-delivery operations. In the United States, more than 300 Starbuck locations and one Amazon warehouse have been union certified in the past few years.

Unions have persistently been advocates for stronger public support systems, such as health care, employment insurance and income floors for more vulnerable people.

Uber Eats has become more popular for busy people, but workers aren’t compensated at a living wage level.

Losses in Kawartha Lakes

Gig companies like Uber, Lyft and UberEats are using a legalized form of union-busting by declaring their workers ‘independent-contractors’ rather than employees, removing these workers from the protection of employment standards and collective bargaining. That tactic is being challenged in courts and at labour boards.

The departure of a once-thriving manufacturing base provided the basis for a very specific form of unionization, one that thrived after the Second World War until the late 20th century. Since then, the Canadian economy has restructured, the labour movement has diminished and income inequality has soared.

In the Advocate last year (February, 2023), local Lindsay and District Labour Council President James Mulhern and I wrote about the two central themes in Canadian union history. The first is the enabling of democratic participation by working people in the workplace and in the wider community. The second is how collective bargaining produced a higher standard of living and better material conditions for unionized and non-unionized workers as well as the wider community. I would now like to add a third theme. In our world of a shrinking middle class, food insecurity, homelessness, and economic downward mobility, unions provide a backbone to our communities, both economic and social.

The so-called new economies translate into precarious and gig work for too many workers, particularly those just entering the labour market. Only a robust labour movement, with unions that have the power to challenge the politics and economics of ultra-greed can effectively address those realities and inequalities.

Aside from the building trades and some local supermarkets, such as Loblaw’s, Reid’s Valu-mart, and Food Basics, there is a small presence of unionized workplaces in Lindsay outside the public sector. Public sector unions are found in the Lindsay correctional centre, Ontario government offices, and in city jobs for Kawartha Lakes. As well there are some at Ross Memorial Hospital, local school boards, and Fleming College.

It is only through unions that workers can exercise economic power in ways that address egregious forms of inequality and economic turmoil for a growing underclass and a shrinking middle class. The union movement is most responsible for the shared prosperity that we experienced in the not-so-distant past. The challenge for the new generation of unionists is to repeat and expand that earlier accomplishment. LA

The Kawartha Lakes area has also experienced the loss of unionized manufacturing plants as well. They might not be the size of GE or GM but the disappearance of unionized, industrial and manufacturing plants in Kawartha Lakes has been deep and consequential. A short list includes the Uniroyal Tire Company, 400 workers represented by the United Rubber Workers; Viskase and Union Carbide, 400 workers represented by the GCIU; Fleetwood RV, 700 workers represented by UNITE; Turner and Seymour Chain Company, 100 workers represented by the United Steelworkers.

And this is only a partial list.

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community •

Freedom is not a privilege but a human right Recognizing Black History Month

By Wesley Letsholo

As an immigrant from South Africa, I acknowledge it is a privilege to be able to call Kawartha Lakes my home. I am conscious that in the generations before us, caring citizens planted trees whose shade they never enjoyed. For the sake of future generations, they strove for unity, peace, and freedom. It is incumbent upon us all to continue the good work.

Lessons learned from the past should help direct a better future. The actions we take today must be congruent with our desire for a better community.

In February, we acknowledge Black History Month. At this time, we pause and give thought to racial injustices that have displaced and dispossessed many of their commonwealth.

We especially recognize how personal biases, prejudices and even racial discrimination have led to unequal treatment and negative outcomes. As we all work towards a stronger, healthier, and unified community we must remember that freedom is not a privilege, but a human right achieved through mutual responsibility.

My wife and I made Lindsay our home in 2006. I remember taking a stroll on one of the widest downtown streets in Ontario (Kent Street). I contemplated the beauty of this area, a small city on the cusp of farming and cottage country. How amazing is that? As I walked, a kind local gentleman initiated a conversation with me. He was curious as to what brought me to Lindsay.

From our conversation, it was clear that he was born and raised right here. For a man who grew up in Lindsay, his accent was peculiar to me. He spoke with an assumed Jamaican accent. He did this based on his assumption of my country of origin and he wanted me to feel welcomed. I cherished his intent.

We had a lovely conversation. As our dialogue drew to a close, I kindly commented that not all Black people hail from the Caribbean. We learn through open communication.

I contemplated the beauty of this area, a small city on the cusp of farming and cottage country. How amazing is that?

My experience living these past 18 years in Kawartha Lakes has been positively wonderful! Have I had racially motivated negative encounters? Sadly yes, but gratefully very few. The reality is often when we encounter someone who looks, or sounds, or dresses differently than us, it can sometimes be a knee-jerk reaction to place them in categories based on our limited knowledge of other cultures and ethnicities.

The challenge for us all is to rise above our preconceived notions and recognize we are all human. We all share the same basic human desires for life, liberty, and acceptance. Diversity is our strength.

I believe that taking practical steps towards creating a strong and vibrant community are imperative. Ways to do this could include volunteering your time to assist local programs that are having a tangible impact on the people in our community. For instance, locally, Community Care offers a holistic program portfolio.

Another idea to build a healthier community would be to support or join organizations like Kawartha Lakes Health Care Initiative whose members recruit family physicians to our region. Additionally, the Lindsay Rotary Club is active in seeking projects that better our community.

Wesley Letsholo is a businessman who lives in Lindsay.

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With our combined efforts of goodwill to all humankind, we can move towards the positive outcomes we all desire. Now more than ever, our efforts towards peace must be resolute.

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Members of the St. Luke’s Catholic Church leave Sunday mass. All photos: Geoff Coleman.

• cover story

There’s something about Downeyville…

The ‘Heart of Emily’ beats strong, alive with family, faith, and enduring traditions.

By Geoff Coleman

“Where in Kawartha Lakes will you find a soprano prima donna, a child literacy expert social media influencer, and an internationally-known leader in the study of how often diseases occur in different groups of people?”

in 1919. Today, a mutualistic relationship exists between the people of Downeyville and the hall: the building provides a place for people to gather and socialize at events which in turn helps raise money to maintain the structure.

Clue number one: The population is too small to be officially recorded anywhere, but there are only about 200 families on the parish diocese.

Jessie Carroll is the hall administrator, and she can rhyme off a list of bookings at the centre ranging from euchre nights and dances to bingo, karaoke nights, and the annual Downeyville Jamboree. She says, “While community halls all over are closing, this one is getting a renovation…it is modernizing, and it is booked steady.”

Clue number two: Think Irish.

Clue number three: Think Catholic.

Clue number four: Think Irish Catholic.

Downeyville, anyone?

Situated roughly halfway between Lindsay and Ennismore, less than 10 km north of Omemee on Sturgeon Road, at first blush, Downeyville is nothing remarkable. But when a list of community personalities, activities, events, and accomplishments is examined, it becomes clear Downeyville is greater than the sum of its parts. This little village punches far above its weight, thanks to a shared history that creates a community spirit much bigger than what should exist in a place it’s size.

Physically and metaphysically, ground zero for all things Downeyville is the St. Luke’s Catholic Church hall. The church itself was built in 1858, and the hall was completed

Seventh generation Downeyvillian, Ab Carroll points out that the church and community hall are rallying points.

“There’s always something happening that ensures the church and hall is looked after. On the other hand, if a fundraising event is organized at the hall for a specific person or cause, you just go. You might not even know the person that is benefiting, but you still go. Our community values come from that space,” says the 28-year-old auctioneer.

The community values he speaks of appear to be what ultimately gives Downeyville its distinct character. When speaking to residents about what makes the hamlet special, descriptions like “welcoming,” “rooted in its history,” and “everybody knows everybody,” kept coming up. Countless examples of neighbours helping neighbours during difficult times are cited, of thousands of dollars raised in days for 25

Above: Hannah Brouwer felt the pull to return to Downeyville and opened up a popular bake shop.

Right: Seventh generation Downeyville resident, Ab Carroll.

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families suddenly facing hardship, and of having too many volunteers when the call goes out for assistance at a function. (A nice problem to have.)

Just why this happens so predictably is the $64,000 question.

The answer might lie in another word that also kept recurring: family. Both literally and figuratively, locals see Downeyville as a huge, extended family.

Part of this is because there actually are a few large families dominating the population. Not in a backwoods, Appalachian, the movie Deliverance kind of way, but in the way that if you sat down at a table for a game of euchre, you could probably figure out that someone at the table is a distant relative.

Kelly Connell married into one such family and soon learned that almost everyone in Downeyville is connected either through family or shared heritage. “Even as someone who wasn’t born and raised in Downeyville, I could appreciate the strong roots of this community right away. If I wasn’t sure of the identity of someone, I could ask anyone and I would quickly learn their name, a minimum of three family connections likely spanning two or three generations, and – for good measure – the location of where they would regularly sit at Sunday Mass.”

Few people have more respect for the shared Downeyville history than Mary Connell. The community matriarch believes the unique town spirit can be traced back to 1825 when the first settlers left Ireland on free passage to Canada aboard nine British navy ships. Applicants were to receive 70 acres of free land in Douro, Ennismore, or Downeyville along with provisions and farm machinery. After a monthlong crossing of the Atlantic, the new immigrants were granted “18 months’ rations as follows: each adult: 1 pound of salt pork, 1 pound of flour per day.” Children five to 14 years got half that ration, while under five years were on quarter rations. Besides the food rations, each family received three bushels of seed potatoes, one peck of seed corn, a cow (for milk), a handsaw, a kettle, an iron pot, an auger, axes, 100 nails, two gimlets and three hoes. To acquire title to their lots, the new settlers had to live five years on their lots and clear at least 20 acres.

They also got a winter that was much colder than the fourto-seven-degree Celsius Februarys they were accustomed to.

Connell feels the cooperation and pioneering spirit that allowed settlers to overcome adversity and succeed in their new surroundings is still inherent in today’s residents, adding that two families – the Fitzpatricks and the Sullivans – are still on the original homesteads. Connell also notes that help in those early years from local Indigenous people with building shelter and making clothes was invaluable to their survival.

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Likewise, Marnie Callaghan sees the significance of the past in present day Downeyville.

to see will be there, so you don’t have to spend time driving over to their houses, you can get all your visiting in at once.”

“I think the community spirit comes largely from a shared history. All of us are aware that the comfortable lives we lead are thanks to the hardships that our ancestors endured.”

Kelly Connell adds, “Downeyville’s love of tradition and togetherness often presents as a very good time (such as) St. Patrick’s Day Irish concerts, Raise the Roof jamborees, or Homecoming Weekend celebrations. A lot of talent has been fostered in this community.”

Callaghan says that “communities that share a common church, school and gathering place are fast disappearing, but here there is a genuine interest and caring for the wellbeing of neighbours and community members.”

She believes multi-generational events are the antidote to most of what ails the world.

Helen Scott, who lists University of Toronto professor and epidemiologist with the World Health Organization on her CV, views Downeyville as a faith-based community. “Practicing or not, people here are part of a tradition of being in communion with people, of knowing and taking care of each other.” She credits senior leadership and a willing volunteer base in the community for the many benevolent undertakings in Downeyville which include sponsoring Syrian refugee families, delivering welcome gifts to new arrivals, and raising $1 million in eight years for the hall renovations.

Few people embody the pull of Downeyville more than Hannah Brouwer (nee Lucas). After living in Lindsay for eight years, she moved back to Downeyville, bringing her husband Rob and family along. In fact, they bought the house she grew up in, and the general store where she would rent movies as a kid, converting it to a bakery. Of all the places a formally trained opera singer-turned-baker could have settled with her former international rugby-playing husband, why Downeyville?

“To me, Downeyville has always been home, and I think Rob is starting to feel that way as well. The community has shown Rob and I incredible support, both through our business and through a very difficult time for us personally this past year. It is overwhelming to think of how thoughtful and loving so many members of the community are.”

Brower says from the annual school BBQ, fun fair, Downeyville Jamboree, fish fry, beef BBQ, Irish concert, there’s no shortage of family-friendly events from her childhood that are still running today. “I can only hope our children are making memories that they’ll recall 30 years later when thinking about the wonderful community they grew up in.”

Without a doubt, people express similar sentiments in every community across Kawartha Lakes. Fundraisers and benefit dances occur everywhere from Little Britain to Coboconk, but the Downeyville buy-in seems to be on another level.

As Jessie Carroll points out, part of that might be because the social gatherings are just plain fun. “Everyone you want 28

It’s one thing to have great attendance at an event, but it is something else altogether to actually organize and run the affair. As Marnie Callaghan reminds us, “All of these events happen because there are some incredibly dedicated volunteers, both young and old who recognize the value of a strong community, and hope that it will continue for coming generations.”

It’s hard to think of another spot in Kawartha Lakes where being of Irish, and Irish Catholic, heritage is so important to how people see themselves. It’s definitely not an exclusionary thing, and not everyone is Irish, but it is always in the air in a positive way.

Next month, there will be no better place, outside of a pub in County Cork, to spend the upcoming St. Patrick’s Day. Except maybe the following year, when Downeyville celebrates 200 years of being the “Heart of Emily.”

As Connell says, “People are what make Downeyville and they know how to have fun and support each other. It’s a vibrant community, kept strong through sharing of story and song.” LA

Mary Connell, left, chatting with Helen Scott, right.

The Downeyville Hall and St. Luke’s Catholic Church are beside each other in the village.

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Katie Zeppieri in Lindsay March 1st Roderick Benns, Advocate publisher, connected with Katie Zeppieri, founder and chief brand strategist of The MicDrop Agency, before her much-anticipated breakfast event in Lindsay on March 1 to celebrate International Women’s Day. Zeppieri’s marketing and PR firm amplifies startups and people through media relations, content creation, strategic partnerships and professional speaking opportunities. She was also the founder of GIRL TALK Speakers Bureau, which represented women who were innovators in their industry.

Benns: Working with so many start-ups and entrepreneurs, what is the thing you most love about your work?

Zeppieri: It’s the opportunity to work with innovators, whether it’s startups, founders, executives – these are people who have big ideas for how they want to change the world.

And it’s such an honour to be that marketing and PR partner who gets to help amplify those messages. We get to help take those brands to the next level to reach their target market, to get people to know and care and trust the inventions and ideas that our clients are bringing forward. I absolutely love that! It’s one of my favourite things about what I do.

Benns: Mentorship is an important aspect of who you are, such as when you were formerly running GIRL TALK. Would that be accurate?

Zeppieri: We should be seeking mentors to help guide us in our own career journey. We should also be looking for op-

portunities to be a mentor to those around us…essentially how can I offer some of my professional expertise? When I was working with young girls I felt they were so caught up in their image that they weren’t necessarily taking the time to worry about more important issues – like what kind of contribution do I want to make to the world? What do I want to be known for? My goal was to empower young people to be leaders so they’d see they have the potential to make a significant difference.

Benns: What are a couple of career highlights for you?

Zeppieri: I think one of my biggest career highlights has been getting selected for the TED worldwide talent search in 2012. That was a big moment. I was flown to Vancouver and delivered my first-ever TED talk, in my early 20s. It was called Dear High School Me. It was like an open letter to my high school self, giving her the advice I would have wanted her to know. That’s been at the heart of my mission throughout my whole life.

I’m passionate about helping people rise to their full potential. For instance, at MicDrop, working with Kelly Chase from season one and Deepti Vempati from season two of Love is Blind has been incredible. Deepti was a really big star on the show. She has over a million followers on social and we helped her publish her book, led her book tour, and got this great profile built for her all around her core message, which was “I choose myself.” And the same applies to the tech startups, entrepreneurs, and executives that we work with.

I’m looking for people who really have something special and unique to contribute to the world.

We’re looking for ways to make a positive contribution and that’s really what I’m passionate about doing. That’s why I’m also excited to work with a purpose-driven media company like the Advocate and am looking forward to March 1!

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feature •

Investing in education Teaching unions have a long history of pressing for change.

By Ian McKechnie

Students leaving Leslie Frost Pubic School for their summer holidays 60 years ago were probably blissfully unaware of a simmering conflict between the public school board and the Lindsay Council over additions to their school.

It was June of 1964, and council had recently – and seemingly grudgingly – passed a bylaw allowing for the issuance of debentures to cover the cost of an addition to the nineyear-old elementary school in suburban Lindsay. The cost? $83,000. That figure didn’t sit well with one councillor, who complained about cost increases and suggested that “these democratically-elected school board members might raise their own money.”

This spectacle was playing out against a provincial proposal that municipal councils be given the authority to make amendments to budgets recommended by local school boards. Not surprisingly, concerns were raised by the province’s principal teaching union about how this would ultimately affect the work of teachers and thus the student learning experience. “The Ontario Teachers’ Federation,” reported an editorial in the June 29, 1964 edition of the Lindsay Daily Post, “say they feel if councils were given authority to veto school board requests, it would result in unnecessary and harmful delays in the implementation of the boards’ business.”

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In response, the OTF was resolute in insisting that education be treated as an investment, rather than an expense.

For more than a century, teachers’ unions and associations have been advocating for the value of public education by asking questions of problematic proposals, holding governments to account, and supporting both teachers and those in their care. And over the years, teachers and pupils in what is now Kawartha Lakes alike have benefited from the existence of such entities as the Victoria County Teachers’ Association, the Ontario Federation of Teachers, and more recently the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) and the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF).

A New Educational Association Turn the clock back to Jan. 14, 1905. Delegates of the West Victoria Teachers’ Association have gathered at the Lindsay Public Library to discuss the feasibility of collaborating with their counterparts in the East Victoria Teachers’ Association in planning a two-day education convention. Out of this event, it was hoped, a new county-wide association would be formed in the interests of supporting educators.

“It is proposed to have at this convention, in addition to

“it is to be regretted that the wage of a moulder in the Lindsay shops is more than the salary of the moulders of thought and character of the future rulers of society.”

The VCEA was also concerned about advocating for its members in the face of indifference from trustees – apparently a major concern among local teachers 118 years ago. “We sometimes forget that the trustee has a two-fold duty, that is, a duty to the taxpayer and a duty to the child,” noted Smale.

It seems that several VCEA members had spoken out about how “there is nothing that the teachers suffer more from than the lack of sympathy from parents and trustees.”

Above: Lindsay Model Class, 1908. Model Schools furnished elementary school teachers with practical experience in the classroom. Courtesy McKechnie collection.

Left: Verulam-area teachers gather at the end of the 1951-1952 school year. From left to right: Jean Rutherford, Irene McIlwayne, Hazel Dyke, Alice Graham, Hazel Hill, Betty Umphrey, Roberta Wright, and Minie Gray. Courtesy Maryboro Lodge: The Fenelon Museum.

the teachers of the county, the trustees and others interested in the cause of education,” reported the Lindsay Weekly Post on Jan. 20. “No doubt there is much good work which such a body can accomplish.”

The convention transpired over the space of two days, May 22-23, 1905, and a constitution for a teachers’ association was drawn up. Known originally as the “Victoria Educational Association,” the organization was said to be the first of its kind in the province.

Almost 120 teachers were in attendance at this convention, representing schools from all over the county.

A year later, the VCEA’s annual con-

vention was dealing with topics that would become perennial questions for successive generations of educators – how to effectively press for change through organized labour, and whether salaries were too low. “I recognize the opportunities of this organization and am heartily glad that we have joined forces in this county,” Newton Smale, president of the VCEA told the teachers and trustees assembled at Lindsay Collegiate Institute on May 31, 1906. “Our influence with the government should be more when our requests are endorsed by trustees, teachers, and inspectors in common.”

Smale also lamented the low salaries being paid to teachers, remarking that

Two years later, members of the VCEA, now rechristened as the Victoria County Teachers’ Association, gathered at L.C.I. and listened to a stirring lecture given by Mr. J. Tilley, the inspector of model schools for Ontario (Model Schools furnished elementary school teachers with practical experience). In a paper titled ‘Some Changes in Our School System,’ Tilley echoed Newton Smale’s comments from 1906 about wages. If aspiring teachers were expected to undertake increasingly rigourous training, he asked, was it not unreasonable that their remuneration also be increased? “The better teachers are trained and paid the more likely they are to make teaching their life’s work,” Tilley asserted.

It seems like an obvious statement, but it was something that was not always appreciated.

Advocating for Equitable Wages Fast forward another four decades, to the spring of 1947. J.A. McGibbon, a Lindsay judge, wrote a letter to council in which he strenuously objected to a decision of the board of education to grant a blanket raise to local teachers.

McGibbon felt that local teachers were already well-paid, and ought to be paid 35

Right: Marion Henderson’s class at Fenelon Falls Public School, ca. 1907. Local teachers found support in the recently-formed Victoria County Educational Association. Courtesy Maryboro Lodge: The Fenelon Museum.

Below: Hazel Graham’s Grade 1 class, Fenelon Falls Public School, 1962. A few years before, FFPS teachers went to the Ontario Teachers’ Federation in search of a more equitable salary schedule. Courtesy Maryboro Lodge: The Fenelon Museum.

36

teachers to community and nation alike were as valuable as those rendered by any other professional group – and were therefore deserving of comparable salaries.

Echoing Mr. Tilley’s address to the VCEA decades before, Robinson concluded that “to retain your best teachers and to attract the best young people into the profession, it is imperative that fair salaries be paid to those now in the profession.” He then took McGibbon himself to task by asking how “a judge who recently accepted a blanket increase, which is said to be close to $1500, begrudge a modest increase to members of a profession rendering invaluable services to the town of Lindsay?”

Unfortunately for local teachers, the Victoria County Council endorsed McGibbon’s arguments against the “blanket raise” – yet as Robinson’s firmly-worded letter made clear, the OSSTF and other education unions would not sit on the sidelines and let their members be undermined by shortsighted leadership at any level of government.

on the basis of merit alone – not through an equitable payment plan.

McGibbon also took issue with teachers’ requests for a cumulative sick leave plan. “I am opposed to granting any further increases than that provided by the Statutes,” he stated. “A person that is blessed with good health should be very thankful indeed, rather than trying to make a monetary question out of the whole situation,” McGibbon sneered.

For Judge McGibbon, education was clearly an expense – not an investment.

It was with this attitude in mind that S.G.B. Robinson, general secretary of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation wrote a detailed letter to council, in response to a request by teaching staff from Lindsay Collegiate Institute.

“The Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation strongly resents such misleading and ill-considered statements, particularly when coming from one who no doubt commands the highest respect in the community,” Robinson began. He then proceeded to enumerate the rationale for the raise: teachers’ salaries had lagged behind the rising cost of living; they were lower than other professions requiring the same time spent in training; and the services provided by

The salary question came up again in 1955, when teachers at the Fenelon Falls Public School asked for an increase in salary. A year later, though, Fenelon teachers declined to simply accept a $300 salary increase regardless of teaching experience and instead asked the school board to establish a salary schedule based on recommendations from the Ontario Teachers’ Federation. This, it was pointed out, would set forth maximum and minimum wages and place teachers at FFPS on the same level as other schools across the province. Once more, the union advocated for its members in ensuring that the finer points of a brewing salary dispute were clarified and equity achieved.

Looking Ahead Teaching unions remain active in negotiating for salaries, benefits, prep time, and more funding for programming and student supports – but they do much more.

“Public education is the great leveller,” says Kellie Kirkpatrick, president of the Trillium Lakelands Elementary Teacher Local. “We do a lot of social justice and equity work; our mandate is to support our members, our members come from a broad cross-section of society, and in advocating for them, we are advocating for our students, but also our community.”

Looking back into history, Kirkpatrick agrees that despite the good work being done by teachers’ unions over the years and the advancements made, some things haven’t changed and for too many “education is considered to be an expense, not an investment.”

Like Newton Smale, members of the VCEA, S.G.B. Robinson, and the OTF before them, today’s advocates for education will continue to press for changes in mind, heart, and policy as they prepare today’s students to be the citizens of tomorrow. LA 37

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Not the library from your childhood (but we still love doing storytime)

DISCOVER EXPLORE BE ENTERTAINED Millions of opportunities.

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Discover endless possibilities at the Kawartha Lakes Public Library! This month, dive into the fantastic programs you can attend at the Kinmount and Oakwood branches.

Puppet Theatre Kinmount Branch • Available anytime branch is open Create magical moments with our enchanting puppet theatre! Our puppet theatre provides a captivating stage for storytelling and creative play. Imaginations will spark as kids bring adorable characters to life, fostering creativity and laughter in a world of make-believe.

Krafty Kids Oakwood Branch • Every Tuesday, 4p.m. – 5p.m.

Krafty Kids Program is a place where creativity knows no bounds! New crafts each week will have your child wanting to come back time and time again.

Lego Mania Lindsay: Mondays 4p.m.

Dunsford: Third Saturday of each month Bethany: Fourth Thursday of each month Bobcaygeon, Dalton, Fenelon Falls, Kinmount, Kirkfield, Norland or Omemee: Drop in anytime!

From towering castles to speedy vehicles, young builders can let their imaginations soar as they construct and play together. Join us for a brick-tastic adventure filled with laughter, friendship, and endless possibilities! New themes each month (each week in Lindsay).

There are so many exciting programs happening at all 14 of our library branches. Visit kawarthalakeslibrary.ca for a complete list of offerings.

community •

New deputy mayor sees three priorities for his role in 2024

By Kirk Winter

The new deputy mayor of Kawartha Lakes, Ward Seven Councillor Charlie McDonald, has an ambitious agenda for 2024.

McDonald will be the point-person for the International Plowing Match that will be hosted at multiple locations in his ward this October. As well, McDonald will be doing all he can to ensure the rollout of the city’s new short-term rental policy is effective and that landlords get registered before they open their doors for business this summer. McDonald also hopes to continue the work begun by former deputy mayor Tracy Richardson in improving city customer service.

In an interview with the Advocate, he said the International Plowing Match could bring as many as 80,000 people to Kawartha Lakes next fall, and “is a real chance to show off the city and promote the community and the downtown.”

McDonald said he is already working hard with the Lindsay + District Chamber of Commerce and the Lindsay Downtown Business Improvement Association to ready the city for the expected flood of visitors who are typical of this event. The new deputy mayor said that several important concerns like parking and the use of buses to bring people to and from the event will be the kind of issues he and the event organizers will be working on over the next eight to 10 months.

“The city is full of real people with real problems,” McDonald said. “Folks need to be listened to. We need to phone people back. People just want their concerns to be heard.”

He is also looking forward to seeing full compliance with the short-term rental bylaw the city passed early in this council’s term.

“Now is time for the (formal) roll out, and I really want to see this done right,” McDonald said. “Everybody who operates a short-term rental has been sent a letter reminding them if they want to continue to operate, they need to register. Many people have already stepped up and paid for their license.”

McDonald said the city bylaw department has added two 40

Deputy Mayor Charlie McDonald says the city is “full of real people with real problems.”

additional staff members to assist with this program. Aaron Sloan, manager of bylaw for the city, will be making a report to council early in the new year showing how far the city still must go to get full compliance with the mandates for renters laid out in the short-term rental bylaw.

The councillor agrees with former deputy mayor Richardson that improving customer service must continue to be a goal for the city, and he wants to piggy-back off her work of the last year to see that it happens.

“The city is full of real people with real problems,” McDonald said. “Folks need to be listened to. We need to phone people back. People just want their concerns to be heard.”

McDonald is also prepared for the responsibilities that may come filling in for Mayor Doug Elmslie when he isn’t available.

“The mayor is so busy,” McDonald said. “He can’t be everywhere. I will be covering for the mayor, assisting the mayor at meetings, and filling in for him if he is sick or on holidays.”

When asked if he was ready for all the invitations he might have to prioritize, particularly during the busy summer season, McDonald said that as a private citizen and business owner he was attending many of these events before and that he would be honoured to attend them again in his new capacity.

At this stage, the deputy mayor made it clear he does not see himself using this new position as a springboard to the mayor’s chair in 2026.

“At this point, I can’t see myself running,” McDonald said. “I hope that being deputy mayor will largely be an educational experience. I haven’t thought about (my future) long term.

Time will tell. I enjoy my job as councillor. I find it rewarding. There is a lot of positive feedback from constituents.”

• community

Cameras for Girls Local woman helping to foster female journalists in Africa hopes for local assistance to expand program

By Kirk Winter

Kawartha Lakes resident Amina Mohamed is passionate about photography and how the power of a picture can move people to action.

Since 2018, through a program called Cameras for Girls, Mohamed, who spent her early life in the eastern African nation of Uganda, has been assisting young women in her former homeland obtain the skills necessary to enter the fields of journalism and photography. Mohamed’s organization has a very ambitious plan for expanding the program to other African nations. She hopes that Canadians who see value in what she is pioneering will assist Cameras for Girls with time, money and donations of cameras that will be used by a new generation of budding photojournalists.

“Girls and women across Africa face many obstacles to their career goals, including a lack of opportunities, cultural bias, systemic harassment, and gender discrimination,” Mohamed told the Advocate. “Cameras For Girls was created to ensure African women could capture their stories and, more importantly, get paid work. We provide our students with a camera to keep and a year-long, four-phase photography and business skills training program, empowering them to elevate their voices and capture their stories visually.”

“While our program targets (university educated) girls endeavouring to become journalists, some of our girls will follow careers in photography or communications and media,” Mohamed said. “We are proud to share that we have successfully trained 64 girls in Uganda through our in-person workshops, and 72 per cent of our students now have full-time paid work in journalism, communications, and photography-related careers.”

Below: Amina Mohamed, right, works with girls in Uganda to teach them journalism and photojournalism skills.

In a telephone interview, Mohamed said all the young women participate in the program for free, and that the ownership of a camera is often a ticket to meaningful work where they can support themselves, their extended families and alleviate the poverty that dogs many African women in societies where the fight for gender equality has barely begun.

“Girls are waiting to be given opportunities,” Mohamed said.

“Women and girls (even with post-secondary education) don’t have many opportunities and I am saddened and angered at the barriers they face. This program has become something bigger than I ever imagined.”

Mohamed is so excited by the successes the program has achieved that her organization is looking to grow Cameras for Girls in 2024. She would like to see the program expand to other African nations including Tanzania, Kenya, South Africa, Ghana and Nigeria, “fostering an inclusive environment that empowers women to pursue their dreams.”

Mohamed suggests that this expansion is possible if a number of factors are met, including the creation of a “training the trainers” program where previous graduates on the ground in Uganda will train the next generation of young women there. This model will be utilized in other nations once the initial intake of photojournalists is trained and able to share their skills and experiences. Mohamed said that this plan for expansion will only work if Cameras for Girls is able to grow their fund-raising and local collaborative efforts and establish sustainable sources of long-term funding.

“We are poised to make a lasting impact on the lives of young women in Africa,” Mohamed said. “Together, let us champion diversity, break barriers, and empower the next generation of young women to capture the world through their unique lenses.”

To learn more, or to find out how you can help, visit camerasforgirls.org.

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Nurturing your mind and body In this second editorial installment of self-care this winter, we delve into seven ways that can contribute to wellness, to nurture both the mind and body.

The power of fitness Regular physical activity is the cornerstone of a healthy lifestyle. Engaging in fitness not only helps in maintaining a healthy weight but also boosts mood, improves sleep, and enhances overall well-being. Whether it’s a brisk walk, a yoga session, or weight training, finding an exercise routine that suits your preferences is crucial for long-term health.

Taking time for a getaway Amidst the demands of daily life, it’s essential to carve out time for relaxation and rejuvenation. Taking a getaway, whether a weekend retreat or even a relaxing cruise, can provide much-needed respite from stress. Stepping away from routine allows for mental and emotional renewal.

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GRAVITY PLUMBING & HEATING

By Amanda Tayles

Hall of Fame 2023 inductee: 1966 Bobcaygeon Ti-Cats Junior D Hockey Club Some teams just have that unique “it” factor; a group of individuals which form a sum of parts but together are able to achieve great success. The 1965-66 Bobcaygeon Ti-Cats team was such team. For four of the five years the veterans of the team were together they made provincial finals, but it was in 1966 that they reached the summit and came out all Ontario champions. Leading into the season, the winning squad built on their core by bringing in new recruits, and it must have been the finishing pieces they needed to make the team complete, as they defeated Blenheim, Ontario in the provincial championship challenge through six games.

Even though the season at the Bobcaygeon Arena was short, being delayed until late October/early November as a result of the hunting season drawing coaches and rink staff away, it didn’t hinder the team and come playoffs it was packed to the brim and beyond – a rumoured 1,400 fans at a single game. According to former player Ken Griffin, their success could be attributed to how they bonded on and off the ice.

“It was the way everybody always got together and played as a team and socialized together.” Even though a few of the players had already started their own families, with five of the players’ wives pregnant at the time of the championship, hockey was a passion and Griffin was overjoyed to go out a winner in his last year of eligibility with so many teammates that had become close friends. Some went on to further their hockey careers, including goalie Joe Junkin who would make it all the way to the Boston Bruins just two years later, but most stayed or returned home to the area,

with many giving back to the sport over the years. Griffin himself was a referee for over 25 years, and his wife Sharon (a fellow inductee in 2003) was a volunteer with the Ontario Minor Hockey Association as well as local minor clubs.

Though 12 of the players have since passed, the memories of the 1965-66 season continue to be cherished amongst teammates and fans.

Kawartha Komets: Local club makes hockey for all a reality Sport often brings with it a significant amount of equipment, rules, practices and traditions. For many, this can be confusing and overwhelming, but for some it can be so fraught with barriers that playing just does not seem feasible. The Kawartha Komets organization, under the stewardship of Carol Fisher, recognized that hockey is a sport that people with physical, emotional and/or neurodevelopmental challenges may want to play but for a variety of reasons isn’t possible in traditional leagues. And so, in 2009, the Kawartha Komets Special Needs Hockey Program was launched, supporting individuals age eight to 65 to enjoy the game at the skill level and capacity that best suits them.

Komets Vice Chair, Josh McIlmoyle, was searching for athletic programming for his son Rohen who is autistic, when they lived in B.C. and came up short. Upon returning to his hometown of Peterborough, he was made aware of the Komets through a parent community engaging in similar style programming for baseball (Challenger Baseball). Once he reached out, he was quickly put on the ice as a volunteer coach and subsequently joined the board to assist with

Kawartha Komets

grant writing. Programs such as the Komets, a registered charitable organization, require significant financial support to ensure participation by improving accessibility.

For the 2023-24 season there are three teams comprised of 48 players who are tiered not by age, rather based on an individual’s skill, level of interest or willingness, and ability. It’s still hockey, so the fundamentals remain the focus. There are practices, home and away games against other inclusive teams from areas such as Ajax, Innisfil, and Newmarket, and an annual Friendship Tournament.

But it is the frequency, at just once a week, and expectations that are modified. The program will meet the player where they’re at, and that can fluctuate. “Some days a player may just want to skate and shoot pucks at the boards, and that’s OK,” McIlmoyle says. Amanda King’s son Ben joined the program this year, after trying minor hockey for a few seasons and find-

ing it to be too much for him due to the structure, expectations, and even sounds. “Ben likes hockey but getting to the rink was such a fight. Now he’s super excited to go.” His sister Sarah sees the difference as “it’s less intense and less physical, so it’s good for him.”

As a parent who loves the sport and grew up playing, McIlmoyle sees it as an opportunity to be on the ice with Rohen, to expose him and the family to new friendships. “He enjoys skating and is trying to understand if hockey is his sport, but the beauty of it is he is deciding how much he wants to put in.” Meeting a player where they’re at in a safe, inclusive environment is the objective, as the Komets will find a way for players to play.

Registration is always open, and players are welcomed to check out kawarthakomets.com for more information.

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community sports •

In late August, 14 year old Eddie Moynes-Carslake lost his biological father unexpectedly. As part of his grieving process he decided to host a Mental Health Awareness fundraiser hockey game with his Lindsay Muskies U15 rep team. He and his family raised $2,360 for CMHA, the Youth Wellness Hub.

Alexis Malcolm is a local Grade 7 student and member of the Lindsay Skating Club. She is always striving to improve her skills and is seeing her hard work pay off this season in competition.

The Lindsay Gymnastics competitive team for 2024, minus a few athletes who were competing in Arizona at press time. The team looks forward to a successful year.

Want to be featured on our community sports page? Contact Rebekah at rebekah@lindsayadvocate.ca.

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The Circle Game Our 130-year-old Heintzman upright piano came to us from my husband’s brother, who inherited it from their great aunt Marjorie, who had grown up with it. It’s a solid, mahogany instrument that has stood the test of time.

Quality products have longevity. They can often be repaired, reused and passed on.

Those are some of the features of a circular economy – a movement aimed at helping preserve our finite planet by using waste as a valuable resource. Products are designed so they have long lives, can be repaired, shared and ideally, recycled to create more high-quality products. Currently less than 10 per cent of the world’s economy is considered circular, according to the Circularity Gap report. More than 90 per cent of raw materials used in production become trash.

One product that fits well into the circular concept is the humble beer or pop can. Aluminum can be reused almost endlessly to make more containers without losing quality. Recycling plastic, on the other hand, is much more limited.

According to government figures, Canadians tossed 4.4 million tonnes of plastic waste in 2019, nine per cent of which was recycled. The rest ended up in landfills, incinerators, or the natural environment.

Plastic has a huge impact on our environment, not only killing sea life, but also breaking down into micro plastics that nature can’t absorb. Those tiny foreign particles have been found in breast milk, human feces, air, water, and Great Lakes fish.

Plastic is also largely made from fossil fuels, worsening global heating.

A recent review of the lifecycle impacts of plastic, published in the journal Annals of Global Health, pointed out plastic’s “significant harms to human health.” It concluded we need an international treaty to reduce plastic production.

This April, Canada will host the fourth international meeting to hammer out such a treaty, with a goal to finalize it by year’s end. Treaty negotiators are looking at ways to make plastic part of a circular economy.

Extended producer responsibility (EPR) is part of that solution. It makes packaging manufacturers responsible for the recyclability of their products.

That was the type of model in place when I was a tad and I could buy a bottle of Coke for 5 or 10 cents, plus deposit, then return it for a refund. The empties were collected and refilled by local bottlers. But Coke gradually moved to a more centralized distribution system and non-refillable plastic bottles.

That’s been a growing problem. Since international audits began in 2018, Coke has been named the world’s top plastic polluter every year.

Bottle deposit programs are a way to ensure a high recycling rate, according to Jo-Anne St. Godard, executive director of the Circular Innovation Council. Her group promotes a circular economy that includes plastics. Deposit programs for plastic bottles exist in all provinces except Manitoba and Ontario (which offers deposits for only alcoholic beverage containers).

Ontario is looking into expanding the program.

We recently gave that antique Heintzman piano to a greatgreat niece of Aunt Marjorie. I think she would be pleased.

We can make our own contributions to the circular economy by: • Reducing or eliminating unnecessary purchases, including plastics. Think toy or tool lending libraries, or car sharing programs.

• Buying quality items that last • Reusing, repairing or rehoming unwanted stuff • Recycling

49

unnamed Lindsay Daily Post reporter described the “flapper generation” as having an “exaggerated ego” and rather patronizingly asserted that “when youth passes to thirty and beyond, the tinsel of flapperism ceases to charm.” (Just how many girls and women from what is now Kawartha Lakes fully embraced “the tinsel of flapperism” is a statistic that has been lost to history.)

Local flappers and other fashion-conscious women wanting to emulate “the society woman” and popular actresses of the day could make an appointment at the Lindsay Beauty Parlours (located on the second floor of the Dundas & Flavelle Ltd. department store) to have their hair bobbed or skin treated. “To appear at your best at a dance or social function, your attendance at the event should be preceded by a visit to our establishment,” urged a 1928 advertisement for the beauty parlour. Going out on the town for a good time was what mattered. “You’ll need a full dress or a tuxedo with so many parties, dances and occasions going on all the time,” decreed a Dundas & Flavelle Ltd. ad in 1925.

The Roaring Twenties in Kawartha Lakes The evening of Feb. 9, 1929, saw some 2,000 people pack the armoury in downtown Lindsay for the last night of the Piccadilly Circus, a five-day fundraising extravaganza that had been organized by the Kiwanis Club almost annually since 1926. Complete with “the greatest showing of fine motor cars ever shown in Lindsay,” exhibits of the latest and greatest in merchandise carried by local vendors, and a big dance, the Piccadilly Circus epitomized the fun, optimism, and opulence of the Roaring Twenties.

What was special about that memorable decade, which came to an inglorious conclusion almost 95 years ago in the form of a stock market crash precipitating worldwide economic depression? Simply put, a host of developments in culture, fashion, media, and technology transformed life for a generation that had recently emerged from five miserable years of a world war and an influenza epidemic. Consumerism and a general disdain for the Victorian values of the past were hallmarks of the Roaring Twenties, setting the stage for future changes in North American society.

And how did all of this play out here in our community?

One of the best-remembered symbols of this decade were the so-called flappers – young women who drove fast cars, smoked cigarettes, stayed out late, and wore outfits their parents’ generation might have thought scandalous. Reviewing the silent film ‘Learning to Love’ on Jan. 5, 1926, an 50

The Roaring Twenties were characterized by the kind of carefree spirit reflected in the expressions of Edith Stewart (holding umbrella) and a friend at Sturgeon Point one summer some 100 years ago. Stewart family fonds. (2022.51.4.7.2).

Courtesy Kawartha Lakes Museum & Archives.

40 Head Street, Bobcaygeon, was built in 1925-1926 by John Darwin Grant, who was inspired by the Arts and Crafts movement popular during the 1920s. Photo courtesy Emily Turner, City of Kawartha Lakes.

Dances were defined by the latest in music, notably foxtrots like My Sweet Gal, Last Night On The Back Porch, and It Must Be Someone Like You that sounded forth from a live band or a gramophone. One dance, sponsored by the Knights of Columbus on Feb. 7, 1921, saw the armoury “uniquely decorated in colour effects of blue and gold by means of hundreds of toy balloons, Chinese lanterns, and gracefully draped arches.” Attendees enjoyed a moon waltz as a powerful spotlight “spread wonderful shades of fleeting colours over the huge assembly.”

When they weren’t dancing the night away, local citizens might have been flocking to the Academy Theatre for the latest in silent movies (“talkies” didn’t appear until 1929).

Features such as The Perfect Flapper, The Vanishing Dagger, and Through the Back Door (starring Toronto-born Mary Pickford) captivated audiences, as did the ubiquitous newsreels. Live theatre was far from dead, and full houses eagerly took in productions like “Dardenella” – described as “a saucy and sparkling hippodrome of fun with the most beautiful girls in the world” – and revelled in the talents of Lindsay’s own Mae Edwards, whose players brought cabaret and vaudeville acts to the Academy stage.

While some might have walked to the beauty parlour, dance, or theatre, one really made a statement if they showed up in a flamboyant automobile. Close to a dozen car dealerships were doing business in Lindsay by the mid-

1920s – including F. King and Son, a Chevrolet dealer, which boldly insisted in its 1924 advertising that “modern life demands an efficient automobile for the time it saves and the health it gives.” Five years later, in 1929, Thomas Arnold was proudly showing off the Pontiac Big 6, which promised “BIG car luxury, BIG car style, (and) BIG car performance at low price.”

Everything seemed to be bigger and better throughout the Roaring Twenties. It was not without its problems, though.

Prohibition was still in effect, and authorities regularly shut down local stills that were illicitly manufacturing whisky.

Influenza was still causing widespread illness in parts of the county into 1923, and the Fred McGaughey murder trial cast a shadow over Lindsay in 1924.

Those with living memory of the Roaring Twenties are fast approaching their centenary years or are no longer with us. Even so, this illustrious decade left an indelible imprint on our culture. Tuxedos or skirts once donned by dashing young men and women for the moonlight waltz may yet survive in attic trunks or museums. Examples of 1920s-era rustic and arts-and-crafts architecture continue to grace neighbourhoods throughout Kawartha Lakes. And our ongoing infatuation with the private automobile owes much to trends launched more than 100 years ago.

While the roar of the 1920s has long since died away, echoes of it linger on.

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Your Complete Legal Team serving the Kawartha Lakes, Peterborough and surrounding areas

84 Kent Street, West, Lindsay, Ontario K9V 2Y4 705.324.9273 | www.wardlegal.ca | info@wardlegal.ca

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Back to the Future Across 1 Respectful refusal 6 Catch a perp 9 Lily variety 14 Occupied, as a restroom 15 ___ de Montréal 16 Cuban boat boy in the news, 2000 17 Sacha Baron Cohen film, 2006 18 Kid's jumping pole 20 Protagonist of a classic novel by 50-Across 22 U.S. anti-Vietnam War grp.

25 Ode opener 26 Soap actress Sofer 27 Political regime in a classic novel by 50-Across 33 Too risqué for kids' viewing 34 Treat a hide "but good" 35 Party drink for Alice 36 Caught congers 37 Canadian poet Fred 38 Reliever, as of pain 40 Chicoutimi chum 41 Bond creator Fleming 42 Baseball's Hank et al.

43 Workplace of 20-Across 47 Nearby, in poesy 48 "Isn't ___ bit like you and me?"

(Beatles lyric) 49 Plaything 50 Author of the novel whose title is revealed in the circled letters, when read in order 55 Bearer of meringue pie fruit 56 Words before order or sight 60 Suffix with pan- or di61 Partner of poivre 62 Original Can./U.S./Mex. treaty 63 Brown mushroom 64 Letter header?

65 Bills symbolized by €

by Barbara Olson © ClassiCanadian Crosswords 1

2

3

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14

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18 20

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27

7

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13

29

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58

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16 19

25

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37

36 40

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41 44

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10

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50

8

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Down 1 Point of calligraphy?

2 Lennon's middle name 3 It's on for Henri 4 Vidi, in Caesar's boast 5 Chose a new heading 6 Tries to bite, as a puppy 7 Scads 8 Irish exclamation 9 Big name in small planes 10 "M*A*S*H" director Robert 11 CVI halved 12 Prefix meaning "milk" 13 Egyptian cross 19 ___ a million (rare) 21 Problem for a young bar-goer, maybe 22 Watch without downloading 23 Opening notes?

24 Soviet dictator Joseph 28 Had a little lamb, say 29 ___ cost (no matter the price)

• Crossword solution on page 56 •

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30 "Everybody knows your secret" 31 Dealt with 32 Like wetlands 37 Four-legged battle charger 38 Book a table for one, say 39 Touchdown at Trudeau: Abbr.

41 "Can ___ any weirder?!"

42 For ___ (not gratis) 44 Visiting Vatican City, maybe 45 Use the car blinker 46 "No matter" 50 Cling (onto) 51 Finnish architect Saarinen 52 CTV news anchor Sachedina 53 Hook, line and sinker go-with 54 Hawaiian hootenanny 57 Tkt. for a connecting bus 58 Prefix meaning "ear" 59 23-Down followers

community •

Nominations are open for Kawartha Lakes Youth Awards BGC Kawarthas (formerly known as Boys and Girls Clubs of Kawartha Lakes) is hosting its fifth Youth Awards -- and nominations are now open.

Youth are eligible between the ages of 12-24, and their parents, coaches, teachers and friends can nominate them.

The Youth Awards were created to shine a spotlight on the young leaders of Kawartha Lakes. There are eight award categories for two age groups, 12-17 and 18-24.

The categories are Humanitarian, Arts Achievement, Green (environmentalism), Physical Literacy (sportsmanship), Resiliency, Entrepreneurship, Leadership and BGC Club Spirit.

A nominee who is transitioning to post-secondary education or training within the next year can also be considered for the Ron Kennedy Scholarship. Ron Kennedy was the founder of BGC Kawarthas (formerly called Kawartha Youth Incorporated) in 1970. A second memorial scholarship, the Marcie Beall Scholarship, is given to the winner of the BGC Club Spirit Award in the 18-24 category. Marcie Beall was a young leader who worked at the Club and exemplified love and compassion.

The event has Polito Ford Lincoln, Kawartha Lakes Honda, and Bounce 91.9 as lead sponsors.

The ceremony in June will highlight all the finalists. Each year, the awards share amazing and varied stories. Last year, for example, one winner was a voluntary designer for her school’s event posters, and she also built and painted a large set for a High School Musical play. Another created a small farming enterprise, and maintained it for seven years while sustaining Honours in high school and a job at Caressant Care. Two nominees were recognized for their collective submission of art and an essay about self-governance, inclusivity and equality, which was chosen by the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation education program to represent Ontario at the national level.

Nomination forms can be found at bgckawarthas.com.

Anyone can submit a form, and youth can submit for someone they know and for themselves. Youth can be nominated as individuals or together in groups.

Last year, Laura Butler, centre, accepted her award for entrepreneurship from Vince Killen from KLCFDC, left, and Councillor Charlie McDonald on the right.

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The forms can be emailed to nominations@bgckawarthas.com or sent to BGC Kawarthas at 107 Lindsay St. S., K9V 2M5. The deadline for nominations is March 8.

THE KEN FOUND ART FUND Ken Found exhibited a robust commitment to championing local artists, manifested through his strategic acquisitions for the Kawartha Art Gallery, the only public art gallery in the City of Kawartha Lakes.

In honour of Ken Found's enduring legacy, his family has planned to perpetuate his support for the Kawartha Lakes Art community. As a testament to this commitment, not only was Ken Found's art collection generously bequeathed to the Kawartha Art Gallery, but also the establishment of the Ken Found Art Fund held with the Community Foundation of Kawartha Lakes.

FIND OUT MORE AND DONATE TODAY → KAWARTHAGALLERY.COM/KEN-FOUND-ART-FUND The Ken Found Art Fund is managed by the Community Foundation of Kawartha Lakes.

All tax receipts will be issued by the Community Foundation.

Locally Owned and Operated since 1997

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Mobility • Respiratory • Home Modifications Supports & Braces and More visit our showroom or call for an in-home assessment

10 Moose Road (Off McLaughlin), Lindsay 705.328.3015 • homesteadoxygen.ca 55

Free battery installation.

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BATTERY REPLACEMENT

We will take out your old battery and install our new East Penn/Deka battery in most cars, trucks, RVs, boats, scooters, or snowmobiles for great performance. *Free battery install will be completed at our Lindsay location. **Additional charge for onsite installs.

Visit us at BTW-Electronics.net | Email: sales@btw-electronics.com 205 St. George St. Unit 2, Lindsay | 1-888-890-BTWE (2893) | 705-878-0261

My passion is to provide you with Timeless Memories.

frostphotos.ca • 705.341.7444

frostqualityphotography@gmail.com Business and Residential Tech Support

New and Used Walk-Up Service, Laptop & No Appointment Desktop PC’s Necessary

CALL 705-328-9918

VISIT 1 William St. S., Lindsay BROWSE www.kcchelps.com

Ayesha Mansur Gonsalves Actor | Writer | Director Hey Kawartha Lakes!

I'm Ayesha Mansur Gonsalves, professional actor, and acting coach.

Whether you're just starting out, need help with an audition, or just a little tune up, I'm here to help!

For more info visit: www.ayeshamansurgonsalves.com

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the MARKETPLACE Local Services & Offerings

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We Buy Vintage...

Vinyl Records, Comics, Costume Jewelry, Glass, China, Pottery, Toys, Sports & All Types of Collectibles. We Make House Calls Cash Paid.

Robert & Penny 705-324-2699 www.howlingdog.rocks Droptine Maples Ontario maple syrup.

Available for bulk sale or by the bottle/case.

1L, 500ml, 250ml.

Call 705-879-1144

SERVICES McKenzie’s offers all aspects of outdoor maintenance.

-interlock -lift and re level -fencing -gutter cleaning -lawncare -snow removal Call 705-934-4333 Free estimates.

Residential Cleaner Experienced, Affordable, Reliable.

Monthly and bi weekly Monday cleans available.

Please call/text Rhiannon 647-705-2513 Lindsay/Surrounding area.

Ron’s Scrap Car Removal Cash paid!!

Free pick-up Call/text 705-328-4543 rrl62cars@yahoo.ca Barr Construction Ltd. Conventional & ICF basements. Residential, commercial, agricultural additions and floors.

Call for a free quote.

705-879-1144 Losing Heat through your Windows? Cracked or steaming up? May only need your glass replaced.

Call Harold 705-887-6608

O'Reilly Plumbing 15 years experience.

Residential, commercial & agricultural plumbing.

24 hr. service.

Call Tim at 705-934-1755.

Burns' Snow Removal & Lawn Care Ltd. Lanes, lots, sidewalks, sanding & salting.

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Call David E. Burns 705-324-8154

WANTED WANTED CLASSIC & VINTAGE Cars & Trucks Please call Mark 613-360-2699

FOR RENT For Rent 1 and 2 bed units from $1,600 & up. Heat, hydro & water included.

Adult Building in Lindsay.

Call 705-324-9381

List your ad in Kawartha Lakes' only news media in print!

Rates from as low as $25.

In Memoriam announcements and celebrations also accepted.

Call or email Rebekah at rebekah@lindsayadvocate.ca

or 705-328-5188

CELEBRATIONS

Camryn’s Painting Free Quotes.

References available.

Call 705-887-8868 If you're reading this classified ad, you know the Advocate's Marketplace page works! Call Rebekah at 705-328-5188 or email rebekah@lindsayadvocate.ca

Contact Rebekah at rebekah@lindsayadvocate.ca or 705-328-5188

trevor's take •

Don’t lose your head over this romantic holiday

Make Your Dream Home a Reality!

By Trevor Hutchinson Contributing Editor

I’ve always been a ‘take the bad news first, good news second’ type of person.

So the bad news is this hell-hole of a month actually has an entire extra day this year. That’s 24 extra hours of the frozen version of a dumpster fire (for those who like to quantify their misery).

The good news? It’s Valentine’s Day this month! Heck yeah! Anyone who knows me knows that romantic comedies are my thing. I spend hours glued to the Hallmark channel: I’m basically a dyedin-the-wool uber-romantic. The 14th of hell month is my sweet, sweet love jam.

Alright, I can’t lie. The part about me being a romantic bears zero truth.

But I have been taking a lot of online self-improvement courses of late, and a common theme in that genre is ‘fake it until you make it.’ So after a couple years of hitting the performative low bar of Christmas crap, I have now set my sights on Valentine’s Day, with a modest goal of not underperforming too much.

I’m a data nerd so I need facts as a starting point. As a religious studies grad looking into Saint(s) Valentine seems a good place to start.

Interestingly, there are actually three Saint Valentines who are celebrated on Feb. 14. None have any association with romantic love. For the Catholic (and Anglican) churches, the date commemorates their martyrdom - when they were killed by Roman officials for their beliefs. At least two and possibly all three of them were beheaded.

For those of us that find some correlation between the mating rituals of humans, to say, those of the praying man58

tis, celebrating romantic love on the anniversary of historical decapitations might make a certain amount of sense.

Not that losing one’s head, by chewing, blade or otherwise, is at all funny.

The tradition as we know it really starts to get going with the English writer Chaucer in 14th century England. He wrote about mid-February being the mating period of birds. That came to be associated with a time to exchange love notes. By Shakespeare’s time, his character Ophelia self-refers as ‘Hamlet’s Valentine’ (Spoiler alert – that story doesn’t end that romantically.)

Alright, I can’t lie. The part about me being a romantic bears zero truth. But I have been taking a lot of online selfimprovement courses of late, and a common theme in that genre is ‘fake it until you make it.’

Now some people might think that with our climate, mid-February is not really our time for bird mating. Yet some of our most iconic birds get it on in February. Interestingly the Canada Jay, Bald Eagle and the Great Horned Owl mate in February, which sounds almost patriotically romantic to me.

And so I have come to realize that it doesn’t matter what the deBoers or Hallmark’s or Cadbury’s of the world have done with this day. As long as we don’t lose our heads, and stay warm somehow, it’s all roses and chocolate baby!

2912 Hwy 35 S, Lindsay

705-320-9888

Beaver Homes & Cottages Custom Kitchens & Bathrooms Design Consultations Home Installs Part of the Kawartha Home Hardware Group of Stores! kawarthahomehardware.ca

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