Kirk Winter

Publicly funded Ontario schools are staring down the barrel of the most significant teacher shortage in more than 30 years. Simply put, fewer and fewer new people are joining the teaching profession, and experienced teachers are leaving the classroom in concerning numbers and looking for new careers outside teaching.This phenomenon is new to education in Ontario. Less than a decade

After only modest residential, cottage and commercial property sales in the second half of 2023, Kawartha Lakes real estate professionals are looking forward to a more robust 2024 spring and summer market, expected to be fueled by a Bank of Canada lending rate cut in the spring.Evan Connolly, realtor with Birdhouse Realty, John Harris, realtor with Bowes and Cocks Realty

Effective May 18, Kirk Robertson will become the new Kawartha Lakes Police Service (KLPS) chief. The 27-year law enforcement veteran, 22 of that locally, will replace well-respected Chief Mark Mitchell.As future chief, Robertson realizes there will be many challenges ahead that will need to be dealt with and has already begun to prioritize what he and the department will want

Pulling off an event the size of an International Plowing Match (IPM) couldn’t happen without municipal support.Ever since IPM Chair Bob Armstrong and his executive met with Kawartha Lakes council last spring to ask for such assistance to host the massive event, Armstrong has been overwhelmed by the amount of city support he and his volunteer group have received.“We were

Candace Webster, the general manager of CKL Hotel Inc. Properties, says she is excited for more long-stay opportunities through Lindsay’s newest hotel, which will open in the fall of 2025.Best Western Plus will be located right beside the Days Inn Hotel and Suites on Angeline Street South.The new hotel, which has been in the works since late 2018, will have

There’s an easy way to support the International Plowing Match and Rural Expo (IPM) – just take a seat.That is, buy a bench and then take it home with you.Jeff Gill, operations manager for the local Home Building Centre, has been coordinating these efforts with the technical education departments of LCVI, Fenelon Falls Secondary School, I.E. Weldon Secondary School, and

For the fourth time since 1922, the largest agricultural show of its kind in North America will be rolling into Kawartha Lakes from Oct. 1-5. Presented under the auspices of the Ontario Plowmen’s Association (OPA) and organized and run by a local committee and hundreds of Kawartha Lakes and area volunteers, the International Plowing Match and Rural Expo (IPM) is…

Options to replace Ward 5 Councillor, Eric Smeaton, who stepped down Nov. 1, may include the appointment of a new councillor from a list of applicants, the appointment of the second-place finisher in the Ward 5 race from 2022 or declaring a byelection Guided by the Municipal Act, 2001, Cathie Ritchie, the city’s clerk, will likely provide council with several…

Former Councillor Eric Smeaton’s vacant Ward 5 seat will be filled by having a byelection. After listening carefully to a report from Chief Clerk Cathie Ritchie detailing the options, council unanimously endorsed a byelection that will see a candidate in office sometime in the late winter or early spring of 2025. Ritchie’s report, which drew extensively from the Municipal Act,…

Process began – Sept. 3 Mayor’s budget accepted and final amendments made – Dec. 5. Number of public meetings – 14 Number of pages – 312 Budget increase – 6.2% with 3% for general operations, 1.7% for a one-year special police levy and 1.5% for the dedicated capital levy Typical cost to taxpayers – $150 increase per year on a…