Consider This Northumberland

It has been a while since I’ve spoken to Northumberland Peterborough South MPP David Piccini. It was last year after his re-election. With all his responsibilities as Minister of Environment, Conservation, and Parks, plus his local work, he is hard to pin down. But finally, we got a chance to chat.

A lot has gone on. There is the opening of new parks and the release of 7,400 acres of Greenbelt for development. Locally, the Minister’s Zoning Order allows a long-term care home to be constructed in Port Hope. The list is quite long.

In this interview, you will learn about all of this and more.

The health unit says there were between one and four deaths in May. There were also close to 30 emergency room visits where a drug overdose was suspected. None of this counts for the police and ambulance calls. Those are some of the highest numbers we have seen since a year ago.

As you will hear in this interview, Dane Record, the executive director of the Peterborough AIDs Resource Network, will tell you he is not surprised. He sees it first-hand in his role with the Haliburton, Kawartha Lakes, and Northumberland Drug Strategy.

The group faced a low profile during the pandemic. It did a lot of work from 2016 to 2019 after it received a $285,000 grant to create a strategy to help battle the opioid crisis locally.

A public meeting was held in Port Hope last week. It is the first time in three years. You will want to hear how it went and what was said. And you will be interested in its plans in the future as local activists and leaders work to find solutions to the crisis.

Northumberland County and the Canadian Mental Health Association announced a ground-breaking partnership to provide supportive housing in Campbellford. This is a huge step forward in helping people facing mental health and addiction challenges. These are people who often find themselves on the street and homeless.

As you will learn in this interview, supportive housing provides an environment that helps people who would otherwise struggle when seeking a stable home. The tenants will live in a five-bedroom house with a worker present to assist them in their journey to recovery.

While there are several supportive housing projects in Northumberland, this is the first outside Cobourg and Port Hope. It is also the first time the county’s housing corporation has partnered with the mental health association.

It is a piece of the puzzle when dealing with homelessness, mental health, and addictions.

A proposed long-term care facility in Port Hope is a complex situation. It is tangled up in myriad issues, from the desperate need for beds for the elderly to preserving heritage buildings. Mixed within this is the need to follow sound planning principles and the varying voices of the public on all sides.

If that is not enough, the Ontario government issued a Minister’s Zoning Order or MZO. This will allow the project to go forward and create a seven-storey, 192-bed facility. A new application to demolish the existing historic buildings on the site is currently winding its way to council.

On today’s show, Port Hope Mayor Olena Hankivsky will talk in-depth about the background of the project, the Minister’s Zoning Order, and the path forward. More than that, she will share her feeling and thoughts on what is unfolding.

If you ate today, Megan Botha says you need to thank a farmer. And, she says, you should also thank a migrant worker, as well. She is the new migrant worker outreach coordinator at Horizons of Friendship.

About 20,000 temporary migrant workers will come to Ontario this growing season. There are somewhere between 125 and 150 migrant workers in Northumberland this year. These people do the back-breaking, hard labour most of us never consider when buying or consuming food.

As you will hear in this interview, there are many changes for migrant workers this year. Plus, there are ongoing programs to help the workers on many levels, from health and safety to getting social insurance to mental health support.

Beyond this, new provincial legislation prevents employers from taking away migrant workers' passports. There are also new rules around medical coverage, allowing workers more accessible access to medical treatments.

A lot is going on. So, you will want to hear what she says as she walks us through the details.

It is a well-known statistic. Ontario is losing more than 300 acres of farmland every day. It is stunning when you realize we are talking about our food source.

What you don’t hear as often is how this affects Northumberland County. But there is a group trying to change that.

The Northumberland Rural Coalition is hosting a panel discussion about protecting farmland in this region. Local MPP David Piccini is scheduled to speak on the panel. There are also several experts from groups like the Ontario Farmland Trust and specialists who will also add their perspectives. Considering agriculture is one of the most significant economic drivers in the county, you will want to listen.

People you would never expect are turning to the food bank. That is according to Helen Donovan, chair of the board for Northumberland Fare Share. Since January, 250 new families started using its services. That is nearly five times more than the same period last year.

Inflation is crippling. Gas prices, housing costs, and living expenses are through the roof. For some, there is little money left to buy food. More young people with families are seeking help. That is on top of the growing number of seniors and others who regularly drop in.

The food bank is spending more than $50,000 a month buying food, up from the $40,000 it budgeted. Donations are down because people are struggling to buy groceries and have reduced the number of donations at the stores.

For the first time in the history of the food bank, it was short peanut butter. If you don’t know, that is a staple for them.

You will want to hear all the details for yourself.

The celebrations associated with Pride Month are as diverse as the residents themselves. In this interview, the focus turns to two areas that may not be as high profile as others regarding Pride but are equally significant.

The first interview is with two representatives from Northumberland Hills Hospital. It is flying a Pride flag and creating a rainbow crosswalk at its main entrance. You will find out the significance of those two initiatives. But you will also learn how the hospital works to improve its relationships with the LGBTQ2+ community. Many studies show health care providers don't always measure up when it comes to caring for these people. That is not just patients but also the staff. You will hear about the hospital's ongoing efforts to improve those connections.

In the past few years, Brighton has joined many municipalities in celebrating Pride Month. It raises a Pride Flag like the others. It has created a Rainbow crosswalk like many others. There is even a Pride Walk put on by a local church. But this is the first year time it has organized a Pride Day event. Several residents have joined with the Peterborough AIDS Resource Network or PARN to put on this inaugural gathering at Memorial Park on Sunday.

What’s more, you will hear about the ongoing work being done in the community to support the LGBTQ2+ community year-round. Besides creating safe spaces for local youth, there are plans to organize an adult group, as well. Have a listen.

The number of complex issues facing Northumberland County staff and politicians is enormous. Affordable housing, a viable workforce, economic support for businesses, tourism, agriculture, homelessness, Internet connectivity, and so on.

In this interview, you will hear from Dan Borowec, director of Economic Development, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives, and Kate Campbell, director of Communications. They will share what people have been saying about these significant issues as the county reaches out to get the public’s opinion. It will also give insight into a host of things you may think you know about and much more you don’t.