COLLEEN GREEN The Standard SCUGOG: RoyPop Candy officially celebrated its grand opening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, on Friday, July 24th, welcoming community leaders, supporters and residents to its new location, at 76 Water Street, in Port Perry. Joining owners, Margret Kizza and Ronald Magala, for the celebration were: Scugog Mayor, Wilma Wotten; Durham Regional Chair, John Henry; Doug Ellis, representing MPP Todd McCarthy's office; Ward 3 Councillor, Terry Coyne; membe

SIERRA MILLER Strategic Planning & Communications Officer, Township of Uxbridge UXBRIDGE: Just after 4 p.m., on July 21st, the Uxbridge Public Library was impacted by a fire, caused by a lightning strike. The Uxbridge Fire Department responded quickly, arriving on scene and extinguishing the fire before significant damage occurred. During the incident, library staff acted quickly, to secure the site. All library staff and camp participants were safely evacuated, and no injuri

DARRYL KNIGHT Local Journalism Initiative Reporter for The Standard SUNDERLAND: The long-awaited return of activities to the Sunderland Memorial Arena is getting closer, as the Township of Brock now anticipates ice allocations for local user groups to begin December 7th. The major renovation project continues to make “excellent progress,” with substantial completion currently expected by the end of October, provided no further unforeseen conditions arise. The arena, originall

DARRYL KNIGHT Local Journalism Initiative Reporter for The Standard KAWARTHA LAKES: Driving schools, operating on roads throughout Kawartha Lakes, could soon face new municipal rules. City council has directed staff to develop a business case and licensing program for driving school operators, following concerns raised about traffic, road safety, and the repeated use of some local streets for driver training. The issue came before council, at a recent meeting, in a report fro

JAMIE STEEL Senior Lead of Community Relations, Ampere KAWARTHA LAKES: Ampere invites people of all ages to join fellow community members for STEAM Fest, a free, family-focused celebration featuring live music, diverse food, a vendor market, and tons of art, science, engineering, and technology activities. The second annual STEAM Fest promises to be a bigger, bolder celebration of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math (STEAM). It will be held at Ampere’s Lindsay Ma

DARRYL KNIGHT Local Journalism Initiative Reporter for The Standard BROCK: Seventy-nine firefighters are currently answering the call when emergencies strike across Brock, with volunteers serving from fire stations in Sunderland, Cannington, and Beaverton. Brock Councillors received an update on the Fire Department’s personnel, during its meeting on Monday, July 27th, with, Fire Chief and Community Emergency Management Coordinator, Rick Harrison presenting a report outlining

DARRYL KNIGHT Local Journalism Initiative Reporter for The Standard SCUGOG: The spirit of the Old West rode into Port Perry and the surrounding Lake Scugog community over the weekend, as the 96th annual Lake Scugog Regatta celebrated its Western Hoedown theme from July 31st to August 2nd. The long-running summer tradition brought together residents and visitors for a weekend of family entertainment, community events, and plenty of Western-themed fun. The mechanical bull prove

by Shawn Lackie For the last few years, we have heard non-stop about the need for affordable housing. And with good reason. Developers roll into town and put forward a development plan for the local zoning people to approve. Almost all of them include some form of affordable housing. They get approval and start their build. But a funny thing happens between the planning stage and the actual implementation. All of a sudden, those affordable townhouses disappear and up pops mor

DARRYL KNIGHT Local Journalism Initiative Reporter for The Standard SCUGOG: The heartbeat of the drum echoed across Scugog, as the Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation (MSIFN) welcomed dancers, drummers, Elders, community members, and visitors for the 28th annual MSIFN Pow Wow, on Saturday, July 18th, and Sunday, July 19th. Held on the Pow Wow grounds of Scugog Island, the annual gathering once again drew large crowds, from across Durham Region, Kawartha Lakes, and beyo

DARRYL KNIGHT Local Journalism Initiative Reporter for The Standard NORTH DURHAM: Cyclists, looking to explore the countryside this summer, have plenty of reasons to head north, as Durham Region is highlighting a collection of scenic cycling routes, through Brock, Scugog, and Uxbridge as part of its Shift Into Scenic Durham Region campaign. The initiative encourages residents and visitors to discover North Durham's picturesque landscapes, historic downtowns, and rural communi

BRANDON CLARK The Standard SCUGOG: Due to current weather conditions and an increased risk of fire, the Township of Scugog has implemented a municipal-wide burn ban, effective immediately. The burn ban will remain in effect until conditions improve. Residents will be notified when the ban is lifted. There is zero tolerance for open-air burning, during a burn ban. Under Part 4 – Enforcement and Penalties of the Township's Open-Air Burning By-law 32-18, anyone found burning, d

by Shawn Lackie The 100 Men of Scugog staged the third meeting of 2026, in fine fashion, on a Wednesday night. Hey, more snow. The group met at the Port Perry Legion, on July 15th. The Legion, with a huge amount of help from Doug Babcock, has been an amazing partner in facilitating these meetings. The group is more than grateful for their ongoing help. Presentations were made by Big Brothers/Big Sisters North Durham, North House and The Lake Scugog Historical Society. It was

DARRYL KNIGHT Local Journalism Initiative Reporter for The Standard BROCK: The vision for Lodwick Park, in Beaverton, took another step forward recently, as Brock’s councillors directed staff to seek updated pricing, to complete key improvements, including: enlarging the park's pickleball courts, adding a soccer pitch, and installing permanent park signage. At a recent meeting, council instructed staff to prepare a Request for Quotation (RFQ), to determine the additional fund

LINDSAY: Downtown Lindsay was filled with gleaming chrome and vintage vehicles on Sunday, July 19, as Classics on Kent and Brits in the Park attracted hundreds of car enthusiasts and spectators. Classic cars lined Kent Street while Victoria Park hosted an impressive collection of British-built automobiles, including MGs, Triumphs, Jaguars, Austin-Healeys and Minis. The annual event featured everything from early antiques to muscle cars and modern classics, giving visitors a c

UXBRIDGE: The sights and sounds of Ontario's agricultural past came to life on Sunday, July 19, as visitors gathered at the Lewis Family farm for the annual Lewis Family Threshing Day. The popular event showcased antique farm equipment, vintage tractors and traditional farming demonstrations, giving families an opportunity to experience how crops were harvested and processed before modern machinery transformed agriculture. One of the highlights included horse-drawn plowing de

by Helen Nicolaou July marks the middle of the summer season, with garden foliage filling in open spaces and a wide assortment of flowers to admire. Although the bloom of a daylily only lasts the day, there are many blooms maturing on a scape which will last for several weeks in the garden. It's a good idea, while walking through the garden, to assess the growth of perennials, as they have matured, and decide if some trimming back of spent blooms and over-growth will help wit

by Shawn Lackie We have been hearing ad-nauseum, recently, about “housing affordability.” Ok folks, I get it. Times are strange for sure. When we bought our first house in Toronto it was for less than a deposit adds up to these days, and that was for the whole house. We couldn’t afford to move back to Toronto these days. The gap between the haves and have-nots has become very wide indeed. Sure, people will tell you, salaries these days are far ahead of what was being paid out

By Colleen Green, The Standard SCUGOG: The future of the Port Perry Fairgrounds remains uncertain after the Township of Scugog Council voted to defer consideration of the Port Perry Fairgrounds Visioning Exercise Final Report until the first quarter of 2027, leaving long-term plans for the site in limbo. Council chambers were filled to capacity during the July 13th meeting, with residents turning out in large numbers to voice concerns over the future of the fairgrounds and th