DARRYL KNIGHT Local Journalism Initiative Reporter for The Standard KAWARTHA LAKES: As many tractors sit idle between seasons and winter planning takes shape around kitchen tables and barn offices, Kawartha Lakes is inviting the people behind the region’s food system to help shape what comes next. A new Agriculture and Food Action Plan survey is now open, giving farmers, agri-businesses, food producers, and community members the opportunity to share their experiences, challe

COLLEEN GREEN The Standard SCUGOG: Dana’s Goldsmithing marked a major milestone in community support with the presentation of an $8,000 donation to the Port Perry Hospital Foundation on Monday, January 19th, at its Queen Street location in Port Perry. The cheque presentation saw Tanya Latreille, Chair of the Port Perry Hospital Foundation, accept the donation from Dana Smith, alongside partners Kyra Martin and Lynda Bruno and members of the Dana’s Goldsmithing team. Proceeds

DARRYL KNIGHT Local Journalism Initiative Reporter for The Standard BROCK: Plans for new public washrooms at Beaverton Harbour are moving forward, after Council directed staff to hire Flexcell Engineering Inc. to begin design work and soil testing. The decision was made at Council’s regular meeting, on Monday, January 12th, following the presentation of a report, from, Director of Parks, Recreation and Facilities, Wayne Ward which outlined the results of a competitive tender

TANNY CHIU Integrated Media SCUGOG : Just 15 minutes from Port Perry, the Mississaugas of Scugog Island is being recognized, on a national stage, for something its residents practice every day: kindness. The community has been named one of the Top 10 finalists in Canada’s Kindest Community , a nationwide program, presented by Coca-Cola Canada. The recognition comes after an extensive search which saw 804 communities across the country submit nearly 5,400 acts of kindness, ran

SARA URBANOWICZ Daisy Consulting Group SCUGOG: Darwin Pivot, the Toronto-based consulting firm, hired by Scugog Township to lead the Fairgrounds consultation, insists its mandate is strictly to listen and report and is not intended to advance or justify any predetermined outcome, including the sale of the Fairgrounds. That clarification stands in contrast to ongoing concerns raised in the community, including, following public statements indicating Council may choose to sell

Carissa Ferguson, Kawartha Community Foundation KAWARTHA LAKES : The Kawartha Community Foundation is pleased to announce a $180,000 community investment, through the Together for Justice program, awarded, in recognition of the Foundation’s leadership capacity and its strong track record of community collaboration, to strengthen access to justice services and address systemic barriers across the City of Kawartha Lakes. Delivered locally, through the Kawartha Community Founda

DARRYL KNIGHT Local Journalism Initiative Reporter for The Standard KAWARTHA LAKES: Efforts to advance reconciliation with Indigenous communities took a formal step forward, on Tuesday, January 13th, as council reviewed the proposed Terms of Reference for a new Indigenous Reconciliation Strategy Task Force. The volunteer group will help guide the development of the City of Kawartha Lakes’ upcoming Indigenous Reconciliation Strategy. The report, presented by Emily Turner, Econ

by Shawn Lackie Over 20 years ago, I finally decided I wanted to make Real Estate (RE) my life. I had worked in television, in a multitude of capacities, and then transitioned to a VP job with the Canadian Football League. At the time, I considered it to be my dream job. Yet, in the back of my mind, for many of the previous 10 years, I had always wondered what the world of RE held. I would call a friend, every spring, and ask how the market was and what process I would follow

DARRYL KNIGHT Local Journalism Initiative Reporter for The Standard KAWARTHA LAKES : On a chilly January morning, in Lindsay, Simone Watts stepped outside to find her usual blue box pickup hadn’t happened. A few empty beer bottles sat awkwardly beside the bin, reminders of a new rule she hadn’t quite wrapped her head around. “I thought these went in the blue box, like before,” she said, picking them up. “Turns out, they have to go to a separate program now. It’s a bit confus

DARRYL KNIGHT Local Journalism Initiative Reporter for The Standard BROCK: Early results from Brock Township’s Downtown Community Improvement Plan (CIP) suggest the program is already making a visible impact on local main streets, helping to encourage reinvestment and refresh the look of downtown areas. The update was outlined in a recent staff report, presented by, Director of Development Services, Robin Prentice, detailing activity since the updated Downtown CIP was appro

DARRYL KNIGHT Local Journalism Initiative Reporter for The Standard BROCK: Volunteers, Township staff, and conservation partners came together, this past autumn, to plant 100 native trees and shrubs along the banks of the Beaver River, at MacLeod Park. A testament to the growing partnership between the Cannington Horticultural Society (CHS) and Brock Township. An October 18th, 2025 planting event, aided by the Township with mulch, and by the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation A

By Shawn Lackie This one might be a little out there but work with me, please. Quick question. How many local businesses are you aware of? And no, I don’t mean eateries like Jesters or Marwans. Even Haugens, who has been here for a looooong time. I have witnessed their menu firsthand since 1970. Still great. Yummy, but I digress. No, I am talking about those manufacturing places, Industrial or not. We often hear there isn't enough manufacturing and such to offset taxes and cr

DARRYL KNIGHT Local Journalism Initiative Reporter for The Standard BROCK: As Ontario prepares to welcome back the Northlander passenger train, the release of the revived service’s proposed schedule has reignited calls, in Beaverton, for a long-sought return to the passenger rail map. Ontario Northland recently announced details of the restored Northlander service, which will operate between Toronto’s Union Station and Timmins, with a rail connection to Cochrane. The return

DARRYL KNIGHT Local Journalism Initiative Reporter for The Standard KAWARTHA LAKES: On a crisp winter afternoon, this past Tuesday, December 16th, in downtown Lindsay, time folded in on itself. Beneath the Eternal Flame in Queen’s Square, a small metal capsule, sealed 25 years ago, waited quietly for its moment. Children, who had placed it there: Reenie Brydon, Mathew Kent, and Caelin Nesbit, all of them now adults, approached it with a mixture of wonder and nostalgia, thei

DARRYL KNIGHT Local Journalism Initiative Reporter for The Standard BROCK: Residents looking to kick off the new year with a more organized home will have an opportunity to do so, in an eco-friendly way, at an upcoming Home Organization Swap, in the Sunderland Branch of the Brock Township Public Library. The swap will be held, on Saturday, January 24th, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Sunderland Branch. Community members are invited to exchange gently used home-organization i

Canada was built on the idea people should be free to believe, or not believe, without government interference. From the country’s earliest days, religious freedom helped shape our communities. Churches, synagogues, mosques, and other faith groups helped build schools, hospitals and charities which still serve Canadians today. This was possible because the state did not control belief and belief did not control the state. That balance is now being questioned by Bill C-9. Supp

DARRYL KNIGHT Local Journalism Initiative Reporter for The Standard KAWARTHA LAKES/BROCK: Sunday, December 28th, arrived with an uneasy quiet, across Kawartha Lakes and the Township of Brock. The sky was gray, the air sharp with winter cold, and the forecast promised a coating of freezing rain which had residents remembering last spring’s ice storm: downed trees, power outages, and days of cleanup. People checked their driveways, prepared their sidewalks, and wondered: would

by Shawn Lackie Have you ever heard the adage, “You better not assume something because it could make an ass out of U and me?” Or the old saying, “Never judge a book by its cover?” Both are excellent pieces of advice. Assuming something could be more hazardous than you think. In his amazing book Blink, Malcolm Gladwell tells the story of a car salesman in the Midwestern United States who, at one point, was the most successful salesman for his brand of automobile. The reason w