​One of the best ways to get involved in your community and meet some great people is to volunteer. If you would like to know more about what opportunities are available, head to Peterborough Square on May 7 for the Meet Your Match Volunteer Fair hosted by Volunteer Peterborough. It’s a perfect opportunity to discover meaningful ways to give back. Not-for-profit organizations are invited to set up booths in a tradeshow format in the lower level of Peterborough Square while the public are invited to browse and find a volunteer roles that are the perfect match. There will also be busloads of students looking for their volunteer hours. 

Congratulations to Tracy Minnema, owner of River of Yarn, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary. There are still a few days left to catch their anniversary sales for the month of April. River of Yarn provides luxury knitting and crochet yarns, tools, and accessories at affordable prices. They carry a variety of brands and sources of yarn, including alpaca, wool, cotton, flax, hemp and acrylics. You can find River of Yarn at 353 Kents Bay Road in Keene.

There are still a few tickets left for the Business Summit, hosted by Peterborough and the Kawarthas Chamber of Commerce and Acorn30 on April 30 at Ashburnham Funeral Home and Reception Centre. This is a half-day conference filled with inspiring speakers and informative workshops. You’ll hear directly from business leaders on what they’ve learned and what worked on topics like growing your business, building partnerships, and handling uncertain times. This year’s keynote is from Matt Holmes of Holmes Reisely. 

This week we’re highlighting more made in Peterborough products with Quickmill. I recently had the privilege of touring their facility at 760 Rye Street. Quickmill has been in the computer-controlled machining business, known as CNC, since 1984. They ship turn-key machines around the world for industries that include heavy equipment, aerospace, and oil and gas. They continue to grow and innovate, finding custom solutions for their clients with world-class machines built right here in Peterborough. 

​The Mac and Cheese Festival is back in downtown Peterborough and it’s bigger, bolder, and cheesier than before. This month-long celebration of comfort food is underway now, with downtown restaurants putting their own creative spin on mac and cheese dishes for the public to try, rate, and enjoy. There are classics and some creative takes on the dish like mac and cheeseburger samosa and a mac and cheese poutine. The festivities wrap up with a Grand Finale Bash on Friday, April 26, at the Quaker Foods City Square. There will be a mac and cheese showdown with live judging for the Judge's Choice Award, a beer garden, live music, vendors, and family-friendly fun. Visit theboro.ca for more details.
 
The New Canadians Centre has purchased its building from St. James United Church. This historic building at 221 Romaine Street was built in 1917. The New Canadians Centre moved in back in 2012 and will continue sharing the space with St. James United Church and the St. James Players theatre group. The New Canadian Centre has been instrumental in welcoming thousands of newcomers and hosting numerous cultural celebrations, shared meals, and community events.
 
POI is celebrating it’s new Peterborough office at 418 George Street North in downtown Peterborough. POI has been led by three generations of the Scholl family for six decades, creating inspiring workspaces. Their goal is to create spaces that help businesses achieve their goals and create a place where people want to go. They offer everything from pencils and paper clips to desks and filing cabinets. They have solutions for home offices as well.
 
We’re profiling local business that make stuff right here in Peterborough and the Kawarthas. This week it’s Canadiana Cabinets. Founded in 1995 by Bill Barker, they have been producing a versatile lineup of standard and custom cabinets ever since. Their high-quality cabinets are the result of merging traditional and hi-tech construction methods. Their cabinets are custom built-to-order and constructed on an efficient production line with the latest in industry technologies. Drop by and see their beautiful showroom at 2712 Brown Line and see what this local, family-owned business can do for you.
 

​Congrats to Bob and the team at Gauvreau Accounting Tax Law Advisory on being recognized by Great Places to Work Canada at number 32 in the country for employers with 100 to 1,000 employees. Founded in 2008, Gauvreau has grown to more than 200 employees with offices in Peterborough, Toronto, Ottawa, Winnipeg, and Steinbach. While the team has grown, the goal of creating a business where people want to come to work every day remains unchanged. Want to join their team? Gauvreau is planning to hire a number of senior accountant s this spring.
 
Peterborough Humane Society’s 50/50 and Marlin Travel/Collette ‘Ruff’le are back, running until May 14. Get your tickets by April 17 and you will be entered into the early bird draw for $500. Last year’s two 50/50 winners received nearly $22,000. This year’s ‘Ruff’le is for a $5,000 voucher from Marlin Travel and Collette Travel which can take you anywhere in the world for your dream trip. Not only do you get a chance to win big, but you are supporting the important work of the Peterborough Humane Society. Visit phs5050.ca to see what the jackpot is at and to get your tickets.
 
The Business Advisory Centre and Community Futures Peterborough have launched a new Tariff Toolkit. It has been developed with the shared expertise of local economic development teams and trade experts, this toolkit was designed to support businesses navigating the complexities of tariffs and global trade. It includes things like a step-by-step guide to understanding tariffs and how they apply to your products, tariff classification tips to ensure accurate product categorization, an import/export cost calculator template to estimate duties and taxes, and much more. Visit communityfuturespeterborough.ca to download the kit.
 
We’re going to keep highlight local businesses making things right here in Peterborough and the Kawarthas. This week we’re showcasing Havelock Metal. They have been in the steel business locally for more than 30 years, specializing in steel roofing, siding, trim, and accessories. They were founded in Havelock in 1993 and moved to their current facility at 901 Major Bennett Drive in Peterborough in 2018. They have a beautiful showroom and allow the public to buy directly from their manufacturing facility.