Kawartha Community Foundation

10/22/2026

💚 Celebrating our 2026 Social Sustainability Fund grantees!

Kawartha Community Foundation brought local organizations together for a breakfast filled with conversation, connection and stories of the work happening across Kawartha Lakes.

From improving food access and supporting mental health to creating opportunities for children and youth, these organizations are helping build a stronger, more connected community.

Thank you to our grantees for your dedication, to the City of Kawartha Lakes for supporting the Social Sustainability Fund, and to everyone who joined us to celebrate and share ideas.

Congratulations to our 2026 recipients! We look forward to sharing more about your projects and the people they support. 🌱

Connect with the organizations making a difference:

10/20/2026

🚂 A new partnership to help preserve Omemee’s history!

The Omemee Lions Club and Kawartha Community Foundation have partnered to support the Omemee Train Station Revitalization project.

The Lions Club will lead the project locally, while the Foundation will administer charitable contributions and issue donation tax receipts through its Public Amenities Fund.

Proposed improvements include restoration work, enhanced accessibility, heritage displays and outdoor amenities—helping this historic landmark remain a welcoming community space for generations to come.

💛 Help bring this vision to life:
Donate through
Zeffy: https://www.zeffy.com/en-CA/donation-form/help-revitalize-the-omemee-train-station
Or
Canada Helps
Learn more about the project

Interested in sponsorship? Contact [email protected] or [email protected].

10/08/2026

Bringing Kawartha Lakes voices to the Together for Justice roundtable

Local experiences matter when shaping better access to justice.

Kawartha Community Foundation was pleased to bring perspectives from our community’s Together for Justice work to the roundtable—sharing local experiences, barriers and the important role community organizations play in helping residents access support.

Thank you to our local partners for contributing their knowledge and experience, and to The Law Foundation of Ontario and Community Foundations of Canada for supporting this work.

Read more about bringing Kawartha Lakes voices to the conversation:
https://www.kawarthafoundation.ca/news-blog/bringing-kawartha-lakes-voices-to-the-together-for-justice-roundtable

10/06/2026

Understanding Your Housing Rights in Ontario

Are you an immigrant or newcomer to Canada? Join Together for Justice for a free housing workshop designed to help you navigate life in your community.

Guest speaker Holly Chu, from the Community Legal Clinic – Kawartha Lakes, Haliburton, Simcoe, will share information about housing options, the rental process, and tenant rights under Ontario’s Residential Tenancies Act.

📅 Thursday, October 29, 2026
🕛 12 noon–2 p.m.
📍 Ampere Kawartha Lakes Makerspace
12 Peel Street, Lindsay

The workshop welcomes immigrants, newcomers, refugees and asylum seekers, international students, and migrant workers.

✅ Free to attend — registration required
📧 Register or learn more: [email protected]

Hosted by the Kawartha Lakes & Haliburton Integrated Immigrant Services Association (KLHIISA) .

Please share with someone who could benefit!

10/03/2026

There may be jobs available in Kawartha Lakes, but what if you can’t get to them? And what if the jobs you can reach don’t pay enough to live here?

In the latest instalment of our series examining the Kawartha Community Foundation’s Vital Signs report, Mike Puffer looks at the barriers facing local workers, from limited transportation and a geographically dispersed community to low wages, part-time employment and the rising cost of living.

Read it in print or online at https://icmp.ca/https://lindsayadvocate.ca/post/getting-to-work-transportation-and-low-wages-stall-kawartha-lakes-economy-1790617724

09/30/2026

Today, on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, we remember and reflect. We honour Indigenous children, families and communities, and recognize the importance of listening, learning and building respectful relationships.

Here in Kawartha Lakes, the Mishkodeh Centre for Indigenous Knowledge offers an opportunity to put that commitment into action. Its vision is a gathering place in Bobcaygeon where Indigenous and non-Indigenous people can learn together through land-based learning, Indigenous knowledge, culture and language.

We invite our community to learn more about Mishkodeh and help bring this vision to life—today and throughout the year.

Learn more or contribute:
www.kawarthafoundation.ca/funds/mishkodeh-centre

09/29/2026

Minimum wage increases to $17.95 on Oct 1st as well as student wages to $16.90. This is still far from a LIVING WAGE in this region which is $22.20. Paying living wages? Share this proud support.

Ontario Raising Minimum Wage to Protect Workers and Support a Competitive Economy | Ontario Newsroom

09/28/2026

Heads up! Affordable housing lists - Consider applying if you fit the criteria and need!

🏡 Looking for a rental home you can afford? You may qualify for affordable housing!

Applications are now open for the Kawartha Lakes and Haliburton County Affordable Housing Waiting List.

This program offers rental homes at rates below average market rent, helping individuals and families with moderate incomes find a place to call home.

Current affordable rents start at:
🏠 One-bedroom: $1,311/month
🏠 Two-bedroom: $1,561/month

Households earning between $44,500 and $66,500 annually may be eligible to apply.

Even if you've never considered affordable housing before, we encourage you to check your eligibility. Your next home could be closer than you think!

👉 Learn more and find out how to apply: https://www.kawarthalakes.ca/news-and-notices/posts/affordable-housing-waiting-list-offers-rental-units-below-average-rent/

County of Haliburton

09/28/2026

Matching gift within this generous gift - you know what to do!!

Thanks to the exceptional generosity of FDC Foundation, our community has an outstanding opportunity to modernize and expand ultrasound services at RMH!

Recognizing the significant demand and profound need for local access to state-of-the-art equipment, FDC Foundation is stepping up with a transformational gift of $1.2 million for this high-priority project. And they want to do even more. FDC Foundation is challenging the community to join them in supporting ultrasound at the Ross! Once we raise $500,000 – it will unlock an additional $500,000 match gift from FDC. That means they will match your gift – dollar for dollar – for gold standard ultrasound care at the Ross!

Learn more about this exciting announcement and how you can give patients twice the hope! https://foundation.rmh.org/foundation-news-releases/fdc-foundation-makes-transformational-gift-to-modernize-and-expand-ultrasound-services-at-ross-memorial-hospital

09/23/2026

🌳 Did you know today is National Tree Day?

Thanks to a generous grant from Canada (https://treecanada.ca/national-tree-day/) , Plant Kawartha and Kawartha Community Foundation are planting new trees at Scott Young Public School. These trees will help make the schoolyard a greener place for students to learn and play for years to come.

A special thank-you to local supplier Pine Needle Farms, Douglas Kennedy of Green Side Up Environmental Services Inc., and the school leaders, volunteers and community collaborators who made this planting possible.

Is your school in Kawartha Lakes interested in a planting project? Contact Plant Kawartha to explore what we could grow together! 🌱