As I ambled up to the First Aid station in Winnipeg, I had a simple mission: find a Band-Aid and get on with my day at a busy conference. What I received jolted me instead.

As Vince the First Aid Guy dug through his stash, he asked where I had travelled from. “Peterborough, Ontario,” I said proudly with a smile.

“Oh, I’ve heard of Peterborough,” he replied. “You have a lot of crime there.”

Really. That was his first impression.

It haunted me overnight so I went back the next day and asked what in particular gave him that image of our city. He recalled hearing about a series of home invasions and that’s what stuck in his mind.

His partner Elly pointed out that we were standing in a city where 22 murders took place in 2025 — the lowest rate in years. Comparatively, Peterborough had one murder charge filed this year for a daughter allegedly killing her........

© Peterborough Examiner