Mayor Diane Therrien Declares State of Emergency On Homelessness

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Mayor Diane Therrien has declared a state of emergency on homelessness after calling a special city council meeting on Thursday.

Mayor Diane Therrien was first elected back in 2018, defeating incumbent Daryl Bennett. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

Therrien is acting alone on the matter as city council made no motion to make the declaration.

“I’ve called a Special Meeting of Council for this Thursday to receive an update from (and provide direction to, if needed) staff about the plans for ensuring unhoused folks have access to indoor space this fall/winter,” said Therrien in a Tweet.

She is following suit with cities such as St. Catharines, Niagara Falls and Ottawa which have also declared states of emergency.

Sandra Clancy, chief administrative officer says that due to the timing of when this emergency has been declared, rules within Municipal Act curb the ability of city council and senior staff to spend money during the lame duck period.

The declaration is in name only for the time being as additional funds from federal or provincial governments cannot be received nor is the city able to spend its own money.

The city must wait during the lame duck period before the new city council is elected on Oct. 24 and officially sworn in on Nov. 28.

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NDP's Andrea Horwath Hits Peterborough Days After Massive Windstorm Strikes Town

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New Democratic Party (NDP) provincial leader Andrea Horwath stopped in Peterborough to witness the damage from Saturday’s massive windstorm on Wednesday afternoon.

NDP Provincial Leader Andrea Horwath (left), Mayor Diane Therrien (middle) and Peterborough-Kawartha riding candidate Jen Deck at the Lions Club where several large trees were uprooted from Saturday’s windstorm. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

Horwath came at Mayor Diane Therrien’s request shortly after the storm hit the area. It was the first day Horwath went back on tour from isolation since she tested positive for COVID-19 last Thursday.

“It's shocking to see the impact of the storm,” said Horwath. “One minute, everything was a normal Saturday afternoon and then within a matter of minutes, complete havoc rained through the community and that's a scary thing. Seeing it physically makes me feel a lot of concern for people who actually went through it."

“There's a lot of devastation," said Therrien. “We still have a lot of residents without power and a lot of folks who are really struggling. We worry about seniors that are isolated and some of the folks in some of the high-rise buildings with accessibility issues are certainly a concern so the City's been doing everything they can.”

Therrien, Horwath and Peterborough-Kawartha riding candidate Jen Deck walked around the East City area and discussed issues that needed to be addressed as a result of the storm’s damage.

“I think these kinds of incidents reinforce the imperative that we have to deal with the climate emergency," said Horwath. “Our plan, the Green New Democratic Deal is one that is very proactive that will bring our greenhouse gas emissions down by 50 percent by 2030 and have a carbon-neutral economy by 2050."

Horwath was critical of the province’s disaster response system.

"The disaster response system in Ontario has never really functioned very well so people end up waiting sometimes years for any kind of financial assistance and that's not just good enough," explained Horwath. "We need to be getting financial assistance into people's pockets as quickly as possible, our plan calls for a 30-day maximum in terms of having to wait."

@ptbo_canada #PTBOCanada resident caught Saturdays #ONStorm from their apartment building. Transformers & Hydro lines down all over the city🤳: Nevil Patel #Derecho #Weather #Transformer ♬ Stan by Eminem - vanessa

Therrien called a state of emergency for Peterborough earlier that morning after submitting the declaration to the province yesterday.

"The state of emergency helps the municipality by giving us a little bit more flexibility to work around the normal government process,” said Therrien. “Government doesn't always work the fastest so being able to call in different partners rather than go through a procurement process, just to be able to say we need this kind of equipment, we need this kind of people and volunteers now. It just gives us the ability to be more nimble in our decision making."

Therrien could not offer a timeline of when the state of emergency will be lifted.

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Mayor Diane Therrien Condemns Actions of Incident Involving NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh

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Mayor Diane Therrien is condemning the incident involving NDP leader Jagmeet Singh during his visit to Peterborough last Tuesday.

Mayor Diane Therrien (right) at City Hall issuing her statement involving Singh. The mayor was not present during Singh’s visit to Peterborough.

He visited Peterborough - Kawartha NDP Candidate Jen Deck at her George Street campaign office in support of her running.

During his visit, Singh was confronted by protestors during his arrival and departure from the rally.

“Peterborough” has been a trending topic on Twitter since the incident that has garnered national attention. Photo by Angela O’Grady.

The following is an official statement issued by Therrien at City Hall on Tuesday morning:

On Tuesday May 10, our City was the site of an ugly, unacceptable attack on the leader of the Federal NDP. Mr. Singh came here to support the provincial party’s local candidate, as is his right to do so, and he should have been able to do so free from harassment and intimidation.

This was not a protest or acts of civil disobedience. Mr. Singh was targeted and physically harassed as he left the campaign office and walked to his vehicle. People yelled at him, insulted him, and swore at him.

This incident is one of many that our and other communities have been subjected to in recent months.

The purpose of this behaviour is to intimidate. It is to incite others to join in the rage, anger, and violence. It is intended to disrupt our freedom to safely and securely participate in the democratic process.

It is to distract us from working together to address the issues that truly matter and are increasingly urgent for all of us -- climate change, mental health, drug addiction, child poverty, housing affordability, the list goes on. These are deliberate, and very damaging, distractions.

The result of this behaviour is a corrosive poisoning of our communities, the amplification of racism and misogyny, and the deterioration of the peace, order and good government that Canadians continue to fight and die for.

We are Better Than This.

The City of Peterborough is Better Than This.

We all must be Better Than This. And each one of us in positions of influence must clearly, forcefully, and repeatedly condemn these tactics.

As Peterborough’s municipal leaders, we stand here together to show that we unconditionally condemn these tactics. We will not be intimidated to speak up and stand up against this, and demand better from everyone who engages in public and political debate.

I, Mayor of Peterborough, am calling on every political leader in Canada to stand with the good people of Peterborough and condemn these tactics. To refuse to be intimidated and coerced into appeasing or collaborating in any way with those who are terrorizing our democratic processes. To say, that this terror must stop now for the good of our country and for the protection of our democratic freedoms.

To say nothing is a choice. To not clearly, forcefully and repeatedly condemn these tactics is to be complicit. And the good, decent people of Canada who place a high value on peace and respectful discourse, must demand this from themselves and from all political leaders.

Finally, we, the Council for the City of Peterborough, will bring forward a motion at our next Council meeting to invite Mr. Singh back to our city, to show solidarity, to stand united with him, and to let him know that we are Better Than This. Thank you.

Therrien was not taking questions from the media following her statement.

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Mayor Diane Therrien To Return To Office Part Time After Temporary Leave

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After taking a temporary leave of absence beginning Feb. 14, Mayor Diane Therrien will return to part time work this week and transition into full time work next week, she announced on Wednesday.

Therrien took a temporary leave to address her personal health on Feb. 14.

During her absence Councilor Andrew Beamer, Deputy Mayor for the City of Peterborough took on the role Acting Mayor.

In a social media post made on Wednesday Therrien thanked Beamer, and Deputy Mayor Akapo for filling in for her.

She noted that her doctor suggested she return part time, and transition back to full time next week.

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Mayor Diane Therrien Takes Temporary Leave Of Absence Effective Immediately

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In a statement released Monday evening Mayor Diane Therrien announced that she will be taking a temporary leave of absence effective immediately.

File Photo. Courtesy of Diane Therrien.

Councilor Andrew Beamer, Deputy Mayor for the City of Peterborough to temporarily take on the role of Acting Mayor.

Therrien is taking this temporary leave to address her personal health.

“While it pains me to step away from my responsibilities as our community continues to deal with the impacts of COVID, I deeply appreciate Deputy Mayor Beamer’s willingness to step up as well as my fellow Councillors for filling in as they are able,” she said in a release. “I know the important work of the City will continue in my absence, and I look forward to re-joining you all soon.”

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Watch Episode 32 Of PTBOCanada With Mayor-Elect Diane Therrien

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On Episode 32, we talk to mayor-elect Diane Therrien about her backstory, how she came to Peterborough, her passion for community, and her vision for the city moving forward.

Watch the episode below…

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Diane Therrien Elected New Mayor Of Peterborough

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Peterborough has a new Mayor. Diane Therrien defeated incumbent Daryl Bennett, with 19,254 votes—68.98 percent of the vote. Bennett finished with 8,659 votes, or 31.02 percent.*

Picture via @DianeNTherrien on Twitter

“Thank you #ptbo for believing in me and for expecting more. Tonight you spoke loudly and I am humbled to be your next mayor of Peterborough,” Therrien says in a tweet.

She also posted to Instagram to thank voters…

Thank you #ptbo for believing in me and for expecting more. Tonight you spoke loudly and I am humbled to be your next mayor of Peterborough.

162 Likes, 43 Comments - Diane Therrien (@dianetherrienptbo) on Instagram: "Thank you #ptbo for believing in me and for expecting more. Tonight you spoke loudly and I am..."

*Unofficial results for the City of Peterborough 2018 Municipal Election as released by John Kennedy, Returning Officer on October 22, 2018.

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PTBOCANADA


PTBOCanada Featured Post: Diane Therrien In Town Ward

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Promoted post by Diane Therrien campaign team

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