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

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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Andrea Horwath Makes A Stop In Peterborough To Discuss Mental Health Supports In School

Andrea Horwath, Ontario’s New Democratic party leader, was in Peterborough on Tuesday to announce mental health supports in schools, if the NDP party were to be elected.

If elected, Horwath says she will invest $125 million more in mental health and well-being professionals and programming every year, as well as another $467 million over the next three years to hire more educational assistants from diverse backgrounds.

According to a press release, Horwath’s Universal Mental Health Care plan for Ontario’s kids and schools includes:

• Universal Mental Health Care, which means mental health support like counselling will be available with a health card, not a credit card, Horwath says.

• Investing $130 million over the next three years to build intensive treatment and specialized consultation services, increase access to psychotherapy and counselling, family therapy, and scale 24-hour crisis support services to ensure children and youth experiencing a crisis have an alternative to going to the emergency department.

• Investing $90 million annually to increase the number of regulated health workers and paraprofessionals in elementary and secondary schools such as counsellors, therapists, social workers, and child and youth workers to reduce wait times and improve access to mental health services.

• Doubling the Mental Health and Wellbeing Grant for schools through a $250 million investment to increase the ratio of staff in schools.

• Dedicating $467 million over the next three years to support schools to hire more educational assistants from diverse backgrounds that represent the diversity of Ontario’s student population.

• Implementing the Make Kids Count Action Plan to reduce the waitlist for children’s mental health to 30 days as laid out by the Children’s Health Coalition.

• Creating a new position at all school boards to assess and improve the delivery of mental health care in Ontario’s schools.

Horwath also had stops in Scarborough and Kingston on Tuesday to discuss schools, and to host a meet and greet.

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

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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Peterborough Police Service Investigating Incident Involving NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh

Peterborough Police Service is actively investigating the incident involving NDP leader Jagmeet Singh and protestors during his visit to Peterborough on Tuesday.

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

Protestors were outside the NDP campaign office building on George Street when Singh arrived and left the premises. Obscene words and gestures were made at the federal party leader by the protestors.

"We are aware that due to our staffing shortages, we are not always able to engage in proactive policing patrols," said Tim Farquharson, acting chief. "We also understand that public safety is of paramount importance and encourage residents to contact us with their concerns or any evidence that could aid in our investigations."

Police were unaware that Singh was in Peterborough as they were not contacted by the NDP leader prior to his visit according to a Tweet.

PPS wasn't aware NDP leader Jagmeet Singh was in Ptbo

Since learning of the event officers reached out to Mr. Singh to discuss as there were no calls for service

It's disheartening to hear as we know most residents are respectful & these few are not reflective of our community

— Peterborough Police (@PtboPolice) May 11, 2022

Singh was in town to show support for newly-appointed candidate Jen Deck for the Peterborough-Kawartha Riding. Deck was introduced to the party by Andrea Howarth, NDP Provincial leader on April 26.

Thank you to everyone that has reached out to me after yesterday’s incident in Peterborough.

Here are my thoughts and reflections: pic.twitter.com/Oz81q0S5du

— Jagmeet Singh (@theJagmeetSingh) May 12, 2022

The 2022 Ontario General Election begins on June 2.

The following are candidates for this year’s election:

• MPP Dave Smith, incumbent Progressive Conservative Party

• Greg Dempsey, Liberal Party

• Jen Deck, New Democratic Party

• Robert Gibson, Green Party

• Tom Marazzo, Ontario Party

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NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh Visits Peterborough To Show Support For Local Candidate

Jagmeet Singh paid a visit to Peterborough - Kawartha NDP Candidate Jen Deck at the campaign office, on Tuesday.

After Deck spoke with the crowd, Singh entered through the front door, through a crowd of protestors.

Singh addressed the crowd, commented on their signs and encouraged them to vote orange for the upcoming election.

“This is exciting,” said Singh. “If we form a New Democratic government, the things that we can do.”

Singh noted providing dental coverage, mental health coverage, and eliminating for-profit long term care homes.

After his speech Singh spoke with and took photos with those in attendance.

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Peterborough City Councillor Henry Clarke Files Nomination For Mayor

Peterborough City Councillor Henry Clarke filed for election to the office of Mayor of the City of Peterborough, on Thursday.

Clarke filing for nomination at City Hall. Photo by Angela O’Grady.

Clarke was elected as Monaghan Ward councillor in 1998, then re-elected five times.

He sat as deputy mayor from 2004 until 2018, and was also chair of the city’s finance committee from 2007 - 2018.

Clarke is the second resident to announce a campaign for Mayor. Northcrest Ward Stephen Wright also announced he would be seeking the office.

Current Mayor, Diane Therrien, announced in November that she would not be seeking re-election.

The Municipal Election will take place on Oct. 24.

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City Releases Guide For Candidates Running In Upcoming Municipal Election

A Municipal Candidate Guide for candidates in the upcoming municipal election on October 24, is now available on the City website at peterborough.ca/election.

Photo by Luke Best.

The Municipal Candidate Guide includes:

• nomination procedures

• election sign guidelines

• campaign expense limits

• ward boundary maps

• mandatory submission forms

• other information for candidates

In addition to the City’s Municipal Candidate Guide, the Province provides a 2022 Candidates’ Guide for municipal council and school board elections. The Province’s guide includes general information on nominations, campaigning, third-party advertising, and campaign finance.

The Nomination Period for candidates to file to run in the upcoming municipal election is open from May 2 to August 19. Candidates must obtain 25 endorsement signatures on the Provincially prescribed form from eligible electors in the City of Peterborough, which are filed with their nomination form. Electors may endorse more than one candidate. The requirement for signatures does not apply for candidates running to be school board trustees.

In the City of Peterborough, positions for election are Mayor and two ward Councillors for each of the five wards (Otonabee, Monaghan, Town, Ashburnham, and Northcrest) for City Council as well as trustee positions for the local school boards:

• Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board

• Peterborough Victoria Northumberland and Clarington Catholic District School Board

• Conseil Scolaire Catholique MonAvenir

• Conseil Scolaire Viamonde

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Teacher Jen Deck Introduced as NDP Candidate For Peterborough-Kawartha In Provincial Election

Teacher Jen Deck joins the NDP for the Ontario Provincial Election as she was introduced by party leader Andrea Horwath at the Peterborough Lift Lock Tuesday afternoon.

Jen Deck (left) with her dog Niko (middle) and NDP leader Andrea Horwarth (right) at the Peterborough Lift Lock. Horwath toured the Peterborough Tour Guild following the announcement. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

Deck will be chosen as the NDP’s candidate for Peterborough-Kawartha at a nomination meeting this Thursday.

"We need change now," she said after being introduced. "The system has failed us. Covid has taught us that we need to in our public services, in our healthcare, in our public education so that we can survive the bumps in the road."

LIVE - Excited to be in Peterborough welcoming education leader Jen Deck as our NDP candidate in Peterborough—Kawartha! Together, we'll start fixing what matters most so folks can build their best lives. #onpoli https://t.co/PdCbrUwqtN

— Andrea Horwath (@AndreaHorwath) April 26, 2022

Deck has been a teacher for 19 years in Peterborough. She has taught the Young Mom’s Program at Peterborough Alternative & Continuing Education; Medically Fragile Learning and Life, Science and Family Studies at Crestwood Secondary School and served as president of the Elementary Occasional Teachers.

"Education was poorly funded going into the Covid pandemic," said Deck. "Our classes are overcrowded, we do not have enough support staff to help deal with dysregulation.

With her experience in the classroom, Deck has made education a priority if elected.

“We have students who struggle to regulate their behaviour more so now after Covid, after two years of chaos but this was in place before that,” she said. “This was a problem. We need more teachers, we need more education staff, we need to fund public education and we can't be playing with this idea of moving to vouchers or some kind of privatized education system because it will fail everyone."

Deck addressed healthcare and caring for small and medium businesses as other major areas of focus.

She will run against the following candidates for the June 2 election:

• MPP Dave Smith, incumbent Progressive Conservative Party

• Greg Dempsey, Liberal Party

• Robert Gibson, Green Party

• Tom Marazzo, Ontario Party

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Ontario Government Offering Individuals Up To $28,000 Towards Tuition For In-Demand Work

The Ontario Government is launching a new training program, Better Jobs Ontario, on Friday which will pay up to $28,000 in tuition and other costs for short-duration training programs that allow job seekers to match their skills with the needs of hiring employers in the community, they announced at Fleming College on Monday.

Photo by Angela O’Grady.

Better Jobs Ontario will be open to anyone looking to train for in-demand work, including those on social assistance, who are self-employed, gig workers, youth, and newcomers to the province.

“To build a stronger Ontario, we need all hands on deck. Our government is on a mission to help everyday people earn bigger paycheques and we’re leaving nobody behind,” said Monte McNaughton, Minister of Labour, Training and Skills Development. “Whether you are a young person struggling to break into the job market, a gig worker hustling to make ends meet, or unemployed and on social assistance, our government is here to give you a hand up to building a better life and stronger province for us all.”

Starting on Friday, this program will pay up to $28,000 in tuition and other costs for short-duration training programs that allow job seekers to match their skills with the needs of hiring employers in the community. Expanding on the current Second Career program, more applicants will now be eligible for up to $500 per week in financial support for basic living expenses.

“This funding opens doors for underemployed workers, new students and anyone looking to pursue a new career that requires a specific skillset,” said Fleming College President Maureen Adamson. “It expands job training and education to those who need it the most.”

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Green Party Candidate Hosted A 'Policy Walk & Roll” For Earth Day

Robert Gibson, Green Party Candidate for Peterborough-Kawartha, held a walk through downtown Peterborough to speak about current issues on Friday afternoon.

He addressed issues such as climate change, public health, the opioid crisis, natural heritage protection, housing, basic income, public transit and workplace safety reform.

“Doug Ford’s sprawl agenda and failure to protect wetlands has serious local consequences in Peterborough – Kawartha, including severe, expensive flooding,” Gibson said in a press release. “Ontario Greens are the only party with a real plan to protect the nature that protects us.”

Gibson was announced as the Ontario Greens candidate in Peterborough-Kawartha on Thursday. He has a bachelor's degree in environmental science from Trent University, a freelance journalist and frequent contributor to the Arthur; Trent University's student newspaper.

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