Councillor Heather Watson Running for Douro-Dummer Mayor

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Douro Ward Councillor Heather Watson has announced her intention to run for Mayor for the Township of Douro-Dummer in the upcoming Municipal announced on Wednesday.

Photo courtesy of Heather Ward.

She announced her candidacy at the Warsaw Town Hall on Wednesday.

Watson has been a Douro Ward representative since 2018. She has served on boards such as the Kawartha Chamber of Commerce, Peterborough Agricultural Society, Community Futures Peterborough and the United Way Campaign Cabinet.

"Looking to new horizons, I will focus on Building on Tradition,” said Watson. “To grow, we will need to not only look to the future but look to the past. We need to build our community, continue to update our infrastructure and build new partnerships."

Watson claims that she heard from community engagement that there is a need to reconnect and rebuild the community and that inflation and the housing crisis are making it difficult for families. Additionally, municipal facilities need new investment and that the environment and climate change are top of mind for residents.

Watson is holding a Town Hall meeting on Sep. 19 to hear concerns from residents to shape future policy.

“The next several weeks are about you. I want to hear from you and take your guidance as we rebuild and reconnect the community,” she said.

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Former MPP Jeff Leal Enters Peterborough Mayoral Race After Four-Year Absence

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After a four-year hiatus from politics, former Liberal MPP Jeff Leal is running to be the next mayor of Peterborough in a campaign launch at the Peterborough Lions Club on Thursday night.

Leal (right) greeting supporters at the door to a room of over 100 people in his campaign launch at the Lions Club. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

Over 100 supporters came out to cheer on Leal as short speeches were made by several dignitaries, highlighting the former MPP’s accomplishments.

Laurie Carr, Hiawatha Chief; Adrian Foster, Clarington Mayor; Durham Coun. Granville Anderson; Lou Rinaldi, former Northumberland MPP and Ashburnham Ward Councillor Gary Baldwin were some notable figures present at the event. Carr and Baldwin spoke at Leal’s campaign while J. Murray Jones, Douro-Dummer mayor, sent a video endorsement but was not present at the event.

Leal served four consecutive terms as the MPP for the Peterborough - Kawartha riding from 2003 to 2018 until current Conservative MPP Dave Smith won the seat. The former MPP says he’s spent his time off politics volunteering in the community.

"I'm currently the chair of the board of Employment Planning and Counselling Peterborough, I'm vice-chair of the board of St. Joseph's at Fleming long-term care home, I'm on the strategic planning committee, I have a passion for golf at the Kawartha Golf & Country Club and I've also been doing consulting work in the field of agriculture,” said Leal.

The new mayoral candidate said had no intention of returning to politics, let alone running for mayor until he received overwhelming encouragement from peers and citizens.

"After 2018, I didn't aspire to run for political office again but certainly over the last four years, I've been an observer of things in the City of Peterborough and it's the unprecedented encouragement that I got,” explained Leal. “People coming up to me and said, 'We really think with the skills that you demonstrated in the past would be helpful to build a better Peterborough down the road.’”

Leal served under former Liberal Premier Kathleen Wynne. He worked in several ministries as an MPP such as the Ministry of Energy, Ministry of Environment and the Minister of Agriculture and Food and Rural Affairs. He says that experience will help in accomplishing his top priority if elected as mayor.

“One of the things that I'm going to identify is '100 Days of Action,' and part of that will be over the next six months to enter into positive, respectful, sensitive negotiations with Cavan-Monaghan to annex the City of Peterborough by 4,000 acres so we actually have the platform we need to encourage growth for future prosperity both for the City of Peterborough and the county of Peterborough,” explained Leal.

Leal joins councillors Stephen Wright and Henry Clarke for the mayoral race. Mayor Diane Therrien stated that she will not seek re-election in the fall last year. Voting day is Oct. 24 beginning at 10 a.m. with polls closing at 8 p.m.

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City of Peterborough Reminding Residents To Ensure They Are Registered To Vote Ahead Of October Election

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The City of Peterborough asks residents to confirm that they are registered to vote in the upcoming municipal and school board elections on October 24 Residents can visit peterborough.ca/voters check to make sure they are on the voters list.

File Photo.

Residents, owners, and tenants of property in the City of Peterborough who are Canadian citizens and at least 18 years old on Election Day are eligible to vote in the municipal election in Peterborough.

Registering in advance helps ensure a seamless voting experience and is necessary for those who plan to vote online.

“We’re planning for convenient online voting and voting locations in neighbourhoods throughout the community to make it simple for people to cast their votes in the municipal election on October 24. By making sure you’re on the voters list, you will be ready to cast your vote on Election Day,” said Vicki King, Elections Coordinator with the City of Peterborough.

Both online and in-person voting will be available for the 2022 municipal election. Online voting starts Oct. 1 and ends Oct. 24 at 8 p.m. In-person voting will be available at advance voting locations on Oct. 8, Oct. 15, and Oct. 22 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and on election day on Oct. 24 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Voter Notification Cards will be sent to registered voters by mail in late September or early October. The notification card will specify the assigned voting location for the registered voter. Voters who choose to vote in person must vote in their designated ward. All voting locations are barrier-free for people with disabilities. Online voting is a convenient option that will allow registered voters to vote from anywhere using a smartphone, tablet, or computer with internet access.

Details on voting options are posted on the municipal election website at peterborough.ca/vote. An advance voting location that provides enhanced accessibility features will be provided at City Hall, 500 George St. N., from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily from Oct. 17 to Oct. 21.

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MPP Dave Smith Elected For Second Term In Provincial Election

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It’s four more years for Conservative candidate and MPP Dave Smith as he won the 2022 Peterborough-Kawartha Riding for the provincial election held on Thursday night.

Dave Smith earns back-to-back terms for the Conservative Party. Gary Stewart was the last Conservative MPP for the Peterborough-Kawartha riding to get elected for consecutive terms from 1995-2003. Photo by Luke Best.

Smith won the riding with 20,188 votes, getting a 38.5 per cent share of the ballots. This win marks the start of his second term as MPP.

"Anytime you're an elected official, the whole goal is to help the people that have put you there," said Smith. "For this many people to step forward once again and say, 'we like what you've done, we believe in you, please represent us again,' it's a very humbling experience."

Smith held his election party at the Peterborough Golf & Country Club that had a small and quiet crowd in the final hour before ballots closed at 9 p.m. EST.

The crowd picked up to roughly 80 people once ballots were being counted. It only took 38 minutes since the polls closed before Smith was declared the winner. There were chants of ‘four more years’ and a loud cheer once the result was in.

"When we went out there with Covid, I tried listening to what the challenges were," said Smith. "People recognized that I was there in their corner in a tough time and I was trying to do things that were going to make life better for them."

Smith’s victory was a stepping stone for the Conservative Party as Premier Doug Ford was re-elected to a second term 11 minutes after polls closed. They earned a majority government seven minutes later.

"I think people were happy with what we did over the last four years," said Smith. "They recognized that Premier Ford has a heart of gold and his whole intent is for the people of Ontario.”

Smith says ‘the work is not done yet’ as he has several issues he wants to tackle after being re-elected. He says he has a start on addressing the healthcare challenges in the province by rebuilding the economy and getting people jobs first.

"When the economy is moving well, we have more money as government to do all of the extra things we need to support people," he said.

Smith notes that more work needs to be done in healthcare, long-term care, education skills trades, natural resources, forestry and Indigenous affairs.

The following were the results of the Peterborough-Kawartha Riding:

  • Dave Smith (Conservative) - 20,188 votes (38.5 per cent)

  • Greg Dempsey (Liberal) - 16,021 votes (30.6 per cent)

  • Jen Deck (New Democratic) - 11,210 votes (21.4 per cent)

  • Tom Morazzo (Ontario Party) - 1,973 votes (3.8 per cent)

  • Robert Gibson (Green) - 1,914 votes (3.7 per cent)

  • Rebecca Quinnell (New Blue) - 1,078 votes (2.1 per cent)

Dempsey made a brief visit congratulating Smith’s win while Deck and Gibson spent a longer amount of time with the Conservative candidate after his win.

Ontario Liberal Steven Del Duca lost his hometown riding of Vaughan-Woodbridge and stepped down as leader. He lost to Michael Tibollo who defeated him back in 2018.

NDP’s Andrea Horwath resigned as leader however the party remains as the official opposition. She won her riding of Hamilton Centre in a landslide by nearly 12,000 votes (57.3 per cent share).

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NDP Federal Leader Jagmeet Singh Hits Peterborough Since Infamous Incident on Prior Visit

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It only took 21 days for New Democratic Party (NDP) federal leader Jagmeet Singh to return to Peterborough on Tuesday since he was met with a protest following a campaign visit on May 10.

He accepted Peterborough’s invitation after City Council agreed to bring him back in their meeting Monday night. Protestors shouted obscenities and called him a ‘traitor’ following his visit to Peterborough-Kawartha NDP candidate Jen Deck at her campaign office.

“I've had lots of great experiences in Peterborough so I wasn't going to let one isolated incident in any way discourage me from coming back,” said Singh. “What happened when I was first here in terms of the folks that were in front of the office, that's not representative of Peterborough. There are people that are genuinely frustrated and angry and I think we have to listen to that frustration.”

In a small gathering at the Lift Lock, supporters and Deck welcomed Singh. The federal leader endorsed the Peterborough-Kawartha candidate as the next MPP during his time in Peterborough.

Singh reminded voters that his party wants to address healthcare, education and the housing crisis as ‘things that really matter to people.’

The provincial election is on Thursday. Deck is challenging current MPP and Conservative candidate Dave Smith.

The following are the candidates for the Peterborough-Kawartha Riding in the provincial election:

  • MPP Dave Smith (Conservative)

  • Greg Dempsey (Liberal)

  • Jen Deck (New Democratic Party)

  • Robert Gibson (Green Party)

  • Tom Morazzo (Ontario Party)

  • Rebecca Quinnell (New Blue Party)

  • Dylan Smith (None of the Above Party)

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NDP Leader Andrea Horwath Addresses Government Cuts in Campaign Visit to Peterborough

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The New Democratic Party (NDP) is making its final push this provincial election as leader Andrea Horwath came to Peterborough to support candidate Jen Deck and criticize opposing parties in a rally on Monday.

NDP Peterborough-Kawartha candidate Jen Deck (left) with NDP provincial leader Andrea Horwath during a rally at Silver Bean Café. Horwath last visited Peterborough on Wednesday in her first day back to campaigning after leaving COVID-19 protocols. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

Supporters chanted the candidates’ names and phrases such as, “Stop the cuts!” as the women came to the Silver Bean Café during the final week before the election this Thursday. Both candidates criticized the Ford government and their alleged cuts and the Liberal government for creating a “broken system.”

"I'm certain that people know what's at stake in this election campaign and they know that many of the things that are broken were broken by the Liberals," said Horwath. "Things have gotten much worse under Doug Ford and Conservative cuts always hurt. That's what we're hearing on the doorstep."

Horwath says stopping the cuts to the healthcare system one of the party’s top priorities if elected including scrapping Bill 124 which caps healthcare worker salaries. She criticized the Liberal government’s handling of releasing vast numbers of healthcare workers during the pandemic.

Deck has been a teacher in Peterborough for over 19 years. She says the teachers have been working tirelessly during the pandemic and deserve better treatment.

"When I talk to my teaching colleagues, they are exhausted after three hard years," said Deck. "We need to start treating our educators with the respect that they deserve, they've worked their butts off to make the experience as positive as possible but it's been really hard and they've had a lot going against them."

Both Deck and Horwath oppose Ford’s plan for mandatory online learning. Deck says not all students have proper Internet to be capable of online learning and miss out on the full experience as a result.

“It's about community, it's about sharing and it's about playing well with others. These are not skills you can teach on a Zoom call," "You need to be looking eye-to-eye with the kids and teaching them those life lessons and modeling behaviour that you'd like them to emulate."

The provincial election is on Thursday. Deck is challenging current MPP and Conservative candidate Dave Smith.

The following are the candidates for the Peterborough-Kawartha Riding in the provincial election:

  • MPP Dave Smith (Conservative)

  • Greg Dempsey (Liberal)

  • Jen Deck (New Democratic Party)

  • Robert Gibson (Green Party)

  • Tom Morazzo (Ontario Party)

  • Rebecca Quinnell (New Blue Party)

  • Dylan Smith (None of the Above Party)

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

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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

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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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Peterborough Police Service Investigating Incident Involving NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh

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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.

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.

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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