Ice Storm Updates From City of Peterborough (April 1)

Warming centres remain open for residents of the City and County experiencing extended power outages caused by the weekend’s severe ice storm as Hydro One crews continue to work to restore power to affected areas.

Photo by David Tuan Bui.

The City’s three warming centres are open at the following locations:

• Healthy Planet Arena, banquet hall, 911 Monaghan Rd.: during the day and overnight, will be open until at least noon on April 2.

• Miskin Law Community Complex, 271 Lansdowne St. W.: open until 11 p.m. on April 1

• Peterborough Sport and Wellness Centre, 775 Brealey Dr.: open until 11 p.m. on April 1

Food is being provided by community partners, including the Salvation Army, at the Healthy Planet Arena.

With widespread power outages continuing, the City urges those to check on neighbours and loved ones.

Peterborough Public Health provides information on food safety and storage, including safety guidance related to extended power outages following the ice storm. Please follow this guidance and monitor food spoilage.

Peterborough Transit resumed services on most routes on Tuesday morning. The Social Services office at 178 Charlotte St. also reopened on Tuesday after power was restored to the building.

Peterborough Public Library and Peterborough Museum and Archives reopened on Tuesday.

Recreation facilities, including arenas, the pool, and community centres, remain closed until at least noon on Wednesday. Depending on conditions and power, they are expected to reopen at noon on Wednesday.

The Provincial Offences Office at 99 Simcoe St. remains closed.

Riverview Park and Zoo remains closed due to extensive tree damage. Damage is being assessed and recovery efforts are being planned to determine when the zoo can safely reopen for visitors. The care of the animals is being maintained and the animals are safe.

Public Works crews continue to respond to downed trees on streets and sidewalks, addressing hazardous situations. There were additional reports of downed trees on Monday night and Tuesday morning.

Peterborough Fire Services reminds residents using backup generators and equipment like a gas-powered cooking stove or charcoal grill to follow safe practices to avoid risks from carbon monoxide.

Curbside garbage, green bin, and yard waste collection will proceed regularly this week.

All City parks are officially closed due to the risk of falling trees and tree limbs caused by ice accumulation.

Regular yard waste curbside collection service begins this week.

Residential yard waste and tree debris can be dropped off at the City-County Landfill, 1260 Bensfort Rd., free of charge, until April 14.

Curbside chipping service for large tree debris that cannot be processed through the regular yard waste curbside collection will be provided when resources can be redeployed to provide that service. Resources are dedicated to storm response efforts, addressing hazardous and critical conditions. An update will be provided when the curbside chipping service for large tree debris will begin.

As a result of the ice storm, the City is temporarily waiving the permit requirement to remove trees that have been destroyed, destabilized or structurally compromised as a direct result of the ice storm, with the following condition:

• Residents must send email notification to treebylaw@peterbough.ca, providing photos, property address, tree species information including diameter, and provide the physiological and structural condition of the tree preferably prior to removing the tree or as soon as possible after removing a tree.

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Peterborough Transit Providing Special Shuttle Bus Service To City's Warming Centres

A free shuttle bus is available for residents who need transportation to any of the City of Peterborough’s three warming centres, announced on Monday afternoon.

File Photo.

The shuttle will run every 30 minutes starting at 2 p.m. The last trip departs City Hall at 10:50 p.m.

The route runs in the following loop:

• Murray and George streets, outside City Hall, 500 George St. N.

• The Simcoe Street Bus Terminal

• The Peterborough Sport and Wellness Centre, 775 Brealey Dr.

• Healthy Planet Arena, 911 Monaghan Rd.

• Miskin Law Community Complex, 271 Lansdowne St. W.

This shuttle bus is free of charge and available to all residents.

Regular transit service is suspended until further notice.

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Ice Storm Updates From City of Peterborough (March 31)

With ongoing power outages due to the severe ice storm over the weekend, the City will keep warming centres open on Monday for anyone needing a heated location.

Photo by David Tuan Bui.

The City says Hydro One continues to address downed power lines in the region and City Public Works crews are responding to downed trees and tree limbs on public property.

An emergency declaration remains in place for the City of Peterborough as the immediate response and recovery efforts are expected to extend over several days.

Residents are asked to avoid unnecessary travel.

Warming centres are open at the following locations:

• Healthy Planet Arena, banquet hall, 911 Monaghan Rd., open until at least noon on Tuesday

• Miskin Law Community Complex, 271 Lansdowne St. W., until 11 p.m. on Monday

• Peterborough Sport and Wellness Centre, 775 Brealey Dr., until 11 p.m. on Monday

Except for the warming centre spaces listed above, City recreation facilities—including arenas, fitness centres and the pool—are closed for regular operations until at least noon on Tuesday. The City will reassess conditions on Tuesday.

Peterborough Transit is stationing buses as temporary warming locations in areas with an identified need, including at:

• 611 Rogers St.

• 486 Donegal St.

• 526 McDonnel St.

• Hedonics Road, in the cul-de-sac

Garbage and Green Bin collection are expected to proceed according to the normal schedule. Yard waste collection begins this week.

For residents who are taking yard waste to the landfill, tipping fees for residential yard waste will be waived until April 14 to assist with recovery efforts following the ice storm.

The Service Peterborough and City Clerk’s Office customer service desks at City Hall, 500 George St. N., are open for in-person services.

Social Services offers in-person services, including social assistance cheque pickups, in Service Peterborough at City Hall, 500 George St. N., on Monday. The Social Services office at 178 Charlotte St. is closed for in-person services; Social Services staff are available by phone and email.

Peterborough Public Library will be open until 8 p.m. on Monday, depending on the facility's power being maintained.

Peterborough Transit has suspended service until further notice due to downed power lines and trees on streets. It is monitoring conditions and will resume service when conditions allow.

Peterborough Museum and Archives, Riverview Park and Zoo and Art Gallery of Peterborough are closed until noon on Tuesday. The City will reassess conditions on Tuesday.

City Council’s General Committee meeting, which was scheduled for Monday evening, has been canceled and rescheduled for the afternoon of April 7.

With sewage pumping stations sporadically operating on backup generators, residents are asked to reduce water consumption to lower the water flow through the wastewater treatment system.

Peterborough Fire Services reminds residents who are using backup generators and equipment like a gas-powered cooking stove or charcoal grill to follow safe practices to avoid risks from carbon monoxide.

With the continued risk of falling tree limbs and trees until recovery efforts can address trees in parks, all City parks are officially closed until further notice.

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City to Resume Yard Waste and Large Item Collection Services

Curbside leaf and yard waste collection resumes Tuesday and continues weekly through the last week of November.

Photo courtesy of The City of Peterborough,

The City encourages residents to use paper yard waste bags or rigid, open-top reusable containers with handles. There is no limit to the number of bags or containers that can be placed at the curbside. Plastic bags will not be collected.

Yard waste will be collected weekly on the same day as green bins.

Set-Out Requirements:

• Reusable containers must display two clearly identifiable yellow labels indicating “Yard Waste.” These labels are available free of charge at City Hall (500 George St. N.), Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

• Brush may be bundled with light rope or twine. Bundles should not exceed 1 meter (3 feet) in length or 30 centimeters (12 inches) in diameter.

• Each paper bag, container, or bundled item must weigh less than 13 kg (30 lbs.).

The City of Peterborough offers a paid large item collection service for items that exceed the regular garbage allowance, such as furniture and appliances.

Large items weigh more than 13.6 kg (30 lbs) and measure longer than 1 meter (3 feet).

City Public Works crews will begin collecting large items at 7 a.m. on the Monday of the designated collection week. Please note that collections may extend over several days depending on the volume of items. Residents are asked not to remove items from the curbside if they have not been collected on the initial day.

Residents must book large item collection in advance. Collection must be booked by the Tuesday preceding the collection date.

Bookings open on Tuesday.

For pricing and to book a pickup, visit peterborough.ca/pickup or call 705-742-7777 (dial 0 for Service Peterborough).

Date Collections and Booking Deadlines:

• April 28, 2025 (Deadline: April 22)

• May 26, 2025 (Deadline: May 20)

• June 23, 2025 (Deadline: June 17)

• July 28, 2025 (Deadline: July 22)

• Aug. 25, 2025 (Deadline: Aug. 19)

• Sept. 29, 2025 (Deadline: Sept. 23)

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City of Peterborough Closes Temporary Emergency Shelter

The City of Peterborough closed its temporary emergency shelter that had 30 beds and was operated by Brock Mission on Friday morning.

There are 127 beds in the City’s emergency shelter network plus the Trinity Community Centre overnight program, which includes Brock Mission, Cameron House, YES emergency shelter for youth and families, and Trinity. Photo by David Tuan bui.

The shelter had opened on Monday and operated from 9:30 p.m. to 8:30 a.m. daily during that period. Meant as a temporary, short-term use, it, offered 30 beds nightly

Two people used the temporary shelter on Tuesday night and five people on Wednesday night as reported by the City.

The emergency shelter was opened to provide additional beds in the City’s shelter network.

Those experiencing homelessness who contacted emergency shelters or Social Services to access shelter beds were referred to the temporary shelter starting Monday if beds were unavailable in the regular shelter network.

The City recognized an identified need for shelter beds at this time.

The City arranged to temporarily provide the additional 30 shelter beds at the Morrow Building over five days within the approved homelessness services budget. Providing the temporary shelter bed increase was dependent on the ability to provide the necessary shelter staffing to operate the service over the defined period.

City Council did not support a motion to open a new temporary homeless shelter last month. The motion considered by Council on Feb. 3 would have directed the opening of new temporary shelter spaces for the winter months, which would have been for approximately seven weeks, by increasing the homelessness services budget by $150,000.

They continue to add that opening a temporary shelter for an approximately seven-week period was potentially not possible, as arranging for specialized shelter staffing and other logistics for the service for that amount of time may not have been possible. Council did not support that direction.

They explain that exceeding the Council-approved budget, going beyond staff’s delegated authority for procuring services, or substantially changing service levels would require Council approval. A temporary increase to the shelter network over a five-day period that can be accommodated within the Council-approved homelessness services budget does not exceed that threshold.

A report on the Emergency Winter Response Plan, which was approved by Council in 2023, is anticipated to be presented to Council in the summer.

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Water Services Transitioning to the City of Peterborough Starting April 1

City water services, currently provided by the Peterborough Utilities Commission on behalf of the City, will transition to a directly operated service by the City of Peterborough beginning April 1.

Photo courtesy of the City of Peterborough.

The City says there will be no immediate changes for customers.

Customer billing will remain the same at this time, with no changes required by customers for April 1. Customers will continue to receive water services bills from Peterborough Utilities for a period after April 1.

Notice will be provided to customers before any future change to billing. 

Customer service contact information will also remain the same after April 1.

The same Water Services team of employees that currently delivers high-quality water services and responsive customer service today as part of Peterborough Utilities will continue to deliver the service as they integrate into the City of Peterborough organization.

Water Services customer service can be reached at 705-748-6900, Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. 

City Council decided to streamline the governance structure related to the delivery of water services by transferring responsibility for that service delivery from Peterborough Utilities Commission, a local board of the City, to a directly operated model.

Council gave direction in June 2024 to proceed with the transfer to the City of water assets and operations, information technology assets and operations of the Riverview Park and Zoo.

Peterborough’s Riverview Park and Zoo will continue to be a publicly owned and operated facility, with Riverview Park and Zoo employees providing the same excellent care for animals and welcoming experience that has made the Park and Zoo an attraction for residents and visitors. 

A review of water and wastewater services, including both the sanitary and stormwater networks, in 2021-22, recommended the services be directly operated by the City to create operational efficiencies and align with City Council’s existing responsibility and accountability for water services.

In December 2023, City Council approved a motion to support in principle the transfer of the water operations to the City, with added stipulations that staff report back to Council in 2024 with further details on the transfer and that no current International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers employees be displaced as a result of the transition. 

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Wastewater Plant Gets Brief Secondary Treatment Bypass Due to High Water Flows; Residents Asked to Reduce Water Intake

Residents are asked to reduce water intake after significantly increased volumes of water entered the City of Peterborough Wastewater Treatment Plant that briefly caused a bypass of the secondary treatment process at the facility early Monday morning.

The Wastewater Treatment Plant fully treated 105,751 cubic metres of sewage on Sunday. Photo courtesy of the City of Peterborough.

The extra water came from melting snow and rainfall, according to the City.

The secondary treatment bypass was experienced from about 3:30 a.m. to 3:50 am. Less than 50 cubic metres of partially treated effluent was discharged into the Otonabee River.

The discharge had received primary treatment, which includes full screening, primary treatment and UV disinfection.

The Wastewater Treatment Plant resumed full treatment operations at 3:50 a.m.; however, it continues to monitor a high volume of water flowing through the plant due to current conditions.

Residents are asked to reduce water consumption by taking short showers instead of baths, limiting or delaying loads of laundry and turning off taps while brushing teeth and doing dishes.

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Half-Load Restrictions For Commercial Vehicles In Effect Starting Saturday

Commercial vehicles will be restricted to halfloads on the following streets in the City of Peterborough starting Saturday until April 30.

File Photo.

The City says half-load restrictions help protect roadways from damage during the spring thaw.

The following are the affected roads:

• Airport Road from Sir Sanford Fleming Drive to the south city limits

• Armour Road from Nassau Mills Road to Paddock Wood

• Ashburnham Drive from McFarlane Street to Maria Street

• Ashburnham Drive from Neal Drive to the south city limits

• Bensfort Road from River Road South to the south city limits

• Brealey Drive from Parkhill Road West to Lansdowne Street West

• Carnegie Avenue

• Crawford Drive from Sir Sanford Fleming Drive to 0.6 km east of The Parkway

• Cumberland Avenue from Ungava Avenue to Carnegie Avenue

• Dobbin Road

• Guthrie Drive

• Harper Road

• Hetherington Drive from Richard Road to Woodland Drive

• Johnston Drive

• MacFarlane Avenue - from Trentview Road to Television Road

• Maniece Avenue from Ashburnham Drive to Television Road

• McNamara Road from Guthrie Drive to Driscoll Road

• Nassau Mills Road

• Old Norwood Road from Ashburnham Drive to Television Road

• Otonabee Drive

• Parkhill Road East from Armour Road to Trent Severn Waterway Swing Bridge

• Pioneer Road

• River Road South from Lansdowne Street to Bensfort Road

• Sherbrooke Street from Glenforest Boulevard to the west city limits

• Simons Avenue

• Towerhill Road from Chemong Road to Fairbairn Street

• University Road

• Wallace Point Road from Bensfort Road to Driscoll Road

• Whittington Drive

• Woodland Drive

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New Peterborough Library Branch Set to Open Tuesday at Miskin Law Community Complex

With over 10,000 new titles just waiting to be read, the new Peterborough Public Library Branch at the Miskin Law Community Complex is set to open this Tuesday at 10 a.m.

Jennifer Jones, library CEO and director, cultural services. prepares the Library in the children’s area. The new location features over 10,000 titles with all brand new books. Photo by David Tuan bui.

The library features a contemporary youth-oriented collection, several aisles filled with graphic novels, a children’s area, four public computers and a dedicated display of popular trending titles. All existing library cards from the main branch on Alymer Street can also be used at the new location.

Programs are being planned to operate in the summer, including story time events. The Library will also use the multi-purpose room space on the floor above them.

“This new branch serves as a vibrant community hub where residents can gather, learn and grow together,” said Jennifer Jones, library CEO and director, cultural services.

The branch’s operating hours run Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The branch is located on the main floor of the Miskin Law Community Complex. The facility opened on Jan. 15, featuring two arenas and an indoor walking track. The library was initially scheduled to open on Feb. 1 at the grand opening but was pushed back due to ongoing construction.

A grand opening celebration for the new branch will take place at a later date. A branch name has not been decided. City Council, with input from the Peterborough Public Library Board, will release a name at a future undisclosed date.

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City to Tow Vehicles Parked on Residential Streets During Snow Removal

Vehicles parked on City of Peterborough streets while snow removal operations are underway will be towed to ensure clear access for snow plows, announced on Thursday.

Photo courtesy of the City of Peterborough.

The City declared a Significant Weather Event on Wednesday due to a winter storm that resulted in significant snowfall from Wednesday evening through Thursday morning. The City’s Significant Weather Event declaration continues as cleanup efforts continue.

Winter parking restrictions are in place. Parking or stopping a vehicle is prohibited on any city street while snow removal operations are underway. Moving a vehicle onto the road to clear a residential driveway is prohibited under the by-law if it interferes with snow removal operations.

Infractions will result in an $80 penalty notice and the vehicle will be towed.

The City began issuing penalty notices and towing notices on Thursday as part of the snow-clearing response.

Vehicles parked on streets north of Parkhill Road will be relocated to the Milroy Park parking lot (242 Milroy Dr.). Vehicles towed from streets south of Parkhill Road will be relocated to the Eastgate Memorial Park parking lot, 2150 Ashburnham Dr.

Any vehicle not claimed from those locations by 9 a.m. Friday may be subject to further enforcement action, including a tow and impoundment by the tow operator at the vehicle owner’s expense. 

Free overnight parking is available during snowstorms in the King Street Parkade, the Simcoe Parking Garage and on municipal surface lots. Drivers can use the parking garage entrance ticket for a free ride home on Peterborough Transit.

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