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

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

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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."

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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David Tuan Bui


Ballots Are Filling Up For Peterborough Kawartha Provincial Election

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Ahead of the June Provincial election, most major parties in Peterborough-Kawartha have announced their candidates.

Queens Park. Stock Photo.

The Peterborough-Kawartha riding association of the Ontario NDP has announced Jen Deck as nomination candidate for the upcoming election.

Deck is a teacher and the Occasional Teacher President of the Kawartha Pine Ridge Teachers’ Local of the Elementary Teachers Federation Ontario (ETFO).

A nomination meeting will be held on Thursday to confirm Deck as candidate.

Robert Gibson has been announced Green party candidate.

Gibson is a regular contributor to The Arthur, Trent Universities newspaper, and also hosts a show on Trent Radio called “Environmental Soup”. His show focuses on both environmental and social issues.

Gibson studied environmental science and environmental studies at Trent University from 2018 to 2020.

Greg Dempsey was announced the Liberal Party candidate in November 2021.

Dempsey is a Peterborough native, has served in the Canadian Foreign Service, represented Canada at the UN in New York, at the Human Rights Council in Geneva, and in Kabul, Afghanistan.

Tom Marazzo, a spokesperson during the Freedom Convoy protests in Ottawa and former Canadian military member is the candidate for the Ontario Party.

Dylan Smith, a pension administrative assistant, is running in Peterborough-Kawartha for the None of the Above Party. The None of the Above party was formed as a response to party members displeasure with all political parties.

Progressive Conservative Incumbent Dave Smith will also be on the ballot.

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Federal Candidate Interview: NDP Candidate Joy Lachica

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Angela O’Grady speaks with New Democratic Party federal candidate Joy Lachica for the upcoming election. We answer community-submitted questions surrounding her stance on climate change, vaccine passports, the housing crisis and small businesses.

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