Peterborough Blogs
Peterborough Chamber Hosts All-Candidates Debate
/The Peterborough Chamber of Commerce live-streamed an all-candidates debate at the Peterborough Curling Club on Wednesday.
Joy Lachica (NPD), Maryam Monsef (Liberal), Chanté White (Green), Michelle Ferreri (Conservative) speak at Wednesdays debate.
Federal candidates from The Liberal, Conservative, Green and New Democratic Party (NDP) participated.
All other candidates involved but were not in attendance were provided with an opportunity to submit a three-minute video.
Submitted videos are available to watch on Peterborough Chamber’s YouTube channel.
In their opening remarks, NDP candidate Joy Lachica shared that she was delighted to be sharing this platform with three other female candidates while Maryam Monsef, Peterborough’s Liberal incumbent, noted that she was not done giving back.
When touching on vaccine mandates, Michelle Ferreri of the Conservative Party believes in the vaccines but respects giving people a choice. She notes medical exceptions such as some of her friends and family that can not be vaccinated due to medical reasons like chemotherapy treatment.
Chanté White from the Green Party highlighted other public health guidelines like proper handwashing.
"We shouldn't be penalizing people who aren't able to get the vaccine,” she said.
A vaccine passport is "a coordinated, efficient, smart way to mitigate any confusion about vaccination,” said Lachica.
“We all need to get vaccinated and move on with life,” said Monsef.
Candidates also touched on the opioid crisis, Downtown Peterborough, small businesses, climate change and the housing crisis.
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City Issues Open Invite For Information Session Of Official Plan
/The City of Peterborough is hosting an online community information session of the final draft of the City’s updated Official Plan announced Tuesday.
Photo Courtesy of the City of Peterborough.
The sessions will accommodate as many people as possible, with four sessions will be offered at different times where participants are encouraged to choose the time that works best with their schedule.
Wednesday, Sept. 1
3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. or
6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Thursday, Sept. 2
3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. or
6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Each session will begin with a presentation to summarize the process, public engagement, themes of the comments received and the organization of the Final Draft as well as time for participant questions.
Registration to attend one of the four timeslots is available online at: www.eventbrite.ca/e/peterborough-official-plan-update-community-information-session-tickets-166507106237.
Once registered, residents will receive a link to the online meeting by email.
Anyone who is unable to access the sessions online can contact the City during office hours, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at 705-742-7777 ext. 1880 for information on how to register and attend by telephone.
The proposed Official Plan and the final Land Needs Assessment are available for review on the City’s website at www.peterborough.ca/planit and through Connect Peterborough at www.connectptbo.ca/official-plan-update.
Following completion of this final round of community engagement, the Official Plan will be presented to City Council in October and a formal public meeting is being planned for November where Council will hear public delegations and will consider adopting the Plan.
Following Council’s adoption of the Plan, it would be forwarded to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing for final approval.
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Four Major Federal Party Candidates Have Been Selected And They Are All Women
/For the first time ever all four major federal party candidates in the Peterborough-Kawartha riding are women.
NDP Joy Lachica, Green Chanté White , Conservative Michelle Ferreri, Liberal incumbant Maryam Monsef. Photo courtesy of PTBO Canada
As Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is expected to call a federal election sometime in the coming weeks, federal political parties have been nominating candidates for local ridings.
The Green, Conservative, NDP and Liberal Party in the Peterborough Kawartha riding have officially named their candidates and for the first time in history they are all women.
Chanté White will represent the Green party. According to the Peterborough-Kawartha Green Party website White is a recent graduate from Trent University Peterborough with an honours degree in Environmental Studies and a minor in Political Studies.
Michelle Ferreri was chosen as the Conservative candidate in Peterborough-Kawartha. Ferreri owns and operates an independent media company focusing on content creation, marketing consulting and public speaking.
The NDP chose Joy Lachica to represent their party in the Peterborough-Kawartha riding. Lachica moved to Canada with her family as a child from the Philippines. She has been an elementary school teacher for over 25 years.
These three candidates will be challenging Liberal incumbent Maryam Monsef, who will be seeking her third term as Peterborough-Kawartha MP. Monsef graduated from Trent University with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology. She is Canada’s Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Rural Economic Development.
A federal election must be held by October 16, 2023 though it is expected that an election will be called in late August an a vote will be held in late September.
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The City of Peterborough Has Released Official Plan Final Draft
/The City has announced the release of a final draft of the proposed new Official Plan for the City of Peterborough.
Photo courtesy of the City of Peterborough.
The Official Plan is a policy document prepared under the Planning Act that will set the vision and direction for growth and development to the year 2051.
The new draft builds on an initial draft that was released for consultation in June 2019 by incorporating changes to address public, agency, First Nations and provincial comments, and to reflect the results of a Land Needs Assessment that determined the City’s development land requirement to 2051
The proposed Official Plan and the final Land Needs Assessment are now available for review on the City’s website and through Connect Peterborough.
The City will be organizing a final series of online public information sessions throughout August and September to help build awareness of the proposed Official Plan as it moves forward to approval.
When the details for the information sessions are finalized, they will be posted here.
Those wanting to receive updates regarding the Official Plan and upcoming events are invited to subscribe to the City’s Official Plan blog or to Connect Peterborough.
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High Frequency Rail Corridor is Coming Through Peterborough
/Officials announced plans for a high-frequency rail corridor to lay tracks through Peterborough on Thursday morning.
Officials holding a sign from an old Peterborough train station. Back row: Peterborough Chamber of Commerce president Stu Harrison, Via Rail president Cynthia Garneau, Havelock-Belmont Methuen Township Mayor Jim Martin, Selwyn Township Mayor Andy Mitchell. Front row: Federal Transport Minister Omar Alghabra, Peterborough-Kawartha MP and minister for women and gender equality and rural economic development Mayam Monsef, Peterborough Mayor Diane Therrien. Photo By Angela O’Grady
The press conference was held at the Greater Peterborough Chamber of Commerce building which was formerly a Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) station.
Plans state that the new passenger rail stretching from Toronto to Quebec City will not share tracks with freight trains in hopes to cut travel times.
Maryam Monsef, Peterborough-Kawartha MP and minister for women and gender equality and rural economic development highlighted the positive impact this new infrastructure would have on the community.
The high-frequency rail corridor will unlock economic potential, offer new jobs and allow community members to travel elsewhere for work if needed according to Monsef.
“We’re getting this done because in a post-pandemic Canada, we are all aware of how vital our connections are,” she said.
Federal Transport Minister Omar Alghabra says he hopes that shovels will hit the ground in the next three to four years and the rail will be functioning by 2030.
He noted that the environmental impact this rail may have is being considered in the planning process and about 90 percent of the new service will run on electricity.
“Equally, maybe even more importantly, this project is about nation building, about connecting our communities,” explained Alghabra.
When asked about the location of a station, Peterborough Mayor Diane Therrien said an official decision has yet to be made.
“Right here seems like a great place though,” she said, standing outside the former CPR building.
Both Therrien and Monsef noted that First Nations communities are being consulted before construction begins.
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Ontario Government Releases Provincial Reopening Plan With Eased Outdoor Restrictions For Victoria Day Weekend
/The Government of Ontario has lifted outdoor activity restrictions for the Victoria Day weekend and a “road map to reopen” in a press conference at Queen’s Park held on Thursday.
Premier Doug Ford, Christine Elliott, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health and Dr. David Williams, Chief Medical Officer of Health were present to discuss the province’s reopening plan.
On Saturday, outdoor recreational amenities can reopen such as golf course and tennis courts to safely celebrate the Victoria Day long weekend said Elliott.
Outdoor gathering limits have been expanded to five people. The government urges the province to continue following health guidelines and get the COVID-19 vaccine.
The road map to reopen is the proposed way out of the pandemic and a clear path forward to carefully and safely reopen in a three-step plan according to Elliott.
Step one: Initial focus on resuming small-crowd outdoor activities including pools, splash pads, fitness classes, zoos and religious services. Retail stores can be open with restrictions.
Outdoor gatherings can be up to 10 people.
Outdoor dining up to four people per table.
Non-essential retail at 15 per cent capacity.
Step two: Further expands outdoor activities and continue limited indoor services with face coverings worn.
Outdoor gatherings of 25 people
Outdoors sports and leagues permitted
Non-essential retail open up at 25 per cent capacity
Public libraries and personal care services where face coverings can be worn and with capacity limits
Step three: Expand access to indoor settings with restrictions including large numbers of people and where face coverings cannot always be worn. This includes but not limited to gyms, cinemas, performing arts facilities, indoor dining and museums with capacity limits.
The province plans to be in step one around the week of June 14 and will be in each step for at least 21 days. The three weeks allow time to evaluate the impacts and determine if Ontario can move to the next step.
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Canadian Government Releases Federal Budget, Announces $101.4B in Spending
/Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland released the plans of the Liberal Party federal budget for a post-pandemic economic recovery at the House of Commons in Ottawa on Monday.
Cynthia Freeland, finance minister had her first federal budget announcement since the Liberal Party of Canada did not do one last year. She is the first federal female finance minister in Canadian history. Screenshot.
This was the first budget in two years for the Liberal Party. Here are the highlights of the announced budget:
Main highlights:
$101.4 billion over three years in new spending for recovery aid and kick-start a green economy transition
$30 billion over five years and $8.3 billion every year after to create and maintain a national child care program. The goal is a $10-a-day child care service by 2025-2026
$18 billion pledged for Indigenous communities
$17.6 billion towards green recovery — to conserve lands and oceans by 25 percent by 2025 and to help Canada cut emissions to 36 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030.
Extension of pandemic business and income support measures, such as wage and rent subsidies through autumn.
Taxable grants $500 to Old Age Security pensioners aged 75 or older starting on June 2022
A 10 per cent boost for pensioners to maximum OAS benefits 75 and older beginning on July 1, 2022
Deficit
The deficit at $354.2 billion in 2020-21 and $154.7 billion in 2021-2022, expected to drop to $30.7 billion in 2025-2026
Jobs
Extension of the maximum period of employment insurance sickness benefits from 15 to 26 weeks.
A projection of one million new jobs by the end of the year
A $15 federal minimum wage
Other highlights
$4.4 billion to help homeowners with green renovations with interest-free loans of up to $40,000.
$3 billion to help provinces improve long-term care over five years
$2.5 billion towards building and repairing 35,000 housing units
$1 billion towards tourism for festivals and cultural events
A new luxury tax on new cars and private aircrafts worth more than $100,000 and recreation boats over $250,000
$300 million to support underrepresented people-of-colour entrepreneurs.
$236.2 million over five years and $33.5 million every year after for the departments of National Defence and Veterans Affairs to eliminate sexual misconduct and gender-based violence for support survivors and military
Extension of interest-free period for student and apprentice loans in Canada to March 31, 2023, at a cost to the government of roughly $392.7 million in 2022-2023.
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Maryam Monsef Is Doing National Tour On Electoral Reform
/This Sunday (August 28th) in Iqaluit, the Minister of Democratic Institutions, the Honourable Maryam Monsef, will kick off a national tour on electoral reform that will take her from coast to coast to coast. During this tour, Monsef will engage Canadians on electoral reform and how we can all work together to make Canadian democracy even stronger.
Monsef will travel to every province and territory across Canada, and is undertaking these gatherings to reach out and hear first-hand from Canadians from across the country about what they expect from the electoral process and the core values it should reflect.
Local Town Hall on Climate Change in June 2015 Minister Monsef hosted
Participants at events across Canada will have the opportunity to openly share the values, needs and aspirations they feel should be reflected in Canada’s electoral system.
“I am truly grateful for the tremendous opportunity to go and meet with Canadians from coast-to-coast and, most importantly, listen to their views on democracy," says Monsef. "I am especially looking forward to hearing from Canadians who have not voted in the past, because our electoral system should work for each and every one of us."
For more info, click here.
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Peterborough City Council Selects New Chief Administrative Officer
/
Peterborough City Council has announced that it has appointed Allan Seabrooke as the new chief administrative officer of the Corporation of the City of Peterborough effective June 8, 2015.
“Mr. Seabrooke has an excellent track record of leadership and innovation, in both the public and private sector,” Mayor Bennett said in a media release. “His existing, positive relationships within the Corporation of the City of Peterborough, with organizations throughout our community and with the County of Peterborough will help ensure a seamless transition.”
Mr. Seabrooke brings more than 25 years of experience in executive positions in municipal and provincial government as well as a private-sector business background. He is joining the city from the City of Waterloo, where he served as the commissioner of community services overseeing services including fire rescue, bylaw enforcement, environment and parks, recreation and facilities, and community programming and outreach.
From 2011-2013, Mr. Seabrooke served as chief administrative officer of the Otonabee Region Conservation Authority, an organization that delivers programs and ensures compliance with legislation and regulation for a watershed region encompassing 1,951 square kilometres across eight municipalities in the Peterborough region.
“I am excited to return to the City of Peterborough and look forward to working with staff, Council, our residents, community and business organizations as we continue to build a strong community,” Mr. Seabrooke said.
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