Two delegates spoke out against the recently proposed 5% all-inclusive 2025 tax rate during the August 12th General Committee meeting of Peterborough City Council. 

Speaking first was David Wesley, a Peterborough resident who relayed to the horseshoe table his concerns around the incompatibility of the state of the city with the proposed tax increase. 

Citing the recent pause of affordable rent-geared-to-income housing at 1190 Hilliard Street due to lack of funds, Wesley declared that “housing is a human right” and brought forward a proposal to “redirect millions of dollars to essential needs” by ending the Bonnerworth Park redevelopment project.

“[Four] million dollars can make a real difference to the health of our downtown, the condition of our infrastructure, and the human suffering we all see on our streets every day,” he told council.

The redevelopment of Bonnerworth Park was approved in December of 2023, and includes a proposed 16 pickleball courts; a bike pump track; an expansion of the skate park; and an 80 car parking lot to the tune of of $4.4 million—$2.4 million of which is pre-committed in the 2025 budget.

The city has become increasingly divided over the redevelopment, with complaints that not enough public consultation was done during the planning process, and additional concerns over the prioritization of such a large project during a particularly tight budget year as the cost of living continues to rise.

Just recently, however, the City of Peterborough released revised plans of the redevelopment, promising more green space, additional trees planted, a 44 car parking lot, noise attenuation measures, and two fewer pickleball courts than previously planned. 

However, Wesley wasn’t alone in his hopes to allocate the money to more pressing avenues. Councillor and co-chair of Housing and Homelessness, Keith Riel, proposed a deferral of several capital projects that have already gained council approval to the 2026 budget year in the hopes of diverting the funding to affordable housing.

“If we don’t get our heads around this here and start housing people. We’re going to be in a crisis like you've never seen before,” he said. “I think, for me, certainly the number one thing is housing and homelessness in the City of Peterborough.”

In addition to the Bonnerworth Park redevelopment, Riel proposed the deferral of the expansion of the Otonabee River Trail; Bonnerworth Park Road improvements; improvement to Lansdowne Street West from Spillsbury Drive to Clonsilla Avenue; the aviation fuel facility; and a new aircraft storage hanger; for a total saving of $15.95 million, which he stated should be used to house people.

This proposal came as a shock to the rest of council, quickly dividing the room. Councillor Joy Lachica responded to Riel, echoing the belief that the city has a commitment to housing first.

“The balloon is not shrinking, and it’s not going to unless we invest in housing that we need,” she said, expressing  her full support of the motion.

However, Councillor Gary Baldwin was not so favourable of the motion, raising concerns over the amount of money already spent on the projects Riel proposed to defer. In response, Finance Commissioner Richard Freymond told Baldwin that “several $100,000s has been spent on [Bonnerworth Park] alone.”

Additionally, Councillor Kevin Duguay said he would have “appreciated” a warning about Riel’s proposal, and said it would be “inappropriate” to delay pre-approved projects. Echoing her wardmate, Councillor Leslie Parnell said she too would not be supporting the motion on account of the projects being “on the books for a very long time” and told council she believed Riel’s motion was out of order to begin with.

Councillor Andrew Beamer was also not on board with Riel’s request, stating that the feeling from residents is that Peterborough is “very generous as a community in the amount of money we put into housing and homelessness. I think a lot of people know that we punch above our weight when it comes to shelters and shelter spaces,” he said, which prompted apparent laughter from people in attendance at the meeting. 

Beamer continued by saying that he hears from constituents that the funding into housing and homelessness has “got to stop,” and that it is “not sustainable to continue this investment into housing and homelessness.” He also stated that it is time to invest into other areas of the community, and for that reason, cannot vote in support of Riel’s motion. 

The other co-chair of Housing and Homelessness, Councillor Alex Bierk, was in adamant support of Riel’s motion, stating that there are projects in Riel’s list of proposed deferrals that “can open up space for the emergency situations that we have in our city,” and that the allocation of funds is not all about homelessness. 

“We have a 1% vacancy rate, one of the lowest in the province,” he said. “It’s about anyone trying to find an apartment and if it’s not us who is helping to counteract that emergency, then who is?”

In response to his fellow council members, Riel told council that it is their responsibility as elected officials to “do the will of the people,” stating that he would love these projects to go ahead, but felt council would be justified in deferring them in the face of the housing crisis Peterborough is experiencing.

Earlier, Beamer had mentioned the $5 million put into the modular housing units on Wolfe Street as an example of the City’s investment in housing, but Riel was clear to remind council that the issue lies with what comes next. 

“It’s transitional housing,” he began. “We have stabilized these people, they are ready for their forever home or apartment, but we have no place to put them.” 

Riel added that the sole responsibility of solving the housing crisis has been downloaded onto municipalities due to a lack of support from upper levels of government—forcefully putting the city in the position it finds itself in now. 

“If I am waiting for a cheque with wings to come from both the Federal and Provincial government, then I’m going to wait until hell freezes over…We need to pivot tonight to move this forward,” he proclaimed, and adding that his motion is a way to get builds like the one at Hilliard Drive running and people housed.

“Wake up!” he concluded. 

Councillor Dave Haacke then told council that he has been working on something that he believes will solve the restraint of the 5% tax increase, but would not say what it was until the report into the Hilliard Drive project is completed.

Beamer spoke again on behalf of homeowners, saying council has to be “mindful” of how much the tax increases, for fear that property taxes too high will result in people not being able to afford their mortgages and leaning on the City for support. 

He continued to tell council the importance of pressuring upper levels of government for more support, and the desperate need for a more sustainable tax model.

Councillor Matt Crowley said while he too was caught off guard with the motion, he has a great deal of respect for what Councillor Riel has done for housing and homelessness in the city. However, Crowley went on to say that he ultimately could not support the motion.

“The entire city is struggling mightily,” he said. “While it would be fantastic to be able to house every single person on the street—I would love to see it—we simply can’t afford it, and we can’t afford it on the backs of people who are in danger of losing their homes,” arguing that the 10% tax rate increase required to maintain status quo operations could potentially put homeowners out of their homes and drive people out of the city. 

Bierk finished the discussion by raising concerns about the 5% tax increase, quoting the staff report that 10% is needed to maintain city operations as they presently stand. 

“This is why we are having these conversations, because of what those impacts of the 5% are going to mean. You think people are unhappy right now? Try having our staff come back to get 5%. It’s going to be a nightmare, an absolute nightmare…this is a very good example of being hit with the dose of reality and having to pivot,” he said.“5% is going to be a reality check and it’s a somber road ahead,” Bierk concluded. 

Ultimately, Riel's proposal did not achieve the ⅔ majority it needed to pass, with only Councillors Alex Bierk, Joy Lachica, Kieth Riel, and Matt Crowley in favour. 

Matt Crowley later stated on Twitter dot com that he “clicked the wrong button,” and that his vote in favour of the motion was an accident. 

A subsequent vote that staff be directed an all-inclusive 5% tax increase carried with Councillors Alex Bierk and Joy Lachica dissenting.