February 24^th's Public Meeting Under the Planning Act was scheduled to last from 4:30 PM to 6:00 PM. Delayed by outcries from both Councillors and members of the public, the meeting ultimately lasted until 9:30 PM.

The sole item under consideration was an amendment to the city’s zoning By-law and a site plan exemption to permit the  construction of a new affordable housing facility on 738 Chemong Road, a process expedited by Mayor Jeff Leal’s use of his strong mayor powers.

Immediately following the opening of this General Committee session, Town Ward councilor Joy Lachica called for the suspension of the meeting saying the modified by-law was “out of order.” Otonabee Ward councilor and acting Chair, Lesley Parnell, quickly put the call down, citing the suspension of normal procedure which accompanies strong mayor power motions in Ontario.

Coun. Lachica immediately called a point of order to challenge the Chair. “No, I’m sorry, you can’t,” responded Parnell, once again citing Provincial jurisdiction. Over the course of her argument with coun. Parnell, Lachica called three more points of order and another was called by fellow Town Ward councillor Alex Bierk. 

All of these were denied by Chair Parnell.

“I’d like to acknowledge that the chair is breaching the municipal by-laws. I have a point of order, and she’s not acknowledging my challenge to her chair,” said Lachica. 

This exchange saw members of the public begin to heckle and boo at councilors, prompting several warnings from Chair Parnell. Her efforts proved futile, and the next five hours of the meeting were interrupted by near-constant interjections from the gallery.

Bierk consulted City Staff about the nature of the meeting, who reiterated that “the procedural by-laws [of a usual General Committee meeting] do not apply.” 

After further deliberation between councillors, Parnell pushed the meeting agenda into Mayor Leal’s introductory comments.

Leal began by complaining that Peterborough only had a housing-first strategy on paper. He explained that city council “can’t have it both ways,” they cannot vow to fight against homelessness without approving the construction of new affordable transitional housing.

Mayor Leal reminded councilors that the site where this new building would be built was already owned and operated on by the Brock Mission's Cameron House women’s shelter. He lauded the work of the Mission, including bans of drug use on their properties, and palliative care services offered to previously unhoused residents.

The proposed development is a six story tall apartment building consisting of 52 units, as well as a cafeteria and in-house support services for its residents, many of whom are expected to be recovering from addiction. Alan Wilson, a member of Brock Mission’s board, also described extensive security measures taken to avoid disturbing neighbours, upholding the Mission’s status as a “rules-based organization.” 

The building will be surrounded by high fences as well as constant lighting and camera surveillance. Following the Mayor’s lead, Wilson focused on the urgency of the city’s homelessness crisis and the Brock Mission’s high safety standards.

Northcrest Ward councillor Andrew Beamer questioned these standards, sharing his worry that this project could end up like the Trinity Community Centre which has been heavily criticized for its allowance of open drug consumption.

Coun. Keith Riel further inquired about the residents of Cameron House, whom he worried could be re-traumatized by proximity to what he believed would be a male-dominated housing complex. Wilson responded by revealing that the new building would include gender-segregated floors for its mixed clientele.

Riel and multiple public delegates scrutinized the Brock Mission’s funding plan which relies heavily around Progressive Conservative MPP Dave Smith’s promise of a grant for the project. Wilson and City Staff emphasized that the grants promised by Smith were non-competitive, and featured rather flexible requirements.

As the minutes went on, concerns about meeting procedure and funding sources gave way to uglier rhetoric about the prospective residents of the building.

Ashburnham Ward councilor Gary Baldwin referred to the importance of fencing around the property to “keep the undesirables out.” Monaghan Ward councilor Matt Crowley followed by asking Wilson about measures to prevent residents from “loitering” or “hanging around the neighbourhood.”

This type of discourse blended seamlessly into otherwise technical arguments from public delegates, who spoke of the shadows a six story building would cast onto their homes and of the protection of their “nice neighbourhood” from the Brock Mission’s residents.

Many delegations embraced a flair for the dramatic, referring to a “monolith” full of “troubled individuals,” and recounting encounters with homeless people downtown in abject horror.

Aylmer Street residents Sarah McNeily and Spencer Allen decried what they felt was an undemocratic process. After complaining that she “wasn’t permitted to speak to democracy,” McNeily dramatically ripped up her delegation script. On a subtler note, Allen referred to strong mayor powers as “that thing we can’t say.”

Denise Campbell, a neighbour of Cameron House, accused city council of being NIMBYs (referring to the refrain “Not In My Backyard”) because they did not volunteer to host the Brock Mission development in their own neighborhoods. 

Campbell complained that the new building’s shadow would significantly impact her mental health, and announced to all of council that she would have to “double down” on her Lorazepam prescription.

Cameron House neighbour Mare Laird questioned the need for such drastic security measures around the new development if its residents were truly “far along in their journeys” with addiction, as Wilson had claimed. She expressed concern at the possible devaluation of surrounding housing, and the possibility that it could lead her to become homeless herself.

After well over three hours of delegations, the motion was finally put to debate by council. Coun. Bierk, who had initially called on the Mayor to use his powers, asked if he might consider waiting another two weeks before putting this issue to a vote to allow for better public consultation. Mayor Leal refused, adamant that the motion would either carry forward or be defeated tonight.

Upon coun. Riel’s announcement that he would not be supporting the motion, Chair Parnell commented “as Co-Chair of Homelessness, I can see that.” This immediately prompted a point of order from coun. Lachica, who called the comment “disparaging,” and once again called for Parnell’s removal as Chair. 

Riel demanded an apology, to which Parnell responded “no, I’m sorry sir, you’ve been nothing but rude.” 

Coun. Lachica voiced her opposition to the motion, echoing Bierk and Riel’s concerns about due process. Meanwhile, Beamer stated that while he initially supported the Mayor’s initiative, the passion expressed by public delegates had swayed him to vote against it.

Otonabee Ward councilor Kevin Duguay was perhaps the most outspoken councilor in favour of the Brock Mission development, opining that further public consultation would likely not lead to any different outcome and repeating that the expedited planning process had been typical of a project pushed forth by strong mayor powers.

In the end, Mayor Leal’s motion was carried with only his and councilors Duguay, Baldwin, and Parnell’s votes. Under Ontario law, motions pushed through strong mayor powers only need one-third of Council votes to be written into law. 

The motion was ratified during a City Council meeting immediately thereafter.