The February 27th Council meeting included a brief address from Peterborough-Kawartha MP, Michelle Ferreri. In her remarks, Ferreri provided what she called a “quick little update on what’s happening” on what she deems the most important issues facing residents of Peterborough and people across Canada - housing and cost of living. 

Ferrari spoke about recent meetings she has had with Federal Housing Minister Ahmed Hussen regarding the incoming grant for 681 Monaghan Road where the city is planning to build an apartment building. In addition to this, she has also been in close contact with Romy Bowers, CEO of the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) concerning the property at 555 Bonaccord Street. 

Both of these are large-scale projects intended to increase the availability of affordable housing in Peterborough.

In relation to the cost of living, Ferreri noted that “the $100,000 dual income isn’t cutting it anymore” and noted that she hears from many of her constituents, particularly families, that they are having a hard time making ends meet. 

To combat this, she told Council that she is working to axe the carbon tax and fight back against any new federal taxes. Specifically, she noted her concerns about the recently announced 6.3% tax increase on spirits, beer, and wine set to go into effect on April 1st. This is a figure which rises every year in line with the rate of inflation.

Her concerns rest with the impact this tax increase will have on businesses that serve alcohol as well as its impact on the tourism industry. 

Ferrari also brought up one of the Conservative Party’s main concerns which is “to make sure that dangerous offenders stay behind bars.”

This is a reference to Bill C75, a piece of legislation passed in 2019 which codified a Supreme Court of Canada Ruling surrounding bail conditions. Bill C75 has recently come under attack by provincial Premiers and federal Members of the Opposition.   

Only Ashburnham Ward Councillor, Keith Riel asked questions of Ferreri. During this time, Riel asked for more follow-up on how the Conservative Opposition is working to ensure the end of “catch and release” legislation. Ferrari’s response to this was to assure Council that Conservatives are “desperately seeking” reform in order to ensure that repeat offenders are not allowed back on the streets. 

In a follow-up question, Riel asked about mental health and specifically what her party is doing to lobby the government. 

Noting what she referred to as an “epidemic” of a decline in mental health over the past “eight to ten years” Ferrari assured Riel that she was working hard in her various committees to ensure that there is a deeper understanding of the nature of the epidemic while reminding Council that this is technically a provincial responsibility. 

She went on to reference a soon-to-be-released report arising from her work on the Status of Women Committee which studied mental health among young women in Canada.

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Waste Management Master Plan Approved

The new plan was approved on consent by Council meaning that the City will move forward as planned on the implementation of bi-weekly garbage collection, clear plastic garbage bags, and weekly recycling and green bin collection as of October 31st, 2023. 

This agenda item received delegations from members of local organizations, but before that Mayor Leal took time to address members of the former council in the room including former Mayor, Diane Therrien and former Northcrest Councillor, Stephen Wright for their work getting the Waste Management Plan to where it was when Leal took over. 

Susan Antler of the Composting Council of Canada congratulated Council on their choice to take these steps towards combating greenhouse gas emissions at the local level while also ensuring that organic matter will be returned to the earth for future generations. 

“These materials are the life force of our world,” Antler said while noting the fact that “it takes time for the soil to get better” but that eventually, Peterborough will be able to sell high-quality compost and organic fertilizer which will benefit local farmers and communities.

Throughout her presentation, Antler repeated the maxim that people should remember that residents should understand that “it’s not garbage day anymore” when the green bins go out. 

When asked by Ashburnham Ward Councillor, Gary Baldwin if she had any words of wisdom for the people of Peterborough, Antler noted that we should work the “imbue confidence and a sense of pride in what people are doing when they compost.”    

Natalie Stephenson of GreenUp also spoke glowingly of Council’s move on this front and spoke to how under this new plan, Peterborough will be able to divert approximately 75% of their waste away from landfills once it is up and running. This is up from the current rate of 52%. Citing the fact that over six million Canadian households currently follow a similar collection schedule and strategy, Stephenson deemed this “the largest greenhouse gas project in the City and County of Peterborough.”

Discussion of the City’s waste management was not all glad tidings, however, as important logistical points were raised by Karen Irvine who pointed out that other jurisdictions have been having issues with rat infestations due to having to hold onto diapers in their garbage for two weeks. 

At one point, Irvine invited Councillors to Google “rat infestations and diapers” and then added that she had sent several articles she had gleaned from that search to Councillor Baldwin. 

Later, Irvine suggested that 5.7% of all garbage is diapers and that due to the large elderly population in Peterborough, this should be a matter of concern especially for low-income people and families who might not have space or resources to safely store this kind of waste for that period of time.

Irvine was also concerned about how the City would ensure that buildings and businesses that depend on private waste removal services would be held accountable under the current plan.  

At the end of her delegation, Baldwin thanked her for coming to address Council. He did not, however, thank her for the articles.

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CAO Hiring Firm

Prior to the beginning of the Council Meeting, Councillors came out of closed session in order to vote on their decision to hire Phelps Grove as a Recruitment Firm to aid in the hiring of Peterborough’s next CAO as Sandra Clancy will be retiring in April. Phelps Grove had previously been employed to hire the City’s new Chief of Police, Stuart Betts. 

The review committee for the CAO position will consist of Mayor Jeff Leal, alongside Councillors Kevin Duguay, Andrew Beamer, and Lesley Parnell. The cost of these consultation fees were not discussed in open session.