Despite only lasting 30 minutes, January 15th’s City Council Meeting brought with it much controversy. By-law 24-003, concerning the approval of the $15 million purchase of Calvary Pentecostal Church at 1421 Landsdowne Street to be renovated into a second police station, met some resistance.

The By-Law notes that funding for the project will be funded by issuing a series of debentures, with $9.9 million coming from Development Charge Police supported debentures while the remaining $5.1 million being supported through tax-supported debentures.  

The meeting began with ex-city councillor Ann Farquharson addressing council regarding the purchase of the Church property, expressing concern with not knowing the true cost of the project. 

Farquharson asked “how much is this project going to cost? Because it’s not going to cost 15 million dollars.” The $15 million cost accounts only for the purchase of the Church, not its renovation into a police station. 

“I want to ask each and every one of you if you would buy a house with your own money, knowing that there were major renovations needed, without costing the renovations and the total cost of the project,” Farquharson said. 

“It’s irresponsible, and you’re doing that with taxpayers’ money,” Farquharson continued, stressing the gravity of engaging in this project without knowing its total price.

“I don’t know if you know, certainly the public doesn’t know, and that’s huge, that’s absolutely huge, you should not be supporting this by-law without knowing the facts,” she continued. 

Farquharson urged for a three week deferral on this by-law, so that council could obtain cost estimates for the entirety of the police station project, not just the  purchase of the property. 

She stressed that “the public has the right to know,” claiming she was told that the proposed police station project also involved renovations on the current Water Street police station, which would involve even higher costs.

“There’s a big pitch here saying this is a bargain,” Farquharson said, referencing cost comparisons made between the $15 million spent for the Calvary purchase and a 2021 project estimating the cost of the construction of a brand new police station at $68 million. 

“We don’t know what it’s going to cost, how can it be a bargain?” she inquired. 

Farquharson also referred to the 2021 project as an “artificial dream building” stating that it “wasn’t a real plan” but rather an architectural concept that was never properly costed.

“For you to tie your hands into a project without any costings is just inacceptable,” she concluded.  

In response to Farquharson’s delegation, Corporate and Legislative Services Commissioner, Richard Freymond, stated that “once the transaction [to purchase the Church property] closes, then staff will be giving back a report that would have the details of what we expect the real mission cost to be.” 

Councillor Alex Bierk asked Freymond for an idea of the numbers to expect, to which Freymond indicated that the report would come in late February after the transaction closed on February 15th. Until then, Freymond was “not prepared to give [Bierk] that number.” 

Freymond noted the “immense possibilities” for the community that this project represents. 

While cost estimations of the entire police station expansion project may be coming in the next month, Freymond stated that these would be contingent on the passing of By-Law 24-003 and subsequent purchase of Calvary Pentecostal Church. 

In effect, by passing By-Law 24-003, the city of Peterborough would be investing $15 million into the police station expansion project with no awareness of its entire cost, just as Farquharson explained.

Following Freymond’s statements, the Council voted on by-law 24-003, and the motion was carried unanimously. The approval of by-law 24-003 means that the city of Peterborough has now officially authorized the $15 million purchase of Calvary Pentecostal Church, engaging itself in a project the full cost of which it does not yet know.