Peterborough city council will be meeting as general committee on Monday (August 26).
Following a closed session at 4:30 p.m., council will meet in chambers at 6 p.m. for an open session.
Below is a summary of what’s on the agenda for Monday’s meeting.
Report of Closed Session
Prior to the open session, councillors will meet behind closed doors.
While the topic of the closed session is not public, the agenda refers to legal advice related to the strong mayor powers that the Ontario government provided to municipalities beginning in 2022. The strong mayor powers give heads of council the power to set budgets, veto by-laws, and pass by-laws with just one-third of their council’s support if the by-laws deal with provincial priorities such as housing.
The agenda for the closed session also refers to negotiations related to a leasing opportunity.
Public Meetings under the Planning Act
Council will consider two zoning by-law amendments and a temporary use zoning by-law amendment.
The first zoning by-law involves amending the zoning of 427 and 431 Raymond Street to permit a single-detached residential dwelling to be built on each property. The two properties are adjacent to a residential property 435 Raymond Street, which has the same owner as the two properties, and are currently used for a private lawn and basketball court.
The second zoning by-law involves amending the zoning of 78 and 82 Lansdowne Street West to allow Habitat for Humanity Peterborough and Kawartha Region, which owns the properties, to develop a 41-unit five-storey apartment building. Located on the south side of Lansdowne east of Lock Street, the properties currently have a one-story single detached dwelling with a garage and a two-and-a-half story single detached dwelling, both of which would be demolished.
The temporary use zoning by-law amendment involves a temporary use permit to allow Peterborough Action for Tiny Homes (PATH) to build 24 one-room sleeping cabins for up to three years at 385 Lansdowne Street East, the former location of the Peterborough Humane Society located on the south side of Lansdowne Street east of Ashburnham Drive and directly across from Willowcreek Plaza. The property is owned by Habitat for Humanity Peterborough and Kawartha Region, which has leased the property to PATH and intends to develop permanent housing on the site in the future.
Presentations
Council will receive a presentation from Dr. Thomas Piggott, Peterborough’s medical officer of health, about the results of a climate change and health vulnerability assessment completed by Peterborough Public Health in 2023 as mandated by the Ontario government. The presentation follows one the health unit gave to the Peterborough environmental advisory committee in April.
Council will also receive a presentation from John Wynsma, president and CEO of City of Peterborough Holdings Inc., on the corporation’s 2023 annual report. The Corporation of the City of Peterborough is the sole shareholder of City of Peterborough Holdings Inc., which is part of the Peterborough Utilities Group.
Reports
Council will consider a report with recommendations to establish a traffic technical working group to streamline various requests related to traffic and parking services. Mayor Jeff Leal requested city staff to consider re-establishing the working group that was in place from the 1990s until 2007 when it was dissolved.
Since the dissolution of the working group, traffic and parking requests have been managed individually on a first come, first served basis as staff resources permit.
“Many requests, such as all-way stop or no parking requests, require extensive data collection and investigation to provide a comprehensive response,” the report states. “Once the review is complete, each individual request and recommendation are presented to council for consideration which has led to extended response times given other work program priorities.”
The report adds that the implementation of the traffic technical working group “will streamline the existing process and provide a consistent approach to the various traffic and parking concerns that the city receives.” The group would meet monthly, and Peterborough residents would be able to submit requests or concerns through an application form that would be posted on the city’s website.
To support the working group as well as day-to-day traffic services supervision, a senior traffic services supervisor — a position approved in the city’s 2024 budget — would be hired and the working group would be fully established by the end of 2024 or the beginning of 2025.
Items endorsed by general committee on August 26 will be considered by council for final approval the following Tuesday (September 3), when public delegations will be heard.
Council meetings are streamed live at www.peterborough.ca.
