Peterborough residents who were hoping to skate on the Trent Canal this winter, or swim at Rogers Cove with their kids next summer, will be disappointed with recommendations made by city council in its review of the city’s 2025 draft budget on Monday and Tuesday (November 18 and 19).
Saving $100,000 by not maintaining the canal rink for 2024-25 and saving $40,000 by eliminating lifeguards at one of the city’s two beaches are among the recommendations made by city council during the two days of budget deliberations, a process that ended up with a proposed property tax rate increase of eight per cent.
The increase — which doesn’t yet take into account the budget requests of the police, paramedics, and health unit — is 0.2 per cent higher than the draft budget’s proposed 7.8 per cent increase, and a full three per cent higher than council’s original goal of a five per cent increase.
Rather than five per cent, council is now aiming for a seven per cent increase. To achieve that goal, council has asked staff to report back with additional ideas to reduce spending and increase revenues. More significantly, council will also request that the Peterborough Police Services Board, Peterborough/County City Paramedics, and Peterborough Public Health — which Mayor Jeff Leal calls “the big three” — reconsider their 2025 budget asks to keep the property tax increase within seven per cent.
With less than three weeks before the final 2025 budget is scheduled to be presented to city council for approval, and not knowing how “the big three” will respond to council’s request, it’s unclear whether council will be able to achieve the seven per cent goal by December 9 or whether the budget review will extend into the new year.
As for the budget deliberations on Monday and Tuesday, council made several decisions to reduce the budget in some areas and to increase it in others.
For the Peterborough Public Library, which will be operating a second branch in the new Miskin Law Community Complex on Lansdowne Street, city council recommended saving $120,000 through a staffing reorganization that would see two staff positions eliminated and other staff paid less, with a subsequent reduction in operational services and programming.
Councillors also recommended that preventative maintenance and custodial costs for city-operated facilities be reduced by $153,000.
Along with no longer maintaining the Trent Canal rink and eliminating lifeguards at Rogers Cove, these recommended savings were included in a list of 25 “discretionary” funding cuts that city staff provided in the draft 2025 budget, if council wanted to further limit the property tax rate increase to its original goal of five per cent.
Of the four items selected from the list, council decided against reducing the preventative maintenance budget for city-operated facilities by the full $880,000 proposed on the list, choosing to reduce the budgetary item by 20 per cent.
Council also decided against reducing funding to 75 arts and social services organizations by 25 per cent to save $298,153, thereby continuing to fund the organizations in 2025 at the same level they were funded in 2024.
However, hours after making this decision, city council then decided against continuing to fund the Electric City Culture Council (EC3) next year, saving $177,000 that would have otherwise be added to the 2025 budget.
City council also decided against withdrawing $150,000 in funding to the Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area (DBIA), an annual amount the city had agreed to provide to the DBIA for 20 years in a 2017 settlement after the DBIA dropped its appeal to the Ontario Municipal Board of the city’s decision to allow a casino at 1400 Crawford Drive instead of in the downtown core. However, council also recommended withdrawing $132,000 for street cleaning services the city provides to the DBIA.
Other changes to the draft budget include restoring $235,696 in discretionary benefits to the 2024 funding level while eliminating a proposed climate change coordinator position.
As for additions to the budget, several were focused on the homelessness crisis in the city.
Council recommended an additional $264,000 to extend Trinity Centre’s overnight program for people experiencing homelessness for six months next summer, as well as $240,000 to extend the hours of the centre’s daytime drop-in program.
Council also recommended increasing the housing stability fund by $360,000 and providing $280,000 to Brock Mission for an additional worker to keep their bed capacity at 40 beds, with a further commitment to provide Brock Mission with $250,000 to support planning for the organization’s proposed 50-unit supportive housing project.
All the funds from these items would be drawn from the city’s social services reserve.
City council have recommended providing Showplace Performance Centre with a $500,000 interest-free loan, to be repaid over 10 years, so that the non-profit performance venue can replace its roof.
All the recommendations made by city council for the 2025 draft budget, as supplied by the city in a media release, are listed below.
- Adding $298,153 to the Draft 2025 Budget to restore funding to 2024 levels for community and arts groups that had been proposed for a 25% reduction in City funding in 2025
- That the Police Services 2025 budget request be returned to the Police Services Board for consideration
- That the Peterborough/County City Paramedics 2025 budget request be returned to Peterborough Paramedics for consideration
- That the Peterborough Public Health 2025 budget request be returned to Peterborough Public Health for consideration
- That the $150,000 payment be reinstated in the Downtown Business Improvement Area 2025 Budget, that the $132,000 funding for street cleaning be removed, and that the Public Works Division assume the streetscape maintenance within the DBIA
- That funding in the amount of $235,696 be provided to restore discretionary benefits to the 2024 funding level and that the monies be added to the Net Tax Levy
- That Trinity Community Centre overnight drop-in program be funded $264,000 to extend operations for six months next summer and be open year-round to be funded from the Social Services Reserve
- That the Housing Stability Fund be increased by $360,000 to support prevention and diversion to be funded from the Social Services Reserve
- That $280,000 be provided to Brock Mission for an additional worker to keep their bed capacity at 40 beds and not be reduced to 32 beds to be funded from the Social Services Reserve
- That $240,000 be provided from the Social Services Reserve to extend the operating hours at Trinity for the day time drop in program
- That the City shall provide a letter confirming the provision of $250,000 to be applied towards the costs of a business plan and preliminary studies, reports, and plans in support of a proposed 50 unit supportive housing project being advanced by Brock Mission and further that the said monies be derived from the Social Services Reserve
- That the single transit ride fare be increased by 25 cents to $3.25
- That free transit for youth and high school students be implemented by September 2025 at an estimated cost of $33,400 for September to December 2025
- That the budget increase for sidewalk reconstruction be set at a 1.5% increase
- That a $500,000 interest-free loan to be repaid over 10 years be provided to Showplace Performance Centre to assist with its roof replacement
- That Council opts not to renew funding to Electric City Culture Council at this time, in anticipation of the completion of a renewed Municipal Cultural Plan, which would provide further directions for the future of a culture council, including funding of $100,000 and the funding for the following programs, Poet Laureate, Individual Artist Grants, and Artsweek
- That $50,000 be transferred from the Water Treatment Reserve to the Zoo Mini Train Reserve, subject to year-end results
- Adding an $89,000 project to the Capital Budget for Public Art, with $50,000 funded from the public art maintenance reserve
- That a 2024 Tourism Strategic Plan capital budget be established through the transfer of $100,000 from the Municipal Cultural Plan capital budget, which will result in $102,800.86 remaining in the Municipal Cultural Plan capital budget
- That the lifeguard hours at Rogers Cove be eliminated and that the funding of $40,000 be used to reduce the net tax levy requirement
- That the canal rink not be maintained for the 2024-2025 year and that the funding of $100,000 be directed to reduce the net tax levy requirement
- That $20,000 be allocated to the Community Rink Program and that the funding be added to the Net Tax Levy
- That a Library staffing reorganization be implemented and that the savings of $120,000 be returned to the Net Tax Levy
- That the OMPF Grant be amended from $300,000 to $358,800 and that the increase be used to reduce the Net Tax Levy
- That in accordance with Recommendation 1 in the report from the Mayor’s Task Force for Housing creation, a position for a Planning Project Manager be added to the Planning budget at a total cost of $170,017 including benefits and that this position be funded through the anticipated growth in applications for multi-unit developments and their associated fees
- That advertising expenses for Strategic Communications be reduced by $15,000
- That preventative maintenance and custodial costs for facilities be reduced by $153,000 (20%)
- That the Climate Change Coordinator full-time-equivalent position proposed in the budget be eliminated
- That staff prepare a report on strategies on how to generate revenue and fully utilize the parking garages at Simcoe and King streets in addition to surface parking, to accommodate future growth and development and that the DBIA be consulted
- Proposed changes to the City’s parking by-law to implement parking penalty increases
- Establishing five full-time employee positions in the Municipal Law Enforcement Services Division and creating a capital budget for patrol vehicles
- That staff report back by the third quarter of 2025 on a strategy to reduce rates of speed, including the feasibility of 40 kilometres per hour rate city wide
