Throughout 2025, one name appeared again and again in kawarthaNOW headlines: that of Peterborough mayor Jeff Leal.
Whether it was because of his controversial use of strong mayor powers, his use of a racial slur, the finding that he contravened city council’s code of conduct, or his support of a substantial increase to the police budget, Leal was front-and-centre in local news over the past year.
Regardless of whether residents supported or objected to the mayor’s decisions and actions, there’s no question Jeff Leal had a significant impact on the community, as the third year of his four-year term wraps up and citizens prepare for a municipal election in October 2026.
Strong mayor powers
In February, Mayor Leal announced he would be using his strong mayor powers to expedite Brock Mission’s proposed transitional housing project, which would see a six-story building constructed in the middle of a residential neighbourhood, by amending the city’s zoning by-law and exempting the project from the city’s site plan requirements.
During a heated and sometimes confrontational five-hour city council meeting later that month, three of 10 city councillors joined the mayor in support of his motion — despite vocal community opposition to the proposed development, including its location and both the process and the speed at which it was proceeding. Under the province’s strong mayor powers, Mayor Leal only needed the support of one-third of council, including himself.
That decision led to the formation of a neighbourhood association called Northcrest Neighbours for Fair Process (NNFP), which announced in the spring that it would be launching a legal challenge of Mayor Leal’s use of his strong mayor powers to expedite the project.
The city, later joined by Brock Mission, aggressively defended itself by demanding that NNFP provide $30,000 in security for legal fees before the case could proceed. In the fall, the judge considering the merits of the case ruled in favour of the city and Brock Mission, a ruling that resulted in NNFP dropping its legal case before it was heard and ultimately agreeing to pay $22,500 in costs to the city and Brock Mission to settle the case.
Racial slur
During a speech to students of a business administration class at Trent University in March, Mayor Leal veered off topic and began talking about U.S. president Lyndon B. Johnson.
He was recorded saying that Johnson “used this language that you would never use today, and he talked about poor n*****s and Mexicans that he taught Sunday school to.”
Although the mayor subsequently apologized for his use of the n-word, claiming he was “quoting” Johnson, there were calls for his resignation — including from the Afrocentric Awareness Network of Peterborough — and the Trent Central Student Association held a protest in front of City Hall.
Integrity commissioner report
In May, one of the City of Peterborough’s integrity commissioners issued a report that found Mayor Leal had contravened city council’s code of conduct by intimidating one city councillor and bullying another in 2024 with respect to the controversial Bonnerworth Park redevelopment.
The report from Guy Giorno, which also found Leal’s decision-making on the redevelopment did not involve a “private advantage” for him or for his wife, concluded the mayor’s comments to councillor Alex Bierk that “You’re going to regret you ever said that” and “I’ll carve you like a Thanksgiving turkey” — comments made after Bierk mentioned the mayor’s pickleball-playing wife by name during a council meeting — constituted intimidation.
Giorno also found that Mayor Leal had bullied councillor Joy Lachica by yelling at her in a city hall corridor following a council meeting on the Bonnerworth Park redevelopment, as well as through his behaviour toward her at a subsequent closed session.
Despite Giorno’s findings, city council meeting as general committee voted 7-3 against penalizing the mayor for breaching city council’s code of conduct, with councillors Bierk, Lachica, and Keith Riel voting against the motion (Leal had recused himself from the discussion and the vote). The arguments in support of the mayor were that he had already been penalized enough through the public shame of the integrity commissioner’s report.
Prior to a subsequent city council meeting where council’s decision was to be endorsed, community residents held a “Rally for Integrity” in front of City Hall where they urged council to penalize the mayor.
Despite the rally, seven public delegations, and requests from councillors Bierk and Lachica to their colleagues that Mayor Leal be held to account for his behaviour, council voted 6-4 in favour of a motion to not impose any kind of penalty on the mayor, with only councillor Matt Crowley changing his vote from the previous week to join councillors Bierk, Lachica, and Riel in voting against the motion. Again, Mayor Leal had recused himself from discussion of the issue and the vote.
Support of the police budget
During 2025, Mayor Leal — who sits on the police service board — made no secret of his support of the Peterborough Police Service.
Using his strong mayor powers, Leal directed city staff in May to prepare a draft operating and capital budget for 2026 and to assume a 10 per cent increase to the police operating budget — despite the fact the police service had not determined its 2026 budget requirements — because of legislative requirements under the province’s Community Safety and Policing Act.
In November, police chief Stuart Betts presented city council with the police service’s request for a 9.8 per cent increase to its 2026 budget — an increase of over $3.7 million resulting in a 2026 budget of over $41.5 million — that included 10 new full-time equivalent positions as well as non-personnel costs including training and information technology.
Chief Betts said the requested increase (later reduced to 9.22 per cent to reflect an estimated $220,000 reduction in benefits for police employees) was driven by personnel costs related to legislative and regulatory requirements of the province’s Community Safety and Policing Act.
Later that month, city council voted 6-5 to send the proposed police budget back to the police service board for potential reductions. The following day, the police service board met in a closed session for 20 minutes before returning to public session, with Mayor Leal reading a motion unanimously approved by the board that stated the 9.22 per cent increase request would not be changed.
In December, city council voted 8-3 to endorse the city’s 2026 budget, with councillors Joy Lachica, Alex Bierk, and Keith Riel voting against it, largely because of their objections to the 9.22 per cent increase in the police service’s operating budget as well as a $91.9 million project to renovate and expand two police stations.
“My responsibility as mayor is to give the best resources possible to the men and women who wear the uniform of the Peterborough Police Service and to make sure our civilian force has the adequate resources to back them up each and every day,” Leal said during the meeting, defending his support of the police budget.
As for the project to renovate and expand two police stations, council met as general committee in September to consider a $25.4 million budget increase for the project, raising the total estimated budget to $91.9 million — an increase of over 38 per cent from the originally approved budget of $66.4 million. Similar to the operating budget, Chief Betts said the increase was required to meet legislative and regulatory requirements of the province’s Community Safety and Policing Act.
At the meeting, council voted 6-5 in favour of a motion by councillor Alex Bierk to defer the request back to city staff for details on what costs were related to mandatory versus discretionary requirements Community Safety and Policing Act.
However, at the council meeting the following day when Bierk’s motion was to be considered for final endorsement, council abruptly voted to move into closed session — a session that councillors Bierk, Joy Lachica, and Keith Riel left before it was completed. When council reconvened in chambers, debate resumed on councillor Bierk’s motion followed by a vote, which lost 5-6. Councillors then voted 7-4 to approve the original main motion to support the $25.4 million increase.
