According to Neil Morton, the trajectory of his life has led him to a “perfect moment” where he believes he has the leadership, strategic vision, and commitment and passion to help Peterborough reach its full potential.
On Monday morning (May 4), the 55-year-old lifelong entrepreneur joined the mayoral race for this fall’s municipal election by filing his nomination papers at Peterborough City Hall.
In a recent in-depth interview with kawarthaNOW at the Silver Bean Cafe in The Canadian Canoe Museum, Morton spoke about his motivation for running for mayor and how he plans to lead the city if elected.
“I absolutely love Peterborough,” Morton said. “I think it has the potential to be one of the great Canadian cities to live in, to work in, and to visit, and I want to showcase the light on this city that’s not being shone right now. Come Monday, I’m going to be campaigning everywhere and learning the role of being an ambassador for this community.”
Morton’s decision to run for mayor is no surprise, given his self-described “100 coffees” initiative over the past six months. Calling it “one of the most empowering experiences of my life,” he met with a wide range of people, including social workers, environmentalists, entrepreneurs, and politicians such as current city councillors and former mayors including Sylvia Sutherland, Daryl Bennett, and Paul Ayotte, as well as participating in a ride-along with Peterborough police chief Stuart Betts.
“I’m listening and learning because the only way to know where we’re going is to actually know the truth, and the hard truths of where we’re at, and not just face things on gossip and conjecture,” he said.
‘You can’t take Peterborough out of the person’
Born in Toronto, Morton moved to Peterborough as a young child after his mother Patricia joined Trent University to teach history and women’s studies and his father David joined Quaker Oats, later becoming president and CEO. Growing up in the city’s north end, he attended Edmison Heights Public School, Adam Scott Collegiate Vocational Institute, and Trent University before leaving Peterborough to study journalism at Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson).
After living and working in Toronto for 20 years, including as a pop culture columnist for Metro News and editor-in-chief for technology and culture magazine Shift, he moved back to Peterborough in 2011 with his wife and two daughters.
“You can take the person out of Peterborough, but you can’t take Peterborough out of the person, and I came back,” Morton said.
He co-founded the website PtboCanada.com with the intent of focusing on positive stories about Peterborough, and then the digital marketing agency StudioPtbo, later selling his ownership in both companies. He also co-authored the 2021 book What If You Could? The Mindset and Business Blueprint for Your Life of Purpose and was one of the co-founders of the now-defunct Electric City Football Club (FC).
Currently co-founder and vice president of marketing of 3D-printing construction company Cormor Inc., Morton is also a business development consultant for former Peterborough MP Maryam Monsef’s company Onward.
His volunteer work in the community has included chairing the United Way Peterborough & District’s 2017 fundraising campaign, serving as a member of the board of the Peterborough and Kawarthas Chamber of Commerce, and serving as an ambassador for the Canadian Canoe Museum’s “Move The Collection: The Final Portage” campaign in 2023. He was inducted into the Junior Achievement Business Hall of Fame in 2023 and Adam Scott’s Hall of Honour in 2024.
“I feel like the trajectory of the Peterborough chapters of my life have led me to this moment, and the moment is perfect,” said Morton of his decision to run for mayor. “It aligns with where I’m at and where Peterborough is at and what it needs.”
Giving people a voice again
During his 100 coffees meetings, Morton said people told him they feel like “they’re not being heard” when it comes to civic engagement.
“People really care about this community and this city, and right now they feel like they’re getting a little bit apathetic, if you will. They’re kind of waiting there to be utilized or heard, because we have a lot of amazing, all-star people in this community.”
That, he added, has led to what he calls “a mindset of scarcity or conservation, as opposed to a mindset of abundance,” where people feel disengaged from civic life.
“I am going to give them a voice again,” Morton said. “I’m going to be the leader and help steer the ship, but we need everyone to get on this train, so to speak, and be loud again about who we are.”
As an example, he points to business owners who feel they are not being recognized by the city for their economic contributions to the community.
“For me, a big role I will play, being the chief ambassador not just the mayor — that’s why I look at myself — is attracting business here, attracting tourists here, attracting families here, attracting doctors here, building prosperity for this community.”
‘Growth creates growth’
According to Morton, economic prosperity is key to dealing with issues like homelessness.
“I met with some social workers and some advocates for youth homelessness and I asked ‘What’s the answer to this?’, and they said one of the big answers is economic development. It fundamentally is prosperity, wealth — whatever you want to call it — for the community, so the more money we make as a community, the more we invest in ourselves. Growth creates growth. The more we can help everyone in this community, the social safety net gets bigger, and we all get a bigger slice of the pie.”
Morton attributes a lack of economic development to “taking shortcuts with projects” and “not going all in” when opportunities present themselves, such as the proposed entertainment complex in downtown Peterborough, which will be brought forward to city council again at Monday night’s general committee meeting.
“When we did the (Peterborough) Memorial Centre a few years ago, we decided not to build a new facility at that point,” he said. “We decided to basically retrofit the Mem Centre, an old barn, so we put a lot of money into that. Maybe that money would have been more well spent at that point into a new arena.”
He added that he supports a new entertainment complex, but “only under the right arrangement that does not gouge taxpayers.”
“If there’s a private-public partnership to be done, I see that as being a huge economic driver for the downtown — a big anchor tenant down there at Market Plaza if that’s where it’s going to be. Then, with all the wraparound amenities that would happen there, whether it’s a convention centre or a hotel, microbreweries, more restaurants, cafes .., it’s limitless, but that is one possibility if the deal is done properly.”
“It’s an entertainment facility where we could embed the local arts and culture scene, which we need to do a better job of as well. It’s not just about the Petes or Lakers, which are an institution here. We don’t want to lose them, (but) it’s about bringing people together into that one facility that also all the wraparound services, driving more traffic downtown before (people) go to a concert or a play or a sports event, and then go out afterwards as well.”
‘Chief ambassador for the community’
Morton said he will be launching a survey called “Ptbo Priorities” this week in an effort to continue engaging residents and ensuring his platform is a reflection of the people he aims to serve as mayor.
“I want people to be honest and be heard, and that will help form my policies and platform and vision for the community,” he said. “I have one at a macro level already, which is being bold, emphatic, bringing more wealth to the community, (and) shining the light in the community.”
As mayor, Morton said he will be a “chief ambassador for the community,” including by going on podcasts and radio and even by starting “our own podcast and telling the story of all the amazing entrepreneurs here and visionaries here.”
“My background is in communications,” he explained. “I’m going to be loud about storytelling and showcasing. I’ve been accused of having rose-coloured glasses over the years — or plaid-coloured glasses, or whatever you want to say (Morton is known for his love of plaid) — but I think we need more people to have that outlook on how to fix problems.”
“We’re not immune to the problems happening in other municipalities, but let’s get ahead of the curve. Let’s maybe look at other best practices that are happening in other communities and municipalities around the world — maybe we can tweak it or come up with our own positive solutions.”
Homelessness and the ‘missing middle’ in housing
On the issue of homelessness, Morton said creating more economic prosperity will result in “a Peterborough for all.”
“People that are homeless do not want to be homeless. They don’t want to be living on the streets and encampments. They want to be living in their own home, and we need to find (solutions) and we are; I’ve talked to people who believe we are on the right path to getting a lot of these people housed.”
Morton said he “can see both sides” of the issue.
“I can see the people living in encampments are disrupting businesses and disrupting residential streets,” he said. “I want people to feel safe in their own community and I do want them to feel secure — they deserve that — but (homeless people) deserve to have all the opportunities that we can give them to put them in a better position to get out of whatever put them into that, whether trauma or rut, and get them out of that and get them into the housing continuum.”
Morton also said there is no “easy answer” to addressing the “missing middle” in housing — multi-residential units such as duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, and rowhouses instead of single-family homes and high-rise developments.
“I’ve talked to people in the missing middle in town right now who are really struggling, where they’ve gone through a divorce and they had to sell their house and go into the rental market, and they have quite a hefty deposit, but they can’t buy back into the market because they just they can’t afford the cost of living,” he said. “I’ve heard that people are even barely paying their mortgages and are having to use food banks here.”
“We need to find creative solutions working with developers who have altruistic approaches to development as well, and really want to bring in at least a ratio of what’s truly defined as affordable, because often affordable housing now is not even close to being affordable.”
Those creative solutions, Morton added, include alternative residential units (ARUs), “where you move mom in or your kids stay with you longer, but you have a coach house in your backyard or an apartment dwelling.”
“We have to allow for more viable solutions and remove some of the red tape and bureaucracy to get more people housed, and give them hope. Right now a lot of people don’t have that hope.”
On city staff who don’t live in Peterborough
Asked about public criticism of senior city staff who do not live in Peterborough and yet make decisions that affect the community, Morton said he would encourage them to experience the city even if they don’t live in the community.
“You need to live and breathe the community you’re working in,” he said. “You need to be right at ground level, seeing and hearing and listening and doing all the things like going to Market Hall, going to the Friday art crawl, going to the Petes games. I think that’s the most realistic tangible way of actually knowing what’s happening in your community and making really thoughtful, pragmatic decisions that aren’t generic decisions that could happen in any municipality.
“In a utopian world, I would like to see (city) staff live here, absolutely, or at least in the region, because a big part of my mayoral run is selling the region. It’s working with the county as well. It’s bringing people together again and selling the region as a whole, and not just Peterborough. If a family happens to live in the county, it’s all good, because if they move here from the GTA and they live in the county, they’re still going to come to Peterborough. They’re going to come to the Canoe Museum, they’re going to come to the restaurants in Peterborough, they’re going to spend their money here.”
On the city’s relationship with the county
As for the economic development relationship between the City of Peterborough and the County of Peterborough following the dissolution this past council term of Peterborough & the Kawarthas Economic Development (PKED), Morton said the city and county need to find a way to work together again.
“It should be a win-win — to me, it doesn’t have to be a zero-sum game if you get a business in the county and we don’t get it,” he said. “The next lead could be more viable that the county gives us to land something here in the city, but we need to be working together on lead generation, and at least landing it here in the area and not losing it to another municipality.”
“I’m definitely going to work toward bringing people together again. What happened in the past happened in the past, whether I agreed or not, but the only way to fix things now is to work together. It cannot be a siloed approach, and right now that’s what’s happening in many regards.”
Asked about the contrast between the city’s support for the proposed Alto high-speed rail network and the county’s opposition, and the city’s decision to approve the Coldsprings growth area for a potential Alto station location without first consulting with the county, Morton pointed to a lack of ongoing communication.
“It’s not a competition — it’s a win-win for the region,” he said. “I had this conversation with Murray Jones from when he was the (county) warden and worked with (former Peterborough mayor) Darryl (Bennett). You couldn’t have really picked more opposite people, but they worked together to sell the region. That’s what we need, and I’m committed to that. Whoever the warden is, I’ll work with them.”
“As far as Alto goes, it’s like winning the lottery. It’s a game changer. Alto is going to do their thing and be thoughtful about not disrupting too many people’s lives. I can see the rural aspect, but how do highways ever get built and rail lines ever get built? I just had a friend who is part of my team who just got back from Europe and they’re light years ahead of us with high-speed rail.”
“We’ve got to catch up. We’ve got to move forward and, for Peterborough, it’s going to be a massive economic driver … People can commute to Trent or Fleming every day, commute for jobs every day, come and visit the Canoe Museum for a day.”
“We can’t just be on the fence all the time and talk ourselves out of things — it’s not going to push us forward as a region and a city.”
Downtown revitalization
Asked about his top priorities, Morton spoke again about economic development, including downtown revitalization.
“We have a lovely, beautiful downtown that has enormous potential, but we need to take that next level,” he said. “The micro example being (the late community advocate) Ann Farquharson when she went out with (city councillor) Alex Bierk and spray painted that garbage can. You don’t want your downtown to get blighted; you want it to feel welcoming to all. Curb appeal is really important.”
“The downtown is going to be huge for me. We need more murals down there. Jason Wilkins was one of my 100 coffees — one of the most talented mural artists in Canada happens to live in Peterborough and loves it in Peterborough — and he said we should be doing more murals that just captivate people when they come into town. They stop and they do Instagram photos. We need to be open to doing more things to drive people downtown.”
Property taxes and strong mayor powers
When it comes to property taxes, Morton said his goal would to avoid raising them beyond inflation, which he would accomplish by increasing the city’s revenues by attracting more businesses, more families, more residential development, and more tourism.
“We’ve got to bring in more dollars and then we don’t have to raise taxes. I never want to feel like constituents are being gouged. You should feel like (when) you’re paying taxes and your user fees as well that you’re getting bang for your buck … you’re not getting penalized and having to pay to offset these deficiencies that are happening.”
On the issue of strong mayor powers, Morton said he has “no intention of using them” but wouldn’t rule it out.
“I’m always striving for consensus and collaboration on council, but I’m not going to be the one to say I’ve never going to use something, if there’s an emergency situation to do with homelessness or housing,” he said.
“I’m going to be very transparent with constituents and I’m not going to put that stake in the ground and say I’m never going to use strong mayor powers, but the goal is to never use them. The province has given us that legal authority … to do that if we want, so it is potentially a tool in the toolkit, but the goal is not to use it. The goal is to have consensus and staff and council that works together.”
On the perception of privilege
When it became known he was considering running for mayor, one of the early criticisms levelled against Morton is that, as the son of well-known philanthropist parents, he comes from a position of privilege — with the implication being that he will not pay attention or be empathetic to the issues facing people who are marginalized.
“My parents are amazing, altruistic philanthropic people, and that’s a beautiful thing that’s rubbed off on me as well and how I want to give back to the community,” said Morton.
Over the years, Patricia and David Morton have donated many hundreds of thousands of dollars through their family foundation to local charities and organizations including the Peterborough Regional Health Centre Foundation, YWCA Peterborough Haliburton, Trent University, the Peterborough Humane Society, the United Way of Peterborough & District, and the Morton Community Healthcare Centre in Lakefield.
“Being privileged is not in any way going to get in the way of how I lead this community,” Morton added, noting that he volunteered at a church soup kitchen when he was living in Toronto and is familiar with socioeconomic issues such as homelessness from his time as the United Way campaign chair.
“It’s a Peterborough for all,” said Morton, returning to the phrase he used repeatedly throughout the interview. “I grew up in a middle-class neighbourhood in the north end of Peterborough. My parents earned everything they got, and now they give back in spades to this community. They’re very compassionate and they’re empathetic people.”
‘My lens on life is more joy-baiting than rage-baiting’
On that topic, Morton said “We need more empathy and community and more kindness” and suggested that people who are “chirping on Facebook and Twitter and Redditt” about how the city is being run could become actively engaged in making things better.
“We need these people to come out and not be in a spectator sport. We need them to stand up, because a lot of them are saying pretty smart stuff; they’re pretty articulate and charismatic. It’s just how they’re channelling it, and I need them to come out and level up and be part of the solution and not the problem.”
“How do you want to wake up every day? … Do you want to wake up with a positive outlook, like how you can change your own life and your family life and your community, or do you want to wake up and think about how to take other people down? My lens on life is more joy-baiting than rage-baiting. It’s just a healthy way to live.”
‘I’m going to change the mindset of the community and bring people together’
While Morton’s trademark positivity may lead some to accuse him of being a Pollyanna, he said he is prepared to face criticism, including about his failures.
“Part of being an entrepreneur is succeeding and failing, and I have failed in some of my businesses,” he explained. “Stuff like Electric City FC is going to come up … I’m very proud of being part of that as one of the original four to help get the right people and ingredients to make that happen. And it did happen for a couple of years. Did it fail in the end? Yeah, but it happened, it was here, and for a moment there it was doing really well.”
“I can own my failures and successes in life and I’m good with that. I’d rather live that way than being on the fence with everything.”
As for why Peterborough voters should choose him over the other mayoral candidates, Morton said “I believe I can be the best leader for this community because I have all the attributes, in terms of leadership, culture, being an entrepreneur, an innovator, and being involved with different organizations in Peterborough.”
“People that know me know how I feel about this city. I absolutely love it, and I want it to be one of the greatest Canadian cities to live and visit, and I believe we can get there. We have rivers and lakes all around us here, we have all the amenities here, and I’m going to change the mindset of the community and bring people together. I feel like I can do the best job at that.”
Morton will officially kick off his campaign at a public launch event at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 26 at the Market Hall in downtown Peterborough.
With files from Bruce Head.
