With the nomination period for the October 26 municipal election closing on August 21, Peterborough voters are looking for answers from candidates for city councillor who have filed their nomination papers.
In a multi-story series, kawarthaNOW is contacting all registered candidates in each of the City of Peterborough’s five wards — Ward 1 (Otonabee), Ward 2 (Monaghan), Ward 3 (Town), Ward 4 (Ashburnham), and Ward 5 (Northcrest) — for their position on key election issues such as housing, affordability, and council transparency, with comments from new candidates added as required.
In the first series of stories, kawarthaNOW asked candidates to introduce their campaigns by answering three questions: why they are running, what the biggest challenge is in their ward, and what makes them a unique candidate for councillor.
In Town Ward, incumbents Joy Lachica and Alex Bierk officially launched their campaigns together on May 1.
Challenging the two incumbents are Jessica Kuhlmorgen-Hille and Jenni Cathcart, who filed their nomination paperwork on May 1 and June 23 respectively.
kawarthaNOW asked each of the four candidates to respond to the three questions in email, and is publishing their answers verbatim with no editing.
1. Why have you chosen to run for ward councillor?
Alex Bierk
I’m running for re-election because I believe in our City and our downtown. Over the last four years, I’ve worked tirelessly to be present, accessible, and prepared — advancing housing and homelessness solutions, supporting arts and culture and community organizations, strengthening our downtown, and advocating for a more transparent and accountable City Hall.
Jenni Cathcart
I’m running for Council in the Town Ward because I’m genuinely concerned about where downtown Peterborough is headed.
I’ve spoken with dozens of residents and business owners across the ward and beyond. The messages are consistent: people feel unsafe downtown and are avoiding it. Business owners are fed up with recurring theft and vandalism.
Many homeowners and local business owners feel their concerns simply aren’t being represented. That feeling isn’t unfounded. When I attended the DBIA’s annual meeting recently, neither of our current Town Ward councillors was there. I’m told that’s been a pattern. That troubles me.
Peterborough is at an inflection point. We can accept what’s happening downtown as the new normal — and watch the city slowly decline even as our property taxes keep climbing. Or we can choose a different path: one focused on real opportunities for growth that could transform this city over the next five to ten years.
I know which path I’m fighting for. I hope you’ll join me.
Jessica Kuhlmorgen-Hille
I chose to run because I felt the representation on council did not reflect the life experience, views, and wishes, of the full demographic of the Ward in which they serve.
Joy Lachica
I’m a passionate and skilled incumbent councillor with a tenacious vision for a thriving, growing and more vibrant Peterborough. In seeking re-election I aim to continue the intentional work I’ve begun in Town Ward.
2. What is the biggest challenge in your ward?
Alex Bierk
The downtown is the heart of our city, and it’s also where many of our biggest challenges are most visible. Peterborough has never had a comprehensive downtown strategic plan that brings together infrastructure, parks and public spaces, housing and homelessness, public safety, arts and culture, neighborhood vitality etc. into a single, shared vision. That gap has left us responding to challenges in an ad hoc way instead of working toward a common goal. Creating a comprehensive downtown strategy should be one of the highest priorities of the next term of Council.
Jenni Cathcart
The Town Ward is challenged by the growing number of people experiencing homelessness, drug addiction and/or severe mental health issues. The latest Point in Time (PiT) survey conducted by United Way in 2024 counted 343 individuals experiencing homelessness — a 67% increase since 2021. Worse yet, an estimated 80% were reported to be chronically homeless. These statistics indicate that something needs to change.
I subscribe to the “housing first” approach, which has shown that housed individuals have a greater chance of overcoming addiction and mental health challenges than those receiving care while in less stable conditions. From what I’ve learned, the 50-unit Modular Bridge Housing Community is regarded as a successful starting point. My understanding is that it’s at capacity and volunteers have needed to turn people away.
How might we build capacity by replicating what’s worked in this community? And how might we build out the housing pathway, so the tiny houses are the first step in a journey to becoming self-sufficient again? If elected, I’d seek to explore solutions with our city housing experts and partners from non-profit groups.
Jessica Kuhlmorgen-Hille
Crime, poverty, homelessness, mental & addictions healthcare — as they are all interwoven into one large challenge.
Joy Lachica
The biggest challenge for Town Ward is dispelling its myths, its perceptions and being acknowledged as the heart, the soul and the cultural lifeblood of this city. As our historic social centre, the meeting place and the marketplace for this rich region, Town Ward is on the path to reclaiming its fullness with a 2026 governance table that believes unequivocally in its centrality and invests strategically in its revitalization.
3. What makes you a unique candidate for councillor?
Alex Bierk
I bring tireless work ethic and a combination of lived experience, professional experience, and four years of municipal experience. My wife and I live in Town Ward with our three children, and my career as an artist is based downtown. I’ve built both my career and my life in this community.
My experiences have taught me to approach challenges with creativity, integrity, and empathy, always grounding my decisions in both my own lived experience and the experiences of the people I represent.
During this term, I’ve taken leadership roles in housing and homelessness, helping advance some of the most significant responses our community has ever undertaken. I’ve championed for the downtown, for arts and culture, community services, and affordable housing through Peterborough Housing Corporation. I consistently advocated for transparency, meaningful public engagement, and responsible use of public funds.
Jenni Cathcart
Most business leaders become industry experts. I became an expert in a process — human-centered problem solving. It’s an approach that starts by understanding a problem from the perspective of the people living it, then uses that insight to identify root causes, generate ideas, and test what works. Over a 25-year career, I’ve applied this approach to tackle challenges related to energy, transportation, housing, and commercial development.
What that means is that I ask critical questions, I listen carefully, and I know how to cut through complexity to get to what matters. I’m fiscally responsible, data-driven, and comfortable with budgets and financial decisions — skills I’ve built managing departments and serving a wide range of clients.
On a personal level, I’m a community builder and a long-time volunteer — I’ve served on boards, been a Scouts leader, and fundraised for cancer research and bicycle advocacy. My husband and I moved to Peterborough’s Old West End in late 2024, and we’re here to stay. Peterborough is our forever home — and that’s exactly why I want to help shape its future.
Jessica Kuhlmorgen-Hille
I have lived experience none of the other candidates have. I am a disabled middle aged woman, with a difficult past on these very streets. I know what is to be poor, unwell, unhoused, abusing substances. I know how hard things are when you aren’t getting the health care and social service supports you need to stay above water and heal. I have lived downtown, Ward 3, for almost 20 years. This is my home.
Joy Lachica
I possess a love for governance, policy and community that stems from 11 consecutive years of experience in elected positions (ETFO — 7 years, City Council — 4 years).
Political skills and acumen are essential to equitably address the needs of our municipality in what is certainly an evolving municipal landscape. With changes to the Municipal Act, and the exercise of strong mayor powers in this last term of councils across Ontario, there is a new set of dynamics to navigate within municipal democracy. I bring a depth of understanding to these shifting sands. In my daily practice as a politician, I stay very connected to news and policy on all 3 levels of government.
Although I’ve been a career educator, in tandem, I’ve lived other lives … in music, in theatre as well as in the service industry. My diverse background brings a recognition of what an economic driver the arts are in our city. We’re so lucky to have an arms length Municipal Arts Council in our city supporting our community of prolific arts groups and individual artists. We must sustain them and invest in them in order to reap the social, community and economic dividends as a city.
kawarthaNOW has reproduced written responses from candidates verbatim. Any errors, factual or otherwise, or any use of AI-generated content originate with the candidate.
