As municipal election lawn signs go up across the City of Peterborough, residents are asking questions about the details of each candidate’s platforms and wanting answers on how they will address the most pressing issues facing the city.
Municipal elections across Ontario will take place on Monday, October 26. As residents of a single-tier municipality, Peterborough voters will elect a mayor and two city councillors in each of the city’s five wards, as well as school board trustees.
Although incumbent mayor Jeff Leal has yet to declare whether he intends to run for re-election, six candidates have filed their nomination papers so far seeking the mayor’s chair: Michael Eamon, Brian Lumsden, Jacob Méthot, Neil Morton, incumbent councillor Keith Riel, and Rebecca Schillemat.
Meanwhile, seven incumbent councillors have already begun their campaign for re-election. With 17 first-time or repeat candidates also on the ballot, each seat will be hotly contested. The nomination period is still open until August 21, so it’s possible even more candidates may decide to throw their hats in the ring at the last minute.
As part of a multi-story series on the Peterborough municipal election, kawarthaNOW has already asked registered candidates in each of the city’s five wards — Ward 1 (Otonabee), Ward 2 (Monaghan), Ward 3 (Town), Ward 4 (Ashburnham), and Ward 5 (Northcrest) — 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.
Having published their responses verbatim, kawarthaNOW has now contacted all registered ward candidates to ask for their position on key election issues. Candidates were asked the following questions:
- How should Peterborough approach economic development strategies and opportunities?
- What is your position on housing intensification both in established neighbourhoods and city wide?
- Explain your priorities for transportation and active transportation.
- What are your financial priorities and how will you balance funding needs across city services?
- Explain your understanding of and position on the role of ward councillors as neighbourhood advocates versus city-wide representatives.
- Are there any other issues you want to comment on?
Economic development is a primary function of municipal government, but councils must balance the need for growth with the needs and desires of existing residents. As the city embarks on the process of developing its first economic development strategic plan, successful council candidates will be responsible for guiding and implementing the plan.
At a recent open house, Kevin McPhillips of McSweeney & Associates, the consulting firm retained by the city to facilitate the development of the plan, highlighted investment diversification and community development as key facets of the new five-year plan.
Economic issues raised by local residents have included revitalizing the downtown core, support for small and local businesses, and the attraction of new employers and job opportunities.
With respect to housing, increasing rates of chronic homelessness and the ongoing housing affordability crisis remain at the forefront of voters’ minds. In the 2024 Point in Time report, the United Way Peterborough & District identified a lack of affordable housing as a primary barrier to exiting homelessness.
At the same time, some residents are wary of what they consider to be inappropriate housing intensification in established neighbourhoods. For example, the approval of a 17-storey apartment building at 90 Hunter Street East has seen pushback from neighbours due to concerns about maintaining the integrity of the East City community.
Meanwhile, the city began implementation of their 15-year Transportation Master Plan (TMP) in 2022 including goals for road infrastructure, transit, and active transportation. The TMP report demonstrated a shifting prioritization to climate and accessibility by residents.
Some Peterborough residents have expressed their discontent with the public transit system, citing concerns such as poor vehicle cleanliness and maintenance, repeated cancellations and lateness, and the route system being inadequate.
“The buses became so unreliable that I just stopped using them all together,” reads a post on the r/Peterborough Reddit page.
As for the role of councillors, they are responsible for making decisions on the city’s annual budget, including priorities for services ranging from the police to the library and much more. For voters, understanding a candidate’s position on funding needs and priorities is central to making a decision on whether to support a candidate.
In recent years, the annual budget process has drawn significant criticism from residents. For example, when city staff proposed a 25 per cent cut in funding for 75 arts and social services organizations in the 2025 draft budget as a way to reduce costs, council heard from 33 public delegations before voting to maintain 2024 funding levels.
While councillors represent constituents in their individual wards, they make decisions on issues that affect the entire city, including residents who do not live in their wards. Some candidates, including incumbent councillors, as well as local residents have expressed support for transitioning to an at-large system, where all voters are represented by all councillors. Advocates say this model prevents councillors from making decisions based soley or largely on the interests of their own constituents.
In addition to economic development, housing, transportation, and the city’s finances and governance, many candidates have also commented on other challenges, such as public safety and council transparency.
The responses of candidates to kawarthaNOW’s questions will from a series of stories to be published over the coming weeks.
