Following the municipal election on October 26, Peterborough residents have voted in five incumbent councillors and five new faces on council, in addition to the new mayor-elect Michael Eamon.
Ashburnham (Ward 4) will have completely new representation on council for the first time in 16 years, following incumbent Keith Riel’s decision to run for mayor and the defeat of incumbent Gary Baldwin by newcomers Ashley Bonner and Jason Stabler, with Bonner receiving a record 3,536 votes followed by Stabler’s 3,107 votes — both a significant margin over Baldwin’s 2,570 votes. Of the city’s five wards, Ashburnham is the only one that does not have an incumbent returning to council.
Before the new council is inaugurated on Thursday, November 19, kawarthaNOW asked councillor-elects in each of the city’s five wards to explain how they will take action to address the most pressing issues raised by residents during the campaign period, by asking them three questions:
- The draft 2027 budget will be presented on November 30. What are your financial priorities at this stage?
- Once council enters session, what will your priorities be and how will you take action on these?
- Throughout the campaign period, many residents identified housing shortages as a primary concern. How will you directly address the homelessness crisis?
Each councillor-elect was also asked two further questions, based on their incumbency status and previous comments made to kawarthaNOW throughout the campaign period.
Bonner advocates gentle density and preserving East City’s character
Although she is a political newcomer, Bonner received the third strongest mandate of any councillor-elect in this year’s election and the most votes for an Ashburnham Ward candidate in any previous election.
Bonner focused her campaign on preserving the ward’s unique East City community and balancing the need for housing intensification with the quality of life of established residents in Ashburnham.
“East City is currently going through some major transformations with the new development and it’s already causing some destruction,” Bonner said. “I’ll be working hard to represent and advocate for neighbours where possible. Ashburnham Ward is always going to be top of mind while voting and while advocating.”
Bonner said the previous city council’s approval of the controversial 17-storey high-rise currently under construction beside Mark Street United Church — the tallest so far in the city — demonstrates the importance of having a voice for Ashburnham Ward that advocates preserving the uniqueness of East City.
She has been an advocate for “gentle density” that aligns with the Community Planning Permit System (CPPS) to leverage investment opportunities for affordable housing, noting that council approved the zoning by-law amendment for the 17-storey building in September 2025, months prior to the CPPS coming into force. Previously, the developer had applied for a 10-storey building.
“Had it been deferred for seven months, they (the developer) would have had to trade-off for that extra seven stories — some affordable units or cash in lieu, which could really give us some much-needed infrastructure funding,” Bonner said.
Throughout the election campaign, residents across the city raised concerns about the ongoing homelessness and housing crisis. When asked about her approach to supporting housing needs while protecting Ashburnham Ward, Bonner said that she would focus on collaborating with existing organizations that are already working on adding to the housing continuum, such as Habitat for Humanity and One City Peterborough.
“One City is doing some amazing work in finding permanent housing solutions for folks who are chronically homeless, because the shelter system is really a band-aid approach,” she noted.
Bonner added that she would focus on developing rent-geared-to-income housing as well as affordable and market rent units, to ensure a full range of housing across the continuum.
Budget savings and building relationships with councillors and residents among Bonner’s priorities
In addition to securing funding via new CPPS-aligned developments, Bonner said that she would look at the 2027 budget to assess where savings can be found without compromising the integrity of current city services.
“What’s important is to work through the budget in fine detail to try to find some efficiencies while also protecting key services and support,” Bonner said.
Despite being a first-time councillor, Bonner said her background in community engagement and organizing will lend itself to building relationships with fellow councillors and residents alike.
“I think that having good working relationships is something I am great with, in community engagement and development,” said Bonner. “I have, in preparation, been meeting with some of the other councillor-elects and the mayor-elect to start building that rapport.”
Councillors-elect will be sworn into office on Thursday, November 19, just days before the 2027 draft budget is presented to general committee on November 30. Following the first regular meeting of the new term on December 7, council will take a break before returning in January. The new council will need to confirm the 2027 meeting schedule, including the January dates for budget deliberations, since the previous council deferred to the new term approval of the 2027 schedule proposed in the fall by city staff.
Bonner said she will use the break to prepare for the role and to meet residents.
“I plan on using that time to really connect to constituents to make sure to find out what’s important to them, to hear their feedback on the budget, because at the end of the day, we are elected to make sure we’re representing our constituents,” she said.
Stabler brings policy experience and a focus on housing, economic development, and transportation
Also joining council for the first time is Stabler, who previously ran in the 2014 municipal election as a Town Ward candidate, coming in third behind Diane Therrien by 1,174 votes.
He is no stranger to governance and policy, having previously worked policy analyst for the Government of British Columbia and currently as a principal consultant working on policy and legal issues for not-for-profit organizations.
Stabler ran his campaign on three primary issues — housing, economic development, and transportation — which he continues to identify as his priority positions.
“My priority would probably be the same as most councillors, which would be, while meeting the needs of the city, trying to ensure that we don’t do that in a way that results in significant increases to residential taxes,” Stabler said.
However, he also recognizes that, as a first-time councillor, he faces a steep learning curve, especially since he and Bonner will be the only ward councillors without an incumbent to guide them.
“In the first several months or so of council, probably most of what we — new councillors in particular — will do is learn how the processes work, who the city staff are who are responsible for certain issues, and learn about our fellow councillors and what their priorities are,” said Stabler.
He added that he has begun preparing for this role by reading many of the city’s organizational documents, such as the official plan, to provide context and information on the topics that he will soon vote upon.
He further said that his background in law and public policy will help him to navigate the processes and policies established in council, as well as providing him further insight into the inner workings of procedural issues.
Stabler looks to federal government funding to advance affordable housing and support arts and culture
On the topic of housing, Stabler said that he wants to work with the federal and provincial governments to secure funding that supports capital and operational costs associated with new developments and maintaining affordable housing stock.
In its November 5 budget announcement, the federal Liberal government committed to providing $42 billion over the next 10 years to municipalities to help them address homelessness and housing affordability.
Stabler looks to this announcement with hope for how it can support Peterborough directly.
“I’m hopeful that city council and city staff will have a better understanding of what’s there and what’s required for us to access this funding. I’m hoping that that money is something that will help us get some of the projects off the ground that we had planned.”
In particular, Stabler considers projects proposed by the Peterborough Housing Corporation on Hilliard Street, Alexander Court, and Monaghan Road as early contenders to receive significant funding.
“The devil’s in the details, but we may have at least gotten some indication from the federal government that they understand the scale of the issue and they’re going to help us move it forward,” said Stabler.
Again looking to the federal government for financial support, Stabler reiterated his belief that the arts and culture sectors are key economic drivers of the community, and his desire for the city to leverage the $5 billion in combined cultural and recreational funding over the next five years that was committed by the federal government in the 2026 budget.
