The City of Peterborough is offering sandbags to residents affected by localized flooding as a result of high water levels on the Otonabee River.

The Trent-Severn Waterway is currently experiencing higher-than-normal water levels due to recent rainfall as well as snow melt from the watershed’s northern region.

As a result, some residential properties along the Otonabee River below Lock 19 – Scott Mills south of Little Lake may be affected by the high water levels.

For residents who need sandbags to divert water from their properties, the city has set up sandbag fill locations with sand, bags, and shovels.

The stations are located at Graham Avenue at Lillian Street, Riverside Drive at Archibald Street, and Sherin Avenue at Bensfort Road. They are open on Sunday (April 6) until 7 p.m. and will remain open daily from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. as required.

Public works crews will be at each location to help residents fill sandbags, but residents are responsible for transporting the sandbags and placing them on their properties. The city is recommending sandbags be place around basement window wells and doors.

High water levels are also affecting other areas along the Otonabee River, including Little Lake. The Peterborough Marina and other areas have been taped off or barricaded due to flooding conditions.

Residents are asked to avoid these areas and follow all posted signage.

The city is also advising residents that shorelines and riverbeds should be considered unstable due to high and fast water levels. Residents should use extreme caution around shorelines, with children closely supervised and pets leashed at all times.

This spring, you can walk beside YWCA Peterborough Haliburton as they walk beside vulnerable women and children recovering from gender-based violence.

On Friday, May 23, the non-profit organization will be holding their annual “Walk A Mile in Their Shoes” event to gather the community while raising funds that will support their signature programs and services for the women, children, and gender-diverse people they serve.

Originally called “Walk A Mile In Her Shoes” before adopting a more inclusive name in 2024, the walk will begin at Peterborough’s Confederation Square park at 12 p.m. and continue around the downtown area. Check in for participants begins at 11 a.m. on event day.

“It really brings the community together,” says Tina Thornton, director of philanthropy for YWCA Peterborough Haliburton. “Everybody comes out to this event because it gives them an opportunity to really show their support for women who are fleeing domestic violence and show their support for the YWCA — all while being out in the community and engaging with others.”

Thornton says last year’s event, the first after a four-year pandemic hiatus, saw more than 100 participants registered for the walk, with many additional individuals and dignitaries coming out to show their support.

Those wanting to take part can sign up as a solo walker or they can sign up as a team of friends, family, or colleagues to first raise money through sponsorships. On event day, participants often don red shoes — high heels if they’re feeling courageous — to walk alongside fellow community members.

“We firmly believe what a great team-building opportunity this event could be for folks,” says Thornton. “There’s a lot of opportunity for corporate engagement and a little bit of corporate rivalry back and forth to try and beat other businesses.”

YWCA Peterborough Haliburton encourages men, boys, and allies to participate, as well as people of all ages including children.

The walking route will be accessible and will accommodate mobility challenges, with those who may be walking slower, pushing strollers, or walking with children setting the pace at the front of the crowd.

“This is not a race — it’s an opportunity for us to get out in the community and just take a nice walk with our community and friends,” says Thornton, adding that you don’t have to participate to show your support for the event.

“We encourage the community to come out and simply join us to stand on the side of the streets and wave and congratulate the people that are walking by, or to pop by the park and hear about what we’re doing.”

The early bird registration fee for Walk A Mile In Their Shoes is $40 until the end of April, after which the cost will increase to $50 ahead of the event. The registration fee includes a custom water bottle, a T-shirt in the participant’s preferred size, and lunch on the day of the walk. Red shoes will also be available for loan.

New this year, high school students and students enrolled at Trent University and Fleming College can register for a discounted price of $25.

Last year’s event raised $20,871, bringing the total funds raised in support of YWCA Peterborough Haliburton through Walk A Mile to almost $1 million since the walk first took place in Peterborough in 2009.

This year, the organization is hoping to raise a minimum of $20,000 for their Journey of Care, which covers the range of signature programs and services that support women and children recovering from gender-based violence.

From the Crossroads Shelter, safe spaces, and transitional housing to the START service hub and support for court processes, housing, income, and more, the Journey of Care encompasses a “wrap-around” flexible support model.

“It’s important for people to understand that we are so much more than a shelter,” says Thornton. “Our goal is to really make sure that when that woman is stepping away from the YWCA and is ready to be independent and on their own, they have all the services and support they need so that they’re starting off fresh.”

“It only begins when they come to Crossroads,” she adds. “There is an incredible amount of support that’s required before she’s ready to actually stand on her own, and we walk beside her through that entire journey.”

To register as a participant and create your personal fundraising page, or to sponsor someone with a donation, visit www.walkamilepeterborough.com.

kawarthaNOW is proud to be a media sponsor of Walk A Mile in Their Shoes.

Peterborough Mayor Jeff Leal’s exercising of his provincially legislated strong mayor powers earlier this year is facing a legal challenge from a Peterborough residents’ group.

Northcrest Neighbours for Fair Process (NNFP) is going to court to challenge Mayor Leal’s use of “these extraordinary powers” to expedite Brock Mission’s planned six-storey 52-unit transitional housing complex at 738 Chemong Road adjacent to Cameron House, a women’s shelter also operated by Brock Mission.

In a letter to city employees dated Tuesday (April 1) and posted on the City of Peterborough’s website, Mayor Leal states that a law firm advised the city’s legal services division on March 28 that it had been retained to begin an application in the Superior Court of Justice, with the intention of challenging the validity of the by-laws that were approved using strong mayor powers to expedite the project. In his letter, the mayor authorizes the city’s lawyers to take action to oppose the challenge.

In a statement provided to kawarthaNOW, NNFP argues the proposed project is being “rushed through without proper oversight, transparency, or consultation.” As such, the group has retained legal representation in advance of the court challenge.

Back on February 3, Mayor Leal issued a statement that he would, in deference to a request from Brock Mission, be using his strong mayor powers to expedite the project by amending the city’s zoning by-law and exempting the project from existing site plan requirements.

In his February 3rd statement, Mayor Leal noted Peterborough’s “critical need for housing,” adding he will do “whatever is within my authority as mayor to support those (housing) projects moving forward for the benefit of our community.”

Fast forward to the February 24th meeting of city council where Mayor Leal made good on his vow. While seven of the 11 members of council voted against Mayor Leal’s motion, three councillors — Gary Baldwin, Kevin Duguay and Lesley Parnell — joined the mayor in supporting it. For a strong mayor powers motion to pass, only one third of a council (which can include the head of council) must support it.

NNFP counters that Brock Mission’s proposed transitional housing build doesn’t qualify as “housing” within the definition of the provincial rules governing the use of strong mayor powers. The group further argues that the building “more closely resembles an institutional facility (in terms of its planned use), therefore falling beyond the scope of strong mayor powers conferred by the Municipal Act.”

Group spokesperson Sarah McNeilly, who lives near the development site and spoke at the February 24th council meeting, emphasizes NNFP’s beef isn’t with Brock Mission or the pressing need for transitional housing.

Rather, she says, it’s with strong mayor powers that she maintains allow decisions to be made with support of just one third of council votes — an allowance that she argues “undermines basic democratic principles.”

She tells kawarthaNOW that the February 24th council meeting “was a real catalyst for us (NNFP) to organize,” terming that meeting as “kind of like watching a movie.”

“It was surreal to see democracy slipping through our fingers in real time. It was quite horrific — the lack of meaningful consultation, the lack of due process, the lack of transparency of procedure, and the lack of any consultation with the vulnerable women sheltering at Cameron House.”

“This project was forced through with minimal support and with minimal oversight, and that undermines our local democracy. This is the first time Mayor Leal has used strong mayor powers. Yes, they’re legislated and yes, he’s allowed to do so technically, but decisions that impact neighbourhoods should never bypass transparent process and majority rule.”

That said, McNeilly believes “the mayor was trying to do right by the vulnerable people in our city” when he agreed to Brock Mission’s request to exercise his strong mayor powers to fast-track the project.

“I think he had really good intentions,” she says. “Unfortunately, I think he perhaps didn’t have all of the information he needed to make a decision like that; that maybe some of things he put in his (February 3) statement have turned out to be false.”

The bottom line, argues McNeilly and the some 80 members of NNFP, is “Strong mayor powers do not serve community interests.”

“Allowing major decisions (to be made) with minority council support sets a concerning precedent for governance by exception rather than democratic consensus.”

“It doesn’t matter what it is. This could be a casino. It could be an arena. It could be anything, and I would be against it because of the way it’s being pushed through. We can’t give up the bedrocks of democracy: due process, public consultation, majority rule. We can’t just freely hand them over because we think there’s an emergency that justifies it.”

“When we hand those things over, we don’t get them back. We have seen that time and time again. We have seen crises and emergencies being used (as an excuse) to strip away democratic freedoms.”

In its statement, NNFP maintains “the erosion of democratic norms” isn’t “just a local issue. It’s an Ontario issue. It’s a Canadian issue.”

As such, it’s not lost on the group that its legal challenge is being watched closely beyond Peterborough’s borders.

“This affects every one of the (45) upper-tier municipalities that were also given this power,” notes McNeilly. “It’s the first test of how far strong mayor powers can be stretched. Clear limits must be established to prevent these powers from being broadly applied without proper democratic safeguards.”

“Right now the legislation, as laws often are, is very very intentionally vague. It gives 100 per cent discretion to these mayors, which is really a way of the province saying ‘Not our problem.’ This decision is so important because it’s novel, it’s a precedent, and this type of power cannot go unchecked.”

“In the hands of someone else who maybe isn’t as principled as Mayor Leal, all you have to do is attach one housing unit to any build and, technically, there you go — strong mayor powers. No public consultation. You can just pass anything.”

With legal representation secured, NNFP is calling for public support of its argument. Besides asking that residents express their concerns to their local representatives at all levels of government, the group is accepting donations in support of legal fees and public outreach efforts. Donations can be made via e-transfer to northcrestnfp@gmail.com.

By challenging the use of strong mayor powers, McNeilly says the group is not asking that the Brock Mission development be stopped in its tracks.

“Go through the proper channels and do it right. That’s how democracy works. Maybe folks (still) won’t be happy about it, but it was done right.”

While McNeilly would prefer that Mayor Leal bring the matter back to council, and that established procedures be followed in accordance with existing by-laws governing development approval, she isn’t holding her breath.

Still, she’s buoyed by NNFP members’ determination to see this through.

“Navigating global anxieties while feeling our own voices and the voices of our elected representatives are being dismissed, has been especially disheartening,” says McNeilly. “To be clear, we support responsible, transparent community planning. What we oppose is governance by minority rule, and decisions made without proper oversight or meaningful dialogue.”

She refutes any argument that NNFP is against housing for people experiencing homelessness because it is objecting to the way the Brock Mission project has been approved.

“There’s a false dilemma being pushed here. That is, if you oppose anything about this project — for example, the procedure by which it has been pushed through, the inappropriate location, the lack of feasibility or sustainability — somehow that equates that you hate unhoused people.”

As for those who would push back that NNFP’s legal challenge against the use of strong mayor powers is simply a smokescreen for their opposition to the project, McNeilly has a ready reply.

“I think it’s good I’m the unofficial face of this movement. I have a reputation for being very progressive — in fact, too left-leaning for most people’s tastes. If this becomes a smear campaign against my character, my track record speaks for itself.”

In the aftermath of the recent ice storm, a group of dedicated peace activists gathered in downtown Peterborough with lit candles for the 120th and final time.

At noon on Monday (March 31), members of the Peterborough Peace Council stood at the corner of George and McDonnel streets, as they have done so many times before.

Founded in November 2014 by nine people from diverse faith groups to foster compassionate non-violent direct action and conflict resolution through information sharing, the Peterborough Peace Council began holding a vigil for peace at the corner of George and McDonnel streets the last Monday of every month starting on March 30, 2015.

“At the vigil in the ice storm, as we completed 10 years of never missing (the vigil) on that corner, we lit candles from a candle that had been lit from a line of candles back to a candle lit by Nelson Mandela for peace,” Peterborough Peace Council member Margaret Slavin told kawarthaNOW about the most recent gathering.

The March 31 vigil was the council’s final regular vigil, and the group is now evaluating new ways to remain active in the community by promoting peace through other channels.

“In our first planning meeting, voices offered to work on bringing serious discussions across our differences about alternatives to war — about all the ways we already know about that can create an alternative (society) that does not lead to violence and killing, but operates from love and respect,” Slavin said.

Slavin noted that the annual lantern ceremony, held in August on the shores of Little Lake to commemorate the dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6 and 9, 1945, will continue under the leadership of a new generation.

“We are looking for younger hands to take it over and help Peterborough reflect and remember about the ongoing threat of nuclear war and the firm and respectful ways to resolve our differences and to grow a more loving culture when we truly listen to one another,” Slavin said.

She said the group would like “to see at least one opportunity every month” to raise awareness about the alternatives to war.

“Every few months, we may want a vigil for peace again … to connect the dots between everything from climate chaos to domestic violence to genocides,” Slavin said.

Throughout the history of the Peterborough Peace Council’s vigils, people from many groups and from all walks of life have faithfully met at the monthly gatherings, a media release noted.

They got together in all kinds of weather, bearing their banners and signs through strong winds, cold winter days, and searing summer heat. They held pop-up vigils during the pandemic, offering chocolate cookies with a peace dove message underneath and handing them to passersby from a safe distance.

They gathered to mourn killings in other cities and the ongoing discovery of unmarked graves at residential schools. They drummed and sang to support a concern about retaining a wetland at Trent University. They passed around a talking stone which was a gift from Indigenous artist Randy Knott.

As for the council’s future, members held one planning session in March and will meet again at Sadleir House on Sunday, April 13, at 1 p.m. Anyone interested is invited to attend.

The council plans to work on initiatives “that unite and do not divide.” Future events will offer teach-ins, seminars, focused vigils and demonstrations, and “opportunities to cross boundaries of class, colour, faith and gender to find strength in common ground.”

In addition to the August lantern ceremony at Little Lake, the council’s members will wear orange in September in remembrance of Indigenous children who perished in residential schools, and will mark the UN days for ending gender violence in November-December.

For more information about Peterborough Peace Council, visit the Facebook group at facebook.com/groups/PtboPeaceCouncil.