Peterborough police have arrested two of three suspects wanted in a connection with the homicide of a 33-year-old man in downtown Peterborough earlier in December, and are continuing to search for the third suspect.

At around 6 a.m. on Saturday, December 6, officers were called to an apartment building near Brock and Aylmer streets where they found a severely injured man in an apartment. Despite life-saving efforts, the victim was pronounced dead at the scene.

Through investigation, police have identified three suspects — all Peterborough residents — and obtained warrants for their arrest.

On Thursday (December 18), officers with the Peterborough police’s investigative services unit and Belleville police’s tactical team executed a warrant at a residence in Belleville, where they arrested 28-year-old Peter Pople and charged him with second-degree murder.

On Thursday night at 8 p.m., police located 29-year-old Kaya Coughlin at Trinity Community Centre in Peterborough, where she was arrested and charged with manslaughter.

Both Pople and Coughlin are being held in custody for court appearances on December 19.

“I would like to recognize the tenacity and exceptional work of our officers in locating these two suspects,” said Peterborough police chief Stuart Betts in a media release. “It has required hundreds of hours of investigation to ensure these individuals were located and taken into custody. I also extend my appreciation and thanks to the Belleville Police Service for their support in helping our Investigators locate and arrest a suspect in their city.”

Police are continuing to search for a third suspect, 44-year-old Michael Waterman, who is wanted for second-degree murder.

Anyone with information is asked to call Peterborough police at 705-876-1122 ext 555, or anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or at stopcrimehere.ca.

A Peterborough neighbourhood group has launched an online fundraising campaign to cover a $22,500 settlement it must pay to formally end its legal challenge of the City of Peterborough’s use of strong mayor powers, with the group’s lawyer forgiving his legal fees in recognition of the financial impact of the settlement.

On Friday (December 19), Northcrest Neighbours for Fair Process (NNFP) announced it has launched a GoFundMe campaign after accepting a court-ordered settlement requiring the group — and its chair, Sarah McNeilly, personally — to pay $22,500 to the City of Peterborough and Brock Mission.

The payment is a condition of NNFP withdrawing its legal challenge of Mayor Jeff Leal’s use of his strong mayor powers to exempt Brock Mission’s proposed six-storey transitional housing project at 738 Chemong Road from the site plan control requirements that normally apply to projects of this kind.

As previously reported by kawarthaNOW, the settlement agreement followed NNFP’s decision to drop its case after the Ontario Superior Court ordered the group to post $30,000 in security for costs in order for the matter to proceed. NNFP has said it was unable to afford that upfront payment, preventing the case from being heard on its merits.

The court also ruled the City of Peterborough and Brock Mission were entitled to both the $30,000 security for costs and the costs of their motion, subject to any offer to settle with NNFP.

Justice Susan Woodley’s ruling was issued on November 20, seven weeks after she heard the City and Brock Mission’s motion that NNFP pay $30,000 security for costs in order for the case to proceed.

After that October 1 hearing, when the judge made it clear she would rule against NNFP and encouraged the parties to settle, the group made an offer to the City and Brock Mission to withdraw the case at no cost.

According to NNFP, the City and Brock Mission did not respond to that initial offer. Instead, after Judge Woodley issued her ruling on November 20, they demanded that NNFP and McNeilly pay $30,000 within 60 days to settle the case, and threatened to pursue another $100,000 in legal costs if a settlement was not reached by December 10.

After back-and-forth negotiations, all three parties agreed to a final settlement amount of $22,500 to end the case before it was ever heard.

“The $22,500 is what we are now required to pay simply to be allowed to walk away,” stated Deborah Berrill, member of NNFP’s executive committee, in a media release. “We are no longer fundraising to fight City Hall. Now, we are fundraising to finish this and to protect our chair, Sarah McNeilly, from facing financial harm.”

As a result of an earlier fundraising campaign, NNFP has around $8,000 available to put towards the settlement and must come up with an additional $15,000. If NNFP cannot raise the required funds, McNeilly becomes personally responsible for paying the settlement cost.

Recognizing the dire financial straits NNFP and McNeilly are facing, the group’s lawyer — Mark Pedersen, a partner with Belleville-based law firm O’Flynn Weese LLP — has forgiven NNFP’s outstanding legal fees so the group can redirect its remaining funds toward the settlement agreement.

In an email to NNFP, Pedersen described what the group encountered during the legal proceedings as “a series of misfortunes,” including “a municipal litigant that regards procedural leverage and obfuscation as appropriate means of litigating issues of societal importance” and “the unfortunate reality that access to justice is tremendously expensive.”

“As a general rule, I rarely cut my accounts,” Pedersen wrote. “This is an exception. Your pursuit truly does resonate with me, and I am happy to make this the exception to my usual rule.”

He added that, as a citizen, he was disappointed “that exposure to costs in the face of a question like that posed in your lawsuit is even a consideration.”

For her part, McNeilly called Pedersen’s decision to forgo his legal fees “a Christmas miracle.”

“But it’s not enough on its own,” McNeilly added. “We’re going to need another Christmas miracle, and that’s where our community comes in.”

NNFP says any funds raised will solely be used to cover the settlement costs so that no individual member of NNFP, including McNeilly, “bears the financial burden of having challenged a municipal decision.”

“The City is sending a message,” said McNeilly. “They’re making an example of me and my neighbours in order to tell the rest of Peterborough, ‘Challenge us, and we’ll make you pay.’ This fundraiser is asking the people of Peterborough to send a message back. It’s asking you, the people, to say, ‘We will not obey in advance.'”

For more information and to donate to the fundraiser, visit gofund.me/5b75d546b.

After NNFP announced the settlement agreement on December 17, kawarthaNOW reached out to the City of Peterborough for comment, but did not receive a response.

When it comes to putting food on the table or kibble in the dog’s bowl, some Peterborough residents are having to make tough choices when it comes to feeding themselves or their pets in challenging economic times.

That’s a situation the Peterborough Humane Society (PHS) is aiming to help families avoid by offering a pet pantry for community members.

Alongside partners Can-Pet Inc., The Kibble Project, the City of Peterborough, and Humane Canada, PHS recently hosted an event to distribute pet food, supplies, and essential items to residents in need just ahead of the holidays.

Held last Friday (December 12) at the Peterborough Public Library, the community pet pantry distribution event supported more than 350 pets and 155 residents, saving each household more than $100 so individuals and families could use those funds for other essential needs.

According to PHS social services worker Sara McKenzie, having access to a community pet pantry means people in need can keep both themselves and their pets fed, and also helps prevent people from having to give their pets up for adoption.

“When households are struggling to afford basic necessities, pet care can quickly become an overwhelming burden,” McKenzie told kawarthaNOW. “Many families have shared that they’ve gone without meals themselves to ensure their companion animals are fed.”

“The pet pantry is especially vital during today’s challenging economic times, providing critical support to families facing one of the most common factors driving rising rehoming requests — financial hardship,” McKenzie added.

She said that PHS has hosted five local distribution events as part of the community pet pantry program, teamed up with six community partners for redistribution, and dished out more than 20,000 pounds of pet food, helping support more than 2,000 local families to care for their beloved animals during tough times.

“By offering access to essential resources, the pantry helps families stay together while preserving the human-animal bond,” McKenzie said. “Through strong community partnerships and compassionate care, we are committed to keeping companion animals healthy and with the people who love them, because community care includes supporting both ends of the leash.”

During the December 12 event, people also enjoyed pizza and had the opportunity to have their photo taken with Santa Claus.

PHS said the community pet pantry is part of the continued growth of its prevention-focused outreach programs, and reinforces the organization’s dedication to strengthening the human-animal bond. Plans are already underway for future pet pantry programming to ensure continued support for local pet families.

“Pet pantries are a critical part of our commitment to keeping people and pets together,” said PHS CEO Shawn Morey in a statement. “Financial hardship remains one of the leading reasons families are forced to consider surrendering a beloved pet. By offering proactive support, we can reduce that pressure and prevent unnecessary heartbreak.”

PHS is a registered charity that advocates for animals by rescuing lost, stray, and homeless pets throughout Peterborough County. It is an Open Admission for Life Centre and the largest animal shelter in Peterborough County.

All animals in its care receive veterinary care, vaccinations, and are microchipped, and spayed/neutered prior to being adopted.

PHS does not receive any government or institutional funding for their operations and relies on generous donations from the community. For more information about the Peterborough Humane Society and to donate, visit peterboroughhumanesociety.ca.

The United Way Peterborough & District has announced Jim Russell will be retiring as CEO in summer 2026.

Having led the non-profit organization for the past 14 years, Russell is its longest-serving CEO.

In 2011, he moved from Toronto to Peterborough to take on the role, having previously worked as senior director of community involvement for the United Way of York Region, executive director of ThinkFirst Canada, and in various senior management positions with the Daily Bread Food Bank.

“I had been visiting Peterborough regularly in the early 2000s and decided that I wanted to complete my career in this community,” Russell said in a media release. “The vibe was just right for me.”

After his first five months as CEO in 2012, Russell told kawarthaNOW that his greatest hope was that “the people who are already vulnerable in our community receive the support they need so that they don’t get left behind.”

“I love the staff here,” he added. “They’re on fire and excited about the opportunity to build community and make lasting change.”

During Russell’s tenure, the United Way Peterborough & District secured more than $36 million for its partner agencies through multiple sources, including the annual community campaign, grants, individual gifts, and federal funding.

He led the organization during a time of increased focus on addressing poverty and homelessness, including through the production of research reports including Housing is Fundamental, multiple Point-in-Time Counts, The Gap: Income (In)Adequacy Report 2024, and The Gap: Living Wage Report 2022.

“United Ways across the country are responsible for identifying key issues in communities,” Russell said. “We are a trusted partner to be an arbiter on need and where best to invest donations to support community resilience.”

United Way board chair Karen Wilson said that she is especially proud of Russell’s leadership when it comes to poverty and homelessness, as two of the most significant issues in the Peterborough area.

“It has been my sincere pleasure to work with Jim,” she said. “He is leaving big shoes to fill.”

To that end, the United Way says its CEO hiring committee — comprising past and current board chairs, board members, and past campaign chairs — has created a plan for a “thorough selection process” starting in January 2026 that will hire Russell’s successor.

“We strive to celebrate diversity as a strength,” Wilson says of the CEO search. “We are committed to fostering an inclusive culture where every voice is heard, respected, and empowered to contribute to success.”

“As such, we are particularly keen to hear from equity-deserving individuals.”

Information about the CEO position and how to apply will be available in early January at www.uwpeterborough.ca/career-opportunities/.

The 26th annual In From The Cold benefit concert has raised $21,336.58 for YES Shelter for Youth and Families, according to organizer John Hoffman.

Two performances of the concert were held on Friday, December 5 and Saturday, December 6 at Market Hall Performing Arts Centre in downtown Peterborough, with Saturday’s performance taking place in the afternoon for the first time.

This year’s proceeds bring the concert’s 26-year total for YES Shelter for Youth and Families to over $230,000.

As in previous years, local businesses and organizations contributed a significant amount in monetary donations, adding to proceeds raised by ticket sales and individual donations.

“I must salute our generous sponsors who, truth be told, contribute considerably more to our fundraising total than the proceeds from our modest (affordable!) ticket price,” Hoffman on Facebook.

Presenting sponsors for this year’s concert were Juniper Community Bookkeeping, kawarthaNOW, and Wild Rock Outfitters’ The ComPassion Project. The streaming sponsor was Jo Pillon of Royal LePage Frank Real Estate. Concert patrons were Ashburnham Funeral Home, Herod Financial Services, LLF Lawyers, and Richmond Global Wealth. Concert supporters were Camp Ponacka Inc., Long & McQuade, Part Time CFO Services, Dayle and Reid Finlay, and the Whitfield Family.

Hoffman first organized In From The Cold in 2000 along with fellow musicians Susan Newman, Rob Fortin, and Curtis Driedger, and the annual concert has become a Christmas tradition in Peterborough, beloved for its presentation of seldom-heard holiday music.

This year’s concert once again saw Hoffman, Newman, and Fortin performing as Carried Away along multi-instrumentalist Michael Ketemer and Celtic harpist Tanah Haney, as well as the 30-voice Convivio Chorus led by Newman, and Driedger with his youth performers The Claveer Cousins (Cora Lai, Iris Lai, Charlie Watson and Meara Watson).

Along with the Saturday matinee performance, another first for this year’s concert was the addition of a special musical guest, in the form of roots singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Benj Rowland. Another musical guest was Dan Fortin, one of Canada’s top jazz bassists and the son of Newman and Fortin.

Songs performed by Carried Away included “In Praise of Christmas,” “Candlemas Eve,” “On A Night Like This,” and “Shine Over Lake And Strand,” with songs performed by the Convivio Chorus including “The Holly And The Ivy,” “Fairytale Of New York,” and “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly?”

“For us performers, In From the Cold has always been about the music,” Hoffman wrote on Facebook. “It’s the music that brings forth the joy that keeps us wanting to do this show every year.”

If you missed this year’s In From The Cold concert, you can listen to Trent Radio’s broadcast of the recorded concert throughout Christmas Day on 92.7 FM and at www.trentradio.ca/stream.htm.

kawarthaNOW is proud to be a long-time sponsor of In From The Cold.

A Peterborough neighbourhood association has accepted a settlement requiring that it pay $22,500 to the City of Peterborough and Brock Mission within 60 days, concluding a lengthy legal process that dates back to the spring.

The decision by Northcrest Neighbours for Fair Process (NNFP) to accept the settlement follows its announcement last Wednesday (December 10) that it dropped its legal challenge against the City of Peterborough’s use of strong mayor powers to expedite Brock Mission’s six-storey, 52-unit transitional housing complex planned for a site at 738 Chemong Road adjacent to Cameron House, a women’s shelter also operated by Brock Mission.

The road to this point began back on February 3 when Peterborough Mayor Jeff Leal issued a statement confirming he would, in deference to a request from Brock Mission, use his strong mayor powers to amend the City’s zoning by-law to allow the project to proceed as well as exempt the project from existing site plan requirements — a process that ensures development projects comply with municipal policies and minimize negative impacts on the environment and surrounding community.

Mayor Leal stayed true to that vow on February 24 at a city council meeting, when he brought forward a motion to use his strong mayor powers to expedite the project. While seven of 11 council members voted against the motion, councillors Gary Baldwin, Kevin Duguay, and Lesley Parnell, along with the mayor, voted in favour. While a majority of council voted against the motion, just one third of council (including the mayor) must be in support for a strong mayor powers motion to pass.

All who spoke at that meeting, including 15 public delegations, were forbidden from addressing the use of strong mayor powers and could speak only to the proposed zoning by-law amendment. In addition, the rules of procedure that govern council meetings were suspended in accordance with legislation as it pertains to strong mayor powers.

In the aftermath of that meeting, NNFP was formed to represent some 100 residents of the Teacher’s College and Brookdale neighbourhoods in Northcrest Ward. NNFP later announced its intention to legally challenge Mayor Leal’s use of strong mayor powers, claiming in a statement that the proposed Brock Mission project was being “rushed through without proper oversight, transparency or consultation.”

Since day one, NNFP has been clear that it supports transitional housing. However, it argued that the Brock Mission project doesn’t qualify as “housing” under provincial rules governing the use of strong mayor powers.

NNFP also expressed serious concerns with the proposed project’s close proximity to Cameron House, maintaining that the placement of a large co-ed transitional facility beside a women’s shelter poses a safety issue and trauma-informed-care concerns for the women at Cameron House.

In order to file a court application and retain legal counsel, NNFP created a separate incorporated entity. As NNFP chair, Sarah McNeilly agreed to be the sole director and member of Northcrest Neighbours for Fair Process Ltd. named in the subsequent proceedings.

In response to NNFP’s legal challenge, the City of Peterborough filed a notice of motion in late May requesting security of court-related costs in the amount of $10,000. The motion argued that NNFP is a shell corporation without operations and no assets to pay the costs of the respondent (the City).

City solicitor Scott Seabrooke further argued that NNFP was incorporated solely for the purpose of insulating McNeilly from being exposed personally to a cost award, further maintaining his belief that “the applicant will try to avoid paying any order for costs.”

Following a summer that saw Brock Mission added as a respondent to the legal challenge and NNFP raise more than $13,000 for its legal costs via GoFundMe campaign, the City filed a second motion seeking $30,000 from NNFP Inc. for security of costs — triple what was originally requested.

Fast forward to November 20 when Ontario Superior Court Justice Susan Woodley, having earlier heard arguments from NNFP, the City of Peterborough and Brock Mission, issued a ruling that supported the City’s motion for $30,000 in security costs. Justice Woodley added NNFP, lacking the ability to pay potential legal costs, would be required to demonstrate a strong likelihood of success of its case based on the merits — a threshold she concluded NNFP could not meet.

Justice Woodley further noted that the Municipal Act contains an immunity cause for decisions made using strong mayor powers if a decision was made legally and in good faith, and observed that Mayor Leal exercised his legal authority and acted in good faith when invoking strong mayor powers.

In the end, all this considered, Justice Woodley ruled the interests of justice would be served by requiring NNFP to post $30,000 in security within 30 days of the order, and also allowed the respondents to seek additional security costs from NNFP as the case proceeds and costs increase.

On December 10, NNFP announced it was dropping its challenge, noting the outcome to date “reflects a broader democratic failure: a tax-funded municipal corporation using its legal might to overwhelm citizens with limited means.”

In simpler terms, David met Goliath, and this time Goliath prevailed.

In a media release issued on Wednesday (December 17), NNFP confirmed the $22,500 settlement figure was arrived at following 10 weeks of discussions between NNFP, the City of Peterborough and its chief building official, and Brock Mission.

NNFP said those discussions began immediately after the October 1 hearing, where Brock Mission’s lawyer Philip Cranell informed the court that the organization had, that very morning, received a conditional offer of $20 million in funding from the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) to build the Chemong Road project.

According to NNFP, that public disclosure “marked a turning point” in the group’s legal challenge as the project suddenly had potential funding attached to it.

“We were shocked,” said NNFP chair Sarah McNeilly in the release, adding that it had been unclear before then whether the project was financially viable at all.

“Once we learned that Brock Mission had access to $20 million, we immediately stepped aside. While my neighbours and I have serious concerns with the planning process, proposed location, and program model for McNabb House, we would never want to jeopardize a charity’s ability to access that level of support.”

According to NNFP, two days after the October 1 hearing it offered to withdraw its legal challenge entirely, with no costs to any party, but that offer “went unanswered” and the matter remained “open and unresolved” for the next seven weeks — despite the fact that Brock Mission had a “shovel-ready” deadline of December 31 in connection with $250,000 in funding the City had provided to Brock Mission in February to cover project costs associated with site planning and building permit processes.

“This lack of resolution and closure should never have gone this far,” said Deborah Berrill, a member of NNFP’s executive committee. “Her Honour made it clear at the hearing that she would be ruling in the City’s favour and encouraged all parties to settle. We tried to do exactly that. I don’t understand why the City and Brock Mission chose to prolong the matter, especially when they could have spent the last 10 weeks getting shovel-ready.”

When Justice Woodley issued her November 20 ruling and ordered NNFP to post $30,000 security for costs, NNFP was financially unable to continue its legal challenge. Security for costs is a court-required deposit and it must be paid for a case to proceed.

However, even if NNFP decided to end its challenge immediately, the judge’s ruling stated that the City and Brock Mission were entitled not only to the costs of their motion, but the $30,000 security for costs, subject to any offer to settle.

After the ruling, the City and Brock Mission responded jointly with a settlement demand requiring $30,000 in costs, to be split between the two parties, payable by both NNFP’s incorporated entity and personally by its sole director, Sarah McNeilly, within 60 days.

Counsel for both the City and Brock Mission indicated that if a settlement with NNFP wasn’t reached by December 10, they would ask the court “to pierce the corporate veil” — a rare legal move that would make McNeilly personally liable for NNFP Inc.’s debts — and pursue close to $100,000 in costs, with $40,000 to $60,000 of that to the City and $20,000 plus HST to Brock Mission.

According to NNFP, it subsequently offered $17,000 to end the matter outright, noting it could immediately pay $8,000 (representing the remainder of NNFP’s pooled funds). The City and Brock Mission counter-offered with a $25,000 settlement demand. After NNFP again offered $17,000, the City responded that it would only accept that amount to resolve the $30,000 security for costs motion, not the entire costs of their motion, which would leave NNFP on the hook for substantially higher legal costs.

With the December 10 settlement deadline approaching, NNFP came back with an offer of $20,000 to conclude the matter, to which the City countered with a demand for $22,500. NNFP says it accepted that offer to protect its members and volunteers from further financial risk.

“The City and Brock Mission had already won,” said McNeilly in her statement. “Justice Woodley made that clear at the hearing, well in advance of her written decision. Yet instead of ending the matter, they pursued personal costs against me and our neighbourhood group — even after Brock Mission announced a $20 million funding offer and while facing their own year-end deadline. The facts speak for themselves.”

“This sends a very clear and chilling message to citizens: if you challenge your local government, they will make you pay,” she added. “What happened to us is punitive. It is meant to discourage ordinary people from ever questioning how decisions are made. That is profoundly undemocratic.”

In an exclusive interview with kawarthaNOW, McNeilly maintains the group’s legal challenge was launched solely in response to Mayor Leal’s use of strong mayor powers, not in protest of the development of transitional housing.

“The good fight we’ve been fighting has always been about democracy — about regular people, citizens, having a voice and using that voice,” she says. “To say that we (NNFP) are anti-housing is demonstrably untrue. This has always been about us saying ‘Whoa, shouldn’t we have a conversation here?’ This (the use of strong mayor power) is a decree.”

As for the settlement itself, McNeilly says it’s “the lesser of many evils. It could have been way worse.”

That, however, doesn’t lessen the pain of having to come up with the money, and relatively quickly to boot.

“I’m hoping my neighbours will help me with that but, at the end of the day, I’m on the hook,” she says. “We’re very much just regular people. The main demographic of our neighbourhood group is pensioners, mostly single women; folks who work in the caring professions, which is not that lucrative.”

McNeilly notes that NNFP met on Tuesday night (December 16) to discuss the settlement and the need for an emergency fundraising campaign to meet the 60-day deadline to pay $22,500 to the City and Brock Mission.

As for people who have expressed concern that NNFP’s legal challenge has required municipal tax dollars, McNeilly argues “those resources never needed to be used in the first place.”

“From the get-go, all we wanted was for Mayor Leal to rescind his strong mayor powers (for the Brock Mission project) and bring the by-laws back to council for a proper vote where majority rules. It still could have passed, but at least it would have been fair.”

“This could have been over quickly. The City extended the process, making it far more expensive for us (NNFP) and for taxpayers. They used all of these tactics — filing motions and such. We never asked them to do that. Frankly, it’s the City that has drained resources — I suspect to bleed us out.”

“We never thought we would challenge in court, but it was literally our only option. Traditionally, planning decisions would be appealed before the Ontario Land Tribunal, but that’s no longer an option for regular citizens. Now only hospitals and airports and major institutions can do that. This (going to court) was our option to try and have a say.”

McNeilly says her “fatal mistake” was identifying herself to the City as the person leading the legal challenge prior to NNFP being incorporated, which she says resulted in the City’s claim that she had set up a shell corporation to protect herself from legal liability and its initial demand for a $10,000 security deposit.

“The entire crux of the City’s argument was that one person, Sarah McNeilly, is running the show. It’s all her. There aren’t a hundred neighbours working with her in a neighbourhood association.”

While the settlement brings an end to NNFP’s legal challenge, McNeilly notes “there are other ways to fight City Hall.”

“We have a crucial election coming up,” she points out, referring to the municipal election in October 2026. “I hope that people will use their voice.”

McNeilly, who is a two-time breast cancer survivor, admits NNFP’s legal challenge “has certainly taken its toll on me.”

“Finally reaching a settlement is very much bad news for us, but there’s a strange relief that comes from it. I compare it to being diagnosed with cancer. It’s an anguished relief. Anyone who has live through the hell of waiting for pathology results will know exactly what I’m talking about.”

“These last 10 weeks have felt like that purgatory,” she says of the settlement negotiation process. “The uncertainty, the waiting, the inertia, the stagnation — it’s maddening. So, even though this is not the result we wanted, there’s a strange relief because, at the very least, now we can make a plan. Now we can find some way to survive it.”

kawarthaNOW has reached out to the City of Peterborough for a comment on the settlement agreement, but did not receive a response by deadline. This story will be updated if or when the City responds.