As seven candidates compete to become Peterborough’s next mayor in the municipal election on October 26, kawarthaNOW is asking the contenders to outline their plans for the economy, housing, taxes, and leadership at city hall.

The growing housing affordability and homelessness crisis continue to be at the forefront of voters’ minds during the campaign period.

With incumbent mayor Jeff Leal not running for re-election, the seven certified mayoral candidates are Michael Eamon, Rob Hailman, Brian Lumsden, Jacob Méthot, Neil Morton, incumbent Ashburnham Ward councillor Keith Riel, and Rebecca Schillemat.

Having conducted in-depth interviews with six of the seven mayoral candidates to introduce their campaigns (with Brian Lumsden to be interviewed soon), kawarthaNOW has asked the candidates to go on the record about the most pressing election issues.

On the topic of housing and homelessness candidates were asked two questions: “Where and how should Peterborough add housing, including in established neighbourhoods, and what can the city realistically do to improve affordability?” and “What should the city do first to reduce homelessness, and what provincial or federal support is needed to address the related mental health and addictions crises?”

kawarthaNOW is publishing the responses from the seven candidates verbatim.

Where and how should Peterborough add housing, including in established neighbourhoods, and what can the city realistically do to improve affordability?

Michael Eamon

The city’s Official Plan outlines where intensification should take place and these recommendations will help guide future decisions. I would like to encourage and expedite projects downtown; however, there are several other neighbourhoods that have been identified for intensification as well. What will also guide the process are the challenges that need to be solved. Throughout the city, houses designed as single family dwellings are being rented by unattached adults, often four or five to a property. There is a gap between the type of housing that is required and the types of housing being provided. We need a renewed focus on affordable, apartment units. The mayor and council must also ensure that all new subdivisions have an affordable component of townhouse or apartment spaces. For the city’s part, a review of every property it owns must be undertaken and see where more Rent Geared to Income (RGI) and subsidized housing can be built pursuing provincial and federal funds.

A common complaint (from small homeowners to larger developers) is about how long it takes for permitting, inspections, and other provincially mandated aspects of the building process administered by the city. Delays create additional costs and slow down new home construction. A workflow analysis will be undertaken to identify common bottlenecks and issues encountered. Specific difficulties will be fixed and the process streamlined.

Finally, there are successful housing efforts underway by some non-profits in the city. The city needs to take a leading role in co-ordinating these groups, ensuring there is no overlap, and making sure each organization has the support it needs.

Rob Hailman

The housing crisis in this city is long past the point where we can afford to indulge NIMBYism. The only real tool to address housing affordability is more housing, which must mean incremental development in every neighbourhood in the city. The city has many policies in place that serve to directly increase the cost of housing construction and hold this development back, such as high development charges and parking minimums, or outrageous charges for cash in lieu of parking.

Brian Lumsden

Affordability is affecting everyone; as Mayor I would fight to keep property taxes low. I want to see a long term plan in place that meets our housing needs, and stick to it.

Jacob Méthot

The new CPP by-law (Community Permit Planning) encourages mixed-use residential permits as well as allowing higher density buildings to be developed. Peterborough needs to add housing where it is identified as appropriate and where infrastructure is available without making stark divides within a community. A new condo development serving affluent condo owners should not be placed next to a historic neighbourhood consisting of homes from the 19th or early 20th century, especially without the proposed development including the necessary infrastructure changes required for such a significant change in traffic volume. Planning should add housing through increased density where carefully identified and within walking distance of commercial areas for a greater sense of community.

To improve affordability there of course needs to be more supply, it’s Economics 101, but the quality of that supply also needs to be carefully checked with routine by-law enforcement and a comprehensive reworking of our reporting system.

Neil Morton

We desperately need more housing stock and suitable housing density in this community, and need to be creative about finding solutions, including ARUs (additional rental units) such as basement apartments, coach houses, tiny homes and additions to people’s homes — as well as condos, multiplexes, stacked townhouses and mixed-use developments.

I will aggressively ensure housing stock increases by:

a) Reviewing the effectiveness of Peterborough’s new Community Planning Permit System (CPPS) to ensure they provide certainty for developers while supporting well-planned growth where it is intended.

b) Direct staff to ensure that Peterborough’s participation in the Development Charge Reduction Program (DRCP)— which reduces residential development charges by 50% — results in increased housing construction.

c) Update the Downtown Community Improvement Plan upper-storey Housing Program to include enhanced incentives for larger family-sized or accessible units.

Keith Riel

Peterborough needs different kinds of housing in different places. That includes appropriate infill in established neighbourhoods and much better use of public land.

The City doesn’t control the housing market, but it does control land and approvals. It also owns Peterborough Housing Corporation and can assemble financing and partnerships. My plan focuses on what City Hall can actually do.

First, keep Wolfe Street working as supported bridge housing and expand it if the evidence shows we need more.

Second, move Peterborough Housing Corporation’s pipeline into construction. Seven publicly controlled sites could support up to 1,500 net new rental homes. We have the plans and the land, we need to push senior levels of government for financing, and I’m prepared to do that.

Third, use appropriate City-owned land to create a new path to home ownership. I want nonprofit housing providers, local builders and trades to build starter homes for first-time buyers and smaller homes for seniors who want to downsize.

Under a Habitat for Humanity style model, homeowners build equity while resale protections keep the homes out of the speculative market for at least 20 years. When one is sold, it goes back through the nonprofit to another eligible household. One publicly supported home can help one family, then another, then another.

Rebecca Schillemat

I have spent the last 4 years advocating for businesses to grow in Peterborough, I know what the red tape is and I know what policies I can implement as mayor to make measurable improvements. We need to create conditions for housing creation where it fits the neighbourhood by eliminating unnecessary requirements and improving communication and customer service.

Housing is the foundation of a healthy community and a thriving economy. To improve affordability across the housing continuum, from shelter beds and supportive housing to rentals and attainable homeownership, I will support maintaining clear communication and transparent expectations for the approval process, improve conditions to meet the annual housing targets, and establish long-term affordability commitments for housing. I will stimulate private market competition by removing regulatory barriers that currently restrict development and growth in our city. I will support existing social housing providers so they can expand capacity and build more affordable housing units across the city.

Streamlining planning processes and providing predictable approval timelines will reduce overhead, encourage new companies to participate, and increase the overall housing supply. Assigning dedicated internal staff for social housing projects, modernizing technology, delegating non-controversial decisions, and establishing clear submission guidelines will shorten review cycles from years to months.

Unpredictable planning requirements and lengthy delay cycles add thousands of dollars to the cost of every housing unit. By standardizing design criteria, setting transparent timelines, and fostering a customer-focused culture at City Hall, we can lower development costs, restore competition, and improve housing affordability for residents.

What should the city do first to reduce homelessness, and what provincial or federal support is needed to address the related mental health and addictions crises?

Michael Eamon

Any approach to homelessness, mental health and addiction must concurrently move forward on several fronts and engage all levels of government. There will be no magic bullet and we must ensure that multiple avenues exist, meeting people where they are.

Working with council, I would first commission a review (gap analysis) of the entire shelter, housing and treatment system. It will look at all organizations and levels of government involved., finding both the successes and identifying the key issues. With a complete overview of the system, a strategic plan will be created and implemented immediately.

At the same time of the review, a Mayor’s Committee on Housing and Wellbeing will be created bringing together City, County, non-profit organizations, experts, business leaders and residents. They would be used to create a long-term plan and a co-ordinated sharing of resources. City staff, in consultation with the committee, will explore new treatment and shelter solutions. find ways to better support current programs and find new funding sources from the province and federal government.

Clear, accessible public reporting on those experiencing homelessness for those suffering from mental health and addiction issues must be established.

The City of Peterborough will aim to:

1. Eliminate the two-year backlog for Special Priority housing (people experiencing domestic abuse or human trafficking) by 2028.
2. Reduce the number of homeless by half by 2030.
3. Eliminate backlog of people waiting for RGI and subsidized housing by 2031.

To do this, the city must aggressively pursue funding for new, lower-income housing units; Additional Residential Units (ARUs) and other densification; and remove barriers to expedite housing projects that have stalled.

Rob Hailman

We need a real commitment to a housing first strategy to reduce homelessness, so the first step must be the construction of affordable housing. Shovel-ready public housing builds have been waiting for funding for years while the capital dollars have gone elsewhere.

Housing first can only be successful with supports to help those leaving homelessness to thrive, which includes mental health and addiction crises. Models like the Peterborough HART Hub are promising, but making mental health and addiction treatment available on the scale necessary will require a much larger investment from the province.

Brian Lumsden

There are a number of projects in the works. I would like our health department to focus on better treatment for mental health issues, and to be in the position to provide the necessary services.

Jacob Méthot

The city needs to give and plan for a place for people to go next. After they are cared for by the system, or maybe still in social service care, they need a next step that does not exist for them, a path forward that is still not affordable. This causes more delay and results in fewer people being helped off of the streets.

Provincial support in terms of housing, homelessness, and healthcare in all forms is something desperately needed. We can send letter after letter, resolution after resolution to every MP or MPP imaginable, but politely worded letters of recommendation aren’t cutting it. We need to go and meet directly with provincial and federal leaders. We need to demand support for the small population that we do not have the tools, resources, or capacity to take care of. There are people on the street or suffering that simply do not want to be helped, and therefore, there are no tools at our disposal to help them under the current structuring.

Neil Morton

I will work with Council and advocate with senior levels of government to create 60 additional transitional and permanent housing spaces in the community for the unhoused with wraparound social services for treatment where necessary. We will determine with housing and social service organizations gaps that are needed to fill on the housing ladder between homelessness and permanent housing. We will explore providing city-owned land, work with social service organizations, and advocate and lobby for provincial and federal funding as well as philanthropists.

Keith Riel

Homelessness ends when people have homes.

Wolfe Street is an important first step for people coming out of living rough, but bridge housing only works if there’s somewhere permanent to go next. That’s why it must connect directly to permanent affordable and supportive housing. We must also measure whether the services we fund are helping people find housing and remain housed.

Peterborough cannot fund 1,500 affordable homes through property taxes, and City Hall cannot build Ontario’s mental-health and addictions system. We need Ottawa and Queen’s Park to provide capital, low-cost financing and sustained funding for mental-health, addiction and daily-living supports.

My job as mayor will be to ensure our projects are ready; our applications move and Peterborough fights effectively for its share.

Rebecca Schillemat

As mayor I will implement a plan to actively operationalize the Housing First strategy including leveraging federal and provincial funding and expanding partnerships. I will expand housing options citywide while advocating for senior government investments in mental health programs, addiction recovery services, and supportive housing.

I will advocate for a standalone regional mental health and addiction recovery facility in partnership with health network partners and post-secondary institutions, establishing a center of healthcare excellence in Peterborough.

We already have amazing organizations that do provide addiction recovery support programming, but we need more options. One program is not going to suit everyone and we need to start with the root causes of addiction before anyone will see real progress.

As Mayor I would publish an Addiction & Recovery Outcomes Dashboard that shows:

• Opioid deaths / 100,000
• Non-fatal overdose ED visits / 100,000
• EMS overdose calls
• OAT methadone patients / 100,000
• OAT methadone treatment retention at 3, 6 and 12 months
• Number of people entering detox
• Number of people completing residential treatment
• Number of people transitioning from treatment into stable housing
• Number of people entering employment/education
• Repeat emergency-department visits per person
• Cost per person served
• Cost per successful transition to recovery/stable housing

Tracking this data and publishing it is essential for making decisions on funding and tracking real progress for our community to move out of crisis.

kawarthaNOW has reproduced written responses from candidates verbatim, without editing for grammar or format. Any errors, factual or otherwise, or any use of AI-generated content originate with the candidate.

As we grind toward the October 26 municipal election, the usual issues — such as taxes, crime, and infrastructure needs — are front-of-mind for many Peterborough voters.

On Wednesday night (September 23) at Market Hall Performing Arts Centre in downtown Peterborough, the arts received its due.

Hosted by the Electric City Culture Council (EC3), ArtsVote Peterborough 2026 saw all seven mayoral candidates share where the arts reside on their respective priority lists and what, as mayor, they plan to do to ensure the sector is healthy and thrives in the face of what has been, at best, frozen municipal support.

According to EC3, multiple external studies have consistently demonstrated the value of the arts in terms of Peterborough’s overall wellbeing, the vitality of the downtown core, as a tourism catalyst, and as a lure in attracting new businesses and much-needed professionals, such as doctors, to the city and region.

“Our new Municipal Cultural Plan (MCP) is in the works,” noted EC3 in a statement released prior to the event.

“Other cities are making important investments in the arts. We need to know where our civic leadership stands, and how it plans to enhance and develop the arts sector during their term. Do the arts matter to them? How will they find funding for critical investments?”

Moderated by EC3 executive director Su Ditta, the ensuing event held before a packed house wasn’t as much a debate as it was an affirmation that all seven mayoral candidates view the arts as deserving of more and consistent municipal support, be that financial or otherwise.

That said, the candidates had varying views on just what form that support should take.

Before fielding a few questions from a panel comprised of EC3 board member Victoria Yeh, author Bola Abodunrin, and New Stages Theatre artistic director Mark Wallace, each candidate laid out their plan for the arts via an opening statement.

Following are summaries of each candidate’s position on the arts, in the pre-determined order that each candidate spoke.

Neil Morton

Saying “arts and culture nourish our community soul, create social change, define our civic pride, and have great economic impact,” Neil Morton advocated more public investment in the sector, not less.

“For too long, our creative community has faced administrative hurdles, endless red tape and having to defend themselves in front of council. That will change under my leadership.”

Morton proposes the provision of multi-year operating grants to arts organizations that demonstrate collaboration and economic impact, a streamlining of the process by which people apply to host special events in Peterborough, and completion of the Municipal Cultural Plan through meaningful collaboration with cultural organizations, Indigenous communities, and residents.

In addition, he wants to see vacant downtown commercial space converted into artist studios, rehearsal spaces and galleries, and expand the city’s public art program.

“There will be no more fighting over scraps when it comes to the arts community,” Morton pledged.

Rebecca Schillemat

Referencing Peterborough’s “very long history of a great arts scene,” Rebecca Schillemat said that, based on her experience as a Peterborough Folk Festival board member, stable funding for the sector is essential.

“I know how important it is to have support from the city when you’re applying for funding from other organizations and other levels of government,” she said.

Funding, she added, “would ideally come with a three or four-year budget so that everything is a bit more stable and we can plan better.”

“Because I’m looking at a future in Peterborough for various different generations, and things to keep kids and youth active, having more youth spaces and opportunities for youth to enjoy the arts is very important.”

“I’ve had great opportunities at the door to talk to people about why they chose to move to Peterborough, and a lot of it is because of the arts scene.”

Rob Hailman

As a musician, artist, and photographer who has organized festivals and shows, Rob Hailman spoke to his first-hand experience as a member of the arts community, and was particularly critical of past practice.

“The arts are treated as a bargaining chip between staff and council,” he said, adding “Staff will put in a cut to the arts so that one of our councillors, or our councillors collectively, can, after a great outcry from the public, save the day and restore the money that was already there. That game needs to stop.”

“We need to be stable and predictable in the way the city treats arts organizations, in the way that the city treats EC3, in the way that the city treats individual artists.”

Hailman pledged that, as mayor, he would “make sure we have long-term, stable relationships” with the arts community and “finish the Municipal Cultural Plan.”

Micheal Eamon

Citing his experience as a musician and as member of the Peterborough Singers and the Peterborough Concert Band, Michael Eamon also spoke to his facilitating the creation of the Jalynn Bennett Amphitheatre at Trent University’s Traill College.

“When you create a space where the arts can happen, you create community,” he said, noting collaboration — a consistent theme in his platform — is key.

“I will work with council to ensure there is stable funding, and to ensure that we have communication outside of the stage — communication outside of the gallery (in city council chambers), communication where we actually have conversations to have each other’s back and to help.”

“We have great organizations like EC3 which need to be supported, but we also need to work together as artists in every facet and every way. I think the city has a key role to play in that.”

Brian Lumsden

While noting his campaign is primarily focused on “fixing this drug epidemic that’s plaguing our city” and keeping taxes low, Brian Lumsden acknowledged the arts “define our society, and provide individuals with a sense of purpose and accomplishment — qualities and values that we desperately need.”

Saying each candidate should have “this (drug) crisis at the top of their priority list,” Lumsden lamented the spending of “millions of dollars on band-aid solutions that could be used for the arts.”

“Once we have a clean, vibrant city, we can be in a position to address the arts, and the future of our children. I fully support the Municipal Cultural Plan. However, we need this drug epidemic under control so we can appreciate the arts.”

“Peterborough is a beautiful city. A lot of money has gone into beautifying it, but what’s the point if we can’t enjoy it?”

Keith Riel

As the lone candidate running for mayor who has city council experience, incumbent Ashburnham Ward councillor Keith Riel said he “did what he could” to support local artists, adding he has come to “trust their expertise, their incredible work ethic and the way they care about the community.”

As mayor, Riel pledged to “put together an arts table” where artists play an active role identifying the needs of their community and put their case to the city accordingly.

“I will also make sure they get multi-year funding,” he said, adding “Grants that stay flat are a cut. You can’t keep good staff or plan a season without funding. Making you constantly beg for it is disrespectful.”

“Artists don’t sit on their money. They make great things with it. They hire people to help them do it. The arts community is part of the economic success of the city, and it’s going to be treated that way. I’m taking on that file on myself. No commissioner in between. It’s too important and it has to be righted immediately.”

Jacob Méthot

The youngest of the seven candidates, 21-year-old Trent University student Jacob Méthot said the arts “drives tourism, money, quality of life and new business, but most of all it drives people. To create a community and culture that allows an arts community to thrive is to create a community that exists for everyone.”

Peterborough, he said, “needs to be proactive” but added that’s only possible “if future generations and Peterborough now sees the arts as a sustainable way for them to live. This needs more grant funding and allowances for art to exist in spaces, and reducing the barriers they (artists) face while trying to promote, sell or celebrate their work.”

“It means going to a high school, finding the next protégé, and saying “Write me a poem, play me a song, give me your passion and we will give it a platform.”

“Looking at it (the arts) as just another way to drive money, just another dollar sign, ignores the very real reality of the value it creates outside of a profit-driven enterprise.”

Turnout for ArtsVote 2026 was the largest ever for EC3

Following the conclusion of ArtsVote 2026, Ditta told kawarthaNOW there’s much reason for optimism, much of that rooted in Wednesday night’s turnout being the largest for any ECS-presented election event.

“The majority (of the candidates) reached out to EC3 first — that has never happened before,” said Ditta, adding “There was never any attempt to meet with EC3 as candidates were developing their policies and programs. I was over-the-moon encouraged by that.”

“I think that demonstrates that all the work EC3 has done (and) all the work the arts community has done independently has really struck a chord with political candidates. They were much more knowledgeable than we’ve ever seen people be before, and they followed up a lot with other questions and preparation for this event.”

Speaking specifically to Riel’s arts table proposal, Ditta said “that’s obviously something EC3 would see as very beneficial.”

“Neil (Morton) was teasing me about having been morose when we met. I have to say the whole experience of organizing this event, and hearing the discourse and the level of conversation, has really cheered us. We’re inspired.”

While noting that arts councils such as EC3 don’t endorse candidates during elections, Ditta is heartened based on what she heard from the seven candidates, adding “I don’t think we can lose.”

EC3 plans to send each candidate a survey arising out the event, with their responses to be posted at www.ecthree.org before the October 26 election.