Peterborough city council has voted unanimously on a motion to require all councillors and city staff to receive anti-racism, diversity, equity, and inclusion training, as well as to amend council’s code of conduct and the city’s strategic plan.

The motion, brought forward by councillor Alex Bierk and amended by councillor Kevin Duguay when city council met as general committee on Monday night (January 12), was in response to the tabling of a report by the city’s integrity commissioner Guy Giorno on Mayor Jeff Leal’s use of an anti-Black racial slur during a guest lecture at Trent University last March.

In his report dated December 22, 2025, Giorno addressed nine complaints — including from the Trent Central Student Association and the Afrocentric Awareness Network of Peterborough — that the mayor had breached the code of conduct by using the N-word when referring to the language of former U.S. president Lyndon Johnson.

“Lyndon Johnson was an FDR New Dealer,” Leal said during his lecture at Trent University. “He came out of the hills of Texas. He used this language that you would never use today, and he talked about the poor [N-word plural] and Mexicans that he taught Sunday school to.”

While Giorno described the slur as “odious” and said the mayor’s use of the term was “not acceptable,” he found that the code of conduct does not currently apply to speech made in an academic setting where the mayor was not acting in his official capacity.

In his report, Giorno suggested council may wish to amend council’s code to address conduct to prohibit the use of the N-word, and also may wish to ask city staff to report back on the recommendation of the Trent Central Student Association that the city’s strategic plan be amended to include anti-racism and race relations as a strategic priority under the community and wellbeing pillar.

Bierk’s motion also addressed both of Giorno’s suggestions by directing city staff to amend the city’s 2023-2050 strategic plan and to review and amend council’s code of conduct to “explicitly prohibit the use of racial slurs — including but not limited to the N-word — regardless of context or circumstance.”

In his report, Giorno included a detailed statement he received from Mayor Leal about the incident, in which the mayor explained he was unaware that it was no longer unacceptable to speak the N-word aloud in academic settings.

“At the time of the lecture, I was not aware of this shift in practice in an academic setting, for me, this does shed light on why some of the Trent students took offence to my direct quote of Johnson,” Leal wrote in part.

At Monday night’s meeting, councillor Bierk introduced his motion by saying the use of the N-word is never acceptable regardless of the circumstances.

“Some have sought to minimize this incident by focusing on context and intent,” he said. “The harm caused by this word does not depend on context. It does not depend on whether it was quoted or directed at someone. The harm is real, it is documented in the report, and it is felt deeply by members of our community.”

“We have a choice. We can close ranks, minimize, and move on, or we take responsibility tonight and make changes.”

In her comments on the motion, councillor Joy Lachica says she was “shocked and dismayed” on behalf of the complainants by the integrity commissioner’s findings, and zeroed in on the mayor’s statement in the report that he was unaware that it was unacceptable to use the N-word.

“Not being aware is indicative of a need for education as the motion recommends,” she said, adding that the outcome of the report does not “truly acknowledge the centuries-long history of dehumanizing, vilifying, violating, harming, and killing of Black people” and that the use of the N-word “is a tool of racial oppression regardless of intent or context.”

After councillor Keith Riel said he himself welcomed the opportunity to be educated, councillor Kevin Duguay proposed an amendment to Bierk’s original motion, which recommended training only for councillors and senior city staff, so that the training would be provided to councillors and to all city staff.

“Many of our frontline staff have more regular interface with community members,” Duguay said. “They quite often could be in positions, and dealing, in a more public-facing manner.”

Duguay asked city CAO Jasbir Raina if council would be contravening any procedural by-law by requiring all city staff to receive the training, and Raina confirmed there would be no issue.

After councillor Lesley Parnell asked for clarification on past motions by council related to the city’s actions on Indigenous truth and reconciliation, councillor Bierk said his motion was focused specifically on anti-Black racism and reflected a request made by the Trent Central Student Association.

All councillors, including Mayor Leal, then voted unanimously in favour of Bierk’s motion as amended by Duguay.

The motion was then included as an amendment to the original motion to receive the integrity commissioner’s report, which council voted 10-0 in favour of, with the mayor recusing himself from that vote due to a pecuniary interest as he was the subject of the report.

Patients with less serious health concerns can now be assessed and fast-tracked through the emergency department at Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC) under a new initiative that launched Monday (January 12).

Called the Streamlined Treatment and Evaluation Pathway (STEP), the online tool allows patients with minor ailments — such as respiratory symptoms, urinary tract infections, and minor limb injuries — to complete a brief eligibility survey before heading to the hospital.

After they arrive at the hospital, patients who are eligible for STEP will be directed to a dedicated treatment area in the emergency department (ED) and seen by a physician on a first-come, first-served basis. A dedicated physician will be available to see STEP-eligible patients from 8 a.m. to noon Monday to Friday.

After completing the screening survey, patients deemed ineligible for STEP will be instructed to still come to the ED if needed, but will be evaluated through the standard triage process.

PRHC says STEP is designed to reduce wait times and overall length-of-stay for lower-acuity patients, which will help free up capacity for more serious cases. The hospital’s ED handles more than 75,000 visits each year — roughly one patient every seven minutes — with volumes, complexity, and acuity continuing to rise over the last decade.

“STEP is one of many initiatives our emergency department has taken on to help reduce wait times and patient length-of-stay,” said Jessica Jackson, PRHC’s director of emergency, critical care, respiratory services and trauma.

In late November, the hospital launched a real-time online “wait clock” that shows how long patients can expect to wait before being seen in the emergency department.

“We want to ensure that we are able to streamline our patients in the most efficient way possible to improve their care and experience,” Jackson said. “With the support of leadership and staff across the hospital, we will continue to invest in these and other efforts to make innovations like STEP possible.”

The STEP survey is available on PRHC’s website through the emergency department page, or directly at redcap.link/PRHC_STEP.

After completing the survey, eligible patients will receive a confirmation message to present to the registration clerk when checking in at the ED triage desk. Once the triage nurse has verified the patient’s eligibility, they will be directed to the STEP area of the Green Zone waiting room, where they will wait to be seen by a physician.

Less than a month after the United Way Peterborough & District announced it had raised just over half of its ambitious 2025-26 community campaign goal, the organization is now 90 per cent of the way towards raising $1.6 million.

On Friday (January 9), when celebrating the winner of its December 50/50 draw, the United Way announced it has raised $1,450,563 to date.

Funds raised through the campaign will support a network of 20 local non-profit agencies working to address poverty, housing instability, food insecurity, mental health, and social inclusion across the region. Campaign dollars also support United Way’s research and internal initiatives, including programs such as Coats for Community and Backpacks for Success.

According to the United Way, events like the December 50/50 draw demonstrate how small acts of generosity can come together to create meaningful local impact. The draw, which raised $2,980, was won by Kathy Woodcock, a special education resource teacher with the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board.

United Way Peterborough & District CEO Jim Russell visited Keith Wightman Public School on Friday to present Woodcock with a cheque for $1,490 — the largest jackpot awarded through the 50/50 draw to date.

“This record-breaking draw is a powerful reminder of what’s possible when our community comes together,” Russell said in a media release.

The United Way also took the opportunity to highlight the importance of workplace campaigns in support of the 2025-26 community campaign, given that the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board runs workplace fundraising campaigns in support of the United Way each year across its schools and at the board level.

“Support from workplace campaigns like those of Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board plays a vital role in helping us reach people where and when they need it most,” Russell said.

With the campaign wrapping up at the end of March, the United Way is encouraging community members to help push the campaign across the $1.6 million goal line by donating through workplace campaigns, making individual donations, participating in upcoming monthly 50/50 draws, and buying tickets for the Peterborough Performs VI benefit concert on February 26.

“Reaching our campaign goal is about more than a number — it’s about ensuring vital supports remain available for people who rely on them,” Russell said. “Every ticket purchased, every dollar donated, helps strengthen our community’s social safety net.”

Donations can be made online at give.unitedway.ca/donate/wpeter, by calling 705-742-8839, or in person at the United Way office at 277 Stewart Street in downtown Peterborough.

For more information on the United Way community campaign, upcoming 50/50 draws, and ways to get involved, visit www.uwpeterborough.ca.

The original version of this story has been updated to correct the date of the Peterborough Performs benefit concert.

Wild Rock Outfitters is starting off the new year by celebrating the generosity of the Peterborough community that supported the ComPassion Project throughout the holiday season.

The outdoor gear retailer’s endowment fund, created by Wild Rock co-founder Kieran Andrews, raised more than $39,000 for six meaningful local organizations that protect natural spaces and support marginalized communities through a number of initiatives held throughout the late fall.

After he and fellow Wild Rock co-founder Scott Murison stepped back from the business in 2022, Andrews launched the ComPassion Project with the aim of helping organizations focused on environmental stewardship and social change.

“In setting up the ComPassion Project, what I really believed is that our customer base was committed to our community in the same kind of way that we are as a retailer, and I really believed that we could work together in ways that benefited our whole community,” Andrews says.

“When we do a campaign like this and it works, it’s very gratifying because it’s a sign that all of those things I believe are actually true. That’s a really, deeply satisfying thing and reaffirms what we believe about this community.”

The ComPassion Project not only financially benefits YES Shelter for Youth & Families, Peterborough Trailbuilders Association, Peterborough Bicycle Advisory Committee, Kawartha Land Trust, Fourcast Addiction Services, and One City Peterborough, but helps raise awareness of the work they do.

“We at Wild Rock have got a phenomenal clienetele and we also have tools to communicate with that clientele that are significantly broader than any of the organizations that we’re supporting,” says Andrews. “So we can amplify the messages of our partner organizations just to put their needs (and) their success stories in front of more people. That was a significant part of what made me believe that we had potential to do good things alongside our clientele on behalf of these organizations.”

Andrews shares that his own philanthropic nature comes from his father, who was also an outdoor adventurer and regularly gave in support of his community. Chris Andrews passed away in the summer of 2025.

“My family was not a wealthy one and I remember at a very young age sitting with my dad and he was writing cheques to charities,” Andrews says. “We didn’t have the kind of family where giving away money away was easy. There was not that much around, and every donation that he made would have an impact on the things that our family could do, but that did not stop him from doing it.”

He recalls what his father once told him about philanthropy.

“The way that he phrased it to me, and what stuck with me, was that it’s really a privilege to be in a position to be able to give, and those amounts don’t have to be big — it’s doing what you can within your capacity,” Andrews says.

“Giving can make your life better, as opposed to thinking that every dollar you give away makes your life a dollar poorer. It’s not like that at all. In some way, you’re richer for finding a way to give. That’s what I grew up with, that belief.”

In honour of his late father, Andrews matched donations up to $20,000 made to the ComPassion Project throughout November. With more than 70 individual donations and his matching donations, a total of $36,000 was raised.

“These small donations from people for whom that amount of money is really important, those donations are really important to me,” says Andrews. “If we had one great big donation, that would be nice. But it’s way more important to me that the stories that we tell, and how we are trying to get people to engage with our community, is something we see happening with a really significant number of individuals. It’s very satisfying to see that come out.”

Andrews notes that lot of the recent donations came with “lovely” personal comments and stories.

“A lot of our customers are at an age where they’ve lost parents themselves and it means a lot to them, and I think that my ability and my choice to speak openly about losing my dad was touching for a lot of people,” he says, noting all of the partner organizations also showed appreciation.

“I believe really strongly that the organizations that we’re supporting ultimately serve our whole community,” he says. “I want them to know that they’re supported, not just financially, but because we believe that we’re willing to put ourselves out there to support them. It’s important to me that they see it.”

Another portion of the campaign donations were collected throughout the Black Friday weekend with $5 donated for each purchase at Wild Rock raising $2,010 for the campaign. Wild Rock additionally hosted the sold-out YETI Community Film Night, which raised $1,600 through ticket sales.

Funds were also raised through Wild Again, which is Wild Rock’s trade-in and resale program. Credit from trade-ins can be used in store or online to purchase new or used gear, or can be donated to the ComPassion Project.

“Having the ability to donate to the ComPassion Project through Wild Again and turn that older Gore-Tex jacket into something meaningful in our community is really powerful for people, and it just feels like an easy way to do a good thing,” Andrews points out. “A lot of us live with more stuff in our homes that we really need, so it provides an outlet for people to do something meaningfully positive with gear that’s had some meaning in their life in the past.”

While $39,000 is no small sum to give back to the community, the late fall campaign totals are only a piece of the 2025 grants that will be going out to the partner organizations through the ComPassion Project. Wild Rock will announce those totals later in January.

“These are organizations that support our community so anything that we can do on behalf of these organizations are just investments in our community, making this a better place for all of us,” says Andrews. ”

Whether that’s raising money or telling stories or amplifying messages, it’s really all working towards putting our best foot forward to support our community and make it a better place for all of us.”

For more information on the ComPassion Project and to donate, visit www.compassionptbo.ca.