Peterborough mayor Jeff Leal has issued a statement criticizing Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre after he announced his party’s opposition to the Alto high-speed rail project during a media conference on Tuesday (March 31) at the Indian River Cattle Company in Indian River in Peterborough County.

With former Conservative Peterborough MP Michelle Ferreri and current Conservative Northumberland-Clarke MP Philip Lawrence by his side, the federal opposition leader said the project is a “boondoggle” and called on the Liberal government to cancel it, adding that a future Conservative government would cancel the $90-billion project.

Alto, the Crown corporation overseeing the project, estimates the 1,000-kilometre high-speed rail network between Quebec City and Toronto, with seven stops including one in Peterborough, would cost between $60 billion and $90 billion to complete.

“My colleagues and I on Peterborough city council and the broader Peterborough community are very disappointed in Pierre Poilievre and the Conservative Party of Canada for opposing the Alto high speed rail project,” Mayor Leal said in his statement. “The City of Peterborough has been clear that we are in full support of this transformative nation-building project, which has chosen Peterborough as one of seven station stops along the Toronto to Quebec City corridor.”

“It is especially disappointing to see former MP Michelle Ferreri stand beside Mr. Poilievre as he fights to take away this generational opportunity for our region,” the mayor added.

During his 30-minute media conference in Keene, Poilievre began by criticizing both the Trudeau and Carney Liberal governments for inflation, the lack of affordability for housing and food, increases in the federal deficit, unemployment, and the overall state of the economy, before turning to Alto.

Calling it a “ridiculous pie-in-the-sky Liberal spending initiative” and a “$90-billion monstrosity,” Poilievre said the project would cost each Canadian family of four $8,000 in taxes to build, will not pay for itself and will be subsidized by the federal government, won’t be used by most Canadians, and won’t be completed for more than a decade.

Poilievre then turned to the issue of land expropriation, a concern of many rural communities in eastern Ontario, saying that the proposed route would require the expropriation of thousands of acres across Ontario and Quebec, and referring to the federal expropriation of 97,000 acres of land in 1969 to build the Montréal–Mirabel International Airport, which is currently operating as a cargo airport after passenger service ended in 2004.

“Your property is not safe under this Liberal government,” he said.

Alto is currently conducting an initial public consultation on a 10-kilometre wide corridor between Ottawa and Toronto, with a northern and southern option, prior to determining where the 60-metre wide route would actually run.

Poilievre also claimed that no-one would benefit from the high-speed rail project.

“Other than a tiny group of Liberal lobbyists, consultants, lawyers, bureaucrats, and other insiders, everyone’s going to be worse off,” he said.

In his statement, Leal said the Alto project “will significantly strengthen economic development, business investment, tourism, and employment opportunities in Peterborough, and the construction will create jobs and opportunities for local businesses.”

“The last time the Conservatives destroyed a national building project was the Avro Arrow in 1959,” Leal said. “That shortsighted decision devastated Canada’s aerospace industry, with many of the country’s top engineers leaving the country. The talent that left Canada from that Conservative decision helped put the Americans on the moon in 1969.”

Leal concluded his statement by saying “the City of Peterborough will continue to work closely with Alto and the Government of Canada to take advantage of the economic and social benefits of this important project.”

kawarthaNOW reached out to Liberal Peterborough MP Emma Harrison for a comment on Poilievre’s announcement. Her office provided a statement in which Harrison qualified her support for the project.

“I am supportive of the Alto high-speed rail project and the tremendous economic benefits that it will bring to the riding of Peterborough,” Harrison said in a statement. “The benefits of Alto will be felt before the project is complete, as during the construction phase, priority will be given to local businesses and skilled workers in the riding to help build this project.”

However, she added that she has “heard the concerns from community members and other elected officials, and frankly I do share the same concerns when it comes to protecting farmland, environmentally sensitive areas, and people’s homes.”

“(Alto) will be continuing to the next consultation stage later this year, which will address many of the concerns that are being voiced, especially as Alto begins field studies along the proposed route and also begins to contact property owners directly.”

She said she has met with the federal transportation minister and officials from Alto to voice those concerns and suggested “the possibility of an additional consultation in Norwood so the voices of more residents could be heard in this first consultation phase.”

Harrison encouraged members of the public to provide their feedback to Alto by using the online consultation platform, which is available until April 24.

“My office and I remain available to help connect community members with the most up to date information that’s currently available from Alto,” Harrison stated.

This story has been updated to correct the location of Pierre Poilievre’s media conference, which was not at Elmhirst’s Resort in Keene as originally reported.

The Kawartha Sexual Assault Centre (KSAC) has announced it is shutting down its sex trafficking response program after five years following a decision by the federal government not to renew funding through Public Safety Canada.

KSAC is urging Public Safety Canada to reconsider the decision, and is also calling on all federal leaders to demonstrate their commitment to addressing sexual violence and human trafficking by ensuring continued funding for frontline, survivor-focused services.

“For the past five years, this program has provided essential support to individuals in our community working to escape situations of sex trafficking, heal from trauma, and begin rebuilding their lives,” says Jordanne McLaren, KSAC’s manager of client services and the human trafficking response team, in a media release.

“The reality is that the need for these services has not disappeared,” McLaren adds. “When funding for anti-trafficking programs is withdrawn, exploitation does not stop; it simply leaves survivors with fewer supports and fewer pathways to safety.”

According to KSAC, in 2025 alone, the program provided specialized support to over 75 individuals experiencing sex trafficking and sexual exploitation across the region, including those currently entrenched, those who have recently exited, and those navigating longer-term recovery.

KSAC says the sex trafficking response program has supported survivors through complex and often life-threatening circumstances by providing trauma-informed advocacy, safety planning, system navigation, and collaboration with community partners.

“At a time when governments across Canada are publicly acknowledging the seriousness of sex trafficking and sexual exploitation, the loss of funding for frontline services is deeply concerning,” states the media release.

“Without sustained investment through programs such as those funded by Public Safety Canada, communities are left with fewer tools to respond to exploitation and fewer supports for survivors trying to rebuild their lives.”

KSAC adds that the federal government’s decision not to renew funding “will have real and immediate consequences for vulnerable people in our community.”

“Survivors of sex trafficking require specialized, trauma-informed support, and programs like this exist because the need is real and ongoing,” the release states. “It is important for our community to understand that this program is ending not because the need has disappeared, but because the federal funding supporting it has not been renewed.”

KSAC offers free and confidential support services to people affected by sexual violence across Peterborough, Kawartha Lakes, Haliburton, and Northumberland, including crisis support, advocacy, counselling, group programming, and prevention education.

“KSAC remains incredibly proud of the work accomplished by our team over the past five years and of the courage shown by the survivors we have had the privilege to support. While KSAC will continue to provide our core sexual violence services, the closure of this program represents a significant loss for our region.”

Four female Gaelic football athletes in Peterborough are going to compete internationally at the Gaelic World Games in Ireland this summer, with a new network that supports local women aiming to raise funds to help cover costs.

The PTBO Women’s Initiative Network (PTBO WIN) has launched with the long-term vision of advocating for and supporting women as they pursue their goals in sport, business, and beyond.

According to a media release, the network’s mission is to “create inclusive spaces where women can grow personally, professionally, share resources, and support one another while strengthening the wellbeing and leadership of women.”

“What started as a couple of women meeting at a networking breakfast quickly turned into a dedicated group of women committed to supporting other women in the community,” says PTBO WIN President Kelly Carbajal in the release. “We recognized very quickly that there is a real need in the area for women pursuing their goals and dreams. Our hope is that the Ptbo Women’s Initiative Network can make a meaningful difference for these incredible athletes and for so many more women in the future.”

In their first project, the network will be supporting four local athletes who have been selected to play for the Ladies Gaelic Football Association (LGFA) Canada 2 Team at the 2026 Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) World Games, being held July 13 to 17 in Waterford, a city in southeast Ireland. Held every three years, the five-day event will see over 2,000 players from more than 25 countries compete in men’s and ladies’ Gaelic football, hurling, and camogie.

The local athletes chosen to compete on the team are Zoe King, Ciara Gunn, Michelle Schevers, and Tash Ennis. All four athletes are members of the Peterborough GAA, a co-ed Gaelic football club officially established by Tracy Campbell in 2022.

“It really just started off as a small group of people who were athletic and wanted to play and learn a new sport,” says King. “It’s spiralled and grown and developed into a major club here in Peterborough, and now we go to tournaments in Montréal, Ottawa, and Toronto. We’re competing with a team of upwards of 30 or 40 members right now. It’s really amazing to be part of a team that has such a strong community focus and has really grown and developed.”

Also headed to Ireland, Peterborough GAA member Sarah Batley will be joining the Canada 1 team, as will Peterborough GAA founder Tracy Campbell, who will be the assistant coach.

While some of the women representing Peterborough this year have previously played at the World Games, they were representing a different city’s club at the time. Batley is the only Peterborough GAA athlete to have ever competed in the competition. That was in 2023, when the national team earned a silver medal — losing by just one point.

“I think a lot of the girls, both one and two teams, are really out for revenge now,” King says. “We’re out to take that championship back home this World Games.”

For those unfamiliar with Gaelic football, King describes it as “almost like rugby and soccer combined.” It is a fast-paced team sport in which both teams aim to kick or punch the ball into the net for three points, or over the crossbar for one point.

Players can move the ball up the field by kicking, hand-passing, dribbling, or soloing (kicking it back up to themselves like a game of hacky sack), but can only take four steps before they must pass or solo.

“It’s a very niche and unique sport here in Canada, but in Ireland it is everything,” says King. “It’s the hockey of Canada to them. It’s the most played sport and it’s the most watched sport, and people really are passionate about the sport because it has those really close ties to Ireland and culture of the Gaelic revival.”

VIDEO: An example of Gaelic football (with commentators speaking Gaelic)

Despite the game being so beloved (or, more likely, because it is so beloved), Gaelic football is an entirely amateur sport. Even the best players are not being paid.

“It makes it harder to progress in sports when you are never going to be paid,” says King. “Even if you’re playing at the very top tier level in all Ireland finals, you’re never going to get paid, so having support from the community to cover these costs is so important.”

With about $60,000 required for each team to cover travel, registration, training, and other costs, PTBO WIN is aiming to support the women by raising $20,000 through local fundraising events.

These events include:

• PTBO WIN 100 x 100 Campaign: Until July 1, PTBO WIN is seeking 100 community members or businesses to contribute $100 each.
• PTBO WIN Launch Food Festival: On Saturday, June 6, PTBO WIN will be hosting a festival in the Peterborough Square courtyard from 2 to 7 p.m. that will include food vendors, live music, shopping booths, and opportunities to meet the athletes and PTBO WIN members.
• PTBO WIN World Games Send Off: On Sunday, June 28, from noon to 4 p.m., PTBO WIN will be sending off the athletes with a celebration at 100 Acres Brewing Co. in Peterborough. The afternoon will include food and drink sales, a silent auction, live music, and Gaelic football demonstrations. Guests will have the chance to participate in interactive challenges, win prizes, and wish their best to the competing athletes. Tickets will be priced at $20 per entry, which includes a free drink, or $40 for families.

Local athletes of the Canada 2 team are also hosting a series of local events on their own to contribute to their fundraising. These include:

• On online raffle that will support both the Canada 1 Team and Canada 2 Team, on now until Friday, May 1. Prizes include a $1,000 flight voucher, a signed Toronto Maple Leafs jersey, and more. Tickets can be purchased through individual athletes or at local events.
• A square dancing event, including live music and a raffle draw, held at The Social Pub in downtown Peterborough on Friday, April 10 from 8 to 10 p.m. Tickets will be $15 at the door.
• An indoor co-ed volleyball tournament held on Saturday, May 2 from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Thomas A. Stewart Secondary School in Peterborough. Registration is now open at www.arribavolleyball.com/coed-tourney-registration-may-2/.

The Canada 2 team is also still looking for sponsors, including the main sponsor whose logo will be displayed on their jerseys at the World Games.

“To be able to go and compete at this international level is such an honour and it comes with a cost, so every little penny of support that we can fundraise from our local community is so meaningful and important,” King says, expressing her gratitude for PTBO WIN and the community.

“We’re really thankful to this group of amazing women that want to come together and help, but also the community that’s going to help us get there at the end of the day. We’re so thankful and hope these events are successful.”