More than two years after launching its organic waste diversion program for single-family households, the City of Peterborough will be expanding it to a small number of restaurants and food-generating businesses to evaluate a larger expansion of the program.

The city launched the first phase of its curbside green bin program in October 2023, collecting organic waste from around 28,000 households. In 2024, the program diverted more than 6,800 tonnes of methane-producing organic material from the city-county landfill, processing it into compost at the Peterborough Organics Facility.

The second phase of the program involves expanding the green bin program to restaurants, multi-residential properties, and small commercial sites.

In December, city council approved a report for an implementation program that included the first step of phase two, focusing on restaurants primarily within the Downtown Business Improvement Area (DBIA) and in the surrounding areas that use the city’s garbage collection service, potentially also including other food-generating establishments.

“These establishments generate a significant volume of organic waste, making them strong candidates for early implementation,” the report states, noting that each small restaurant typically produces between 10 and 25 kilograms of organic waste per day.

“The initial rollout will include approximately 25 voluntary participants, primarily at restaurants. This focused approach will allow the city to refine collection methods, address logistical constraints, and optimize service routes within a high-density commercial area.”

Businesses interested in participating in the project can fill out a form at peterborough.ca/greenbin until March 6. The city says those not selected for the initial rollout of the project will be considered as the program expands.

Some of the operational challenges the city has identified in collecting organics from downtown restaurants include one-way streets that limit the collection vehicles’ automated arm use, on-street parking obstructing green bin placement, limited indoor or outdoor storage space for bins, scavenging from bins, bin sizes suitable for high-volume generators, and determining optimal collection frequency.

The initial rollout to 25 participants will allow the city to evaluate the program in 2026 and 2027 before expanding it to additional restaurants. Following the expansion to restaurants, the city will focus on organics collection at multi-residential buildings that receive city garbage collection services, scheduled to take place from 2028 to 2030.

As Black History Month comes to an end, Peterborough resident Charmaine Magumbe is calling for more accountability and action when it comes to anti-racism. She says silence from media, officials, and public institutions is not neutral — it’s how violence is sustained.

The chairperson of the Community Race Relations Committee of Peterborough and co-founder of the Afrocentric Awareness Network of Peterborough, Magumbe has written an article titled In Peterborough, Anti-Racism Must Mean Accountability, Not Silence.

“Once it’s invisible, people will say, ‘Oh, there’s no such thing as racism here in Canada’ and ‘We’re not racist,'” Magumbe tells kawarthaNOW. “It’s buried. And that’s why we have Black History Month, because people don’t know about the racism that occurred here in Canada.”

Magumbe’s article shares the story of Keith Porter, a Black father who was killed by an off-duty United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer on New Year’s Eve. At least 32 people, many of whom were people of colour, died in ICE custody in 2025 — the deadliest year in two decades.

During the City of Peterborough’s annual Black History Month proclamation on February 4, Magumbe listened as city councillor Joy Lachica similarly commented on racialized violence and the lack of media attention when Black, Indigenous, and other minority communities are harmed.

“She was really referring to the U.S. but then I thought, there are killings that we don’t know about here in Canada because they’re invisible,” Magumbe says. “Why is that? Why don’t we hear about these killings of people who are Black and Indigenous?”

Upon doing research, Magumbe learned about Darrell Augustine, a Mi’kmaw from Sipekne’katik First Nation in Nova Scotia, and Bronson Paul, a Wolastoqey man from Neqotkuk First Nation in New Brunswick, who were both killed by RCMP just days apart in January.

“The outcry from us Canadians was very muted because we don’t know about this,” she says. “Then I also heard about a Black lawyer (Sudine Riley) who was doing her job and was brutally attacked (by the Durham Regional Police Service) because they said that she was in the wrong place at the wrong time. They didn’t believe that she could be a lawyer because she looked the way she did. These are things that people don’t know about.”

“I really thought, why is it that we don’t talk about Black and Brown people who are violently attacked in our society? I feel the ugly side of our history doesn’t want to be exposed, (including) what happened to Indigenous people at residential schools. Black Canadian history is Canadian history, but they don’t want to really talk about what had happened.”

Magumbe says people like to believe Canada is not like the U.S., but the difference is racism in the U.S. is just more visible than it is in Canada. While Canada did not have Jim Crow laws, segregation did exist.

Peterborough itself was once a “sunset town” (or “sundown town”), where Black people were threatened with violence if they were not off the streets by sundown.

“If you talk to the white counterparts here, they’ll say there’s no racism here, it doesn’t exist,” says Magumbe. “That’s what makes it really hard to fight racism. If everyone thinks there is no such thing as it, then why fight it?”

Recent statistics released by the Peterborough Police Service paint a different picture. An average of 46 hate/bias incidents have been reported to the police each year over the past five years, with police adding the number of incidents is underreported.

A high-profile incident of racism involved Peterborough mayor Jeff Leal, who used an anti-Black slur while referring to former U.S. president Lyndon Johnson during a guest lecture at Trent University last year. That incident resulted in a number of complaints to the City of Peterborough’s integrity commissioner, who completed an investigation and released a report earlier this year.

The report concluded that, while the mayor’s use of the racial slur was “odious,” he did not violate council’s code of conduct. Magumbe notes how harmful the messaging in the report was, including the finding that the mayor’s “one-time use of the N-word” did not violate section 10 of the code, which prohibits members of council from speaking in a manner that is discriminatory to any person, including based on their race or colour.

“Once is all it takes and, for overt racism like that, it does affect the person’s morality,” Magumbe says. “The reason why this is so important is that our leaders in those positions have to set the example — they have to set the bar — because once the leader gets away with it, then it’s a free-for-all. That’s what’s happening down south.”

As the chairperson for the Community Race Relations Committee of Peterborough, Magumbe sees many incidents of children being bullied using the N-word and other racial slurs.

“It’s very extreme and it’s not just a one-off,” she says. “The kids are psychologically being bullied and abused in that way, and it’s affecting them to even not want to go to school or to think about going to another school. It’s brutal because there’s no recourse because you’ll say, ‘Well, the mayor said it so I can get away with it.'”

Though Leal issued a public apology and Peterborough’s city council agreed to anti-racism, diversity, equity, and inclusion training for all councillors and city staff, in addition to directing staff to amend the strategic plan and code of conduct to prohibit the use of the racial slurs “regardless of circumstance,” Magumbe says that’s not accountability.

“He said he believed that he was sincerely sorry for what he said, and then he recuses himself from the council meeting,” she says, referring to mayor’s behaviour during the January 19 meeting when council heard public delegations responding to the integrity commissioner’s report. “The accountability would’ve been he stays in (and) listens to the hurt (and) the pain. If he had said then, ‘I hear your pain and I’m sorry,’ that would have been accountability.”

As for the rest of the public, Magumbe has other suggestions for further proving that action — not silence — is the way to confront racism.

“It’d be great to see more people from different backgrounds being employed, especially in the public sector — that would be something they could probably put forward as leaders,” she says.

“I always recommend that you should read authors from all walks of life. The more you read, the more you get into the mindset of what people are thinking and how they’re feeling and how they deal with things in a different way.”

This can be done by joining AANP for Afrocentric Storytime, a monthly event for children that explores stories about Africans and the African diaspora, or by joining the BIPOC Book Club. Both events are held in partnership with the Peterborough Public Library.

In celebration of Black History Month, AANP will also be hosting “Get Real,” an interactive workshop that combats anti-Black racism in the film industry. The event is being held at the lecture hall at Sadlier House on Wednesday (February 25).

“We are seeing people from all walks of life who want to know more about Black joy,” Magumbe says of AANP events. “This is good to get to know them and say ‘Hey, they’re just like me.’ We’re all human beings. We all want good things in life, we all want good things for our children, a good job, a good education — we’re all the same.”

In Peterborough, Anti-Racism Must Mean Accountability, Not Silence

Last week, the Peterborough community gathered to mark the launch of Black History Month with the city’s annual proclamation, read by City Councillors Alex Bierk and Joy Lachica. While the ceremony celebrated Black history and contributions, it also raised a pressing question for our city: what does anti-racism mean when violence against Black and Indigenous people continues to be met with silence in Canadian society?

During the event, Lachica drew attention to racialized violence in the United States, particularly deaths linked to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and the lack of media coverage when Black, Indigenous, and other racialized people are killed. While some deaths receive attention, many others disappear from public view.

One such case is that of Keith Porter, a 43-year-old African American man killed during an encounter with an ICE agent. The circumstances of his death remain contested, no video footage has been released, and media coverage has been minimal. His killing is part of a broader pattern. This year alone, at least 32 people have died in ICE custody or during ICE encounters — the highest number recorded since 2004. The majority were Black or People of Colour.

These realities may feel distant to some in Peterborough. They should not.

Canada often distinguishes itself from the United States by pointing to a less overt form of racism. But silence is not the absence of violence — it is how violence is sustained. When racialized deaths and assaults are underreported or framed as isolated incidents, institutions are shielded from scrutiny and communities are denied justice.

Recent events across the country expose this pattern. In January, RCMP officers shot and killed Darrell Augustine, a Mi’kmaw man from Sipekne’katik First Nation in Nova Scotia, and days later killed Bronson Paul, a Wolastoqey man from Neqotkuk First Nation in New Brunswick. Both cases are under investigation by the Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT), yet public details remain limited and media coverage fleeting.

That same month, a Black female lawyer, Sudine Riley, was violently assaulted by police while working in an interview room after completing a trial. According to her lawyer, Neha Chugh, officers responded to her presence with “rage, disrespect, and contempt,” slamming her head onto a desk and pressing their knees into her back and neck. She was dragged from the room, handcuffed, and placed in a cell, during which her headscarf was torn off, and her skirt lifted. No charges were laid.

“She committed no offence other than being a Black woman practising law,” Chugh said.

For Peterborough, Black History Month must be more than proclamations and symbolic gestures. Municipal leadership has a responsibility to name systemic racism, demand transparency from institutions, and support meaningful oversight and accountability. Silence-whether from media, elected officials, or public institutions-is not neutral. It is a choice.

Anti-racism requires action: media coverage, public accountability, and a willingness to confront uncomfortable truths, even at the local level. If Peterborough is committed to justice, it must ensure that Black, People of Color, and Indigenous lives are not only celebrated in February but also defended every day.

Charmaine Magumbe
Chairperson of the Community Race Relations of Peterborough

Sources

Atlantic chiefs call for ‘meaningful action’ after 2 First Nations men killed by RCMP (CBC News, January 28, 2026)

Durham Regional Police Service refers lawyer assault case to York Regional Police (Law Times, February 2, 2026)

York Regional Police to take over criminal investigation into cops accused of assaulting lawyer in Oshawa (CP24, January 30, 2026)

Parks Canada has announced it is beginning work on a multi-year infrastructure project along the Trent-Severn Waterway in Peterborough that includes rehabilitation of earth dams along the canal, sealing of leaks in the Peterborough Lift Lock, and the complete replacement of the Maria Street Swing Bridge.

Mobilization for the project began on Thursday (February 19), but no closures are expected during the initial phase. Work will be scheduled outside of the canal’s operational season to minimize impacts on boat navigation.

The earth dam rehabilitation will take place between Lock 20 – Ashburnham to the McFarlane Street Bridge north of the Peterborough Lift Lock, and follows earlier work completed from 2015 through 2019. According to Parks Canada, the canal banks are experiencing erosion and instability, with past protection measures failing and creating safety hazards. Rehabilitation will stabilize the canal banks, improve safety, and extend the lifespan of the dams by 75 years or longer.

As for the Peterborough Lift Lock, Parks Canada says the historic structure is experiencing water leakage into its interior spaces, putting sensitive mechanical and electrical systems at risk. Repairs will seal the leaks and ensure its continued safe operation.

Some sections of the canal banks and pathways may be closed temporarily during construction for safety reasons, and some interruptions for boaters may be required during construction. Parks Canada says it will provide advance notice of any closures.

Meanwhile, Parks Canada says the 61-year-old Maria Street Swing Bridge is due for a complete replacement. While interim repairs have been made to maintain traffic, key components are too deteriorated for long-term rehabilitation.

The new bridge will have the same two-lane and single-sidewalk structure and will closely resemble the existing bridge. However, the replacement bridge will be constructed of modern-grade steel that will result in an increased load rating, meaning the current load limitation posting will be removed.

The existing bridge will require intermittent closures during inspections, and a longer-term closure during the installation of the new structure, with the closures planned between 2026 and 2028. Advance notice will be given of any closures. In-water work will take place only during the winter months, so boating will not be affected during the navigation season.

Detours will be in place for vehicular traffic, as well as for pedestrians and cyclists, during the closures. When closures are in effect, drivers will require extra travel time, as delays may occur along detour routes.

Parks Canada says it is working closely with the construction contractor and the City of Peterborough to minimize disruption, including coordinating emergency access routes, scheduling around other municipal projects, and securing necessary road closure approvals.

While the project schedule and timeline is still being refined and will depend on factors including weather, temperature, and material availability and procurement, Parks Canada says the public can expect the project to take three to four years to complete.

A virtual public information session will take place from 7 to 8:30 p.m. on Monday, March 23, followed by an in-person session at Peterborough Lions Community Centre at 347 Burnham St. from 7 to 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 24. Identical project information will be presented at both sessions, and Parks Canada representatives will be available to answer questions. To register for either session, email trentsevern@pc.gc.ca.

More information about the project is available at parks.canada.ca/peterborough.

The original version of this story has been updated to include details about the public information sessions.

Those who still doubt that high-speed rail will come to Peterborough had best pay attention: things are happening, and they’re happening fast.

Just a few days after Peterborough city council endorsed funding for a Coldsprings secondary planning study with an eye toward Peterborough’s future Alto high-speed rail station being located in the former hamlet southeast of the city, Alto CEO Martin Imbleau updated city and county business leaders on the rail network that will ultimately span 1,000 kilometres between Toronto and Quebec City.

In an event hosted by the Peterborough and Kawarthas Chamber of Commerce at The Stonehouse Hall west of Peterborough on Thursday morning (February 19), Imbleau spoke virtually to the audience — a move necessitated by his flight being grounded due to weather concerns. However, his enthusiasm for, and firm commitment to the success of, the largest Canadian public infrastructure project in recent history jumped off the jumbo screen.

‘Peterborough is at the heart of this project, not on the sidelines’

“To quote Rick Mercer, ‘Canada is a world leader in high-speed rail reports,'” said Imbleau.

“He’s right. For a decade, high-speed rail showed up on wish lists, was debated, was studied, and shelved again and again. But around this time last year, it all became real when (the federal) government moved forward with Alto, Canada’s first high-speed rail network connecting Toronto to Quebec City.”

“Today, my message is simple. It’s a clear call to action to prepare together to build it.”

Noting the initial phase of the project will see the rail corridor connecting Ottawa with Montreal developed, Imbleau said there’s good reason for that.

“Ottawa to Montreal is a distance we can manage responsibly and use as a learning ground, because that segment brings together most of the challenges we’ll face across the (entire) corridor,” he explained.

“It’s still a very large-scale project with 200 kilometres of track and three stations. But I want to be absolutely clear on one thing: Peterborough is at the heart of this project, not on the sidelines. This city is a key driver of the corridor’s future.”

‘It’s too early to present specific station locations’

That message was welcomed by those gathered to hear Imbleau speak — an audience that included Peterborough Mayor Jeff Leal, Peterborough County Warden Bonnie Clark, most of the township mayors, and several local economic development leaders.

Of note, in light of Peterborough city council’s approval of the Coldsprings secondary planning study, Imbleau said “it’s too early to present specific station locations.”

“We’re exploring different options in each of the seven cities. A station is not just a dot on a map. Once you build it, it defines how a city connects for decades. The right (station) site must serve three things at once: the city, the regional network, and the long-term performance of the corridor.”

“I know there’s a lot of anticipation, and that’s understandable. I’m asking you for just a little bit more patience. After all, Petes fans have mastered patience since, what, 1979?” Imbleau joked, referring to the one and only time the hockey club won the Memorial Cup.

Following Imbleau’s remarks, Mayor Leal said Peterborough has answered Alto’s “clarion call” to start preparations now for what’s to come — hence the approval of the Coldsprings secondary planning study with an eye toward Peterborough’s high-speed rail station being located there.

“We want to be proactive, so we’re starting that planning process as we speak,” said Mayor Leal. “We always felt that the narrowest point for a crossing (of the Otonabee River) is the southeast corner of the city that is known locally as Coldsprings, so we want to be in position to get our planning work completed as soon as possible.”

‘It will be built largely by Canadian workers, with Canadian materials’

Meanwhile, Imbleau also spoke at length of the logistics of what he termed “a weapon of mass construction.”

“It will be built largely by Canadian workers, with Canadian materials, and drawing on best practices from around the world,” he said. “Building a 1,000-kilometre network requires tons of materials, crazy levels of engineering, and people. Lots of people. Because of that, Alto will set entire sectors in motion.”

“We need 4,000 kilometres of steel tracks — the equivalent of five round-trips to the International Space Station. For the first segment alone, we’re talking thousands of tons of steel, but also concrete, copper, and aluminum. That’s why we’ve already begun direct outreach to the Canadian steel industry. We’re engaging producers now to understand the readiness of the domestic supply chain.”

As for jobs created by the project, Imbleau noted “50,000 people will be required, enough to fill the Peterborough Memorial Centre about 12 times over. We’re talking welders, surveyors, electricians, signal and communication technicians to keep trains running safely at full speed, and construction crews to build bridges, tunnels, and electrified tracks.”

“The time to start preparing is now. That’s why I hope we’ll work closely with universities, colleges, and professional schools to develop training capacity. And with Cadence, we will soon start meeting with construction firms, construction associations, and union partners to assess their readiness to answer our coming calls to market.”

Cadence is an alliance of Canadian and international private partners with expertise in the design, financing, construction, operation and maintenance of large-scale, complex rail infrastructures. Cadence will co-develop the project with Alto, formerly known as VIA HFR, which is a Crown corporation formed in 2022 to oversee the high-speed rail project.

‘Alto will succeed if, and only if, it is built in collaboration with communities’

Imbleau also reaffirmed that Alto is wholly committed to connecting with residents, listening closely to questions and concerns, and ensuring perspectives from Peterborough and communities across The Kawarthas inform every stage of planning.

To that end, Alto has launched an initial three-month public consultation process that includes a drop-in open house in Peterborough on Thursday, February 26 between 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 5 to 9 p.m. at the McDonnel Street Community Centre at 577 McDonnel Street.

Alto’s first two open houses, held in Ottawa and Montreal on January 21 and 22, collectively saw more than 1,000 attendees.

At the Peterborough open house, there will be a variety of booths set up to share stories of how high-speed rail will revolutionize mobility and quality of life across communities along the corridor.

In addition, members of Alto’s community engagement team will be available to share why high-speed rail is a groundbreaking project for Canada, what the project timeline looks like, how the trains will work, and how they will transform mobility between Toronto and Quebec City. Attendees will also be able to meet experts from the Alto team who can speak to engineering, design, environmental consultations and more,

“I’ve said since day one that Alto will succeed if, and only if, it is built in collaboration with communities,” said Imbleau.

“Obviously, we cannot give all the answers on day one. A consultation where everything is already decided is not a consultation — it’s a sales pitch. Listening now before decisions are made is what creates clarity going forward. In 2026, it’s about consultation, refining the alignment and coming back to communities by year-end with a very precise proposal.”

‘This is a very ambitious timeline but, if we do it properly, it’s a doable one’

“In 2027-28, we’ll focus on detailed design and environmental work,” Imbleau said. “By 2029, market preparation will start translating into contracts being awarded, work utilities and the first on-the-ground activities. By the end of 2030, construction will be underway between Ottawa and Montreal.”

“I’m not going to lie. This is a very ambitious timeline but, if we do it properly, it’s a doable one.”

“Of course, building responsibly also means being honest about the challenges. There will be questions. There will be skepticism. It will test our coordination across jurisdictions, and our capacity to stay the course over many years.”

“It’s not going to be easy. Projects like this never are, but challenges do not make this project less necessary.”

‘High-speed rail has the potential to redefine how people and businesses move’

One challenge that Alto doesn’t have to overcome is convincing the leaders of those communities the high-speed rail line will connect of its need, its benefits, and its value.

“Today we’re talking about how we shape the future of economic growth, workforce, mobility, environmental sustainability, and regional competitiveness,” said Warden Clark in her opening remarks. “High-speed rail has the potential to redefine how people and businesses move, connecting communities like ours more effectively to major urban centres and opening new doors for opportunity.”

“Getting this right matters. As a county, we know that meaningful infrastructure decisions require partners at the table — municipal, provincial, federal, Indigenous, industry, and most importantly, our residents. High-speed rail will only succeed if it is planned with care, is grounded in community needs, and is developed in a way that respects local context, protects our environment, and strengthens our rural and urban fabric.”

For more information on Alto’s public consultation process, visit www.altotrain.ca/en/public-consultation. To stay informed about upcoming milestones and additional opportunities to engage, sign up for Alto’s monthly newsletter at www.altotrain.ca/en/stay-updated.

In their lifetime, a person who is menstruating can spend upwards of $6,000 on hygiene products — and that doesn’t include incidentals like new underwear and pain relievers. For vulnerable persons living in poverty, those products are often sacrificed in lieu of other essential expenses.

That’s why United Way Peterborough & District has launched the 10th annual Period Promise campaign (formerly called Tampon Tuesday) with the goal of collecting 25,000 hygiene products for vulnerable community members.

All donated period products and financial donations to the organization until Friday, March 13 will be given to Kawartha Food Share to distribute to partner agencies in the city and county of Peterborough.

Items can be dropped off at the United Way office (277 Stewart Street) from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday (with the exception of Thursday, February 26 when staff will be preparing for the Peterborough Performs benefit concert).

“It’s part of our mandate to focus on moving people from poverty to possibility and this drive is especially important because so many people who menstruate are living in poverty and can’t access the products they need,” says Elisha Rubacha, community impact officer for United Way Peterborough & District. “This is an opportunity to not only get products into people’s hands, but to get people thinking about menstruation and the body because there’s so much stigma around it.”

According to a 2023 survey, one in four people in Canada who menstruate have had to choose between purchasing menstrual products and purchasing other essential items like food or paying rent. This could result in people relying on unsafe alternatives, like using a product for too long, or missing out on school, work, and social events because they don’t have the right protections.

Despite the need for this basic necessity, menstrual hygiene products are one of the least donated items at local food banks.

“Stigma might contribute to that, but I think people just don’t always think about it — it’s not on people’s minds,” says Rubacha. “We don’t talk about it, so of course people aren’t thinking to donate those products.”

This is why the Period Promise is not just about collecting and distributing donated menstrual hygiene products, but also about starting and normalizing conversations around menstruation.

Research has shown the continued prevalence of the idea that menstruation is “dirty” or “shameful” and something that should be concealed, even in one’s own home.

“People need to be able to be in their bodies in their own homes, so if we can just get people talking about it, that’s a big step,” Rubacha says. “If we can get people implementing workplace policies that help people who are either menstruating or in menopause — all of those things are a big help.”

Items accepted by the United Way include pads, liners, tampons, cups, reusable and disposable underwear, and any other menstrual hygiene products. The organization is also accepting financial donations that will be funnelled towards purchasing under-stocked items at the end of the campaign.

“A lot of living in poverty means having your choices limited and so if we can open that up and give people more choices, that has a profound impact,” Rubacha says. “Trans men often menstruate, and they might not be comfortable using anything inserted like tampons, for instance. Maybe underwear makes you feel more comfortable in your body, and you don’t have that dysphoria that’s associated with a tampon or even a cup. Just providing more options for more people is really important with this campaign.”

Motivated by having collected a total of more than 85,000 individual products in the past five years alone, United Way has set an ambitious goal for the campaign’s 10th anniversary in trying to beat their 2022 record of collecting 23,000 products.

Period Promise has already kicked off to a good start thanks to a collection drive held during the Women’s Business Network of Peterborough’s most recent meeting. More than 6,101 products were donated, accounting for nearly one quarter of this year’s goal.

The United Way is encouraging businesses and workplaces to participate in the campaign by starting their own drives, or connecting with Rubacha to find other ways of starting the conversation or addressing period poverty.

“If other people come to me with an idea to talk about advocacy or workplace policies, we can figure that out,” she says. “I’m really excited to hear how other people want to engage with this campaign.”

To learn more about Period Promise, to make a donation directly to the campaign, or to get involved, visit www.uwpeterborough.ca/period-promise/.

kawarthaNOW is proud to be a media sponsor for this year’s Period Promise campaign.