What they lacked in numbers, they made up for in passion.

Some 50 people gathered outside Peterborough City Hall early Monday evening (April 28) to protest, in the strongest terms, Mayor Jeff Leal’s use of a racial slur while giving a guest lecture at Trent University on March 19.

Organized by the Trent Central Student Association (TCSA), the protest called for Mayor Leal’s resignation, with association president Iyiola Alade saying his “half-ass apology” was too little and came far too late.

“We will use our voices today and make it heard that racism is not welcome in our community, it is not welcome on our campuses and it is not welcome in political seats,” said Alade.

“I am a firm believer that people’s thoughts become their actions. Using a racial slur in a lecture hall where students are seated to be inspired and educated by you (Mayor Leal) at an institution rooted in diversity is not a mistake. That is racism, and to that we say shame. We are demanding that Jeff Leal steps down or be impeached. We will not be silent while the mayor holds office and chooses hate over humanity.”

“Our demands are simple for a city that has ears to listen. A public apology to (city) council and members of the public. And city councillors should declare a vote of no confidence to determine if Jeff Leal continues to be a suitable candidate for the mayor of Peterborough.”

The incident in question occurred while Mayor Leal addressed an evening business administration class at the university. Veering off topic, he began talking about former American president Lyndon B. Johnson.

A recording of Mayor Leal’s lecture made by a student and subsequently published by Arthur, Trent University’s student newspaper, captured him saying “Lyndon Johnson was an F.D.R. New Dealer. He came out of the hills of Texas. He used this language that you would never use today, and he talked about poor n*****s and Mexicans that he taught Sunday school to.”

According to Arthur, the class instructor afterwards apologized to the class for the mayor’s remark and, according to Trent University and the mayor’s office, Mayor Leal also delivered a written apology to the class.

However, it wasn’t until April 8 that his use of the offensive word became widely known when the mayor’s office issued a statement and apology from Mayor Leal. The statement did not reference the racial slur used but Mayor Leal claimed that he used a “quote” from Johnson — which the audio recording shows was not the case.

“I sincerely apologize,” wrote Mayor Leal. “Regardless of the context or intent, using that word was wrong. I recognize the pain it carries, and the responsibility I have to speak with care and respect. I apologize to Trent students and faculty, to Trent University, and to my community.”

“I did not contribute to the betterment of my community when I used that quote — when I said those words. I am committed to listening, learning, and doing better.”

Not nearly good enough, said Alade at Monday’s protest — a sentiment expressed by all in attendance, both vocally and via the many placards they held up.

“This man walked into a lecture hall with almost 400 students and uttered this word,” he said, adding “It cannot be seen as a mistake.”

“Now saying it was a quote to cover your racism … shame, shame.”

In a statement published April 9 at trentcentral.ca, the TCSA called on the City of Peterborough’s integrity commissioner to review Mayor Leal’s ‘conduct’ in relation to the Peterborough City Council Code of Conduct: Conduct Respecting Others.

In addition, the statement asked to the city to ensure all city councillors and staff receive anti-racism, diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) training, and to review and amend its 2023-2050 Strategic Plan “to include anti-racism and race relations as a strategic priority under their Community and Wellbeing pillar.”

In addition, the TCSA made demands of Trent University, including “assurance that Mayor Jeff Leal will not be invited back to campus.”

The group also asked that a BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and people of colour) member of Trent staff conduct DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) training for guest speakers, and guarantee “that future guest lecturers are properly screened, and their content is reviewed before being presented to students.”

Following Monday’s protest, Alade suggested this is far from over.

“We will wait on the integrity commissioner and members of council before we say for sure that we’ve been heard, and if we haven’t, I can assure the City of Peterborough that we will be back,” he said.

“We (TCSA) are having conversations with the university. As far as I know, the university doesn’t have a hand in what everybody is going to say, but they do have a hand in rectifying situations. Whenever we do have situations such as this, we try our best to bring them up with the university, and reach consensus that favours both the university and the students that are harmed.”

Asked if he feels Mayor Leal will actually resign over this matter, Alade said he’s confident city council “will find the mayor breached one of their codes of conduct and, that being said, we will get our demands.”

“To our understanding, the integrity commissioner will start an investigation, hear from our side and the mayor, and then it goes to city council for a conversation and then you get a response. We plan to give this time but not let it die down.”

Meanwhile, the newly formed Coalition for a Better Peterborough has launched an online petition calling for Mayor Leal’s resignation.

As of Monday, 535 people had signed it, according to organizer Charmaine Magumbe, who also spoke at the rally.

“Some people are defending this despicable behaviour … this racist incident,” she told the crowd, adding “Shame, shame, shame on them.”

“I heard the tape (of Mayor Leal’s remarks). On the tape, he even said that this word is unacceptable, and then he says it. Shame. And some people are defending him because he said it was a quote. Why would anyone want to quote an overtly racist U.S. president? He’s a guest speaker at a business lecture. How do you veer off topic? Shame on him.”

Later, Magumbe explained to kawarthaNOW why publicly protesting the mayor’s use of the word is so important.

“People will say ‘It’s just a word.’ It’s not. If you look at the historical context of the word, it comes from a place of violence. It comes from a place of dehumanization of a certain sector of people. It is a very painful word. It should never be used; it should never be uttered.”

As for the notion that Mayor Leal simply made a mistake by using the word, Magumbe isn’t buying it, noting “He said it’s not acceptable but he said it anyhow.”

Noting “Anti-black racism is, unfortunately, alive and well, and it’s here in Peterborough,” Magumbe said that standing together to say “No more” is essential.

“Making your voice heard makes a difference. Showing up makes a difference. Signing the petition. Doing whatever you need to do. This is anti-racism 101. We must stop this hate against blacks and people of colour.”

During the protest, city councillors Joy Lachica and Keith Riel, and later councillor Alex Bierk, showed up to say hello before their city council meeting, but all three declined an invitation to address the crowd. The protest was not acknowledged by council during the meeting.

“Hi, I’m Emma Harrison. I’m the MP.”

Peterborough has reaffirmed its reputation as a bellwether riding, with Liberal candidate and political neophyte Emma Harrison unseating Conservative incumbent Michelle Ferreri as the Liberals led by Mark Carney will form their fourth consecutive government — a remarkable comeback given that only five months ago their defeat at the polls under Justin Trudeau seemed inevitable.

That said, the Conservative incumbents in the three other ridings in the Kawarthas region — Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland-Clarke, and Hastings-Lennox and Addington-Tyendinaga — will hold onto their seats, and it appears the Carney will not have the strong mandate he was seeking from Canadians to deal with the threats to Canada’s economy and sovereignty from U.S. President Donald Trump.

In the early morning hours after election day on Monday, a minority Liberal government appeared likely. The Liberals were elected or leading in 166 seats and the Conservatives in 146, with the Bloc Québécois holding the balance of power with 23 seats.

Meanwhile, support for the NDP has collapsed, leaving them with only seven seats instead of the 24 seats they held before the election — and without the 12 seats needed for official party status. NDP leader Jagmeet Singh announced his resignation after the results and after losing his own B.C. riding. The Green Party has a single seat.

If the Liberals fail to gain the 172 seats required for a majority, they will need to depend on support from the NDP or the Bloc Québécois to avoid being defeated in any non-confidence motions.

In Peterborough, Harrison held an early lead over Ferreri when the first polls reported, and maintained and then widened that lead as the evening went on. Strategic voting clearly played a large role in Harrison’s victory, with NDP candidate Heather Ray receiving only 2,406 votes.

By comparison, NDP candidate Joy Lachica received 13,302 votes in the 2021 election, allowing Ferreri — who herself was a political neophyte at the time — to unseat Liberal incumbent Maryam Monsef by 2,738 votes, receiving 27,402 votes to Monsef’s 24,664.

Harrison, who defeated Ferreri by over 10,000 votes (42,890 to 32,446), celebrated her win before a crowd of jubilant supporters at the Canadian Canoe Museum.

“I have been saying this line, this whole time, anytime I have to introduce myself — everywhere I go I say ‘Hi, I’m Emma Harrison, blah blah blah’,” Harrison said during her victory speech. “But now I get to say, ‘Hi, I’m Emma Harrison. I’m the MP.'”

“The theme of this whole speech is going to be, this is not really about me — at all. This whole campaign is built on so many incredible people and all of their efforts, from our volunteers, our incredible campaign manager Andy Mitchell … people keep thanking me but there are so many people who should be thanked, and that’s everyone in this room, the people of Peterborough who understood how important this election was, not only nationally but in our community.”

“Thank you to Peterborough city and county for giving me this opportunity to serve as your next Member of Parliament,” Harrison said, before thanking her family, including her “incredible” husband for his support, including taking care of their three children while Harrison has been campaigning.

After explaining how she become the Liberal candidate, Harrison thanked all her supporters and everyone she has met in the riding.

“The love and support has been endless,” she said. “This has been an incredibly positive, hopeful campaign.”

Harrison also acknowledged her relationship with Green Party candidate Jazmine Raine and NDP candidate Heather Ray.

“That is the only way forward, and it was easy because wonderful people chose to put their name on the ballot and come forward and fight for what they believe in,” she said. “I’m honoured to have been on the ballot with them, and their kindness and their support, and how we clap for each other, and support each other, wrote messages to each other, supporting one another.”

After also thanking Ferreri for her service as a Member of Parliament, Harrison turned her attention to “newly elected prime minister” Mark Carney.

“He is a person who chose to put his hand up, who decided to take on this huge role for all of us, for Canada, for the support he’s been given in his life and career, and I feel the exact same way,” she said. “People of this riding and of this community have supported me endlessly in my whole life, as a small business owner, as an athlete, as a young person just growing up.”

“So this is but a small part of my ability to repay everyone who’s ever supported me. I really do love this community so much, and the people who live here. I know people talk endlessly about tariffs and Donald (Trump) and all of those things, but the truth for me is, what was on the ballot was humanity.”

“We have to come together, we have to stay unified, we have to move forward together as a country and as a people, and support one another every single day.”

Harrison said she is looking forward to working in Ottawa to deliver on the Liberals’ campaign promises, joking that she is “incredibly irritating” when it comes to achieving results.

After mentioning commitments to building affordable homes, supporting families, and building infrastructure in the riding, Harrison said she “will fight any attempts to reverse the progress that has been made for women’s rights” as well as discriminatory practices that often marginalize women and people.

“I do intend to listen more than I speak, and listen to the lived experience of people and believe them when they tell you what they’re saying,” she said.

“We need to stay united as residents and we cannot continue to create division. I will work with everyone, regardless of whether they voted for me or not, and I will be your voice in Ottawa, not Ottawa’s voice in Peterborough … I look forward to showing you just what I can do.”

As for other ridings in the Kawarthas region, Conservative incumbent Jamie Schmale in Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes easily defeated Liberal challenger Nell Thomas by 13,483 votes (42,676 to 29,193) with the NDP’s Alyea Teel a distant third at 2,624 votes.

In Northumberland-Clarke, the race was tighter with Conservative incumbent Philip Lawrence beating Liberal John Goheen by only 2,022 votes (34,084 to 32,062) with the NDP’s Ava Becker receiving 2,057 votes.

In Hastings—Lennox and Addington—Tyendinaga, Conservative incumbent Shelby Kramp-Neuman defeated Liberal Tracey Sweeney Schenk by 9,262 votes (36,007 to 26,745) with 2,351 votes for the NDP’s Ava Duffy.

Here are the unofficial election results for the greater Kawarthas region as reported by Elections Canada as of 8 a.m. on April 30.

Peterborough

Formerly Peterborough-Kawartha

308 of 308 polls reporting (100%)
Voter turnout: 79,059 of 106,789 registered electors (74.03%)

Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes

Formerly Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock

314 of 314 polls reporting (100%)
Voter turnout: 75,447 of 104,259 registered electors (72.36%)

Northumberland-Clarke

Formerly Northumberland-Peterborough South

254 of 254 polls reporting (100%)
Voter turnout: 69,773 of 94,937 registered electors (73.49%)

Hastings-Lennox and Addington-Tyendinaga

Formerly Hastings-Lennox and Addington

258 of 258 polls reporting (100%)
66,283 of 93,375 registered electors (70.99%)

This story has been updated with the final preliminary vote and seat count as reported by Elections Canada on April 30, 2025.

Peterborough city council voted on Monday evening (April 28) to approve a staff report proposing a 60 per cent raise for the mayor and a 52 per cent raise councillors for the next term of council.

Similar to last Tuesday’s general committee meeting, councillors voted in favour of a report from Richard Freymond, the city’s commissioner or finance and corporate services, that recommends a “reset” of base compensation for council.

As was the case with the general committee meeting, councillor Gary Baldwin made a motion to defer the report that, again with no discussion by other councillors, was defeated.

Based on a comparison of 2023 pay rates for mayors and councillors in 14 other single, upper, and lower-tier municipalities across Ontario, commissioner Freymond’s report recommends that remuneration for Peterborough city council be based on the 75th percentile of the 2023 pay rates in those municipalities.

When adjusted for inflation using CUPE collective bargaining settlements, that would result in compensation for the mayor of $147,631 in 2026, an increase of 59.8 per cent over what the mayor will be paid in 2025, and $54,991 for each councillor in 2026, an increase of 52 per cent over what each councillor will be paid in 2025.

In addition to the pay increase, which would only take effect for the 2026-2030 term of council starting in December 2026, the report recommends that compensation for the mayor and councillors be increased each December for the remainder of council’s term, equal to the inflationary increase provided to CUPE staff bargaining groups.

The report also recommends a 17.4 per cent increase for the vehicle/transportation allowance for both the mayor and councillors, from $5,112 to $6,000 for the mayor and from to $2,556 to $3,000 for each councillor.

The only registered delegation to speak to the report, Peterborough resident Jim Austin, expressed his “strong opposition” and suggested that only councillors who would commit to not seeking re-election should be able to vote on the report.

“It strikes me as a huge conflict of interest that councillors can vote and implement a new compensation package for themselves, if they choose to run again and are successful in that re-election,” he said.

He also proposed that only councillors elected for the first time should receive the full increase, and that re-elected councillors should receive a 12.5 per cent increase each year. He said only a newly elected mayor should receive the full increase, with a re-elected mayor receiving an increase of 15 per cent each year.

Councillor Joy Lachica asked Austin if he was aware how many hours councillors are working in what is supposed to be a part-time position, that the compensation works out to either at or just below minimum wage, and that existing compensation may dissuade some people from running for council.

“I think that sometimes catch-up needs to be done and, for a four-year term for those people who may see a future around the (council) table, I think that’s important,” she said.

When the item came forward for consideration later in the meeting, councillor Baldwin made the same motion to defer the report that he did at the general committee meeting.

“I don’t know if other councillors have received telephone calls or emails with respect to the councillor compensation report,” Baldwin said. “I have received some feedback from the community … the feedback I’ve received has not been favourable with respect to the report.”

Baldwin noted that council “struggled” with passing on a 6.75 per cent increase to the taxpayer during the 2025 budget deliberations, repeating his comment from general committee that using a 50th percentile rather than 75th percentile was more appropriate.

“We’re looking at a substantial increase in pay for part-time work,” he said, adding that councillors also already have a benefit package, a nine per cent “pension match,” and a subsidy for internet costs, with the report also recommending a vehicle allowance increase. “To me, this is too rich. I don’t know anybody in Peterborough that got a 52 per cent or a 60 per cent increase in pay.”

Baldwin said he spoke to some of his colleagues “who are working 40 hours per week, full-time, making somewhere in the 40 to 41 thousand dollar range — and they don’t have any benefits.”

He suggested that commissioner Freymond return to council with three options.

“We were given one option, and that option I can’t support,” Baldwin said. “That’s the reason I want to defer it.”

As he did at general committee, councillor Keith Riel immediately called the question on Baldwin’s motion, a procedural move to cut off any discussion and bring the motion to an immediate vote.

After voting 7-4 in support of calling the question, with councillors Baldwin, Kevin Duguay, Andrew Beamer, and Dave Haacke voting against it, councillors voted 8-3 against Baldwin’s motion, with Baldwin, Haacke, and Mayor Jeff Leal voting in favour of the deferral.

Council then voted on the report, with no further discussion, voting 8-3 in favour, with Baldwin, Leal, and Haacke voting against it. Leal and Haacke switched their votes from the general committee meeting, when they had voted in favour of the report.

A 25-year-old man is dead following a single-vehicle collision in Peterborough early Sunday morning (April 27).

At around 4:15 a.m., Peterborough police responded to a report of a damaged vehicle in a ditch on Sherbrooke Street West just east of Highway 7.

When officers arrived at the scene, they began lifesaving measures on the driver at the scene.

The driver, a 25-year-old man from Cavan-Monaghan Township, was pronounced dead.

Highway 7 was closed for about seven hours for a police investigation.