With the nomination period for the October 26 municipal election closing on August 21, Peterborough voters are looking for answers from candidates for city councillor who have filed their nomination papers.

In a multi-story series, kawarthaNOW is contacting all registered candidates in each of the City of Peterborough’s five wards — Ward 1 (Otonabee), Ward 2 (Monaghan), Ward 3 (Town), Ward 4 (Ashburnham), and Ward 5 (Northcrest) — for their position on key election issues such as housing, affordability, and council transparency, with comments from new candidates added as required.

In the first series of stories, kawarthaNOW asked candidates to introduce their campaigns by answering three questions: why they are running, what the biggest challenge is in their ward, and what makes them a unique candidate for councillor.

In Town Ward, incumbents Joy Lachica and Alex Bierk officially launched their campaigns together on May 1.

Challenging the two incumbents are Jessica Kuhlmorgen-Hille and Jenni Cathcart, who filed their nomination paperwork on May 1 and June 23 respectively, and Nigel Lister, who filed his nomination papers in late August.

kawarthaNOW asked each of the four candidates to respond to the three questions in email, and is publishing their answers verbatim with no editing.

1. Why have you chosen to run for ward councillor?

Alex Bierk

I’m running for re-election because I believe in our City and our downtown. Over the last four years, I’ve worked tirelessly to be present, accessible, and prepared — advancing housing and homelessness solutions, supporting arts and culture and community organizations, strengthening our downtown, and advocating for a more transparent and accountable City Hall.

Jenni Cathcart

I’m running for Council in the Town Ward because I’m genuinely concerned about where downtown Peterborough is headed.

I’ve spoken with dozens of residents and business owners across the ward and beyond. The messages are consistent: people feel unsafe downtown and are avoiding it. Business owners are fed up with recurring theft and vandalism.

Many homeowners and local business owners feel their concerns simply aren’t being represented. That feeling isn’t unfounded. When I attended the DBIA’s annual meeting recently, neither of our current Town Ward councillors was there. I’m told that’s been a pattern. That troubles me.

Peterborough is at an inflection point. We can accept what’s happening downtown as the new normal — and watch the city slowly decline even as our property taxes keep climbing. Or we can choose a different path: one focused on real opportunities for growth that could transform this city over the next five to ten years.

I know which path I’m fighting for. I hope you’ll join me.

Jessica Kuhlmorgen-Hille

I chose to run because I felt the representation on council did not reflect the life experience, views, and wishes, of the full demographic of the Ward in which they serve.

Joy Lachica

I’m a passionate and skilled incumbent councillor with a tenacious vision for a thriving, growing and more vibrant Peterborough. In seeking re-election I aim to continue the intentional work I’ve begun in Town Ward.

Nigel Lister

After an immense amount of pressure from a large number of downtown business owners, along with the declining health of Town Ward over the last several council terms, I have decided to throw my hat in the ring. I plan on being a voice for the downtown businesses and I will prioritize the health of our downtown over everything else. Because without our downtown, Peterborough’s heart will no longer beat.

2. What is the biggest challenge in your ward?

Alex Bierk

The downtown is the heart of our city, and it’s also where many of our biggest challenges are most visible. Peterborough has never had a comprehensive downtown strategic plan that brings together infrastructure, parks and public spaces, housing and homelessness, public safety, arts and culture, neighborhood vitality etc. into a single, shared vision. That gap has left us responding to challenges in an ad hoc way instead of working toward a common goal. Creating a comprehensive downtown strategy should be one of the highest priorities of the next term of Council.

Jenni Cathcart

The Town Ward is challenged by the growing number of people experiencing homelessness, drug addiction and/or severe mental health issues. The latest Point in Time (PiT) survey conducted by United Way in 2024 counted 343 individuals experiencing homelessness — a 67% increase since 2021. Worse yet, an estimated 80% were reported to be chronically homeless. These statistics indicate that something needs to change.

I subscribe to the “housing first” approach, which has shown that housed individuals have a greater chance of overcoming addiction and mental health challenges than those receiving care while in less stable conditions. From what I’ve learned, the 50-unit Modular Bridge Housing Community is regarded as a successful starting point. My understanding is that it’s at capacity and volunteers have needed to turn people away.

How might we build capacity by replicating what’s worked in this community? And how might we build out the housing pathway, so the tiny houses are the first step in a journey to becoming self-sufficient again? If elected, I’d seek to explore solutions with our city housing experts and partners from non-profit groups.

Jessica Kuhlmorgen-Hille

Crime, poverty, homelessness, mental & addictions healthcare — as they are all interwoven into one large challenge.

Joy Lachica

The biggest challenge for Town Ward is dispelling its myths, its perceptions and being acknowledged as the heart, the soul and the cultural lifeblood of this city. As our historic social centre, the meeting place and the marketplace for this rich region, Town Ward is on the path to reclaiming its fullness with a 2026 governance table that believes unequivocally in its centrality and invests strategically in its revitalization.

Nigel Lister

Having people understand that the economic engine drives the social cart. With prospering businesses in the downtown and City wide there will be far more financial support from the private sector towards social programs to help those in need. We have to take a term or two and focus on supporting our entrepreneurs downtown and across the City.

3. What makes you a unique candidate for councillor?

Alex Bierk

I bring tireless work ethic and a combination of lived experience, professional experience, and four years of municipal experience. My wife and I live in Town Ward with our three children, and my career as an artist is based downtown. I’ve built both my career and my life in this community.

My experiences have taught me to approach challenges with creativity, integrity, and empathy, always grounding my decisions in both my own lived experience and the experiences of the people I represent.

During this term, I’ve taken leadership roles in housing and homelessness, helping advance some of the most significant responses our community has ever undertaken. I’ve championed for the downtown, for arts and culture, community services, and affordable housing through Peterborough Housing Corporation. I consistently advocated for transparency, meaningful public engagement, and responsible use of public funds.

Jenni Cathcart

Most business leaders become industry experts. I became an expert in a process — human-centered problem solving. It’s an approach that starts by understanding a problem from the perspective of the people living it, then uses that insight to identify root causes, generate ideas, and test what works. Over a 25-year career, I’ve applied this approach to tackle challenges related to energy, transportation, housing, and commercial development.

What that means is that I ask critical questions, I listen carefully, and I know how to cut through complexity to get to what matters. I’m fiscally responsible, data-driven, and comfortable with budgets and financial decisions — skills I’ve built managing departments and serving a wide range of clients.

On a personal level, I’m a community builder and a long-time volunteer — I’ve served on boards, been a Scouts leader, and fundraised for cancer research and bicycle advocacy. My husband and I moved to Peterborough’s Old West End in late 2024, and we’re here to stay. Peterborough is our forever home — and that’s exactly why I want to help shape its future.

Jessica Kuhlmorgen-Hille

I have lived experience none of the other candidates have. I am a disabled middle aged woman, with a difficult past on these very streets. I know what is to be poor, unwell, unhoused, abusing substances. I know how hard things are when you aren’t getting the health care and social service supports you need to stay above water and heal. I have lived downtown, Ward 3, for almost 20 years. This is my home.

Joy Lachica

I possess a love for governance, policy and community that stems from 11 consecutive years of experience in elected positions (ETFO — 7 years, City Council — 4 years).

Political skills and acumen are essential to equitably address the needs of our municipality in what is certainly an evolving municipal landscape. With changes to the Municipal Act, and the exercise of strong mayor powers in this last term of councils across Ontario, there is a new set of dynamics to navigate within municipal democracy. I bring a depth of understanding to these shifting sands. In my daily practice as a politician, I stay very connected to news and policy on all 3 levels of government.

Although I’ve been a career educator, in tandem, I’ve lived other lives … in music, in theatre as well as in the service industry. My diverse background brings a recognition of what an economic driver the arts are in our city. We’re so lucky to have an arms length Municipal Arts Council in our city supporting our community of prolific arts groups and individual artists. We must sustain them and invest in them in order to reap the social, community and economic dividends as a city.

Nigel Lister

My network and creative problem-solving abilities. I have a vast network that spans across all the entire City and far beyond Peterborough that I am happy to utilize, when necessary. I also feel I have a unique ability to distill issues and problems down to their simplest form and find creative solutions to solve them.

kawarthaNOW has reproduced written responses from candidates verbatim. Any errors, factual or otherwise, or any use of AI-generated content originate with the candidate.

The story was updated on September 1 to include responses from Nigel Lister, who filed his nomination papers after this story was originally published.

The state of Peterborough’s downtown core is once again at the forefront of the minds of both candidates and voters as the municipal election approaches.

On Tuesday night (July 7), Peterborough mayoral candidate Neil Morton hosted the fourth of five “working sessions” asking for feedback from residents on his key policy areas and goals for office.

Entitled “Together, We Will Revitalize Downtown,” Tuesday’s event took place at the Knights of Columbus Doyle Hall at 317 Hunter Street West, which is in Town Ward.

Morton is one of five people who have filed nomination papers so far to run for the office of mayor in the October municipal election in Peterborough, with the others being Michael Eamon, Jacob Méthot, incumbent Ashburnham Ward councillor Keith Riel, and Rebecca Schillemat. Incumbent mayor Jeff Leal has yet to declare whether he will be seeking re-election.

Vacant storefronts and lack of a major anchor store downtown

Attendees at Morton’s event included business owners, Town Ward residents, and individuals living in other wards within the city. Incumbent Town Ward councillor Joy Lachica and Town Ward councillor candidate Jenni Cathcart were also in attendance.

Morton laid the foundation for the group discussion speaking to issues such as community safety, economic development, and small businesses.

“I don’t want to sugarcoat things because I love this downtown, but the downtown is not acceptable to me at all,” Morton said in his opening comments.

“Community members deserve to have a reasonable expectation to be able to shop, reside, and enjoy downtown and feel safe.”

For some of the attendees, including Jan Fialkowski and Blair Armitage, the growing number of vacant storefronts in the downtown core is cause for concern. Fialkowski said that the city should incentivize businesses to open their stores downtown to fill vacant lots.

Shelby Leonard-Watt, owner of downtown stores Flavour Fashion, S.O.S, and Providence and a board member of Peterborough Downtown Business Area (DBIA), noted the lack of a major anchor store in the downtown core.

Long-time residents at the event remembered the heyday of Peterborough Square, which was anchored by Eaton’s when the mall first opened in 1975. Eaton’s subsequently downsized the store in the 1990s before closing its doors completely in 1998, a year before the company filed for bankruptcy. Since then, Peterborough Square has not had a retail anchor tenant.

In contrast, when Lansdowne Place Mall lost retail anchor Sears in 2018, the building was demolished to make way for a new mall expansion, with Sport Chek anchoring the expansion when it opened in late 2022.

Attendees at Tuesday night’s meeting discussed how the ward system in place to elect councillors can cause competition between wards for economic investments and whether re-imagining council with an at-large system could help support downtown initiatives.

“Maybe if the council could see the city as a whole, we would find more business moving downtown,” said Glenn, who returned to Peterborough after spending time away.

High rents, lack of parking, broken parking meters, and theft and vandalism

Business owners in attendance said that some of the challenges faced when opening a store downtown include high rental costs, a lack of parking and transit, and costs associated with vandalism and theft.

For example, La Mesita Mexican Restaurant recently had their window smashed costing them approximately $2,000 in damages.

One attendee said that the parking meters are outdated and are not reliable, leading to frustration when looking for parking downtown.

“Parking is not even hard to find, but when you go down there and that machine doesn’t work, it’s frustrating,” he said.

Lachica noted the failed motion she made at council earlier this year to prevent parking fines being given to people parked at non-functioning meters, an issue which she and fellow Town Ward councillor Alex Bierk raised in response to concerns from residents and business owners.

Safety concerns dissuade some from going downtown

For many attendees, downtown has become too unsafe and unwelcoming to warrant visiting or establishing businesses.

“We do not have a safe and a free downtown,” said one attendee.

“I don’t go downtown anymore,” said another.

A number of attendees said they had lived in Peterborough and in Town Ward for most or all of their lives, and that they have seen significant changes in the safety and perception of downtown, especially in the last 10 years. The impact of the pandemic was also discussed by business owners and residents alike.

For many, the most visible differences are increased homelessness and public substance use. One attendee spoke about the impact of the recently closed Consumption and Treatment Site (CTS) and others referenced the location of Trinity Community Centre and the Wolfe Street modular housing community.

“We’ve created an urban plan that has consolidated all of the social issues in a very tight, confined area,” said one attendee.

Comparisons were made to other municipalities both in Ontario and across Canada regarding perceived community safety and structural solutions.

Pam, who recently lived and studied in Fredericton, New Brunswick, said that it was the safest downtown she had experienced.

“To help the curb appeal, Fredericton doesn’t have its crisis centres close to downtown,” she pointed out.

Safety concerns exacerbated by lack of support for people who are homeless and stigma of homelessness

An attendee who said she lived nearby spoke about her experience living in downtown, noting high rent, limited housing opportunities, and numerous social issues.

“If I get evicted from that house, there is no lateral move in this city,” she said.

She added that her primary concern is the lack of support for people experiencing poverty and homelessness, saying that current police funding should be reallocated to ensure that mental health calls are handled by trained professionals.

Margie Sumadh, who has spoken often at city council about housing and homelessness, said that people’s fear of the downtown comes from a lack of interaction and engagement with the people who make up the community.

“They are people,” Sumadh said of people experiencing homelessness. “Cities are inhabited by real people.”

Further, she said that by walking around downtown and talking to people from all backgrounds, she has built community and relationships with many unhoused individuals and is not afraid of downtown.

“They know me because I talk to them, because I speak to them, because I share with them,” she said.

The Morton campaign is sharing the results of each policy session on its website at www.mortonformayor.ca/community_input, including the 34 ideas related to downtown revitalization that were generated at Tuesday night’s event.

kawarthaNOW’s coverage of municipal election candidates is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute an endorsement of any candidate, campaign, or platform.

The original version of this story has been updated with a correction: councillor Joy Lachica’s parking meter motion at city council did not pass.