As the chair of a Peterborough neighbourhood group facing a financially onerous legal settlement over the holidays, Sarah McNeilly asked for a Christmas miracle — and she got one.

In just three days, the Peterborough community stepped up in a big way by donating $15,000 to Northcrest Neighbours for Fair Process (NNFP), which is required to pay a $22,500 legal settlement to the City of Peterborough and Brock Mission.

The negotiated settlement followed NNFP’s failed legal challenge against Mayor Jeff Leal’s use of his strong mayor powers to exempt Brock Mission’s proposed six-storey transitional housing project at 738 Chemong Road from the zoning by-law amendment application and site plan control requirements that normally apply to projects of this kind.

On Monday (December 22), three days after NNFP launched the fundraiser and three days before Christmas, McNeilly announced the $15,000 goal has been met.

“Right now, I feel like George Bailey in the final scene of It’s a Wonderful Life — when the whole town pours into his living room with whatever they can spare,” McNeilly shared on GoFundMe. “Coins. Envelopes. Gestures of love to let him know he wasn’t alone.”

Although the GoFundMe campaign goal was originally $15,000, McNeilly lowered it twice after receiving more than $5,300 in offline donations over the weekend.

As a result of an earlier fundraising campaign, NNFP already had around $8,000 available to put towards the $22,500 settlement, which must be paid within 60 days.

If NNFP could not raise the remaining required funds, McNeilly — as sole director of the NNFP corporation — was on the hook for the settlement cost.

Recognizing the dire financial straits NNFP and McNeilly were facing, the group’s lawyer — Mark Pedersen, a partner with Belleville-based law firm O’Flynn Weese LLP — forgave NNFP’s outstanding legal fees so the group could redirect its remaining funds toward the settlement agreement, which McNeilly called “a Christmas miracle.”

“But it’s not enough on its own,” McNeilly said when launching the fundraiser. “We’re going to need another Christmas miracle, and that’s where our community comes in.”

The Peterborough community delivered NNFP its second Christmas miracle, with 100 donations through the GoFundMe totalling $9,685 and the remaining amount funded by offline donations.

“I am crying while writing this,” McNeilly shared on GoFundMe. “Over one single weekend — during the holidays no less — you showed up for me and my neighbours and raised $15,000. I don’t know how to properly thank you for that.”

Referring again to It’s a Wonderful Life, McNeilly wrote “I keep thinking about what Clarence writes to him at the end: ‘No man is a failure who has friends.'”

“Your support is deeply meaningful to me and my neighbours. Beyond your incredible generosity, your willingness to put your name on this and stand with us — your solidarity, your friendship — means more than you’ll ever know.”

“After nearly a year of constant pressure, fear, intimidation, and exhaustion — after being made to feel small, isolated, and villainized — you have reminded me why I love this place. Why community still matters. Why standing up is worth it. Thank you for standing with me and my neighbours.”

Throughout 2025, one name appeared again and again in kawarthaNOW headlines: that of Peterborough mayor Jeff Leal.

Whether it was because of his controversial use of strong mayor powers, his use of a racial slur, the finding that he contravened city council’s code of conduct, or his support of a substantial increase to the police budget, Leal was front-and-centre in local news over the past year.

Regardless of whether residents supported or objected to the mayor’s decisions and actions, there’s no question Jeff Leal had a significant impact on the community, as the third year of his four-year term wraps up and citizens prepare for a municipal election in October 2026.

Strong mayor powers

In February, Mayor Leal announced he would be using his strong mayor powers to expedite Brock Mission’s proposed transitional housing project, which would see a six-story building constructed in the middle of a residential neighbourhood, by amending the city’s zoning by-law and exempting the project from the city’s site plan requirements.

During a heated and sometimes confrontational five-hour city council meeting later that month, three of 10 city councillors joined the mayor in support of his motion — despite vocal community opposition to the proposed development, including its location and both the process and the speed at which it was proceeding. Under the province’s strong mayor powers, Mayor Leal only needed the support of one-third of council, including himself.

That decision led to the formation of a neighbourhood association called Northcrest Neighbours for Fair Process (NNFP), which announced in the spring that it would be launching a legal challenge of Mayor Leal’s use of his strong mayor powers to expedite the project.

The city, later joined by Brock Mission, aggressively defended itself by demanding that NNFP provide $30,000 in security for legal fees before the case could proceed. In the fall, the judge considering the merits of the case ruled in favour of the city and Brock Mission, a ruling that resulted in NNFP dropping its legal case before it was heard and ultimately agreeing to pay $22,500 in costs to the city and Brock Mission to settle the case.

Racial slur

During a speech to students of a business administration class at Trent University in March, Mayor Leal veered off topic and began talking about U.S. president Lyndon B. Johnson.

He was recorded saying that Johnson “used this language that you would never use today, and he talked about poor n*****s and Mexicans that he taught Sunday school to.”

Although the mayor subsequently apologized for his use of the n-word, claiming he was “quoting” Johnson, there were calls for his resignation — including from the Afrocentric Awareness Network of Peterborough — and the Trent Central Student Association held a protest in front of City Hall.

Integrity commissioner report

In May, one of the City of Peterborough’s integrity commissioners issued a report that found Mayor Leal had contravened city council’s code of conduct by intimidating one city councillor and bullying another in 2024 with respect to the controversial Bonnerworth Park redevelopment.

The report from Guy Giorno, which also found Leal’s decision-making on the redevelopment did not involve a “private advantage” for him or for his wife, concluded the mayor’s comments to councillor Alex Bierk that “You’re going to regret you ever said that” and “I’ll carve you like a Thanksgiving turkey” — comments made after Bierk mentioned the mayor’s pickleball-playing wife by name during a council meeting — constituted intimidation.

Giorno also found that Mayor Leal had bullied councillor Joy Lachica by yelling at her in a city hall corridor following a council meeting on the Bonnerworth Park redevelopment, as well as through his behaviour toward her at a subsequent closed session.

Despite Giorno’s findings, city council meeting as general committee voted 7-3 against penalizing the mayor for breaching city council’s code of conduct, with councillors Bierk, Lachica, and Keith Riel voting against the motion (Leal had recused himself from the discussion and the vote). The arguments in support of the mayor were that he had already been penalized enough through the public shame of the integrity commissioner’s report.

Prior to a subsequent city council meeting where council’s decision was to be endorsed, community residents held a “Rally for Integrity” in front of City Hall where they urged council to penalize the mayor.

Despite the rally, seven public delegations, and requests from councillors Bierk and Lachica to their colleagues that Mayor Leal be held to account for his behaviour, council voted 6-4 in favour of a motion to not impose any kind of penalty on the mayor, with only councillor Matt Crowley changing his vote from the previous week to join councillors Bierk, Lachica, and Riel in voting against the motion. Again, Mayor Leal had recused himself from discussion of the issue and the vote.

Support of the police budget

During 2025, Mayor Leal — who sits on the police service board — made no secret of his support of the Peterborough Police Service.

Using his strong mayor powers, Leal directed city staff in May to prepare a draft operating and capital budget for 2026 and to assume a 10 per cent increase to the police operating budget — despite the fact the police service had not determined its 2026 budget requirements — because of legislative requirements under the province’s Community Safety and Policing Act.

In November, police chief Stuart Betts presented city council with the police service’s request for a 9.8 per cent increase to its 2026 budget — an increase of over $3.7 million resulting in a 2026 budget of over $41.5 million — that included 10 new full-time equivalent positions as well as non-personnel costs including training and information technology.

Chief Betts said the requested increase (later reduced to 9.22 per cent to reflect an estimated $220,000 reduction in benefits for police employees) was driven by personnel costs related to legislative and regulatory requirements of the province’s Community Safety and Policing Act.

Later that month, city council voted 6-5 to send the proposed police budget back to the police service board for potential reductions. The following day, the police service board met in a closed session for 20 minutes before returning to public session, with Mayor Leal reading a motion unanimously approved by the board that stated the 9.22 per cent increase request would not be changed.

In December, city council voted 8-3 to endorse the city’s 2026 budget, with councillors Joy Lachica, Alex Bierk, and Keith Riel voting against it, largely because of their objections to the 9.22 per cent increase in the police service’s operating budget as well as a $91.9 million project to renovate and expand two police stations.

“My responsibility as mayor is to give the best resources possible to the men and women who wear the uniform of the Peterborough Police Service and to make sure our civilian force has the adequate resources to back them up each and every day,” Leal said during the meeting, defending his support of the police budget.

As for the project to renovate and expand two police stations, council met as general committee in September to consider a $25.4 million budget increase for the project, raising the total estimated budget to $91.9 million — an increase of over 38 per cent from the originally approved budget of $66.4 million. Similar to the operating budget, Chief Betts said the increase was required to meet legislative and regulatory requirements of the province’s Community Safety and Policing Act.

At the meeting, council voted 6-5 in favour of a motion by councillor Alex Bierk to defer the request back to city staff for details on what costs were related to mandatory versus discretionary requirements Community Safety and Policing Act.

However, at the council meeting the following day when Bierk’s motion was to be considered for final endorsement, council abruptly voted to move into closed session — a session that councillors Bierk, Joy Lachica, and Keith Riel left before it was completed. When council reconvened in chambers, debate resumed on councillor Bierk’s motion followed by a vote, which lost 5-6. Councillors then voted 7-4 to approve the original main motion to support the $25.4 million increase.

The YMCA of Central East Ontario has named Peterborough-area activists Linda Slavin and Lesley Kirton as the recipients of its 2025 YMCA Peace Medal.

For the YMCA, “peace” is more than just the absence of violence and conflict: it means developing fairness, inclusion, empathy, security, and respect for diversity. The charity use peace as an acronym for the values of participation, empathy, advocacy, community, and empowerment.

YMCAs across Canada present Peace Medals every year to individuals or groups who — without any special resources, status, wealth, or position — demonstrate a commitment to those values through contributions made within their local, national, or global community. The Peace Medals recipients are announced every year during YMCA Peace Week, which took place this year from November 15 to 22.

“Our Peace Medal recipients demonstrate that peace-building is not one moment in time — it’s a lifelong commitment to lifting others up,” says YMCA of Central East Ontario president and CEO David Allen in a media release. “Their work gives us hope and reinforces the YMCA’s belief that strong, connected communities are created when people lead with empathy, courage, and purpose.”

The YMCA of Central East Ontario is recognizing Linda Slavin of Peterborough for her decades of leadership in social justice, gender equity, and community building.

Known to her colleagues as the region’s “mother of the movement,” Slavin is a long-time educator, community activist, environmentalist, and social justice leader. She helped establish the Kawartha World Issues Centre (KWIC), co-chaired Sustainable Peterborough, and has been involved with groups such as GreenUP, the Elizabeth Fry Society, the Social Planning Council, and the Community Opportunity and Innovation Network (COIN).

Slavin was a member of the anti-nuclear-weapons group Kawartha Ploughshares, co-founded the annual One World Dinner and launched Peterborough’s Persons Day Breakfasts, and supported local women’s participation in the 1995 UN Conference on Women. Most recently, she has worked with the climate action group For Our Grandchildren and the Kawartha Commons Cohousing group.

She also ran for political office five times — four times provincially and federally for the NDP and once for mayor of Peterborough.

“Along with her partner Al, she has offered leadership and support that has strengthened every project they have championed together,” states the media release. “Celebrated for her inclusive spirit, collaborative leadership, and tireless advocacy, Linda’s impact is felt widely across the community. She is regarded by many as one of Peterborough’s most inspiring and deserving champions of peace.”

The YMCA of Central East Ontario is recognizing Lesley Kirton for more than two decades of “extraordinary service” to Peterborough and the Kawartha Lakes.

As a former crisis intervention worker with Victim Services of Peterborough and Northumberland, Kirton was at the forefront of the fight against human trafficking, assisting vulnerable girls and women in the sex trade. She was also a member of the board of the Kawartha Haliburton Children’s Aid Society.

In 2014, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) Canada named Kirton as its community leader for Peterborough, Kawartha Lakes, and Northumberland — a cause close to her heart as she was struck by an impaired driver when she was a college student in Oakville. In 2017, Kirton received Peterborough County’s Community Volunteer of the Year award for Selwyn Township and, the following year, received an excellence in volunteering award from MADD Canada. Most recently, she received a 10-year service award from MADD Canada and a King Charles III Coronation Medal for her advocacy work.

“Lesley has consistently modelled empathy, resilience, and community responsibility, quietly delivering meals to those in need, supporting victims of trauma, and empowering others to step forward and help,” the release states. “Her work has had meaningful impact locally, nationally, and globally, and her unwavering commitment to peace, justice, and human dignity makes her a truly deserving recipient of the YMCA Peace Medal.”

The YMCA of Central East Ontario will hold a formal ceremony in 2026 to recognize both Slavin and Kirton, with full details to be released in January.

Other YMCA of Central East Ontario Peace Medal recipients in recent years include Kristin Crowe in 2024, Lee-Anne Quinn, Jason King, and Husayn Dharshi in 2023, Crystal Hebert (Mkwa Ghiizis) in 2022, and Dave Morello and David McNab in 2021.

Environment Canada has issued a yellow watch for snow squalls for most of the Kawarthas region for Saturday night (December 20) into Sunday.

The snow squall watch is in effect for Peterborough County, Kawartha Lakes, Haliburton County, and Hastings Highlands.

A strong cold front will pass through the region overnight Saturday night, bringing strong wind gusts and a possible frontal snow squall briefly reducing visibility to near zero in heavy snow and blowing snow. Once the front passes, lake effect snow squalls off of Lake Huron and Georgian Bay are expected to develop for Sunday, with strong northwest winds and blowing snow continuing until the afternoon.

Total local snowfall amounts of 10 to 15 cm are possible in southern Peterborough County and southern Kawartha Lakes, with 5 to 10 cm in northern Peterborough County, northern Kawartha Lakes, Haliburton County, and Hastings Highlands.

The lake effect snow will be accompanied by 50 km/h westerly winds gusting to 70 km/h overnight, with a wind chill of minus 18. Winds will diminish to 30 km/h in the morning, gusting to 50 km/h.

Travel may be hazardous. Prepare for the possibility of quickly changing and deteriorating travel conditions.

Environment Canada recently launched new colour-coded alerts for weather advisories, watches, and warnings.

Yellow alerts, which are the most common, indicate hazardous weather that may cause damage, disruption, or health impacts. Impacts are moderate, localized, and/or short-term.

Orange alerts, which are uncommon, indicate severe weather that is likely to cause significant damage, disruption, or health impacts. Impacts are major, widespread. and/or may last a few days.

Red alerts, which are rare, indicate very dangerous and possibly life-threatening weather will cause extreme damage and disruption. Impacts are extensive, widespread, and prolonged.

This story has been updated to including Hastings Highlands.

Peterborough police have arrested two of three suspects wanted in a connection with the homicide of a 33-year-old man in downtown Peterborough earlier in December, and are continuing to search for the third suspect.

At around 6 a.m. on Saturday, December 6, officers were called to an apartment building near Brock and Aylmer streets where they found a severely injured man in an apartment. Despite life-saving efforts, the victim was pronounced dead at the scene.

Through investigation, police have identified three suspects — all Peterborough residents — and obtained warrants for their arrest.

On Thursday (December 18), officers with the Peterborough police’s investigative services unit and Belleville police’s tactical team executed a warrant at a residence in Belleville, where they arrested 28-year-old Peter Pople and charged him with second-degree murder.

On Thursday night at 8 p.m., police located 29-year-old Kaya Coughlin at Trinity Community Centre in Peterborough, where she was arrested and charged with manslaughter.

Both Pople and Coughlin are being held in custody for court appearances on December 19.

“I would like to recognize the tenacity and exceptional work of our officers in locating these two suspects,” said Peterborough police chief Stuart Betts in a media release. “It has required hundreds of hours of investigation to ensure these individuals were located and taken into custody. I also extend my appreciation and thanks to the Belleville Police Service for their support in helping our Investigators locate and arrest a suspect in their city.”

Police are continuing to search for a third suspect, 44-year-old Michael Waterman, who is wanted for second-degree murder.

Anyone with information is asked to call Peterborough police at 705-876-1122 ext 555, or anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or at stopcrimehere.ca.

A Peterborough neighbourhood group has launched an online fundraising campaign to cover a $22,500 settlement it must pay to formally end its legal challenge of the City of Peterborough’s use of strong mayor powers, with the group’s lawyer forgiving his legal fees in recognition of the financial impact of the settlement.

On Friday (December 19), Northcrest Neighbours for Fair Process (NNFP) announced it has launched a GoFundMe campaign after accepting a court-ordered settlement requiring the group — and its chair, Sarah McNeilly, personally — to pay $22,500 to the City of Peterborough and Brock Mission.

The payment is a condition of NNFP withdrawing its legal challenge of Mayor Jeff Leal’s use of his strong mayor powers to exempt Brock Mission’s proposed six-storey transitional housing project at 738 Chemong Road from the site plan control requirements that normally apply to projects of this kind.

As previously reported by kawarthaNOW, the settlement agreement followed NNFP’s decision to drop its case after the Ontario Superior Court ordered the group to post $30,000 in security for costs in order for the matter to proceed. NNFP has said it was unable to afford that upfront payment, preventing the case from being heard on its merits.

The court also ruled the City of Peterborough and Brock Mission were entitled to both the $30,000 security for costs and the costs of their motion, subject to any offer to settle with NNFP.

Justice Susan Woodley’s ruling was issued on November 20, seven weeks after she heard the City and Brock Mission’s motion that NNFP pay $30,000 security for costs in order for the case to proceed.

After that October 1 hearing, when the judge made it clear she would rule against NNFP and encouraged the parties to settle, the group made an offer to the City and Brock Mission to withdraw the case at no cost.

According to NNFP, the City and Brock Mission did not respond to that initial offer. Instead, after Judge Woodley issued her ruling on November 20, they demanded that NNFP and McNeilly pay $30,000 within 60 days to settle the case, and threatened to pursue another $100,000 in legal costs if a settlement was not reached by December 10.

After back-and-forth negotiations, all three parties agreed to a final settlement amount of $22,500 to end the case before it was ever heard.

“The $22,500 is what we are now required to pay simply to be allowed to walk away,” stated Deborah Berrill, member of NNFP’s executive committee, in a media release. “We are no longer fundraising to fight City Hall. Now, we are fundraising to finish this and to protect our chair, Sarah McNeilly, from facing financial harm.”

As a result of an earlier fundraising campaign, NNFP has around $8,000 available to put towards the settlement and must come up with an additional $15,000. If NNFP cannot raise the required funds, McNeilly becomes personally responsible for paying the settlement cost.

Recognizing the dire financial straits NNFP and McNeilly are facing, the group’s lawyer — Mark Pedersen, a partner with Belleville-based law firm O’Flynn Weese LLP — has forgiven NNFP’s outstanding legal fees so the group can redirect its remaining funds toward the settlement agreement.

In an email to NNFP, Pedersen described what the group encountered during the legal proceedings as “a series of misfortunes,” including “a municipal litigant that regards procedural leverage and obfuscation as appropriate means of litigating issues of societal importance” and “the unfortunate reality that access to justice is tremendously expensive.”

“As a general rule, I rarely cut my accounts,” Pedersen wrote. “This is an exception. Your pursuit truly does resonate with me, and I am happy to make this the exception to my usual rule.”

He added that, as a citizen, he was disappointed “that exposure to costs in the face of a question like that posed in your lawsuit is even a consideration.”

For her part, McNeilly called Pedersen’s decision to forgo his legal fees “a Christmas miracle.”

“But it’s not enough on its own,” McNeilly added. “We’re going to need another Christmas miracle, and that’s where our community comes in.”

NNFP says any funds raised will solely be used to cover the settlement costs so that no individual member of NNFP, including McNeilly, “bears the financial burden of having challenged a municipal decision.”

“The City is sending a message,” said McNeilly. “They’re making an example of me and my neighbours in order to tell the rest of Peterborough, ‘Challenge us, and we’ll make you pay.’ This fundraiser is asking the people of Peterborough to send a message back. It’s asking you, the people, to say, ‘We will not obey in advance.'”

For more information and to donate to the fundraiser, visit gofund.me/5b75d546b.

After NNFP announced the settlement agreement on December 17, kawarthaNOW reached out to the City of Peterborough for comment, but did not receive a response.

When it comes to putting food on the table or kibble in the dog’s bowl, some Peterborough residents are having to make tough choices when it comes to feeding themselves or their pets in challenging economic times.

That’s a situation the Peterborough Humane Society (PHS) is aiming to help families avoid by offering a pet pantry for community members.

Alongside partners Can-Pet Inc., The Kibble Project, the City of Peterborough, and Humane Canada, PHS recently hosted an event to distribute pet food, supplies, and essential items to residents in need just ahead of the holidays.

Held last Friday (December 12) at the Peterborough Public Library, the community pet pantry distribution event supported more than 350 pets and 155 residents, saving each household more than $100 so individuals and families could use those funds for other essential needs.

According to PHS social services worker Sara McKenzie, having access to a community pet pantry means people in need can keep both themselves and their pets fed, and also helps prevent people from having to give their pets up for adoption.

“When households are struggling to afford basic necessities, pet care can quickly become an overwhelming burden,” McKenzie told kawarthaNOW. “Many families have shared that they’ve gone without meals themselves to ensure their companion animals are fed.”

“The pet pantry is especially vital during today’s challenging economic times, providing critical support to families facing one of the most common factors driving rising rehoming requests — financial hardship,” McKenzie added.

She said that PHS has hosted five local distribution events as part of the community pet pantry program, teamed up with six community partners for redistribution, and dished out more than 20,000 pounds of pet food, helping support more than 2,000 local families to care for their beloved animals during tough times.

“By offering access to essential resources, the pantry helps families stay together while preserving the human-animal bond,” McKenzie said. “Through strong community partnerships and compassionate care, we are committed to keeping companion animals healthy and with the people who love them, because community care includes supporting both ends of the leash.”

During the December 12 event, people also enjoyed pizza and had the opportunity to have their photo taken with Santa Claus.

PHS said the community pet pantry is part of the continued growth of its prevention-focused outreach programs, and reinforces the organization’s dedication to strengthening the human-animal bond. Plans are already underway for future pet pantry programming to ensure continued support for local pet families.

“Pet pantries are a critical part of our commitment to keeping people and pets together,” said PHS CEO Shawn Morey in a statement. “Financial hardship remains one of the leading reasons families are forced to consider surrendering a beloved pet. By offering proactive support, we can reduce that pressure and prevent unnecessary heartbreak.”

PHS is a registered charity that advocates for animals by rescuing lost, stray, and homeless pets throughout Peterborough County. It is an Open Admission for Life Centre and the largest animal shelter in Peterborough County.

All animals in its care receive veterinary care, vaccinations, and are microchipped, and spayed/neutered prior to being adopted.

PHS does not receive any government or institutional funding for their operations and relies on generous donations from the community. For more information about the Peterborough Humane Society and to donate, visit peterboroughhumanesociety.ca.