According to Neil Morton, the trajectory of his life has led him to a “perfect moment” where he believes he has the leadership, strategic vision, and commitment and passion to help Peterborough reach its full potential.

On Monday morning (May 4), the 55-year-old lifelong entrepreneur joined the mayoral race for this fall’s municipal election by filing his nomination papers at Peterborough City Hall.

In a recent in-depth interview with kawarthaNOW at the Silver Bean Cafe in The Canadian Canoe Museum, Morton spoke about his motivation for running for mayor and how he plans to lead the city if elected.

“I absolutely love Peterborough,” Morton said. “I think it has the potential to be one of the great Canadian cities to live in, to work in, and to visit, and I want to showcase the light on this city that’s not being shone right now. Come Monday, I’m going to be campaigning everywhere and learning the role of being an ambassador for this community.”

Morton’s decision to run for mayor is no surprise, given his self-described “100 coffees” initiative over the past six months. Calling it “one of the most empowering experiences of my life,” he met with a wide range of people, including social workers, environmentalists, entrepreneurs, and politicians such as current city councillors and former mayors including Sylvia Sutherland, Daryl Bennett, and Paul Ayotte, as well as participating in a ride-along with Peterborough police chief Stuart Betts.

“I’m listening and learning because the only way to know where we’re going is to actually know the truth, and the hard truths of where we’re at, and not just face things on gossip and conjecture,” he said.

‘You can’t take Peterborough out of the person’

Born in Toronto, Morton moved to Peterborough as a young child after his mother Patricia joined Trent University to teach history and women’s studies and his father David joined Quaker Oats, later becoming president and CEO. Growing up in the city’s north end, he attended Edmison Heights Public School, Adam Scott Collegiate Vocational Institute, and Trent University before leaving Peterborough to study journalism at Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson).

After living and working in Toronto for 20 years, including as a pop culture columnist for Metro News and editor-in-chief for technology and culture magazine Shift, he moved back to Peterborough in 2011 with his wife and two daughters.

“You can take the person out of Peterborough, but you can’t take Peterborough out of the person, and I came back,” Morton said.

He co-founded the website PtboCanada.com with the intent of focusing on positive stories about Peterborough, and then the digital marketing agency StudioPtbo, later selling his ownership in both companies. He also co-authored the 2021 book What If You Could? The Mindset and Business Blueprint for Your Life of Purpose and was one of the co-founders of the now-defunct Electric City Football Club (FC).

Currently co-founder and vice president of marketing of 3D-printing construction company Cormor Inc., Morton is also a business development consultant for former Peterborough MP Maryam Monsef’s company Onward.

His volunteer work in the community has included chairing the United Way Peterborough & District’s 2017 fundraising campaign, serving as a member of the board of the Peterborough and Kawarthas Chamber of Commerce, and serving as an ambassador for the Canadian Canoe Museum’s “Move The Collection: The Final Portage” campaign in 2023. He was inducted into the Junior Achievement Business Hall of Fame in 2023 and Adam Scott’s Hall of Honour in 2024.

“I feel like the trajectory of the Peterborough chapters of my life have led me to this moment, and the moment is perfect,” said Morton of his decision to run for mayor. “It aligns with where I’m at and where Peterborough is at and what it needs.”

Giving people a voice again

During his 100 coffees meetings, Morton said people told him they feel like “they’re not being heard” when it comes to civic engagement.

“People really care about this community and this city, and right now they feel like they’re getting a little bit apathetic, if you will. They’re kind of waiting there to be utilized or heard, because we have a lot of amazing, all-star people in this community.”

That, he added, has led to what he calls “a mindset of scarcity or conservation, as opposed to a mindset of abundance,” where people feel disengaged from civic life.

“I am going to give them a voice again,” Morton said. “I’m going to be the leader and help steer the ship, but we need everyone to get on this train, so to speak, and be loud again about who we are.”

As an example, he points to business owners who feel they are not being recognized by the city for their economic contributions to the community.

“For me, a big role I will play, being the chief ambassador not just the mayor — that’s why I look at myself — is attracting business here, attracting tourists here, attracting families here, attracting doctors here, building prosperity for this community.”

‘Growth creates growth’

According to Morton, economic prosperity is key to dealing with issues like homelessness.

“I met with some social workers and some advocates for youth homelessness and I asked ‘What’s the answer to this?’, and they said one of the big answers is economic development. It fundamentally is prosperity, wealth — whatever you want to call it — for the community, so the more money we make as a community, the more we invest in ourselves. Growth creates growth. The more we can help everyone in this community, the social safety net gets bigger, and we all get a bigger slice of the pie.”

Morton attributes a lack of economic development to “taking shortcuts with projects” and “not going all in” when opportunities present themselves, such as the proposed entertainment complex in downtown Peterborough, which will be brought forward to city council again at Monday night’s general committee meeting.

“When we did the (Peterborough) Memorial Centre a few years ago, we decided not to build a new facility at that point,” he said. “We decided to basically retrofit the Mem Centre, an old barn, so we put a lot of money into that. Maybe that money would have been more well spent at that point into a new arena.”

He added that he supports a new entertainment complex, but “only under the right arrangement that does not gouge taxpayers.”

“If there’s a private-public partnership to be done, I see that as being a huge economic driver for the downtown — a big anchor tenant down there at Market Plaza if that’s where it’s going to be. Then, with all the wraparound amenities that would happen there, whether it’s a convention centre or a hotel, microbreweries, more restaurants, cafes .., it’s limitless, but that is one possibility if the deal is done properly.”

“It’s an entertainment facility where we could embed the local arts and culture scene, which we need to do a better job of as well. It’s not just about the Petes or Lakers, which are an institution here. We don’t want to lose them, (but) it’s about bringing people together into that one facility that also all the wraparound services, driving more traffic downtown before (people) go to a concert or a play or a sports event, and then go out afterwards as well.”

‘Chief ambassador for the community’

Morton said he will be launching a survey called “Ptbo Priorities” this week in an effort to continue engaging residents and ensuring his platform is a reflection of the people he aims to serve as mayor.

“I want people to be honest and be heard, and that will help form my policies and platform and vision for the community,” he said. “I have one at a macro level already, which is being bold, emphatic, bringing more wealth to the community, (and) shining the light in the community.”

As mayor, Morton said he will be a “chief ambassador for the community,” including by going on podcasts and radio and even by starting “our own podcast and telling the story of all the amazing entrepreneurs here and visionaries here.”

“My background is in communications,” he explained. “I’m going to be loud about storytelling and showcasing. I’ve been accused of having rose-coloured glasses over the years — or plaid-coloured glasses, or whatever you want to say (Morton is known for his love of plaid) — but I think we need more people to have that outlook on how to fix problems.”

“We’re not immune to the problems happening in other municipalities, but let’s get ahead of the curve. Let’s maybe look at other best practices that are happening in other communities and municipalities around the world — maybe we can tweak it or come up with our own positive solutions.”

Homelessness and the ‘missing middle’ in housing

On the issue of homelessness, Morton said creating more economic prosperity will result in “a Peterborough for all.”

“People that are homeless do not want to be homeless. They don’t want to be living on the streets and encampments. They want to be living in their own home, and we need to find (solutions) and we are; I’ve talked to people who believe we are on the right path to getting a lot of these people housed.”

Morton said he “can see both sides” of the issue.

“I can see the people living in encampments are disrupting businesses and disrupting residential streets,” he said. “I want people to feel safe in their own community and I do want them to feel secure — they deserve that — but (homeless people) deserve to have all the opportunities that we can give them to put them in a better position to get out of whatever put them into that, whether trauma or rut, and get them out of that and get them into the housing continuum.”

Morton also said there is no “easy answer” to addressing the “missing middle” in housing — multi-residential units such as duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, and rowhouses instead of single-family homes and high-rise developments.

“I’ve talked to people in the missing middle in town right now who are really struggling, where they’ve gone through a divorce and they had to sell their house and go into the rental market, and they have quite a hefty deposit, but they can’t buy back into the market because they just they can’t afford the cost of living,” he said. “I’ve heard that people are even barely paying their mortgages and are having to use food banks here.”

“We need to find creative solutions working with developers who have altruistic approaches to development as well, and really want to bring in at least a ratio of what’s truly defined as affordable, because often affordable housing now is not even close to being affordable.”

Those creative solutions, Morton added, include alternative residential units (ARUs), “where you move mom in or your kids stay with you longer, but you have a coach house in your backyard or an apartment dwelling.”

“We have to allow for more viable solutions and remove some of the red tape and bureaucracy to get more people housed, and give them hope. Right now a lot of people don’t have that hope.”

On city staff who don’t live in Peterborough

Asked about public criticism of senior city staff who do not live in Peterborough and yet make decisions that affect the community, Morton said he would encourage them to experience the city even if they don’t live in the community.

“You need to live and breathe the community you’re working in,” he said. “You need to be right at ground level, seeing and hearing and listening and doing all the things like going to Market Hall, going to the Friday art crawl, going to the Petes games. I think that’s the most realistic tangible way of actually knowing what’s happening in your community and making really thoughtful, pragmatic decisions that aren’t generic decisions that could happen in any municipality.

“In a utopian world, I would like to see (city) staff live here, absolutely, or at least in the region, because a big part of my mayoral run is selling the region. It’s working with the county as well. It’s bringing people together again and selling the region as a whole, and not just Peterborough. If a family happens to live in the county, it’s all good, because if they move here from the GTA and they live in the county, they’re still going to come to Peterborough. They’re going to come to the Canoe Museum, they’re going to come to the restaurants in Peterborough, they’re going to spend their money here.”

On the city’s relationship with the county

As for the economic development relationship between the City of Peterborough and the County of Peterborough following the dissolution this past council term of Peterborough & the Kawarthas Economic Development (PKED), Morton said the city and county need to find a way to work together again.

“It should be a win-win — to me, it doesn’t have to be a zero-sum game if you get a business in the county and we don’t get it,” he said. “The next lead could be more viable that the county gives us to land something here in the city, but we need to be working together on lead generation, and at least landing it here in the area and not losing it to another municipality.”

“I’m definitely going to work toward bringing people together again. What happened in the past happened in the past, whether I agreed or not, but the only way to fix things now is to work together. It cannot be a siloed approach, and right now that’s what’s happening in many regards.”

Asked about the contrast between the city’s support for the proposed Alto high-speed rail network and the county’s opposition, and the city’s decision to approve the Coldsprings growth area for a potential Alto station location without first consulting with the county, Morton pointed to a lack of ongoing communication.

“It’s not a competition — it’s a win-win for the region,” he said. “I had this conversation with Murray Jones from when he was the (county) warden and worked with (former Peterborough mayor) Darryl (Bennett). You couldn’t have really picked more opposite people, but they worked together to sell the region. That’s what we need, and I’m committed to that. Whoever the warden is, I’ll work with them.”

“As far as Alto goes, it’s like winning the lottery. It’s a game changer. Alto is going to do their thing and be thoughtful about not disrupting too many people’s lives. I can see the rural aspect, but how do highways ever get built and rail lines ever get built? I just had a friend who is part of my team who just got back from Europe and they’re light years ahead of us with high-speed rail.”

“We’ve got to catch up. We’ve got to move forward and, for Peterborough, it’s going to be a massive economic driver … People can commute to Trent or Fleming every day, commute for jobs every day, come and visit the Canoe Museum for a day.”

“We can’t just be on the fence all the time and talk ourselves out of things — it’s not going to push us forward as a region and a city.”

Downtown revitalization

Asked about his top priorities, Morton spoke again about economic development, including downtown revitalization.

“We have a lovely, beautiful downtown that has enormous potential, but we need to take that next level,” he said. “The micro example being (the late community advocate) Ann Farquharson when she went out with (city councillor) Alex Bierk and spray painted that garbage can. You don’t want your downtown to get blighted; you want it to feel welcoming to all. Curb appeal is really important.”

“The downtown is going to be huge for me. We need more murals down there. Jason Wilkins was one of my 100 coffees — one of the most talented mural artists in Canada happens to live in Peterborough and loves it in Peterborough — and he said we should be doing more murals that just captivate people when they come into town. They stop and they do Instagram photos. We need to be open to doing more things to drive people downtown.”

Property taxes and strong mayor powers

When it comes to property taxes, Morton said his goal would to avoid raising them beyond inflation, which he would accomplish by increasing the city’s revenues by attracting more businesses, more families, more residential development, and more tourism.

“We’ve got to bring in more dollars and then we don’t have to raise taxes. I never want to feel like constituents are being gouged. You should feel like (when) you’re paying taxes and your user fees as well that you’re getting bang for your buck … you’re not getting penalized and having to pay to offset these deficiencies that are happening.”

On the issue of strong mayor powers, Morton said he has “no intention of using them” but wouldn’t rule it out.

“I’m always striving for consensus and collaboration on council, but I’m not going to be the one to say I’ve never going to use something, if there’s an emergency situation to do with homelessness or housing,” he said.

“I’m going to be very transparent with constituents and I’m not going to put that stake in the ground and say I’m never going to use strong mayor powers, but the goal is to never use them. The province has given us that legal authority … to do that if we want, so it is potentially a tool in the toolkit, but the goal is not to use it. The goal is to have consensus and staff and council that works together.”

On the perception of privilege

When it became known he was considering running for mayor, one of the early criticisms levelled against Morton is that, as the son of well-known philanthropist parents, he comes from a position of privilege — with the implication being that he will not pay attention or be empathetic to the issues facing people who are marginalized.

“My parents are amazing, altruistic philanthropic people, and that’s a beautiful thing that’s rubbed off on me as well and how I want to give back to the community,” said Morton.

Over the years, Patricia and David Morton have donated many hundreds of thousands of dollars through their family foundation to local charities and organizations including the Peterborough Regional Health Centre Foundation, YWCA Peterborough Haliburton, Trent University, the Peterborough Humane Society, the United Way of Peterborough & District, and the Morton Community Healthcare Centre in Lakefield.

“Being privileged is not in any way going to get in the way of how I lead this community,” Morton added, noting that he volunteered at a church soup kitchen when he was living in Toronto and is familiar with socioeconomic issues such as homelessness from his time as the United Way campaign chair.

“It’s a Peterborough for all,” said Morton, returning to the phrase he used repeatedly throughout the interview. “I grew up in a middle-class neighbourhood in the north end of Peterborough. My parents earned everything they got, and now they give back in spades to this community. They’re very compassionate and they’re empathetic people.”

‘My lens on life is more joy-baiting than rage-baiting’

On that topic, Morton said “We need more empathy and community and more kindness” and suggested that people who are “chirping on Facebook and Twitter and Redditt” about how the city is being run could become actively engaged in making things better.

“We need these people to come out and not be in a spectator sport. We need them to stand up, because a lot of them are saying pretty smart stuff; they’re pretty articulate and charismatic. It’s just how they’re channelling it, and I need them to come out and level up and be part of the solution and not the problem.”

“How do you want to wake up every day? … Do you want to wake up with a positive outlook, like how you can change your own life and your family life and your community, or do you want to wake up and think about how to take other people down? My lens on life is more joy-baiting than rage-baiting. It’s just a healthy way to live.”

‘I’m going to change the mindset of the community and bring people together’

While Morton’s trademark positivity may lead some to accuse him of being a Pollyanna, he said he is prepared to face criticism, including about his failures.

“Part of being an entrepreneur is succeeding and failing, and I have failed in some of my businesses,” he explained. “Stuff like Electric City FC is going to come up … I’m very proud of being part of that as one of the original four to help get the right people and ingredients to make that happen. And it did happen for a couple of years. Did it fail in the end? Yeah, but it happened, it was here, and for a moment there it was doing really well.”

“I can own my failures and successes in life and I’m good with that. I’d rather live that way than being on the fence with everything.”

As for why Peterborough voters should choose him over the other mayoral candidates, Morton said “I believe I can be the best leader for this community because I have all the attributes, in terms of leadership, culture, being an entrepreneur, an innovator, and being involved with different organizations in Peterborough.”

“People that know me know how I feel about this city. I absolutely love it, and I want it to be one of the greatest Canadian cities to live and visit, and I believe we can get there. We have rivers and lakes all around us here, we have all the amenities here, and I’m going to change the mindset of the community and bring people together. I feel like I can do the best job at that.”

Morton will officially kick off his campaign at a public launch event at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 26 at the Market Hall in downtown Peterborough.

With files from Bruce Head.

From hosting community meals to participating in charity campaigns and partnering with local organizations and artisans, The Vine has been nourishing the community in many ways since it opened in Peterborough in 2023.

Now some of that same love and community support is being reflected right back at the pescatarian restaurant as they ask for financial support while owner Tyrone Flowers navigates complex health challenges.

In a matter of four days since announcing they will be suspending dine-in and take-out service and launching a GoFundMe to bridge the gap financially, The Vine has raised over $8,000 of its $10,000 goal.

“I can’t express my gratitude for the community in the city of Peterborough and just everyone,” says Flowers. “I’m at a loss for words.”

The Vine has been operating at irregular hours since early April, when Flowers’ health took a turn for the worse one day while he was working.

“I just forgot who I was, what I was doing, where I was — I had no idea,” he recalls. “I just went blank, and that probably lasted only for a few seconds, but I can’t fully be sure.”

“We (he and his partner Lauren Mortlock) went to the hospital and, I’ve got to say, the people at PRHC (Peterborough Regional Health Centre) are incredible. We went in and they did the stroke protocols because that’s what it seemed like had happened at first.”

Weeks later, Flowers still has no grip strength, and he’s experienced a wave of symptoms from brain fog and migraines to balance issues and fainting spells.

“You name it, I’ve had it,” he says.

Though Flowers has already undergone MRIs, CT scans, blood tests, and EKG tests, his healthcare team still doesn’t have an answer for him.

“As much as a relief as it is, it’s also very frustrating when they come back and tell you that everything looks normal,” says Flowers, adding the PRHC team has been “amazing.”

Flowers has even been set up with psychiatric help to navigate the mental battle, but there is still more to be done.

“I have to see a cardiologist, I have to see a neurologist, I have to wear a 14-day portable heart monitor, I have to go through physio to get the strength back, I’ve got stress tests, I have more CT scans, I have EMGs. I have so much coming up that it is overwhelming to a degree.”

With his health issues unresolved, Flowers made the difficult decision last Thursday (April 30) to indefinitely pause dine-in and take-out service at The Vine. However, Flowers and Mortlock will still serve up a Mother’s Day brunch buffet on Sunday (May 10) and will be at the weekly Peterborough Farmers’ Market on Saturday mornings.

The Vine will also be maintaining their commitments for wedding and event bookings, as well as community events including the Peterborough Dragon Boat Festival, Peterborough VegFest, the Punk Rock Flea Market, and others.

“We’ll still be at different events throughout the summer,” says Flowers says, noting that attending events and the farmers’ market is different from the uncertainties and pressures of running the restaurant.

“With markets and events, we know what the menu is and how much of everything is coming,” says Flowers. “If we just had reservations (at the restaurant) and knew exactly what was coming, it would be different, but the unknown gets me very confused.”

“With all the (medical) appointments coming up and everything, the consistency won’t be there,” Mortlock adds. “We don’t want to let down our clientele and customers because they’ve made a reservation and we get an appointment out of the blue and we have to close. We want to be consistent.”

With no current idea on when the restaurant will return to normal operation, Mortlock has launched a GoFundMe aiming to raise $10,000 to support the business during the challenging time.

When announcing the GoFundMe on social media last Thursday, Flowers was visibly emotional when he said it “really hard for me to say okay to because, if you know me, you know I hate asking for help — but that’s where we are.”

“I have always been of the belief that you work hard for your money — you don’t ask for handouts,” he tells kawarthaNOW. “I have had to switch my mentality mainly because of so many friends and family telling me, ‘This is you working hard’ and ‘This is just people taking care of you while you take a bit of a break.’ It’s never been an easy thing for me to ask for help, so having to do it was a lot.”

VIDEO: Tyrone Powers of The Vine

Flowers says it was an “emotional day” when the GoFundMe was launched, but he finds it “humbling in the best way” seeing how the community has responded to his ask for help.

“Business owners who I may have only interacted with on social media, or have been in (their businesses) once or twice, are posting things like they want to donate a percentage of their sales for the month to us, or they are setting up another way to gather funds for us,” Flowers says. “We’ve had some of the unhoused folks in the area that we do our best to take care of come in and try to bring us money.”

“There are some people we haven’t spoken to in 20 years and, all of a sudden, their name pops up on the donation list,” Mortlock adds. “It’s pretty incredible seeing the love towards Tyrone. The community is showing up in a way that we didn’t expect.”

Amidst it all their own challenges, The Vine is still giving back to the community. During the weekly farmers’ markets, they will have a tap machine set up that will allow customers to donate directly to PRHC.

“You can come and just tap and each tap donates $5 to them, just because they’ve been so amazing with us,” says Mortlock. “We’re happy to donate to them. We know they need some funds so that they can update equipment, so we’re happy to bring that along with us to the markets.”

To find out where The Vine will be in the community throughout the coming weeks and to stay up to date on when the restaurant reopens, follow The Vine on Facebook and Instagram. To donate to the GoFundMe, visit gofundme.com/f/donate-to-help-tyrone-recover or click the “Donate now” button below.

Peterborough’s Dragon Boat Festival aims to surpass $5 million in donations this year as it celebrates its 25th year of raising funds for cancer care at Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC).

Hosted by Survivors Abreast, a paddling team of breast cancer survivors, the festival will see more than 50 teams and over 500 participants take to the water on Little Lake at Del Crary Park in Peterborough on Saturday, June 13.

“It brings together the power of community,” Michelle Thornton, chair for the 2026 festival, told kawarthaNOW.

A quarter century of raising funds for life-saving cancer care close to home

Funds raised by Peterborough’s Dragon Boat Festival are directed to the PRHC Foundation to support the purchase of medical equipment and technology supporting cancer care at the regional hospital.

“Because the government doesn’t fund hospital equipment and technology, PRHC relies on donations to fund the tools doctors, nurses, and staff need to save and change lives,” said PRHC Foundation president and CEO Lesley Heighway in an statement.

The festival has donated over $4.9 million over the past 24 years to the PRHC Foundation to support cancer care, and aims to take that total to well over $5 million with this year’s goal of $325,018.01.

The last seven digits of that number represent the two in five Canadians who will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime, the one in eight women will face a breast cancer diagnosis, and the .01 per cent of men who will also be diagnosed with breast cancer.

The festival’s website states PRHC will uses proceeds from the 2026 event to invest in three technologies that will facilitate earlier cancer diagnosis and safer and more effective treatment: interventional radiology ultrasound, contrast-enhanced biopsy, and an anaesthesia machine.

Rising demand for cancer care is driving need for advanced technologies

The need for such technologies is growing, as PRHC has seen cancer patient visits increase each year, with over 23,000 in 2025 compared to 5,000 visits in 2010. As a regional hub and a centre of excellence in cancer care, PRHC expects the demand for cancer care will only continue to grow.

“The biggest challenge in our region is keeping pace with rising demand,” Heighway said. “At PRHC, cancer patient volumes continue to grow as our population grows and ages, and that puts pressure on access to timely diagnostics and treatment.”

To support increased demand for diagnostic and treatment services, donations to the PRHC Foundation’s $70 million Campaign for PRHC, including funds raised at past festivals, have been invested in two CT scanners, renovations to radiology suites, upgrades to operating rooms, and breast seed localization.

Thornton, who herself is a breast cancer survivor, said that participating in the festival demonstrates the importance of community fundraising events in enabling comprehensive cancer care in the local region.

“I realized that it was the equipment that previous Dragon Boat Festivals had helped fund that helped find my cancer so early,” she said, adding that these investments allow for patients to be “screened, diagnosed, and treated close to home.”

‘Preventative screening and timely diagnostic care are critical to effective cancer treatment’

Providing healthcare close to home is a priority of the PRHC Foundation, as it allows patients to remain near their loved ones and in familiar spaces, avoiding the need to disrupt their lives even more by travelling long distances to receive treatment.

“Through the PRHC Foundation and our generous donors, we help tackle those challenges by funding essential equipment and technology so patients can access high-quality care, close to home, when they need it most,” said Heighway.

For her part, Thornton said that local and accessible screening resources are essential to early detection of cancer.

“People are more apt to get screened if it is close to home,” said Thornton.

Through the Campaign for PRHC, the hospital has already invested in a second MRI to help address waiting times by facilitating up to 5,000 additional procedures each year.

“Preventative screening and timely diagnostic care are critical to effective cancer treatment,” said Heighway. “When cancer is found earlier, patients have more options and potentially better outcomes.”

In recognition of the 25th anniversary of Peterborough’s Dragon Boat Festival, Heighway said the festival has “played a vital role in advancing cancer care for patients” through their fundraising and awareness efforts.

Funds raised through past festivals have also supported investments in laboratory equipment, 3D mammography machines, and breast ultrasound and radiologist workstations.

“Cancer care at PRHC wouldn’t be what it is today without Peterborough’s Dragon Boat Festival,” said Heighway.

Community spirit and sponsorships fuel festival’s continuing success

Thornton said the support of community members, businesses, and other organizations is essential to the success of the festival, which is led entirely by volunteers including the 24-member planning committee.

“We’re a small but mighty committee that gets a big job done,” Thornton said, adding that there are usually over 100 people who volunteer on race day, with many of those volunteers returning year after year.

To cover the costs associated with the running of Peterborough’s Dragon Boat Festival, partners and sponsors provide financial and in-kind donations to the event. In particular, Thornton noted that Kawartha Financial Services (formerly Kawartha Credit Union) has been the presenting sponsor since the festival was first launched in June 2001 as Liberty Mutual’s “Day on the Water.”

Those sponsorships mean that 100 per cent of the money raised from the festival, including from paddler pledges, are directed to the PRHC Foundation.

This year’s festival runs from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, June 13, with dragon boat races taking place throughout the day in four primary divisions: community, junior, open, and breast cancer survivors.

The festival also features activities to entertain participants and their friends and family throughout the day, food vendors, a makers market, a family zone, and a beer garden.

Thornton also said there will be a bus shuttle, sponsored by Hamilton Bus Lines, as well as supervised bike valet parking for those choosing to cycle to the event.

“Come down to watch the event and cheer on your teams,” encouraged Thornton.

Both Heighway and Thornton spoke to the importance of Peterborough’s Dragon Boat Festival in bringing together community members to show their support and solidarity for cancer care close to home.

“Community engagement like this is vital to empowering world-class patient care and strengthening the connection people feel to their hospital,” Heighway said.

For her part, Thornton said that one goal of Peterborough’s Dragon Boat Festival is to “inspire hope for people who are diagnosed and going through treatment.”

For more information about the festival, to register as an individual paddler or as a team, or to donate to the cause, visit ptbodragonboat.ca.

Six students from Peterborough elementary schools spelled their way to prizes at the Rotary Club of Peterborough’s 12th annual spelling bee on Saturday (May 2) at Whetung Theatre at Fleming College.

Earlier this spring, thousands of students from grades 4 to 8 in schools across Peterborough County competed in qualifying spelling bees at their schools, with 120 top spellers competing in Saturday’s regional spelling bee championship.

The championship featured a junior division for students in grades 4 to 6 and an intermediate division for students in grades 7 and 8.

In the junior division, Verna Conlin Hanley from St. Anne Catholic Elementary School was the top speller, with Elise Stenko of Westmount Public School placing second and Daniel Casado of Monsignor O’Donoghue Catholic Elementary School coming in third.

In the intermediate division, Henry Sharpe from Adam Scott Intermediate Public School placed first for the second straight year, with Hudson Inglis of Kawartha Classical Christian School coming in second and Tyler Phillips of St. Teresa Catholic Elementary School — who placed second in last year’s competition — coming in third.

The top spellers won prizes that include a laser tag party from presenting sponsor Zap Attack Laser Tag, a nine-day Trent Excalibur Camp, a week at Camp Kawartha Environment Camp, bikes from Canadian Tire on Lansdowne Street, and lessons at the Art School of Peterborough.

The top spellers in each division also earned literacy bursaries for their schools, with $1,000 awarded for first place, $500 for second, and $250 for third.

With education and literacy one of Rotary International’s seven areas of focus, every year the Rotary Club of Peterborough distributes thousands of dollars in bursaries for literacy programs in participating schools.

“We believe that the spelling bee not only encourages literacy but also improves focus, communications, and public speaking skills,” reads a Rotary media release.

Five years after Rebecca Schillemat moved back to Peterborough with her husband and city native Patrick to raise their two daughters, she’s arrived at an inescapable conclusion that now anchors her ambition to be elected city mayor come this October.

On Friday (May 1) at Peterborough City Hall, the first-time candidate launched her bid for the city’s top elected seat official by filing her nomination papers with the city clerk’s office. In doing so, she entered the mayor race alongside Traill College principal Dr. Michael Eamon and longtime city councillor Keith Riel, who both also filed Friday.

For Schillemat, much has transpired in Peterborough over the past five years, and not all of it for the better. That includes the continued lack of affordable housing, increasing homelessness, aging city infrastructure, and the loss of local jobs as businesses such as Siemens and Lufthansa InTouch have decided to pull up stakes and leave the city.

‘I’m ready to jump in with both feet’

“It’s not quite the city we remember,” Schillemat said during a recent chat with kawarthaNOW.

“I want to make this a city that has a future for my children and for future generations. The mayor has an outlook on the whole city and long-term planning. I think that’s something that has been missing.”

The former executive officer of the Peterborough and the Kawarthas Home Builders’ Association (PKHBA), Schillemat said she is seeking the job of mayor “to help my kids, and their kids, and future generations be in this thriving community.”

“I’m ready to jump in with both feet,” said Schillemat. “I’m putting my career aspirations on pause to focus on this because I think this will have a better impact in the long run for my kids and the community.”

Not unlike many, Schillemat has watched, with some dismay, the performance of the current city council. She says “more collaboration, communication, and respect needs to be brought back to the council chamber.”

“Anyone who runs for a council seat is doing so to help our community, so finding out where that aligns so we can have progress instead of disagreements would be wonderful.”

Affordable housing and economic development among top priorities

As PKHBA executive officer from 2021 to 2025 and co-founder of a local housing continuum group endeavouring to see social housing organizations and private sector developers work together, Schillemat is unsurprisingly targeting development and the provision of affordable housing as her priorities.

“Things are all connected,” said Schillemat.

“I know home building the most. There are a lot of strides that can be taken in home building that support long-term sustainability and different housing types for different people, and active transportation. If one person is on council is passionate about something and another is passionate about something else, let’s figure out where the overlap is so we can together the best plan for the community as a whole.”

A graduate of Trent University in 2010, where she attained a Bachelor of Arts degree, Schillemat has held roles that she says have positioned her well for this moment.

Along with her four years with the PKHBA, her experience includes teaching at Fleming College and serving as the marketing and communications director with a local real estate association. At present, she is a principal with Hardpoint Consulting Services, an IT, risk management, and security solutions business founded by her and her husband Patrick in 2022.

However, it was Schillemat’s time with the PKHBA where she has had the most influence on the community. Under her leadership, the association engaged in advocacy around municipal building codes, permitting, sustainable home building, and the housing supply and affordability challenges at the municipal, provincial and federal levels. That work led to the PKHBA being named the Local Association of the Year by the Ontario Home Builders’ Association.

In addition, Schillemat played a key role in the PKHBA’s launching of its Women in Trades mentorship and ambassador programs aimed at encouraging women and female-identifying individuals to enter, and stay, in the skilled trades.

Just this past March, she completed terms as a board member with the Peterborough and Kawarthas Chamber of Commerce and the Peterborough Folk Festival and has, with husband Patrick, remained active with Wounded Warriors Canada, a national organization supporting first responders.

“In both roles, I heard what business owners have been struggling with in terms of the skills gap and their frustrations with expansion,” say Schillemat of her time with PKHBA and the Chamber, adding she “looks forward to having more conversations with business owners about what they’re facing.”

“Both organizations are fairly involved with the other levels of government and trying to get people to work together to get stuff moved forward. That comes out the most with housing. Housing is not any one level of government’s responsibility — each level has a different piece. Knowing how to connect with the right people and figuring out what grant fits the project we’re doing is important.”

Helping people experiencing homelesness realize their worth and leveraging cultural tourism

Speaking to homelessness, Schillemat said “there’s a million reasons why someone would be in that situation,” adding “We need to look at the individual and see what the individual needs.”

“Peterborough has a Housing First policy but it’s not really happening. Everyone needs a safe place they can call home, but they also need purpose — something to do. One City used to have a really great outreach program where people would pick up garbage, do some gardening, shovel downtown sidewalks in the winter. It would be great to have that program back so we have opportunities for people experiencing homelessness to realize their worth.”

Schillemat also has views on Peterborough as a tourism destination and the threatened erosion of what has historically been a vibrant “cultural scene.”

“We have so much opportunity — we having amazing venues,” she said. “Arts and culture tourism brings in 10 times more money in economic impact than sports tourism. We have a really great base here for sports tourism, but it would nice to have a bit more balance.”

As for broader economic development, Schillemat said having that in-house at the municipal level is a good thing in terms of closer collaboration with city departments and other organizations. In short, she feels the city’s economic development efforts will bear more fruit with time.

Pressing issues aside, Schillemat said, speaking from experience, she knows full well the value of immersing one’s self in the community, as a newcomer or as a longtime resident.

“We really need to promote those opportunities are here,” she said.

Leading council with open communication and respect

Before committing to her election run for mayor, Schillemat consulted with a number of people, including some past city councillors. The result, she says, has been a level of support she admits she wasn’t wholly expecting.

“It’s hard to prepare for a job like this,” she said of the mayor’s position. “Even if you think you know what to expect, something will come up that’s very unexpected. I’ve got my core plan and my core values, but things will need to change as things come up. I prefer to plan, but I know reacting is going to be a big part of the job.”

Asked if she’s ready for inevitable barbs and criticisms that will come her way as mayor, Schillemat said that, as she watched more closely how politicians carry themselves and say, she experienced a perspective shift.

“It’s like ‘Oh, I understand now why they answered that way.’ There’s always going to be something I don’t know. I have a pretty good idea — I’ve on the planning advisory committee for the city since 2022, so I see a little bit, but there’s always something I don’t know. A lot of reactions people have (to politicians), it’s not like they’re reacting to the individual; it’s more of a reaction to a situation. Realizing that, I see giving myself some distance to process how much of this is serious that I need to address and how much of this is someone’s reaction to something, or perception.”

Still, for all her views on city priorities and on what areas she feels require a new focus, Schillemat said any success will come back to the dynamic of council as a group.

“I had a business leadership coach and I remember talking to her about how sometimes things are difficult on this board, but on the other board things seem to work really well,” recalls Schillemat. “Every board is different with different personalities, but there’s always overlap; there’s always alignment.”

“Having open communication and respect makes a big difference. A good board meeting is when everyone at the table has the opportunity to speak and be heard, so bringing that back to the council chamber is important. Let’s look for the hope. Let’s look for the wins and what we can do together.”

Schillemat is inviting the community to attend the public launch of her mayoral campaign from 10 to 10:30 a.m. on Monday (May 4) at the Market Hall Performing Arts Centre in downtown Peterborough.

Longtime Peterborough city councillor Keith Riel has taken the first step of what is unquestionably the biggest gamble of his political life.

On Friday (May 1), the 78-year-old Ashburnham Ward representative filed his nomination papers at Peterborough City Hall as a mayoralty candidate in this fall’s municipal election.

Should he win his bid for mayor, he will secure his fifth term on city council; lose, and he’s on the outside looking in for the first time in 16 years.

Frustration with council leadership sparks mayoral bid

Speaking with kawarthaNOW at his East City home, Riel’s relaxed demeanour belied any concern or nervousness over going all in with a mayoral run. Instead, he exuded confidence in a decision made quite some time ago — one that he was making no secret of as early as last November.

“About halfway through this council term, I watched how things were going,” recounted Riel of his decision to run for the mayoral position currently held by Jeff Leal.

“I had high hopes for Jeff but a couple of things precipitated my decision. One was the pickleball (courts development in Bonnerworth Park that Leal supported). Another was the (Brock Mission transitional housing) development on Chemong Road where he used strong mayor powers. Then, when he voted for the 17-storey (residential) building on Hunter Street (in East City), I thought ‘I’m not going to work under another mayor.'”

Riel noted that he would “probably be re-elected” if he ran again for one of the two Ashburnham Ward seats on council, “but I would be the most unhappy person sitting there for another four years collecting a paycheque and not doing what I feel should be done.”

“So, I’m going to run for mayor — win, lose, or draw.”

While Riel didn’t outright say this council term was the toughest of his four since he was first elected in 2010, he left no doubt that his disappointment in Mayor Leal’s leadership style is a huge factor in his now going for broke.

“I find him very childish, very vindictive, for someone who’s supposed to be a seasoned politician. This isn’t the guy I thought I knew. I’ve talked to a lot of people who have known Jeff a lot longer than I have, and they say they don’t even recognize the guy.”

Riel attributes that to the Ontario government’s decision to grant so-called “strong mayor powers” to the heads of councils of 216 municipalities, with the City of Peterborough receiving them as of October 31, 2023.

“I saw that change in him. He didn’t really have to engage the rest of council — he could just direct staff however he wanted on projects he thought were important and push them ahead.”

Riel’s six priorities for Peterborough’s future

His clear disappointment in Mayor Leal aside, Riel has his own vision in terms of priorities that he wants to move on over the next term of council.

“We’re at a jumping off point,” he said, adding “We have to do something concrete to build the city we want, not just accept a slow decline into something we don’t recognize.”

While he says his election platform will see some fleshing out, Riel has identified the following six priorities:

• A City That Works: Riel promises to be “disciplined” when it comes to spending taxpayer dollars and make decisions that move Peterborough forward. The city, he says, “faces too many stalled projects.” A Riel administration “will set a direction, stay focused and will see things through.”
• Housing People Can Afford: Riel pledges “to work with builders, community partners, and other levels of government to cut through the approvals backlog, get more homes built and keep neighbourhoods strong.” Peterborough, he says, “can’t grow if people can’t afford to live here.”
• A Local Economy That Grows Here: Peterborough businesses, says Riel, “don’t need cheerleading” but do need a city government “that understands how they operate and gets out of their way.” To that end, he’s committed to ensuring “faster processes and fewer barriers,” the result being “a clear signal that Peterborough is open for business.”
• Safe Communities, Strong Services: Riel pledges public safety and city services will be “funded, functional, and fairly run,” resulting in stable labour relations, clear expectations and workers “respected, supported and held to a high standard.”
• Arts, Culture, and a City That Creates: Believing that arts and culture “drive innovation and attract people and investment,” Riel says his administration “will treat the (downtown) core sector as a key part of Peterborough’s economy and identity,” adding “stable, long-term funding,” and ensuring key players “have a seat at the table” are key.
• A Council That Acts: Pledging to “set the tone,” Riel says his council will see debates “focused and make decisions people can see and understand.” The goal, he adds, is a city council that produces “less noise, more results.”

Riel emphasized that his life experience anchors his confidence that he can follow through on these priorities.

A career shaped by labour, business, and public service

Born and raised in Peterborough’s south end, where his father was a millwright at General Electric and his mother had the task of raising him and his siblings, Riel landed a job at General Electric straight out of high school.

Working for more than 38 years at the plant, Riel says he not only excelled in the demands of the job but also immersed himself in the union, working his way up from shop steward to union local president.

“They taught me everything, including how to negotiate against them,” he said of General Electric.

On retirement, Riel didn’t sit idle. He served two terms as president of the Peterborough and District Labour Council and first ran for an Ashburnham Ward council seat in 2003, finishing a distant fourth.

After running in the ward again in 2006 and coming in third but with a substantially higher vote count, Riel proved the third time is indeed a charm in 2010, winning election in Ashburnham alongside Len Vass.

Over the course of his four terms, he’s co-chaired a number of portfolios, ranging from municipal operations to community services including housing and homelessness.

Besides his political experience, Riel brings to his election bid a little known but influential background as a business owner and operator.

In his early 20s, he helped open a disco in Peterborough. Later, his DJ company RMS Music employed 10 people. That 30-year venture was followed by The Green Door, a George Street gift retail shop he owned and ran with his then-wife.

Riel maintains all three experiences armed him with a full understanding of the pressures that small business owners face daily, and why any support that city council can provide them — financial, symbolic, or otherwise — is key in easing those burdens.

Promising a more unified and action-oriented council

Recalling his motivation for initially seeking public office, Riel said “I wanted people to have the life I had: a job, a home, a family, and a good future.”

All these years later, that desire still anchors his passion for politics, but events over this council term have convinced him it’s time to put himself in a position where he can have greater influence over outcomes.

“Running the city is no different than my home here,” assessed Riel, adding “I budget.”

“A lot of people are (just) hanging on. They want to know what their tax bill is going to be for the next four years. Outside of a major catastrophe (that requires more city expenditures), they should have the assurance it’s going to be five per cent (higher), or whatever that number is.”

“But when you’re throwing a dart at a dartboard — that it’s going to be 6.9 per cent, or it could be seven per cent, or it could be 10 per cent — we’re all over the map here. I mean, come on.”

And then there’s the polarization on council that Riel says he’s felt and experienced. More often than not, votes are lost by an 8-3 count, with Riel often voting in solidarity with Town Ward councillors Joy Lachica and Alex Bierk. The result has been, as he put it, “drift” and “more division”

“We all have certain points of view and I respect that, but I don’t think some of them do their homework, and some feel an allegiance to the mayor,” he said. “It’s frustrating, but that’s their business. You can only control what you can control.”

“The key to get councillors on the same page, at least initially, is having a mayor and council that’s ready on day one. There isn’t any morphing into figuring out what the hell’s going on or what’s going to happen here. We can’t be six months or even a year in until we figure what’s going on. We can’t afford to lose a year. We have to be going on day one.”

To that end, Riel promises his first act as mayor will be bringing back something that’s been missing for quite some time: a retreat for council that brings members together to discuss priorities, set goals and, on a more grounded level, allows councillors to get know one another better.

“Daryl didn’t do that, Diane didn’t do that,” noted Riel, referring to previous mayors Daryl Bennett and Diane Therrien, “and Jeff didn’t do that.”

“This (next council term) won’t be the Keith Riel show. This is council’s show. We need to get together and talk about what we heard at the door and then list those things on a whiteboard. I can tell you by the time we have 11 names on there and another 11 things or whatever under each name, there are going to be three or four things, some commonalities, that stand out.”

With the campaigning period for the October 26 election now open, Riel, like all election hopefuls, will build his team and start his appeal for votes.

As for his staking his political career on a positive outcome, he says he’s not overly concerned, if at all.

“I’ve given 16 years of my life to my community,” he said of being in public office, adding “Outside of my kids being born, this has been the hallmark of my life.”

“If there’s no Keith Riel, there’ll be no crying or gnashing of teeth,” Riel predicted of his absence from council should he lose the election. “I’m proud of what I’ve done and, with that, I would be bid adieu. But hopefully that doesn’t happen — that (instead) I get to call on the 16 years of knowledge I have and move onto the next level.”

“Hopefully, people gravitate to what I’m saying and what I’m doing and say ‘That’s the guy that we want to be the mayor of the City of Peterborough.”

Dr. Michael Eamon doesn’t subscribe wholly to the widely held notion that nice guys finish last.

On self-reflection, the 53-year-old Brockville native is fine with the “nice guy” part of that equation but, as a candidate for election as Peterborough mayor, he wants nothing to do with the “finish last” part.

“If nice guys don’t run for office, then we’re really in trouble,” noted Eamon during a recent sit-down with kawarthaNOW at a downtown coffee shop.

Bringing a fresh perspective to municipal politics

On Friday morning (May 1) at Peterborough City Hall, the first-time candidate filed his nomination papers, making official his bid to be elected mayor for a four-year term.

“If we expect politicians to be mildly corrupt, mildly obtuse, and mildly not engaged, then our expectations are low,” Eamon said. “What I’m trying to bring is something fresh. I see myself as a non-politician politician.”

With Eamon acknowledging there’s relatively little time between now and the October 26 municipal election for voters to get to know him, his views on where the city’s at, and his plan to move things forward, he’s chomping at the bit to get out on the campaign trail sooner than later.

As principal of Trent University’s Catharine Parr Traill College for the past 12 years, and as an Ottawa-based federal civil servant before that, Eamon says running for public office has always been on his mind.

“Elected service isn’t something that I’ve sought or done, but it’s something I’ve always thought about — that maybe it’s something I could do,” he said, adding “I kept feeling I’m not doing enough; that I could do more for the public than I’m doing.”

“Then, over a week last September, three people approached me. One was kind of conservative, one was an NDPer, and the third was a Liberal. Each came up to me, independently, and said I should run for mayor. I thought ‘If three people so diametrically opposed believe in me as a path forward for this community, I can’t turn that down.’ So, I talked to my wife and family and decided I’m going to do this.”

Building consensus and dealing with dysfunction between council and city staff

Describing himself as “a consensus-builder,” citing the revitalization of Traill College over the past eight years, Eamon said his style of political leadership would feature nurturing consensus as its centre.

“From the sidelines, I see the city floundering,” he said. “I see a dysfunctionality where councillors are not getting along with city staff and city staff are not getting along with council. Instead of taking bold steps forward, council and city staff are looking inwards.”

“People need to know what lane they’re supposed to be in. Council is supposed to set the direction — set the vision — of where we’re going and then leave it to staff, who are the experts, to put together a right path forward. if council doesn’t agree with that path, then it’s council’s role to say ‘Take it back and work on it again, but here’s the vision.'”

In light of what he was seeing, Eamon added, he couldn’t remain on the sidelines.

“I couldn’t sit here and say ‘Oh my gosh, what a mess.’ I felt a need to step in there and actually do something.”

Eamon is adamant that his career path has positioned him well for his run at political office.

When he was a federal civil servant, first with Parks Canada and then with Library and Archives Canada, Eamon learned and honed his budgeting and management skills. When his wife, who’s from this area, was hired to teach at Trent University, he joined shortly after, securing a contract job in 2009 as a history teacher at the university before moving to an administrative role with Lady Eaton College.

In July 2014, Eamon was named principal of Catharine Parr Traill College and Trent’s Director of Continuing Education. One year later, he assumed the chairmanship of the international advisory board of Collegiate Way International, a worldwide association of university colleges founded in Durham, England. He remains in all three roles.

Creating the right environment for jobs and restoring civic pride

While he maintains “jobs, not just any jobs, but good-paying jobs” are among Peterborough’s most pressing needs, Eamon comes back to his perception that the city simply isn’t working and, as such, remains unattractive to businesses and people looking to relocate here.

“I’ve been to a couple of the Alto (high-speed rail) events,” he said.

“At one of them, I met a fellow who said he’s against the Alto project. Curious, I asked ‘You’re against high-speed rail?’ He said ‘No, no, no, I’m an engineer. I’ve been to Japan and been on the bullet train. I’ve been to France and rode the high-speed train there.’ Now I’m really confused. I asked ‘Why don’t you like the Alto plan?’ He said ‘Michael, Peterborough doesn’t deserve good things.’ That, I think, is the height of despair.”

“Externally, I think there are people who see Peterborough for the value that Peterborough offers. But, internally, a lot of citizens are starting to lose hope. They shouldn’t. Some of the greatest people I’ve ever met are in this town. They bust their humps working hard, be it at their jobs or by volunteering. There’s a lot of success here but there’s the perception that people here aren’t proud of Peterborough.”

“We need to turn that around and give people a reason to pump up their chests. We need some wins. It doesn’t sound super sexy, but the biggest win is to rid ourselves of that lack of function between city council and city staff. Wins will come if we first fix the fundamental problems.”

Eamon notes he’s encouraged and motivated by there being “so many great people” working for the city and also for non-profits, noting they “want a better community, but they feel disempowered and disheartened because the results (of their hard work) just aren’t there.”

The key, said Eamon, is simple in name but a challenge in practice: more jobs.

“No one mayor and city council can create jobs, but they can create the right environment for jobs to flourish,” he said.

“Let’s work on doctor recruitment. Let’s work on the arts and culture scene. Let’s make this place a lot more attractive. Maybe there’s a way we can better integrate tourism into all those things. We’ve long been considered the gateway to the Kawarthas. I want us to reestablish that and regain the tourism crown.”

Committing himself to public service: ‘I’m going to give up Trent if I win’

As for the obvious question — why is he seeking to become mayor instead of a councillor for his first run at public office? — Eamon first referred to his leadership experience.

“I feel, with my 30 years of public service, I have a lot of experience in managing people and I have a lot of experience working in unionized environments and managing those environments, as well as chairing board meetings,” he said. “I have 30 years of experience that can be brought be bear.”

He also said that, if he’s elected to council, he wants to fully commit to it — and the only full-time job on council is the mayor’s.

“My current job role at Traill College is a 50-hours-a-week job. There’s no way I could be a part-time at Traill and a part-time councillor. Both roles deserve full attention. I’m someone who jumps in with both my feet.”

“I’m going to give up Trent if I win. It has been the last 15 years of my life. I love the people there. I love the students. I love being in an educational environment. It’s a comfortable life too, but I’m willing to take a bit of haircut on pay.”

Any potential pay cut for mayoral candidates like Eamon who plan to leave their existing jobs will be far less than it would have been in the past, given that the new term of council will see the mayor’s pay rise by 60 per cent. Last April, council approved a staff recommendation that the mayor’s base salary be increased from the current $90,318 to $147,631 as of December 2026, while the base salary for councillors will increase by 52 per cent from $36,185 to $54,991.

Meanwhile, speaking to his widespread reputation as a genuinely nice guy who rarely, if ever, has an ill word to say about anyone or anything, Eamon advises that he can spar with the best of them when circumstances dictate.

That said, he admits that possessing a thicker skin would be a benefit.

“Most people now who come to me who are upset, they’re not mad at me. They’re upset at the system or they’re upset at something external. I like to help them through that. I know that’s going to be different as mayor. There will be people who are just angry, and they’re going to be nasty. You can’t please all the people all the time. I think that’s going to be the biggest adjustment for me, but if you believe you’re doing the right thing, that helps.”

Now, his nomination papers filed, Eamon plans to hit the ground running, meeting residents where they’re at and hearing their concerns.

“I’m not running against anyone because I dislike them or anything like that,” he pointed out. “I’m running because I want to give people a different way of doing things.”

“But you also run because you think you’re the best person for the job. I think I’m the best person, and I think my way of doing things is the best way of doing things. We need somebody who’s a team builder. We need somebody who’s mayor, not king.”

Three of the 14 pickleball courts at Bonnerworth Park at 560 McDonnel Street in Peterborough have been closed due to recent vandalism.

In a media release issued Thursday (April 30), the City of Peterborough reports that rocks and balloons filled with high-visibility paint were thrown over the fence surrounding the pickleball courts earlier this week.

The rocks and paint-filled balloons resulted in damage to the playing surface of three courts, resulting in them being closed.

“An estimation of the cost of repairs or the duration of the closures is not available at this time,” the media release states.

The city adds that the remaining 11 courts will open on Friday as scheduled.

The vandalism has been reported to Peterborough police. Anyone with information is asked to call police at 705-876-1122 or submit an anonymous report at Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at stopcrimehere.ca.