It wasn’t listed on Peterborough city council’s budget meeting agenda as an item for consideration, but council has reversed its earlier decision to defund the Electric City Culture Council (EC3) in 2025, following a motion by Mayor Jeff Leal, ultimately approving $150,000 in funding for the arts council.

On Monday morning (January 20), city council met as general committee to review a report from finance and corporate support services commissioner Richard Freymond with proposed options to reduce the 2025 draft budget by almost $5.7 million, which would reduce the proposed 2025 tax increase to 6.6 per cent.

After council discussed and voted to support a proposal to remove stormwater protection funding from the municipal tax base and transfer it to a user fee, reducing the 2025 budget by $4.34 million, Mayor Leal introduced a motion under other business to partially restore funding for EC3 — with conditions attached to the funding.

First established as as signature recommendation of the City of Peterborough’s 2012 Municipal Cultural Plan (MCP), EC3 is an independent, arm’s-length, not-for-profit corporation with a mandate to champion the development of the arts and culture community for the people of the city and county of Peterborough.

Some of the organization’s programs and activities include the Bierk Art Bursary Program for graduating high school students, the Peterborough Arts Awards and Mayor’s Luncheon for the Arts, Artsweek, the Poet Laureate program, the Grants for Individual Artists program, and professional development workshops.

In 2024, the city provided EC3 with $177,000 in funding, including an operating grant of $100,000, $50,000 for the Grants for Individual Artists program, $25,000 for Artsweek, and $2,000 for the Poet Laureate program.

During city council’s budget deliberations on November 19, community services commissioner Sheldon Laidman presented a report to city council that included four options for funding EC3 in 2025.

Councillor Lesley Parnell moved acceptance of the final option in the report, that council “opt not to renew funding to EC3 at this time in anticipation of the completion of a renewed MCP, which would provide further direction for the future of a culture council.”

Councillor Parnell’s motion passed 8-3. Along with Parnell, Mayor Leal and councillors Dave Haacke, Andrew Beamer, Matt Crowley, Don Vassiliadis, Gary Baldwin, and Kevin Duguay voted in favour of the defunding option. Councillors Joy Lachica, Alex Bierk, and Keith Riel voted against it.

The decision to defund EC3 came only hours after council voted almost unanimously not to reduce funding for 75 community groups and arts organizations by a proposed 25 per cent.

At Monday morning’s meeting, Mayor Leal moved a motion that would restore $110,000 in city funding to EC3 in 2025, including $25,000 coming from the city’s public art maintenance reserve for the “administration and execution” of Artsweek in May, and an $85,000 operating grant for EC3 in 2025, which would be funded by the municipal tax base.

According to the mayor’s motion, the funding would come with terms and conditions to be outlined in a service agreement that EC3 would need to sign within 30 days.

The terms of the service agreement would be that funding is subject to council budgetary approval, that EC3 would be required to work from a publicly accessible office at least three days per week while holding regular office hours, that EC3 would provide the city with a list of current board members, that EC3 would provide the city with required reported documents before the funding is released, that EC3 would be located within the city limits and conduct most of its activities there, and that EC3 would work with their city staff liaison person as their primary contact with the city.

In his comments on the motion, Mayor Leal noted that city staff will be reviewing the MCP in 2025, “and it’s anticipated that this work will lead to an updated and redefined cultural council for Peterborough.” He added that, with the city now responsible for economic development, “we can use this review to start to take advantage of all the ways that the arts are connected to economic development,” using the example of fostering the local film industry.

“An arts council in 2026 will certainly look different than an arts council in 2012,” the mayor said. “While we await the new MCP, it’s important the city continues to have an arts council in 2025.”

Mayor Leal noted the city would “pause” funding for the Grants for Individual Artists program and the Poet Laureate program in 2025.

As for where EC3’s office could be located, the mayor said “I understand that the city has some space that may be suitable for this purpose.” He added that the Kingston arts council has a publicly accessible office that is located in a municipally owned building.

Before proceeding to a vote on whether to rescind the November 19 motion to defund EC3 and then a vote on whether to support the mayor’s motion, councillors discussed the latter.

Councillor Riel said he was “puzzled” by the reduction of EC3’s operating grant from $100,000 to $85,000, given the requirement that EC3 maintain an office space would result in additional costs.

Councillor Baldwin asked Mayor Leal whether the city would be offering office space to EC3, and whether the mayor had consulted with EC3 on the requirement of having someone in an office open to the public up to three days a week.

“We do have space available,” Mayor Leal said. “We own that house right beside the library and we could use that as office space. There is a process in place to look at a full-time manager and a full-time assistant position … all three of them could be located there.”

Councillor Baldwin also expressed a concern that EC3 would be expected to deliver their current programs and activities with less funding, and questioned EC3’s ability to maintain its independence if it is closely associated with the city.

Councillor Bierk asked whether the city has the ability to revoke funding for the Grants for Individual Artists program given that the city has a contract with EC3 to deliver the program.

Commissioner Laidman replied that staff had reviewed the contract and, since it is a pilot program, there are provisions not to continue with funding for the third year of the program if council decides not to do so.

Councillor Lachica noted that the service agreement with EC3 “shouldn’t be done in a public forum like this.”

“A service agreement should be decided with management and with the staff, the employeees, that have runs the arts council,” she said, adding there should be no funding cuts to EC3 in 2025.

Responding to councillor Baldwin’s question about EC3’s independence, Mayor Leal referred to the city’s recently signed 10-year operating agreement with the Art Gallery of Peterborough.

“The mayor of Peterborough doesn’t go to the director of the art gallery to tell her that ‘You should just be doing exhibits of the Group of Seven for all 12 months of the year’,” Mayor Leal said. “We all respect that independence. They (EC3) will continue to have that independence to make the appropriate decision, which is fundamental to how arts operate in that environment.”

With respect to reduced funding for EC3, the mayor said the organization would benefit from the presence of city staff to assist with administrative tasks.

Commenting on the Grants for Individual Artists program, Councillor Duguay compared grants for artists to municipal funding for physician recruitment.

“We are not, for one year, not supporting individual artists but, I need to emphasize, we don’t support, individually, our doctors,” he said.

Responding to councillor Duguay’s comment, councillor Lachica said “I’m curious if we are aware of any individual artists from the City of Peterborough that are on the sunshine list. I don’t know how we can compare the medical profession to artists.”

She later said that municipal support for artists is important for them to obtain support from the Ontario Arts Council and Canada Arts Council.

At the end of the discussion, council voted on a motion to support its original November 19 decision to defund EC3. The motion lost, allowing council to consider Mayor Leal’s motion.

Councillor Bierk then proposed two amendments to Mayor Leal’s motion: to increase the funding for EC3 coming from the city’s public art maintenance reserve from $25,000 to $50,000, with the intent that the additional $25,000 would be used for the Grants for Individual Artists program, and to increase the operating grant for EC3 funded by the municipal tax base from $85,000 to $100,000.

Commissioner Laidman advised council that, should they approve the amendment for an additional $25,000 to be taken from the public art maintenance reserve, no funds would be available for new public art in 2025, only for maintenance of existing art. He noted that acquiring public art for the Miskin Law Community Centre cost $55,000.

Council then voted on councillor Bierk’s amendments, with each passing 6-5, before voting on Mayor Leal’s motion, which passed 10-1, with only councillor Beamer voting against it.

For the remaining three hours of the meeting, council considered and approved the recommendations of Commissioner Freymond’s report, as well as a motion from Councillor Crowley to hire a paralegal position at the cost of $141,692.

As a result of that decision, as well as the decision on EC3 funding, the property tax increase in the 2025 draft budget would increase from the 6.6 per cent in Commissioner Freymond’s report to 6.72 per cent — still well under the seven per cent target city council had set for the 2025 draft budget.

Items endorsed by general committee will be confirmed by city council at its meeting on Monday, February 3.

With files from Paul Rellinger.

From a citizen who strives to be a good neighbour to the proprietor of a downtown business, One City Peterborough is aiming to reach a broad audience and foster community-building in Peterborough in 2025 by offering a series of educational courses for the public.

One City Peterborough is a non-profit charitable organization that supports people who have experienced homelessness and/or criminalization on their journey towards inclusion in society. The organization has developed a range of training sessions it’s now offering through a semester system to anyone who is interested in making a positive difference in the community.

The first session of 2025 kicks off on Wednesday, February 5 with “Myths About Homelessness: How to have meaningful conversation with those who disagree.”

Jenny Kennedy-Bloom, One City’s community development coordinator, told kawarthaNOW about the evolution of One City’s community education courses, and highlighted her aspirations for the upcoming sessions.

“Our hope for these courses is that they offer people learning opportunities that support them in building community, being the person they want to be in community, and feeling equipped to participate in advocacy and community action,” Kennedy-Bloom said. “The target audience is anyone who finds themselves in community and wanting to be a good neighbour.”

This includes helping-professionals, community advocates and volunteers, downtown business owners and residents, faith communities, and community members of all kinds, she noted.

“It is important to us that the courses be pay-what-you-can so that they are accessible to anyone. We want education to be an accessible and useful tool to all who want it.”

Through its community education sessions, One City strives to create spaces where participants can learn, engage, and act together.

Its workshops, courses, and events are focused on creating community, thinking about what it means to be good humans, and providing practical skills around advocacy and action. One City also brings in guest facilitators each semester to offer courses in other areas such as art, music, and grief as they apply to the community.

The offering of community education was born out of the One City’s leadership team’s desire to create meaningful training opportunities for staff.

“We developed our core courses — de-escalation techniques, non-violent communication basics, and self-regulation in the presence of trauma — because we wanted our staff to feel equipped to do direct-service and supportive work and to not burn out while doing it,” Kennedy-Bloom explained. “We also wanted to be a source for advocacy training in the community because advocating for systemic change is part of our mission and we wanted to equip ourselves and others to do that work.”

The idea to offer the courses to the broader community came in 2022 when One City realized it had developed training that could benefit its partner agencies and community members doing similar work.

“We decided to create a semestered program where we could offer our core courses a couple of times a year and add to the course line-up as we connected with other facilitators in the community or developed more workshops,” Kennedy-Bloom said.

During the first session on February 3, which runs from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Trinity Community Centre at 360 Reid St. in Peterborough, participants will learn about homelessness by dispelling some of the common assumptions and biases, which are often rooted in fear and discomfort rather than hatred, according to the course description.

Participants will also learn how to have these conversations with others, and how to approach difficult interactions through which opposing views can hinder connection, compassion, and understanding.

Next up is “Listening Rather Than Force: Techniques in De-escalation,” which runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Monday, February 10 at the Trinity Centre. Those who take part will learn about techniques that can be used to de-escalate situations that could become violent, in a way that instead builds connection.

“What we know from participant feedback is that many people take what they learn in these courses and apply it to themselves and their family first,” Kennedy-Bloom said. “The impact can be big, even if the actions start small. It is really exciting to see people feel encouraged to make change in their world.”

For an overview of all the upcoming courses and to register, visit www.onecityptbo.ca/communityeducation.

“I think if I helped one person follow their dream no matter what it is, and inspired them to take that risk and make that leap, that would be good enough for me.”

That is the goal of Peterborough entrepreneur Ashley Flynn, and her motivation for wanting to share her personal and professional journey on a global platform.

Flynn, who is the CEO and lead designer of the residential and commercial design and build firm Black Rock Developments, will be featured in an episode of an all-new television series premiering in summer 2025 that spotlights industry experts from around the world and their stories of success.

With a star-studded cast, Legacy Makers from Inside Success TV is described as “a masterclass for building success.” In each episode, an industry leader from a range of backgrounds will share the strategies and tools they used to get to where they are.

“It really appealed to me because the premise of the show is to educate other entrepreneurs and talk about adversity and how we overcome it,” says Flynn. “I’m constantly trying to figure out ways to help other people that don’t know where to begin, and what better way to get my message out there and help encourage other people or inspire at least one other person than auditioning?”

Not her first time auditioning for television, Flynn applied by filling out a form detailing her story before virtually connecting with the producers. She will be going to the studio in Miami, Florida in early February for filming, and she will be featured in a podcast following the episode’s release.

“I also have to shoot a bunch of B-roll footage here, just going from job site to job site so people can actually see what we do,” explains Flynn, noting that her friends, family, and former clients will be interviewed for the show as well.

Created and hosted by business influencer and celebrity marketer Rudy Mawer, each season of Legacy Makers is divided into its own theme, covering topics of marketing, startups, leadership, and sports, among others.

Through legacy makers from across the world will be featured on the show, Flynn is not the only one who will be representing Peterborough — Robert Gauvreau of Gauvreau Accounting Tax Law Advisory is also scheduled to film an episode.

When Flynn arrives at the studio in Miami, she will be sharing her personal story in building Black Rock Developments from the ground up after fleeing from her abusive first husband with her one-year-old daughter when she was in her early 20s.

“There was a very long period of time where I never thought I was going to get out of that situation,” she says. “When I finally did, rather than relief, I think I felt fear.”

After staying with her parents for only a short time before being asked to leave, Flynn and her daughter moved into to a small apartment in a “bad” area in Toronto. Flynn was bartending at night to be with her daughter during the day and working three jobs, all while going back to school to focus on her passion for renovation and design.

“I had to essentially claw my way back up to give my daughter the life that she deserved and, to be honest, that I deserved — although it took me a long time to realize my self-worth after being emotionally and physically and mentally abused for so many years,” she says.

From there, she bought a “really horrible house and started fixing it up one by one and little by little,” which eventually turned into Black Rock Developments. Despite thinking she’d never date again, years later Flynn met her current husband.

“I found love in a totally unexpected time in my life and was able to follow my passions and build something up just by grit and bearing,” she says. “It wasn’t easy for me but if I could start from absolutely nothing, than anybody can.”

Flynn admits she kept her experience a secret for a long time, with only her immediate family knowing about it.

“I think there’s a shame when it comes to talking about situations like that,” she says. “Another reason why they’re putting me on the show is to break that stigma that is attached with speaking out against violence against women and children, or just violence in general.”

“I’m not ashamed of it and it’s made me who I am,” Flynn reflects. “I would never wish that upon my worst enemy but, without those life experiences, I wouldn’t be who I am today or in the position that I am. In a weird way, I’m sort of grateful for the hard lessons because I’m able to educate people how not to fall into those traps or how to get out of them, because there is a light at the end of the tunnel.”

On her professional journey, Flynn has always been an advocate for women in the skilled trades, which is something she hopes to inspire during her episode of Legacy Makers.

She explains that often women might feel the need to “portray a more masculine approach” in a male-dominated industry, but it shouldn’t be that way as women in trades should still enjoy “the best of both worlds” in exploring their feminine sides.

“I love clothes and getting my nails and hair done, and I have no problem showing the men that just because I am a girl and I like to wear pink doesn’t mean I can’t swing a hammer and crush your walls or be in the trades,” Flynn says. “It’s about inspiring women that you don’t have to fit the normal checklist, and you can create your own.”

“There is no right or wrong way to look or be when you’re in this industry,” she adds. “I’m hoping that people will take one look at me in my insane outfits and know I can dress like that, yet can still put out a pair of blue jeans and a pair of steel-toe boots and people will look at me the same way.”

When asked what being a legacy maker means to her, Flynn says it’s about “leaving an impression in a positive way and encouraging other people to follow their dreams and their passions.”

“I would be so happy if I was able to encourage and inspire other people who were struggling with coming out of an abusive situation, trying to find the right career path, or too scared to start their own company because there’s a million things that might stack up against them,” Flynn says. “Hard work is necessary, but you can overcome adversity, and I’d just like to help one person.”

Flynn’s episode on Legacy Makers will be released in summer 2025 exclusively on Inside Success TV, which will be available on streaming platforms and the Inside Success TV app and website.

For more information on Legacy Makers, visit www.legacymakerstv.com.