City Council overview package for June 8, 2026

By City of Peterborough - Jun 09, 2026

News Releases

Peterborough, ON – City Council endorsed the following items during its General Committee meeting in the Council Chambers at City Hall, 500 George St. N., on Monday, June 8, 2026:

Public Meeting under the Planning Act - An Application to amend the Zoning Bylaw to facilitate the development of a 16-unit, 4 storey, mixed-use building on the property at 835 Alexander Ct.;
A presentation and report on the Tourism Strategy;
A report on the Community Safety and Well-Being Plan;
Renewal of the PMC pylon Sign Agreement with Movingmedia Canada Inc.;
An update on the City's Procurement By-Law;
A notice of motion to rename the bowl in Knights of Columbus Park to the Bobby Allan Bowl;
Report of Closed Session - That staff be directed to proceed as outlined in closed session report of the Commissioner, Municipal Operations, respecting Water Services Agreement for Crestwood Secondary School;
Report of Closed Session - That staff be directed to proceed as outlined in closed session report of the City Solicitor respecting Trisan Litigation;
Report of Closed Session - That Council make a determination in response to the closed session report and that staff be authorized to proceed as outlined in the closed session report;
Reducing development charge rates by 50% as of June 30, 2026 in response to the creation of the Development Charge Reduction Program (DCRP) by the Province of Ontario, and directing the City to submit an application under the DCRP by the June 19, 2026 deadline.

Council will consider ratifying its directions from General Committee at its regular Council meeting on Monday, June 15, 2026.

In a Tribunal Meeting before the General Committee meeting, Council approved a decision respecting a complaint under Section 20 of the Development Charges Act, 1997 for the property municipally known as 280 Jameson Dr.

Council meetings are livestreamed at peterborough.ca/WatchCouncil. Agendas and recordings of meetings are posted at peterborough.ca/agendas.

Council meeting agenda

To speak as a delegation at a Council meeting or during a Public Meeting under the Planning Act, individuals must register no later than 11 a.m. on the day of the meeting. To register, complete the online application at peterborough.ca/delegation, or phone 705-742-7777 ext. 1820.

Before the public portion of the meeting, Council held a closed session meeting starting at 4:45 p.m. to consider three items as permitted under the Municipal Act, 2001, including:

Section 239(2)(f) advice that is subject to solicitor-client privilege and (k) a position, plan, procedure, criteria, or instruction to be applied to any negotiations carried on or to be carried on by or on behalf of the municipality - Agreement
Section 239(2)(f) advice that is subject to solicitor-client privilege, including communications necessary for that purpose - Litigation
Section 239(2)(e) litigation or potential Litigation and (f) advice that is subject to solicitor-client privilege - Complaint

Development Charges Act decision

Council, during a Tribunal Meeting, approved the following motion:

That, respecting the hearing on April 20, 2026 of the development charge complaint by 1439121 Ontario Ltd. respecting the property known municipally as 280 Jameson Drive, the said complaint be dismissed in the form of decision comprising Appendix A to this motion.

Appendix A

Council received a complaint (the “Complaint”) under section 20 of the Development Charges Act (the “DCA”) from 1439121 Ontario Limited (the “Complainant”) in relation to development charges to be imposed for the property municipally known as 280 Jameson Drive, Peterborough, Ontario (the “Property”).

The Complainant sought a conditional building permit for the construction of a ~37,000 square foot (3,480 square metre) building to be constructed (the “Phase 2 Building”) on the Property in August 2025, and as a result received an invoice on September 16, 2025 in the amount of $895,369.20 for development charges to be imposed for that development (the “DCs”).

Council has reviewed the materials submitted by the Complainant, considered the submissions of Counsel for the Complainant, and has had the benefit of reviewing the staff report IPGPL26-024.

Council finds no evidence that an error was made in determining the amount of the DCs, respecting the availability of a credit or respecting the application of By-laws 24-081 or 25-100 for the Phase 2 Building.
At the time the Complainant submitted the site plan application for the Phase 2 Building in May 2025, By-Law 24-081 applied, subject to the reductions in payable rates occasioned by the passage of By-Law 25-100.

Even if the Complainant could rely on the August 2023 site plan application, the operation of clause 26.2(5)(b) and subsection 26(1.2) of the DCA result in the application of By-Laws 24-081 and 25-100 and the imposition of DCs for the Phase 2 Building.

The Complainant did not appeal the passage of By-Law 24-081 or By-Law 25-100.

The Complainant's arguments and evidence do not address the grounds set out in subsection 20(6) of the DCA. The Complainant makes policy arguments that do not address the grounds justifying relief under subsection 20(6).

Council is not satisfied that there is any incorrect determination or error that would justify rectification.

Council does however find noteworthy that the Complainant's materials indicate that while the City of Peterborough had the highest percentage growth of DCs among all comparator municipalities, indicating that the City of Peterborough had historically low development charge rates, the City of Peterborough continues to charge the lowest rates of all comparator municipalities referenced in the Complainant's materials.

Planning Application: 835 Alexander Ct.

Council endorsed an application to amend the Zoning By-Law to facilitate the construction of a mid-rise, mixed-use building consisting of four storeys and 16 units.

The property is located at the southwest corner of the intersection of Medical Drive and Alexander Court, adjacent to the Alexander Medical Building and proximate to the Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC) and Extendicare. A multiuse trail abuts the Medical Drive frontage of the property, and a sidewalk abuts the Alexander Court frontage.

The property is currently developed with a one and a half storey single detached dwelling.

On November 27, 2023, Council pledged to support the construction of 4,700 new dwellings by 2031 as requested by the Minister on June 16, 2023. This development, with a proposed 16 residential units, is an example of the type of development that the City will need to meet its housing target.

The property is in a Strategic Growth Area for the City.

Tourism Strategy

Council endorsed the Tourism Strategy Report, entitled Discover Peterborough: Tourism Growth Strategy, which will guide the City’s tourism service delivery and activities, informing how Peterborough is positioned as a destination of choice for visitors.

The City of Peterborough brought tourism services “in-house,” directly delivering the services, starting on January 1, 2025.

Discover Peterborough: Tourism Growth Strategy is the City of Peterborough’s first City-specific Tourism Strategy, which will guide the City’s tourism service delivery and activities through to 2030.

The Discover Peterborough: Tourism Growth Strategy has been designed to shape the future direction of tourism objectives and strategies in Peterborough, through to 2030. It is an implementation focused framework that balances responding to a rapidly evolving tourism landscape, emerging trends, while balancing emphasis on community well-being, sustainability, and event-based tourism.

Community Safety and Well-Being Plan

Council endorsed the approval of a new Community Safety and Well-Being Plan (CSWB), in accordance with the Safer Ontario Act, which requires municipalities to renew their Community Safety and Well-Being Plan every four years.

The purpose of the proposed CSWB Plan is to:

Identify priorities and risk factors that most impact the safety and wellbeing of the
community.
Foster alignment and opportunities for collaborative actions.
Support and align with the work currently being done by local agencies to
improve the safety and wellbeing of the City.
Be a resource for local agencies, as a plan that formally recognized community priorities, to assist with strategic planning, grant applications, and advocacy efforts.

Through the consultation process, the Priority Areas identified in the proposed CSWB Plan include:

Inclusion and Belonging
Housing and Homelessness
Poverty and Income Security
Healthcare and Mental Health
Substance Use and Addictions
Children, Youth and Families
Public Safety

Renewal of the PMC pylon Sign Agreement with Movingmedia Canada Inc.

Council endorsed renewing a Sponsorship Agreement with Movingmedia Canada Inc., which expired on May 30, 2026. The agreement is for supply, maintenance and operation of a Digital Sign, installed on the Peterborough Memorial Centre (PMC) property.

The City receives exclusive access to a portion of the PMC digital sign for communication and promotional use.

A renewed contract term would contain flexibility to ensure the Sign remains in place for the operational life of the PMC.

There are no budget impacts relating to a renewal of this agreement. This Sponsorship Agreement does not have a guaranteed revenue stream to the City and does not require any financial commitments from the City.

Updates to the Procurement By-Law

Council endorsed updates and amendments to the City's Procurement By-Law.

The Procurement By-law review was done to ensure the by-law complied with recent legislative changes, such as the Buy Ontario Act, provide additional clarity where necessary, incorporate general housekeeping changes, all the while ensuring it is effective and efficient and continues to meet the needs
of the City.

Amendments include the following:

Improving Clarity – Existing definitions have been updated, and others have
been created to provide staff with greater clarity. Reference numbers have been added throughout all charts. Addressing acquisitions that haven’t previously been included, such as original artwork as an exempt expenditure, and ‘no cost’ procurement, such as revenue generating services that should be given best value considerations.
General Housekeeping – Punctuation, sentence structure, and formatting was
considered and corrected where it was needed throughout the document.

Motion to Rename the Bowl in Knights of Columbus Park

Council endorsed a Notice of Motion that the new Bowl in Knights of Columbus Park be renamed as the Bobby Allan Bowl.

The motion is as follows:

Whereas the Knights of Columbus Park is currently undergoing major renovations including the floor and boards of the bowl;

Whereas Bobby Allan grew up within two blocks of the Knights of Columbus Park and played there often;

Whereas Bobby Allan is recognized as being one of the very finest lacrosse players in Canada having been inducted into the Peterborough and District Sports Hall of Fame (1980), the first lacrosse player inducted into the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame (2017) and the Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame (1974);

Whereas Bobby Allan played on four Mann Cup championship teams (1954, 1956, 1962,1966); and

Whereas Bobby Allan coached box lacrosse teams in Peterborough and Philadelphia, and then coached the Canadian National Field Lacrosse Team to a world championship in Manchester in 1970, and coached the Peterborough Lakers to a Mann Cup Championship in 1973;

Be it resolved that the new bowl in Knights of Columbus Park be renamed as the Bobby Allan Bowl.

Reducing Development Charges by 50%

Council endorsed the following motion to reduce City of Peterborough Development Charges by 50%:

Whereas the Government for the Province of Ontario announced on 1 June 2026 the creation of a Development Charge Reduction Program (the "DCRP”).

And whereas municipalities which have reduced their development charges which were in effect as of 30 March 2026 by 30-50% will be eligible to apply for funding under the DCRP and City Council desires the City to obtain its equitable share of such funding.

And whereas City Council has elected, as a precondition of eligibility to apply for funding from the DCRP, to reduce the City's development charges by 50% (inclusive of any area-specific development charges), which were in effect as of 30 March 2026, for all new residential development for the next 3-years.

And whereas the DCRP has been designed to provide up to $8.8 billion in federal and provincial capital funding to enable Ontario municipalities to unlock more housing supply by providing partial relief to their builder community from development charges for 3 years; and prioritizing investments in housing-enabling infrastructure over 3 years.

And whereas the DRCP requires a project which has benefitted from the said DC Rate reduction to start no later than 31 July 2030 and be completed no later than 2035.

Now therefore be it resolved that:

The Corporation of the City of Peterborough will reduce its development charge rates, inclusive of any area-specific development charges, (the “DC Rate”), in effect on 30 March 2026, by 50% as of 30 June 2026 and to maintain that reduction on all new residential development types (the “DC Rate Reduction”) until a date which is 3-years plus a day after the City amends its current development charge by-laws to align with the DRCP Program’s objectives;
Staff are directed to apply the DC Rate Reduction to all new residential development types when the DC Rate Reduction is in effect;
The City Treasurer and the Commissioner of Infrastructure Planning and Growth Management, in consultation with each other, are authorized and directed to do such things as necessary to submit an application under the DCRP Program on or before the 19 June 2026 deadline;
The City Treasurer and the Commissioner of Infrastructure Planning and Growth Management are authorized and directed to determine which housing-enabling infrastructure projects will best support the creation of new housing and thus be prioritized.
The City Treasurer is authorized and directed to amend the applicable by-laws to align with the DRCP’s objectives and thereafter to submit such amending by-laws to the City Clerk and Mayor for signing.
If the City is selected to receive funding under the DCRP, then the City’s Chief Administrative Officer and City Clerk are authorized and directed to do such things, including but not limited to executing agreements with the Province of Ontario, as are necessary to secure DCRP funding.

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