City Council meeting overview package for October 20, 2025

Peterborough, ON - City Council will consider the following items during its General Committee meeting in the Council Chambers at City Hall, 500 George St. N., starting at 6 p.m. on Monday, October 20, 2025:

• Receiving for information an update on the implementation of Peterborough Tourism services;
• Approving a Real Property Management Policy and the City of Peterborough Housing Partnership Policy for Affordable Residential Development to foster partnerships to develop housing;
• The 2026 meeting schedule for City Council;
• Peterborough Housing Municipal Services Corporation Annual General Meeting;
• Delegated authority to adjust user fees up to an approved maximum rate and delegated authority associated with the purchase of various entertainment, tourism, and event bid opportunities with an associated pre-commitment of less than $250,000;
• A recommendation from the Peterborough Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee that 310-314 George St. N., known as The Barrie Building, be designated as a property of cultural heritage value or interest under the Ontario Heritage Act;
• A recommendation from the Peterborough Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee that 450 George St. N., known as The Morrow Building Addition, be designated as a property of cultural heritage value or interest under the Ontario Heritage Act;
• A recommendation from the Peterborough Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee that 384-388 George St. N. be designated as a property of cultural heritage value or interest under the Ontario Heritage Act;
• A recommendation from the Peterborough Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee that 359 Hunter St. W. be designated as a property of cultural heritage value or interest under the Ontario Heritage Act; and
• A recommendation from the Peterborough Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee that 362-366 George St. N. be designated as a property of cultural heritage value or interest under the Ontario Heritage Act.

Items endorsed by General Committee will proceed to the regular Council meeting on Monday, October 27, 2025 to be considered for final approval.

The meeting is livestreamed at peterborough.ca/WatchCouncil. Agendas and recordings of meetings are posted at peterborough.ca/agendas.

To speak as a registered delegation at a Council meeting, 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 will hold a closed session meeting starting at 3:30 p.m. to consider six items as permitted under the Municipal Act, 2001, including:

• Section 239(2)(c) A proposed or pending acquisition or disposition of land by the municipality - Land Acquisition
• Section 239(2)(c) A proposed or pending acquisition or disposition of land by the municipality - Land Acquisition
• Section 239(2)(c) A proposed or pending acquisition or disposition of land by the municipality - Land Acquisition
• Section 239(2)(b) Personal matters about an identifiable individual - Appointment
• Section 239 (2)(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 or local board - Plan
• Section 239 (2)(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 or local board - Plan

Peterborough Tourism implementation update

Council will consider an information report providing an update on the implementation of Peterborough Tourism services.

The City of Peterborough engaged a third-party organization for the delivery of tourism services until January 1, 2025, when it transitioned to directly deliver those services on behalf of the city.

The City has activated tourism services through destination marketing, sports tourism, cultural tourism, and visitor experience initiatives while at the same time beginning the development of the City’s first City-specific Tourism Strategy that, once approved by City Council, will shape the future direction of tourism objectives and strategies. A draft Tourism Strategy is expected to be considered by Council in spring 2026.

Tourism services are funded through Municipal Accommodation Tax revenue, as well as leveraging other divisional resources as needed. By integrating tourism services with the City’s Recreation, Parks and Cultural Services Division and Communications, tourism activities benefit from existing event, recreation, cultural services, and communications resources.

The primary Visitor Centre is located at 151 Lansdowne Street at the Peterborough Memorial Centre; this location established an in-person access point while leveraging existing staff within the operations of the box office. At this location visitors can contact the centre directly via phone at 705-743-3561 or via email at hello@peterborough.ca. Visitors have access to destination guides, maps, brochures, and event information highlighting things to see and do in Peterborough and surrounding areas.

Digital access is through the new Tourism Website at www.ptbotourism.ca. This website provides comprehensive details about attractions, recreation and cultural services available in Peterborough.

Peterborough Tourism has supported a wide range of concerts, festivals, and sporting events while strengthening partnerships and preparing for a significant 2026 season. The focus has been on enhancing visitor experience, generating community and economic benefits, and positioning Peterborough as a host city of choice.

The City’s Peterborough Tourism staff actively identify, develop and submit bids for the community to host events that align with priorities to attract visitors, generate economic impact, and strengthen community partnerships.

Examples of events that have been either supported or directly coordinated include:

• Major concerts and performances – Harlem Globetrotters, Bachman-Turner Overdrive, Beach Boys, Sarah McLachlan, The Tea Party, Murmuration: Le Patin Libre, Bryan Adams
• Festivals and community events – Kawartha Craft Beer Festival, Tacos and Beer Festival, Canada Day, Sledarama, Ribfest, Peterborough Folk Festival, Peterborough Musicfest, Snofest, Lock and Paddle event at the Peterborough Lift Lock
• Sporting Events – CANCAST Fishing and Tackle Show, Ontario Ball Hockey Association tournament, Lock & Paddle, Women’s Major Series Lacrosse tournament, Intercollegiate Flag Provincial Championship and Adult Flag Circuit Championship, Ontario Baseball Association 8-AAA championship, along with planning for Hockey Canada’s 2026 TELUS Cup national U18 hockey club championship
• Institutional Events – Fleming College and local high school graduations
• Ongoing Games – Regular support for Peterborough Petes and Lakers home games

Property management and partnership policies

Council will consider approving a Real Property Management Policy and the City of Peterborough Housing Partnership Policy for Affordable Residential Development to foster partnerships to develop housing.

Documents associated with the Council report include:

• Real Property Management Policy
• Partnership Policy for Affordable Residential Development
• City-Owned Land Inventory
• Existing By-law - By-law Number 95-62 - Being a By-law to establish procedures governing the sale of real property

The Real Property Management Policy establishes a land management system, a transparent process for declaring land surplus, a disposition framework, and clear procedures and safeguards (valuations, covenants, reversion rights, security instruments) for transfers and direct land partnerships to accelerate affordable and accessible housing development. 

The City of Peterborough Housing Partnership Policy for Affordable Residential Development aims to leverage surplus and underused public land for housing redevelopment, establish a municipal land inventory and management policy for promoting the best and highest use or disposition of municipally owned land, prioritizing the development of affordable housing.

The initiative will also establish a framework to undertake partnerships with developers to facilitate development. This initiative will enable residential development projects which would otherwise not proceed without the benefit of municipal lands and/or partnership, prioritizing affordable housing.

The adoption of these Policies align with the City’s commitments as part of the Housing Accelerator Fund 2 (HAF2) funding under Initiative 5 - Make City-owned land available and foster partnerships to develop housing.

Peterborough Housing Municipal Services Corporation Annual General Meeting

Council will convene its initial Annual General Meeting of the Peterborough Housing Municipal Services Corporation to review and approve the composition of the corporation's board of directors and Council's Shareholder Direction to the corporation.

The Peterborough Housing Municipal Services Corporation (PHMSC) has recently been incorporated and the Annual General Meeting on Monday, October 27, 2025, is the initial Annual General Meeting (AGM).

At each subsequent AGM, in compliance with the Business Corporations Act (the “Act”) and Shareholder Direction, City Council will review the PHMSC’s annual report and audited financial statements, ensuring transparency in the PHMSC’s financial health and operations.

The PHMSC will operate as a separate corporation from City, but the City is the sole shareholder. Per the Shareholder Direction and the Act, an AGM of the shareholder is required to conduct specific business.

The PHMSC will operate to allow the City to continue to develop affordable housing to serve low-income populations while reducing the impact on the City’s tax base.

Council will consider providing direction related to appointing an auditor and other legal and administrative aspects for the new corporation. 

The expected next steps towards the usage of this corporation will be the movement of wholly owned City housing properties to this corporation in order for this new corporation to start gaining a solid credit rating so it can be used for future housing construction projects and its associated debt. The first two properties expected to be transferred would be the recently constructed 53-unit 681 Monaghan Rd. project and 323-333 Sherbrooke Street which is a 6-unit townhouse block currently owned by the City. Once credit worthiness has been established for this new corporation it is expected that as other debt-laden Peterborough Housing Corporation projects have their mortgage come up for renewal that they would be moved to this new corporation to reduce the City’s overall debt burden related to its affordable housing projects

Documents associated with the Council report include:

• Slate of directors for the PHMSC board of directors
• By-laws No 1 and 2 for the PHMSC
• Shareholder Resolution
• Shareholder Direction

Through Report CLSOCS22-001 in 2022, Council directed that the Peterborough Housing Municipal Services Corporation (PHMSC) board of directors will be composed of the City's Mayor, the City's Deputy Mayor, the Housing Chair, Housing Co-Chair, and Finance Chair. Based on that direction, the board's composition is recommended to be Mayor Jeff Leal, Deputy Mayor Gary Baldwin, Councillor Lesley Parnell as Community Services (except Homelessness) Council Portfolio co-chair that includes housing, Councillor Alex Bierk as Community Services (except Homelessness) Council Portfolio co-chair that includes housing, and Councillor Andrew Beamer as Finance and Corporate Support Services Council Portfolio co-chair.

Authority to adjust user fees and bid on events

Council will consider providing delegated authority to adjust user fees up to an approved maximum rate and delegated authority associated with the purchase of various entertainment, tourism, and event bid opportunities with an associated pre-commitment of less than $250,000.

Staff are requesting the delegated authority to adjust user fees to create a more efficient, flexible and competitive facility booking and entertainment purchasing process. The City of Peterborough receives booking inquiries from major entertainment agencies like Live Nation and AEG, as well as for sport and cultural tourism events often requiring flexible terms on fees and services.

Existing delegated authority provides staff ability to commit up to $50,000 for entertainment bookings, which is a limit that no longer meets the scale of current opportunities.

Factors affecting the associated costs of rentals such as event hours, food service, attendance, and risk management significantly impact the actual expense of hosting an event, and are not currently reflected in existing user fees or staff delegated authority.

Staff do not currently have the delegated authority to adjust user fees to remain competitive within the industry market. This means that for smaller events such as a not-for-profit and support groups facility rental fees are often too high for groups to justify the expense and as a result potential revenue is lost as there is no delegated authority to adjust fees. For larger more complex events, such as weddings and banquets rental fees are too low to properly recover operational costs, such as additional staffing or security to host events. 

Heritage designation: 310-314 George St. N.

Council will consider a recommendation from the Peterborough Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee that 310-314 George St. N., known as The Barrie Building, be designated as a property of cultural heritage value or interest under the Ontario Heritage Act.

310-314 George Street North has cultural heritage value or interest as a commercial office building and store in Peterborough’s downtown core constructed for Barrie’s Furriers, an important Peterborough business throughout much of the twentieth century. Completed in 1915, the building is an early and rare example of architecture in the Art Deco style in Peterborough. It is an important heritage resource in the overall landscape of Peterborough’s commercial downtown.

Heritage designation: 450 George St. N.

Council will consider a recommendation from the Peterborough Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee that 450 George St. N., known as The Morrow Building Addition, be designated as a property of cultural heritage value or interest under the Ontario Heritage Act.

450 George Street North has cultural heritage value as a Second Empire property in the downtown core that is associated with three prominent citizens of Peterborough: businessmen George A. Cox and James Stevenson and architect John E. Belcher. It has design and physical value as a well-executed extension of the Morrow Building’s ornate brickwork and finishes in the Second Empire style.

Heritage designation: 384-388 George St. N.

Council will consider a recommendation from the Peterborough Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee that 384-388 George St. N. be designated as a property of cultural heritage value or interest under the Ontario Heritage Act.

384-388 George Street North’s cultural heritage value lies in its importance place as continuation of the historic commercial row. It shares similar Italianate-style design features with other buildings of a similar era, creating a cohesive landscape.

Heritage designation: 359 Hunter St. W.

Council will consider a recommendation from the Peterborough Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee that 359 Hunter St. W. be designated as a property of cultural heritage value or interest under the Ontario Heritage Act.

359 Hunter Street West is of cultural heritage value as a landmark building on the cusp of the Old West End residential neighbourhood in Peterborough. It is a rare intact example of the Second Empire style, popular for prominent residences in the Victorian era but with few surviving examples in Peterborough. The coach house is a unique blend of the Ontario Cottage and mid-century modern architectural styles.

Heritage designation: 362-366 Hunter St. W.

Council will consider a recommendation from the Peterborough Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee that 362-366 George St. N. be designated as a property of cultural heritage value or interest under the Ontario Heritage Act.

362-366 George Street has strong cultural heritage value as a historic commercial building in Peterborough’s downtown core. It was built by George A. Cox circa 1865 and has been continuously occupied since 1868. Built in the Italianate style, 362-366 George Street has physical value as a corner commercial building that displays several key characteristics of its style, including rounded windows and a symmetrical façade. 362-366 George Street North is an important corner anchor building on George Street in the downtown area. It is the only Victorian anchor building left at the intersection of George and Simcoe Streets.