This orchestra of amazing young musicians has some adult players, to boost the numbers in certain sections. I’m delighted to play cello with them - and looking forward to Sunday!

Peterborough people: Lately there's been an aroma of ketchup outside in the downtown and East City areas, no? Usually it's a Quaker smell, like maybe oatmeal or maple - but since Sunday I swear it smells like the flavouring on ketchup chips. Please somebody tell me I'm not imagining it.

Meeting adjourned at 10:58 p.m., six hours after it started. I'm amazed we are done before 11 p.m. Thanks for joining me - goodnight!

Now: @alexbierk.bsky.social notice of motion on 'calling the question' in debate.

Ah now Beamer revises his completion time goal for 11:20 p.m.

Randall responds to some of the earlier concerns from the neighbour: groundwater monitoring is a condition of draft plan approval. Anyone who wants to sign up to have their water monitored, he says, they can.

Chris Roberts to give a delegation on this right now - he lives on Simons Ave. He says that he and 58 neighbours feel their street wasn't designed to take heavy equipment from construction, plus the traffic that will come due to the apartments.

Now: a proposal to build 6 apartment buildings on a 15-acre undeveloped property on Towerhill Rd.

Caldwell now says the plan is for the units to be affordable - as long as they get grant money.

Now: City planner Ian Walker is talking about the proposal for a co-housing apartment building on Maryland Avenue. 1.3 acres, vacant land, formerly part of a convent.

Slater says the additional info he gave the city is reassurance that the affordable housing will be preserved, under his conversion plans.

Slater says his first conversion from apartments to condos happened in Peterborough in 2009 on Ford St.

Todd Slater, of Burlington, here to speak - he's the founder of Simple Investor and SIREG Management Inc.

Drebit says she wouldn't buy her unit for $409K (the asking price, according to the staff report) - she wouldn't even buy it for $300K (city staff's affordability threshold).

Sam Debrit, another tenant of 700 Parkhill Rd. W., is next to speak. She says she doesn't think many tenants would have the means to buy their units.

The offer to tenants to buy their townhomes for $4109K is "abhorrent," says Curtis - he feels this is amazingly expensive for units that are not maintained properly.

City staff met with the owner to talk to them about the staff recommendation; the owner gave more info, and that hasn't been analyzed yet, says Walker. The owner is asking for a deferral, and staff says it could accept a deferral (so they can have a look at the additional info provided).

Now: the general committee meeting is on, nearly 3 hours after it was scheduled to start (because the delegations and debates were so long).

We're on a short break now. Back in a sec.

Wow. You almost never see a motion voted down unanimously.

"I disliked the settlement then - I dislike it more today. I think it was the wrong move," says Coun. Baldwin.

"It's the least we can do, is give the $150,000," says Vassiliadis.

Riel says he once had a bar downtown called the Rec Room, and later a gift shop downtown called The Green Door.

@alexbierk.bsky.social is speaking now on the DBIA. HE says he doesn't support the bylaw, and "I take some concern" with how this was communicated to the public and to the DBIA.

A plan to direct staff to deliver Indigenous Cultural Competency training for all members of council and city staff, in collaboration with local First Nations, by the end of 2026...

Shannon Gray, owner of Sugar Me Right!, to speak now. She says she's had a shop there since 2017. She's at Sherbrooke and George.

Judith Richardson is here as a "heavy user of the downtown - I refer to it as MY downtown."

Coun. Baldwin says he understands that in 2018 there was a settlement agreement reached. "And everything I read to date is saying there will be no reduction in the $150K - it is still going to the DBIA for security and beautification projects."

Alexandra Pyle, investment advisor and DBIA board member, speaking now. She says they are getting feedback that the downtown feels "more energized" - and yet they haven't increased their levies (because of careful financial planning).

@alexbierk.bsky.social said the Town Ward councillors would be voting against the bylaw.

Now: DBIA delegations. First is Deanna Guttman, owner of Needles in the Hay wool store downtown. She says the plan to make changes to how this money is managed is "unsettling," and that it will destabilize the DBIA.

Chief Laurie Carr of Hiawatha First Nation is speaking first. She's here to talk about the city's efforts toward reconciliation. She says "building trusting, respectful and collaborative relationships is essential" - both with area First Nations and with urban Indigenous people.

City council meeting is about to begin. I'm at city hall in Peterborough, Ontario, ready to live-post the interesting details.

Love this story.

Beamer now saying this is the fourth and final budget of the term. And budget talks are over now.

Unanimous vote to use that $3M from reserves. It decreases the tax increase for 2026 to 6.56% more than in 2025.

Back from a short bio break.

Next meeting for the police services board would be in December, says Mayor Leal (he notes today's meeting was cancelled, for budget talks - he's on the board).

Riel now moving for the police operating budget to be 7% more in 2026 compared to 2025; that would be a change from the budgeted 9.8% increase that's included in the 2026 draft budget document.

@alexbierk.bsky.social is moving for a contingency fund - budgeted at $1.2M - for corporate expenditures (used for purposes such as emergencies, unanticipated legal fees, etc) be capped at $1M.

Social services: The provincial government funding allocation for operating the Wolfe Street modular shelters is ending in March, notes Commissioner Laidman; they've not heard back on whether another 3-year commitment of funding. So that's why the city had a wind-down plan, for this spring.

Library operating budget, now. There had been a decrease of about $65K on their budget for new acquisitions, in 2025; the library board had asked for the $65K to be restored, in 2026.

Covering budget talks at city hall in Peterborough, Ontario this afternoon. Will offer real-time updates of the details.

5 p.m.: Meeting in recess until 9 a.m. tomorrow - we will continue updating you at that time. Between me and @sebastianj-l.bsky.social , we've got your details!

Talk now from Coun. Duguay of maybe setting aside a 20-year-old plan to study the future growth of the Coldsprings area; right now there's a plan to start studying the area (cost: $375K in 2026) toward preparation of a Secondary Plan on long-term growth ($1M).

Coun. Kevin Duguay moves to reduce the funding for the Central Area Master Plan from $1.2M to $1M.

Now: Discussion of whether to spend $100K on a hotel/convention centre feasibility study for 2026. @joylachica.bsky.social asking staff why councillors haven't discussed this potential spending in portfolio meetings, for example.

@joylachica.bsky.social now moving to defer to 2027 a $25K renovation of the top floor of city hall; it involves conversion of a staff washroom into a kitchenette. There's a space-needs analysis coming forward, says CAO.

"I'm not convinced speed enforcement cameras are a dead issue," says Coun. Kevin Duguay. He says municipalities are still lobbying the province to reverse their decision.