And that's all for tonight! We have adjourned. I hope my head fits through the door after that compliment from Coun. Riel. Off to write! Thank you for following along this evening.

We're now on to new business: Coun. Lachica is giving a shoutout to multiple arts and culture events which have taken place over the past month, including ReFrame Film Festival, Black History Month, and New Stages.

Now on the main motion concerning the on-street parking permit pilot program, Coun. Keith Riel is asking how these zones were determined as, again, it seems there was no consultation with councillors before this report came forward.

Coun. @joylachica.bsky.social is moving an amendment to the motion on the on-street parking permit program, which would request staff bring forward the results of the 12-month pilot program (set to begin at the end of this month) for council consideration.

We're now on to the on-street parking permit pilot program. Coun. Alex Bierk is speaking to this report, which he says he supports, but says that there hasn't been a real opportunity for councillors to provide input.

A representative from Baker Tilly is presenting on the Peterborough Utilities Commission's (PUC) final financial report from the period of Dec. 31, 2024 and Jan. 1 - March 31, 2025, as the organization was dissolved and authority transferred to the city. The commission has received a clean audit.

Two items on tonight's agenda have been approved on consent, meaning councillors will not discuss them this evening: Community Project and Investment Grants, and the Annual Drinking Water Summary. There is still an opportunity to delegate next week at council before these decisions are ratified.

Nine councillors, including the mayor, are here tonight. Coun. Lesley Parnell and Coun. Dave Haacke have both sent their regrets, committee chair Andrew Beamer announces as the meeting gets underway.

Good evening, Bluesky! I'm back at it this week, bringing you live updates from Peterborough City Hall as councillors are sitting for today's general committee meeting. Follow along here or join the live stream at the link below:

I have regrettably fallen victim to a blinding migraine and so @joellekovach.bsky.social will being bringing you council coverage this evening. Before I sign off and lay in the dark here's some coverage from last week to catch you up:

New from me today:

'It doesn't feel good as a tenant': Peterborough property owners apply for above guideline rental increase after condo conversion denied

Alleged assault on Peterborough public works employee part of a provincewide issue of abuse faced by workers

Thanks for following along here tonight. Watching this meeting did nothing to alleviate my ongoing and steadily worsening cold symptoms, but maybe writing about it will! haha. In all seriousness, it's a pleasure bringing you these updates!

Now in other business, councillors Bierk and Riel are attempting to work out the logistics of holding a special general committee meeting and council meeting to introduce a question for the ballot on the sports and entertainment complex.

The deferral from Coun. Baldwin on Coun. Lachica's amendment to the motion on the impacts on the GE site demolition passes 8-2...Bierk is now trying to introduce an almost identical motion asking GE Vernova to disclose any demolition plan when it becomes available.

Now Coun. Lachica is introducing a motion which would ask council to request that the chief building official request that GE Vernova make their entire demolition plan known and public prior to any approval of the demolition permit. (Again, GE has yet to actually apply for a demolition permit.)

Significantly, CAO Jasbir Raina explained that GE hasn't applied for a demolition permit and there is no timeline on when it may occur. We are still speaking to deferring this report to get more information about the site for residents and understanding what the dangers are.

Coun. Crowley is asking about what the city can do to monitor the site during any demolition process. Commissioner Simanovskis says that GE has taken "a lot of care" to prepare for this stage of the process. Once a demolition application is made they can have more conversations about this.

We're now on to the report outlining the broader impacts related to the demolition of the former GE site. Coun. Bierk is stating that this report does not address council's request that the city create a city health and safety plan. He says it's just a recitation of jurisdiction.

Kennedy is now clarifying that for a question to be binding on a council under the municipal act more than 50 per cent of eligible electors need to vote and more than half have to support it in response to Coun. Gary Baldwin's question. This would also be a plebiscite...not a referendum.

Councillors are now discussing a report on the upcoming municipal election. Coun. Riel is asking about the timing of going about introducing a referendum question on the October 2026 ballot. Riel says that this meeting seems to be the last day for him to get a question before council.

Coun. Keith Riel is now making a motion for council to move into closed session on an item pertaining to land acquisition related to a staff report for the Fairhaven Long Term Care. "There's a whole sequence of events...we need to share it with the rest of council," he says.

Now Mayor Leal is speaking to a plan which could include the Alto high-speed rail project being included as part of a secondary plan for the Coldsprings area. "This is an example of a community being proactive," he says.

Mayor Leal is now proposing that council amend a heritage designation bylaw for 107 Park St. (former GE factory) to exclude four buildings leased by BWXT from the designation following meetings with the company. This is with a mind to protecting jobs.

Now councillors are discussing a report from staff updating council on a review of the Armour Rd. and Parkhill Rd. intersection aimed at reducing the number of turns and angular collisions. Coun. Keith Riel says the answer should include permanent fixes, and asks how this mitigates the problems?

We're on to the second item for tonight's meeting under the planning act which has to do with a zoning bylaw amendment for 260 Milroy Drive which would "permit range of commercial and residential land uses" which are aligned with the property's Major Mixed Use Corridor official plan designation.

Councillors are currently hearing about a city initiated official plan amendment for 4571 Guthrie Drive, 2006 and 2011 McNamara Road, property owned by Aon. This has to do with a long-planned subdivision in the Coldsprings special study area:

Council is discussing a closed session report which turns out to be about the city applying for the recently announced federal Build Canada Homes funding for a Peterborough Housing Corp. property at 1190 Hilliard St. The motion passes unanimously 10-0. (Coun. Vassiliadis is not present).

Good evening, Bluesky. I'm back to cover this evening's general committee meeting of Peterborough city council. I will be doing so from home this evening. Feel free to watch for updates here to tune in to the live stream alongside me: www.peterborough.ca/council-city...

The Oshawa jokes write themselves. www.durhamradionews.com/archives/208...

Peterborough city staff working to outline safety plan for GE demolition; companies object to heritage designation

Agriculture Union sounds alarm over Carney's public service cuts affecting food security

Peterborough leaders react to Tumbler Ridge school shooting

Trent is facing a $3.1 million deficit this year, nearly double what had been budgeted, after international student enrolment dropped significantly more than expected this year.

Decision to fund Redpath is secondary to the message of recognition it sends

Peterborough's HART Hub is taking shape, but more affordable housing is needed

NEW: Mark Carney and Donald Trump Have More In Common Than You'd Like to Admit "If you think it’s disgusting that human rights have ‘backslid’ in the United States, you need to be disgusted by Carney’s silence on the issue here at home." hunterstreetchronicle.substack.com/p/mark-carne...

Just published a new piece on @ptbocurrents.bsky.social, all about Alderville First Nation's attempts to establish legal personhood status for Rice Lake. Check it out: peterboroughcurrents.ca/environment/...

And that's it for tonight's meeting. Off to write some articles. Thanks for following along!

Under any other business. Coun. Lesley Parnell is now mentioning that nominations are now open for 2025 Civic Awards. Highly recommend getting yourself or one of your friends one of these awards.

Now on to the Seniors Snow Clearing program. Bierk takes some time to clarify statements he made last week around the procurement of snow removal equipment. He states that this does not mean he was against the motion. Beamer says he received more calls about this than anything else last week.

Coun. Riel is saying he will not be supporting this motion, despite his belief in what Redpath and Right to Heal provides to the community. He says that it's not a municipal mandate to fund these types of treatment programs.

Coun. Matt Crowley is speaking in favour now of his motion regarding providing $150,000 to Redpath for planning purposes for their transitional housing project on Brock St. Now, Coun. Duguay says that he sees this as a "reasonable request" for the city to provide some seed funding.

The motion, as amended, to approve the city's new procedure bylaws passes 8-3 with Bierk, Riel and Lachica voting against it.

Coun. Riel is stating that he will not be supporting the amendments to the procedural bylaw, even as amended, again calling it "cherry-picking" which should have been done prior to coming to council.

Lachica's amendment to the amendment, to include accessibility and family status reasons, passed 7-4 with Leal, Haacke, Beamer and Parnell voting against. On to the original amendment by Bierk which loses 5-6 with Vassiliadis and Baldwin joining the four noted above in voting against.

Coun. Lesley Parnell says there's not reason to throw the whole bylaw amendment out as it allows for accommodations. Now, Haacke says that during this term of council that his father-in-law passed during a meeting of council and his wife alerted him via his phone.

Now Bierk is introducing an amendment which would see the procedural bylaw changed to state councillors will not "communicate through" instead of banning the "possession" of them. "I think it solves the problem that staff are trying to solve" he says noting there are not open files about this issue.

Coun. Duguay says that while the delegates this evening were "well versed" in municipal politics, they don't necessarily reflect the other "82,000" residents in the city. He says he supports Haacke's recommendation for four delegates per item.