BREAKING: The Mayor has to leave at 4 PM. Sweet release impending.

Hiiiiii! David here: I'm at 500 George today to sit in on Peterborough City Council's read-through of the Community Planning Permit System (CPPS). I'll defer to @sebastianj-l.bsky.social to post through it.

Adjourned! Wow, very short one. Thanks for following along!

In Other Business, Coun. Bierk is moving to pull a report from last week relating to the designation as a heritage site of 172-174 Simcoe Street. The motion was previously voted down at general committee.

No discussion on the Link's renewal until March 2027, it is approved unanimously.

We've a pretty massive consent agenda, with very few motions isolated. The DEI report will be part of the consent agenda, but the Link motion is isolated for discussion.

We're hearing Denise McCracken of Showplace's delegation on the DEI update relating to anti-racism training for City employees and changes to the Council Code of Conduct.

Hi folks! Louanne here; I'm at a City Council meeting where your favourite jolly band of elected officials will be discussing a number of heritage designations, recommended amendments to the code of conduct from DEI staff and the renewal of the Link bus routes. Follow along!

Aaaaand adjourned! I'll be running off to run an interview. Thanks for following along with me!!

Leal is now moving for the extension of the Link pilot project providing bus service to residents of Selwyn, Lakefield and Curve Lake. The service is well-used by Trent students and held up by a collaboration between Selwyn and Peterborough's municipalities and the Trent Central Student Association.

Now onto the designation of 172-174 Simcoe St. as a heritage site. The owner told Coun. Bierk he opposed the designation, due to associated costs and restrictions on his ability to renovate his property.

Now: a presentation on Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity (DEI) efforts from DEI Advisor Reem Ali.

Now voting on the rezoning of 349 Parkhill Road East, so it can be converted to a six-story, 75-unit residential building. It is now amended to require that the developer construct a temporary sidewalk directly around their property, rather than around the entire section of Parkhill Rd.

Mayor Leal is moving for the rezoning of 349 Parkhill Road East, with an amendment removing staff's request for the developer to build a sidewalk around the South of Parkhill Road, instead asking for a temporary one only directly around the property.

First delegate on the Parkhill Road redevelopment: Brian Buchardt of LandDesign.

We now begin a public meeting under the planning act pertaining to the rezoning of 349 Parkhill Road East, which developers are seeking to turn into a six-story residential building

Out of closed session, Coun. Bierk is moving for the City to sell surplus lands at 705 Sherbrooke St. to One City for $410,000.

We are at General Committee for another week of delight! We've got a rezoning application on Parkhill St., a progress update on the City's efforts to give all its employees DEI training, and more coming your way

Just kidding! The Mayor is reading a Facebook comment into the public record.

We were right! They just breezed on through this one.

Hi gang, David here: we're getting started at this Peterborough City Council meeting with a new land acknowledgement video, where Mayor Jeff Leal delivers the new land acknowledgement outlined in the latest procedural by-law change.

Adjourned. I am headed home. Good night. Argh.

Notice of motion 4/4. Coun. Bierk is seeking for the City to pause enforcement of its orphaned garbage bylaw for business owner, who are often seeing garbage bags dumped in front of their places of work and then being fined for it.

Notice of motion 3/4. Coun. Lachica wants to suspend the City's ticketing bylaw where parking meters are not functioning, so that locals aren't made to pay parking tickets if they aren't able to pay for their parking passes.

Notice of motion 2/4: Coun. Duguay wants council to call upon the federal government to proceed with plans to have a stop in Peterborough as part of its Alto rail project. The notice also reaffirms Peterborough's willingness to work with Ottawa on the Alto station.

To close things off, we've got some notices of motion. 1/4 is from Coun. Crowley. He's calling for the Provincial and Federal governments to collaborate on a Guaranteed Basic Income program.

Our final motion, before we move onto notices of motion, is a report on the City's Water System Financial Plan for 2026. It carries, with only Bierk opposed.

Onto zoning amendments following some planned expansions of the Peterborough regional airport. The motion carries unanimously.

"They're changing structurally the whole portfolio system that we've already debated," says Coun. @alexbierk.bsky.social on a staff report recommending collapsing the Housing and Homelessness portfolio back into Community Services.

Correction: This report only pertains to the report on Leal's use of the N-word. Staff recommendations following the Riel report are the subject of another staff report on the floor today.

We're discussing a revised portfolio chairs by-law, in light of another Integrity Commissioner's report about a dispute between Housing and Homelessness co-chair Keith Riel and staff around encampment evictions last summer.

Now, a report from the Office of the Ombudsman based on a complaint of an illegal closed session last September - Ontario Ombudsman Paul Dube found no problem with the closed session.

Now discussing a report on staff-proposed amendments to the council Code of Conduct, in light of Integrity Commissioner's reports on Mayor Leal's use of the n-word as well as disputes between Riel and staff over encampment clearings last summer.

Now discussing a new policy for flag-raisings and illuminations for public awareness on select issues.

We're now discussing an update on the City's negotiations with the Ontario Aboriginal Housing Services (OAHS) to provide rent geared to income.

Next, an update presentation on the Clonsilla Area Transportation Study.

Mayor Jeff Leal says Peterborough is the largest city in Ontario currently looking at a Community Planning Permit System bylaw. He calls it "revolutionary" and points out the significant condensation from the original planning bylaw, from 800 to just over 250 pages.

"It feels like there's a lot of decisions being made and there's still a lot of confusions around these changes," @alexbierk.bsky.social says of the Community Planning Permit System draft bylaw currently on the floor.

Now discussing the Community Planning Permit bylaw draft.

Last up, Mark Bullock.

Now hearing from Peterborough Field Naturalists' Linda Sunderland.

Next: delegate Caroline Tennent.

Delegation number one is Ian Attridge of Reimagine Peterborough.

"This is not in layman's terms ... it needs to be probably at a grade eight comprehension level," says Coun. Riel on the Community Planning Permit (CPP) draft bylaw.

Interrupting my live-posting to direct you all to David King's advancer piece on all the motions on the floor tonight, though note that the staff report on council's remuneration and compensation for 2025 has already been accepted without discussion.

We're beginning with a public meeting under the Planning Act concerning the City's draft Community Planning Permit Bylaw - the aim of the bylaw is to streamline the city planning process to help it access grant funding such as the Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF)

We are at City Hall for a meeting of general committee that's sure to bring on its fair share of controversies. On the menu: Peterborough's new Community Planning Permit Bylaw, Council's 2025 remuneration and expense statement, amendments to the Code of Conduct, & four notices of motion

BREAKING: The Mayor just spelled out an entire URL during other business. Beautiful use of "other business" during a meeting.

Hi friends: David on scene here at Peterborough City Council. We haven't posted (skeeted?) in a couple of weeks, but @sebastianj-l.bsky.social's play-by-play is as excellent as ever. Louanne will likely be back posting (skeeting?) when council reconvenes in two weeks.

Adjourned! Thanks for following along with me as always.