The Bonnerworth Park redevelopment was once again on the agenda at Peterborough City Council due to a motion brought forward by Town Ward Councillor Joy Lachica which asked once more for Council to be given final approval for the new park which includes a renovated skate park, a pump bike track, and—perhaps most infamously—16 pickleball courts. 

However, before debate could start, General Committee Chair, Andrew Beamer, ruled the motion out of order due to his belief that the motion “is contrary to the direction previously provided by council” regarding the redevelopment project during an April 8th meeting.

The motion called for a Commissioner Report which would include clearly outlined implications for the redevelopment of the park and the loss of downtown-adjacent urban green space’s impact on stormwater, noise, and traffic. 

Lachica’s failed motion had also asked that the staff report include an outline of community consultation, including with First Nations communities.

Before Lachica was able to read the full motion into the record, her mic momentarily stopped working, which provoked a quip from Councillor Dave Haacke that “it’s an omen” for what was about to befall Lachica’s attempt to wring some measure of accountability from her more obstinate colleagues.

When the Chair rules a motion out of order, Councillors are able to challenge the Chair and provide a procedural reason why the challenge should be supported by Council, which would allow for debate on the motion to proceed. 

During her challenge, Lachica noted that in no way was the motion contrary to the previous decision set forth by Council.

“By no means is this a motion to rescind or to reconsider,” she said. “It’s not asking for a pause, nor is it proposing a different redevelopment plan. This is a brand new motion—scaffolded upon the current approval and current direction of council—on the existing Bonnerworth redevelopment plan, of the 16 pickleball courts and 80 parking spots.”

At one point, Co-Chair of Recreation and Parks, Lesley Parnell, interrupted Lachica on a point of order to imply that she had drifted away from the procedural reasoning for her challenge. While acknowledging Parnell’s point, Beamer did allow Lachica to “finish her sentence” as she requested.

Following the interruption, Lachica expressed concerns over the fact that without this motion, Councillors would not be aware of the results of certain key tests and studies and that if it is “the will of council to see the site plan and technical studies before work commences, a motion to request this is absolutely in order.”

‍

The will of Council to proceed without first seeing the site plans or gaining a deeper understanding of the consultation process was ultimately confirmed, as the motion to rule Lachica’s motion out of order was passed 6-5 with Beamer, Mayor Jeff Leal, and Councillors Gary Baldwin, Don Vassiliadis, Kevin Duguay, and Lesley Parnell voting to support the ruling. 

Following the vote and subsequent adjournment, a number of residents in support of maintaining the green space at Bonnerworth who had come to witness the discussion on Lachica’s motion  began yelling at Councillors who had supported Beamer’s ruling. 

“You’re a disgrace to this City,” one resident shouted, while another yelled “So much for democracy.”

As Councillors slowly trickled from the Chambers, mostly through the back door to avoid the public, some residents stuck around as security and members of City staff looked on. 

One of the Councillors brave enough to leave through the public gallery was Lesley Parnell who was met with one resident’s frank assessment of her politics. 

“You’re disgusting,” the resident said to which Parnell responded “Have a good night.”

Downstairs in the lobby, while the Mayor and the majority of Councillors slunk out the locked hallway exit onto Murray Street, Councillors Bierk and Lachica walked down the main staircase where they were greeted by members of the public who remained, some of them offering their Councillors hugs. 

‍

Residents Remain Concerned:

The presence of the public’s intense scrutiny on this motion and how it would play out was evident even before the meeting, as a handful of protestors gathered outside of City Hall holding signs which stated “Save Bonnerworth.”

The familiar concerns were echoed by those in attendance who expressed their gratitude for Councillors such as Lachica, Alex Bierk, and Keith Riel, who have continued to call for greater transparency and consultation in decision making on the redevelopment. 

Among the residents who were outside City Hall before the May 13th meeting were Mary and Terry Ward, who related their concerns specifically about the noise, flooding, and that the approval process has felt “rushed through.”

The Wards, who emphatically noted that they are not against pickleball, told Arthur that despite City Staff and some council members’ assertion that the park is “underused” this conclusion was reached during testing and studies undertaken during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“No where else in the province has 16 pickleball courts,” Mary said, suggesting that she is concerned about children in the surrounding community “having no place to play” should the plan for redevelopment move forward as is. 

Before the meeting, the Wards and other protestors who preferred to remain anonymous remained hopeful that Lachica’s motion might result in some more Councillors coming on board and be amenable to more consultation as to this point, they feel there has been none. 

According to some protestors present outside of City Hall on Monday evening, community members have had their houses egged as a result of aligning themselves with the Save Bonnerworth movement 

Though Arthur has not been able to independently verify these allegations, one resident did say they “wouldn’t be surprised” if it was true when asked about the incidents, though recognized the pro-redevelopment faction “wouldn’t have much reason to now—except for spite.”

“Wouldn’t put it past some of them,” one resident said as they got in their car and drove down George Street as dark storm clouds and thunder rolled across downtown Peterborough—perhaps only the second most dubious omen of the evening.