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Enter the Bonnerwall: Mayor's Levee Marred by Death Threats, Bonnerworth Protest

Written by
David King
and
and
January 16, 2025
Enter the Bonnerwall: Mayor's Levee Marred by Death Threats, Bonnerworth Protest
Graphic by David King, with photos by Evan Robins

On a bright Sunday afternoon, business owners, interest groups, and concerned citizens joined select members of Peterborough City Council and City Staff at the Canadian Canoe Museum for the annual Mayor’s New Year’s Levee.

In a room on the second floor of the Museum, the public was invited to join Mayor Jeff Leal, Councillors, and key City Staff for an in-person, informal gathering to discuss the year ahead, especially topical with 2025 budget proceedings resuming later this month

The event was noteworthy both for a large security presence, and a silent protest organized by the concerned citizens’ group Friends of Bonnerworth Park. 

Posts from the Save Bonnerworth Park Facebook group invited members to “join us in displaying our displeasure” with black armbands, which are commonly used to signify those in mourning. Some armbands present at the protest featured related slogans or lettering, the most common being either a bold “BW” (for Bonnerworth) or a hand-drawn middle finger. 

A Save Bonnerworth Park protestor’s black armband with “Fund Housing, Not Pickleball” painted on it. Photo by Evan Robins

Despite a slew of logistical setbacks and the demolition of the park, John Gerelus, the president of Friends of Bonnerworth Park, told Arthur that the group wasn’t going anywhere, and this was the first of many strategies to hold the City to account. 

“It's not for us to break that up with a rally, but we still wanted to be visible,” Gerelus told Arthur

Armed with a new lawyer and a sizable legal fund in its stewardship, Gerelus wanted to show that the Friends of Bonnerworth Park are still keen to show their disappointment to the City of Peterborough. 

“Every time people are driving by the demolished park, there's a sense of remorse that there's a loss,” Gerelus said. “So this is our way of demonstrating the fact that we’re grieving.” 

Gerelus led a contingent of 40 volunteers, who stood silently at the back of the event space, demonstrating for 40 minutes before silently leaving.

Silent protestors from the Friends of Bonnerworth Park group talking amongst themselves. Arthur coined this move "The Bonnerwall." Photo by Evan Robins

Some protestors were not silent, however. 

Stephen Regoczei, a Professor Emeritus in Computing and Information Systems at Trent University, shared a similar sense of grief with Arthur during the demonstration. A resident in the neighbourhood surrounding Bonnerworth Park, he feels that the group has been “marginalized” and “censored” by City Council.

“We’re unhappy a public park has been expropriated and handed over to a private sports organization,” Regoczei said, referring to the Peterborough Pickleball Association (PPA), members of whom were also in attendance at the Levee.

Shelley Moloney, president of the PPA, felt indifferent about the demonstration. 

“We came out to show our support to the Mayor and to those Councillors that have supported the project,” Moloney told Arthur. “They have taken a lot of heat, a lot of personal attacks, and I thought it would be a nice gesture for us to come and just show support.”  

“Feel free to silently protest,” Moloney said. “That doesn't bother us.” 

There were participants, however, that did talk to Councillor Keith Riel, who has been a staunch ally to those against the Bonnerworth redevelopment in Council proceedings, and felt that concerned residents knew his position on the issue. 

City Councillor Keith Riel listening to a resident. Photo by Evan Robins

“Pickleball is not an issue for me,” Riel told Arthur. “Housing and homelessness are.” 

“We could have used $4.7 million for housing and homelessness,” Riel said. He then cited how sports organizations have historically come to the City with pre-existing funding for capital projects related to City recreational facilities, which the PPA had not done. 

“So we put these amenities in,” Riel concluded. “What is pickleball going to pay?” 

As protestors were leaving, the purportedly respectful nature of the protest soon devolved into silent gestures of disdain for City Councillors and Staff, most notably as community member James Anderson showed Director of Strategic Communications Brendan Wedley his armband with a crudely drawn middle finger on it. 

Despite pickleball being the topic of the afternoon, the protest was not the primary concern of Peterborough Police Service officers: Multiple sources told Arthur that the heightened police presence at the Levee was due to a death threat made against the Mayor on Facebook. The threat was made December 28 in the To Catch a Car Hopper Facebook group beneath a post regarding the Levee.

“So what I hear? Is assassinate Jeff Leal… at the Canoe Museum Got it, “ Group member Joseph Pearson commented. “15 million dollar mansion I hate this world. FUCK THE GOVERNMENT.” 

Chief Stu Betts confirmed the existence of the threat and attributed his presence at the Levee to it. 

“We've done an investigation, and we felt that based on our investigation it was important we had to be here today, and we didn't need to exercise any sort of force,” Betts affirmed. 

One of two police vehicles outside of the Canadian Canoe Musuem during the Mayor’s New Year’s Levee. Photo by Evan Robins

Despite the threat and the silent demonstration, Mayor Jeff Leal remained optimistic about the goals of the Levee.

“It's still an opportunity for the community to come in,” Leal told Arthur

“The more that you could open up for the people to have informal chats with our elected people and our senior management team here, I think that's very, very strategic in many ways.”

Other councillors were also unfazed by the extraneous events of the Levee, and most drew attention to how protest is expected of decisions that the City of Peterborough makes. 

Councillor Matt Crowley was more than prepared for the climate of the Levee, enthusiastically standing by decisions he made in Council around the Bonnerworth Park redevelopment controversy. 

“I think this is vital to get the temperature reading of the city,” Crowley stated. “I absolutely think the protest is vital to our community, its democracy, and I think this is great if this is how people want to make their voice heard.” 

“I understand anybody who's upset with any decision that Council makes, because there's some times Council makes a decision that I'm not happy with. But you know, that's council!” Crowley laughed. 

Aside from the pro and anti-pickleball contingents, other interest groups also made an appearance at the Levee to either show support for or directly make their case to the Mayor and Council. Bill Kimball of Public Energy was one of them, having been a very public opponent to proposed budget cuts to arts and culture funding lines

“Cities typically fund the majority of the the operating costs for local festivals like Artsweek,” Kimball commented. “It’s actually standard that at least 80%, if not more, of an Arts Council budget comes from the municipality, because there are very few other sources of funding.” 

Observing how the City of Peterborough uses its arts and culture scene in its marketing campaigns, Kimball, also president of the Electric City Culture Council, told Arthur in an interview that the continued funding is “vital” to the local economy and not out of line with this Council’s priorities, such as attracting family doctors and working professionals to the area. 

“It's certainly in the economic interests of the city to do that. At the same time, a healthy arts scene is good for the health of individuals,” Kimball said. “I mean, art and artists really contribute to the health and well-being of individual citizens, and that's kind of under the radar.”

The City of Peterborough’s various programming and service guides on display at the Mayor’s Levee. Photo by Evan Robins 

Federal NDP candidate Heather Ray was also in attendance, but was instead mingling with the community she hopes to represent in the near future. 

“I think what makes a really good MP is somebody who could be a good constituency representative,” Ray told Arthur in an interview. “I want to be a great constituency representative.”

“Today's event shows the importance of community, the importance of listening to people, the importance of doing what we need to do to ensure that people are heard and that we are making decisions for the we, not just the me,” Ray concluded.

As the New Year kicks off for the City of Peterborough, the Mayor’s Levee was not only an apt forecast for what’s in store for the municipality, but a timeless example of how the City handles itself and its contentious relationship to the citizens of Peterborough. With the revisiting of the 2025 Budget on the horizon, the Levee was only a test for what’s to come for the City of Peterborough.

ReFrame 2025
Severn Court (October-August)
Theatre Trent 2023/24
Arthur News School of Fish
Written By
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ReFrame 2025
Severn Court (October-August)
Theatre Trent 2023/24
Arthur News School of Fish

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