It’s been a tumultuous year for the Save Bonnerworth Park movement. After an injunction to halt the $4.4-million redevelopment project failed in November, residents involved in the community movement were left with more questions than answers. 

The looming question at the Friends of Bonnerworth Park’s first official meeting, held at St Peter’s Catholic Secondary School on March 5th, was that of the movement’s future goals, especially pressing due to the financial situation of the non-profit group. 

Friends of Bonnerworth Park fundraised around $43,000 in donations through GoFundMe last year, and incorporated October 7th, 2024 to file an injunction against the City of Peterborough. The injunction ultimately failed to stall development after a “clerk’s error” indicated a much sooner court date for the group than what had actually been scheduled. In absence of an immediate court date, city contractors continued with the controversial redevelopment relatively unimpeded.

After a string of retaliatory civil actions including a silent protest at the Mayor’s New Year’s Levee, there was a period of public inactivity from the movement, save for the regular fervour within their Facebook group. 

Activity from within this forum, while claiming to not be affiliated with the Friends of Bonnerworth Park corporation, frequently borders on the conspiratorial. Posts from the group foster misinformation about the City of Peterborough, and insult to Council and City staff they perceive to be in the wrong. Many posts also insult the physical appearance of Mayor Jeff Leal, with commenters comparing the Mayor to puppet Howdy Doody and former McDonaldland mayor Mayor McCheese. 

This posting streak did not stay relegated to the Internet, however. 

Before the March 5th meeting began, Stephen Regoczei, Professor Emeritus in Computing and Information Systems at Trent University, approached Arthur with allegations that the City of Brampton was “colonizing Peterborough.” 

He then claimed that based on campaign donations made to Mayor Jeff Leal from addresses in Brampton there was an effort to “undermine democracy” occurring in conjunction with a variety of stakeholders at the City and in the community. 

Regoczei then made racist remarks to Arthur about City of Peterborough CAO Jasbir Raina, alleging that Brampton construction companies are being “rewarded” contracts because of Raina.

“The expropriation of a public park has occurred, and handed over to a private sports organization with ties to Leal,” Regoczei recounted. 

At the March 5th meeting, Friends of Bonnerworth Park directors John Gerelus and Richard Scott were finally keen to break their silence and address questions concerned residents raised. 

Gerelus and Scott presented a new legal and logistical direction for the group, the results of direct engagement with the City, and informally reported the financial status of the corporation. 

Directors of the Friends of Bonnerworth Park incorporation include Gerelus and Scott, as well as Jennifer Burnard and Deb Scott, who were not in attendance March 5th. 

Gerelus and Scott reported to attendees that after contracting Guelph-based firm SV Law, the new lawyer advised the group to become stakeholders in the ongoing conversation about parks’ operations and public spaces in Peterborough, being advised that further litigation would be “futile.”  

This methodology has proved to be fruitful, with Gerelus and Scott reporting they met with Recreation and Park Services Director Rob McAuley, Community Services Commissioner Sheldon Laidman, and then later met separately with McAuley and two senior parks operations staff. 

“The community is a legitimate stakeholder in this project,” Gerelus told attendees. “We want to do everything to help the City make this park more compatible with its community.”

Gerelus also confirmed that the City additionally met with other identified user groups like the Peterborough Pickleball Association and the Peterborough Skate Coalition, and wished for the “collaboration” and “trust” to continue. 

“It really made sense for everyone to sit down around the same table and share concerns, opportunities, issues with the City,” Gerelus told attendees. 

Shortly after discussing this turn in engagement, Gerelus and Scott presented the finances of Friends of Bonnerworth Park in a PowerPoint slide.

The slide provided the corporation’s opening balance, which included a $25,900 transfer from the bank account established after an influx of initial donations to the Save Bonnerworth Park movement, and a $30,300 transfer from GoFundMe.

Deducted from these lines was $26,100 in general expenses, including lawyers’ fees and Freedom of Information (FOI) requests to the City. 

The exact finances of incurred expenses like signs, advertising, and exposure efforts were not presented at this meeting, as Gerelus told attendees the figures presented were “rounded numbers.” 

Gerelus later told media that the GoFundMe was established in light of the amount of donations organically pledged to the Save Bonnerworth Park movement. The figures of the GoFundMe are alleged to be more than what is actually reported, as the $25,900 figure of the coalition’s bank also included an alleged $13,000 in “committed funds” from those wanting to donate in cash or cheque. 

Upon asking Gerelus for clarification, it was still unclear what constituted “fees” from GoFundMe, as they appeared to be lumped in either under the general expense line or in the transferred sum from the fundraiser. 

The figure that is widely reported is the $43,486 figure that GoFundMe provides on its site, which does not include a 2.9% fee that is based on donation transactions made through GoFundMe. A GoFundMe fee calculator estimates that this fee would be approximately $1,342.39, and that Friends of Bonnerworth Park would receive $42,143.61 in their outgoing transfer. 

In spite of this confusion, Gerelus and Scott reassured attendees that there was indeed still “money in the bank,” with a reported current balance of $30,114. The Directors pledged that any funds leftover from further litigious action taken by the Coalition and website maintenance would be “donated to charity.” 

Despite vague financials and bumbling promises, attendees seemed satisfied with the new direction of Friends of Bonnerworth Park financially and logistically, which pledged to continue “monitoring” the park’s redevelopment and the effects of pickleball on the neighbourhood around Bonnerworth. 

When pressed further by Arthur on the nature of the incorporation, Gerelus was not aware of what constituted membership to the Friends of Bonnerworth Park incorporation. 

Friends of Bonnerworth Park has not replied to requests from Arthur for clarification on their by-laws, meetings’ minutes, and conditions of membership to the incorporation. It is also unclear whether or not coherent financials for Friends of Bonnerworth Park will be reported publicly.

The Ontario Business Registry states that Friends of Bonnerworth Park is not in regulatory compliance with the Ontario Non-Profit Corporations Act (ONCA) due to a “mismatch between the number of directors and the actual number of Active directors.” 

The non-compliance of Friends of Bonnerworth Park, alongside the murky financial reporting and meetings behind closed doors, seems at odds with the group’s long-standing demand for transparency from the City of Peterborough. 

While they finally achieved open dialogue with the City, it is yet to be seen whether or not they truly carry out the intentions of residents affected by perceived transgressions from the City.