On the rainy evening of June 19th, select members of Peterborough City Council and City staff presented the preliminary direction of the 2026 Draft Budget to residents while weathering feedback from concerned citizens. 

The community budget consultation followed a rally organized by CUPE 1833, protesting the staffing reorganizationat the Peterborough Public Library. The rally continued despite the City announcing on June 16th that they were pausing the reorganization process, and the news that the Library CEO Jennifer Jones had left her position.

Most attendees of the rally were also at the consultation, where they were joined by other community members concerned about the City of Peterborough’s financial priorities. 

Northcrest Ward Councillor Andrew Beamer was among the members of Peterborough City Council present, as well as councillors Keith Riel, Kevin Duguay, and Mayor Jeff Leal. City staff , including Financial Services Comissioner Richard Freymond, were also available to the public to field questions and concerns about the city’s budget process. 

“We're really excited tonight to hear your feedback,” Beamer told attendees. “I'll listen to your thoughts and concerns and implement them into the budget.”

After explaining the timeline of the budget process, Beamer briefly explained the structure of the meeting—a 15-minute presentation followed by a Q&A—before Financial Services Manager Yvette Peplinskie began presenting the budgetary pressures the City faces in drafting the 2026 Budget. 

“We didn't want to come here this evening, and sugar coat it,” Commissioner Richard Freymond said later that evening. “We're trying to be very pragmatic in terms of what we think the costs are going to be for the services that are being provided.” 

Peplinskie’s presentation was reminiscent of the preliminary presentations that city staff presented to council during a June 10th general committee meeting, but with the caveat of introducing the budget’s process and the City’s financial pressures to the public. 

The City of Peterborough is estimating an $11.4 million increase in operating expenses.he largest contributing fact is a 10% increase, or $3.8 million, tothe police services budget, which Leal used his strong mayor powers to mandate.

This might further increase, however, as Mayor Jeff Leal telling the Police Services Board Tuesday to bump the increase to 15% due to provincially legislated requirements detailed in the Community Safety and Policing Act and the Police Services Act. 

The City is only foreseeing a $5.5 million increase in capital revenue, with a projected 2% increase in their Capital Financing Policy ($4.5 million) and the first budget year of the sewer surcharge ($836k). 

This means the preliminary all-inclusive tax rate for 2026 is 7.44%, equating to an annual increase of $385.32 per median-assessed residential property based on the current value assessment of $260,000 according to the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC).

The police budget increase was one of the hottest topics of discussion from residents present during the question period of the consultation. Residents repeatedly asked for specifics of the police budget increase, as the presentation from city staff did not provide detailed information behind the 10%-15% ask. 

“The 10% would provide what's legislated by the province, and the 15% would provide additional resources, additional boots on the ground in the community, which many residents are asking for,” Coun. Beamer said. 

“So that's the difference between the 10 and 15. It hasn't come to council yet. When it does, we'll have a fulsome discussion.” 

The majority of questions and feedback were directed to Mayor Leal, who sits on the Police Services Board, but Leal did not reply to any inquiries from residents. Former mayor Diane Therrien-Hale also made a point of asking if MPP Dave Smith was invited to the budget consultation. 

“I’m wondering if there's been discussion with other municipalities to pressure the province to step up to help fund some of these things,” Therrien-Hale asked. 

“This was made public,” coun. Beamer said. “So I don't know if our MPP got a direct invite, but it was made public.”

“So I'm sure he was aware of it. I think that's what you lived through, and that's the frustration on council; the province mandates these positions, and then us in the room are forced to fund them.” 

Community activist Will Ward had a more incisive “yes or no” question for Mayor Leal and city staff.

“So you want us to trust millions of public dollars to a budget shaped by a white mayor who said the N word out loud, on the public record, in public at a university, in front of students; who threatens colleagues by saying he'll carve them up like turkeys?” Ward asked. 

“Yes, I guess?” Peplinskie said. “The mayor is directing the budget.” 

Another point of contention for Peterborough residents included the operating budget for the Library, which saw a proposed staff reorganization paused after the City and its Library Board faced public backlash on a local and national scale. 

Library page Sheila Strickland imparted the reality that library employees face to council and staff, suggesting that the library receive social services funding in light of an “unfair” lack of “financial recognition.”

“We all know but don't admit that the library has become a de facto shelter, with library staff providing services to meet the needs of patrons, using us as shelter as we enter this new phase of leadership,” Strickland said. 

“I would like to suggest that city staff and council consider moving funding from the social services budget and the housing and homelessness budget into the library budget at a rate of $120,000.” 

Former Liberal MP Matthew DeCourcey, a new resident of Peterborough, voiced his support for sustained funding for library operations, specifically for staffing and children’s programming, all while expressing gratitude to the City for its work within budgetary constraints.

“I noted that there will be fuel savings incurred with the elimination of the carbon tax,” DeCourcey said. “I wonder if council might think about libraries as fuel for young children, and think about how those savings might be diverted there.”

“As I’m sure you know, we've pressed pause on the situation,” Beamer told DeCourcey. 

“Staff are looking through other options and suggestions to ensure that the services and the employees remain whole, while at the same time meeting the budget that Council put forth.”

Some residents weren’t as kind as DeCourcey. Our Future Peterborough organizer Hilary Evans asked about the public’s 143 responses to the City’s preliminary budget survey in April. 

“Whose job is it to engage the public in the budget process? Because it doesn't seem like you're doing a very good job of it,” Evans said. 

“Where's your data to support that?” Evans continued. “Are they tracking their emails by topic? Because I feel like my email is going missing. Nobody answers them, and that's why we get into trouble like with the library cutbacks, because you’re missing the actual feedback.”

“I can't speak for my colleagues, but I know I read every email, and I do take that feedback back,” coun. Beamer replied. “We've heard tonight some good conversations around the importance of investing in libraries, but we've also heard some comments about needing to rein in taxes.” 

“So we do take all feedback and bring it up at the council table, and notes are being made tonight by staff.”

The next key date for the 2026 Budget process  is June 30th, where Peterborough City Council will meet to consider ratifying the general committee direction on drafting of the 2026 Budget. 

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The budget timeline is as follows:

On November 3, 2025, the Draft 2026 Budget will be presented to City Council. 

On November 6, 2025, there will be another Budget consultation meeting with brief presentation and conversations with City staff. 

On November 10, 2025, there will be an informal community drop-in meeting for the public to ask questions and share ideas with City staff and councillors. 

On November 10, 2025, there will be a City Council meeting with public delegations on the Draft Budget.

From November 17-18, 2025, City Council will review the 2026 Draft Budget in a series of day-long General Committee meetings.

The Mayor will present the final 2026 Budget for adoption on December 8, 2025.