Bonnerworth Park plan will result in more ‘passive use’ green space: City

Sebastian Johnston-Lindsay, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Peterborough Examiner

In the wake of Mayor Jeff Leal addressing protesters Monday evening and accepting a petition containing 8,100 signatures, the city has sought to clarify points related to the Bonnerworth Park redevelopment.

In an email to the Examiner, Brendan Wedley, the city’s director of strategic communications, sent a series of responses to clarify the city’s position on the issue.

Monday marked the first time the mayor had addressed protesters directly, despite being aware of their plans and presence on at least three occasions since May and consistently telling reporters he had no intention of interacting with the crowd.

However, Wedley notes that, “Mayor Leal has directly spoken with residents, attended public meetings about the project, and responded to emails” and that he and city staff have considered citizens feedback regarding the project.

“Feedback from residents has helped inform the development of the detailed site plan, including landscaping, noise attenuation measures, planting 275 trees, and reducing parking to preserve about 63% of green space on the property,” he wrote.

In response to continued concerns regarding the lack of green space outlined in the revised park plan, Wedley wrote that following the planting of trees and landscaped areas, “there will be more passive use green space for people to enjoy than there currently is on the property.”

Further, Wedley notes that a failed motion by Coun. Keith Riel to defer nearly $16 million in capital projects in 2025 — including Phase 2 of the Bonnerworth redevelopment — and to redirect those funds into housing and homelessness, could never have worked.

“That funding is made up of various sources, including debentures and development charges that can only be used for the purposes for which they were specifically collected,” Wedley said.

However, as the city faces a tight budget season beginning in November, having given staff direction for a five per cent tax increase, cuts across the board are not out of the question.

Coun. Riel has repeated to various media, including the Examiner, that he has concerns about the Bonnerworth project being completed within budget and thus feels it’s best to reconsider whether it’s worth starting.

Wedley also attempted to explain why Rob McAulay, the director of recreation and park services, denied the existence of the plan when asked by Coun. Alex Bierk if a plan existed in October 2023, prior to council approving the Bonnerworth redevelopment.

Documents obtained through freedom of information have shown that there was in fact a plan for Bonnerworth as early as April 2023 which outlined possible fits for elements of the park. This plan was never shown to councillors, nor was it shared as part of consultation with the arenas, parks and recreation advisory committee in August 2023.

“The referenced document would be better described as a concept plan that was created to assist with developing budget estimates for the 2024 Budget recommendations,” Wedley said.

The Examiner asked Wedley if he could clarify why the April 2023 concept plan was not shared with councillors by McAulay either as a matter of due process or when requested before council was asked to vote on the plan, but has not received a response.

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