City of Peterborough Property Taxes Available For Electronic Billing

The City of Peterborough is now offering property owners electronic delivery of their property tax bill (eBilling) and can subscribe to receive their property tax bills directly to their email account in PDF format.

File photo.

City of Peterborough says eBilling is a secure, convenient billing method that gives property owners total access to their tax bill information anywhere they have access to their email. To ensure the privacy and confidentiality of residents, each property tax bill will be secured with an individualized access code that is required to access the PDF document.

Registering for eBilling is a two-step process:

1. Homeowners complete the online registration and maintain their information at peterborough.ca/eBilling

2. Homeowners will receive an access code by mail that is required to access the PDF attachment

Property owners who opt into eBilling will receive their property tax bill by email on the same schedule as normal billing – an interim bill at the end of February and final bill at the end of June, annually.

Customers who opt for eBilling will no longer receive a paper copy of their tax bill.

“We’re pleased to offer this convenient new service to property owners,” said Loren Drinkwalter, the City’s revenue administrator. “Going paperless is good for the environment and helps reduce administration costs associated with printing and postage.”

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Free Holiday Parking For Two Hours Begins On Friday In Downtown Peterborough

Downtown Peterborough has two-hour free parking in effect on Friday at all downtown municipal parking spaces including on-street parking, municipal parking lots, the King Street Parking Garage and the Simcoe Street Parking Garage announced by the City of Peterborough.

Kawartha Food Share assists more than 8,900 people each month through its 36 member agencies including meal programs and food banks. Photo courtesy of The City Of Peterborough.

The free parking program — courtesy of Wolfe Personal Injury Lawyers — is in effect until Dec. 31 to encourage people to do their holiday shopping locally and to help raise money to support Kawartha Food Share according to the City.

Any paid parking fees at pay-and-display machines, parking meters or via the HotSpot App during the free two-hour period are being donated to Kawartha Food Share.

“It’s more important than ever to support and shop local. Wolfe Lawyers will continue to invest in local opportunities which give back to the citizens of our great community,” said Bill Wolfe of Wolfe Lawyers. “We encourage people to support Kawartha Food Share with some form of donation to help those in need in our community.”

“A return to in-person experiences this holiday not only lifts our own spirits, but lifts community when we can share meaningfully with those who need it most,” said Joy Lachica, Town Ward Councillor. “Come downtown to support local businesses, park free and help Kawartha Food Share bring food to homes this season. Thanks to Wolfe Lawyers and agency partners to make this gift possible for so many this year.”

“There’s a great sense of vibrancy downtown right now – so many new and interesting places to explore,” said Alex Bierk, Town Ward Councillor. “Free parking makes it easy to grab a coffee, to make a quick stop during the seasonal rush, and especially to support local businesses.”

Anyone needing more than two hours of parking are asked to park in the City’s surface lots or parking garages.

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Online Parking Ticket Payments Temporarily Unavailable For Maintenance Work Starting Friday

Online parking ticket payments are not available starting Thursday at 5 p.m. until Monday at 6 a.m. for maintenance work.

Payments for parking in Peterborough can be made online by downloading the HopSpotMobile app. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

Other online payments available including recreation program registration, tax certificates, building permits and traffic ticket payments are not affected.

The City of Peterborough has apologized for any inconvenience this may cause.

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List of City Services During Remembrance Day

Several City services will have modified hours or be closed during Remembrance Day on Nov. 11.

Photo by David Tuan Bui.

City Hall

City Hall, including the Tax Office, Clerk’s Office and Building Services, will be closed. Online services are available at www.peterborough.ca.

Garbage, recycling and yard waste

No garbage, recycling or green waste collection will occur on Nov. 11.

The collection scheduled for Nov. 11 is moved to Nov. 14. Please ensure all garbage, recycling and green waste is at the curb by 7 a.m. on your collection day.

The City/County Landfill at 1260 Bensfort Rd. will be open from 8 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.

The Hazardous and Electronic Waste Depot at 400 Pido Rd. will be open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Public Works

Public Works can be reached at 705-745-1386. This line is answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Arenas Division

Arenas will be available to user groups for scheduled ice time.

Kinsmen Civic Centre will be open from 6 a.m. to midnight.

Peterborough Memorial Centre will be open from 6 a.m. to midnight.

Healthy Planet Arena will be open from 6 a.m. to midnight. Customer Service at Healthy Planet Arena will be open from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. for programming (50 + Skate and Pay as You Play).

Facility booking inquiries for the Arenas Division are not available on Nov. 11.

Memorial Centre event tickets are available for purchase online at www.memorialcentre.ca.

Art Gallery of Peterborough

The Art Gallery of Peterborough will be closed on Nov. 11.

For information about gallery exhibitions and programs please visit www.agp.on.ca. 

Downtown Youth Space

The Downtown Youth Space at 201 McDonnel St. will be closed. To learn more about free, drop-in programs for youth aged 13 to 18, please visit www.peterborough.ca/dys.

Peterborough Museum and Archives

The Peterborough Museum and Archives exhibitions and gift shop are open from noon to 5 p.m. on Nov. 11. Information about current exhibitions is available online at www.peterborough.ca/museum.

Peterborough Public Library

The Peterborough Public Library will be closed on Nov. 11. Information and digital resources are online at www.ptbolibrary.ca/.

Provincial Offences office

The Provincial Offences office at 99 Simcoe St. will be closed. Fine payments can be made online at www.peterborough.ca/POA.

Social Services office

The Social Services office at 178 Charlotte St. will be closed.

Emergency shelter services

Emergency shelter services remain open: if you need emergency shelter services outside of regular business hours or on holidays, please call After Hours service at 705-926-0096.

Municipal child care centres

City-operated child care centres Pearson Day Care and Peterborough Day Care will be closed on Nov. 11. All before and after school child care programs will be open.

Sport and Wellness Centre

The Peterborough Sport and Wellness Centre will open regular hours. Visit www.peterborough.ca/recreation for information about schedules and programs at the Wellness Centre.

Transit

Peterborough Transit will operate on a regular service schedule on Nov. 11.

Please visit the website www.peterborough.ca/transit or call 705-745-0525 for detailed schedules.

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City of Peterborough Shares Environmentally-Friendly Ways of Pumpkin Disposal

The City of Peterborough has encouraged residents to dispose of their pumpkins in an environmentally friendly way and provided ways to do so.

Photo by David Tuan Bui.

They can be placed at the curb with regular green waste until Nov. 25 and must weigh less than 22 kg. The City is asking that pumpkins not be placed in the garbage. The green waste is composted that diverts organic material from the landfill, creating enriched soil used for City plantings.

They can be put in backyard composters and chopped up to speed up decomposition.

Remove non-compostable material such as decorations, candles and leftover wax.

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Ontario Expanding 911 Models Of Care In Peterborough and the County

The Ontario Government is expanding 9-1-1 models of care in the County and City of Peterborough to give paramedics more flexibility to provide better treatment for patients away from emergency departments.

WARDEN J. MURRAY JONES (LEFT), CHIEF RANDY MELLOW (MIDDLE) AND MPP DAVE SMITH (RIGHT) DURING JONES’S FINAL DAYS AS WARDEN BEFORE RETIRING FROM A 24-YEAR POLITICAL TENURE. PHOTO BY DAVID TUAN BUI.

This model builds on the first phase of the program which focused on “Alternate Destination” and “Treat and Refer” models for mental health and addictions and palliative care patients, this expansion will now include a new model type: “Treat and Release” according to a press release.

Patients can be treated on-scene by paramedics and released with recommendations for appropriate follow-up care in the comfort of their preferred home or community health setting. This help savoid unnecessary trips to emergency departments and preserve beds for those that need them most.

“This model works. It means people can be treated at home or onsite, without having to go to the emergency room for service. This reduces the pressure on our emergency room at Peterborough Regional Health Centre so that those who need services can receive better, faster care,” MPP Dave Smith said. “This is an innovative way for us to address hospital wait times and hallway health care.”

Patients diverted from emergency departments through these models received the care they needed up to 17 times faster with 94 per cent of patients avoiding the emergency department in the days following treatment as stated in the press release.

“Peterborough County is pleased that the Province has embraced the implementation of the 911 Models of Care and is expanding this program,” said Warden J. Murray Jones.

This expansion will also see more patients become eligible for all three model types. In addition to mental health and addictions and palliative care patients that are currently eligible for the “Alternate Destination” and “Treat and Refer” models, patients with injuries such as minor falls or illnesses that are not life-threatening, patients with managed chronic conditions such as diabetes or epilepsy and patients with other select conditions will also be considered.

“Peterborough County-City Paramedics were pleased to implement the Palliative Care protocols in Peterborough under the first phase of new models of care and we look forward to expanding the models under phase two that will allow the clinical expertise of our paramedics to provide treatment on scene with appropriate patients in a safe and patient centered way that will assist in avoiding unnecessary burden on the health care system,” said Chief Randy Mellow.

This work is on top of the efforts the government has done to date with the March 2022 Plan to Stay Open. Some highlights include:

• Ontario has processed over 25 million lab-based COVID-19 PCR tests and distributed close to 240 million free rapid antigen tests to date.

• Ontario has administered over 34.5 million COVID-19 vaccinations to date.

• Over 36,000 doses of Paxlovid have been prescribed to protect Ontarians against the worst effects of COVID-19, helping to reduce hospital admissions.

• Ontario has invested $880 million in surgical recovery investments over the last three fiscal years, including increasing surgical capacity through funding for innovative hospital projects.

• To strengthen long-term care and alternate levels of care, Ontario has invested $175.2 million to expand home care services and $117 million for the sustainability of home care services, and $1 million for the inter-facility transfer of medically stable patients in Northern Ontario.

• The government has invested $764 million to provide Ontario’s nurses with a retention incentive of up to $5,000 per person.

• Over 10,900 healthcare professionals (including over 7,800 nurses and externs) have been added to the health system since Winter of 2020.

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Stuart Betts Announced as Chief of Peterborough Police Service

The Peterborough Police Services Board appointed Stuart Betts as the next Chief of the Peterborough Police Service announced on Tuesday.

Stuart Betts takes over Tim Farquharson who was serving as acting chief. Photo courtesy of Peterborough Police Service.

Betts, who has 26 years of experience in policing, will officially being his role on Jan. 9.

Betts is a trained Public Order Commander and Critical Incident Commander. He is serving as Deputy Chief of Operations for the London Police Service and was the Deputy Chief of Administration prior. During his career, he has served as Frontline Patrol to Executive Services as well as Support Services and Administrative departments.

“I am thrilled and honoured to have been selected to be Peterborough’s next Chief of Police,” said Betts. “I believe the Chief of Police should be a leader in the community, and also serve to support the members of the Organization by ensuring they have the tools and resources needed to serve the community at the highest possible level. As your Chief, I will be dedicated to ensuring we excel in our commitment to professionalism and excellence in support of safety for the community and to one another. Peterborough is to be my home and I am invested in ensuring it is a safe place for my family and yours.”

Chief Designate Betts has successfully completed the Senior Management Institute for Police with the Police Executive Research Forum at the University of Boston and the Police Leadership Program at the Rotman School of Executive Management at the University of Toronto. He has a Bachelor of Arts Degree from York University, a Masters of Business Administration Degree, focused on innovation leadership, from the University of Fredericton and is pursuing a second Masters degree in Law in Alternative Dispute Resolution at Osgoode Hall Law School. Betts is a certified Canadian Risk Manager and certified Change Management Practitioner. He has served as the co-chair of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police, Police Information and Statistics Committee.

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Peterborough Police Services Board Welcomes New Provincial Appointee

The Peterborough Police Services Board have welcome Provincial Appointee Drew Merrett as their newest member announced on Monday.

File Photo.

Merrett has been a business owner as well as having served on a number of Boards both past and present.

A press release made a statement regarding Merrett being the newest member:

“The Peterborough Police Services Board looks forward to working with Drew Merrett and believe his skills and experience will be an asset to the Board and Service.”

Merrett is being officially sworn in this Friday.

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City of Peterborough Accepting Applications For Low Income Senior & Low Income Property Tax Assistance

Applications are open for The City of Peterborbough Low-Income Senior & Low-Income Property Tax Assistance Program.

Qualifying applicants receive a $400 tax credit on their municipal property tax accounts to be applied to the February 2023 interim tax bill.  Anyone who previously received more than a $400 credit is grandfathered in at their higher credit amount. 

Property owners can apply under one of the following qualifications:

1. Low-Income Senior aged 65 years or older

2. Low-Income Senior aged 55-64 years of age

3. Low-Income Persons with a disability receiving benefits under the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP)

Applications are available on the City’s website or at the City Hall Tax Office, 500 George St. N. Anyone that received tax credits this year, automatically receives a 2023 Property Tax Assistance application in the mail.

Feb. 10 is the deadline for submitting this application.

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Federal and Provincial Government Investing Over $56 Million For High-Speed Internet to Over 16,000 Homes In Eastern Ontario

Both the federal and provincial governments announced more than $56 million in combined funding to provide high-speed internet access to over 16,000 households in rural communities across Eastern Ontario, announced at Selwyn Public Library on Wednesday.

Government of Canada claims that they are ensuring that 98 per cent of Canadians have access to high-speed internet by 2026 and 100 per cent by 2030. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

Honourable Gudie Hutchings, Minister of Rural Economic Development and Amarjot Sandhu, Parliamentary Assistant to Ontario’s Minister of Infrastructure were in attendance to make the announcements on behalf of their respective governments.

Three projects are done by Bell and Cogeco to bring high-speed internet. Bell’s projects are set to be completed between March and December 2025 while Cogeco’s project is set to be completed by March 2024.

"We all know that internet is no longer a luxury in this day and age, it’s a necessity,” said Hutchings. “Access to fast, reliable internet helps rural Canadians by levelling the playing field so they can access essential services like health care and education, participate in the digital economy, or simply connect with loved ones."

“Our government is building a stronger Ontario by delivering on our commitment to achieve 100 per cent connectivity across the province by the end of 2025,” said Sandhu. “These projects will expand high-speed internet access to more unserved and underserved communities across eastern Ontario and they will ensure Ontarians have the ability to learn, work, participate in the agriculture sector, access critical health services and connect with loved ones.”

Rural communities from Omemee to Gooderham are eligible for the high-speed Internet upgrade.

A list of rural communities and service providers bringing high-speed Internet to their respective locations and investments made. Screenshot.

When asked about Internet affordability, Hutchings said there is ‘Connecting Families 2.0’ to allow low-income housing a form of a rebate through Canada Revenue Agency through Child Care Benefit or include low-income seniors receiving the maximum Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS). Households will receive letters through the CRA and can use them to contact their respective Internet service provider to claim the benefit according to Hutchings.

The existing $10 Internet plan offering under Connecting Families 1.0 also remains available.

“That’s for low-income families that can avail of $10 or $20 a month Internet and it’s a partnership of the Internet Services Providers,” said Hutchings.

Since April 1, Connecting Families 2.0 was launched that significantly faster speeds and increased data usage amount. It boasted download and upload speeds that are five and ten times faster, respectively, than in the first phase of Connecting Families. The data cap also doubled from 100 to 200 GB of usage per month.

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