Downtown belongs to the whole city, and I would treat the DBIA as an important partner in making it somewhere people actively choose to visit rather than simply pass through. I support community events, public art, patios, accessible public spaces, wayfinding, beautification and creative temporary uses for vacant storefronts.
I would also want the City and DBIA to coordinate these investments rather than working in separate silos. That means looking at transit, pedestrian access, public safety, homelessness supports, streetscape improvements and event programming together. Success should be measured by things like foot traffic, storefront occupancy, event participation and whether investments are actually helping downtown businesses.
I think there needs to be a balance between helping owners bring difficult properties back into productive use and making sure long-term neglect doesn’t become an acceptable business model.
I would support stronger enforcement of reasonable property standards, particularly where deterioration creates safety problems or negatively affects neighbouring businesses. At the same time, the City should make redevelopment and adaptive reuse easier through streamlined approvals and targeted incentives. For storefronts that are temporarily vacant, I would also support partnerships for pop-up retail, art installations, community uses or other temporary activation so empty windows don’t simply sit dark for years.
I would support using Municipal Accommodation Tax funding for projects that make downtown a stronger destination for visitors and residents alike. That could include events, public art, wayfinding, streetscape improvements, seasonal programming, and destination marketing that encourages people to spend more time downtown and support local businesses.
I would also want those investments tied to clear goals and evaluated afterward, so we know whether they increased visits, participation, overnight stays, or local spending. The point should be to use tourism revenue to strengthen the places and experiences that give people a reason to come to Peterborough in the first place.
Yes. I would support City-DBIA partnerships where there is a clear public benefit and a reasonable business case. That can include direct contributions where appropriate, but also in-kind support, letters of support and joint applications for provincial, federal or other grant funding so we can stretch local dollars further.
Projects like patios, planters, lighting, wayfinding and street furniture may sound small individually, but together they affect whether downtown feels comfortable, accessible and worth spending time in. I would prioritize projects with clear objectives, realistic maintenance plans and measurable results rather than treating beautification as a one-time expense.
I would like to see a more structured, ongoing relationship between the City and the BIA rather than relying on consultation only when a particular issue comes up. That could include regular meetings with relevant City staff and Council representatives, clearer points of contact, better information-sharing, and an annual discussion of shared priorities.
The BIA has direct knowledge of what downtown businesses, property owners and visitors are experiencing. That perspective should inform City decisions, while still recognizing that Council ultimately has to balance downtown priorities with the needs of the wider community.
I would support developing a Memorandum of Understanding collaboratively with the BIA. It should clearly establish roles, responsibilities, communication expectations and how the two organizations work together on areas such as events, streetscape maintenance, capital projects, marketing, data-sharing and consultation.
A good MOU should reduce ambiguity and make collaboration easier, while remaining flexible enough to evolve as priorities and responsibilities change.
I would involve the BIA early enough that its input can actually influence the result. When a policy, master plan or major project will materially affect downtown, the BIA should have advance notice, access to relevant information and a clear opportunity to provide input before key decisions have been made.
Depending on the process, that could mean working groups, advisory committees, workshops or formal written consultation. I would also like the City to explain how significant stakeholder feedback was considered, including where recommendations were not adopted.
Downtown has a limited footprint, so we should make better use of the buildings and infrastructure already there. I support making it easier to bring vacant or underused upper floors back into productive use for offices, studios, professional services and other businesses where appropriate. The City can help by making approvals predictable and supporting renovations that address barriers such as accessibility, fire safety and building-code requirements.
I would also support adaptive reuse and mixed-use development more broadly, so downtown buildings can accommodate the combination of businesses, services and housing that makes a neighbourhood active throughout the day.
Regulations should protect legitimate public interests, not make people navigate unnecessary paperwork. I would look for ways to simplify forms, eliminate duplicate requests for information, provide clear checklists and timelines, and give applicants a consistent point of contact when several City departments are involved.
I also want businesses to be able to track where an application is in the process and understand what is holding it up. When funding programs are available, the City should make them easy to find and apply for. The goal isn't fewer standards; it's fewer unnecessary steps between a good idea and getting it done.
I don't think those goals are in conflict. A healthy downtown needs successful businesses, clean and welcoming public spaces, and people who feel safe being there. It also needs an effective response to homelessness, addiction and mental-health crises.
Moving people from one block to another doesn’t solve those problems; it just moves their impact onto another business or neighbourhood. The City should invest in housing, outreach, treatment, crisis services and supportive spaces while maintaining appropriate standards for public behaviour and public spaces.
Addressing the root causes is both a social responsibility and an economic-development strategy.
Businesses affected by a decision should be involved before the decision is effectively finished. For policies and projects with a significant impact on a business district, I would expect early consultation with the BIA and affected businesses, along with a clear assessment of costs, disruptions and unintended consequences.
I would also like Council reports to explain those impacts and identify reasonable mitigation measures where they exist. Consultation doesn't mean every business will agree with every decision, but Council should understand the trade-offs before voting and be able to explain why it chose one approach over another.
No, not in its current form. I understand why the DBIA sees an event centre as an opportunity to bring more people downtown, and I agree that we need investments that increase foot traffic and support downtown businesses. I'm not yet convinced that a roughly $170-million new arena is the best way to accomplish that.
A large event venue also carries a significant opportunity cost. The Townsend Street site and surrounding area could potentially accommodate housing, small businesses, public space and mixed-use development that generate activity throughout the week, rather than primarily when events are taking place. Before committing to the new centre, I would want a transparent comparison with modernizing the Memorial Centre that considers not just construction costs, but operating costs, transit and parking, land use, economic activity and what else we could accomplish with the site and public investment.
I want a stronger downtown. My disagreement is about whether this particular project is the best way to build one.
Downtown infrastructure should be maintained as a connected system: roads, sidewalks, lighting, accessibility, public washrooms, street furniture, trees and related public-realm elements.
I support regular condition assessments and long-term capital planning, involving the BIA early, and communicating clearly about what work is happening, why, when, and who businesses can contact. Projects should also be coordinated so we aren’t repeatedly excavating the same street for separate pieces of work.
Construction will sometimes be disruptive, but poor planning can make it much worse than it needs to be. I would expect the City to consult affected businesses before work begins, maintain pedestrian access wherever safely possible, preserve clear signage and loading access, and provide realistic schedules and regular updates when those schedules change.
I would also look for phasing that avoids unnecessarily closing entire areas at once and, where possible, schedule the most disruptive work around major events and important business periods. If a project is going to affect someone's livelihood for months, they deserve more than a notice taped to a pole a week beforehand.
I would be cautious about automatically earmarking parking revenue for the district where it was collected. Downtown generates a large share of the City's parking revenue because that's where much of our paid parking infrastructure is located, but those revenues are collected by the City and should ultimately serve the broader community.
I do support reinvesting enough in downtown parking, sidewalks, lighting, accessibility, wayfinding and public spaces to keep the system functional and the area attractive. Beyond that, I think Council should allocate revenue based on citywide needs and priorities rather than creating a system where neighbourhoods with the most paid parking automatically receive the most investment.
I see a healthy downtown as a citywide asset, not just a concern for the businesses located within the BIA boundary. It should be somewhere people can live, work, shop, eat, attend events and simply spend time in.
That means getting the basics right: clean and accessible public spaces, reliable infrastructure, useful transit, housing, support for local businesses, and an effective response to homelessness and addiction. I won't agree with the BIA on every individual project, but I would want a relationship where disagreements are open, information is shared early, and we can work together on the goals we do share.