Money needed sooner rather than later

City only providing $2M of requested $4M upfront for planned new Canadian Canoe Museum project

The chairman of the Canadian Canoe Museum’s board says the plan for a new building “isn’t in jeopardy” after councillors voted to give $2 million instead of $4 million for construction – but officials are still going to ask council to reconsider, before the city’s budget is adopted in December.

“You have to be pleased with $2 million – but $4 million was pretty fundamental (to the project),” said chairman John Ronson. “I’m not saying it’s putting the project in jeopardy, but it can’t help (with fundraising).”

The museum is planning a new $65-million facility to be built next to the Peterborough Lift Lock. Construction is expected to start in a bit more than a year; it’s not expected to open until 2021.

Councillors were sitting as the budget committee on Monday when they approved $2 million for the museum.

Yet they didn’t want to totally delete the idea of giving $4 million: councillors also voted to have city staff present a report, sometime in 2019, asking the next council to consider giving an additional $2 million.

But Ronson said 2019 is a bit too late for the museum.

“We’ll have shovels in the ground, by then,” he said.

Meanwhile the decision isn’t final until Dec. 11, when council will adopt its budget at a meeting at City Hall.

Ronson said Canoe Museum officials will speak to councillors that evening to see whether they can be persuaded to commit to the full $4 million.

City staff had recommended giving the museum $4 million, to be paid out over four years staring in 2019.

“We’ll be making a delegation (on Dec. 11) to ask that the staff report be accepted,” Ronson said.

The museum hasn’t collected all the money it needs to start construction – not from the government, and not from private fundraising.

But there have been commitments: the province has promised $9 million, for example, and the feds have already given $1.4 million (for expenses such as architects’ fees).

Ronson said the feds have been asked for a further $13.6 million, however – and he was in Ottawa on Monday, having an “encouraging” meeting with officials about that application for money.

But that was before councillors voted to reduce their commitment, he said. While councillors’ plan is not necessarily going to sink the museum’s chances at a grant, Ronson said, it doesn’t help matters.

On Monday night, Mayor Daryl Bennett, Coun. Dan McWilliams, Coun. Henry Clarke and Coun. Lesley Parnell had argued to give the museum $4 million, saying the museum is going to be a cultural asset that will no doubt boost tourism.

But Coun. Andrew Beamer had suggested giving the museum $2 million, saying it’s far more affordable for taxpayers – and the majority of councillors agreed.

Coun. Dave Haacke said most citizens are more concerned with the condition of roads and sidewalks – not paying for a new museum.

And Coun. Keith Riel said many constituents have told him they’re concerned the new museum will be “a white elephant”.

There was a global competition among architectural firms to come up with a design for the new museum.

The Irish firm Heneghan Peng was selected: its design calls for a one-storey building with a massive rooftop garden and an interior conference room large enough to seat 400 people.

Councillors’ 2018 budget talks will resume – and likely wrap up - on Wednesday night.

Peterborough Police can expect a 2.2 per cent increase in operating funds, or $544,847 more, to run the service next year compare to this year.

At City Hall on Tuesday, councillors voted to approve the request from the police for roughly $24.9 million to operate the force in 2018. That’s up from about $24.4 million this year.

Councillors also approved the police request for $617,423 to replace some vehicles and equipment upgrades (about $144,000 more than in 2017) and an additional $75,000 to do an adequacy and effectiveness review of the force plus a space needs assessment for the increasingly cramped police headquarters.

Although councillors asked questions of Police Chief Murray Rodd, Deputy Chief Tim Farquharson and police board member Ken East, there was no debate: the request was accepted.

It’s now part of the 2018 budget, which council will vote a final time to adopt at a meeting on Dec. 11.

The approval from councillors may be a sign of improved relations between the police and city council: it’s the first time in several years that councillors haven’t asked police to reduce their request for funding, at budget time.

East said most of the operating budget – 89 per cent of it – is to cover salaries and wages.

The 2.2 per cent increase in the operating budget will help fund some fresh staff positions, including a new full-time evidence clerk (to start April 1), an additional part-time data entry clerk and two officers to assist vulnerable people - seniors and people with disabilities, for example.

All the hires would be staggered throughout 2018.

Insp. Larry Charmley told councillors the police are looking to increase their ability to respond to calls involving seniors as well as victims of sexual violence and domestic assault.

He said they have 150 reports every year of sexual assaults, for example.

They’re doing their best to keep up with all these calls, Charmley said, but he’d like to make improvements – and that’s what these new positions woud allow police to do.

“We’re doing an adequate job – but we’re not doing as good a job as we could be doing,” he said.

Meanwhile Coun. Gary Baldwin said a medical marijuana distribution centre could be coming to Peterborough and he wondered whether that calls for education programs in the city – which would cost money.

Deputy Chief Tim Farquharson said it’s unclear whether police forces will get funding from upper levels of government funding to deal with that.

City budget talks are expected to resume Wednesday night at City Hall.