City won’t try to repeal act after all

The city won’t try to repeal the act that enshrines Morrow Park as agricultural exhibition grounds, stated the city solicitor on Thursday, two days after the city ran a notice in The Examiner that it intended to do so.

A notice published Tuesday notice states that the city planned to apply to the Ontario government to repeal the City of Peterborough Act, 1984.

Under the act, the city must reserve Morrow Park forever as an exhibition ground – or at least for as long as there’s an agricultural society to run the Ex (the 173rd Ex is open this weekend in the park).

In the event there’s no longer anyone to organize an agricultural fair, the act states that the city is obliged to use the property as a public park.

But the application to have that act repealed won’t be made after all, stated city solicitor David Potts in an email to The Examiner.

Potts started his job in early June. On Thursday, he wrote in an email to The Examiner that he’s recently been handed responsibility for the file.

Following publication of the notice, Potts wrote, he consulted with city staff and it was determined that the city won’t apply to have the act repealed after all.

He points out that in 2015 the city arrived at a licensing agreement with the Peterborough Agricultural Society.

Under the agreement, the city must give the Ag Society $155,000 to cover some debts and to help run the Peterborough Exhibition in Morrow Park.

In exchange, the city gets to develop 60% of the property west of Roger Neilson Way. The rest must remain green space.

Some parts of the Peterborough Act, 1984 are redundant now that the 2015 agreement is in place, Potts wrote.

But he added that other sections of the Act “reinforce the city's continued commitment to use the property for park and recreation purposes.”

“Accordingly, repealing the

Act is unnecessary,” Potts wrote.

Nonetheless, at least one citizen says he’s concerned.

Ian Falkner is the grandson of Harold Morrow, who gave the land in trust to the organizers of the agricultural exhibition in 1938.

In 1984, Falkner and his family deeded the land to the city with the promise that it be used for exhibition grounds.

Falkner says he wants the city to honour its commitment to using the park for exhibition grounds, so he objects to any plan to repeal the act.

On Thursday he said he was perplexed that the city would announce plans to try to have the act repealed and then backtrack within two days.

“It gives me no confidence at all in their ability to deal with Morrow Park,” he said. “Why would other landowners even consider donating any land to the city of Peterborough if that’s what transpired?”

Meanwhile there could be change soon in Morrow Park.

The city’s consultant has released one report stating that the Memorial Centre (on park property) is obsolete and that the city ought to consider building a new arena and entertainment centre to replace it.

The city hasn’t got a location in mind, although Morrow Park was once suggested.

The consultant, Sierra Management, is expected to release a report in September recommending potential locations for the new arena.

Although Sierra has been scouting for potential locations, they haven't publicly said where they are looking.