‘WICKED AND IMMORAL’: Mayor, councillors react to ‘threat’
Council to send MPP a response that city wants to continue receiving provincial funding for housing
Mayor Diane Therrien said Monday that it’s “wicked and immoral” of Peterborough-Kawartha MPP Dave Smith to threaten to withhold provincial funding to help the city fight homelessness simply because he’s been “tiffed” with her online lately.
Smith wrote a letter to council asking whether they still want provincial funding for housing, since Therrien recently said Smith’s been “missing from the equation” when it comes to providing funding for affordable housing — and he took that to mean she doesn’t want any further provincial funding.
At a virtual council meeting on Monday night, councillors voted to send Smith a letter saying they do want to continue receiving provincial funding for housing. But not before Therrien responded.
“My term as mayor has been full of surprises, but never would I have foreseen that my passion for housing — a key priority for council — would result in our member of provincial Parliament threatening to withhold funding from our most vulnerable members of our community,” she said. “That is wicked and immoral. We’re speaking about housing.”
Smith’s office told The Examiner Tuesday morning he would not be commenting on Therrien’s remarks.
The days-long exchange of heated words between Smith and Therrien stems from a committee meeting on Feb. 16 where councillors discussed a proposal to create 1,400 new affordable housing units in Peterborough.
Therrien said then she was concerned that Smith has been “missing from the equation” when it comes to funding these types of construction projects.
Smith then posted a series of tweets asking how he’s been “missing” when he’s announced a series of recent grants of provincial funding for the city adding up to $6 million for shelters and rent subsidies.
Therrien tweeted back that reading Smith’s thread was “like listening to nails on a chalkboard,” a reference to a derisive phrase used recently by Premier Doug Ford.
Then Smith responded by sending a letter to council asking whether they want to continue working with the provincial government on housing initiatives or not, since the mayor seems dismissive of provincial funding and apparently uninterested in receiving any further funds.
On Monday councillors spoke about it before the mayor did.
Coun. Henry Clarke said that as housing co-chair, he believes the city always needs money from the province: “It’s too important not to receive,” he said. Coun. Lesley Parnell agreed. “Yes, MPP Smith — we want all the money that you will give us please, and we’re happy to work with you,” she said.
Coun. Kemi Akapo said she agreed to send the letter to Smith asking for funding, but also said she’s unhappy to see the money being used as a “political pawn.”
Therrien said the issue was the construction of 1,400 units of affordable housing and that she wants to work with the provincial government on that project in particular.
“I will always fight for my constituents. I don’t like them being threatened. They’re Dave’s constituents, too. MPP Smith, these are your people too,” she said.
She also said the funding Smith is talking about is “mandated” for cities.
“It’s not a gift that can be lorded over us and taken away. Provincial money is still taxpayer money coming back to fund the services they are mandated to help fund,” she said.
“So for the MPP to threaten that, because he’s tiffed at me online, is a bit beyond the pale,” Therrien added.
“But you know — things get heated. And Dave and I generally get along. So I look forward to working with him moving forward on getting housing, and getting a (supervised drug) consumption and treatment site going — because those are some of the key things we need to be doing together.”