I Challenged Peterborough’s Mayor. Now He’s Coming After Me.

Mayor Jeff Leal is weaponizing court costs to silence me. You can stop him.

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I never imagined I’d be here.

Not just in court—but at risk of losing my home.

Not because I broke the law, but because I dared to ask whether our Mayor did.

All I wanted—what any citizen wants—was a voice.

But when Peterborough Mayor Jeff Leal used his Strong Mayor powers to force through a massive transitional housing development—with no real process, no public consultation, and no council majority—he made something very clear:

In Peterborough, democracy only matters when Leal says it does.

And when I stood up to that?

He came after me.

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The Day Democracy Died

In February, a local charity asked Mayor Leal to override majority rule and approve a six-storey, 52-unit transitional housing facility on a small lot—surrounded by homes on all four sides and steps away from an existing women’s shelter on the same property.

Seven councillors voted against it—including both chairs of the homelessness portfolio.

But thanks to Ontario’s new Strong Mayor legislation, Mayor Leal only needed three other votes to ram through the zoning amendment and site plan waiver bylaws, based on misleading funding claims.

And he did just that.

No notice.

No public consultation.

No legal right to appeal to the Ontario Land Tribunal—because that option was quietly stripped away by the province last year.

This didn’t have to be a fight.

Neighbours were never against transitional housing.

But we were denied any meaningful opportunity to ask questions, propose changes, or understand the full impact of the plan.

The decision was made behind closed doors, fast-tracked by mayoral decree, and finalized in just three weeks.

Democracy didn’t just fail. It was actively repressed.

That was the moment I realized:

No one was coming to fix this for us.

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So I Did the Only Thing I Could

There was only one legal path left:

Ask the Ontario Superior Court of Justice whether Leal’s use of Strong Mayor powers was even legal.

My neighbours and I formed Northcrest Neighbours for Fair Process.

We scraped together what little funds we could.

We hired a lawyer.

And because only one person could appear as client, I—as Chair of the association—volunteered.

I incorporated Northcrest Neighbours for Fair Process Ltd., for which I am the sole director, to carry the case and follow legal best practices.

And now?

The Mayor wants to make me pay.

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The Motion That Changed Everything

Just days before we were meant to appear in court, the City filed a motion demanding that I personally post $10,000 in security for costs—just to keep the case alive.

Worse still, they’ve pre-emptively asked the court to “pierce the corporate veil” and hold me personally liable for all legal costs.

Let’s be clear:

There’s no Council vote behind this.

No agenda item. No closed session. No debate.

Mayor Leal issued a Mayoral Direction saying that Strong Mayor powers still apply and he would direct City Solicitors himself.

He’s acting alone.

Using public money to target one resident.

This isn’t a legal motion.

It’s a message:

Speak up, and you’ll pay.

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A Pattern of Behaviour

This isn’t an isolated case.

Mayor Leal was recently found guilty by the Integrity Commissioner of bullying and intimidating city councillors during a planning dispute.

He is now under a second investigation—for using the N-word during his lecture to Business students at Trent University.

And just days ago—right before the first court date—the city permitted more than 15 mature trees to be cut down on the transitional housing site.

No notice. No warning. No accountability.

This, despite legal language forbidding irreversible damage to the property during active legal review of the bylaws.

Peterborough has seen this bullying tactic before. The same thing happened at Bonnerworth:

Raze the property before the courts can stop it.

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I Tried to Resolve This

Early on, I instructed my lawyer to offer a simple resolution:

If the Mayor rescinds his Strong Mayor order and brings the by-laws back to Council for a proper vote—we’ll drop the case.

No costs. No damages. Just democracy.

I also reminded the City that we never sought costs—our tax dollars fund the city, after all.

This was never about money.

But the Mayor refused.

And now, I’m staring down financial ruin for the “crime” of asking whether democracy still matters.

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I’ve Fought Before. But This Time, I Need Your Help.

For the past nine years, I've fought cancer. Twice.

It wiped out my savings.

But I survived.

I finally reached remission last year.

And now?

Now I’m fighting for something else: fair process.

I’m tired. I’m terrified.

But I won’t back down.

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If You Believe That Power Shouldn’t Go Unchecked…

If You Believe That Intimidation Has No Place in a Democracy…

If You Believe Ordinary People Still Deserve a Voice…

Please help me.

I have until June 19 to raise $10,000 to fight back in court—and I’ll need much more to carry this case through after that.

Your donation—no matter the size—will help cover the legal costs to defend against the City’s motion and bring our application before a judge.

If I don’t raise the funds in time, the case could be dismissed—before a single legal question is heard.

That’s not justice.

That’s punishment.

Mayor Leal is using power to intimidate.

You can use yours to stop him.

I’m standing up to a bully.

Please, stand with me.

With hope and gratitude,

Sarah McNeilly

Chair, Northcrest Neighbours for Fair Process

Peterborough, Ontario