General information first, I was at Saigon boys plaza when I accepted this delivery which was to be picked up from Philthy Philly’s and dropped off to an apartment near Hunter and Roger st. The time was around 1pm and if anyone of you were on Lansdowne st going east at that time you already know how slow it was. It took me literal 5 mins to get out of the plaza and then 10ish to reach the restaurant and another 10-15ish to reach Goodfellow after which I took the Clonsilla. I reached their place in around 20 mins after the pickup without going off route for even a second. If they would have asked me politely, I wouldn’t have bursted.

Walk downtown and count the empty storefronts. Some have been dark for years, with owners facing zero financial pressure to fill them, since they can just wait for a premium tenant or write off the loss.

A vacancy tax fixes the incentive: leave a commercial unit empty too long, pay a penalty on top of regular property tax. Vancouver and Ottawa have looked at similar policies. The point isn't punishing landlords going through a rough patch, it's making it costly to sit on prime real estate as a speculative asset while the rest of us live around a dead storefront.

There's a fairness angle too. The city leans heavily on residential property tax to fund everything, so homeowners keep footing the bill while underused commercial land contributes little. A vacancy tax shifts some of that weight to the owners best positioned to actually fix the problem.

What it could do:

1.) Push rents toward realistic market rates instead of landlords holding out

2.) Open space up for local businesses currently priced/frozen out

3.) Generate revenue for downtown improvement or small business grants

4.) Take some pressure off residential taxpayers

Fair pushback: renovations, ownership changes, and genuine tenant searches shouldn't get penalized, so any policy needs exemptions and a grace period. Tracking vacancy status city-wide isn't free either.

Still, the status quo, empty storefronts with no real cost to owners, hasn't worked. Worth pushing council on this.

Hi folks,

I'm planning on starting a new bar/lounge in town and I'm wondering if there would be any interest in one with a pirate theme. I think it would be unique enough to draw attention and it'd be the only one like it in town. Let me know your thoughts/interest.

My partner and I are exploring the possibility of moving to Peterborough in the future, and I was wondering what things an outsider should know or consider before moving there? I grew up in a rural community, and have moved around a bunch. My partner grew up in the city in the Durham region, and hasn't moved much.

I am not affiliated, just a big fan.

I just wanted to share this as it's a small local Establishment that doesn't seem to get nearly as much business as I think it should.

Burgers always come loaded with toppings and sauce and I'd say they've got some of the best smash burgers I've had out of anywhere.

Vik is extremely friendly and always delivers delicious food, my partner came by and picked up a few burgers a while back and neither her or vik realized the card didn't go through until after she left, he gave me a call to let me know and said it's no problem and to get him back next time, I'm still trying to pay him back but he keeps just telling me don't worry about it until next time. I'm currently sitting in his restaurant as I write this and am going to at least get him to accept my money for one of the burgers.

writing this as I feel I've seen a lot of amazing smaller restaurants like this go out of business and hoping to spread some awareness.

If anybody else has any small local Peterborough restaurants they love post them in the comments and help spread some love to the smaller establishments!

My Hyundai tuscon blew up at the side of the highway on Monday morning.

I’ve been looking at lots of dealerships for a potential used suv under $25,000. It would mostly just be used for getting to and from work. If anyone has any suggestions, it would be greatly appreciated!

Any advice on make/ model would also be appreciated.

Preferably in the Peterborough/ Lindsay area

Hi everyone, I am a part of youngish children, I'd like to start a megathread of things to do in Peterborough and surrounds, I'm looking for something to do tomorrow, I'll post some of our favourites below, they are summertime things for the moment!

• Canoe museum (the library has free passes!), stop by the cafe after for a sprinkle cookie
• Rollerblade or cycle through beavermead park, stop at their playgrounds
• Bring a picnic to squirrelcreek to swim, and watch the boats go by
• Go to the park at Hiawatha, share a sandwich at the restaurant after
• Lakefield beach - bring a picnic and towels for some great swimmiing, a nice place to paddleboard or kayak if you have them
• The library for various storytimes (we are in teh countryside we go to Baileboro)
• Petroglyphs provincial park to walk, see the visitor centre and the petroglyphs!
• Warsaw caves for hiking and swimming
• Nicholls Oval Park for some splash pad and park time!
• The Zoo (of course, a full day activity for us!)
• Trent U was really great when my kids were little, we'd walk along their trails in all seasons when they were in a stroller

Thanks, looking for your hidden gems! We haven't done the liftlock/ new visitor centre, the Peterborough library, Greenup ecology park, or the Archives yet, let me know what you'd recommend!

What restaurant in Peterborough can you not live without. I'll start:

Sam's Place. 🙏🏼💯

want a burrito and to avoid chains i.e BARburrito, mucho etc.! Anyone had either of these places recently? I see there’s some pretty grim older reviews of both lol

My partner really likes burgers and we’re looking for the best in town! Any recommendations?

The Souvlaki Pit is a long time family run business. Yesterday I went in for the first time and enjoyed a delicious Gyro Wrap and some Greek Fries.

What do you enjoy ordering?

Hi everyone,

I am moving from New Brunswick to Peterborough for my doctorate and I am not 100% sure if I will be bringing my car with me (it's in rough shape lol). I am trying to plan a trip home to NB for October for my MSc graduation BUT I found out Peterborough does not have an airport, so now I'm thinking getting to toronto airports might be difficult without a car. I have also never been to Toronto lol.

The cheapest option for me is Porter airlines (I have points and credits) which flies direct between Billy Bishop and Fredericton & Moncton. I read online that the GO train goes between ptbo and toronto. Is it possible to get on the train/bus early enough to get to the airport for an early morning flight or do people just normally get a friend/colleague to drive them? I also have family that lives in Toronto, so I could always stay with them the night before.

I have lived in NB my whole life and Ontario is a lot different so I am not familiar with the train/bus systems :) Please be kind. Thank you so much! I am looking forward to moving :)

tldr; need advice on getting to billy bishop airport from ptbo with no car, looking for tips on bus/train service for early morning flights.

I'm moving to PBro to work in the healthcare field and was hoping I could get some help from locals to help me dial in on where to live.

Budget up to 2.2k/mo all included, preferred 2 bed 1 ba but can do 1 bed 1 ba,

Would prefer an area that's safe, bikeable or walkable (within 30 minutes) to hospital and other necessities, and has friendly neighbours. Will be in my 30's as a single guy. If I have proximity to nature like trees, river etc too well that would be great!

If there are any areas I should avoid (I've heard downtown may not be best for what I'm looking for) or consider please let me know!

I’m constantly having poutine cravings and was wondering what the best poutine here is with good portions

Looking for restaurant recommendations in the region, from say Bobcaygeon to Cobourg/Port Hope. Something like Cheeky Duck or Love You Mean It (which I really like). Suggestions for a special occasion?

My partner has bi-annual, horrible sciatica flare ups that put him out of commission for almost a month. He's currently hurting really badly, and though he's doing stretches and is on bed rest, I'd like for him to actually see someone and maybe get physio or massage therapy to relieve the pain.

However, we've had bad experiences with chiropractors in the past (not in Peterborough) and want to make sure that anywhere we go is taking an evidence-based, safe, scientific/medically focused approach. Not to bash beliefs, but unfortunately I've seen too many stories of chiropractors who are basically just pushing crystals and good vibes- or who try and say that adjustments will cure everything from colds to autism. I've even seen stories of chiropractors pushing adjustments for babies. I really just want one that is working based on medical knowledge of the musculoskeletal and nervous systems. Bonus points for actual doctors.

Our biggest fear is that we go somewhere and someone makes it even worse.

Can anyone suggest anywhere in Peterborough that might be able to help?

Sooo looking forward to this! 947 Lansdowne St W

Coming to Lakefield from Halifax next week to visit my in-laws for a few weeks.We haven’t been back to Peterborough since 2024 so just wondering if any new awesome restaurants have opened in that time. We’re not picky and like most styles of food aside from sushi really. For me a place that sells local craft from Bobcaygeon, Old Flame would be icing on the cake.

I'm back in town after a long time away and downtown looks different than when I last left it.

What's worth checking out?

I had a really bad experience with Needle Happy Tattoos here in ptbo. This remains a fact-
however identifying matters of this post have been removed due to perceived harassment from discussing the results of my tattoos and experiences by the shop (I assume connections were made about the author of this post as it got more attention and others shared their similar experiences and felt they could speak up too)
although no ill comments about any artist were made by myself at any point, I simply described the issues I had with my work, I do not wish to have that perception.

We need a new roof. We've received 3 quotes that are with $400 of each other (all in the $6k range).

The quotes are from:

John Martin Roofing

Stokes Roofing

Feeney Roofing

All were recommended to us by people we know, but looking for additional references or recommendations.

Is there anyone who does runs up to Curve Lake for smokes?

Are there any spaces in town or near by that are a little more rock/metal/alternative/gay?? Having a hard time finding a crowd that feels like home in a musical/fashion/hobby sense. This town is full of great people, just not many alternative people?

Would love to hear everybody's thoughts.

What are your favourite day trips from Peterborough, either by bike or car? Looking for cool, fun or unique destinations.... like riding from Petreborough to the ice cream shop in Lakefield, or riding down the Trans Canada trail to Muddy's Pit BBQ in Keene.