From Glasgow to Peterborough: A Life Rooted in Community.

Rose Kitney's connection to Peterborough started with a hard winter and a soft landing. Her family emigrated from Glasgow, Scotland when she was just 8 years old, arriving in Scarborough in early December with no experience of a Canadian winter, and family and friends left behind an ocean away. Those first few months in Toronto were difficult ones.

Six months later, the family moved to Peterborough, and everything changed. East City became a summer and winter paradise for Rose and her sisters, before the family moved again to the south end, where they lived in geared-to-income housing for several years. Eventually, Rose's parents were able to purchase their first home in the north end, on St. Paul Street, a house that stayed in the family for many years.

It was here, growing up across so many corners of this city, that Rose first understood what makes Peterborough different: this is a city that looks after its own. Neighbours caring for neighbours. A community strongly rooted in the well-being of the people in it. That understanding has stayed with her ever since.

Rose and her husband Paul bought their first house together in Kawartha Heights, where they raised their three sons. They still call the west end of Peterborough home today.

From Frustrated Parent to Public School Board Trustee

Rose's path into public service didn't start with politics, it started with her kids. While her three sons were in school, she grew frustrated with school board processes, particularly around programming and accessibility. Rather than just voice the frustration, she acted on it: attending board meetings, reviewing minutes, and eventually concluding she could make a real difference from within.

That decision led to her election as a public school board trustee for the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board, representing the City of Peterborough, a role she has now held for over 30 years.

Early in her tenure, Rose navigated one of the biggest shakeups in Ontario education: the province's amalgamation of all publicly funded school boards. It was a complicated, difficult process, but through consistency and steady leadership, boards persevered, always keeping the focus where it belonged: on the best interests of children, our leaders of tomorrow.

Rose was once given a piece of advice she's carried through every decision since: always make decisions based on what is right for children. It's guided her entire tenure as trustee and it's the same principle she plans to bring to Council.

Over three decades, Rose has served on nearly every committee within the board structure, chairing several including Resource, Program, Budget, and Accessibility. She was elected Vice Chair of the Board three years running. Along the way, she's built deep, practical expertise in finance, operations, programming, and accessibility the exact skill set a City Councillor needs.

A Career Rooted in Care

Rose's professional path has been shaped by service in a different form. After years of clinical work in the health sector, she moved into the not-for-profit world, eventually being appointed Regional Manager with the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) now known as Vision Loss Rehabilitation Canada.

In that role, she oversaw operations, budget, and the delivery of rehabilitation services across a wide region: Peterborough and Peterborough County, Northumberland County, Belleville & Kingston, Durham Region, York Region, and Simcoe Muskoka working closely with Local Health Networks (now Ontario Health at Home) and regional United Ways. It was, in her words, a great learning curve, one that sharpened the same operational and budgetary skills she's applied ever since.

Why Council, Why Now

Rose has spent 30 years listening to this community, solving problems, and making tough decisions in the public interest, first as a parent who refused to sit on the sidelines, then as a trustee, and throughout a career built around service to others.

Now, she's ready to bring that same experience to City Hall as Councillor for Monaghan Ward, continuing to serve the city that raised her, and that she and Paul chose to raise their own family in.

"It would be an honour and a privilege to bring my transferable skills and experience to City Hall as Councillor for Monaghan Ward, continuing to serve Peterborough in this manner. With sincerity, I ask for your support on Monday, October 26."

— Rose Kitney