Steady Hands

I hear the concern about tax increases, and I treat your tax dollars like my own. Our budgets focus on inflation, community services, and keeping what we have in good repair — because a dollar spent today saves ten dollars later. The three largest items on your bill are community services, police, and infrastructure, in that order — all things residents asked for. I've brought more amendments to reduce tax increases than any other member of council, and rebuilt our reserves to record levels through responsible planning. For 2027, I've directed staff to bring real, costed options — including a zero-per-cent increase and one at inflation — so together we can see the tradeoffs and make the honest choice.

I was elected in 2018 to stop downtown overdevelopment, and I did. I changed the Official Plan and moved the Urban Growth Centre to the GO station — the only city in Ontario to do this — which led the Ontario Land Tribunal to refuse two towers at the waterfront. Without that work, there would have been 30 more high-rises downtown, including on the waterfront and at the beloved Village Square. The high-rises you see under construction now were approved earlier, by the previous council or by the tribunal, before that change. Going forward, I'll keep growth where it belongs — around our GO stations and transit — and out of the neighbourhoods and waterfront that make Burlington special.

Congestion is a daily frustration, and it's real. Our roads are shared with the Region and the Province, so real progress takes coordination, not slogans. That's why I brought every level of government to one table to build a plan — and my commitment is to bring that costed plan to council this year and act on it, so we actually get Burlington moving. Directing growth to transit also helps take pressure off our roads.

Halton has been the safest large community in Canada for nearly 20 years — and I've worked to keep it that way: investing in more officers on our streets, backing upstream prevention and community partnerships, and advocating at every level of government for bail reform and a new Halton courthouse. The results: overall crime down 2.3% and auto theft down 22%. Recent break-ins and home invasions are real concerns, and I've brought police, residents and other governments together to act on them.

I share the concerns many residents have raised — about the demand on our power supply, our water, and noise. These are legitimate, and I take them seriously. One matters enormously for our future: a large data centre can draw significant electricity, and we need to be sure we have the power our city needs to grow — to build the housing our families need and support a strong local economy. That has to come first. On process, honestly: under provincial law, site-plan approval for this kind of application rests with city staff, not council or the mayor. So rather than make promises I can't keep, I directed staff to assess the full implications and report back, I'm reviewing our municipal rules through the 2027 Official Plan, and as Chair of Ontario's Big City Mayors I'm pushing the province and Ottawa for clear, consistent rules so communities like ours aren't left handling this case by case. I'll keep pressing to make sure our community's interests — our power, our water, our quality of life — come first.

I hear this a lot, especially from seniors — fast e-bikes and e-scooters on our sidewalks feel unsafe, and that concern is real. I'll be straight about who controls what: the province regulates these devices, including their sale and where they're allowed on roads, so the city can't ban them outright. But what we can control, we have: Burlington deliberately chose not to open our sidewalks to e-scooters, and kept our pilot limited and carefully evaluated rather than a free-for-all. I'll keep pedestrian safety first — and keep pressing the province for the rules and enforcement tools we need to keep our sidewalks and paths safe for everyone.

I have never — and would never — use the veto, or the power to pass a bylaw with the support of just one-third of council, the powers that have caused the most concern in our community. I've delegated nearly all of the administrative Strong Mayor powers back to council and staff, keeping only the hiring of the CAO — and even there, I sought council's collaboration and support. I also worked with council colleagues to develop principles of collaboration that go beyond the basic legal requirements, and all mayoral decisions are posted publicly for transparency. The record shows the vast majority have simply been to approve the bylaws passed by a majority of council. Over two terms, 91% of our council votes have been unanimous — because I work to bring people together, not impose.

Because steady, experienced leadership matters most in uncertain times — and with several new faces coming to council, continuity at the head of the table keeps Burlington moving forward. Anyone can make promises months before an election. The best guide to what someone will do is what they've already done — and my record is one you can check. I'd be honoured to keep serving.