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 weigh the tradeoffs and make the honest choice.

I was elected to stop downtown overdevelopment, and I did. Under my leadership, we revised the Official Plan that would have allowed up to 30 more towers downtown, including the middle of Village Square, and worked with the province to shift our Urban Growth Centre to the GO station — the first and only municipality to achieve that. That led directly to our victory at the Ontario Land Tribunal, stopping two towers at the Waterfront Hotel site. The high-rises you see under construction now were approved earlier, by the previous council or the tribunal, before that change. 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 at the Traffic Congestion and Road Safety Roundtable. Council received my report and directed staff to bring forward the city's first congestion management plan. My commitment: bring that costed plan to council this year and act on it. 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. Auto theft is 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.

Data centres are part of the digital economy we all rely on — the priority must be ensuring they're in the right place and don't negatively impact our community, including the power our city needs to grow and build housing. I supported prioritizing an update to our own policies, and standard regulation across the province and country rather than a piecemeal approach. As Chair of Ontario's Big City Mayors, I'll continue to advocate to the province and Ottawa for clear, consistent standards.

I hear the concern, especially from seniors — fast e-bikes and e-scooters on our sidewalks feel unsafe, for pedestrians, drivers and riders alike. These are provincially regulated and enforced by police, and the rules aren't well understood. I'll keep doing what we can locally to put pedestrian safety first, and press the province for the tools 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. Over two terms, 91% of our council votes have been unanimous, because I work to bring people together rather than 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.