Burlington Business Votes

I have a history of hosting trade shows within various industries...software, banking, quality management systems. I would start hosting tradeshows that would strengthen business opportunities for local businesses. We need to capture much of the ‘buy Canadian’ concept and market this to companies across the province. Trade shows are great for getting your message out there. On the attracting new business into the city, we would have to provide certain tax relief programs and promote the logistic advantages by locating in Burlington. We also want to attract business that our current base of companies is looking to access. Location matters to many companies. I will also be starting a new city site for Burlington business hiring Burlingtonians. The idea behind this, the city will host a LinkedIn type website that will engage local business to access and contract local talent. Both business and residents will register through the city. Millions are spent on consulting services, so we want to try our best to keep it local.

In my first two years, there are certain policies I will champion. The first mentioned above (Burlington business hiring/contracting local talent) will be up and running for 2nd quarter 2027. The initial development will start 1st quarter 2027 and I want something up for when young adults come back from school. Like any project, it will be phased in and grow as time moves on. The second priority is dealing with the homeless situation. I have a staged plan approach for this, and it will start with getting an address set up so people on the streets can start filing taxes and get monies owed from 10 years (Trillium & GST). They can then get access to Canada Dental benefits. Then there will be more analysis for next stages that I describe on my website. But we need to give the opportunity for people to get back on their feet. One cannot gain employment living on the street. It may not be popular with residents, but it’s the right thing to do. Housing is another priority. I would work with the new chair of Halton and remove boundary restrictions to get development of new homes moving along. This would also create a significant amount of jobs and more tax base to collect. I don’t know if I would defer priorities, it’s more ‘is it a priority’?? If talking transit, I would need to review status and data surrounding it. What changes can we make to get more people out of their cars. Perhaps encouraging local business to offer remote work for their employees where applicable to assist in controlling local traffic flow.

If elected as mayor, I will implement the vacant home tax for 2027. There are approximately 265 vacant homes in Burlington owned by developers sitting on them. This council did not move forward with this tax. The reason for the vacant home tax is to force these homeowners to open the homes up for rent or sell them. Affordability comes with increasing the supply. This also will include changing certain zoning for rentals and will remove any boundary restrictions on development. This plays into the capitalist approach for development…let the development happen. This will in turn create a larger tax base.

If a proposed data centre met all planning and zoning requirements within an employment area, I would support it. The world is becoming more data focused, and this is driving business. Has been for the last two decades, so these data hubs are important for businesses and residents. I come from an IT background and have worked years with business intelligence…data is huge and drives business decisions. I would only appose a proposal should it interfere with the quality of life with residents in the given area…but that’s why it must pass all planning/zoning requirements.

On the housing front, let me make this clear…UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES WILL THIS CITY WAVE DEVELOPMENT COSTS FOR DEVELOPERS!! They have made millions over the years because of a housing crisis that got started from a NIMBY ideology. If elected mayor I will remove any boundary restrictions for housing development. We will meet the targets the province wants to see, and we will work with the new appointed chair on meeting these housing numbers. Affordability on housing is largely driven by supply/demand.

Burlington needs to be a place where businesses can invest, grow and create jobs without being slowed down by unnecessary cost or bureaucracy. Lisa Kearns’ platform focuses on expanding the non-residential tax base, protecting employment lands and ensuring municipal spending is disciplined so businesses and residents are not continually asked to absorb higher costs. She has proposed bringing Invest Burlington and Development & Growth Management into closer alignment, along with a 30-Day Business Issue Resolution Process to address permitting, infrastructure and regulatory issues that can stall investment. Burlington should also be more deliberate about attracting knowledge-economy, technology and professional-services employers that create high-value jobs and strengthen the commercial assessment base. That requires available employment space, predictable approvals, strong infrastructure and an excellent quality of life that helps employers recruit talent. Targeted incentives should be considered when there is a clear public benefit and measurable return, such as significant new investment, employment or commercial assessment. They should be transparent, performance-based and evaluated against the value they create for Burlington.

Lisa Kearns’ first priority would be responsible growth and housing delivery. Burlington needs more housing choices, including affordable rental, missing-middle and family-sized housing, while directing major growth to locations where transit, roads and infrastructure can support it. Her proposed Permit to Build Committee would focus on moving approved housing into construction faster and identifying barriers that unnecessarily delay projects. Second would be transportation and infrastructure. Growth cannot outpace the roads, transit, stormwater systems and community infrastructure required to support it. That includes improved traffic management, signal coordination, transit options and stronger long-term infrastructure planning. Third would be fiscal sustainability. Burlington needs rigorous review of spending, stronger reserves, measurable performance standards and continued growth of the commercial tax base. Lower-priority discretionary projects that do not address core infrastructure, housing, public safety, essential services or demonstrated community needs should be reviewed and, where appropriate, deferred. The test should be simple: does the project deliver measurable value, and is this the right time to spend taxpayers’ money on it?

Burlington needs significantly more housing choice if young people, families, workers and seniors are going to be able to remain part of this community. The solution is not simply approving more density everywhere. It is creating the right housing, in the right locations, supported by the infrastructure and services residents need. Lisa Kearns’ platform calls for an updated Burlington Housing Strategy focused on affordable rental housing, missing-middle options and larger family homes. Her proposed Permit to Build Committee would also work to move approved projects into construction faster by identifying unnecessary barriers and delays. Growth should be concentrated where transportation and municipal infrastructure can support it, particularly around major transit areas, while protecting established neighbourhoods, natural heritage, farmland and public greenspace. Fiscal responsibility must remain part of the equation. Burlington should pursue partnerships, senior-government funding and carefully structured incentives rather than expecting existing property taxpayers to carry the entire cost of housing initiatives. More housing supply, delivered intelligently, can support affordability without sacrificing the qualities that make Burlington a desirable place to live.

Data centres are legitimate pieces of modern digital infrastructure, but Burlington should evaluate them based on more than whether a proposal technically fits existing zoning. Lisa Kearns has already called for Burlington to establish a clearer municipal framework for data centres, including appropriate regulations, impact assessment and public engagement. These facilities can bring significant capital investment and commercial assessment, but they may also consume substantial land, electricity and infrastructure while generating fewer permanent jobs than other employment uses. A proposal that meets all applicable planning requirements should receive fair consideration, but approval should also reflect whether the use represents good long-term planning for scarce employment lands and whether infrastructure, environmental and community impacts have been properly addressed. Data centres can have a place in Burlington’s economic mix, particularly where they complement technology and knowledge-economy investment. Lisa’s record does not support either automatically approving or categorically rejecting them. Opposition would be appropriate where a project creates unacceptable infrastructure, environmental or community impacts, undermines strategically important employment lands, or proceeds under an inadequate regulatory framework without appropriate review and public accountability.

Housing affordability is not only a social issue, it is an economic competitiveness issue. Burlington increasingly risks becoming a community where many of the people who work here cannot afford to live here. Young professionals, skilled tradespeople, service workers, families and seniors all need a wider range of housing choices. Lisa Kearns’ platform calls for an updated Housing Strategy focused on affordable rental housing, missing-middle housing and larger family homes, alongside a Permit to Build Committee aimed at turning approved projects into completed homes faster. Housing supply should be directed toward appropriate locations, particularly areas supported by transit and infrastructure, while maintaining Burlington’s established neighbourhoods, greenspace and natural heritage. Affordability also requires partnerships with Halton Region, senior governments, non-profit providers and the private sector rather than relying solely on the municipal tax base. For employers, housing matters because access to talent matters. Businesses cannot grow if employees face increasingly long commutes or cannot afford to live anywhere near their workplace. A broader supply of attainable housing strengthens employee recruitment and retention, supports local businesses and helps Burlington compete for the employers and investment we want to attract.

Burlington must be a place where businesses start, grow, invest and create good local jobs, and that starts with responsible finances. We have rebuilt our reserves to their highest levels ever and maintained one of the lower overall tax burdens among comparable-sized Ontario municipalities. The three largest items on your tax bill are community services, police, and infrastructure. All three are essential for business—providing services that attract workers, ensuring a safe community, and keeping roads and transportation routes in a state of good repair. I will keep budgets focused on needs, not wants, with real efficiency reviews and targeted savings, while protecting the infrastructure businesses depend on. I led council to direct staff to bring options for a zero percent budget and an inflation-based budget, so the next council has appropriate information on areas to cut or maintain when deliberating on the 2027 budget. We also need to make it easier to do business with the City, cutting unnecessary red tape, improving approvals, and giving investors greater certainty. I support targeted incentives where there is clear public benefit, particularly for new facilities, equipment, innovation and jobs, transparent and tied to measurable outcomes. I have backed business through hard times: COVID-19 relief measures, Buy Canadian procurement, and property tax deferrals as tariff relief. That is what practical municipal support looks like. Businesses need reliable services and workers need homes they can afford, and Burlington has built a strong foundation. My focus is keeping it strong while bringing investment and opportunity to our city.

Fiscal responsibility means we cannot do everything at once. My top three priorities: First, infrastructure and state of good repair. Our long-term plan and dedicated 2% infrastructure levy keep roads, parks and community centres in good shape, so we invest at the right time instead of leaving the next generation a far bigger bill. Second, housing and complete communities. I will keep the work moving through Pipeline to Permit, the Community Improvement Plan, and partnerships with Indwell, Habitat for Humanity and Wesley to deliver affordable, supportive and missing-middle housing, directed to the right places, especially around GO stations and transit. Third, protecting what makes Burlington special: our Greenbelt, waterfront, urban greenspace and rural areas. What I would defer: discretionary projects and enhancements without a clear business case or community benefit. These decisions will happen with significant input from community and businesses. The principle is simple, needs over wants: maintain what we have, and make strategic investments that keep Burlington strong for the next generation.

Burlington has a real affordability challenge, especially for young people, families and the workers our economy needs. The answer is more housing choice: affordable and supportive housing, purpose-built rental, and missing-middle homes that let people stay in Burlington through every stage of life. The focus is on the right development at the right scale, in the right place. We are directing higher-density growth to the right locations, around GO stations and transit, while protecting established neighbourhoods, the waterfront and greenspace. We also need to build faster. That is why I launched Pipeline to Permit, bringing residents, builders, non-profits and Council together to clear barriers and speed approvals. I will keep implementing the Community Improvement Plan with Housing Accelerator Fund dollars and delivering with our housing partners. We are also investing in quality of life for residents, opening two new community centres. Amenities for residents helps attract workers.

Data centres are part of the growing digital economy, but Burlington needs a clear strategy for how they fit on our employment lands. Recent debates have raised legitimate questions about jobs, power, noise, water and energy use, land-use compatibility and community benefit. These deserve sound planning policy, not application-by-application politics. That’s why I brought a motion forward that was unanimously approved by council to advocate to the provincial and federal governments for standard regulations around data centres. The province has now introduced a Playbook that contains many of the requests we asked for, including a community benefits agreements. I also supported council directing staff to prioritize data centres in the 2027 Official Plan Review, to provide clear rules for location, scale, power capacity and community benefit. We need to ensure that Canada’s data stays in Canada - data sovereignty is critical. Digital tools are also essential to business innovation and competitiveness, and preparing for the economy of today and the future. We need to have the tools to ensure that any data centres do not create unacceptable noise, environmental, energy or other infrastructure impacts. If they do, the City should have the tools to say no. I welcome the right investment, in the right place, with appropriate protections for residents, and a share in any community benefits.

Affordable housing is an economic competitiveness issue. If workers can’t afford to live here, our businesses can’t recruit and keep the people they need. We need more affordable, attainable and supportive housing, plus purpose-built rental and missing-middle options. My platform builds on work already underway: Pipeline to Permit, the Community Improvement Plan backed by federal Housing Accelerator Fund dollars, and partnerships with Indwell, Habitat for Humanity and Wesley. Where we build matters. Directing growth to the right places, around GO stations and existing transit and infrastructure, lets us add housing while getting more from investments we’ve already made. For employers, that means a stronger workforce. For workers, a real chance to live near their jobs. For Burlington, a more resilient economy and complete communities. But affordability can’t come at the expense of fiscal responsibility. Growth must contribute fairly to the infrastructure it requires, while we leverage provincial, federal, private and non-profit partnerships. My goal: a Burlington where young people can stay, businesses can find workers, and families can build a future, while protecting the quality of life that makes Burlington worth calling home.

Fiscal responsibility is the answer to this question. We need a new state of mind at City Hall that prioritizes the local economy, revenues and lower taxes to drive prosperity in our community. For too long, the process has been backwards. Staff provide a budget, council works at the margins, making minor changes, and we land on a tax rate. That approach is what has led to an over 40% budget increase over the last four years. My approach to budgeting will put the local economy at the centre of decision-making, because when the local economy thrives, everyone thrives. We will spend less time navel-gazing around economic development. Much ink has been spilled, billable hours spent, and public service time lost to the debate on whether to bring economic development in-house. I’m going to make sure that never happens again. Instead, I will empower Discover Burlington to go out and bring jobs home to our city. I will support them with my time and effort, so that our residents have great jobs and non-residential taxes are collected, keeping the tax rate low. I will change the approach to the budget by ensuring every decision takes into account local economic impacts. I will review the over 40% increase in spending over the last four years to find efficiencies and redirect funds to areas that support the local economy. One critical example is making it easier to do business in our city. Through the strategic use of artificial intelligence and an infusion of resources, we will lower permit wait times until they are best-in-class. To fulfill the promise of Burlington, we have to get the local economy humming, and that will be a top priority for my mayorship.

Quality of life isn’t just a priority, it’s the bottom line for our community. Burlington has fostered excellent quality of life, and it hasn’t happened by accident. It’s because of decisions made in the past by leaders and councils that have set us on a path of excellence. One way to have a great quality of life is to keep the tax rate low, so people have more money at the end of the day to enjoy in Burlington, supporting our local economy and corporate tax revenues, which can be re-invested into the community. One project I will be prioritizing is the Burlington Beach Regional Waterfront Park Master Plan. If done right, this park can build off of the jewel that is Spencer Smith Park and create a park system that is second to none in Canada. Specifically, I want to make the Beachway Park the most kid-friendly waterfront park in Canada. I will work with the community to make that vision a reality with amenities not available around us. Because when we support kids, we support parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles. Accessible, family-friendly public spaces are what quality of life is actually about. And it will drive tourism into our city -- good for business, good for everyone. Other projects I will be prioritizing will include the Greening the Crosstown Trail Pilot and I will also prioritize a review of parkland, looking to add new parks across the city. Instead of pre-committing to deferrals before completing a full audit, I will launch a department-by-department efficiency review in my first 90 days to identify where we can redirect resources without cutting frontline services.

Increasing housing supply requires action on multiple fronts and City Hall can lead the ones within its control. I support more affordable housing projects that leverage city land and partner with the other levels of government for financing. However, government cannot build all the housing we need on its own. Supply continues to be constrained through land-use policies, red tape, and high labour and material costs. I will focus on the areas where the city can make a difference, ensuring our land-use policies are reasonable and attracting more homes that people want. I will also focus on reducing red tape by lowering permit wait times, ensuring fees are reasonable, and that unnecessary studies are not mandated. Most importantly, I will reinstate key performance indicators that have been lost in recent years, to ensure effectiveness across the city, including in our building and engineering departments. I will change the mindset at City Hall through my leadership. The current mindset is “no rush” because of lack of support at the top of the city. The new mindset will be “how can we do this faster and better?”

Every major industrial proposal in Burlington must meet four principles before it gets my support: no community harm, no costs to taxpayers, no strain on city resources, and real value for residents. That's my standard for every significant industrial use in this city, including data centres. When Mayor Meed Ward and Councillor Kearns proposed a one-year moratorium on data centres, the Chamber of Commerce warned it would make Burlington look like an unreliable business partner, cost taxpayers hundreds of thousands in legal fees, and eliminate hundreds of thousands in tax revenue and dozens of local jobs. They voted for it anyway. I did not. I want to see these four principles enshrined as much as possible in the next Official Plan and Zoning Bylaw. This is in contrast to one of my competitors, who attended a protest in Hamilton while mocking the Burlington Chamber of Commerce’s event in Burlington. Our city needs a leader who is willing to support our business community as an important part of our community as a whole. I will not divide us; I will find ways to make things work for everyone. Any proposal that meets zoning requirements and these four principles deserves a fair review. Any proposal that fails them gets opposed. That's common sense governance and it's what the Chamber of Commerce deserves from their next mayor.

Since the first half of this question is similar to the question above, I will focus my answer here on how my approach would “support employers, workers, and the city's long-term economic competitiveness.” Affordable housing and economic competitiveness are the same issue. I know that every day of delay in receiving a permit is another day that construction workers are not working, that builders are not building, that future workers in those buildings are not working. And most importantly, another day of higher house prices for people trying to get into their first home, move up, downsize, or retire comfortably. We need to stop the delays. It starts at the top. The current approach by the mayor has been to vote against housing when it’s in her backyard, but support it when it’s in everyone else’s. It’s time for a consistent, defensible approach that doesn’t try to delay the inevitable but works towards solutions that support current and future residents. This will not happen under leadership whose political career is based on stopping housing, who has spent hundreds of thousands of tax dollars to oppose housing, and who continues to be anti-supply. We don’t need to just change the person in charge; we need to change the thinking that got us here. We need a new mindset at City Hall that gets things done faster and more effectively, anchored in KPIs and a low-tax approach.

To keep Burlington competitive and attract business, we must be open to change and a new way of thinking. The future is with attracting professional services, technology and other knowledge-economy industries. Incentives can be created from cost savings with reduced expenditures for physical space (as opposed to large manufacturing plants), use of remote work options and supporting local trades. These types of businesses are also less likely to be impacted from unstable tariffs than manufacturing or companies involved with international trade. My plan is to review policies and authorizations to ensure easy startup for new businesses. I would also partner with technical colleges and universities to build campuses within Burlington to establish a new base for professionals and knowledge-economy. This will draw people to Burlington bringing in more business, generating revenue from taxes and support the economy to grow. I would also implement strategies to attract international businesses to provide jobs for residents, inject money into the local economy and increase revenue for the city.

One of the first priorities would be to support green technology to lower impacts on climate change. We have electric buses but need to ensure that they are being utilized efficiently and then expand to other city vehicles. I would ensure that all new housing and transportation projects include mandatory use of sustainable materials and alternative sources of energy. This is not only better for the climate but also cost efficient for residents in the long run. I would also optimize current procedures for city landscaping and maintenance to use more renewable and long-lasting resources. A lower priority would be reviewing our current composting, recycling and garbage collection programs. I would collaborate with Halton region to reduce garbage and reduce landfill waste.

Actively seek partnerships with the region, provincial and federal governments to share costs for developing affordable housing. Review any available grants or programs and use them appropriately. I would develop incentives to foster partnerships and agreements with corporations to allocate specific lands, projects, buildings for rentals and other affordable housing options.

Data Centres are still very new and not fully understood. Companies must provide a solid environmental, resource and waste management impact analysis, then we can approve if appropriate. Data Centres can be beneficial to communities in attracting more digitally advanced businesses, providing employment and overall economic growth. For Burlington to progress, we have to stay aligned with innovative technologies. We should support them but with caution until all risks are addressed.

More affordable housing will increase the number of people coming to live in the city and raise their families. This will support our economy, including supporting our local businesses, schools, and professional services. I would propose in future policies that a certain percentage of units are targeted as rentals or affordable units. As plans are being developed for high-rise buildings at the GO stations, we should include that directive prior to construction. We can also work with developers to identify a variety of housing options, such as multi-home units (duplexes, triplexes) which are amenable to families and especially to low to middle-income residents. We must also review the availability of affordable senior residences as our population ages and residents move out of their homes. I would collaborate with Halton Region to support senior services.