By Pepper Parr
October 27th, 2025
BURLINGTON, ON
OPINION
If this were 2026 you would be learning this morning who the members of the newly elected Council are.
There is a more than even chance that five of the seven will have been returned to office.
Next to the Mayor Councillor Kearns led the race in the photo op count.
Councillor Kearns has said she was not going to run for Council but might run for the Office of Mayor. It will take a stronger person to defeat Mayor Marianne Meed Ward.
Not more than two terms was the statement made when first elected in 2018
Councillor Stolte had said she would be just a two-term Councillor.
The rest will, in all probability, will run for office again.
The incumbents have a huge advantage over people running for office for the first time. And in Burlington, the incumbents press that advantage to the fullest. Photo ops have become an art form. They gather in Civic Square to raise a flag for any occasion they can think of.
Elections take time and money. There is time for people who want to serve to put together a campaign.
There are certainly more than enough in the way of real issues for anyone wanting to run for office to take on.
The current Council changed the way it dealt with the public. Gone are the evening meetings, unless of course, the Mayor wants people to be able to attend, be in a photo op and get a certificate for something.
My issue is not with recognizing people for their good work. My issue is that this Mayor has very deliberately decided that Council does not need to meet in the evening to hear what people are concerned about.
The Burlington Aquatic Devilrays would really like an opportunity to delegate and get their side of the story on the record. Something as significant as basically shutting down a club that has served the city for more than 40 years watch while a club from Hamilton somehow gets swimming pool time.
One would hope the Burlington city council would put the justifiable interests of a Burlington club before the application from a Hamilton club.
Imagine the howl if the Eagles, a boys hockey team, was told that some of their ice team was given to a Hamilton team.
Add to this the proposed budget increase of 5.8% – resulting in increases of more than 40% during the term of office.
There are numerous opportunities to get that budget down to 3% – look harder at the planned Capital expenditures.
For those who really want to see a change in the way the city is run, the clock is ticking.
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I’ve lived in Burlington a long time, and I can honestly say this council has been one of the most disappointing I’ve seen. Every time the Skyway closes, the whole city grinds to a standstill. Traffic from Lakeshore to Upper Middle, and what’s the excuse every single time? “That’s the Ministry of Transportation’s problem.” Sorry, but you’re a government too. Do something. Adjust traffic lights, coordinate with the province, find solutions — that’s what leadership looks like.
And while we’re all stuck in traffic, take a drive down Harvester or North Service Road. Empty offices, “For Lease” signs everywhere. Why isn’t council doing anything to rezone those dead spaces for housing or mixed use instead of cramming more towers into already overwhelmed neighbourhoods? There’s no shortage of land that could be reused — only a shortage of imagination.
They love to talk about “engagement,” but then hold public meetings at 10 a.m. on a Tuesday when nobody working can attend, it shouldn’t have to be a choice between exercising your democratic right to be heard and putting food on the table. That’s not engagement, that’s exclusion — plain and simple. Public engagement in this city has been gutted. They hand out snacks at “Food for Feedback,” then toss every bit of real feedback straight in the trash.. Bateman, Brock, the pool fiasco — every single one of those projects showed just how out of touch this group really is. Decisions are made first and explained later, after the fact, when public input no longer matters. The gap between City Hall and residents isn’t just a gap anymore — it’s a canyon.
Let’s not sugarcoat it — Marianne Meed Ward built her whole brand on “transparency” and “engagement,” and then did the complete opposite once she got the chain of office. Lisa Kearns followed the same path of polished statements, endless “updates,” but no real accountability when people are ignored. And Paul Sharman… what happened with the Bateman track and field was unforgivable. He stood by while a community facility that served thousands was quietly stripped away with barely a word to the public, for the sake of a parking lot. That decision alone tells you everything you need to know about this council’s warped priorities.
Downtown Burlington is starting to look more like Mississauga, and not in a good way, towers everywhere, traffic worse than ever, the charm of the city fading fast.
Whether it’s Focus Burlington or some other group that takes on the job of hosting ward and mayoral debates, I’ll be there and I know many others will too. Because frankly, that’s the only time these politicians can’t hide behind their staff, talking points, or social media teams. It’s the one moment they have to face the public directly, without filters, without spin.
The truth is simple: Burlington’s had enough of the selfies and slogans. We don’t need another photo op, we need action. Less ribbon-cutting, more listening. Less PR, more people’s voices. Until that happens, trust is gone. Come 2026, maybe it’s time to clear the deck and start over.
This city deserves better.
C!! All of this! Well said. I’m all for clearing the decks and starting over. We DO deserve better!!
It goes without saying many will vote with a little bitterness, however, the blunders of the swim RFP won’t be a factor for many who aren’t swimmers. If we really wanted a change we would need a whole new procurement team but the voters won’t have the power to do that. It’s the
Procuremnt team whose feet need to be held to the fire not some ward councillor who has their own issues to worry about like needing to get a real job.
If the residents of Burlington want to see a change in the way council deals with them, in my opinion, there needs to be a change at the top.
We have to elect a mayor who is willing to give up the strong mayor powers and let council be part of all decision making.
Every new councillor that was elected ran on being more transparent. What happened? Are they prevented from doing this, or is this simply a ploy to get elected?
I certainly hope that no one runs on stopping the overdevelopment in some wards, especially ward 2. That boat sailed a long time ago. Please don’t drink the Kool-Aid.
I often wonder if the tail (city staff) is wagging the dog (council). Why you might ask – because I have discovered that many things staff does is not even run by the councillors.