By Gazette Staff
February 24th, 2026
BURLINGTON, ON
In a Letter to the Editor of the Hamilton Spectator Ward 3 Councillor Rory Nisan came out swinging when he said:
Lobbyists are in the driver’s seat in Burlington, and it could cost us as much as $41 million, equal to an additional 7.8 per cent tax increase or $391 for the average property.
All because of the mayor’s motion to subsidize developers.
Ward 3 Councillor Rory Nisan asks: How did we get here?
How did we get here?
The mayor came to power in 2018 on a platform to stop unwanted development in downtown Burlington. The agenda saw some success on paper, but downtown developments continued to be approved by the provincial tribunal with almost no exception.
Then, something changed. Premier Doug Ford criticized Burlington for its lack of housing starts in August 2023, calling our numbers “totally unacceptable.”
He was half-right. Our lack of new housing was a function of several factors: the temporary freeze put on development in the downtown, but also market conditions.
The city became defensive. Suddenly, we were measuring every metric other than housing starts to prove we were doing our job.
A city committee was created, making recommendations directly to city council, to figure out how to improve city processes. The Pipeline to Permit committee was touted by the mayor as an innovative concept where members of council, developer representatives and the community sat around the table.
A committee that was supposed to improve processes soon began to widen its scope. As a council member with no vote on the committee, I raised alarm bells. The community voice was all but absent — no resident delegations were permitted.
The next thing we knew, the committee was debating eliminating development charges for two years through a motion from the CEO of the West-End Home Builders Association, a member of the committee representing developers in Hamilton and Burlington.
We were in the twilight zone: the main lobbyist and advocate for the local development industry sitting at the council horseshoe bringing a motion to benefit his membership at the expense of taxpayers.
We fought at council and pushed the issue to where it belongs, Committee of the Whole, where all councillors are present. The mayor took up the charge in support of the lobbyist motion, eventually calling for the complete removal of development charges for two years.
WestEnd Home Builders Association, Chief Executive Officer. Mike Collins-Williams addressing City Council. Developer Vince Molinaro listens in.
But the pressure from the development industry, with the support of the mayor, hasn’t stopped and continues to this day. A one-vote majority on the Committee of the Whole recommended to remove development charges, a subsidy of $16 million to $41 million. That money will have to be made up by you.
The battle now goes to council on March 2.
The industry is struggling, the mayor asserts. True, but other industries and our taxpayers are hurting also, and Burlington taxpayers shouldn’t subsidize developers who must turn profits to build. The mayor’s proposal amounts to a cheque written by council to developers out of Burlington bank accounts.
Development charges are not the best way to pay for new roads, community centres and fire stations. But asking Burlington taxpayers to foot the bill is unacceptable.
Instead, the provincial government, which is responsible for the provincial economy, can fund the growth through income taxes received from the expansion of our population, or the sales tax collected on new homes.
Nisan maintains Mayor came to power in 2018 on a platform to stop unwanted development in downtown Burlington.
This is what I mean when I call on the province to “make us whole” and why three council members have not budged from this position. We do not support gambling recklessly with your taxes. But if funding is allocated to Burlington, the development charges can be removed immediately.
This was also the mayor’s exact position in the fall. Now she wants to go ahead without any guarantees, which, if no funding is given, would leave taxpayers holding the bag. What changed?
The unelected lobbyists of our city are running the show right now. The mayor is standing by.
Now is the time to stop this developer subsidy from taxpayers and put the people back at the centre of our decision-making in Burlington. That’s what we’re fighting for.
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Thank God this councillor is speaking up for the tax payer. I have no patience for home developers who make a profit on homes that are in demand everywhere. Where is there business planning for the future that does not rely solely on the tax payer, they must be more creative.
I agree with Rory. Developer do not proceed with developments unless they make a profit. Not at our expense. Sharpen their pencils like we do.
Ford wants more housing. Find money in his budget. Put your money where your mouth is. No more buildings on the lakeshore.
Shouldn’t our mayor, Meed Ward be looking after the best financial interests of her Burlington constituents? and not those of her developer friends?
Remember this in the October 2026 Municipal Election.
The residents of Ward 1 (Galbraith), Ward 5 (Sharman) and Ward 6 (Bentivegna) need to lobby their Councillors to change their minds about supporting the mayor on her reckless decision or risk losing their jobs in the upcoming election.
Editor’s note: It would appear that Bentivegna is the critical vote here. Why Galbraith is not re-thinking his position i sa true disappointment.
I have just sent an email to Councillor Nisan voicing my support for his stance on the development charge elimination proposal as presented today in the Spectator. Every citizen needs to focus on this poor idea that not only gives a slight break on market-based prices in new condos for a buyer but in total passes on each break given buyers for the taxpayers to shoulder the lost revenue to the City for two years, which could be in the millions of dollars.
Only the provincial or the federal governments have that kind of money to fund this giveaway to developers and buyers and leave our less than adequate reserves untouched and our citizens’ wallets in their pockets without being picked.
Please write the Mayor and your Councillor expressing your outrage to this idea without some type of assurance from the province and the feds that Burlington taxpayers will not foot the bill.
Thanks for shining a light on this. All Burlington residents should be aware of what the mayor is trying to push through. If the province is so concerned then perhaps they can step up, but then again that is also the taxpayers money.