By Pepper Parr
December 10th, 2025
BURLINGTON, ON
It was at the very end of the Council meeting that took place yesterday.
Mayor Meed Ward said the following:
“We do not engage in debate, but if anyone has any questions about how this meeting was conducted, I’d be happy to answer questions from public or media offline outside of this meeting.”
A citizen delegating at a meeting of City Council.
One interesting point that the Mayor didn’t make perfectly clear and a statement the Gazette has not heard even once during Meed Ward’s term of office as Mayor relates to her saying:
When she said “we do not engae in debate” she was saying that during Council meeting the public can delegate and answer any questions from members of Council. But they cannot debate with Council during the delegation.
Frequently,after a delegation has been completed the questions from Councillors will turn into an exchange of views on an issue. It doesn’t happen very often – but it does happen.
What has never happened is the Mayor saying she was prepared to meet with the public and media .
As Mayor, Meed Ward has never called a media event. A Carlton University graduate with a degree in journalism Meed Ward has frequently referred to herself as a journalist – that’s not quite true. Marianne has been an editor, a spokesperson, a panel member on a television show but she has never worked as a reporter covering a beat or doing an in-depth interview that we are aware of.
Mayor Meed Ward on TVO ‘s The Agenda
It is worth noting that Meed Ward is often very good on panels. She loves the camera and the camera loves her.
This shift – making herself available to media is new – and a positive sign. Some people have been pressuring the Mayor to be more open and available and act as the Mayor and not just as someone available for every photo-op imaginable.
Is the pressure working ? – keep it up. This shift could be because there is an election less than a year away and the Mayor is fully aware that she will face a credible candidate who wants to wear the Chain of Office.
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Penny is absolutely correct. Campaigning for the 2026 election has started.
My family has lived in Burlington (i.e. Wellington Square, Freeman, Port Nelson, Aldershot etc.) for about six generations, roughly counted. During that time, it has seen a great deal of change and has, hopefully, contributed to the City and its special character.
As a senior, I look back fondly and with some sense of loss, at the Burlington of my youth. But I recognize that the only true constant in life is change and that no amount of nostalgia will bring back what is irretrievably gone. Is Burlington better today than it was sixty years ago or even ten? That’s really for each of us to decide and to use whatever means are at our disposal to register our opinion. The most decisive, perhaps, is the ballot box and in October 2026 we have another opportunity to express our views in the most fundamental of democratic processes – the next municipal election.
It’s no secret that I find little to commend with our current mayor and council. I hope that new, fresh, energized candidates will run against them and flush them away. I apologize but the implicit images are quite intentional. However, whatever the result the most important thing – really the only important thing – is that the will of Burlington’s citizens is definitively and consciously expressed. Whatever the outcome, it must be a deliberate choice not a default consequence of low voter turnout and general apathy.
We need to get the vote out – whichever way it swings.
Burlington voters should treat MMW’s new promises with extreme caution — her last campaign was built on commitments she never delivered and spin she hoped we’d forget.
The recent misrepresentation of the tax increase is evidence of “here we go again” !!!!!!
Her live-TV framing of the “budget” emphasizes lower “tax impact” numbers while critics, and facts point to the city-portion figures or other line-item choices that tell a different story. She conveniently skipped a key detail: Burlington’s own numbers show a 5.8% increase in the City portion of property taxes for 2026. NOT 4.46%.
Her comments are “confusing” at best.
It’s like every time she has to make a public statement, or clarify a position …. the facts take the day off.
Fancy Aveda salon terrible hairdo still doesn’t hide her true persona . Hopefully poplin Burlington see her true colours and vote her out of office
I have lived in Burlington since 1974, Aldershot since 1981. I see a lot of things that are progressively worse to my eyes, particularly when it comes to too much growth and development, ever- increasing taxes and spending, and how the City never keeps the promises or selling point intentions, they make in their almost decade long Official Plan revision.
I engaged the OP at the very beginning, and all it did was get higher and denser in Aldershot – beginning in time: 6 floors, to 12, to 15, to 18, to anywhere from 25 to 35, to the skies the limit when developers want it.
I started in the early 90’s at Eagle Heights, and North Aldershot, at the OMB (OLT), that settled with citizen group betrayal, and has continued since then, extending to all of Aldershot, and the MTSA, always at either the OMB, LPAT, and now OLT, with the latest demands for more and more at present, and now the latest, to rezone it all as Urban.
This I find is just adding insult to injury – it shows the development industry, and the Ward Councilors (Ward 1 – Aldershot and Eagle Heights, and MTSA in my Case )have no visible limits to their avariciousness, meaning greedy, selfish, or eager for money or possessions. Urbanization? What do you think that means?
The original Eagle Heights group were just retired by time and losses of trust and justice, so so much for City citizen engagement and friendly.
In 1994-96 there was another group I was in, Halton Region, and City, called the Halton Planning Oversight Group, again forced to go to the OMB. Same story about development planning, and huge costs, and development charges. Finally, one by one the group members, seeing they were severely opposed by the Region spending big money on Consultants and Top Lawyers, did what always happens today.
We just either quit, or were beat out of business by OMB, Lawyers, and so called self qualifies Expert Witnesses, who are the only ones that can speak to OLT, or another form or other, paid to win.
Winning at appeal boards like OLT, is now a simple set of AI questions without limits, to an appropriate AI OLT – like data base, asking how to win.
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I have a number of other similar citizen groups that thought they could influence things by engaging in City and Region styles. All ended the same way because citizen groups are imaginary and illusions of effectiveness. Can’t effectively fight without the other side deep pockets.
The same thing continues. Now many of the old City Planners were disgusted, moved on elsewhere, retired. Some are still here, but have been promoted to big salaries and collared. I remember them, but they are gone.
There are a number of recent new and young planners that are trained very quickly, and easily about what is really wanted, and do what they are told. No independent thought coming from there.
Finally now, I agree with Penny Hersh. The 2026 Election Race has started. Kool-Aid will abound. Don’t believe any of it. It will be mostly lies. My past experience has shown that to me, as described. Why expect it to change. It will just get worse.
Burlington has benefited from her leadership. Look around. Would you live anywhere else?
Serious question………….how?
Seriously?
MMW definitely needs to go!
Don’t drink the kool-aid. “The best predictor of future behaviour is past behaviour”.
Campaigning for the 2026 election has started.