By Pepper Parr
June 8th, 2026
BURLINGTON, ON
Olivia Duke arrived in Canada with her family from Poland in 1987, and settled in Guelph.
They lived in Guelph where she went to high school and then on to Brock University where she did an undergraduate degree.
Ward 4 candidate Olivia Duke
She then returned to her home town, Guelph and did a Master’s degree at the University of Guelph.
She is the mother of two children; 13 and 11. Both play soccer, which is a subject Duke can get quite vocal about.
On occasions she has had to get the boys to games that take place in Waterdown and Caledon. “Without support from my parents the boys would not be able to get to a lot of those games.” She also wants to see a dome put over the facilities being created at Corpus Christi.
This is the second time Olivia Duke has run for the ward 4 seat. Shawna Stole was returned in 2022. No word yet on whether or not Stolte is going to run in 2026
Duke enlarges on what she has focused on academically. “My focus centered on public policy, housing, and community wellbeing. I completed my Master of Public Policy (MPP) at McMaster University, with a concentration in housing policy and governance. Through the program, my work focused heavily on the intersection of housing affordability, municipal governance, community wellbeing, and social infrastructure.
“Understanding how housing and community planning decisions affect people’s everyday lives – including whether young families can remain in the communities they grew up in, whether seniors can age safely and independently, and whether neighbourhoods remain connected, accessible, and supportive over time.
“A significant portion of my graduate research examined how housing stability and community design influence overall quality of life and long-term community wellbeing. This included policy and data analysis projects focused on housing satisfaction, aging in place, social connectedness, and the broader impacts housing conditions can have on health and wellbeing outcomes.
“My capstone research explored structural and governance-related barriers affecting supportive and affordable housing delivery in Ontario, including the ways municipal planning systems, intergovernmental coordination, and housing supply constraints contribute to homelessness and housing insecurity challenges.
“A core focus throughout my studies was understanding how municipal, provincial, and federal systems interact in areas such as housing delivery, homelessness response, and long-term community infrastructure planning.
Professionally, Duke’s background spans business development, strategic communications, operational leadership, and nonprofit governance. Much of my work has involved navigating complex systems, building collaborative relationships, and connecting strategy to real-world community outcomes.
Olivia Duke: “Our parks and the rich community life is what makes Burlington the city many people want to live in. Now we have to create the badly needed affordable housing.”
Earlier in her career, Duke managed Canadian marketing initiatives within the international beverage industry, working closely with global suppliers, national distribution networks, government liquor agencies, and market development strategies across Canada.
She later led North American channel sales and operational coordination for a German technology company, where I worked closely with international partners and executive teams across Canada, the United States, and Europe. My role included strategic growth initiatives, operational management, financial reporting, business development, and large-scale coordination across multiple markets.
My nonprofit governance experience includes serving as Chair of the Executive Board for Pearson Nursery, a registered charitable childcare organization in Burlington. In that role, I worked closely with Halton Region, the Halton District School Board, and the Ministry of Education. During my tenure, I helped navigate a significant accommodation review process, secured and transitioned the organization into a new location without disruption to programming, and led operations through the COVID-19 pandemic while maintaining staffing and continuity of service delivery.
In addition Duke stays involved in community leadership and volunteerism throughout Burlington.
Incoming Lion’s president Olivia Duke being interviewed by Calderbank
“I am currently the incoming President of the Burlington Lions Club and continue to support several community initiatives and organizations across the city. I sit on the Philanthropy Committee with Dare to Be Youth, volunteer with Meals of Hope at Port Nelson and supported the neighbourhood bread program through North Burlington Baptist Church. She remains part of the core volunteer teams behind both the Appleby Line Street Festival and Burlington Festival of Lights.
Her platform? Better communication with the Ward 4 residents and lowering the tax rates which are currently “unreal”.
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As per my comment about Ward 4 councilor candidate Chris Carter, it is all very well and easy to list a lot of ambitious goals that sound wonderful to residents. But one has to back up these types of statements with action plans that are viable.
Mr. Carter, I do not believe, has put forward an action plan to achieve his lofty goals.
The Gazette quotes Olivia Duke as saying a part of her platform is to achieve lower tax rates, which she says are currently “unreal”. Again, easy to say. Very difficult to achieve. So what is her action plan? Perhaps The Gazette can expand upon that.
I want to be clear. I am not speaking against either of these candidates. Unfortunately, it seems to be a trait of all those seeking elected public office to promise to achieve goals which are highly unlikely to be achievable.
Unfortunately, in my opinion, lower taxes are unachievable. The best we can hope for is to have no tax increases. Costs go up due to inflation. When inflation rates come down, costs do not come down. They just don’t go up as quickly.
Beware of the silver tongued election candidate. Please candidates be honest.
Edited.