By John Porthouse
May 20th, 2026
BURLINGTON, ON
Since announcing his candidacy for Mayor on May 1, 2026, Rory Nisan’s Instagram content (@rorynisan.ca) has pivoted from his role as Ward 3 Councillor to a city-wide mayoral platform. After a review of Nisan’s recent Instagram postings his platform is built on three central pillars:
1. Affordability and the “Burlington Dream”
“I am going to partner with residents to fulfill the promise that Burlington is for everyone.”
In his launch and follow-up videos, Nisan emphasizes that the “promise” of Burlington is becoming unaffordable for many.
- Targeting Costs: He explicitly mentions residents struggling with rising rent and food prices.
- Focus on Demographic Groups: His videos advocate for a city where seniors and working families can afford to stay and “get ahead” rather than being priced out.
- Mission Statement: He repeatedly uses the phrase, “I am going to partner with residents to fulfill the promise that Burlington is for everyone.”
2. Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Discipline
Nisan frames himself as a candidate who offers a more “disciplined and practical” approach to city spending.
- Immediate Action Plan: If elected, his first few weeks will be dedicated to passing a fiscally responsible budget. He states this budget will “set the tone for the next four years.”
- Taxpayer Respect: He emphasizes “respecting taxpayers” by avoiding unnecessary spending and ensuring that city reserves are not “raided” at the expense of core community infrastructure, such as parks and firehouses.
3. Quality of Life and Community Partnership
- Empowering Residents: He advocates for a “new approach to decision-making” that prioritizes direct collaboration with residents.
- Community Preservation: While drawing on his background as Ward 3 Councillor, he highlights the need to protect local amenities (splash pads, community centers, and green spaces) as essential components of Burlington’s quality of life.
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Is it April fool’s day all over again? Rory on a platform of affordability when he has voted for tax increases that helped make Burlington unaffordable for many. Now he knows how to budget. Saying and doing are two different things! The devil is in the details when we get them.
What an absolute joke.
I find it interesting that Councillor Nisan has decided to run for the mayor position.
I don’t live in Ward 3 so I never had any interaction with him. Watching council meetings I never truly understood where he stood on many of the issues.
Suddenly here is Councillor Nisan, dressed in a suit looking very mayoral. This did not happen in the past even when he attended meetings on behalf of the City.
Supposedly in the recent past Councillor Nisan indicated that he would not run for Mayor if our current Mayor decided to run.
What changed?
My concern is that if our current mayor decides to run for re-election that that this will split the vote between Councillor Kearns and Councillor Nisan and Marianne will come up through the middle and win.