By Pepper Parr
December 10th, 2025
BURLINGTON, ON
Burlington Mayor Meed Ward appeared on CHCH TV for a short interview; it was her responses to really soft questions.
“We have finished our budget. Actually, the last piece of it will be today at Halton Region, but we pretty much know where they’re going to land. So the total tax increase in Burlington is 4.46% that includes a 2% infrastructure Levy. It includes adjusting for inflation, for a factor of about 2%. The City share of that 4.49 is less than 3% That was a direction that I gave to our staff, and council endorsed that.
“This is an inflation infrastructure budget with just a small additional amount for community services, like opening our new library at the Robert Bateman Community Center, which is awesome so services people rely on while keeping the city in a state of good repair.”
Okay? New developments with the Music Festival
“In June, absolutely. We e do have a new music festival provider. There was an open transparent process. MRG live got it. They’re a for profit company. I mentioned that because what it means is that it doesn’t cost taxpayers a dime. The city does not provide funds for profit corporations; so there is no money available to them as long as they’re a for-profit corporation. That’s part of our policy. So this isn’t costing residents anything. They are going to get a two day free music festival on Father’s Day weekend 2026 in Spencer Smith Park.
“And there will be opportunities for community involvement, volunteers, and businesses to get involved. Watch for those opportunities.”
Mayor Meed Ward was getting a little ahead of the process. The precise details are always in the fine print that has yet to be written.
City staff are meeting with MRG Live and will report back to Council in Q1 of 2026
Mayor Meed Ward displaying her 2026 calendar during a CHCH TV interview.
The really big news is the Mayor’s gift to the citizens of the city – a free calendar. You apparently have to send an email to the Mayor to get a copy.
Mayor Meed Ward gushed as she explained “… we’ve also got a calendar, and it’s really cool because it’s interactive, and it’s showing the beauty of the city.
“This is the second year we’ve done this. We put a call out to photographers to send in their favourite picture of Burlington’s beauty.
“We had our big unveil yesterday with all the photographers who were given an honorarium.
Related news story:
Mayor didn’t see that one coming
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It is not necessary for someone to email the mayor to receive a copy of the 2026 Burlington calendar.You can go to the Service Burlington counter in city hall and ask for a copy
Editor’s note.
We have been told by someone who called Service Burlington Service that there are very few copies at the counter.
Residents can get a calendar by emailing the Mayor’s office. Sounds to me like a way to get email addresses that can be used for campaigning purposes.
How many people actually use paper calendars? The younger generation definitely does not.
Perhaps it is the senior vote she is going after?
Bingo
It’s always, and foremost (sometimes only) about campaigning, in my opinion.
Voters hopefully are tiring of “look at me, me, me” politicians. The similarities between all such “leaders” are striking.
I continue to appreciate the thoroughness of Mr. Gaetan’s analysis and the clarity of his expression. Both are truly exceptional and provide a refreshing contrast to the often-empty hyperbole of our mayor and council. If “Point/Counterpoint” were not already taken, I would suggest a regular opinion piece under that banner. Perhaps “Her Take/His Take” would be appropriate.
The recent Gazette coverage of the Waterfront Music Festival process highlights a striking gap between the Mayor’s public messaging and the more cautious, process-bound reality described at Committee. Understanding that difference matters, especially as residents try to make sense of what is-and is not-actually confirmed for 2026.
In her interview, Mayor Meed Ward states that Burlington “will get a two-day free music festival” in 2026, emphasizing that it “doesn’t cost taxpayers a dime” because the chosen provider, MRG Live, is a for-profit company and therefore receives no city funding. However, the Committee meeting shows a more nuanced and incomplete picture.
First, the Mayor’s use of the word free requires clarification. “Free” refers only to admission, not the total economic impact on residents. No major waterfront festival is costless to the city. Policing, transportation, emergency services, park maintenance, and staff time are all public expenses regardless of whether the operator is for-profit or not. The Mayor’s framing risks giving residents the impression that Burlington incurs no municipal cost whatsoever, which is not accurate.
Second, while the Mayor spoke as though the event were confirmed, the report before Council was Receive and File, not an approval of any proponent. Staff exercised delegated authority under the Festival and Events Policy to select MRG Live, and Council’s role- including legal and financial oversight – will not occur until Q1 of 2026. Multiple councillors stressed this. Councillor Kearns reminded colleagues that “this is not a council decision,” and Councillor Nisan underlined that timelines are tight and details still unknown. Even staff emphasized that the full festival plan – including name, programming, logistics, and costs – is still in development.
The Gazette’s own reporting confirms that the Committee had to go into a lengthy closed session to review legal advice about the process. That alone signals that this matter is not finalized and requires further scrutiny.
Third, the Committee transcript shows a strong theme of continuity concerns, from volunteer involvement to parade traditions to whether the “Sound of Music” name can legally or practically continue. None of this was referenced in the Mayor’s interview-style announcement, which suggested an uncomplicated transition. In contrast, staff repeatedly emphasized the limits of what they could confirm and promised a fuller report in early 2026.
Finally, the Mayor’s statement that the new operator “will” deliver the 2026 festival contrasts sharply with staff’s procedural caution. Staff noted that typically 18 months are needed to mount a festival of this scale; MRG Live will have less than seven. The compressed timeline makes the Mayor’s confident pronouncement appear premature.
In short, while the public wants clarity, the two accounts – the Mayor’s upbeat certainty and the Committee’s procedural reality – do not fully align. Burlington residents deserve straightforward communication: admission may be free, but the festival is not yet confirmed, costs to the public are not zero, and significant decisions remain pending in 2026.