By Pepper Parr
November 23rd, 2025
BURLINGTON, ON
Councillor Stolte advises us that “it was the Integrity Commissioner I was running my ideas by.”
Could be – but why would an elected official clear an opinion piece with the Integrity Commissionser?
Ward 4 Councillor Shawna Stolte approached me during the September Food for Feedback event last September telling me that she wanted to write an Opinion piece for the Gazette.
Ward 4 Councillor Shawna Stolte: Growing into the job took time.
She was concerned about the lack of public interest in civic affairs and wanted to write an opinion along the lines of “Put up or Shut Up”; she wanted to see more in the way of people ready to run for public office.
I was delighted; Stolte was thinking of doing something in the fall and we agreed to get back to each other in a month or so.
The Gazette supported Stolte in the 2018 election to defeat then Councill Jack Dennison. The objective was to ensure that just one candidate ran again Dennison. If that could be achieved – he could be defeated – and he was.
It took Stolte some time to get up to speed. The biggest issue she faced in her first term was a disgusting effort on the part of the Mayor to force Stolte to issue a public apology to a Staff member for what was more in the way of a misunderstanding than anything. We refer to that occasion as the Mayor’s rant; it is here for you if you want to see a politician going off the deep end.
Georgie Gartside with Councillor Stolte. Mayor wanted Stolte to apologize to Gartside for what was more of a misunderstanding than anything
Stolte’s other first term issue was when she made public, information that was discussed in a closed session – a no-no in the world of municipal politics where far too much is discussed in closed sessions.
At that time, the amount being spent on the repurposing of Bateman High School into a community centre wasn’t clear.
That got Stolte a stiff reprimand from the Integrity Commissioner, who docked her five days’ pay.
None of that made any difference to Stolte in the 2022 election. Turnout was pathetic in 2022 and every member of Council was returned to office – that event was COVID’s gift to the City.
During her second term, Stolte, as Deputy Mayor, was responsible for Housing, which at that time was becoming a serious issue for the city, the province and the federal government. It is still one of the biggest concerns Ontario faces.
Stolte came up with the idea of creating a Permit to Pipe Lime committee that would include non-elected people who would make recommendations to Council. Getting building permits through City Hall was a challenge for some of the smaller developers
It was a good idea, something that had not been done before, and it has delivered some solid results. – especially for the development sector.
Stolte should have chaired the Permit to Pipeline meetings, but it was seen as a hot new municipal initiative, and Mayor Meed Ward was not going to let the positive public reaction go to anyone else. Meed Ward chaired most of the meetings and, to some degree, still does.
Stolte had said when she was first elected that she would be a two-term Council member. Her view then was that city Councils’ need fresh minds and that it was not good practice to serve more than two terms. Mayor Meed Ward and Councillor Sharman will have served four terms come the 2026 election. Both have given every indication that they will run again.
When I went back to Councillor Stolte a week ago about the Opinion piece she said she wanted to run the idea by her Council colleagues before putting pen to paper.
Ward 6 Councillor Paul Sharman
Ward 1 Councillor Kelvin Galbraith.
I could just imagine how Council members would react to an Opinion piece suggesting other people run for the office they hold. Other than Sharman and Galbraith no one on this Council has ever had a job that pays more.
City Council has become a cozy group of people. They snip and snap at each other from time to time; the group mentality shuts out anything that comes from the public. Public engagement has improved a little. The turnout over the allocation of swimming pool time has energized parents. Council got it wrong and is in a position to right that wrong; the fear of yet another lawsuit has sent the issue to the City Auditor. Quite what Council expects the Auditor to do isn’t clear.
What appears to be clear is, we will never know what Shawna Stolte wanted to say about other people running for public office.
” Lack of interest” really? yes by Marianne Meed Ward not listening to her constituents or her pack of clapping seals not answering emails
works both ways
Bruce: I agree general satisfaction is a possibility.
Joe, I agree with you totally. The impression one gets when attending a council meeting can make some residents who delegate look as if they are being tolerated, listened to, but not really heard.
If some residents take an issue seriously and keep coming back to council it seems as if they are being tolerated, and in some cases scolded like a child before they even start their delegation.
When they are told ” I see no questions so you have been very explicit in your delegation”, or something to that effect, I cringe because even with the smile when this is said by a council member it seems so demeaning.
Council members should remember as you indicated “constructive challenge are not nuisances – they are essential to healthy democracy”.
Unfortunately some have now questioned ” is democracy in Canada dead”
Civic engagement comes in many forms, and running for office is only one of them. Expecting more people to “put up or shut up” overlooks the fact that holding elected officials to account is itself a vital public service. Delegating, asking informed questions, writing, researching, and insisting on transparency are all forms of engagement, often the only ones available to residents who balance jobs, families, and obligations.
If public interest appears low, perhaps the focus should be on why people feel disengaged: barriers to participation, daytime meetings, limited opportunities for genuine dialogue, and a growing sense that resident input is heard but not acted upon. Encouraging participation should begin with making civic processes accessible and responsive.
People shouldn’t have to run for office to be respected as engaged citizens. Accountability, scrutiny, and constructive challenge are not nuisances—they are essential to healthy democracy.