This webpage serves as a resource of information to inform residents, businesses, and provincial party leaders and MPP candidates in Burlington’s Electoral Districts about the City’s strategic, non-partisan priorities for the upcoming provincial election, and how these priorities align with the advocacy plans of our key stakeholders. In the event of a federal election, check back with our site for future federal priorities.
The Provincial Election is Feb. 27, 2025.
Get ready for election day by using the provincial voter registration tool to confirm, update, add or remove your information from the voters list.
We want our city to be a place where people, nature and business thrive.
Vision to Focus 2022-2026
For the City of Burlington, that means working together with the Provincial government to realize our strategic plan vision of enabling complete communities where people want to live over the next seven generations. Our efforts will be guided by Burlington’s Plan From Vision to Focus 2022-2026, which will focus on achieving the following objectives to address our changing city:
Designing and delivering complete communities
Create all-inclusive, thriving, vibrant, healthy, connected, and safe communities
Providing the best services and experiences
Deliver quality services to meet the diverse needs of our customers and foster the highest quality of life
Protecting and improving the natural environment and taking action on climate change
Establish sustainable, healthy and low-carbon climate resilient communities
Driving organizational performance
Attract and retain high-performing employees to deliver the best services and experiences
To do this, we must advance the priorities and initiatives in the City’s 2025 budget, which is based on the principles of resident affordability and livability, environmental sustainability, and transparency.
Six Priorities for the City of Burlington
With this in mind, combined with community feedback, Burlington is focused on six policy priorities that, through collaboration with the Government of Ontario over the next four years, will help us make a difference. These non-partisan priorities have been decades in the making and appeal to all political parties to respond to the needs of Burlington and our residents. The priorities, not listed in order, include:
1. Resetting the provincial-municipal fiscal framework |
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A strong municipal-provincial partnership is essential to build the innovative and inclusive community that our residents and businesses expect. However, property taxes were not built to fund systemic social change, and municipal revenue does not grow with the economy or population growth. The City joins the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) and Ontario’s Big City Mayors’ (OBCM) in calling on the Province of Ontario to review this funding framework and to curb reliance on municipal property taxes to fund provincial responsibilities – i.e., housing-enabling infrastructure. |
2. Advancing affordable housing solutions |
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The City of Burlington remains committed to working with the Province, the federal government, and local private and non-profit sector housing developers to address Ontario’s housing crisis locally. Increasing affordable housing to deliver on Burlington’s 2031 Housing Pledge target of 29,000 units – and the planning of reasonable growth around the City’s three GO stations, aging retail plazas, and transportation corridors – will help to create a complete community with easy access to housing, jobs and local amenities. Continuity of the Housing Accelerator Fund and additional provincial support remain critical for Burlington to increase affordable housing supply. Of equal importance is the abolition of the Ontario Land Tribunal, which has outlived its usefulness, adds costs and delays, and places limits on our ability to control development at the local level. |
3. Addressing the interconnected crises of homelessness, addictions, and mental health |
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The number of people experiencing homelessness across Ontario is higher than ever before. Burlington has been doing its part in addressing homelessness, but like many other municipalities, we do not have the resources and expertise to take it on alone. We thank the Province for its investments to support shelters, rehabilitation and transitioning people out of encampments, however a recent report by AMO points to the need for a long-term investment of $11 billion over 10 years to truly resolve this complex issue. That is why the City continues to support OBCM’s SolvetheCrisis.ca campaign, which calls on the provincial government to take immediate action on homelessness and mental health issues in cities across Ontario to address this urgent and growing humanitarian crisis. |
4. Protecting the natural environment and taking action on climate change |
| Burlington is uniquely half rural, so protecting farmland and our rural boundary, stopping the expansion of the Mount Nemo quarry, and ensuring our development horizon through flood mitigation efforts will help to establish sustainable, healthy and low-carbon climate resilient communities. Continued provincial support will be critical in helping the City achieve these goals, including including issuing a Ministerial Zoning Order to protect the vital greenspace at Millcroft golf course. |
5. Supporting industry and protecting jobs, businesses, and the economy |
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In response to pending U.S. tariffs on Canadian imports, City Council has passed a ‘Buy Canadian’ resolution calling on the federal and provincial governments to work with municipalities on measures to protect Canadian consumers and businesses and remove any impediments to municipalities preferring Canadian companies for capital projects and supplies. |
6. Municipal Codes of Conduct |
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The City of Burlington supports the principles outlined in the Ontario Human Rights Code regarding freedom from harassment. Elected officials should not be above the Human Resources standards that exist in every other working environment, and the City is pleased that the provincial government introduced legislation on municipal codes of conduct that will create higher levels of accountability – and consequences – for the behaviour of elected councillors. We look forward to working with the province on the enabling regulations that will come into effect for the new term of councils in 2026. |
The next four years will be defining for Burlington and the well-being of our community as we strive to be future-ready. By working together to advance priorities, Burlington and the Province can create the conditions necessary for our residents, small businesses and local industry to thrive.
The City of Burlington looks forward to working alongside the next provincial government, and with our Members of Provincial Parliament at Queen’s Park, to make a real difference in our community and for our future.