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City Talk is the City of Burlington's publication featuring City news and updates. This digital edition is available online only.
In this issue of City Talk
Get to know your Burlington City Council
On Nov. 15, 2022, the members of Burlington City Council were sworn in for the 2022–2026 term of office. Learn more about your representatives in this issue.
Mayor
Marianne Meed Ward
This is Mayor Marianne Meed Ward’s second term as the 30th Mayor of Burlington. She is the second woman to hold that position in Burlington’s history and the longest serving female Mayor of the city.
Mayor Meed Ward is working collaboratively with City Council, staff and community partners to bring many initiatives that began during her first term to fruition and embark on new ones to help the city continue to grow. The introduction of a Deputy Mayor initiative gives each Council member a focus area based on their unique skills and experience.
Through the Mayor’s Red Tape Red Carpet Task Force, she led the City in partnering with local businesses to identify and remove the challenges to business expansion and attraction. In her commitment to reasonable growth and development, Burlington’s new Official Plan will ensure future growth happens in the right places and at the right scale to align with the community’s vision.
Mayor Meed Ward and Council unanimously supported the Halton Equity and Diversity Roundtable Charter in 2020, a tangible reminder to continue the commitment of ensuring Burlington is an inclusive community. The Mayor is committed to continuing efforts towards Truth and Reconciliation with Indigenous residents in Burlington, including the formation of an Indigenous Talking Circle to advise on actions and initiatives.
Mayor Meed Ward was unanimously elected as Vice-Chair of the Ontario’s Big City Mayors caucus in 2022 for a two-year term and represents Burlington as a board member of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario’s Large Urban Caucus, allowing her to help advocate on issues of shared importance for large urban municipalities.
Mayor Meed Ward lives in Burlington with her husband, three children, and their Wheaten Terrier, Boston.
Office of the Mayor
426 Brant St., P.O. Box 5013
Burlington, ON L7R 3Z6
Tel: 905-335-7777
Email the Mayor
Mayor’s Executive Administrator
Tel: 905-335-7777
mayor@burlington.ca
Ward 1 Councillor,
Kelvin Galbraith
Kelvin was first elected to Council in 2018. Born and raised in Aldershot, Kelvin and much of his extended family, including his six children, live in Aldershot. He graduated from Fairfield, Maplehurst and Aldershot High School before earning a Bachelor of Business Administration degree at Brock University.
Kelvin considers himself an entrepreneur and opened The Fitness Firm in 1998, combining business skills and passion for fitness into a rewarding career in his community. In this term of Council, Kelvin will take on the role of Deputy Mayor for Business and Red Tape Reduction, partnering with local businesses to identify and remove the challenges to business expansion and attraction in the city.
Kelvin’s interest in serving his community began as Chair of the the Aldershot BIA Board where he served for 11 years. The BIA helped Kelvin with his vision of having a successful local business in a vibrant Aldershot neighbourhood. The area was seeing much change and needed an organization to help steer it in the right direction. He remains on the BIA Board as a Council appointment.
When Kelvin is not working, he enjoys spending time with his family and going to the family cottage in Parry Sound. He is a passionate hockey player and coaches a few of his children’s hockey teams.
Ward 1 Office
426 Brant St., P.O. Box 5013
Burlington, ON L7R 3Z6
Tel: 905-335-7777, ext. 7587
Email Councillor
Councillor’s Assistant
Tel: 905-335-7777, ext. 7863
ward1@burlington.ca
Ward 2 Councillor,
Lisa Kearns
Lisa is serving her second term as a Halton Region and City of Burlington Councillor. Lisa has a passion and dedication for improving the lives of others and strengthening the bonds of community. Her Council priorities are to deliver complete communities, support the local business economy, and further climate resiliency.
As the Deputy Mayor for Community Engagement and Partnerships, Lisa is eager to engage with residents to keep them connected to City Hall.
Lisa is proud of improving the quality of life in her ward and city. As an innovator she welcomed many firsts, including: a lobbyist registry, Urban Farm and an off-leash dog park. As a key advocate, downtown Burlington was the first area to shift planning intensification away from the downtown to the Burlington GO station.
She currently serves on the Halton Police Board, Art Gallery of Burlington, Burlington Public Library, Burlington Downtown Business Association, Burlington Food Bank, Sound of Music Festival, and is the Chair of Audit Committee and Council budget meetings.
Lisa holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Western Ontario and a designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors.
Lisa lives in downtown Burlington with her family and two dogs. You can often find Lisa enjoying the waterfront and all the vibrancy downtown has to offer.
Ward 2 Office
426 Brant St., P.O. Box 5013
Burlington, ON L7R 3Z6
Tel: 289-962-2679
Email Councillor
Councillor’s Assistant
Tel: 905-335-7777, ext. 7368
ward2@burlington.ca
Ward 3 Councillor,
Rory Nisan
Rory Nisan was first elected in 2018. In this role he has chaired two budget committees, as well as the Corporate Service, Strategy, Risk and Accountability Committee. He joined the Board of Directors of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and the Conservation Halton Board of Directors in 2019 and was appointed Deputy Mayor for the Environment in 2022.
Councillor Nisan’s passions for the city include transportation issues, the environment, ensuring smart growth in the right places, and future-proofing the city to ensure it continues to be the best place to live in Canada.
Prior to joining City Council, Councillor Nisan was a career foreign service officer, serving Canada. Among several other roles, he negotiated human rights resolutions at the United Nations, and was responsible for strategic communications at Canada’s delegation to NATO.
Councillor Nisan enjoys taking advantage of all that Burlington has to offer, like BBQing at Lowville Park, taking his child to the Brant Hills Splash Pad or eating his way through Ward 3’s many fine establishments.
Rory grew up in Brant Hills and attended Lester B. Pearson High School. He holds an Honours Bachelor’s degree in political science from Wilfrid Laurier University and a Master’s degree in international affairs.
Ward 3 Office
426 Brant St., P.O. Box 5013
Burlington, ON L7R 3Z6
Tel: 905-335-7777, ext. 7459
Email Councillor
Councillor’s Assistant
Tel: 335-7777, ext. 7565
ward3@burlington.ca
Ward 4 Councillor,
Shawna Stolte
Shawna has been a proud resident of Burlington for over 30 years and is honoured to represent the residents of Ward 4 for a second term of Council.
Shawna has utilized her strong background in social work and mediation in order to contribute a valuable perspective on City and Regional Council over the past four years.
She has championed environmental initiatives, including the Private Tree Bylaw, as well as championed Burlington’s inaugural and attainable Housing Strategy, in an effort to protect our valuable tree canopy and ensure all residents of Burlington are welcome and able to find safe, affordable housing options within our community.
Shawna has also worked very hard over her first term to advocate for increased transparency in the Council decision-making process to ensure strong accountability to the residents of Burlington.
Her focus for this second term of Council will be on “building community” by helping to create neighbourhood groups across Ward 4. She will also leverage her new role as Deputy Mayor of Housing to ensure a commitment to the effective implementation of the new Burlington Housing Strategy.
Ward 4 Office
426 Brant St., P.O. Box 5013
Burlington, ON L7R 3Z6
Tel: 905-335-7777, ext. 7531
Email Councillor
Councillor’s Assistant
Tel: 905-335-7777, ext. 7512
ward4@burlington.ca
Ward 5 Councillor,
Paul Sharman
Paul Sharman serves as Burlington's Ward 5 City and Regional Councillor on the City of Burlington and Halton Regional Councils. He was first elected in 2010.
Paul participates in many committees and boards. In the new term of Council, he has been appointed as Deputy Mayor for Strategy and Budgets, supporting the City’s strategy, financial planning, process management and performance measurement efforts. These responsibilities reflect on his decades of work and experience in helping the City to adopt a 25-year, community-focused strategic plan, and in the creation of a five-year financial operating plan. In all of this work, Paul places a focus on Results Based Accountability (RBA) process management and performance measurement processes.
Paul is deeply committed to seniors in the community and has been instrumental in bringing the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) to Halton Region, providing seniors with supports to live well and reduce admissions to hospitals and long-term care.
He is extremely active in representing the interests of Ward 5 community members and residents across the entire City of Burlington.
In his professional career, Paul is an organization performance management consultant, a Fellow Chartered Management Accountant and a Chartered Global Management Accountant.
Ward 5 Office
426 Brant St., P.O. Box 5013
Burlington, ON L7R 3Z6
Tel: 905-335-7777, ext. 7591
Email Councillor
Councillor’s Assistant
905-335-7777, ext. 7454
ward5@burlington.ca
Ward 6 Councillor,
Angelo Bentivegna
Angelo and his family have lived in Ward 6 for over 35 years. Educated in Montreal at Loyola University and McGill University, Angelo had a successful career as a self-employed executive and consultant in the hospitality industry. His family owns and operates a very successful gift and gourmet business in Burlington.
He was first elected as Burlington's Ward 6 City and Regional Councillor in 2018.
During his first term of office, Angelo served on various City committees and boards, including Accessibility, Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Inclusivity, and the Art Gallery of Burlington.
In his second term of office, Angelo has been appointed to the role of Deputy Mayor for Recreation and Community Services, and is the City's Board representative at Joseph Brant Hospital. These responsibilities build on his decades of volunteerism in our community, with the hospital, sports clubs, and the Gift of Giving Back.
When Angelo is not in Council, he spends as much time as possible with his growing family, loves the outdoors and hockey. He supports and attends many local community events and activities. In 2022, he was a recipient of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee Community Service Award.
Ward 6 Office
426 Brant St., P.O. Box 5013
Burlington, ON L7R 3Z6
Tel: 905-335-7777, ext. 7592
Email Councillor
Councillor’s Assistant
Tel: 905-335-7777, ext. 7480
ward6@burlington.ca
For more information about Burlington City Council
- Visit our Council Members and Wards page
- Watch live, closed-captioned webcasts of all City Council and committee meetings online
- Find your ward and councillor
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