Question 1:
What role can transit play in reducing traffic congestion and mitigating increasing expenditures on road maintenance?
Public transit is our most powerful tool to beat gridlock, lower road maintenance costs, and build a more accessible community. Shifting drivers into transit reduces wear on our streets and saves tax dollars by avoiding expensive road-widening projects. This strategy simultaneously slashes greenhouse gas emissions, protects the environment, and improves affordability for residents. By prioritizing frequent service and protecting fare programs, we ensure vital, independent mobility for students, seniors, and persons with disabilities, turning transit into a reliable and sustainable choice for everyone.
Question 2:
In your opinion, what can be done to improve specialized transit for disabled riders and would you be in favour of raising the budget for this increasingly important service?
Specialized transit is an overstretched, vital frontline service that must be protected and properly funded to guarantee independence and equitable mobility across our community. I strongly support raising the specialized transit budget to reduce long booking wait times, put more specialized vehicles on the road, and seamlessly connect local systems. Investing in these improvements delivers proven social and economic value by ensuring that persons with disabilities and the elderly can reliably access essential health services, while students with mobility constraints can consistently reach their education. This targeted expansion also builds a greener environment by offering an efficient alternative to high-emissions private rides, all while keeping public travel highly affordable for riders who rely on it to engage with their communities.
Question 3:Burlington’s and Halton’s Official Plans call for transit’s share of all trips to rise to 20% (from the current figure of about 4%) by 2031. Do you support this objective
I fully support the ambitious objective to raise our transit modal share from 4% to 20% by 2031 through an orderly, data-driven rollout focused on frequent routes, transit-oriented development, and strong inter-governmental funding. Achieving this stretch target is a vital win for our environment, as shifting drivers out of cars will drastically curb greenhouse gas emissions across all our wards. It dramatically improves community affordability by providing a reliable alternative to the soaring costs of private vehicle ownership, while offering indispensable, cost-effective independence for students, the elderly, and persons with disabilities who rely on seamless connections to reach school, healthcare, and daily essentials. By building a reliable, high-frequency network that links our neighbourhoods to vital commuter hubs, we can secure an accessible, green, and economically sustainable future for every Burlington resident.
Question 4:
With record ridership and increasing demand, are you in favour of supporting continued expansion of Burlington’s transit system?
I am strongly in favour of the continued, orderly expansion of Burlington’s transit system to support our record-breaking ridership and ensure our infrastructure keeps pace with real community demand. Expanding high-frequency routes and fleet capacity directly accelerates Burlington’s Climate Action Plan, taking cars off the road to preserve our environment and cut greenhouse gas emissions. This growth strategy drastically improves local affordability by reducing the financial burdens of private vehicle ownership, while protecting vital fare-free programs that offer cost-effective independence to seniors, low-income residents, and students. Furthermore, by systematically investing in specialized vehicles like Handi-Van, we directly expand crucial door-to-door mobility for persons with disabilities and the elderly, guaranteeing that a growing Burlington remains an equitable, reliable, and accessible community for every resident.
Question 5:
Have you ever used Burlington Transit? Would you be willing to give it a try?
I am an active transit rider and lifelong advocate, and I strongly encourage all residents to give Burlington Transit a try to experience a system designed to be reliable, accessible, and user-friendly for everyone. Choosing public transit is a powerful step toward protecting our environment by taking cars off the road and cutting carbon emissions across our city. Real-time online route tools make boarding seamless and convenient, while protected fare-free programs maximize community affordability by making travel entirely free for seniors and students. This commitment to inclusive, barrier-free service ensures that the elderly and persons with disabilities maintain vital, cost-effective independence, transforming our transit network into a preferred, sustainable choice that connects every generation to school, healthcare, and local employment.
Question 6:
The Ontario Legislature recently passed Bill 98, the Building Homes and Improving Transportation Infrastructure Act, 2026, which gives the provincial Minister of Transportation the power to override municipal transit authorities and set routes and fares for municipal transit systems. We at BFAST have the following concerns about this legislation:
1) It could disrupt current arrangements between transit systems in Burlington, Oakville and Hamilton that provide connections between these cities.
2) The Minister could divert Burlington Transit resources — for example, to provide service along the planned bus rapid transit corridor on Highway 5 (Dundas St.), which was supposed to have been undertaken by GO Transit. This would, in effect, download more fiscal responsibility from the province to local governments.
3) Certain initiatives by Burlington Transit, such as free fares for seniors and students, could be eliminated.
Please comment on this legislation and what measures you would undertake or support to ensure transit service levels in Burlington would not be degraded.
Protecting local autonomy over Burlington Transit is essential to prevent provincial overreach under Bill 98 from degrading frontline services and increasing taxpayer burdens. To secure an accessible, green, and affordable future for our community, I will strongly advocate to Queen’s Park, directly and alongside provincial municipal associations, to address BFAST’s three critical areas of concern:
1. Disrupting Cross-Boundary Connections: Local transit authorities know our communities best, and I will defend the existing, locally developed route arrangements with Oakville and Hamilton that vital workforce commuters, students, the elderly, and persons with disabilities rely on every day.
2. Downloading Fiscal Responsibility: I will firmly oppose any provincial attempt to divert Burlington Transit resources to fund provincial priorities like the Dundas Street Bus Rapid Transit corridor, ensuring that provincial projects are paid for by the province rather than downloaded onto local taxpayers.
3. Eliminating Free Fare Initiatives: I will absolutely protect Burlington’s successful free transit programs for seniors and youth, while advocating to expand free fares for high school students. This keeps transit highly affordable, cuts private vehicle emissions to protect the environment, and safeguards the independent mobility of our most vulnerable residents.
Question 7:
Over the past months, a plan has been promoted wherein a private company would provide on-demand transit service to potentially replace certain routes operated by Burlington Transit. Among BFAST’s concerns with this plan are:
1) Over-reliance on one private company to provide a service that could not be easily replaced if the provider were to fail.
2) Cost escalation and more traffic on our roads as mini-buses replaced current vehicles and more drivers were needed to move the same number of passengers.
3) Diversion of already-constrained Burlington Transit budget to a private, for-profit company, resulting in lower levels of service.
We would appreciate your comments on on-demand transit in general and the idea of diverting public budgets to private corporations.
Replacing established Burlington Transit routes with a private, on-demand service poses significant risks to our public system, and I will treat BFAST’s concerns as the ultimate test before committing taxpayer dollars. While on-demand technology can complement fixed routes to fill first- and last-mile gaps, it must never compromise public accountability, reduce existing service levels, or divert public funds for private profit. I will firmly protect our system by addressing these three core concerns:
1. Over-Reliance on a Private Provider: Entrusting a core municipal network to a single private company creates a dangerous vulnerability with no easy backup if the vendor fails. This directly threatens the stable, daily independence of the elderly and persons with disabilities who rely on consistent transit as an absolute lifeline for healthcare and daily essentials.
2. Cost Escalation and Increased Traffic: Swapping high-capacity buses for a fleet of private minibuses requires far more drivers and vehicles to transport the same number of passengers. This logistical inefficiency drives up taxpayer costs and directly contradicts our environmental goals by packing more emissions-producing vehicles onto our roads, worsening traffic congestion and street wear.
3. Diversion of Constrained Public Budgets: Funneling limited transit dollars to a private, for-profit company drains the resources needed to protect fare-free programs for students and seniors. Sacrificing public service quality for private profit harms community affordability, threatens low-income riders, and forces people back into private cars, further damaging our local environment.