Question 1:
What role can transit play in reducing traffic congestion and mitigating increasing expenditures on road maintenance?
Transit can absolutely play an essential role in reducing traffic congestion. The Region of Halton has set a high level of modal shift to transit, e-mobility and active transportation. As mayor I will make it a priority to protect the transit fare programs currently in place. Fewer cars on the road will result in better traffic flow, less stress on infrastructure, fewer greenhouse gas emissions, and cost savings for the public.
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?
The time that residents wait for bookings must be addressed. Waiting for pick up or return trips will require not only better service but more specialized vehicles on the road. Whether or not that involves contracting out, on-demand transit, or more BT vehicles remains to be seen. I await the Burlington Transit 5-Year Plan to help council determine the best route forward.
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?
As mentioned above, though the 20% modal share is ambitious, I am in favour of a gradual increase so that the roll out proceeds in an orderly fashion so that we can evaluate the transition and adjust our Integrated Mobility Plan to avoid mistakes in our calculations.
Question 4:
With record ridership and increasing demand, are you in favour of supporting continued expansion of Burlington’s transit system?
Absolutely. A careful approach towards on-demand transit, guided by Burlington Transit, and monitoring programs in Oakville and Hamilton, will help determine whether or not we need more fixed routes or flexible, mobile routes to complement our existing route strategy. I am also promoting a loop bus route around key destination points (malls, parks, downtown, etc.) which will help carry the load of most commonly used routes and bolster tourism at the same time.
Question 5:
Have you ever used Burlington Transit? Would you be willing to give it a try?
Of course. Hasn’t everyone? If not, they should give it a try. With free transit for seniors and youth, and one-payment connections, what’s to keep people from using transit? Not to mention the updated routes help riders see where they are going and the online route planner makes it easier than ever to hop on transit. Check out https://myride.burlingtontransit.ca/
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.
1) It could disrupt current arrangements between transit systems in Burlington, Oakville and Hamilton that provide connections between these cities.
Quite right and it is important for Burlington Transit to retain its autonomy. BT knows our community better than any entity. The number of people that use BT to ride from Hamilton to Burington and from Oakville in to Burlington is impressive and can be essential for many travelling to and from work. Employment in Burlington relies on this important service
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.
In my opinion, Metrolinx is firmly in the drivers seat (pun intended) with the Bus Rapid Transit system on Dundas Street. It is unlikely both from a political stance or a budgetary perspective to be downloaded to local transit authorities.
3) Certain initiatives by Burlington Transit, such as free fares for seniors and students, could be eliminated.
Not on my watch.
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.
City staff and Burlington Transit are in the process of establishing the goals, objectives and possible outcomes of a trial run for on demand transit in our city. Until that pilot is complete, it is too early to make any decisions on how to proceed.