My Platform

Aurora has experienced sustained intensification over many years. Growth must be matched with services, facilities, and infrastructure capacity. Recreation, transportation, staffing levels, and the preservation of Aurora's small town character are all part of responsible planning.

Responsible growth means building a town where families can thrive, where services keep pace, and where Aurora's small town character remains something future generations can enjoy.

• Advocate for development approvals that reflect infrastructure and service capacity
• Speak on the record for Aurora's small town character at every planning decision
• Raise transportation and transit readiness as a condition of responsible growth
• Push for developer contributions that reflect the real cost of growth on services

Aurora has reached the limits of outward growth. The next generation of facilities will have to come from modernizing and redeveloping existing sites, rebuilding from the inside.

Many of Aurora's major facilities are now decades old and approaching end-of-life:

These facilities were built for a much smaller town and are now strained by sustained growth and intensification. Facility demand, service strain, and transportation challenges continue to shape Aurora's planning decisions. Infrastructure readiness remains one of Aurora's most pressing challenges.

As Aurora's population grows and ages, demand increases for accessible recreation such as pickleball, indoor walking space, and low-impact fitness programs.

Modernizing our facilities isn't just about catching up. It's about building a stronger, more resilient Aurora for the next generation.

Large civic projects increasingly depend on partnerships. As land becomes scarce and construction costs rise, collaboration with regional partners, community organizations, and private operators often becomes the practical path to delivering new facilities.

What a Councillor Can Do

• Advocate for facility investment as a priority alongside growth approvals
• Raise the service strain that existing growth has already created
• Push for infrastructure planning on a long-term horizon, not just the current term
• Hold council accountable to capital commitments already on the books

Aurora is entering a period where long-deferred infrastructure needs can no longer be postponed. Financial accountability means planning for the real costs of replacement, modernization, and redevelopment, not relying on short-term fixes or pushing projects into future years.

With clear planning and honest budgeting, Aurora can make smart investments that strengthen services and protect quality of life for every family.

A Clear, Responsible Approach

• Keep property tax increases aligned with inflation, so residents can plan and the town can maintain stable service levels
• Build infrastructure reserves that match actual long-term needs, especially as major facilities approach end-of-life
• Use debt strategically, not reactively, and only when reserves and long-term planning cannot cover essential capital projects
• Communicate budgets in plain language, so residents understand what is being funded, what is being deferred, and why
• Scrutinize capital projects based on long-term value, ensuring Aurora invests in infrastructure that supports a growing population rather than short-term patches

In 2014 and again in 2018, I raised concerns about intensification outpacing services. That principle has not changed. Growth should be planned, measured, and supported by the services that make Aurora a great place to live.

Final planning authority in Ontario rests with the province and the Ontario Land Tribunal. A councillor cannot override provincial policy or OLT decisions, but a councillor can show up, speak clearly on the record, and ensure Aurora's voice is part of the decision-making process before those decisions are made.

Large civic projects increasingly depend on partnerships. As land becomes scarce and construction costs rise, collaboration with regional partners, community organizations, and private operators often becomes the practical path to delivering new facilities.

When growth is planned and measured, it can support vibrant neighbourhoods, strong services, and a community that feels connected and confident about its future.

A Practical, Realistic Approach

• Advocate for planned and measured growth at every opportunity
• Call for genuine community input before major development applications proceed
• Put Aurora's character and neighbourhoods on the record at every council vote
• Maintain a transparent public record of positions on significant development applications