A Day in the Life of Burlington Mayor Marianne Meed Ward

By: Kezia Royer-Burkett, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Burlington Local-News.ca

 

Ever wondered what a day in the life of Burlington’s mayor looks like? Burlington Local-News.ca spoke with Marianne Meed Ward about the realities of leading and representing one of Ontario’s fastest-growing cities.

 

For the mayor, each morning begins without a script. “There is no typical day,” she says with a laugh. “That’s part of what is wonderful about it. Every day you get up with the opportunity to serve the community in a new way.”

 

Some mornings are anchored by committee and council meetings, where staff recommendations turn into decisions that shape the city. Other hours are spent at community events, visiting local businesses, or advocating to provincial and federal governments on behalf of residents. But woven through every meeting, announcement, and handshake is a consistent philosophy: public service grounded in respect.

 

That principle is at the heart of Elect Respect, an initiative the mayor speaks about with conviction. “It’s really an encouragement to everybody, elected officials, staff, the public, to treat each other with respect,” Meed Ward explains. “Especially when we’re dealing with challenges where there are legitimate differences of perspective. We have to be able to find a way to talk to each other that is focused on policy, not personal attack.”

 

When discourse slips into harassment or threats, she warns, the damage extends far beyond hurt feelings. “When things slide into personal attack, abuse, harassment, or worse, in my case, threats of violence up to and including threats of death, people don’t want to participate in the public dialogue. They don’t want to run for office. They’ll leave office.”

 

She points to the departure of former Member of Parliament Pam Damoff as an example of the toll abuse can take. “We want good people to run, but we also want to make sure they have a safe working environment and can do their job.” 

 

In her own case, a death threat once meant she was advised not to attend a public meeting. “That’s my job. It affected my ability to do it. This is really intended to encourage us in elected office to lead by example and treat each other with respect and, in return, ask for that same respect.”

 

Advocacy is another steady driver in an otherwise unpredictable schedule. As chair of Ontario’s Big City Mayors Caucus, Meed Ward has been vocal about addressing mental health, addictions, and homelessness. “We’ve been very active in advocating to solve the crisis,” she says, noting recent provincial investments in HART hubs that provide wraparound supports. “Much more needs to be done, but that’s a big one.”

 

Housing affordability is also top of mind. “We have advocated that other levels of government should lift the HST on a new home,” she says. Meed Ward has also pushed to maintain automated speed enforcement, arguing that “speed cameras shifted the cost of speeding to the speeders by way of a ticket. Without them, the cost of traffic calming is shifted to taxpayers, and that’s just wrong.”

 

Protecting green space has been another defining issue. The mayor continues to press the province to use its authority to prevent development on the Millcroft lands. “They’ve yet to do that, but we’re going to keep asking,” she says.

 

Meed Ward’s passion for preserving Burlington’s character is longstanding. She was a key advocate in shifting the city’s urban growth centre designation from downtown to the GO station area, a move she says had lasting impact. 

 

“You could no longer rely on justifying overdevelopment downtown because of that designation,” she explains. When a proposal to redevelop the Waterfront Hotel site with towers exceeding 35 storeys was rejected and later upheld at the Ontario Land Tribunal, she saw the direct result of years of policy work. “That will have real and lasting impact on the community for decades to come. I can see the role that I played in achieving that outcome.”

 

Despite the weight of the portfolio, it’s the face-to-face moments that energize Meed Ward most. “I love connecting directly with community,” she says. On a recent day, that meant dropping in on residents in Aldershot working to improve their neighbourhood and visiting a new alcohol-free business catering to a growing trend. “Connecting directly with businesses and residents that are doing good things in our community is one of the favourite parts of my job.”

 

Her perspective on the city, she says, hasn’t fundamentally changed since taking office. “To me, it’s public service, serving the community, doing what we can to make residents’ lives better, protect quality of life, address affordability and safety issues, and respond to the concerns residents put before us.” While challenges shift, from COVID-19 to tariffs, she says her approach remains constant. “All my decisions are grounded in what’s best for our community.”

 

With that responsibility comes heightened visibility. “One thing you learn when you are the mayor is that whatever happens in the city, people look to you,” Meed Ward says. “Whether or not it’s in your area of responsibility, they look to you, and that’s a responsibility I accept and understand. They’ll hold me responsible for what happens in the city.”

 

What motivates her each morning? “I get up every day looking for ways to serve the residents and serve community. The local level of government is my favourite because it’s nonpartisan and it’s the most direct. I can see the impact of decisions that I’ve made or been a part of making.”

 

Outside council chambers, some of Meed Ward’s most cherished moments are quintessentially Burlington. When asked whether there are any Burlington community traditions or events that hold special meaning to her, Meed Ward responded, “I’ve always loved our music festival on the water,” recalling performances by Marianas Trench, Carly Rae Jepsen, Dear Rouge, and Jully Black before some of them reached wider fame. “It has given a lot of local talent a launch and introduced our community to artists who they may have not known previously.” 

 

Equally meaningful is the city’s access to nature. With the Bruce Trail, conservation areas, and the Niagara Escarpment nearby, Meed Ward notes that nearly half of Burlington is rural. “We’re a big city, but we’re also a rural community with active farms and lots of natural areas for us to enjoy.” Time outdoors with her husband, three adult children, and their dog remains a treasured tradition.

 

Balancing public office with family life, however, requires intention. “It’s a real challenge. The job really is 24/7,” Meed Ward says candidly. “I have to book my family’s time just as much as I book any other meeting. You have to be intentional. You have to schedule it.” Strong staff support helps, but she admits, “I wouldn’t say there’s balance. It’s a constant balancing act.”

 

If there is one message she hopes residents take to heart, it’s to participate. “You’re never too young or too old to tell us what you think,” Meed Ward says, recalling the five-year-old who came to council concerned about turtles at Millcroft. “She asked us to save her friends, the turtles. It was great to hear what was important to her.”

 

From town halls to community drop-ins, the mayor encourages residents to approach her. “We’re people. We’re your neighbours. People can feel free to walk up and say hello and tell me what’s on their mind. It doesn’t have to be formal in council chambers. I really do appreciate that.”

 

In a role defined by competing pressures and complex files, Meed Ward returns again and again to a simple idea. “I get up every day looking for ways to serve.” And in Burlington, that service can unfold anywhere, from a council vote to a waterfront concert, from a policy debate to a five-year-old’s plea to protect turtles.