FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Question: Your pledge to donate 100% of your salary as a Regional Councillor seems like a political gimmick. What local charities and food banks are you pledging your salary to?

When I pledged to donate 100% of my Regional Councillor compensation to local charities, I made a commitment to serve all of Milton. Our community is wonderfully diverse, and the challenges we face across healthcare, emergency shelters and homelessness prevention, youth support, food security, and the environment impact us all. To ensure I am supporting a wide variety of community needs, I will distribute my 26 annual paychecks evenly across these 13 organizations (i.e. two paychecks per organization each year):

• Milton District Hospital Foundation
• North Halton Hospice Townsend Smith Foundation
• Milton Meals on Wheels
• Halton Women’s Place
• Wesley
• Milton Transitional Housing
• Milton Navy League Cadets
• Reach Out Centre for Kids
• Community Living North Halton
• The Salvation Army Khi Community
• MAM Food Bank
• Milton Halal Food Bank
• Sustainable Milton

True stewardship means recognizing the challenges of every demographic in Milton. I am excited to support the frontline organizations that serve us all. Those who know me well, especially my family, know that giving back to the community is a deeply ingrained personal value rooted in spirituality. It is a commitment I have maintained throughout my life, through both the good times and in times when I knew I was being tested. My core philosophy of true stewardship demands nothing less. I am 100% clear in my conviction that I am running to serve this community, not to profit from it.

Question: Isn’t your pledge to donate 100% of your compensation to local charities equivalent to buying votes?

My pledge is a transparent commitment to redirect the salary of this office to diverse local charities that serve our entire community. When our residents are being forced to make difficult financial sacrifices, elected officials must lead by example. We cannot ask taxpayers to shoulder the financial burden of short-sighted political decisions while our public representatives get a salary raise.

This pledge is simply my way of demonstrating that I am stepping up to serve Milton, not for a paycheck or to profit from it. I encourage other candidates to make a similar pledge and follow through. Alongside competence and relevant expertise, having no expectation of financial compensation is a fundamental dimension of true stewardship.

Question: Your pledge to donate 100% of your compensation as Regional Councillor is nothing but a tax break . What secret deal are you making with your community?

I am pledging 100% of my compensation as Regional Councillor directly to local Milton food banks and charities. I am running to serve the community, not for financial gain. Furthermore, “my community” is all residents of Milton, not just Ward 3, because the decisions made by Council eventually impact all of us. The secret deal I am making with “my community” is that I will proactively engage them for input, be their voice at the Council table, and respect their wallets by ensuring infrastructure investments are made strategically according to community expectations and affordability. I am bringing 13 years of professional municipal sector experience to the table to address our ongoing governance gaps and deliver actual results.

​It is easy to make dismissive assumptions based on stereotypes, but you are all part of “my community”, and I am excited to serve you all.

Question: Anyone who works for a municipality can claim relevant experience. As mid-level municipal staff, what makes you a good fit specifically for the role of a Regional Councillor, and what is your motivation behind running for Council?

Municipal councils can benefit from elected representatives with diverse expertise and technical knowledge, and we have many examples of senior politicians on Council today who started their careers outside politics with humble beginnings.

We should not create barriers for candidates bringing specialized, technical expertise to the table to solve Milton’s infrastructure challenges. I strongly encourage all talented members of our community to bring their best ideas forward and contribute to the political space if they are motivated and willing to dedicate their personal time. The reality is that many qualified candidates shy away from entering politics because of toxic online spaces and a general lack of optimism about the future.

My 13 year track record in municipal infrastructure asset management is publicly available. I have administered federal funding programs for 440+ Ontario municipalities for 7 years, delivered technical assistance and coaching to 80+ Ontario municipalities, and advanced infrastructure asset management programs working as staff at 4 Ontario municipalities including Halton Region. I also currently serve on the Board of Directors for Asset Management Ontario (AMONTario), and as a Canadian Vice-Chair for the international ISO Technical Committee on Asset Management. I am proud of the work I have done and quite passionate about what I bring to the Council table.

If we compare serving as an elected official to running a restaurant, my 13 years of relevant experience in the municipal sector looks like this:

• I spent over seven years with an “association of restaurants,” actively advocating on behalf of owners, developing policy positions on the common challenges they face, and finding practical solutions.
• I worked as staff in multiple kitchens, learning the daily grind everywhere from fast-paced city franchises to seasonal town diners. My role was not just limited to the kitchen; it involved understanding every operational aspect of the business.
• I managed the government grants that keep local restaurants fiscally sustainable when operating costs and rents are too high, and customers cannot afford to pay higher prices.
• I collaborated directly with provincial inspectors to draft the exact operational and safety compliance codes that every restaurant is now legally required to follow.
• I sit on regional communities of practice, national working groups, and international committees that set the gold standard for how to run a sustainable, high-quality restaurant.

So, while I have never owned a restaurant business myself, do I have the relevant experience to step in and manage one successfully?

I believe I do.

To explain why I decided to run for Regional Councillor in my home ward:

• My unique perspective is shaped by years of hands-on experience working directly in the municipal sector in “advisory and managerial roles”, alongside the insights I have gained over the years about international best practices through extensive volunteer work in my field. While the incumbent (4 years on Council) and other experienced elected official (12 years on Council) running for the Regional Councillor from my Ward are no doubt amazing human beings who are well loved and respected in the community, my professional background makes it difficult for me to overlook what they could have achieved for our community during their years in office when they had the opportunity.
• The local councillor in our ward has been doing a solid job based on at least what I have personally experienced as well as heard from my neighbours, and I have no interest in running against effective local representation at the local level.
• The Regional Councillor position aligns directly with my experience working for upper tier municipalities in Ontario and municipal advocacy groups, so I believe this is where my skills can deliver the greatest value if my diverse community finds me worthy for their vote.
• Running for Council is not about a paycheck for me. I have already pledged to donate 100% of my council compensation to local charities and food banks. As an infrastructure asset management professional, my everyday work already covers my basic living needs, so I see no reason to take compensation from local taxpayers who are already dealing with an abnormally high cost of living.

I am an idealist and a dreamer. Through my platform, I am introducing concepts like true stewardship rooted in spirituality to redefine modern political leadership and community service. I am glad there are many residents who agree with me, even if they are not always vocal on public forums.

For me, the journey itself is the destination. If I am able to change a few hearts and minds in the community, it is time well spent.

Question: Why have you worked for multiple municipalities during your career in municipal sector? Why not stick with one employer?

I believe in continuous learning, consistently delivering results, and making a difference rather than taking the easy route of staying in my comfort zone. ​I am incredibly proud of the impact I have made at each municipality I have served, including being nominated for the Employee Excellence Award at Halton Region. Most recently, I made the decision to resign from my position at Halton Region shortly after sharing my intention to run for Council to ensure there was absolutely no conflict of interest.

My career accomplishments are well documented on LinkedIn, including delivery of educational workshops to municipal staff and elected officials across 80+ Ontario municipalities between 2018 and 2023 through a federal initiative funded through the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) and the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO).

Question: If you are doing well in your job, why do you want to enter dirty politics? If it’s for service, you can serve in any other capacity as well.

I actually believe we need the most competent, qualified, and professionally successful people stepping into political leadership roles. Doing well in a career shouldn’t disqualify someone from public office. Rather, it demonstrates the proven ability to actually make a difference and deliver results for Milton.

You asked why I don’t serve in other capacities. The truth is, managing municipal infrastructure is what I do every day. Milton is facing complex growth challenges. Volunteering on a local committee won’t fix our gridlock or ensure our property taxes are aligned with community expectations and affordability. The Council table is where my 13 years of municipal practitioner expertise can make the greatest impact.

​People often call politics ‘dirty’ when it becomes about self-interest or a paycheck. My campaign is built on true stewardship and giving back to the community. That is why I have pledged to donate 100% of my Regional Councillor compensation directly to local charities and food banks. This role requires a tremendous time commitment, but I am fully prepared to make this sacrifice and put in the hard work required to build a better future for our two daughters and the entire community.

Question: How can voters better evaluate the skills and track record of candidates ?

I believe voters should evaluate candidates by scrutinizing their educational and professional backgrounds. We need leaders who understand regulatory frameworks, funding mechanisms, and fiscal constraints. They must be able to critically evaluate technical staff reports, know the right questions to ask, and balance community expectations with realistic, sustainable service levels.

Elected officials should not have any direct or indirect conflicts of interest, such as ties to the real estate industry. It is also important that our elected representatives foster community unity and promote a healthy dialogue on addressing existing challenges rather than spreading misinformation and division.

If voters look at the ballot and feel no candidate is truly qualified, it is a clear sign that more capable citizens must step forward to ensure a healthy democracy. I am sure we have many qualified individuals in our community with the intellectual capacity and potential to lead. We just need to encourage them to step past the noise of modern politics.

Question: Why do you want to run for office knowing you will potentially split votes with other candidates with the same ethnic background?

Elections are about giving voters the most competent choice to manage our infrastructure and ongoing challenges, not about vote-banks and tribal politics. I have addressed this concern some voters share publicly in my post “A Message on Identity Politics & Shaping the Future of Milton” from June 05, 2026.

Question: Our infrastructure was built and already paid for by our past generations. All new and recent immigrants are just taking advantage of our local infrastructure services.

Infrastructure is not a one-time purchase from the past; it is a continuous, ongoing expense funded by property taxes of every resident and business calling Milton home today. No one is getting a free ride; we are all paying to maintain this town together.

The idea that newcomers are getting a “free ride” on Milton’s infrastructure paid for by past generations is a myth. Here are the facts: Milton transformed from a rural town of 31,000 in 2001 to over 157,000 today. To support that boom, we rapidly built entire new networks of roads, facilities, and stormwater systems. While 94% of our $3.4 billion infrastructure portfolio is currently in good shape, we are just in a “honeymoon phase.” Because this massive network was built in a highly compressed 25-year window, it will all reach the end of its lifespan at roughly the same time.

By the time our kids currently going to school are young professionals, Milton will face a massive wave of mandatory rehabilitation and replacement costs. Potholes and aging water mains don’t care about a taxpayer’s background—they require constant, ongoing funding. If we actually want to protect our children from a crippling financial burden, we need to focus on serious, long-term financial planning, not outdated stereotypes.

Question: Will you represent all Milton Ward 3 residents equally, or will your decisions be influenced by specific cultural or religious groups?

I am an infrastructure asset management professional committed to serving all members of our community equally. Every decision I make on Council will be guided strictly by data, fiscal reality, service level benchmarks, and affordability for our residents.

Question: If you have a personal faith/religion, will you allow it to influence you in what you support or how you vote as a councillor? An example could be are you pro/anti LGBTQ?

My private religious beliefs are entirely independent of my responsibilities as a municipal elected official. I am a strong advocate for equity in service delivery for all members of our growing, diverse community, regardless of age, financial status, ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation. As your Regional Councillor, I will work to ensure Milton remains a safe space for everyone and that all residents have equal access to our community-facing municipal services without any discrimination.

Question: How will you grow our non-residential tax base?

Milton is currently over-reliant on residential property taxes, with an assessment base sitting at nearly 83% residential. Because residential properties demand high municipal services (schools, parks, transit) but generate lower tax yields per acre than commercial properties, this imbalance forces tax rates up. In comparison, Oakville and Burlington have achieved a much healthier balance, historically maintaining non-residential assessment ratios around 30% to 35%.

Why do these percentages matter? It’s all about the tax impact. Oakville, by maintaining a strong commercial base, finalized a 2026 property tax hike of just 1.96%. Conversely, Milton’s 2026 overall tax hike came in at 4.75% driven by stagnant commercial assessment growth failing to offset the rising infrastructure costs associated with the booming residential population.

Milton has historically focused on warehouses and distribution centres that require a lot of designated employment land, but generate very low ratio of jobs per acre and yield lower commercial assessment values compared to high-density office or advanced manufacturing facilities. Milton failed to develop commercial density around its downtown GO station required to attract knowledge-based employers, and allowed developers to rezone designated commercial lands into residential subdivisions. This is the problem we need to address sooner than later.

To reverse this trend and aggressively build the non-residential tax base over the next four years, I will advocate for:

• Building dense, transit-oriented employment hubs around the Milton Education Village and the planned Milton-Trafalgar GO Station, while strategically deploying Community Improvement Plans, such as Tax Increment Equivalent Grants for developers who build mid-rise office spaces and life-science facilities in these zones, rather than single-story warehouses.
• Updating our zoning by-laws to specifically attract advanced manufacturing industries such as robotics, clean-tech, and food processing that generate significantly higher commercial assessments and better-paying local jobs than traditional storage warehousing.

Additionally, as an infrastructure asset management practitioner, I strongly believe reliable infrastructure services including adequate transit connectivity is a bare minimum requirement to boost any local economic development, make services more affordable, and improve the quality of life for all Miltonians.

Question: If you had to choose between raising taxes or cutting services, which would you choose? If your choice is to cut services, which would you cut?

If forced into a binary choice between cutting core frontline services or raising property taxes to maintain them, I will protect core services. Cutting frontline services or deferring critical maintenance creates a massive infrastructure deficit that simply acts as a hidden tax on our children (the future taxpayers). That is a non-starter.

If funding remains constrained, we should defer non-essential expansion projects until revenues catch up. As an infrastructure asset management practitioner, I will never compromise on the maintenance of our existing assets.

Property taxes should be utilized solely for keeping our existing infrastructure assets in a state of good repair to maintain our current service levels. Where revenues fall short, we must apply strict project-selection criteria rooted in whole-lifecycle costing. We prioritize only the most essential projects based on realistic, inflation-adjusted budgets, and we defer non-essential expansion projects until revenues catch up.

Another option to bridge growth-revenue shortfalls without burdening existing taxpayers is to utilize internal borrowing from reserve funds to provide interim financing for capital costs. This ensures critical projects advance while holding future Development Charges (DCs) accountable to repay the funds. This mechanism ensures developers ultimately pay their equitable share, guaranteeing that growth actually pays for growth.

Question: What is your position on the new CN Milton Logistics Hub?

Thanks for providing me the opportunity to share my perspective on this important issue. We cannot alter past court decisions, but we can completely control how the Town of Milton and Halton Region respond to advance the best interests of our community. Our focus must shift from trying to stop the approval to ensuring the project is rigorously monitored and that every enforceable condition is respected. As your candidate for the Regional Councillor position, I have shared my proposed approach for traffic management, public safety, environmental accountability, fiscal responsibility and regulatory transparency in this post: “CN’s Milton Logistics Hub: The Path Forward” from August 12, 2026.

Question: Why are you proposing free transit for seniors, and won’t this create an added financial burden for Milton taxpayers?

For our seniors, I am committed to providing free local transit to promote mobility, and free access to fitness facilities to promote active living, alongside expanded 12-hour programming at the Milton Senior Activity Centre to combat loneliness and isolation.

Based on my research, offering free transit to our seniors will have a negligible impact on operating costs as the majority of transit revenue comes from peak-hour commuters and students. Seniors predominantly travel during off-peak hours when buses run with significant empty seat capacity. Boarding seniors onto an already scheduled, half-empty off-peak bus incurs zero marginal operating cost as it requires no additional buses, driver hours, or extra fuel.

Question: Why is climate-resilient infrastructure part of your platform? Are you pushing an ideological climate agenda at the expense of taxpayers, or is this grounded in practical local needs?

In my profession (infrastructure asset management), proactively investing in our infrastructure to make it more resilient to extreme weather events is purely about managing risks to service delivery. One example is ensuring our municipal stormwater pipes are engineered to handle heavier rainfalls so our roads do not wash out and homeowners do not face flooded basements. It is strictly about protecting municipal assets to avoid catastrophic, unplanned replacement costs that are funded by local taxpayers. While the causes of extreme weather may not be fully in our control, we can absolutely decide how we respond to it.

During the recent extreme rain events in the Niagara Region, there was severe, historic flooding, washing out roads, overwhelming stormwater infrastructure, and causing an estimated $360 million in damages. A state of emergency was even declared in some areas like the Town of Lincoln. My municipal colleagues in paramedic services shared with me an incident of an ambulance getting stuck on a flooded road while transporting a patient to the ER. This is a classic example of the interdependency of municipal infrastructure services, where we need to see the system as a whole, not in isolation.

If our roads are flooded, our local transit and emergency response services (police, fire, paramedics) are also impacted. The challenge I am trying to address is whether we are interested in making our infrastructure resilient to extreme weather events, and would we prefer to adapt proactively and save costs, or continue being reactive which is highly disruptive and rapidly depletes our financial reserves.

Question: How do you propose to support the rural area of Ward 3?

Supporting the rural areas of Ward 3, specifically the historic communities of Boyne, Omagh, and Drumquin, will require addressing the disruptive friction of hyper-growth, as new development will significantly impact the groundwater, roads, and livelihoods of our rural residents. As a Regional Councillor, I will use my prior work experience in public policy to advocate for:

• Protecting our agricultural lands and ensuring housing affordability in rural areas by limiting further urban boundary expansion and focusing our investments strictly on smart intensification within our existing built boundaries. I anticipate any sprawling greenfield expansion will force the municipality to build expensive new linear infrastructure networks, leaving future generations with unsustainable infrastructure lifecycle costs (much higher than initial construction costs).
• Ensuring equity in service delivery by introducing transparent, auditable decision-making criteria to establish minimum acceptable service levels across Milton, regardless of postal code. This means any maintenance of rural infrastructure won’t be sidelined for high-visibility urban projects.
• Securing senior-government funding to eliminate high-speed broadband dead zones and guarantee reliable emergency response coverage across rural areas.
• Holding developers 100% financially responsible for protecting adjacent rural homes during subdivision construction. This includes paying for independent pre-construction well monitoring, ensuring deep sewer trenching does not drain nearby private wells, and fully funding road repairs caused by heavy construction equipment.
• Advancing integrated mobile care models like the MESA program (based on the success story from the County of Renfrew), which pairs specialized paramedics with health professionals to deliver mental health, addiction, and complex care directly to rural households. With over 525,000 rural residents lacking a primary care physician and rural homelessness rising by 30% across Ontario, relying solely on centralized hospital emergency rooms is inefficient and financially unsustainable.

Additionally, I would be interested in exploring the willingness of other elected Council members to leverage the 2025 landmark legal ruling won by the Municipality of Chatham-Kent and the Rural Ontario Municipal Association (ROMA), which confirmed that federal railways are subject to Ontario’s Drainage Act. The goal would be to make CN shoulder the responsibility of funding any stormwater and drainage impacts on adjacent agricultural lands. We will need to engage all stakeholders to build consensus, including proactively seeking input from the community before making a decision.

Question: What is your stance on speed bumps and traffic calming in residential neighbourhoods?

Definitely in school zones, where pedestrian safety is non-negotiable. Instead of traditional speed bumps, municipalities like the City of Toronto and the Region of Waterloo are shifting toward raised crosswalks. A raised crosswalk integrates the pedestrian path seamlessly while forcing cars to yield. It provides rigorous safety for our children and creates a highly visible crossing without the blanket drawbacks of a standard speed bump.

According to the Transportation Association of Canada, excessive traditional speed bumps delay emergency response times for fire trucks and paramedics. They also lead to higher road maintenance and winter operations costs. Other studies show that drivers often brake hard just before a bump and accelerate aggressively right after. This increases noise pollution for nearby residents, raises emissions, and accelerates wear and tear on the asphalt.

Also, if a road feels like a highway, people will drive on it like a highway (think Ferguson Drive in Ward 3). I am a big fan of the residential streets in Europe with natural, cost-effective traffic calming measures where vehicles are treated as just one of many users. That is just my personal preference, though, not a formal policy position.

Question: What’s the logic behind planning for faith-based cemeteries in the future?

Thanks for taking the time to go through my detailed platform. Over the course of my campaign, I have prioritized community engagement and spent hours listening to the challenges Miltonians face. I combined their input with the infrastructure and governance gaps I have identified through my extensive experience working with municipalities across Ontario.

​If you look at the “Equity in Service Delivery” section under my core principles, you will see commitments to expand youth and senior programs, build new sports fields, and enhance by-law enforcement. These are all direct responses to what different members of our community are actively asking for. My goal is to outline achievable solutions for the overall well-being of our community, ensuring that these commitments do not adversely impact anyone else. ​

The commitment to designate land for future cemeteries follows this exact same logic. It is fundamentally about proactive land-use planning for the end-of-life needs of our growing, diverse community. By proactively designating land for new faith-based cemeteries now, we are ensuring we have the space to support families in honouring their cultural and religious traditions locally in the future.

This approach is no different than the Town of Milton planning ahead for the future Milton-Trafalgar GO Station to manage rapid population growth. The issue is simply whether Council is willing to anticipate and address these realities associated with rapid growth proactively, or not.

Question: Should the Town of Milton change to City of Milton to reflect the population change of recent years, or should the Town moniker and sensibility be maintained?

The distinction between a “Town” and a “City” is entirely symbolic. Under the Municipal Act, there is zero difference in jurisdictional power, tax authority, or access to provincial funding. The choice is fundamentally about civic branding and how a municipality wishes to position itself.

However, there are some benefits to the title of “City” in terms of perception and reputation for attracting new businesses and investors. Milton is no longer a small, rural municipality. The word ‘City’ signals mature infrastructure and a growing workforce. This perception can actually help us grow our non-residential tax base a bit faster.

It is important we educate, consult and engage with the community before we decide.

Question: How do you plan to involve residents in the decision making process in Milton?

While the Municipal Act requires councils to publish agendas and hold open meetings, the reality is that public participation is often hindered by dense technical language in staff reports and short notice periods. I believe in proactive community engagement, and I am committed to educating and consulting the community before major financial decisions are made by Council. If elected, I plan to involve residents through two specific initiatives:

1. I will translate complex municipal budgets, investment requirements, and funding constraints into plain-language choices. Sharing this information is just the first step in a two-way conversation. I will also host regular “Pre-Council Coffee Chats” before Council meetings to seek community input. These sessions will give residents an opportunity to understand and discuss the problem Council is trying to solve, and rank options based on long-term financial implications.
2. I will establish a new Youth Task Force to audit Council decisions against election commitments. Members will serve a one-year rotational term. This task force will reflect Milton’s diverse demographics and provide a platform to empower our next generation of community leaders. Most importantly, it will create a structural feedback loop to guarantee that Council remains accountable to the very generation that will inherit the long-term consequences of any short-sighted decisions made during the next term of Council.

Question: What do you think is the biggest hurdle to bylaw enforcement currently? And how would you address this?

Enhancing by-law enforcement to uphold shared community standards is one of my deliverables, as poor by-law enforcement negatively impacts our community’s reputation and adversely affects our quality of life.

Many residents have expressed their frustration that parking enforcement in Milton feels fundamentally broken. An internal “Enforcement Staffing and Service Review” report presented to Town of Milton Council earlier this year on June 22, 2026, confirmed that Milton’s by-law enforcement team is severely under-resourced, leading to massive weekend coverage gaps.

Funding core by-law enforcement out of temporary reserves as staff proposed with a $131,264 transfer from the Tax Stabilization reserve to cover the 2026 shortfall is a “symptom of reactive planning”.

To address this, I will undertake a comprehensive review of all existing by-laws in alignment with the affordability and service expectations of our residents. I will also advocate to ensure that by-law officers are sufficiently resourced and empowered to take corrective action based on verifiable evidence provided by residents, while being held strictly accountable to target response times and customer service standards.

We need to move away from reactive stop-gaps and build a sustainably funded by-law enforcement system that residents can actually rely on.

Question: Why are you contesting for the Regional Councillor seat and not the Town Councillor? Only the mandate of a Town councillor will allow you to engage communities (grassroots) to come up with bylaws that are helpful.

I completely agree with you that grassroots community engagement is essential for creating helpful and effective bylaws. Because Milton operates under a two-tier municipal system, anyone elected as a Regional Councillor sits on both the Town of Milton Council and the Halton Regional Council. ​This means that as a Regional Councillor, I will hold voting rights on local town issues, including the town bylaws we need for things like e-scooter safety, as well as broader regional matters.

​Running for Regional Councillor gives me the same mandate to work with our community on local, grassroots bylaws, while also ensuring our Town has a strong voice at the Regional Council table. ​

What people often fail to recognize is that whether a service is delivered by the Town or the Region, there is only one taxpayer footing the bill at the end of the day. Any decisions made by both the Town and the Region impact our wallets, so there is a strong need for both levels of government to collaborate and coordinate effectively. This ensures we deliver infrastructure services in the most efficient manner with minimal long-term implications on our tax rates (other than inflation).