Damian Burt is a first-time candidate running for the town council position of Ward 2.
Burt is running for council because he is concerned there is a lack of communication between his ward’s constituents and their representatives.
“We never seem to be notified of what’s going on before it’s too late for anything to be done,” said Burt. “I’m not blaming anyone but I don’t like it.”
One example was the decision to put an emergency medical station in his neighbourhood without informing residents. Burt is concerned this maybe dangerous considering the station’s proximity to many nearby schools. He believes having ambulances rushing up and down the streets where there are lots of children around may not be a safe idea.
“We had a meeting about the emergency medical situation and there were a lot of people there who were very upset,” explained Burt. “So that’s why when the election came up, I thought, well, why not? Let’s see if we can do something to make people happier around here.”
Another issue Burt is concerned with in his ward is a lack of recreation for younger people. He sees a lot of newer people moving into the community and feels there aren’t enough facilities and opportunities for them and he views that as a problem. He wants to try and do something for the area because he feels it is being ignored.
Burt was born in Mississauga and has lived in Oakville for 28 years. He served on the Transit Advisory Committee for roughly nine years and was chair of the committee for seven. If he gets on council he would like to open up communication with his constituents and give them a stronger voice.
“I want it to be what the people of the ward want,” Burt said. “So I’ll be setting something up if I get elected that will allow the people of the ward to communicate with me in such a way as to try and make it a true democracy in a sense. If there are issues going on and they want to say something they should be able to.”
Contacting Damian Burt
home: (905) 827-7659
email: [email protected]
District: Ward 2
Position: Town Councillor