−5.9%
Burlington businesses
5,199 in 2022 → 4,890 in 2025
Net loss of 309 businesses
Burlington · 2026 Municipal Election
Economic Action Plan for Burlington
Making Burlington the best place to do business in Ontario.
Rory Nisan · Candidate for Mayor, City of Burlington
Where we stand
The Burlington economy today
Burlington's economy has lost 309 businesses and more than 2,000 jobs since 2022. We are the only municipality in Halton where employment declined. Our neighbours' economies grew while ours shrank.
This did not happen by accident. It happened because Burlington's relationship with the province soured, its economic-development function was paralyzed by internal debate over the economic development corporation, and the city's leadership was distracted by short-term interests.
−2.6%
Burlington jobs
≈87,700 in 2022 → 85,400 in 2025
The only Halton municipality to lose jobs
Source: Halton Region, 2025 Employment Survey Results.
Why this plan, why now
Burlington's economy should be working harder for you.
Lately, City Hall has been working harder for itself.
ElsewhereOakville has been named one of Canada's best places to invest for seven consecutive years,
Burlingtonand unfortunately, Burlington doesn't make the list.
ElsewhereWhile Mississauga attracted nearly 4,000 new jobs and 1.7 billion dollars in corporate investment in a single year,
BurlingtonBurlington has been consumed by an internal debate about whether economic development should be run in house or outsourced.
ElsewhereWhile Siemens invested $150 million in a major research centre in Oakville,
BurlingtonBurlington spent $300,000 on a parking garage study nobody asked for.
This is what eight years of misplaced priorities looks like under the current mayor:
Economic Action Plan for Burlington
Six priorities for Burlington's economy
A practical plan to invest and grow
01Reduce red tape
Slow permitting costs Burlington businesses time and money every single day. Every month a permit sits on a desk is a month a business is not hiring, expanding, or investing in this city.
- 1
Restore accountability with KPIs
I will reinstate the key performance indicators that have been allowed to lapse in our building and planning departments, so residents and staff alike can see how long approvals are actually taking.
- 2
Reduce permit timelines
I will set a measurable standard: permit wait times should reduce year over year until the City of Burlington is best-in-class for permit timelines in Ontario.
- 3
Remove unnecessary requirements
I will reduce the number of duplicative studies required for routine applications, so a project does not sit waiting on a report that tells City Hall what it already knows.
- 4
Modernize with technology
I will use technology to drive permit wait times down to best in class, rather than accepting delay as the cost of doing business in Burlington.
02Attract and retain more jobs
Retention is the fastest way to grow local jobs, and it starts with getting out of our own way.
- 1
Strengthen Discover Burlington
Discover Burlington was set up to lead our local economic development, and instead of empowering it, City Hall has spent years second guessing whether the function should even exist in house. That uncertainty has cost us jobs, business investment, and economic growth. As Mayor I will get City Hall out of Discover Burlington's way, strengthen its mandate and resourcing, and hold it accountable to a clear, public target of new jobs created every year, not vague ambition.
- 2
Retain existing employers
I will personally check in with Burlington's existing employers, remove the friction that pushes them to expand elsewhere, and make the case for new investment on the basis of a city that is predictable, affordable, and easy to do business with. Oakville has Invest Oakville, with a five-year plan and dedicated resources behind it. Burlington needs to match that ambition and exceed it.
- 3
Attract international investment
Attracting international businesses means showing up. I will make sure Burlington has a credible, consistent presence wherever Halton and the GTA are competing for investment, so we are recruiting employers, not waiting for them to find us. More jobs in Burlington means more residents working closer to home, spending less on commuting, and building careers without leaving the community they grew up in.
03Lower taxes
Every business decision starts with the same question: can I afford to invest here?
- 1
Anchor budgets to inflation
Burlington's city budget grew 42% over the last four years, with a 22% budget increase projected over the next four. Both numbers are too high, and both point to the same problem: spending has been allowed to drift upward without the discipline to match it. As Mayor I will anchor budgets to inflation, so businesses can plan, invest in themselves, and make their rent or mortgage payments without absorbing a City Hall increase on top of everything else already going up. This commitment is formalized in the Burlington Affordability Guarantee, announced September 26, 2026 - a firm, public commitment that the city budget increase will not exceed the rate of inflation.
- 2
Make tax discipline an economic tool
Predictable, disciplined taxation is not just a fiscal principle; it is an economic development tool, because businesses invest where costs are predictable.
04Partner with provincial and federal governments
No municipality can build a strong local economy alone, and Burlington cannot afford a mayor who doesn't know how to work the other tables.
- 1
Leverage FCM experience
As Chair of the Ontario Caucus of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, I have already been pushing for a modernized funding framework that keeps pace with growth, and I have the relationships across Ontario municipalities and the federal government to use that experience on Burlington's behalf as Mayor.
- 2
Secure economic development funding
The federal government recently invested $7.5 million in three Burlington businesses through FedDev Ontario. That is what Burlington can attract when someone is fighting for it consistently. As Mayor, I will use every seat at every table, regional, provincial, and federal, to secure Burlington's fair share of economic development funding, so we are not left funding growth entirely through your property tax bill.
- 3
Rebuild the relationship with the province
Years of confrontation instead of cooperation have cost us leverage on files that matter, from infrastructure funding to housing to transit. Burlington does better when its Mayor can pick up the phone and get a meeting, not just issue a statement or call a press conference. I will leverage my experience as a diplomat to rebuild a broken relationship.
05Enhance quality of life to attract talent
Businesses follow talent, and talent chooses where it wants to live. A strong economy and a high quality of life are not competing priorities; they reinforce each other.
- 1
Reduce traffic and improve transit
I will push for practical fixes that reduce congestion and improve transit reliability, so residents and employees aren't losing their evenings to traffic. That starts with advanced traffic management, timing the lights to keep you moving.
- 2
Invest in parks and public spaces
Burlington's parks and recreation facilities should be better maintained and more accessible, not an afterthought. We can start by building the most family-friendly waterfront park at the Burlington Beach.
- 3
Support local festivals
Our festivals, including the Sound of Music and its successor, are part of what makes this city worth choosing over a neighbouring municipality, and they deserve real support, not just applause once a year. A city with clean, welcoming parks, reliable transit, and a strong festival and events calendar is a city that keeps talent, and keeps the businesses that follow it. I will ensure festivals are supported, not discouraged.
The case in brief
Financial matters
An economic action plan should be honest about benefits and costs. Strengthening Discover Burlington, modernizing permitting technology, restoring KPI tracking, and maintaining a consistent presence with provincial and federal partners all require upfront investment. Rory commits to a full review within the first 90 days to determine what that investment looks like, funded within an inflation-anchored budget rather than a new tax increase.
The return on that investment is real and measurable: retaining businesses that might otherwise leave, attracting employers, growing the commercial and industrial tax base, and easing pressure on residential property taxes over time. Every permit approved faster means a business generating revenue and paying taxes sooner. Every dollar of provincial or federal investment secured is a dollar residents do not have to raise themselves.
This plan is what makes fiscal responsibility sustainable: a growing economy is a broader tax base, not just a bigger bill.
The full plan, ready to share
Download the print-ready Economic Action Plan for Burlington.