What Oakville's Mayoral Candidates Said at Two Debates in One Day

Oakville's five mayoral candidates debated twice on Sunday, October 18, hours apart and on opposite sides of town. The afternoon event filled the Unifor 707 Union Hall in front of a crowd of supporters and union workers, and the evening one ran at St. Aidan's Anglican Church in Ward 2, ahead of debates for town and regional council candidates. All five had already appeared at a Saturday debate hosted by the Bronte Village Residents Association.

Incumbent Mayor Rob Burton, Councillor Jeff Knoll, Councillor Sean O'Meara, Julia Hanna and Arvind Chaudary each took questions. One of them was how to make Oakville a realistic place to live for young people and low income families, a topic that has come up far less on this campaign than midtown or stormwater fees. Burton put it down to supply: "We need to increase the supply of housing. It's supply and demand folks." Knoll answered from his own household, saying that of his five children only one lives in Oakville, and only because he lives at home.

Hanna said the town cannot fix incomes or interest rates but can cut delays and write land use rules that support affordable choices. O'Meara said permits take too long, citing development members who told him one submission ran 18 months. Chaudary wants a service level agreement for town services so an applicant knows when a permit will be decided.

Strong mayor powers drew the sharpest exchange of the day. Burton said he has signed more than 100 strong mayor decisions, all of them to bring a council decision into effect immediately rather than wait seven days, and said he has never overridden or vetoed a council decision and never will. Chaudary challenged him over a closed door 8 to 6 vote on midtown. Hanna said a lobbyist registry would be the first thing she installs. Knoll and O'Meara both said they would not use the powers, and O'Meara proposed a recorded button vote so every councillor's position is published.

Asked to name Oakville's most important issue over the next four years, Knoll and O'Meara both said midtown, pointing at traffic, infrastructure and tax bills. Hanna said the town is running out of money, citing a move from a healthy capital reserve of over $200 million by 2030 to an $80 million deficit. Burton named uncertainty around tariffs and provincial housing legislation, along with Halton Region social programs he described as underfunded for decades. Chaudary said the job is keeping council united enough to speak with one Oakville voice.

Election day is Monday, October 26, and polls are open from 10am to 8pm. The Town's elections page lists the voting locations.