PICKERING WARD 3 CANDIDATES’ DEBATE — GREENWOOD COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION
Cleaned transcript
Candidates: Raj Kumar (challenger), Asma Muji (challenger), David Pickles (incumbent councillor), Shaheen Butt (incumbent councillor)
[Note on speaker labels: the source captions carried no speaker tags. Labels below were reconstructed from context — moderator name-checks, self-references, and consistent phrasing/style across each candidate’s answers — and are a high-confidence best effort, not a certainty. Spot-check against the video before quoting attributions in print.]
INTRODUCTIONS
Moderator: Raj Kumar Nata, and you are — and what is it that you’re hoping to become?
Raj Kumar: I want to be a councillor.
Moderator: Okay. And then we have Asma Muji, and you’re hoping to become what?
Asma Muji: Councillor.
Moderator: Okay, great. And we have the incumbent David Pickles, and you’re hoping to remain.
David Pickles: Councillor.
Moderator: Excellent. And Shaheen Butt, and you’re hoping to remain council. Okay, excellent. Thank you. Thank you for inviting us here.
OPENING STATEMENTS
Raj Kumar: Good evening, everyone, and thank you to the Greenwood Community Association, the moderators, and everyone who has taken the time to be here tonight. My name is Raj Kumar and I’m the candidate for city councillor, Ward 3.
Ward 3 is unique. We have established rural communities such as Greenwood, rapidly growing communities such as Seaton, agricultural lands, new development, and important environmental areas. Each has different needs, and every resident deserves to be heard.
I’m running because I believe city hall needs to remain connected to the people it serves. My priorities are responsible spending, infrastructure that keeps pace with growth, protecting the character of our communities — especially Greenwood — safe neighbourhoods, and transparent and accountable decision-making.
I believe growth must be responsible. When we approve new housing, we also need to think about roads, traffic, parks, recreation, and other services. I also understand the pressure property taxes place on families and seniors. I will carefully examine spending, look for efficiencies and other sources of revenue, and work to attract businesses and employment that strengthen our tax base.
Most importantly, I want to be an accessible councillor. I will listen to residents, respond to concerns, and explain the decisions I make. I’m not here tonight to tell you that I have every answer. Thank you for the opportunity.
Asma Muji: Good evening, everybody. I’m very happy to see lovely people here at Greenwood. I would like to thank the Greenwood Community Association — James, Nick, Tim — for organizing this meeting, and thank you for inviting me.
I’m a proud Pickering resident who has lived here for many years and raised my children, paid taxes, and been deeply involved in our community. I’m an engineer with over two decades of corporate leadership experience — a business owner, community leader, and media professional. For more than 10 years I’ve been proudly serving on various community initiatives around property taxes. Last year I initiated a petition to stop raising property taxes, which I submitted to the city.
For more than 15 years I’ve been actively involved in our community and a consistent voice for Pickering residents, bringing their concerns directly to the responsible officials and advocating for practical solutions on issues affecting residents. I have supported newcomers, mentored youth, organized employment seminars, and helped families and seniors in need. During the pandemic I helped provide groceries, PPE, and essential medicine to vulnerable residents and seniors.
Now, why am I running today? It’s becoming increasingly difficult for families to afford to live in Pickering. Property taxes continue to rise, while residents are concerned about traffic congestion, transit services, infrastructure, and the quality of the services they receive. Businesses are not getting enough support.
Pickering is growing, but growth must come with better roads and transit, responsible development, affordable housing, good-paying jobs, stronger food banks and shelters, more parks, education, meaningful community engagement, green space and environmental protection, and support for seniors, youth, and newcomers. Most importantly, we need transparency and accountability.
Pickering needs leadership focused on results, not unnecessary conflicts, restrictions, or distractions. We need city hall and residents working together, delivering results and listening. Ward 3 deserves a strong, visible, and engaged voice at regional council — someone who will listen, show up, speak up for you, and work every day to deliver results.
For many years I’ve been raising your voice as a member of the community. Now I’m stepping up to be a regional councillor so that I can go inside city hall and raise your voice and do the real work — and I can only do that when you vote for me on October 26th. Thank you so much.
David Pickles: Welcome, everybody. I’m very pleased to be here. Thank you to the Greenwood Community Association, thank you to everybody who came out, and thank you to my colleagues who are candidates here. It’s difficult, particularly in this day and age, to put your name forward, so congratulations on that.
Many people in the room know me. I’ve been working hard for Ward 3 residents, and residents across the city, for a number of years now. I know the community. I know all the roads. I know the sidelines. I know the concessions. I know my way around town.
I’ve supported responsible taxes, and in order to offset tax increases I’ve been very involved in trying to attract businesses — as we see along the corridor out here — which bring non-residential tax revenue to the city. I initiated making Pickering a willing host for the casino, which brings in about $16 million a year now, and that’s very helpful for projects.
I’ve supported first responders and safety in the community. There was some contention at the regional budget this year because we were hiring 100 police officers — I supported that. We have a new fire station in Ward 3, we have another fire station coming, and we have a paramedic station here in Ward 3. That’s very important for a growing community to have that safety.
I’ve engaged with this community, often together with Councillor Butt. I’ve been to many meetings and barbecues at the old community centre. I’ve been in this building. Councillor Butt and I have held town halls on our own and with staff on different projects. We have a joint newsletter that goes out generally twice a year — I couldn’t do one this time because there’s an election on.
We have a great community and the city is well run. Sure, there are potholes; sure, there are unfortunately some homeless individuals in different places; sure, we could have more transit — but we’re a well-run community, and I really get frustrated when people run down our community and say it’s a bad place. We have great people, and we understand there’s more to do and we’re trying to do better infrastructure.
I could list projects well into an hour. We did Concession 6 on the hill and down; we’re doing Concession 6, the bridge, now; there’s a master plan for the park here in Greenwood; White’s Road playground; the two bridges on the seventh concession; Joseph Street; and Claremont Park in Claremont. We are very invested in improving this community and giving it the amenities and services we all deserve and need. I have a proven record — experience and knowledge — supporting the community and representing you. Thank you very much.
Shaheen Butt: Thank you. My name is Shaheen Butt, city councillor for the last 10-plus years. I want to thank Nick and the team — I think you’ve done a great job here, I know the last-minute preparations are fanatical.
I take pride when we sit in here. This is the community centre that we supported at council. I take pride in the programs that were in here — the community centre that we had before and converted into the new community centre — with many programs that this community can now enjoy, and I take credit for this, as does Councillor Pickles and other council members. But that took a challenge.
I was also proud to say I pushed to get a library in here, and it’s named the Greenwood Heritage Library — that’s quite an achievement, and the work goes on; we’re not done yet. You talk about Claremont — subdivisions have been built, right? Infrastructure is getting stronger and better. Councillor Pickles and myself, with Councillor Brenner, were there as well with the mayor and the MP opening new businesses in Pickering, and that’s encouraging when the MP says, “I’m investing $30 million” or “$20 million” — that’s quite an achievement.
I’m not a negative person; I like looking at what we have done. We’ve done many things in Pickering — Pickering is one of the strongest, best-run cities in the Durham region, and I take pride in that. It’s not easy — yes, there are challenges, I agree, and there are some out there who don’t like this and don’t like that. I get it. But we are the mediators between the city and the residents. It’s a challenging process that we go through, but that’s the process of being a city councillor.
So I’m glad to be here. I’ll be glad to answer any questions you have — I’m fully loaded with information, but my USB can only handle so much, so I’ll be glad to have one-to-one sessions as well. Thank you.
QUESTION 1 — FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY AND GOVERNANCE
Moderator: Pickering is actively promoting rapid growth, but some residents are concerned about current and future city finances. How will you ensure that growth is managed responsibly without driving up municipal debt and property taxes? We’d like you to be specific about what budget changes or recommendations you would make.
Raj Kumar: Thank you for the question. Yes, the city is growing, and we have projects that have been done. I’ll take the example that we’ve developed places where people can live, but we don’t have the infrastructure. Any project that’s approved should have the infrastructure funded and approved alongside it — shops, businesses, transit, essential services, schools. We are just building buildings, not community. That has to happen in parallel — any project that’s approved should come with proper infrastructure.
We have to look at the budget line by line, to see where the deficiencies are, where there’s duplication, overspending, and whether procurement and contracts are appropriate, and find the money we can save from that budget and put it back into the city. Borrowing is sometimes necessary, but we have to see how much borrowing the city can actually afford.
We have the casino — we have to find out how Pickering’s share is set in the casino agreement, how much share we’re getting, the amount we’re receiving, and how it’s being used by city council. We have to save that money and use it properly.
It’s very important that property taxes remain affordable. Before increasing taxes, council should look for efficiencies, better conditions, and cut unnecessary spending. Thank you.
David Pickles: I want to point out that the city has a sophisticated budget process. We have budgets that are drafted up — documents are fully available, they come to public meetings, they come to council meetings line by line. Everything in the budget is available for anybody to look at. We have external auditors — it’s a very sophisticated, transparent process, and quite often people do look at it.
With respect to the casino specifically, the spending of casino funds is laid out specifically on one ledger — you can see every project and where it goes. The majority of casino money goes to infrastructure projects. We’re very responsible about it: whatever we collect from the casino in year A, we don’t spend until year B, in case it fluctuates. This year there’s a strike coming, so we’re probably going to have less money for the following year. It’s a very transparent, very responsible way to manage it.
The question of taxes and revenue really comes down to the fact that everything goes up with inflation — steel, pavement, gasoline, structural steel, the materials we use. There’s always a little more cost each year. If you froze taxes for four years, you’d be missing three per cent inflation one year, three per cent the next, and by the time you get through four years you’re 15 per cent behind — 15 million dollars behind on a hundred-million-dollar project.
So the way to fix that is non-tax revenue: I initiated the casino, which brings in $16 million a year; we attract businesses that don’t pay residential taxes but pay more in industrial tax. We have to improve the industrial portion of the tax rate, and we do it every day, out there attracting businesses — you can see the results down the road. Thank you.
Shaheen Butt: I pay property taxes just like everyone sitting here tonight. I care about keeping those taxes affordable because my family and I feel the impact of those increases as well. But as a councillor, I also have a responsibility to look at the bigger picture. When we talk about Pickering’s finances, we have to remember that municipalities operate very differently from federal and provincial governments. Property taxes are a major source of revenue, and unlike other governments, municipalities cannot run a deficit.
We also have to recognize that services — recreational facilities, swimming, parks, snow removal, fire services — all cost money. If residents want more services, those services have to be funded. One of the best ways to manage the resident tax burden is to grow our commercial and industrial tax base — that’s why economic-development initiatives like the 407 Innovation Corridor are so important. We also need to maximize provincial and federal funding; our staff continue to pursue outside funding for major projects, including a recent $10-million OPG contribution towards rebuilding a fire station. And finally, borrowing can be an appropriate tool for major long-term infrastructure when it’s responsibly managed.
Our job as council is to control spending, protect essential services, attract investment, and make sure every tax dollar provides value for residents. I want to come back to something — a lot of people are under the impression that if I pay $8,000 in taxes, all $8,000 goes to the city. How many of you are under that impression? Let me give you the actual numbers: out of $8,000 in taxes, 30 per cent goes to the city, 57 per cent goes to the region, and 11 per cent goes to the schools. Out of that roughly $2,400 the city keeps, we need to fund all the services we provide. It’s a challenging job. Thank you.
Asma Muji: When I go door to door campaigning, this is the main concern I hear from residents — younger families, seniors, everybody — the property tax increase. “Why is our property tax higher than other cities?” That’s the question I hear at every doorstep.
The main thing is how you spend the money you collect. Are you spending it reasonably, or are you wasting it? Accountability, transparency, and public trust are very essential here. We also put a lot of pressure on residents to fund everything ourselves — we have to create jobs and bring businesses here to fill our tax base through business and employment taxes. Why can’t we also look for provincial or federal government assistance, instead of residents having to pay for everything? That’s my point of view, and that’s what I would push for if elected. Thank you.
QUESTION 2 — COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND TRUST IN PLANNING DECISIONS
Moderator: In conversations we’ve had with many Ward 3 residents, we’ve heard a feeling that development decisions are being made without considering community input, and that this has created an issue of trust. How will you rebuild trust in the planning process and ensure public engagement happens before key decisions are made?
David Pickles: The city operates under provincial and statutory regulations for planning — there’s a set process for how planning occurs. At the very least, we have community meetings, statutory public information meetings, planning meetings, and council meetings. There are many opportunities for people to attend. Sometimes we hold open houses out in the community. We can’t drag people to meetings, but there are lots of opportunities.
We have newsletters that we use from time to time to talk about issues in the community. Councillor Butt and I are very open to people approaching us — we’ve come to Greenwood Community Association meetings, we’ve initiated town halls there. There have been occasions where I specifically reached out and invited some of the gentlemen here from the Greenwood Community Association to meet with applicants for development proposals, so that the Association’s questions get put forward directly, and I follow up on those with further meetings and information.
So yes, we can always do better, but there are a lot of avenues that people don’t necessarily take advantage of. If something is of interest to you, get more involved, show that interest, and we can provide more opportunities — but we can’t drag people to meetings.
Shaheen Butt: I’ll follow up on this. I don’t think there’s been any infrastructure project where the community wasn’t involved — that’s our protocol. As city councillors we’re the mediators between a developer and city staff; that’s part of the job. Whatever comes up, whether you agree or disagree, there’s a lot of community feedback that then goes to executive committee meetings — there’s hours and hours of discussion and work done there. Councillor Pickles and I continuously spend time with our directors on every project to make sure the community’s priorities are represented. We listen to them. A lot of times projects come in and the community says no, they don’t want the change — and that gets heard.
My background is IBM, 25 years in a corporate company, always looking at new projects and how we can make communities better — that’s my role. So if any of you feel you haven’t been communicated with, pick up the phone, call me, call Councillor Pickles — we are here. Thank you.
Raj Kumar: Improving community engagement — I’ve heard residents say that decisions were made before the public meetings were even held, that decisions were already made and then the city calls for public comments. That’s not just my opinion; that’s what residents say.
Every development, every project — before it comes to the public, you have to explain to residents what the options are: can we do this differently, can we save money, and at every step of the way, inform people of what’s happening and be open. That’s what I would do as a councillor: hold frequent meetings wherever possible, be open with residents about what I’m doing and what decisions I want to make, and tell the public. Thank you.
Asma Muji: For me, community engagement starts with listening to residents and keeping them informed. Residents should never hear about a plan or a development decision after everything has already been decided — there should be meaningful opportunities to engage the community and raise awareness and discussion about a project before it moves forward.
Planning decisions should be transparent. Residents deserve to understand how a project will affect them — transit, property taxes, quality of service, traffic, and everything else. City council has an obligation to be transparent with residents and to ask, up front, “here’s the project we’re bringing in — how will this affect you, the residents already living here?” We don’t want to create a negative impression by bringing in projects that give residents the wrong idea. Thank you.
QUESTION 3 — GROWTH MANAGEMENT IN RURAL COMMUNITIES
Moderator: How will you manage growth and development in rural communities to ensure new housing respects existing neighbourhoods while safeguarding localized infrastructure — private wells, septic systems, traffic, environment, and agriculture?
Shaheen Butt: Let’s take a couple of examples. Whenever a landowner comes in wanting to develop, the city doesn’t have the authority to simply say yes or no — he puts in an application and goes through the process to determine whether he can build. Services are the key thing: hydro, electricity, the septic system, the water system, environmental considerations, green fields — you name it. That application has to answer a ton of questions before anything is approved.
Take Cherrywood, since I know that’s going to come up — we haven’t made our decisions yet; we want to make sure everything is preserved in that hamlet. We don’t want the hamlet taken out. To be fair, some of the required studies aren’t done yet even though development gets approved — that’s where the concern comes from. On some of this development we don’t have much say — the provincial government dictates a lot of what needs to be done, the regional government dictates other parts, and the city’s hands are often tied. What we can do as mediators is tell the developer what the community needs and see if they’ll compromise — if they don’t, the developer may do what he wants regardless, but we step in to make sure the community’s needs are represented. That’s our policy. As I said, we’re dictated to by the province and the region, and unfortunately the city’s hands are tied in a lot of ways. Thank you.
Asma Muji: Environmental protection has to be part of every planning decision, particularly in the rural north of Durham. I will look carefully at environmental impacts and applicable planning protections. I don’t think the provincial government should bypass the city’s own planning — they should work hand in hand with it, not dictate to it.
When rural areas develop, we have to keep the green spaces and farmland as close as possible to how Pickering looks today. By the time development happens, there has to be proper roads, facilities, transportation, and recreational facilities — schools, parks, walking trails — all of that has to be accounted for. We have to keep the environment as protected as possible. Thank you.
Raj Kumar: Growth is important, but growth must be properly planned. Pickering is growing — we need more housing, business, and jobs — but development should not move faster than our infrastructure. Everything should be planned with proper infrastructure in place before development happens.
We need to protect our green land and farms — farms are very important for our food supply. The greenbelt is protected and we need to keep it that way; unnecessary development should not encroach on the greenbelt line. On provincial interference — there are three levels of government, and the people affected are not just municipal voters, they’re provincial and federal voters too. If there’s a community issue, as city or regional councillor we need to take it up with the federal and provincial governments and have that dialogue, because these are still our residents and they need proper infrastructure regardless of which level of government is involved. If any help is required, we need to ask all three levels of government for infrastructure funding. The bottom line is that proper infrastructure needs to be in place, and growth should not damage or harm the existing community. Thank you.
David Pickles: I want to give a little context. Eighty per cent of Durham Region is in the greenbelt, and almost 50 per cent of all land in Pickering is in the greenbelt — that’s protected with respect to growth. There have been some small nodes, like in Claremont, and perhaps some addition to the Innovation Corridor along the 407, but the area available for growth is really Seaton and the area northeast of the city.
The provincial government does set goals and directions — Pickering is meant to accommodate more people, partly through intensification downtown, and partly through development in the “whitebelt” area northeast of the city. Seaton and northeast Pickering are probably the most intensely studied and planned developments I can think of — Seaton has taken decades to plan, and northeast Pickering has been over a decade in planning.
I know some people say decisions have already been made, but the areas in question are already designated urban area — that decision was made through secondary plans, which are essentially neighbourhood-level plans. But there’s still a long list of work to be done before development can actually occur: a master environmental servicing plan, neighbourhood plans, a fiscal-impact study, an infrastructure staging and phasing plan, area-specific development charges and community-benefit charges, and environmental assessments for sanitary sewer, water infrastructure, transportation infrastructure, and utilities. That’s years of studies — years during which this community can engage and provide comments. These are some of the most studied growth areas in the province, and there will be further opportunities for public input. Thank you.
QUESTION 4 — COMMUNITY HEALTH AND AN AGING POPULATION
Moderator: Looking for concrete ideas on how we can support Durham’s aging population and expand local community services.
Raj Kumar: Seniors are the builders of this community and this beautiful country, so they need to be connected to the services meant to serve them. Whatever the city is responsible for should be provided to seniors from the city’s funding — and if that funding isn’t enough, we need to seek funding from other levels of government, provincial or federal. Seniors’ services should be provided to the maximum capacity we can manage. Thank you.
Asma Muji: There are many areas that need attention here. We need to facilitate more affordable senior housing — not just condominiums, which can bring traffic and inadequate infrastructure that damages quality of life.
I can give a couple of examples. I went to Seaton and a young person told me they have to walk 20 minutes just to reach transit service — we’re talking about better infrastructure where there is none. I’ve been to the third concession, where the roads have been in poor condition for 10 years, with no drainage, no gas service, and people who’ve lived there for 50 or 100 years continuing to suffer. I’ve been to Claremont and seen houses damaged by water because of improper grading. I’ve seen a brand-new development in Claremont where people paid two-and-a-half to three million dollars for a house, and their homes are being damaged because there’s no proper infrastructure or protection.
We keep adding infrastructure piece by piece without planning smartly, without engaging the community, without listening to residents — the issues remain. On the aging-population side specifically, we need to build more recreation centres and better transit for seniors, and we need to simplify the process for accessible transit cards — right now it’s lengthy and complicated, and often only valid for one year when it should be accepted longer-term. Thank you.
David Pickles: Seniors are a significant part of the city. Councillor Butt and I interact with seniors very regularly. There are a lot of great programs the city puts on for seniors — we often partner with federal and provincial governments, hold expos on activities and clubs seniors can join, run point sessions and breakfasts, and offer all kinds of programming.
Sure, we could have more programs, but we do a great job with seniors and with partnering across levels of government. When pickleball took off, seniors told us they wanted it, so we worked on bringing it in — whatever activity comes forward with enough demand, we try to make it available. We provide subsidies for snow removal where seniors need it. Many seniors like to live in the condos at City Centre because they’re close to the rec centre, the library, and the parks — Esplanade Park is a beautiful park, we have concerts in the park, movie nights, all kinds of things for seniors. I have a passion for seniors — I guess I’m a senior myself now, at 63 — and we do a lot for seniors in this community.
Shaheen Butt: My mother was 103 years old when she passed away, so I know what it’s like to have a senior at home, and I know what services were available to help keep her active — that’s part of why she lived as long as she did.
During COVID, we were the only municipality that kept our rec centre open to help seniors use the facility by appointment hour — we had staff on hand so seniors could still access it safely. This is the kind of thing we push for at council based on what we hear from residents. Look around Pickering — there’s a new senior-care facility going up, there’s investment coming into long-term care, and that costs money, but it’s for seniors. We don’t want any senior to leave Pickering; I’ve never had a senior tell me they want to leave. They want to stay, and we will keep them here. Thank you.
RAPID-FIRE QUESTIONS
Question — Greenwood Community Association / development indemnification: Regarding the Northeast Pickering development, the Greenwood Community Association has gone to the city, and even participated in an Ontario Land Tribunal process, to protect and seek indemnification for existing residents — not just in Greenwood but in Staxton Glen and Kinsale — against the risk that new development will affect their septic and water systems. Do you agree, and would you push for policies that formally guarantee residents indemnification, so the cost of any damage from new development isn’t a burden on existing residents?
Raj Kumar: I’ve addressed this in a previous answer — any new infrastructure that comes in should not interfere with existing residents. We need to find out how to implement that properly and ask residents directly. I will look into this and make sure it doesn’t affect existing residents. As I said, we need to pursue funding from all levels of government — provincial and federal — because these are existing problems, not new ones caused by new development, and that funding needs to go toward fixing them.
David Pickles: We’ve talked about this many times — at meetings with staff, at meetings with developers. At your request, I specifically arranged a meeting for you, James, and myself with the land group to discuss this. I think there’s a level of commitment to do exactly what you’re asking, though I’m not sure “indemnification” is the exact mechanism. We’re still fairly early in the planning process — I count seven or eight required reports still to be done: master environmental servicing plan, area-specific benefits charges, water infrastructure, three separate environmental assessments. We’re not yet at the stage where we know exactly where services will go or which communities will be developed.
The model is what we did in Claremont — we specifically arranged with the developer, Geranium, to dig deeper wells for people affected, and all the wells are being monitored for a number of years. That’s the kind of thing we’ll build in here. It’s a commitment we’re making, even though it’s a bit early to finalize the details.
Shaheen Butt: I want to follow up — your concerns are valid, and even though your community isn’t large in number, we respect your concerns. You’re not alone, you’re not going to walk this alone — we’re with you, shoulder to shoulder, on this.
Asma Muji: Residents already feel the pressure of rising property taxes. When developers bring forward an application, the city has to make sure developers are responsible for these extra costs and infrastructure needs — not the residents. I will make sure the city holds developers responsible for that kind of extra expenditure, not residents. Thank you.
Question — Greenwood Park and the former community centre: With the former Greenwood community centre being torn down and the park in a bit of limbo, what capital or maintenance improvements would you prioritize for Greenwood Park and other local heritage facilities?
David Pickles: There’s a parks master plan underway with further consultation coming. Right now our parks planner is busy with several other parks projects — Claremont, White’s Road South, and others — so further Greenwood consultation will likely happen over the winter when there’s less outdoor activity. I was speaking with staff just this week about options. The redevelopment plan under discussion includes relocating and expanding the playground, reconstructing the tennis courts with possible pickleball lines, formalizing the rink area as a multi-use hard surface for basketball and skating, a small park washroom building, walking paths, a possible pump track, a scaled-down ball diamond, and reconstruction of the parking lot. Not everything will happen on day one — the exact design and amenities will be worked out with the community and likely phased in over time.
Shaheen Butt: As a follow-up — yes, the old building is demolished, and that will take time and cost money; everything depends on budget. As Councillor Pickles said, tennis, pickleball, and other amenities are options, and we’ll make sure you’re engaged in that process. This is your block, your community — we’re here to make sure it has full facilities for both seniors and younger residents. You’re part of the team.
Asma Muji: I want any Greenwood park redevelopment to reflect community consultation and the community’s actual needs. Every step of the way, there needs to be consultation with residents about what the park should look like and what facilities should be included. The city cannot simply make a plan and hand it to you — you must be involved, and consultation has to happen continuously, not just once.
Raj Kumar: It’s very sad to hear that a whole community centre has been shut down in Greenwood. We found money to renovate the council chamber for $3.3 million, but we’re closing a community centre and don’t have money to keep it open to serve the community. Greenwood residents deserve a play area, a recreation centre, and a healthy environment. We’ve seen other examples of budget overruns — a swimming pool budgeted at $1.85 million that ended up costing $4 million, more than double — and that’s the kind of spending that needs to be controlled so we’re not forced to close facilities like this. I’d also like to see us bring in sports and international events — for example, cricket grounds — to attract more attention and revenue to the community. Thank you.
Question — supporting agriculture and rural commercial viability: What direct action will you take to support local agricultural businesses and rural commercial viability in Durham, particularly around the future of the former federal airport lands?
Shaheen Butt: Councillor Pickles and I were the strongest advocates against an airport in this area for the longest time, and we stood by that position throughout. Now that the land is being put to other good use, the city may be able to develop some portion of it economically to reduce the tax burden on residents — while still preserving the rural character of Greenwood, Claremont, and the whitebelt areas, the way we always have.
Asma Muji: I’ve spoken with residents about the airport lands issue. I think we need more studies, and if the community has concerns, those need to be addressed through consultation before any further steps are taken.
Raj Kumar: I’m not supporting an airport in the area either, but if there is genuine demand for business development, it needs to be properly planned and studied — we need to determine what kind of businesses are actually needed and what’s missing. I’d point to cities like Brampton and Mississauga, which bring in international business and events — I’ve been part of events that brought in 25,000 to 30,000 people internationally, generating real revenue for those cities. A couple of years ago I asked our mayor for land to run an international event that would bring in 20,000 people, and after four months I was told there wasn’t space available. We need to work together on finding those opportunities. I’ll work respectfully and positively with council on this. Thank you.
David Pickles: A couple of things come to mind. The federal government wasn’t a great manager of those lands, and the leases weren’t long enough to encourage real investment from farmers. As the disposition of the federal lands is decided — presuming much of it goes to Rouge Park or some other form of preservation — there’s an opportunity for greater investment in farming through private ownership or longer-term leases, ideally toward higher-value market-garden crops rather than just cattle feed. There’s also an opportunity for eco-tourism — something like a brewery, similar to what you see in Prince Edward County — given our proximity to Rouge Park, population centres, and trails. Thank you.
Question — first 100 days in office: What is one thing you would change within your first 100 days if elected?
Raj Kumar: I want to look into the property-tax issue first — review expenditures, see where we can save, and do a full study on that, because that’s the main concern I hear from everybody. Thank you.
Asma Muji: In my first 100 days I’m going to look closely at the budget. The city runs on funding — from residents, from corporate sources, from the casino — and we need smarter use of that funding without compromising services. I’ve heard about projects on the table for approval worth $5 million; I’d want to review those, re-engage the community on what’s actually needed, look at ways to save money while improving service, and set priorities for pending projects, some of which have been waiting for 10 years.
David Pickles: There’s a lot of opportunity around public access to documents and transparency — we probably need to do a better job advertising what’s available on our website and social media; residents can sign up for updates on meetings and agendas. We can do better at letting people know those opportunities exist, even if not everyone takes advantage of them. I also think returning to fully in-person meetings in the council chamber is important — that got delayed by COVID, then by renovations, and then, frankly, by some security concerns I won’t get into here regarding a specific individual. It’s time to open the chamber back up fully.
Shaheen Butt: Councillor Pickles and I met just today about traffic challenges from all the growth in Pickering. One idea raised was a local GPS-style traffic system to help direct drivers around congestion. Another priority is setting measurable targets for shifting the tax burden — we hear complaints about taxes constantly, and we need to work with the region on this, since the region currently takes 57.82 per cent of the tax dollar. If the city can gain more control over that split, we can give more back to residents — that’s challenging work, but it needs to be done.
AUDIENCE QUESTIONS
Question — Indigenous engagement in the Northeast Pickering plan: How will you ensure Indigenous voices are heard and incorporated into the development of the Northeast Pickering plan?
Asma Muji: First, we need to engage Indigenous communities directly and hold a town hall to get their feedback on their expectations. As a city council, we work for the people, not for ourselves, so we need to hear their voices and their expectations and plan according to their needs — with proper transparency throughout. Indigenous residents deserve to have their voices and concerns heard and acted on. Thank you.
David Pickles: I’ve worked in Aboriginal affairs at the provincial ministry level for many years, so I’m quite familiar with these matters. The region has a roundtable with Indigenous communities, and so does the city — we consult on projects through a specific process. The mayor has been meeting with the chief regarding consultation on Northeast Pickering and on Frenchman’s Bay, and I expect there will be some significant announcements coming on that front soon. We recognize and celebrate National Reconciliation Day and other significant Indigenous events at the city. The relationship isn’t perfect, but it’s building and getting better, and there’s more good news coming. Thank you.
Shaheen Butt: We already have good relations — the mayor has worked directly with our Indigenous partners, and we hold regular meetings with them. We have events at Esplanade Park, including a flag-raising, and we’ve involved schools and the broader community to make sure their voices are heard. It’s ongoing work, and more needs to be done. Thank you.
Raj Kumar: I have experience working with Indigenous communities on many occasions — as recently as last year, I worked on a project to benefit them, and I have connections and have taken part in consultations. They have specific preferences that need to be respected, and we need to consult properly when working with them. Thank you.
Question — AI data centres: Please articulate your position regarding AI data centres in Ward 3’s rural areas.
David Pickles: I’ll say right up front, I’m not an expert on AI data centres. I’ve talked to people who’ve had bad experiences with electricity and water usage from some projects, and others who say the impact is much smaller than people assume — it really depends on the project. I’m not aware of any application to build an AI data centre in Pickering. If one came forward, I’d want to become fully familiar with the impacts before forming a position, and I’d want to consult with the public.
Shaheen Butt: It’s a pretty sensitive subject — I know the mayor of a neighbouring municipality has already declined one. My background is IBM, so I’d want more research on where it would be sited — if it were proposed for our rural areas, my answer would be no; we have plenty of other land that could accommodate something like that instead. That discussion hasn’t come up yet, so we’ll deal with it if and when it does.
Asma Muji: I think we need more studies on this — I’ve read that in other countries, every AI query uses a significant amount of water because of how the servers operate, so we need real numbers, not guesses, before deciding anything.
Raj Kumar: A data centre can bring investment and jobs, but I could only support one once we have real answers on electricity usage, water usage, traffic, noise, and environmental impact. Most importantly, existing taxpayers should not be left paying for the infrastructure or increased costs created by a project like this. It needs a lot of study before implementation, and it should never come at the expense of existing residents’ taxes. Thank you.
Question — rural road conditions: With all the planning for new development, what’s the plan for old roads in poor condition — for example, Greenwood Road, which residents have tried (unsuccessfully so far) to get nominated as the worst road in Canada, and roads in Claremont that have been promised repairs for a long time? The concern is that all the funding goes to new development and none to fixing old roads.
Shaheen Butt: On Greenwood Road specifically — the city has budgeted for it, but the Greenwood bridge is currently under construction, so the road stays closed until that finishes, likely in early 2027. Once the bridge on the Concession 6 stretch is done, the road work follows.
Raj Kumar: Rural areas are part of the city too, so we need to take care of roads, neighbourhood safety, and proper lighting there just as much as anywhere else — that’s part of the beauty of it. I’ll support any road project that comes forward. I’m not on council currently, so if elected, I will support it 100 per cent.
Asma Muji: I’m also not on council, so I don’t know the current project list, but if elected I’ll review those projects and set priorities based on safety conditions, road condition, and neighbourhood needs — and keep the community engaged throughout the process, not just announce a completed decision at the end. I’d reset priorities based on the situation and ongoing feedback from residents.
David Pickles: I’ve probably talked to most people in this room about roads — I’m very knowledgeable on this file, and Councillor Butt and I put a lot of information out in our newsletters and talk about it at town halls and on social media. The core issue is that we have a lot of old rural roads built to standards from a hundred years ago or more. We have about $73 million a year in capital projects, which sounds like a lot but doesn’t go far when you’re rebuilding roads like these. This year alone, the third concession in Cherrywood is being redone, Townline north of Finch is being redone, and Old Brock Road in Claremont is being redone. We’ve already done work on the top of Concession 6, and Joseph Street. Still to come: Valley Farm Road, Hoxton Road, and Greenwood Road. As we finish roads, others move up the priority list based on public input and engineering studies — the roads that haven’t been done yet are getting closer to the top. Thank you.
CLOSING STATEMENTS
Raj Kumar: I really enjoyed being here today discussing these important issues with you, and thank you to the audience, especially the Greenwood Community Association and the moderators. Thank you also to my fellow candidates, and especially to the residents who came out tonight.
You’ve heard different ideas and different approaches tonight. My commitment is straightforward: listen to residents, spend responsibly, plan growth carefully, protect our communities, and be accountable for every decision I make. Ward 3 is changing quickly — we need infrastructure to keep pace with growth, but we must also respect established communities like Greenwood and protect what makes them special.
If elected, I will work to be accessible, not just during this campaign but throughout my entire term. I’m Raj Kumar, candidate for city council, Ward 3. Thank you for listening, and thank you for coming.
Asma Muji: This was my first debate, and I think it was a very good interaction — I really enjoyed it, and I understand that maybe some people didn’t get the exact answer they were hoping for.
What I can say is that I’ve met so many people here tonight, and I see worry, I see stress, I see people who’ve been struggling for years. I met a man sitting at the front who told me his roof is leaking and he doesn’t have the money to fix it, and it’s damaging his basement — even though he’s paying a lot in property taxes. That’s something I’m committed to finding an answer for: going line by line through the budget, and if the money isn’t there locally, going to the federal and provincial governments and saying, “these are your voters too — I need your help, I need funding, I need infrastructure.” I’m not going to just sit back.
So this is the opportunity to bring a strong, fresh voice and some real change. I’m hoping you’ll support me on October 26th, so we can bring that change together. Thank you.
David Pickles: I don’t need to tell anybody this — we’re in challenging times. We have safety issues, economic issues, homelessness issues, affordability issues, and even issues in the U.S. and internationally that affect us here. You need a representative experienced in representing you — somebody experienced in municipal matters who knows how to navigate those difficult waters.
Again, I’ve talked to and engaged with most people in this room — at meetings, in correspondence, at council. You need proven knowledge and experience in times like these. We have a great community, it’s running well, but we can always do better — we have great services, we can do more capital projects, we need more money, but we’re getting a lot done, and we’re working through the list of worst roads (of course, once you fix one, another one becomes the worst).
I engage and work with the people of Ward 3 alongside my colleague, Councillor Butt — you’ve seen the newsletters, the interaction, the response. If I can say one thing: watch out for vague, unrealistic promises. Every time I engage with the public, I learn something new, and I bring that back and incorporate it. I have a passion for this city — I moved here with my wife, we raised our children here, and I have grandchildren in the city. I want it to be the best place it can be, just like the rest of you, and I ask for your vote. Thank you.
Shaheen Butt: I was fortunate to be part of the city team that led Pickering out of COVID in a strong economic and financial position, and I’ll bring that experience and knowledge to the table for the next four years as we face challenges ahead. Now is the time for experienced, time-tested leadership to help guide our city.
We’re talking about experience here — we’ve been in there, we know how the city runs. Yes, there’s always room to improve how things are run, and there’s a lot of change happening. Some people spread the idea that people are leaving Pickering — but we have roughly 25 new families moving into Pickering every month. Yes, traffic is piling up because of that growth, and yes, you’ll see for-sale signs around — some people are downsizing, some are upsizing — but if you’re not happy with how Pickering is being run right now, there are other options on the ballot. I’m telling you, Councillor Pickles and I are doing a good job, and that’s what we’ll continue to do. Thank you very much.
