Affordable housing, park upgrades: Burlington mayor shares 2022 priorities for city

Burlington Mayor Marianne Meed Ward says affordable housing and park upgrades are among several priorities for the city this new year.

Meed Ward joined Bob Cowan on Morning Live to share the details about these plans, as well as important dates for community members to mark on their calendars.

“My focus is making sure that we have parks, community amenities, community centres and jobs,” she said.

City officials are currently developing an affordable housing strategy called Inclusionary Zoning. This plan will include building more communities around the three GO stations in Burlington.

Meed Ward said the City will also revamp 11 parks, including the addition of a splash pad at Tansley Woods Park and an accessible swing at Central Park.

“Twelve other parks will be undergoing design work for constructing new features next year,” she added.

Two important dates to keep in mind are March 1st and April 1st, when a COVID-19 vaccine mandate will come into effect for staff at the Burlington Fire Department and City of Burlington workers respectively.

“This is really to keep everyone safe,” Meed Ward said regarding the vaccine mandate. “If you look at the data on Halton.ca, by a long margin, people who are unvaccinated are more likely to get sick and they are more likely to end up in ICUs.”

The City will also host another COVID-19 telephone town hall event on Jan. 19 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. The town hall provides an opportunity for the community to hear information and ask questions about the on-going COVID-19 pandemic and recent impacts on city programs and services.