In an exclusive interview with CanadianSME Small Business Magazine, Marianne Meed Ward, Mayor of Burlington and Chair of Ontario’s Big City Mayors Caucus, discusses how she is leading with civility, transparency, and inclusivity in both municipal governance and broader community initiatives. With extensive experience in public service, advocacy, and municipal leadership, Marianne shares her approach to fostering respectful workplaces, driving municipal innovation, and creating partnerships that empower local businesses and residents alike.
Marianne Meed Ward is currently serving her second term as Mayor of Burlington. She is the longest-serving female mayor of the city.
Interview By SK Uddin
A passionate advocate for smart, balanced development, Mayor Meed Ward is focused on ensuring Burlington remains a great place to live, work, and play while maintaining its natural beauty. Her leadership is marked by a dedication to listening to residents, fostering collaboration, and prioritizing transparency in municipal decision-making.
A key priority of Mayor Meed Ward is promoting public transit in Burlington, where buses are now free for seniors and children, as well as for youth on the evenings and weekends.
Mayor Meed Ward is the Chair of the Ontario’s Big City Mayors Caucus, which launched the Solve the Crisis campaign calling on the provincial government to act on the homelessness, mental health, and addiction crisis.
She is also a board member of AMO, the Association of Municipalities of Ontario, where she has been active in advocating for a new deal for municipalities with the provincial and federal governments.
Mayor Meed Ward also launched the Elect Respect pledge, a nation-wide campaign to foster respect, inclusivity, and safety in public life. Elect Respect started as a conversation between a small group of women in Halton, founded by Burlington Mayor Marianne Meed Ward called the Halton Elected Representatives (HER), who came together to share their experiences with harassment and abuse in public life and to stand up for a better way forward.
In 2025, Mayor Meed Ward was named “Mayor of the Year” by the Municipal World editorial board, in part due to taking a stand for civility in local government through the Elect Respect campaign.
Also in 2025, Mayor Meed Ward joined the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative, growing coalition of more than 325 mayors and top elected local leaders working to advance the socioeconomic and environmental health of communities in the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River Region. She has also participated in cross-border delegations to address international trade, protect shared resources, and advocate for municipal interests.
In 2024, Mayor Meed Ward was awarded the King Charles III Coronation Medal for her collaborative leadership, driven by principles of integrity, transparency and accountability, as well as work on building an inclusive community, advancing Truth and Reconciliation, and her commitment to sustainable growth and climate action.
Prior to being Mayor, she served as a Burlington City Councillor from 2010 to 2018. Mayor Meed Ward has a degree in Journalism from Carleton University and worked for more than twenty years in journalism as a writer, editor, and broadcaster.
You’re Burlington’s longest‑serving female mayor and were named “Mayor of the Year” in 2025. As a woman leading in what is often a male‑dominated space, how has that experience shaped your view of leadership, and what parallels do you see for women running small and medium‑sized businesses in Canada?
I’m honoured to be Burlington’s longest-serving female mayor and to have been recognized as Mayor of the Year. While I’m proud of those milestones, they’re also a reminder that we still have work to do.
Across Canada, only one in five mayors are women. In business, the numbers are strikingly similar, with women owning just 17.8% of small and medium-sized businesses according to Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED).
I’ve never believed leadership is about fitting a particular mold. It’s about showing up, listening, building relationships, and making decisions that move your community—or your business—forward. Those are qualities that have nothing to do with gender, but they’re often the qualities women bring to leadership every day.
I see a lot of parallels between women in public office and women running businesses, whether that’s creating opportunities, overcoming barriers, or proving that different perspectives make organizations stronger. Every woman who steps into a leadership role helps make it a little easier for the next to do the same. I look forward to the day when we’re no longer talking about how many women are in leadership, whether in business or politics, because it’s simply the norm.
You launched the Elect Respect campaign to foster respect, inclusivity, and safety in public life, rooted in very real experiences of harassment, abuse, and even personal safety threats. How did Elect Respect get started, and why do you believe its principles matter just as much for business owners and workplace cultures as they do for politics?
I convene a network of women elected leaders called Halton Elected Representatives (HER Halton). It began as a conversation where each of us shared stories about the challenges we were facing in public office. It quickly became clear that these were not isolated incidents—they were part of a broader pattern. We realized that if this was happening to all of us, we had a responsibility to address it.
One experience I often share is that I was threatened with being set on fire if I attended a city meeting about a proposed development that someone opposed. Attending those meetings isn’t optional—it’s a fundamental part of my role as an elected official. No one should have to weigh their personal safety simply for doing the job they were elected to do.
While we can’t control the behaviour of others, what is within our power is to model the kind of behaviour we want to see. That’s how the Elect Respect pledge was born—a commitment to engage in political discourse without bullying, intimidation, or personal attacks.
This extends beyond politics. Businesses and workplaces face many of the same challenges, which is why so many display signs making it clear that abuse and harassment will not be tolerated. This behaviour is not confined to any one profession or sector—it has become increasingly embedded in our social culture, particularly since the COVID-19 pandemic. It is something that we, as Canadians, should take a principled stand against.
I’m grateful to the businesses, BIAs, and Chambers of Commerce that have embraced this pledge, beginning with the Burlington Chamber of Commerce. Today, the movement includes leaders and citizens from British Columbia to Nova Scotia, representing every political stripe. That broad support demonstrates not only that this work is necessary, but that it is long overdue.
Burlington has become an example of municipal innovation, from assistive AI tools like the eCheck system that simplify development review and building code assessment, to Pipeline‑to‑Permit dashboards that bring transparency to how projects move through the city. How do these kinds of innovations reflect your broader philosophy about making government more accessible, efficient, and responsive to residents and local businesses?
Whether you’re building a home, starting a business, or investing in our community, the process should be clear, predictable, and as straightforward as possible.
That’s the thinking behind initiatives like eCheck and Pipeline to Permit. eCheck uses assistive AI to help applicants identify potential zoning and building code issues before they submit their plans, helping reduce delays and uncertainty. Burlington is proud to be the first municipality anywhere to extend this capability to building code assessment.
At the same time, our Pipeline to Permit committee and public dashboard bring everyone to the same table—staff, industry, and the public—to identify bottlenecks and make it easier for everyone from residents to builders to see how projects are moving through the system. This is another example of the kind of municipal innovation where Burlington is leading the charge.
For me, innovation isn’t about technology for technology’s sake. It’s about finding better ways to serve people. If we can make processes simpler, be more transparent, and give people the information they need upfront, we’re helping residents, businesses, and builders spend less time navigating bureaucracy and more time doing what they do best.
That’s good for residents, good for businesses, and good for the local economy. That’s the kind of local government we’re working to build in Burlington.
You’ve championed smart, balanced development, expanded access to public transit, and taken on roles with Ontario’s Big City Mayors Caucus, AMO, and the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative. What does “municipal innovation” mean to you in practice, and how can cities better partner with small businesses to tackle challenges like housing, infrastructure, and climate while still supporting local economic growth?
To me, municipal innovation is about being willing to look at old challenges in new ways and working with the people who are closest to those challenges. Cities are where residents, businesses, and governments come together every day, so we have a responsibility to find practical solutions that improve people’s quality of life.
That means helping enable the conditions to build more housing while protecting the character of our communities, expanding transportation options so people can get where they need to go, and taking action on climate change while supporting economic growth. These challenges are connected, and they require collaboration across sectors.
Small and medium-sized businesses are essential partners in that work. They bring local knowledge, creativity, and a willingness to adapt that can help cities solve problems more effectively. Whether it’s creating more complete communities, supporting local jobs, or developing new approaches to sustainability, municipalities and businesses are stronger when they work in partnership together.
Through my roles with Ontario’s Big City Mayors Caucus, AMO, and the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative, I’ve seen that cities across Canada are facing many of the same challenges. The most successful solutions come when we share ideas, listen to partners, and focus on outcomes, while advocating for our shared interests with a unified voice.
Elect Respect, your advocacy on homelessness and mental health, and your recognition with the King Charles III Coronation Medal all point to a leadership style grounded in integrity, transparency, and inclusion. For Canadian entrepreneurs and SMB leaders, what concrete steps would you suggest they take to build more respectful, resilient workplaces—and what message would you most like to leave them with about leading in difficult times?
Building a respectful and resilient workplace starts with recognizing that culture is created every day through our actions. It’s not just about having policies in place—it’s about how leaders treat people, how they respond when challenges arise, and whether employees feel heard and valued.
For entrepreneurs and small business leaders, I would encourage them to lead with clarity and compassion. Set expectations for respectful behaviour, create an environment where people feel safe sharing ideas and concerns, and don’t underestimate the importance of listening. Strong workplaces are built on trust.
The challenges we face today—from housing affordability and mental health to economic uncertainty created by unjust U.S. tariffs and growing social division—remind us that we need to work together. At the same time that businesses are navigating real pressures, we are also seeing a rise in incivility that can affect our workplaces and communities. That’s why initiatives like Elect Respect matter.
The recognitions I’ve received are meaningful, but the greatest measure of leadership is the positive impact we have on others. Difficult times will always test us. Whether in public service, business, or our communities, people need leaders who can provide steady hands in unsteady times—leaders who stay grounded in their values, bring people together, and remember that how we treat one another matters.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this interview are those of the interviewee and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of CanadianSME Small Business Magazine. Our platform is dedicated to fostering dialogue and sharing insights that inspire and empower small and medium-sized businesses across Canada.
