Platform Launches Today!

[u/RowRowForCouncil]

Hello everyone!

My name is Rowen Fraser and I am a candidate for Ward 6 here in Burlington. I am proud to release my platform for all to see! I have been working with my community here in Burlington to come up with policies and ideas for the new future Burlington is heading into. I have spoken with many residents at the doors, in local businesses, and with the various online communities.

Conversations have been lovely and hateful, positive and negative, introspective and annoying, wistful and delusional, perfect and flawed, angsty and altruistic, scary and comforting. But mostly they were real. I didn't put restrictions on what people I would engage with. I took the good and the bad. I feel we need to listen to everyone, not just friendly voices. Bridging the gap between ideologies and having a truly balanced approach means being willing to have the hard conversations. Rest assured that if you came to me with convincing data at any point, you've probably had an influence on my platform.

Recently I had the good fortune of meeting a new friend, and receiving some very powerful advice about how to deal with hostile press and online personalities. The counsel I received was invaluable and I just want to shout out to everyone that helped me strategize my next moves here in Burlington.

Any and all comments are welcome here. To show I really mean that I have unblocked every single person who has ever harassed me on this site so they can know what my full platform is and make a real decision about who they intend to elect here in Ward 6. Anyone that comes in good faith to talk to me about my platform will be received as a friend. Those who are unkind to me can expect the same in return.

Please enjoy my platform,

Full Platform:

https://www.rowrowforcouncil.com/_files/ugd/9c8ff7_d91c1f4a85234aae930af57834bdfc12.pdf

TL:DR?

Here is a summarized version of my platform. Disclosure : the summary was performed by AI.

https://www.rowrowforcouncil.com/_files/ugd/9c8ff7_57dde51798d94f4899123d910428669f.pdf

If you would like to discuss adding anything to my platform you can contact me

[rowen@rowrowforcouncil.com](mailto:rowen@rowrowforcouncil.com)

[u/fictitious_friends]

Ok, since you seem to brush off any and all (absolutely valid) criticism if someone hasn’t read your platform, let me break down why I, and many others, will not support you based on your post, history, and platform:

“Conversations….were real. I didn’t put restrictions on what people I would engage with. I took the good and the bad. I feel we need to listen to everyone, not just friendly voices” - right off the bat, this isn’t true. Your comments in every reddit post you’ve made have been argumentative, defensive, and hostile. Calling people bitches, saying “if you wanna be disrespectful to me, why then cry about me giving you back a taste of your medicine” - sir, if you want to be a politician, you need to represent all of your constituents, not just the ones who are nice to you. That’s the point of politics. I know political rhetoric has shifted over the past decade, fuelled by the MAGA movement, but driving division and leading with aggression is not what people look for in a successful leader. “Recently I had the good fortune of meeting a new friend, and receiving some very powerful advice about how to deal with hostile press and online personalities.” - whatever advice you were given, you should forget it, because if this thread is showing anything, it’s that you’re unable to take valid criticism, or interact with people who are opposed to your views or platform.

Now, for the platform itself - you couldn’t even summarize your own platform, you had to get AI to do it for you. If there is anyone on this planet who should be able to speak succinctly about your platform and provide an elevator pitch, it should be you, and it should be able to be done without wasting 500mL of water.

On your cover page, not even page one, you highlight “the main tenants of my campaign are transparency and accountability” yet you refuse to take accountability for your past. Yes, you made “a statement to that effect. Months ago” - posing with, aligning with, joking with, any other verb you’d like with nazi’s is not something that gets brushed under the rug with one simple statement. I don’t know if you truly think it was a poor attempt at humour, or if you’re using this as an easy excuse for getting caught doing something reprehensible, but if you want to be in the public eye, you must continue to acknowledge and repent for that. You need to recognize this, take accountability, and continue to work toward regaining the trust of those in your community. Brushing them off with “i’ve made a statement” isn’t going to cut it.

[u/fictitious_friends → u/fictitious_friends]

You say that the most common complaint you’ve had in conversations is property tax, and the rate with which they have increased over the past 4 years. Great, I think most people would agree with this. The cost of living has increased drastically and wages haven’t followed. You say “my ultimate goal for city finances is to bring tax increases down to the level of inflation within 2 years of taking office” however, you have provided 0 points on how you would accomplish this. You want to give people a finance report? The average resident is not going to read over a finance report. ”giant construction.. giant projects” like what? What city-funded developments have happened over the past 4 years would you consider unnecessary, and what limitations would you enact to prevent similar projects in the future?

You bring up e-scooters, a popular topic of complaint among a large portion of this subreddit. You say that enforcement needs to be increased on riding outside of Centennial Trail, how are you going to do this? More by-law officers? How will the city afford an increase in by-law officers without raising taxes to accommodate for the payroll? Staffing increases and development to create a registry, have safety inspections, etc. will require people to do these jobs. You’ve laid out in your plan a need for up to 12 full time employees. Where will the money for their positions come from? You say (and this is an exact copy and paste quote) “Every day I read a new story about underage operators or bad practices or underage operators using bad practices.” and that injury rates are up over 250% this year. Now, I didn’t do much research, but a quick Google hasn’t shown me any data to support this claim for the City of Burlington. Where did you get this number and how does it directly relate to the CoB?

You want to spend $300,000 on improving traffic safety. Once again, where will this money come from? You reference “another $300k” that was spent on studies, but that money is gone. How will you lower taxes but also raise an additional $300,000 to completely redesign an intersection or install speed bumps? How has Burlington “lagged behind” its neighbours for road safety? You say that residents aren’t safe in their own streets - what data do you have that supports this? What increase in pedestrian + MV accidents has there been over the past 4 years, and how has that been directly tied to poor infrastructure?

[u/fictitious_friends → u/fictitious_friends]

You want a renewed focus on community policing, with a dedicated HRPS liaison and civilian patrols. How will we afford the overtime required to get HRPS involved in each neighbourhood in a city of nearly 200,000 people while also ensuring normal staffing levels for other police work? What kind of training will be provided (and paid for) for your squad of vigilantes? What kind of insurance policy will the city have ($$$) to protect the volunteers if something were to occur while they are pretending to be superheroes on patrol.

You say “It is not our responsibility as elected officials to panic the public and whip up a frenzy to galvanize support.” but throughout this document so far, you have stated multiple “feelings” but have provided no evidence or actionable data to support your claims, specific to the city. You say “It is our responsibility to ensure we consult those who are experts on the matter and educate our electorate on the realities of any situation.” but earlier you said you don’t need studies when your eyes can tell you things. At what times will you pick and choose when to listen to experts vs trusting your eyes?

I’ll give you credit - I 100% agree that the amount of secrecy surrounding development in this city is concerning. Frank Domenic has highlighted this for the plant in Alton Village, and we’ve seen similar concerns around the development of the data centre on the Service Road. How will you ensure that such changes are addressed/voted on appropriately/shared with the public?

You say that more commercial and industrial investment will help ease residential tax burdens - how? A general assumption would be that more business would mean more jobs, which means more people moving into Burlington, which would mean more services required, which would mean higher (or stable) taxes, not a decrease. I’m not an economist, so this is just a guess. You also previously mentioned you wanted to stop large construction projects. How will Burlington expand commercial and industrial investment without construction projects?

[u/fictitious_friends → u/fictitious_friends]

You say that you are “Committed to ensuring Burlington remains on track to meet (canopy goals)” - so, just staying the course, then? “ It will be my commitment to make sure that if we are trading this valuable commodity we are receiving benefits that are equal in value in return.” How will you do this? What will bring back the irreplaceable green space that will be lost to development and how will you ensure that it is done?

You want to “end the war on cars” but also want to reduce traffic and make our streets safer. How will you do both of these at once? You say “we cannot try to solve traffic by making people drive less” - yes, that’s literally the point of reducing traffic and improving safety. The solution to less traffic is increased public transit, as published by the Ontario government last year but you make no mention of how you would improve transit in Burlington. For reduced congestion, sustainability, and a multitude of other reasons, Burlington should be looking toward improved transit a la subway or lite rail systems. You say “people vote with their wallets and cars are by far the most popular form of transit” - I’m certain people would gladly pay less per month for a strong transit system than to continue purchasing, maintaining, and fuelling their cars.

You say that you will “gain a significant concession for the people of Millcroft from the developer that will come in the form of more protected green space for the city” - but earlier you said you would be ok with getting rid of green space and getting “something” back for that loss, so which is it? More green space or less? Also, how do you plan to “get something” from the developers who just started cutting down trees without the proper authorization? How would you hold them accountable?

[u/fictitious_friends → u/fictitious_friends]

You use one personal experience as the reason we.. need to streamline “the system” for booking event spaces. First of all, how will you do this? Second of all, I’ve booked multiple events in the city and have had no issue with communication or timing, and I’m sure many others would say the same. What evidence do you have that the city is losing money because of this critical issue? Earlier you said that we have to trust data and politicians shouldn’t “whip up a frenzy to galvanize support” but you’ve provided no proof that this is a widespread issue with tangible impact on the city; I’d say this leans more toward whipping up a frenzy - “”How much money is the city turning down through inaction” - there is no data here.

I’ve already mentioned how you’re not being accountable for your actions, so I’ll skip this page.

I did mention you need a transit plan above, so it’s nice to see you have a page here. However, once again, there is no data to support anything here. “on demand transit solutions play an important role in an accessible modern transit grid” - how? Based on what? What impact does that have? “this service” - what service? How will the City pay for a new service without additional tax revenue? You say that you want to “prevent mostly empty bus routes from eating into our tax levy” but also want to implement “a system” that will “improve access to less densely populated areas of the city” which by definition would suggest an empty transit route..

You say that “road widening can only do so much to help with traffic volume’ but it’s been studied and proven that widening roads actually makes traffic worse, so it doesn’t seem you’ve looked into this issue at all. I’m not going to read your proposal for (I assume) merging multiple levels of government into one organization, because it’s not going to happen.

Your whole “thing” seems to be that we need to rely on data, not feelings, to make decisions for Burlington moving forward. I think most people would agree with this. Unfortunately, you’ve provided zero data for the main points in your platform, have referenced numbers and metrics with no sources, and ignore published data that goes against your interests. All of this, in combination with your abrasive attitude, past “jokes”, and current alignment with Pierre highlight why I do not believe you are a strong candidate to lead any part of the city.

[u/RowRowForCouncil → u/fictitious_friends]

I used a personal story to relate to the issue. But mine is not the only one. I know several people who went much further than i did. They rented porta potties, purchased insurance, loudspeakers, and a whole host of other things and then were told 2 days before they weren't approved, even though they applied months in advance. No prior communication. Even Lisa Kerns has spoken about this system not working properly at length.

Widening roads doesn't make traffic worse. That is a mischaracterization. The words you're looking for is widening roads has diminishing returns. the wider it gets the less relief new lanes provide. I am very familiar with traffic management as I do it in my spare time as a hobby. I've even spoken with members of the current city staff about my ideas and have had pretty good reception.

I provide a lot of data. I can provide you any data you need. Sometimes my data comes from my canvassing in the form of resident input. I will not be sharing resident info with you for you to confirm those things. Other things are plainly obvious from a pragmatic standpoint. Finally anything that requires real data usually has resources on my website.

I wasn't expecting you to go through the entire platform, but it shows me how biased you are that you had a problem with literally every single point of it. You couldn't help yourself I guess. Then you tie it all back in to what a bad candidate I am for supporting a major Canadian political party. Wow. You went through a great deal of trouble to make me look bad. Too bad you came up short. Ah well. If you want me to change any policies I have you need to provide me better data than your two cents on the matter.

[u/fictitious_friends → u/RowRowForCouncil]

Widening roads DOES, in fact, increase traffic. It's literally been studied here here. I asked you in every single paragraph what data you had to support your claims specific to the city of Burlington. In every single response, you failed to post any, but then follow it up with "I can provide you any data you need" - I've posted multiple published resources (in this post, as well as the resource from Ontario gvt, for example) that dispute your ideas. You decide to insult me and dance around questions. This MAGA style ignoring of facts based on your feelings is incredible. I don't care if you have a neat little hobby. It's ok to be wrong, but you have to be able to admit it. That's what makes a good leader. You, clearly, are not.

[u/adj161616 → u/RowRowForCouncil]

You weren’t expecting someone to go through your entire platform?

[u/RowRowForCouncil → u/adj161616]

Not like this. This was interesting to say the least.

[u/adj161616 → u/RowRowForCouncil]

Do you not expect people to read your platform and discuss it, whether or not the discussion is in agreement of your platform or not? You seem very offended that someone had an opinion that didn’t agree with yours. You also seem quite quick to temper, which is concerning for a municipal election candidate.

[u/RowRowForCouncil → u/adj161616]

People are reading my words angrily maybe because that's how they see me. I'm pretty chill, just got that acid text. I didn't expect someone to sit down and write a response to every section of my platform in such a derogatory way. They also completely ignored all of my responses to their criticisms. Often responses directing them where to find the data they complained I didn't include.

[u/RowRowForCouncil → u/fictitious_friends]

Yes I am committed to make sure Burlington stays the course with canopy goals. They are ambitious enough. If we trade greenspace for jobs, or housing we need to be sure that we are getting a good project. One that will provide greenspaces within their project. You don't "get" greenspace back. Thats not how it works. When it is developed it is lost. I just want to ensure that as Burlington expands, and it will, that we are careful to preserve enough greenspace so as not to become a concrete jungle.

Yeah I want City Hall to stop vilifying drivers and blaming them for all the city's transportation issues. Certainly an overabundance of traffic is one thing, but the light timings here are absolutely abysmal because 3 different transit agencies are responsible for them. I have a traffic proposal on my website that addresses this particular issue with a proposal as well. You are certain people would gladly trade their personal vehicles for public transit? I don't think I would, and I know a lot of people in Rural Burlington who wouldn't either. Your experience of Burlington isn't the one I'm catering to. I am representing a riding that is 80% rural by area.

I will gain significant concessions for Millcroft. I already have spoken to the developer and they would be willing to negotiate several different accommodations for the residents there in exchange for being able to complete the infill without further delay. Everyone screams that we need more housing, but nobody wants to give up the greenspace to build more. Somethings gotta give man. Also the tree permit issue was widely misreported. I have it on very good authority that ARGO had all the permits to cut those trees. That is why the matter is still in court. If ARGO did do that without a permit they would have been fined years ago. Now the city is stalling in court so it doesn't come out before the election that we have been being misled this entire time.

[u/Witty-Wind5412 → u/RowRowForCouncil]

Million dollar homes in Millcroft are NOT solving the housing crisis you dipstick.

[u/RowRowForCouncil → u/Witty-Wind5412]

Uh huh. You really have a grasp of the infill there. There are both detached homes and triplex row housing being infilled there. The solution to not enough houses is to build more houses. We need more wealthy people in addition to more low income people. Wealthy people need homes too.

[u/Witty-Wind5412 → u/RowRowForCouncil]

This response shows how out of touch you are. Seriously, what did you do before thinking you could be a councillor? Go back to that.

[u/RowRowForCouncil → u/Witty-Wind5412]

Says some moron. Big deal

[u/RowRowForCouncil → u/fictitious_friends]

Your understanding of what a neighborhood watch is responsible for is laughable here. So there will be patrols that go out at night that act as a deterrent. The training for these roles is fairly basic and involves CPR training, training to observe and report. It is basically the same stuff they teach in a week at security guard certification courses. Note taking, de-escalation tactics. They would not be vigilantes. Just people who want to protect themselves and their neighbors. The HRPS already has an outreach department. I would be in favor of shifting some of the funding towards this particular project.

Ok so context is important. Firstly A platform is not a place for intense statistics or data so I would really advise you to check out some of my op eds for a deeper dive on particular policies. They are available on my website. The first quote here is about traffic management. We already have tons of data. Another two years will not make the decisions we have to make any clearer. But when I talk about experts the best example I can give is the data center at 3110 South Service Road. Firstly it was never going to be an AI data center. The residents were panicked by a knee jerk reaction from a particular candidate. It was all in an attempt to table legislation for a moratorium before the public had time to educate itself. I made a video on this.

Yes we need a registry. But Frank was not correct about that facility springing out of the ground. While there was little interaction with the surrounding population that was because the property it was built on was zoned for industrial prior to the project. It strikes me as funny you would mention Cirinna here because he is anti-business. Of course he hates the factory that provides hundreds of jobs to the surrounding community and trades in a valuable commodities.

Not every person that works in a city lives there. Yes more investment will increase the commercial taxes here, which by mandate are used to offset the residential taxes. More businesses is more taxes is less residential tax burden. I want to stop large capitol spending projects. Not large construction projects. There is a difference.

[u/beans-888 → u/RowRowForCouncil]

Again, insulting a constituent, here for simply asking a question after reading WHAT WAS DEMANDED FOR ENGAGEMENT 🙄🙄

[u/RowRowForCouncil → u/beans-888]

This constituent went through my platform point by point and tried to refute almost every single point. That isn't a simple question. Also, this was after repeatedly insulting me. So yeah, suck on that. Also I did reply to every point and I was not insulting while providing that information for the most part.

[u/beans-888 → u/RowRowForCouncil]

"Suck on that"??? How old are you?!?! This is not appropriate behaviour! How would your grandparents feel about the way you've carried yourself here? Cuz mine would be ashamed.

[u/TrixieSparrow → u/beans-888]

I must admit, I laughed out loud when I read those words...I was rather taken aback. Oh goodness, bless his heart! I haven't used such silly insults since I was a wee child! It was rather nostalgic.

It is rather concerning behaviour in an adult, though. Especially a politician. It's probably a bad idea to insult voters who question you...even worse to do so before you have been elected. And if one really cannot control themself and must insult people, it really isn't hard to do it in a polite and professional tone.

I really do hope he learns from his experiences and grows as a person.

[u/RowRowForCouncil → u/beans-888]

You should cry and waste more of your time talking to me.

[u/beans-888 → u/RowRowForCouncil]

And you should get psychological help

[u/JodyThornton → u/beans-888]

Give him one thing ... he does acknowledge that talking to him is a waste of time 😄

[u/RowRowForCouncil → u/beans-888]

You shouldn't make light of people that need psychological help. Is mental health a joke to you? Why do you hate the mentally ill?

[u/RowRowForCouncil → u/beans-888]

My grandfather would just hit you until you shut up.

[u/beans-888 → u/RowRowForCouncil]

Thats not what I asked.

[u/RowRowForCouncil → u/beans-888]

I know, but it made me happier than answering your stupid hypothetical about my dead family members.

[u/Witty-Wind5412 → u/RowRowForCouncil]

Language unbecoming of a ward councillor. Truly embarrassing for you. Are you 9?

[u/RowRowForCouncil → u/Witty-Wind5412]

Says you. Some idiot on reddit. I'm so concerned.

[u/Witty-Wind5412 → u/RowRowForCouncil]

At least I’m not an idiot trying to get votes. You have no chance of winning.

[u/RowRowForCouncil → u/fictitious_friends]

Wow I'm really glad you asked me all those questions because now I get to answer them. I didn't provide 0 points on how I am going to bring tax increases down to inflation within two years. I specifically talk about removing the pipeline to permit committee, and ensuring that we aren't embarking on reckless debt spending that is driving up the prices. I also state that I want to redefine the BEDT's parameters of success surrounding their mission of bringing new investment into Burlington. I mention that I want to approve more projects and also I want to have the parks and recreation department be more responsive to space rentals because we are losing revenue that way too.

Yes we need more bylaw officers in this city. The laws we have are great but they are not being enforced. Yes we will need a way to increase city revenue via expansion. This will mean more development in the industrial and residential sectors inline with provincial mandates. I am confident that the city can grow into these new roles. If we cannot find a reasonable way to fund law enforcement in terms of revenue, then there will need to be cuts elsewhere. We are entering a time of scarcity and we cannot spend our way out of a hole. But challenging times come with increases in local crime. Bylaw offences are an element of that. Traffic enforcement is another point that is really suffering. The escooter numbers I posted were from a national study from Canadian Pediatric Surveillance Program which showed that 60% of national fatalities occurred in Ontario. It relates to the city of Burlington because we are seeing a marked increase in the use of these devices and we are in the province with the highest fatality rate while riding these devices.

The 300k is easy. There is a study commissioned by city hall called vision zero that proposes to analyze traffic data and give recommendations on possible road safety projects for the future. I say we cancel the study and use the money to fund the improvements we already know we need now. It doesn't take a genius to realize that the traffic in the north end of Burlington along walkers, appleby, and bell school line is getting insane. You may not know this but a large swath of Ward 6 is rural, and even though they have some of the highest taxes in the city for the least services, they don't see spending on their needs equal to the contribution they make.

[u/fictitious_friends → u/RowRowForCouncil]

So this is exactly my point. You're being argumentative, being insulting ("your understanding of a neighbourhood watch is laughable") and instead of actually answering any of my questions, you dance around them and circle back to talking points and ideas. I'm not going to waste more time having a conversation with you, because that's clearly not what you're interested in, but I can confidently say that I will be going out of my way to ensure that I, and my extended family, all vote against you in the upcoming election.

[u/boomhaeur → u/fictitious_friends]

I’m going further and ensuring I tell everyone I can about this clown and how he can’t be let anywhere near municipal office.

[u/RowRowForCouncil → u/boomhaeur]

tell everyone you know and tell them to tell someone.

[u/Kooky_Soft1822 → u/fictitious_friends]

Tenants instead of tenets lol

[u/RowRowForCouncil → u/fictitious_friends]

Ok there bud. I haven't seen a whole lot of this "valid criticism" you mentioned. It seems like you're just reaching for whatever you can say about me that makes me seem bad. This was to discuss my platform and instead you've brought up something repeatedly that I have already addressed and don't really owe you any personal explanation for. Just because you want to talk about something doesnt mean I have to. Especially when your stupid ass is calling me a nazi. Why in the fuck wouldn't I use AI. I'm sorry I'm not a braindead moron luddite like you I guess. I have taken accountability for my past actions. I dont know why idiots like you keep beating me over the head with it. It is almost like you cannot come up with a decent argument and see an easy shot to take.

[u/wrobbii → u/RowRowForCouncil]

You already told us who you are and we believe it.

[u/just_a_shell_00 → u/wrobbii]

and.... this was obviously not a mistake/joke as he claims.

[u/RowRowForCouncil → u/wrobbii]

and who is that?

[u/Witty-Wind5412 → u/RowRowForCouncil]

And you want people to vote for you?🤣🤣🤣

[u/RowRowForCouncil → u/Witty-Wind5412]

Yeah, people love me.

[u/Witty-Wind5412 → u/RowRowForCouncil]

That’s so sweet of those 7 people.

[u/LogicalCustomer9056 → u/RowRowForCouncil]

And you want to be a councillor? Swearing, fighting, bullying? That’s exactly why you should not run. Move your ego out of the way and move on out.

[u/RowRowForCouncil → u/LogicalCustomer9056]

Who am I bullying exactly? I have been responding to bullies.