Baileyfairy

Pickering, your vote matters. Please make it an informed one. Online voting is open now. Before you vote, I'd encourage every resident to look carefully at every candidate for Mayor, read their plans, and decide for yourself who best represents you. Here are all seven certified candidates for Mayor, in alphabetical order: Kevin Ashe: mayorkevinashe.ca Doug Cornell: dougcornellformayor.ca Janice Frampton: frampton4mayor.com Zargham Rasool: zarghamforpickering.ca Shaun Rickard: shaunrickardformayor.ca Lisa Robinson: lisarobinsonformayor.com Andrea Wood: andreaformayor.ca The City's official list of all candidates, for every race: pickering.ca/council-city-ad… Ask questions. Compare the plans. Look at the records. Then vote. VOTE ONLINE NOW: intvoting.pickering.ca/ Online: now until Monday, Oct. 26 at 8 p.m. In person on Election Day: Monday, Oct. 26, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Voting details: pickering.ca/council-city-ad… Shaun Rickard Candidate for Mayor, City of Pickering #Pickering #PickeringVotes #Election2026

VOTE ONLINE NOW: intvoting.pickering.ca/ Online: now until Monday, Oct. 26 at 8 p.m. In person on Election Day: Monday, Oct. 26, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Voting details: pickering.ca/counci.../elect…

Does Pickering Already Get Audited? Yes, and That's Exactly Why We Need a Forensic Audit Too. shaunrickardformayor.ca/news…

The Fine Print: Part of the Frenchman's Bay Deal Would Go to OPG, Not Pickering shaunrickardformayor.ca/news…

BUYER BEWARE — Voting for a Pickering Mayoral or Council Incumbent? Do Your Homework First shaunrickardformayor.ca/news…

UPDATE - City of Pickering's Freedom Of Information Request refusal - I have filed an official appeal and it's underway shaunrickardformayor.ca/news…

Remember Who Did This: Property Taxes Rose More Than 9% in Two Years shaunrickardformayor.ca/news…

BREAKING - Frenchmans Bay has been sold to the City of Pickering, conditionally shaunrickardformayor.ca/news…

Rickard Releases FOI Report on Pickering's $1-Million Naming Rights Deal with Dorsay shaunrickardformayor.ca/news…

Polymarket Is Not a Poll shaunrickardformayor.ca/news… Setting the record straight - Read the article A betting website is being mistaken for a Pickering poll. It isn't one. Here's what those "odds" really are, how little money is behind them, and why they shouldn't decide anyone's vote. Many residents seem to be under the impression that Polymarket is a Pickering poll. It is not. In the past few days, I've received two emails and several direct messages from residents who told me they had planned to vote for me, but saw that Polymarket listed me with a 2% chance of winning. Some of the other candidates are listed with similarly low numbers. These residents felt that a vote for me would be a wasted vote. I understand why. A percentage next to a candidate's name looks official. But before anyone changes their vote because of it, here's what you need to know. 1. Polymarket is a betting site, not a survey Polymarket is an online prediction market. People bet real money on the outcome of events, from sports games to elections around the world. The percentage next to each Pickering candidate isn't the share of voters who support them. It's the price of a bet. If a "Yes" share on a candidate sells for 2 cents, the site displays that candidate at about 2%. Nobody is asking Pickering voters anything. There's no sample of residents, no check of who is placing the bets or where they live, no published method and no margin of error. A bettor in another country has exactly the same say in those numbers as a voter on Liverpool Road.

I just had to put out this news article on all SM platforms. I literally have people emailing/DM'ing me me saying they were going to vote for me, but then saw the Polymarket 'poll', then apologized and said they will need to vote for another candidate to avoid wasting their vote, take a read. I wonder how many other municipalities this is happening in? shaunrickardformayor.ca/news…

ATTENTION: I have made some breaking updates/revisions to my platform based on new facts and information I have received recently: shaunrickardformayor.ca/plat…

Part 1 of 9: 01. Responsible Growth vs. Developer Overreach Growth in Pickering must benefit the people who live here, not just the developers who build here. Currently, our community faces two massive, irresponsible development plans that threaten our environment, our infrastructure, and our quality of life. As your Mayor, I will use every power available to the office to reject, downsize, and correct these projects. A. The Northeast Pickering Development The Issue: City Council rushed through an approval framework to develop roughly 1,600 hectares of vital agricultural land for up to 72,000 new residents. Shockingly, this was approved before the critical environmental, traffic, and fiscal impact studies were even finished. This steamroller approach ignored deep opposition from local residents, environmental advocates, and the Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation. What I Will Do As Mayor: • Halt and Review: I will immediately move to pause further implementation of the Northeast Secondary Plan until all environmental and financial impact assessments are fully completed, made public, and independently verified. • Demand Fiscal Accountability: I will enforce a strict "growth pays for growth" mandate. If the servicing and infrastructure costs put an unfair financial burden on Pickering's existing taxpayers, I will use executive budgeting powers to withhold municipal funding for the expansion. • Protect the Greenbelt and Farmland: I will work alongside conservation authorities to downsize the development footprint, preserving critical natural habitats and prime agricultural fields. B. The Annland / Liverpool Road Waterfront Proposal The Issue: Council approved 51 townhouses at Annland Street and Wharf Street in 2024. The developer later filed for 91 units and now proposes 81 homes, about 60 per cent more than Council approved, on Liverpool Road, the single road into and out of this waterfront neighbourhood. The developer's Transportation Brief relied on traffic counts from one weekday in September 2023, with no summer or weekend counts for a road serving beaches, the marina, restaurants and the Waterfront Trail. It assumed traffic would grow by only 0.5 per cent per year. The developer's July 2026 addendum then found traffic on Liverpool Road had grown about 5 per cent per year, ten times the original assumption, and that a summer Sunday afternoon was roughly 37 per cent busier than the weekday evening rush. The same Brief forecasts the southbound approach at Liverpool Road and Krosno Boulevard reaching grade E and 95 per cent of capacity with the project. Yet the July addendum did not re-run Krosno using the higher growth rate. The City's public file also contains no stand-alone emergency-access or evacuation analysis for the additional homes, despite the site being within three kilometres of the Pickering Nuclear Generating Station. Read the full report, 81 Homes on a Dead-End Road, for the graphics, source documents and downloadable PDF: shaunrickardformayor.ca/news… What I Will Do As Mayor: • Enforce Zoning and Scale: I will vote down amendments that attempt to bypass existing community density caps. Any development on Liverpool Road must be strictly downsized to match the low-rise, accessible character of the Nautical Village. • Infrastructure-First Mandate: I will reject approvals for this project until an independent, comprehensive traffic and emergency-access study is conducted. If the infrastructure cannot safely handle the capacity without choking Liverpool Road, the project will not proceed. • Protect Public Access: I will ensure that any modified proposal guarantees unobstructed, permanent public access to the water's edge, ensuring our shoreline is never turned into a private enclave. • The Same Study-First Standard for My Own Bay Plan: Responsible planning applies to the Blue Economy proposal in section 09 too. No motorized boat launch site has been selected, and the West Shore side is not proposed. An independent feasibility study must put parking and traffic front and centre and identify a location that will not add traffic to Liverpool Road or West Shore Boulevard before any construction proceeds. Dock and fuel dock work must also undergo environmental review with TRCA. Note to Voters: On June 24th, 2026, I personally submitted formal freedom-of-information requests with the City of Pickering to secure Council-conduct and integrity costs, Security and meeting format costs, Council and Mayor expenses, Northeast Pickering servicing, Elexicon, and naming rights agreements. We are committed to building a fully detailed and transparent report on verified facts rather than guesswork. We will post an update here and on our social media accounts as soon as we receive and analyze this data. Shaun Rickard Read my full, comprehensive platform: shaunrickardformayor.ca/plat…

Part 2 of 9: 02. Protecting Our Waterfront, Frenchman's Bay & Green Spaces The Problem: Frenchman's Bay and the Pickering waterfront belong to the community, yet they face continuous pressure from massive, out-of-scale development proposals. For years, the City has offered nice words about public ownership while failing to secure a permanent solution, leaving residents to fight off high-density projects on their own. I don't just talk about transparency and accountability, I have fought for them, and delivered results. As a passionate outdoorsman who has spent years enjoying Lake Ontario, Frenchman's Bay, our trails, conservation lands, parks, and natural areas, I will fiercely protect the places that make Pickering unique. Future generations deserve the same natural treasures we enjoy today. I will fight to ensure that our waterfront and Frenchman's Bay are secured and preserved for the people of Pickering. Update, September 17, 2026 The City of Pickering now has a conditional Agreement of Purchase and Sale in place for Frenchman's Bay. The proposed acquisition is structured around a three-way funding arrangement involving the City, Province and federal government, targeting roughly $30 million, with due diligence underway before the deal can close. This is an important opportunity to secure the Bay as a permanent public asset, but public ownership must come with a responsible plan for its protection, upkeep and long-term value to residents. My Blue Economy proposal would keep the shoreline public and protected while building a self-sustaining waterfront economy around boating tourism rather than housing. A well-managed transient marina, shore-side amenities and partnerships with local businesses can help Frenchman's Bay pay for its own upkeep, support jobs and bring visitors to Pickering without selling off public shoreline or placing high-density development beside a sensitive wetland. This is primarily about visitors arriving by water from across Lake Ontario, staying overnight or for the weekend, and exploring Pickering on foot, not bringing more boat trailers into already congested waterfront neighbourhoods. No motorized boat launch location has been chosen, and I am not proposing one on the West Shore side. Parking, traffic and a suitable location that will not add traffic to Liverpool Road or West Shore Boulevard must be independently studied before anything is built. Section 09 sets out the full Blue Economy plan and these safeguards. Read the full report, BREAKING: Frenchman's Bay has been sold to the City of Pickering, conditionally: shaunrickardformayor.ca/news… A Proven Track Record of Action • Stopping the 23-Storey Towers: When an irresponsible proposal emerged to build two 23-storey condominium towers beside our protected waterfront, marshlands, and public beach, I refused to sit on the sidelines. I organized residents, led community opposition efforts, and demanded transparency. • Uncovering the Truth via FOI: Through Freedom of Information requests, our team uncovered documents that raised serious questions about discussions involving city officials and Ontario Power Generation regarding the nuclear emergency planning zone and the proposed development. We brought those discussions into the public eye where they belonged. • Elevating Our Community Voice: This fight attracted significant provincial media attention, shining a critical spotlight on the safety concerns of local residents and ensuring broader public scrutiny. Media Coverage of Our Fight CBC News: Pickering residents fight waterfront condo proposal over safety concerns cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/p… Global News: Residents voice concerns over proposed Pickering waterfront condo development globalnews.ca/news/6513473/p… Together, residents stood up, spoke out, and ultimately stopped that project. That victory proved something important: when residents are informed, engaged, and united, they can hold government accountable and achieve meaningful results. Our Plan • A Fully Funded Acquisition Plan: We will work to complete the conditional purchase responsibly, secure the proposed funding partnership and bring Frenchman's Bay into public hands while protecting taxpayers through full due diligence and a transparent long-term operating plan. • Preserving the Nautical Village: We will strictly enforce zoning limits to stop the creeping expansion of high-density projects that threaten the character and delicate ecology of our shoreline. • Protecting Wildlife, Not Just Promoting Tourism: More activity on the Bay must mean more protection: regular cleanups, proper bins, fishing-line disposal stations, clear signage, monitoring and enforcement. I have used my own boat to help injured swans, and residents who pick up after others should not be left carrying this responsibility alone. All dock and fuel dock work will undergo environmental review with TRCA before construction. Read my full, comprehensive platform: shaunrickardformayor.ca/plat…

Part 3 of 9: 03. Expanding Healthcare & Local Medical Access The Problem: Finding a family doctor in Pickering has become an exhausting challenge. While hospitals and medical licensing are primarily provincial responsibilities, municipal leadership has sat on the sidelines for too long. A lack of primary care clinic space forces residents into overcrowded emergency rooms for minor ailments, cutting across every demographic in our city. Our Plan • Doctor Recruitment Incentives: We will design a municipal physician recruitment program, offering local incentives and streamlined zoning to attract primary care doctors and family practices to Pickering. • Community Health Hubs: We will look into leveraging city-owned land and facilities to establish dedicated spaces for community health clinics, making it easier for medical practitioners to open up local offices. • Provincial Advocacy: We will actively partner with Lakeridge Health and the provincial government to ensure Pickering's rapid growth is matched by a corresponding increase in healthcare funding and hospital capacity. Note to Voters: Access to primary care is a highly complex issue tied directly to provincial funding and regional health networks. Because we refuse to make vague or unachievable campaign promises, our team is currently gathering data on local clinical shortages and space availability. We will update this section with specific, costed targets as our research is finalized. More to come as we gather more data. Read my full, comprehensive platform: shaunrickardformayor.ca/plat…

Part 4 of 9: 04. Public Safety & Crime Prevention The Problem: Keeping our neighbourhoods safe is a top priority, but it requires honest leadership. Pickering does not have its own municipal police force; we are policed by the Durham Regional Police Service (DRPS). True public safety means working effectively within our regional system rather than making empty promises about services the mayor does not run. Update, August 2026 The numbers from our Freedom of Information request are in, and they tell a troubling story. Some will point out that policing is a Durham responsibility, not Pickering alone, and that doesn't change what's happening here: Pickering's own numbers, in this same DRPS data, are falling. If anything, it shows why Pickering-specific reporting matters, a regional average can look fine while a specific community is falling behind. More on the specific numbers here: shaunrickardformayor.ca/news That's part of why what I learned this month matters. I had an eye-opening conversation with Durham Regional Police Service's Director of External Relations, who walked me through DRPS's Community Safety Data Portal, launched in March 2026: open-data-drps.hub.arcgis.co… It's a genuinely comprehensive, detailed tool, and DRPS deserves credit for building it. But like most residents, I had no idea it existed until DRPS reached out after reading the Public Safety & Crime Prevention section of my campaign platform. I've never heard a city councillor or Mayor Ashe mention it, let alone promote it. A valuable public safety resource has existed for months, and City Hall never told residents it was there. What this means for Pickering Rising crime, falling clearance rates, and a City Hall that never told residents about a safety tool that already exists aren't three separate problems, they're one problem: a lack of leadership and communication at City Hall. As your next Mayor, I will • Push for a Pickering-specific public safety strategy, developed collaboratively with DRPS, not just region-wide numbers that can mask what's happening in our own city. • Get DRPS's Community Safety Data Portal, and a plain-language Pickering-specific summary, promoted directly on the City of Pickering's website, so residents and anyone considering a move here can actually find it. • Work with community organizations and DRPS on prevention-focused initiatives and solutions, particularly around property crime (including motor vehicle theft) and violent crime, including youth-involved violent crime. Source: All figures in this release are drawn directly from Durham Regional Police Service's response to Freedom of Information Request #26-1014, covering the years 2022 through 2025. 2026 data was excluded from year-over-year comparisons because DRPS's release only covers January 1 to July 1, 2026, a partial year. Full source data is available upon request. Read my full, comprehensive platform: shaunrickardformayor.ca/plat…

Part 5 of 9: 05. Restoring Democratic Transparency The Problem: Over the past several years, City Hall has become increasingly disconnected from the people it serves. Decisions impacting thousands of residents are rushed through behind closed doors, and the elimination of regular in-person council meetings in 2025 severely restricted public debate. Update, September 28, 2026 When I filed a Freedom of Information request for the Elexicon records, the City refused to process it, claiming the request was "frivolous and vexatious." Residents deserve to see the primary records behind decisions affecting a major public asset like our stake in Elexicon, not a wall of denials. I don't accept that refusal, and I'm not letting it go: I have filed an official appeal with Ontario's Information and Privacy Commissioner, and that appeal is now underway. If elected, I will make sure the law is applied fairly and that your right to know is defended. Read the full report, UPDATE: City of Pickering's Freedom Of Information Request refusal, I have filed an official appeal and it's underway: shaunrickardformayor.ca/news… Our Plan • Reopen City Hall: On day one, I will restore regular, in-person council chambers to ensure residents have a direct, face-to-face voice in local government. Public delegation opportunities will be fully restored to their full 10 minutes, along with all Q&A sessions. • Plain-Language Budgets: We will replace confusing, thousand-page financial reports with clear, plain-language annual budget breakdowns so you can see exactly where every dollar goes. • Strict Developer Accountability: We will introduce rigorous transparency measures for all planning applications, ensuring public consultations occur before frameworks are approved, not as an afterthought. Read my full, comprehensive platform: shaunrickardformayor.ca/plat…

Part 6 of 9: 06. Property Taxes & Fiscal Responsibility The Problem: Property taxes continue to outpace household budgets, driven by a "growth at all costs" mentality where existing residents are forced to subsidize major new developments. Update, September 28, 2026 Pickering's total property-tax bill rose more than nine percent in just two years, 5.35 percent in 2025 and 3.81 percent in 2026. That increase was nearly double inflation over the same period, and both budgets were proposed by Mayor Kevin Ashe under strong-mayor powers. This happened while Durham Region recorded more than 300,000 food-bank visits in one year, a 20 percent increase, placing another burden on households already facing a cost-of-living crisis. Read the full report, Remember Who Did This: Property Taxes Rose More Than 9% in Two Years: shaunrickardformayor.ca/news… The City already receives an annual external financial-statement audit. That work verifies whether its consolidated statements fairly present its finances under public-sector accounting standards, but it does not investigate why particular spending decisions were made, whether developer agreements deliver fair value, how casino revenue is allocated, or whether growth is truly paying for growth. A forensic audit serves a different purpose: it follows those decisions and transactions to give residents the answers a routine annual audit was never designed to provide. The records show why that deeper review matters. Provincial changes introduced in 2022 temporarily required municipalities to phase in development charges, and Pickering staff warned that reduced developer-charge revenue could leave the "Pickering Taxpayer" as the backstop. Although that phase-in was later removed, gaps remain for costs such as land needed for growth-related infrastructure, while Community Benefit Charges apply only to certain larger buildings and are capped. Residents deserve to know whether developer contributions, reserve funds and public revenues are keeping pace with the true cost of growth. Read the full report, Does Pickering Already Get Audited? Yes, and That's Exactly Why We Need a Forensic Audit Too: shaunrickardformayor.ca/news… Our Plan • City Tax Freeze: As Mayor, I will use municipal executive powers to freeze the City of Pickering's portion of the property tax levy at 0% (the City's portion makes up roughly 30% of your total bill). While a mayor cannot directly control regional or school board taxes, I will aggressively fight for fiscal restraint at the Durham Region table. • Growth Must Pay for Growth: We will end the practice of taxpayers footing the bill for developer infrastructure. • A Waterfront That Helps Pay for Its Own Upkeep: The Blue Economy plan in section 09 focuses on visitors arriving by water, spending at local restaurants and shops, and supporting Pickering jobs without needing trailer parking. Docking and fuel fees will go back into Bay maintenance, with cleanups and wildlife protections included in operating budgets from the start. An independent feasibility study will test costs and revenue before construction, rather than assuming property taxpayers will cover the difference. • Independent Forensic Audit: Within my first 100 days, I will commission a full, independent forensic audit covering City finances, developer agreements, casino revenue, spending and legal costs so residents can see how their tax dollars are actually being used. Read my full, comprehensive platform: shaunrickardformayor.ca/plat…

Part 7 of 9: 07. Re-enfranchise Pickering Residents & Restore Your Right to Be Heard Fully restore public delegation opportunities at council meetings to their full 10 minutes, along with all Q&A sessions, and ensure residents always have meaningful access to their elected representatives. No resident should ever be prevented from bringing forward concerns, ideas, questions, or grievances. You deserve to be heard openly, respectfully, and fairly. Restore meaningful public participation in municipal government. Residents should not feel excluded from decisions that affect their communities. City Hall must become more accessible, more responsive, and more accountable. Local government works best when citizens are informed, engaged, and empowered. Update, October 2, 2026 And it isn't just transparency, it's conduct. Pickering council meetings have ended in cleared chambers, shouted "order," and recesses called to empty the room. While the people at the table fought, residents were shut out of City Hall for more than a year and a half: in January 2025, council meetings moved fully online, leaving residents with no podium, no microphone, and no face-to-face with the people they elected. Chambers are only now reopening this September. These meetings decide your taxes, your roads and your services, and lately they can't make it to the end of the agenda. Pickering residents cannot afford another four years of this, nor should they be expected to tolerate it. Read the full report, VIEWER DISCRETION ADVISED: Pickering residents cannot afford another four years of this, nor should they be expected to tolerate it: shaunrickardformayor.ca/news… Read my full, comprehensive platform: shaunrickardformayor.ca/plat…

Part 8 of 9: 08. A Real Strategy For Pickering's Homelessness Crisis, not just good intentions Encampments are growing in our parks, including Esplanade Park. Across Durham Region, roughly 1,345 people were counted as experiencing homelessness in the most recent count, more than double the 2021 number. What the data actually shows • About half of respondents report substance use as an ongoing health challenge • Over half report mental health conditions • Income loss, not addiction, is the leading reported cause of housing loss Housing and outreach • Fast track supportive and transitional housing across Durham Region • Fully fund the 24-hour street outreach team so every person gets connected to a real housing plan • Push Durham Region to use available federal encampment funding • Turn seasonal warming centres into year-round low-barrier spaces • Partner with local landlords and developers on affordable housing Addiction and mental health • Expand detox beds and addiction treatment capacity in Durham, since demand for voluntary treatment already exceeds supply • Invest in harm reduction and mental health outreach alongside treatment, since the two work together, not in place of each other • Study involuntary treatment carefully for repeat offenders whose addiction is driving a cycle of crime, following Ontario's current review of this approach, while weighing the real concerns health experts raise about effectiveness and Charter rights Keeping public buildings from becoming crash sites • Adjusted access hours and secured entry points at libraries, transit stations, and community centres • Design changes like better lighting and clearer sightlines that reduce hidden crash spots without targeting anyone • By-law enforcement paired with outreach on the same call, not enforcement alone • Front-line staff trained to de-escalate and connect people to Durham's outreach line first • Nearby washroom and warming access, so there is a legitimate place to go instead of a stairwell or transit shelter Helping local businesses respond legally • Trespass to Property Act notices for specific individuals and specific behaviour, not for being homeless • Documented incident logs that support a trespass order or peace bond when needed • A shared BIA ambassador or outreach worker who checks in with people before it becomes a police matter • Legal, non-hostile design choices like adjusted lighting and seating • 311 or Street Outreach as the first call, with police reserved for actual criminal behaviour • Cost-shared security patrols among businesses during high-traffic hours A necessary caution: Courts have been clear that people cannot simply be pushed from public property to public property without any shelter alternative. Enforcement without outreach just relocates the problem instead of solving it. The most durable approach pairs enforcement with a real place for people to go. This takes all of us • The city • The region • The province • The community Sources • City of Pickering (Homelessness FAQ) • Region of Durham 2024 Point-in-Time Count Report • Association of Municipalities of Ontario (Jan 2026 report) • Government of Canada (Unsheltered Homelessness and Encampments Initiative, Aug 2026) • CMHA Ontario and CAMH policy briefs on involuntary treatment • CBC News (May 2025) on Ontario's review of involuntary addiction treatment for the correctional system Read my full, comprehensive platform: shaunrickardformayor.ca/plat…