Residents are tired of rising taxes and decisions made without them, and they asked me to step up. I'm running for Mayor to bring accountability, real planning, and a City Hall that explains where the money is going.
Make sure you're ready before election day: confirm your registration, find your voting location, and check ID requirements on the City of Pickering's official election page.
I've spent two decades leading teams and holding budgets accountable in the private sector. I'm running for Mayor to bring that same discipline, and a habit of listening first, to City Hall.
Read Doug's Full BioHear Doug make the case for accountable budgets, good local jobs, and infrastructure built with residents, not around them.
I'm not running against growth. Seaton, the waterfront, and a stronger City Centre are opportunities. I'm running to make sure growth comes with the roads, transit, recreation, stormwater planning, and real consultation residents were promised — instead of a bill that shows up later.
Specific commitments, not slogans: the discipline of running a business, applied to running the City.
Fix the roads we have first, coordinate construction so detours actually work, and push for daytime bus service in established neighbourhoods, not just new ones.
Plain-language budgets, clear business cases for major spending, and an independent cost check on the Seaton Recreation Complex before the 2027 tender.
One point person for business permits, published approval times, and a local hiring pipeline so Pickering residents get a real shot at the nuclear refurbishment jobs.
Stormwater upgrades in flood-risk neighbourhoods, a protected Duffins Creek corridor and waterfront, and climate resilience built into every major project.
Tie growth to roads and services, hold town halls before major decisions rather than after, and protect greenspace and waterfront access as Pickering grows.
Bring real accountability to strong mayor powers, never around Council or residents.
Strong Mayor powers were introduced to speed up housing approvals, not to sideline Council or shut residents out of decisions that affect their neighbourhoods.
I am committed to using these powers narrowly: only as a genuine last resort, only to break a real Council deadlock, and only to advance decisions with clear, demonstrated benefit to residents. Never to bypass debate, and never to push through a decision the community hasn't had a real chance to weigh in on.
A council tie that's blocking a clear, resident-benefiting outcome is the kind of narrow case these powers exist for, not a tool for routine disagreements.
See the Full Accountability RecordElected office is not a position of power — it is a position of trust.Doug Cornell · Built for What's Next