By Kezia Royer-Burkett, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
As Burlington’s municipal election campaign begins to ramp up, incumbent Mayor Marianne Meed Ward is looking beyond campaign promises and policy debates to see the person behind the office. During a recent conversation on Pages of Me Podcast: Election Edition, Meed Ward spoke openly about her childhood, her years as a journalist, the lessons she has learned through public service, and the values that continue to shape her leadership.
Long before entering politics, Meed Ward described herself as a quiet child who preferred books over crowds. “I was always a big reader, so a bit of an introvert, which people find really hard to believe when they see me now,” she said.
Her love of reading evolved into writing. She spent much of her childhood creating stories and filling journals, habits she credits with helping her become both a journalist and a politician. “I wrote stories. I wrote in a journal, nonfiction mostly,” she said. “Reading and writing go together.”
Her interests extended beyond writing. Meed Ward immersed herself in music, drama, and musical theatre throughout her school years, experiences she believes helped prepare her for the demands of public life. “Walking the stage, learning how to memorize lines, learning how to just be in front of people and not be afraid of that, that experience and training has certainly helped me in my public speaking,” she said.
Although she now leads one of Ontario’s fastest-growing municipalities, Meed Ward said connecting with residents remains central to her approach to public service. Before entering elected office, she was driven by a desire to amplify voices and hold institutions accountable. “I was born with the helping gene. I’ve always wanted to help people, and that’s why I went into journalism, to give voice to people, to hold power to account,” Meed Ward explained.
That same motivation eventually led her into municipal politics. “When I first ran, people felt they didn’t know what was happening at City Hall until after decisions were made. I felt, well, I can create a newsletter and a website and give people a voice that way,” she said.
Over the years, she said one of her greatest challenges has been learning that leadership is not about trying to solve every problem alone. “The challenge is you can’t do everything,” she said.
The COVID-19 pandemic became a turning point in Meed Ward’s political career, forcing her to reconsider how she approached consensus, conflict, and advocacy. “I’m a peacemaker. I’m a middle child, so I like everybody to get along. I’m very much about diplomacy, about finding commonalities, about finding where we can agree. But the challenge of that sometimes is that you can lose your own voice,” she said.
The experience taught her the importance of knowing when compromise serves the public interest and when leaders need to stand firm.
“There are times when you have to stand up and fight, and I certainly can and have done that,” she noted.
That philosophy continues to shape how Meed Ward approaches decision-making. “I always come back to what my values are, how do I serve the community, who is going to benefit or who’s going to hurt with this decision, how can we do the best that we can for our community,” she said.
Listening, she said, remains one of the most important parts of public service. “You always have to keep your mind open to new information,” she said. “I listen very deeply to people.”
As mayor, Meed Ward learned that attending community events is about much more than making appearances. “When I go as the mayor to an event, I am saying the city cares about the event. The city cares about you. The city wants to recognize and promote the great work that you’re doing,” she said.
She acknowledged that criticism often accompanies public office, particularly on social media, but said those voices rarely reflect the broader community. “The negative voices on social media are not reflective of how the majority of people in our community feel,” she said.
The conversation also touched on Burlington’s changing demographics and the importance of creating a city where all residents feel represented and connected. Meed Ward pointed to initiatives such as Burlington’s first halal food festival, the creation of the Indigenous Advisory Circle and the city’s recognition of Emancipation Day as examples of efforts to acknowledge the many cultures that make up the community. However, she also acknowledged that the city can do better at including the mosaic of cultures in Burlington.
Following the murder of George Floyd in 2020, Meed Ward said she intentionally reached out to members of Burlington’s Black community to better understand their experiences. “I said, ‘Tell me what your experience is. I want to learn. I want to know what it feels like to live in a pretty homogeneous community,’ and I just sat with people and heard their stories,” she remembered.
Some of those conversations were difficult, she said, but they were necessary. “There were some really challenging stories of racism, of targeting, and that’s part of my learning as the mayor, to say, ‘How can I do something to change that and make that better for people?’” she said.
Her approach, she said, is simple. “Everyone is welcome here. Everyone has always been welcome here, and we will do whatever we can to continue to send that message.”
Perhaps one of the most personal moments of the conversation came when Meed Ward reflected on her own upbringing. Her early childhood was spent in California, where her father worked as a park ranger in Yosemite. “We’d be outside playing, and my mom would shout ‘Bear!’ and we’d have to run in and wait for the bear to decide it couldn’t get the garbage open,” she recalled with a laugh.
Those early experiences fostered a lifelong appreciation for nature, something she says continues to draw her to Burlington’s parks, conservation areas, and waterfront. As she seeks another term as mayor, Meed Ward described this stage of her life as her “reflective and ‘get things done’ era.”
Before announcing her candidacy, she took several months to consider whether seeking re-election was still the best way to serve the community. “For the first time in my life, I took a really long period of time to determine, ‘Is this the best way that I can serve community?’” she said.
“I’ve come out stronger and more energized having done that than if I had just rushed into it,” she said. When asked what she hopes residents remember about her after an interaction, whether at City Hall or at a community event, her answer was immediate.
“People will often tell me that I’m compassionate. They see me as very authentic, very real. What you see is what you get,” Meed Ward said. “That’s what’s always been my north star, helping people, letting people know that they have a voice, that they matter.”
As the campaign season unfolds, Meed Ward said one thing continues to stand out to her above all else: Burlington’s compassion.
“We have an incredibly compassionate community. I see that every day when I go out,” she said. “People turn some of the most tragic periods of their lives into something positive to serve other people, and we have such a generous, compassionate community.”
To watch the full episode of the Pages of Me podcast, click here to go to the Burlington Local News YouTube channel or watch below.
