By Kezia Royer-Burkett, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Robert Radway is hoping to bring years of experience in education, community service, and volunteering to Burlington City Council as he campaigns for Ward 1 councillor.
In the most recent episode of Pages of Me: Election Edition podcast, Radway sat down to share his story, reflecting on his upbringing, his career, his family, and the experiences that shaped his understanding of community and service.
“I’m in education. I’ve been a high school teacher for many, many years,” Radway said, explaining that he began his teaching career at Appleby College in Oakville in 1997 and has remained in education ever since.
Radway has called Burlington home since 1986, although his life has involved considerably more movement. “I’ve moved 49 times in my life,” he said. After attending Pineland Public School, Lord Elgin High School (later renamed Robert Bateman High School), and Nelson High School, Radway went on to teachers’ college before eventually returning to Burlington. He and his wife Cindy purchased their home in Aldershot in 2000, where they raised their three sons.
For Radway, education has always been about more than the classroom. Throughout his teaching career, he has coached sports, led student council and parent council, and participated in initiatives including an eco team and well-being team. As his teaching career entered its later years, however, Radway said he knew he still had more to give to the community.
That desire to serve led him into volunteering. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Radway began delivering food on Mondays and Fridays for a local church. When he was told in 2022 that his services were no longer needed, he began looking for another way to contribute and was directed toward the Compassion Society of Halton.
Radway began volunteering there in November 2022, initially during his lunch breaks before adding Wednesday evenings to his schedule. He later joined the organization’s board of directors, helping with fundraising and campaigns. During his time with the organization, he also encouraged high school students to volunteer alongside him, bringing students into the community to help clients with food and clothing.
His commitment to volunteering is rooted in experiences from his own youth. Radway recalled relying on student welfare while attending school and receiving assistance from the Salvation Army for food. Those experiences stayed with him and eventually shaped his desire to give back.
“I have a passion for giving back,” Radway said, explaining that volunteering with churches and the Compassion Society gave him an opportunity to do that. He stepped away from the Compassion Society board last fall as he prepared for his municipal campaign, saying he had been putting much of his energy into campaigning and knocking on doors since May 12, 2026.
Radway said his understanding of what it means to be part of a community has evolved considerably over his lifetime. Looking back on his youth, he said he did not fully appreciate how many people had helped him along the way until he was older.
“As a young man, I knew early enough that when you give back into your community, it speaks volumes to the community at hand because you lead by example,” Radway said. He described that philosophy as something he has carried into both his role as a teacher and as a father, saying he tries to model the kind of community he wants to see.
That philosophy also extends to his approach to creating change. Rather than simply criticizing a problem, Radway said he encourages people to get involved and work toward a solution. “If someone calls me out on something, I’ll say, ‘Well, join me and let’s volunteer together. Or you want to create some change? Well, let’s do it together,’” he said.
Radway also spoke about Burlington’s changing identity and the importance of understanding the diverse experiences of people who call the city home. He said Burlington was considerably less diverse when he was younger, but that over the years he has watched the city’s diversity and multiculturalism grow.
His experience coaching sports and travelling with teams exposed him to people from different backgrounds at an early age, while his work as an English as a Second Language teacher has given him opportunities to speak with newcomers about their experiences and family histories.
For Radway, those conversations are an important part of building relationships. He said asking questions, even when they may feel uncomfortable, can help people learn about one another and better understand different perspectives. “If I don’t know, I’ll never know,” he said, emphasizing the importance of engaging in conversations with people from different backgrounds.
Radway recalled one particularly memorable experience while leading the student Muslim association at his school. During a Friday meeting, a conversation about dogs led to a discussion about the Islamic concept of halal and haram, after Radway mentioned that his family’s dog sleeps in their bed.
Rather than shutting down the conversation, Radway said the moment became an opportunity for an open discussion about cultural and religious differences and the way families can have very different relationships with pets. For him, it was another example of how genuine conversations can create opportunities for people to learn from one another.
“I think for me, that building those relationships with any individual in our community speaks volumes,” Radway said.
Those relationships have also contributed to his decision to pursue municipal politics. Radway said people have often reached out to him when they needed help with an issue, and he would try to connect them with the appropriate resources or help resolve the problem. He recalled that a friend first suggested he run for council in 2014, and the idea has remained with him ever since.
When asked what barrier he would eliminate for Burlington families if he could address one issue immediately, Radway pointed to housing.
“I would say housing,” he said, citing the difficulty his own sons see in being able to afford a home in Burlington. Radway said affordable housing is particularly important for single parents and seniors living on fixed incomes.
He also connected the housing crisis to homelessness, recalling an experience with his youngest son beneath the Walkers Line bridge in Ward 1. The location had been part of an annual family photograph tradition, but when they visited last year, Radway said his son noticed several tents in the area.
The experience became a lesson for Radway about the realities of homelessness in Burlington. He recognized one of the people living there as a former client from the Compassion Society, reinforcing for him that homelessness is not an abstract issue but something affecting people within the community.
“Never mind COVID, we’re in a situation here in Burlington where homelessness is an issue, and we need to tackle it in some way, fashion, or form,” Radway said. He said addressing the issue requires understanding where people can be safely housed and considering what steps the community and government can take to respond.
Another theme that emerged during the conversation was empathy. Radway recalled being invited to eat with a group of newcomers and initially feeling uncomfortable accepting the invitation because he believed the family did not have much food themselves. He eventually accepted, describing the experience as a lesson in family, generosity, and the importance of welcoming others.
The experience reinforced his belief that empathy does not always require solving someone’s problems. Sometimes, he said, people simply need someone to listen or offer encouragement.
That lesson has also influenced how Radway balances his community commitments with his role as a father. He recalled his youngest son asking why he spent so much time volunteering and serving on the Compassion Society board instead of spending that time with his family. Radway said the question hurt, but it also gave him an opportunity to explain to his son why giving back was so important to him. He told him that he had received help when he was young and wanted to extend that same spirit of service to others.
As Radway looks toward the next chapter of his life and his campaign for Ward 1 councillor, he described himself through the metaphor of a season, choosing fall.
“I would say the fall,” Radway said. He explained that he enjoys the comfort of the season, but also sees something deeper in the changing leaves and the idea of shedding what is no longer needed.
For Radway, the metaphor reflects how he sees himself at this stage of his life. He said he does not feel the need to put on a different persona depending on where he is, whether he is in the classroom, volunteering, or campaigning.
“I wake up in the morning. What you see is what you get,” he said.
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.
