By Jack Brittle, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Masha Brar has always been interested in public service. After operating her own law firm, Masha Brar Law Professional Corporation, for over a decade, she has decided to try her luck and run for Ward 2 councillor.

“Recently I was looking at so many things that have been happening [in council] and so many decisions that were being made, and to be honest, I was not happy,” Brar said. “So the choice was that I could sit and complain about it, or throw in my hat and see what I could do to make a difference.”

Brar said that as a lawyer, she enjoys digging deep into topics and doing research on things that council is debating. She believes that many discussions at City Hall are leaving out important details that she has discovered in her own findings.

Brar used the development of Ethnic Supermarket at 1881 Fairview Street, which council approved in December 2025, as an example of council missing context.

“It’s [Ethnic Supermarket] in the same plaza where Halton Compassion Society and the Mandarin restaurant [are], where Staples used to be,” Brar said. “So when I was reading about that, I saw that previously a proposal for having a grocery store over there had been rejected because of how the vehicles can enter and exit. The ingress/egress of that area is not the safest, and it had been rejected multiple times, including in 2009.”

Brar said that traffic has only gotten worse since then, and questioned if council properly assessed potential risk before approving the development.

Brar also referenced police presence in the area due to the nearby homeless encampment as well as an incident where someone was shot in front of the Mandarin in April 2025.

“[The city] sent out a notice to the Compassion Society and the Mandarin and asked them if it affects them in any way,” Brar said. “But did they really ask them to give you an opinion, like a yes or no?”

Brar said that the number one issue Ward 2 residents bring up to her is traffic.

“If you visit Ward 2, they will all talk to you about what’s going on on Prospect and Brant or Prospect and Guelph,” Brar said. “The second issue would be taxes. Our taxes have gone up so much, and most people are like, ‘We don’t mind paying our taxes, but we’re not getting the appropriate services.’ And some people are simply upset because the taxes have gotten higher and our [cost of] living has not become cheaper.”

Brar said that residents are also concerned about Burlington’s unhoused population as well as the recent data centre proposal.

“If you look at the Burlington [Community Engagement] Charter, it says that residents should be feeling empowered,” Brar said. “I don’t think we’ve ever reached the point where we feel that way. The best we feel is that we’ve just been informed. Decisions have already been made, and we are just told. Yes, you can go and delegate, but it just feels like no one’s really listening. We are not really consulting with people beforehand.”

Brar said that the city also needs to be more proactive.

“If we know that this is a problem that’s about to come, or if we’re aware that people might be needing this, we should already have a plan for that,” Brar said. “If we’re going to have band-aid solutions, do it after the fact; it is just costing the city more, and it is not giving us what we might have been able to achieve.”

Brar also said that the city’s bylaws are too vague.

“I want them to be foolproof, where even if there is an appeal, it is not as easy for the council decision to be overturned, because the bylaws are that strong,” Brar said.

Brar also expressed concern that downtown Burlington remains subject to Zoning By-law 2020, citing an ongoing Ontario Land Tribunal appeal.

To learn more about Burlington’s upcoming election, click here.