By Kezia Royer-Burkett, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Pages of Me Podcast: Election Edition recently sat down with Chris Carter, a candidate running for city councillor in Ward 4, as part of its “Beyond the Campaign” series, designed to introduce Burlington residents to the people behind the campaign platforms, slogans, and promises.
For Carter, answering the question of who he is starts with his role as a father. “I would say I always start with ‘Dad.’ That’s the number one thing for me. I’m a proud girl dad times two,” said Carter, who lives in Burlington with his wife and two daughters, ages 10 and eight.
Carter has spent most of his life in Burlington and describes the city as home, a place where he has built both personal and professional roots. He has owned several local businesses and says his connection to the business community has remained an important part of his life.
“Community is a word that I would use a lot if I was going to talk about me because I’m a guy who not only loves where he lives but loves the people around him,” he said.
Growing up in Burlington, Carter remembers a childhood shaped by sports, neighbourhoods, parks, outdoor spaces, schools, and friendships. His father worked in real estate, which meant the family moved around the city, giving Carter an opportunity to experience different parts of Burlington.
“I love this city. Like it has given me everything I’ve got,” Carter said. “We were fortunate enough that we actually moved around quite a bit. My dad was in real estate, so we got to see a lot of the corners of our city.”
Those experiences, he said, helped shape his understanding of community and his appreciation for the city he grew up in. Carter also spoke about Burlington’s evolution and the importance of preserving what makes its neighbourhoods distinctive as the city continues to grow.
In Ward 4, he pointed to communities including Shoreacres and Roseland as examples of neighbourhoods with established parks, mature trees, and a distinct sense of place.
“What’s so great about it is all that character’s still there,” he said. “I think we have a job to make sure, and ‘we’ being all of us, to make sure that there’s still that character in our communities as we go forward.”
For Carter, community involvement has also extended into conversations around mental health, particularly men’s mental health. His interest began through his involvement with Nelson Youth Centres, which merged with ROCK (Reach Out Centre for Kids) in 2022. There, he saw the impact that involving families and men could have on young people.
His community work later expanded through Burlington Dads, a Facebook group that has grown to include more than 7,000 men. Carter described the group as a place where men share stories, resources, recommendations, and, increasingly, conversations about mental health.
“I’m beyond passionate about mental health. And in the last couple years, my focus has been men’s mental health,” he said.
That same focus on conversation and community led Carter and his friend and business partner Jamie Kozub to create the podcast “S#i!, My Dad Taught Me,” which explores the paternal role and the lessons people carry from their fathers and other influential figures.
Carter believes those experiences have also shaped how he approaches leadership. He said his ability to bring people together, listen to different perspectives, and find common ground is something he hopes to bring to municipal government.
“It’s less about what is the agenda item and more about how are we going to execute and move forward together, and that’s what I’m really good at,” Carter said.
Carter also spoke openly about the role that failure has played in shaping him. He reflected on a business he sold in 2019 after building it into an eight-figure company with more than 80 employees. While the experience was significant, he said it also taught him that success does not mean having everything figured out.
“Life has a wonderful way of reminding you, ‘No, you don’t.’ And I carry that with me every day now,” he said.
That perspective, Carter said, has helped him recognize the value that every person brings to a conversation.
“Everybody brings something to the table,” he said. “I have never met a person that didn’t know something or know someone that I didn’t. Everybody has value.”
As the municipal election campaign continues, Carter has also been documenting his experience through Ward Four Daily, a series of daily videos he began posting August 1. Rather than highly produced campaign videos, Carter said the videos are intentionally simple, filmed on his iPhone and designed to give residents an opportunity to see more of his personality.
“I think I’d like people to know me at the end of it, and know I worked really hard during my campaign,” he said.
Regardless of the outcome of the election, Carter described this period of his life as part of a larger transition toward giving back.
“I think I’m at that era now where I realize that I’m a dad, and I realize that I’ve been blessed to be able to mentor some people. I’ve been blessed in business. I’ve been blessed in community, and this era is called ‘giving back,’” he said.
To watch the full episode of the Pages of Me podcast, click here to go to the Burlington Local-News.ca YouTube channel or watch below. The episode is also available through Pages of Me Podcast’s social media platforms.
