Aurora Votes 2026: Terrence Zhu focuses on safety and opportunity in Ward 5

September 3, 2026 · 0 Comments

As a Council candidate in Ward 5 this fall, Terrence Zhu is running with four words at the heart of his campaign: Safe, Responsible, Care, and Opportunity.

The graphic design and digital marketing entrepreneur was one of the final candidates to put themselves forward in Ward 5, a community with a record-number of candidates in this October’s election. He says as part of his marketing and printing businesses he was trying to support other candidates “doing good” in the community. One day, however, his partner encouraged him to get involved and put himself among those looking to make a difference on the ballot.

“After a few layers of consideration, I finally made up my mind at the end before candidate enrolment closed,” says Zhu with a laugh. “I’m not really of a traditional political background, but I can identify the problem, developing a plan and working with people with different backgrounds, getting things done. The main reason I wanted to get involved is care for the next generation. I care about my community and I care about everyone around me.”

While this might be a first-time campaign for Zhu, he has been engaged in community issues.

A part of the online group Aurora United, the Chinese-language WeChat community group, which questioned the Region of York’s proposed men’s transitional housing facility in Aurora’s south end.

“At the time, we were not 100 per cent against it,” he recalls, “but we were saying we need to have an appropriate plan in order to do it safely for the community and also care for all the community residents and, at the same time, give opportunity for people who need shelter an appropriate place to live.”

As he looks to the future, he says he wants to grow a “stronger Aurora based on what I can offer the community.”

“I look at decisions through a practical lens. Will our neighbours remain safe? Can infrastructure keep up and grow? That we get good value for the taxpayer dollar, every single penny. Can seniors continue to live a better life in a safer community? Will our children eventually find the opportunity to build their own lives in Aurora, specifically? That’s why I’m getting involved.”

Unpacking his four campaign keywords, he says they sum up his priorities quite well.

On the Safety front, he says he’s seen the community “getting more chaotic” and safety must come first.

“If you have a safe community, you will have more time to spend with your family, your kids can safely play on the street, and seniors with their support can have a better life,” he says.

Responsibility, he continues, means “everything needs to be managed, grow properly, and make sure infrastructure is kept up.

“Ward 5 is mainly our business and commercial area for the Town and we want to have an appropriate development plan and [have] the infrastructure follow up with the appropriate plan so everyone can enjoy the fast growth of the Town.”

Care emphasises children, seniors, persons with accessibility issues, and affordability, while Opportunity looks at issues through the lens of having “people stay here, live here, and work here.”

Looking ahead beyond his four campaign Keywords, other areas of focus include traffic safety and congestion in Ward 5, particularly at Bayview Avenue and Wellington Street East, prioritizing windrow clearing, and looking closely at how public facilities and areas are used to ensure tax dollars for infrastructure are best spent.

By Brock Weir
Editor
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter