{"id":38952,"date":"2026-09-18T10:55:34","date_gmt":"2026-09-18T14:55:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/?p=38952"},"modified":"2026-09-18T10:55:37","modified_gmt":"2026-09-18T14:55:37","slug":"aurora-votes-2026-growth-targets-and-how-to-accommodate-them-discussed-by-mayoral-candidates","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/aurora-votes-2026-growth-targets-and-how-to-accommodate-them-discussed-by-mayoral-candidates\/","title":{"rendered":"Aurora Votes 2026: Growth targets and how to accommodate them discussed by Mayoral candidates"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Province of Ontario has set ambitious growth targets for many municipalities across Ontario, including Aurora.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As communities look at ways to meet both growth and housing targets, this week Aurora\u2019s four Mayoral candidates were to outline what is, in their views, the best way for Aurora to accommodate the prescribed growth, and whether height limits on new builds should be lifted or expanded accordingly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s how they answered:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SHAWN DEANE \u2013 \u201cYork Region plans to build 150,000 homes by 2031, with Aurora assigned 8,000 under Strong Mayor powers. These targets are highly ambitious in today\u2019s economic climate and should be re\u2011evaluated to avoid diverting funds from essential priorities like asset management and repairs. A major concern for taxpayers is the Town\u2019s own admission that \u2018growth no longer pays for growth\u2019 \u2014 meaning existing residents subsidize new development. My goal is to end this practice by tightening financial governance so that only Development Charges (DCs) fund growth\u2011related projects. I will recommend separating DCs from the current Growth & New Budget and prohibiting the use of any other tax sources for DC\u2011related spending. This will require the Town to clearly prioritize which amenities are necessary and which are not. I support higher\u2011density development near major transit areas without relying on Provincial mandates. However, recent provincial directives have already led to multiple Official Plan amendments allowing 5\u20136 storey buildings along key corridors such as Yonge & Wellington, St. John\u2019s, and soon Yonge Street south. The Town should pause further rezoning until construction begins in these newly approved areas.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JOHN GALLO \u2013 \u201cGrowth is coming to Aurora, but how we accommodate it matters. I support concentrating much of our future growth along appropriate corridors, particularly Yonge Street and areas with access to transit, services and infrastructure. That allows us to add housing while protecting the character of established neighbourhoods. I don\u2019t believe the answer is simply removing height limits across the board. Height and density need to be considered in context. We need to look at infrastructure capacity, traffic, parking, schools, parks, community services and how a development transitions into surrounding neighbourhoods. We also need a greater mix of housing. Young people starting out, families, seniors looking to downsize and people who work in Aurora should have more opportunities to live here. The Province has established growth targets, but Aurora still has a responsibility to plan intelligently. My approach would be managed growth: put density where it makes sense, ensure infrastructure and community amenities keep pace, and insist that development contributes positively to the community we are building.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

TOM MRAKAS \u2013 \u201cThe Province has set ambitious targets, but ambitious doesn’t mean unplanned. Aurora’s Official Plan can accommodate the growth we’ve been asked to deliver \u2014 we don’t need to alter our heights to get there, and I will remain firm on that. We already have 8,800 units in the pipeline against a provincial target of 8,000, and over the last two years alone the Town approved roughly 1,700 units each year \u2014 more than double what we’re being asked for. That track record speaks for itself: we are hitting our numbers within our existing planning framework. For the last eight years, we have built growth on Aurora’s terms, and that’s not about to change. Growth is coming one way or another \u2014 the question is whether it happens where we’ve planned for it, with the infrastructure to support it, or whether we cave to pressure and let height and density get dictated to us building by building. I won’t let that happen. We are going to keep what makes Aurora one of the most desirable places to live in Ontario and Canada \u2014 our neighbourhoods, our green space, our character \u2014 while still delivering, and exceeding, the growth targets set for us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

YAFANG SHI \u2013 \u201cThe housing target imposed on Aurora by the provincial government is linked to the mayor\u2019s acceptance of Strong Mayor Powers (SMP), despite a majority of Council voting against them. Aurora failed to meet the provincial target and therefore did not receive the Building Faster Fund. Aurora\u2019s housing target should be determined by Council through evidence-based decisions that consider population projections and residents\u2019 diverse housing needs. I support the Town\u2019s Official Plan on where housing intensification should occur: the Aurora Promenade, Aurora GO Station Major Transit Station Area (MTSA), Regional Corridors, and Local Corridors. Meanwhile, neighbouring residents\u2019 concerns must be heard and addressed, while environmental and heritage protections should be carefully considered. New projects should also be evaluated through the lens of affordable housing, consistent with the Town\u2019s Affordable Housing Action Plan. The Official Plan, approved in May 2024, limits building heights in the MTSA to seven storeys. However, Council approved four 12-storey condominium buildings in the area through zoning amendments in April 2025. Does this indicate that the seven-storey limit no longer reflects Aurora\u2019s growth needs, or was 12 storeys too aggressive? The next Council should review the decision, assess its impacts, and make evidence-based adjustments where necessary.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Brock Weir
Editor
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Province of Ontario has set ambitious growth targets for many municipalities across Ontario, including Aurora. As communities look at ways to meet both growth and housing targets, this week Aurora\u2019s four Mayoral candidates were to outline what is, in their views, the best way for Aurora to accommodate the prescribed growth, and whether height […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[4,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-38952","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general_news","category-news"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3D2k4-a8g","publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-09-25 22:50:19","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38952","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38952"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38952\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":38953,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38952\/revisions\/38953"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38952"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38952"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38952"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}