rory nisan burlington
rory nisan burlington

The things I really care about are building a future for Burlington, that's quality of life for everybody, from kids to grandparents, and everybody in between.

Rory Nisan has served as a Burlington City Councillor since 2018, representing Ward 3 with a focus on community building, sustainability, and smart growth. In this short interview, we caught up with Rory to learn more about his path into public service, what life is like behind the scenes at City Hall, and a few of his favourite local spots — from hidden gems to the best place to grab a coffee.

365: Tell us a little about yourself, who you are and what you do.

RN: I'm a city and regional councillor in Burlington, Ward 3. So that's Mountanside, Brant Hills and North Burlington. I was elected for the second time in 2022, so the term goes until 2026. In addition to that, even though I've been elected to serve the constituents in Burlington and Halton, I also sit on all these other boards as well. So, for example, I sit on the conservation Halton Board, and I'm the acting chair of the Conservation Halton Foundation.

365: What inspired you to start your journey in Burlington? 

RN: I grew up in Burlington, from the age of seven. I love the city. It was always a lot of fun growing up here. Although I will say we used to call it Borington when I was a teenager. But it's really, you know, it's really come up. And now I have a family and Burlington's the best place to raise a family. I got invested in the community, of course — you know —either I or my parents have lived here since 1989. When I did move back to Burlington, I thought, "I can make a difference here." I really want to make it the best place for everybody to live in. Especially for my kid, too. I really want to make sure that when my kid grows up, he has the best possible life here in Burlington. 

365: Do you want to talk at all about your job before being a councillor?

RN: Yeah, sure. So, I took political science in school with a focus on international relations, and I really wanted to make the most difference I could. So I thought, let's go internationally, you know, let's get on the big stage and I did enjoy it, so I ended up working for the federal government as a foreign service officer, representing Canada internationally. I didn't do big postings, but I did some short term duties, like at the United Nations in New York, at NATO in Brussels. And, yeah, I really did enjoy the career, I would recommend it to anybody, but I think now that I'm an elected official, I'm doing something that works best for me, because I really wanted to make the most difference that I could. There (previous job) I was a bit of a small fish in a big pond, like a really big pond. And now I can really see the difference that I'm making, and I find that really gratifying. 

Rory helped support our 2024 Holiday Food Drive

365: Would you say that's your favourite thing about the job? 

RN: Yes, I wouldn't call it a job, honestly, it's not a job. Like, when you feel like you're making a difference with your work, and this is what my grandpa always said, and everyone says it, but when you' you're enjoying your job, you don't work a day. And that's how it feels to me. Every day is different. I look forward to my day, you know, I'm not like, "Oh, I gotta grind it." I was like, "kay, who am I talking to today? What how am I going to be able to help them? How can I problem solve for those people?" And then we have council meetings, which are always interesting, you know, a lot of negotiating. That's what I love doing in my old job at NATO and the UN and other places was the negotiating side. Now I do that like all the time on city council. So it's really — that's fun. And it's a way to, you know, drive some change for the community.

365: Can you talk about some of the ways that you're shaping Burlington or driving change?

RN: Yeah, so the things I really care about are building a future for Burlington, that's quality of life for everybody, from kids to grandparents, and everybody in between. A big part of that is how we get around, right? So, in my community, we have this awesome trail. It's not awesome, but it's going to be awesome. It's decent right now — It's crosstown trail. What we're doing is we're naturalizing that trail. So we're turning it into a meadow way, basically. There are going to be birds and butterflies and that has a major cooling effect. I do see a future where more and more people are riding their bike and walking places in Burlington. Look at the e-bikes and the e-scooters, you know, you see them more and more on the street. We have an e-scooter pilot now in downtown Burlington, it goes along the trail actually, South Burlington. So I think we're going to have a future where people are using that stuff more. The bikes are great because you get great exercise as well, and that goes back to that quality of life, because when you're healthy, you're having quality of life.

365: Can you talk about some challenges that you've faced in local government? 

RN: You know, one of the challenges we have as a city is dealing with the province of Ontario — cause cities actually don't exist in our Constitution. Provinces do. We just have this act called the Municipal Act that tells us how we can behave, what we can and can't do, and it can be changed any time by the province. I have respect for anybody who wants to work at Queens Park, it's a hard job, for sure, but sometimes they don't understand what's going on in Burlington and what our needs are — and we find ourselves often coming up against that, just to give you an example. One of the hardest parts about getting around Burlington, you know, if you're going to ride a bike, is going over the highway. It's a big reason why a lot of people don't like to ride their bike to go places in Burlington. The Ministry of Transportation of Ontario won't let us put crosswalks along those on ramps and off ramps. So if you're ever driving over Guelph Line, Walker's Line, Appleby Line, you're going to see, or you probably notice on Brant Street too, that the pedestrian, the cyclist, they have to stop and wait. Meanwhile, people are racing to get on that highway, right? So that's just an example where we need to change that, but the city actually doesn't have the power to do it. So sometimes I wish we had a little more power here locally.

365: Can we get some advice you would give to someone who is aspiring to make a difference in the community?

RN: Yeah. You know, I see and I know how many community organizations are out there making a difference. So get involved with one of those, you know, you want to feed people, there's Feed Halton. You can volunteer. There's the Burlington Food Bank. You want to help kids get into sports? Great. Burlington Youth Soccer Club, hockey, pickleball, you know, whatever it is, softball, baseball, swimming. There's opportunity for volunteers all over the city, and it's really gratifying to do that, even if you can only provide a couple hours a week. Burlington Green, right? They do environmental work. That's another place if that's that's your thing. You can help seniors at the seniors centre. There's something for everybody. And of course, get involved in politics, start by voting — municipally, we only get like 30% turnout. I think we could do a lot more.

365: Thanks Rory. Can you give us the rundown on what the typical day looks like for a city councillor?

RN: Typical day — there is no typical day. That's actually what I like about it. You know, like today, I today I did some kind of homework, did some reading, I went and had a coffee with a very prominent local figure, just talking about her needs in the community. Now I'm here doing an interview with you, and as you know, I got a phone call while we were doing this. I've got to do another interview after this talking about heritage issues that I never thought I'd be on camera for. Sometimes you spend all day doing reading, just getting ready for council. Then you spend all day in council. Other days, you're at a community events. Over the weekend I was at the Kite Festival. It just sort of goes on and on. And you have to like that randomness for sure.

365: How would you say Burlington has changed since you first got involved? 

RN: Yeah, well, from when I was a kid, it's definitely gotten a lot busier. The traffic has gone up a lot, and we really need to get a handle on that traffic. There's also more buses than there used to be, which is a good thing, you know? There was three and a half million people on the bus so far this year, and it keeps going up. That's a good thing, because people who can't afford a car have another way to get around. I think that's really important. Also, I think there's more amenities, more community centres. This is good also. It's getting busier. It's getting fuller, and dealing with that change is something we really need to address as well. 

365: We'll wrap up here soon, but i'm curious, is there any type of legacy that you plan or hope to leave behind?

RN: Well, that's a good question, you know. Sometimes it's like really the effort you put in is really important. Because sometimes you try and you fail. and you know, that's that's okay. But there are a few things — getting a splash pad into Brant Hills. We were just there over the weekend and there was like hundreds of people around that splash pad. That was an initiative of mine from the first time I ran seven years ago. I heard a mom on the doorstep. She said, "I wish we had a splash pad." I was like, "You're right, it is really far away." So I started canvassing for that. It became the number one thing on my platform, and we managed to get it done, and the community has really come together in Brant Hills around that Splash Pad. So that's a legacy I'm proud of, and I don't think they'll ever be able to take that away. Getting more buses on the road is kind of a good thing too, because it's going to help deal with that traffic, so it's very incremental, let's say, but I'm kind of proud that we have a good bus system again, and that was something I definitely have been promoting.

365: Let's finish this off with a few rapid fire local questions.

RN: Sure

365: Favourite coffee shop?

365: Tough one — but I'll say — my favourite one in my ward actually closed down, unfortunately. So much for rapid fire (laughs). Lola, Lola, I just love being in Village Square. It's my number one.

365: Hidden gem?

RN: Goodies. Thursday and Friday they have schnitzel on the menu. It is fantastic. 

365: Best view?

RN: Mount Nemo, the escarpment. 

365: Weekend must-do?

RN: Bruce Trail. Bruce Trail is so good. It's free, you know, just find some parking and go. 

365: One word to describe Burlington?

RN: Quality.

365: Favourite park?

RN: Lowville Park.

365: If Burlington had a mascot, what would it be?

RN: I think if Burlington had a mascot — oh, that's a good one. I think it would be a coyote, probably. (Laughs)

Disclaimer

Please note that the information in this blog is for general guidance only and may not always be up to date or accurate. We recommend double-checking details directly with local cities, businesses, or official sources before making any plans or acting on the information.

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