Bryan Stott

Bryan Stott

Bryan Stott, a Ward 3 resident since 2011, youth baseball coach, and community volunteer, is running on a call for change in Stouffville’s Council Chambers. 

He is promising to restrain property tax increases, phase growth so infrastructure and amenities come before new homes, and direct Main Street reconstruction relief to small businesses rather than commercial landlords.

• Property Taxes: Stott wants to avoid a repeat of the Town’s 9.04% post-election hike in 2023, pledging to keep increases as low as possible.
• Phased Growth: He wants servicing, parks, and commercial space built before more homes, and says builders must pay their “fair share.”
• Main Street Relief: Stott backs relief for small business operators, not commercial landlords, through targeted relief and marketing support.
• Traffic Coordination: 90-days notice for non-emergency construction, no overlapping road closures, and a town-wide timing review of traffic lights are proposed.
• Council’s Record: Stott referenced the post-election 9.04% tax hike in 2023 and the Leopard tank dispute as missteps.
• Greenbelt & The Moraine: Supporting “100 percent protection” for both, he cited protection of water sources, agriculture, and the area’s character.

Ward 3 candidate Bryan Stott is campaigning on holding the line on property taxes, phasing development and growth in Stouffville, and opening new lines of communication with residents.

A resident of the ward since 2011, youth baseball coach, and community volunteer, he called himself a “practical, community-first voice.” In an interview with Bullet Point News and 102.9 Whistle FM, he said Stouffville needs to move beyond “the same recycled ideas” on October 26.

“Stouffville needs change,” he said, acknowledging the old cliché. “We hear a lot of people complaining and not liking the direction Stouffville is travelling in, but we need to make some changes.”

Taxes & Post-Election Increases

Property taxes sit near the top of Stott’s agenda. He said they were not a major issue when he first ran for Council in 2014, but are now “putting a lot of strain on families’ budgets.”

He pointed to the Town’s first budget after the 2022 election, which included a 9.04% property tax increase. It’s an outcome he does not want repeated. “We can’t have that again this time,” he said, comparing the added strain on families to falling below water on a sinking ship.

Stott said he would keep increases “as low as possible” while maintaining services, and wants Stouffville to develop more diversified revenue sources through tourism, hospitality, business investment, and a stronger Downtown.

Phasing Growth Before Adding Homes

“Stouffville’s growth is expanding very fast, and all the residents I talk to are concerned about this,” Stott told us. His answer is phasing growth and development: water lines first, followed by parks, retail, and commercial space, with more homes added as they can be accommodated.

“We have to do it in a staged process, not overwhelm our neighbourhoods, not overwhelm Ward 3,” he stated. He warned that upwards of 10,000 new residents expected to live in the Old Elm GO major transit station area along Tenth Line could create “a traffic nightmare for everybody on the east side.”

On housing, Stott called for “the right kind of housing growth” that lets young people and families put down roots while giving seniors downsizing options to stay in the community. Doing so would free up family homes and help Stouffville “grow from within without losing its community character.”

“Growth must pay its fair share,” he explained, adding that builders who want to develop in Whitchurch-Stouffville must work constructively with Council and contribute to the infrastructure, parks, recreation spaces, roads, and services new residents will require.

He did not specify how those contributions would be secured. Development charges are the Town’s primary tool for funding growth-related infrastructure, but Ottawa and Queen’s Park are pushing municipalities to reduce them.

Traffic, Construction & Youth Spaces

Traffic was among the first issues Stott raised, saying the concerns he hears most relate to traffic and challenges residents face getting across town. He also highlighted a shortage of gathering spaces and facilities where youth can “participate, develop, and feel connected.”

“I would advocate for better traffic coordination, safer movement through the community, and a clear plan to expand accessible recreation and community spaces as Stouffville grows,” Stott said.

His proposals focus on coordination: at least 90 days’ notice for non-emergency construction whenever possible, projects scheduled to avoid overlapping closures, and a full review of traffic-light timing and intersections to facilitate movements across Stouffville.

He would also push for a plan to expand accessible recreation and community spaces as Stouffville grows.

Main Street Relief & Youth Hiring

Stott said any support program for Main Street reconstruction must provide “meaningful relief” to small businesses, “not simply to commercial landlords.” He would examine targeted property-tax relief, fee reductions, marketing support, and other measures that directly support impacted businesses.

On economic development, Stott described youth unemployment as a serious issue not just in Stouffville, but across Canada. He said the Town should explore programs encouraging local employers to hire residents aged 16 to 25 through targeted incentives or partnerships.

Looking Back at Council

Ask to detail decisions made during the last term of Council that he supported or disagreed with, Stott acknowledged it is easy to stand on the outside and criticize past decisions. However, he cited the handling of the Westfield Cam Fella intensification development, saying residents were left with “uncertainty and insufficient clarity” about the project and whether they could be forced out of their homes.

In his view, Council “should have communicated more directly, transparently, and consistently with the people most affected.”

He also raised the Leopard tank controversy, which he described as “not well done but then fixed.” The dispute stemmed from Council’s December 2023 decision to relocate the Legion’s cenotaph and a decommissioned Leopard tank to Memorial Park, at a site that would have displaced the Stouffville Horticultural Society’s volunteer-built Canada 150 Garden.

Council later backtracked amid public backlash, directing Town Staff to consult residents and eventually moving the tank to Vandorf Park.

“I don’t know how we ended up with that situation… That should never have come to pass,” he said, suggesting the process “could have been done a lot better.”

A Firm Line on the Moraine

“I support 100 percent protection of the Greenbelt and Oak Ridges Moraine,” Stott said in short, calling the lands essential to water, the natural environment, agricultural heritage, and the “Country Close to the City” character residents value.