Courtney Taylor
Courtney Taylor
Candidate for Ward 4 Councillor
Courtney Taylor is running for Ward 4 councillor, and her campaign is focused on infrastructure planning, road safety, and greater accountability in municipal decision-making.
Drawing on nearly 20 years of experience in procurement and operations, Taylor wants to ensure growth keeps pace with local services, municipal spending is transparent, and Stouffville’s environmental assets are protected.
- Growth & Infrastructure: Taylor wants development to keep pace with roads, utilities and public services, with varied housing options in appropriate areas.
- Development Accountability: She proposed a public scorecard tracking infrastructure needs, costs, timelines, and public input for major developments.
- Municipal Spending: Taylor wants clearer reporting on growth-related costs, developer contributions, and the share paid by taxpayers.
- Road Safety & Transit: She would prioritize traffic calming, safer school zones, and stronger advocacy for improved GO Transit service.
- Local Business & Jobs: Taylor supports practical help for Main Street businesses during reconstruction and attracting more commercial and industrial employers.
- Environmental Protection: She supports protecting Oak Ridges Moraine, agricultural, and natural heritage lands while directing growth to designated areas.
When asked to describe the most pressing issues she would address in Ward 4, Council candidate Courtney Taylor said residents should determine her priorities.
“It doesn’t matter what my priorities are for the ward—it matters what yours are,” Taylor offered in response to the Stouffville Votes 2026 candidate questionnaire, part of a joint election series from Bullet Point News and Whistle Radio 102.9. “That seat belongs to all of us.”
A Ward 4 resident, Taylor is campaigning on road safety, infrastructure capacity, and the need for municipal services to keep pace with development. She also says Council needs to better connect planning decisions and public consultation with the costs residents ultimately bear to accommodate growth.
Taylor spent almost 20 years in procurement and operations, she told us, most recently in supply chain management, before stepping back to help care for her mother in their multigenerational home. She has also spent years advocating for mental health supports at the provincial and federal levels, co-founding a not-for-profit, and contributing to the National Suicide Prevention Action Plan.
She said the experience has strengthened her ability to translate community concerns into practical policy.
Growth & Infrastructure
Taylor identified speeding, unsafe school zones, cut-through traffic, and increasing traffic pressure on residential streets as consistent concerns among residents in the ward.
She would support the Town’s evidence-based Traffic Calming Strategy, publish speed and collision data by location, and prioritize enhancements for high-risk school crossings, sidewalks, and neighbourhood streets. She also wants traffic studies to provide a realistic picture of local conditions.
On development, Taylor said new housing must be accompanied by the roads, water, hydro, recreation facilities, and emergency services needed to support it.
“Before major planning decisions, I would ask for clear information about infrastructure and service impacts, advocate for early and meaningful public consultation, and report back on what changed because of residents’ input,” she explained.
She supports higher density residential development in serviced areas with transit options, alongside a broader mix of housing types—including missing-middle options. She is also joining a widespread commitment among 2026 candidates to attract more commercial and industrial employers and expand Stouffville’s non-residential tax base.
A Public Scorecard for Development
Looking back at the current Council term, Taylor pointed to the Edward Street reconstruction as an example of effective infrastructure planning. The project was delivered on time and under budget, she said, while providing an alternate route during Main Street construction.
Where she would have pushed for a stronger approach is in connecting development approvals to infrastructure capacity and public communication.
While recognizing much of Stouffville’s housing requirements and procedure are shaped by provincial and regional policy, Taylor said Council remains responsible for showing how major decisions align with the Town’s Official Plan and available services.
She would support a public scorecard for major development applications detailing the housing proposed, required infrastructure, funding responsibilities, construction timelines, environmental constraints, and changes made following public feedback.
Budget Accountability & Costs of Growth
Taylor said her procurement background would inform a focused approach to municipal spending, with an emphasis on competitive procurement. She sees further opportunity in contract management, refined assessment of measurable outcomes, and joint purchasing where it produces real savings without compromising project outcomes.
The Town should also maximize the development charges and community benefits it can legally collect, she said, while ensuring the underlying studies supporting those charges and benefits are current as new development is considered.
While she did not specifically address recent efforts by governments to reduce development charges and other development costs, Taylor acknowledged that provincial rules do not allow municipalities to recover every growth-related cost from developers.
That concern forms part of a need for clear communication with taxpayers, she said, so they understand those limitations, fiscal impacts, and the related budgeting considerations.
“Residents deserve to see the full picture,” she said, calling for plain-language reporting that shows total growth-related costs, how much is recovered from development, and the remaining tax-supported share.
Main Street & Local Jobs
On the topic of Main Street reconstruction, Taylor said affected Downtown businesses need practical support before, during, and after the work.
Her proposals include a single accountable business liaison, predictable construction schedules, advance notice of access changes, clear parking and wayfinding information, and regular updates businesses can share with customers.
She would also consider targeted, time-limited financial relief where legally and financially feasible, alongside assistance identifying government support programs and coordinating promotions.
After construction, Taylor wants the Town to use streetscaping, events, and promotions to draw customers downtown, measuring progress through business retention, new business attraction, accessibility, and customer activity.
Beyond Main Street, she said Stouffville needs a stronger commercial and employment base to reduce the share of municipal costs borne by residential taxpayers. Making the municipality investment-ready requires serviced land, reliable utilities and internet, predictable approvals, and effective transportation connections.
She would also support existing employers seeking to expand, and tie any financial incentives to measurable results and public benefits.
Transportation & Environmental Protection
Taylor called for better coordination between local and regional transportation divisions and expanded active transportation infrastructure. She would prioritize traffic calming, safe school routes, sidewalk gaps, and walking and cycling connections on Town roads.
She also committed to advocating through York Region for regional road and transit improvements based on population growth and ridership. GO Transit service falls under provincial and Metrolinx responsibility, she noted, but she said Council should make an evidence-based case for more frequent and reliable service to Stouffville.
Taylor also supports strong environmental protections. The Town should direct growth toward designated areas and avoid expanding into the protected countryside, she said, with clear reporting on source-water protection, natural heritage impacts, and climate risks informing major planning decisions.
When it comes to lands in the Greenbelt and Oak Ridges Moraine, Taylor said any reductions to the protections provided by provincial conservation plans “are not up for negotiation.”
The position contrasts Council’s ongoing push for additional commercial and industrial development within protected lands along the Highway 404 corridor.
“These [conservation] lands are an important part of Stouffville’s identity, but their value goes beyond scenery,” Taylor concluded. “‘Country Close to the City’ only has meaning if Stouffville manages growth while protecting our rural character and environmental assets that cannot be replaced.”
