Zainab Azim

For each theme: what the candidate answered, what their own website says, and what the council record shows if they have sat on Council. The three are set beside each other and left there. Nothing is scored, and no conclusion is drawn on the reader's behalf.

Where their own site speaks to one of these questions the sentence is quoted under that question. Everything else it says is set out in From their site.

Do you support the Official Plan as adopted? If not, what specifically would you seek to change?

I support the Plan, especially its commitment to complete communities and protecting space for jobs as Milton grows. But we shouldn’t stop at adopting an Official Plan.

The Plan says growth should be phased with the infrastructure and public services needed to support it, and that development should carry its share of those costs rather than leaving existing taxpayers to pick up the bill. It also plans jobs alongside the population. By 2051, Milton is planning for roughly 400,000 residents and 156,000 jobs. This is the kind of growth I hope to see: homes tied to employment, transit and services, not another generation of Miltonians being told to drive somewhere else for opportunity. Where I would push harder is implementation. Every year, I would report publicly on how many homes were built, how many jobs were added, and whether transit, roads, parks and community facilities kept pace. Milton cannot become a place where you can afford to grow up but not build a future. The next Council needs to prove the Plan became reality.

Their website does not address this question. Most campaign sites do not address most specific questions. What it does say →

Where in Milton do you believe higher density belongs — and where doesn't it?

Higher density belongs where we have the infrastructure to support it. Around the Milton GO station, the Milton Education Village, and along the corridors where people can actually access transit, jobs and services.

The Official Plan directs Milton’s highest densities and tallest buildings around the GO station. That makes sense. If we are going to welcome more people, we should put more homes within walking distance of transit and businesses instead of adding thousands more cars to roads that are already congested. But not every conversation about adding homes is a conversation about towers. A basement apartment or a unit above a garage can give a young person a way to stay in Milton, or allow parents and grandparents to live closer together, without fundamentally changing the character of a neighbourhood. Downtown can welcome more residents while protecting the historic character that makes it special. The Escarpment, Greenbelt and farmland should remain protected. Our goal is complete communities like housing tied to jobs, transit and services, so affording a home in Milton does not mean losing three hours of your day getting everywhere else.

Their website does not address this question. Most campaign sites do not address most specific questions. What it does say →

When a development application conflicts with community opposition but complies with the Official Plan, how do you decide?

I would start by being honest about how the decision gets made and what Council can and cannot do. I would look at whether the development follows our planning rules, but also what residents will live with once it is built: more traffic, pressure on services, and how it fits into their neighbourhood. Our platform was built in living rooms, not boardrooms. That is how I would approach development too: bring people in early, before the options have narrowed, at times families can attend and in ways people can understand. Residents should know how traffic will move, how a development is serviced, and when infrastructure will arrive. If we ask people to show up and give us their time, we owe them more than a thank you. They should see what changed because they were there. On the CN intermodal, we committed to an accountability office and public dashboard. I would bring that same approach to major developments: publish what residents asked for, what was agreed to, and what is actually being built.

Their website does not address this question. Most campaign sites do not address most specific questions. What it does say →

Milton is hitting its housing targets. Is that the right target, too low, or too fast?

I think the target is right. I don't want to slow homebuilding when the youth we talk to wonder whether they can afford to stay. But hitting a housing target cannot be our only measure of success. A new neighbourhood needs more than houses. It needs parks, community spaces, schools, roads and transit. Many times, families move in first and wait for the community around them to catch up. We don't always need another expensive building. Our Alive After Five policy opens spaces Milton already owns for evening and weekend programming, so families have somewhere to go nearby. New development should also deliver the parks and community spaces growth requires. At the doors, people don't talk about housing targets. They talk about the park their kids are waiting for, the commute taking them away from family, or having nowhere to go after five. Those stories tell me whether Milton's growth is actually working for them.

Their website does not address this question. Most campaign sites do not address most specific questions. What it does say →

What is one concrete action council can take to improve attainability for first-time buyers and renters, not just supply volume?

I would increase the number of two-suite units in new developments and make it easier for Miltonians to build legal Additional Residential Units (ARUs/ADUs) on properties that can accommodate them. That means working with builders so more new homes are designed for a second suite from the beginning, while streamlining the permitting process for homeowners who want to add a basement apartment, garden suite or unit above a garage. I would also review the municipal fees and red tape that can make these projects unnecessarily difficult or expensive. This gives people more ways into Milton’s housing market. A first-time buyer can use rental income to help with the mortgage. A renter gets another option. Parents can give an adult child a place to start, or grandparents can live independently while staying close to family. We should be making it easier for Milton families to create housing safely and legally, not putting Town Hall in their way.

Their website does not address this question. Most campaign sites do not address most specific questions. What it does say →

Should Milton use tools like inclusionary zoning, pre-zoning around transit, or reduced parking minimums? Which, and where?

I support pre-zoning around transit, starting around the Milton GO station and applying the same approach around future GO stations and other major transit hubs. Inclusionary zoning could be worth exploring in higher growth areas if it helps us secure genuinely affordable homes, not just more units. I am more cautious about reducing parking minimums. At the doors, people tell us about the hours lost in traffic, needing a second car, or their kids wondering whether they can afford to stay in Milton. I want fewer families to need two cars, but we have to give them a real alternative first. That is why Transit in 20 matters.

If more people can live within walking distance of GO, local transit, shops and jobs, we can add homes without automatically adding the same number of cars to already busy roads. Transit in 20 and housing policy belong together. We should put more homes where we are also giving people more ways to get around.

Their website does not address this question. Most campaign sites do not address most specific questions. What it does say →

What, specifically, can a Milton council member do to advance all-day two-way GO service beyond passing motions?

All-Day GO has been promised to Milton for 25 years, yet it still has not been delivered. This is an issue I feel strongly about because I spent most of my education travelling between Milton and Toronto, and I know the time and sacrifices that limited transit can create. A mayor or council member cannot add train service alone, but they can build the coalition needed to make Milton impossible to ignore. We will bring together neighbouring municipalities, businesses, riders, and provincial and federal representatives, use Milton’s growth and ridership data to strengthen the case, and maintain sustained advocacy with Metrolinx and the Province. Hamilton shows what this approach can achieve. After its LRT was cancelled in 2019, an organized coalition helped bring the project back with $3.4 billion in provincial and federal funding by 2021. Milton needs that same sustained, coordinated approach.

Their website does not address this question. Most campaign sites do not address most specific questions. What it does say →

Would you support increasing Milton Transit's budget and service hours, and how would you pay for it?

Yes, I would support increasing Milton Transit’s budget and service hours, but I would do so through phased investment and multiple funding sources. Trusted Transit in 20 would begin with 20-minute service on Milton’s busiest routes, then expand as ridership and demand grow. We would use the Town’s annual transit budget alongside Provincial Gas Tax funding and the Federal Permanent Public Transit Fund, while pursuing cost-sharing partnerships with schools and post-secondary institutions. Milton has also already approved seven new buses for 2026, providing additional capacity for service improvements. This approach allows us to increase service where it is most needed, build ridership over time, and reduce pressure on local taxpayers rather than relying on property taxes alone.

On the same question, their website says: “Buses Every 20 Minutes Get Around Town in 20 Minutes All-Day GO & University Shuttles A bus you can trust, every 20 minutes - so transit becomes something you can build a life around.” — their site. Everything it says, by theme →

What is the single worst traffic pinch point in Milton, and what is your fix?

If picking only one, perhaps Derry Road. Miltonians are funnelled onto the same routes to get to work, GO, and the 401. I would work with Halton Region on signal timing and intersection improvements, while also giving people more ways to avoid driving through Derry and Trafalgar altogether. That means Transit in 20, better connections to GO, and giving buses priority where it can make service faster and more reliable. I also want safer alternatives for shorter trips. On existing painted bike lanes, we can pilot flexible barriers that physically separate cyclists from traffic before committing to permanent infrastructure. Curb extensions can also be incorporated where appropriate to shorten pedestrian crossings and slow turning vehicles. Careers Close to Home means attracting more jobs to Milton so fewer residents are forced onto Derry and the 401 every morning. There is no single fix for congestion. We need to manage the intersection, the corridor and the demand together.

Their website does not address this question. Most campaign sites do not address most specific questions. What it does say →

Growth-related revenue is shrinking. Rank your preference: higher property taxes, more debt, deferred projects, or reduced service levels — and defend it.

The either-or framing does not do justice to our fiscal reality. My pledge to Miltonians is to start somewhere else. Growth should help pay for growth, and Milton should be first in line for provincial and federal funding. We need more than houses and warehouses. Our platform brings office employers here through a Community Improvement Plan: no cheques up front, nothing paid unless the project is built, and the rebate comes from new taxes that building creates, not residential taxes. Alongside that: build on work already underway, use what we have before building new, grants first, partner where we can, invest in phases through the normal budget process. We will only look at debt for things that last generations, because a road or a recreation centre serves decades of residents. Deferrals, if any, need to be published honestly. New revenue tied to a plan people can see. Service cuts move us backwards.

Their website does not address this question. Most campaign sites do not address most specific questions. What it does say →

What tax increase range do you consider acceptable for 2027, and what would justify exceeding it?

It is a fair question, so here is what I can say about it. Our community's tax bill carries the Town, the Region and the school boards. As Mayor, I would be accountable for the Town's portion. My pledge to Miltonians is that taxes are the last place I look. Grants, growth revenue, partnerships and better use of what we own come first, and residents should see that work before being asked for more. If the rate has to move, residents deserve to know why, in public, with every tradeoff published at the time. I believe a community that trusts its government to tell it the whole story is worth more. To be transparent on what can change that: another government shifting cost onto us. A genuine emergency. That would be a deliberate choice made in the open.

Their website does not address this question. Most campaign sites do not address most specific questions. What it does say →

Name one Town expenditure you would cut, or one you would add.

I pledge not to build anything new before we have used everything we already have. Our arenas and gyms are close to full at exactly the hours families need them. We need to continue looking at school gymnasiums to close the gap. Partnering for space we do not have to build is cheaper, it is faster, and it gets people something now instead of next decade. I will add more capacity where residents are actually waiting: approvals and permits. A family waiting on a permit for a basement apartment. A small business waiting to open its doors. A builder carrying costs while a file sits. Every week that queue comes out of somebody's pocket. And I would publish how long the waiting actually takes.

Their website does not address this question. Most campaign sites do not address most specific questions. What it does say →

Healthcare and schools are not municipal responsibilities, but residents feel the gaps locally. What is your advocacy plan, and how will residents measure whether it worked?

I noticed at the e-scooter town hall that residents don't always know which level of government is responsible for what, but they know when something in their community isn't working and wonder who can do something about it. I would hold regular Mayor’s Town Halls where residents can bring forward issues like school overcrowding or access to healthcare, and we bring the people responsible into the room: our MPP, school boards, healthcare leaders and Town officials. The mayor's job is to bridge the problem residents are experiencing to the government that can actually fix it. This will help shape Milton's advocacy agenda. If families are telling us schools are not keeping pace with new neighbourhoods, we take Milton's growth numbers to the Province and advocate for capacity before kids arrive. The same applies to primary and hospital care as our population grows. At the next Town Hall, residents get answers.

Their website does not address this question. Most campaign sites do not address most specific questions. What it does say →

What is your position on the Milton Education Village's priorities and timeline?

I support the vision for the Milton Education Village, but Milton has been talking about its potential for years. My focus would be what we can actually unlock in the next four. My priority is a realistic first phase. I would bring the Town, Region, landowners and institutional partners around one timeline for water, wastewater, stormwater, roads and approvals, with clear milestones residents can follow. I would also assess financing options for that first infrastructure package, including a P3 only if it gives Milton better value. Once land is ready, I support targeted, time-limited incentives tied to actual new investment to help bring office, research and knowledge-based employers here. Careers Close to Home is about creating opportunity here in Milton. MEV is one of the biggest opportunities we already have to make that real.

On the same question, their website says: “Education Village: Innovation Hub So your next opportunity is down the street, not down the 401.” — their site. Everything it says, by theme →

What recreation or community facility gap would you prioritise next, and where?

At the doors, parents tell us how frustrating it is when they cannot get their child into a program because it is already full. Residents with disabilities have told us that accessible programming exists, but sometimes at hours that simply do not work. Seniors have talked to us about isolation and loneliness. And we see teenagers spending their evenings in parking lots because they need somewhere to go. To me, that means our biggest gap is not automatically another building. It is making sure the spaces we already have are actually working for the people who need them. Alive After Five would open more Town spaces for evening and weekend programming. Then, through the Parks and Recreation Master Plan, I would look at where we genuinely need more year-round capacity. Before we count facilities, I want to know who we're still turning away.

Their website does not address this question. Most campaign sites do not address most specific questions. What it does say →

How should council balance aggregate and quarry operations against groundwater and community concerns?

As a municipality it's not in our power to outright stop the quarry from operating, we must act as an advocate for the people being affected, and also as a regulatory gatekeeper. Council should hire more experts on the matter as well as activating the Joint Agency Review Team (JART) the body responsible of keeping Miltonians safe and unaffected by the quarry, so it will let them ensure Rural Peoples concerns and problems will be addressed and heard. Currently, our primary gatekeeping tool is the Provincial Environmental Assessment Process, which has put the standard aggregate licensing on hold. Our team must use this process to intensely scrutinize the specific risks of the quarry on rural communities, including the groundwater contamination of private wells and the critical Kelso Wellfield

As well, councils should use their public platform to hold provincial leaders accountable in serving our needs as a community, and delivering on what they say. In July of 2020, Premier Doug Ford promised that the proposed Reid Road Reservoir Quarry in Campbellville would not go ahead due to steadfast opposition from many residents and the municipality. He since has not delivered on that promise.

Their website does not address this question. Most campaign sites do not address most specific questions. What it does say →

What is your commitment to rural Milton on roads, internet, and service equity?

When we talk to residents in rural Milton, road safety comes up again and again. People are seeing more traffic through their communities, including concerns around Costco and the impact major projects like the CN Logistics Hub could have on local roads. My commitment is to prioritize rural road safety and winter maintenance. Where traffic is increasing, we should proactively look at intersections, signage, speed management and road design rather than waiting for an accident to tell us there is a problem. Reliable internet is a necessity. Rural residents need it to work, study, run businesses and stay connected. I won't promise something the Town cannot deliver alone, but I will work with Halton Region and providers to identify coverage gaps, pursue provincial and federal funding, and explore solutions already tested in rural Milton. Service equity acknowledges that rural and urban Milton require different solutions, and we need to work just as hard to find them.

Their website does not address this question. Most campaign sites do not address most specific questions. What it does say →

Should Milton's urban boundary expand further within this term? Under what conditions?

No. I would not support expanding Milton's urban boundary further for this term. Milton's Official Plan formally establishes a framework to expand Milton urban boundaries up into 2051, but within this term, it is not needed. When talking to communities in rural Milton, they are not asking me where we can expand next. They are asking when roads will catch up, when transit will improve, where their kids will go, and whether community services can keep pace with the growth already happening around them. I would like to focus on meeting these needs first. I am not against growth. I am against expanding outward before we have shown residents that we can properly support the growth we have already committed to.

Their website does not address this question. Most campaign sites do not address most specific questions. What it does say →

Would you use, or support the use of, strong mayor powers? Under what circumstances?

No answer to this question.

What is one specific change you would make to how council engages residents between elections?

No answer to this question.

What does Milton need more right now — continuity or change — and why are you the answer?

No answer to this question.

How would you use the mayor's budget-proposal power differently than the status quo?

No answer to this question.

What is your working relationship plan with Halton Region, or its successor structure given the provincial regional-governance review?

No answer to this question.

Would you support large-scale data centres being developed in our municipality, and what would make you support or oppose a specific project?

No answer to this question.

How would you weigh the economic benefits of a data centre against its use of land, electricity, water, and other municipal infrastructure?

No answer to this question.

Should the municipality actively pursue data-centre investment, or only consider proposals as they come forward?

No answer to this question.

Accounts linked from the candidate's own website or filed with the Clerk. Nothing here was found by searching for their name: guessing at an account and attaching it to a real person is a mistake worth avoiding entirely. These are links out, not content read or quoted here.

• Instagram — https://instagram.com/reel/DbjE-IcpgBC
• Instagram — https://instagram.com/zainab4milton
• YouTube — https://youtube.com/live/FO6D-31FHww

What they said in answer to the questions themselves is under Where they stand, question by question.

Captured 2026-10-07 from https://www.zainab4mayor.ca/. These are the candidate's own words on their own site, not a summary written here. Campaign sites change; this is what it said on that date.

• Zainab Azim for Mayor of Milton - A Place of Possibility

This is not an answer to the questionnaire. The one-line description of each theme is written by RecordAI from the candidate’s own site; the quotation beneath it is theirs, verbatim, and is checked against the page it is attributed to before it appears. It is what their own website says on each theme, with the sentence it came from. A candidate writing that they care about traffic has not thereby said whether they would raise the transit budget, so nothing here is treated as a position on a question they were not asked. Every quotation was checked against the page it is attributed to.

The campaign emphasizes a people-powered approach, encouraging community organizing and volunteer participation in governance. It explicitly rejects the idea that politicians will fix issues alone, instead relying on organized community action before, during, and after elections. [RecordAI]

In their words: “Real change takes an organized community that keeps showing up before, during, and after election day.” — their site, captured 2026-10-07

The candidate proposes creating local jobs and opportunities through offices, retail space, and an innovation hub to prevent residents from commuting away for work. She emphasizes that the next opportunity should be accessible locally rather than requiring travel to the 401. [RecordAI]

In their words: “So your next opportunity is down the street, not down the 401.” — their site, captured 2026-10-07

The candidate highlights the need for community amenities such as an entertainment square, affordable activities, and more parks to make Milton a place to live rather than just sleep in. She also mentions improving safety and snow removal to clear streets and sidewalks sooner. [RecordAI]

In their words: “A town to live in, not just sleep in.” — their site, captured 2026-10-07

The platform advocates for increased bus frequency, specifically every 20 minutes, and all-day GO and university shuttles. The goal is to make transit reliable enough for residents to build their lives around it. [RecordAI]

In their words: “A bus you can trust, every 20 minutes - so transit becomes something you can build a life around.” — their site, captured 2026-10-07

Written by other people, not by this site. Headlines and links only, with the outlet and date. Where a piece quotes them directly, that quotation is printed word for word and checked against the article it is attributed to.

None of this changes anything else on this page. A reporter’s summary is their compression of what was said, not the member’s own words, so nothing here is recorded as a position or compared against one. Where they are quoted directly, those words are theirs — and they are shown here rather than folded into a stance they did not write.

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They are named in this piece. It carries no direct quotation from them, so none is shown.

They are named in this piece. It carries no direct quotation from them, so none is shown.

They are named in this piece. It carries no direct quotation from them, so none is shown.

This is a record of what the Town certified and what the candidate publishes themselves. It contains no rating, ranking or endorsement, and no assessment of any candidate. Corrections are welcome and acted on within 48 hours — see the methodology page.