Policy · Local Business · Ward 2 Backing Clarington Business Joshua Glover  |  Candidate for Councillor, Ward 2

"Someone's sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago."

— Warren Buffett

Clarington’s small businesses and entrepreneurs are the backbone of our community. Our local merchants, trades, and independent operators have shown remarkable resilience over the years and they have stood by our community through challenging times. When elected Councillor for Ward 2, I will work to ensure local businesses have a strong voice at Council and that Council follows through on the commitments it has made through the new Community Improvement Plan.

The Municipality’s previous Economic Development Strategy contained 61 planned actions and by early 2025, only 14 had been completed, leaving 47 incomplete. Other initiatives also changed course, including the proposed small-business incubator at Shaw House and the proposed Economic Development Advisory Committee.

Businesses are being asked to absorb rising costs. The least Council can do is ensure that municipal processes are predictable, fees are properly reviewed, and economic-development programs actually deliver measurable results.

Five Challenges Facing Local Business

1. Strategy Without Execution: Ambitious strategies require clear ownership, timelines, oversight, and transparent milestone tracking to prevent initiatives from stalling.

2. The Cost of Doing Business:
Application fees, regulatory costs, property taxes, and annual fee adjustments add overhead before a business can even open its doors.

3. Upfront Cash-Flow Pressures: While Clarington’s updated Community Improvement Plan provides valuable incentives, many programs operate through reimbursement after eligible work and program requirements are completed. Requiring owners to finance eligible project costs until reimbursement can create a significant barrier to reinvestment.

4. Administrative Friction: Navigating Planning, Building, Economic Development, and outside reviewing agencies can leave entrepreneurs facing a fragmented, multi-department process.

5. A Lack of Measurable Accountability: Council should have clear, transparent reporting on how many businesses are assisted, how much private investment is leveraged, and what measurable economic outcomes result from municipal programs.

Policy Comittments 

A True Development Concierge: A dedicated point of contact for non-residential projects, coordinating across Economic Development, Planning, and Building to reduce bureaucratic runarounds.

Predictable Approval Timelines: Clearer service standards and reporting that explicitly separates municipal review time from periods awaiting applicant revisions, giving owners predictability at every step.

Targeted Fee Reviews: Targeted, activity-based costing reviews of high-volume commercial and trade permits to verify whether charges appropriately reflect the actual cost of service delivery.

Milestone-Based CIP Rebates: An expedited reimbursement model within approved CIP budgets, allowing verified project milestones to trigger partial grant payments as phases are completed, where legislation and program guidelines allow.

Commercial Vitality & Diversity: Planning and economic-development tools that strengthen Downtown Bowmanville and local commercial hubs, including appropriate zoning flexibility, parking solutions, and streetscape enhancements that support a diverse mix of uses.

Accountable, Transparent Reporting: Regular public reports to Council detailing applications received and approved, businesses assisted, private funds leveraged, commercial space improved, and local jobs created or retained where those outcomes can be attributed to municipal programs.

Behind every storefront is a local family, entrepreneur, or investor putting their time and money into our community. As your Ward 2 Councillor, I will be a responsive, hands-on partner—not a bureaucratic hurdle.

With only 14 of 61 planned actions completed by early 2025, the record shows a serious follow-through problem. We need active oversight, predictable processes and a Councillor willing to ask tough questions when commitments aren't being delivered.

For four years as a public-school trustee, I was responsible for helping govern an organization, scrutinize its performance, and hold administration accountable for delivering on the commitments and targets set by the Board. I will bring that same experience in oversight and accountability to Council.

On October 26, vote Joshua Glover for Peace, Order, and Good Government.