News & Updates
Announcements, press releases, and campaign documents.
October 25, 2026
Before You Vote: Important Facts to Know About the Incumbents You May Be Considering
Updated with a correction: In 2023, Pickering's Mayor and Council disclosed more than $14,000 in gifts and benefits. The Integrity Commissioner found some gifts went over the limit. The result was no further action. Here is what the record shows.
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October 23, 2026
The New Ghosts of Facebook: Are They Bots? A Growing Problem in Communities Across Canada
Opinion: Shaun Rickard on anonymous attacks in community Facebook groups, the unanswered questions behind them, and the accountability he is asking of platforms, group admins and residents.
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October 23, 2026
Every Question from the Mayoral Debate, Answered
I couldn't attend the October 20 mayoral debate, so I promised residents I'd answer every question. The organizers never sent them, so I watched the full recording and wrote them down myself. Here is that promise, kept.
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October 22, 2026
The Condo Rumours Are Unproven. The Problem Isn't.
Claims that councillors were "gifted" condos by developers are circulating online, and the records don't support them. But the issues underneath them — developer gifts, developer money, conflicts of interest and weak accountability — are real. They need to be addressed, not rumoured about.
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October 22, 2026
Polymarket Is Not a Poll
A betting website is being mistaken for a Pickering poll. Only about $7,410 has been traded on the entire mayoral race, less than 8 cents per resident, and a few hundred dollars can move the "odds". Here's why they shouldn't decide anyone's vote.
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October 19, 2026
The Fine Print: Part of the Frenchman's Bay Deal Would Go to OPG, Not Pickering
A City report from May shows 591 Liverpool Road would be transferred to Ontario Power Generation for up to $10 million, with Pickering licensing it back for boat storage and parking. Residents deserve to see the terms before the deal closes.
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October 19, 2026
Pickering, the polls are open. It's time to decide what kind of City Hall you want.
Shaun Rickard on what your vote for him means, plus how to vote online or in person by Monday, Oct. 26 at 8 p.m., and how to register if you are not on the voters' list.
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October 17, 2026
BUYER BEWARE — Voting for a Pickering Mayoral or Council Incumbent? Do Your Homework First
Council members were asked at two forums this month whether they would accept campaign donations from the development industry. Here is how they answered, and what their 2022 campaign filings show.
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October 2, 2026
VIEWER DISCRETION ADVISED — Pickering residents cannot afford another four years of this, nor should they be expected to tolerate it.
Pickering council meetings have ended in cleared chambers and recesses to empty the room — while residents were shut out of City Hall for more than a year and a half. Shaun Rickard's new video lays out how he will open City Hall back up on day one.
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September 29, 2026
81 Homes on a Dead-End Road: What the Liverpool Road Traffic Study Missed
A developer wants 81 homes on a road that dead-ends at the water — 30 more than Council approved. The traffic study rests on a single September weekday, and the developer's own new counts show traffic growing ten times faster than assumed.
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September 28, 2026
UPDATE - City of Pickering's Freedom Of Information Request refusal - I have filed an official appeal and it's underway
The City refused to process my Elexicon FOI request, calling it "frivolous and vexatious." I have filed an official appeal with Ontario's Information and Privacy Commissioner, and it is now underway.
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September 28, 2026
Remember Who Did This: Property Taxes Rose More Than 9% in Two Years
Pickering's total property-tax bill rose more than nine percent over two years — nearly double inflation — while Durham Region recorded more than 300,000 food bank visits.
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September 25, 2026
Does Pickering Already Get Audited? Yes, and That's Exactly Why We Need a Forensic Audit Too.
Since proposing a full forensic audit of City finances, developer deals, and casino revenue as part of my platform, I've heard from a number of residents pushing back with a fair question: doesn't the City already get audited…
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September 22, 2026
City of Pickering Refuses to Process Elexicon Records Request, Calls It “Frivolous and Vexatious”
Mayoral candidate Shaun Rickard says the finding is unfounded and will appeal to Ontario's Information and Privacy Commissioner.
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September 22, 2026
BREAKING - Half a Million Dollars: The City's Integrity and Workplace Investigation Costs
A detailed look at what the City of Pickering has spent on Code of Conduct, Integrity Commissioner, and workplace investigation matters since 2022, obtained through a Freedom of Information request. Prepared by Shaun Rickard,…
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September 17, 2026
BREAKING - Frenchmans Bay has been sold to the City of Pickering, conditionally
With the City of Pickering now positioned to become the owner of Frenchman's Bay, the real question shifts from “who will develop it” to “what should we do with it.” This plan proposes a self-sustaining, revenue-generating…
Read moreSeptember 22, 2026
Rickard Releases FOI Report on Pickering's $1-Million Naming Rights Deal with Dorsay
Pickering, ON — Shaun Rickard, candidate for Mayor of Pickering, has released a plain-language report on the City of Pickering's naming rights agreement with Dorsay Development Corporation, obtained through Freedom of Information…
Read moreSeptember 15, 2026
Rickard Campaign Releases Documents Showing Years of City Hall Assistance to Landowner Behind $40-Million Frenchman's Bay Sale
Pickering, ON — Shaun Rickard, candidate for Mayor of Pickering, today released Freedom of Information (FOI) documents detailing a multi-year relationship between City Hall and the Pickering Harbour Company (PHC) — the same…
Read moreAugust 22, 2026
Pickering's Homelessness Crisis Needs More Than Good Intentions
Encampments are growing in our parks, including Esplanade Park. Across Durham Region, roughly 1,345 people were counted as experiencing homelessness in the most recent count — more than double the 2021 number.
Read moreAugust 13, 2026
The Numbers Are In — Public Safety in Pickering Is Getting Worse Under Mayor Ashe, and Residents Are the Last to Know
Public safety should be one of the most basic promises a city makes to its residents. Under Kevin Ashe's leadership, the numbers tell a troubling story, and getting those numbers in the first place took a formal Freedom of…
Read moreJuly 26, 2026
Pickering, We Need to Talk About Voting
Over the past while, I've heard from residents across Pickering, in conversations, in emails, and all over social media, who are frustrated. Frustrated with the direction of our city. Frustrated that decisions being made don't…
Read moreJuly 20, 2026
Who Actually Profits From Pickering's Casino?
Pickering Casino Resort is operated by One Toronto Gaming, a joint venture between Great Canadian Entertainment and Brookfield Business Corporation, part of the same arrangement that runs Casino Woodbine, Casino Ajax and Great…
Read moreJuly 7, 2026
Four more Freedom of Information (FOI) requests that we have filed over the past two weeks
In late June and early July of 2026, our campaign filed four formal Freedom of Information requests — three with the City of Pickering and one with Durham Regional Police Service. Each request seeks primary records on issues…
Read moreJuly 5, 2026
Elexicon FOI & Financial Report Announcement
Pickering taxpayers deserve real answers about our stake in Elexicon Corporation — and about how decisions affecting a major public asset get made behind closed doors.
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