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.
Shaun Rickard for Mayor | October 17, 2026
With online voting opening Monday, many Pickering residents have told us they want real change at City Hall. If that is you, it is worth taking a few minutes to look at the record of the incumbents on your ballot. Much of what residents have seen from this Council over the past four years has been more of the same, and some of the answers given at this month's forums suggest the next four years could look much the same too.
The question
At two 2026 all-candidates forums, candidates answered by holding up a “Yes” or “No” sign. The first was the Ward 2 City and Regional Councillor forum on October 6. The second was the mayoral forum on October 7, organized by the Fairport Beach Neighbourhood Association (Frequency / Wesal TV). The question was:
“Will you accept campaign donations from individuals associated with the building and development industries?”
Our campaign compiled a report comparing current council members' answers with what their own 2022 financial statements, filed with the Pickering City Clerk under the Municipal Elections Act, actually show.
What the report found
| Council member | Forum answer | 2022 donations over $100 | From contributors with a documented developer link | Dated after voting day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kevin Ashe (Mayor), Oct. 7 | Yes | $83,450 | $21,700 (26.0%) | $0 (0.0%) |
| Maurice Brenner (Regional Councillor, Ward 1) | No public record (acclaimed) | $24,950 | $4,150 (16.6%) | $1,200 (4.8%) |
| Linda Cook (Regional Councillor, Ward 2), Oct. 6 | Yes | $3,900 | $1,200 (30.8%) | $0 (0.0%) |
| David Pickles (Regional Councillor, Ward 3) | No public record | $37,000 | $5,900 (15.9%) | $1,300 (3.5%) |
| Lisa Robinson (City Councillor, Ward 1), Oct. 7 | No | $15,850 | $5,450 (34.4%) | $14,200 (89.6%) |
| Mara Nagy (City Councillor, Ward 2), Oct. 6 | Yes | $690 | $0 (0.0%) | $140 (20.3%) |
| Shaheen Butt (City Councillor, Ward 3) | No public record | $31,650 | $12,150 (38.4%) | $0 (0.0%) |
Percentages are of each member's contributions over $100 from individuals other than the candidate. Voting day was October 24, 2022.
Ward 2: Linda Cook and Mara Nagy
Ward 2 residents have fought major development battles on their own doorstep, including the Liverpool Road Avis property and the Northeast Pickering development. Both Ward 2 incumbents, Regional Councillor Linda Cook and City Councillor Mara Nagy, objected to those developments. Yet when asked on October 6 whether they would accept donations from people in the building and development industries, both held up “Yes.”
To be fair to both, their 2022 campaigns were small. Councillor Nagy's filing lists no contributor with a documented developer link, and $5,000 of her $6,005 in contributions was her own money. Regional Councillor Cook's filing lists $1,200 (30.8% of her contributions over $100) from one contributor with a documented developer link, Steven Warsh of Chestnut Hill Developments.
But residents are entitled to ask a simple question: if you object to these developments, why leave the door open to the industry's money?
Mayor Ashe and Councillor Robinson
Mayor Kevin Ashe answered “Yes.” His 2022 filing lists $83,450 in contributions over $100, with at least $21,700 (26.0%) from contributors with a documented developer link. That includes $7,200 from six members of the Apostolopoulos family, each listing 186 Bartley Dr, Toronto, the head office of Triple Properties Inc., part of Triple Group of Companies (Durham Live, Pickering Casino Resort). The Trillium has separately reported that Mayor Ashe received $22,600 in 2022 from a group of GTA developer “super donors” and their associates.
Councillor Lisa Robinson, now running for Mayor, answered “No.” Her 2022 filing lists $5,450 (34.4% of her contributions over $100) from five members of the Apostolopoulos family, each listing the same 186 Bartley Dr head office. All five are dated November 23, 2022, after voting day. In total, 89.6% of her contributions over $100 are dated after voting day.
Ward 1 and Ward 3
No public record was found of how the other three council members answered, but their 2022 filings are just as relevant to voters.
Ward 3 City Councillor Shaheen Butt, who is seeking re-election, has the highest share on Council: $12,150 (38.4%) of his 2022 contributions over $100 came from contributors with a documented developer link. That includes $3,250 from five members of the Apostolopoulos family at 186 Bartley Dr, and contributors linked to Chestnut Hill Developments, Fieldgate, TACC Group, Dorsay Development, Geranium, SmartCentres and Tribute Communities.
Ward 3 Regional Councillor David Pickles, also seeking re-election, received $5,900 (15.9%) from contributors with a documented developer link, including Chestnut Hill Developments, Dorsay Development, Fieldgate, Tribute Communities and $1,200 from 186 Bartley Dr.
Ward 1 Regional Councillor Maurice Brenner was acclaimed in 2026 and faces no vote. His 2022 filing lists $4,150 (16.6%) from contributors linked to Chestnut Hill Developments, Fieldgate and TACC Group.
You will not see this round's money before you vote
Those who held up “Yes” have told voters plainly where they stand: they are open to money from the building and development industry in this campaign. What voters cannot do is check that answer before they vote. Contributions made to the 2026 campaigns do not appear in public financial statements until those statements are filed in 2027 — long after the ballots are counted and the next Council has taken its seats.
That leaves residents with the record that is available today, which is the 2022 filings set out in this report, and with a straightforward question they can put to any candidate before October 26: have you accepted money from anyone in the building and development industry in this campaign? A candidate who is comfortable with the answer should have no trouble saying so out loud.
What this report is, and is not
- Since 2018, Ontario law has allowed contributions to municipal candidates only from individuals, not corporations. Accepting donations from individuals in the development industry is legal, and this report does not suggest any council member broke the law.
- Financial statements do not record contributors' employers. Developer links come from published sources listed in the report. All figures are therefore a minimum.
- 2026 contributions will not be public until the 2026 financial statements are filed in 2027. The 2022 filings are the most recent public record of who has funded each council member.
Buyer beware
Residents deserve representatives whose words, votes and campaign funding line up. If you are looking for change at City Hall, look beyond the lawn signs and the forum soundbites. Check the record, follow the money and ask the questions. It only takes a few minutes, and it could shape the next four years of Pickering.
Read the full report
The full PDF report, including every contributor listed in each council member's 2022 filing and links to all official sources, is available here:
Download the full contributions report (PDF)Official sources
- Kevin Ashe, 2022 Form 4
- Maurice Brenner, 2022 Form 4
- Linda Cook, 2022 Form 4
- David Pickles, 2022 Form 4
- Lisa Robinson, 2022 Form 4
- Mara Nagy, 2022 Form 4
- Shaheen Butt, 2022 Form 4
- City of Pickering, Elections (2022 candidate financial statements)
- Municipal Elections Act, 1996
Online voting runs October 19 to 26. Election Day is Monday, October 26, 2026.