Steven Del Duca Incumbent
Running for Mayor of Vaughan · in office since 2024
Campaigning on zero property tax increase and less gridlock, having welcomed the two hyperscale data centres now under construction.
Where they stand
Each position pairs what they say with what they did.
Environment
Welcomed the data centres
“We are proud to welcome Microsoft's investment in data centre infrastructure in Vaughan.”
What they did:
No hyperscale data centres existed in Vaughan before this term. Two were approved in July 2024 at 6100 Langstaff Rd. The research rates the mayor reactive on this issue and records that he flat out supported it. The first, YTO11, is almost operational.
Public funds
Zero tax increase
What they did:
Campaign promises: two more police substations and stronger bylaws, a zero property tax increase, fast-tracked road extensions and bridges to reduce gridlock, and more investment in the local economy.
Transit
Roads first
What they did:
Rated proactive, and partly trying to solve it. A micromobility pilot with Lime and Bird, road expansions, a Woodbridge GO station study, VMC accessibility work and the completed Rutherford GO upgrade. Most public statements are aimed at road expansion, which helps buses but mainly helps private vehicles. Service remains infrequent and slow.
OAC flags
OAC opinion · evidence-based, not neutral
- No public vote record. Researchers found no public record of the council vote approving the two hyperscale data centres, as of 14 July 2026.
- No public consultation. The research describes an utter lack of accountability, transparency and public consultation on a project of this size.
- Little Indigenous consultation. None was found in the record on either the data centres or the transit programme.
Sources
- City of Vaughan council filing https://pub-vaughan.escribemeetings.com/filestream.ashx?DocumentId=177450
- Ontario news release https://news.ontario.ca/en/release/1007259/ontario-welcomes-microsofts-ai-infrastructure-expansion
- City of Vaughan financial report https://www.vaughan.ca/sites/default/files/2024-12/20241001.pdf
- StopTheDataCentre https://stopthedatacentre.ca/
