🗺 Ward 3 Community Map I know Ward 3 residents have ideas, concerns, and priorities - and I want to hear them. So far, 25 concerns have been submitted through my Ward 3 Community Map, covering everything from roads and sidewalks to parks, trails, safety and development. This is about putting your priorities on the map and creating a direct line between Ward 3 residents and City Hall. ⚠️ Have something you think needs attention? Add it to the map. 👉 Visit my Ward 3 Community Map and have your say. https://www.matthewschaffer.ca/ward-3-map Let’s make sure the issues that matter to Ward 3 don’t get lost in the shuffle.

📬 Better communication. Greater transparency. A stronger connection between Ward 3 and City Hall. If elected to Oshawa City Council, I’ll advocate for better communication from City Hall and make sure Ward 3 residents have clear, accessible information about the decisions that affect our community. I’ll also provide Ward 3 residents with a monthly email newsletter covering Council decisions, how I voted, what those decisions mean for our community, upcoming issues, and the work I’m doing on behalf of Ward 3. 👉 Moving forward starts with making sure we're all on the same page. 🗺️ Have you seen my Ward 3 Community Map? The map is another way for residents to highlight issues, share ideas and identify areas of concern across our ward - whether it's roads, parks, development, bylaws, accessibility or something else that matters to you. You can explore the map and submit something you'd like me to know about at www.matthewschaffer.ca/ward-3-map. Residents deserve to know what's happening at City Hall, understand why decisions are being made, and have a clear way to raise issues that matter in their neighbourhoods. This October, let's turn the page and build something new. Fresh Leadership. Forward Thinking.

👉 Don’t be fooled by political endorsements. A strong mayor and council need to work with our MPP, MP, Regional Council, community organizations, businesses and governments at every level. Those relationships don’t begin with an endorsement, and they don’t disappear without one. What matters is what you bring to the table. City Hall needs leaders who understand how large organizations actually work. Leaders with experience in governance, strategic analysis, policy, project management, organizational transformation, financial oversight and turning complex priorities into results. That’s the kind of experience I’m bringing to this election. Municipal leadership is about civic administration and choosing the people best suited to lead it. It’s about the issues that directly affect our everyday lives: roads, parks, infrastructure, development, taxes, services, neighbourhoods and the responsible management of our city. These are tangible, local issues that require sound judgment, strategic thinking, effective governance and an understanding of how to get things done. Whether you lean left or right has little relevance to your ability to provide effective municipal leadership. Provincial and federal politics are built around broader ideological, economic and social questions. Municipal government is different. Our focus should be on what works for Oshawa. We can have different political beliefs and still agree that our roads need fixing, our parks need investment, our tax dollars need to be spent responsibly and our city needs thoughtful, accountable leadership. 👉 So when you’re deciding who to support, don’t simply look at who is standing behind a candidate. Look at the candidate standing in front of you. ✅ It's time to turn the page and elect new leadership to Ward 3. Visit matthewschaffer.ca to learn more about my experience, priorities, and how I can add value to Oshawa City Council.

Two campaigns. Two very different approaches. 👉 My campaign is asking for your trust and your vote, nothing more. My campaign is entirely self-funded. No fundraising targets. No donor lists. No financial obligations to anyone. Just a direct focus on Ward 3 residents and the issues that matter to our community. My opponent is campaigning on his previous experience at City Hall. Experience matters, but experience should come with accountability. Roger Bouma served on Oshawa Council from 2010 to 2014. During that time, his name was connected to several controversial chapters in Oshawa’s municipal history. ❎ In 2012, a local resident publicly alleged that Bouma was in a conflict of interest involving two property transactions. Bouma denied any wrongdoing and threatened legal action. ❎ The 2013 purchase of 199 Wentworth Street East, which became the City’s consolidated operations depot, was another major controversy. Then-Auditor General Ron Foster raised concerns about the acquisition and alleged that the property had been overvalued by approximately $1.9 million. The controversy did not end there. Questions about the transaction continued for years, including allegations involving former Councillor Roger Bouma. Those allegations were not findings of wrongdoing against Bouma, but when a politician with decades of experience in real estate asks voters to trust his fiscal judgment, I think it is fair to ask questions about his judgment surrounding one of the most controversial property purchases in Oshawa’s recent history. ❎ Then, in September 2013, Bouma moved Resolution 407, which resulted in Council deciding not to renew Auditor General Ron Foster’s contract. The City’s records confirm that Resolution 407 was effectively Council’s response to Foster’s recommendation that his contract be extended. The resolution passed 8–3. Bouma then moved Resolution 408, referring a report concerning the Auditor General’s duties, authority and reporting relationship to the Acting City Treasurer. That resolution passed 9–2. The timing matters. Foster had raised concerns about the Wentworth purchase and the City’s valuation process. A subsequent investigation challenged Foster’s ability to substantiate his allegations, while the broader controversy over the purchase and its valuation continued. These are not simply questions about the past. They are questions about judgment, accountability and fiscal responsibility. I believe Ward 3 voters are entitled to ask whether the decisions made during his previous time on Council reflect the kind of judgment and fiscal responsibility they want from their next councillor. I’m not running to relitigate Oshawa’s past. I’m running to give Ward 3 a different future. 👉 Fresh leadership. Forward thinking. 👉 A councillor who answers to residents - not donors, political relationships, or the status quo. On October 26, I hope you’ll choose a new direction for Ward 3.

👉The race for Ward 3 City Council has grown, with more candidates now on the ballot. When you vote online or at the ballot box this October 26, my name will be at the very bottom. I encourage you to take a look at all of the candidates and see for yourself why I believe I’m the right choice to represent Ward 3 on Oshawa City Council. Here’s what I bring to the table: ✅Substantial senior public sector experience and a strong understanding of how government works. ✅A genuine commitment to serving this community. My only goal is to improve our city, make things easier for residents, and advocate for what matters to you. I want to give back to the community where I’ve spent my entire life. ✅A fresh perspective. I don’t come to this race with political baggage or unfinished business. I will bring a fresh, strategic mindset to Council, doing what I do best: building relationships, bringing people together, and finding opportunities to improve the day-to-day lives of Ward 3 residents. ✅A focus on action and results. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: good intentions and smiles are important, but they aren’t enough. We need a Council filled with people who know how to bring ideas to life, understand what it truly means to be a public servant, and are prepared to work for residents. If I’ve earned your trust, I hope you’ll keep going to the bottom of the ballot and vote for Matthew Schaffer. And if you’re still on the fence, please send me a message. I’d welcome the opportunity to talk about what matters to you and why I believe I'm the right choice to represent Ward 3.

👉Experience matters. City Council makes decisions that affect our neighbourhoods, our tax dollars, our infrastructure, and the future of our community. These decisions require more than good intentions. They require experience, strategic thinking, and the ability to understand complex issues and turn ideas into solutions. Throughout my career, I have worked on strategic planning, major initiatives, service transformation, business cases, and complex projects within the Ontario Public Service. I have experience bringing people together, looking at challenges from different perspectives, and developing thoughtful strategies that deliver results. I believe that experience would be a valuable asset for Ward 3. As your City Councillor, I would bring a strategic mindset to the decisions facing our community. I would ask the right questions, look beyond short-term fixes, carefully consider the long-term impacts of decisions, and always focus on getting the best value for residents. Ward 3 deserves strong representation, someone who understands how to navigate complex issues and think strategically about the future. I’m ready to bring my experience, perspective, and commitment to serving our community to Oshawa City Council.

👉 Sometimes doing what's right means speaking up when it's easier to stay quiet. In December 2018, York Regional Police began publicly releasing the names of people who had been charged with impaired driving. The stated goal was to deter impaired driving and make it socially unacceptable. At the time, I wrote to York Regional Police to raise concerns about publicly identifying people who had been charged but had not been convicted. I want to be very clear: I fully support strong action against impaired driving. But I also believe in due process, the presumption of innocence, and the principle that being charged with an offence is not the same as being found guilty. In May 2019, York Regional Police suspended the practice, citing concerns with data verification and the need to review how the information was being released. More recently, Niagara Regional Police Service ended a similar practice in 2025 after more than a decade of publishing the names of people charged with impaired driving. The service said it would continue its public-safety efforts while shifting its focus toward sharing data rather than names. These decisions were made by police services for their own reasons, and I don't claim they were made because of my letter. But I do think they demonstrate that the question I raised years ago was a legitimate one: How do we protect public safety while also respecting due process and the presumption of innocence? I wasn't thinking about a future campaign when I wrote that letter. I was simply advocating for something I believed was fair. That's the kind of independent voice I intend to bring to City Council: willing to ask difficult questions, stand up for what I believe is right, and put principle ahead of political convenience.

The restaurant industry looks very different today than it did years ago. I like to think I played a small part in helping push it in a better direction. Before beginning my career with the Ontario Public Service, and shortly after my university days, I followed my passion for cooking and I pursued it with everything I had. I've worked for some of the best chefs in Toronto, including Susur Lee, Jamie Kennedy, David Lee, and Claudio Aprile. Those years challenged me, taught me discipline, and gave me a perspective I carry with me to this day. Working in professional kitchens and in the culinary underbelly taught me lessons that extend far beyond food: organization, perseverance, teamwork, and determination. It also gave me a deeper understanding of people - their challenges, their ambitions, and the importance of creating workplaces where people are respected. I ultimately left the industry because I saw too many talented, passionate people being asked to give everything while not always receiving the respect and support they deserved. That experience led me to create the Toronto Restaurant Blacklist, an early Facebook advocacy site where food service workers could come together, share experiences, and raise awareness about issues affecting the industry. Food writer Corey Mintz later wrote about those efforts in the Toronto Star. Those years shaped who I am today. I will always stand up for what is right, advocate for people who need a voice, and work to improve the systems that affect our everyday lives.

A recent conversation with a board member of the Canadian Automotive Museum reminded me just how important Oshawa's automotive history is and why preserving it matters. The Canadian Automotive Museum is one of the institutions that tells our city's story. Yet despite its significance, it remains underfunded, is not supported in the same way as many of our other cultural institutions, and is located in a part of downtown that has faced significant challenges. If we're serious about revitalizing our downtown, we should also be serious about supporting the organizations that make people want to visit it. 👉That conversation also reminded me why this issue is personal. My great-grandfather moved to Oshawa from Enniskillen in the early 1900s and spent his entire career at General Motors. He and my great-grandmother lived near Adelaide Avenue and Gibbons Street at a time when everything west of there was still farmland. They raised my grandmother Audrey in that home. In 1954, she met my grandfather George at a YWCA dance in downtown Oshawa. George had immigrated from Scotland with very little to his name that same year. Shortly after arriving, he found work at General Motors as an electrician, where he remained until retirement. Together, they built a life, raised a family, and became part of the fabric of this community. Today, at 90 years old, my grandmother still benefits from the pension my grandfather earned through decades of hard work. Like many Oshawa families, mine was given an opportunity here. Oshawa offered stable employment, a strong sense of community, and the chance to build a good life. While our city has changed over the decades, I believe it can once again be a place known for opportunity, pride, and vibrant neighbourhoods. I want future generations to be able to tell stories like this about Oshawa. That's why preserving our history, supporting institutions like the Canadian Automotive Museum, and building a city people are proud to call home matters so much to me.

👉 Our city spends nearly $1 million every year on a Dedicated Downtown Patrol Enforcement Resource intended to provide 24/7 patrols, improve public safety, and help make downtown cleaner and more welcoming. The City justifies the program by reporting the number and type of incidents the patrol responds to. Those are outputs, they tell us what the program did. Council's job, however, is also to ask about outcomes. ✅ Are businesses reporting that they feel safer? ✅ Has foot traffic increased? ✅ Have repeat incidents declined? ✅ Has vandalism decreased? ✅ Are emergency services being called less often? ✅ Are fewer people avoiding downtown because of safety concerns? These are the kinds of questions that help determine whether a program is delivering value for taxpayers. This money could also support parks, community programs, road safety, and other priorities in Ward 3. Whatever we choose to invest in, residents deserve to know what success looks like and whether their tax dollars are achieving it. Council should be asking questions like this before spending your money.

Proud to receive the endorsement of Debi Foster, Chair of ODAWG! For over 20 years, Debi has dedicated her time to stewarding Clare Ford Off-Leash Dog Park. As Chair of ODAWG, she has been a valuable contributor to the park's success and an important part of the community that makes it such a special place. Clare Ford is a well-used green space enjoyed by dog owners, walkers, runners, cyclists, and everyone in between. It deserves thoughtful stewardship, stronger governance, and meaningful investment to ensure it continues to serve our community for years to come. I'm committed to working alongside the people who know and care for this park, bringing their voices to City Hall and advocating for the attention and investment this important community space deserves. Thank you, Debi, for your years of dedication and for your endorsement! 👉 To learn more about the park, its stewardship, and the value it provides to our community, visit www.harmonydogpark.ca.