My Plan For Transparency, Service Excellence, & Responsive Government

Government exists to serve people. Government should work for residents, not the other way around.

Whether you are applying for a building permit, registering your child for recreation, opening a business, reporting a problem in your neighbourhood or contacting City Hall for assistance, residents deserve timely, responsive and accountable service.

Before entering politics, I spent 27 years leading organizations that served children, youth, seniors and families. That experience taught me that people should never have to fight through bureaucracy to access services they need.

Throughout my public life, one principle has always guided me: Government should work for residents, not the other way around. marioferri.ca, vaughan.ca.

I have done this before. Over the past term of Council, I did not just talk about accountability. I supported investments in service excellence, digital modernization, public reporting and online services while helping maintain one of the most financially responsible municipalities in the GTA. Now I want to create an Open Vaughan Dashboard, implement service guarantees, increase transparency and make City Hall more responsive and accessible than ever before.

What Has Been Achieved Over The Last Four Years

• Delivered a 0% increase to the City portion of property taxes in 2026, with no service cuts, while continuing major investments in municipal services and infrastructure. Vaughan Council adopts 0% property tax increase vaughan.ca, vaughan.ca
• Invested $53.6 million in Service Excellence and Accountability capital projects focused on resident service, continuous improvement, innovation, transparent decision-making and responsible financial management. Vaughan Council adopts the 2026 Budget vaughan.ca
• Earned national recognition for transforming digital service delivery, automating municipal processes and making it easier and faster for residents and businesses to access services. Vaughan recognized nationally for transforming digital service delivery vaughan.ca
• Reduced permit-intake time from approximately 10 days to two days by integrating permitting and application systems through the Service Vaughan portal. Vaughan recognized nationally for transforming digital service delivery vaughan.ca
• Expanded online access to more than 65 municipal services, allowing residents to submit service requests, report issues and track submissions 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Connect with Service Vaughan vaughan.ca
• Improved transparency and public participation in the budget process through public meetings, live online access, detailed financial disclosure and multiple opportunities for residents to provide feedback. Learn about Vaughan’s 2026 Budget process vaughan.ca
• Adopted the new Vaughan Official Plan through policy development, public consultation and preparation of a long-term framework for housing, employment, environmental protection and responsible growth. Public meeting for the draft Vaughan Official Plan 2025 and Shaping the future of Vaughan vaughan.ca, vaughan.ca

My 7-Point Resident First Service Plan

The Next Four Years

1Create A Vaughan Service Guarantee

Too often residents do not know who to call or when an issue will be resolved.

I will establish service standards and guaranteed response times for:

• By-law complaints;
• Property standards concerns;
• Road maintenance issues;
• Parks and recreation inquiries; and,
• Resident service requests.

Every resident deserves a timely answer.

Further, I will champion:

• Service standards for permit approvals;
• Guaranteed response timelines;
• Online permit tracking;
• Faster approvals for simple applications; and,
• Dedicated help for homeowners and small businesses.

Residents should be able to track applications just as easily as they track a parcel delivery.

Goal A City Hall that responds when residents need help. Faster responses and less frustration. Residents receive timely answers and clear expectations.

2Open Vaughan: Transparency You Can See

Residents deserve easy access to information and a City Hall that is open, accountable and transparent.

I will champion:

• A public Open Vaughan Dashboard where residents will be able to track major projects, spending, infrastructure investments, and Council priorities online. The goal is to give residents real-time access to information that affects their community;
• All major contracts and development obligations being reported in a searchable public portal;
• Greater disclosure and accessibility to lobbyist registry;
• Public reporting on development commitments, including road improvements, parkland commitments, community benefits contributions, streetscape improvements, and infrastructure obligations;
• An annual public report card on campaign commitments and Council priorities;
• Easier access to Council decisions, reports, and voting records – in plain language with better explanations and improved communications;
• Expanded public reporting on service standards, permit timelines and, municipal performance; and,
• Expanded community town halls, neighbourhood meetings, public information sessions, digital engagement opportunities.

Residents should be able to see how decisions are made, how tax dollars are spent, and whether commitments are being delivered.

Goal Open government. Transparent decisions. Accountable results.

3End the Recreation Registration "Hunger Games"

Every registration period, hundreds of families compete online for recreation programs, swimming lessons and camps.

I will modernize Vaughan's recreation booking system by:

• Upgrading the registration platform;
• Increasing system capacity;
• Making registration fairer and more user-friendly;
• Reviewing fairer access models for Vaughan residents;

• Improving system performance;
• Enhancing waitlist management;
• Improving the user experience; and,
• Implementing resident-first registration models.

Goal Recreation registration that works for families.

4Create a One-Stop City Hall Portal

Residents should not have to navigate multiple departments to obtain answers.

I will create a single online portal where residents can:

• Submit service requests;
• Track complaints;
• Apply for permits;
• Register for programs;
• Access City services; and,
• Receive updates on open files.

Goal One City Hall. One portal. One place to get things done.

5Bring City Hall Closer to Residents

Government works best when it is accessible.

I will expand:

• Community town halls;
• Neighbourhood meetings;
• Public information sessions;
• Resident engagement opportunities; and,
• Direct communication with Council.

Residents deserve to be heard before decisions are made, not after.

In addition to the above, I will continue my long-standing commitment to personally responding to resident inquiries within 48-hours (my personal 48-Hour Guarantee) and ensuring residents receive timely follow-up on issues affecting their neighbourhoods.

Goal More accessible and accountable local government.

6Publish a Resident Service Report Card

Residents deserve measurable results.

Each year, I will publicly report:

• Permit processing times
• Service request response times
• Recreation registration performance
• Customer service standards
• Operational efficiency improvements; and,
• Progress on service commitments.

Goal Real accountability. Real transparency. Real results.

7Vaughan Community Innovation Challenge

Some of the best ideas for improving Vaughan come from the people who live, work and raise their families here.

I will launch an annual Vaughan Community Innovation Challenge that invites residents, community groups, students, businesses and neighbourhood organizations to submit practical ideas to improve our city.

Ideas may focus on:

• Reducing traffic congestion;
• Beautifying neighbourhoods and public spaces;
• Improving parks, trails and recreation facilities;
• Enhancing community safety;
• Increasing government efficiency and reducing costs; and
• Strengthening quality of life across Vaughan.

Each year, a panel of residents, community leaders and City staff will review submissions and recognize the most innovative and practical ideas.

Winning projects will be considered for implementation through City programs, pilot projects or partnerships.

I will also establish annual Community Innovation Awards to recognize residents who help make Vaughan a better place to live.

Goal Harness the creativity of residents, encourage community-driven solutions and ensure great ideas have a pathway from the neighbourhood to City Hall.

My Commitment

Throughout my career, whether serving families through community organizations or serving residents on Council, I have always believed that public service is about helping people.

Over the next four years, I will focus on making City Hall more responsive, more accessible and more accountable.

Residents should spend less time dealing with bureaucracy and more time enjoying the services their tax dollars pay for.

Putting Residents First. Delivering Results. Building Trust.

A City Hall That Puts Residents First.

Accessible. Accountable. Responsive.