Five questions with Jane Fullarton, candidate for Brockville council in the 2026 municipal election

Editor’s note: To help voters to be better informed, Brockvilleist will be asking the same five questions of all council candidates in advance of the municipal election, which will be held on Monday, Oct. 26, 2026. Questions were sent to all candidates on Sept. 4, 2026. We will publish their responses as we receive them. Below are the responses from candidate Jane Fullarton. You can view a full roundup of all our Brockville municipal coverage here.

1. Tell us a little bit about your professional background, including any prior municipal or other political participation, as well as about you, personally. What made you want to run for council?

Hi, my name is Jane Fullarton. I am married and have three children and five grandchildren, who all live in the area. I have a BA from the University of Guelph. I started my working life in business. My husband, Bruce, and I owned and operated retail clothing stores, a fabric store and a commercial cleaning business. I switched careers to social services and worked first for Developmental Services, then spent 12 very rewarding years as executive director of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Leeds and Grenville. I currently work as an editor for Super Simple Sheets.

My 30 years experience as a business owner helps me understand the issues business owners face, and having worked with vulnerable populations at Big Brothers Big Sisters makes me cognizant of the challenges faced by youth and their families in our community. While at Big Brothers Big Sisters, I had a leadership role in organizing Brockville Ribfest and Kemptville Ribfest. From this, I learned a lot about tourism and event planning.

I first got involved in politics when my children were in elementary school. There was an accommodation issue at their school, which meant over 100 students from five schools would have to switch schools. I was the chair of the Parent Committee at their school, and by working with other parents from these other schools, we were able to persuade the school board to place portables at the two crowded schools; as a result, all the students were able to stay at their home school. This showed me that you could influence local decisions and made me interested in the process. I ran for and was elected to the trustee position in the next election, and I served on the Leeds and Grenville School Board for two terms. At the end of my second term, that board was amalgamated with three others to become the Upper Canada District School Board and the funding model changed. I was interested in continuing in local politics, so I ran for a seat on Augusta council because we lived in Maitland. I was elected and served two terms there. After we moved to Brockville, I ran for a seat on Brockville City Council in 2006 and was elected to a four-year term. I have since been a Brockville councillor for the past 20 years.

2. How would you describe your personal political ideology and/or affiliation?

Municipal policy has a very direct effect on citizens’ everyday lives. Decisions related to transit, water, wastewater, garbage removal, snowplowing, police, fire, emergency services, long term care, parks and how neighbourhoods develop are all considered by city councils. The role of a councillor is representative. I believe decisions should be based on what our citizens want. Municipal politics is not based on party affiliations or ideologies. I try to make decisions that are based on what the majority of our citizens want and can afford.

3. What are the three most common issues voters bring up to you as you campaign?

Affordability- concern over property taxes.

Housing – the need for more housing options of all types, but especially affordable housing.

People attraction- there needs to be enough in Brockville to attract and keep families here.

4. What three issues are most pressing/important to address locally in your opinion?

The issues identified by residents are the most important.

1). Supporting continued growth- (affordability) – Brockville is a small town and yet we have all the same essential services that are provided in larger centres with larger tax bases. In the last few years, Brockville has been experiencing unprecedented growth. This will help with affordability and controlling tax increases as new homes start generating tax revenue. Council needs to make sure our planning department has the resources to support our developers as they build our city. We need to continue to improve infrastructure using careful project and financial planning so that our projects are affordable. In the last term of council, we completed Reynolds Park, John Taylor Park and the refurbishment of the water tower; we had a successful funding application for the Centeen Park Pumping Station, a project that will start this fall, and in the last two years have had the highest number of housing starts in the city’s history.

2). Housing- During the last term of council when the St Vincent’s Apartment project ran into a problem, council secured a construction loan for the project that enabled it to be completed. The loan has been repaid, and the city now has 88 more apartments.

Our planning and building departments need to have enough staff to support the increased number of projects we have coming forward.

3) People Attraction- To attract people to live and work in Brockville, as well as good jobs, we need amenities in our city that make it a great place to live and work. We have jobs in town that require a skilled workforce. To attract people for these jobs, we need amenities like the Multi Use Recreation Facility, which will add a rink, a walking track, banquet and meeting rooms and more dressing rooms. The campus will include pickleball courts, a new baseball field and a Brock Trail link to the soccer fields. There will be something for everyone. The redevelopment of Downtown Brockville is a priority project. Planning is currently underway to repair parking stalls and sidewalks and replace streetlights to give the downtown a cohesive and attractive look. Continuing to work on parks and the Brock Trail adds significantly to the appeal of our city.

5. What do you feel sets you apart from other candidates?

The reason I hope you will vote for me and what I think is the best reason for you to do so is my experience. I have served on Brockville City Council for 20 years. That will be important this term, particularly because even if all incumbents are returned, there will be five councillors with no experience and possibly a mayor who is new to council as well. That will be more than half of the council. The role of the councillor can be learned, of course, but there is a learning curve, and it will take time for new councillors to get up to speed. With the City manager also retiring in the new year, it will be helpful to have a few members of council who know the history of our contracts.

I believe in and support the long-range project and financial planning needed to make projects happen. I love our city and see the beauty in it everyday. I appreciate the quality of life we have here. I want to keep the city moving forward in a measured way, so we keep tax increases under control. I would appreciate your vote.