Oakville politician heads to Reddit for 2025 budget feedback

Rather than waiting for Oakville residents to come to him, an Oakville politician decided to go to them.

Marc Grant is the town councillor for Ward 5 and also the chair of the 2025 Budget Committee. And although there are plenty of opportunities for Oakville residents to provide input, he decided that wasn’t enough.

So he’s headed to Reddit, a social media site with a robust local group, r/oakville.

Grant posted the outline of the town’s budget and asked the Reddit community to provide feedback.

“I’ve been on Reddit about 12 years, and I love it,” Grant told Inhalton.com. “Every social media platform is a little different and I like the anonymity that Reddit provides. People can ask questions they might be reluctant to in person.”

Grant admitted he’s not a expert at every area the budget concerns, so when he comes across something he’s unsure about, he acts like Michael Scott from The Office and tells his staff to, “explain it to me like I’m five years old.”

“We want people to understand how budget works. And if Reddit is the place they feel they can ask any question, then great. Getting people involved any way is good.”

MARC GRANT

At times, Reddit has a reputation for getting a little out of control. Anonymity, after all, is a two-way street.

But the discourse so far, two days after his original post, has been mostly civil.

“Sure, there are some random comments but, overall, the questions have been good. Where I can, I clear up misunderstandings. If I don’t know the answer, then I reach out to town staff to get a response as soon as I can. There have been a lot of very savvy questions.”

Grant said he thinks politicians should embrace social media interaction more often.

“Absolutely politicians should be more proactive when it comes to dealing with constituents. A good idea is a good idea, it doesn’t matter where it came from. I’m hearing real concerns from real people.

“The best way to get to people is to be active on social media and gather more information to make better decisions.”

Among the key topics Reddit users want addressed include:

• What is being neglected, deferred or under-invested-in to hit the mayor’s desired four per cent max tax increase?
• How does the town ensure value-for-money spent on things like construction costs, labour and maintenance contracts?
• What bureaucracy has the town considered simplifying or retiring because it’s too complex or expensive?
• How much public input is involved in deciding which parks receive rehabilitation funding?
• What is being put towards upgrading technology infrastructure like fibre optics?

There are still about five weeks left until the budget will be approved by town council.