Shane Weaver: In Your Corner
I’m Shane Weaver, and I’m running for Grimsby Town Council in Ward 3.
As a martial arts studio owner and coach, I have spent more than 30 years preparing athletes for competition and standing in their corner when it mattered most.
A good corner is built on preparation. You study the details, understand the rules, do the research, build a strategy, and bring the right people together to execute it. When something is not working, you recognize it, make the adjustment, and keep moving toward the goal.
That is the mindset I will bring to Town Hall.
Ward 3 deserves someone in its corner who comes prepared, knows the rules, understands the issues, and is willing to do the work required to get results.
Shane Weaver
Ward 3 Candidate
I was doing the work before I asked for your Vote!
My involvement in local government started with the Downtown Grimsby Business Improvement Area. I saw significant changes taking place downtown and wanted to understand how those decisions were affecting local businesses, taxpayers, and the wider community. That meant showing up to meetings, reading the records, following the money, and asking questions when things did not make sense.
What started with the BIA quickly led me to broader Town issues involving infrastructure, spending, traffic, development and accountability. The more I looked, the more I realized these were not isolated problems. They were questions about how decisions are being made, how money is being spent and whether Ward 3 has a strong enough voice at the table.
"Taxpayer money is not free money. Every dollar came from someone who worked for it and earned it. Government should treat it that way."
WHEN THE PLAN ISN’T WORKING, CHANGE IT
WHEN THE PLAN ISN’T WORKING, CHANGE IT
Grimsby is facing an estimated $5.1 million annual infrastructure funding gap. Roads, water, sewers, and other assets we already own still need to be maintained and replaced, while new projects continue to compete for the same limited dollars.
If I am elected to be in your corner, I will treat that gap as a priority. A good coach knows when the game plan is not working. You do not ignore the problem and hope it goes away. You adjust, protect the fundamentals, and make better decisions with the resources you have.
My position is simple: maintain the basics first, protect what we already own, and make sure new spending fits what Grimsby can realistically afford.
WHEN EVERYONE PAYS, EVERYONE SHOULD BENEFIT
WHEN EVERYONE PAYS, EVERYONE SHOULD BENEFIT
The BIA’s expense budget grew from $133,280 in 2024 to $347,870 in 2025. What concerns me most is not just how quickly spending grew. It is whether the benefits are being shared across the entire downtown business community, or concentrated around the same events, programs, and businesses.
If I am elected to be in your corner, I will push for much stronger oversight of BIA spending and a clearer test for every major expenditure:
My position: if every downtown business is expected to pay the levy, every downtown business deserves to see value from it.
$70,000 LATER, FINALLY AN AGREEMENT
$70,000 LATER, FINALLY AN AGREEMENT
Between 2023 and 2025, the BIA directed $70,000 to Happening in Grimsby. That three year total is roughly 80% of the BIA’s entire 2025 annual levy of $87,350.
Across the public records I reviewed, I could not find a written sponsorship agreement for those years showing exactly what downtown merchants were receiving in return.
If I am elected to be in your corner, I will push for the paperwork to come before the payment. In 2026, the BIA finally made its $20,000 Happening contribution conditional on receiving and approving a written sponsorship agreement.
My position: if levy money is being used, the agreement, deliverables, and value should be documented before the cheque is presented.
PAID FOR. APPROVED. IGNORED.
PAID FOR. APPROVED. IGNORED.
Since 2024, the Farmers’ Market traffic control plan included a formal detour with the route and signage clearly mapped, yet it has never been fully implemented on the street.
The Farmers’ Market President also sat on the Regional Public Works Committee. The detour was mapped, the signage was identified, and it still was not implemented. At that point, the problem was not planning. It was follow through.
If I am elected to be in your corner, I will push for stronger oversight of traffic plans and road closures so approved solutions are actually carried out, and taxpayers are not paying for work that never reaches the street.
My position: If taxpayers paid for the plan, use it.
SHOP LOCAL. SPEND LOCAL.
SHOP LOCAL. SPEND LOCAL.
The BIA used levy supported funds to buy Easter assets from China for its Hoppin’ Around Downtown event.
At a time when supporting Canadian matters more than ever, I followed the money and found our own local levy dollars going to China. That is exactly the kind of spending decision I intend to challenge.
If I am elected to be in your corner, I will push the Town and its local boards to consider Grimsby, Ontario, and Canadian suppliers first. When we genuinely need to purchase outside Canada, there should be a clear reason.
My position: Do not preach “support local” to merchants while spending their levy money in China.
ELECTION DAY IS OCTOBER 26th
ELECTION DAY IS OCTOBER 26th
Vote online from October 5th, at an advance poll on October 14th or 17th, or at your ward's polling location on October 26th.
[ YOUR VOICE MATTERS ]
Tell me, what needs to be fixed in Grimsby?
Have an issue, concern, or idea?
I want to hear it.
"I’m running to ask tougher questions, challenge bad decisions, and make sure residents are heard before Town Hall makes the decision".