Norman Burns Running for Ward 1 Council Seat

Norman Burns is running for the position of councillor for Ward 1, Bastard and South Burgess, in the upcoming Rideau Lakes municipal election on Oct. 26, 2026.

Burns is a lifetime resident of Rideau Lakes Township, having been raised on a farm on Clear Lake Road, R.R. 1, Elgin, Ont. He attended South Crosby Public School and Rideau District High School, both in Elgin.

After graduating from the five-year program at Rideau, Burns attended St. Lawrence College in Brockville in the welding and fabricating program. After graduating, he took a job as a welder's helper with the Maintenance Department of C.N. Rail, where he was employed for six years, rising to fully certified welder with much responsibility as his seniority required. He worked there from 1981-1986.

He left that job for personal reasons, as he was always on the road, and got a job in a machine/fabrication shop in Kingston. This was the first of many jobs in fabrication shops in Kingston and Brockville, until he joined the United Association of Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 221 (now Local 401) out of Kingston and Brockville, working in oil refineries in Sarnia and Come By Chance, N.L., power-generating plants in Ontario and New York State, chemical plants, steel mills in Hamilton and Sault Ste. Marie, and paper mills in Ontario and Quebec.

In February 2009, Burns took a job as a welding instructor at the Kemptville Campus of the University of Guelph, where he taught in-class welding theory, blueprint reading for welders, health and safety, math for welders, fabrication and layout for all three levels of apprenticeship, the pre-apprenticeship program for women and landed immigrants, as well as multiple other trades welding courses, both classroom and practical shop instruction. He was very involved in curriculum development, writing the required documents for the Ministry of Colleges and Universities. The campus closed in 2016, ending his teaching career.

In 2017, Burns got qualified as a transport driver, gaining his ACZ licence, and drove for a few months for Kriska Transport out of Prescott, Ont. He travelled safely as far south as Augusta, Ga., west as far as St. Louis, Mo., east as far as Virginia Beach, as well as all over Southern Ontario, picking up and delivering loads.

He returned to pipefitting/welding in December 2017 and retired from that this past November (2025).

Burns has been married and divorced, helping raise two adults, both now married and very successful, of whom he could not be prouder. His daughter has given him two beautiful granddaughters, and his son is expecting his first child in January.

Burns has lived in Portland for 15 years, 10 years at his current address, and has been involved in public service. For three years, he served as sports officer on the executive of Rideau Lakes Branch 231 in Portland, where he organized members for Legion competitions, including shuffleboard tournaments, darts, euchre and cribbage, until COVID struck. He also helped out with Friday night spaghetti dinners and cutting the grass.

He volunteered for three seasons with Skate the Lake as the tractor driver with the ice-cleaning brush on the front of it. Burns joined the Elgin Lions Club in 2021, where he is still a member in good standing, volunteering his time as a food preparer, dishwasher, greeter, roofer and, his specialty, welder. He very much enjoys volunteering and helping make the community a better place to live.

Burns describes himself as a good organizer and someone who sees a need for improvement and is not afraid to get his hands dirty to get the job done.

As a teacher, Burns worked with people from all over the world, gaining insight into many different cultures and people of all persuasions.

His goal in becoming a councillor for Ward 1 is to try to help get council back to the respected position it should be, by cooperating with and working with fellow councillors and the mayor toward the good of all of Rideau Lakes Township.

Burns is totally against Strong Mayoral Powers and says he will sign any document stating that. He is also totally against ALTO HSR, having attended the No ALTO protest in Ottawa, where he gave two different interviews for publications while there, Farmers Forum and the online Epoch News.

Burns feels that his experience in his professional and volunteering life has given him the abilities to become a good councillor and is asking for residents' support on Oct. 26, 2026.