People of Durham #61 - Walter Perdigao, Whitby East Ward Councillor Candidate

🎙️ Walter Perdigao is running for Local Councillor in Whitby's East Ward (Ward 4) on October 26. It's his first time running for office. He's lived in Whitby for 16 years, has worked in systems engineering for about 30 years, and founded a Whitby-based software company in 2010. He's a proud Portuguese Canadian, the father of two adult sons, and he also does some life coaching on the side. 🏡 We talk about why he decided to run, his push for a two-year property tax freeze and an independent auditor general, what residents are telling him at the door about affordability, the "million dollar door," the mayor's salary, and his "Buy Canadian, Hire Canadian" proposal for youth jobs. Walter also shares his thoughts on AI, data centres, and making council decisions easier for residents to follow. "It's not about making excuses why it can't be done. I think we should be focused on how it can be done." 🔗 Connect with Walter Website: https://waltforwhitby.ca Email: contact@waltforwhitby.ca 🗳️ Whitby Municipal Election Election day: Monday, October 26, 2026, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Advance voting: October 22 to 25, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Find your ward and voting location: whitby.ca/VOTE People of Durham shares conversations with candidates to help residents get to know them. We don't endorse any candidate. Views shared are the guest's own. Chapters 00:00 Welcome Walter Perdigao 00:55 Gifts: A Signed Book and a Voting Pin 03:06 16 Years in Whitby 03:27 Why He's Running 07:16 Affordability and the Two-Year Tax Freeze 08:40 An Independent Auditor General 11:40 Richmond Hill and Other 0% Tax Examples 15:14 What He's Hearing at the Door 16:52 Why Property Taxes Rise and Whitby's Growth 20:13 His Software Business and Portuguese Roots 22:40 East Ward Concerns 25:01 What He Loves About East Ward 27:43 The "Million Dollar Door" 30:11 Advocating Beyond Town Issues 37:59 The Mayor's Salary 44:01 Summer Jobs, Libraries and the Station Gallery 44:29 Buy Canadian, Hire Canadian 50:30 Library Reserve Fund Question 54:51 AI and Jobs 1:02:34 Data Centres in Whitby 1:05:55 Council Tracker and Plain-English Updates 1:07:55 Thanks to Campaign Volunteers 1:09:25 Respectful Debate on Council 1:10:54 How to Reach Walter 1:12:08 Life Coaching and Dreaming Big #PeopleOfDurham #Whitby #WhitbyVotes #EastWard #DurhamRegion #MunicipalElection