I want to take a moment to follow up on a May 28 media release from the Town that shares a recent change approved by Whitby Council: starting in 2026, we’ll be electing our four regional councillors by ward instead of at large.

A lot of misinformation has been shared about this issue and its important to make sure residents have the facts.

Whitby isn’t the small town it used to be. We’re growing fast, and our governance model needs to keep up. Electing regional councillors by ward will:

• Give every resident a direct point of contact on regional issues. No more emailing or calling all four regional councillors. No more confusion or duplication of efforts. We already elect Whitby’s four local councillors by ward, so you have a direct point of contact. It’s logical to do the same for our four regional councillors.
• Ensure councillors are more accountable to their neighbourhoods and more focused on issues specific to their ward. As Whitby grows and develops more distinct areas, it’s important to have a representative who knows your community.
• Make it easier for new voices to run for office by lowering campaign costs. Running across the entire town requires a lot of money and volunteer power. This creates a barrier for new candidates and makes it easier for the same people to be elected time after time.
• Bring us in line with neighboring municipalities like Oshawa, Ajax, Clarington, and Pickering. It doesn’t make sense for us to be the outlier among Durham’s lakeshore municipalities at the Regional Council table. This ensures a clear voice for each of Whitby’s regional councillors when they represent constituents at the Region.
• Support the goal in Whitby’s Community Strategic Plan goal of Accountable Government. Thousands of people provided feedback on the plan and accountability of council members was a key focus.

Let’s correct the misinformation that voting for one regional councillor instead of four is somehow “less democracy.”

If more votes = more democracy, shouldn’t Toronto elect all 25 of its councillors at large? That would be chaotic, confusing — and completely disconnected from local issues.

Electing regional councillors by ward is about refining democracy, not reducing it.

This is not a radical or new idea. It’s the standard across most medium and large Ontario municipalities

There are people — including some on Council — who still see Whitby the way it was 20 or 30 years ago. They want to keep things as they were, because those systems benefit them.

But Whitby is no longer a sleepy little town. And I didn’t run to be a “status quo” mayor. I ran — and I serve — as a progressive, inclusive leader committed to modernizing our systems so they reflect who we are today and where we’re going tomorrow.

Elizabeth Roy, Mayor, Town of Whitby

 

For media inquiries, please contact:

Jillian Follert
Public Affairs Coordinator, Office of the Mayor
Phone: 289.314.9101
Email: follertj@whitby.ca

Erin Mikaluk
Manager, Communications and Creative Services, Town of Whitby
Phone: 289.314.6913
Email: mikaluke@whitby.ca