Building Whitby’s annual budget is one of the most important -- and most complex -- responsibilities we face as a municipality.

It’s a careful balancing act as we invest in the services and infrastructure that residents rely on every day, while working to minimize the financial burden on taxpayers.

Provincial legislation requires municipalities to approve a balanced budget each year, and like many communities across Ontario, Whitby is facing significant financial pressure.

High inflation, rapid population growth, aging infrastructure, and the ongoing impacts of provincial downloading are all placing unprecedented stress on Whitby’s finances.

Our residents are often not aware that the property tax increases we’re seeing across Ontario are partly the result of the province off-loading costs to municipal governments in the 1990s.

Today, nearly one-third of all municipal spending in Ontario goes toward services that are technically under provincial jurisdiction -- such as supports for homelessness, social services, and affordable housing -- creating a $4 billion funding gap provincewide each year.

We know many residents are feeling the strain of rising costs. During the Town’s initial budget engagement in June, residents were asked to share their priorities for investment.

The top response -- selected by 48 per cent of participants -- was to keep taxes low, even if it meant no new investments.

That’s more than double the percentage of respondents who asked for no new investments during last year’s budget engagement.  

We hear you and I can assure you that we are exploring all opportunities to mitigate tax impacts, at a time when the town continues to grow and faces revenue shortfalls.

• We’re introducing new revenue sources, such as a Municipal Accommodation Tax on hotel and short-term room rentals, which took effect in 2024. We also continue to pursue federal and provincial grants to fund local projects. In 2024 the Town secured an unprecedented $65 million in grants, which helped address some of the funding gap we face.

• We’re focused on finding savings. Earlier this year, I launched a Core Services Review to ensure we’re delivering services as efficiently as possible.
• Our Chief Administrative Officer, Matt Gaskell, has also directed every department to identify five per cent in cost savings to be included in the 2026 draft budget, and the Town is not hiring any new positions outside of those already approved in the 2025 Budget.
• We’re listening. This fall, I’ll be hosting five “Talk Budget with Mayor Roy” events across our community. This is an opportunity for residents to connect with me in person, ask questions and share feedback.
• This is Whitby’s second multi-year budget, with projections included for 2027 and 2028. This approach helps us plan more cost-effectively for the future, especially in terms of implementing the 62 action items in Whitby’s Community Strategic Plan.

As we move through the budget process this fall, there will be additional opportunities for public engagement, and Council members will be able to propose amendments to the draft budget.

It’s important to understand that a zero per cent property tax increase would not mean keeping the status quo in the services the Town delivers – with increasing costs, we would need to explore service reductions.

Examples could include:

• A reduction in recreation programming and recreation centre operations
  • Reduced coverage for after hours calls to address resident concerns.
  • Eliminating the free summer Playground Program at some parks
  • Slower response times for snow clearing, graffiti removal, pothole repairs and litter collection
  • Cancellation of some or all summer student positions and their associated programs

I invite you to get involved and stay informed by visiting connectwhitby.ca/budget

Sincerely,
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