Mayor and Council

The Town of Whitby is governed by the Mayor and Council. Stay informed by attending a Council or Committee meeting or review the meeting agenda and minutes. Learn how to appear before Council if you'd like to speak to an issue being considered at an upcoming meeting.

About Council

Council is the legislated governing body for the municipality. Elected Council Members are responsible for:

Setting policy direction for the Town
Authorizing revenues/expenditures to provide Whitby residents with municipal services that meet the needs and expectations of the community
Reviewing land use and development issues

Council consists of the mayor and eight members that you elect every four years through the municipal election process. Our four Regional Councillors are elected at large, while our remaining Councillors are elected by the four Wards of our Town.

Town of Whitby Councillors

Role and duties of Council

As specified in the Municipal Act, s. 224, the role of Council is as follows:

To represent the public and to consider the well-being and interests of the municipality
To develop and evaluate the policies and programs of the municipality
To determine which services the municipality provides
To ensure administrative practices and procedures are in place to implement the decisions of Council
To ensure the accountability and transparency of the operations of the municipality including the activities of senior management of the municipality
To maintain the financial integrity of the municipality
To carry out the duties of Council under this or any other act

Council Goals - 2018 to 2022

To build a strong, respectful Council team with a positive shared vision and four-year action plan; to ensure all municipal affairs are conducted with professionalism and integrity.
To enhance the transparency and accessibility of Town Hall and ensure effective public consultation and engagement, including greater opportunities for voter engagement through the municipal election process.
To deliver local jobs and prosperity through strategic planning and promotion that builds resilience and economic diversity.
To make workplace morale a priority by building a collaborative, inclusive, respectful and creative work environment that engages the abilities of all staff to solve problems, accomplish new things and deliver the best outcomes to residents.
To continue the Whitby tradition of responsible financial management and respect for taxpayers; and to understand the importance of affordability and sustainability to a healthy, balanced community.
To ensure Whitby is clearly seen by all stakeholders to be business and investment friendly and supportive; and to continuously improve the customer experience and the effectiveness and efficiency of communications, service delivery and approvals.
To accelerate the pedestrian focus of our historic downtown cores; to leverage municipal tools and resources to generate downtown supportive investments; to facilitate the continued growth of our Innovation District; and to gain care and control of Baldwin Street through downtown Brooklin.
To make our streets and neighbourhoods safer through innovative and best-practice design standards and traffic calming measures that reduce traffic speeds; to increase citizen involvement in building Complete Streets; to effectively manage parking on residential streets and in our downtowns; and to reduce the traffic impact of new developments on existing neighbourhoods.
To remain the community of choice for families and become the community of choice for seniors and job creators; and to focus new growth around the principles of strong, walkable and complete neighbourhoods that offer mobility choices.
To become the destination of choice for visitors; to realize the economic, cultural and social potential of our downtowns, waterfront, green spaces and major attractions; to support and facilitate new community events and increase recreational opportunities along our waterfront.

Mayor of Whitby

Our mayor, Don Mitchell, is our Town's Head of Council who is our spokesperson for the community. Learn more about our Mayor's roles and responsibilities to help make our community a great place to work, live and play.

Message from Mayor Mitchell

I am delighted as Mayor and on behalf of the Members of Council to welcome you to the Town of Whitby, a smart, urban and connected community where people choose to live, work and play.

Our two historic downtowns are emerging destinations. We are committed to their revitalization through the Downtown Whitby Action Plan, a new Community Improvement Plan and supports for local businesses - including those located within our Innovation District. We are continuing to focus on local jobs and service excellence and to raise the bar on how we do business, leverage local talent and energy, and engage residents.

The Council Goals 2018 to 2022 build on the strong foundation laid over the previous term of council. Through the Goals and our shared focus on our people, places and partnerships, we will continue to realize the full potential of our Town.

I would like to thank Council, staff, our residents and our community partners for all their support. Together, we will make Whitby a place we are proud to call home.

Don Mitchell, Mayor

Role and duties of Mayor

The Mayor, as Head of Council, is the Council spokesperson and is responsible for the following additional duties as specified in the Municipal Act, 2001 s. 225:

To act as chief executive officer of the municipality
To preside over Council meetings
To provide leadership to Council
To provide information and recommendations to Council with respect to their role regarding procedures, accountability, and transparency
To represent the municipality at official functions
To carry out the duties of the head of Council under this or any other act

Mayor Don Mitchell

Regional Councillors

The Regional Councillors in the Town of Whitby are elected at large for the community. Learn about our Regional Councillors, their local and regional involvement and how to contact them:

Elizabeth Roy

Deputy Mayor and Regional Councillor

Chris Leahy

Regional Councillor

Rhonda Mulcahy

Regional Councillor

Steve Yamada

Regional Councillor

Ward Councillors

Our Ward Councillors are elected through the municipal election process to represent each Ward. Learn about our Ward Councillors and how to contact them:

North Ward (1)

West Ward (2)

Centre Ward (3)

East Ward (4)

Ward boundaries

To know which Ward you live in and which Councillor to contact for your area, view our four Ward boundaries for the community:

Standing Committee System

Our Town Council conducts its business using the Standing Committee System. The Standing Committees offer policy and operational recommendations to Council on an ongoing basis. For Council to make a decision, the Standing Committee System requires:

Support from a majority of the members present at a meeting
In certain cases, the consent of two-thirds of all members is required
At least five members present to conduct its business