Advocating for Local Priorities as Growth Continues 2026

Addressing the Funding Gap and Healthcare Are Whitby’s Focus for 2026

Whitby is one of the fastest growing municipalities in Canada. Due to this significant growth and limited financial resources being left to the local level of government, municipalities like Whitby are facing several challenges. These include issues like healthcare and a funding gap to support resident’s quality of life.

With the 2026 provincial budget planned for release on March 26, the Town is encouraging the Ontario government to continue to work together and share costs to support solutions to challenges faced by all municipalities.

Specific local priorities include:

• Close the Funding Gap: Recent legislative changes have resulted in a funding gap, impacting the Town's ability to deliver services affordably while maintaining existing and building new growth-related infrastructure, and supporting resident’s overall quality of life.
  
  Whitby Council recently supported Mayor Elizabeth Roy’s motion formally calling on the Province to address the $4 billion annual shortfall caused by municipalities funding provincial responsibilities through property taxes, and the $1.5 billion burden of social housing costs placed on municipalities. It also asks the province to re-evaluate the requirement for municipalities to contribute 10 per cent of hospital capital costs and share housing-related revenues like Land Transfer Tax and HST with municipalities. The goal: to create a predictable revenue stream for municipalities that reflects the economic, social, and infrastructure demands associated with growth.

• Healthcare: Ensuring access to quality healthcare services and infrastructure, like a new hospital, is critical to supporting resident’s quality of life as Whitby and Durham continue to grow.
  
  Nearly two years after the Province announced the Planning Grant for a new hospital in Whitby, the Town continues to do its part to help bring care closer to home for residents – working with partners to acquire the land for the future hospital. Lakeridge Health also continues to advocate for the capital commitment to move the project forward. In this year’s provincial budget, the Town is asking the Province to prioritize the new hospital project and required next steps – including project timeline, land, and capital commitments – to bring this much-needed facility closer to reality.

Learn more about these and other priorities at whitby.ca/TownAdvocacy.

Quotes

"Whitby is one of the fastest growing communities in Canada, and our residents deserve infrastructure and services that keep pace with that growth. Municipalities are being asked to do more than ever before, and we simply cannot continue to fund provincial responsibilities through property taxes. Closing the municipal funding gap and investing in critical priorities like a new hospital in Whitby are essential steps to protecting quality of life for our residents.”

-          Elizabeth Roy, Mayor, Town of Whitby

“Whitby is growing quickly, and with that growth comes real pressure on local services and infrastructure. Municipalities want to do their part, but we need the right funding tools to keep services affordable while continuing to invest in things residents rely on every day – from roads and recreation to healthcare infrastructure. Partnerships at all levels of government are a critical part of the solution.”

-          Matt Gaskell, Chief Administrative Officer, Town of Whitby

More Information

For more information, visit whitby.ca/TownAdvocacy.

For media inquiries please contact:

Corporate Communications

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

Office of the Mayor

Jillian Follert, Public Affairs Coordinator, Office of the Mayor
Phone: 289.387.9101; Email: follertj@whitby.ca