Whitby Council Adopts 2026 Budget
Last night, at a Special Council meeting, Town Council collaboratively updated Whitby’s 2026 Proposed Budget through several amendments, wrapping up this year’s budget process.
Mayor Roy confirmed that she will not exercise the power, provided under the Municipal Act, to veto the Council-approved amendments. Whitby’s 2026 Budget, as amended, is now considered final and adopted by Council.
The final budget will result in a 3.44 per cent tax increase to the Town’s budget or an estimated 1.2 per cent increase on the total residential bill for Town services for 2026. This represents an increase of just over 21 cents* per day, per average household for the delivery of important services residents rely on, like waste collection, snow clearing, and parks maintenance. This budget also focuses on delivering on the key action items of Whitby’s Community Strategic Plan, investing in Council-approved initiatives like the Whitby Sports Complex and a new fire hall and firefighters to support growth.
The Town’s $198 million operating budget will support the continued delivery of the Town’s programs and services including fire services, waste collection, parks and trails, maintenance of roads and community facilities, recreation, libraries, and many other important services. The budget also includes $62 million in capital investments like:
- continued construction on the Whitby Sports Complex, Mid-Block Arterial Roadway, and Columbus Road;
- construction of a new Fire Hall in West Whitby, as well as full funding for 20 new firefighters to staff it;
- community events like the Home Sweet Home Festival;
- playground equipment replacement & accessibility improvements at Divine and Folkstone Parks;
- waterfront improvements, including around the Shirley Scott Park;
- new traffic safety and calming measures, including pedestrian crossings and traffic signal replacements/signage; and,
- road maintenance, resurfacing, and reconstruction.
Quotes
“Thank you to everyone who took the time share feedback during Whitby’s 2026 Budget process, whether through my Talk Budget with Mayor Roy events, delegations to Council, emails, phone calls, or feedback shared on Connect Whitby.
I also want to thank Members of Council for the thoughtful amendments they brought forward. Their work helped make this a collaborative document that reflects the needs and priorities of our whole community.
This has been a challenging budget year for Whitby - and for communities across Ontario - with pressures from inflation, population growth, tariffs, and continued provincial downloading. We worked hard to mitigate these impacts by making reductions across all departments for a savings of $2 million, pausing new staff hires for 2026, and introducing new revenue sources such as the Municipal Accommodation Tax on hotels and motels.The result is a budget that balances the need for affordability with the importance of delivering high-quality services and planning responsibly for Whitby’s future.”
- Elizabeth Roy, Mayor, Town of Whitby
Quick Facts:
- The budget adopted by Council builds on and amends the Proposed Mayor’s Budget (released November 7) and the Draft Budget (prepared by Staff and released October 27).
- The final Council-adopted 2026 Budget will soon be made available at whitby.ca/Budget.
- Provincial legislation requires municipalities like Whitby to approve a balanced budget each year.
- Only 34% of every residential property tax dollar collected stays with the Town. The rest goes to the Region of Durham (55%) and local school boards (11%).
- In a 2025 Greater Toronto Area comparison of residential tax rates and annual property taxes paid on a home assessed at $500,000, the top two municipalities with the highest taxes sit at over $7,500 each, while Whitby’s are $6,661.
- The Town has implemented a Municipal Accommodation Tax (MAT) collected from visitors staying at motels and hotels in Whitby and is looking at other non-tax revenues to mitigate property tax increases. For 2025, the Town is projected to receive over $600,000 in MAT revenues to be re-invested into the community.
- The Town’s tax rebate program to support low-income seniors and low-income homeowners with disabilities will increase to $543 in 2026. Learn more about how to apply.
Learn More:
For more information, visit connectwhitby.ca/budget.
* $78 per year for an average Whitby home with an assessment value of $503,000 as determined by the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation, 2016.
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
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