Joint Chamber/Board of Trade Regional Chair address 2023
Back to SearchOn May 25, 2023, Regional Chair and CEO John Henry spoke at the 2023 Annual Regional Chair Luncheon for the Ajax-Pickering Board of Trade, Clarington Board of Trade, Oshawa Chamber of Commerce and Whitby Chamber of Commerce.
Good afternoon everyone,
I’m thrilled to be here with all of you today - in person - to talk about the exciting things happening in Durham Region.
We are currently located on land, which has long served as a site of meeting and exchange among the Mississauga Peoples, and is the traditional and treaty territory of the Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation and all the Nations covered under the Williams Treaties.
Durham Region is now home to many First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples.
We honour, recognize and respect these Nations and Indigenous Peoples as the traditional stewards of the lands and waters on which we meet today.
It’s hard to believe that another year has come and gone; and I’m so appreciative that we can all come together for special occasions, such as this.
I’d like to thank the Ajax/Pickering Board of Trade, the Clarington Board of Trade, the Greater Oshawa Chamber of Commerce, and the Whitby Chamber of Commerce for making this event possible.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank:
Mayor Shaun Collier (Ajax), Chair of the Durham Regional Police Services Board and past chair of the Durham Region Transit Executive Committee, who is celebrating his 20th anniversary of public service this year.
Mayor Adrian Foster (Clarington), member of the Regional Health & Social Services Committee who has been an advocate on Nuclear and Small Modular Nuclear Reactors.
Mayor Dan Carter (Oshawa), Past Chair of the Durham Region Non-Profit Housing Corporation who has been a champion of the Micro-Homes Pilot Project.
Mayor Kevin Ashe (Pickering), Chair of the Finance and Administration Committee, who has been instrumental in the opening of Pickering Casino Resort and facilitating a first-of-its kind revenue sharing model in Ontario.
Mayor Elizabeth Roy (Whitby), Chair of Health and Social Services Committee, who continues to advocate for supportive housing programs for vulnerable residents; recently announcing that Whitby will be the location of Durham’s first family shelter.
Now, it is my pleasure to provide you with an update from the Region today—both on the past year and the year ahead.
Last October, we held a municipal election where a new Regional Council was elected.
Our new council is committed to working on behalf our residents to do what is best for the communities, businesses and organizations of Durham Region.
Together, it’s our responsibility to uphold the public’s trust and confidence over the next four years, as guided by our Strategic Plan.
The past few years have been tough; and COVID-19 is the single biggest challenge that we have faced as a Region.
But, we continue to meet these challenges head on and there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic, thanks to the hard work of our staff and community.
We’ve been focused on modernizing operations to create a more responsive municipal government; one that adapts to meet the evolving needs of our communities.
A shining example of this is the myDurham 311 enterprise - an initiative, aimed at improving Durham’s customer service by creating a consistent, convenient and personalized experience, beginning with a clear point of contact–regardless of how customers choose to interact with the Region.
In December, we accepted the TECHNATION Ingenious Award for our Smart Home Device Voice Service—an innovative platform where Durham Region residents can interact with their Google Home or Amazon Echo device to find out information about Regional services.
And just last month, we were presented with a Smart 50 Award for this innovative approach to customer service.
In late 2022, we launched the myDurham 311 phone service—making it easier and more convenient for people to get the information they need, when they need it.
Now, customers only need to remember one number – 311 – for answers to questions about services like roads and traffic, transit, waste and recycling, water and sewer, and more.
This is down from the 60 publicly listed phone numbers we had before we launched 311.
Then, in March, we took another step forward in enhancing our customer experience with the launch of the myDurham 311 Customer Service Portal.
This portal – accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week at myDurham311.ca – means that residents can submit and track requests for many Regional services.
This is transforming how our residents connect with us and access the services they need, when it’s convenient for them.
I am very proud of myDurham 311 and look forward to sharing more updates as we move toward achieving our vision for a smart, connected and accessible region.
And we are well on our way toward that vision.
We are always working on continuous improvement and looking for new innovative ways to deliver services to meet the needs of residents and businesses.
And we’ve been recognized for our innovation.
Durham Region was named one of the Top Smart21 Communities of the Year for 2023 – for the third year in a row.
We ranked in the top 15 of North American communities’ Most Open Cities via Open Data Initiative.
And most recently, we were recognized as one of the top seven Intelligent Communities in the world alongside cities from Australia, Brazil, Canada (New Brunswick), Taiwan and Vietnam.
I’m excited to see what happens this year. The top seven Intelligent Communities of the Year will be announced on June 20, right here in Durham Region.
In partnership with technology provider Visual Defence, we won a Smart 50 Award for using Artificial Intelligence to optimize road maintenance—a first of its kind in Canada.
We also worked with our partner to develop an app called ROVER, which can be installed on a smartphone that is mounted to the windshield of a Region’s road patrol vehicle, to automatically detect, identify and capture images of potholes using AI, so that we can fix them more efficiently.
Our commitment to innovation allows us to address the biggest challenges we face, while ensuring we remain successful in our current areas of strength.
This includes responsibly managing tax dollars to support all of the great work our departments do.
We maintained our Triple A rating from Moody’s as currently one of only eight Canadian municipalities to have been awarded this rating; and continue to maintain a Triple A credit rating from Standard and Poor’s.
These accreditations support Durham’s reputation as a leader in fiscal management and give our stakeholders confidence that we are managing their tax dollars responsibly. This is critical, especially during times of economic uncertainty.
We know that Durham is one of the most in-demand regions to live, within one of the most in-demand countries in the world. We are seeing that love for our community translate into fantastic support for locally owned and operated businesses.
We have worked together with our partners to run successful initiatives including the annual Shop Where You Live campaign, which has been growing due to the support from partner organizations across the region including chambers, BIA’s, small businesses and government.
This important work to support our local businesses would not be possible without the Ajax/Pickering and Clarington Boards of Trade, and Oshawa and Whitby Chambers of Commerce, through our joint efforts as members of the Durham Economic Task Force.
The small business sector accounts for 75 per cent of all new jobs in Canada, and the joint efforts of the Task Force, Chambers and Boards will continue to support recovery and help this sector flourish in Durham Region.
To each and every one of you in this room, thank you for your continued advocacy efforts for local businesses; for your crucial role in rebuilding, reopening and recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic; for the invaluable programming you provide to local businesses, professionals, students and entrepreneurs; and for playing a key role in helping to fuel Durham Region’s economy.
Our long-term vision for the Region is a talented workforce, vibrant downtowns, a reputation for business innovation and a distinct creative identity – a place of economic prosperity that provides a great quality of life for residents.
And the Region’s newly released Economic Development and Tourism strategy (known as “Ready, Set, Future”) will help us achieve this vision.
We’ve set bold aspirations for 30-years into the future for: People, Location, Acceleration, and Creativity.
At the very core of this strategy are People. We are advancing a workplan that will see the People of Durham lead Ontario in technical skills and trades training, and in average university-level education attainment.
We are focused on successfully attracting, retaining, developing and deploying people in a way that maximizes their potential in the regional economy.
This type of talent-driven economy requires an increasingly skilled and talented workforce.
A workforce that is being developed right here in Durham at our post-secondary institutions - places where world-class research and development are underway; where big ideas are fuelled through creativity and collaboration; and where entrepreneurship and innovation are encouraged.
And a workforce that requires an inclusive and supportive environment where individuals and businesses can build knowledge, capacity and skills to match current and future demand.
This type of supportive environment is fostered through initiatives like Invest Durham’s Agriculture Workforce Project – a project dedicated to informing residents of careers in agriculture and agri-food production and encouraging them to enter careers in these industries.
The Invest Durham team created a hub of resources for current and future agriculture-sector workers to learn more about the exciting opportunities in the industry; and help identify solutions for labour shortages.
These engaging videos featuring community members working in the sector have been added into programming for the Specialist High Skills Major programs at high schools and have already been viewed by thousands of students.
As well, there are job boards, information on post-secondary programs and resources for teachers.
Together, this innovative approach contributes to creating a sustainable workforce for Durham's local agriculture sector.
This type of supportive environment was front and centre during Film Durham’s recent Film and Television industry career fair at Durham College.
Major film and television unions and guilds were in attendance, along with more than 1,000 participants looking for an exciting career in the film and television industry.
Because a diverse, experienced and educated workforce will fuel our economy for the future.
Attracting these skilled and talented people will require diverse and vibrant Locations.
The region is forecasted to grow to 1.3 million people and 460,000 jobs by 2051.
To match residential and economic growth and increase job to resident ratios, we need a bold vision for the intensification and commercial renewal of our downtown urban cores.
Durham will also continue to advance great projects to support the region’s 14 downtown areas, and ensure they are diverse, safe, financially attainable to both residents and new businesses, lively and vibrant; and our incredible quality of place will provide a competitive advantage.
Durham Region’s downtowns represent our heritage and our spirit; filled with entrepreneurs and locally owned businesses that our residents know, trust and love.
This is echoed through successful initiatives including the award-winning Downtowns of Durham website, which saw more than 61,000 visits last year from people wanting to learn more about fun things to do in their downtowns.
Businesses found in our downtowns are at the heart of our region; and are essential to creating vibrant communities.
We will continue to work together with the organizations in this room to support our local business community.
Durham will be a place where homegrown talent and companies are Accelerated into global leaders.
Durham’s innovation community is made up of founders, entrepreneurs, tech hubs, incubators, accelerators, post-secondary institutions, economic developers and more.
Together, we create an ecosystem for innovation success, and share that story with the world.
This ecosystem will be on display at Collision Conference in June – the world’s fastest growing technology conference in North America.
Members of Durham’s innovation community, including the region’s economic development team and local area economic developers; three post-secondary institutions; as well as our incubators and accelerator, along with Ontario Power Generation and the Automotive Parts Manufactures’ Association, will be onsite showcasing Durham Region’s exciting development potential to businesses and investors.
After attending last year in a large booth inspired by our incredible local food producers, our efforts resulted in securing hundreds of investment leads for Invest Durham.
And we will continue that momentum next month by leveraging this incredible opportunity to promote Durham Region’s leading edge electric and connected technology ecosystem, including our fantastic research and development supports.
Our vision for the future is to have our innovation community’s reputation known internationally for solving the world’s biggest challenges.
But in order to do so, we must provide the necessary support to strengthen the innovation community and strategically attract new investments.
This support will create high value jobs and economic prosperity for the region and its residents.
Our People, Location and Acceleration pillars are driven by Creativity.
We are building momentum around our arts, cultural and creative industries to strengthen our distinct cultural identity.
A shining example of this is Durham Region’s film and television industry.
When people think of Durham Region, they often picture our busy downtowns, rolling country sides and scenic waterfront trails.
But here, also lies a vibrant and booming film industry; one that saw record-breaking production values in 2022.
It is here – in Durham Region – where Canada’s largest film backlot is found, where a film industry incubator hosts emerging talent; one of the top-10 filming locations in Canada can be visited; countless film and television production sites are available; and talented industry professionals live, work and create.
Because when we focus on creating vibrant, distinct cultural identities, we accelerate innovation, investment and high-quality job growth.
Durham will continue to grow its distinct cultural identity by supporting its area municipalities and enabling its vibrant base of creative businesses, cultural institutions, galleries, entertainment venues and homegrown talent.
And it is with good reason that Durham is in-demand.
Through an economic development lens, we are seeing strong demand for commercial and industrial investment into our communities, with a high volume from both international and domestic developers.
I am going to pause for a moment to play this video that highlights the investment across the region.
The Region will continue to work together with local area municipalities, local chambers of commerce and boards of trade to help support the economy and attract new businesses and major innovative projects.
Durham’s top growth areas—energy, electric vehicles and advanced mobility technology—are strong industries, and there are many career opportunities in Durham in these growing sectors.
Durham is the Clean Energy Capital of Canada; and is leading the way in the research and development of electric vehicles.
We’re confident that the booming growth Durham has seen over the last number of years will continue, with even more companies recognizing that Durham Region is an ideal place to start, grow, relocate or build a business.
Much like supporting local businesses, we continued our work to support the most vulnerable residents in Durham.
Over the course of the pandemic, we’ve seen some of our most vulnerable residents face hardship and challenges—struggles with mental health, addictions and affordable housing.
The pandemic has had sweeping effects on the complex social issues that lead to homelessness, and it’s an issue that we don’t take lightly.
In some of Durham’s communities, the number of people experiencing homelessness has tripled. We know that for 60 per cent of the people who accessed a Durham shelter in 2022, it was their first time. This really demonstrates the increase in homelessness we’re seeing across the entire region.
The impacts of the challenges related to homelessness, mental health and addictions are often felt most acutely in downtown neighbourhoods; affecting residents, local businesses and community safety and well-being.
The challenge is great, but we are working collaboratively with our local municipalities, Durham Regional Police Service and Lakeridge Health to support our community.
We continued to work to implement At Home in Durham—the Durham Region Housing Plan— while responding to the community’s needs through supportive housing initiatives.
Initiatives including Durham’s Winter Warming Plan; expanding the Primary Care Outreach Program to include two mobile units; the Region’s By-Name List; and Street Outreach Teams, which help ensure unsheltered residents have access to the supports and services they need, including access to housing-focused shelter programs.
Homelessness is a housing status; it’s not someone’s identity and everyone deserves access to affordable housing and the care they need to live a happy and healthy life.
We are working diligently to ensure all residents and businesses feel supported to ensure that our communities remain safe and welcoming places to live, work, shop and visit.
Another one of our goals is Environmental Sustainability, which we made great strides in over the past year.
We have several projects to prioritize this goal, including the LEAF Backyard Tree Planting Program.
To date, we’ve seen more than 1,700 trees and shrubs planted on both public and private lands through subsidized tree planting that boosts the Region’s efforts to combat climate change.
And we continue to add to that number each year.
We’re continuing to advance low-carbon fleet transitions, including Durham Region Transit’s first battery electric buses and the development of a long-term fleet transition road map.
I am pleased to share that in April, Durham Region Transit (DRT) welcomed announcements from partners in support of its transition to an electric bus fleet.
This marked a significant step forward in DRT’s E-Mission Zero program - a suite of emission-reducing initiatives to achieve zero greenhouse gas emissions through a sustainable network of vehicles, infrastructure and facilities by 2037.
And we have a plan that is focused on rebuilding ridership in a post-pandemic world.
Our work continues on making the GO Lakeshore East Extension a reality, after many years of planning.
We are pleased that the GO Lakeshore East extension to Bowmanville was included in the provincial budget and is moving ahead.
The Region of Durham has worked closely with the City of Oshawa, Municipality of Clarington, Metrolinx and the Ministry of Transportation to make this transit option a reality for convenient travel within Durham, across the GTHA and beyond.
This project has the potential for major economic impacts.
It will support the development of transit-oriented communities, increase housing supply, create jobs and play a key role in investment attraction.
And, we’ve begun implementation of Durham’s Nuclear Sector Strategy.
Durham has always been a proud nuclear host community at the forefront of nuclear innovation, producing low-cost electricity safely, reliably and virtually without carbon emissions.
This strategy will play an important role in the Region meeting its goal of achieving Net Zero carbon emissions by 2050.
The Region also plays a significant role in the provincial Energy Sector, producing 30 per cent of Ontario’s electricity.
Our existing economic cluster of Nuclear Supply chain companies and our post-secondary institutions are continuing to drive advancements in energy innovation not just for Canada, but for the world.
Durham has been accelerating energy innovation through advancements in micro-grids, electric-vehicle infrastructure, geothermal energy, fuel cells and smart technology.
Electrification projects with Durham Region Transit and partners like Oshawa Power, Ontario Tech University, and Ontario Power Generation, are already underway.
These projects highlight how our region is becoming a test bed for clean and smart technologies of the future.
I’ve touched on our accomplishments and priorities from 2022. Now I’d like to share our vision for the year ahead.
As always, we remain focused on the future to ensure a safe and prosperous tomorrow for our great communities.
A key priority for the organization in 2023 is continuing to bring Diversity, Equity and Inclusion into our very core.
Working across the organization and with the community, our recently established DEI office provides a dedicated focus on our efforts to address systemic racism, promote community development and advocate for equity for all residents.
In February, we celebrated Black History Month in partnership with the Canadian Jamaican Club of Oshawa, The Power to Be International, Congress of Black Women, DurhamOne and Durham Regional Police Service, the City of Pickering, Municipality of Clarington, at an in-person event at The Robert McLaughlin Gallery in Oshawa.
The incredible evening showcased Black excellence through the arts; displaying talent from local artists, engaging the community in discussion and celebrating Canada’s Black communities.
We are a region that is committed to creating welcoming communities that provide equal opportunities for people of all abilities.
From February 3 to 5, Durham Region proudly hosted the 2023 Ontario Parasport Games, for a second time.
More than 300 athletes competed in 11 parasports in front of roaring fans at nine accessible venues.
In the lead up to hosting the Games, Durham Region partnered with AccessNow—an App that allows users to discover accessible locations in 35 countries around the world.
All nine venues were added to the App prior to the start of the Games to increase inclusion confidence for residents and visitors.
Hosting these Games amplifies our community pride, provides athletes with a stepping-stone to national or international experience, and grows accessible sport opportunities and participation in our region.
The anticipated local economic impact of the Games was between $500,000 and $1 million. It’s another direct and positive impact for Durham’s economic future, and an exciting event to showcase our region.
We remain committed to improving accessibility of our services, programs and facilities which is outlined in our 2022-2025 Multi-Year Accessibility Plan.
We will continue to reach out to the community and rely on advice from our Accessibility Advisory Committee to support our ongoing accessibility efforts with this plan.
Fostering an inclusive environment is central to the Region’s strategic plan, which aims to build a healthy, inclusive, age friendly community where everyone feels a sense of belonging and prioritizes service excellence.
This push for equity is seen in many different areas of the Region, including Durham Region Transit through the Transit Assistance Program, or TAP.
TAP aims to improve transit access and affordability for customers currently receiving Social Assistance in Durham Region.
Through TAP, residents can pay as they go, or pay monthly, and have unlimited access to DRT services for the month.
We’ve also worked to improve service on Durham Region Transit this year, including the addition of new routes, overnight service, new connections and the award-winning Durham Transit OnDemand service, recognized with the P.J. Marshall Municipal Innovation Award this past summer.
Most recently, following the successful launch of contactless credit card payments in January, Durham Region Transit will now be accepting contactless debit card payment.
Customers can pay fare by tapping a PRESTO card, debit card or credit card, including cards linked to smartphones and smartwatches.
This is another example of how we’re making the transit experience easier and more convenient for residents.
On the topic of transportation – as many of you are aware, last month, Transport Canada issued a request for proposal to study airport capacity needs in Southern Ontario, including the need for development of the federal lands in Pickering.
The potential for an airport is a rare opportunity to build a strong economic future for our region.
If the analysis identifies the need for an airport in Pickering, it will attract investment in aviation and aerospace; provide a hub for international businesses; strengthen Canada’s advanced manufacturing and aviation sectors; and create thousands of jobs, close to home in Durham.
This study and analysis will include engagement will local stakeholders, and we look forward to keeping you updated on the outcomes and next steps.
We’re committed to improving our services by listening and engaging with our residents.
This is highlighted in another one of our main priorities for this year: Community engagement.
We remain committed to service excellence for our communities in 2023 and beyond.
In November 2022, we hosted the 2023 Budget Town Hall to listen to residents’ questions and feedback on the Region’s budget.
We had more than 14,000 participants at the event by phone, online and in person to provide feedback on priority areas, ask questions and learn about the Region’s 2023 business plans and budgets.
And, these numbers continue to grow each year.
The 2023 Business Plans and Budgets – which were approved by Regional Council in March – are an important step in bringing critical investments forward and incorporating the excellent feedback we have received.
Another significant way that we’re committed to engaging with the community is with the recent relaunch of Your Durham, the Region’s online engagement platform meant to inspire conversation and encourage community participation anytime, anywhere.
Your Durham is a digital platform where residents can share their opinions, provide feedback, exchange ideas and stay up-to-date on Regional programs, services and events.
One of the challenges that we face when thinking about community engagement is how in Durham—like many Canadian municipalities—our broadband connectivity is not equally shared.
We all know, broadband access is vital infrastructure that is essential for communication, education and economic competitiveness.
It’s a challenge that we continue to address through our Broadband Strategy and ongoing work to ensure our residents, businesses and institutions, have access to fast, reliable and affordable broadband services.
In 2021, we began work to expand broadband infrastructure in north Durham.
In the region’s urban areas, Internet Service Providers are keeping pace by deploying the latest fibre-optic broadband technologies.
Through the Region’s recently established broadband Municipal Services Corporation, Durham OneNet Inc., work is underway to create the underground backbone infrastructure necessary to facilitate high-speed broadband to underserved areas and bring the region in line with some of the best-connected communities in the world.
To date, we have completed approximately 70 (VERIFY with Paul) kilometres of new fibre build, with more to come in the future.
We will continue to look to the provincial and federal governments to work with us to fund further development of critical broadband infrastructure in Durham.
While we aim for improvements in community engagement, we also continue to be committed to improving community safety.
The Community Safety and Well-Being Plan continues our work in ensuring that the needs of Durham Region residents are met.
By working with our community partners, we can share best practices, collaborate and continue our work on community safety and well-being.
We put this into practice this past June, when we came together with York Region, Halton Region, Peel Region, the City of Hamilton and the City of Toronto to host a Community Safety and Well-Being Symposium.
It was a chance to work collaboratively, to raise awareness about priority risk areas, share best practices, discuss the escalation of violence and gun violence across the GTHA and identify action items.
These conversations will help inform the implementation of the Region’s Plan and make Durham Region a safer place for everyone.
In February, the federal government announced the launch of the Building Safer Communities Fund— funding to support local initiatives that prevent gun and gang violence.
Through this fund, Durham Region will receive up to $4.3 million to prevent gun crime and gang violence in the region.
We are grateful to the Ministry of Public Safety for this significant funding, which will help maximize the impact of the community safety and well-being efforts in Durham Region.
Another impactful example of how we are working together to maximize community safety is the implementation of the PulsePoint app by the City of Oshawa.
This life-saving app uses the Oshawa Fire Services’ Computer Aided dispatch system and the GPS on smartphones to alert everyday citizens trained in CPR when a sudden cardiac arrest incident occurs in a public place, and sends a notification if they are within 500 metres of the cardiac arrest incident.
Every second counts when a cardiac arrest occurs, and this real-time notification enables members of our community to provide life-saving support until Durham’s first responders arrive.
Currently, this application is used in Oshawa, Scugog, Uxbridge, Brock; and we hope to have other local-area municipalities added in the future.
As our region continues to grow, it’s important that for us to maintain strong, responsive and sustainable services, and that is especially important for waste management.
Our Long-Term Waste Management Plan will help us to achieve our waste goals by reducing the amount of waste we create, and managing generated waste as a resource, balancing financial needs and environmental sustainability.
We will build innovative systems in collaboration with our residents and stakeholders to ensure a healthy, safe and happy community for all.
I am so pleased to share with you that Durham Region was recently named by Call2Recycle® Canada, Inc. as a 2022 Leader in Sustainability. The Leader in Sustainability Award is granted each year to organizations that display exceptional commitment to battery recycling.
We also remain committed to making our roads a safer place for motorists and pedestrians through Vision Zero, a plan with an end goal of zero road fatalities in Durham Region across all modes of transportation.
Our immediate goal is a minimum 10 per cent reduction of fatal and injury collisions by the end of this year.
Along with fostering safe and welcoming communities, comes the Region’s responsibility to manage growth, including supporting affordable housing and planning for major infrastructure on a regional basis.
Last week, Durham Regional Council adopted a new Regional Official Plan (ROP), as amended.
The new ROP is the culmination of several years of work and extensive public and stakeholder consultation completed through Envision Durham, the Municipal Comprehensive Review of Durham’s existing ROP.
The new ROP provides policies and strategic directions that guide future growth, infrastructure and service delivery, land use planning and development related matters to ensure an improved quality of life – to secure health, safety, convenience and well-being of present and future residents of Durham.
Staff are currently working on finalizing the new ROP, as amended, to circulate publicly with the Notice of Adoption and further to the province for review and approval.
Successful urban planning requires a vision—a bigger picture. It’s about shaping communities that balance growth with services, while protecting the environment for our residents.
It’s the foundation of our ROP, and the basis for Envision Durham—our vision for growth to 2051.
And while we share the province’s goal of increasing housing supply, the More Homes Built Faster Act, 2022 (Bill 23) is concerning.
Durham Regional Council, local area municipalities and Indigenous communities were not consulted on changes to land use planning activities, development charges, conservation authorities or other items relevant to municipal governments.
Regional governments play a critical role in infrastructure planning and delivery; helping to support growing communities.
One of the concerns with Bill 23 is that it reduces the development charges we can recover for new infrastructure like water and sewer pipes, transit, roads and more.
Given critical projects we are already planning for through our long-range capital plan, funds in reserve cannot absorb the cost impacts of Bill 23.
This means that existing property taxpayers and ratepayers of Durham Region will now be asked to fund future infrastructure to support new homes in our community.
Or, the Region may have to reduce service levels.
Despite this, we’re working with the province to identify solutions; including how to work together to increase the supply of different types of housing for all residents and income levels.
If you’re interested in learning more, I encourage you to visit Durham DOT ca SLASH Bill 23.
Before I finish, I want to also say that despite the recent provincial announcement about changes to the structure of the Region of Peel, there have been no concerns raised about the size or structure of the Region of Durham.
Our Region, and the eight local municipalities, have a productive and strong track record of working together to serve our residents. Together, we provide the backbone of service delivery in a two-tier structure that ensures services are planned, funded and delivered in a cost-effective manner; and on a large geographic scale.
We have all made continuous improvement part of our core business, and we will keep working together to address common challenges.
We look forward to speaking with the provincial facilitators about Durham Region, and all of the work that is done to ensure we remain a location of choice for residents and businesses.
I’d like to close by saying thank you for the opportunity to share some of our successes and priorities with you today.
We’ve achieved so much over the past year and know that there is much more vital work to be done.
It’s about working together to deliver service excellence through leadership, collaboration, innovation and environmental stewardship.
We are stronger when we work together, and seeing the Chambers and Boards join in advocacy across Durham Region demonstrates unity that will help strengthen our region’s business community.
I’m looking forward to continuing this work throughout the rest of 2023 and beyond.
Thank you for all that you do.
I’m happy to take any questions.
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