As I go door to door across Ward 4, many neighbourhoods have their own concerns: increased traffic, park maintenance, speeding, development, safety, and local services
But one issue comes up again and again: affordability.
Your groceries cost more. Your mortgage or rent costs more. Insurance, utilities, gas, taxes, and everyday expenses keep climbing. In many cases, they're climbing faster than your income.
Town Hall can't control all of it. But it can control how seriously it treats the Whitby portion of your property tax.
That's why one of my top priorities is clear:
• I'll fight for a 0% increase to the Whitby portion of your property tax over the next two years
• I won't vote for an increase above the cost of living after that
In the last four Whitby budgets, the Town portion of your property tax bill increased by:
• 2023: 5.8%
• 2024: 4.4%
• 2025: 3.99%
• 2026: 3.44%
Overall, that's almost a 20% increase over four years.
If your income hasn't increased by that, and I know mine hasn't, you feel the difference.
If you're retired, on a fixed income, renting, raising a family, paying a mortgage, or running a small business, you feel every increase.
A 0% increase isn't about cutting for the sake of cutting. It's about giving you some relief and having Town Hall set clearer priorities.
As your local councillor, I'll push for:
• A line-by-line review of spending before any tax increase is considered.
• Clear separation between needs, wants, and nice-to-haves.
• Stronger use of non-tax revenue where appropriate.
• Better reporting on growth-related costs so existing residents aren't quietly left holding the bag.
• Plain-language budgets so you can see what's being proposed, what it costs, and why.
You deserve a councillor who remembers that every dollar Town Hall spends comes from tax payers like you.
My commitment's simple: I'll treat tax increases as a last resort, not a given.
Sources: Official Town of Whitby budget materials for 2023-2026