Going door to door in Ward 4, I hear the same concern again and again: property taxes are too high. Other candidates I’ve spoken with say they’re hearing the same message.
Whitby’s property tax increased by 5.8% in 2023, 4.4% in 2024, 3.99% in 2025, and 3.44% in 2026. Compounded, that’s an increase of almost 19% over four budgets. And those are the scaled back operating numbers. The original proposed budget increases were even greater.
That’s the Town’s portion of the bill, not the Region or education portions. But it’s the part Town Council controls.
That’s why I’m proposing a two-year freeze on the Town’s portion of property taxes. Residents need some relief to catch up to the cost of living. Especially in light of the events of the past 2 years. Gas is up. Utilities are up. Mortgage rates are up. Rents are up. Groceries are up. That’s what residents talk about at the kitchen table.
What residents are telling me
I believe a councillor’s first duty is to listen to residents and represent their needs at the Council table. It isn’t to explain away why every tax increase is justified or inevitable.
When residents say their property taxes are too high, Council needs to take that concern seriously, look for practical answers, and be honest about the choices involved.
In my personal door-to-door canvassing records, almost 90% of the households I’ve spoken with have raised high property taxes as their number-one concern.
The current 2027 Town property tax projection is 3.99%. Ontario’s current inflation forecast is about 2.0%. Another double cost of living increase shouldn’t be accepted as unavoidable.
A freeze has to be responsible
I understand why people are skeptical. They should be.
A tax freeze that simply drains reserves, cuts essential services, delays road repairs, or creates a much bigger increase later would be irresponsible. That’s not the plan.
Whitby’s 2026 adopted budget says it had a net $4.7 million budget shortfall after accounting for its pressures and mitigation measures. Simply taking that amount from reserves year after year would create a real problem later.
Reserves shouldn’t be the default answer. At most, a limited and temporary reserve draw could be considered as a last resort, after real savings are found, with a public plan to replace the money after the two-year freeze.
The main work needs to be finding lasting savings, making growth pay for growth, reducing waste, reviewing contracts and programs, and being open about the trade-offs.
We can learn from successful recent examples
Some argue that a two-year tax freeze would drain critical reserves, force service cuts, or create a much larger increase later. They often point to Toronto as a warning about what can happen when costs are delayed instead of managed.
Those are legitimate concerns if a freeze is built on short-term fixes. I agree that pushing today’s bills onto future residents would be wrong.
But common sense says we can analyze the lessons learned of past tax freezes handled poorly and learn from and adopt the approaches from recent successful tax freezes.
Richmond Hill is a recent Ontario municipality that delivered two years of 0% operating-tax increases while maintaining services, continuing infrastructure investment, and being open about the choices it made.
It shows that a responsible tax freeze is a valid goal for Council to study, plan for, and work toward – not something that should be dismissed without doing the work. What’s needed are councillors and a mayor that are on the same page working toward that common goal.
A recent Ontario example
Richmond Hill had a population of 202,022 in the 2021 Census, compared with Whitby’s 151,000 current population.
Its 2019-2022 term budget record is worth reviewing.
| Year | Operating-tax increase |
|---|---|
| 2019 | 2.07% |
| 2020 | 0.73% |
| 2021 | 0% |
| 2022 | 0% |
Richmond Hill delivered two straight years with a 0% operating-tax increase.
How did Richmond Hill do it?
For its 2021 budget, Richmond Hill reported $2.94 million in efficiencies. It said more than $1.5 million came from a reorganization, with additional savings from technology contracts, administration, internal programs, and library efficiencies.
The City said it achieved its 2021 operating-tax freeze without cutting services or using City reserves for that purpose. It still contributed to capital reserves.
In 2022, Richmond Hill again held its operating rate at 0%, approved the phased hiring of 16 firefighters.
There was no magic. There was a clear goal, real savings, transparent choices, and continued investment in core services and infrastructure.
Other Recent Examples
| Municipality | Base-tax decision | How it was funded |
|---|---|---|
| Markham, ON | 0% property-tax rate in 2021 | A one-time $3.6 million draw from its Corporate Rate Stabilization Reserve, paid back over five years. |
| Prince George, BC | 0% tax increase in 2021 | $3.07 million in provincial Safe Restart funding, along with operating savings. |
| East Gwillimbury, ON | 0% base tax in 2022 | A separate 1% increase for the Health and Active Living Plaza and additional front-line staff. |
What I’ll push for in Whitby
I’m not running for Mayor or Town Manager, and one Local Councillor can’t set the budget alone.
But I can push for the right starting point: begin the budget at 0%, not with an increase already assumed to be inevitable.
I’ll push for:
- A public, line-by-line review of spending and contracts
- Recurring efficiencies, not one-time gimmicks
- Growth paying for growth wherever possible
- Protection for essential services and needed infrastructure
- Clear public reporting on every major trade-off
- A plain-English Ward 4 budget analysis before Council makes its final decision
- A limited reserve draw only as a last resort, with a public repayment plan after the two-year freeze
The Town’s 2025 Financial Statements haven’t yet been posted. The Town currently lists 2024 as its most recent published financial statements. Once the 2025 statements are available, I’ll publish a more detailed, number-by-number proposal using the latest actual results.
A two-year tax freeze isn’t about pretending costs don’t rise. It’s about recognizing that residents are under real pressure and making affordability the first goal of the budget process.
That’s a responsible question for Council to ask. And it’s a responsible goal to work toward.
Sources
- Town of Whitby 2026 Adopted Budget
- Town of Whitby Budget and Financial Reporting
- Richmond Hill 2021 budget announcement
- Richmond Hill 2022 budget announcement
- Richmond Hill 2023 budget announcement
- Richmond Hill demographics
- Whitby 2021 Census profile
- Markham 2021 budget announcement
- Prince George 2021 budget explanation
- East Gwillimbury 2022 budget announcement