Today will decide how much of a tax burden will Oshawa residents have to bear in 2026 as the council meets to vote on the 2026 budget.
As of yesterday, the proposed increase stood at 4.68 per cent, of which the City of Oshawa claims, 1.97 per cent rise is in its own portion.
“Currently, the proposed increase is 4.68% and I will not be supporting that level of increase,” said Councillor Brian Nicholson, in a media post yesterday.
“I will be proposing a number of motions that will reduce the increase to less than 4% and hopefully even further,” he said.
He said he had looked at the agenda for the budget meeting and it appears some of his colleagues were proposing amendments that could actually increase the proposed tax rate for 2026 or dump additional tax impacts for 2027.
“I am attending tomorrow’s [Friday] meeting with the intent [to] reduce the burden on our hard working residents not adding to their burden. I will not be voting for any motion that adds costs to the Oshawa property taxpayer,” said the councillor.
Proposed 2026 Durham Tax Increases
- Durham Region: 6.5% (against an announced cap of 3.5%)
- Township of Scugog: 5.54% own portion
- Township of Brock 4.87% (own portion 3.79%)
- City of Oshawa: 4.6% (own portion 1.97%)
- Town of Whitby: 3.49%
- Municipality of Clarington: 3% (own portion 0.99%)
- Township of Uxbridge: 1.28% own portion
All of the above tax increases have yet to be approved or may automatically come into force (see below).