A key Region of Durham Council meeting today, January 28, will decide whether residents will have to shell out 3 per cent or 4.8 per cent more in property taxes for this year.
“The vote will be very close. There as still some council members who want to raise your taxes to at least 4.8 per cent increase. Make sure your regional councillor is not one of them,” said councillor Brian Nicholson, mover of the 3 per cent amendment.
The region vote against the cut to 3 per cent in property tax increase for 2026 was not against lowering of taxes, but against using reserves to do so, said Councillor Rick Kerr (see below), who voted in favour of the 4.8 per cent increase.
“The first vote – the much misquoted 15-13 context – was on whether to use reserves to reduce the presented tax increase of 6.04 per cent (already reduced from 6.6 per cent by staff). It was not about whether any particular councillor was in favour of lower taxes or not,” Kerr explained to Durham Post.
Durham Region has consistently announced among the highest increases over the past couple of years, at times, over and above the set ceiling (see below).
- 2026: Proposed 6.5% (against an announced cap of 3.5%)
- 2025: 7.4% (against an announced cap of 4.9%)
- 2024: 7.5%
- 2023: 5.2%
Proposed 2026 Durham Property Tax Increases
- Durham Region: 3-4.8%
- City of Pickering: 3.49% own portion
- Town of Ajax: 1.28% own portion
- Town of Whitby: 3.49%
- City of Oshawa: 3.98% own portion
- Municipality of Clarington: 3% (own portion 0.99%)
- Township of Scugog: 4.12% own portion
- Township of Brock 4.87% (own portion 3.79%)
- Township of Uxbridge: 1.26% own portion