What I see
Homelessness and encampments are visible and growing across Durham Region, and Pickering is not exempt. The Region reported a 134 per cent increase in people experiencing homelessness between 2021 and 2024. I see it, residents see it, and businesses see it.
It is also closer to home than many people think. Seniors and families are running down their savings and cutting essentials to cover rent, heat, hydro or a prescription. For some, one bad month is all it takes.
I don’t believe the Province’s Bill 6 is the answer. Arresting people, or fining someone with nothing up to $10,000, does not house anyone. It moves the problem from one community to the next.
Who is responsible: the City of Pickering does not run homelessness services. Durham Region does, for all eight local municipalities. So the strongest tool a Pickering mayor has is an informed voice at Regional Council, where these budgets and strategies are decided. I intend to use it.
What Durham already has
The Region’s work is commendable, and it is underfunded. I want to support and expand it, not reinvent it.
By-Name ListA real-time registry that connects people experiencing homelessness to housing supports. In December 2025 it counted at least 1,591 people in Durham, 80 of them in Pickering. 975 had been homeless for six months or longer.
24/7 street outreachRegional outreach workers, a primary care team (paramedic and social worker), and mobile mental health and addictions support.
Encampment StrategyAdopted January 2025. It balances the rights of people who are homeless with the safety and access needs of the wider community.
10-year housing planThe 2025–2034 housing and homelessness strategy forecast about $1.93 billion in capital spending when it was approved in 2025. The Region now describes the program as $2.2 billion. It is to be paid for through federal and provincial funding, Regional property taxes, debt and reserves.
More than 13,000 applicants are also waiting for social housing in Durham.
It is working for some: 516 people moved into housing through the Region’s system in 2025, about 43 a month. But the number of people without a home is still rising.
Local groups do vital work alongside the Region. DARS provides meals, clothing and temporary shelter, and is a model worth backing.
Funding Durham cannot afford to miss
$3.3MUp to this amount is allocated to Durham under the federal Unsheltered Homelessness and Encampments Initiative. The final agreement is still being negotiated.
$125MThe national total to extend that federal initiative for one year.
$1BCommitted by Build Canada Homes for supportive and transitional housing.
For comparison, Toronto secured $13.2M, Peel $6.8M and York Region $5.5M. Durham’s amount is a ceiling, not a cheque. The Region should make sure it secures the full allocation before its agreement is final, and pursue every dollar available through Reaching Home and Ontario’s Homelessness Prevention Program.
What I will do as Mayor
- Put City land to workReview what property the City owns and look to build real affordable housing and small, temporary homes on it, with partners such as Habitat for Humanity, the Salvation Army, builders and corporate donors.
- Link housing to servicesAny site must be managed and connected to food, clothing, health care and help finding work, so people move on into the community.
- Fight for Durham’s sharePush publicly, and at the Regional table, for the strongest federal and provincial funding agreements.
- Make sure Pickering isn’t overlookedIn March 2026 the Region moved ahead with two new supportive housing buildings, 100 units for $58 million, in Oshawa and Ajax. Neither is in Pickering. The only project the Region’s 10-year plan identifies in Pickering is a retrofit of an existing 36-unit seniors building. The 80 Pickering residents on the By-Name List deserve equal access to housing and outreach.
- Keep the finances honestHomelessness funding flows through the Region. I will be clear with residents about what the City pays for and what the Region pays for.
A personal note
When I try to understand what causes homelessness, what stands out is that everyone has a separate story. What we can do is be there with the help each person needs, and make sure Pickering has a strong voice where the decisions are made.
Doug Cornell
Candidate for Mayor, City of Pickering
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Sources
- Region of Durham, Built for Zero Report Card, December 2025 (By-Name List counts by municipality and housing move-ins).
- Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada, “Federal government strengthens support for municipalities in Ontario to tackle unsheltered homelessness and encampments,” August 17, 2026.
- Region of Durham, Encampment Strategy, January 2025; Housing and Homelessness Service & Financing Strategy 2025–2034 (Report 2025-COW-14, March 2025: $1,934,459,343 capital forecast for 2026–2034); durham.ca homelessness support services and By-Name List pages.
- Region of Durham, Report 2026-COW-16, “Advancing Supportive Housing at the Ritson School Site, Oshawa and the Harwood/Achilles Site, Ajax,” March 11, 2026.
- Region of Durham, Report 2026-COW-22, “Canada-Ontario Partnership to Build Announcement,” April 29, 2026, Attachment 2 ($2.2 billion 10-year capital program).
- Government of Ontario, Homelessness Prevention Program overview, ontario.ca; Financial Accountability Office of Ontario, “An Update on Subsidized Housing Programs in Ontario,” 2026.