Pickering is growing faster than at any point in its history. This is a practical plan to make sure that growth delivers real infrastructure, real fiscal discipline, and real accountability, for every neighbourhood, from Seaton to the lakeshore.
Support the Campaign
Pickering's roads are under pressure from rapid growth, and many established neighbourhoods lost their regular bus routes in 2020 and never got them back. Growth areas need service from day one, and the neighbourhoods we already have need it restored.
Brock Road north of Taunton saw weekday traffic rise 11% to 41% and weekend traffic rise 31% to 58% (Durham Region Report 2026-INFO-14, March 2026). Brock, Whites and Taunton Roads are Regional roads; the Mayor’s role is to lead the case at Regional Council.
Launch a multi-year Road Resurfacing Acceleration Program, prioritizing the highest-use and oldest residential streets first, with annual public reporting.
Push at Regional Council for daytime scheduled bus service in established neighbourhoods that lost routes in 2020, especially for seniors and teens, and for service into Seaton's new neighbourhoods from day one of occupancy.
Create one coordinated construction calendar with the Region, the Province and Metrolinx, so closures on parallel routes don't overlap and residents always have a workable detour.
Push the Region to complete Seaton's arterial roads, including the Whites Road and Taunton Road expansions, in step with housing build-out.
Ask the Region and Province to study how the Highway 407 toll boundary at Brock Road is shifting traffic onto Pickering roads, and fund fixes based on the results.
Advocate at Queen's Park and with Metrolinx for expanded GO Train service on the Lakeshore East corridor, and champion a transit hub at City Centre.
Create a dedicated Active Transportation Fund connecting Seaton, City Centre, and the waterfront with cycling and pedestrian infrastructure.
Pickering is about to take on the largest borrowing in its history. City debt stood at $58.6 million at the end of 2025, and the City's own 2026 budget plans $213.8 million in borrowing for the Seaton Recreation Complex & Library in 2027. Residents deserve to see the real numbers before the bills arrive.
Sources: City of Pickering 2026 Approved Capital Budget and 2027–2035 Forecast (Outstanding Debt Summary; Seaton Recreation Complex & Library funding breakdown).
Build the Seaton Recreation Complex & Library, with an independent, tariff-adjusted cost check before the Spring 2027 tender, made public, and a cost limit Council must revisit if bids come in higher.
Keep the City's portion of the tax bill as low as responsibly possible, with a published multi-year plan, including how the City will catch up on its infrastructure funding gap.
Conduct a full Capital Budget Review in the first 90 days of the new term, and require clear business cases for major capital spending.
Publish a plain-language public financial dashboard: debt, yearly debt payments, reserve balances, and the infrastructure backlog, plus an annual State of Pickering's Infrastructure Report.
File the City's financial returns on time, every year.
Growth pays for growth: no more deferral deals on development charges, and full public disclosure of how much revenue the City would give up before signing any development charge reduction agreement.
Double the Low-Income Seniors Property Tax Grant, from $620 to $1,240.
Pursue naming rights for major facilities like the Seaton Recreation Complex to reduce the municipal burden.
Over 70% of Pickering's businesses are small businesses. They create local jobs and share the tax load so homeowners don't carry it alone. City Hall should be a partner, not an obstacle.
Sources: City of Pickering; City of Pickering Economic Development Strategy (June 2022); Province of Ontario and OPG refurbishment announcements.
Build on the City's Small Business Hub with one point person for business permits: one staff member who owns each business's file across every department, with clear timelines and someone accountable when it gets stuck.
Publish approval times for building permits and planning applications, and let applicants track their file online.
Create a simpler seasonal patio permit for restaurants and cafés, while keeping safety review.
Hold an annual red tape review with local business owners, and report publicly on what changed.
Require relocation plans for existing tenants before Council decides on plaza redevelopments along Kingston Road.
Build a local hiring and apprenticeship pipeline with OPG, contractors, Durham College and the building trades, so Pickering residents get a real shot at the $26.8 billion nuclear refurbishment.
Publish a yearly public jobs report on the jobs our employment lands actually create, and carry out the City's own 2022 Economic Development Strategy.
Establish a City Centre Development Office accountable for driving approvals and reporting progress to Council quarterly.
Pickering's Duffins Creek corridor and Lake Ontario waterfront are assets that must be protected as development expands, and climate resilience must be built into every major project.
Require climate resilience assessments and green infrastructure standards on all major City capital projects.
Develop a Duffins Creek Corridor Master Plan balancing protection with public access.
Invest in stormwater upgrades in flood-risk neighbourhoods.
Complete the Waterfront Trail network from Frenchman's Bay to the Ajax border.
Growth should improve life in the neighbourhoods we already have, not make it harder. Families are moving into Seaton before recreation centres, schools and parks are ready, and established neighbourhoods feel left out of decisions that change them.
Roads before rooftops: tie new development approvals to infrastructure readiness, including roads, transit, stormwater and recreation capacity.
Hold regular resident town halls before major decisions are made, not after they're finalized.
Launch a public Seaton Community Infrastructure Dashboard showing the real-time status of every capital project in the community.
Work with the Durham District and Catholic school boards to accelerate new school openings to match population growth.
Require a public realm contribution, such as streetscape, park or civic space, as a condition of new City Centre development approvals.
Advance “Pickering for a Lifetime”, a seniors housing proposal so residents can downsize within their own community.
Protect neighbourhood character, greenspace and waterfront access as Pickering grows.
Every commitment on this page will be pursued through Council and public process, and reviewed by municipal counsel. Some depend on Durham Region or the Province; where they do, we say so.
Download the complete plan for budgets, timelines, and the full detail behind every commitment above. Or volunteer to canvass, host a lawn sign, or share this site with your neighbours.
