$58.6M → $300M+
City debt at the end of 2025, and where it heads once $213.8M in Seaton borrowing is issued in 2027
Regional policing costs, record City borrowing for Seaton, a nearly empty development charge reserve, and an infrastructure gap that was put off instead of paid for. The pattern is the same: costs are decided quietly and land on your tax bill later.
Sources: City of Pickering 2026 Approved Capital Budget and 2027–2035 Forecast; CBC News, May 8, 2026; City of Pickering Report FIN 10-25.
Your property tax bill has three parts: about 30% goes to the City, about 58% to Durham Region, and about 12% to school boards. Each of the pressures below lands on a different part of that bill, and they add up.
| Year | Impact | What's driving it |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 (actual) | +3.8% total bill | The City's portion rose 1.06% and the Region's rose 4.8%, most of it for policing. The average total bill rose 3.8%. (City of Pickering 2026 Approved Budget; CBC News) |
| 2027 (proposed) | +9.02% to +10.52% Regional | Durham police's $1.1 billion ten-year plan. Policing alone would add 4.62%, about $173 a year for the average Durham homeowner. Regional Council deferred the decision until after the election. (CBC News, May 2026) |
| 2027 onward | +1% to +3% City, per year | The City paused its recommended infrastructure levy in 2026. Catching up now means either about 2.8% a year through 2035, or 1% a year for 2027–2030 and 3% a year through 2038. (City of Pickering Report FIN 08-26) |
| 2028 onward | New debt payments | Payments on the 2027 Seaton borrowing begin. We estimate new debt payments from property taxes of roughly $12.6 million a year by 2029, based on the City's own borrowing forecast and its own ratios for annual debt charges. (Campaign estimate from the City's 2026 Capital Budget and Forecast) |
The Regional increase applies to the Region's share of your bill (about 58%), not the whole bill. The City catch-up applies to the City's share (about 30%).
Council approved the $266.4 million Seaton Recreation Complex & Library on September 29, 2025, at about $1,189 per square foot, compared with $694 to $784 at comparable facilities. That was before this year's escalation: U.S. tariffs of 50% on a range of Canadian goods since August 22, and Canadian counter-tariffs on steel, construction materials and more since September 8.
Construction hasn't been tendered yet. That happens in Spring 2027, which means the whole project, not just a remaining phase, will be priced in today's market. The City's forecast is stated in 2026 dollars and doesn't include tariff-driven increases. With the development charge reserve already down to $15.2 million, there is very little cushion to absorb overruns without more debt or a higher tax levy.
Sources: City of Pickering Report CAO 14-25; City of Pickering 2026 Capital Forecast; Government of Canada, Department of Finance (counter-tariff list, September 8, 2026). Comparables: Zancor Centre, King City (Township of King) and Cowan Recreation Centre, Kitchener (City of Kitchener).
City debt was $58.6 million at the end of 2025. The 2026 budget schedules $242.3 million in new borrowing in 2027 alone, mostly for Seaton, which is 80.3% debt-financed.
The development charge reserve fund after recent commitments. The 2026 capital budget draws $14.5 million of what's left.
The annual infrastructure funding gap, against an $85.9 million maintenance backlog.
The City's 2024 Financial Information Return was filed late, and the 2025 return is still outstanding.
The City's June 2026 Asset Management Plan update confirms the recommended infrastructure levy was paused for 2026. Reaching the $136.8 million funding target now requires either a flat 2.8% annual increase through 2035, or 1% a year from 2027–2030 and 3% a year after that, through 2038. Either way, the cost didn't disappear. It moved into the next term.
A concrete commitment, not a vague promise.
A seniors housing proposal so residents can downsize within their own community instead of being priced out of it.
Check Seaton's cost before we sign. Build it, 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.
Honest, sequenced development. Growth pays its own way through properly negotiated development charges. No more deferral deals like CentreCourt's, which deferred $10.3 million in Phase 1 charges and left the City carrying that cost in the meantime.
Transparent budgeting. Get the City's financial reporting current, and publish a plain-language dashboard of debt, debt payments and reserves, so decisions are made with real numbers, not surprises.
A published tax plan. Keep the City's portion of the bill as low as responsibly possible, with a multi-year plan for catching up on infrastructure instead of deferring it silently.
Spending discipline. The current mayor's office reported $138,053 in expenses from November 2022 to July 2026, including $64,747 on travel. Cut discretionary costs before asking seniors to pay more.
Fight at the Region. About 58% of your bill is set at Durham Regional Council. The 2027 police plan deserves real scrutiny and real alternatives before it lands on your bill.
Rebuild reserves properly. Reduce reliance on debt so borrowing doesn't keep compounding onto the tax bill.
Sources: City of Pickering Report PLN 19-25 (CentreCourt deferral); Mayor's office monthly expense reports, November 2022 to July 2026.
“Infrastructure and growth should be paid for by the people driving the growth, sequenced honestly, not backfilled onto residents. That means doubling the seniors' property tax grant to $1,240, getting our books current, checking Seaton's price before we sign, and ending deferral deals that leave the City carrying developers' costs.”— Doug Cornell
A grassroots, resident-funded campaign. No developer money.
DonateProjections are planning estimates based on Council and Regional reports, public financing plans and budget documents available as of September 2026. Where a figure is a campaign estimate rather than a City or Regional figure, it is labelled as one. Actual tax outcomes remain subject to Council and Regional Council approval and MPAC assessment changes.