Homelessness, healthcare, housing, and addressing the funding gap are Whitby’s focus for 2025

Whitby is one of the fastest growing municipalities in Canada. Due to this significant growth and limited financial resources being left to the local level of government, municipalities like Whitby are facing several challenges. These include issues like homelessness, healthcare, housing, and a funding gap to support resident’s quality of life.

With provincial and federal elections anticipated this year, the Town is encouraging those levels of government to continue to work together and share costs to support solutions to challenges faced by all municipalities. This collective effort would also help Whitby meet its Community Strategic Plan’s vision of Whitby as an exceptional place to live, work, and explore.

Specific local priorities include:

• Homelessness: Tackling homelessness through comprehensive support programs and affordable housing initiatives is essential. A report released today by the Association of Municipalities of Ontario shows that more than 80,000 Ontarians were known to be homeless in 2024, a number that has grown by more than 25 per cent since 2022; and municipal spending on homelessness and housing programs has also sky-rocketed since 2020, growing to more than $2.1 billion in 2024. The Town aims to work closely with community organizations and other levels of government to provide sustainable solutions to this challenge.
• Funding Gap: Recent legislative changes have resulted in a funding gap, impacting the Town's ability to deliver essential services. Advocacy for a more equitable funding model between provincial, federal, and municipal governments remains a top priority.

• Healthcare: Ensuring access to quality healthcare services and infrastructure, like a new hospital, as Whitby and Durham continue to grow is critical to supporting resident’s quality of life.
• Housing: Facilitating the development of diverse housing options to accommodate Whitby’s expanding population is a key focus.

Learn more about these and other priorities at whitby.ca/TownAdvocacy.

Quotes

With potential provincial and federal elections on the horizon, Whitby is committed to advocating for the needs of our residents at every level of government. In collaboration with municipal organizations such as the Association of Municipalities of Ontario, Ontario’s Big City Mayors, and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, the Town is asking the federal and provincial governments to provide the funding and support necessary to address the pressing challenges facing municipalities.

-       Whitby Mayor Elizabeth Roy 

More Information

 More information is available at whitby.ca/TownAdvocacy.

For media inquiries, please contact:

Corporate Communications
Erin Mikaluk, Manager, Communications and Creative Services, Town of Whitby
Phone: 289.314.6913
Email: mikaluke@whitby.ca

Office of the Mayor
Jillian Follert, Public Affairs Coordinator, Office of the Mayor
Phone: 289.387.9101
Email: follertj@whitby.ca

Background Information

Whitby’s population is expected to increase from 140,000 to 190,000 by 2031. Hyper-growth municipalities like Whitby are experiencing many challenges related to growth and a significant funding gap between municipalities and other levels of government. These include:

Homelessness

• According to the Association of Municipalities of Ontario report released today (January 9, 2025) more than 80,000 Ontarians were known to be homeless in 2024, a number that has grown by more than 25 per cent since 2022; municipal spending on homelessness and housing programs has sky-rocketed since 2020, growing to more than $2.1 billion in 2024; and while the majority of those experiencing homelessness are adults, nearly one quarter of chronically homeless Ontarians are children (0-15) or youth (16-24).
• There are more than 830 people on the Region of Durham's homelessness "byname list", up from about 209 in December 2016.
• Across Ontario, cities and towns saw at least 1,400 homeless encampments in their communities in 2023.

Healthcare

• By 2041, Lakeridge Health will need about 1,793 beds. That’s more than double the current count. A new hospital takes 10 years to build.
• An estimated 230,000 Durham residents are without a family doctor practicing in the region and over 1,500 babies born in Durham Region are discharged without a primary care physician.
• Three-quarters of Durham Region adults are also worried about their own or a household members’ mental health.

Housing

• • As growth continues, finding safe/affordable housing is increasingly difficult for many.
  • Municipalities are at the forefront of supporting a growing number of asylum claimants and refugees to Canada. Supports provided to municipalities are often short-term and focused on emergency response and shelter, but do not ensure permanent settlement and housing options for asylum claimants.

Funding Gap

• Provincial policy changes and downloading, such as the loss of over $5 million to-date in developer payments to the Town for future purchase of parkland due to Bill 23, impact the Town’s bottom line.
• Data shows nearly a third of municipal spending now goes to services that are the Province’s jurisdiction, resulting in a funding gap of $4 billion annually across Ontario.
• Municipalities are responsible for about 60 per cent of all public infrastructure.
• For every residential property tax dollar collected, only 35 per cent (or approximately one-third) stays with the Town of Whitby.