Local job creation, revitalized downtowns and green spaces top resident priorities

Whitby residents want to see more invested in local job creation, more green spaces and the continued revitalization of the community’s downtowns, this year’s 2022 Budget engagement showed.

From June 3 to July 30, the Town engaged nearly 2,000 people in Phase One of the budget process. For the second year in a row, feedback was collected through the Town’s Connect Whitby and Citizen Budget Tool – a budget simulator that encouraged residents to share their budget priorities and create their own ideal budget.

This year, community engagement was moved earlier in the process than ever to provide residents with multiple opportunities to share their priorities and inform each budget milestone, including the Budget Target being presented to Town Council next week. 

What We Heard

The results of the engagement were as follows:

• Generally, residents find Whitby an enjoyable town to live in with 74 per cent of participants reporting overall quality of life in Whitby as “excellent” (18 per cent) or “good” (56 per cent).
• 45 per cent of participants were "comfortable with the Town's current level of taxation and services", representing the majority of the responses received. 
• Top budget priorities for participants included:
  • more local jobs;
  • the revitalization of the downtowns; and,
  • more green spaces.
• 56 per cent of participants indicated that they had learned something new by participating in the engagement process.
• Participants also used the comment sections of the Citizen Budget Tool to share their feedback and opinions. Top themes from the comments section included:
  • requests for expansion of multi-use path and cycling infrastructure;
  • a desire to improve the waterfront area and greenspace;
  • strong support for more jobs and sectors; and
  • a desire to continue to revitalize our downtowns.

View an infographic of the results online at ConnectWhitby.ca/Budget. 

Next Steps

The results of this engagement have helped to inform the recommended Budget Target being presented to Council next Monday, October 18, at 5:30 p.m. Interested residents are encouraged to tune in to the meeting to learn more about the target and proposed investments online at whitby.ca/livestream. 

For media inquiries, please contact:

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