Your Durham Election Cheat Sheet for 2026

Hey hi hello, Durham,

Small detour this week.

On Monday, October 26, every town in the region votes for its next mayor and council — the people who'll be making decisions about your roads, parks, water, and rec centres until 2030. And if you've ever stared at a municipal ballot wondering what a "regional councillor" actually does (or why there are two councillors and they're both yours), you are extremely not alone.

And here's the part that bugs me. This whole newsletter is about community — finding it, showing up for it, building it — and picking the people who run it is one of the most direct ways any of us can do that.

But in more than 40 years of record-keeping, average turnout in Ontario's municipal elections has never climbed above 40%, and in 2022 it hit a record low. Durham did even worse: fewer than one in four eligible voters cast a ballot for Regional Chair. That's a small slice of us choosing who decides on the parks, pipes and roads for all of us. We can do better than that, Durham. So let's.

This issue is a quick, non-partisan cheat sheet: what these jobs are responsible for, how they connect to Queen's Park and Ottawa, and where to find the candidates in your town.

No endorsements, no hot takes — just the stuff I wish someone had explained to me before my first local election. Here's what's on (the ballot).

🗳️ What's actually on your ballot

Depending on where you live, you'll vote for some combination of:

• Mayor — heads your town's council, and also automatically sits on Durham Regional Council.
• Regional councillor — elected by your town (or your ward), but sits on two councils: your town's and the Region's. Think of them as the bridge between the two.
• Local councillor — sits on your town council only, usually representing your ward.
• School board trustee — which trustee ballot you get depends on the school support listed for you on the voters' list (public, Catholic, French public, or French Catholic).

One thing you won't see this year: the Regional Chair. Durham residents have elected the Chair since 2014, but in May the province passed Bill 100, the Better Regional Governance Act, which makes it a provincially appointed position instead — so it's off the ballot this fall.

🏘️ Who does what: your town vs. the Region

Durham is a two-tier system, which is a fancy way of saying your life is run by two councils at once. A rough rule of thumb: your town handles what's on your street; the Region handles what's under it and what connects everything.

Your town (Ajax, Brock, Clarington, Oshawa, Pickering, Scugog, Uxbridge, or Whitby) is responsible for:

• 🛝 Parks, trails, playgrounds, splash pads, arenas and rec centres (yes, including every camp)
• 🚧 Local roads, sidewalks, and snow clearing on your street
• 🚒 Fire services
• 📚 Public libraries
• 🏗️ Local planning and zoning — what gets built on that empty lot — plus building permits
• 📋 Bylaws: noise, parking, fences, property standards, that neighbour's boat or fire pit
• 🎪 Most community events and festivals (hi, Convergence)

The Region of Durham is responsible for:

• 💧 Water and sewer — the tap water you drink and where it goes after
• 🚓 Policing (Durham Regional Police) and paramedic services
• 🩺 Public health — restaurant inspections, vaccines, school health
• 🗑️ Waste processing and disposal, plus curbside pickup in most towns
• 🚌 Durham Region Transit and major regional roads (the big ones with numbers)
• 🏠 Social services: Ontario Works, child care subsidies, social housing, and long-term care homes
• 🗺️ Big-picture growth planning — where the region expands and how fast

Both show up on the same property tax bill: your town collects it and splits it with the Region, and a chunk goes to the province for education. If you want the full rundown, the Region's own Durham Region 101 is surprisingly readable.

🏛️ How it all connects upward

Here's the part nobody explains: in Canada, municipalities don't have their own constitutional powers. Cities and towns exist because the province says they do, and Ontario's laws set out what councils can and can't do. That shapes a lot of what your local vote can actually change.

A few ways that plays out in Durham right now:

• The province can change the rules mid-game. Bill 100 is the live example — Queen's Park decided how the Regional Chair gets picked, not Durham voters.
• "Strong mayor" powers. Mayors in Ajax, Clarington, Oshawa, Pickering and Whitby have held extra provincial powers since 2023 — including preparing the town budget and hiring senior staff — and a 2025 expansion extended them to many smaller councils, Uxbridge among them. Translation: who you pick for mayor matters more than it used to.
• Housing targets. The province sets housing goals for fast-growing towns, and local councils are the ones approving (or not) the subdivisions, zoning changes and density that get us there.
• Money flows down. A lot of what the Region runs — public health, Ontario Works, child care — is paid for jointly with the province, and federal programs help fund things like transit and housing. Local councils spend a surprising amount of time asking the other two levels for money, and making the case for Durham when they do.

Your councillors are, in effect, Durham's front-line negotiators with Queen's Park and Ottawa. Worth knowing how yours plans to negotiate.

🔎 Where to find your candidates

Every town runs its own election, so candidate lists and voting details live on your town's page. And the how varies more than you'd think: Ajax, Clarington and Uxbridge have gone fully online, while Whitby is the only town sticking to paper ballots alone. Your Voter Information Letter (arriving in the mail around early October) has your PIN and the specifics — don't recycle it with the flyers.

• Ajax — elections.ajax.ca — 💻 internet or telephone only, Mon, Oct 19 at 10am to Mon, Oct 26 at 8pm. No paper ballot this year; Voter Assistance Centres open at the Ajax Community Centre, McLean Community Centre and Audley Recreation Centre if you need help. Also an open mayoral race — Mayor Shaun Collier isn't running again.
• Brock — townshipofbrock.ca/elections — 💻 internet or telephone, plus a paper "ballot on demand" at any Voter Assistance Centre if you'd rather.
• Clarington — clarington.net/elections — 💻 internet or telephone only, Tues, Oct 20 at 10am to Mon, Oct 26 at 8pm, with Election Assistance Centres open during the voting period.
• Oshawa — voteoshawa.ca — 💻 vote online Tues, Oct 13 to Mon, Oct 26; 🗳️ paper ballots on Voting Day only. Also an open mayoral race — Mayor Dan Carter isn't running again.
• Pickering — pickering.ca/elections — 💻 internet voting Mon, Oct 19 to Mon, Oct 26; 🗳️ paper ballots added on Voting Day.
• Scugog — scugog.ca/election — 💻 online from Wed, Oct 14 at 10am to Mon, Oct 26 at 8pm, or 🗳️ a paper ballot at a township voting location — check the page for where and when.
• Uxbridge — uxbridge.ca/elections — 💻 internet voting only, using the PIN in your letter; the Uxbridge Public Library is a Voter Assistance Centre if you need a hand or a device.
• Whitby — whitby.ca/vote — 🗳️ paper ballots in person: advance voting Thurs–Sun, Oct 22–25, and Voting Day Oct 26, at any location in town. Can't make either? Apply for a special mail-in ballot — see the deadline below.
  • Learn more about your Whitby candidates at the all-candidates meetings at the Library.

Not sure which ward you're in? Most of those pages have a ward lookup tool.

Once you've got your list, a few ways to actually get to know the people on it:

• Check their own websites and socials — most candidates post a platform, and it's revealing what they choose to lead with.
• Go to an all-candidates meeting if your town or ward has one. Local chambers of commerce, ratepayer groups and community associations usually host them in early October — watch your town's page and local Facebook groups.
  • 🗣️ Tues, Sept 29, 7–8:30pm — Whitby Ward 3 (Centre) councillor candidates — Whitby Central Library, town and regional councillor races. Yes, that's tonight.
  • 🗣️ Tues, Oct 6, 7–8:30pm — Whitby Ward 4 (East) councillor candidates — Whitby Central Library.
  • 🎤 Thurs, Oct 8, 6–8pm — Oshawa mayoral debate — Bond|St Event Centre, hosted by the Greater Oshawa Chamber of Commerce and the Central Lakes Association of Realtors.
  • 🗣️ Tues, Oct 13, 7–8:30pm — Whitby mayoral candidates — Whitby Central Library.
  • Ajax, Brock, Clarington, Pickering, Scugog or Uxbridge: I couldn't find anything upcoming yet. Know of one? Hit reply and I'll share it next week.
• Ask them directly. Candidates want to hear from you right now. Email the thing you actually care about — the arena, the traffic on your street, the housing going up behind you — and see who answers, and how.
• Read local coverage from outlets like Durham Radio News and Durham Post — and personally? I love a good Google, a Reddit review of your local sub, like /r/Pickering or /r/Whitby, etc, or a local Facebook group. Not a perfect method, but it works.
• Use Vote Compass by the Toronto Star by answering a few policy issue questions and seeing where the candidates stack up.

🙋 What to actually ask them

Whether it's at your door, in an email, or at an all-candidates night, a few good questions go a long way. Steal these freely:

For anyone running

• What's the first thing you'd tackle, and how would you pay for it?
• Where do you stand on property taxes, and what would you add or cut to get there?
• How should our town grow? Where should new homes go, and what needs to be built alongside them (roads, parks, schools, rec space)?
• What's something the current council got right that you'd keep?
• How will I reach you once you're elected, and how often will you check in with residents?

For the job specifically

• Running for mayor? When would you use strong mayor powers, and when wouldn't you?
• Running for regional councillor? Which Region-run issue would you push hardest on at the regional table — water, policing, paramedics, social services, growth?
• Running for trustee? What would you prioritize for schools in our area, and how would you keep parents in the loop?
• Already on council? What's a vote you're proud of, and one you'd take back?

And the one only you can ask: the thing on your street. The park that floods, the crosswalk that needs a light, the rink that's always booked. Local government is gloriously specific, and candidates should be too.

A few things to listen for

• Specifics over slogans. "I'll fix traffic" is a wish. "I'll push for a traffic study on [road] in my first year" is a plan.
• The right job for the promise. Hospitals, school curriculum and most of health care are provincial, so a council candidate can advocate for them but can't deliver them on their own. The "who does what" section above is your cheat sheet.
• The "how" and the "how much." Everything costs something. A good candidate can tell you where the money comes from, even roughly.
• For incumbents, the record. Council agendas, minutes and votes are public on every town's website, so you can check how someone actually voted, not just how they remember it.
• How they handle "I don't know." An honest "I'll find out and get back to you" (and then actually doing it) tells you a lot.

Before you go — a few things with a deadline

• ✅ Check you're on the voters' list — through your town now, not the province. Elections Ontario's online registration closed back in August; since Sept 1, adding or fixing your info (including your school support, which decides your trustee ballot) goes through your own town's election page linked above. No Voter Information Letter by mid-October is your cue to check.
• ✉️ Sun, Oct 4 — Whitby mail-in ballot applications by mail. If you're applying by post for a special mail-in ballot, it's due this weekend. In person at Town Hall (575 Rossland Rd E), you've got until Wed, Oct 21 at 4:30pm.
• 🗳️ Mon, Oct 26 — Voting Day. You can vote if you're 18+, a Canadian citizen, and live in the municipality (or own or rent property there, or are the spouse of someone who does).

Know a hidden gem (or just an obvious, but well-loved rock) in Durham Region I should feature, profile, or talk to?

Talk soon, Arina from Whitby