Durham Regional Council Explained
Durham Regional Council is the political body for the Regional Municipality of Durham in Ontario, Canada. Created in 1974, it consists of 29 elected representatives, including the Regional Chair. Durham Region is governed by Durham Regional Council, which consists of the mayors of the local municipalities and regional councillors directly elected in each municipality. These members are elected via double direct election. Each municipality elects the following number of regional councillors:
Council Structure
The council is led by a Regional Chair, who is directly elected by the public. The current Regional Chair is John Henry. In 2006, Pickering, Ajax, and Oshawa placed non-binding referendums on their local election ballots to ask voters whether the chair should be directly elected. Over 80% voted in the affirmative.
The current council was elected in October 2022. Council used to sit for a three-year term, but the Ontario Legislature passed legislation increasing the length of municipal council terms in Ontario to four years.
Current Council
| Name | Representing as |
|---|
| John Henry | Regional Chair |
| Shaun Collier | Mayor of Ajax |
| Marilyn Crawford | Ajax Regional Councillor |
| Joanne Dies | Ajax Regional Councillor |
| Sterling Lee | Ajax Regional Councillor |
| Walter Schummer | Mayor of Brock |
| Michael Jubb | Brock Regional Councillor |
| Adrian Foster | Mayor of Clarington |
| Granville Anderson | Clarington Regional Councillor |
| Willie Woo | Clarington Regional Councillor |
| Dan Carter | Mayor of Oshawa |
| Bob Chapman | Oshawa Regional Councillor |
| Rick Kerr | Oshawa Regional Councillor |
| Tito-Dante Marimpietri | Oshawa Regional Councillor |
| John Neal | Oshawa Regional Councillor |
| Brian Nicholson | Oshawa Regional Councillor |
| Kevin Ashe | Mayor of Pickering |
| Maurice Brenner | Pickering Regional Councillor |
| Linda Cook | Pickering Regional Councillor |
| David Pickles | Pickering Regional Councillor |
| Wilma Wotten | Mayor of Scugog |
| Ian McDougall | Scugog Regional Councillor |
| Dave Barton | Mayor of Uxbridge |
| Bruce Garrod | Uxbridge Regional Councillor |
| Elizabeth Roy | Mayor of Whitby |
| Chris Leahy | Whitby Regional Councillor |
| Rhonda Mulcahy | Whitby Regional Councillor |
| Maleeha Shahid | Whitby Regional Councillor |
| Steve Yamada | Whitby Regional Councillor | |
Regional Committees, Boards, Subcommittees and Task Forces
- Durham Region Transit Committees
- Finance & Administration Committee
- Health & Social Services Committee
- Planning & Economic Development Committee
- Works Committee
- 2014 Municipal Election Compliance Audit Committee
- 911 Management Board
- Accessibility Advisory Committee
- Association of Local Public Health Agencies
- Business Advisory Centre Durham
- Canadian National Exhibition Association
- Central Lake Ontario Conservation Authority
- CTC Source Protection Committee
- Development Charges Complaint Committee
- Durham Advisory Committee on Homelessness
- Durham Agricultural Advisory Committee
- Durham Environmental Advisory Committee
- Durham Region Child and Youth Advocate
- Durham Regional Local Housing Corporation
- Durham Region Non-Profit Housing Corporation
- Durham Regional Police Services Board
- Durham Region Roundtable on Climate Change
- East Duffins Headwaters Committee
- Energy from Waste – Waste Management Advisory Committee
- Land Division Committee
- Ganaraska Region Conservation Authority
- Greater Toronto Airports Authority
- Greater Toronto Airports Authority Consultative Committee
- Greater Toronto Marketing Alliance
- GTA Agricultural Action Committee and Golden Horseshoe Food & Farming Alliance
- Kawartha Region Conservation Authority
- Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority
- Local Diversity and Immigration Partnership Council
- Royal Agricultural Winter Fair Association
- Toronto and Region Conservation Authority
- TRCA Trail Guidelines Advisory Committee
- Trent Conservation Coalition Source Protection Committee
Services
Services under the region's scope include:
- Children Services
- Community Planning
- Construction
- Corporate Services
- Economic Strategy and Tourism
- Emergency Medical Services - Durham Region EMS - downloaded from the Province of Ontario
- Environmental
- Financial Department
- Forestry
- Housing
- Legal Services
- Long Term Care and Seniors
- Public Health and Safety
- Real Estate
- Planning Services
- Regional Property Taxes
- Tourism
- Transportation Services - regional roads only
- Sewers
- Employment and Financial Support
- Transit - Durham Region Transit
- Water
- Waste management (garbage, recycling, hazardous waste; excludes curbside collection)
- Policing - Durham Regional Police
Regional Chairs
- Gerri-Lynn O'Connor 2018–present
- Roger Anderson 1997–2018
- Jim Witty 1995–1997
- Gary Herrema 1980–1995
- Walter Beath 1974–1980
Durham Regional Headquarters
Durham Regional Offices are located at 605 Rossland Road East in Whitby and is also headquarters for Durham Regional Police.
References
