Key Priorities
and Whitby’s Community Strategic Plan
Creating a Community Strategic Plan for Whitby was one of my top priorities when I ran for mayor—especially knowing that our town hadn’t had a plan like this in more than 20 years.
In 2023, we asked residents to help shape the future of our community—and you responded. More than 8,500 people shared their ideas through the Connect Whitby platform, and over 3,000 residents filled out surveys or took part in engagement sessions.
In June 2023, Council officially endorsed the final plan. It includes 62 action items that reflect what matters most to the people of Whitby—things like:
-
Protecting our waterfront and green spaces
-
Improving access to healthcare
-
Enhancing community safety
-
Supporting economic growth
-
Addressing social needs like homelessness and food security
I’m proud to share that more than 95% of these action items are already complete or in progress, and we’re on track to deliver all 62 by the time this four-year plan wraps up.
This is #YourPlanInAction
Strengthening Healthcare
Advocating for a New Hospital
In early 2024, I launched the “Care Closer to Home” campaign to advocate for a new hospital in Whitby. Thousands of residents signed our call-to-action or shared personal stories about why this matters. In August 2024, the province confirmed it will build a hospital in Whitby and committed to the planning grant needed to move the project forward. We’re now working to finalize a land agreement with the Ministry of Transportation. To help support future fundraising, we also partnered with a local business on a recent hoodie campaign—donating 50% of proceeds to the hospital effort.
Opening the New Whitby Health Centre
In 2024, we celebrated the opening of the Whitby Health Centre—Canada’s largest private, multidisciplinary medical group practice. Located in West Whitby, this 154,000-square-foot facility offers urgent care and a wide range of non-acute services, and is home to more than 80 physicians.
Bringing Hospice Care to Whitby
After more than eight years of advocacy, I’m proud that construction is now underway on Hospice Whitby – Roger Anderson House. This 10-bed facility will offer compassionate end-of-life care close to home.
Recruiting More Family Doctors
To help address Whitby’s family doctor shortage, we launched a physician recruitment program in 2023, in partnership with the Oshawa Clinic Group. The program offers incentives to attract up to 10 family physicians over five years—each expected to serve 1,000 patients. Two doctors have already joined, and we are now expanding the program to include all interested clinics across Whitby.
Homelessness, housing and food security
-
In 2024, the Town of Whitby and Feed the Need in Durham partnered to open a market-style community food bank at Iroquois Park Sports Centre—offering clients a more dignified, equitable experience by allowing them to choose their own items. The idea stemmed from one of my roundtables with local food bank providers. In 2025, hours were expanded to support 260 client visits per week.
-
Whitby Council has unanimously approved the donation of two Town-owned properties to Habitat for Humanity GTA, paving the way for approximately 40 new affordable housing units near Hickory Street South and Dunlop Street East.
-
The Mayor’s Community Development Fund is investing in local organizations that serve our most vulnerable residents, including over $30,000 for food security initiatives in 2024.
-
A new homeless shelter opened at 1635 Dundas Street in 2024, led by the Region of Durham. The Town plays an active role on the shelter’s Community Liaison Committee.
-
We’re using Housing Accelerator Grant funding to improve housing affordability—including updating by-laws to make it easier to build basement apartments and accessory units.
-
I’ve also partnered with the Downtown Whitby BIA on grassroots efforts to support people in need—collecting hundreds of pairs of socks through Operation Cozy Toes in 2024 and packing summer care kits in 2025 through the Home Sweet Home Helps the Homeless initiative.
Driving Economic Growth
-
In early 2025, I established the Mayor’s Tariff Task Force to bring together local stakeholders and develop Whitby-focused solutions to address tariffs introduced by the Trump administration. The task force continues to meet regularly, and Council has already approved measures such as strengthening procurement policies to support Canadian businesses.
-
Between 2023 and 2024, over 400 new businesses registered in Whitby. We remain focused on attracting new investment while supporting and growing our existing business community.
-
Recent major investments in Whitby include:
-
A 279,000 sq. ft. Mazda Distribution Centre on Ashburn Road
-
A significant expansion at Atlantic Packaging
-
Whitby Toyota tripling in size
-
-
Upcoming developments include:
-
SoftMoc’s new headquarters on Hopkins Street, bringing 120–150 new jobs
-
A 48,000 sq. ft. Toromont Cat facility coming to Brooklin
-
-
Our Business Retention and Expansion Program has helped keep major employers like Mitch Insurance and 4Sight Utility Engineers in Whitby—retaining hundreds of local jobs.
-
We’ve launched a Home-Based Business Toolkit to support local entrepreneurs with easy access to zoning information, co-working spaces, local marketplaces, and business support programs.
-
In partnership with the Whitby Chamber of Commerce, Durham Region Unemployed Help Centre, and MP Ryan Turnbull, we co-hosted the 2024 Whitby Job Fair, which connected more than 500 local job seekers with employment opportunities.
Revitalizing Our Downtowns
-
Roebuck Street in Downtown Brooklin is being transformed with support from the My Main Street Community Activator program. Upgrades include new lighting, seating, bike racks, and a beautiful "Field to Fork" mural to enhance this outdoor gathering space.
-
In 2024, the Town launched Downtown Whitby Food Tours, which have been a huge success—showcasing local restaurants and breweries to both residents and visitors.
-
In 2025, we introduced the first-ever Home Sweet Home Festival in Downtown Whitby, drawing thousands of attendees and creating new energy and excitement in the core. This event builds on the success of our award-winning Harvest Festival in Brooklin and BIA-hosted favourites like the Summer Art Series.
-
A major redesign of Brock Street (from Highway 401 to the CP Railway Bridge) is now under study, with final recommendations expected in 2025 and construction anticipated to begin in 2027. The goal: a more walkable, welcoming downtown.
-
Station No. 3, a six-storey, mixed-use condo by Brookfield Residential, is now complete at Brock and Colborne. This is the largest downtown development in over 30 years, marking a major step forward for Downtown Whitby revitalization.
Arts, Culture, and Tourism
-
Event attendance hit record highs in 2024, with more than 85,000 people taking part in over 75 events hosted by the Town and local organizers.
-
Council adopted a new Public Art Policy in 2024, and staff completed the Town’s first public art inventory. New installations include: "The Hive", a tree carving made from a 100-year-old black walnut tree near the Centennial Building "Dancing in the Light" and "Welcome Home", Indigenous murals in Rotary Park. A new piece of public art called "Flutter" will soon be installed on Thickson Road to welcome residents and visitors travelling through this key gateway.
-
Our Culture Pop-Up series expanded in 2024, drawing more than 1,000 attendees to vibrant community events like Bollywood on the Pier, Greek Summer Night, Sunset Tango, and En Plein Air Painting.
-
The third edition of the Whitby Food Guide was released in 2024, featuring 100+ local restaurants, cafes, breweries, and bakeries—a celebration of Whitby’s culinary scene.
-
In 2024, Council approved a Municipal Accommodation Tax. This 4% tax on hotel and motel stays will generate new funding to support tourism development and marketing. About $600,000 has been collected since July 2024, which will help support tourism initiatives.
Advocacy Work
Ontario Big City Mayors
-
As an active member of the Ontario Big City Mayors (OBCM) caucus, I’m proud to serve on its executive as Secretary of the Board. OBCM brings together mayors from Ontario’s largest cities—those with populations over 100,000—to collaborate on policy development, advocacy, and intergovernmental partnerships. Through this role, I’ve been a strong voice in support of the “Solve the Crisis” campaign, which urges both the provincial and federal governments to take immediate action to address the growing crisis of homelessness, mental health, and addiction in our communities.
-
I am also a firm advocate for a new municipal funding framework. Too often, municipalities are left to fund essential services—like healthcare, policing, and social programs—using the property tax base, which was never designed to support these responsibilities. Ontario’s cities need a fair and sustainable funding model that reflects the reality of today’s challenges.
-
Other key priorities I continue to advocate for through OBCM include housing affordability and supply, infrastructure investment, equitable trade and tariff policies, and public safety.
“Care Closer to Home” Campaign
With more than 30 years of experience as a healthcare professional, I’ve long been a passionate advocate for a new hospital in Durham Region—a critical step toward reducing ER wait times and addressing the urgent need for more patient beds and critical care services in our growing community.
Back in 2015, an expert panel identified the need for a new acute care hospital in Durham, and in January 2022, Lakeridge Health announced Whitby as the preferred site. But after two years of inaction from the province, it became clear that our community needed to speak up.
In February 2024, I worked with Town staff to launch the “Care Closer to Home” advocacy campaign, calling on the provincial government to approve a planning grant and move this much-needed hospital project forward. Thousands of residents joined the movement, signing our call-to-action letter and sharing powerful, personal stories about why a new hospital matters to them and their families.
The campaign captured widespread media attention, with coverage from outlets including the Toronto Star, The Trillium, CBC, CTV, and Global News. To maintain momentum, we papered Town of Whitby facilities with orange hearts, each one representing a supporter of the campaign.
In August 2024, the province finally announced the approval of the hospital planning grant. This milestone is proof of what we can achieve when we come together with one clear, united voice.