Durham Regional Council is the political body for the

Regional Municipality of Durham The Regional Municipality of Durham (), informally referred to as Durham Region, is a regional municipality in Southern Ontario, Canada. Located east of Toronto and the Regional Municipality of York, it forms the east end of the Greater Toronto A ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. 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 A double direct election is an election in which an individual is elected to two political offices in one electoral event. The term originates in Canada, where in certain regional council elections, an elected individual serves on a regional council ...

. Each municipality elects the following number of regional councillors: * Pickering - 3 *

Ajax Ajax may refer to: Greek mythology and tragedy * Ajax the Great, a Greek mythological hero, son of King Telamon and Periboea * Ajax the Lesser, a Greek mythological hero, son of Oileus, the king of Locris * Ajax (play), ''Ajax'' (play), by the an ...

- 3 *

Whitby Whitby is a seaside town, port and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. It is on the Yorkshire Coast at the mouth of the River Esk, North Yorkshire, River Esk and has a maritime, mineral and tourist economy. From the Middle Ages, Whitby ...

- 4 *

Oshawa Oshawa is a city in Ontario, Canada, on the Lake Ontario shoreline. It lies in Southern Ontario, approximately east of downtown Toronto. It is commonly viewed as the eastern anchor of the Greater Toronto Area and of the Golden Horseshoe. It ...

- 5 *

Clarington Clarington (Canada 2021 Census, 2021 population 101,427) is a lower-tier municipality in the Regional Municipality of Durham in Ontario, Canada. It was incorporated in 1973 as the town of Newcastle with the merging of the town of Bowmanville, the ...

- 2 *

Uxbridge Uxbridge () is a suburban town in west London, England, and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Hillingdon, northwest of Charing Cross. Uxbridge formed part of the parish of Hillingdon in the county of Middlesex. As part ...

- 1 *

Scugog Scugog is a township in the Regional Municipality of Durham, south-central Ontario, Canada. It is northeast of Toronto and just north of Oshawa. The anchor and largest population base of the township is Port Perry. The township has a populatio ...

- 1 * Brock - 1

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

referendum A referendum, plebiscite, or ballot measure is a Direct democracy, direct vote by the Constituency, electorate (rather than their Representative democracy, representatives) on a proposal, law, or political issue. A referendum may be either bin ...

s 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 The Legislative Assembly of Ontario (OLA; ) is the legislative chamber of the Canadian province of Ontario. Its elected members are known as Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs). Bills passed by the Legislative Assembly are given royal as ...

passed legislation increasing the length of municipal council terms in Ontario to four years.

Current Council

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 The Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) is a Conservation authority (Ontario, Canada), conservation authority in southern Ontario, Canada. It owns about of land in the Toronto region, and it employs more than 400 full-time employee ...

* 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

*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 Durham Region Transit (DRT) is the regional public transit operator in Durham Region, Ontario, Canada, east of Toronto. Its headquarters are at 110 Westney Road South in Ajax, Ontario, and there are regional centres in Ajax, Whitby, and Oshawa. D ...

*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

Regional Municipality of Durham

{{Reflist Durham Region Council County and regional councils in Ontario