Steve Yamada

Congratulations to Catholic Family Services of Durham on another successful Heart to Heart Gala last weekend. For over 20 years, this event has strengthened our community by supporting counselling, education, and vital services for families and survivors. Thank you to everyone who supported this amazing event and to the organizers and sponsors for a great evening!

Yesterday night we celebrated Hanukkah with Chabad of Durham Region, lighting the menorah, sharing songs, and delicious treats. Grateful for our community in coming together to stand with our Jewish friends in the wake of the tragedy at Bondi beach. May the lights continue to inspire hope, unity, and joy throughout the season and beyond. Thank you to Rabbi Borenstein and Chana for organizing this fabulous event and to everyone who joined us.

Let me know if your street was missed

❄️ Winter Response - December 13, 2025❄️

Happy Saturday, Whitby! 🚜 Roads crews are out actively salting and plowing primary roads and sidewalks and will be making their way to secondaries.

Your safety is our priority, and we'll keep monitoring conditions.

You can report winter-related issues by visiting https://survey123.arcgis.com/share/53ece9b022824814a73c484a05e0127f

Do you live near a primary or secondary road? Find out here 👉 https://www.whitby.ca/services-and-payments/parking-roads-and-transportation/snow-clearing/

Be safe, everyone!

Today at sundown, our Jewish community will begin lighting the menorah. To everyone celebrating Hanukkah in Whitby and Durham, I wanted to wish everyone Chag Hanukkah Sameah! May the lights of Hanukkah usher in peace and happiness for you and your family.

Budgets are about choices, and it would have been fair to have had all those choices presented at last night’s budget meeting. I’ve always believed that taxpayers should not have to pay more and get less. That’s what a majority of members voted to do. The residents who watched called me today and said it seemed a group of councillors ran out the clock so that eight amendments could not be heard. I’ve posted three of them for you to see. The plan with Councillor Leahy was to reduce the amount of tax collected for reserves. My belief is that we could have maintained the Whitby Public Library and Station Gallery grants by contributing less to reserves. That was a choice that Whitby Council could have made. Unfortunately, due to a self-imposed change to the procedural bylaw to stop meetings at 11pm (that I am vehemently against), the amendments were not heard. In my opinion, this is undemocratic. I will always continue to champion lower tax increases, and had this process been the one prior to the implementation of the American-style Strong Mayor’s Powers, I would have voted NO to this increase! Again, budgets are about choices.