York Regional Council Highlights - Thursday, November 27, 2025

December 05, 2025

Live streaming of the public session of Council and Committee of the Whole meetings is available on the day of the meeting from 9 a.m. until the close of the meeting. Past sessions are available at york.ca/CouncilAndCommittee

York Regional Council approves $5.2 billion 2026 budget

York Regional Council approved the $5.2 billion 2026 Budget on Thursday, November 27, 2025.

The $5.2 billion budget responds to current economic pressures with resilience and readiness by continuing to focus on priority areas of investing in safer communities, enabling growth in our communities and keeping people, goods and information moving.

The 2026 budget includes a $3.7 billion operating budget to cover day-to-day expenses to fund front-line programs and services, meeting the needs of the Region’s diverse and growing population.

As part of the $1.5 billion capital budget, spending on growth-related projects will enable or directly support new housing supply and renewal of existing assets. These expenditures are part of York Region’s $14 billion 10-year capital plan.

The budget includes a tax levy increase of 3.28%, which includes the approved 3.22% outlook plus an incremental 0.06% increase approved by Regional Council to support a $25 million funding commitment for the York University School of Medicine. The 3.28% tax levy, combined with the continuation of a separate 1% Rapid Transit and Infrastructure tax levy, will add approximately $129 to the average residential tax bill.

The tax levy will support community safety initiatives with a landmark investment in York Regional Police.

With the 1% Rapid Transit and Infrastructure Levy, York Region will help advance the design of priority bus rapidways and help fund additional community housing sites. Levies introduced in previous years are helping advance construction of the Yonge North Subway Extension.

The approved budget supports delivery of York Region’s 15 core services while investing in infrastructure required for future growth, including:

  • Investing in 98 sworn officers and 52 civilian staff at York Regional Police and additional fleet
  • Hiring 31 new paramedics and support staff and building seven paramedic response stations
  • Building over 580 new community housing units across four Housing York Inc. projects
  • Adding 287 new emergency and transitional housing beds
  • Providing 92,600 doses of vaccines, including 53,500 for school-aged children
  • Adding 96 new lane kilometres of roads and improving 150 intersections
  • Expanding new water and wastewater infrastructure capacity to 150,000 housing units
  • Expanding York Region Transit electric bus fleet with 315 electric buses, advancing design of priority bus rapidways and continuing to support Yonge North Subway Extension construction
  • Planting 70,000 trees and shrubs to protect green spaces
  • Adding over 190 kilometres of fibre network over the next decade

For additional information, visit york.ca/Budget

Celebrating Michelle Morris as Public Sector Advocate of the Year

Regional Council recognized York Region Director of Audit Services Michelle Morris for being named Public Sector Advocate of the Year by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants North America. This honour reflects Michelle’s exceptional leadership and steadfast commitment to advancing ethics, accountability and professional excellence in public sector auditing and financial management. Council offered its sincere congratulations and thanked Michelle for her continued contributions to York Region.

Launch of York Region’s Land Acknowledgment Video

At the Thursday, October 23, 2025, meeting of York Regional Council, York Region released a new Land Acknowledgement video in recognition of Indigenous Peoples and their relationship to the land occupied by The Regional Municipality of York. Featuring imagery captured on Georgina Island with the support of the Chippewas of Georgina Island First Nation, the Region has moved from a spoken acknowledgment to a visual one, creating more space for reflection, understanding and a shared responsibility in reconciliation.

Chairman’s Winter Coat Drive

Regional Council recognized York Region’s annual Chairman’s Winter Coat Drive, with donations collected until Friday, December 5, 2025. Thanks to the generosity of staff and community members, the drive has already gathered almost 500 winter items, including coats, hats, scarves, boots, mittens and gloves for children, families and individuals at risk of or experiencing homelessness.

Alternate for the Town of East Gwillimbury

Regional Council welcomed Town of East Gwillimbury Ward Two Councillor and alternate member Tara Roy-DiClemente as she joined the meeting on behalf of the Mayor Virginia Hackson. Council extended its thanks for her participation and representation at the table.

November Observances

Regional Council recognized the following observances in November 2025:

Next meeting of York Regional Council

The next Meeting of York Regional Council will be held on Thursday, December 11, 2025, at 9 a.m. in the York Region Administrative Centre Council Chambers, located at 17250 Yonge Street in the Town of Newmarket. Meetings are streamed on york.ca/Live

The Regional Municipality of York consists of nine local cities and towns and provides a variety of programs and services to 1.25 million residents and 57,000 businesses with over 629,000 employees. More information about the Region’s key service areas is available at york.ca/RegionalServices

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Compiled by:      

Kylie-Anne Doerner, Corporate Communications, The Regional Municipality of York
Phone: 905-806-7138, Email: @email