Despite billions in provincial spending, Durham Region is seeing limited direct gains from Ontario’s 2026 budget, with local politicians pointing to gaps in transit, health care and education funding.
While the Progressive Conservative government frames ‘A Plan to Protect Ontario’ as a response to economic uncertainty, the impact in Durham centres on infrastructure commitments.
However, Ajax MPP Rob Cerjanec said the region is still falling behind on long-promised projects.
“Durham is being left behind,” he said, pointing to the lack of progress on a Highway 401 expansion and the delayed Durham-Scarborough bus rapid transit system.
In Durham, the budget highlights the planned extension of GO Transit service to Bowmanville and the widening of Highway 7 in Pickering’s Innovation Corridor.
It also includes funding for the Bowmanville Hospital redevelopment, which would add up to 32 beds and expand emergency and ambulatory care.
On education, the province is funding three new schools in Oshawa, Ajax and Whitby, along with a new Classroom Supplies Fund. But critics say the measures do little to address ongoing funding pressures.
Jennifer French said the deprioritization of education funding was expected.
“We knew there were going to be changes to OSAP,” she said, referencing the cuts to the program announced earlier this year. “What we see in the budget is no surprise. There is no money for education.”
Healthcare investment in Durham is largely tied to existing projects. French said the region continues to face shortages in hospital beds, long-term care, home care and personal support workers.
“There is nothing for the average person,” she said. “This government is not leading with impact. It’s not a fiscally smart government.”
The budget also includes a $550-million expansion of Homeless and Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) hubs across Ontario. One hub opened in Whitby last year, with another expected to open in Oshawa this spring.
French said affordability and housing remain the top concerns she hears from constituents.
Yet, she said “there is nothing in this budget that will help people” in areas of urgent need like housing.
Labour representatives say the broader direction of the budget reflects longer-term concerns about public services.
Jeff Tomlinson, secretary-treasurer of the Durham Region Labour Council, said the budget promotes privatization and benefits developers, while not sufficiently supporting the public sector, which is a significant employer in the area.
“Most of the major employers in Durham Region are in the public and broader public sectors, and across the board, that funding is inadequate,” he said.
He added the current fiscal approach shifts more of the burden onto individuals.
“For the last several decades, the percentage of tax revenue coming out of corporations has decreased significantly,” Tomlinson said.
“So a much bigger share of the budget is coming out of working people’s pockets. So, I would say, the big winners, as usual, are big business and finance capital.”
Neither finance minister and MPP for Pickering-Uxbridge, Peter Bethlenfalvy, nor Whitby MPP Lorne Coe replied to a request for comment.