On January 28, 2026, Durham Regional Council approved the 2026 Business Plans and Property Tax Budget, including a 4.8 per cent increase to the regional portion of property taxes affecting residents across the Region, including Ajax, Ontario. For the average homeowner this translates to roughly $168 annually — about $14 per month — to help cover rising costs in public safety and essential services as the Region grows.
Durham’s budget documents and news release show about $10 of that roughly $14 monthly increase is earmarked for police services (including additional front-line staffing and related technology), while the remaining $4 will be invested across transit, housing, paramedic services and regional roads and bridges. The Region’s documents also identify a portion of the $4 being directed toward affordable housing initiatives, including the Durham Living mixed-income housing proposal near the Ajax GO station.
Local projects affecting Ajax cited in the Region’s 2026 materials include continued funding for the multi‑year Rossland Road widening project to improve traffic flow, plus funding for paramedic services: the budget provides for two new 24‑hour ambulance crews to be staged at the Ajax–Pickering border to help reduce ambulance offload delays at Lakeridge Health Ajax Pickering. The budget also identifies investments aimed at expanding regional transit frequency and on‑demand services in parts of Ajax.
Regional Chair John Henry described the approved budget as a responsible approach that seeks to avoid cutting essential services while maintaining community safety. A local ratepayers group has expressed concern that the higher regional levy will be a burden for seniors and households already facing high costs of living; the Region’s increase will be collected through municipal tax bills later this year (the regional levy is separate from each municipality’s local tax rate and the provincial education portion).
For more information, see Durham Region’s budget materials and news release: https://www.durham.ca/en/news/durham-regional-council-approves-the-2026-business-plans-and-budget.aspx and the Town of Ajax budget resources at https://www.ajax.ca/en/inside-townhall/budget-and-financial-services.aspx.
