Corporate Strategic Plan

Strategic Focus: Be Financially Sustainable

• Council approves Fire Communications Services Agreement to outsource fire call taking and dispatch services to the City of Oshawa, streamlining dispatching and emergency communications and saving money.
• The 2024 Budget reflects a significant investment of funds that enable the delivery of critical services, programs and infrastructure to serve our dynamic and growing community. Adopted on March 1, 2024, the budget represents a residential levy impact of 3.99% on the City’s share of the total tax bill. The City has also prepared a 9 year Capital Budget forecast to responsibly plan for our future and guide the City’s infrastructure investments over the long term.

Strategic Focus: Provide Exceptional Customer Service

• Council endorses schematic design for renovations to the Council Chamber (Pickering Civic Complex), authorizing staff to proceed with next steps related to building and construction requirements.

Strategic Focus: Improve quality of life

• City renews partnership with DARS to support community members in need.
• To help fund meaningful City projects, City staff will be taking advantage of Federal and Provincial grant opportunities, including the Green & Inclusive Community Building Program (GICB), the Community Sport and Recreation Infrastructure Fund and Stream 2 of the Community Sport and Recreation Infrastructure Fund (CSRIF).
• Pickering celebrated the opening of Jerry Coughlan Health & Wellness Centre, a new state-of-the-art Surgical Centre and health-care facility.
• Construction is underway on a new 200-bed long-term care home in Pickering.

Strategic Focus: Celebrate community diversity

• On the Backs of Fish, Pickering’s new permanent public art, opens at Pickering Museum Village.
• City of Pickering invests in arts, heritage, and culture with the start of construction of the new Pickering Heritage & Community Centre.
• Artist, Linfeng Zhou, awarded poppy marker public art commission.

Strategic Focus: Promote community safety

• City approves security camera investments at City Facilities and Parks, enhancing the level of security for both the public and staff at City parks and facilities.
• Council endorses Community Safety & Well-Being Plan.
• Pickering Fire kicks off its annual fire education campaign, ‘FireSafe Pickering’, to educate residents about fire safety and fire-related issues in the community.
• Local Fire Departments launch ‘Spring into Summer Safety’ Campaign to share critical fire safety tips to keep community members safe.

Strategic Focus: Provide equitable access to municipal services and programs

• Council endorses schematic design for renovations to the Council Chamber (Pickering Civic Complex), authorizing staff to proceed with next steps related to building and construction requirements.
• City enhances Pothole Repair Program with the addition of two additional asphalt hot boxes, equipping staff with resources needed to fix potholes in a timely manner.
• St. Mary Park Playground reopens with accessibility upgrades that are fully compliant with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA).
• Consulting Services for Council Chambers Renovations is awarded; work includes overall improvements to accessibility, security, acoustic performance, audio-visual systems, controls, electrical and mechanical systems, millwork, finishes and related systems and building elements.
• City of Pickering and Town of Whitby partner on pre-approved design program for Additional Dwelling Units (ADUs).

Strategic Focus: Advocate for and work with partners to increase access to health care facilities and medical practitioners

• Memorandum of Understanding among the City of Pickering, the Regional Municipality of Durham and all Durham local municipalities is approved to fund, create, and deliver a family physician recruitment program in Durham.

Strategic Focus: Promote and support responsible planning and sustainable growth

• At the December 16, 2024 Council Meeting, staff receive Council’s enactment of the City-wide final Consolidated Zoning By-law.
• City of Pickering invests in arts, heritage, and culture with Pickering Heritage & Community Centre as its first zero-carbon Community Centre.

Strategic Focus: Promote community connectivity and accessibility

• Council approves City’s Recreation & Parks – Ten Year Plan (2024 – 2034), which will help guide future investments for community centres, ice rinks, sports fields, pools and splash pads, playgrounds, and more.
• City to develop a 2025 Road Needs Study, which is required to establish lifecycle funding requirements and determine the improvement needs of the City’s road system (both hard and loose surfaces) over the next 10 years.
• Pickering explores e-Scooters through a Shared E-Scooter Pilot Program.
• The High Frequency Rail (HFR) project completed its second phase and Council endorsed the Corridor Design for a proposed station stop in Pickering.

Strategic Focus: Build environmental and infrastructure resilience through proactive climate change mitigation and adaptation measures

• Pickering Council approves the new modernized Tree Protection By-law.
• The City of Pickering completed its Pine Creek Erosion Municipal Class Environmental Assessment Study (Class EA), enabling staff to identify and prioritize erosion-related risks within the study area, and to develop a list of high priority sites in need of rehabilitation.
• Sustainability efforts are highlighted in Pickering’s 2023 Sustainable Year-in-Review; efforts included tree plantings, pollinator projects, litter cleanups, the Pickering Farmers’ Market, educational webinars, and more.
• The City of Pickering begins developing its first Community Climate Adaptation Plan, to help community members prepare for, and adapt to, extreme weather-related events.

Strategic Focus: Build Relationships

• Pickering introduces Ratepayer Association Registry to better profile and support local Ratepayer Associations.

Strategic Focus: Act as a community connector and community builder through partnerships and collaboration

• Council approves expansion of parking area for Valley Plentiful Community Garden, enabling Valley Plentiful Community Garden users to better access the site.

Strategic Focus: Make information and services readily accessible and available to all community members

• Pickering Council endorses the Digital Readiness Assessment and Strategy, outlining an investment and implementation framework to leverage digital technology to improve operational efficiency and service delivery.

Strategic Focus: Promote civic education and pride

• Launched Conversations in the Community page to provide community members with accurate information around topics of interest.

• 2025 Budget Highlights
• 2024 Annual Progress Report
• Report to Council LEG 06-23
• Report to Council LEG 06-19
  Strategic Plan
  - Proposal of Planning Solutions Inc