| durhamregion.com | This Week | Thursday, November 3, 2022 | 34 Over 90 years of Service to our Community We offer Modern Amenities Together with Timeless Values of Trust and Caring Service. 110 Dundas Street E.,Whitby • 905-668-3410 wctownfuneralchapel.com For Whitby's new mayor, getting elected has been the easy part. Every municipal election Elizabeth Roy has earned the trust of the people of Whit- by going all the way back to winning a seat on the public school board in 1996. But this time, Roy will take on a com- pletely new role as the head of council, and that will be a harder challenge. She insists she has the team of both veteran and new councillors to take the town where it needs to go in the next four years. Three local councillors are all newcomers to council with the remainder having served at least one term or more. "I've had straightforward conversations with those who have been on council and the focus will be on the next four years," said Roy, a few days after her election as Whitby's mayor. Her first order of business is to work with the other eight councillors to help craft a new strategic plan to guide council forward for the rest of the term. She's already spoken to veteran regional councillor Chris Leahy about being on a steering committee to help craft the plan and wants the committee to also include a local councillor. The committee will also be made up of members of staff and will involve input from all councillors. "I want to know what all members of council see as their main priorities for the next four years, to create a basis for where we start out. During our council orientation we will have a mini strategic planning session, and then once we have a number of topics worked out, we will open it up for community consultation to get public input," Roy insisted. She said the council strategic plan is expected to be finalized by February or March of next year. She does insist it will be a living document, and could change, "because we don't know what could come down our way." Leahy, who was re-elected to his regional council position on Oct. 24, said his priorities were fairly straightforward. "The challenge for us is what we were talking about at the doors. It's going to be infrastructure, it's going to be development and it's going to be growth," he said. Leahy said he's concerned that the town ensure it has the infrastructure it needs to support its growing population, noting that Whitby is expected to grow by up to 60,000 people in the next decade. "We also have to make sure we have all the supports in place for the hospital that's been promised in Whitby. And we need to keep working at the Region to expand the roads to deal with the population and traffic that's coming to town," Leahy said. For re-elected regional councillor Rhonda Mulcahy, it would seem a strategic plan makes sense. But she said council needs to show "measurable accomplishments." She also said she heard at the door that "there was a concern for the appearance on the ground of our services. We have to move and address our growth issues." Roy also said one of her first priorities will be to deal with the provincial government's housing targets legislation, which mandates a total of 1.5 million new homes in Ontario in the next 10 years. Whitby's target as set by the province is 18,000 new homes over a decade to accommodate increases in population. "We have to respond and work together to see how these legislative changes will impact us," said Roy. She added other council goals include health care, the community as a whole, taxation and also jobs. Whether those priorities will be part of a strategic plan remains to be seen. Leahy summed up what perhaps all councillors are feeling as they embark on a new term of office. "It's a new council, it's a fresh start," he said. WHITBY WILL HAVE A PLAN FOR NEXT FOUR YEARS SAYS ROY TIM KELLY tkelly@durhamregion.com NEWS 'I WANT TO KNOW WHAT ALL MEMBERS OF COUNCIL SEE AS THEIR MAIN PRIORITIES FOR THE NEXT FOUR YEARS' - MAYOR ELIZABETH ROY Whitby's new mayor, Elizabeth Roy, said her first priority is to work on a strategic plan for Whitby council with her council colleagues. It will also include input from staff and the public and should be ready by February or March. Jason Liebregts/Metroland "During our council orientation we will have a mini strategic planning session, and then once we have a number of topics worked out, we will open it up for community consultation to get public input." - Elizabeth Roy