We acknowledge that the City of Pickering resides on land within the Treaty and traditional territory of the Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation and Williams Treaties signatories of the Mississauga and Chippewa Nations. Pickering is also home to many Indigenous persons and communities who represent other diverse, distinct, and autonomous Indigenous nations. This acknowledgement reminds us of our responsibilities to our relationships with the First Peoples of Canada, and to the ancestral lands on which we learn, share, work, and live.

Happy New Year & Hello 2026! I would like to take this opportunity to wish you and your loved ones the very best as we close out the festive holiday season. Let us reminisce fondly over our graces and triumphs from 2025, and look forward to the bold & bright year ahead. I continue to be amazed by the strength, resilience, and community spirit shown by Ward 1 residents, the City of Pickering and the Region of Durham as a whole. You truly inspire me, and I’m grateful for your continued trust and confidence.

This year thanks to the efforts of a great team of community volunteers, The Waterfront Polar Dip Levee saw over 100 participants/spectators welcome 2026 with a splash, while collecting over 138 pounds of food and $165.00 for the St Paul's on the Hill Food Bank.

In the year ahead, I remain committed to advocating for our neighbourhoods and ever changing communities, while ensuring Pickering remains a vibrant and inclusive place to call home. 



Wishing you health, happiness, and prosperity for 2026 and beyond.

Join us for this important Information Session about the Refurbishment of the Pickering Nuclear Generating Station and how construction traffic is being managed.

Join us as we have an assortment of great events to engage in all year round. The City of Pickering's Events Calendar and Festival Page are great resources to see upcoming City and Community Events. 

Saturday, January 10, 2026: Mayor's New Year's Levee



Join us at Chestnut Hill Developments Recreation Complex from 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm.

An annual New Year's event at City Hall, a tradition to welcome the year, connect with residents, and celebrate community milestones. It's a free, family-friendly afternoon with live entertainment, refreshments, and activities, serving as a platform for reflection. Any additional details will be placed on the website here.

Answering your questions - A segment dedicated to answering some of your most pressing questions! Often times I have residents requesting the same information over a hot topic, issue or event. Connecting with our neighbours and sharing information to Pickering residents is some of my favourite duties associated with being your Councillor. This platform will allow me to do just that!

Send an email to mbrenner@pickering.ca with your questions on City & Regional matters to see if your inquiries were chosen as a hot topic in our next eNewsletter release.

What is going on with the owners at the south-east corner of Rougemount and Kingston Road, where the Bruno's/Montessori lands are located?

The owners have submitted a new application under the Planning Act. This application is in the very early stages of proposal, where no Recommendation Report has been drafted by City of Pickering Planning staff, nor has a decision of Council been made.

The next stage of this will be the Public Open House Meeting that is scheduled to take place on March 5, 2026, from 6:00 pm to 9:30 pm in the East and West Salons of the Chestnut Hill Developments Recreation Complex, located at 1867 Valley Farm Road.

To review the application details and all relevant documents, I encourage you to view the proposal webpage online here.

Who is responsible for the Blue Box recycling collection?

Ontario Blue Box recycling shifted from municipal control to producer responsibility via a company titled: Circular Materials. As part of a provincial effort to standardize recycling under the "Producer Responsibility" framework, meaning cities like Toronto, Durham, and Markham are seeing changes to collection providers and accepted materials. 

In Durham, the Region continues to be responsible for overseeing contractors for Green Bin and Garbage Collection. Recycling is no longer funded by municipal tax dollars or user fees, but by the companies who source the material.

For information regarding Blue Box collection, contact Circular Materials who manages the program and is now responsible for contracting with Miller Waste. 

Circular Materials

Email: customerservice@circularmaterials.ca

Telephone: 1.877.667.2626

Miller Waste

Email: area8@millerwaste.ca

Telephone: 1.888.852.4723

As Council Members we have a commitment to participate in a number of Committee and Council meetings annually.

The Executive Committee typically meets virtually once monthly on the first Monday of the month at 2:00 pm. Likewise, the Planning & Development Committee meet virtually on the same day of the month at 7:00 pm. The last Monday of the month typically, we meet virtually for Council meetings at 7:00 pm.

Please follow the links below for the City's website calendar, to view the most up-to-date scheduling.

As part of our commitment to open, transparent, and accessible municipal government, we continue to post online recaps of the decisions made at our Council Meetings to help residents better understand municipal affairs and directions set by Council. 

Members of the public may observe the meeting proceedings by viewing the livestream. The official meeting minutes are also publicly available through the City's website calendar and Corporate Records webpages. For more information on attending meetings and registering as a delegate, you may visit the City's website.

A breakdown of our Council Meeting Highlights are available on the City's website here. Alternatively, you may check out the City's Facebook page.

Each month the City of Pickering Building Services division generates an activity report which includes statistics of new applications received within the month, permit fees received to date, estimated construction valuations, projected building permit revenues, and comparisons to the previous year.

You may view the Building Permit Activity Report for December 2025.

For more information, visit the Building Services webpage here.

Visit LetsTalkPickering.ca/Development to learn more about the planning process.

The Region of Durham Council continues to be a champion for our community, and leverages it's voice through memberships with the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO), and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM). It advocates for change on current Provincial legislation that negatively impacts our residents.

The Region plays a significant role in providing essential services and resources to all of their corresponding municipalities.

Durham Regional Council held 2 Special Meetings on December 11 and 12 to review proposed business plans and budget. The recommended increase was 6.6%. At the December 11-12 meeting, Committee recommended a 3% Cap with the difference being transferred from Durham’s Reserve Account. This carried 15:13 On December 17 the recommendation of the Committee of the Whole was amended to a 4.8 Cap and referred the Budget back to staff to find the funds to offset the difference between 6.6 to 4.8. This carried 15:14.

Regional Council will debate this again January 28. For more information visit: YourVoice.Durham.ca/Budget

Durham Region has launched a new platform at durham.ca/ThisWeek and celebrate our Durham Region, where everyone feels valued and included. This page is designed to deliver news on Regional business in a more human and heartfelt approach.

Be sure to check out their webpage and subscribe should you wish to receive updates on this and enjoy a good read weekly!

Durham Region Transit (DRT) is one of the most popular and reputable regional services offered to our residents.

To stay up-to-date on the latest news with DRT, subscribe to their eNews page here.

The Lobbyist Registry is up and running, and it is now mandatory for those that lobby Public Officer Holders. The team from the Clerks Department has played a lead role in not only preparing the Lobbyist Registry By-law, but also the tools that will assist Public Office Holders and Lobbyists to understand the definition of a Public Officer Holder.

Connect with our Customer Care team, Monday to Friday (8:30 am - 4:30 pm), by telephone at 905.683.7575, or email customercare@pickering.ca.