Before the Northeast Pickering Secondary Plan can be approved, the City must hold a Statutory Public Meeting which is scheduled for November 10 at 7 pm.

 

This will likely be our only formal chance to demand that all required studies are

completed, released publicly and reviewed before the Secondary Plan is approved.

 

This is YOUR opportunity to speak up and have your voice heard. This is OUR opportunity to prevent this reckless project from advancing. 

 

 

- 4,000 acres in Northeast Pickering, located on the headwaters of Carruthers Creek and largely surrounded by the Greenbelt has been added to the urban boundary through the new Durham Regional Official Plan.

- Pickering is now fast-tracking the approval of the Northeast Pickering Secondary

Plan without completing required studies on flooding, taxes, or infrastructure.

- Approval of the NE Pickering Secondary Plan will move Pickering one step closer to development—even though key studies remain incomplete

- Stop Sprawl Durham advocates for smart growth - protecting farmland and natural areas, ensuring affordable housing, and avoiding costly taxpayer infrastructure burdens - which is why we are taking action on the proposed development in Northeast Pickering.

 

 

- Higher Property Taxes - Expanding roads, sewers, water, fire and emergency services into a brand-new city-sized area will cost hundreds of millions. Growth like this never pays for itself - existing taxpayers pick up the tab.

- Increased Flooding Risk to Ajax - Paving over Carruthers Creek headwaters means more stormwater rushing downstream into Ajax neighbourhoods.

- Insurance Impacts - Homes in flood-prone areas may face higher premiums - or

become uninsurable altogether.

 

 

The City of Pickering plans to approve the Northeast Pickering Secondary Plan

without demonstrating that all of the studies required under Section 5.7 of the

Durham Region Official Plan (DROP) have been completed and made public.

 

 

- Fiscal Impact Study - to show who pays for the roads, sewers, and emergency

services. Right now, no one knows if taxpayers will be stuck with the bill.

- Flood & Subwatershed Studies - to prove Carruthers Creek won’t flood

downstream into Ajax.

- Phasing & Servicing Plans - that aligns with infrastructure limits - especially given Seaton is not expected to be fully built out until 2051

- Coordination with Ajax - because flooding and traffic impacts don’t stop at

municipal borders.

 

 

The City has not confirmed which, if any, of those studies have been completed and released for residents to examine.

 

Until all the studies listed in Section 5.7 are publicly disclosed, taxpayers and

downstream residents are being asked to accept unknown financial liabilities and

unassessed flood risks — with no transparency and no opportunity for informed

input.

 

 

Residents can stop this - but only if we speak up now.

 

Email StopSprawlDurham@gmail.com to get involved or if you plan to delegate at

the upcoming Statutory Meeting.

 

Should you wish to make a verbal delegation with respect to this matter during the Statutory Public Meeting, please visit pickering.ca/spm and complete the online delegation request form or email clerks@pickering.ca.

 

Virtual delegations must register by 12:00 pm noon on the last business day before the scheduled meeting. Once your request has been received, confirmation will be provided to you by the Clerk’s Office which will include the details of the delegation process.

 

 

 

1. If you haven’t already - please sign the petition demanding that Mayor Ashe and Pickering Council reject the Northeast Pickering Secondary Plan:

 

Here is the link - Northeast Pickering Petition

 

2. Stay Informed. Stay Engaged.

We appreciate your continued attention to this important issue.

 

Please share this update with neighbours, friends, and fellow residents — especially those who live in Pickering and along Carruthers Creek or in low-lying areas of Ajax.

 

With strong public input, we can push for smarter, safer, and more responsible

planning — without crippling Durham taxpayers or putting homes at increased risk of flooding.

 

 

To better understand how we got here, and why building a 4,000-acre “city within a city” on the headwaters of Carruthers Creek raises serious concerns, explore the resources below:

 

 

 

We are fully supportive of building more affordable housing to meet the City's growth projections but they must be built in the right places. Building in Northeast Pickering is a reckless irresponsible plan given it is surrounded by Greenbelt and will costs billions of dollars to service. Last week, we sent a formal letter to Mayor Kevin Ashe and all members of Pickering Council with one clear demand:

 

 

You can read the full letter here.

 

So far, there has been no response from the mayor’s office. This makes the upcoming Statutory Public Meeting, on November 10, even more critical.