Success Stories

Winter 2021

The Region of Durham has offered childcare fee subsidy, in order to help parents with the cost of childcare, for over 20 years. In that time however, there had not been a robust data analysis to assess the impact of the fee subsidy program from either an economic or social perspective.

The goal of the current project was to assess the economic impact of the fee subsidy program, such as how it has affected family income over time and the broader impact on Durham’s economy. 

Winter 2021

The purpose of this project was to develop ideas for how we can improve the safety of multi-use trails throughout Durham Region. We wanted to investigate ways to make Durham trails safer for all residents. The impact of the project will be seen in future policy work as it will help to bring awareness and discussion of trail safety. The recommendations will help to either bring new ideas forward or put ideas listed in the report to action to increase general safety.

Winter 2021

Durham Region is one of the fastest growing municipalities in North America with its population expected to grow to approximately 1 million by 2041 from an estimated 700,000 people today. Rapid, diverse population growth and urban intensification will impact the Region’s future service delivery models and the amount of waste the Region will manage.

The Region developed its initial Long-Term Waste Management Strategy Plan in 1999 to cover the twenty years to 2020.  The Region is now...

Fall 2020

COVID-19 has had a significant impact on transit ridership levels and patterns in Durham Region. While this may be due to several factors, including loss of employment or an increase in working from home, a significant factor is fear and apprehension from citizens in travelling during a pandemic.

The purpose of this project was to develop dynamic communication materials that can help make people more comfortable travelling during COVID-19, including infographics and website content.  

Project status: ongoing

In January 2020, Ontario woke to an Alert Ready message that an emergency was taking place at the Pickering Nuclear Generating Station. The message was sent in error but it led to a surge of potassium iodide (KI) tablet orders and raised questions about what residents should know and do in the event of an emergency at one of the nuclear generating stations. This social research project will inform public education strategy and campaigns by understanding how residents in each...