News Releases

Health Department celebrates World No Tobacco Day, May 31

Whitby, Ontario - World No Tobacco Day is on May 31, and Durham Region Health Department is reminding everyone that it’s never too late to quit smoking—a habit that not only negatively impacts your personal health, but also has a global environmental impact.

The World Health Organization indicates that approximately 3.5 million hectares of land are converted for tobacco growing globally each year. This interferes with attempts to substitute tobacco growing with sustainable crops, contributing to...

Durham Region wins the OPWA Project of the Year Award for the Newtonville Road Project

Whitby, Ontario – At a recent ceremony, Durham Region staff were presented with the Ontario Public Works Association (OPWA) 2022 Project of the Year Award in the Transportation, less than $2 million category for the Newtonville Road (Regional Road 18) Rehabilitation with Recycled Materials Project.

Newtonville Road, in the Municipality of Clarington, was the location for an innovative project that used recycled materials in road construction. The first phase of the project was completed using...

Nuclear public alerting system test will sound a little different this June

Whitby, Ontario – This spring’s test of the nuclear public alerting system, taking place from June 5 to 9, will be a bit different than previous years. As the system undergoes scheduled maintenance, the June test will consist of 34 individual short, five second siren alerts rather than a single one-minute test of all sirens.

The tests will take place during daytime hours, over five days, in the Municipality of Clarington and the City of Pickering.

On June 5, an auto dialer will call listed...

Statement from Regional Chair on strong partnerships among Durham and the eight local municipalities

Whitby, Ontario – The following statement is being issued on behalf of John Henry, Regional Chair and Chief Executive Officer for The Regional Municipality of Durham:

“Despite the recent provincial announcement about changes to the structure of the Region of Peel, there have been no concerns raised about the size or structure of The Regional Municipality of Durham.

Our Region, and the eight local municipalities, have a productive and strong track record of working together to serve our residents....

May is National Lyme Disease Awareness Month

Whitby, Ontario - May is National Lyme Disease Awareness Month and Durham Region Health Department is reminding everyone to take precautions against ticks when spending time outdoors.

Blacklegged ticks are prevalent in Durham, especially in forested and grassy areas. It’s important to take precautions to avoid tick bites, as some ticks may carry the Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria, which can cause Lyme disease in humans and animals. Reports of tick bites and Lyme disease infections in Ontario have...