Building opportunities for Durham’s future

Health care leaders working to improve access to care. Community organizations advancing inclusion. Infrastructure projects supporting future growth. Researchers helping businesses innovate.

At a recent Durham Region Intelligent Community Symposium, local leaders shared how they are helping meet the needs of a growing region. Whether it’s health care and accessibility or infrastructure and innovation, their work is turning challenges into possibilities for everyone across Durham. In doing so, they show that building an intelligent community is as much about people as it is about projects.

Building access to health care

As Executive Director of Docs for Durham, Sheila Hall is helping address one of the region’s most pressing challenges: access to family doctors. She is particularly proud of the “collaboration and the groups that came together to create a medical program that's going to allow us to increase access to care for all residents of Durham.”

Docs for Durham works to attract and keep family doctors in Durham and is supported by the Region and all eight towns, cities, and townships in Durham. By working with hospitals, clinics and post-secondary schools, Docs for Durham builds relationships with medical students and residents training locally while promoting Durham as a place to live and practise medicine. The program is already showing results. In 2025, five graduating family medicine residents chose to stay and practise in Durham Region and interest from physicians outside the region continues to grow.

For Hall, the program shows what can happen when organizations work together around a shared goal. As she puts it, “the fabric of the community is based in collaboration,” helping create solutions to some of the region’s most pressing challenges.

Building a community where everyone belongs

That collaborative spirit is also reflected in efforts to create a community where everyone feels welcomed, valued and able to contribute. At Abilities Centre in Whitby, that commitment takes shape through inclusive programs designed to remove barriers and foster belonging.

For Michael Cvitkovic, President and CEO of the Abilities Centre, being part of an intelligent community “means being part of something bigger.” Since 2012, the organization has brought sports, arts, education and skills development to people of all ages and abilities. Through accessible and inclusive programming, Abilities Centre helps ensure more residents can take part in everyday life. It has become a model for other communities and is recognized around the world as a hub for innovation and research.

Cvitkovic credits the 125 staff members who help bring the centre’s vision to life.

“I think Durham Region should be really proud of the leadership it has as a region in accessibility and inclusivity,” he said, adding that “having a mindset where inclusivity is at the forefront is really what’s propelling us forward.”

Building the foundation for growth

Some challenges can only be solved by thinking years ahead. That’s the approach behind much of the work underway at Ontario Power Generation (OPG) where Dave Tyndall serves as Vice-President of New Nuclear Engineering.

“We’re accomplishing some really hard things,” he said. “We’re building mega projects; we’re providing clean energy infrastructure that’s going to be the underpinning for so much growth.”

As the Clean Energy Capital of Canada, Durham Region is home to some of the country’s most significant future energy projects. At OPG’s Darlington nuclear site, the G7’s first small modular reactor (SMR) is under construction with a total of four planned for the site. Once complete, the four SMRs are expected to
sustain 3,700 Durham jobs annually while injecting $500 million ever year into the Canadian economy. Refurbishment planning is also well underway at the Pickering Nuclear Generating Station. That project is expected to create approximately
30,500 jobs during refurbishment, while sustaining 6,700 jobs throughout the station’s operation.

But for Tyndall, it goes “beyond just doing hard things. It’s also about the people.” OPG employs thousands across the region, and many go on to take leadership roles both within the company and across Durham. He sees developing future talent as another important contribution to the region’s growth as an intelligent community. “I’m really proud of not just the work that we’re doing here, but the foundation that we’re providing,” he said.

Building excitement for the future

“It’s an exciting time to see the growth in Durham Region,” said Jennifer Freeman who holds a dual role at Ontario Tech University as Executive Director of the Office of Research Services and Interim Executive Director of the ACE Climate Testing and Research Facility. “I've been in the community for over 20 years, and I've seen so much positive, exciting and fascinating changes,” she said.

Freeman helps connect research and innovation with real-world solutions that help students, businesses and communities across Durham Region. Ontario Tech is recognized as one of Canada’s leading research universities and its ACE facility is the first testing and research centre of its kind in Canada. Working with businesses of all sizes, ACE helps test and develop new technologies in a world-class climate testing environment.

For Freeman, the work done at Ontario Tech is about more than research. It’s about helping people and organizations adapt to change, solve problems and create new opportunities. “We’re at a real turning point where we're seeing innovation and intelligent technologies helping to connect people, improve mobility and transportation and enhance many aspects of our community,” she said.

Taken together, the stories shared at the symposium highlight why Durham earned recognition on the world stage as the 2025 Intelligent Community of the Year. More importantly, they reveal the work that continues every day: people coming together to turn challenges into opportunities and create a community where everyone can thrive.

This is the second in a series sharing stories about our Intelligent Community recognition — highlighting how Durham Region is creating opportunities and building a strong, connected future for residents.