Q and A: New Durham regional chair Kevin Ashe talks about dual role
Ashe said he will appoint committees and committee chairs and bring in a budget, not use veto powers
New appointment means Ashe will be mayor and regional chair at same time
By Tim Kelly, durhamregion.com — Nov. 13, 2026
Pickering Mayor Kevin Ashe is now taking on the dual role of mayor of Pickering and chair of Durham Region.
After the new provincial appointment to the regional chair role, we asked Ashe — who will be sworn in as mayor of Pickering Nov. 16, before taking on his first meeting as new regional chair Nov. 25 — about the dual role.
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Will you be able to do what have been two full-time jobs (mayor, regional chair)? How are you going to manage that?
Kevin Ashe: The old adage is give the busy person the job and I’m blessed to have professional and dedicated staff at the city; it’s the same at the region. I kind of look toward the people who made this appointment, Premier (Doug) Ford and Minister Rob Flack are both full-time MPPs and also have ministerial responsibilities. It will be a big job, a big responsibility, but I’m willing to take that challenge on.
Could there be a possible perceived conflict of interest at the region between your role as mayor of Pickering and regional chair?
Kevin Ashe: That’s a legitimate issue we’ll have to deal with as we go through this new arrangement. I can tell you I won’t be sitting at regional council as a mayor — the City of Pickering will be appointing another person to sit as regional councillor. I will be seeking advice of the integrity commissioner to see if any real or perceived bias or conflict is dealt with in an appropriate manner. I will be mindful of the perception of it and I will work to gather the trust of my colleagues as well as staff on those issues.
Are you planning to bring in your own budget as a strong regional chair?
Kevin Ashe: My intent will be to work together with staff to bring in a draft budget, which I will share with council to ask for feedback, and I will be meeting the legislative deadline of having a budget put in front of council by Feb. 1.
Do you intend to use strong regional chair powers as afforded to you by the province?
Kevin Ashe: I think the best indication of the future is the past. I’ve had strong-mayor powers (as Pickering mayor). I have not used it to bring bylaws in front of council, I have not used them for veto. I have used them for the organizational review of the chief administrative officer (CAO) reporting to the mayor and I have used them for the appointments of committees and chairs. And that’s my intent — to replicate what I have done at the city at the region.
Anything else you want to say about your new dual role?
Kevin Ashe: I am excited. It’s a big job, a big responsibility. Two things I want to say — people should understand that although I have two jobs, I only have one paycheque. So, I’m not double-dipping. This will save taxpayers money. Second, Durham’s best days are ahead.
Who will you be getting paid by: the City of Pickering or the Region of Durham?
Kevin Ashe: The salary for the regional chair will be paid by the City of Pickering and the difference between the mayor’s salary and the regional chair’s salary will be charged back to the region.
Do you consider yourself an appointee of the province or a servant of the region?
Kevin Ashe: I think both. It’s also important to note the newly appointed chairs will get mandate letters (from the province). We do have shared responsibilities and we have shared objectives and shared challenges. The issue of affordability is huge. The issue of mental health, addiction and homelessness, the issue of infrastructure, the issue of transit and community safety — those are things that unite us across the region and across the province and some of them are the priorities of the Ford government. So, I think it’s a joint responsibility and I look forward to the challenge.
Will you be comfortable speaking up against the province if there’s an issue that merits that?
Kevin Ashe: Absolutely. I really think all levels of local government need a better deal from our upper-tier government. The federal government makes all the decisions on immigration and asylum seekers. The provincial government makes all the decisions on health care, but the local taxpayer is left holding the bag for a number of those decisions with regards to shelters, with regards to mental health. No, I won’t have any problems with regards to speaking up.
