The Transit Blind Spot: Durham Candidates Ignore the Daily Grind
AI-generated image · Bay Street Wire
As municipal elections approach, riders and advocates warn that a lack of candidate focus on public transit is leaving commuters stranded in a failing system.
For the thousands of residents who rely on Durham Region Transit (DRT) to reach their jobs and medical appointments, the upcoming 2026 municipal election is less about political rhetoric and more about the basic ability to get from point A to point B. Yet, according to riders and advocacy groups, the candidates vying for power are treating the region's transit crisis as a footnote.
As CBC Toronto first reported, there is a stark disconnect between the campaign trail and the curb. Michael Gemmink, a Pickering resident who uses the bus several times a week, described the current state of Durham transit as "abysmal" and "deeply" unreliable. Gemmink noted that buses frequently miss their schedules and suffer from overcrowding during peak hours. The physical gaps in coverage are equally severe; Gemmink reports a 20-to-25-minute walk to his nearest stop, while some residents near Lake Ontario face walks of up to 50 minutes.
These failures have tangible financial and personal costs. Gemmink stated that poor reliability forces him to use Ubers for medical appointments, while the cost of fares—$4.85 for cash or $3.84 via Presto—acts as a "steep" barrier for lower-income users.
Despite these realities, the political response has been muted. Gemmink characterized a recent Pickering mayoral debate as having a "glaring oversight" because transit discussions were entirely absent. This trend extends to the candidates' platforms. CBC Toronto reports that while Pickering Mayor Kevin Ashe has pointed to the start of construction on the Durham-Scarborough rapid transit initiative as a means of improving affordability and connectivity to Toronto, his social media and official platform lack specific transit-related ideas. Similarly, Coun. Lisa Robinson's platform does not explicitly mention transit, though she has suggested limiting development based on community need and existing infrastructure capacity.
In Oshawa, the conversation has shifted toward unconventional infrastructure and urban planning. Eric Polsinelli, an Oshawa resident, has called for a move away from "car-centric" cities. He noted that mayoral candidate and city councillor Derek Giberson has proposed turning traffic lanes into two-way streets downtown to calm traffic and increase walkability. Polsinelli also pointed to the region's long-discussed gondola proposal—an aerial cable car designed to connect Highway 407 to Lake Ontario to bypass road congestion. However, the political will for such projects is divided: Coun. Tito-Dante Marimpietri has publicly opposed the gondola, while Coun. Jim Lee and Coun. Derek Giberson have not expressed support for it.
From a systemic perspective, the stakes are high. According to CBC Toronto, Dale Perlas, the Durham Region lead for the advocacy group More Transit Southern Ontario, noted that election platforms across every Durham municipality have pushed transit into the background. Perlas warned that service adjustments made during the pandemic have left many neighborhoods without coverage and have not yet recovered. He argued that municipal leaders must stop treating transit as an afterthought and instead view it as a critical municipal service and a core part of the infrastructure network.
**Opinion:** It is a failure of leadership when the very people tasked with managing the Durham regional council—the body responsible for DRT decisions—ignore the daily struggles of the people they serve. When candidates treat transit as a background issue, they aren't just ignoring a policy point; they are ignoring the economic mobility of their constituents.