There was no shortage of major news events in Durham Region this year, with the tariffs introduced by incoming U.S. President Donald Trump the news event of the year in Durham and around the country, with the threat of job losses hanging over the heads of residents – with the fear most acute in Oshawa and other towns dependent on the auto industry – within weeks of Trump’s inauguration.
The tragic fire that swept through historic downtown Bowmanville in early March was another major event in Durham. The fire destroyed several buildings, with a body – later identified as 54-year-old Kelli Faris – found among the rubble.
https://www.insauga.com/fire-devastates-historic-downtown-buildings-in-bowmanville-ontario/
A good news-bad news-good news story that made the rounds had a happy ending after a home-based bakery in Ajax – forced to find a new home after a positive TikTok review made it too popular for the residential neighbourhood – opened a bricks and mortar location in Pickering Village this fall.
Durham Region’s political scene was full of infighting (Whitby), code of conduct violations (Pickering) and other skullduggery, but the most bizarre of all was a Clarington councillor who is alleged to have sent death threats to a potential rival.
Clarington Councillor Corinna Traill
A long-term care home in Pickering with the worst death rate during the pandemic – the army had to be called in to help because conditions were so bad – remains in the news because the province approved a major expansion, prompting seniors’ groups to protest.
Honourable mention goes to Scugog Township and the fight by residents to save the historic Port Perry Fairgrounds, rumoured to be the target of developers.
https://www.insauga.com/future-of-one-ontarios-oldest-county-fairs-uncertain-after-2026/
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