Statement from Mayor Redekop Regarding Changes to Niagara Regional Government

On Thursday, April 2, 2026, the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing announced that legislation would be tabled in the Legislature to change regional government in Ontario. The legislation will focus on the Niagara Region and Simcoe County, although the chair of all regional governments will be appointed by the Premier going forward. I hope the Premier will reconsider this position prior to finalizing the legislation and ensure it is properly evaluated based on evidence, financial analysis or business case justification, and local input that includes public consultation.

The changes for Niagara will result in the number of councillors being reduced to the mayors of the twelve local area municipalities only, potentially headed by an unelected, appointed chair. To account for the disparity in population among municipalities, weighted voting will be implemented, though the announcement did not specify what that will look like. One possibility is to align votes with the current allocation: one for Wainfleet, three for Welland, four for Niagara Falls, seven for St. Catharines, and two each for the remaining eight municipalities. While this arrangement would prevent the three largest municipalities from dominating council decisions, two aspects of the proposed changes are very troubling and could put this balance at risk.

The first is that the Minister did not specify what the weighted vote formula will be, leaving that to the legislation yet to be introduced. The second, and most concerning, is the appointment by the Premier of all regional chairs in Ontario. These would be eight hand-picked individuals aligned with the Premier and dependent on him for their position. More concerning is the intention to provide these individuals with what the Minister referred to as “strong chair” powers. Similar to “strong mayor” powers, this regional chair would be empowered to veto decisions of the duly elected council that do not meet “provincial policy,” with the support of one-third of council votes. This is undemocratic.

In other words, an unelected regional chair would have the power to reject decisions supported by a majority of popularly elected mayors at regional council. This is the latest step that risks eroding democratic governance in Ontario. It is critical that the public be consulted and supportive of these significant changes to uphold their democratic rights and those of their elected officials. By comparison, a similar move by the Prime Minister to appoint provincial and territorial leaders would not be accepted. This should concern all Ontarians. Strong mayor powers, proposed strong chair powers, restrictions to freedom of information, and a lack of public consultation on fundamental democratic changes should be challenged.

Fort Erie Mayor Wayne Redekop

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