Regional Chair Bob Gale is advocating for reducing the number of municipal politicians and possibly amalgamating local municipalities throughout Niagara Region as a means of reducing costs, enhancing governance and improving efficiency.
Gale sent letters to local mayors and the Ontario Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Rob Flack outlining his case for change.
His letter begins by outlining how difficult Niagara Region’s recent 2026 budget process was, which Gale says has “laid bare the failings of our municipal governance structure” and revealed patterns that “raise serious concerns regarding, waste, abuse and a culture of casualness with taxpayer dollars.” Gale outlines that the current governance structure has led to three straight years of large regional tax increases, totalling nearly 25 per cent over three years.
Gale then goes on to note that he believes Niagara Region’s problems are exacerbated by the fact that the Region has 126 elected officials at the municipal level, which includes more politicians than all of Queen’s Park.
He also highlights the fact that Niagara Region has a massive, deferred capital backlog of $2.7 billion, which means higher taxes and more debt will be on the horizon if something doesn’t change.
All of this, Gale insists, threatens provincial priorities, including being able to carry out the province’s “ambitious” Destination Niagara strategy, which was unveiled by Ontario Premier Doug Ford back in December.
To deal with all of this, Gale says he plans to quickly initiate consultations with local mayors to investigate the idea of reducing the number of municipal councillors as well as amalgamating lower-tier municipalities, of which Niagara Region currently has 12.
Fewer politicians and amalgamations would, according to Gale, reduce overlap and administrative duplication, as well as bring large-ticket spending decisions “into clearer focus for taxpayers.”
Gale suggested in a letter to local mayors that they consider either a one- or four-city model. The four-city model would consolidate Lincoln, West Lincoln, Grimsby, Pelham, and Wainfleet into one city; Welland, Thorold, and Port Colborne into a second; Niagara Falls, Niagara-on-the-Lake, and Fort Erie into a third; and keep St. Catharines as a stand-alone city. The one-city model would see all 12 lower-tier municipalities amalgamated.
Gale doesn’t intend for this process to take long. Rather, he plans to submit his recommendations for reducing the number of politicians and potential amalgamation within a matter of weeks.
Because municipalities are creatures of the provinces and do not have constitutional status, the Ford government can unilaterally change the local governance structure. That means the province can reduce the number of politicians and/or amalgamate Niagara Region municipalities without any real input from local residents and even if there is opposition from local politicians.
Gale was appointed Regional Chair in December following the passing of former chair Jim Bradley in September.
Jay Goldberg is the Canadian Affairs Manager at the Consumer Choice Center. He previously served as the Ontario Director at the Canadian Taxpayers Federation and a policy fellow at the Munk School of Public Policy and Global Affairs. Jay holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Toronto.
