Niagara Region’s budget saga continues, as Regional Council chose not to finalize the 2026 operating budget at the January 8th meeting, despite anticipation from many quarters that it would do so.
Before the January 8th meeting, it appeared as though the only order of business left was to finalize the police budget.
Back on December 11th, Council voted to ask the Niagara Regional Police to cut $2.7 million from its 2026 budget in order to get the overall property tax increase down to 6.48 per cent.
However, the Police Service Board rejected that request later in the month, insisting that the police budget’s 11.5 per cent increase for 2026 remain intact.
After that decision from the police board, the only option Council had at its disposal was to make an appeal to the Ontario Police Arbitration and Adjudication Commission, a costly move that also would have meant a longer period of uncertainty for Niagara Region taxpayers.
Council met on January 8th as a committee of the whole to consider the budget in light of the police board’s refusal to implement further cuts.
It was expected that Council would simply accept the police board’s decision and implement a property tax hike of 6.98 per cent, leaving the police budget untouched.
If approved, the 2026 property tax increase, along with increases in water and wastewater rates, a decrease in the Waste Management Special Tax Levy, and an increase in the Niagara Transit Special Tax Levy, would have meant a tax increase of $225 for the average Niagara Region household.
Councillor Sandra Easton (Mayor of Lincoln) spoke out after a short presentation made by staff. She noted that the province had recently appointed Bob Gale as Regional Chair and suggested that budget decisions be deferred to allow Gale and CAO Ron Tripp to review everything and consider additional changes, should they believe them to be warranted.
Gale was appointed Regional Chair in December, succeeding the late Jim Bradley, who passed away in September.
Easton’s motion was to put a pause on the approval of the budget until Tripp and Gale have an opportunity to review the entire operating budget together. It was seconded by Councillor Tom Insinna (Fort Erie).
After a vote of the committee of the whole, Tripp and Gale now have until Feb. 5 to review the budget, with Gale possibly suggesting changes.
The final vote was 14-13.
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.
