Niagara Regional Housing’s (NRH) Board of Directors have elected a new Executive Committee to lead the board for 2026.
As was the case in 2025, St. Catharines Mayor Mat Siscoe will serve as Chair. Before serving as chair in 2025, Siscoe served as Vice-Chair from 2023 to 2024.
The new Vice-Chair will be Grimsby Mayor Jeff Jordan. Jordan is moving from the role of Secretary to Vice-Chair, having served as Secretary from 2023 to 2025.
Fort Erie Regional Councillor Tom Insinna will be the new Secretary, having previously held the position in 2022. He was also the Treasurer in 2024.
Leanna Villella, Regional Councillor from Welland, will serve as Treasurer for 2026. She was previously the Vice-Chair from 2024 to 2025.
The NRH Board is made up of five Regional Councillors and four Community Directors. All four senior board positions – Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary, and Treasurer – will be held by members of Regional Council.
The other Regional Councillor who is a member of the board is Gary Zalepa, Lord Mayor of Niagara-on-the-Lake.
Community Directors include Welland’s Betty Ann Baker, St. Catharines’ David Mole, St. Catharines’ Betty-Lou Souter, and Niagara Falls’ Drew Toth.
Both Siscoe and NRH CEO Cameron Banach issued statements after the new positions were announced.
“I am excited to continue in the role as Board Chair and to see the excellent Executive and Board membership continue into 2026,” said Siscoe. “We have a great group around the table at Niagara Regional Housing, and together with the staff at NRG we have put forward aggressive plans that will be to the benefit of all residents of Niagara.”
“I would like to than Mayor Siscoe for continuing to Chair the NRH Board into 2026,” said Banach. “His leadership has been crucial to navigating these challenging times for housing.”
“I look forward to working with the new Executive and Board of NRH both to build new housing and maintain and support NRH’s current units.”
NRH was formed to help provide quality affordable housing to those throughout Niagara Region. It helps to administer a number of different programs aimed at supporting residents in need of subsidized housing and transitional supportive housing.
According to NRH’s website, its vision is “to ensure that the Niagara community has access to affordable, accessible, and quality housing for all residents, addressing individual needs through a well-connected network of services.”
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.
