Port Colborne is set to appoint a new Regional Councillor to fill the shoes of Fred Davies, who left his role to become the new Member of Parliament for Niagara South following April’s federal election.
The federal election was the second time Davies sought to run for higher office, having lost his bid to become MPP for Niagara Centre in the 2022 provincial election, running under the PC banner.
Since the new Conservative MP for Niagara South has now taken his seat in Ottawa, it is up to Port Colborne City Council to decide how to replace Davies for the remainder of his term, until new municipal elections in October 2026.
After limited conversation and minimal debate, Council ultimately opted to seek to find someone to be appointed as Davies’ replacement rather than trigger a by-election, which would have cost roughly $100,000.
Residents of Port Colborne can now apply to fill the vacancy. Council will consider which applicant to appoint after submissions close on June 13.
Mayor Bill Steele spoke out in favour of an appointment process.
“By the time you go through (a by-election process), the person you elect, they won’t be elected until almost the end of the year,” said Steele. “You’ve got an election next year. Do you want to spend $100,000 or do you want to appoint right now?”
“Quite frankly, we have a big budget coming at Region this year, we have 13 budget meetings over and above all the other meetings that we go to on a monthly basis, we need a good, strong voice down there to represent Port Colborne and represent our feelings also around this table…so we’ve got to get that person there as soon as possible,” Steele continued.
Steele also pointed to the fact that Pelham appointed a new Regional Councillor earlier this spring upon the resignation of former regional councillor Diana Huson as precedent for going the appointment route.
Councillor Mark Bagu (Ward 1) spoke after Steele. He agreed with Steele and made the formal recommendation to make an appointment to Regional Council. The motion was seconded by Councillor Eric Beauregard (Ward 2).
Applicants can apply through an advertisement on the city’s website, and candidates are asked to submit a resume and a statement confirming that they would accept the position should they be appointed.
City staff will be responsible for offering a summary of the applications to Councillors, who will ultimately select Davies’ replacement.
Whoever gets appointed will be sitting on at least two regional committees and can choose to sit on up to four. Councillors were very adamant that staff include the Regional Council’s meeting schedule on the advertisement, given the busy nature of the job.
The vote to hold go the appoint route was unanimous.
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.
