Niagara Region has officially kicked off its 2026 budget process, with the first of a dozen content-specific budget meetings having been held last week.
The budget process is starting much earlier this year, as Councillors want to ensure that this year’s budget is completed ahead of the 2026 calendar year, which also happens to be an election year.
The meeting was chaired by Fort Erie Mayor Wayne Redekop, the long-time chairman of the budget committee.
It was more of an information meeting than anything else, with the general plan being that the first several budget meetings be an opportunity for staff to brief Councillors on the state of the budget and regional spending responsibilities, with the real decisions in terms of property tax rates and final spending levels to be settled in the fall.
The meeting focused on offering information to Regional Councillors as to how much Niagara Region taxpayers contribute to help fund provincially mandated spending on public health and community services.
However, Redekop’s introductory remarks offered insight into where he thinks the budget process might go as the year moves along.
Redekop started the meeting by pointing out that many local taxpayers aren’t aware about how much the Region has to spend to help fund programs that are jointly funded with the province. He also insisted that the provincial government often disregards the burdensome costs these programs impose on local taxpayers.
“It is not right, and it is not sustainable,” said Redekop.
Redekop also noted that Council will attempt to meet the 3.5 per cent property tax increase cap that was proposed for 2026 by Councillor Bob Gale, although many have cast doubt on the Region’s ability to rein in spending enough to meet that threshold.
Perhaps foreshadowing that reality, Redekop continued by noting, “We will make the decisions that will ultimately result in what the tax bill will look like at the end of the process.”
“Those decisions will be informed by the data we receive and will be a reflection of how we believe the sustainability of regional operations and capital needs can be accommodated within the financial envelope that our residents and taxpayers can afford,” Redekop added.
“In the end, as I have said before, this Council will be responsible for the 2026 budget, not staff.”
Corporate Services Commissioner Dan Carnegie began the presentation, laying out the budget timetable Regional Councillors can anticipate over the summer and through the fall.
He noted that the 3.5 per cent property tax increase guidance won’t be addressed until the fall, and meetings in the interim will focus on educating Councillors about the commitments the Region has and how the Region’s budget process works.
Councillors then spent roughly two hours hearing about the lay of the land and the budget issues that relate specifically to community services and public health from Commissioner of Community Services Henri Koning and Commissioner of Public Health and Emergency Services Dr. Azim Kasmani, as well as asking questions of them.
The next budget meeting will follow a similar format and will focus on public works and infrastructure. That meeting is slated to be held on July 5.
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.
