Niagara Region Chair Bob Gale seeks mayors’ input on potential municipal amalgamation

There could be big changes coming to the way regional government is conducted and the number of elected municipal officials in the Niagara region.

The new Regional Chair Bob Gale has reached out to all Niagara region mayors for input, after he sent a letter to Municipal Affairs Minister Rob Flack announcing a review of the way municipal government in the region is structured.

He says that he wants to move toward either a one city or four city model to maximize efficiencies.

There are currently 126 municipal elected officials in the region — more than the number of MPPs in the entire province.

Gale pointed out in the letter that the regional tax levy has risen by almost 25 per cent over a single council term and said that is not sustainable.

He also said that there is a deferred capital backlog of $2.7 billion.

Gale wants to hear back from the mayors by March 3, so they can quickly communicate the preferred new model to the minister.

Annette Hamm talked to CHCH Queen’s Park producer Randy Rath, who broke down what this means.

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