A Commentary by Doug Draper
Okay, so you say you don’t care for Niagrara’s regional government or may even want to see it abolished.
Niagara Region's chief administrator, Mike Trojan, is ready to meet with you around your questions and concern about the regional government.
During this October’s Niagara, Ontario municipal election campaign, we heard everyone from those who want to reform regional government to those who want to get rid of it completely. In my municipality of Thorold, we actually had one mayoral candidate – Jim Handley – who fought his campaign partly around gutting regional government.
Can that be done? I’d say probably not.
For any and all you who may think we can turn back the calendar more than 40 years, when this regional government was created by the former Conservative government of Bill Davis, I’d look at the possibility that it costs property taxpayers across Niagara one heck of a lot less to pay for policing, household waste collection, water treatment and a hole bunch of other issues than it would if a local municipality had to pay for those services today. Chances are, a local municipality could not afford to pay for them.
So let’s get back to the regional government and an opportunity you, as taxpaying citizens have, to join the region’s chief administrative officer, Mike Trojan, for what the region is billing as “a community forum to help residents better understand Niagara Region’s programs, services and the budget process.”
This special forum will take place this Thursday, November 18 at the Regional Headquarters (in Campbell East) in Thorold, Ontario off St. David’s Road and Schmon Parkway. Check a map on Google for further information.
This is your chance to engage Niagara Region’s chief administrator in a discussion. Take advantage of it.
(Visit Niagara At Large at www.niagaraatlarge.com for more news and commentary of interest to residents in our greater, binational Niagara region.)
Niagara At Large 
As a former Regional Councillor I advocated that we divide up the territory into “ridings” and have elected officials represent his own area. Or that Mayors should not be on Region Council unless the Regional representative serves on city council as a city councillor so that they would have a say and be truly representative of the people that elected them. We could consider allocating a salary to the representaves so that they could devote all their time serving the people. (Most of the city reps. receive all the benefits.)
The biggest problem is that there is too much difference between Niagara South and Niagara North. For example the site for the new billion $$$$ Hospital was chosen by non thinking or selfish people who did not consider the best location for access by all the people (highway 406 and Reg 20) I am surprised by the excuse Debbie Sevenpiffer gave when she answered me by saying that there were no services available. This is the most assanine reply that I have ever heard. (was it because our elected Gov. rep is in the city of St Catharines,)
The most glaring problem with this is the Liberal Gov in power allowed this to happen and our Regional Government turned a blind eye to the decision.
Where does all power lie?
Maybe we need an ombudsman in the Niagara Region, to investigate the humungas decisions that have been made for all the (powerful) people in the north .
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“…look at the possibility that it costs property taxpayers across Niagara one heck of a lot less to pay for Policing, Household Waste collection, Water treatment and a hole [sic] bunch of other issues than it would if a local municipality had to pay for those services today. Chances are, a local municipality could not afford to pay for them.”
Interesting comment Doug, but Not born out in fact:
a/ I was a General Insurance Broker when Regional Government created Regional Policing ~1970; crime rates went UP in Port Colborne, because the Regional Police made modern, “big city” improvements and removed the local cops (who knew all the local small-time hoods) from their beats.
This caused Home and Auto and Business Insurance premiums to jump.
WAS it/IS it cheaper?
b/ Regional Niagara has taken over Household Waste management, and now recycles <50% of our waste. Before they did so, Port Colborne took pride in recycling ~75% ! We had an award for being Ontario's best Recycling City ~1988. Why weren't Port's good practices transferred to the whole Region when they took over Solid Waste?
c/ Sewage treatment has always been a senior government responsibility, even before Regional Niagara. Local municipalities paid for it or they weren't allowed new subdivisions. It was downloaded from the Province when the Regions were created.
d/ Water may be better handled by the Region, but do they know enough about the lay-of-the-land in each City to spend our money wisely?
Bigger is NOT Better!
-w-
Bill Augustine is right – we need to re-organise Regional Niagara so that it serves ALL our municipalities, not just St.Kitts. Part of that will be to improve Governance, part of it will be to streamline Duties (who does what).
Maybe we Should even abolish Regional Niagara and instead create a number of Regional Corporations to handle Policing, Solid Waste, Sewage, Water, Planning, etc, each governed by a Board of Directors appointed by and reporting back to the 12 municipalities that own them together.
This talk of electing a Regional Chair AT LARGE is crazy! Only a wealthy person could afford to be a candidate and advertise everywhere across the Region. The net result would be that candidates would focus All their attention on the big cities with the most votes. Let's not forget that AGRICULTURE is Niagara's biggest industry – and it HAPPENS IN THE COUNTRYSIDE. If 'they' keep centralising services (hospitals!) in our big cities, maybe we'll all be forced to move there. Will there be enough people to be farmers and keep our small towns running…? (Don't laugh – Japan is facing similar problems as its population declines from 120M to 90M, over the next decade or so.)
Ditto for the idea of fewer Politicians! People want More access to government that Listens to us (Politicians), but with Less Red Tape. We need good rules to protect us, but streamlined forms and procedures.
Local government IS closer to people, and responds better than Big government.
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