Projected 2026 Rate of Inflation for Canadians Is Two Per Cent Which Echoes The Rate Of Inflation in 2025. Niagara Region’s Budget Increase For Property Owners In 2026 Is 6.3 Per Cent
A Brief Commentary by Niagara At Large reporter/publisher Doug Draper followed by a Statement from Niagara Regional Chair Bob Gale on Region’s 2026 Budget
By Doug Draper
Six Point Three Per Cent! Let me repeat that – Six PointThree Per Cent!!!
That’s how much the average homeowner and other property owners across Niagara are going to see in an increase on the regional portion of their taxes this year.
Now let me ask a few rhetorical questions.
If you are fortunate to have a job out there, when was the last year that you received anything close to a 6.3 increase in your wages? If you are out of work out of no fault of your own or are retired, when was the last time you received a 6.3 per cent increase in your unemployment benefits or your pension?
Yet our Niagara Regional Council has just approved a 2026 budget with a 6.3 per cent increase which it appears to deliver to us as some kind of Valentine gift because it is down from the 6.98 per cent increase people across the region were facing before a few savings were found over the past few weeks.
According to the Bank of Canada, the rate of inflation last year hovered around 2 per cent and is expected to remain at about 2 per cent this year – more than three times less than the increase in the tax levy in this year’s Niagara regional budget.
I think it should leave us all asking what the hell gives with the Region’s administrators and our elected members of regional council when it comes to financial management?
This year, the City of Toronto – one of the largest municipal entities in all of North America – just approved a budget with a tax increase of 2.2 per cent. Hamilton’s council has managed to keep its 2026 tax increase down to 4.25 percent. In the Ontario Region of Waterloo and Cities of Burlington London, the tax increases approved this year are 5.1 percent, 4.49 per cent and 3.6 per cent respectively.
Closer to home, the City of St. Catharines has recently approved an increase for this year of 1.74 percent, Niagara Falls has approved an increase of 4.43 per cent, Welland has approved an increase of 4.01 per cent, Thorold has approved an increase of 3.49 per cent and Port Colborne has approved an increase of 4.01 per cent.
So what is it with Niagara’s regional government?
There is only so much of it can blame on lack of funding or downloading of services from the provincial and federal governments because the other municipalities I listed above, both in and outside of Niagara, have to deal with the same provincial and federal governments too.
The only good news about this year’s regional budget tax hike is that it could have been worse. Last year’s hike was a stunning 9.6 per cent. The year before that it was 7.02 per cent and in 2023 it was 7.58 per cent.
No wonder so many people in Niagara report that they are finding a harder and harder time in their struggle to keep their homes. Keep these kind of tax hikes up and the majority of us will be out there in the cold, living in encampments.
The only other good news is that later this year we have municipal elections and I would urge younger people, in particular, who are concerned about the cost of living and who want to take steps to make life more affordable for people across in Niagara to consider running for a seat on regional council or on your local municipal council.
We desperately need change!
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Doug Draper, Niagara At Large
Now here is Niagara Regional Chair Bob Gale’s statement on this February 12th’s approval of the Region’s 2026 budget.
And while you read it, please keep in mind that only weeks ago, and before Gale was appointed Regional Chair by Ontario’s Ford government following the death of former Regional Chair Jim Bradley, he was calling for an increase no higher than 2.5 per cent for 2026 –
Regional tax levy decreases from 6.98% to 6.3%
Niagara Regional Chair Bob Gale
Niagara Regional Chair, Bob Gale, has issued the following statement following the passage of the 2026 budget.
“People are feeling financially squeezed, and residents have asked us to keep increases as low as possible. I take that responsibility seriously. There is only one taxpayer.
The savings achieved tonight (at a special meeting of Regional Council this past Thursday, February 12th, 2025) put real dollars back into the pockets of Niagara’s families and businesses.
“In addition to the $2.84 Million Regional savings, I want to thank NRPS (Niagara Regional Police Services) Chief (Bill) Fordy and his team for identifying $850,000 in efficiencies, and my colleagues and Regional staff for their work to make it happen.”
A Brief Footnote from Niagara At Large – The only Niagara Regional Councillors voting against the budget were Tom Insinna representing Fort Erie, Terry Ugulina (also mayor of Thorld) and Tim Whelan, both representing Thorold, Leanna Villella representing St. Catharines and Haley Bateman representing St. Catharines who was attending the meeting on zoom.
All other regional councillors either voted in favour of the budget or. in a few cases, were absent from the meeting. Niagara Regional Chair Bob Gale did not vote because he is only required to vote on any matter on the floor to break a tie.
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