Calls for Transparency and Respect for Local Municipal Leaders
A News Release from the Constituency Office of Niagara Centre MPP and Official Opposition Party Member Jeff Burch
Posted February 23rd, 2026 on Niagara At Large
Niagara Centre NDP MPP Jeff Burch opposes Ford Government-appointed Niagara Regional Chair Bob Gale’s municipal amalgamation push
NIAGARA REGION— MPP Jeff Burch has sent the attached correspondence to Honourable Rob Flack, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, expressing opposition to forced amalgamations and calling for greater transparency and respectful dialogue with municipal leaders.
A full copy of MPP Burch’s letter to Minister Flack is included immediately below –
The Honourable Minister Flack, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing
Re: Proposed Municipal Governance Changes and Potential Amalgamation in Niagara Region, February 23, 2026
Dear Minister Flack,
I am writing to you regarding the letter sent to Niagara Region mayors on February 19, 2026, dated February 5, in which Regional Chair Bob Gale announces his intention to move ahead with municipal governance changes, including possible forced amalgamation, setting a timeline for feedback from local mayors of approximately two weeks.
This is unacceptable.
First, to be clear, I am strongly opposed to any proposal that would see municipalities like Thorold, Port Colborne, Fort Erie, and Niagara-on-the-Lake swallowed up by neighbouring municipalities through forced amalgamations. Any proposal that would fundamentally change municipal structures must be evidence-based and driven by clear outcomes that make life better and more affordable for our community.
There must be a transparent process and meaningful public consultation. None of that has occurred.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s recently appointed Niagara Regional Chair, Bob Gale, is pressing for amalgamation of local municipalities
Municipalities were not contacted, briefed, or invited to discuss this before it was advanced, leaving them feeling ambushed and disrespected.
The changes with respect to forced amalgamations, as suggested by Chair Gale, would have major consequences for residents, businesses, and our local economy. Businesses need a stable and predictable environment, especially in such uncertain times.
You have only to look at the recent failed attempt by the government to dissolve the Region of Peel, the resulting chaos, and the eventual reversal of that decision to understand how expensive, wasteful, and disruptive such misguided and poorly planned attempts at governance reform can be.
In the words of the Lord Mayor of Niagara-on-the-Lake (Gary Zalepa), “It is difficult to understand why anyone would introduce this level of uncertainty at a time when our local economy is already facing real pressures. Creating instability for residents and businesses is not responsible leadership.”
We should always be engaged in continuous improvement, including modernization and reform of our local democracy. But reform should never be pursued for its own sake. It should be driven by a desire to improve services and deliver greater value for taxpayers.
Niagara Centre MPP Jeff Burch in provincial legislature
Constituents in Niagara are concerned with better health care, housing, community safety, and affordability issues. They want their elected representatives focused on these issues, not kingdom-building, personal agendas, and legacy projects.
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JEFF BURCH, Member of Provincial Parliament Niagara Centre
For another recent post on this issue, click on – Niagara’s New Regional Chair Calls For Fewer Local Politicians, Municipal Amalgamation | Niagara At Large
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