You Are Invited To Join A ‘Say ‘NO’ To Forced Amalgamation In Niagara’ Rally

Join our protest at the Regional Council Building, 1815 Sir Isaac Brock Way, Thorold. Bring your “No Amalgamation Signs” at 4 p.m., prior to the just-called special council meeting on Thursday, February

Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s recently appointed Niagara Regional Chair, Bob Gale, is pressing for amalgamation of local municipalities

A Call-Out from Niagara  and citizen activist and a founding member of the Biodiversity and Climate Action Niagara Coalition, Liz Benneian

Posted February 25^th, 2026 on Niagara At Large

A few months ago, Doug Ford appointed failed Conservative candidate and Regional Councillor Bob Gale, as chair of Niagara Region. This week, with no prior warning to his Regional Council colleagues, locally elected officials or the half million citizens of Niagara, he announced by email that he has sent a request the Province to amalgamate Niagara’s municipalities.

He sent the letter on Monday. He’s given Mayors until May 3rd for comments — comments after the fact.

Why is this issue important to people interested in the Environment and Climate?

• Amalgamation gives citizens less access to local politicians. Many citizen groups have been able to make real change in their communities by working with their local Councils. That will be wiped out when local communities are absorbed.
• Amalgamation never results in lower costs, but it can cause much chaos and higher taxes. See the report from the Fraser Institute that studied the effects of amalgamation in Ontario. https://www.fraserinstitute.org/sites/default/files/municipal-amalgamation-in-ontario-rev.pdf
• The heavy-handed way Gale has gone about this, with no community input, is insulting and betrays the fundamental right citizens have in a democracy to have a say in the things that matter. Any change in governance models should start with: What is the problem we are trying to solve? Gale is starting with a solution to a problem that hasn’t even been defined. Watch his performance in front of Fort Erie’s Council where he was unable to provide answers or data for even the simplest questions from Mayor Wayne Redekop and his Councillors. Gale appears just after the 1:19 mark. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2cx3QE_CQg
• Rural and smaller well-run communities have the most to lose in amalgamation as many reports, including the Fraser Institute’s, shows. This includes taking on a share of the debt accumulated by the larger communities they merge with.
• It is much easier for Ford to manipulate or browbeat a single “strong” mayor than it is to force his will on an unruly crew of locally elected mayors and councillors.
• Amalgamation will make it much harder and more expensive for ordinary people to run for election in a region as large as Niagara. Thus, amalgamation means only the wealthy, or those with deep-pocketed funders, will be able to mount political campaigns.
• For more info check out all the information I have shared on my personal, and Biodiversity and Climate Action’s Facebook pages. Some people argue there are too many politicians in Niagara so getting rid of them would save money and potentially lower taxes. Local politicians are not paid much and amount to less than .5% of municipal budgets. The hard costs of regional and municipal budgets do not disappear with amalgamation:policing (the biggest single cost for the region), infrastructure, transportation, water and waste water, roads, public health etc. etc. The discretionary parts of local and regional governments are very small. Many Mayors and Councillors have already spoken out about this issue.

Citizens must too.

*Here’s some things you can do.*

1. Send an email to Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Rob Flack minister.mah@ontario.ca and copy it to premier@ontario.ca and to bob.gale@niagararegion.ca and to Niagara West MPP Sam Oosterhoff sam.oosterhoff@pc.ola.org and your own mayor and council and let them know why you are opposed to amalgamation. Needs to be sent before March 3rd — the sooner the better. It doesn’t need to be long.
2. Join our protest at the Regional Council Building, 1815 Sir Isaac Brock Way, Thorold, L2V 4T7 Bring your “No Amalgamation Signs” at 4 p.m., prior to the just-called special council meeting on Thursday, February 26th. Following the protest, you are invited to attend the special Council meeting. Chair Gale is giving each member of Regional Council five minutes to share their views. Gale is not allowing public delegations and signs are not allowed in Council, however, you can wear red as in “seeing red” over this scheme.
3. Share the notice of tomorrow’s (Thursday) protest, attached, through your social networks.
4. Comment on online forums, share our posts, talk to friends and family. Only widespread ongoing, vocal public dissent can stop this.

• All the best, Liz

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