“An unelected regional chair would have the power to reject decisions supported by a majority of popularly elected mayors at regional council. This is the latest step that risks eroding democratic governance in Ontario. It is critical that the public be consulted and supportive of these significant changes to uphold their democratic rights and those of their elected officials,” – Wayne Redekop, Mayor of Fort Erie
A Statement from Fort Erie Mayor Mayor Redekop Regarding Changes to Niagara Regional Government
Posted April 10th, 2026 on Niagara At Large
Town of Fort Erie Mayor Wayne Redekop
A Brief Foreword by Niagara At Large reporter/publisher Doug Draper – Fort Erie Mayor Wayne Redekop has shown himself to be the only onr of the 12 mayors currently goverining Niagara’s 12 local municipalities who has consistently shown the courage to stand up against the Ford government’s drive to gut local elected represientation across our region and replace it with a system that would be controlled by Premier Doug Ford.
We should remember that in this Fall’s upcoming municipal elections and only vote individuals into the offices of mayor that are prepared to have the courage to stand up for us.
Now here is Wayne Redekop’s latest statement on the issue –
On Thursday, April 2, 2026, the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing announced that legislation would be tabled in the Legislature to change regional government in Ontario. The legislation will focus on the Niagara Region and Simcoe County, although the chair of all regional governments will be appointed by the Premier going forward.
I hope the Premier will reconsider this position prior to finalizing the legislation and ensure it is properly evaluated based on evidence, financial analysis or business case justification, and local input that includes public consultation.
The changes for Niagara will result in the number of councillors being reduced to the mayors of the twelve local area municipalities only, potentially headed by an unelected, appointed chair. To account for the disparity in population among municipalities, weighted voting will be implemented, though the announcement did not specify what that will look like.
One possibility is to align votes with the current allocation: one for Wainfleet, three for Welland, four for Niagara Falls, seven for St. Catharines, and two each for the remaining eight municipalities. While this arrangement would prevent the three largest municipalities from dominating council decisions, two aspects of the proposed changes are very troubling and could put this balance at risk.
The first is that the Minister did not specify what the weighted vote formula will be, leaving that to the legislation yet to be introduced. The second, and most concerning, is the appointment by the Premier of all regional chairs in Ontario.
These would be eight hand-picked individuals aligned with the Premier and dependent on him for their position. More concerning is the intention to provide these individuals with what the Minister referred to as “strong chair” powers. Similar to “strong mayor” powers, this regional chair would be empowered to veto decisions of the duly elected council that do not meet “provincial policy,” with the support of one-third of council votes. This is undemocratic.
In other words, an unelected regional chair would have the power to reject decisions supported by a majority of popularly elected mayors at regional council.
This is the latest step that risks eroding democratic governance in Ontario. It is critical that the public be consulted and supportive of these significant changes to uphold their democratic rights and those of their elected officials.
By comparison, a similar move by the Prime Minister to appoint provincial and territorial leaders would not be accepted. This should concern all Ontarians. Strong mayor powers, proposed strong chair powers, restrictions to freedom of information, and a lack of public consultation on fundamental democratic changes should be challenged.
-
Fort Erie Mayor Wayne Redekop
NIAGARA AT LARGE Encourages You To Join The Conversation By Sharing Your Views On This Post In The Space Below and by sharing the Niagara At Large site at www.niagaraatlarge.com with all of your friends and associates.
Visit us every day on www.niagaraat.arge.com and on Doug Draper’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/doug.draper.180 and encourage everyone else you know to do the same. Let’s build media outlets for local news and commentary!
Niagara At Large 