“Local decisions should be made by the people who live here and elect their representatives, not dictated by Queen’s Park.”
News from the Constituency Office of Niagara Centre MPP Jeff Burch
Posted May 6th, 2026 on Niagara At Large
Niagara Centre MPP Jeff Burch in provincial legislature
NIAGARA – Ontario NDP Shadow Minister for Municipal Affairs, Jeff Burch, says the Ford government is once again pulling a cheap shot on Ontarians by using late-night sittings to force through major changes to local democracy while most people are asleep.
“People should be asking themselves why this government always seems to pass its most controversial legislation in the middle of the night,” said Burch.
“Whether it’s tearing apart FOI (Freedom of Information) laws or giving sweeping powers to unelected regional chairs (in Niagara and other regions across the province), (Ontario Premier Doug) Ford keeps trying to rush things through before the public has a chance to see what’s really happening.”
The changes would hand more power to appointed regional chairs (https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/canada/ontario-decision-to-appoint-regional-chairs-with-strong-powers-a-serious-attack-on-democracy-niagara-mpp/ar-AA224FEx?ocid=BingNewsVerp) , including control over budgets, senior staff, and the ability to push through decisions with less oversight from local councils.
“These are major changes that will directly impact our communities, yet the government is giving people little to no opportunity to weigh in,” said Burch. “Local democracy should not be rewritten during midnight sittings at Queen’s Park.”
“Local decisions should be made by the people who live here and elect their representatives, not dictated by Queen’s Park.”
NIAGARA AT LARGE Encourages You To Join The Conversation By Sharing Your Views On This Post In The Space Following The Bernie Sanders Quote Below and by sharing the Niagara At Large site at www.niagaraatlarge.com with all of your friends and associates.
“A Politician Thinks Of The Next Election. A Leader Thinks Of The Next Generation.” – Bernie Sanders
Niagara At Large 