Push to supersize Ontario city has locals divided

Polarizing debates over the future of municipal governance in the Niagara Region have played out at city council meetings across the area this week, after the region's chair expressed in a letter that he is "deeply contemplating" the possibility of amalgamating its 12 municipalities into either a single city or a four-city model. 

The discussions were sparked this week by Niagara Region's chair Bob Gale, who wrote a letter to Ontario Municipal Affairs Minister Rob Flack, which proposed "potential amalgamations" in an effort to reduce costs and the number of councillors in the region. 

The region has an upper-tier government, as well as 12 lower-tier municipalities with 126 councillors for roughly 500,000 residents. The 12 local municipalities in Niagara include Fort Erie, Grimsby, Lincoln, Niagara Falls, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Pelham, Port Colborne, St. Catharines, Thorold, Wainfleet, Welland, and West Lincoln.

"This governance structure has resulted in a decision-making process that has led to successive tax increases of roughly seven per cent, 9.6 per cent, and 6.3 per cent over the past three years, driving the regional tax levy up by almost 25 per cent over a single council term," Gale's letter reads. 

Last week, Gale also informed the region's mayors about the letter he sent to Minister Flack, arguing that there's an "urgent need" to address the current governance structure that is "outdated and unwieldy," and is resulting in "waste, abuse, and a culture of casualness with taxpayer dollars."

At an unrelated event on Wednesday in Niagara, Doug Ford expressed support for the region's amalgamation but stressed that the change must come through a local proposal. 

"It has to be from Niagara by Niagara, it has to have approvals from the majority of mayors, it has to have approval from the majority of the elected officials," Ford said. 

"I'm going to look at their proposal; it has to be led by Niagara, simple as that. If it's not led by Niagara, then we move on, and I guess the people of Niagara are going to have to pay double-digit tax increases for quite some time." 

Locally, Niagara Falls Mayor Jim Diodati says he's in favour of amalgamating the region into four cities, while Fort Erie Mayor Wayne Redekop said the town isn't supportive of the change. 

"The current system is not working. We have too many cooks in the kitchen, and it's too expensive to do business in Niagara," Mayor Diodati said at the news conference with Ford.

However, other officials were strongly opposed to the idea, including Niagara-on-the-Lake Lord Mayor Gary Zalepa, who issued a public statement last week. 

"Niagara-on-the-Lake is strongly opposed to any proposal that would see our Town absorbed through amalgamation," Zalepa wrote. 

"Niagara-on-the-Lake is the first capital of Upper Canada and a community with a distinct identity, proud history, and strong local governance. Any proposal that would fundamentally change our municipality must have a clear legislative foundation, a transparent process, and meaningful public consultation. None of that has occurred." 

In a statement released this week, Welland Mayor Frank Campion expressed his support for a new governance structure, arguing that the four-city model is the "right path" forward. 

"A four-city structure would better align municipalities by population and shared interests, create stronger and more balanced municipal partners, reduce duplication and streamline decision making, while preserving meaningful local representation," Campion wrote. 

"It would also strengthen coordination on priorities such as housing, transit integration, infrastructure delivery, and economic development. Niagara’s residents deserve a governance model that is efficient, accountable, and aligned with today’s realities." 

Despite this, the proposal was strongly opposed during St. Catharines city council's Monday meeting and by Niagara-on-the-Lake councillors and residents at a Tuesday meeting. 

Recent debates surrounding Niagara's potential amalgamation have drawn comparisons to what unfolded in Toronto nearly three decades ago. 

Toronto was officially amalgamated on Jan. 1, 1998, when the former municipalities of Etobicoke, North York, Scarborough, York, East York, and the old City of Toronto were merged into a single-tier megacity. 

Prior to the municipal overhaul, Mike Harris and the Ontario Progressive Conservative government strongly backed the restructuring, arguing that the merger would reduce costs and streamline decision-making. Despite this, the majority of local positions were opposed to the amalgamation, including former Toronto Mayor Barbara Hall and former North York Mayor Mel Lastman. 

The year prior, a non-binding referendum held across the six municipalities also found that over three-quarters of voters were not in favour of amalgamation, although the turnout was just under 40 per cent.