MEET THE CANDIDATE | Jon Nadeau, Ward 2

Fort Erie’s municipal and school board elections are taking place from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on October 26. Advance voting will take place from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Fort Erie Leisureplex October 4 and 7, and online voting opens at 10 a.m. on October 5.

Jon Nadeau is running for town council in Ward 2. Fort Erie Radio posed several questions to Nadeau and what appears below are his unedited answers:

What is the most important issue facing Fort Erie, and how would you address it?

The most important challenge facing Fort Erie over the next four years is the future of local health care and Douglas Memorial.

Fort Erie is growing, yet we still don’t have certainty about what healthcare services will remain here when the new South Niagara Hospital opens in 2028. For me, asking residents to simply accept travelling outside our community for care is not enough.

As a councillor, I would continue the work already underway to reimagine Douglas Memorial as a community health-care hub and advocate for urgent care, diagnostic services, primary care and other services to remain available locally.

I would work with Council, Town staff, Niagara Health, the Province and community advocates to keep Fort Erie’s needs at the table and push for clear commitments about what happens after 2028. A councillor cannot make these decisions alone, but we can ask the tough questions, keep the pressure on and make sure Ward 2 and Fort Erie are heard.

What should council’s approach be to taxes and municipal spending?

Council has to remember that every tax dollar comes from someone’s household or business.

I don’t believe in cutting services simply to say we kept taxes down, but increasing taxes shouldn’t be the first solution either. We need to look for efficiencies, especially what I feel is the overuse of consultants, available grants and other funding before asking taxpayers for more.

We need to be fiscally responsible without allowing our roads, infrastructure and essential services to fall behind. That means looking carefully at spending, separating what we need from what we want and making sure residents are getting value for their money.

Spend responsibly, invest wisely and respect taxpayers.

What role should the Town play in the future of health care in Fort Erie?

Health care may be a provincial responsibility, but the Town has an important role to play. We know our community, our growth and the gaps that currently exist.

Council should be a strong advocate for Fort Erie, working with the Province, Niagara Health and local providers to protect and expand services close to home. That means continuing physician recruitment, supporting partnerships and pushing forward the vision for Douglas Memorial as a community health-care hub.

We may not control health-care decisions, but we absolutely have a responsibility to make sure Fort Erie’s needs are heard and not overlooked.

How should Fort Erie balance growth and development with infrastructure and neighbourhood concerns?

Growth is coming, but it needs to be responsible growth. New housing and development are important, especially when we need more attainable and affordable housing, but we have to make sure our infrastructure and services can support it, and not increase costs on our residents.

Before approving major development, Council needs to consider roads, water and sewer capacity, drainage, traffic, emergency services and the impact on existing neighbourhoods and green spaces.

We also need to listen to the people who already live there. Growth shouldn’t mean losing the character of our neighbourhoods or creating problems taxpayers have to fix later.

What should the Town do to address housing affordability and homelessness?

Housing affordability and homelessness need real solutions, not just promises.

The Town should encourage a wider range of housing that people can actually afford, including rentals, smaller homes and additional dwelling units, while using incentives to encourage affordable development.

Homelessness is more complex. The Region delivers those services, but Fort Erie still has a responsibility to work with the Region, local shelters and community organizations to bring resources where they’re needed. I think we need to look at what’s working in other similar sized communities and explore similar options.

We need to address the reasons people become homeless while helping create a path back to stable housing. Everyone deserves a safe place to call home, but the solutions have to be practical and sustainable.

What infrastructure issues should be the highest priority over the next four years?

Our first priority should be the infrastructure people rely on every day: roads, water, wastewater, drainage and stormwater systems.

Fort Erie is growing, and we can’t keep approving growth without making sure the infrastructure underneath it can handle that growth. We also can’t forget existing neighbourhoods while building new ones.

I believe we need to maintain what we already have, plan ahead for what’s coming and make sure new development contributes its fair share toward the infrastructure it requires.

What can the Town do to strengthen Fort Erie’s economy and attract or retain jobs?

A strong economy starts with supporting the businesses and jobs we already have while creating opportunities for new ones.

It needs to be easier to invest and grow here by cutting unnecessary red tape, keeping approval processes efficient and making sure any lands proposed for new builds have the infrastructure needed for development.

We also need to take advantage of what makes Fort Erie unique. Our border location, manufacturing sector and incredible tourism potential all create opportunities for good local jobs. We need to get the word out about all we have to offer.

As a small-business owner, I know businesses need more than incentives. They need a Town that listens, works with them and helps create the conditions to succeed.

What are your views on the future of municipal governance in Niagara, including possible amalgamation?

I’m not in favour of amalgamation. Fort Erie has its own identity, priorities and challenges, and I believe decisions affecting our community should continue to have strong local representation. Fort Erie locals know what we need here.

That doesn’t mean our current system can’t improve. I support looking for duplication between the Town and Region, finding efficiencies and making government more accountable and cost-effective. But any major governance change needs a clear business case, real evidence that it will improve services or save taxpayers money, and meaningful public consultation.

I support reform where it makes sense, but not at the expense of Fort Erie’s local voice.

When the interests of your ward and the broader municipality differ, how would you approach that decision?

My first responsibility is to listen to and represent the people of Ward 2, but every decision at the council table affects Fort Erie as a whole.

If those interests conflict, I would listen to residents, look at the facts and understand the long-term impact before making a decision. I would advocate strongly for Ward 2, but I don’t believe one ward should succeed at the expense of another.

Sometimes the right decision won’t please everyone. My responsibility is to be transparent about why I made it and always work toward what is best for Fort Erie and its residents.

What is the most pressing issue in your ward, and what would you do about it?

The most pressing issue in Ward 2 now is protecting access to local health care and determining the future of Douglas Memorial. The hospital is right here in our ward, but its importance reaches far beyond Ward 2.

I would work with council, Niagara Health, the Province and community advocates to keep pushing for a strong healthcare presence at the Douglas site, including urgent care, diagnostics and other services our growing community needs.

We need clear answers about what happens after the new South Niagara Hospital opens. I would keep asking those questions and make sure Fort Erie’s voice is impossible to ignore.

We cannot allow local health care to quietly disappear. It’s too important.

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EDITOR’S NOTE: This candidate profile was created as part of a paid advertising campaign. Fort Erie Radio extended the same questions to all candidates who were eligible for a “Meet the Candidate” feature and allowed each candidate to answer as many or as few of the questions as they desired. Answers appear exactly as submitted to Fort Erie Radio.

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