Insinna wins, ends Redekop’s 12 years as Fort Erie’s mayor

Tom Insinna will be Fort Erie’s next mayor after defeating incumbent Wayne Redekop in Monday’s municipal election.

Insinna won with 6,469 votes, or 52.2 per cent. Redekop received 5,065 votes, or 40.9 per cent. Insinna finished 1,404 votes ahead of Redekop. The results are unofficial until town clerk Peter Todd certifies them.

Redekop had won three straight elections since 2014 and was seeking a fourth consecutive term. He also served as mayor from 1997 to 2006. In 2022, he won re-election with 6,195 votes, or 67 per cent.

Mike Campbell finished third with 687 votes, or 5.5 per cent. Juan Liu received 162 votes, or 1.3 per cent.

What to know about Fort Erie’s new mayor

As mayor, Insinna will be Fort Erie’s only representative on Niagara regional council. Under the province’s Better Regional Governance Act, the council will seat only the 12 local mayors and a chair appointed by the province.

The province eliminated Fort Erie’s elected regional council seat for this election. Insinna, who spent 30 years as an RCMP officer, has held that seat since 2018.

Urgent care, taxes divided Insinna and Redekop

All four mayoral candidates wanted Douglas Memorial Hospital to keep its urgent care centre after Niagara Health opens the South Niagara Hospital in Niagara Falls in 2028. Insinna argued the town’s leadership had damaged its relationships with the hospital system and the province.

“Right now, the bridge has been burned between [Niagara Health] and our town and between the province and our town,” said Insinna during the September 29 mayoral debate at Royal Canadian Legion Branch 71.

Insinna also promised a “line-by-line” review of town spending under the slogan “savings first, taxes last.” Redekop countered that Fort Erie has the second-lowest municipal taxes in Niagara, and that about half of every local property tax bill goes to Niagara Region.

Ward 4 councillor unseated

Daniel Turner unseated Ward 4 Councillor Joan Christensen, the only one of Fort Erie’s six ward councillors to lose a seat. Turner won with 1,586 votes, or 64.6 per cent, and Christensen finished third with 360 votes, or 14.7 per cent.

Turnout rose to 39.1 per cent from 34.4 per cent in the 2022 election. Most voters cast their ballots online: 7,542 of the 12,383 votes for mayor, or 60.9 per cent.

Town clerk Peter Todd must still certify the results before Insinna and the new council take office on November 15.

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