Redekop warns Ford governance overhaul guts smaller-town power

Mayor Wayne Redekop warned residents at a healthcare forum last Saturday that a provincial plan to install an appointed regional chair with veto authority will strip smaller municipalities of decision-making power and funding access across Niagara.

Fort Erie council passed a resolution April 13 opposing key provisions of the Better Regional Governance Act, 2026, which would replace Niagara’s 32-member regional council with 12 mayors and a single chair appointed by Premier Doug Ford.

Redekop told the SOS Public Healthcare Forum at the Leisureplex banquet hall that the legislation has not yet passed, but Fort Erie is actively lobbying against it, warning that the proposed structure would let the two largest cities and an unelected chair override the remaining elected mayors on decisions about regional spending and services.

The warning emerged during an open mic session primarily focused on ambulance delays and Douglas Memorial Hospital when Stevensville resident Ron Hughes, a CUPE Local 150 member, pressed Redekop directly on how Fort Erie would protect its share of regional dollars under the new model.

“This chair will have superpowers, and he will have the power to veto the decision of the 12 mayors,” Hughes said. “How is Fort Erie going to get its fair share of regional council dollars?”

Redekop responded saying council has formally demanded the province strip the veto provision before the bill passes.

“Our first line of defence, because the legislation hasn’t been passed yet, is to push back,” he said. “If the strong chair powers are given, there will be some areas where the City of St. Catharines and the City of Niagara Falls and the chair will be able to override the 10 other mayors who are popularly elected.”

Redekop recalled the premier’s 2022 mid-election cancellation of Niagara’s elected chair race and subsequent appointment of a regional chair as evidence Ford would likely act on the threat.

“He has a bit of a record with respect to that,” said Redekop.

He connected the governance fight directly to Fort Erie’s ongoing effort to secure hospital services and regional funding, framing both as part of the same provincial pressure on smaller Ontario communities.

“We’re going to continue to fight,” said Redekop. “We think that it’s important that we push back, not just on regional governance issues, but on amalgamation issues, and most particularly on healthcare issues.”

Fort Erie currently holds two seats on the 32-member regional council. Under the proposed model it loses its dedicated regional councillor entirely, leaving the mayor alone to defend the town’s interests against larger cities, such as St. Catharines or Niagara Falls, whose weighted votes would carry significantly more force.

If the Better Regional Governance Act receives royal assent, the new structure takes effect ahead of the October municipal election, with nomination day opening May 1.

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