The math on eliminating representation

~ Laura Ip ~ Leave a comment

Earlier this week, I posted this about the (not at all) *huge savings* to be had by eliminating positions on local Councils.

Yesterday, as I fully suspected was the plan, Bob Gale sent a letter to Minister Flack recommending the elimination of a total of 35 municipally-elected council seats.

Regional Council composition 

That Regional Council be composed of the 12 municipal mayors plus a Regional Chair, directly addressing concerns that the current body is too large to operate efficiently while maintaining a clear voice for every municipality. 

and

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A tale of two letters

~ Laura Ip ~ 1 Comment

I was at work when all of this went down yesterday, but I’m going to try to provide the best overview I can of the events of yesterday.

First, at a Committee of the Whole meeting on Thursday, February 26, 2026, where – if I’m not mistaken – only one Councillor was absent (they were out of the country), Council passed a motion that included this resolution:

That Regional Council DIRECTS Chair Gale to refrain from any further action and utilization of any further Regional resources or staff time, with the exception of the above, in connection with a review of Regional governance or municipal amalgamation.

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Called it

~ Laura Ip ~ 1 Comment

At the Committee of the Whole meeting on Thursday, February 26, 2026, I opened my remarks with:

I would imagine that the reason these letters weren’t shared with the directly-elected Regional Councillors until well after they were sent and still not by the Regional Chair is because the decision has already been made that the next election will not include directly-elected Regional Councillors, so why ask for their opinions at all.

It is incredible to me the disdain that some politicians have for… politicians. And, every single time I’ve seen this disdain, it has – without fail – been about those disdainful politicians wanting more power for themselves.

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Bob Gale is unfit for the role

~ Laura Ip ~ 5 Comments

Honestly, the title could stand by itself and be the end of this blog entry, but let me explain anyway.

For those of you following this issue, you will know that – less than one week ago – Council passed the following resolution after Bob Gale took it upon himself (or so he tells us, except for the two times he’s slipped up and then denied saying what he just said) to send letters to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing and to the mayors of Niagara’s 12 local area municipalities indicating that he was seriously contemplating governance reform and amalgamation into either a one-city or a four-city model:

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