Laura Ip – Regional Councillor
Representing St. Catharines
In 2019, the province tasked Michael Fenn (a former Deputy Minister and City Manager) and Ken Seiling (a former Chair of the Region of Waterloo) with a governance review in Niagara.
The report has never been released publicly and, at the November 16, 2023 Council meeting, (former) Councillor Fred Davies and I brought a motion directing the Chair to request the report from the Premier and Cabinet.
Continue reading “The Fenn-Seiling Report”I have sent the following text message to MPP Sam Oosterhoff:
Continue reading “In the wake of the resignation…”Good morning, Sam
I hope you’re doing well, and I want to thank you/your colleagues for taking the appropriate action and having Bob Gale resign.
In the wake of this, it would be my recommendation that the province take a step back from any governance change and set a condition that the Region, in partnership with the local area municipalities, undertake a full review (public consultation, financial analysis, business case(s)) with recommendations for cost savings and service delivery efficiencies, including elected representation, with changes to be made ahead of the 2030 election.
This is simultaneously one of the silliest arguments I’ve heard about why councillors shouldn’t be involved in this discussion and also an argument that proves my point about the necessity of community engagement/public consultation.
I’ll address, first, that it is not at all a conflict of interest for me to have an opinion on regional (or any other) governance issue. Just as I’m permitted to have an opinion and express it on the regional budget or any other matter that impacts the community at large, I am also permitted to have an opinion on regional governance, amalgamation, and/or how many elected officials there should be to serve Niagara’s communities.
But, also, as I’ve stated many times before, I’m not seeking re-election, so it’s a moot point.
Continue reading ““Politicians will never vote themselves out of a job””It’s not uncommon to hear that Niagara has too many politicians. Why on Earth would an area the size of the Niagara region have 126 elected when the province only has 124 MPPs?
Well, I mean, it’s because there are 13 government bodies in the Niagara region. There are several provincial ridings in Ontario that encompass the area of more than one municipal government.
Continue reading “Too many cooks in the kitchen?”I keep reading that “amalgamation is off the table.”
It’s not.
If you read Bob Gale’s letter carefully, it says:
Continue reading “Amalgamation is not off the table”
Laura Ip - Regional Councillor 