Direct election of regional chair won't happen this year
St. Catharines Standard, Allan Benner - March 22, 2022
Current leadership has eliminated need for change in Niagara
Niagara’s voters won’t have a say in selecting the region’s chair on Oct. 24.
Although Niagarans were to directly elect the regional chair in the 2018 municipal elections until the provincial government abruptly cancelled that plan, there was no political will to implement the change for this year’s elections.
The last time a motion came forward to review the way Niagara selects the head of regional council was in July 2020, when St. Catharines Coun. Laura Ip put forward a motion to its corporate services committee calling for the formation of a citizens committee to make recommendations on a range of governance issues, including the election of the regional chair, who is currently selected by regional councillors.
Photo Credit: St. Catharines Standard