Niagara residents have until Monday, July 13, to apply for a job that used to be decided by voters: Regional Chair.
The provincial government posted the position on June 29, inviting applicants for a four-year term beginning November 15, 2026, according to The Pointer. The posting lists duties that include presiding over Regional Council meetings, advancing economic development and aligning regional priorities with those of the province.
The recruitment follows the passage of Bill 100, the Better Municipal Governance Act, under which Premier Doug Ford's government removed the selection of regional chairs from local hands in eight upper-tier municipalities: Niagara, Durham, Halton, Peel, Waterloo, York, Simcoe County and Muskoka. Chairs in those municipalities will now be appointed by the province rather than chosen by voters or regional councillors.
Niagara's Regional Council voted 18-9 last year to oppose the legislation, after Fort Erie Mayor Wayne Redekop warned colleagues they were "being asked to get on a boat that's heading into undemocratic waters."
The Association of Municipalities of Ontario has also pushed back. In a June 10 letter to Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Rob Flack, AMO president Robin Jones urged the province to reverse course, writing that "municipal leaders should be elected by their communities" and that accountability to local voters depends on it.
Unanswered questions about the process
The posting does not say when the appointment will be announced, who will review applications, whether interviews will be held or how much weight local recommendations will carry, according to The Pointer. The Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing has not publicly outlined a selection process beyond inviting applications.
The successful candidate starts November 15, roughly three weeks after Ontario's municipal elections on October 26.
Applicants must be Canadian citizens, at least 18 years old and eligible to vote in one of Niagara's lower-tier municipalities. Judges, MPPs, MPs and municipal employees are ineligible. The chair is paid by Niagara Region, with compensation set by Regional Council, and is expected to attend weekly meetings and work evenings, weekends and holidays.
St. Catharines MPP Jennie Stevens criticized the new system in a social media post, saying it allows the premier, rather than local voters, to select the Region's political leader. She also warned that combining an appointed chair with expanded strong mayor powers means the successful candidate "will become the most powerful politician in Niagara."
Neither St. Catharines Mayor Mat Siscoe nor Welland Mayor Frank Campion has said publicly whether they will seek re-election in October or apply for the chair's job, according to The Pointer.
Vacant chair role
Niagara has been without a permanent chair since Bob Gale resigned earlier this year amid controversy over his ownership of a signed copy of Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf. Gale had been appointed by the Ford government after the death of longtime chair Jim Bradley, and stepped down after anti-racism organizations called for his resignation.
The person selected through the new process will be the first to serve a full four-year term under the province's new regional governance model.
Some residents are encouraging citizens to apply themselves as a form of protest. Tia De Agazio, who runs the Welland Citizens & Friends Watch Group, told The Pointer that many residents feel the appointment represents a loss of local democratic control and that the posting appears to advantage candidates already waiting in the wings.
