Ontario announces plan to slash Niagara Region, Simcoe County councils and add ‘strong chair’ powers | CBC News
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A fundamental reworking of some regional governments was announced by the provincial government today, with Ontario Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Rob Flack announcing he’s slashing the number of regional council seats in Niagara from 32 to just 13 including a regional chair.
The province also plans to reduce the number of regional seats in Simcoe County from 32 members to just 17, made up of 16 mayors and a regional chair.
Flack also announced the province, under its new Better Regional Governance Act, 2026, will have the power to appoint regional chairs in Durham, Halton, Muskoka, Peel, Waterloo and York as well as the warden of Simcoe County.
If the legislation is passed, the province will also be giving regional chairs “strong chair” powers, similar to strong mayor powers given to some cities.
Flack made the announcement Thursday at Queen’s Park. The changes are “to the way regional governments function in some of Ontario’s fastest growing regions,” the province said in a news release. “These changes would support lower costs for municipal taxpayers and better alignment between regional decision-making and shared provincial-regional priorities.”
More to come.