Following letters from Niagara’s regional chair, which suggest potential amalgamation, Ontario Premier Doug Ford says he “is not going to make that decision,” leaving the debate to the chair and 12 mayors.

“It has to be from Niagara by Niagara,” said Ford at a news conference in Niagara Falls on Wednesday. He was attending a ceremony marking a construction milestone for the upcoming South Niagara Hospital.

Last week, Niagara Region’s chair Bob Gale wrote a letter to Ontario Municipal Affairs Minister Rob Flack, saying he is “deeply contemplating” the possibility to amalgamate the 12 municipalities in the region to a one- or four-city model, sparking mixed reactions from mayors in the area.

In a public statement issued last week, Niagara-on-the-Lake Lord Mayor Gary Zalepa said he is “strongly” opposed to “any proposal that would see [the] Town absorbed through amalgamation” — a town with its own “distinct identity, proud history, and strong local governance.”

Meanwhile, earlier this week, Welland Mayor Frank Campion expressed support for a four-city structure, arguing it would align shared interests, co-ordination on housing, transit and economic development between municipalities in a public statement shared on Feb. 23.

‘Too many cooks in the kitchen,’ says Niagara Falls mayor

“The current system is not working,” said Niagara Falls Mayor Jim Diodati at Wednesday’s news conference with Ford. “We have too many cooks in the kitchen and it’s too expensive to do business in Niagara.”

Currently, the Niagara region has 126 elected officials, which is more than the number of MPPs in the Ontario legislature.

Ford said the region has “too many politicians” and that it’s the “number one comment” he gets from Niagara residents, along with high taxes that have increased by nearly 25 per cent in the last three years.

Gale’s letters to Niagara mayors and municipal affairs ministry

In the letter to Flack, Ontario’s municipal affairs and housing minister, Gale wrote the current governance structure, including the regional body, is “outdated and unwieldy” and is worsening the problem of “waste, abuse and a culture of casualness with taxpayer dollars.”

Gale, who was appointed regional chair two months ago, also reached out to Niagara mayors that day for feedback as he contemplates merging cities and towns in the area to a one- or four-city model.

“Niagara’s current governance model is failing families, with nearly 25 per cent tax increases in a single term and a $2.7 billion infrastructure backlog pushing costs on to future generations,” wrote Gale in an email to CBC News.

“That’s simply not sustainable for Niagara residents already struggling with the cost of living,” Gale added. “I am currently working with all mayors and stakeholders to create a Made in Niagara plan that respects taxpayers.”

In an email to CBC News, the Ontario Municipal Affairs and Housing Ministry said it will also be leaving decisions of the region’s governance restructure to “Niagara leaders.”

“These will be local decisions, made by local leaders to better serve the local community,” wrote Michael Minzak, spokesperson for the ministry.

Past amalgamations did not save much money: expert

Amalgamation is a topic that’s long been on the agenda for the Niagara region, says David Siegel, a former Brock University political science professor who has co-authored studies on municipal amalgamations in Ontario, including Chatham-Kent, Kingston and Central Elgin.

“There’s no significant amount of money saved there,” Siegel told CBC News. “You can abolish the area municipalities if you want, but the work that they’re doing still has to be done.”

By downsizing the number of politicians, Siegel expects regional public works for the proposed municipalities to double, requiring more supervisory staff.

Siegel’s research showed that despite Central Elgin slashing the number of elected officials in half and Kingston by a third, it had little impact on municipal expenses before and after their respective amalgamations.

For politicians who will remain on the job, he expects them to go after the pay rate of the municipality with the highest pay scale.

“Different municipalities have different levels of service,” Siegel said, referring to transit as an example. “Once you amalgamate, everyone’s going to want the same high service.”

However, Siegel sees a silver lining an amalgamation could bring for the region: “We’d speak with one voice at Queen’s Park.”

Yet, he remains skeptical that Niagara would become the first out of many Ontario municipalities and even other countries that have amalgamated to successfully save taxpayer money.

“That’s never happened to other places.”