On March 4, 2026, Mayor Jeff Jordan of Grimsby, Ontario, joined seven other local mayors in sending a letter to Premier Doug Ford to suggest a new plan for managing the region. The group is asking for changes to how local government works to make sure services are efficient and to keep property taxes low for residents.
The plan submitted by the Town of Grimsby and other municipalities involves creating new public organizations to handle water and wastewater. It also proposes moving the management of the road network, social services, and ambulance services to boards that are run at the local level.
These suggestions come after a decision by the City of Port Colborne and the Niagara Regional Council on February 26, 2026, to start a formal review of local government. This review will use data to find better ways to provide services and may result in reducing the total number of politicians on local councils.
Local leaders are looking ahead to 2051, when the Niagara region is expected to have a population of more than 690,000 residents. By making these changes now, the mayors hope to remove duplicate work between different levels of government and make life more affordable for every household.
