Building a Better Niagara means Modernizing Niagara municipal government for many reasons, including building more housing quickly

Please visit www.ModernizeNiagara.ca Provincial hearing will continue in spring of 2025.

Next Election 2026

" Time to Modernize Niagara"

• Ask candidates to include Elect Regional Chair by general Vote Like a Mayor in their platform.

• Ask candidates to include Modernize Niagara ideas in their platforms, #modernizeniagara and search ModernizeNiagara.ca for a web page full of ideas

• Regional Chair will own more of the property tax bill than any Mayor, Chair should be elected by voters, by taxpayers, like a Mayor. The transfer of Transit to the Region means the Region part of the property tax on your house or business will be larger than the city tax. "

Thank You!

“Thank-you for your support over the years. I accept and respect the wisdom of the voter. I was honoured to have served so many years, we achieved a lot progress for Niagara, most significantly the Commitment for GO Rail to St.Catharines and Niagara Falls by 2023.

We established the 3 City Transit collaboration that will lead to a strong public transit network for Niagara.

We saved the Port Robinson Ferry on the Greater Niagara Circle Route through a partnership with the City of Thorold.

We saved the Niagara Gateway Tourism Kiosk through a partnership between the Region , TPN and West Niagara Tourism Association

The most important issue for the new council is the restructuring of the Region, either by Council or by the Provincial Government. Council should offer a made in Niagara solution before we get a Queens Park solution.

We can all continue building a better Niagara, I will continue to do my best as a citizen and taxpayer Building a Better Niagara for all of us.

Poll Results: Thank you for participating!

We have filtered out any multiple responses from the same source and recognize the survey is not “scientific”. The result of 75% for chair at large is similar to the Durham Region referendum result of 2010. The new council has an opportunity to make that change early in this term. The Double duty change may take more time and survey shows mixed results on that issue.

Thanks again for participating, I wish the new council success in Building a Better Niagara.

Here are the results:

1. Do you want an election of the Regional Chair (with any Niagara resident eligible to run) by all the voters of Niagara?

YES: 575 (75%)
NO: 147 (19%)
DON'T KNOW: 49 (6%)

2. Do you support a single City of Niagara, as opposed to the current 12 individual municipalities?

YES: 316 (41%)
NO: 406 (53%) DON'T KNOW: 49 (6%)

3. Do you support City Councillors replacing the Regional Councillors at Regional Council?

YES: 381 (49%)
NO: 297 (39%) DON'T KNOW: 93 (12%)

4. Do you support Double Duty Councillors (i.e., serving as both City and Regional Councillors), elected by Ward, at Regional Council?

YES: 342 (44%)
NO: 375 (49%) DON'T KNOW: 54 (7%)

Bruce Timms. Building a Better, Stronger Niagara by Streamlining the Region. Less Two Tier, More Team Niagara!

Integrate region and local councils, eliminate the 18 Region only councillors and put city councillors at the Regional table and elect the Regional Chair at Large.
Six St.Catharines City councillors would do double duty and serve at the Region and the City. This model is used in Burlington and Oakville of Halton Region and Oshawa and Whitby of Durham Region.

City Committee says so. Chamber of Commerce says so. Citizens who spoke say so. Precedents in Halton, Durham, York and Peel say so.

The Regional Council becomes a team of city and town Councillors working together for the good of the entire Region. The Regional Chair is elected at large by the voters of the whole Region like the Halton model. This model works elsewhere in the Province , is proven to be successful and I believe it can be supported by all the 12 municipalities in time for the next Municipal election, 2014.

View my video explaining how it works

It is a Forty Year face lift for Regional government, after 40 years it is time to improve the governance model of Niagara, to focus on the team of 12 communities, integrate the councils of the local communities into a Regional Council that works together with good understanding of the local council’s challenges. Get rid of the structured separation into two tiers and focus on teamwork. It has worked well when the joint committees at the Region include local city councillors from Niagara Falls and Welland and Thorold and all the others sitting around the table working out common problems. “The Forty Year Facelift, or Forty Year Fix for Niagara is overdue and it will be my top priority in the new term. Less Two Tier more Team Niagara” said Timms.

Regional Councillor Bruce Timms has served on Regional Council since 1991, has served as Chair of Public Health Committee, Chair of the Greater Niagara Circle Route Steering Committee, and was founding board member of Niagara Regional Housing.

08 Aug 2024

Re: St. Catharines looks into burying hydro lines in Port Dalhousie, July 23

Two Port Dalhousie issues would benefit from a ward councillor sitting on regional council, as they do in Oakville.

St. Catharines city council is asking the Region to consider burying hydro lines and reconsider a pedestrian mall. The debate would be assisted by the double direct city/regional councillor model used in Oakville. There would be six city councillors at the Region for this debate.

Modernizing Niagara to at least catch up with the Oakville model is something the province could do as it reviews regional government.

Bruce Timms, St. Catharines

14 Jul 2024

View Video Here

broncos

14 Mar 2018

progress

26 Nov 2017

Nov 23 2017

Timms votes against NRP budget increase of 4.5%, $3.44 million over the 1.5% increase guideline. "What other Regional service will be reduced to fund the Police and keep to a 2% tax increase?"

31 Aug 2016

A public meeting will be held at 6:30pm Thursday September 15th. A vote of Regional Council will also be held to vote yes or no to dual duty for St.Catharines.

For more information and to watch video, click here

" Niagara voters should elect the Regional chair in the same manner they elect a city mayor. In St.Catharines we elect a mayor to lead a council that is responsible for 41% of the property tax bill. The Regional Chair leads a council responsible for 45% of your tax bill and even more of youe water bill. I believe this is one more good reason to allow the Niagara voter to vote directly for the Leader of Regional Council. Many other municipalities in Ontarion elect their Regional Chair directly. Durham Region had a refendum in 2010 that supported direct election by 75% and then followed through with an election in 2014 . " Read Article in the St. Catharines Standard

07 Aug 2015

St. Catharines Regional Councillor Bruce Timms is a strong supporter of cycling in the region, the circle route and its tourism draw.

Keeping the ferry going with a Thorold-Niagara Region partnership is imperative, he said.

“I am supporting the Region’s participation in this operation of the ferry,” Timms said. “It’s an important link to the Niagara Falls tourism area.

READ MORE

Double duty, directly elected, Regional council is not about saving money. It is about being more effective.

In today’s economy, it is about being more effective in attracting jobs and businesses to Niagara.

In any economy it is about being efficient and effective in service delivery to our citizens and our 12 local municipal partners.

Read Full Article

St. Catharines city councillors not giving up on a move to reduce the number of local politicians.

Last night, councillors voted to request that the region ask the province for permission to change the city's governance model.

In layman's terms, that means councillors would do double duty and sit on both city council and regional council.

Currently, St. Catharines has 12 city councillors and 6 regional councillors.

Councillor Mat Siscoe tells CKTB's Tim Denis it's a contentious issue, with discussion not only about if a change is needed but if this is the right change.

After the October municipal election, council appointed Matt Harris as its first dual role councillor, but the province stepped in saying the change would have to be implemented before an election campaign begins.

St. Catharines council hoping to have approvals in place before the next election in four years.

Listen on CKTB 610

05 Jul 2015

A fair delivery of justice is a service the Region deliver even if it costs a little more, the province has a court house in St. Catharines and Welland. It is a model we should follow. There are 10 jobs in downtown St. Catharines that provide services for Provincial offences cases. I am worried these 10 jobs will leave downtown, and St. Catharines residents and all north Niagara will have to go to Welland to get justice. Read Article.

Like everyone else, Niagara is not spending the money to keep up with the demand. For instance, it allocated $7 million for road resurfacing in 2015, which is only half of what’s required to meet the need.

Gale labelled the situation “disgraceful.”

I think he was being kind.

He suggests Niagara needs to refocus on how it spends public money, including using regional investments and economic development funds to shore up infrastructure.

Read Full Story

St. Catharines regional Coun. Bruce Timms called on fellow councillors to increase spending on roads.

“The council needs to consider shifting emphasis in budget considerations to roads and bridges, given that our regional network is the arterial roads and the most directly related to prosperity,” Timms said. “Good arterial roads are a very big consideration for businesses coming into our region and we can’t afford to let them get too far deteriorated. They are, to me, a higher priority.”

Read Full Story

Thank goodness for the sage wisdom of Coun. Bruce Timms who flatly stated having regional transit “is important to the argument for GO rail for Niagara."

Read Full Story

Better local transit will also help fill the GO system with tourists coming from Toronto. Currently, it is virtually impossible for tourists to get around Niagara without their own car, so it’s a cruel joke to suggest tourists should take GO to Niagara.

but if we want to be serious about GO service we should be thinking about what we have to do to make the Niagara end of the system more attractive.

In sum, if Niagara wants the province to make a commitment toward public transit to Niagara, then Niagara must first demonstrate its commitment to public transit within the region.

Read Full Story

Double duty gaining support!

CLICK HERE To read Full Story!

Double direct Regional councillor model and support for GO rail dominate debate

CLICK HERE To read Full Story!

Thank you St.Catharines, I will continue to work for a streamlined regional government and to defend the taxpayer from a Broken arbitration system

I am pleased to share the police association(union) questions to politicians and my answer with the voting public.

Click here to view NRPA Letter

Here is my response to the above letter:
1. NO, I do not support the current Broken Arbitration system, it favours the union and does not respect the taxpayer.
2. YES, I proposed it, and remain commited to the "defend the taxpayer reserve fund " and I promise to bring it forward to the new council.
3. Only if it meets councils direction and guideline.
4. NO. 350 civilian jobs will leave the downtown Core in 2016 , not for NF downtown but highway commercial property in NF off 420. No benefit to either Downtown Cores , NF or St.C

And may I remind you that while 2014 is an election year for your representatives, 2015 is a Bargaining years for the NRPolice association. And first class constable will make $92,516 as of July 1st 2015

brochure-in-hand

Have you seen this in your mail box? If not, call or email and we will get it to you

PRESS RELEASE:

NIAGARA REGION, Oct. 2, 2014 – Niagara Regional Council has approved an agreement to purchase a property in St. Catharines for the new Niagara Regional Police 1 District St. Catharines detachment. Download full Press Release

The motion was defeated but the idea has not been killed, I will bring it to the new council if re-elected, and see if the NEW council sees their duty to defend the taxpayer.

Niagara Region is to consider setting up a reserve fund to pay the cost of defending council budget decision on the Police budget if and when Police Board decides to appeal Council limitations on their Budget.

Regional Councillor Bruce Timms and Carmen D'Angelo < CAO of the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority will present the new strategic Plan adopted by the NPCA Board, which Timms Chairs, at St.Catharines City Council September 22, 2014