They say you shouldn't bring a knife to a gunfight, but Bruce Timms figures the Niagara Regional Police board has for years walked into contract negotiations without even a wet noodle as a weapon. The St. Catharines regional councillor, who's been a vocal critic of generous pay increases for police by provincial arbitrators for years, figures the time has come to give the NRP board its own club for when it sits down to negotiate with the association representing police officers. Continue reading

NIAGARA — Bruce Timms thinks the time has come for the Region to begin assembling a war chest to prepare for future legal fights over the cost of policing in the region. The St. Catharines regional councillor, who has long been a critic of generous settlements awarded to public sector employees such as police officers by non-elected, provincial arbitrators, is pushing for the creation of a new reserve fund to prepare for legal battles before the Ontario Civilian Police Commission. Continue reading

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

Niagara Region's planning staff are busy, and they're poised to become even busier dealing with a record number of development applications having been received at the start of 2017. Continue reading