Bruce Timms on Building a Better Niagara!

"The Halton model discussed on our home page is simply described as 1) a directly elected Regional Chair and 2) some or all of a City's City Councillors do double duty and sit at the Regional Council as well as City Council.

They have a seat and a vote at both City and Regional Councils. The Mayors also sit at Regional Council as they do now in Niagara. This model has the advantage of integrating Regional Council with St.Catharines City Council and all 12 city councils. It has the added advantage of building connections between the 12 city councils through the double duty councillors sitting together at Regional Council and its various committees.

Building a Better, Stronger Niagara

Niagara, one voice one Team, 12 players. The Team where every player is respected and Valued is the Team that wins. Niagara needs to be a Team that competes to win jobs , investment and prosperity.

Streamline Regional Government  (with the Double Direct model) *** see website or youtube video
• Reduce number of politicians from Mayor plus 18 to Mayor plus 12 for next election
• 6 of 12 City councillors will serve as both Region and City Councillor; Double Direct
• Better communication and cooperation  between the City and the Region, and City  to City
• Better teamwork among the 12 cities and towns of Niagara

Build a better Regional Transit  system to support GO Rail service
• Better intercity transit brings the 12 cities and towns closer together
• Better job mobility and opportunity
• Better access to GO Rail

Demand a better Seaway deal  for Niagara
• Government of Canada needs to include the  interests of Niagara communities in the new Seaway Management Deal
• Current Seaway Management contract expires in 2018, start talks now

Defend the Taxpayer from  broken arbitration system

Please check the Halton Region model through the Halton web site www.halton.ca and a similar model in Durham Region at www.durham.ca

Please view the following videos of Bruce presenting these ideas to St.Catharines City Council and the questions and answer videos that follow. These are unedited videos of public presentations at St.Catharines City Council"

Watch Videos

Select Gallery

Present 2 Tier Structure

2014

Niagara Regional Council

2014

12 Separate Local Councils

2014

Proposed Double Direct

2014

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

Bruce Timms on Building a Better Niagara! Building prosperity for all of Niagara

Building a Better, Stronger Niagara

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Present 2 Tier Structure

Niagara Regional Council

12 Separate Local Councils

Proposed Double Direct

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