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March 4, 2026

RE: Rejection of Forced Amalgamation Proposal

Dear Honourable Premier Ford,

On behalf of Council and the residents of the Township of West Lincoln, I am writing in response to the recent correspondence from Regional Chair Bob Gale proposing potential municipal restructuring within Niagara Region, including models that would result in forced amalgamation. This letter to you should be read alongside the joint letter from the partnership of eight Niagara municipalities, of which West Lincoln is a member, representing a super majority of the municipalities in the region.

West Lincoln has a clear message for the Province: Niagara is stepping up – not standing in the way. Eight Niagara mayors have united in partnership behind a concrete agenda to modernize regional governance through reducing the number of politicians, strengthening efficiency, and eliminating duplication to enable economic growth and long-term sustainability for our municipalities and the taxpayers we serve - and we are inviting the Province to move forward with us.

West Lincoln respectfully rejects the premise that amalgamation is either necessary or desirable for our community.

We recognize and support the Province’s commitment to fiscal responsibility, housing delivery, infrastructure investment, and economic competitiveness. However, structural consolidation is not a prerequisite for achieving those goals. In fact, in communities such as West Lincoln, forced amalgamation risks undermining the very strengths that make us successful.

Small towns matter.

They matter because they foster local accountability. They matter because residents have direct access to decision-makers. They matter because governance is rooted in lived understanding of local priorities, rural realities, agricultural land stewardship, and community character. West Lincoln’s council chambers are not distant from our residents, they are embedded within the daily life of the community.

Local democracy is not an inefficiency to be corrected; it is a value to be preserved.

West Lincoln’s unique makeup, combining agricultural excellence, rural settlement areas, emerging residential growth, and strategic employment lands, requires governance that understands both preservation and progress. Our land base, infrastructure planning, and growth trajectory position us as one of Niagara’s most significant long-term economic contributors. We are not a peripheral municipality; we are an emerging powerhouse within the region.

Our Reform Agenda

Our partnership is proposing a regional review that will include focus on the following priority areas, with a firm commitment to act where a clear fiscal business case supports doing so:

  • Water & Wastewater: Establishing one or more Water and Wastewater Public Corporation(s) under the Water and Wastewater Public Corporations Act, 2025.
  • Regional Services: Subject to a financial review, reforming local and regional services to drive savings and deliver better value for every tax dollar – such as transitioning Roads to local municipalities and remaining services such as Transit, Social Services, Public Health, EMS, and Police to locally-governed Public Service Boards.
  • Council Size: Reducing the number of politicians by streamlining councils to reflect the needs and scale of each community.

For West Lincoln, this reform would be transformative.

It would remove the single greatest barrier to growth.

It would unlock residential development that is currently constrained by servicing capacity.

It would enable the expansion of our assessment base.

It would support the Province’s housing supply objectives in a measurable and timely way.

It would allow West Lincoln to finally realize its true potential and take its rightful place supporting the entirety of Niagara with economic prosperity, recreational amenities, parks, and a full spectrum of housing for our residents to age in place.

And perhaps most importantly, it would do so without dismantling local democratic structures or imposing amalgamation.

If the Province’s objective is to drive housing starts, infrastructure readiness, and economic competitiveness, then reforming how core services are delivered is far more directly connected to that goal than redrawing municipal boundaries.

Infrastructure constraints are a capital planning and governance issue, not a municipal identity issue.

West Lincoln is prepared to grow. Our planning framework aligns with provincial growth targets. Our land base can support significant residential and employment expansion. Our community welcomes responsible development. What we require is timely, scalable infrastructure delivery, not structural consolidation.

There is also no conclusive evidence that amalgamation produces sustained cost savings. Infrastructure liabilities, service expectations, and growth-related investments do not disappear when municipal boundaries are redrawn. They are consolidated and, in many cases, complicated. Transition costs, harmonization pressures, and administrative restructuring can delay rather than accelerate growth outcomes.

West Lincoln has demonstrated responsible financial stewardship and disciplined asset management. We are committed to providing residents with the best possible service for their tax dollar. We are equally prepared to participate in constructive, good-faith discussions about governance improvements that enhance efficiency and accountability across Niagara. The proposed water and wastewater public service corporation is an example of precisely that type of solution-oriented reform.

Our residents chose to live in West Lincoln because it is distinct, rural yet growing, independent yet collaborative, ambitious yet grounded in community values. They expect their municipal government to remain locally accountable and structurally positioned to respond to their needs.

West Lincoln’s foundation upon which to build a solid future is its agricultural base.  Families have lived in West Lincoln for generations and yet have always been willing to welcome people of all ages and life stages to our growing community. For that reason, our recent designation by the Province of Ontario as an “Age-Friendly Community” at this year’s ROMA Conference was of great significance to us. West Lincoln was extremely pleased to have had the opportunity to showcase the importance of Agriculture and Agriculturally-related businesses to the thousands of visitors who came to our municipality to enjoy the 2025 International Plowing Match and Rural Expo last September. We are pleased, Premier, to have counted you and most if not all, of your colleagues, among those thousands of visitors

From the perspective of reaching our growth targets for 2051, we very much appreciated that Business View Magazine reached out to us in January 2025, which resulted in an amazing 6-page magazine article highlighting our future potential, published in their May, 2025 edition! Additionally, in January 2026, West Lincoln was 1 of only 2 Niagara municipalities mentioned on the Globe and Mail’s list of the Top 100 Most Liveable Communities in Canada!

We have heard the Province’s concerns clearly and welcome the focus on accountability and modernized service delivery. Our reforms are designed to align with provincial priorities while maintaining strong, responsive local representation. We are committed to advancing practical, evidence-based reform.

We would welcome the opportunity to meet with you to discuss West Lincoln’s growth strategy, infrastructure needs, and long-term vision. We are confident that, when assessed through the lens of performance, housing delivery, and fiscal prudence, West Lincoln stands as a compelling example of how strong local governance supports provincial priorities.

Thank you for your consideration.

Respectfully submitted,

Cheryl Ganann

Mayor, Township of West Lincoln

cc. Honourable Rob Flack, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing

cc. Sam Oosterhoff, MPP Niagara West

cc. Bob Gale, Chair Niagara Regional Council

cc. Robert Dodd, Chief of Staff to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing

cc. Ann-Marie Norio, Clerk, Niagara Region

cc. West Lincoln Council

cc. Truper McBride, CAO West Lincoln