Proposed changes would help local leaders speed up decision-making, reduce costs and expedite housing and infrastructure
On April 2026, the Ontario government introduced the Better Regional Governance Act, 2026 that would, if passed, make a number of changes to the way regional governments function in some of Ontario’s fastest growing regions. These changes would support lower costs for municipal taxpayers and better alignment between regional decision-making and shared provincial-regional priorities. The proposed changes include giving the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing the power to appoint upper-tier council chairs in eight fast-growing regions and granting these council chairs “strong chair” powers to help them deliver on government priorities, such as housing and infrastructure. The proposed legislation would also reduce the cost of government and support efficient decision-making in Niagara Region and Simcoe County by reducing the size of Simcoe County Council and Niagara Regional Council.
“We will always support our municipal partners, both lower- and upper-tier, in delivering locally led solutions that offer better value for taxpayers and speed up decision-making,” said Rob Flack, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. “These changes provide the necessary tools for local leadership to advance our shared priorities and better serve our communities, including by expediting housing and infrastructure development.”
The proposed Better Regional Governance Act, 2026 and related regulatory changes would enable the following:
Allow the Minister to appoint regional chairs in Durham, Halton, Muskoka, Niagara, Peel, Waterloo and York, as well as the warden of Simcoe County. Under previous legislation, the Minister had the authority to appoint chairs in Niagara, Peel and York regions for the 2022-2026 council term only.
Regional chairs in the eight municipalities listed above would receive “strong chair” powers which mirror “strong mayor” powers, providing more efficient, streamlined local decision-making, enabling them to deliver faster results for residents and support efforts to advance shared provincial-municipal priorities.
The number of municipal elected officials in Simcoe (population 351,927) and Niagara (population 477,941) is significantly higher than many other comparable municipalities in the province. For instance, Niagara region has 126 local elected officials across its upper and lower-tier councils. By comparison, Toronto City Council has 26 members for a population of over three million and Queen’s Park has 124 MPPs representing over 16 million people across the province. This increases the cost of government for local taxpayers and creates dysfunction at council. To address these concerns, the government is proposing the following changes:
In response to a request from the county warden, Simcoe County Council would be reduced from 32 members to 17. The new council would be made up of mayors of the 16 lower-tier municipalities, plus the warden.
Niagara Regional Council would be reduced from 32 members to 13 members. The new council would include the mayors of each of Niagara’s 12 lower-tier municipalities plus the regional chair.
To facilitate the transition to the new council structure and ensure appropriate and effective representation, the government would also work with local municipal leadership to develop a weighted voting framework, which is already in force in Simcoe County and would be applied in Niagara Region.
All regions must review their council composition following the 2026 municipal election. Niagara Region would be exempt in 2026 and would return to regular reviews after the 2034 municipal election. The government will continue working with municipalities to identify ways to strengthen local governance in Niagara, Simcoe and beyond. Working together to advance shared provincial-municipal priorities helps advance housing and economic development, preparing both individual municipalities and the province as a whole for growth.
Quick Facts
Currently, the heads of council of upper-tier municipalities have been selected using different methods – in Durham, Halton and Waterloo they were elected by the voters; in Peel, Muskoka and Simcoe County, they were appointed by the upper-tier council; and in Niagara and York they were appointed by the Minister.
When Simcoe County tried to reduce its own council size, it received support from both county council and lower tier municipalities representing a majority of Simcoe County’s eligible voters. However, it lost on a tie – eight lower-tier municipalities supported reducing the size of county council, while eight lower-tiers were opposed.
Weighted voting is a system where each member of council may be assigned a different number of votes. The number can be determined by many factors, including population or the number of electors in the ward represented. Since different individual members of council may have a different number of votes, in a weighted vote, a simple “majority of members” may be different from the “majority of weighted votes.”
The proposed amendments would also provide the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing with regulation-making authority to set out weighted voting rules for upper-tier municipal councils starting with the term following the 2026 regular election.
The government is announcing these changes in advance of the May 1, 2026, nomination deadline to give municipalities and candidates time to prepare for the fall municipal election.
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love
