The Niagara Falls City Council is the governing body of the City of

Niagara Falls, Ontario Niagara Falls is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is on the western bank of the Niagara River in the Golden Horseshoe region of Southern Ontario, with a population of 88,071 at the 2016 census. It is part of the St. Catharines - Niagara Census M ...

, Canada. The council consists of the

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

plus eight elected councillors representing the city as a whole. The last election was held in 2022, and the next will be held in 2026.

History

Members of city council were originally known as

aldermen An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members them ...

until 2006, when the terminology was updated to

councillor A councillor is an elected representative for a local government council in some countries. Canada Due to the control that the provinces have over their municipal governments, terms that councillors serve vary from province to province. Unl ...

. These councillors were elected through a ward system from 1970-2000, which meant that councillors represented local neighbourhoods within the city, as opposed to the city as a whole. However, in 2002, that was changed, so that the top 8 candidates were elected. At the same time, city council voted to reduce the size of the council from 13 to 9 (including the city councillors as well as the mayor).

Councillors

The members of this city council were elected (or re-elected) in the 2022 municipal elections * Mayor

Jim Diodati James ( Jim Diodati ) is a Canadian politician, currently serving as mayor of Niagara Falls, Ontario. He was first elected in the 2010 municipal election, defeating incumbent mayor Ted Salci. Prior to his election to the mayoralty, Diodati ser ...

* Wayne Campbell * Ruth-Ann Nieuwesteeg * Tony Baldinelli * Mona Patel * Lori Lococo * Victor Pietrangelo * Mike Strange *

Wayne Thomson Wayne Thomson is a Canadian politician who previously served as the mayor of Niagara Falls.

Controversies

Thundering Waters

In May 2018, Niagara Falls City Council approved the development process of the Riverfront Community and Paradise at Niagara Falls' ,'' more commonly known as Thundering Waters. While supporters of the development say that it will bring jobs and tourism to the city, the

Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority The Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority is one of 36 conservation authorities in the Canadian province of Ontario. It was established via the Conservation Authorities Act, and is a member authority of Conservation Ontario. The authority is ...

as well as other community and environmental groups highlight the environmental damage it would cause. The development would be situated on significant wetlands, and directly in the watershed of the

Welland River The Welland River (originally called the Chippawa Creek) is a river in the Golden Horseshoe that passes through the Southern Ontario cities of Welland and Niagara Falls. It flows from its source just south of Hamilton, Ontario to meet the Niag ...

. A local environmental scientist filed an appeal with the municipal planning tribunal, which was dismissed. As of March 2021, official site development has not been begun, although the developing company has illegally begun working on the site- clearing trees and disturbing the ecosystem.

Covid-19 Pandemic

Due to the Covid-19 Pandemic, city council began holding their monthly meetings online.

References

External links

City Council Website
{{Canadian Legislative Bodies Municipal councils in Ontario Politics of Niagara Falls, Ontario