Shared Services

Over the last number of years, Niagara's chief administrative officers have pursued shared services to make services and processes more seamless, cost-effective and efficient for residents and business, such as:

• Shared fire service pilots
• Mergers of libraries
• Amalgamation of transit
• Coordination of animal control services

The Strategic Transformation Office:

• Supports the delivery of Regional Council's priority objectives with a focus on shared services
• Works to deliver projects that result in more efficient conduct of Regional business and service delivery for Niagara

Focus areas

• Finding more opportunities to share services between Niagara's municipalities and / or Niagara Region
• Identifying areas to improve government efficiency and effectiveness
• Exploring all prospects for joint procurement
• Identifying ways to improve administrative resiliency while ensuring that service levels are maintained or improved for Niagara residents
• Developing the framework and criteria for evaluating and prioritizing shared service opportunities

Success highlights

• 2023
  • Established a planning service agreement tailored to each participating municipality as a result of Bill 23
  • Amalgamated transit services and launched Niagara Transit Commission in January 2023
• 2022
  • Coordinated the merging of Lincoln and Pelham library systems
  • Completed joint request for proposal to procure e-voting system for the 2022 election
• 2021
  • Established the Niagara West Fire and Emergency Services (between Grimsby and Lincoln)
  • Completed joint request for proposal between Grimsby and Niagara-on-the-Lake for animal care and control services
• 2019
  • Formed a Joint Accessibility Advisory Committee between the municipalities of Thorold, Grimsby, Lincoln, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Pelham and West Lincoln
• 2018
  • Established a Joint Compliance Audit Committee between Niagara Region, area municipalities, the District School Board of Niagara and the Niagara Catholic District School Board

About shared services

• Structure and types of shared services

  A shared service structure aims to bring together resources, functions, processes and skills from different groups to:

  • Create economies of scale
  • Increase standardization
  • Pool skill sets
  • Generate the critical mass required to yield a positive return

  Types of shared services

  • Informal: Networking and information sharing
  • Examples include networking groups, discussion groups and communities of practice / working groups
  • Semi-formal: Partnerships and collaboration
  • Examples include memorandums of understanding, joint initiatives and / or procurements, and shared resources
  • Formal: Shared service delivery
  • Examples include program oversight through a joint board of management, service level agreements, pooled resources and process ownership end-to-end
• Participants

  Shared services opportunities are being explored between Niagara's twelve municipalities and / or Niagara Region.

  The Niagara Public Purchasing Committee is a cooperating purchasing program representing over 30 agencies, both public sector and broader public sector. These agencies agree to invite quotations or tenders on selected commodities and services.

• Benefits

  A successful shared service implementation can result in:

  • Cost efficiency and economies of scale
  • Efficient customer service
  • Improved service delivery
  • Increased municipal capacity

  Not all shared services result in cost savings. Other benefits may include improved consistency, reduced risk, modernization, and increased service sustainability.