Regional Chair Bradley makes announcements on housing, shared services and advocacy at 2023 State of the Region address
Speaking to a sold-out audience of business and community leaders from across the region, Chair Jim Bradley delivered his message for the future: to grow a better Niagara we must do it together.
The Chair’s keynote address, delivered at the Niagara Falls Convention Centre, made three key announcements which aligned directly with Regional Council’s priorities for this term.
Specifically, Chair Bradley announced:
- The creation of an Office of Attainable Housing, which will be focused on creating more housing in Niagara to meet the demand for a “missing middle”. The creation of this office is in response to the growing need in our community, the clearly stated priorities of Regional Councillors and the desire of the Provincial Government to see more housing build in Ontario.
- The creation of the Office of Share Service, which has been given the mandate to find innovative ways to better share resources between the Region and the 12 local municipalities. For the first time in the Region’s 53-year history there will be resources solely dedicated to finding ways to make local government in Niagara more efficient, lean and effective.
- The return of the highly-successful “Niagara Week” at Queen’s Park; during the week of May 15 elected officials and senior staff will advocate for provincial support on a number of key items including the new wastewater treatment plant in South Niagara, transitional funding for shared services and financial relief from the impacts of Bill 23.
In regard to the Offices of Attainable Housing and Shared Services, the Chair was pleased to share that the resources required to make these initiatives a reality did not require any new staff or increase to the Region’s budget.
Chair Bradley also celebrated many economic successes from the past 12 months, including major private-sector investments, large-scale government contracts and significant public infrastructure including the $3.6 billion hospital in South Niagara.
The Chair's speech highlighted the recent positive announcement that provincial homelessness funding for Niagara will be increasing by 86 per cent. This announcement comes after years of advocacy on the part of councillors and staff with decision makers in the provincial government. The Chair articulated that the region must remain vigilant in its advocacy to ensure that Niagara has a voice in Toronto and continues to get its fair share.
Following the keynote, Chair Bradley sat down with CKTB radio host Tim Denis for a moderated discussion where the main points of the speech were explored more in depth. Chair Bradley also shared his views on issues such as the Region’s plan for climate change, the condition of public infrastructure in Niagara and the impacts of opioids, homelessness and mental health.
A full transcript of the Chair’s remarks can be found online.
Media Inquiries
Daryl Barnhart
Office of the Regional Chair
289-969-3441
daryl.barnhart@niagararegion.ca
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