2026 Municipal Election Platform

Lower Costs, Smarter Government

The GNCC asks candidates in the 2026 municipal elections to commit to:

• Require any proposed tax increases to be accompanied by a public justification, a cost-containment review, and a clear explanation of why lower-cost alternatives were insufficient.
  Why it Matters

  Residents and businesses are already dealing with rising costs they cannot avoid. Municipal governments should not make affordability worse through tax increases that outpace inflation without a clear and compelling reason. A disciplined approach to taxation helps households plan, helps businesses remain competitive, and signals that local government understands the financial pressure people are under.

• Complete a municipality-wide service and spending review in the first half of each term of council, publish the findings, and report publicly on which recommendations will be implemented, on what timeline, and with what estimated savings.
  Why it Matters

  Regular reviews help municipalities find inefficiencies before they become long-term cost problems. They also create a culture of continuous improvement instead of waiting for a crisis to force difficult decisions. Doing this on a set schedule makes the process more credible, more transparent, and more likely to produce meaningful savings.

• Establish, within 12 months of taking office, a formal intermunicipal shared-services working group with staff support, a public work plan, and annual reporting on opportunities identified, projected savings, and implementation status.
  Why it Matters

  Municipal services do not need to be duplicated across every local government if the same outcome can be delivered more efficiently through collaboration. Shared services can reduce administrative costs, improve purchasing power, and free up resources for frontline priorities. Giving this work formal structure and measurable goals helps ensure it produces real results rather than remaining a good idea in principle only.

• Conduct a procurement review and implement reforms to expand competitive bidding, increase transparency, and identify categories suitable for joint procurement with other municipalities. Report annually on savings achieved.
  Why it Matters

  Procurement is one of the clearest opportunities for municipalities to save money without reducing service levels. Stronger competition and more transparent bidding processes can reduce costs and improve confidence that public funds are being spent wisely. Where municipalities buy similar goods or services, joint procurement can help secure better pricing and better value.

• Complete an evidence-based review of service delivery models for capital-intensive services such as water and wastewater, publish the findings, and identify whether governance changes, shared delivery, or service boards could improve value, coordination, and long-term asset management.
  Why it Matters

  Municipalities should therefore be prepared to assess whether current governance arrangements are delivering the best possible outcomes in terms of cost, coordination, service quality, and long-term infrastructure management. Service boards and other shared governance models may offer advantages in some cases, but any such approach should be considered on the basis of evidence and local circumstances.

• Support an independent review of municipal and regional governance structures during the term of council, with public reporting on opportunities to reduce duplication, clarify accountability, and improve service coordination and value for taxpayers.
  Why it Matters

  Governance structures should serve the public interest, not simply persist by default. Where existing arrangements create duplication, blur accountability, or make service delivery more costly and less effective, municipalities should be prepared to examine alternatives. Governance reform should be approached in a pragmatic, evidence-based way, with the goal of improving outcomes for taxpayers, residents, and businesses.

• Review user fees, development-related charges, and other major municipal cost burdens at least once per term, publish the rationale for each charge, and identify where reductions, freezes, or phased changes can be implemented without compromising core service delivery.
  Why it Matters

  Municipal costs are not limited to property taxes. Fees, charges, and other local cost burdens affect whether families can afford to stay in a community and whether businesses choose to invest or expand there. A commitment to reducing these costs helps ensure municipalities are not discouraging growth or adding pressure where it is not justified.

• Provide at least five full budget years of notice before any material change to development charges or major municipal fees, publish the justification for those changes, and report on how revenues will support identified infrastructure needs.
  Why it Matters

  Unpredictable or frequently changing development charges create uncertainty, raise project risk, and can discourage investment or delay housing and employment development. Municipalities should ensure that these charges are clearly explained, grounded in real infrastructure needs, and implemented in a way that supports long-term planning certainty.

• Adopt a single online service portal for business licences and permits within the term of council, with a secure municipal digital ID that allows applicants to submit verified information once and re-use it across departments.
  Why it Matters
  Too often, business owners are required to submit the same information multiple times to different departments, creating avoidable delays, higher compliance costs, and a frustrating user experience. A unified portal would improve efficiency and accessibility.
• Set annual service and efficiency targets for major municipal departments and report publicly on results through a departmental scorecard, including corrective action where targets are missed.
  Why it Matters

  What gets measured is more likely to improve. Setting clear efficiency targets helps ensure accountability and better results for taxpayers.

• Adopt a municipal modernization plan, including digitization priorities, service delivery benchmarks, and annual reporting on cost savings, processing times, and customer service improvements.
  Why it Matters

  Modernizing routine services can reduce paperwork, speed up approvals, and lower administrative costs over time.

• Publish annual consultant spending totals, require a business case for major consulting assignments, and prioritize internal delivery or coordinated regional approaches where comparable expertise exists.
  Why it Matters

  Consultants can be useful, but overuse can drive up costs and delay decisions. A disciplined approach ensures better value.

[1] Statistics Canada. Table 18-10-0268-02  Raw materials price index, percentage change, monthly

[2] Statistics Canada, Consumer Price Index, February 2026\

[3] Statistics Canada, Payroll employment, earnings and hours, and job vacancies, January 2026

[4] Niagara Region, https://www.niagararegion.ca/housing-homelessness/planning-research/niagara-counts-results.aspx

[5] CBC News, https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/niagara-food-insecurity-9.7031572?cmp=rss