Niagara
Region Anti-Racism Association 2026 Municipal Election Survey
Download our survey for school
trustee candidates here.
Download our survey for all other
municipal election candidates here.
Last update: October 25 (special
notes)
Please check back for the answers we
receive and special notes on candidates. We will be publishing answers on a
rolling basis.
Survey question topic codes:
“white supremacists”: Condemning white supremacist groups active locally
“Hitler debacle”: autographed Mein Kampf scandal
“Anti-Indigenous comments”: Anti-Indigenous comments at Niagara Falls Council
“Palestine”: Support for Palestine vs Support for Israel, Ukraine
“Niagara Police”: systemic racism in Niagara Regional Police Service
“suspension rates”: special question for trustees: publishing suspension rates by race
Shortcut by role:
Shortcut to questions white supremacists Hitler Debacle Anti-Indigenous comments Palestine Niagara Police
Councillor – Ward 1 (acclaimed)
Shortcut to questions white supremacists Hitler Debacle Anti-Indigenous comments Palestine Niagara Police
Shortcut to questions white supremacists Hitler Debacle Anti-Indigenous comments Palestine Niagara Police
Shortcut to questions white supremacists Hitler Debacle Anti-Indigenous comments Palestine Niagara Police
Shortcut to questions white supremacists Hitler Debacle Anti-Indigenous comments Palestine Niagara Police
Shortcut to questions white supremacists Hitler Debacle Anti-Indigenous comments Palestine Niagara Police
Councillor – Ward 6 (acclaimed)
Shortcut to questions white supremacists Hitler Debacle Anti-Indigenous comments Palestine Niagara Police
Shortcut to questions suspension rates white supremacists Hitler Debacle Anti-Indigenous comments Palestine Niagara Police
NCDSB (English Catholic) Trustee
Shortcut to questions suspension rates white supremacists Hitler Debacle Anti-Indigenous comments Palestine Niagara Police
Shortcut to questions suspension rates white supremacists Hitler Debacle Anti-Indigenous comments Palestine Niagara Police
Shortcut to questions suspension rates white supremacists Hitler Debacle Anti-Indigenous comments Palestine Niagara Police
Special notes on candidates Mayor DSBN
Shortcut to questions white supremacists Hitler Debacle Anti-Indigenous comments Palestine Niagara Police
Voted against Palestine support motions as a Niagara
Regional Councillor
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Voted against Palestine support motions as a Niagara
Regional Councillor
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White supremacist groups like the Dominion Society are postering across Niagara promoting mass deportations (rebranded as “remigration” even though they want to deport non-migrants i.e. citizens as well). Until recently some municipalities like St. Catharines deliberately avoided publicly addressing this out of concern it would incentivize these groups to increase their activity. Other cities like Hamilton have publicly condemned hate groups like the Dominion Society, and last week were joined by West Lincoln, Grimsby, Lincoln, and the mayor of St. Catharines.
Do you:
a. Believe it’s better not to give attention to these groups by condemning them
b. Commit to publicly condemning these groups, now as a candidate, and as an elected official, and to advocating that the government body you are elected to condemn these groups publicly
c. Believe these are not white supremacist groups or there is nothing wrong with their postering
d. Support the idea of “remigration” promoted by these groups
e. Other:
|
Tom Insinna (special note) |
Response not received yet |
|
Juan Liu |
Response not received yet |
|
Wayne H Redekop (special note) |
Response not received yet |
|
Mike Campbell |
Response not received yet |
Back to mayor top
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Niagara Regional Council Chair Bob Gale resigned mere hours after he was exposed for buying, owning, and authenticating Nazi memorabilia. The mayors of Niagara Falls and Pelham said he did nothing wrong and is just a collector, while the mayor of St. Catharines said this was a distraction from “really important” things. Very few elected officials condemned Bob Gale.
Do you:
a. Condemn Bob Gale for owning Nazi memorabilia
b. Believe Bob Gale did nothing wrong
c. Other:
|
Tom Insinna (special note) |
Response not received yet |
|
Juan Liu |
Response not received yet |
|
Wayne H Redekop (special note) |
Response not received yet |
|
Mike Campbell |
Response not received yet |
Do you also:
a. Believe this scandal is a distraction from “really important” issues
b. Believe top officials collecting autographed hate propaganda like Mein Kampf is a “really important” issue and racism, not a distraction
c. Other:
|
Tom Insinna (special note) |
Response not received yet |
|
Juan Liu |
Response not received yet |
|
Wayne H Redekop (special note) |
Response not received yet |
|
Mike Campbell |
Response not received yet |
At a press conference on April 2nd Minister Flack was asked how another “Hitler debacle” could be avoided. Can you confirm you do not have, nor have you ever had, nor will you ever have, Nazi memorabilia?
a. Yes
b. No
c. It’s your personal business or doesn’t matter
d. Other:
|
Tom Insinna (special note) |
Response not received yet |
|
Juan Liu |
Response not received yet |
|
Wayne H Redekop (special note) |
Response not received yet |
|
Mike Campbell |
Response not received yet |
Back to mayor top
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The Niagara Falls mayor said it was “out of context,” “misconstrued,” and a “split hair” to condemn comments by the ex-CAO at a City Council meeting saying Indigenous evacuees out in public would be seen as “homeless” by residents.
Statements by the Kashechewan, Nishnawbe Aski Nation, Chiefs of Ontario, and Niagara Regional Native Centre condemned the ex-CAO’s comments for reinforcing stereotypes and ignoring that all Indigenous peoples have every right to be on their own land.
Do you:
a. Believe the ex-CAO’s comments were taken “out of context,” “misconstrued,” or a “split hair”
b. Agree with the Kashechewan, Nishnawbe Aski Nation, Chiefs of Ontario, and Niagara Regional Native Centre in condemning the ex-CAO’s comments for amplifying racism.
c. Other:
|
Tom Insinna (special note) |
Response not received yet |
|
Juan Liu |
Response not received yet |
|
Wayne H Redekop (special note) |
Response not received yet |
|
Mike Campbell |
Response not received yet |
Back to mayor top
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Niagara Regional Council and several municipalities like St. Catharines, Welland, Grimsby, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Thorold and Lincoln have passed motions supporting Ukraine, and some motions supported military escalation.
Niagara Regional Councillors also unanimously “sanctioned” themselves from Russia, which is not how sanctions against individuals work.
Niagara Regional Council also lit their “Everyone Welcome” sign in Israel’s colours and the City of St. Catharines officially sided with Israel (“rally for Israel”) in a statement by a city councillor on behalf of the mayor.
Yet many elected officials said expressing similar support for Palestinians is out of their jurisdiction, would be divisive, or would be traumatizing.
Do you:
a. Believe Palestine is not a municipal issue and so should not be addressed, though Ukraine and Israel are
b. Believe governments should express support for Palestinians, they did for Ukrainians and Israelis
c. Other:
|
Tom Insinna (special note) |
Response not received yet |
|
Juan Liu |
Response not received yet |
|
Wayne H Redekop (special note) |
Response not received yet |
|
Mike Campbell |
Response not received yet |
Back to mayor top
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Niagara Regional Police have had the second worst disproportional use of force against Black people (% of use of force incidents vs % of population) in the province since publishing this data was required by the Ontario Anti-Racism Act. It has been up to almost 10x disproportional: in 2025, 26% of the use of force was against Black people who were less than 3% of the population in the 2021 census. This is the same as Minneapolis, where George Floyd was murdered, which the US Department of Justice called “discriminatory.”
Neighbouring police forces such as Hamilton, Peel and Toronto, who are less disproportional than Niagara, have apologized for their own systemic racism in their disproportional use of force.
Yet the Police Chief, when he was Deputy Chief, said the data shows there is no systemic racism in the Niagara Police. One Police Board member who is running for mayor of Wainfleet had said in 2020 as a Niagara Regional Councillor that systemic racism is a “shadowy term…bandied about.”
To our knowledge none of the Police Board members have mentioned disproportional use of force against Black people, including the Board Chair who used to be co-chair of the Police Chief’s Community Inclusion Council, and one Board member who is a Regional Councillor and chairs the Niagara Regional Council’s Diversity Equity Inclusion Advisory Committee.
Do you:
a. Condemn systemic racism in the Niagara Regional Police based on their own use of force by race data and call for an apology and addressing the disproportional use of force by race against Black people
b. Believe data does not show systemic racism in the Niagara Regional Police
c. Believe “systemic racism” is a “shadowy term…bandied about”
d. Both b and c
e. Other:
|
Tom Insinna (special note) |
Response not received yet |
|
Juan Liu |
Response not received yet |
|
Wayne H Redekop (special note) |
Response not received yet |
|
Mike Campbell |
Response not received yet |
Back to mayor top
Back to page top
Shortcut to questions white supremacists Hitler Debacle Anti-Indigenous comments Palestine Niagara Police
White supremacist groups like the Dominion Society are postering across Niagara promoting mass deportations (rebranded as “remigration” even though they want to deport non-migrants i.e. citizens as well). Until recently some municipalities like St. Catharines deliberately avoided publicly addressing this out of concern it would incentivize these groups to increase their activity. Other cities like Hamilton have publicly condemned hate groups like the Dominion Society, and last week were joined by West Lincoln, Grimsby, Lincoln, and the mayor of St. Catharines.
Do you:
a. Believe it’s better not to give attention to these groups by condemning them
b. Commit to publicly condemning these groups, now as a candidate, and as an elected official, and to advocating that the government body you are elected to condemn these groups publicly
c. Believe these are not white supremacist groups or there is nothing wrong with their postering
d. Support the idea of “remigration” promoted by these groups
e. Other:
|
George McDermott |
Response not received yet |
Back to Councillor top
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Niagara Regional Council Chair Bob Gale resigned mere hours after he was exposed for buying, owning, and authenticating Nazi memorabilia. The mayors of Niagara Falls and Pelham said he did nothing wrong and is just a collector, while the mayor of St. Catharines said this was a distraction from “really important” things. Very few elected officials condemned Bob Gale.
Do you:
a. Condemn Bob Gale for owning Nazi memorabilia
b. Believe Bob Gale did nothing wrong
c. Other:
|
George McDermott |
Response not received yet |
Do you also:
a. Believe this scandal is a distraction from “really important” issues
b. Believe top officials collecting autographed hate propaganda like Mein Kampf is a “really important” issue and racism, not a distraction
c. Other:
|
George McDermott |
Response not received yet |
At a press conference on April 2nd Minister Flack was asked how another “Hitler debacle” could be avoided. Can you confirm you do not have, nor have you ever had, nor will you ever have, Nazi memorabilia?
a. Yes
b. No
c. It’s your personal business or doesn’t matter
d. Other:
|
George McDermott |
Response not received yet |
Back to Councillor top
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The Niagara Falls mayor said it was “out of context,” “misconstrued,” and a “split hair” to condemn comments by the ex-CAO at a City Council meeting saying Indigenous evacuees out in public would be seen as “homeless” by residents.
Statements by the Kashechewan, Nishnawbe Aski Nation, Chiefs of Ontario, and Niagara Regional Native Centre condemned the ex-CAO’s comments for reinforcing stereotypes and ignoring that all Indigenous peoples have every right to be on their own land.
Do you:
a. Believe the ex-CAO’s comments were taken “out of context,” “misconstrued,” or a “split hair”
b. Agree with the Kashechewan, Nishnawbe Aski Nation, Chiefs of Ontario, and Niagara Regional Native Centre in condemning the ex-CAO’s comments for amplifying racism.
c. Other:
|
George McDermott |
Response not received yet |
Back to Councillor top
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Niagara Regional Council and several municipalities like St. Catharines, Welland, Grimsby, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Thorold and Lincoln have passed motions supporting Ukraine, and some motions supported military escalation.
Niagara Regional Councillors also unanimously “sanctioned” themselves from Russia, which is not how sanctions against individuals work.
Niagara Regional Council also lit their “Everyone Welcome” sign in Israel’s colours and the City of St. Catharines officially sided with Israel (“rally for Israel”) in a statement by a city councillor on behalf of the mayor.
Yet many elected officials said expressing similar support for Palestinians is out of their jurisdiction, would be divisive, or would be traumatizing.
Do you:
a. Believe Palestine is not a municipal issue and so should not be addressed, though Ukraine and Israel are
b. Believe governments should express support for Palestinians, they did for Ukrainians and Israelis
c. Other:
|
George McDermott |
Response not received yet |
Back to Councillor top
Back to page top
Niagara Regional Police have had the second worst disproportional use of force against Black people (% of use of force incidents vs % of population) in the province since publishing this data was required by the Ontario Anti-Racism Act. It has been up to almost 10x disproportional: in 2025, 26% of the use of force was against Black people who were less than 3% of the population in the 2021 census. This is the same as Minneapolis, where George Floyd was murdered, which the US Department of Justice called “discriminatory.”
Neighbouring police forces such as Hamilton, Peel and Toronto, who are less disproportional than Niagara, have apologized for their own systemic racism in their disproportional use of force.
Yet the Police Chief, when he was Deputy Chief, said the data shows there is no systemic racism in the Niagara Police. One Police Board member who is running for mayor of Wainfleet had said in 2020 as a Niagara Regional Councillor that systemic racism is a “shadowy term…bandied about.”
To our knowledge none of the Police Board members have mentioned disproportional use of force against Black people, including the Board Chair who used to be co-chair of the Police Chief’s Community Inclusion Council, and one Board member who is a Regional Councillor and chairs the Niagara Regional Council’s Diversity Equity Inclusion Advisory Committee.
Do you:
a. Condemn systemic racism in the Niagara Regional Police based on their own use of force by race data and call for an apology and addressing the disproportional use of force by race against Black people
b. Believe data does not show systemic racism in the Niagara Regional Police
c. Believe “systemic racism” is a “shadowy term…bandied about”
d. Both b and c
e. Other:
|
George McDermott |
Response not received yet |
Back to Councillor top
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Shortcut to questions white supremacists Hitler Debacle Anti-Indigenous comments Palestine Niagara Police
White supremacist groups like the Dominion Society are postering across Niagara promoting mass deportations (rebranded as “remigration” even though they want to deport non-migrants i.e. citizens as well). Until recently some municipalities like St. Catharines deliberately avoided publicly addressing this out of concern it would incentivize these groups to increase their activity. Other cities like Hamilton have publicly condemned hate groups like the Dominion Society, and last week were joined by West Lincoln, Grimsby, Lincoln, and the mayor of St. Catharines.
Do you:
a. Believe it’s better not to give attention to these groups by condemning them
b. Commit to publicly condemning these groups, now as a candidate, and as an elected official, and to advocating that the government body you are elected to condemn these groups publicly
c. Believe these are not white supremacist groups or there is nothing wrong with their postering
d. Support the idea of “remigration” promoted by these groups
e. Other:
|
Nick Dubanow |
Response not received yet |
|
Jon Nadeau |
Response not received yet |
Back to Councillor top
Back to page top
Niagara Regional Council Chair Bob Gale resigned mere hours after he was exposed for buying, owning, and authenticating Nazi memorabilia. The mayors of Niagara Falls and Pelham said he did nothing wrong and is just a collector, while the mayor of St. Catharines said this was a distraction from “really important” things. Very few elected officials condemned Bob Gale.
Do you:
a. Condemn Bob Gale for owning Nazi memorabilia
b. Believe Bob Gale did nothing wrong
c. Other:
|
Nick Dubanow |
Response not received yet |
|
Jon Nadeau |
Response not received yet |
Do you also:
a. Believe this scandal is a distraction from “really important” issues
b. Believe top officials collecting autographed hate propaganda like Mein Kampf is a “really important” issue and racism, not a distraction
c. Other:
|
Nick Dubanow |
Response not received yet |
|
Jon Nadeau |
Response not received yet |
At a press conference on April 2nd Minister Flack was asked how another “Hitler debacle” could be avoided. Can you confirm you do not have, nor have you ever had, nor will you ever have, Nazi memorabilia?
a. Yes
b. No
c. It’s your personal business or doesn’t matter
d. Other:
|
Nick Dubanow |
Response not received yet |
|
Jon Nadeau |
Response not received yet |
Back to Councillor top
Back to page top
The Niagara Falls mayor said it was “out of context,” “misconstrued,” and a “split hair” to condemn comments by the ex-CAO at a City Council meeting saying Indigenous evacuees out in public would be seen as “homeless” by residents.
Statements by the Kashechewan, Nishnawbe Aski Nation, Chiefs of Ontario, and Niagara Regional Native Centre condemned the ex-CAO’s comments for reinforcing stereotypes and ignoring that all Indigenous peoples have every right to be on their own land.
Do you:
a. Believe the ex-CAO’s comments were taken “out of context,” “misconstrued,” or a “split hair”
b. Agree with the Kashechewan, Nishnawbe Aski Nation, Chiefs of Ontario, and Niagara Regional Native Centre in condemning the ex-CAO’s comments for amplifying racism.
c. Other:
|
Nick Dubanow |
Response not received yet |
|
Jon Nadeau |
Response not received yet |
Back to Councillor top
Back to page top
Niagara Regional Council and several municipalities like St. Catharines, Welland, Grimsby, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Thorold and Lincoln have passed motions supporting Ukraine, and some motions supported military escalation.
Niagara Regional Councillors also unanimously “sanctioned” themselves from Russia, which is not how sanctions against individuals work.
Niagara Regional Council also lit their “Everyone Welcome” sign in Israel’s colours and the City of St. Catharines officially sided with Israel (“rally for Israel”) in a statement by a city councillor on behalf of the mayor.
Yet many elected officials said expressing similar support for Palestinians is out of their jurisdiction, would be divisive, or would be traumatizing.
Do you:
a. Believe Palestine is not a municipal issue and so should not be addressed, though Ukraine and Israel are
b. Believe governments should express support for Palestinians, they did for Ukrainians and Israelis
c. Other:
|
Nick Dubanow |
Response not received yet |
|
Jon Nadeau |
Response not received yet |
Back to Councillor top
Back to page top
Niagara Regional Police have had the second worst disproportional use of force against Black people (% of use of force incidents vs % of population) in the province since publishing this data was required by the Ontario Anti-Racism Act. It has been up to almost 10x disproportional: in 2025, 26% of the use of force was against Black people who were less than 3% of the population in the 2021 census. This is the same as Minneapolis, where George Floyd was murdered, which the US Department of Justice called “discriminatory.”
Neighbouring police forces such as Hamilton, Peel and Toronto, who are less disproportional than Niagara, have apologized for their own systemic racism in their disproportional use of force.
Yet the Police Chief, when he was Deputy Chief, said the data shows there is no systemic racism in the Niagara Police. One Police Board member who is running for mayor of Wainfleet had said in 2020 as a Niagara Regional Councillor that systemic racism is a “shadowy term…bandied about.”
To our knowledge none of the Police Board members have mentioned disproportional use of force against Black people, including the Board Chair who used to be co-chair of the Police Chief’s Community Inclusion Council, and one Board member who is a Regional Councillor and chairs the Niagara Regional Council’s Diversity Equity Inclusion Advisory Committee.
Do you:
a. Condemn systemic racism in the Niagara Regional Police based on their own use of force by race data and call for an apology and addressing the disproportional use of force by race against Black people
b. Believe data does not show systemic racism in the Niagara Regional Police
c. Believe “systemic racism” is a “shadowy term…bandied about”
d. Both b and c
e. Other:
|
Nick Dubanow |
Response not received yet |
|
Jon Nadeau |
Response not received yet |
Back to Councillor top
Back to page top
Shortcut to questions white supremacists Hitler Debacle Anti-Indigenous comments Palestine Niagara Police
White supremacist groups like the Dominion Society are postering across Niagara promoting mass deportations (rebranded as “remigration” even though they want to deport non-migrants i.e. citizens as well). Until recently some municipalities like St. Catharines deliberately avoided publicly addressing this out of concern it would incentivize these groups to increase their activity. Other cities like Hamilton have publicly condemned hate groups like the Dominion Society, and last week were joined by West Lincoln, Grimsby, Lincoln, and the mayor of St. Catharines.
Do you:
a. Believe it’s better not to give attention to these groups by condemning them
b. Commit to publicly condemning these groups, now as a candidate, and as an elected official, and to advocating that the government body you are elected to condemn these groups publicly
c. Believe these are not white supremacist groups or there is nothing wrong with their postering
d. Support the idea of “remigration” promoted by these groups
e. Other:
|
Darren Flagg |
Response not received yet |
|
S Jennifer Priestley |
Response not received yet |
|
Andrew Holdworth |
Response not received yet |
Back to Councillor top
Back to page top
Niagara Regional Council Chair Bob Gale resigned mere hours after he was exposed for buying, owning, and authenticating Nazi memorabilia. The mayors of Niagara Falls and Pelham said he did nothing wrong and is just a collector, while the mayor of St. Catharines said this was a distraction from “really important” things. Very few elected officials condemned Bob Gale.
Do you:
a. Condemn Bob Gale for owning Nazi memorabilia
b. Believe Bob Gale did nothing wrong
c. Other:
|
Darren Flagg |
Response not received yet |
|
S Jennifer Priestley |
Response not received yet |
|
Andrew Holdworth |
Response not received yet |
Do you also:
a. Believe this scandal is a distraction from “really important” issues
b. Believe top officials collecting autographed hate propaganda like Mein Kampf is a “really important” issue and racism, not a distraction
c. Other:
|
Darren Flagg |
Response not received yet |
|
S Jennifer Priestley |
Response not received yet |
|
Andrew Holdworth |
Response not received yet |
At a press conference on April 2nd Minister Flack was asked how another “Hitler debacle” could be avoided. Can you confirm you do not have, nor have you ever had, nor will you ever have, Nazi memorabilia?
a. Yes
b. No
c. It’s your personal business or doesn’t matter
d. Other:
|
Darren Flagg |
Response not received yet |
|
S Jennifer Priestley |
Response not received yet |
|
Andrew Holdworth |
Response not received yet |
Back to Councillor top
Back to page top
The Niagara Falls mayor said it was “out of context,” “misconstrued,” and a “split hair” to condemn comments by the ex-CAO at a City Council meeting saying Indigenous evacuees out in public would be seen as “homeless” by residents.
Statements by the Kashechewan, Nishnawbe Aski Nation, Chiefs of Ontario, and Niagara Regional Native Centre condemned the ex-CAO’s comments for reinforcing stereotypes and ignoring that all Indigenous peoples have every right to be on their own land.
Do you:
a. Believe the ex-CAO’s comments were taken “out of context,” “misconstrued,” or a “split hair”
b. Agree with the Kashechewan, Nishnawbe Aski Nation, Chiefs of Ontario, and Niagara Regional Native Centre in condemning the ex-CAO’s comments for amplifying racism.
c. Other:
|
Darren Flagg |
Response not received yet |
|
S Jennifer Priestley |
Response not received yet |
|
Andrew Holdworth |
Response not received yet |
Back to Councillor top
Back to page top
Niagara Regional Council and several municipalities like St. Catharines, Welland, Grimsby, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Thorold and Lincoln have passed motions supporting Ukraine, and some motions supported military escalation.
Niagara Regional Councillors also unanimously “sanctioned” themselves from Russia, which is not how sanctions against individuals work.
Niagara Regional Council also lit their “Everyone Welcome” sign in Israel’s colours and the City of St. Catharines officially sided with Israel (“rally for Israel”) in a statement by a city councillor on behalf of the mayor.
Yet many elected officials said expressing similar support for Palestinians is out of their jurisdiction, would be divisive, or would be traumatizing.
Do you:
a. Believe Palestine is not a municipal issue and so should not be addressed, though Ukraine and Israel are
b. Believe governments should express support for Palestinians, they did for Ukrainians and Israelis
c. Other:
|
Darren Flagg |
Response not received yet |
|
S Jennifer Priestley |
Response not received yet |
|
Andrew Holdworth |
Response not received yet |
Back to Councillor top
Back to page top
Niagara Regional Police have had the second worst disproportional use of force against Black people (% of use of force incidents vs % of population) in the province since publishing this data was required by the Ontario Anti-Racism Act. It has been up to almost 10x disproportional: in 2025, 26% of the use of force was against Black people who were less than 3% of the population in the 2021 census. This is the same as Minneapolis, where George Floyd was murdered, which the US Department of Justice called “discriminatory.”
Neighbouring police forces such as Hamilton, Peel and Toronto, who are less disproportional than Niagara, have apologized for their own systemic racism in their disproportional use of force.
Yet the Police Chief, when he was Deputy Chief, said the data shows there is no systemic racism in the Niagara Police. One Police Board member who is running for mayor of Wainfleet had said in 2020 as a Niagara Regional Councillor that systemic racism is a “shadowy term…bandied about.”
To our knowledge none of the Police Board members have mentioned disproportional use of force against Black people, including the Board Chair who used to be co-chair of the Police Chief’s Community Inclusion Council, and one Board member who is a Regional Councillor and chairs the Niagara Regional Council’s Diversity Equity Inclusion Advisory Committee.
Do you:
a. Condemn systemic racism in the Niagara Regional Police based on their own use of force by race data and call for an apology and addressing the disproportional use of force by race against Black people
b. Believe data does not show systemic racism in the Niagara Regional Police
c. Believe “systemic racism” is a “shadowy term…bandied about”
d. Both b and c
e. Other:
|
Darren Flagg |
Response not received yet |
|
S Jennifer Priestley |
Response not received yet |
|
Andrew Holdworth |
Response not received yet |
Back to Councillor top
Back to page top
Shortcut to questions white supremacists Hitler Debacle Anti-Indigenous comments Palestine Niagara Police
White supremacist groups like the Dominion Society are postering across Niagara promoting mass deportations (rebranded as “remigration” even though they want to deport non-migrants i.e. citizens as well). Until recently some municipalities like St. Catharines deliberately avoided publicly addressing this out of concern it would incentivize these groups to increase their activity. Other cities like Hamilton have publicly condemned hate groups like the Dominion Society, and last week were joined by West Lincoln, Grimsby, Lincoln, and the mayor of St. Catharines.
Do you:
a. Believe it’s better not to give attention to these groups by condemning them
b. Commit to publicly condemning these groups, now as a candidate, and as an elected official, and to advocating that the government body you are elected to condemn these groups publicly
c. Believe these are not white supremacist groups or there is nothing wrong with their postering
d. Support the idea of “remigration” promoted by these groups
e. Other:
|
Joan Christensen |
Response not received yet |
|
Matt Paul |
Response not received yet |
|
Daniel Turner |
Response not received yet |
|
Tavis McGlashan |
Response not received yet |
Back to Councillor top
Back to page top
Niagara Regional Council Chair Bob Gale resigned mere hours after he was exposed for buying, owning, and authenticating Nazi memorabilia. The mayors of Niagara Falls and Pelham said he did nothing wrong and is just a collector, while the mayor of St. Catharines said this was a distraction from “really important” things. Very few elected officials condemned Bob Gale.
Do you:
a. Condemn Bob Gale for owning Nazi memorabilia
b. Believe Bob Gale did nothing wrong
c. Other:
|
Joan Christensen |
Response not received yet |
|
Matt Paul |
Response not received yet |
|
Daniel Turner |
Response not received yet |
|
Tavis McGlashan |
Response not received yet |
Do you also:
a. Believe this scandal is a distraction from “really important” issues
b. Believe top officials collecting autographed hate propaganda like Mein Kampf is a “really important” issue and racism, not a distraction
c. Other:
|
Joan Christensen |
Response not received yet |
|
Matt Paul |
Response not received yet |
|
Daniel Turner |
Response not received yet |
|
Tavis McGlashan |
Response not received yet |
At a press conference on April 2nd Minister Flack was asked how another “Hitler debacle” could be avoided. Can you confirm you do not have, nor have you ever had, nor will you ever have, Nazi memorabilia?
a. Yes
b. No
c. It’s your personal business or doesn’t matter
d. Other:
|
Joan Christensen |
Response not received yet |
|
Matt Paul |
Response not received yet |
|
Daniel Turner |
Response not received yet |
|
Tavis McGlashan |
Response not received yet |
Back to Councillor top
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The Niagara Falls mayor said it was “out of context,” “misconstrued,” and a “split hair” to condemn comments by the ex-CAO at a City Council meeting saying Indigenous evacuees out in public would be seen as “homeless” by residents.
Statements by the Kashechewan, Nishnawbe Aski Nation, Chiefs of Ontario, and Niagara Regional Native Centre condemned the ex-CAO’s comments for reinforcing stereotypes and ignoring that all Indigenous peoples have every right to be on their own land.
Do you:
a. Believe the ex-CAO’s comments were taken “out of context,” “misconstrued,” or a “split hair”
b. Agree with the Kashechewan, Nishnawbe Aski Nation, Chiefs of Ontario, and Niagara Regional Native Centre in condemning the ex-CAO’s comments for amplifying racism.
c. Other:
|
Joan Christensen |
Response not received yet |
|
Matt Paul |
Response not received yet |
|
Daniel Turner |
Response not received yet |
|
Tavis McGlashan |
Response not received yet |
Back to Councillor top
Back to page top
Niagara Regional Council and several municipalities like St. Catharines, Welland, Grimsby, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Thorold and Lincoln have passed motions supporting Ukraine, and some motions supported military escalation.
Niagara Regional Councillors also unanimously “sanctioned” themselves from Russia, which is not how sanctions against individuals work.
Niagara Regional Council also lit their “Everyone Welcome” sign in Israel’s colours and the City of St. Catharines officially sided with Israel (“rally for Israel”) in a statement by a city councillor on behalf of the mayor.
Yet many elected officials said expressing similar support for Palestinians is out of their jurisdiction, would be divisive, or would be traumatizing.
Do you:
a. Believe Palestine is not a municipal issue and so should not be addressed, though Ukraine and Israel are
b. Believe governments should express support for Palestinians, they did for Ukrainians and Israelis
c. Other:
|
Joan Christensen |
Response not received yet |
|
Matt Paul |
Response not received yet |
|
Daniel Turner |
Response not received yet |
|
Tavis McGlashan |
Response not received yet |
Back to Councillor top
Back to page top
Niagara Regional Police have had the second worst disproportional use of force against Black people (% of use of force incidents vs % of population) in the province since publishing this data was required by the Ontario Anti-Racism Act. It has been up to almost 10x disproportional: in 2025, 26% of the use of force was against Black people who were less than 3% of the population in the 2021 census. This is the same as Minneapolis, where George Floyd was murdered, which the US Department of Justice called “discriminatory.”
Neighbouring police forces such as Hamilton, Peel and Toronto, who are less disproportional than Niagara, have apologized for their own systemic racism in their disproportional use of force.
Yet the Police Chief, when he was Deputy Chief, said the data shows there is no systemic racism in the Niagara Police. One Police Board member who is running for mayor of Wainfleet had said in 2020 as a Niagara Regional Councillor that systemic racism is a “shadowy term…bandied about.”
To our knowledge none of the Police Board members have mentioned disproportional use of force against Black people, including the Board Chair who used to be co-chair of the Police Chief’s Community Inclusion Council, and one Board member who is a Regional Councillor and chairs the Niagara Regional Council’s Diversity Equity Inclusion Advisory Committee.
Do you:
a. Condemn systemic racism in the Niagara Regional Police based on their own use of force by race data and call for an apology and addressing the disproportional use of force by race against Black people
b. Believe data does not show systemic racism in the Niagara Regional Police
c. Believe “systemic racism” is a “shadowy term…bandied about”
d. Both b and c
e. Other:
|
Joan Christensen |
Response not received yet |
|
Matt Paul |
Response not received yet |
|
Daniel Turner |
Response not received yet |
|
Tavis McGlashan |
Response not received yet |
Back to Councillor top
Back to page top
Shortcut to questions white supremacists Hitler Debacle Anti-Indigenous comments Palestine Niagara Police
White supremacist groups like the Dominion Society are postering across Niagara promoting mass deportations (rebranded as “remigration” even though they want to deport non-migrants i.e. citizens as well). Until recently some municipalities like St. Catharines deliberately avoided publicly addressing this out of concern it would incentivize these groups to increase their activity. Other cities like Hamilton have publicly condemned hate groups like the Dominion Society, and last week were joined by West Lincoln, Grimsby, Lincoln, and the mayor of St. Catharines.
Do you:
a. Believe it’s better not to give attention to these groups by condemning them
b. Commit to publicly condemning these groups, now as a candidate, and as an elected official, and to advocating that the government body you are elected to condemn these groups publicly
c. Believe these are not white supremacist groups or there is nothing wrong with their postering
d. Support the idea of “remigration” promoted by these groups
e. Other:
|
Thomas Mete |
Response not received yet |
|
Tom Lewis |
Response not received yet |
|
Scott Boumeester |
Response not received yet |
|
Kassandra Ryerson |
Response not received yet |
|
Thomas Mete |
Response not received yet |
Back to Councillor top
Back to page top
Niagara Regional Council Chair Bob Gale resigned mere hours after he was exposed for buying, owning, and authenticating Nazi memorabilia. The mayors of Niagara Falls and Pelham said he did nothing wrong and is just a collector, while the mayor of St. Catharines said this was a distraction from “really important” things. Very few elected officials condemned Bob Gale.
Do you:
a. Condemn Bob Gale for owning Nazi memorabilia
b. Believe Bob Gale did nothing wrong
c. Other:
|
Thomas Mete |
Response not received yet |
|
Tom Lewis |
Response not received yet |
|
Scott Boumeester |
Response not received yet |
|
Kassandra Ryerson |
Response not received yet |
|
Thomas Mete |
Response not received yet |
Do you also:
a. Believe this scandal is a distraction from “really important” issues
b. Believe top officials collecting autographed hate propaganda like Mein Kampf is a “really important” issue and racism, not a distraction
c. Other:
|
Thomas Mete |
Response not received yet |
|
Tom Lewis |
Response not received yet |
|
Scott Boumeester |
Response not received yet |
|
Kassandra Ryerson |
Response not received yet |
|
Thomas Mete |
Response not received yet |
At a press conference on April 2nd Minister Flack was asked how another “Hitler debacle” could be avoided. Can you confirm you do not have, nor have you ever had, nor will you ever have, Nazi memorabilia?
a. Yes
b. No
c. It’s your personal business or doesn’t matter
d. Other:
|
Thomas Mete |
Response not received yet |
|
Tom Lewis |
Response not received yet |
|
Scott Boumeester |
Response not received yet |
|
Kassandra Ryerson |
Response not received yet |
|
Thomas Mete |
Response not received yet |
Back to Councillor top
Back to page top
The Niagara Falls mayor said it was “out of context,” “misconstrued,” and a “split hair” to condemn comments by the ex-CAO at a City Council meeting saying Indigenous evacuees out in public would be seen as “homeless” by residents.
Statements by the Kashechewan, Nishnawbe Aski Nation, Chiefs of Ontario, and Niagara Regional Native Centre condemned the ex-CAO’s comments for reinforcing stereotypes and ignoring that all Indigenous peoples have every right to be on their own land.
Do you:
a. Believe the ex-CAO’s comments were taken “out of context,” “misconstrued,” or a “split hair”
b. Agree with the Kashechewan, Nishnawbe Aski Nation, Chiefs of Ontario, and Niagara Regional Native Centre in condemning the ex-CAO’s comments for amplifying racism.
c. Other:
|
Thomas Mete |
Response not received yet |
|
Tom Lewis |
Response not received yet |
|
Scott Boumeester |
Response not received yet |
|
Kassandra Ryerson |
Response not received yet |
|
Thomas Mete |
Response not received yet |
Back to Councillor top
Back to page top
Niagara Regional Council and several municipalities like St. Catharines, Welland, Grimsby, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Thorold and Lincoln have passed motions supporting Ukraine, and some motions supported military escalation.
Niagara Regional Councillors also unanimously “sanctioned” themselves from Russia, which is not how sanctions against individuals work.
Niagara Regional Council also lit their “Everyone Welcome” sign in Israel’s colours and the City of St. Catharines officially sided with Israel (“rally for Israel”) in a statement by a city councillor on behalf of the mayor.
Yet many elected officials said expressing similar support for Palestinians is out of their jurisdiction, would be divisive, or would be traumatizing.
Do you:
a. Believe Palestine is not a municipal issue and so should not be addressed, though Ukraine and Israel are
b. Believe governments should express support for Palestinians, they did for Ukrainians and Israelis
c. Other:
|
Thomas Mete |
Response not received yet |
|
Tom Lewis |
Response not received yet |
|
Scott Boumeester |
Response not received yet |
|
Kassandra Ryerson |
Response not received yet |
|
Thomas Mete |
Response not received yet |
Back to Councillor top
Back to page top
Niagara Regional Police have had the second worst disproportional use of force against Black people (% of use of force incidents vs % of population) in the province since publishing this data was required by the Ontario Anti-Racism Act. It has been up to almost 10x disproportional: in 2025, 26% of the use of force was against Black people who were less than 3% of the population in the 2021 census. This is the same as Minneapolis, where George Floyd was murdered, which the US Department of Justice called “discriminatory.”
Neighbouring police forces such as Hamilton, Peel and Toronto, who are less disproportional than Niagara, have apologized for their own systemic racism in their disproportional use of force.
Yet the Police Chief, when he was Deputy Chief, said the data shows there is no systemic racism in the Niagara Police. One Police Board member who is running for mayor of Wainfleet had said in 2020 as a Niagara Regional Councillor that systemic racism is a “shadowy term…bandied about.”
To our knowledge none of the Police Board members have mentioned disproportional use of force against Black people, including the Board Chair who used to be co-chair of the Police Chief’s Community Inclusion Council, and one Board member who is a Regional Councillor and chairs the Niagara Regional Council’s Diversity Equity Inclusion Advisory Committee.
Do you:
a. Condemn systemic racism in the Niagara Regional Police based on their own use of force by race data and call for an apology and addressing the disproportional use of force by race against Black people
b. Believe data does not show systemic racism in the Niagara Regional Police
c. Believe “systemic racism” is a “shadowy term…bandied about”
d. Both b and c
e. Other:
|
Thomas Mete |
Response not received yet |
|
Tom Lewis |
Response not received yet |
|
Scott Boumeester |
Response not received yet |
|
Kassandra Ryerson |
Response not received yet |
|
Thomas Mete |
Response not received yet |
Back to Councillor top
Back to page top
Shortcut to questions white supremacists Hitler Debacle Anti-Indigenous comments Palestine Niagara Police
White supremacist groups like the Dominion Society are postering across Niagara promoting mass deportations (rebranded as “remigration” even though they want to deport non-migrants i.e. citizens as well). Until recently some municipalities like St. Catharines deliberately avoided publicly addressing this out of concern it would incentivize these groups to increase their activity. Other cities like Hamilton have publicly condemned hate groups like the Dominion Society, and last week were joined by West Lincoln, Grimsby, Lincoln, and the mayor of St. Catharines.
Do you:
a. Believe it’s better not to give attention to these groups by condemning them
b. Commit to publicly condemning these groups, now as a candidate, and as an elected official, and to advocating that the government body you are elected to condemn these groups publicly
c. Believe these are not white supremacist groups or there is nothing wrong with their postering
d. Support the idea of “remigration” promoted by these groups
e. Other:
|
Ann-Marie Noyes |
Response not received yet |
Back to Councillor top
Back to page top
Niagara Regional Council Chair Bob Gale resigned mere hours after he was exposed for buying, owning, and authenticating Nazi memorabilia. The mayors of Niagara Falls and Pelham said he did nothing wrong and is just a collector, while the mayor of St. Catharines said this was a distraction from “really important” things. Very few elected officials condemned Bob Gale.
Do you:
a. Condemn Bob Gale for owning Nazi memorabilia
b. Believe Bob Gale did nothing wrong
c. Other:
|
Ann-Marie Noyes |
Response not received yet |
Do you also:
a. Believe this scandal is a distraction from “really important” issues
b. Believe top officials collecting autographed hate propaganda like Mein Kampf is a “really important” issue and racism, not a distraction
c. Other:
|
Ann-Marie Noyes |
Response not received yet |
At a press conference on April 2nd Minister Flack was asked how another “Hitler debacle” could be avoided. Can you confirm you do not have, nor have you ever had, nor will you ever have, Nazi memorabilia?
a. Yes
b. No
c. It’s your personal business or doesn’t matter
d. Other:
|
Ann-Marie Noyes |
Response not received yet |
Back to Councillor top
Back to page top
The Niagara Falls mayor said it was “out of context,” “misconstrued,” and a “split hair” to condemn comments by the ex-CAO at a City Council meeting saying Indigenous evacuees out in public would be seen as “homeless” by residents.
Statements by the Kashechewan, Nishnawbe Aski Nation, Chiefs of Ontario, and Niagara Regional Native Centre condemned the ex-CAO’s comments for reinforcing stereotypes and ignoring that all Indigenous peoples have every right to be on their own land.
Do you:
a. Believe the ex-CAO’s comments were taken “out of context,” “misconstrued,” or a “split hair”
b. Agree with the Kashechewan, Nishnawbe Aski Nation, Chiefs of Ontario, and Niagara Regional Native Centre in condemning the ex-CAO’s comments for amplifying racism.
c. Other:
|
Ann-Marie Noyes |
Response not received yet |
Back to Councillor top
Back to page top
Niagara Regional Council and several municipalities like St. Catharines, Welland, Grimsby, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Thorold and Lincoln have passed motions supporting Ukraine, and some motions supported military escalation.
Niagara Regional Councillors also unanimously “sanctioned” themselves from Russia, which is not how sanctions against individuals work.
Niagara Regional Council also lit their “Everyone Welcome” sign in Israel’s colours and the City of St. Catharines officially sided with Israel (“rally for Israel”) in a statement by a city councillor on behalf of the mayor.
Yet many elected officials said expressing similar support for Palestinians is out of their jurisdiction, would be divisive, or would be traumatizing.
Do you:
a. Believe Palestine is not a municipal issue and so should not be addressed, though Ukraine and Israel are
b. Believe governments should express support for Palestinians, they did for Ukrainians and Israelis
c. Other:
|
Ann-Marie Noyes |
Response not received yet |
Back to Councillor top
Back to page top
Niagara Regional Police have had the second worst disproportional use of force against Black people (% of use of force incidents vs % of population) in the province since publishing this data was required by the Ontario Anti-Racism Act. It has been up to almost 10x disproportional: in 2025, 26% of the use of force was against Black people who were less than 3% of the population in the 2021 census. This is the same as Minneapolis, where George Floyd was murdered, which the US Department of Justice called “discriminatory.”
Neighbouring police forces such as Hamilton, Peel and Toronto, who are less disproportional than Niagara, have apologized for their own systemic racism in their disproportional use of force.
Yet the Police Chief, when he was Deputy Chief, said the data shows there is no systemic racism in the Niagara Police. One Police Board member who is running for mayor of Wainfleet had said in 2020 as a Niagara Regional Councillor that systemic racism is a “shadowy term…bandied about.”
To our knowledge none of the Police Board members have mentioned disproportional use of force against Black people, including the Board Chair who used to be co-chair of the Police Chief’s Community Inclusion Council, and one Board member who is a Regional Councillor and chairs the Niagara Regional Council’s Diversity Equity Inclusion Advisory Committee.
Do you:
a. Condemn systemic racism in the Niagara Regional Police based on their own use of force by race data and call for an apology and addressing the disproportional use of force by race against Black people
b. Believe data does not show systemic racism in the Niagara Regional Police
c. Believe “systemic racism” is a “shadowy term…bandied about”
d. Both b and c
e. Other:
|
Ann-Marie Noyes |
Response not received yet |
Back to Councillor top
Back to page top
Shortcut to questions suspension rates white supremacists Hitler Debacle Anti-Indigenous comments Palestine Niagara Police
Endorsed as an “anti-woke”
candidate (VoteAgainstWoke) in 2022 though she
denied any knowledge about the endorsement
Back to DSBN top
Back to page top
Special question for trustee candidates:
Niagara-related school boards have
not published suspension rates by race, which neighbouring school boards have, showing Black students
are disproportionately suspended.
Will you advocate and vote for
publishing suspension rates by race data within a year of being elected?
a. Yes
b. No
c. Other:
|
Susan Jovanovic (special note) |
Response not received yet |
|
Keith Sutherland |
Response not received yet |
|
Steve Webb |
Response not received yet |
Back to DSBN top
Back to page top
White supremacist groups like the Dominion Society are postering across Niagara promoting mass deportations (rebranded as “remigration” even though they want to deport non-migrants i.e. citizens as well). Until recently some municipalities like St. Catharines deliberately avoided publicly addressing this out of concern it would incentivize these groups to increase their activity. Other cities like Hamilton have publicly condemned hate groups like the Dominion Society, and last week were joined by West Lincoln, Grimsby, Lincoln, and the mayor of St. Catharines.
Do you:
a. Believe it’s better not to give attention to these groups by condemning them
b. Commit to publicly condemning these groups, now as a candidate, and as an elected official, and to advocating that the government body you are elected to condemn these groups publicly
c. Believe these are not white supremacist groups or there is nothing wrong with their postering
d. Support the idea of “remigration” promoted by these groups
e. Other:
|
Susan Jovanovic (special note) |
Response not received yet |
|
Keith Sutherland |
Response not received yet |
|
Steve Webb |
Response not received yet |
Back to DSBN top
Back to page top
Niagara Regional Council Chair Bob Gale resigned mere hours after he was exposed for buying, owning, and authenticating Nazi memorabilia. The mayors of Niagara Falls and Pelham said he did nothing wrong and is just a collector, while the mayor of St. Catharines said this was a distraction from “really important” things. Very few elected officials condemned Bob Gale.
Do you:
a. Condemn Bob Gale for owning Nazi memorabilia
b. Believe Bob Gale did nothing wrong
c. Other:
|
Susan Jovanovic (special note) |
Response not received yet |
|
Keith Sutherland |
Response not received yet |
|
Steve Webb |
Response not received yet |
Do you also:
a. Believe this scandal is a distraction from “really important” issues
b. Believe top officials collecting autographed hate propaganda like Mein Kampf is a “really important” issue and racism, not a distraction
c. Other:
|
Susan Jovanovic (special note) |
Response not received yet |
|
Keith Sutherland |
Response not received yet |
|
Steve Webb |
Response not received yet |
At a press conference on April 2nd Minister Flack was asked how another “Hitler debacle” could be avoided. Can you confirm you do not have, nor have you ever had, nor will you ever have, Nazi memorabilia?
a. Yes
b. No
c. It’s your personal business or doesn’t matter
d. Other:
|
Susan Jovanovic (special note) |
Response not received yet |
|
Keith Sutherland |
Response not received yet |
|
Steve Webb |
Response not received yet |
Back to DSBN top
Back to page top
The Niagara Falls mayor said it was “out of context,” “misconstrued,” and a “split hair” to condemn comments by the ex-CAO at a City Council meeting saying Indigenous evacuees out in public would be seen as “homeless” by residents.
Statements by the Kashechewan, Nishnawbe Aski Nation, Chiefs of Ontario, and Niagara Regional Native Centre condemned the ex-CAO’s comments for reinforcing stereotypes and ignoring that all Indigenous peoples have every right to be on their own land.
Do you:
a. Believe the ex-CAO’s comments were taken “out of context,” “misconstrued,” or a “split hair”
b. Agree with the Kashechewan, Nishnawbe Aski Nation, Chiefs of Ontario, and Niagara Regional Native Centre in condemning the ex-CAO’s comments for amplifying racism.
c. Other:
|
Susan Jovanovic (special note) |
Response not received yet |
|
Keith Sutherland |
Response not received yet |
|
Steve Webb |
Response not received yet |
Back to DSBN top
Back to page top
Niagara Regional Council and several municipalities like St. Catharines, Welland, Grimsby, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Thorold and Lincoln have passed motions supporting Ukraine, and some motions supported military escalation.
Niagara Regional Councillors also unanimously “sanctioned” themselves from Russia, which is not how sanctions against individuals work.
Niagara Regional Council also lit their “Everyone Welcome” sign in Israel’s colours and the City of St. Catharines officially sided with Israel (“rally for Israel”) in a statement by a city councillor on behalf of the mayor.
Yet many elected officials said expressing similar support for Palestinians is out of their jurisdiction, would be divisive, or would be traumatizing.
Do you:
a. Believe Palestine is not a municipal issue and so should not be addressed, though Ukraine and Israel are
b. Believe governments should express support for Palestinians, they did for Ukrainians and Israelis
c. Other:
|
Susan Jovanovic (special note) |
Response not received yet |
|
Keith Sutherland |
Response not received yet |
|
Steve Webb |
Response not received yet |
Back to DSBN top
Back to page top
Niagara Regional Police have had the second worst disproportional use of force against Black people (% of use of force incidents vs % of population) in the province since publishing this data was required by the Ontario Anti-Racism Act. It has been up to almost 10x disproportional: in 2025, 26% of the use of force was against Black people who were less than 3% of the population in the 2021 census. This is the same as Minneapolis, where George Floyd was murdered, which the US Department of Justice called “discriminatory.”
Neighbouring police forces such as Hamilton, Peel and Toronto, who are less disproportional than Niagara, have apologized for their own systemic racism in their disproportional use of force.
Yet the Police Chief, when he was Deputy Chief, said the data shows there is no systemic racism in the Niagara Police. One Police Board member who is running for mayor of Wainfleet had said in 2020 as a Niagara Regional Councillor that systemic racism is a “shadowy term…bandied about.”
To our knowledge none of the Police Board members have mentioned disproportional use of force against Black people, including the Board Chair who used to be co-chair of the Police Chief’s Community Inclusion Council, and one Board member who is a Regional Councillor and chairs the Niagara Regional Council’s Diversity Equity Inclusion Advisory Committee.
Do you:
a. Condemn systemic racism in the Niagara Regional Police based on their own use of force by race data and call for an apology and addressing the disproportional use of force by race against Black people
b. Believe data does not show systemic racism in the Niagara Regional Police
c. Believe “systemic racism” is a “shadowy term…bandied about”
d. Both b and c
e. Other:
|
Susan Jovanovic (special note) |
Response not received yet |
|
Keith Sutherland |
Response not received yet |
|
Steve Webb |
Response not received yet |
Back to DSBN top
Back to page top
NCDSB (English Catholic) Trustee
Shortcut to questions suspension rates white supremacists Hitler Debacle Anti-Indigenous comments Palestine Niagara Police
Special question for trustee candidates:
Niagara-related school boards have
not published suspension rates by race, which neighbouring school boards have, showing Black students
are disproportionately suspended.
Will you advocate and vote for
publishing suspension rates by race data within a year of being elected?
a. Yes
b. No
c. Other:
|
Danny DiLorenzo |
Response not received yet |
Back to NCDSB top
Back to page top
White supremacist groups like the Dominion Society are postering across Niagara promoting mass deportations (rebranded as “remigration” even though they want to deport non-migrants i.e. citizens as well). Until recently some municipalities like St. Catharines deliberately avoided publicly addressing this out of concern it would incentivize these groups to increase their activity. Other cities like Hamilton have publicly condemned hate groups like the Dominion Society, and last week were joined by West Lincoln, Grimsby, Lincoln, and the mayor of St. Catharines.
Do you:
a. Believe it’s better not to give attention to these groups by condemning them
b. Commit to publicly condemning these groups, now as a candidate, and as an elected official, and to advocating that the government body you are elected to condemn these groups publicly
c. Believe these are not white supremacist groups or there is nothing wrong with their postering
d. Support the idea of “remigration” promoted by these groups
e. Other:
|
Danny DiLorenzo |
Response not received yet |
Back to NCDSB top
Back to page top
Niagara Regional Council Chair Bob Gale resigned mere hours after he was exposed for buying, owning, and authenticating Nazi memorabilia. The mayors of Niagara Falls and Pelham said he did nothing wrong and is just a collector, while the mayor of St. Catharines said this was a distraction from “really important” things. Very few elected officials condemned Bob Gale.
Do you:
a. Condemn Bob Gale for owning Nazi memorabilia
b. Believe Bob Gale did nothing wrong
c. Other:
|
Danny DiLorenzo |
Response not received yet |
Do you also:
a. Believe this scandal is a distraction from “really important” issues
b. Believe top officials collecting autographed hate propaganda like Mein Kampf is a “really important” issue and racism, not a distraction
c. Other:
|
Danny DiLorenzo |
Response not received yet |
At a press conference on April 2nd Minister Flack was asked how another “Hitler debacle” could be avoided. Can you confirm you do not have, nor have you ever had, nor will you ever have, Nazi memorabilia?
a. Yes
b. No
c. It’s your personal business or doesn’t matter
d. Other:
|
Danny DiLorenzo |
Response not received yet |
Back to NCDSB top
Back to page top
The Niagara Falls mayor said it was “out of context,” “misconstrued,” and a “split hair” to condemn comments by the ex-CAO at a City Council meeting saying Indigenous evacuees out in public would be seen as “homeless” by residents.
Statements by the Kashechewan, Nishnawbe Aski Nation, Chiefs of Ontario, and Niagara Regional Native Centre condemned the ex-CAO’s comments for reinforcing stereotypes and ignoring that all Indigenous peoples have every right to be on their own land.
Do you:
a. Believe the ex-CAO’s comments were taken “out of context,” “misconstrued,” or a “split hair”
b. Agree with the Kashechewan, Nishnawbe Aski Nation, Chiefs of Ontario, and Niagara Regional Native Centre in condemning the ex-CAO’s comments for amplifying racism.
c. Other:
|
Danny DiLorenzo |
Response not received yet |
Back to NCDSB top
Back to page top
Niagara Regional Council and several municipalities like St. Catharines, Welland, Grimsby, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Thorold and Lincoln have passed motions supporting Ukraine, and some motions supported military escalation.
Niagara Regional Councillors also unanimously “sanctioned” themselves from Russia, which is not how sanctions against individuals work.
Niagara Regional Council also lit their “Everyone Welcome” sign in Israel’s colours and the City of St. Catharines officially sided with Israel (“rally for Israel”) in a statement by a city councillor on behalf of the mayor.
Yet many elected officials said expressing similar support for Palestinians is out of their jurisdiction, would be divisive, or would be traumatizing.
Do you:
a. Believe Palestine is not a municipal issue and so should not be addressed, though Ukraine and Israel are
b. Believe governments should express support for Palestinians, they did for Ukrainians and Israelis
c. Other:
|
Danny DiLorenzo |
Response not received yet |
Back to NCDSB top
Back to page top
Niagara Regional Police have had the second worst disproportional use of force against Black people (% of use of force incidents vs % of population) in the province since publishing this data was required by the Ontario Anti-Racism Act. It has been up to almost 10x disproportional: in 2025, 26% of the use of force was against Black people who were less than 3% of the population in the 2021 census. This is the same as Minneapolis, where George Floyd was murdered, which the US Department of Justice called “discriminatory.”
Neighbouring police forces such as Hamilton, Peel and Toronto, who are less disproportional than Niagara, have apologized for their own systemic racism in their disproportional use of force.
Yet the Police Chief, when he was Deputy Chief, said the data shows there is no systemic racism in the Niagara Police. One Police Board member who is running for mayor of Wainfleet had said in 2020 as a Niagara Regional Councillor that systemic racism is a “shadowy term…bandied about.”
To our knowledge none of the Police Board members have mentioned disproportional use of force against Black people, including the Board Chair who used to be co-chair of the Police Chief’s Community Inclusion Council, and one Board member who is a Regional Councillor and chairs the Niagara Regional Council’s Diversity Equity Inclusion Advisory Committee.
Do you:
a. Condemn systemic racism in the Niagara Regional Police based on their own use of force by race data and call for an apology and addressing the disproportional use of force by race against Black people
b. Believe data does not show systemic racism in the Niagara Regional Police
c. Believe “systemic racism” is a “shadowy term…bandied about”
d. Both b and c
e. Other:
|
Danny DiLorenzo |
Response not received yet |
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Shortcut to questions suspension rates white supremacists Hitler Debacle Anti-Indigenous comments Palestine Niagara Police
Special question for trustee candidates:
Niagara-related school boards have not
published suspension rates by race, which neighbouring school boards have, showing Black students
are disproportionately suspended.
Will you advocate and vote for
publishing suspension rates by race data within a year of being elected?
a. Yes
b. No
c. Other:
|
Amanda Leduc |
Response not received yet |
|
Marcel Tikeng |
Response not received yet |
|
Matthew Graham |
Response not received yet |
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White supremacist groups like the Dominion Society are postering across Niagara promoting mass deportations (rebranded as “remigration” even though they want to deport non-migrants i.e. citizens as well). Until recently some municipalities like St. Catharines deliberately avoided publicly addressing this out of concern it would incentivize these groups to increase their activity. Other cities like Hamilton have publicly condemned hate groups like the Dominion Society, and last week were joined by West Lincoln, Grimsby, Lincoln, and the mayor of St. Catharines.
Do you:
a. Believe it’s better not to give attention to these groups by condemning them
b. Commit to publicly condemning these groups, now as a candidate, and as an elected official, and to advocating that the government body you are elected to condemn these groups publicly
c. Believe these are not white supremacist groups or there is nothing wrong with their postering
d. Support the idea of “remigration” promoted by these groups
e. Other:
|
Amanda Leduc |
Response not received yet |
|
Marcel Tikeng |
Response not received yet |
|
Matthew Graham |
Response not received yet |
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Niagara Regional Council Chair Bob Gale resigned mere hours after he was exposed for buying, owning, and authenticating Nazi memorabilia. The mayors of Niagara Falls and Pelham said he did nothing wrong and is just a collector, while the mayor of St. Catharines said this was a distraction from “really important” things. Very few elected officials condemned Bob Gale.
Do you:
a. Condemn Bob Gale for owning Nazi memorabilia
b. Believe Bob Gale did nothing wrong
c. Other:
|
Amanda Leduc |
Response not received yet |
|
Marcel Tikeng |
Response not received yet |
|
Matthew Graham |
Response not received yet |
Do you also:
a. Believe this scandal is a distraction from “really important” issues
b. Believe top officials collecting autographed hate propaganda like Mein Kampf is a “really important” issue and racism, not a distraction
c. Other:
|
Amanda Leduc |
Response not received yet |
|
Marcel Tikeng |
Response not received yet |
|
Matthew Graham |
Response not received yet |
At a press conference on April 2nd Minister Flack was asked how another “Hitler debacle” could be avoided. Can you confirm you do not have, nor have you ever had, nor will you ever have, Nazi memorabilia?
a. Yes
b. No
c. It’s your personal business or doesn’t matter
d. Other:
|
Amanda Leduc |
Response not received yet |
|
Marcel Tikeng |
Response not received yet |
|
Matthew Graham |
Response not received yet |
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The Niagara Falls mayor said it was “out of context,” “misconstrued,” and a “split hair” to condemn comments by the ex-CAO at a City Council meeting saying Indigenous evacuees out in public would be seen as “homeless” by residents.
Statements by the Kashechewan, Nishnawbe Aski Nation, Chiefs of Ontario, and Niagara Regional Native Centre condemned the ex-CAO’s comments for reinforcing stereotypes and ignoring that all Indigenous peoples have every right to be on their own land.
Do you:
a. Believe the ex-CAO’s comments were taken “out of context,” “misconstrued,” or a “split hair”
b. Agree with the Kashechewan, Nishnawbe Aski Nation, Chiefs of Ontario, and Niagara Regional Native Centre in condemning the ex-CAO’s comments for amplifying racism.
c. Other:
|
Amanda Leduc |
Response not received yet |
|
Marcel Tikeng |
Response not received yet |
|
Matthew Graham |
Response not received yet |
Back to CSV top
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Niagara Regional Council and several municipalities like St. Catharines, Welland, Grimsby, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Thorold and Lincoln have passed motions supporting Ukraine, and some motions supported military escalation.
Niagara Regional Councillors also unanimously “sanctioned” themselves from Russia, which is not how sanctions against individuals work.
Niagara Regional Council also lit their “Everyone Welcome” sign in Israel’s colours and the City of St. Catharines officially sided with Israel (“rally for Israel”) in a statement by a city councillor on behalf of the mayor.
Yet many elected officials said expressing similar support for Palestinians is out of their jurisdiction, would be divisive, or would be traumatizing.
Do you:
a. Believe Palestine is not a municipal issue and so should not be addressed, though Ukraine and Israel are
b. Believe governments should express support for Palestinians, they did for Ukrainians and Israelis
c. Other:
|
Amanda Leduc |
Response not received yet |
|
Marcel Tikeng |
Response not received yet |
|
Matthew Graham |
Response not received yet |
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Niagara Regional Police have had the second worst disproportional use of force against Black people (% of use of force incidents vs % of population) in the province since publishing this data was required by the Ontario Anti-Racism Act. It has been up to almost 10x disproportional: in 2025, 26% of the use of force was against Black people who were less than 3% of the population in the 2021 census. This is the same as Minneapolis, where George Floyd was murdered, which the US Department of Justice called “discriminatory.”
Neighbouring police forces such as Hamilton, Peel and Toronto, who are less disproportional than Niagara, have apologized for their own systemic racism in their disproportional use of force.
Yet the Police Chief, when he was Deputy Chief, said the data shows there is no systemic racism in the Niagara Police. One Police Board member who is running for mayor of Wainfleet had said in 2020 as a Niagara Regional Councillor that systemic racism is a “shadowy term…bandied about.”
To our knowledge none of the Police Board members have mentioned disproportional use of force against Black people, including the Board Chair who used to be co-chair of the Police Chief’s Community Inclusion Council, and one Board member who is a Regional Councillor and chairs the Niagara Regional Council’s Diversity Equity Inclusion Advisory Committee.
Do you:
a. Condemn systemic racism in the Niagara Regional Police based on their own use of force by race data and call for an apology and addressing the disproportional use of force by race against Black people
b. Believe data does not show systemic racism in the Niagara Regional Police
c. Believe “systemic racism” is a “shadowy term…bandied about”
d. Both b and c
e. Other:
|
Amanda Leduc |
Response not received yet |
|
Marcel Tikeng |
Response not received yet |
|
Matthew Graham |
Response not received yet |
Back to CSV top
Back to page top
Shortcut to questions suspension rates white supremacists Hitler Debacle Anti-Indigenous comments Palestine Niagara Police
Special question for trustee candidates:
Niagara-related school boards have
not published suspension rates by race, which neighbouring school boards have, showing Black students
are disproportionately suspended.
Will you advocate and vote for publishing
suspension rates by race data within a year of being elected?
a. Yes
b. No
c. Other:
|
Jean Max Philome |
Response not received yet |
Back to CSM top
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White supremacist groups like the Dominion Society are postering across Niagara promoting mass deportations (rebranded as “remigration” even though they want to deport non-migrants i.e. citizens as well). Until recently some municipalities like St. Catharines deliberately avoided publicly addressing this out of concern it would incentivize these groups to increase their activity. Other cities like Hamilton have publicly condemned hate groups like the Dominion Society, and last week were joined by West Lincoln, Grimsby, Lincoln, and the mayor of St. Catharines.
Do you:
a. Believe it’s better not to give attention to these groups by condemning them
b. Commit to publicly condemning these groups, now as a candidate, and as an elected official, and to advocating that the government body you are elected to condemn these groups publicly
c. Believe these are not white supremacist groups or there is nothing wrong with their postering
d. Support the idea of “remigration” promoted by these groups
e. Other:
|
Jean Max Philome |
Response not received yet |
Back to CSM top
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Niagara Regional Council Chair Bob Gale resigned mere hours after he was exposed for buying, owning, and authenticating Nazi memorabilia. The mayors of Niagara Falls and Pelham said he did nothing wrong and is just a collector, while the mayor of St. Catharines said this was a distraction from “really important” things. Very few elected officials condemned Bob Gale.
Do you:
a. Condemn Bob Gale for owning Nazi memorabilia
b. Believe Bob Gale did nothing wrong
c. Other:
|
Jean Max Philome |
Response not received yet |
Do you also:
a. Believe this scandal is a distraction from “really important” issues
b. Believe top officials collecting autographed hate propaganda like Mein Kampf is a “really important” issue and racism, not a distraction
c. Other:
|
Jean Max Philome |
Response not received yet |
At a press conference on April 2nd Minister Flack was asked how another “Hitler debacle” could be avoided. Can you confirm you do not have, nor have you ever had, nor will you ever have, Nazi memorabilia?
a. Yes
b. No
c. It’s your personal business or doesn’t matter
d. Other:
|
Jean Max Philome |
Response not received yet |
Back to CSM top
Back to page top
The Niagara Falls mayor said it was “out of context,” “misconstrued,” and a “split hair” to condemn comments by the ex-CAO at a City Council meeting saying Indigenous evacuees out in public would be seen as “homeless” by residents.
Statements by the Kashechewan, Nishnawbe Aski Nation, Chiefs of Ontario, and Niagara Regional Native Centre condemned the ex-CAO’s comments for reinforcing stereotypes and ignoring that all Indigenous peoples have every right to be on their own land.
Do you:
a. Believe the ex-CAO’s comments were taken “out of context,” “misconstrued,” or a “split hair”
b. Agree with the Kashechewan, Nishnawbe Aski Nation, Chiefs of Ontario, and Niagara Regional Native Centre in condemning the ex-CAO’s comments for amplifying racism.
c. Other:
|
Jean Max Philome |
Response not received yet |
Back to CSM top
Back to page top
Niagara Regional Council and several municipalities like St. Catharines, Welland, Grimsby, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Thorold and Lincoln have passed motions supporting Ukraine, and some motions supported military escalation.
Niagara Regional Councillors also unanimously “sanctioned” themselves from Russia, which is not how sanctions against individuals work.
Niagara Regional Council also lit their “Everyone Welcome” sign in Israel’s colours and the City of St. Catharines officially sided with Israel (“rally for Israel”) in a statement by a city councillor on behalf of the mayor.
Yet many elected officials said expressing similar support for Palestinians is out of their jurisdiction, would be divisive, or would be traumatizing.
Do you:
a. Believe Palestine is not a municipal issue and so should not be addressed, though Ukraine and Israel are
b. Believe governments should express support for Palestinians, they did for Ukrainians and Israelis
c. Other:
|
Jean Max Philome |
Response not received yet |
Back to CSM top
Back to page top
Niagara Regional Police have had the second worst disproportional use of force against Black people (% of use of force incidents vs % of population) in the province since publishing this data was required by the Ontario Anti-Racism Act. It has been up to almost 10x disproportional: in 2025, 26% of the use of force was against Black people who were less than 3% of the population in the 2021 census. This is the same as Minneapolis, where George Floyd was murdered, which the US Department of Justice called “discriminatory.”
Neighbouring police forces such as Hamilton, Peel and Toronto, who are less disproportional than Niagara, have apologized for their own systemic racism in their disproportional use of force.
Yet the Police Chief, when he was Deputy Chief, said the data shows there is no systemic racism in the Niagara Police. One Police Board member who is running for mayor of Wainfleet had said in 2020 as a Niagara Regional Councillor that systemic racism is a “shadowy term…bandied about.”
To our knowledge none of the Police Board members have mentioned disproportional use of force against Black people, including the Board Chair who used to be co-chair of the Police Chief’s Community Inclusion Council, and one Board member who is a Regional Councillor and chairs the Niagara Regional Council’s Diversity Equity Inclusion Advisory Committee.
Do you:
a. Condemn systemic racism in the Niagara Regional Police based on their own use of force by race data and call for an apology and addressing the disproportional use of force by race against Black people
b. Believe data does not show systemic racism in the Niagara Regional Police
c. Believe “systemic racism” is a “shadowy term…bandied about”
d. Both b and c
e. Other:
|
Jean Max Philome |
Response not received yet |
Back to CSM top
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