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: September 16
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:
Mayor (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 suspension rates white supremacists Hitler Debacle Anti-Indigenous comments Palestine Niagara Police
NCDSB (English Catholic) Trustee (1)
Shortcut to questions suspension rates white supremacists Hitler Debacle Anti-Indigenous comments Palestine Niagara Police
CSV (French public) Trustee (acclaimed)
Shortcut to questions suspension rates white supremacists Hitler Debacle Anti-Indigenous comments Palestine Niagara Police
CSM (French Catholic) Trustee (acclaimed)
Shortcut to questions suspension rates white supremacists Hitler Debacle Anti-Indigenous comments Palestine Niagara Police
Special notes on candidates Mayor Councillor Ward 1
(to come)
Shortcut to questions white supremacists Hitler Debacle Anti-Indigenous comments Palestine Niagara Police
To her credit the first Niagara mayor to say Dominion Society conference not welcome
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:
|
Cheryl Ganann (special note) |
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:
|
Cheryl Ganann (special note) |
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:
|
Cheryl Ganann (special note) |
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:
|
Cheryl Ganann (special note) |
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:
|
Cheryl Ganann (special note) |
Response not received yet |
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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:
|
Cheryl Ganann |
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:
|
Cheryl Ganann |
Response not received yet |
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Shortcut to questions white supremacists Hitler Debacle Anti-Indigenous comments Palestine Niagara Police
Voted against most 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:
|
Danny Bilan |
Response not received yet |
|
Paul Griffin |
Response not received yet |
|
Jason Trombetta |
Response not received yet |
|
Albert Witteveen (special note) |
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:
|
Danny Bilan |
Response not received yet |
|
Paul Griffin |
Response not received yet |
|
Jason Trombetta |
Response not received yet |
|
Albert Witteveen (special note) |
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 Bilan |
Response not received yet |
|
Paul Griffin |
Response not received yet |
|
Jason Trombetta |
Response not received yet |
|
Albert Witteveen (special note) |
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 Bilan |
Response not received yet |
|
Paul Griffin |
Response not received yet |
|
Jason Trombetta |
Response not received yet |
|
Albert Witteveen (special note) |
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:
|
Danny Bilan |
Response not received yet |
|
Paul Griffin |
Response not received yet |
|
Jason Trombetta |
Response not received yet |
|
Albert Witteveen (special note) |
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:
|
Danny Bilan |
Response not received yet |
|
Paul Griffin |
Response not received yet |
|
Jason Trombetta |
Response not received yet |
|
Albert Witteveen (special note) |
Response not received yet |
Back to Councillor 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:
|
Danny Bilan |
Response not received yet |
|
Paul Griffin |
Response not received yet |
|
Jason Trombetta |
Response not received yet |
|
Albert Witteveen (special note) |
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:
|
Marlene Bergsma |
e. I commit to publicly condemning
these groups as both a candidate and, as an elected official, to continue to advocate
our community's position. I am proud that my municipality was one of the
first to publicly indicate that the Dominion Society and what it represents
is not welcome in West Lincoln. |
|
Joann Chechalk |
Response not received yet |
|
Edward Dunn |
Response not received yet |
|
Gord MacCharles |
Response not received yet |
|
Erin Schutten |
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:
|
Marlene Bergsma |
a. Condemn Bob Gale for owning Nazi memorabilia |
|
Joann Chechalk |
Response not received yet |
|
Edward Dunn |
Response not received yet |
|
Gord MacCharles |
Response not received yet |
|
Erin Schutten |
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:
|
Marlene Bergsma |
b. Believe top officials collecting autographed hate propaganda like Mein Kampf is a “really important” issue and racism, not a distraction |
|
Joann Chechalk |
Response not received yet |
|
Edward Dunn |
Response not received yet |
|
Gord MacCharles |
Response not received yet |
|
Erin Schutten |
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:
|
Marlene Bergsma |
a. Yes |
|
Joann Chechalk |
Response not received yet |
|
Edward Dunn |
Response not received yet |
|
Gord MacCharles |
Response not received yet |
|
Erin Schutten |
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:
|
Marlene Bergsma |
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. |
|
Joann Chechalk |
Response not received yet |
|
Edward Dunn |
Response not received yet |
|
Gord MacCharles |
Response not received yet |
|
Erin Schutten |
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:
|
Marlene Bergsma |
b. Believe governments should express support for Palestinians, they did for Ukrainians and Israelis |
|
Joann Chechalk |
Response not received yet |
|
Edward Dunn |
Response not received yet |
|
Gord MacCharles |
Response not received yet |
|
Erin Schutten |
Response not received yet |
Back to Councillor 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:
|
Marlene Bergsma |
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 |
|
Joann Chechalk |
Response not received yet |
|
Edward Dunn |
Response not received yet |
|
Gord MacCharles |
Response not received yet |
|
Erin Schutten |
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:
|
Greg Maychak |
Response not received yet |
|
William Reilly |
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:
|
Greg Maychak |
Response not received yet |
|
William Reilly |
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:
|
Greg Maychak |
Response not received yet |
|
William Reilly |
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:
|
Greg Maychak |
Response not received yet |
|
William Reilly |
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:
|
Greg Maychak |
Response not received yet |
|
William Reilly |
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:
|
Greg Maychak |
Response not received yet |
|
William Reilly |
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:
|
Greg Maychak |
Response not received yet |
|
William Reilly |
Response not received yet |
Back to Councillor top
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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:
|
Edward Fulford |
No valid email to send survey |
|
John Mollicone |
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:
|
Edward Fulford |
No valid email to send survey |
|
John Mollicone |
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:
|
Edward Fulford |
No valid email to send survey |
|
John Mollicone |
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:
|
Edward Fulford |
No valid email to send survey |
|
John Mollicone |
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:
|
Edward Fulford |
No valid email to send survey |
|
John Mollicone |
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:
|
Edward Fulford |
No valid email to send survey |
|
John Mollicone |
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:
|
Edward Fulford |
No valid email to send survey |
|
John Mollicone |
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:
|
Edward Fulford |
No valid email to send survey |
|
John Mollicone |
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:
|
Lynn Dudok |
Response not received yet |
|
Alex Joyner |
Response not received yet |
|
Leanne Prince |
a.
Yes |
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:
|
Lynn Dudok |
Response not received yet |
|
Alex Joyner |
Response not received yet |
|
Leanne Prince |
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 |
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:
|
Lynn Dudok |
Response not received yet |
|
Alex Joyner |
Response not received yet |
|
Leanne Prince |
a. Condemn Bob Gale for owning Nazi memorabilia |
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:
|
Lynn Dudok |
Response not received yet |
|
Alex Joyner |
Response not received yet |
|
Leanne Prince |
c.
Believe top officials collecting autographed
hate propaganda like Mein Kampf is a “really important” issue and
racism, not a distraction |
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:
|
Lynn Dudok |
Response not received yet |
|
Alex Joyner |
Response not received yet |
|
Leanne Prince |
d.
No |
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:
|
Lynn Dudok |
Response not received yet |
|
Alex Joyner |
Response not received yet |
|
Leanne Prince |
e.
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. |
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:
|
Lynn Dudok |
Response not received yet |
|
Alex Joyner |
Response not received yet |
|
Leanne Prince |
c.
All
people, cultures, religions are important and vital for society. I believe
these issues should be left to levels of government that deal directly with
them. Individuals have their own voices and opinions, and all should be
respectfully shared.I will
work with our schools and administration to ensure all students, families,
staff and stakeholders feel welcome and included. |
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:
|
Lynn Dudok |
Response not received yet |
|
Alex Joyner |
Response not received yet |
|
Leanne Prince |
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 As a society, we always will be
looking to improve. I will continue to advocate for our students and schools
to be safe, inclusive and welcoming to all students, staff and stakeholders. |
Back to NCDSB top
Back to page top
CSV (French public) Trustee
(acclaimed)
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:
|
Sonia Macaluso |
Response not received yet |
Back to CSV 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:
|
Sonia Macaluso |
Response not received yet |
Back to CSV 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:
|
Sonia Macaluso |
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:
|
Sonia Macaluso |
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:
|
Sonia Macaluso |
Response not received yet |
Back to CSV 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:
|
Sonia Macaluso |
Response not received yet |
Back to CSV 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:
|
Sonia Macaluso |
Response not received yet |
Back to CSV 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:
|
Sonia Macaluso |
Response not received yet |
Back to CSV top
Back to page top
CSM (French Catholic) Trustee
(acclaimed)
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:
|
Melinda Chartrand |
Response not received yet |
Back to CSM 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:
|
Melinda Chartrand |
Response not received yet |
Back to CSM 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:
|
Melinda Chartrand |
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:
|
Melinda Chartrand |
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:
|
Melinda Chartrand |
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:
|
Melinda Chartrand |
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:
|
Melinda Chartrand |
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:
|
Melinda Chartrand |
Response not received yet |
Back to CSM top
Back to page top