A message from the Executive Director of the South Niagara Chambers

2018 brings with it our Provincial election in June, followed by our municipal election in October.

With recent developments happening within the leadership of the Progressive Conservative Party, voters will not have a lot of time to get to know the new leader. Many changes have occurred in Ontario under the Wynne government, and the election will likely focus on the economic health and sustainability of the province based on the new costs and policies introduced by the Liberal government. We know that there will be definite changes in parts of Niagara as current sitting members will not be seeking re-election.

All of these factors make it even more important for us to learn about the issues, and to get to know the candidates all the while understanding that when it comes to our provincial election, while we certainly assess the individual candidate we typically vote for the party that is best aligned with our personal beliefs and values.

With respect to our municipal election those thinking they have a future career in municipal politics can file nomination papers from Tuesday, May 1, 2018 up until 2 p.m. on Friday, July 27, 2018. To date we have already had a few new faces announce their intent to run, which is great! It’s important to have fresh perspectives and approaches especially if the issues remain the same.

Our municipal government is responsible for roads, public transit, child care, local policing, water and sewers, ambulances, parks and recreation. These are the services that are literally in our own backyard. It’s important that we learn who in our community best represents our position on the issues that mean the most to us and our families. In municipal elections, candidates are not elected to represent a political party. Partisan politics has no business in municipal representation and can cause difficulty in dealing with the core issues that municipal government is responsible for.

The key to both elections is to identify the issues that are the most important to you, and to then ensure you understand where the candidates (or parties) stand on those issues. Find the candidates websites, newspaper articles, tune in to the local debate and consider the candidates’ history. Do they have the experience, education, tools and personalities to affect the change you’d like to see in our community?

We are currently meeting with our various partners to begin scheduling opportunities for our members to become informed. Yes, there will be debates but there will also be meet and greet events where you can pop in and speak specifically to the candidates you are interested in.

Of course we are always creating opportunities for our members to stay engaged with policy and local issues, not just during election time, but throughout the year. Our Boards and Government Affairs Committees meet regularly with our elected officials to discuss specific issues. We host Mayors Breakfasts and forums which are open to our membership, and we also host our annual Southern Tier Mayors’ Luncheon which is a conversation with 6 of our local Mayors on one stage. This year the luncheon will be held on February 13th. The topics our members have already identified for discussion include transportation, effective utilization of our current assets, and how to best manage the growing cannabis industry in Niagara. This event could be a good start to learning more about some of our potential mayoral candidates.

I encourage everyone to take advantage of the opportunities to become engaged and educated on the issue. Elections are the chance to have your voice heard, make sure you use that voice!