Caslin doesn’t understand government: Sendzik
During TVO appearance, chair claims Niagara Region has uploaded transit services. It hasn’t.
Regional Chair Alan Caslin during an appearance on a provincial news program Wednesday night demonstrated he doesn’t know how local government works, says St. Catharines Mayor Walter Sendzik.
While on “The Agenda” with TVO journalist Steve Paikin, Caslin said Niagara should be reduced from 12 municipalities to four and claimed the Region has taken so many services from city councils like St. Catharines that they have “less and less on their plate.”
“Typically it’s just parks and rec,” said Caslin, who falsely claimed the Region had uploaded transit from St. Catharines, Niagara Falls and Welland.
After the program, Sendzik took to Twitter to say “Cities do more than ‘just parks and rec.’”
“Cities are directly responsible for infrastructure (roads, water) planning, building, fire and emergency services, culture, economic development,” Sendzik tweeted, adding that St. Catharines is “on the front lines” regarding poverty, affordable housing and the opioid crisis.
In an interview, Sendzik said Caslin’s comments show he doesn’t understand local government.
In an email to The Standard,
Caslin said he is not confused about the role of municipalities.
Caslin’s email provided a substantially different rationale than on television. He wrote that parks and recreation are “unique” services to lower-tier governments, but the rest are duplicated at the Region.
Caslin was on Paikin’s program alongside Aurora mayoral candidate and former Liberal MPP Chris Ballard to talk about the provincial government’s changes to municipal elections.
Premier Doug Ford cancelled the election of Niagara’s regional chair, who will be selected by council members after the election, as always.
Ballard decried the cancellation of the elections as anti-democratic. Caslin defended the move.
“The only thing that was antidemocratic about it is the fact that the (previous Liberal government) decided to ignore the wishes of the community and take it upon themselves to carte blanche decide every chair in the province was going to be elected,” Caslin told Paikin.
Niagara residents have never voted in a referendum on the issue.
Caslin told Paikin he could not remember if he was “buying or selling” the idea of an elected chair in 2016 when the legislation changed. Caslin opposed the idea at the time.
He told Paikin that regional council passed a motion in 2016 in favour of an appointed chair.
In 2016, Caslin also said he was opposed to an elected chair because it could mean the best person for the job wouldn’t get it.
Caslin told Paikin it is easier to work with Ford than with former Liberal premier Kathleen
Wynne, saying he never met “directly” with the former premier or her government.
Caslin, who had meetings with Wynne’s government about GO Transit and the Welland GE plant and appeared in photos with her, said he can text Ford whenever he wants to.
“Is that because you are on Team Blue?” asked Paikin, referring to Ford’s Progressive Conservative government.
“I am on Team Blue. I have typically voted that way,” replied Caslin, who then added he has been a “card-carrying” member of the Liberal party since 1994.
Caslin defended the idea of slashing the size of local governments by saying municipalities don’t do very much. He claimed the Region has uploaded transit as evidence.
While there is a memorandum of understanding between the Region and the three Niagara transit providers to build a new system, transit services have not been uploaded by the Region.
Sendzik said there isn’t yet a model of a regional transit system up for debate.
In his email, Caslin referred to the agreement between the Region and lower-tier municipalities as “uploading.”
“One doesn’t always get the chance to fully explain a position during a brief, wide-ranging interview,” he wrote.