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 18
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 (1)
Shortcut to questions white supremacists Hitler Debacle Anti-Indigenous comments Palestine Niagara Police
DSBN (English public) Trustee (1)
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
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
(to come)
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:
|
Vaughn
Goettler |
Response not received yet |
|
Andrea Kaiser |
Response not received yet |
|
Erwin Wiens |
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:
|
Vaughn
Goettler |
Response not received yet |
|
Andrea Kaiser |
Response not received yet |
|
Erwin Wiens |
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:
|
Vaughn
Goettler |
Response not received yet |
|
Andrea Kaiser |
Response not received yet |
|
Erwin Wiens |
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:
|
Vaughn
Goettler |
Response not received yet |
|
Andrea Kaiser |
Response not received yet |
|
Erwin Wiens |
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:
|
Vaughn
Goettler |
Response not received yet |
|
Andrea Kaiser |
Response not received yet |
|
Erwin Wiens |
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:
|
Vaughn
Goettler |
Response not received yet |
|
Andrea Kaiser |
Response not received yet |
|
Erwin Wiens |
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:
|
Vaughn
Goettler |
Response not received yet |
|
Andrea Kaiser |
Response not received yet |
|
Erwin Wiens |
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:
|
Weston Miller |
Response not received yet |
|
Steve
McGuinness |
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 |
|
Gary Burroughs |
Response not received yet |
|
Sandra O'Connor |
Response not received yet |
|
Maria Mavridis |
Response not received yet |
|
Andrew Niven |
Response not received yet |
|
Tim Balasiuk |
No valid email to send survey |
|
Adriana Cater-Vizzari |
Response not received yet |
|
Karen Jones-Taylor |
Response not received yet |
|
Nicholas Colaneri |
Response not received yet |
|
Rick Mills |
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:
|
Weston Miller |
Response not received yet |
|
Steve
McGuinness |
a.
Yes |
|
Gary
Burroughs |
Response not received yet |
|
Sandra
O'Connor |
Response not received yet |
|
Maria
Mavridis |
Response not received yet |
|
Andrew Niven |
Response not received yet |
|
Tim
Balasiuk |
No valid email to send survey |
|
Adriana
Cater-Vizzari |
Response not received yet |
|
Karen
Jones-Taylor |
Response not received yet |
|
Nicholas
Colaneri |
Response not received yet |
|
Rick Mills |
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:
|
Weston Miller |
Response not received yet |
|
Steve
McGuinness |
b. Believe
top officials collecting autographed hate propaganda like Mein Kampf is
a “really important” issue and racism, not a distraction |
|
Gary
Burroughs |
Response not received yet |
|
Sandra
O'Connor |
Response not received yet |
|
Maria
Mavridis |
Response not received yet |
|
Andrew Niven |
Response not received yet |
|
Tim
Balasiuk |
No valid email to send survey |
|
Adriana
Cater-Vizzari |
Response not received yet |
|
Karen
Jones-Taylor |
Response not received yet |
|
Nicholas
Colaneri |
Response not received yet |
|
Rick Mills |
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:
|
Weston Miller |
Response not received yet |
|
Steve
McGuinness |
a. Yes |
|
Gary
Burroughs |
Response not received yet |
|
Sandra
O'Connor |
Response not received yet |
|
Maria
Mavridis |
Response not received yet |
|
Andrew Niven |
Response not received yet |
|
Tim
Balasiuk |
No valid email to send survey |
|
Adriana
Cater-Vizzari |
Response not received yet |
|
Karen
Jones-Taylor |
Response not received yet |
|
Nicholas
Colaneri |
Response not received yet |
|
Rick Mills |
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:
|
Weston Miller |
Response not received yet |
|
Steve
McGuinness |
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. |
|
Gary
Burroughs |
Response not received yet |
|
Sandra
O'Connor |
Response not received yet |
|
Maria
Mavridis |
Response not received yet |
|
Andrew Niven |
Response not received yet |
|
Tim
Balasiuk |
No valid email to send survey |
|
Adriana
Cater-Vizzari |
Response not received yet |
|
Karen
Jones-Taylor |
Response not received yet |
|
Nicholas
Colaneri |
Response not received yet |
|
Rick Mills |
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:
|
Weston Miller |
Response not received yet |
|
Steve
McGuinness |
c.
Other: In cases of armed conflict, the federal
government should take the lead in communicating Canada’s foreign policy
position. Municipal government should condemn the use of force and violence
and urging negotiated resolutions to armed conflicts. I would support a
municipal motion to stand with the civilian victims of hostile military
attacks by foreign government troops and support humanitarian relief. I
support the denunciation of terrorist cells operating within any country. The
federal government maintains a list identifying terror sponsoring
organizations. |
|
Gary
Burroughs |
Response not received yet |
|
Sandra
O'Connor |
Response not received yet |
|
Maria
Mavridis |
Response not received yet |
|
Andrew Niven |
Response not received yet |
|
Tim
Balasiuk |
No valid email to send survey |
|
Adriana
Cater-Vizzari |
Response not received yet |
|
Karen
Jones-Taylor |
Response not received yet |
|
Nicholas
Colaneri |
Response not received yet |
|
Rick Mills |
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:
|
Weston Miller |
Response not received yet |
|
Steve
McGuinness |
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 |
|
Gary
Burroughs |
Response not received yet |
|
Sandra
O'Connor |
Response not received yet |
|
Maria
Mavridis |
Response not received yet |
|
Andrew Niven |
Response not received yet |
|
Tim
Balasiuk |
No valid email to send survey |
|
Adriana
Cater-Vizzari |
Response not received yet |
|
Karen
Jones-Taylor |
Response not received yet |
|
Nicholas
Colaneri |
Response not received yet |
|
Rick Mills |
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:
|
Mike
Brousseau |
Response not received yet |
|
Jennifer
Ajandi |
Response not received yet |
|
Lauren Bubnic |
Response not received yet |
|
Kate Baggott |
a.
Yes,I have brought this forward with
senior staff a few times, but more recently, the concern is that the results
-- if they show black students are disproportionately suspended -- will be
used by racist groups to promote mass deportations and other disgusting
actions. |
|
Jonathan Fast |
Response not received yet |
|
Matthew Bradman |
Response not received yet |
|
Mark Matchem |
Response not received yet |
|
M. Areeb Aijaz |
Response not received yet |
|
Amir Ismael |
Response not received yet |
|
Marwa Salih |
Response not received yet |
Back to DSBN 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:
|
Mike
Brousseau |
Response not received yet |
|
Jennifer
Ajandi |
Response not received yet |
|
Lauren Bubnic |
Response not received yet |
|
Kate Baggott
|
b.
I
am actively involved in public condemnation of these groups and in poster
reporting and removal, especially when the posters appear near high schools.
Most recently in the vicinity of Laura Secord and Sir Winston Churchill. |
|
Jonathan Fast |
Response not received yet |
|
Matthew
Bradman |
Response not received yet |
|
Mark
Matchem |
Response not received yet |
|
M. Areeb
Aijaz |
Response not received yet |
|
Amir
Ismael |
Response not received yet |
|
Marwa
Salih |
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:
|
Mike
Brousseau |
Response not received yet |
|
Jennifer
Ajandi |
Response not received yet |
|
Lauren Bubnic |
Response not received yet |
|
Kate Baggott
|
a.
I
shared the NRARA's posts about this issue with my unsurprised response. I
have never been a fan of Bob Gale's actions in public office. |
|
Jonathan Fast |
Response not received yet |
|
Matthew
Bradman |
Response not received yet |
|
Mark
Matchem |
Response not received yet |
|
M. Areeb
Aijaz |
Response not received yet |
|
Amir
Ismael |
Response not received yet |
|
Marwa
Salih |
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:
|
Mike
Brousseau |
Response not received yet |
|
Jennifer
Ajandi |
Response not received yet |
|
Lauren Bubnic |
Response not received yet |
|
Kate Baggott
|
b.
Believe top officials collecting autographed
hate propaganda like Mein Kampf is a “really important” issue and
racism, not a distraction |
|
Jonathan Fast |
Response not received yet |
|
Matthew
Bradman |
Response not received yet |
|
Mark
Matchem |
Response not received yet |
|
M. Areeb
Aijaz |
Response not received yet |
|
Amir
Ismael |
Response not received yet |
|
Marwa
Salih |
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:
|
Mike
Brousseau |
Response not received yet |
|
Jennifer
Ajandi |
Response not received yet |
|
Lauren Bubnic |
Response not received yet |
|
Kate Baggott
|
a.
Yes |
|
Jonathan Fast |
Response not received yet |
|
Matthew
Bradman |
Response not received yet |
|
Mark
Matchem |
Response not received yet |
|
M. Areeb
Aijaz |
Response not received yet |
|
Amir
Ismael |
Response not received yet |
|
Marwa
Salih |
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:
|
Mike
Brousseau |
Response not received yet |
|
Jennifer
Ajandi |
Response not received yet |
|
Lauren Bubnic |
Response not received yet |
|
Kate Baggott
|
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. |
|
Jonathan Fast |
Response not received yet |
|
Matthew
Bradman |
Response not received yet |
|
Mark
Matchem |
Response not received yet |
|
M. Areeb
Aijaz |
Response not received yet |
|
Amir
Ismael |
Response not received yet |
|
Marwa
Salih |
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:
|
Mike
Brousseau |
Response not received yet |
|
Jennifer
Ajandi |
Response not received yet |
|
Lauren Bubnic |
Response not received yet |
|
Kate Baggott
|
b.
Believe governments should express support for
Palestinians, they did for Ukrainians and Israelis |
|
Jonathan Fast |
Response not received yet |
|
Matthew
Bradman |
Response not received yet |
|
Mark
Matchem |
Response not received yet |
|
M. Areeb
Aijaz |
Response not received yet |
|
Amir
Ismael |
Response not received yet |
|
Marwa
Salih |
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:
|
Mike
Brousseau |
Response not received yet |
|
Jennifer
Ajandi |
Response not received yet |
|
Lauren Bubnic |
Response not received yet |
|
Kate Baggott
|
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 |
|
Jonathan Fast |
Response not received yet |
|
Matthew
Bradman |
Response not received yet |
|
Mark
Matchem |
Response not received yet |
|
M. Areeb
Aijaz |
Response not received yet |
|
Amir
Ismael |
Response not received yet |
|
Marwa
Salih |
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:
|
Natalia
Benoit |
Response not received yet |
|
Larry Huibers
|
a.
Yes |
|
Alex McKee |
Response not received yet |
|
Jake Scervino
|
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:
|
Natalia
Benoit |
Response not received yet |
|
Larry Huibers
|
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 |
|
Alex McKee |
Response not received yet |
|
Jake Scervino
|
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:
|
Natalia
Benoit |
Response not received yet |
|
Larry Huibers
|
a. Condemn
Bob Gale for owning Nazi memorabilia |
|
Alex McKee |
Response not received yet |
|
Jake Scervino
|
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:
|
Natalia
Benoit |
Response not received yet |
|
Larry Huibers
|
b. Believe
top officials collecting autographed hate propaganda like Mein Kampf is
a “really important” issue and racism, not a distraction |
|
Alex McKee |
Response not received yet |
|
Jake Scervino
|
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:
|
Natalia
Benoit |
Response not received yet |
|
Larry Huibers
|
a.
Yes |
|
Alex McKee |
Response not received yet |
|
Jake Scervino
|
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:
|
Natalia
Benoit |
Response not received yet |
|
Larry Huibers
|
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. |
|
Alex McKee |
Response not received yet |
|
Jake Scervino
|
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:
|
Natalia
Benoit |
Response not received yet |
|
Larry Huibers
|
b.
Believe governments should express support for
Palestinians, they did for Ukrainians and Israeli |
|
Alex McKee |
Response not received yet |
|
Jake Scervino
|
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:
|
Natalia
Benoit |
Response not received yet |
|
Larry Huibers |
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 |
|
Alex McKee |
Response not received yet |
|
Jake Scervino
|
Response not received yet |
Back to NCDSB 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:
|
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
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 |
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:
|
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 |
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:
|
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
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 |
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:
|
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:
|
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