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:
Mayor (2)
Shortcut to questions white supremacists
Hitler Debacle Anti-Indigenous comments
Palestine Niagara Police
Shortcut to questions white supremacists Hitler Debacle Anti-Indigenous comments Palestine Niagara Police
Shortcut to questions white supremacists Hitler Debacle Anti-Indigenous comments Palestine Niagara Police
Shortcut to questions white supremacists Hitler Debacle Anti-Indigenous comments Palestine Niagara Police
Shortcut to questions white supremacists Hitler Debacle Anti-Indigenous comments Palestine Niagara Police
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
DSBN (English public) Trustee (1)
Shortcut to questions suspension rates white supremacists Hitler Debacle Anti-Indigenous comments Palestine Niagara Police
NCDSB (English Catholic) Trustee
(2: Ward 1, Wards 2-6)
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:
|
Anthony A.
Adeoye |
(e) Other I believe in equity, fairness,
equality and justice for all regardless of race, color, ethnicity or
religious belief. I oppose racism, discrimination, hate and intimidation in
all forms. As a candidate and, if elected, as
Mayor, I would support publicly condemning hate-based organizations and
activities and advocate for a community where everyone is treated with
dignity, respect and fairness. Our diversity is part of what makes St. Catharines
and Niagara strong, and leadership should bring people together rather than
divide them. I would also support working with
community organizations, law enforcement and other levels of government to
address hate and discrimination while respecting the rights and freedoms
protected by law. |
|
Henry Bosch |
Response not received yet |
|
Jimmy Jackson |
Response not received yet |
|
Mat Siscoe |
Response not received yet |
|
Ann-Marie Zammit |
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 |
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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:
|
Anthony A.
Adeoye |
(c) Other I unequivocally condemn the
ideology, crimes and hatred associated with Nazism and all forms of racism,
antisemitism and discrimination. Public officials are held to a high
standard and must maintain the trust and confidence of the communities they
serve. Actions or conduct that undermine that trust deserve serious
reflection and accountability. My focus as a candidate is on
building a community rooted in respect, inclusion, fairness and dignity for
all people, regardless of race, religion, ethnicity or background. St.
Catharines and Niagara are strongest when we stand together against hate and work
to create welcoming communities for everyone. |
|
Henry Bosch |
Response not received yet |
|
Jimmy Jackson |
Response not received yet |
|
Mat Siscoe |
Response not received yet |
|
Ann-Marie
Zammit |
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:
|
Anthony A.
Adeoye |
(c) Other I believe racism, antisemitism, hate
and discrimination are serious issues and should never be dismissed as
distractions. At the same time, elected officials must be accountable for
their conduct and uphold the trust placed in them by the public. My position is consistent; equity,
fairness, equality and justice must apply to everyone regardless of race,
color, ethnicity or religious belief. |
|
Henry Bosch |
Response not received yet |
|
Jimmy Jackson |
Response not received yet |
|
Mat Siscoe |
Response not received yet |
|
Ann-Marie
Zammit |
b.
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:
|
Anthony A.
Adeoye |
(a) Yes I do not have, have never had, and
will never have Nazi memorabilia. I reject Nazism, antisemitism, racism, and
all forms of hate and discrimination. |
|
Henry Bosch |
Response not received yet |
|
Jimmy Jackson |
Response not received yet |
|
Mat Siscoe |
Response not received yet |
|
Ann-Marie
Zammit |
a.
Yes |
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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:
|
Anthony A.
Adeoye |
(c) Other I believe comments that may
reinforce stereotypes about Indigenous peoples should be taken seriously and
addressed with sensitivity and accountability. Indigenous people have the
same rights, dignity and entitlement to participate in our communities as everyone
else. My position is clear, racism and
discrimination have no place in St. Catharine or Niagara. We must listen to
Indigenous communities, learn from their concerns, and work together to build
a community based on equity, fairness, equality and justice for all. |
|
Henry Bosch |
Response not received yet |
|
Jimmy Jackson |
Response not received yet |
|
Mat Siscoe |
Response not received yet |
|
Ann-Marie
Zammit |
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. |
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:
|
Anthony A.
Adeoye |
(c) Other Municipal governments should apply a
consistent and equitable standard when responding to international
humanitarian crises. While foreign policy is primarily the responsibility of
senior levels of government, municipalities can appropriately express concern
for human rights, civilian safety and humanitarian needs. My position is that every civilian
life has equal value, and our community should support peace, dignity, safety
and justice for all people, regardless of nationality, ethnicity or religion. |
|
Henry Bosch |
Response not received yet |
|
Jimmy Jackson |
Response not received yet |
|
Mat Siscoe |
Response not received yet |
|
Ann-Marie
Zammit |
b.
Believe governments should express support for
Palestinians, they did for Ukrainians and Israelis |
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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:
|
Anthony A.
Adeoye |
(e) Other I believe the reported disparity in
use of force incidents involving Black residents must be taken seriously and
addressed transparently. Data showing a significant racial disparity warrants
a thorough, independent review of the contributing factors, meaningful
engagement with Black communities, and clear accountability for addressing
any systemic barriers or discriminatory practices identified. As Mayor, I would support evidence
based action to improve trust, transparency, accountability, and equitable
treatment in policing. Every resident deserves to be treated with dignity,
fairness, and respect, regardless of race, color, ethnicity, or religious
belief. |
|
Henry Bosch |
Response not received yet |
|
Jimmy Jackson |
Response not received yet |
|
Mat Siscoe |
Response not received yet |
|
Ann-Marie
Zammit |
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 |
Back to mayor 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:
|
Matt Aymar |
Response not received yet |
|
Geoff Crane |
Response not received yet |
|
Ashlee Davidson-Miller |
Response not received yet |
|
Jackie Lindal |
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:
|
Matt Aymar |
Response not received yet |
|
Geoff Crane |
Response not received yet |
|
Ashlee
Davidson-Miller |
Response not received yet |
|
Jackie Lindal |
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:
|
Matt Aymar |
Response not received yet |
|
Geoff Crane |
Response not received yet |
|
Ashlee
Davidson-Miller |
Response not received yet |
|
Jackie Lindal |
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:
|
Matt Aymar |
Response not received yet |
|
Geoff Crane |
Response not received yet |
|
Ashlee
Davidson-Miller |
Response not received yet |
|
Jackie Lindal |
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:
|
Matt Aymar |
Response not received yet |
|
Geoff Crane |
Response not received yet |
|
Ashlee
Davidson-Miller |
Response not received yet |
|
Jackie Lindal |
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:
|
Matt Aymar |
Response not received yet |
|
Geoff Crane |
Response not received yet |
|
Ashlee
Davidson-Miller |
Response not received yet |
|
Jackie Lindal |
Response not received yet |
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Niagara
Regional Police have had the second worst disproportional use of force against
Black people (% of use of force incidents vs % of population) in the province
since publishing this data was required by the Ontario Anti-Racism Act. It has
been up to almost 10x disproportional: in
2025, 26% of the use of force was against Black people who were less than 3% of
the population in the 2021 census. This is the same as Minneapolis, where
George Floyd was murdered, which the US Department of Justice called
“discriminatory.”
Neighbouring
police forces such as Hamilton, Peel and Toronto, who are less disproportional
than Niagara, have apologized for their own systemic racism in their
disproportional use of force.
Yet the Police
Chief, when he was Deputy Chief, said the data shows there is
no systemic racism in the Niagara Police. One Police Board member who is
running for mayor of Wainfleet had said in 2020 as a Niagara Regional
Councillor that systemic racism is a “shadowy term…bandied about.”
To our
knowledge none of the Police Board members have mentioned disproportional use
of force against Black people, including the Board Chair who used to be co-chair
of the Police Chief’s Community Inclusion Council, and one Board member who is
a Regional Councillor and chairs the Niagara Regional Council’s Diversity
Equity Inclusion Advisory Committee.
Do you:
a.
Condemn systemic racism in the Niagara Regional
Police based on their own use of force by race data and call for an apology and
addressing the disproportional use of force by race against Black people
b.
Believe data does not show systemic racism in
the Niagara Regional Police
c.
Believe “systemic racism” is a “shadowy
term…bandied about”
d.
Both b and c
e. Other:
|
Matt Aymar |
Response not received yet |
|
Geoff Crane |
Response not received yet |
|
Ashlee
Davidson-Miller |
Response not received yet |
|
Jackie Lindal |
Response not received yet |
Back to Councillor top
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Councillor – Ward 2
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:
|
Jim Adair |
Response not received yet |
|
Bryan Blue |
Response not received yet |
|
Noel Buckley |
Response not received yet |
|
Adriana Clifford |
Response not received yet |
|
Matt Harris |
Response not received yet |
|
Catherine McNabb |
Response not received yet |
|
Tom Neale |
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:
|
Jim Adair |
Response not received yet |
|
Bryan Blue |
Response not received yet |
|
Noel
Buckley |
Response not received yet |
|
Adriana
Clifford |
Response not received yet |
|
Matt Harris |
Response not received yet |
|
Catherine
McNabb |
Response not received yet |
|
Tom
Neale |
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:
|
Jim Adair |
Response not received yet |
|
Bryan Blue |
Response not received yet |
|
Noel
Buckley |
Response not received yet |
|
Adriana
Clifford |
Response not received yet |
|
Matt Harris |
Response not received yet |
|
Catherine
McNabb |
Response not received yet |
|
Tom
Neale |
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:
|
Jim Adair |
Response not received yet |
|
Bryan Blue |
Response not received yet |
|
Noel
Buckley |
Response not received yet |
|
Adriana
Clifford |
Response not received yet |
|
Matt Harris |
Response not received yet |
|
Catherine
McNabb |
Response not received yet |
|
Tom
Neale |
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:
|
Jim Adair |
Response not received yet |
|
Bryan Blue |
Response not received yet |
|
Noel
Buckley |
Response not received yet |
|
Adriana
Clifford |
Response not received yet |
|
Matt Harris |
Response not received yet |
|
Catherine
McNabb |
Response not received yet |
|
Tom
Neale |
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:
|
Jim Adair |
Response not received yet |
|
Bryan Blue |
Response not received yet |
|
Noel
Buckley |
Response not received yet |
|
Adriana
Clifford |
Response not received yet |
|
Matt Harris |
Response not received yet |
|
Catherine
McNabb |
Response not received yet |
|
Tom
Neale |
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:
|
Jim Adair |
Response not received yet |
|
Bryan Blue |
Response not received yet |
|
Noel
Buckley |
Response not received yet |
|
Adriana
Clifford |
Response not received yet |
|
Matt Harris |
Response not received yet |
|
Catherine
McNabb |
Response not received yet |
|
Tom
Neale |
Response not received yet |
Back to Councillor top
Back to page top
Shortcut to questions white supremacists Hitler Debacle Anti-Indigenous comments Palestine Niagara Police
White
supremacist groups like the Dominion Society are postering across Niagara
promoting mass deportations (rebranded as “remigration” even though they want
to deport non-migrants i.e. citizens as well). Until recently some
municipalities like St. Catharines deliberately avoided publicly addressing
this out of concern it would incentivize these groups to increase their
activity. Other cities like Hamilton have publicly condemned hate groups like
the Dominion Society, and last week were joined by West Lincoln, Grimsby,
Lincoln, and the mayor of St. Catharines.
Do you:
a.
Believe it’s better not to give attention to
these groups by condemning them
b.
Commit to publicly condemning these groups, now
as a candidate, and as an elected official, and to advocating that the
government body you are elected to condemn these groups publicly
c.
Believe these are not white supremacist groups
or there is nothing wrong with their postering
d.
Support the idea of “remigration” promoted by
these groups
e.
Other:
|
Mike
Britton |
Response not received yet |
|
Alexander
Miller |
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 |
|
Sal Sorrento |
No valid email to send survey |
|
Mark Stevens |
Response not received yet |
|
Kevin Townsend |
Response not received yet |
|
Kate Werneburg |
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 Councillor top
Back to page top
Niagara
Regional Council Chair Bob Gale resigned mere hours after he was exposed for
buying, owning, and authenticating Nazi memorabilia. The mayors of Niagara
Falls and Pelham said he did nothing wrong and is just a collector, while the
mayor of St. Catharines said this was a distraction from “really important”
things. Very few elected officials condemned Bob Gale.
Do you:
a.
Condemn Bob Gale for owning Nazi memorabilia
b.
Believe Bob Gale did nothing wrong
c.
Other:
|
Mike
Britton |
Response not received yet |
|
Alexander
Miller |
a.
Condemn Bob Gale for owning Nazi memorabilia |
|
Sal Sorrento |
No valid email to send survey |
|
Mark Stevens |
Response not received yet |
|
Kevin
Townsend |
Response not received yet |
|
Kate
Werneburg |
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:
|
Mike
Britton |
Response not received yet |
|
Alexander
Miller |
b.
Believe top officials collecting autographed
hate propaganda like Mein Kampf is a “really important” issue and
racism, not a distraction |
|
Sal Sorrento |
No valid email to send survey |
|
Mark Stevens |
Response not received yet |
|
Kevin
Townsend |
Response not received yet |
|
Kate
Werneburg |
b.
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:
|
Mike
Britton |
Response not received yet |
|
Alexander
Miller |
a.
Yes |
|
Sal Sorrento |
No valid email to send survey |
|
Mark Stevens |
Response not received yet |
|
Kevin
Townsend |
Response not received yet |
|
Kate
Werneburg |
a.
Yes |
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:
|
Mike
Britton |
Response not received yet |
|
Alexander
Miller |
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. |
|
Sal Sorrento |
No valid email to send survey |
|
Mark Stevens |
Response not received yet |
|
Kevin
Townsend |
Response not received yet |
|
Kate
Werneburg |
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. |
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:
|
Mike
Britton |
Response not received yet |
|
Alexander
Miller |
b.
Believe governments should express support for
Palestinians, they did for Ukrainians and Israelis |
|
Sal Sorrento |
No valid email to send survey |
|
Mark Stevens |
Response not received yet |
|
Kevin
Townsend |
Response not received yet |
|
Kate
Werneburg |
b. Believe governments should express support for Palestinians, they did for Ukrainians and Israelis c.
Other: Based on how council has responded to
other global issues with statements of solidarity, governments should show
support for Palestine. The precedent has been set and Palestine should be no
different than other countries. On a
deeper level, we should be examining whether municipal politics is the
appropriate place to effectively respond to global issues. |
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:
|
Mike
Britton |
Response not received yet |
|
Alexander
Miller |
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 |
|
Sal Sorrento |
No valid email to send survey |
|
Mark Stevens |
Response not received yet |
|
Kevin
Townsend |
Response not received yet |
|
Kate
Werneburg |
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 |
Back to Councillor top
Back to page top
Shortcut to questions white supremacists Hitler Debacle Anti-Indigenous comments Palestine Niagara Police
White
supremacist groups like the Dominion Society are postering across Niagara
promoting mass deportations (rebranded as “remigration” even though they want
to deport non-migrants i.e. citizens as well). Until recently some
municipalities like St. Catharines deliberately avoided publicly addressing
this out of concern it would incentivize these groups to increase their
activity. Other cities like Hamilton have publicly condemned hate groups like
the Dominion Society, and last week were joined by West Lincoln, Grimsby,
Lincoln, and the mayor of St. Catharines.
Do you:
a.
Believe it’s better not to give attention to
these groups by condemning them
b.
Commit to publicly condemning these groups, now
as a candidate, and as an elected official, and to advocating that the
government body you are elected to condemn these groups publicly
c.
Believe these are not white supremacist groups
or there is nothing wrong with their postering
d.
Support the idea of “remigration” promoted by
these groups
e.
Other:
|
Grant
Higginson |
Response not received yet |
|
Noah Machek |
Response not received yet |
|
Allen McKay |
Response not received yet |
|
Robin McPherson |
Response not received yet |
|
Caleb Ratzlaff |
Response not received yet |
Back to Councillor top
Back to page top
Niagara
Regional Council Chair Bob Gale resigned mere hours after he was exposed for
buying, owning, and authenticating Nazi memorabilia. The mayors of Niagara
Falls and Pelham said he did nothing wrong and is just a collector, while the
mayor of St. Catharines said this was a distraction from “really important”
things. Very few elected officials condemned Bob Gale.
Do you:
a.
Condemn Bob Gale for owning Nazi memorabilia
b.
Believe Bob Gale did nothing wrong
c.
Other:
|
Grant
Higginson |
Response not received yet |
|
Noah Machek |
Response not received yet |
|
Allen McKay |
Response not received yet |
|
Robin
McPherson |
Response not received yet |
|
Caleb
Ratzlaff |
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:
|
Grant
Higginson |
Response not received yet |
|
Noah Machek |
Response not received yet |
|
Allen McKay |
Response not received yet |
|
Robin
McPherson |
Response not received yet |
|
Caleb
Ratzlaff |
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:
|
Grant
Higginson |
Response not received yet |
|
Noah Machek |
Response not received yet |
|
Allen McKay |
Response not received yet |
|
Robin
McPherson |
Response not received yet |
|
Caleb
Ratzlaff |
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:
|
Grant
Higginson |
Response not received yet |
|
Noah Machek |
Response not received yet |
|
Allen McKay |
Response not received yet |
|
Robin
McPherson |
Response not received yet |
|
Caleb
Ratzlaff |
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:
|
Grant
Higginson |
Response not received yet |
|
Noah Machek |
Response not received yet |
|
Allen McKay |
Response not received yet |
|
Robin
McPherson |
Response not received yet |
|
Caleb
Ratzlaff |
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:
|
Grant
Higginson |
Response not received yet |
|
Noah Machek |
Response not received yet |
|
Allen McKay |
Response not received yet |
|
Robin
McPherson |
Response not received yet |
|
Caleb
Ratzlaff |
Response not received yet |
Back to Councillor top
Back to page top
Shortcut to questions white supremacists Hitler Debacle Anti-Indigenous comments Palestine Niagara Police
White
supremacist groups like the Dominion Society are postering across Niagara
promoting mass deportations (rebranded as “remigration” even though they want
to deport non-migrants i.e. citizens as well). Until recently some
municipalities like St. Catharines deliberately avoided publicly addressing
this out of concern it would incentivize these groups to increase their
activity. Other cities like Hamilton have publicly condemned hate groups like
the Dominion Society, and last week were joined by West Lincoln, Grimsby,
Lincoln, and the mayor of St. Catharines.
Do you:
a.
Believe it’s better not to give attention to
these groups by condemning them
b.
Commit to publicly condemning these groups, now
as a candidate, and as an elected official, and to advocating that the
government body you are elected to condemn these groups publicly
c.
Believe these are not white supremacist groups
or there is nothing wrong with their postering
d.
Support the idea of “remigration” promoted by
these groups
e.
Other:
|
Spencer
Bellows-DeWolfe |
Response not received yet |
|
Dawn Dodge |
Response not received yet |
|
Dunsin Fakorede |
Response not received yet |
|
Emmanuel Oneka |
Response not received yet |
|
Bill Phillips |
Response not received yet |
Back to Councillor top
Back to page top
Niagara
Regional Council Chair Bob Gale resigned mere hours after he was exposed for
buying, owning, and authenticating Nazi memorabilia. The mayors of Niagara
Falls and Pelham said he did nothing wrong and is just a collector, while the
mayor of St. Catharines said this was a distraction from “really important”
things. Very few elected officials condemned Bob Gale.
Do you:
a.
Condemn Bob Gale for owning Nazi memorabilia
b.
Believe Bob Gale did nothing wrong
c.
Other:
|
Spencer
Bellows-DeWolfe |
Response not received yet |
|
Dawn Dodge |
Response not received yet |
|
Dunsin
Fakorede |
Response not received yet |
|
Emmanuel
Oneka |
Response not received yet |
|
Bill Phillips |
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:
|
Spencer
Bellows-DeWolfe |
Response not received yet |
|
Dawn Dodge |
Response not received yet |
|
Dunsin
Fakorede |
Response not received yet |
|
Emmanuel
Oneka |
Response not received yet |
|
Bill Phillips |
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
a.
No
b.
It’s your personal business or doesn’t matter
c.
Other:
|
Spencer
Bellows-DeWolfe |
Response not received yet |
|
Dawn Dodge |
Response not received yet |
|
Dunsin
Fakorede |
Response not received yet |
|
Emmanuel
Oneka |
Response not received yet |
|
Bill Phillips |
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:
|
Spencer
Bellows-DeWolfe |
Response not received yet |
|
Dawn Dodge |
Response not received yet |
|
Dunsin
Fakorede |
Response not received yet |
|
Emmanuel
Oneka |
Response not received yet |
|
Bill Phillips |
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:
|
Spencer
Bellows-DeWolfe |
Response not received yet |
|
Dawn Dodge |
Response not received yet |
|
Dunsin
Fakorede |
Response not received yet |
|
Emmanuel
Oneka |
Response not received yet |
|
Bill Phillips |
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:
|
Spencer
Bellows-DeWolfe |
Response not received yet |
|
Dawn Dodge |
Response not received yet |
|
Dunsin
Fakorede |
Response not received yet |
|
Emmanuel
Oneka |
Response not received yet |
|
Bill Phillips |
Response not received yet |
Back to Councillor top
Back to page top
Shortcut to questions white supremacists Hitler Debacle Anti-Indigenous comments Palestine Niagara Police
White
supremacist groups like the Dominion Society are postering across Niagara
promoting mass deportations (rebranded as “remigration” even though they want
to deport non-migrants i.e. citizens as well). Until recently some
municipalities like St. Catharines deliberately avoided publicly addressing
this out of concern it would incentivize these groups to increase their
activity. Other cities like Hamilton have publicly condemned hate groups like
the Dominion Society, and last week were joined by West Lincoln, Grimsby,
Lincoln, and the mayor of St. Catharines.
Do you:
a.
Believe it’s better not to give attention to
these groups by condemning them
b.
Commit to publicly condemning these groups, now
as a candidate, and as an elected official, and to advocating that the
government body you are elected to condemn these groups publicly
c.
Believe these are not white supremacist groups
or there is nothing wrong with their postering
d.
Support the idea of “remigration” promoted by
these groups
e.
Other:
|
Marty
Mako |
e) Other - I oppose and will stand
up against racism, white supremacy and discrimination based on race,
ethnicity, religion or national origin. Canadian citizens should not be
removed from our country because of their racial or ethnic background. Canada
has always been a diverse country, and citizenship is not determined by race.
At the same time I believe local councillors need to be careful about how
they respond to extremist organizations so that we do not inadvertently
amplify their message or provide them with the attention they are seeking.
Where groups promote hatred or intimidation in our community I believe we
should speak in a unified voice against them, while advocating for police
involvement when laws are broken. |
|
Constantina
O'Reilly |
Response not received yet |
|
Bruce Williamson |
Response not received yet |
Back to Councillor top
Back to page top
Niagara
Regional Council Chair Bob Gale resigned mere hours after he was exposed for
buying, owning, and authenticating Nazi memorabilia. The mayors of Niagara
Falls and Pelham said he did nothing wrong and is just a collector, while the
mayor of St. Catharines said this was a distraction from “really important”
things. Very few elected officials condemned Bob Gale.
Do you:
a.
Condemn Bob Gale for owning Nazi memorabilia
b.
Believe Bob Gale did nothing wrong
c.
Other:
|
Marty
Mako |
c) Other - I condemn Nazism,
antisemitism and the hatred represented by Nazi ideology. Historical
artifacts can have legitimate educational and research purposes, so I would
not make a blanket statement that possessing any Nazi-era artifact is
inherently wrong. However, when you hold a position of public trust and own a
personally authenticated, Hitler-autographed copy of Mein Kampf that
understandably raises serious concerns regarding judgment. Councillors need
to recognize the impact this can have on Jewish residents and others whose
families were affected by the Holocaust and persecution. |
|
Constantina
O'Reilly |
Response not received yet |
|
Bruce
Williamson |
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:
|
Marty
Mako |
c) Other - Antisemitism, racism and
hatred are serious issues and should not be dismissed by City Councillors, as
we are the representatives closest to
the people. However we also have a responsibility to continue addressing many
other important issues facing residents. We must be capable of taking
concerns like this seriously while continuing to do the day-to-day work
residents elected us to do. |
|
Constantina
O'Reilly |
Response not received yet |
|
Bruce
Williamson |
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:
|
Marty
Mako |
d) Other - I do not own Nazi
memorabilia or propaganda and have no interest in collecting it. |
|
Constantina
O'Reilly |
Response not received yet |
|
Bruce
Williamson |
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:
|
Marty
Mako |
c) Other - I believe context matters
when assessing anyone’s comments. My understanding is that the former CAO was
describing a perception he had encountered in the community and did state the
Kashechewan residents were not homeless. With that said, I understand why
Indigenous leaders and evacuees found the language to be very hurtful. They
were displaced from their homes because of a serious infrastructure failure
(contaminated drinking water) and deserved to be welcomed to Niagara and
treated with dignity. When our words unintentionally cause harm or reinforce
stereotypes, we should listen to those affected, learn from the experience
and work to build understanding rather than becoming defensive. |
|
Constantina
O'Reilly |
Response not received yet |
|
Bruce
Williamson |
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:
|
Marty
Mako |
c) Other - I believe municipal
governments should be consistent about their role in international conflicts.
Foreign policy is primarily the responsibility of the federal government and
city councils should remain focused on the services and responsibilities
within their jurisdiction. Of course that does not mean we should be
indifferent to human suffering. I have compassion for the millions of
innocent civilians affected by war and conflict around the world, whether
they are Palestinian, Israeli, Ukrainian or from elsewhere. Councillors also
have a responsibility to ensure residents here in St. Catharines feel safe
and welcome and to condemn racism and hatred when they affect our community.
Our values and principles should be applied consistently regardless of which
international conflict is involved. |
|
Constantina
O'Reilly |
Response not received yet |
|
Bruce
Williamson |
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:
|
Marty
Mako |
e) Other - I am a strong supporter
of data and evidence-based decision making. Use-of-force data should be used
to identify disparities, understand their root causes and determine what
changes may be necessary. Conclusions about systemic racism should not be made
lightly, and must be based on a thorough, independent analysis including the
circumstances surrounding use-of-force incidents, policing practices and
other contributing factors. This must be followed by measurable, transparent
action where problems are identified. No service is perfect and should always
be open to making improvements. Police must continually work to earn the
trust of every demographic they serve, in particular from equity seeking
communities. Accountability and transparency are essential to that trust. |
|
Constantina
O'Reilly |
Response not received yet |
|
Bruce
Williamson |
Response not received yet |
Back to Councillor top
Back to page top
Shortcut to questions suspension rates white supremacists Hitler Debacle Anti-Indigenous comments Palestine Niagara Police
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:
|
M. Areeb
Aijaz |
Response not received yet |
|
Jennifer
Ajandi |
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. |
|
Matthew Bradman |
Response not received yet |
|
Mike Brousseau |
Response not received yet |
|
Lauren Bubnic |
Response not received yet |
|
Jonathan Fast |
Response not received yet |
|
Amir Ismael |
Response not received yet |
|
Mark Matchem |
Response not received yet |
|
Marwa Salih |
Response not received yet |
Back to DSBN top
Back to page top
White
supremacist groups like the Dominion Society are postering across Niagara
promoting mass deportations (rebranded as “remigration” even though they want
to deport non-migrants i.e. citizens as well). Until recently some
municipalities like St. Catharines deliberately avoided publicly addressing
this out of concern it would incentivize these groups to increase their
activity. Other cities like Hamilton have publicly condemned hate groups like
the Dominion Society, and last week were joined by West Lincoln, Grimsby,
Lincoln, and the mayor of St. Catharines.
Do you:
a.
Believe it’s better not to give attention to
these groups by condemning them
b.
Commit to publicly condemning these groups, now
as a candidate, and as an elected official, and to advocating that the
government body you are elected to condemn these groups publicly
c.
Believe these are not white supremacist groups
or there is nothing wrong with their postering
d.
Support the idea of “remigration” promoted by
these groups
e.
Other:
|
M. Areeb
Aijaz |
Response not received yet |
|
Jennifer
Ajandi |
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. |
|
Matthew
Bradman |
Response not received yet |
|
Mike
Brousseau |
Response not received yet |
|
Lauren Bubnic |
Response not received yet |
|
Jonathan Fast |
Response not received yet |
|
Amir
Ismael |
Response not received yet |
|
Mark Matchem |
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:
|
M. Areeb
Aijaz |
Response not received yet |
|
Jennifer
Ajandi |
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. |
|
Matthew
Bradman |
Response not received yet |
|
Mike
Brousseau |
Response not received yet |
|
Lauren Bubnic |
Response not received yet |
|
Jonathan Fast |
Response not received yet |
|
Amir
Ismael |
Response not received yet |
|
Mark Matchem |
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:
|
M. Areeb
Aijaz |
Response not received yet |
|
Jennifer
Ajandi |
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 |
|
Matthew
Bradman |
Response not received yet |
|
Mike
Brousseau |
Response not received yet |
|
Lauren Bubnic |
Response not received yet |
|
Jonathan Fast |
Response not received yet |
|
Amir
Ismael |
Response not received yet |
|
Mark Matchem |
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:
|
M. Areeb
Aijaz |
Response not received yet |
|
Jennifer
Ajandi |
Response not received yet |
|
Kate Baggott |
a.
Yes |
|
Matthew
Bradman |
Response not received yet |
|
Mike
Brousseau |
Response not received yet |
|
Lauren Bubnic |
Response not received yet |
|
Jonathan Fast |
Response not received yet |
|
Amir
Ismael |
Response not received yet |
|
Mark Matchem |
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:
|
M. Areeb
Aijaz |
Response not received yet |
|
Jennifer
Ajandi |
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. |
|
Matthew
Bradman |
Response not received yet |
|
Mike
Brousseau |
Response not received yet |
|
Lauren Bubnic |
Response not received yet |
|
Jonathan Fast |
Response not received yet |
|
Amir
Ismael |
Response not received yet |
|
Mark Matchem |
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:
|
M. Areeb
Aijaz |
Response not received yet |
|
Jennifer
Ajandi |
Response not received yet |
|
Kate Baggott |
b.
Believe governments should express support for
Palestinians, they did for Ukrainians and Israelis |
|
Matthew
Bradman |
Response not received yet |
|
Mike
Brousseau |
Response not received yet |
|
Lauren Bubnic |
Response not received yet |
|
Jonathan Fast |
Response not received yet |
|
Amir
Ismael |
Response not received yet |
|
Mark Matchem |
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:
|
M. Areeb
Aijaz |
Response not received yet |
|
Jennifer
Ajandi |
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 |
|
Matthew
Bradman |
Response not received yet |
|
Mike
Brousseau |
Response not received yet |
|
Lauren Bubnic |
Response not received yet |
|
Jonathan Fast |
Response not received yet |
|
Amir
Ismael |
Response not received yet |
|
Mark Matchem |
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:
|
Rhianon
Burkholder (Ward 1 - Merritton) |
a.
Yes |
|
Matthew
Simatovic (Ward 1 - Merritton) |
Response not received yet |
|
Natalia Benoit (Ward 2 to 6) |
Response not received yet |
|
Larry Huibers (Ward 2 to 6) |
a.
Yes |
|
Alex McKee (Ward 2 to 6) |
Response not received yet |
|
Jake Scervino (Ward 2 to 6) |
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:
|
Rhianon
Burkholder (Ward 1 - Merritton) |
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 nse not received yet |
|
Matthew
Simatovic (Ward 1 - Merritton) |
Response not received yet |
|
Natalia
Benoit (Ward 2 to 6) |
Response not received yet |
|
Larry Huibers
(Ward 2 to 6) |
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
(Ward 2 to 6) |
Response not received yet |
|
Jake Scervino
(Ward 2 to 6) |
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:
|
Rhianon
Burkholder (Ward 1 - Merritton) |
a.
Condemn Bob Gale for owning Nazi memorabilia |
|
Matthew
Simatovic (Ward 1 - Merritton) |
Response not received yet |
|
Natalia
Benoit (Ward 2 to 6) |
Response not received yet |
|
Larry Huibers
(Ward 2 to 6) |
a. Condemn
Bob Gale for owning Nazi memorabilia |
|
Alex McKee
(Ward 2 to 6) |
Response not received yet |
|
Jake Scervino
(Ward 2 to 6) |
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:
|
Rhianon
Burkholder (Ward 1 - Merritton) |
a.
Believe this scandal is a distraction from
“really important” issues |
|
Matthew
Simatovic (Ward 1 - Merritton) |
Response not received yet |
|
Natalia
Benoit (Ward 2 to 6) |
Response not received yet |
|
Larry Huibers
(Ward 2 to 6) |
b. Believe
top officials collecting autographed hate propaganda like Mein Kampf is
a “really important” issue and racism, not a distraction |
|
Alex McKee
(Ward 2 to 6) |
Response not received yet |
|
Jake Scervino
(Ward 2 to 6) |
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:
|
Rhianon
Burkholder (Ward 1 - Merritton) |
a.
Yes |
|
Matthew
Simatovic (Ward 1 - Merritton) |
Response not received yet |
|
Natalia
Benoit (Ward 2 to 6) |
Response not received yet |
|
Larry Huibers
(Ward 2 to 6) |
a.
Yes |
|
Alex McKee
(Ward 2 to 6) |
Response not received yet |
|
Jake Scervino
(Ward 2 to 6) |
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:
|
Rhianon
Burkholder (Ward 1 - Merritton) |
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. |
|
Matthew
Simatovic (Ward 1 - Merritton) |
Response not received yet |
|
Natalia
Benoit (Ward 2 to 6) |
Response not received yet |
|
Larry Huibers
(Ward 2 to 6) |
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
(Ward 2 to 6) |
Response not received yet |
|
Jake Scervino
(Ward 2 to 6) |
Response not received yet |
Back to NCDSB 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:
|
Rhianon
Burkholder (Ward 1 - Merritton) |
b.
Believe governments should express support for
Palestinians, they did for Ukrainians and Israelis |
|
Matthew
Simatovic (Ward 1 - Merritton) |
Response not received yet |
|
Natalia
Benoit (Ward 2 to 6) |
Response not received yet |
|
Larry Huibers
(Ward 2 to 6) |
b.
Believe governments should express support for
Palestinians, they did for Ukrainians and Israelis |
|
Alex McKee
(Ward 2 to 6) |
Response not received yet |
|
Jake Scervino
(Ward 2 to 6) |
Response not received yet |
Back to NCDSB 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:
|
Rhianon
Burkholder (Ward 1 - Merritton) |
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 I do believe
we as elected official have still a lot of work to do and need to make all of
our schools and environment that is safe and inclusive. |
|
Matthew
Simatovic (Ward 1 - Merritton) |
Response not received yet |
|
Natalia
Benoit (Ward 2 to 6) |
Response not received yet |
|
Larry Huibers
(Ward 2 to 6) |
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
(Ward 2 to 6) |
Response not received yet |
|
Jake Scervino
(Ward 2 to 6) |
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