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 15
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 (1)
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
Shortcut to questions suspension rates white supremacists Hitler Debacle Anti-Indigenous comments Palestine Niagara Police
NCDSB (English Catholic) Trustee
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:
|
Natashia
Bergen |
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 |
|
Pat Chiocchio |
Response not received yet |
|
David Clow |
Response not received yet |
|
Gary Graziani |
Response not received yet |
|
April Jeffs |
Response not received yet |
|
David McLeod |
Response not received yet |
|
Brandon Simon |
Response not received yet |
|
Graham Speck |
Response not received yet |
Back to mayor 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:
|
Natashia
Bergen |
a.
Condemn Bob Gale for owning Nazi memorabilia |
|
Pat Chiocchio |
Response not received yet |
|
David Clow |
Response not received yet |
|
Gary Graziani |
Response not received yet |
|
April Jeffs |
Response not received yet |
|
David McLeod |
Response not received yet |
|
Brandon Simon |
Response not received yet |
|
Graham Speck |
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:
|
Natashia
Bergen |
b. Believe top
officials collecting autographed hate propaganda like Mein Kampf is a
“really important” issue and racism, not a distraction |
|
Pat Chiocchio |
Response not received yet |
|
David Clow |
Response not received yet |
|
Gary Graziani |
Response not received yet |
|
April Jeffs |
Response not received yet |
|
David McLeod |
Response not received yet |
|
Brandon Simon |
Response not received yet |
|
Graham Speck |
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:
|
Natashia
Bergen |
a.
Yes |
|
Pat Chiocchio |
Response not received yet |
|
David Clow |
Response not received yet |
|
Gary Graziani |
Response not received yet |
|
April Jeffs |
Response not received yet |
|
David McLeod |
Response not received yet |
|
Brandon Simon |
Response not received yet |
|
Graham Speck |
Response not received yet |
Back to mayor 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:
|
Natashia
Bergen |
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. |
|
Pat Chiocchio |
Response not received yet |
|
David Clow |
Response not received yet |
|
Gary Graziani |
Response not received yet |
|
April Jeffs |
Response not received yet |
|
David McLeod |
Response not received yet |
|
Brandon Simon |
Response not received yet |
|
Graham Speck |
Response not received yet |
Back to mayor 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:
|
Natashia
Bergen |
b. Believe governments should
express support for Palestinians, they did for Ukrainians and Israelis |
|
Pat Chiocchio |
Response not received yet |
|
David Clow |
Response not received yet |
|
Gary Graziani |
Response not received yet |
|
April Jeffs |
Response not received yet |
|
David McLeod |
Response not received yet |
|
Brandon Simon |
Response not received yet |
|
Graham Speck |
Response not received yet |
Back to mayor 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:
|
Natashia
Bergen |
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 |
|
Pat Chiocchio |
Response not received yet |
|
David Clow |
Response not received yet |
|
Gary Graziani |
Response not received yet |
|
April Jeffs |
Response not received yet |
|
David McLeod |
Response not received yet |
|
Brandon Simon |
Response not received yet |
|
Graham Speck |
Response not received yet |
Back to mayor top
Back to page top
Shortcut to questions white supremacists Hitler Debacle Anti-Indigenous comments Palestine Niagara Police
White
supremacist groups like the Dominion Society are postering across Niagara
promoting mass deportations (rebranded as “remigration” even though they want
to deport non-migrants i.e. citizens as well). Until recently some
municipalities like St. Catharines deliberately avoided publicly addressing
this out of concern it would incentivize these groups to increase their
activity. Other cities like Hamilton have publicly condemned hate groups like
the Dominion Society, and last week were joined by West Lincoln, Grimsby,
Lincoln, and the mayor of St. Catharines.
Do you:
a.
Believe it’s better not to give attention to
these groups by condemning them
b.
Commit to publicly condemning these groups, now
as a candidate, and as an elected official, and to advocating that the
government body you are elected to condemn these groups publicly
c.
Believe these are not white supremacist groups
or there is nothing wrong with their postering
d.
Support the idea of “remigration” promoted by
these groups
e.
Other:
|
Kiron Bondale |
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 |
|
Jessica LaHay |
Response not received yet |
|
Adam Moote |
Response not received yet |
|
Josh Sawatsky |
Response not received yet |
|
Brad Ulch |
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:
|
Kiron Bondale |
a. Condemn
Bob Gale for owning Nazi memorabilia |
|
Jessica LaHay |
Response not received yet |
|
Adam Moote |
Response not received yet |
|
Josh Sawatsky |
Response not received yet |
|
Brad Ulch |
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:
|
Kiron Bondale |
b. Believe
top officials collecting autographed hate propaganda like Mein Kampf
is a “really important” issue and racism, not a distraction |
|
Jessica LaHay |
Response not received yet |
|
Adam Moote |
Response not received yet |
|
Josh Sawatsky |
Response not received yet |
|
Brad Ulch |
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:
|
Kiron Bondale |
a.
Yes |
|
Jessica LaHay |
Response not received yet |
|
Adam Moote |
Response not received yet |
|
Josh Sawatsky |
Response not received yet |
|
Brad Ulch |
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:
|
Kiron Bondale |
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. |
|
Jessica LaHay |
Response not received yet |
|
Adam Moote |
Response not received yet |
|
Josh Sawatsky |
Response not received yet |
|
Brad Ulch |
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:
|
Kiron Bondale |
b.
Believe governments should express support for
Palestinians, they did for Ukrainians and Israelis |
|
Jessica LaHay |
Response not received yet |
|
Adam Moote |
Response not received yet |
|
Josh Sawatsky |
Response not received yet |
|
Brad Ulch |
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:
|
Kiron Bondale |
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 |
|
Jessica LaHay |
Response not received yet |
|
Adam Moote |
Response not received yet |
|
Josh Sawatsky |
Response not received yet |
|
Brad Ulch |
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:
|
Nick Albano |
Response not received yet |
|
Vince DiMauro |
Response not received yet |
|
Carolyn Fast |
Response not received yet |
|
Aldo Parrotta |
Response not received yet |
|
Leo Van Vliet |
Response not received yet |
|
Steve Yochim |
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:
|
Nick Albano |
Response not received yet |
|
Vince DiMauro |
Response not received yet |
|
Carolyn Fast |
Response not received yet |
|
Aldo Parrotta |
Response not received yet |
|
Leo Van Vliet |
Response not received yet |
|
Steve Yochim |
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:
|
Nick Albano |
Response not received yet |
|
Vince DiMauro |
Response not received yet |
|
Carolyn Fast |
Response not received yet |
|
Aldo Parrotta |
Response not received yet |
|
Leo Van Vliet |
Response not received yet |
|
Steve Yochim |
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:
|
Nick Albano |
Response not received yet |
|
Vince DiMauro |
Response not received yet |
|
Carolyn Fast |
Response not received yet |
|
Aldo Parrotta |
Response not received yet |
|
Leo Van Vliet |
Response not received yet |
|
Steve Yochim |
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:
|
Nick Albano |
Response not received yet |
|
Vince DiMauro |
Response not received yet |
|
Carolyn Fast |
Response not received yet |
|
Aldo Parrotta |
Response not received yet |
|
Leo Van Vliet |
Response not received yet |
|
Steve Yochim |
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:
|
Nick Albano |
Response not received yet |
|
Vince DiMauro |
Response not received yet |
|
Carolyn Fast |
Response not received yet |
|
Aldo Parrotta |
Response not received yet |
|
Leo Van Vliet |
Response not received yet |
|
Steve Yochim |
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:
|
Nick Albano |
Response not received yet |
|
Vince DiMauro |
Response not received yet |
|
Carolyn Fast |
Response not received yet |
|
Aldo Parrotta |
Response not received yet |
|
Leo Van Vliet |
Response not received yet |
|
Steve Yochim |
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:
|
John Braimoh |
Response not received yet |
|
John
Chiocchio |
Response not received yet |
|
Sharmila Setaram |
Response not received yet |
|
Steve Soos |
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:
|
John Braimoh |
Response not received yet |
|
John
Chiocchio |
Response not received yet |
|
Sharmila
Setaram |
Response not received yet |
|
Steve Soos |
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:
|
John Braimoh |
Response not received yet |
|
John
Chiocchio |
Response not received yet |
|
Sharmila
Setaram |
Response not received yet |
|
Steve Soos |
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:
|
John Braimoh |
Response not received yet |
|
John
Chiocchio |
Response not received yet |
|
Sharmila
Setaram |
Response not received yet |
|
Steve Soos |
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:
|
John Braimoh |
Response not received yet |
|
John
Chiocchio |
Response not received yet |
|
Sharmila
Setaram |
Response not received yet |
|
Steve Soos |
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:
|
John Braimoh |
Response not received yet |
|
John
Chiocchio |
Response not received yet |
|
Sharmila
Setaram |
Response not received yet |
|
Steve Soos |
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:
|
John Braimoh |
Response not received yet |
|
John
Chiocchio |
Response not received yet |
|
Sharmila
Setaram |
Response not received yet |
|
Steve Soos |
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:
|
David
Alexander |
Response not received yet |
|
Safdar Ali |
Response not received yet |
|
Tia DeAgazio |
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 |
|
Tony DiMarco |
Response not received yet |
|
Bryan Green |
Response not received yet |
|
Tissa Ratnayake |
Response not received yet |
|
Terry Zorgel |
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:
|
David
Alexander |
Response not received yet |
|
Safdar Ali |
Response not received yet |
|
Tia DeAgazio |
a.
Condemn Bob Gale for owning Nazi memorabilia |
|
Tony DiMarco |
Response not received yet |
|
Bryan Green |
Response not received yet |
|
Tissa
Ratnayake |
Response not received yet |
|
Terry Zorgel |
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:
|
David
Alexander |
Response not received yet |
|
Safdar Ali |
Response not received yet |
|
Tia DeAgazio |
b.
Believe top officials collecting autographed
hate propaganda like Mein Kampf is a “really important” issue and
racism, not a distraction |
|
Tony DiMarco |
Response not received yet |
|
Bryan Green |
Response not received yet |
|
Tissa
Ratnayake |
Response not received yet |
|
Terry Zorgel |
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:
|
David
Alexander |
Response not received yet |
|
Safdar Ali |
Response not received yet |
|
Tia DeAgazio |
“A” DEFINITELY! (Yes) |
|
Tony DiMarco |
Response not received yet |
|
Bryan Green |
Response not received yet |
|
Tissa
Ratnayake |
Response not received yet |
|
Terry Zorgel |
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:
|
David
Alexander |
Response not received yet |
|
Safdar Ali |
Response not received yet |
|
Tia DeAgazio |
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. |
|
Tony DiMarco |
Response not received yet |
|
Bryan Green |
Response not received yet |
|
Tissa
Ratnayake |
Response not received yet |
|
Terry Zorgel |
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:
|
David
Alexander |
Response not received yet |
|
Safdar Ali |
Response not received yet |
|
Tia DeAgazio |
c.
Other |
|
Tony DiMarco |
Response not received yet |
|
Bryan Green |
Response not received yet |
|
Tissa
Ratnayake |
Response not received yet |
|
Terry Zorgel |
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:
|
David
Alexander |
Response not received yet |
|
Safdar Ali |
Response not received yet |
|
Tia DeAgazio |
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 |
|
Tony DiMarco |
Response not received yet |
|
Bryan Green |
Response not received yet |
|
Tissa
Ratnayake |
Response not received yet |
|
Terry Zorgel |
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:
|
Aaron Albano |
Response not received yet |
|
Mark Dzugan |
Response not received yet |
|
Michelle
Febers |
C other: There is no place in
Welland or Niagara for intimidation, racism or hatred directed at our
neighbours. I support addressing hateful activity firmly and lawfully while
being careful not to give extremist organizations the publicity they seek. My
responsibility would be to protect residents, support safe and welcoming
neighbourhoods, and ensure concerns are addressed appropriately through
municipal and law-enforcement channels. |
|
Connie
McCutcheon |
Response not received yet |
|
Luca Mele |
What does any of this have to do
with civic by laws? Property, drive ways, tickets, taxes, unkept roads,
failed shelters, unsafe streets and packed hospitals. You have no idea what
hundreds of people are saying face to face to me about real city issues. Send
that survey to Fox News for some federal elections click bait, you’re so out
of touch with reality, this is why these emails always end up in the junk
mail, even the ai algorithm knows it doesn’t make sense. |
|
Claudette
Richard |
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:
|
Aaron Albano |
Response not received yet |
|
Mark Dzugan |
Response not received yet |
|
Michelle
Febers |
C other: The collection or display
of Nazi propaganda by a public official raises serious and unsettling
questions about judgment and the standards we expect from those entrusted to
represent our communities. Historical material can have legitimate
educational purposes, but context matters. Public officials must be
transparent and demonstrate that hatred, intimidation and extremist ideology
have no place in public service. |
|
Connie
McCutcheon |
Response not received yet |
|
Luca Mele |
What does any of this have to do
with civic by laws? Property, drive ways, tickets, taxes, unkept roads,
failed shelters, unsafe streets and packed hospitals. You have no idea what
hundreds of people are saying face to face to me about real city issues. Send
that survey to Fox News for some federal elections click bait, you’re so out
of touch with reality, this is why these emails always end up in the junk
mail, even the ai algorithm knows it doesn’t make sense. |
|
Claudette
Richard |
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:
|
Aaron Albano |
Response not received yet |
|
Mark Dzugan |
Response not received yet |
|
Michelle
Febers |
C other: Bob Gale should have been
given a fair opportunity to explain why the material was collected and its
purpose. Accountability requires asking difficult questions, particularly of
public officials, but fairness requires hearing the answers and understanding
the full context before reaching conclusions. |
|
Connie
McCutcheon |
Response not received yet |
|
Luca Mele |
What does any of this have to do
with civic by laws? Property, drive ways, tickets, taxes, unkept roads,
failed shelters, unsafe streets and packed hospitals. You have no idea what
hundreds of people are saying face to face to me about real city issues. Send
that survey to Fox News for some federal elections click bait, you’re so out
of touch with reality, this is why these emails always end up in the junk
mail, even the ai algorithm knows it doesn’t make sense. |
|
Claudette
Richard |
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:
|
Aaron Albano |
Response not received yet |
|
Mark Dzugan |
Response not received yet |
|
Michelle
Febers |
Response not completed for this question |
|
Connie
McCutcheon |
Response not received yet |
|
Luca Mele |
What does any of this have to do
with civic by laws? Property, drive ways, tickets, taxes, unkept roads,
failed shelters, unsafe streets and packed hospitals. You have no idea what
hundreds of people are saying face to face to me about real city issues. Send
that survey to Fox News for some federal elections click bait, you’re so out
of touch with reality, this is why these emails always end up in the junk
mail, even the ai algorithm knows it doesn’t make sense. |
|
Claudette
Richard |
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:
|
Aaron Albano |
Response not received yet |
|
Mark Dzugan |
Response not received yet |
|
Michelle
Febers |
C other: I expect public officials
to treat every resident with dignity and respect, choose their words
carefully, and take responsibility when their words cause legitimate concern.
I also expect fairness: context should be considered and people should have
an opportunity to explain themselves. Accountability is not about public
shaming—it is about listening, correcting mistakes and maintaining the
public’s trust. |
|
Connie
McCutcheon |
Response not received yet |
|
Luca Mele |
What does any of this have to do
with civic by laws? Property, drive ways, tickets, taxes, unkept roads,
failed shelters, unsafe streets and packed hospitals. You have no idea what
hundreds of people are saying face to face to me about real city issues. Send
that survey to Fox News for some federal elections click bait, you’re so out
of touch with reality, this is why these emails always end up in the junk
mail, even the ai algorithm knows it doesn’t make sense. |
|
Claudette
Richard |
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:
|
Aaron Albano |
Response not received yet |
|
Mark Dzugan |
Response not received yet |
|
Michelle
Febers |
C other: I am not running for
Council to involve myself in international politics. I am running because
Welland is my home and I want to serve the people who live here. I have
compassion for innocent people suffering anywhere in the world, regardless of
nationality or background. But as a counselor, my responsibility would be to
focus on Welland. neighborhoods, services, infrastructure, safety and
residents. The same standard should apply consistently to every international
conflict. |
|
Connie
McCutcheon |
Response not received yet |
|
Luca Mele |
What does any of this have to do
with civic by laws? Property, drive ways, tickets, taxes, unkept roads,
failed shelters, unsafe streets and packed hospitals. You have no idea what
hundreds of people are saying face to face to me about real city issues. Send
that survey to Fox News for some federal elections click bait, you’re so out
of touch with reality, this is why these emails always end up in the junk
mail, even the ai algorithm knows it doesn’t make sense. |
|
Claudette
Richard |
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:
|
Aaron Albano |
Response not received yet |
|
Mark Dzugan |
Response not received yet |
|
Michelle Febers |
E other: I support strong,
accountable policing because Ward 5 residents deserve to feel safe and
protected in their homes and neighborhoods. I will advocate for greater
police presence where recurring problems exist, better follow-up on
residents’ concerns and appropriate resources for frontline officers. At the
same time, significant disparities in use-of-force data deserve transparent
examination. Effective policing, equal treatment and accountability must work
together to earn public trust and make our neighborhoods safer. |
|
Connie McCutcheon |
Response not received yet |
|
Luca Mele |
What does any of this have to do
with civic by laws? Property, drive ways, tickets, taxes, unkept roads,
failed shelters, unsafe streets and packed hospitals. You have no idea what
hundreds of people are saying face to face to me about real city issues. Send
that survey to Fox News for some federal elections click bait, you’re so out
of touch with reality, this is why these emails always end up in the junk
mail, even the ai algorithm knows it doesn’t make sense. |
|
Claudette Richard |
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:
|
Steve Falusi |
Response not received yet |
|
Bonnie
Fokkens |
Response not received yet |
|
Jim Larouche |
Response not received yet |
|
Jamie Lee |
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:
|
Steve Falusi |
Response not received yet |
|
Bonnie
Fokkens |
Response not received yet |
|
Jim Larouche |
Response not received yet |
|
Jamie Lee |
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:
|
Steve Falusi |
Response not received yet |
|
Bonnie
Fokkens |
Response not received yet |
|
Jim Larouche |
Response not received yet |
|
Jamie Lee |
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:
|
Steve Falusi |
Response not received yet |
|
Bonnie
Fokkens |
Response not received yet |
|
Jim Larouche |
Response not received yet |
|
Jamie Lee |
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:
|
Steve Falusi |
Response not received yet |
|
Bonnie
Fokkens |
Response not received yet |
|
Jim Larouche |
Response not received yet |
|
Jamie Lee |
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:
|
Steve Falusi |
Response not received yet |
|
Bonnie
Fokkens |
Response not received yet |
|
Jim Larouche |
Response not received yet |
|
Jamie Lee |
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:
|
Steve Falusi |
Response not received yet |
|
Bonnie
Fokkens |
Response not received yet |
|
Jim Larouche |
Response not received yet |
|
Jamie Lee |
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:
|
Sue Barnett |
Response not received yet |
|
Lisa Mooney |
Response not received yet |
|
Cheryl Rowe |
Response not received yet |
|
Sean Vout |
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:
|
Sue Barnett |
Response not received yet |
|
Lisa Mooney |
Response not received yet |
|
Cheryl Rowe |
Response not received yet |
|
Sean Vout |
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:
|
Sue Barnett |
Response not received yet |
|
Lisa Mooney |
Response not received yet |
|
Cheryl Rowe |
Response not received yet |
|
Sean Vout |
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:
|
Sue Barnett |
Response not received yet |
|
Lisa Mooney |
Response not received yet |
|
Cheryl Rowe |
Response not received yet |
|
Sean Vout |
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:
|
Sue Barnett |
Response not received yet |
|
Lisa Mooney |
Response not received yet |
|
Cheryl Rowe |
Response not received yet |
|
Sean Vout |
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:
|
Sue Barnett |
Response not received yet |
|
Lisa Mooney |
Response not received yet |
|
Cheryl Rowe |
Response not received yet |
|
Sean Vout |
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:
|
Sue Barnett |
Response not received yet |
|
Lisa Mooney |
Response not received yet |
|
Cheryl Rowe |
Response not received yet |
|
Sean Vout |
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:
|
Sue Barnett |
Response not received yet |
|
Lisa Mooney |
Response not received yet |
|
Cheryl Rowe |
Response not received yet |
|
Sean Vout |
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:
|
Igor Belsky
|
Response not received yet |
|
Irma Ruiter |
Response not received yet |
|
Paul Turner |
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:
|
Igor Belsky
|
Response not received yet |
|
Irma Ruiter |
Response not received yet |
|
Paul Turner |
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:
|
Igor Belsky
|
Response not received yet |
|
Irma Ruiter |
Response not received yet |
|
Paul Turner |
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:
|
Igor Belsky
|
Response not received yet |
|
Irma Ruiter |
Response not received yet |
|
Paul Turner |
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:
|
Igor Belsky
|
Response not received yet |
|
Irma Ruiter |
Response not received yet |
|
Paul Turner |
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:
|
Igor Belsky
|
Response not received yet |
|
Irma Ruiter |
Response not received yet |
|
Paul Turner |
Response not received yet |
Back to NCDSB top
Back to page top
Niagara
Regional Council and several municipalities like St. Catharines, Welland,
Grimsby, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Thorold and Lincoln have passed motions
supporting Ukraine, and some motions supported military escalation.
Niagara
Regional Councillors also unanimously “sanctioned” themselves from Russia,
which is not how sanctions against individuals work.
Niagara
Regional Council also lit their “Everyone Welcome” sign in Israel’s colours and
the City of St. Catharines officially sided with Israel (“rally for Israel”) in
a statement by a city councillor on behalf of the mayor.
Yet many
elected officials said expressing similar support for Palestinians is out of
their jurisdiction, would be divisive, or would be traumatizing.
Do you:
a.
Believe Palestine is not a municipal issue and
so should not be addressed, though Ukraine and Israel are
b.
Believe governments should express support for
Palestinians, they did for Ukrainians and Israelis
c.
Other:
|
Igor Belsky
|
Response not received yet |
|
Irma Ruiter |
Response not received yet |
|
Paul Turner |
Response not received yet |
Back to NCDSB top
Back to page top
Niagara
Regional Police have had the second worst disproportional use of force against
Black people (% of use of force incidents vs % of population) in the province
since publishing this data was required by the Ontario Anti-Racism Act. It has
been up to almost 10x disproportional: in
2025, 26% of the use of force was against Black people who were less than 3% of
the population in the 2021 census. This is the same as Minneapolis, where
George Floyd was murdered, which the US Department of Justice called
“discriminatory.”
Neighbouring
police forces such as Hamilton, Peel and Toronto, who are less disproportional
than Niagara, have apologized for their own systemic racism in their
disproportional use of force.
Yet the Police
Chief, when he was Deputy Chief, said the data shows there is
no systemic racism in the Niagara Police. One Police Board member who is
running for mayor of Wainfleet had said in 2020 as a Niagara Regional
Councillor that systemic racism is a “shadowy term…bandied about.”
To our
knowledge none of the Police Board members have mentioned disproportional use
of force against Black people, including the Board Chair who used to be co-chair
of the Police Chief’s Community Inclusion Council, and one Board member who is
a Regional Councillor and chairs the Niagara Regional Council’s Diversity
Equity Inclusion Advisory Committee.
Do you:
a.
Condemn systemic racism in the Niagara Regional
Police based on their own use of force by race data and call for an apology and
addressing the disproportional use of force by race against Black people
b.
Believe data does not show systemic racism in
the Niagara Regional Police
c.
Believe “systemic racism” is a “shadowy
term…bandied about”
d.
Both b and c
e. Other:
|
Igor Belsky
|
Response not received yet |
|
Irma Ruiter |
Response not received yet |
|
Paul Turner |
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 |
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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:
|
Amanda Leduc |
Response not received yet |
|
Marcel Tikeng |
Response not received yet |
|
Matthew
Graham |
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:
|
Amanda Leduc |
Response not received yet |
|
Marcel Tikeng |
Response not received yet |
|
Matthew
Graham |
Response not received yet |
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Shortcut to questions suspension rates white supremacists Hitler Debacle Anti-Indigenous comments Palestine Niagara Police
Special question for trustee candidates:
Niagara-related school boards have
not published suspension rates by race, which neighbouring
school boards have, showing Black students are disproportionately
suspended.
Will you advocate and vote for
publishing suspension rates by race data within a year of being elected?
a. Yes
b. No
c.
Other:
|
Jean Max
Philome |
Response not received yet |
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White
supremacist groups like the Dominion Society are postering across Niagara
promoting mass deportations (rebranded as “remigration” even though they want
to deport non-migrants i.e. citizens as well). Until recently some
municipalities like St. Catharines deliberately avoided publicly addressing
this out of concern it would incentivize these groups to increase their
activity. Other cities like Hamilton have publicly condemned hate groups like
the Dominion Society, and last week were joined by West Lincoln, Grimsby,
Lincoln, and the mayor of St. Catharines.
Do you:
a.
Believe it’s better not to give attention to
these groups by condemning them
b.
Commit to publicly condemning these groups, now
as a candidate, and as an elected official, and to advocating that the
government body you are elected to condemn these groups publicly
c.
Believe these are not white supremacist groups
or there is nothing wrong with their postering
d.
Support the idea of “remigration” promoted by
these groups
e.
Other:
|
Jean Max
Philome |
Response not received yet |
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Niagara
Regional Council Chair Bob Gale resigned mere hours after he was exposed for
buying, owning, and authenticating Nazi memorabilia. The mayors of Niagara
Falls and Pelham said he did nothing wrong and is just a collector, while the
mayor of St. Catharines said this was a distraction from “really important”
things. Very few elected officials condemned Bob Gale.
Do you:
a.
Condemn Bob Gale for owning Nazi memorabilia
b.
Believe Bob Gale did nothing wrong
c.
Other:
|
Jean Max
Philome |
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:
|
Jean Max
Philome |
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:
|
Jean Max
Philome |
Response not received yet |
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The
Niagara Falls mayor said it was “out of context,” “misconstrued,” and a “split
hair” to condemn comments by the ex-CAO at a City Council meeting saying
Indigenous evacuees out in public would be seen as “homeless” by residents.
Statements by
the Kashechewan,
Nishnawbe
Aski Nation, Chiefs
of Ontario, and Niagara
Regional Native Centre condemned the ex-CAO’s comments for reinforcing
stereotypes and ignoring that all Indigenous peoples have every right to be on
their own land.
Do you:
a.
Believe the ex-CAO’s comments were taken “out of
context,” “misconstrued,” or a “split hair”
b.
Agree with the Kashechewan, Nishnawbe Aski
Nation, Chiefs of Ontario, and Niagara Regional Native Centre in condemning the
ex-CAO’s comments for amplifying racism.
c.
Other:
|
Jean Max
Philome |
Response not received yet |
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Niagara
Regional Council and several municipalities like St. Catharines, Welland,
Grimsby, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Thorold and Lincoln have passed motions
supporting Ukraine, and some motions supported military escalation.
Niagara
Regional Councillors also unanimously “sanctioned” themselves from Russia,
which is not how sanctions against individuals work.
Niagara
Regional Council also lit their “Everyone Welcome” sign in Israel’s colours and
the City of St. Catharines officially sided with Israel (“rally for Israel”) in
a statement by a city councillor on behalf of the mayor.
Yet many
elected officials said expressing similar support for Palestinians is out of
their jurisdiction, would be divisive, or would be traumatizing.
Do you:
a.
Believe Palestine is not a municipal issue and
so should not be addressed, though Ukraine and Israel are
b.
Believe governments should express support for
Palestinians, they did for Ukrainians and Israelis
c.
Other:
|
Jean Max
Philome |
Response not received yet |
Back to CSM 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:
|
Jean Max
Philome |
Response not received yet |
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