Barrie Mayor Alex Nuttall believes that Ontario’s initiative to reduce the size of regional councils and appoint influential chairs is a vital move for improving local government efficiency. He argues that the existing system has too many elected officials, which leads to slow decision-making.
The proposed Better Regional Governance Act, 2026 aims to downsize councils in areas like Simcoe County and Niagara, while also introducing provincially appointed regional chairs with “strong chair” powers similar to those already given to mayors of large cities.
In an interview, Nuttall described the province’s plan to reform regional governance-including reducing the Simcoe County council and bringing in a provincially appointed chair with broader authority-as a “responsible step forward.”
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