Niagara Region approves 2026 Budget

February 13, 2026

The Niagara Region 2026 Budget has now been approved.

Niagara Region’s 2026 Budget is focused on maintaining the programs, services and key projects that impact the Niagara community while focusing on taxpayer affordability.

With taxpayer affordability top of mind, Niagara Region teams have worked hard to build recommended budgets across all service areas, exploring a range of cost savings while still maintaining existing programs and services that help Niagara communities run safely and smoothly.

From July 2025 to December 2025, Niagara Region teams presented recommended budgets and cost savings to Regional Council. This exercise resulted in cost savings of $12.5 million. This figure represents approximately 2 per cent of savings that is being deducted from the total approved General Tax Levy increase.

From December 2025 to February 2026, additional cost savings were identified to amplify taxpayer affordability. This resulted in an additional $3.7 million or 0.68 per cent savings deducted from the total approved General Tax Levy.

The 2026 General Tax Levy Budget includes the operating budget for Regional departments, the day-to-day funds to help the Region operate, and the capital budget, used for larger projects and operations.

The General Tax Levy operating budget for Regional departments and incentives will increase by 1.21 per cent in 2026. This 1.21 per cent increase helps maintain existing programs and services for both Regional departments and incentives programs.

In addition to the increase to maintain existing programs and services, the additional increase to the General Tax Levy will help support larger scale projects and operations.

Below are a few key highlights from the approved General Tax Levy:

$689,000 in investments to help maintain the Niagara Region housing provider portfolio to support vulnerable residents
$607,000 in investments towards the Niagara Region Housing Master Plan that works to increase our housing supply and support the redevelopment of community housing
$690,000 in investments towards staff and client safety, team training and support resources in homeless shelters
$4.1 million in investments towards Smart Growth to support flourishing Niagara communities
$900,000 in investments towards the Regional Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Master Plan, which supports additional ambulances on the road to help those in need
$350,000 in investments towards homelessness winter support to improve safety and enhance shelter environments, and an additional $840,000 invested in continued support for the Supportive Housing Strategy

In addition to these key investments, Niagara Region will continue to focus on supporting essential regional infrastructure needs. The 2026 Capital Budget was approved at $192.8 million.

Below are a few highlights from the approved 2026 Capital Budget:

The 2026 Capital Budget was approved at $192.8 million and will support 131 projects
Almost $50 million will be invested to support high-growth housing-related projects in the community to help expand Niagara
$48 million in development charges will support growth initiatives, such as road expansion, implementing new traffic signals and improvement of intersections across Niagara
$13 million in investments towards the annual Road Resurfacing program to ensure Regional roads are safe, stable and last longer
$12.2 million to build and improve ambulance posts as part of the EMS Master Plan, working towards keeping EMS response and coverage on track as Niagara continues to expand
$10.8 million invested into a long-term reserve building strategy for Water and Wastewater Reserves to prepare for upcoming major treatment plant projects
$3.1 million will support integral updates in Regional Long-Term Care Homes
An additional $53.1 million will be invested into other Transit, Road, Water and Wastewater infrastructure
The 2026 Capital Budget is fully supported by Niagara Region’s existing base budget, meaning no additional investment from taxpayers is required in 2026 to support capital projects

The General Tax Levy also provides support for Niagara’s Agencies, Boards and Commissions. This includes the Niagara Regional Police Service, Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority, Niagara Regional Housing and Niagara Regional Court Services. Excluding incremental contributions to Capital, the Agencies, Boards and Commissions will see an increase of 4.40 per cent on the General Tax Levy, with the Niagara Regional Police Service making up 4.21 per cent of that total increase.

The 2026 Capital Budget is accompanied by a 0.19 per cent increase in the Niagara Regional Police Service operating budget and a 0.50 per cent increase in the Niagara Regional Housing operating budget to support their Capital projects. These increases are in addition to the existing base budget for the Niagara Regional Police Service and Niagara Regional Housing.

Overall, the total Niagara Region 2026 Budget will have a 6.30 per cent increase year-over-year.

Council approved the General Tax Levy budget with an increase of $42.3 million in 2026 equalling an estimated 6.30 per cent property tax increase on the Regional portion of the tax bill. For the average home in Niagara that has a market value of $620,600, this will equate to an approximate $137 increase on the Regional portion of the property tax bill.

For the total Niagara Region 2026 Budget, the household impact based on the same market value is approximately a $211 increase per home.

This total increase will start to appear on residents’ Regional tax bills starting mid-this year. Learn more about the Niagara Region budget and how the budget works at niagararegion.ca/budget.

Quotes

“People are feeling financially squeezed, and residents have asked us to keep increases as low as possible. I take that responsibility seriously. There is only one taxpayer. The savings achieved tonight put real dollars back into the pockets of Niagara’s families and businesses. In addition to the $2.84 Million Regional savings, I want to thank NRPS Chief Fordy and his team for identifying $850,000 in efficiencies, and my colleagues and Regional staff for their work to make it happen.”
Bob Gale, Regional Chair

“This year’s budget process has been one of the most demanding to date. Over several months, Niagara Region Council and staff have put a great deal of effort into finding ways to balance the affordability concerns of our residents and the need to continue sustainable Regional operations. That approach will allow the Region to continue to provide the services that our residents and businesses rely on while still addressing critical capital projects that are fundamental for the delivery of those services. It is more evident than ever that in order to continue to provide cost-effective provincially mandated social services and policing to our communities in a sustainable manner, municipalities require greater financial assistance from the Province.”
Wayne Redekop, Regional Councillor and Budget Chair

“Stemming from our Council Strategic Priorities, our 2026 Budget is focused on maintaining services, affordability and our key priorities. These areas of focus work to achieve the greatest positive impact possible for our community. There were some difficult decisions this year to work towards making a budget that is affordable for taxpayers and at the same time, being able to maintain services that help our Niagara communities run safely and smoothly.”
Ron Tripp, Chief Administrative Officer

“The 2026 Budget was certainly one of our most challenging years yet. There were some tough decisions made by Council. Niagara Region teams worked incredibly hard throughout the budget cycle to find every cost savings possible. These cost savings work towards taxpayer affordability while still maintaining the programs and services that help Niagara function and that residents have come to rely on.”
Tim Ellis, Commissioner of Corporate Services

Media contact

Rachel Dedinsky
Senior Communications Specialist
Niagara Region
905-980-6000 ext. 3747
rachel.dedinsky@niagararegion.ca