Niagara Region strategically focused on Growing Better Together

​At this afternoon’s special meeting of Niagara Regional Council, members unanimously approved their new strategic priorities for the 2023-2026 term which are focused on “growing better together”.

Council’s strategic priorities provide the organization with clear direction about what Council’s expectations are and what will be accomplished over the balance of this term. Ultimately, Council’s priorities dictate where resources are invested, how work is undertaken and how decisions are made.  

Development of the plan took place over two facilitated sessions where councillors identified what issues will be priorities for this term. Additionally, Council also created a mission and vision to help guide decision making for the next three and a half years.

Council’s priorities were grouped into four key areas:

• Effective Region which contains initiatives that are focused on continuous improvement, fiscal responsibility, and ensuring high-quality and high-value services for residents
• Green and Resilient Region which includes initiatives that are designed to reduce our carbon footprint, and adapt to climate change impacts by ensuring current and future infrastructure is resilient
• Equitable Region which comprises projects that are designed to ensure Niagara is both inclusive and has economic and housing opportunities for all residents
• Prosperous Region which contains projects to help support a diverse economy to ensure new and existing businesses can thrive and grow

Of note, Council’s strategic priorities served as the catalyst to create the Office of Strategic Transformation, which houses teams dedicated to increasing the supply of attainable housing across the region, as well as making measurable progress in the area of shared services.

Through this process, councillors also created a series of guiding principles that will be used to help craft policies throughout the term. These principles include:

• Keeping climate change in mind when making decisions
• Ensuring that diversity, equity, inclusion and Indigenous reconciliation are considered
• The importance of innovation
• Placing a focus on fiscal responsibility and balanced property taxes
• The need for strong partnerships
• Being transparent and accountable in every action

Council will receive regular updates from staff about the major projects and overall performance, allowing members the opportunity to make changes to the plan as necessary to ensure it is meeting the needs of residents and businesses.