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Niagara Falls Keeps $500 Fee for Complaints

Monday, 25 March 2024 17:49

By Geoff Waterfield

Council advised to eliminate fee for registering complaints against council

Niagara Falls city council is shelving a recommendation to eliminate a $500 filing fee when it comes to registering complaints against council.

Ontario's Ombudsman has advised council to do that. 

However, Councillor Mona Patel says a filing fee causes people to rethink a potential complaint, and thus saving taxpayers money.  "Real complaints will get washed up in frivolous complaints, and the cost of all the complaints will be outrageous.  I can't even imagine, if we didn't have $500 fees, we'd have complaints after every meeting... 10 complaints."

Councillor Lori Lococo agrees with the Ombudsman, adding the $500 fee should be reduced.

City Clerk Bill Matson says when the fee was $200, the city spent just over $90,000, and when it rose to $500, the city spent over $135,000.

"There was roughly 8 or 9 complaints filed, when that fee was $200.  Since then, in 2022, when that fee was $500, we're roughly at the same number."

He also referred to the use of fees in general, saying if there wasn't a fee to run for mayor, there would be pages of names for candidates, of people who simply want to see their name on the ballot.
 

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