August 28 2026

The Pelham Niagara Falls Hospital Tax

An example of when our Pelham voice became louder compliant, within Amalgamation the Region as it was drowned out by a larger city.

We have had an example this past year of how Pelham may perform within an amalgamated organization in the future.

The Hospital Tax.   

This is how our current council stands up for Pelham

You may have noticed on your recent property tax bill that there is now a separate charge, in the municipality part of your bill, for a Hospital tax.     I discussed this with our councillor and it was stated that the Region came to the municipalities looking for help funding the new Niagara Falls Hospital build.  Pelham will be paying this extra tax for a few years coming.

In Ontario hospital construction is typically 70%-90% provincially funded and the remaining local portion is raised through local hospital foundation donor campaigns, commercial revenues (like parking), and local/regional municipal governments .   More detail on how funding works

Niagara Falls does need a new hospital to serve Niagara Falls itself and the surrounding region.   Niagara Falls has the second largest tax assessment base = ability to pay for it.    The region asked us to contribute.  So now we have the second largest taxing entity in our 12 municipalities and the largest government (Region) taxing entity in the peninsula increasing our local Town taxes to support a spend that is not primary for the residents of Pelham.   Niagara Falls had decades to deal with the hospital situation there and they had the assessment growth/taxes to do it. 

The argument for it is that Fonthill residents will use the new Niagara Falls hospital also.   Yes, maybe when they are driving back from contributing at the Casinos but if we really look at accessibility the Welland hospital is closest and quickest to get to.    The St Catharines Hospital on First Street Louth is 15km/21 minutes from Pelham Town square.  The new Niagara Falls hospital is 20km/22minutes via Allanburg bridge when a laker is not transiting the canal.  It's 23km/23 minutes via the east main tunnel in Welland.  

Back to our Town Council and their decision to support this.   If it is really the right thing to do then why did they not just pull the funding out of our “reserves”.   Funding health care would rank a lot higher than a number of projects identified in that reserve list.   They did not do that.  They found it better to create an extra tax on Pelham.   At least then you can blame it on someone else.  I think not.  Our incumbent council approved this tax.  They need to speak to it now.

When they do speak to it, ensure you evaluate how well their loud voices supported Pelham and stood up and challenged the elephants in the region.