In what Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority officials are calling a “maintenance budget,” Niagara Region will see a jump in its 2026 rate apportionment from the authority by 3.42 per cent, while Hamilton’s levy will top all municipal stakeholders at 4.25 per cent.

“The operating budget is effectively a maintenance budget,” said Leilani Lee-Yates, the authority’s chief administrative officer.

The authority board approved the 2026 budget unanimously during its Oct. 24 meeting.

Niagara Region’s 2026 rate apportionment will rise to $8.2 million in 2026, up from $7.959 million, while Hamilton will see an increase to $2.16 million, from just more than $2 million in 2025.

Hamilton Mayor Andrea Horwath requested the authority cap the city’s rate apportionment at 4.25 per cent due to “the

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