New Regional Councillors and Officers On Niagara Regional Housing Board

Niagara Region, December 12, 2022 – On December 1, Regional Councillors Mayor Jeff Jordan (Grimsby), Tom Insinna (Fort Erie), Mayor Mat Siscoe (St. Catharines), Leanna Villella (Welland) and Lord Mayor Gary Zalepa (Niagara-on-the-Lake) were appointed by Council to the Niagara Regional Housing (NRH) Board. Councillors Insinna, Villella and Zalepa served on the Board in their previous term, while Councillors Jordan and Siscoe are new NRH Directors, replacing former Regional Councillor Barbara Butters and Mayor Walter Sendzik, both of whom did not seek re-election in 2022.

On Friday December 9, 2022, the NRH Board elected the Executive Committee to provide leadership for NRH:

• Chair – Gary Zalepa (Regional Councillor, Lord Mayor, Niagara-on-the-Lake). Lord Mayor Zalepa is serving his second term on the NRH Board. He held the role of Treasurer through 2019-2020, Vice-Chair from 2020-2021 and Chair for 2022
• Vice-Chair – Mat Siscoe (Mayor of St. Catharines). Mayor Siscoe is serving his first term on the NRH Board
• Secretary – Jeff Jordan (Mayor of Grimsby) Mayor Jordan is serving his first term on the NRH Board
• Treasurer – Leanna Villella (Regional Councillor, Welland) Councillor Villella is serving her second term on the NRH Board after first joining it in December 2018

In addition to the five Regional Councillors, the NRH Board includes four Community Directors: Betty Ann Baker (St. Catharines), David Mole (Pelham), Drew Toth (Thorold) and Betty Lou Souter (St. Catharines). NRH owns and manages more than 3,000 units of Public Housing, which are Rent-Geared-to-Income (30% of household income). NRH also has over 200 units of new development that are considered affordable (80% of market rent) and market rent and is currently developing 61 units in Welland and Fort Erie.

Quotes

"I am pleased that the new Board has representation from across Niagara and can bring a wide range of perspectives to support NRH. The need and the interest in community housing, including the units owned by NRH, has never been greater. As Housing Services moves forward with the Consolidated Housing Master Plan (CHMP) to plan for the next 23 years, I am confident that this Board will support NRH to meet the demands of the residents of Niagara now and into the future." ~ NRH CEO Donna Woiceshyn

"I am honoured to Chair the NRH Board during this important phase in housing. There is great awareness of the need in Niagara and NRH is well-positioned to turn that awareness into increased development to address the need and supports for tenants. I look forward to working with the Board, partners and Housing Services staff" ~ NRH Board Chair,

Contact

Donna Woiceshyn
Chief Executive Officer, NRH
905-682-9201, ext. 3930
donna.woiceshyn@niagararegion.ca

Lord Mayor Gary Zalepa
Board Chair, NRH
905-468-6416
Gary.zalepa@niagararegion.ca