Niagara Centre

Niagara Centre spans the working-class communities of Welland, Thorold, Port Colborne, and Wainfleet in the heart of the Niagara Peninsula. Jeff Burch won the seat for the NDP in 2018 and was re-elected in 2022, establishing himself as one of the party's most prominent voices on municipal affairs and skilled trades. During the 2022 to 2025 term he served as the NDP's Municipal Affairs critic and Caucus Chair. The 2025 race featured a strong Progressive Conservative challenge from a well-known local mayor.

Candidates

Jeff Burch (NDP) — Burch is a former two-term St. Catharines city councillor, former executive director of the not-for-profit Niagara Folk Arts, and former union leader with the United Steelworkers. He has served as the NDP's critic for Municipal Affairs since his first election and was named Caucus Chair during the 2022 to 2025 term.

Bill Steele (Progressive Conservative) — Steele is the mayor of Port Colborne, serving his second term, and was previously a city councillor for 17 years. As chair of the Niagara Police Service Board and mayor, he helped secure major industrial investments in Port Colborne, including a 1.56-billion-dollar lithium-ion battery separator plant by Asahi Kasei.

Damien O'Brien (Liberal) — O'Brien is a public affairs professional who has served as Executive Vice-President of the Ontario Liberal Party since March 2023. Originally from the St. Catharines area, he began his political career while studying at Brock University and subsequently worked in government across Ontario.

Minor candidates included Natashia Bergen (Green Party), Jimmy Jackson (New Blue Party), Darryl Weinberg (Ontario Party), and Angela Browne (Ontario Alliance).

Local Issues

The future of Welland Hospital was the overriding concern in Niagara Centre throughout the 2022 to 2025 term. In February 2023, Niagara Health announced plans to eliminate emergency surgeries at the Welland site outside regular working hours, a decision that doctors and nurses warned could lead to avoidable deaths due to ambulance transfer times. The broader question of what services would remain at the Welland facility once the new South Niagara Hospital opened in Niagara Falls added to local anxiety. Burch advocated for a renewed Welland Hospital with full 24/7 emergency services.

The cost of living weighed heavily on a riding with some of Niagara's most economically challenged municipalities. Housing costs in Welland and Port Colborne, historically among the most affordable in the Greater Golden Horseshoe, rose sharply during the term. The closure of Port Colborne's urgent care centre was also flagged as a concern, with reduced hours limiting access to after-hours medical services for residents in the southern part of the riding.

Industrial investment provided a counterpoint to the health care challenges. The Asahi Kasei battery separator plant announced for Port Colborne and expanded manufacturing at the xanthan gum facility represented significant economic development, though residents debated whether the benefits of industrial growth would translate into improved local services and infrastructure.