Scott Davey has been named the new chair of Waterloo Regional council. The provincial government announced his appointment on Tuesday. “Very excited, very happy,” Davey said. “I think there’s a lot of work, a lot of good work, that can be done at the region. I’m looking forward to meeting with the new mayors and the existing members of council that were reelected and just getting down to work.” Davey has represented Ward 1 in Kitchener since 2010 and was re-elected for his fourth term as city councillor in the 2026 municipal election. For the last 14 years, he also served as the chair of the Finance & Corporate Services Committee. That experience, he said, influenced his decision to apply for regional chair. “I’ve been focused on some of the gaps that I’ve seen during my 16 years on city council,” explained Davey. “When the opportunity came for regional reform, I provided input at that juncture.” He has already identified his goals for next four years. “I really do think going forward we can work better, both from the region down to the municipalities and then also going back up with the province,” Davey said. “That’s something that we’re going to be looking at as we go forward. Some of that’s going to be part of the the provincial mandate letter that that gets handed down. But that is that’s to be determined as well.” Davey will be taking on the responsibilities of regional chair, while also representing Ward 1 on city council. “I do think it’s a manageable workload,” he said, adding, “I would obviously step away from some of the more elective things at the city council level.” Despite doing two jobs, Davey told CTV News he’ll only be paid for one. “It’s also important to note that I won’t be collecting, effectively, my city council salary during this time,” he said. “I’ll be employed by the region, but my city council salary will not be applied. I’ll be working without pay at that level, which I’m more than happy to do.” Redman responds to announcement Davey’s appointment marks the end of Karen Redman’s two-term run as Waterloo Regional chair. “It has been an honour and privilege to serve as chair of the Region of Waterloo for the past eight years,” she wrote in a statement to CTV News. “I am deeply grateful for the trust and support I have received from this community. Public service has been an important part of my life, and I am proud of what we have accomplished together, especially through challenging and unprecedented times.” “While my time as regional chair is coming to an end, my love for this community and my belief in its future remain as strong as ever,” Redman continued. “I congratulate incoming Regional Chair Scott Davey and wish him every success in this important role.” She ended her statement with: “Thank you for the opportunity to serve. It has truly been the privilege of a lifetime.” Davey also acknowledged Redman’s contributions to the region. “I would be remiss not to acknowledge the tremendous work and career of Karen Redman,” he said. “She’s been like one of the best things to ever happen to Waterloo Region. I learned a lot from her. She’s clearly a role model for all of us, especially young women. And I just wish her all the best in her transition.” Changing chairs Earlier this year, Premier Doug Ford announced changes to the way regional chairs are picked. Instead of it being an elected position, candidates would have to apply for the role and then appointed by the province. Regional chairs will also be given greater authority on council. The province has introduced what it calls “Strong Chair Powers,” similar to “Strong Mayor Powers,” in which the chair can pass bylaws with the support of only one-third of council. Rob Flack, the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, said they received “many” applications for Waterloo Regional chair. “What we wanted to do was strike a balance between what we needed throughout Ontario, throughout the eight regions and in Waterloo [Region],” he told CTV News. “Frankly, Scott was a standout. He’s very articulate. He served 16 years on Kitchener city council, he’s been the budget chair of finance and community services, [and priot to that] he was in the finance and technology sector. He brings a wealth of municipal experience and business experience to the table. I think he’s going to prove to be a bright light and an excellent chair in the years ahead.” Flack is also looking forward to meeting with Davey and getting down to business. “I’m going to sit down with Scott and the other chairs to look at provincial priorities,” the minister said. “We’re going to look at local issues. We’re going to nuance them together and come up with mandate letters across all eight regions, and they will ultimately be made public, so we’re hiding nothing.” More appointees Waterloo Region is one of eight communities with a two-tier system. The province announced those seven other regional chairs on Tuesday. Pickering Mayor Kevin Ashe, who was recently re-elected in the municipal election, will take over the role in Durham Region. In Halton Region, Ann Mulvale has been named regional chair. She is currently the director for the Clean Water Centre and Waterfront Regeneration Trust, but previously served six terms as Oakville’s mayor. Welland Mayor Frank Campion will lead Niagara’s regional council. The province picked Vaughan Mayor Steven Del Duca as the chair for York Region. He was the city’s MPP from 2012 to 2018 and served as Minister of Transportation and the Minister of Economic Development and Growth. Del Duca was also the former leader of the Ontario Liberal Party. Orillia Mayor Don McIsaac will take over in Simcoe County, which has a warden instead of a regional chair. Scott Aitchison was chosen as chair for Muskoka. He is currently the MP for Parry Sound-Muskoka, but the province said he will resign from that role by the end of November and sworn in as chair on Dec. 1. The Ford government only chose one returning regional chair - Nando Iannicca in Peel Region. He has held that position since 2018. Double duty Four of the eight regional chairs will have to pull double duty as both mayor and regional chair, while Davey will have to juggle his responsibilities as city councillor. Waterloo Regional council raised concerns about that very issue in August. “If you’re a mayor of a municipality, it is an absolute 24/7 job,” Cambridge Councillor Doug Craig told CTV News. “To suggest that you can also do the regional job is preposterous and, really, it’s not something we should even be contemplating.” At a meeting that same month, he put forward a motion officially opposing the province’s plan. “I think the motion is basically sending a message to Queen’s Park that we find this is an affront to local democracy, that the people of this region can choose their own chair and they’ve done that successfully for a number of years and we’d like to stay on that path,” Craig said. Pam Wolf, another councillor representing Cambridge, also voiced her concerns. “We know from past regional meetings, which have gone very long, that some mayors have had to leave our meeting to attend their city meetings,” she noted. “Given the demands of both offices it would be difficult for one person to serve effectively in both roles.” Waterloo Regional council ultimately voted unanimously in favour of the motion but, as evidenced by the new appointments, the province went forward with their initial plan. Davey, as previously mentioned, believes it will be a “manageable workload.”
