Ontario politician resigns over allegations he owns signed Adolf Hitler book

Recently appointed Niagara Regional chair Bob Gale has resigned over allegations he owns a signed copy of Adolf Hitler’s book, Mein Kampf.

The Niagara Region Anti-Racism Association and Justice 4 Black Lives Niagara issued a statement demanding a public explanation and apology on Wednesday.

The Anti-Racism Association said they received documentation that Gale owns Mein Kampf, well-known antisemitic literature, with Hitler’s authenticated signature.

The signed book was bought through auction in 2010, and both the book and signature were authenticated in 2018 in a report issued under the authority of the Certified Appraisers Guild of America, the statement read.

“Buying and taking the trouble to authenticate hate material signed by Hitler makes any reasonable person wonder,” said Saleh Waziruddin of the Niagara Region Anti-Racism Association. “Niagara Region Chair Bob Gale needs to explain himself publicly and apologize for owning one of the most notorious pieces of antisemitic hate.”

Gale didn’t issue an apology, but he did resign.

In a March 11 letter to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Rob Flack, Gale resigned from his position as Regional Chair. He does not directly deny nor admit to owning the autographed book.

INsauga.com reached out to Gale over email on March 11 for comment, but did not hear back by publication time.

In the letter, Gale blames a “member of the communist party” who “circulated a dated document that listed my name as the owner of a historical book found in many libraries.”

Waziruddin told the Canadian Press that he is a communist though he has resigned membership in the Communist party. Gale’s focus on his politics are an attempt to distract from the issue at hand, Waziruddin wrote in a statement.

Gale wrote in the letter that he is a historian who has many artifacts, including an 1859 letter from anti-slavery advocate John Brown, a letter from George Washington, a letter from Winston Churchill and Vatican archives.

“As everyone knows, I am a passionate historian with a broad collection of historical art and artifacts,” he wrote.

Neither Flack nor Premier Doug Ford’s office responded to a request for comment from INsauga.com.

A terse statement to the Canadian Press from Flack’s spokesperson read, “Bob Gale’s resignation has been accepted.”

Gale has been Regional Chair, head of Niagara Regional Council, for just a few months.

Flack announced Gale’s appointment as Niagara Regional Chair on Dec. 18, 2025.

The resignation comes amid some political controversy in the Niagara Region, with many mayors and residents opposed to proposals from Gale to consider amalgamations.

Gale ultimately backed away from the possible amalgamations and proposed instead reducing the number of councillors, but took some parting shots in his resignation letter.

“When I undertook the necessary work to start fixing the issues at the Niagara Region, there was a strong vocal minority who decided they would stop at nothing in order to keep their fiefdoms and addiction to power and tax dollars,” he wrote.

“They wish to paint a picture that is untrue and hurtful to my family, my friends, and those in Niagara that believe in the hard work I have undertaken.”

Gale is a lifelong resident of the Niagara Region and was a regional councillor for the City of Niagara Falls and chair of the Niagara Parks Commission.

He was also a member of the Niagara Regional Police Services Board from 2014 to 2022 and assumed chairmanship from 2014 to 2018. In the 1970s, Gale was a Niagara Regional Police Officer before leading his family’s oil company in 1980.

With files from The Canadian Press