“The Niagara Region is its own worst enemy. Our term (of regional council) is not over, and we need to be actively engaged until the end of our term”. – Haley Bateman, St. Catharines Regional Councillor A News Release from St. Catharines Niagara Regional Councillor Haley Bateman Posted June 25th, 2026 on Niagara At Large St. Catharines Regional Councillor Haley Bateman ST. CATHARINES, ON- A motion put forward by St. Catharines Regional Councillor Haley Bateman that aimed for Niagara Region Public Health to take an active role in assessing, cleaning up, and planning the redevelopment of the former General Motors site on Ontario Street will not be discussed by the Niagara Regional Council (at their meeting on June 25th) after staff determined it falls outside the Region’s main responsibilities. The motion intended to direct Niagara Region Public Health’s Environmental Division to review environmental studies, health risk assessments, remediation plans, and community consultation activities related to redeveloping the old General Motors property at 282-285 Ontario Street in St. Catharines. The proposal also called for consistent public updates on environmental and public health matters during the cleanup and redevelopment process while expressing support for strong environmental oversight under Ontario’s Environmental Protection Act. In a message from the Regional Clerk’s Office, it was stated that after discussions with the Chair’s Office and the Chief Administrative Officer-and based on input from Niagara Region’s Medical Officer of Health indicating that the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) is primarily responsible-the motion was considered outside of Regional Council’s main duties. Consequently, under Section 19.3(a) of Niagara Region’s Procedural By-law, this motion required both a mover and a seconder before being added to the Council agenda. When asked if she agrees with staff’s decision not to include it, acting chair Barbara Greenwood said “yes”. Since no seconder was confirmed beforehand, this motion will not be included in the June 25 Regional Council agenda. “The Niagara Region is its own worst enemy,” said Bateman. “Our term is not over, and we need to be actively engaged until the end of our term.” <img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-89140" data-attachment-id="89140" data-permalink="https://niagaraatlarge. com/2026/06/25/motion-calling-for-niagara-region-public-health-involvement-in-former-gm-site-redevelopment-will-not-be-added-to-regional-council-agenda/download-389/" data-orig-file="https://ontariochronicle. ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/download-3. jpg" data-orig-size="300,168" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{" aperture":"0"," credit":""," camera":""," caption":""," created_timestamp":"0"," copyright":""," focal_length":"0", "iso" "0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0","alt":""}" data-image-title="download" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" The old General Motors site off Ontario Street in St. Catharines, Niagara ” data-large-file=”https://ontariochronicle. ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/download-3. jpg? w=300″ class=”size-full wp-image-89140″ src=”https://ontariochronicle. ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/download-3. jpg” alt=”” width=”300″ height=”168″ /> The old General Motors site off Ontario Street in St. Catharines, Niagara “A motion supporting the clean-up of this site and involving Public Health’s Environmental Division is just what we need to show what efforts are being made to fix this property. I get calls and emails every day from residents worried about the former GM lands while our Chief Medical Officer of Health seems unwilling to engage or share information he has already mentioned he possesses. I’ve asked Dr. Kasmani to go over my motion and point out areas he believes are beyond our jurisdiction but he hasn’t responded.” “Air quality issues, environmental hazards, and impacts on community health are all linked directly to what Niagara Region Public Health covers. They should be involved in ensuring safety for neighborhoods schools parks recreational facilities as well as residential areas around General Motors site at 282-285 Ontario Street.” The old General Motors property stands as one of Niagara’s largest redevelopment chances yet has been under scrutiny due to public concern regarding its environment for years now. The motion highlighted how cleanup efforts at this site could influence public health through problems such as contaminated soil groundwater dust air quality noise traffic along with other environmental elements. “I’m not asking our region to take control away from Ministry,” Bateman added. “We should work together alongside them providing local public health knowledge communicating directly with locals ensuring they stay informed throughout remediation redevelopment processes most importantly supporting those living working near-by.” Even though this motion won’t move forward within Council concerns remain about needing open communication engaging citizens monitoring potential health risks tied into redeveloping former industrial land. NIAGARA AT LARGE Encourages You To Join The Conversation By Sharing Your Views On This Post In The Space Below And By Sharing The Niagara At Large Site At www. niagaraatlarge. com With All Of Your Friends And Associates. 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