Mayor of St. Catharines Urges Action to Tackle Flooding

Mayor Mat Siscoe is advocating for a long-term plan to safeguard St. Catharines, Ont., from future heavy rainfall as the city works to recover from storms that have inundated thousands of homes with sewage-contaminated water and caused significant damage.

Siscoe declared a state of emergency following two storms that brought months’ worth of rain in just a few hours on July 27 and 28, and August 2. He released a statement Monday night indicating he has used his authority as mayor to direct staff to provide recommendations in seven important areas.

“While emergency response and recovery remain our immediate priority, we also have a responsibility to ensure our community is better prepared for the future,” Siscoe said.

“Behind every flooded basement is a family dealing with disruption, financial loss and an incredible amount of stress. Our residents don’t expect us to control the weather. They do expect us to learn from it, prepare for it, and fight for the investments needed to protect our community. 

“That’s exactly what this direction is designed to do.”

Siscoe mentioned those two storms came after another storm on July 21 that also dropped an unusual amount of rain on the city, meaning “thousands of residents across St. Catharines have experienced flooding unlike anything our community has ever seen.”

City Claims Infrastructure Failures Not Responsible

The city and Niagara’s regional government stated that inspections revealed no blockages or isolated infrastructure weaknesses that could explain the widespread flooding affecting other areas including Niagara-on-the-Lake, Niagara Falls and Lincoln, which also declared a state of emergency.

However, Mary Winning’s home in St. Catharines suffered serious flooding twice within five days from these recent storms, causing extensive damage – something she said has never happened before in her 66 years living there.

“In all the years that my mom has been here, there’s never been an insurance claim, there’s never been a flood, and now all of a sudden it’s twice in a week,” her daughter Carol Macdonald told on Sunday.

St. Catharines Mayor Mat Siscoe says he used his mayoral powers to direct staff to bring back recommendations to help the city prevent future flooding crises. (Diona Macalinga/CBC)

Siscoe explained that his directive requires city chief administrative officer David Oakes’ team to report back on:

Creating an independent group of engineers, infrastructure experts, environmental professionals and community leaders to investigate the recent flooding incidents, identify causes, and develop an action plan along with funding strategies for better protection against future floods. Identifying neighborhoods most at risk for flooding while recommending actions and infrastructure projects targeted at those high-risk locations. Reviewing and expanding the city’s homeowner flood protection program. Evaluating how the city inspects, maintains and replaces stormwater infrastructure like catch basins, ditches, culverts and waterways while suggesting improvements. Developing more effective ways for residents to report blocked drainage systems or other related issues. Creating an educational campaign aimed at helping residents lower flood risks through improved awareness about grants available for property maintenance practices they can adopt before major storms. Ensuring a third citywide curbside pickup week without garbage limits for households affected by flooding while allowing for an extension if necessary.

“While this work is absolutely necessary it is only the beginning of our community’s recovery,” Siscoe stated.







Pleadingly he remarked on changing weather patterns making such severe storms more frequent.“We cannot prevent extreme weather events,” he noted “But we can reduce their impact through planning smart infrastructure investments alongside stronger partnerships between municipalities provinces along with federal support.”“We will learn from what occurred make necessary investments continuing advocacy so our community builds towards a more resilient tomorrow.”

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