By Ontario Construction News staff writer
Officials from St. Catharines will take the opportunity at this week’s Association of Municipalities of Ontario conference to urge the province for more help in light of recent flooding and to advocate for long-term investments in infrastructure that can withstand climate change.
Mayor Mat Siscoe, along with council members and city staff, will participate in the annual conference held in Ottawa from Aug. 16-19. This event gathers municipal leaders alongside provincial ministers and officials to address local concerns.
The timing is crucial as St. Catharines continues its recovery from three major rainfall events occurring within just two weeks, which led to flooding and damage throughout the city.
City representatives mention that the province has been a helpful partner during the response and recovery efforts. Premier Doug Ford and other provincial officials have visited St. Catharines, keeping communication open with city leaders. The support from the province has included assistance from Ontario Corps through Team Rubicon and providing dehumidifiers to those affected.
“Our community is facing significant costs and a long road to recovery,” Siscoe said in a statement. “AMO is an important opportunity to continue those conversations and advocate for the financial support our residents need, while also working with the province on the infrastructure investments and programs that will help protect our community from future extreme weather.”
During the conference, city officials aim to discuss activating the Disaster Recovery Assistance for Ontarians program for areas impacted by flooding in St. Catharines.
The city will also pursue provincial funding for its flood alleviation initiative, which would assist residents looking to make improvements aimed at reducing future flooding risks.
Other key priorities include increased provincial backing for climate-resilient stormwater systems, sanitary sewer upgrades, drainage infrastructure enhancements, along with revisions to disaster recovery programs that reflect rising occurrences, severity, and costs associated with extreme weather events.
“We have committed significant municipal resources to the response and our ongoing recovery efforts, and that work will continue,” said CAO David Oakes. “But events of this magnitude cannot be addressed by municipalities alone.”
“We need all levels of government working together to support recovery today and make the long-term infrastructure investments needed to prepare our communities for increasingly extreme weather,” Oakes said.
The city will also carry on with several pre-planned meetings with provincial representatives about issues not related to flooding.
A delegation with the Ministry of Finance will discuss property tax adjustment policies tied to municipal vacancies following phaseout of vacancy rebates as well as tax reform concerning Alectra’s sustainable finance initiatives.
Together with the Ministry of Infrastructure, St. Catharines intends to explore more flexibility in provincial infrastructure funding programs so they better align with municipal requirements.
Meetings scheduled with the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks are set to focus on achieving clearer guidelines around Municipal Class Environmental Assessments as well as support for cleaning up brownfield sites essential for housing development.
Eeconomic development talks will encompass advancing economic strategies linked to Great Lakes through collaboration under Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative alongside cross-border engagement involving Ontario’s Auto Mayors.
The city also plans discussions with Ministry of Health regarding improved coordinated supports targeting homelessness issues along with addiction services-these pressures increasingly impact municipal operations.
Siscoe along with city officials will engage in meetings pertaining not only to Ontario’s Big City Mayors but also Niagara Transit dialogues involving both Ministry of Transportation and Ministry of Environment, Conservation & Parks-and a joint meeting featuring Town of Lincoln alongside Ministry of Municipal Affairs & Housing.
“AMO gives municipalities direct access to provincial decision-makers, and we intend to make the most of that opportunity,” Siscoe said.
“We have important long-term priorities to advance but there is no question that supporting our community’s recovery from these floods will be at the forefront of our conversations in Ottawa.”
Source link
Source link
