This week, the Mayor, councillors and City staff attended the 2024 Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) Conference in Ottawa. The conference provided a critical platform for City officials to engage with provincial leaders and advocate for St. Catharines’ top priorities.
Over the course of the conference, the St. Catharines met with:
Minister of Sport Neil Lumsden to talk about provincial support for the Minto Cup and upcoming sporting events
Parliamentary Assistant to the Finance Minister Zee Hamid to share concerns about the impacts of future property assessments and the need for a new fiscal framework for municipalities
Associate Minister of Small Business Nina Tangri to advocate for additional support for the Enterprise Centre, joined by Mayor Frank Campion and staff from the City of Welland
Minister of Natural Resources Graydon Smith regarding development permissions within the Niagara Escarpment Commission
Solicitor General Michael Kerzner to discuss community safety concerns related to encampments
Minister of Infrastructure Kinga Surma to update the Minister on the City’s Master Servicing Plan and stress the importance of support from upper-levels of government to improve the city’s infrastructure needs
The City also lent its support in additional meetings with Niagara Region and had the opportunity to meet with both Ontario Liberal Party leader Bonnie Crombie and Ontario NDP leader Marit Stiles to discuss a range of issues of importance affecting St. Catharines.
Chief Administrative Officer David Oakes highlighted the importance of the conference, stating,
"The meetings at AMO 2024 allowed us to directly advocate for the resources and policy changes that will help us address the specific challenges we face in St. Catharines. We look forward to continuing these conversations and working closely with the Province to achieve our goals."
Mayor Siscoe also participated in meetings with Ontario Big City Mayors (OBCM) to discuss ongoing public health and safety concerns, particularly in areas affected by homelessness and addictions. OBCM is advocating for a comprehensive plan and additional support from other levels of government to address the issue that is affecting communities across the province.
Mayor Siscoe expressed optimism about the outcomes of the meetings, stating,
"Our participation in the AMO Conference is crucial for ensuring that the needs of St. Catharines are heard at the provincial level. We had productive discussions with government officials and made significant progress on issues that are vital to our community’s well-being and future development. We had good conversations about the homelessness, mental health and addiction crises that we and other cities are facing. The government committed to working with us on more options for treatment and enforcement.”
Mayor Siscoe also expressed his gratitude to Councillor Dodge, who has completed four years of representing the City on AMO’s Large Urban Caucus, most recently as caucus chair.
“We appreciate Councillor Dodge’s representation on the board and her efforts to ensure our voice was heard on another provincial stage,” he said.
The City of St. Catharines will continue to follow up on the discussions from the AMO Conference to ensure that the issues raised are addressed and that the City’s interests are advanced.