St. Catharines delegation returns from 2023 AMO Conference

The City of St. Catharines delegation at the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) Conference has wrapped up a series of meetings with provincial ministers and officials to help keep the City’s strategic priorities front and centre.

“We appreciate being able to have productive discussions with provincial leaders about the issues that matter to the City of St. Catharines. From support for the City’s infrastructure needs, development, transportation, and sports tourism, this year’s team spoke clearly and passionately about the needs of our community,” says CAO David Oakes. “We are thankful to AMO for supporting these important discussions.”

The conference opened in London, Ontario on Aug. 20.

The City’s delegation included Mayor Mat Siscoe, Councillors Dawn Dodge, Robin McPherson, Kevin Townsend, Mark Stevens, Jackie Lindal, Matt Harris, and Greg Miller, as well as CAO David Oakes, and Deputy CAO Erin O’Hoski. Team STC had seven meetings with ministers and officials to discuss the City’s priorities and challenges including:

• Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Parliamentary Assistant Matthew Rae, to discuss Streamline Development Funding, as well as request an expansion with three years of continuous funding. The City also asked the province to institute consistent timelines for all agencies that are a part of development.
• Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade, Parliamentary Assistant Andrew Dowie, where Enterprise Centre funding was discussed. The City would like to see the funding become a permanent line item in the provincial budget, and for increases to be tied to inflation.
• Ministry of Transportation, Associate Minister Stan Cho, requesting the province support the infrastructure needed to create viable alternative commuter transit linking Niagara to Toronto via Lake Ontario.
• Ministry of Finance, Parliamentary Assistant Stephen Crawford, where City staff recommendations were presented ahead of the upcoming Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) reassessments.
• Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport, Minister Neil Lumsden, requesting the government standardize Municipal Accommodation Tax (MAT) collection at the provincial level, additional funding for the 2024 World Rowing Championships, as well as support for the local film and sports tourism sector.
• Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks, Minister David Piccini, requesting the province consider policy recommendations as a result of the Ssonix explosion.
• Ministry of Infrastructure, Minister Kinga Surma, where the delegation discussed the City’s infrastructure needs and support for the City’s Master Servicing Plan.

Team STC also joined a delegation including the Niagara Region, the Town of Lincoln and the Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake, to ask Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Lisa Thompson to consider investments into an irrigation system in Niagara.

As well, Mayor Siscoe participated in meetings as a member of Ontario Big City Mayors (OBCM). Councillor Dodge attended AMO meetings in her role as a member of the Board of Directors and was appointed as Chair of the Large Urban Caucus.

AMO is a non-profit organization representing Ontario’s 444 municipal governments. The annual AMO Conference is an opportunity for municipal officials to work together to address common challenges, learn through sessions and workshops, as well as network with municipal leaders from across the province.