The operations and maintenance of traffic signs and signals, utility poles and street lights in St. Catharines are shared by the City of St. Catharines, Niagara Region, Alectra Utilities and Bell Canada.
Traffic signs
The City is responsible for the maintenance, repair and replacement of traffic signs on City-owned streets. Contact us if you see missing or damaged traffic signs by calling 905.688.5600 or by using our online Report an Issue form.
Traffic signals
Niagara Region is responsible for the maintenance, repair and replacement of traffic signals in St. Catharines. You can report a traffic signal problem with the Region.
Hydro poles
Alectra Utilities owns and maintains all hydro poles in St. Catharines. You can report a hazard or unsafe electrical condition (ex. downed power lines), equipment damage or failure, and power outages to Alectra Utilities' customer services.
Telephone poles
Bell Canada is responsible for maintenance and repairs of telephone poles, service wires, cables and Bell boxes in St. Catharines. Contact Bell to report problems or damages.
Street lights
The City is responsible for street light upkeep and maintenance. If you find a street light that has burnt out, or with other problems or damages, please complete a Report an Issue form to alert us.
LED Street Light Conversion Project
As part of our commitment to energy reduction and savings, we have completed the LED Street Light Conversion Project. The project involved converting more than 14,100 cobra head street lights and 50 fixtures across the city to high-efficiency light emitting diode (LED) lights. Previously, these lights and fixtures used high-pressure sodium (HPS) light bulbs.
With the new LED bulbs, our community's streets are brighter and the City's street light energy bill is 62 per cent lower.
Cost savings
- LED street lights have reduced the City's annual energy costs by 62 per cent ($720,000) and maintenance costs by as much as 60 per cent ($350,000).
- LED lights last five times longer than HPS bulbs.
- The design of the LED casing makes it easier to access electrical components for replacement and repairs.
Better lighting
- LED lights give off a more natural white glow compared to the yellow hue of HPS bulbs.
- LED lights have better light distribution and less glare.
- The new LED street lights have zero up-light, meaning there is no wasted light pointing up at the sky. All light shines on the ground.
Funding
The project was approved by City Council in 2015 at a cost of $7 million. The City received $1.1 million in funding from the Independent Electricity System Operator Incentive Fund. The remaining $5.9 million was paid over six years using funds from the federal Gas Tax Fund.