COUNCIL NOTEBOOK: A piece of Grey Cup glory

StCatharinesStandard.ca
Dec. 1, 2017
Karena Walter

Notes from this week’s St. Catharines city council meeting …

St. Catharines is hoping to bring some Grey Cup glory to city hall.

City council is sending out an invite to a trio of St. Catharines natives from the Toronto Argonauts team that won the cup last Sunday.

“Having them here at city council with the Grey Cup would be an amazing opportunity to say thank you and congratulations,” Mayor Walter Sendzik said, asking staff to make a note to contact them.

Governor Simcoe graduate Lirim Hajrullahu kicked the game-winning field goal for the Argos, who beat the Calgary Stampeders 27-24 on Nov. 26.

Other Argo St. Catharines teammates were defensive lineman Jeffrey Finley, a Sir Winston graduate and wide receiver Alex Charette.

Piers on Parliament Hill

Mayor Walter Sendzik was in Ottawa last month to lobby for Port Dalhousie piers funding.

Sendzik said he, along with the city’s CAO Shelley Chemnitz and director of government relations Brian York, met with the federal department of fisheries and oceans and the Prime Minister’s Office with St. Catharines Member of Parliament Chris Bittle.

Discussions dealt with council’s recent direction to begin negotiations about the transfer of ownership of the piers from the federal government to the city, contingent on funding for the necessary repair work.

Sendzik said it was a productive meeting and the federal government knows it needs to be done.

“Although the Port Dalhousie piers are no longer an active fishery and outside the scope of the department of fisheries and oceans mandate, the piers form a vital part of our community and that’s the message that we’re sending up to the federal government,” Sendzik said.

“The piers have been closed for nearly three years now. We want to see a plan of work begin soon.”

Sendzik said city staff will continue to work with federal officials and report back to council on timelines.

Free tree program grows

Free tree giveaways were so successful in 2017, the city is bringing back the program next year.

Councillors supported a staff recommendation Monday to allocate 10 per cent of the city’s 2018 tree planting budget to continue the tree giveaways.

The goal was to increase the city’s tree canopy by having residents plant free saplings on their private properties.

The city launched the program on June 17, giving away all 500 trees of various species it had on site at Seymour-Hannah Sports and Entertainment Complex. It followed up with a fall giveaway on Oct. 21, giving out another 500 saplings to residents.

There were 100 trees leftover from the fall giveaway, which will be planted in city parks significantly affected by the emerald ash borer.

A staff report to councillors said residents provided positive feedback about the giveaway.

The program cost $35,000 of the $350,000 tree-planting budget in 2017 and the same amount will be put towards the initiative next year.

Milestone for inter-municipal transit

The road to an inter-municipal transit bus system just got a little shorter.

St. Catharines council Monday approved entering into a memorandum of understanding with Welland, Niagara Falls and Niagara Region for a consolidated transit model in Niagara.

Niagara Falls council approved the MOU the next day while Welland council was the first to sign up on Nov. 21.

The MOU is a high-level agreement between the parties required to move forward with the consolidation process so residents can connect between communities.

Council sets goal for 30 per cent female politicians

St. Catharines council is aiming to encourage more women to enter politics.

Councillors unanimously passed a motion by St. George’s Coun. Mike Britton to endorse the goals of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities campaign for women in local government. The national campaign wants to increase women’s participation in municipal governments to 30 per cent by 2026.

Britton said he learned about the goal at the Niagara Leadership Summit for Women hosted by the YWCA with Brock University. He said United Nations research shows when 30 per cent of women are around a boardroom or council table, the conversation changes and begins to reflect the community and its needs better.

St. Catharines’ 13-member council has two women on it, yet the population is 50 per cent women. Twenty-six per cent of Canadian politicians are women.

Britton said the city has strong women in its two councillors and its first female CAO.

“We are fortunate to have these role models around us but we need more and we need to do more. That’s what this motion is about.”

As part of the motion, the city will formally request to be a participating municipality in the FCM’s current and future programs related to increasing female representation in government. Council also directed staff to develop a report on what the municipality can do to remove barriers to women’s participation in local government, including looking at other municipalities’ past reports, guidebooks and toolkits.

Grantham Coun. Sandie Bellows added that staff should work with existing groups, Women in Niagara and Niagara Women in Politics, which are already attempting to address the problem, to issue a joint report.

Deputy mayor keeps seat

St. Andrew’s Coun. Matt Harris will remain the deputy mayor for another year.

City councillors appointed Harris to serve the role in a secret ballot Monday over St. George’s Mike Britton.

Other councillors were also appointed to positions for 2018.

Grantham Coun. Sandie Bellows was appointed to the Niagara Wine Festival board of directors.

St. Patrick’s Coun. Mat Siscoe will represent council on the St. Catharines Downtown Association while Port Dalhousie Coun. Carlos Garcia will sit on the Port Dalhousie Business Association.