Siscoe wants provincial legislation to address inaction from Niagara Region

11/19/2025 at 11:02 AM
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The Mayor of St. Catharines is looking for provincial help as the city continues to deal with a homelessness crisis.

Mat Siscoe and city councilors are calling on the Ford government to create legislation called the Regional Social Services Responsibility Act.

The proposal would allow the city to approach the provincial government when they feel the region is not living up to its responsibilities.

Then, if given permission, the city would then be allowed to provide a service and bill the cost to the region.

Siscoe says currently shelters are a regional responsibility and they are not doing enough to address the issue.

The mayor says the city is spending three to four million dollars each year for services that should be supplied by the region.

He notes that the region has declared homelessness an emergency and it is time to act like it is an emergency.

Visit the Niagara in the Morning page for an interview with the Mayor on the topic.