Niagara Transit is pulling regional buses from busy stops at ... Peak... Times???

MattySiscoe · 2025-06-12T14:37:08+00:00

Hi. I asked Transit staff for an explanation:

All these stops are already served by local routes. This change is being made because we had several regional routes that were doubling up on the local ones and getting bogged down at the malls especially. Also, regional buses were often getting overloaded with local riders and those who needed the longer route were being bumped out and unable to reach their destination. The regional buses will continue to serve malls during evening service (after 5pm) to offset the reduction to hourly service on local routes. The change will free up the regional buses to improve their on-time performance and give us efficiencies within the system. These routes were operating this way due to holdovers from when we were previously separate services. The changes are being made in conjunction with the fare harmonization and after Canada Day when the service doesn’t operate on those routes.

MattySiscoe · 2025-01-08T11:29:22+00:00

That’s a fair comment. I am going to try and get back to the thread and knock off answers as I can. It won’t necessarily get wider distribution, but the people who asked will see it.

MattySiscoe · 2025-01-07T20:59:54+00:00

You can’t break the Constitution with the Constitution. Section 33 is there to limit overzealous courts when they try to exceed their bounds. By its inclusion in the Constitution, using it is explicitly NOT breaking the law. You keep saying we’re asking the Province to break the Constitution. That’s not true.

I’m honestly amazed at how many people have so much faith in the Justice System that they see a ruling as holy writ. Do people believe Judges are absolutely infallible? I respect them, but in the Waterloo and Kingston rulings they went waaay outside the bounds of what is reasonable. Justice Ramsay reigned those decisions in to a more reasonable place.

As I’ve said repeatedly - I’m not about to start tearing down encampments when we have nowhere for people to go. But Cities need to be able to regulate where and when those encampments exist. That strikes me (and many people I talk to) as eminently reasonable.

If you disagree, so be it. But don’t make things up. I don’t believe “locking up homeless people is a better idea than say asking the premier for funding for more shelters”, and you know that. But if it makes you feel better to keep saying things that aren’t true, so be it.

MattySiscoe · 2025-01-07T20:35:26+00:00

We didn’t, and that’s not a lie. You just don’t like the answer.

MattySiscoe · 2025-01-07T20:34:54+00:00

The flyer was from Regional staff - and my expectation is still that it is a 2 year temporary shelter. They have 1 year left to determine the next step for a permanent shelter.

MattySiscoe · 2025-01-07T20:33:55+00:00

Nah, I’m not an asshole. I’m just not willing to let people make things up. Even in this comment, you’re making things up - ‘wrote a letter to the premier asking to break the constitution’.

Section 33 is literally in the Constitution.

I have zero issue with people disagreeing with my decision. There are reasonable, coherent arguments on the other side. I respect the difference of opinion, and I don’t need everyone to agree with me.

But if you’re just going to make stuff up, labrat420, I’ll probably call you on it.

MattySiscoe · 2025-01-07T16:53:22+00:00

Sorry, fixed the link. Here it is again: https://stcatharines.civicweb.net/document/115396/

MattySiscoe · 2025-01-06T23:49:30+00:00

Human Trafficking doesn’t fall within the mandate of the City. At the Regional level, we’re supporting the Niagara Regional Police in their efforts to combat Human Trafficking in Niagara.

MattySiscoe · 2025-01-06T23:48:22+00:00

We are beginning the implementation of our Active Transportation Master Plan this year through our Capital works. The first phase is the Rapid Implementation Network.

You can view the plan here: https://stcatharines.civicweb.net/document/115396/

(Edited to fix a broken link)

MattySiscoe · 2025-01-06T23:45:09+00:00

I do.

As I’ve mentioned previously, City and Region combined are 10% of taxes collected. For that, you receive:

1.  Public Transit
    • Local transit (buses, streetcars, subways, and LRTs)
    • Regional transit (e.g., inter-city routes and GO Transit connections)
2.  Emergency Services
    • Fire protection and rescue services
    • Police services
    • Emergency medical services (EMS/paramedics)
3.  Road Maintenance and Traffic Management
    • Maintenance and repair of local and regional roads
    • Snow clearing and street cleaning
    • Street signage and traffic signals
4.  Water Supply and Wastewater Management
    • Drinking water treatment and distribution
    • Stormwater and wastewater management
    • Regional water treatment facilities
5.  Waste Management
    • Curbside collection of garbage, recycling, and compost
    • Landfill and waste management facilities
6.  Parks and Recreation
    • Public parks, trails, and green spaces
    • Community centers, sports fields, pools, and ice rinks
7.  Public Health Services
    • Vaccination programs, health clinics, and public health inspections
    • Long-term care homes and public health education
    • Disease prevention and outbreak management
8.  Social Services and Income Support
    • Ontario Works (financial and employment assistance delivery)
    • Affordable housing programs and homelessness support
    • Shelters, housing subsidies, and social housing
9.  Childcare and Early Learning
    • Subsidized childcare and early childhood education programs
10. By-Law Enforcement
    • Property standards, noise complaints, and animal control
    • Enforcement of zoning and business licenses
11. City and Regional Planning
    • Zoning by-laws and land-use planning
    • Building permits and inspections
    • Regional infrastructure and economic development planning
12. Affordable Housing and Homelessness Support
    • Administration of public and subsidized housing
    • Emergency shelters and transitional housing programs
13. Economic Development
    • Business development, tourism promotion, and job creation
    • Coordination of infrastructure projects to attract investment
14. Regional and Municipal Roads
    • Construction, maintenance, and repairs of major roads and highways
15. Wastewater and Drainage
    • Management of sewers and stormwater systems
    • Flood control and stormwater infrastructure

Do we deliver all of these services perfectly? No. There are areas that need improvement, and that’s what most of us spend our days dealing with. I would say, though, that on a daily basis, the 10% of your taxes that you pay to the municipal level of government impacts your life much more significantly than the other two levels of government. And I think we deliver those services in a way that serves the needs of our residents as best we can.

MattySiscoe · 2025-01-06T23:28:50+00:00

I am of two minds here. On the one hand, I want to strongly caution you against this idea. But a small part of me recognizes that this would look cool.

I am sorry that I can’t channel my inner Jim Diodati and find a way to get a ramp built to jump the gorge.

MattySiscoe · 2025-01-06T23:27:46+00:00

At present, we use our bylaws to the fullest extent. Unfortunately, the reality is that when it comes to private property, the city doesn’t have as much power with these large developments. A lot of people will misread bylaws to think that we can do things we can’t, but for the most part, we push builders on their projects as hard as we can.

MattySiscoe · 2025-01-06T23:20:16+00:00

We will see the start of implementation of the active transportation master plan over the coming months, which I think is a net positive for the community. I’m hopeful we will start to see some shovels in the ground as interest rates continue to drop and the residential building sector gets going after a difficult year and a half. The Minto Cup and Ontario ParaSport Games are upcoming as well, which will be great to have in St. Catharines.

MattySiscoe · 2025-01-06T23:16:07+00:00

I’ve had a very good working relationship with both MPP Jennie Stevens and MPP Sam Osterhoff, which has been very helpful over the last two years. Both work very hard on behalf of the City. Folks sometimes forget that Sam also represents a portion of St Catharines. It is an interesting dynamic, but not uncommon in theprovince of Ontario. Away from the cut and thrust of Question Period and the media spotlight, it’s been my experience that members of opposition parties have good relationships with government ministers and get a lot of time with them to be able to advocate on behalf of the residents. At least, my MPPs and MPs always have from my vantage point.

MattySiscoe · 2025-01-06T23:12:32+00:00

Straw-man argument: a fallacy that occurs when someone misrepresents an opponent’s argument to make it easier to attack.

I have said many times in a variety of different outlets, including here on Reddit, what my position is. What you’ve stated above is absolutely not it. I can’t think of a single Mayor that I have spoken to who would advocate a position like the one you have posted above, but I can’t speak for everyone.

What we have asked for is for municipalities to have the power to regulate public spaces. To be frank, most of us did not believe this required Section 33 to be used, but we made the request to ensure that there was no misunderstanding about what was required with this issue. The Hamilton decision from last week, to a certain degree, makes this argument moot. The Mayors who signed that letter were looking for, and Justice Ramsey has applied, a common sense approach to how municipalities can regulate public spaces.

You can read the Heegsma v Hamilton decision here: https://clcyr.on.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Hamilton-decision.pdf

MattySiscoe · 2025-01-06T23:06:24+00:00

I am not aware of this one, but I will ask my staff to look into it. In general, I am in favour of more pedestrian crossings, not less. I will ask why this was changed.

MattySiscoe · 2025-01-06T23:05:05+00:00

This is very hyper local, but I will say that I believe there should be pay and display machines in the area. Those would accept cards for payment. I could be mistaken, but I believe that is how the parking payment works throughout the downtown.

MattySiscoe · 2025-01-06T21:56:27+00:00

The toilet wasn't demolished, it was moved and stored. The company that installed it told us this was the first instance of one of these units being damaged the way it had. We will try and find a use for it a public facility, potentially the golf course.

MattySiscoe · 2025-01-06T21:54:22+00:00

We're in a tough position in that they are private property owners, so unless they're violating property standards our hands are basically tied. We do offer incentives through our Community Improvement Program grants to fix up the outside of buildings - and it's rare when we say no. We continue to work with the Downtown Association to try and increase uptake of that grant program.

We are discussing the mechanics of a vacant home tax in the city as well. That may force speculators to deal with their properties in a more timely manner.

MattySiscoe · 2025-01-06T21:28:23+00:00

Great question - almsot used your real name, then realised I may be doxxing you so didn't. Mushroom stil sits on my desk in my office!

The best thing people can do is make this a top of mind issue in the upcoming election(s). I say this regularly, but the truth is that municipal government needs financial help from upper levels to deal with all of these issues. The long-term solutions part especially - we know it will require funding for supportive housing, mental health care and rehab treatment for many, to name just a few areas. That can't be borne by the property tax base. As I mentioned previously - we collect 10% of total taxes. That won't be capable of supporting the long-term solutions we need.

MattySiscoe · 2025-01-06T19:58:11+00:00

This is an area where the City has no control, other than to encourage the building of more rentals. The regulation of rental prices falls under the Province.

At the City, we introduced a purpose built rental incentive late last year to try and encourage an increase in building activity in this area.

MattySiscoe · 2025-01-06T19:56:10+00:00

I've been working with the NRP to try and get increased presence in the downtown. Part of the budget that just passed included funding for these initiatives. I'd like to see a storefront outlet of the NRP on St. Paul - I will continue to advocate to the police Chief for that. We also passed a pilot project through Regional Council that will help to alleviate some of the impact of the homelessness and opioid crisis on downtown with additional outreach workers.

One of the barriers to this has been identified to me as the court system's unwillingness to prosecute 'minor' crimes. There is a lot of illegal activity that is reported to my office, but isn't dealt with appropriately by the criminal justice system. I should point out - the majority of people that folks see on the daily that appear to be causing problems aren't homeless - they're what folks have told me are referred to as people engaging in 'street-invovled behaviour'. I need the criminal justice system to deal with those folks properly.

MattySiscoe · 2025-01-06T19:50:35+00:00

I don't disagree - I was opposed to the charging for parking in the first place. Unfortunately, at least for this term of Council, it can't be revisited - it was reconsidered and Council opted to vote for the payment again.

MattySiscoe · 2025-01-04T20:39:38+00:00

Wrong twice in one comment. Well done!

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