St. Catharines mayor expects provincial funding as flood recovery costs rise

The mayor of St. Catharines Mat Siscoe says he expects provincial funding to flow into the city soon, but the cost of two powerful storms that brought extensive flooding to Niagara is still on the rise.

Siscoe is also telling people in his city to be mindful of the public health risks, because a lot of the damage was caused by sewer backup.

The mayor says he met with provincial officials Friday to survey the damage and talk about dollars.

He says he’s confident the province understands how dire the situation is, and expects money will be coming, but there is no timeline.

“This is going to be a very significant financial hit for the community,” said Siscoe.

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Siscoe says it’s too early to put a total price tag on how much the recovery effort has cost since the area was first hit over two weeks ago.

The damage left by sinkholes alone in the city, he says, have cost upwards of $800,000.

“All we can really go on right now, is the number of service calls,” said Siscoe. “We’re well over a thousand at this point.”

Siscoe says the number of affected homes is actually in the tens of thousands range, and the biggest fear remains public health risks, because he says most of the damage is the result of sewer backup.

“A lot of people are putting things out on the curb that are a result of sewer damage,” said Siscoe. “We’re seeing people going around the city right now and picking things out, and the fear is that they’re going to turn around and try and resell those things on Facebook Marketplace. So if I could encourage the community, stay off the Facebook Marketplace for the time being.”

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“I’m having 60 hours a week of work right now,” said Rick Robson with Foundation Expert.

Robson says his phone is ringing off the hook from people who need help sifting through the mess left behind by the floods.

So much so that he can barely get to the damage in his own basement.

“It’s just overwhelming, plus you’re trying to squeeze in — as you know, I’m still working on my basement, hauling everything out, getting everything out of there, and everything’s disrupted,” said Robson.

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“My dad’s going to be 87, and he’s just so stressed out by it all,” said Coral Howe, whose dad lives alone in his home in St. Catharines.

The damage done to his basement and his backyard is too much, and she’s concerned for his health as a result.

“It’s just so much for him — he’s not sleeping, he’s not eating, and he lives here on his own,” said Howe, “insists on staying in the house.”

The City of St. Catharines and the Town of Lincoln continue to be assessed for damage and further funding, but as mentioned, the community is still waiting on a timeline.

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