St. Catharines mayor talks State of the City Address, COVID-19, Canada Summer Games 2022

Time to check in with St. Catharines mayor Walter Sendzik.

The State of the City Address took place Wednesday night. Sendzik started the address by giving thanks to the outpouring of support for Ukraine in the community.

He says to get a container of equipment and supplied sent to Poland, which then goes into Ukraine costs around $400,000.

“The churches in Niagara that are collecting donations, they are full with a lot of supplies, but it’s the cost of getting those containers to Europe,” said Sendzik.

Sendzik addressed many of the issues St. Catharines is dealing with, especially in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic.

He says the city is dealing with issues including opioid abuse, a housing crisis, increased inflation.

“One of the things I have never shied away from is having difficult discussions and unfortunately over the next number of years, a lot of the communities in our country are going to have to have very difficult discussions about what is happening in their community,” said Sendzik. “These are unprecedented times, but much like generations before us, we’re going to rise to the challenge.”

Sendzik says the city has a lot to look forward too including all the businesses and companies in the city, festivals, as well as the upcoming 2022 Canada Summer Games.

“We’ve got the foundations and the back bone of something that could be very expansive in terms of our approach to what the new economy is going to look like, but at the same time, we need to make sure we don’t leave anybody behind,” said Sendzik.

The Canada Summer Games 2022 is still looking for volunteers. You can find more information at niagara2022games.ca.