St. Catharines has reported an optimistic year-end update, with received grants and funding in 2023 totalling $30,356,614.
The City applied for $112 million worth of funding, of which over a quarter was attained.
“Approved funding allows the City to invest in new programs and projects, enhance existing services, and offset costs of regular programs originally funded by taxes or rates each year,” said Director of Financial Management Services Kristine Douglas. “This funding has helped us strengthen our commitment to building a diverse and strong economy in St. Catharines by being financially responsible.”
A large portion of this funding, $25.7 million, comes from the Housing Accelerator Fund, which will assist in combatting the housing crisis by accelerating the construction of units. However, it is not the only notable approved program.
The Streamline Development Fund is a provincial fund also concerned with the housing crisis, dedicated to helping “Ontario’s 39 largest municipalities modernize, streamline and accelerate processes for managing and approving housing applications.” St. Catharines received $966,696 from this fund.
The city also accepted $867,150 for the Next-Generation 9-1-1 program (NG9-1-1), which aims to improve the telecommunication services at emergency call centres. Some examples of such improvements provided by the CRTC are the ability to send videos of accidents, or medical information for use by responding services.
$445,486 came from the Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) Control Program, a cost-share program in partnership with Niagara Region intended to “target inflow and infiltration reduction, which helps to reduce basement flooding, overflows to the environment and alleviates system capacity.”
The St. Catharines Enterprise Centre, located downtown and helping small businesses “start and succeed,” received $413,050 in funding.
As well as the listed funding, the city received approvals from Digital Main Street ($165,000), Seniors Active Living Centres ($128,000), the Enabling Accessibility Fund ($100,000) and others.
“Grant funding plays a crucial role in supporting the City’s multi-year budget, allowing us to plan and execute projects that align with our strategic priorities,” said Douglas. “We remain dedicated to exploring and pursuing viable funding opportunities to further enhance St. Catharines’ growth and prosperity.”
Still unconfirmed are another $11,592,392 of grants and funding, which “are expected to further contribute to City initiatives once finalized,” said the St. Catharines report.
This money is projected to make significant contributions to the enhancement of the City’s infrastructure and services, as well as the well-being of its residents.