The City of St. Catherines, Ontario will use $125,000 in funding from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities’ (FCM) climate change staff grants initiative, funded by the Government of Canada, to help the city become more resilient to effects of climate change.
“Recent experiences and extreme weather show us that climate change is happening and its impacts are very local,” said Mayor Walter Sendzik. “From rising water levels, extreme cold temperatures and unpredictable weather, cities are on the front lines of this issue and this grant will help us be prepared for the impacts of climate change. Thank you to our partners at FCM and the federal government for working together with cities to leverage our knowledge and resources to be prepared for the impacts of climate change.”
St. Catharines is among 59 communities across Canada to receive FCM funding. The city will use the grant to hire a climate change coordinator to look at what the city needs to do to adapt to the future effects of climate change, from training outside workers on how to deal with extreme weather to changing operating procedures to adapt snow and ice removal in a warmer climate.
“Experts around the world agree that climate change is occurring and its effects are being observed globally and locally,” said Mark Green, manager of environmental services at the City of St. Catherines. “One of the goals of our strategic plan is be prepared for the impacts of climate change. This grant money will help us on our way to considering climate change impacts in everything we do here at the City of St. Catharines.”
Last week, FCM also announced the City of St. Catharines was among 42 communities to receive a grant through its Green Municipal Fund and Municipal Asset Management Program. The city will use the $50,000 grant for software to collect data relating to road conditions.
