PCs asked to declare state of emergency for mental health, homelessness & addictions; Niagara’s own moves have had little impact
Niagara Democracy Watch is The Pointer’s regular feature aimed at increasing the public’s awareness and political involvement across Niagara Region by highlighting key agenda items, motions and decisions.
Public Health and Social Services Committee
Date: February 10 - 1:00 p.m. | Delegate | Full Agenda | Watch Live
The Region’s February 10th meeting of the Public Health and Social Services Committee will hear three delegations all calling on the Ontario government to declare a province-wide state of emergency over the ongoing crises of people battling with mental health, homelessness, and addictions unable to get proper care. The three delegates, Alicia Googoo, Tammy Riley and Cheryl Rowe are, respectively, residents of Niagara’s three largest lower tier municipalities of St. Catharines, Niagara Falls and Welland.
Ms. Googoo and Ms. Rowe previously appeared before Regional Council on September 25, 2025 supporting a motion authored by the Public Health and Social Services Committee Chair, Councillor Pat Chiocchio (Welland), calling on the Province to “support a coordinated approach” between various provincial ministries to address the ongoing challenges related to mental health, homelessness and opioid addiction and to provide funding to address “gaps in programs and services contributing to the state of emergency.”
Councillor Chiocchio’s motion, however, did not explicitly call on the Province to declare an emergency. The state of emergency he referred to was a decision by Regional Council on February 23, 2023.
At the time, Council approved a motion directing then Regional Chair Jim Bradley to formally issue three separate declarations of emergency regarding homelessness, mental health and opioid addiction.
Although there was no disputing the pervasiveness of the issues in Niagara, whether such declarations were appropriate under the applicable legislation was subject to debate.
The Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act allows the head of a municipal council to declare an emergency, which is defined as, "a situation or an impending situation that constitutes a danger of major proportions that could result in serious harm to persons or substantial damage to property and that is caused by the forces of nature, a disease or other health risk, an accident whether intentional or otherwise."
The Province’s related website provides a number of examples, the majority of which depict natural events, such as storms, forest fires, heat waves and droughts, or hazards related to power outages or incidents involving oil, gas or nuclear power. One icon denotes a pandemic due to infectious disease.
When Regional Council was considering whether to declare the states of emergency related to the social ills of homelessness, mental health and opioid addiction, they received advice from then Commissioner of Community Services Adrienne Jugley, who outlined in a memo, that the issues of mental health, homelessness and addiction require the development of sustainable, long-term solutions and could not be solved in a matter of days, weeks or months like the emergencies traditionally dealt with under the provincial legislation.
Since the February 2023 declarations, the Public Health and Social Services Committee, and Regional Council have revisited these emergency declarations on a handful of occasions, including the possibility of redefining the situation as a “State of Crisis”. The proposed change in terminology did not proceed.
At a July 2023 Public Health and Social Services Committee meeting, when pressed, the Region’s Chief Administrative Officer Ron Tripp felt that the declarations of emergency added no value. While staff prepared consolidated reports that outlined the various activities the Region was doing related to mental health, homelessness and opioid addiction, the activities would have occurred regardless of the states of emergency.
A memo by staff at the March 5, 2024, Public Health and Social Services Committee meeting questioned the efficacy of the declarations due to a lack of key metrics or thresholds being established. While staff did provide data related to the three categories, they cautioned that any trends or improvements could not conclusively be attributed to the declarations of emergency.
At that March meeting, the Public Health and Social Services Committee Chair, Councillor Chiocchio was undeterred by what could be declared emergencies for an indefinite period. He reasoned that the declarations heightened Council, and the Province’s, awareness of the issues.
Whether the Province has been listening is questionable. While the original declarations of emergency in 2023 garnered responses from then Provincial Ministers of Health and Municipal Affairs and Housing, neither Minister specifically mentioned Council's declarations, choosing instead to highlight various funding programs available at the provincial level.
Councillor Chiocchio’s September 2025 motion attempted to strike a collaborative tone in its outreach to the Province. In his related remarks at the Council meeting, he said he was asking for a “partnership” with the Province and he did not specifically advocate for the government to use their powers and declare a province-wide emergency.
The councillor was candid that he hoped that the motion would “push the government to maybe send some monies our way.”
Regional staff had previously advised Council that the provincial funding would not likely emanate from the declarations of emergency and that as is the case for other emergency declarations, the municipality would only receive funding after all local resources had been exhausted. Staff’s caution prompted Mayor Mat Siscoe (St. Catharines), at the time, to warn his colleagues that Council better be prepared to invest heavily in any regional services related to the three areas.
Councillor Chiocchio’s collaborative approach echoed similar entreaties by the Ontario Big City Mayors (OBCM) caucus. The group, made up of the 29 mayors of Ontario cities with populations of 100,000 or more, collectively representing nearly 70 percent of Ontario’s population, launched their “Solve the Crisis” initiative in 2024. At the time, the OBCM was calling for the formation of a single provincial ministry to address the homelessness and mental health crisis and for the creation of a municipal-provincial task force “to direct resources and supports to our cities”.
This past December, the OBCM struck a more urgent tone passing a resolution that the Provincial government “declare a state of emergency to address homelessness caused by addictions and mental health that has created a community safety and humanitarian crisis across the province.” The OBCM stated that while municipalities “covered 51.5 percent of the $4.1 billion spent on housing and homelessness programs in Ontario in 2024”, such funding from the municipal sector was not sustainable, especially considering that it was “for many services that should fall under provincial responsibility.”
The OCBM’s call was buttressed by the release last month of an update from the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) on the homeless crisis. AMO reported that nearly 85,000 Ontarians were known to be homeless in 2025, an increase of almost 8 percent in just one year and a nearly 50 percent increase since 2021. The report also detailed that people are staying homeless for longer periods, and more than half are considered chronically homeless, meaning they have been without a home for at least six months or have cycled in and out of homelessness repeatedly.
The Provincial government has yet to formally respond to the OBCM and has not shown an inclination in the past to declare emergencies related to social issues, such as intimate partner violence.
“If we stop knocking on the door, maybe we're not going to be heard,” offered Regional Councillor Sal Sorento (St. Catharines) at the September 2025 meeting. His comment was echoed by fellow St. Catharines Councillor Laura Ip:
“Maybe if we bring a motion like this every single month the province will finally listen.”
Past reporting:
Email: [email protected]
At a time when vital public information is needed by everyone, The Pointer has taken down our paywall on all stories to ensure every resident of Brampton, Mississauga and Niagara has access to the facts. For those who are able, we encourage you to consider a subscription. This will help us report on important public interest issues the community needs to know about now more than ever. You can register for a 30-day free trial HERE. Thereafter, The Pointer will charge $10 a month and you can cancel any time right on the website. Thank you
Submit a correction about this story
