Niagara Community Benefits Network
Would you support the implementation of Community Benefit Agreements on future development in St. Catharines?
Yes, where appropriate to the scale and nature of the project, particularly for major public infrastructure investments or developments involving significant public participation.
Major projects can create benefits beyond the infrastructure or development itself, including local employment opportunities, apprenticeships and skilled-trades training, opportunities for local businesses and social enterprises, community amenities and environmental improvements.
At the same time, I believe any Community Benefit Agreement framework should be practical, proportionate and transparent, with clearly defined objectives and measurable outcomes. It should also consider project cost, competitiveness and delivery so that requirements intended to create community benefits do not inadvertently create unnecessary barriers to investment, housing development or participation by smaller contractors.
My approach would therefore be to establish clear criteria for where CBAs can provide meaningful additional community value rather than applying the same requirements to every project.
Would you advocate for the adoption of a sustainable procurement policy for St. Catharines, ensuring that the municipality uses its purchasing power to support local business, workforce development training and fair wages?
Yes.
St. Catharines has already identified a Social Procurement Policy as a priority initiative in its 2023–2027 Strategic Plan, and the City's latest Strategic Plan progress reporting identifies that work as ongoing. I support moving that work forward.
One of the central principles of my platform is making every tax dollar work harder. To me, that does not necessarily mean selecting the lowest initial price. Through my professional work on major capital projects in the private sector, I have firsthand experience with procurement decisions that consider much more than initial cost. Quality, reliability, lifecycle costs, risk, performance and long-term value all matter. I would bring that same disciplined approach to evaluating how the City spends taxpayer dollars.
I believe sustainable procurement can build on that approach by considering appropriate social, economic and environmental outcomes alongside cost and performance. Where practical and consistent with municipal procurement requirements, I support creating opportunities for workforce development, apprenticeships and skilled trades, responsible employment practices, and making municipal opportunities accessible to local and smaller businesses.
At the same time, municipal procurement must remain fair, competitive and transparent. Any additional procurement criteria should have clear objectives and measurable outcomes so that the City can demonstrate the value being achieved for residents.
Niagara Region's work on sustainable procurement also provides an opportunity for collaboration. Rather than unnecessarily duplicating work already undertaken, I would support reviewing the Region's approach and determining where St. Catharines can align with or adapt successful elements to meet the City's own procurement needs.
This reflects the broader approach I have taken throughout my platform: understand the objective, consider the alternatives and full lifecycle costs, collaborate where it makes sense, establish measurable outcomes, and then determine whether we are achieving the results residents were promised.