Ford visits flood-stricken Ontario municipalities, meets with mayors

Ontario Premier Doug Ford visited two municipalities in the Niagara Region grappling with severe flooding and states of emergency. Ford stated on social media that he met with local leaders and heard directly from residents impacted by the recent storms in St. Catharines and the town of Lincoln.

Both municipalities declared emergencies on Monday following consecutive storms that inundated the region with 250 millimetres of rain in under a week. This rainfall, equivalent to about a quarter of the region's annual precipitation, led to widespread flooding of homes and businesses.

“

heard directly from workers and community members impacted by the recent flooding

St. Catharines Mayor Mat Siscoe had previously appealed for assistance from the provincial and federal governments, emphasizing that the city could not manage the recovery efforts alone. A spokesperson for Ontario's Minister of Emergency Preparedness and Response confirmed that the province is evaluating the situation against the eligibility criteria for its disaster recovery program.

“

the city had been left to fend for itself