St. Catharines: A City of Double Standards Under Mayor Siscoe
By Rob McConnell | TWATNews.com | Friday, October 3, 2025
In St. Catharines today, breaking the law no longer carries the weight it once did—at least not if you’re part of the growing number of individuals using drugs openly in public spaces. Under Mayor Mat Siscoe’s leadership, the police have had their enforcement hands tied, forced into little more than a symbolic gesture of control. The end result? A slap on the wrist for lawbreakers, while the rest of the community is left to deal with the consequences.
Open drug use is not just a matter of personal harm—it is a matter of public safety, community wellbeing, and respect for the law. Yet the majority of those engaging in this behavior, many of whom are homeless, face virtually no accountability. Citizens are increasingly asking the obvious question: Why is breaking the law still considered breaking the law everywhere else in Canada, except in St. Catharines under Mayor Siscoe?
This leniency might be easier to swallow if it weren’t part of a broader pattern. The same mayor and his council of desperadoes are already under public scrutiny after revelations that the property facing 7 Gale Crescent was sold behind closed doors. The deal, kept in the shadows until exposed by local reporting, involves the Municipal Development Corporation—an entity crafted by Siscoe and his fellow councilors, in concert with developers and investors. The 4 Tower, 800 (minimum) rental units, will be obstructing the view of condo owners at 7 Gale Crescent, a building that is 14 stories high while the new rental property towers will be 18 floors. (Please goto www.TWATNews.com and fear the article
To the public, this looks less like governance and more like a backroom boys’ club, where transparency is optional and accountability is brushed aside. On one hand, the mayor undermines police enforcement of existing laws, and on the other, he pushes through property sales and developments without the knowledge, let alone the input, of the people who will be most affected.
The message is clear: under Mayor Siscoe, the laws of St. Catharines bend to political convenience and private interests, not to the citizens who expect and deserve honest, transparent leadership.
St. Catharines residents are rightly asking: how much longer must the community pay the price for leadership that refuses to take responsibility?