Revamping user fees could make St. Catharines a cool $7.5 million

St. Catharines could bring in millions of extra dollars if it rejigs its user fees to be more in line with other municipalities, a consultant’s report has found.

The core services review report by Blackline Consulting found St. Catharines brings in less money in user fees than eight comparable lower-tier cities in Ontario.

“We found through our research that if you were to equalize some of your user fees, there’s up to $7.5 million on the table,” Abdel Al-Sharif, engagement manager for Blackline Consulting, told city councillors this month.

“It’s at your discretion how much of that you want to capture.”

The city launched the core services review in 2024 because councillors and city staff were concerned about the sustainability of delivering city services — both mandated and community-d