Despite a last-minute decision to delay $4-million in funding to enhance safety on a St. Catharines bridge, Niagara's acting medical officer of health said he will continue to call for the installation of barriers.

As councillors were preparing to finalize the Region's budget on Thursday, they instead voted to approve everything else included in the more than $274-million capital budget - except the barriers planned for the Burgoyne Bridge, essentially delaying funding for the project until a report by Dr. Mustafa Hirji on the project is presented.

But considering deaths that have occurred in the weeks since regional council first approved a motion by St. Catharines Mayor Walter Sendzik to including funding for the barriers, Hirji said "it's very likely that I'll be recommending that the barrier be built."

And since the process of planning for the barriers is already underway, Hirji said the delayed funding will not hold up the installation of the barriers.

"That being said, I think there will likely be a reaction from people in the community who care about this issue . the inconsistency of council's decision here," Hirji added in an interview.

During the meeting, Fort Erie Coun. Tom Insinna described spending the money on the barriers as "a travesty."

"To single out one point and to contribute this much money towards it rather than advance the money to programs in itself, to mental health and everything else," Insinna said.

He said funding the barriers "is going to set precedent," if similar deaths occur in other areas.

St. Catharines Coun. Brian Heit, too, said he won't support spending the money "on a net or mesh or anything else."

He said he'd "rather see the money invested in helping people - more staff, phone calls, someone can answer a call and talk these people down."

"That's more important than putting up a net somewhere, or mesh or a fence."

"There's no way of stopping this just by putting up a net. It's ludicrous," he said.

Pointing out the numerous bridges over Niagara highways, Heit asked if the region would add safety barriers to all of them.

"We need to help these people and I'd rather invest the money helping them than putting up the structure, and people can then move to another location."

Hirji, however, later told The Standard that "scientific research points out quite strongly that while some people will go to another location or find another means of dying by suicide, the majority do not."

For instance, he said barriers installed on a bridge in Toronto were overwhelmingly effective at preventing deaths throughout the city.

"Bridge barriers are generally seen as highly cost effective," he added.

And although during the meeting several councillors listed other areas and ways by which people have taken their own lives, Hirji ask them to refrain from discussing specific "means by which people are dying by suicide," concerned it could add to the suicide contagion he feels is contributing to deaths.

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St. Catharines Coun. Tim Rigby said the situation "truly is unfortunate."

"Frankly, people have been going off Burgoyne Bridge for a long time and I can attest to that," he said.

Rigby said he's more concerned about emergency workers putting themselves at risk to "extract someone who tried to commit suicide and got caught in the net."

Although several councillors said they hoped to instead use that $4-million for mental health programs, acting CAO Ron Tripp said the funding for the barriers would remain in the capital reserve fund if council ultimately votes against installing them.

"The idea of dealing with the root cause would be an operating budget consideration, but we will bring that forward to council for consideration," Tripp said.

In an interview, Sendzik said he remains confident the barriers will be added. The barriers have had "strong support in the community in St. Catharines and strong support at council, I believe."

"The fact that the funding is remaining in the budget speaks volumes about both regional staff and other councillors who actually understand the importance of this," he said.

"Any effort to try to remove funding for the protective barriers is irresponsible. It's reckless"

Allan.Benner@niagaradailies.com

905-225-1629 | @abenner1