Council approves $2.73M surplus to Tax Stabilization Reserve Fund

Council approved the allocation of the 2024 year-end surplus of $2.73 million from the Tax Levy Supported Operating Budget to the Tax Rate Stabilization Reserve (TRSR), as per normal procedure. The 2024 Tax Levy Budget was the first budget adopted under the Strong Mayor Powers’ legislation. 

Council approves BTIF support for Queenston Street project

Council approved an amendment to the 2020 Community Improvement Plan (2020CIP) to permit eligible retroactive project costs for the potential development of 142 Queenston St.

On March 31, Council directed staff to facilitate a request from Vive Development Corporation to waive eligible project cost requirements prior to entering into a Community Improvement Plan (CIP).

Currently under the 2020CIP, eligible project costs incurred prior to the execution of a formal CIP Agreement with the City are not retroactively eligible for the Tax Increment Finance (TIF) or Brownfield Tax Increment Finance (BTIF) incentive programs. 

Council endorsed review, update of The Garden City Plan 

Council endorsed the review and update of The Garden City Plan and the initiation of the process under Section 26 of the Planning Act.

As a result of the Cutting Red Tape to Build More Homes Act (Bill 185), the Region’s Official Plan (Niagara Official Plan) became an official plan of the City of St. Catharines on March 31, 2025 and will remain in effect until the City revokes or amends the plan to provide otherwise. The review and update of the Garden City Plan will include a consolidation of the Region’s Official Plan and will ensure that the Garden City Plan conforms and does not conflict with provincial plans and policies.

Council also received from staff information regarding the status of the Ontario Street Corridor Secondary Plan. Staff anticipate work on the Ontario Street Corridor Secondary Plan Study will restart in late 2025 after a pause in April 2024 due to delays related to required background studies for properties at 282 and 285 Ontario St., which make up a significant component of the Secondary Plan Study.

Council approves Public Space Use By-law

Council approved a By-law to regulate the use of Public Space within the City of St. Catharines and directed staff to expedite a business case for the resources required for its immediate enforcement. Council approved funds required to enforce the Public Space Use By-law in 2025 be taken from the Tax Rate Stabilization Reserve at the discretion of the CAO.

An education period will begin immediately until the resources are in place to enforce the by-law.

The City will bill back to Niagara Region for staffing costs associated with enforcement of the by-law as housing and homelessness is a regional responsibility. Staff will continue to work with regional staff, Niagara Regional Police Service, St. Catharines Fire Services, and other relevant City departments to produce a monthly public report model.

The Public Space Use By-law addresses the growing number of encampments within city parks and other public spaces and balances the rights of individuals experiencing unsheltered homelessness with the City’s responsibility to maintain safe, accessible, inclusive, and equitable use of public spaces for all members of the public. The by-law will be reviewed annually in consultation with individuals with lived experience with homelessness, such as community engagement groups and advocacy organizations that support or represent people experiencing homelessness. 

Council supports partnership to design, install commemorative plaque in Montebello Park

Council supported a partnership between the City’s Community Recreation and Culture Services Department, Municipal Works Department, and the Horticultural Society of St. Catharines to design and install a commemorative plaque in Montebello Park, honouring the Rose Garden and W.B. Burgoyne as its founding benefactor.

Council will allocate up to $7,500 in funding for the plaque from the Civic Project Fund and will ensure consultation with the St. Catharines Heritage Advisory Committee on the location, design, and installation of the plaque before implementation.

Council endorsed Coun. McPherson to stand for election on Federation of Canadian Municipalities board

Council endorsed Coun. Robin McPherson to stand for election on the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) Board of Directors for the period starting in June 2025 and ending June 2027.

FCM’s Annual General meeting will be held in conjunction with the Annual Conference and Trade Show, May 29 to June 1, 2025, followed by the election of FCM’s Board of Directors. 

McPherson was elected to the FCM board in 2024. FCM's board of directors are filled by election on an annual basis, although effective 2025 any appointments will be made for a two-year term.

Coun. McPherson has been a City Councillor in Ward 4 St Patrick's since 2022.

City to host Sunset Beach renovation community information session

The City invites residents to a community information session to provide a construction update for the Sunset Beach Renovation Project beginning this year.

The community information session will be held Tuesday, May 6 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Port Weller Community Centre, 1 Bogart St.

Residents will receive an overview of project timelines and the construction phasing plan. Construction is expected to have a significant impact in 2025 and 2026. Clear communication on timelines and construction activities will help minimize disruptions for all.

Be water wise: rain barrel sales open until May 30

St. Catharines' residents can now go online to purchase a rain barrel for their property at the deeply discounted rate of $60 each until May 30 or while supplies last.

Rain barrels enable residents to collect rainwater for use in their gardens while reducing water pollution by keeping property runoff out of the sewer system.

Barrels are limited and pre-registration is required.

Pre-ordered rain barrels must be picked up on Saturday, June 7 between 8:30 a.m. and noon in the parking lot of Seymour-Hannah Sports and Entertainment Centre.



Let Your Words Walk the Steps of City Hall: Poetry Call Out for 2SLGBTQI+ Voices

All emerging, student and established 2SLGBTQI+ poets living in Niagara Region are invited to submit a short poem to the inaugural City of St. Catharines Poetry Call Out, titled Pride in Every Step, Love in Every Action.

The selected poem will reflect on small acts of allyship or personal reflections of how love and pride impact individuals and communities. The poem will be printed on vinyl and installed on the front steps of St. Catharines City Hall from May through September 2025.

Application deadline is May 16.

St. Catharines powering up with EV fleet

The City of St. Catharines is driving toward a greener future by introducing in April a new fleet of electric vehicles (EVs) for its municipal by-law services.

By-law Services is the first City division to fully convert its fleet to all-electric cars. Funded by the Administrative Monetary Penalty System and not from property tax dollars, the seven new vehicles, 2025 Chevrolet Equinox EVs, are customized to meet the needs of modern by-law enforcement.

The EV fleet marks another step forward in advancing goals under the Environmental Stewardship and Organizational Excellence pillars in the 2023-2027 City of St. Catharines Strategic Plan.

Swing into the season at Garden City Golf Course

Fore! The Garden City Golf Course is now open.

Golfers can enjoy spring rates now through June, with weekday green fees set at $13.45 for nine holes and $25.80 for 18. On weekends, nine holes are available for $17.40 and 18 holes for $28.15.

Tee times are available seven days a week, beginning at 7:30 a.m. To accommodate longer days, opening tee times will shift to 7 a.m. starting May 2. Final tee times will be approximately 3:30 p.m. for 18-hole golfers and 5 p.m. for those playing nine holes. These times may be adjusted again as summer hours approach.

City invites 2025 Culture Days Activity Program applications

The City of St. Catharines is accepting applications until May 8 for the 2025 Culture Days Activity Program, part of the St. Catharines Cultural Investment Program (SCCIP).

This initiative supports artists, cultural organizations, and businesses in delivering free, interactive cultural experiences during the annual Culture Days celebration.

Activities should align with the National Culture Days mandate to inspire public participation and appreciation of arts and culture.





City partners with St. Catharines Tennis Club to program renewed Community Park tennis courts

A partnership between the City and the re-established St. Catharines Tennis Club marks the rebirth of organized tennis in St. Catharines on the newly revitalized tennis courts at Community Park in Merritton.

The City has upgraded the three existing tennis courts at the park and added a fourth court with the support of a $40,000 contribution from the St. Catharines Tennis Club. Tennis court lighting and fencing was replaced, and hard surface connections added. Permanent lines will be painted sometime in May.

The St. Catharines Tennis Club’s inaugural season opened April 12, with play scheduled through the end of October. The club offers a full slate of leagues that will operate at night, including women’s on Mondays, men’s on Wednesdays, mixed men’s and women’s on Thursdays, and a drop-in league on Fridays. Youth programming is also offered, by qualified Ontario Tennis Association (OTA) coaches.

Marty Mako sworn in as Ward 6 Councillor

St. Catharines City Council returned to full complement on April 29, with the swearing in of Marty Mako as City Councillor representing Ward 6 in Port Dalhousie.

Electors selected Mako during the April 14 by-election to fill the Ward 6 seat declared vacant after the passing of Coun. Carlos Garcia last December. 

Mako, a Commander with Niagara Emergency Medical Services (EMS), has previously served as a citizen member on the City’s Heritage Advisory, Recreation Master Plan and Sustainability Advisory Committees. Active in the community, volunteering for a variety of organizations and causes, he has most recently been chairing Port Dalhousie’s 200th anniversary planning committee.

“I’m looking forward to listening, learning, and working collaboratively with Council and residents to ensure our City provides quality services that are responsive to local needs,” Mako said.



TownhallSTC:

St. George's Ward

April 30, 2025

5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

St. Catharines Kiwanis Aquatics Centre

Lunch and Learn Series

May 21, 2025

10 a.m. Lunch to follow

St. Catharines Museum and Welland Canals Centre

1932 Welland Canals Pkwy.