Mayors Office

About Mayor Sendzik

Walter Sendzik was born and raised in St. Catharines. In 2014, as a first-time candidate for political office, he was elected as Mayor of St. Catharines and re-elected in 2018. As Mayor, Walter brings a strategic focus and business-like approach to City Hall where he has focused on streamlining processes and building a culture of excellent customer service. Since becoming Mayor, the City has approved a new strategic plan and economic development strategy, stabilized tax rate increases and implemented long-term budgeting.

With a background in business, Mayor Sendzik has been a strong advocate for local business and regularly meets with local businesses, employers and investors. Understanding transportation as key for business success and getting people to work, school and services, Mayor Sendzik has led in the transformation of inter-municipal transit from a pilot project to a permanent service that will connect all of Niagara's communities. He has helped bring private sector partners to community events and worked with the development community on a new housing action plan.

In 2015 Mayor Sendzik launched the Compassionate City initiative which has helped inspire St. Catharines' residents to take action to build a city where everyone belongs. With his open-door policy, Mayor Sendzik is accessible to residents, charities and community groups and regularly participates in fundraisers, 5-km runs and cultural experiences. Mayor Sendzik is focused on building on the progress and momentum of the city and the greater Niagara region as an attractive place to live, work and invest.

Prior to becoming Mayor, Walter was Chief Executive Officer of the Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce (GNCC). During his seven years at the Chamber, Walter led the evolution of the local Chamber into a truly Niagara Chamber with more than 1,400 members. Under Walter's leadership, the GNCC established itself as the largest business organization in Niagara and the third-largest in Ontario. It is also the only Chamber in Niagara to receive accreditation with distinction for operational excellence by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce. Prior to the Chamber, Walter founded Vines Publishing, a company specializing in wine and travel magazines and books. He sold the company in 2005. Walter has co-authored five books, including Vines: The Buyer's Guide to Canadian Wine and The Insider's Guide to Niagara Wine Country.

Walter has served on local and provincial boards, including Niagara College, Hotel Dieu Shaver, Pathstone Mental Health and LCBO. He currently serves on the boards of Niagara Regional Housing, the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative, and Ontario's Big City Mayors.

In 2008 Walter was awarded the Bernie Gillespie Award by the Ontario Chamber of Commerce as top executive of the year. He is also a recipient of a Niagara Top 40 Under 40 Award. He is an active Rotarian and an honourary member of the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 24 and the Canadian Polish Society. Walter holds a Masters from McGill University, an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree from Wilfrid Laurier University and an ICD - Rotman Directors Education Program from the Rotman School of Business.

Contact Mayor Sendzik

You can contact Mayor Walter Sendzik by phone at 905.688.5601 ext. 1540, by email at mayor@stcatharines.ca or by mail at:

City of St. Catharines
50 Church St.
PO Box 3012
St. Catharines, ON L2R 7C2

Stay up to date

You can also keep up to date with the Mayor by visiting Mayor Sendzik's website and following him on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn and Instagram.

View Mayor Sendzik's news and events from around the city.

Mayoral services

Community members can make requests to the mayor's office for a variety of services to recognize milestones, celebrations and special events.

• Congratulatory certificates are provided to individuals, groups, businesses and other organizations in St. Catharines to commemorate anniversaries, birthdays, milestone occasions, official openings and other special honours. The Mayor provides certificates for residents in St. Catharines celebrating their 75th, 80th, 85th, 90th, 95th, 100th and over 100 birthdays, and 25th, 40th, 50th, 60th, 65th, 70th, 75th and over 75 anniversaries. Please complete our Certificate Request Form if you would like to receive a congratulatory certificate from the Mayor. We request that request forms be submitted at least six weeks prior to your celebration.  These certificates are not civic endorsements and the City does not make proclamations. 
• Flag raising requests can be made through our Flag Raising Request Form. Please deliver your flag to the Mayor's Office (City Hall, 50 Church St., third floor) the week prior to your flag raising. A staff member from the Mayor's Office will contact you to confirm the date and time.
• Invitations for the Mayor and/or a City Councillor to special events can be made through our Invitation Request Form. Please note that we appreciate receiving your invitation at least six weeks in advance of your event. A staff member from the Mayor's Office will contact you to confirm attendance or extend regrets.
• City pins can be requested by charitable organizations, agencies or sports teams for upcoming meetings, events or tournaments. Please complete our City Pin Request Form. For requests of more than 25 pins, please contact Economic Development and Tourism Services at 905-688-5601, ext. 1731.

Mayoral news

Stay up to date with the latest news releases and updates from the Mayor's Office.

View more mayoral news and updates

State of the City

At the Mayor's 2022 State of the City address, Mayor Sendzik said the City is ready to forge ahead with COVID-19 pandemic recovery in 2022. That recovery, however, will need to be as a unified and inclusive community, he said, in order to harness the pre-pandemic momentum that was forced to a pause in 2020.

Team STC Hall of Fame inductees

Together with the St. Catharines economic development team, Mayor Sendzik recognized four businesses with Team STC Awards, in recognition of their contributions in the community and abroad.

Compassionate STC

Mayor Sendzik invites you to join him in signing the Compassionate STC Charter - a commitment to making our city a more compassionate and prosperous place by taking personal action and working together.

Learn more about Compassionate STC, an online platform that provides information on how to get involved and use the services and resources available to you as a member of the St. Catharines community in building a shared future where everyone belongs.

Social services directory

Find the right phone number for your social services need with our Compassionate City Guide.

Mayor's Poetry Challenge

The Mayor's Poetry Challenge returned for 2022, celebrating the Canada Summer Games. Mayor Sendzik invited St. Catharines residents to submit an original poem inspired by this multi-sport event – whether it be what makes sport special to you, or a submission that embodies the spirit of the games, which has the theme “Inspire. Transform. Unify.” 

Shelley Locke was the winner of the 2022 contest with her submission 'A Time to Cheer', which Mayor Sendzik read her poem at City Council.

A Time to Cheer

The world is changing

Unfolding in ways unimaginable

Intangible forces invade our thoughts

Stirring minds in frantic ways

Let’s halt the grains of the hourglass

For a moment brief in time

Amidst a shared distraction

With the ability to unite

For all to come together

Let differences melt

Like ice after rain

We can strengthen our kinship

Forging heroes through sport

We celebrate sacrifice

We celebrate hope

Influencing societal change

To build covalent bonds

A time to cheer

Teammates and crowd

Allied as one

To sweat together, to bleed together

For hope is played out on the field

And has the power to dispel our cultural divides

About the Mayor's Poetry Challenge

The Mayor's Poetry Challenge takes place during National Poetry Month in April, which began in 1998 by the League of Canadian Poets to celebrate and appreciate poetry.