Coming up at City Council: September 22, 2025

St. Catharines City Council meets next on Monday, Sept. 22, at City Hall, 50 Church St., in the Council Chambers (third floor). Residents can watch in person, or online via the City’s YouTube page.

Please note, Monday’s meeting will start at 5 p.m., at which time it will resolve into a special meeting of the shareholder for the St. Catharines Municipal Development Corporation. The regular council meeting will begin no earlier than 6 p.m.

On the Consent Agenda

There are several items on the consent agenda, a procedural tool that allows multiple agenda items to be passed with a single motion if Council is in agreement. City Councillors can also request an item be moved to the discussion agenda. Items listed on consent for Sept. 22, include:

• Capital Project Report for Second Quarter: The City’s Financial Management Services team will be providing an update on five projects over $100,000 that have been substantially completed up to the end of the second quarter (June 30). The projects include Seymour-Hannah Sports and Entertainment Centre dehumidification upgrades, yard security and exterior work for Lake Street Service Centre, lighting at Kiwanis Filed and the LED lighting replacement at St. Catharines Kiwanis Aquatics Centre.
• 2025 Second Quarter Operating Financial Update: The Finance team will also provide a high-level summary of financial position of the City’s tax levy supported operating budget, parking budget and water and wastewater budget for the second quarter, and any major variances. Staff are reporting all City budgets and Agencies, Boards, and Commissions are forecasting actuals to slightly exceed budget mainly due to timing of revenue and expenditures, with other in-year variances accommodated within the overall operating budgets.
• 2026 City Council and Budget Standing Committee Meeting Schedule: Council will consider approval of the meeting schedule for 2026, including both City Council and Budget Standing Committee meetings. The report includes a draft schedule, and also notes that the last meeting Council before the 2026 municipal election (set to take place Oct. 26, 2026) would be Sept. 28, 2026. The last meeting of the term would be Nov. 2, 2026, with the inauguration of the new Council to be held Monday, Nov. 16, 2026.
• Timeline and Process for 2026 Readoption Budgets: As the City prepares to enter its final year of the 2024 to 2026 multi-year budget cycle, work on the readoption of the 2026 budget is set to begin. The report outlines the schedule, which starts with Council receiving information from staff on potential budget changes on Oct. 15, followed by the Mayor publishing his budget on Oct. 27. That will be followed by a period of consideration of Council amendments. A detailed timeline, as well as information on ways for residents to share their feedback, including the Telephone Town Hall and an in-person open house, can be found in the report and online at www.stcatharines.ca/budget.
• Capital Budget Request for Compact Storage for Museum: The St. Catharines Museum and Welland Canals Centre has an opportunity to apply to a federal grant for a compact storage unit for its artifacts. Matching funding is required for the application, so the museum is seeking $250,000 as a capital request for 2026. The funds would only be used if the grant application is successful.

Public Meetings

One public meeting is scheduled to take place on Monday. Feedback from the community is welcome in person or electronically for public meetings. To speak virtually during a public meeting, you must submit a delegation request prior to 9 a.m. on Monday. In-person delegations are encouraged to submit a request in advance, but are not required to pre-register in order to speak at public meetings. Please visit stcatharines.ca/Council for information on how to access and participate in the meeting, and how to request and make a delegation before Council.

Council will consider an amendment to the City’s Official Plan and Zoning By-law for lands at 185-191 Bunting Rd., and a portion of 189 Dieppe Rd. While no specific development proposal is being made at this time, the property owners are seeking to carry forward existing land-use permissions, but also expand them to include light industrial uses, car dealerships and hotels.

Special Presentation

Melinda Chartrand, French Catholic Trustee for St. Catharines for Conseil Scolaire Catholique Mon Avenir, joined by students from the school board will make a presentation regarding 50th anniversary of the Ontario Francophone Flag.

Discussion Agenda

Items intended for discussion are staff reports noted on the agenda and are considered one at a time. As noted, however, City Council members can pull an item from consent for discussion at the meeting.

• Administrative Monetary Penalty System (AMPS) Review and Special Event Parking Rate Increases: Council will consider an increase to the City’s special event parking fee, effective Jan. 1, 2026 if approved, to $10 for City-owned and operated garages and municipal lots, and $15 for the David S. Howes lot, adjacent to the Meridian Centre. The proposal is in alignment with the recently approved Parking Services Review and was identified as an immediate-term recommendation. Council will also consider increases to administrative parking penalties, bringing the City’s fees more in line with its municipal comparators, and the introduction of new tiered and escalating penalties to address repeat offenders in an attempt to strengthen compliance. A breakdown of the proposed fees for infractions is listed in the report.

Additional Motions Being Tabled

• Councillor Kevin Townsend will table a motion asking staff to research and draft a nuisance by-law aimed at prohibiting panhandling and similar activities in locations that present heightened risks, such as highway interchanges and roads with major traffic volume.
• Councillor Townsend will table a motion advocating to the federal government regarding bail reform and making the national sex offender registry more publicly accessible.

Closed Session

Items listed on closed session are portions of the meeting that are not open to the public. They are held during discussions on confidential or sensitive information, as permitted by specific exemptions outlined in the Municipal Act. Reasons permitted can also be found in the City’s by-law regulating the proceedings of Council (see Section H). Listed on the agenda are:

• Property matter at 54 Church St. (Proposed or Pending Disposition of Land by the Municipality or Local Board)

Additional Information

Find the entire agenda for the meeting here. You can also find information on Council meetings, including ways to participate or offer feedback, such as correspondence or delegations, on our website.

Miss the meeting and want to know what happened after? Council meetings are streamed live on YouTube, but can also be replayed afterwards - just visit www.stcatharines.ca/youtube to find the meeting. You can also register to receive the Garden City Current, our e-newsletter, which features recaps of Council meetings, City news and updates, and much more.

And don’t forget to stay connected – check out our social media channels and watch stcatharines.ca for ongoing updates from the City of St. Catharines.

Note: This information is as of Friday, Sept. 19, and is subject to change.