Enjoy two hours free parking this August to shop, dine in Downtown St. Catharines

Downtown merchants will validate paid municipal parking for customers using HONK during City pilot project

Enjoy two hours free parking when you shop, dine, and explore Downtown St. Catharines this August.

Throughout the month, the City is offering a Downtown Merchant Validated Parking pilot project to make the Downtown St. Catharines’ experience more convenient for residents and visitors. Thanks to our partnership with HONK parking management platform, customers who visit participating downtown businesses can receive up to two hours of free parking through merchant validation. 

To qualify, customers must visit a participating downtown business and obtain a parking validation QR code. Customers who park can scan the QR code with their cell phone, input their licence plate number and receive two hours of validated parking. No app download, account creation, email address, or payment information is required.

The pilot program is available for paid downtown metered parking, including surface lots, on-street spaces and at the Ontario Street Parking Garage. The City’s self-serve Garden Park / Carlisle Street Parking Garage is exempt from the program, as it does not permit unpaid exits. One validation per licence plate per day. Three-hour daily parking limits are in effect for City-owned lots, and on-street spaces.

“This Downtown merchant validated parking initiative supports our efforts to attract more visitors downtown, support local downtown businesses, and enhance the overall customer experience in the core,” said City Parking Supervisor Danielle Clement. “By requiring customers to visit participating businesses to receive parking validation, the program directly supports our downtown merchants while making it easier and more affordable for people to shop, dine, and access services in the core. The pilot will also provide us with valuable information on usage and effectiveness as we continue to implement initiatives identified through our Downtown Stabilization, Safety, and Reinvestment Plan.”

The City pilot program is a collaboration with the St. Catharines Downtown Association (SCDA), which will be promoting the initiative, supporting participating businesses, and ensuring customers have the information and tools they need to take advantage of the program. 

SCDA is a non-profit organization that represents approximately 700 members, including commercial property owners, retailers, restaurants, and professional offices in the designated Business Improvement Area (BIA).

“Our downtown businesses are always looking for new ways to create a great experience for their customers, and we're excited to give them another tool to help welcome people into the core,” said Kat Dodge, SCDA Executive Director. “We're grateful for the City's partnership in making this pilot possible and look forward to seeing even more people shop, dine, and explore everything Downtown St. Catharines has to offer.”

The Downtown Merchant Validated Parking Pilot Program is part of the City’s Downtown Stabilization, Safety and Reinvestment Plan. City Council adopted the plan in January 2026 and approved up to $500,000 to put it into action through short- and medium-term City initiatives aimed at helping the downtown core succeed.