St. Catharines

St. Catharines sits at the northern entrance to the Welland Canal in the heart of Ontario's Niagara Peninsula. Known as "The Garden City" for its extensive parks and proximity to the vineyards and orchards that line the Niagara Escarpment, the riding encompasses the bulk of the city proper, from its downtown commercial district along St. Paul Street to the residential neighbourhoods stretching toward the QEW corridor.

Candidates

Chris Bittle (Liberal) — A civil litigator at the St. Catharines firm Lancaster, Brooks and Welch, Bittle was a graduate of Queen's University and the University of Windsor law school. Before entering the race, he chaired the board of Quest Community Health Centre in St. Catharines and taught continuing education courses at Niagara College and seminars at Brock University.

Rick Dykstra (Conservative) — The incumbent MP since 2006, Dykstra had previously served on St. Catharines city council in the early 1990s and worked in the Ontario provincial government during the Harris administration, including a stint as chief of staff to the Minister of Community and Social Services. He held a political science degree from Brock University and a project management certificate from York University.

Susan Erskine-Fournier (NDP) — Erskine-Fournier ran for the NDP in a riding where the party had historical pockets of strength in the city's industrial neighbourhoods.

Jim Fannon (Green Party) — Fannon stood for the Greens, highlighting environmental issues including water quality in the Welland Canal and Lake Ontario.

About the Riding

St. Catharines' economy has been in a long transition away from its manufacturing roots. The General Motors powertrain plant, once the city's largest private employer with thousands of workers, had been downsizing steadily, and the broader Niagara region grappled with higher-than-average unemployment through the early 2010s. Brock University, with roughly 5,700 employees, had become one of the largest employers in the city, and the post-secondary sector was an increasingly important economic driver. The Welland Canal, a vital shipping artery connecting Lake Ontario to Lake Erie, runs through the riding and supports port and logistics operations. Wine tourism along the Niagara bench was growing, and the city's relatively affordable housing was drawing new residents from the pricier Greater Toronto Area. Campaign issues in 2015 included job creation and economic diversification, health care capacity in the Niagara Health System, and infrastructure renewal along the aging canal corridor.