St. Catharines

St. Catharines is a federal riding in the heart of Ontario's Niagara Region, centred on the city of St. Catharines, the region's largest municipality. The riding covers the northern and central portions of the city, bounded by Lake Ontario to the north and the Welland Canal to the east and south. Following the 2022 redistribution, the riding gained territory east of Twelve Mile Creek from the former Niagara Centre while losing some of the Western Hill area to Niagara West. St. Catharines has been a federal electoral district in various forms since 1968, and has been represented by the Liberal Party since 2015.

Candidates

Chris Bittle (Liberal) is the incumbent, first elected in 2015 and re-elected in 2019, 2021, and 2025 for a fourth term. Born in Niagara Falls, Bittle graduated from St. Paul Catholic Secondary School before attending Queen's University, where he earned an Honours Bachelor of Arts. He completed his law degree at the University of Windsor in 2005 and was called to the bar in 2006. Bittle returned to St. Catharines to practise civil litigation at Lancaster, Brooks and Welch LLP, focusing on commercial disputes, real estate litigation, and landlord-tenant matters. In Parliament, he was appointed Deputy Leader of the Government in the House of Commons in 2017, at the time the youngest MP to hold that position. He has also served as chair of Quest Community Health Centre and as an instructor at Niagara College and Brock University.

Bas Sluijmers (Conservative) is a Brock University graduate and founding board member of Safe Families Niagara. He works as an international key account manager at Big Country Pet Company in Niagara.

Karen Orlandi (NDP) is a minister at Silver Spire United Church who has worked closely with people experiencing homelessness, poverty, and addiction. She holds a Bachelor of Theological Studies in Diaconal Ministry and is completing a Master's degree in Social Justice and Equity Studies, focusing on homelessness in Niagara. Her commitment to workers' rights was inspired by her grandparents' role in union organizing and her father's involvement with the Longshoreman's Union in Vancouver.

Dennis Wilson (People's Party) also stood as a candidate in the riding.

About the Riding

St. Catharines is the economic and cultural anchor of the Niagara Region, a mid-sized city of roughly 135,000 at the northern end of the Niagara Peninsula. The city sits along the Welland Canal, which has shaped its industrial history, connecting Lake Ontario to Lake Erie and enabling the passage of ocean-going vessels through the Niagara Escarpment. Brock University and Niagara College provide post-secondary education and research capacity, and the city serves as a regional hub for healthcare through the Niagara Health system.

The local economy has evolved from its manufacturing and canal-dependent roots toward a more diversified base including healthcare, education, tourism, and the wine and agri-food industries that thrive across the Niagara Peninsula. The city's cultural scene, anchored by the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre and the annual Canal Days Marine Heritage Festival, has grown as a draw for visitors and new residents.

In 2025, St. Catharines voters were focused on affordability, housing, and healthcare. Rising rents and home prices hit hard in a city that historically offered more affordable living than the Greater Toronto Area, but had seen costs climb as GTA residents moved to Niagara seeking lower prices. The opioid crisis and homelessness were visible concerns downtown. Healthcare capacity, including emergency room closures at hospitals across the Niagara system, generated significant frustration. The US trade dispute added anxiety in a region whose economy depends on cross-border trade and tourism flowing through the Niagara corridor.