ONTARIO VOTES 2022: AN OVERVIEW OF THE ST. CATHARINES RIDING

THE RIDING:

The provincial electoral district of St. Catharines is approximately 84 kilometres squared.

With a population of 111,690 (based on the 2016 census), the district encompasses most of the city of St. Catharines.

THE RACE:

Incumbent Jennie Stevens is hoping to win her second term as MPP for St. Catharines.

Liberal party's Ryan Madill is a first-time political candidate, but has served as president of the St. Catharines Professional Firefighters Association for 11 years.

Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario candidate Sal Sorrento might be a familiar face around St. Catharines, as he has been a city councillor for two terms.

None of the Above party's Johnathan Davies is a first-time candidate.

Rin Simon is the candidate for the Communist Party in St. Catharines.

Keith McDonald is the St. Catharines candidate for the New Blue party.

Also running is Libertarian Judi Falardeau, Michael Goddard from the Ontario Party, Justin J. O'Donnell from the Ontario Alliance, and Michele Braniff from the Green Party.

THE ISSUES:

With an aging population, one of the main provincial issues in St. Catharines is health care, particularly long-term care. A shortage of nurses, and personal support workers has affected those needing help in the city. The pandemic only exacerbated the situation, with hospitals often operating well over capacity, with less staff than normal due to illness.

COVID-19 also highlighted potential issues with the education system, as many students spent more than a whole school year learning from home rather than in person.

Transit is also a large issue for residents in Niagara as a whole, particularly in St. Catharines. With the region set to amalgamate the system in 2023, some residents still struggle to afford the bus. Then there's GO Transit, which was supposed to have daily hourly service in St. Catharines and Niagara West by now, but the plan has been delayed.

Housing is another big issue in St. Catharines, with hundreds of people experiencing homelessness, and using services like Start Me up and Community Care daily. The rise in homelessness is due to many factors such as the rising cost of living, and mental health issues.

BACKGROUND:

The role of member of provincial parliament for St. Catharines was held by now-Niagara Regional Chair Jim Bradley for 40 years: from 1977 until 2018, when he lost to New Democratic Party candidate and former city councillor Jennie Stevens. Bradley was a member of the Liberal party.

In the 2018 provincial election, voter turnout was 58 per cent. With eight registered candidates and 51,650 ballots cast, Stevens came first with 18,911 votes. Behind her was Conservative party candidate Sandie Bellows with 17,353, then Bradley with 12,671.