The new 2024 plan outlines several priorities to help strengthen the local economy. Pictured: St. Catharines City Council. Photo Credit: City of St. Catharines.
St. Catharines city staff have outlined a new five-year economic development and tourism strategy, which will shape the city’s approach to both public policy areas from this year until 2029.
The new 2024 plan outlines several priorities to help strengthen the local economy. There is a significant focus on economic diversification, which staff say can be best achieved through leveraging current sectors to build out networking opportunities, identifying supply chain opportunities, boosting business start-ups, attracting more talent by boosting the skilled labour pool, and improving local services to make St. Catharines a more attractive place.
Brian York, Director of Economic Development and Government Relations, touted the city’s new plan and outlined some of the assets St. Catharines has that it can continue to exploit in the years ahead.
“With a geographic position between Toronto and the U.S. gateway city of Buffalo, N.Y., there is an increasingly diverse residential population, vibrant arts and entertainment offerings, and a richness of sports and recreational activities not often anticipated by potential residents or site selectors seeking strategic locations,” said York. “St. Catharines will continue to appeal to business and residents looking for opportunity and alternatives to the congestion and expense of larger centres.”
York also noted that St. Catharines has a significant advantage in being the largest residential population centre in Niagara region and is one of the top ten population hubs in Ontario.
The city plans to work with the region, province, and the federal government to help fuel growth.
The new plan also places a heavy focus on tourism. Parts of the plan include touting local success stories, emphasizing the growth of sports tourism in the region, and highlighting St. Catharines’ proximity to wineries and the U.S. border.
“Travel is one of the largest and fastest growing economic sectors in the world and despite continued global uncertainties, increases in global travel revenue have exceeded GDP growth in recent years,” reads St. Catharines’ new strategy document. “The outlook for this industry is for above average growth which compels St. Catharines to capitalize on its assets to do so.”
Visitor spending in St. Catharines reached $40 million in 2022 and was $2.1 billion in Niagara Region as a whole, according to St. Catharines Tourism Marketing Officer Karen Doyle. There will be a heavy emphasis on boosting those numbers between now and 2029.
In 2023, St. Catharines had more than 700 tourism-related businesses, ranging from artists to restaurants to travel experts. The city hopes to grow that tourism-related business count in the next half-decade.
The city’s last five-year strategy was introduced in 2017 but was interrupted by the pandemic.
After city staff presented this new strategy to council, council endorsed it overwhelmingly.
Jay Goldberg is the Ontario Director at the Canadian Taxpayers Federation. He previously served as a policy fellow at the Munk School of Public Policy and Global Affairs. Jay holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Toronto.
