The Ward 6 seat was declared vacant after the passing of Councillor Carlos Garcia in December. Pictured: St. Catharines City Council Chambers. Photo Credit: City of St. Catharines.
Nominations are currently open to fill a vacant seat on St. Catharines City Council.
Carlos Garcia passed away in December at the age of 79 after what his family describes as a “brief illness.” Garcia represented Ward 6 on Council from 2014 to 2024. For part of that time, Garcia served as chair of the city’s budget committee. He also previously served St. Catharines as a regional councillor.
When Garcia passed away, Mayor Mat Siscoe issued a heartfelt statement.
“When I was elected as Mayor and needed to identify a Councillor I trusted to be the Budget Chair, Deputy Mayor Bill Phillips suggested Carlos,” Siscoe said. “He was the only person I could see in that role. He was always prepared, never let a question go unasked, and was an absolute integral part of this Council, as well as Councils past. He put the time in that his roles demanded, and he did an exceptional job in those roles.”
“He will be greatly missed, but his legacy of service and dedication to our community will live on.”
Garcia was particularly passionate about maintaining Port Dalhousie’s heritage and was deeply involved in the local arts community, according to Siscoe.
Council officially declared Garcia’s Port Dalhousie Ward 6 seat vacant on Jan. 13. That set off a process that will see the city hold a by-election to fill that seat on April 14.
Voters will have a chance to cast ballots in advance of voting day as well, on April 3 and April 12.
Nominations for the vacant seat are currently open and close on Friday, Feb. 28.
Those who want to run have to meet the eligibility requirements outlined in the province’s Municipal Elections Act, 1996.
The most important criteria is that one must be eligible to vote in a municipality in order to run for a position on Council. However, one does not necessarily have to live in the particular ward.
Importantly, candidates will not be approved to run in the by-election if they do not file their nomination paperwork with the City Clerk by Feb. 28.
A fee of $100 is required to register to run.
Whoever is elected will serve as the wardmate of Councillor Bruce Williamson and will serve until a full municipal election is held in October 2026.
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.
