Vote Tom Neale 
Monday, October 26th, 2026
St. Catharines City Council
St. Andrew's Ward 2

Engineering St. Catharines for the future - not just repairing the past.

​

Experienced enough to understand the issues.

Independent enough to ask the tough questions.

Practical enough to find solutions.

​

St. Catharines needs Council members who can make difficult decisions based on evidence, long-term consequences and what is actually achievable—not simply what sounds good.

​

As a Professional Engineer and experienced municipal committee member, I bring a different perspective to City Hall.

I will listen. I will ask the difficult questions. I will make decisions based on evidence. And I will hold myself accountable for the results.

​

This is my vision for St. Catharines.

​

1. RESPONSIBLE GOVERNMENT & TAXPAYER VALUE

Make every tax dollar work harder.

• There is an important difference between spending money and investing money. Fiscal responsibility is not simply about spending less; it is about making better decisions about where we invest, what we prioritize and what taxpayers receive in return.

• Carefully manage property taxes, require clear justification for increases, review existing programs and services before creating new ones.

• Improve procurement, processes and coordination and reduce unnecessary duplication.

• Measure whether City programs and major projects are achieving intended results.

• Improve transparency around major projects and expenditures.

• Use long-term financial and asset planning and pursue partnerships and outside funding.

• Use technology where it genuinely improves productivity, service or value.

• Avoid short-term cuts that simply create larger costs later.

I will not oppose necessary investment simply because it costs money. I will expect the City to demonstrate why it is necessary, what alternatives were considered, the immediate and long-term costs, and what taxpayers should expect in return.

A CITY THAT WORKS — Measure it. Improve it. Deliver it.

​​

2. INFRASTRUCTURE, FLOODING & RESILIENCE

Prepare today. Build for the future.

• Flooding and extreme weather are municipal infrastructure issues. They affect roads, storm and sanitary systems, homes and property, transportation, emergency response, insurance and municipal finances.

• Renew critical infrastructure based on condition, risk, vulnerability and consequences of failure—not age alone.

• Identify vulnerable and flood-prone areas and improve stormwater and drainage capacity where required.

• Use asset management planning to guide capital priorities and publicly report progress on infrastructure condition, project delivery and funding gaps.

• Incorporate forward-looking information into infrastructure planning and design.

• Coordinate infrastructure planning with development.

• Expand practical flood-mitigation measures for residents.

• Combine appropriate green, blue and grey infrastructure.

• Explore practical sponge-city principles such as retention, permeable surfaces, wetlands, naturalization and smart stormwater management.

• Aggressively pursue provincial and federal infrastructure and resilience funding.

• Support practical environmental stewardship through tree canopy, naturalization, rain barrels, community gardens and raised planters.

We cannot eliminate every risk. We can understand it, prioritize it and make investments today that reduce the likelihood of much greater costs tomorrow.

​​

3. RESPONSIBLE GROWTH, HOUSING & NEIGHBOURHOODS

Build the city we can afford to maintain.

• The question should not simply be whether we are for or against development. It should be: What are we building, where are we building it, and can our infrastructure support it?

• Support responsible housing growth and appropriate intensification.

• Consider infrastructure capacity, stormwater, transportation, parks, recreation and community facilities alongside development.

• Consider long-term servicing and lifecycle costs when approving growth.

• Protect the quality of life and character of established neighbourhoods while accommodating appropriate growth.

• Work with Niagara Region, other governments, the private sector and community partners to increase housing supply and support quality affordable housing.

• Use municipal planning and development tools appropriately while recognizing that housing, transportation, infrastructure and affordability are interconnected.

Growth should work for both the people coming to St. Catharines and the communities already here.

​​​

4. A STRONGER, MORE DIVERSE ECONOMY

Grow the tax base—not just the tax bill.

• Tourism and culture are important parts of St. Catharines, but our economic future should not depend on tourism alone. We should build on manufacturing while pursuing new opportunities.

• Pursue advanced manufacturing, technology, clean industries, professional services, entrepreneurship, research partnerships and growing local businesses.

• Improve the efficiency and predictability of development processes.

• Support brownfield and underused-property redevelopment.

• Support existing businesses and entrepreneurs as well as attracting new investment.

• Ensure infrastructure can support employment and economic growth.

• Protect and strategically service employment lands needed for future industrial and commercial growth.

• Collaborate with Niagara Region, neighbouring municipalities, post-secondary institutions and the business community.

Municipal government does not directly create most private-sector jobs. Its role is to facilitate job creation and create the conditions that attract investment.

Build a broader, more resilient tax base so residential taxpayers are not continually asked to carry more of the burden.

​

5. TRANSPORTATION & CONNECTIVITY

Give people more ways to get where they're going.

• Transportation connects housing, affordability, employment, education, healthcare, recreation and economic development.

• Improve connectivity within St. Catharines and across Niagara.

• Strengthen connections to the GO Station and regional/GTHA transportation.

• Improve practical connections between neighbourhoods, employment areas, schools, recreation, commercial areas and transit.

• Evaluate transportation investments against actual demand, ridership and community needs.

• Address neighbourhood traffic safety as part of transportation planning.

• Responsibly participate in Ontario's e-scooter pilot and explore other modern mobility options. Whether you agree with them or not, they will be forced upon us. St. Catharines should be at the table participating and learning from the experience of other municipalities, contributing our own and helping determine what works, rather than sitting on the sidelines.

• Explore more convenient, affordable short-stay downtown parking, including expanded 15-minute parking options for quick visits.

• Explore event-day park-and-ride options using existing facilities, such as Seymour-Hannah, with transit or shuttle connections downtown to reduce parking pressure, preserve convenient access for local businesses and their customers, and make better use of existing municipal assets.

Be willing to innovate—but do it responsibly and measure whether it works.

​

6. STRONG, SAFE & VIBRANT COMMUNITIES

Strong neighbourhoods build a strong city.

• Municipal government is often experienced at the neighbourhood level: the street, park, library, recreation facility, public space or service residents use every day.

• Work collaboratively with Niagara Regional Police, Niagara Region, community organizations and residents on community safety.

• Use evidence to understand immediate safety concerns and underlying causes, including homelessness, addiction and poverty where relevant.

• Improve traffic safety, property standards and clean, well-maintained public spaces.

• Make improved Ward 2 library access a specific priority through practical options such as programming, partnerships, digital access and satellite/community services and explore a permanent branch.

• Invest strategically in recreation, parks, trails and community facilities according to demonstrated need, growth and existing facility condition and utilization.

Invest in the things that make a city a community.

​​

7. CIVIC PRIDE, CULTURE & THE GARDEN CITY

Build a city people are proud to call home.

• A successful city should not only fix problems. It should create places, experiences and a civic identity that residents value.

• Support neighbourhood festivals, arts and culture, heritage, local history, public spaces, parks, trails and community gardening.

• Explore a Neighbourhood Civic Pride Fund offering modest support, logistical assistance or easier access to City facilities for community-led initiatives and events.

• Support opportunities for neighbourhood events in Western Hill, Glenridge and across the city. Unlike several other parts of St. Catharines, Ward 2 doesn't have a signature community festival or celebration that brings the neighbourhood together and gives it its own civic identity. ​

• Explore a distinctive illuminated ST. CATHARINES landmark as a civic gathering place and symbol, subject to responsible consideration of cost, location, accessibility, heritage and partnerships.

• Reinforce the Garden City identity through practical environmental and neighbourhood initiatives.

Help residents create their own.

Tourists are welcome—but residents come first.

​​

8. ACCOUNTABILITY, ENGAGEMENT & COLLABORATION

Listen. Decide. Deliver. Report back.

• Residents should know what their councillor is working on, have reasonable opportunities to provide input and be able to see what happened to campaign commitments after election day.

• Be accessible, communicate regularly and establish clear expectations for responding to residents.

• Publish a regular or annual Ward 2 / Council Report Back showing priorities, progress, decisions and outstanding work.

• Set clear objectives and measure performance where measures are meaningful.

• Work constructively with City staff.

• Ask difficult questions without assuming that questioning means opposing.

• Collaborate with Niagara Region, neighbouring municipalities, other governments, businesses, institutions and community organizations when collaboration can improve results or reduce duplication.

• Explain decisions and report back on results.

Accountability does not mean everyone will agree with every decision. It means listening to different perspectives, making the decision, explaining why it was made and being prepared to stand behind the result.