Niagara Regional Chair Jim Bradley passes away at 80

Niagara Regional Chair Jim Bradley passed away at the age of 80 on Friday following a brief illness.

A statement from his office says Bradley had a lengthy 55-year career in elected office, first as a St. Catharines city councillor in 1970 when he was 25 years old.

He served as the local member of provincial parliament from 1977 to 2018. His 41 years at Queen’s Park is the second-longest tenure in the province’s history.

Seven years ago, Bradley was elected to regional council, later serving as chair.

Mayor of Niagara Falls Jim Diodati reflected on the positive energy Bradley carried with him throughout his life.

“He truly always had a sympathetic ear. He always made time. He never seemed to be in a hurry — and he was kind of ubiquitous. He was everywhere at all times. He definitely loved the people, the people loved him. He rarely had a negative word to say. He was truly a kind and gentle man,” said Diodati.

Political Analyst Keith Leslie said Bradley dedicated his career to bettering the lives of those in St. Catharines and the Niagara Region.

“He was known around Queen’s Park a long time ago as the king of St. Catharines, clearly because he cared so much about his community and the things he could bring to it. And it’s a title he obviously earned after 2018 when the Wynne government was defeated and he finally lost his seat after 41 years … he got elected later that year to the Niagara Regional Council and then soon got elected chair of that. His commitment to St. Catharines and the Niagara Region was 100 per cent sincere. He just kept working for that area,” said Leslie.

Flags will be lowered at the Niagara Regional Headquarters in his memory.

Details surrounding Bradley’s funeral will be announced at a future date.

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