St. Catharines park renamed in honour of late Jim Bradley

Tributes continue to pour in, honouring the life of Jim Bradley. Bradley was celebrated Wednesday in St. Catharines as a local park was renamed in his honour with both dignitaries and family members on hand.

On Wednesday, Grantham Park in Jim Bradley’s first home base as a politician was renamed in his memory.

“I think we need to make more of a habit of naming things before people pass away,” said St. Catharines mayor Mat Siscoe.

Siscoe says Bradley knew this was in the works before he passed and wishes the Niagara Regional Chair was here to see it.

Siscoe remembers when he ran against Bradley and how Bradley brought him down to earth after defeat.

“Politics can be really difficult. It can be really challenging to maintain those relationships when you’ve run against someone,” said Siscoe.

“He lived very close to this park and he also taught, before he went into politics, very close to here,” said Dawn Dodge, St. Catharines Ward 5 councillor.

Dodge says Bradley was important to the community and the new name will help keep his memory alive.

Those who knew Bradley knew he was a sports fan, so it’s fitting that a park like this was named in his honour.

One of his friends, Bill Phillips, told CHCH News that on one of their many trips to the Jays games they would talk about politics. But once they got to the park, he was often coaching up the team.

“He would be advising the referees as to whether the call – or the umpire, excuse me – whether the calls were appropriate or not. Or he’d be telling the manager whether he should be pulling the pitcher or not,” said Phillips.

Gerald Bradley is happy his brother will not be forgotten. A favourite memory of his was back in the 1940s – money was tight so their dad often made the Christmas gifts. Jim was hoping for a sleigh.

“My Dad made a sleigh, built a sleigh for him, and even varnished it and everything else. So Christmas morning, Jim just couldn’t believe that Santa Claus had brought him a nice sleigh,” said Gerald.

Other areas in our region are paying tribute to Jim Bradley’s legacy – including GriffinMMA in Grimsby – remembering a life dedicated to public service.

WATCH MORE: Niagara Region mourns passing of Chair Jim Bradley at 80