St. Catharines passes 2026 budget after Mayor Siscoe waives veto

The City of St. Catharines passed its 2026 multi-year budget Thursday, finalizing amendments that were tabled the day before.

St. Catharines Mayor Mat Siscoe says he has waived his mayoral veto, bringing to a close the budget process under Ontario’s “Strong Mayor Legislation.”

“With the passage of this year’s budget, council and staff have once again worked hard to deliver a budget that respects taxpayers and recognizes that affordability needs to be at the forefront of our decision-making,” said Siscoe.

With council amendments, the city settled on a 1.74 per cent property tax increase for 2026.

For the average homeowner, that would be an increase of $31.17 on the city’s portion of the tax bill.

The budget includes millions for community well-being, infrastructure renewal, as well as funding for a variety of initiatives and organizations.

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