Walter Sendzik


Walter Sendzik is a Canadian politician. He is currently the mayor of St. Catharines, Ontario. As mayor, he also sits on Niagara Regional Council.
Prior to being elected, Sendzik was the general manager of the Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce. He had been with the Chamber of Commerce for seven years. Prior to this, he founded Vines Publishing, a publishing company specializing in wine and travel, including Vines magazine. He sold the company in 2005 He also served as president of the Niagara Wine Festival, and has authored several books. He holds a B.A. from Wilfrid Laurier University and a Masters degree from McGill University.
Sendzik was first elected as mayor in 2014 on a platform of youth retention, employment diversification, and attracting well paying jobs. The position was an open one with the previous mayor, Brian McMullan retiring. Sendzik defeated future NDP MPP Jeff Burch, winning 40% of the vote to Burch's 35%. In his first term as mayor, the city prepared for the construction of a 19-storey condominium building, the first of its kind in the city, part of the city's transition into both a bedroom community and the "urban centre" of the Niagara Region.
He was re-elected in 2018 running on a record of economic development, "keeping taxes low" and investing in infrastructure. He was easily re-elected, winning 72% of the vote.
Since being re-elected, one issue Sendzik has had to deal with is layoffs at General Motors, one of the largest private sector employers in the city. Also during his second term, St. Catharines experienced a housing boom thanks to GO Train connections the Greater Toronto Area.