From the Office of Niagara Regional Chair Jim Bradley
Posted December 11th, 2024 on Niagara At Large
St. Catharines Councillor and long-time community acivist Carlos Garcia
Regional Chair Bradley provided the following statement regarding the passing of St. Catharines’ City Councillor Carlos Garcia:
“I was deeply saddened by the news of the passing of St. Catharines City Councillor Carlos Garcia.
Carlos was dedicated to public service as a member of city council, a former regional councillor and a member of several organizations across the community. He provided sage advice during council deliberations and supported numerous good causes across the city and Niagara as a whole.
Carlos will be greatly missed by his friends, family and the community at large.”
A Few Words of Tribute From Doug Draper (This Tribute First Posted on November 10th, 2024) –
As I struggle to write these words, I am still trying to process this.
Carlos Garcia at the iconic old carousel in Port Dalhouse, St. Catharines
When I opened my inbox in the late afternoon of this past Monday, November 9th to an email with the heading; ‘City of St. Catharines Pays Tribute to Councillor N. Carlos Garcia’ I froze for a few seconds before saying; “Oh no. Don’t tell me what I think I am about to read. I can’t believe it.”
I would not be surprised if many others who received this news reacted the same way.
With the sudden, untimely passing of Carlos Garcia, a professional urban planner and (alongside his good friend and fellow council colleague Bruce Williamson) a representative on St. Catharines council for Port Dalhousie (Ward 6), his city and all of Niagara have lost a very wise and caring voice for growing our communities in ways that are people-friendly and affordable, and that protect and preserve their history and character.
Words like “passionate” and “principled” may seem overused at times, but Carlos was the living definition of what those words mean when it came to his efforts to protect and preserve our man-made and natural heritage in this region.
In those efforts, he locked arms with others across Niagara who shared his values, including Patrick Robson, a former planner for Niagara’s regional government, and Pamela Minns, a long-time, leading member on the City of Thorold’s Heritage Committee – two other of our region’s greatest community activists that we lost earlier this year.
As reporter who has tried to raise awareness about the need to protect what we have left of our heritage in Niagara, they were always people that I could call and learn so much from. And I know I am not the only one who will forever remember and miss them.
Niagara At Large will have more on the passing of Carlos Garcia if and when there is a memorial gathering organized for him.
In the meantime, my condolences to his family and many friends.
-
R.I.P. Carlos. You, of all people, deserve it.
NIAGARA AT LARGE Encourages You To Join The Conversation By Sharing Your Views On This Post In The Space Following The Bernie Sanders Quote Below.
“A Politician Thinks Of The Next Election. A Leader Thinks Of The Next Generation.” – Bernie Sanders
Niagara At Large 