St Catharines, Ont, City, pop 130-926 (1996c), 129 300 (1991c), 123 455 (1986c), inc 1876, is the former seat of Lincoln County. The principal city of the Niagara Region, it lies south of Toronto across Lake Ontario (111 km by the QUEEN ELIZABETH WAY), 19 km inland from the international boundary with the United States along the Niagara River.

Economy
Service activities have risen considerably resulting in a remarkably changed economic structure in the city, from primarily manufacturing with some service activities, to service industries (education, health services, city administration and policing) with some accompanying manufacturing. Some 10 000 people were employed in the manufacturing sector in 1995, a major decline from 1981. However, manufacturing, with its few large companies (General Motors and Thompson Products) and many smaller concerns, remains basic to St Catharines' economy.