Transforming Downtown St. Catharines into a Creative Cluster

The City of St. Catharines, located on the southern shore of Lake Ontario, is Niagara Region's only major urban node. Like many small/medium-sized cities in Canada and abroad, the city experienced a rapid decline of large-scale manufacturing in the 1990s. In a renewed attempt to recover from this economic depression, and spurred by Provincial policy, the City implemented the Downtown Creative Cluster Master Plan (DCCMP) in 2008. In this thesis I conduct a discourse analysis of the DCCMP. My analysis indicates that DCCMP is shaped by neoliberal economic development paradigms. As such it is designed to restructure the downtown into a creative cluster by attracting developers/investors and appealing to the interests, tastes, and desires of middle-class consumers and creatives. I illustrate that this competitive city approach to urban planning has a questionable track record, and has been shown to result in retail and residential gentrification and displacement.

Letter - E.C. Schmon to Arthur A. Schmon, 11 April 1916

A letter from Eleanore Celeste Schmon to Arthur A. Schmon in the year 1916. She discusses her letter writing, a luncheon at the McCrackens and her work with the Red Cross. It is labelled the 84th letter.

Letter - E.C. Schmon to Arthur A. Schmon, 12 June 1916

A brief note to Arthur Schmon that reads: "Monday 10 P.M. My dear Artie, Gladys is out of town, and does not expect to return for a couple of weeks. Sorry. Anything else I can do? In haste, Lessie"

Letter - E.C. Schmon to Arthur A. Schmon, 18 & 19 August 1918

Two letters from E.C. Schmon to Arthur A. Schmon. The first letter is a poem titled "Mystery", the second recalls happy times together the previous year. She describes boating to Keansburg, dinner at a hotel, meeting family at Grand Central Station etc. It is labelled the 146th letter.

Letter - E.C. Schmon to Arthur A. Schmon, 6 January 1918

A letter from E.C. Schmon to Arthur A. Schmon discussing her outings and visits with friends and family. The letter is labelled number 39.

Letter - E.C. Schmon to Arthur A. Schmon, 1 May 1919

A letter from E.C. Schmon to Arthur A. Schmon which discusses her attendance at the Broad Theatre to see the play "Tiger! Tiger!". Mrs. Schmon also discusses an outing with friends. the letter is labelled number 269.

Letter - E.C. Schmon to Arthur A. Schmon, 25 & 26 October 1918

This letter discusses a piece of furniture Mrs. Schmon is debating whether to acquire. The letter is labelled number 180.

Letter - E.C. Schmon to Arthur A. Schmon, 26 January 1920

The letter mentions an operation for E.C. Schmon's mother. She intends to spend much of her time at the hospital over the course a few days. She discusses the weather, road development, friends and Christmas cards. The letter is labelled number 110.

Letter - E.C. Schmon to Arthur A. Schmon, 15 February 1917

A brief note to Arthur Schmon that reads: " February fifteenth. Dear, This is to let you see that I am not neglecting my duties as a member of the "cheer committee". Remember that the only thing that never goes out of style is a smile, so keep on wearing one. Affectionately, Lessie."

Letter - E.C. Schmon to Arthur A. Schmon, 15 February 1918

This letter discusses the long wait between correspondence due to the mail delivery. She also discusses the weeks plans. This letter is labelled 57th.

Letter - E.C. Schmon to Arthur A. Schmon, 19 & 20 February 1920

In this letter, Eleanore Celeste discusses her love for Arthur Schmon. The letter is labelled number 130.

Letter - E.C. Schmon to Arthur A. Schmon, 29 & 30 January 1918

In this letter Eleanore Celeste talks about attending Church, magazines and her interest in education. She states "the more I learn, the thirstier I am for knowledge." The second letter mentions the Philips estate turning into a seniors facility for women after much talk about it possibly turning into a hospital for wounded officers. This letter is labelled number 50.

Letter - E.C. Schmon to Arthur A. Schmon, 10 September 1918

This letter describes outings with Gus and going to the Broad Theatre to see the play "Oh! Boy". She also mentions her friend Margaret who will be married in Atlanta. This letter is labelled number 158.

Letter - E.C. Schmon to Arthur A. Schmon, 15 October 1918

This letter mentions that Eleanore Celeste has not heard from Arthur in nearly a month. She hopes that this means he will be coming home soon from France. It is labelled number 175.

Letter - E.C. Schmon to Arthur A. Schmon, 11 & 12 September 1918

Eleanore Celeste describes Arthur's departure for service one year ago. She also discusses a friend, Dick Hart, who was thought to have been a casualty of a torpedoed ship, but is now thought to be safe. She mentions that she will visit Mother Schmon and had played tennis with Gus. The letter is labelled number 159.