When James Bradley passed away in September 2025, a 55-year career in public service in Ontario came to a close. St. Catharines City Councillor, Member of Provincial Parliament for St. Catharines, cabinet minister in multiple portfolios (Environment, Transportation, Municipal Affairs and Housing, Tourism), Government House Leader, and Chair of Niagara Region government, Jim Bradley touched the lives of hundreds of thousands of constituents, both personally and through the policies he crafted, introduced through legislation, or helped enforce. His legacy has yet to be fully appreciated, but among the marks Bradley made on Ontario political culture from the 1970s to the 2020s was his ecumenical approach. He eschewed parochialism and petty partisanship, and instead championed cooperation among government levels in Canada, between Canadian and American government bodies, and across party lines. Disagree if you must; but never make it personal.

“Jim Bradley and the Politics of Ontario” marks the 50th anniversary of Bradley’s election to the Ontario Legislature in 1977, which began the second-longest ever tenure at Queen’s Park, a remarkable eleven straight election victories representing St. Catharines. It begins an assessment of his life and, especially, his times. This symposium invites scholars and community members to gather in St. Catharines to examine the nature of Ontario political culture over the past 50 years—from the 1970s to the present—and to reflect upon Jim Bradley’s place in it. The symposium invites proposals for 20-minute presentations on all aspects of Ontario political culture during these decades, whether they involved Bradley directly or not.

This symposium is being organized by the Centre for Canadian Studies together with our colleagues in the Canadian Studies program at Bridgewater State University in Massachusetts. The Symposium has been set for April 2-3, 2027. The Call for Papers deadline is December 1, 2026.

For more information, contact Anthony Kinik ([email protected]) and/or Andrew Holman ([email protected]).