Our visits of “small town” Ontario continued to St. Catherines, Ontario.

The official nickname of St. Catharines is “The Garden City” due to its 1,000+ acres of parks, gardens and trails.

As a way to erase St. Catharines’ graffiti problem, local businesses Fulton Fitness and Mahtay Café teamed up to showcase the work of dozens of graffiti artists from across the province. The alleyway in between James Street and the parallel Garden Park is now a dedicated area for serious artists to spend days straight on their pieces without having to worry about policing. Every year since 2003 there has been a convergence of artists during the Garden Park Urban Art Festival Graffiti Jam where artists are encouraged to let their creative flair free. (source)