Local News Briefs
- St. Catharines Looking To Redevelop Geneva Street Property – After a failed proposal to redevelop the former site of the St. Catharines Recreation and Community Services building on Geneva Street, the city of St. Catharines will be issuing a negotiated request for proposal for the property in an attempt to once again redevelop the land into a mixed-income housing development that will include affordable housing. To address some ongoing health and safety concerns, the city will also demolish the remaining buildings on the property. (City of St. Catharines)
- Thorold Upgrading Ball Parks – Thorold will be spending $28,460 in upgrades to the baseball diamond at McMillan Park, which is part of a $100,000 budget that will see all baseball diamonds in Thorold upgraded. Possible upgrades include batting cages, dugout fencing, and lighting. (Thorold Today)
- Blue Box Changes Coming – Beginning next year, companies that supply the Ontario market with paper and packaging products will take over responsibility for the blue box program, including curbside collection. However, the Niagara Region may still need to provide blue box collection services as the new program does not include collecting recycling from certain sources such as special events, industrial and commercial properties, places of worship and municipal buildings and facilities. (St. Catharines Standard)
- Ambulance Offload Delays Need Fixing – St. Catharines City council passed a motion by Councillor Dawn Dodge to lobby the province regarding concerns about ambulance off-load times at hospitals. Paramedics are being delayed at hospitals while they wait to hand off patients, which is leading to a shortage of ambulances to respond to emergencies. The motion is asking for more funding and solutions to stop the delays at hospitals. (105 The River)
