Category: Local News

• State Of Emergency For Homelessness – Niagara Regional Council may declare a state of emergency for homelessness, mental health and opioid addiction as 550 people in Niagara were considered chronically homeless in December. Regional Council will discuss the motion next Thursday but even if it is approved, there is no assurance of additional funding. (CKTB)
• Thorold Hosting Free Skate – The city of Thorold will be hosting a free Family Day skate, as well as serving free hot chocolate and popcorn, at the Frank Doherty Arena from 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. Residents are also invited to drop-in to the Thorold Public Library to participate in the Hearts Scavenger Hunt, which is taking place all week until Feb. 18. In addition, families are invited to stop by the library on Feb. 17 to play with their jumbo life size chess set. (City of Thorold)
• St. Catharines Rental Prices Drop – Rent prices dropped from January to February as a one bedroom in St. Catharines for February averaged $1,581/month, down 0.3% from January while a two-bedroom averaged $1,910/month, which was a drop of 5.9%. However, rent prices for one bedroom and two bedroom units are up 21.5% and 13.2% respectively from February 2022. (InNiagara Region)
• Library Opens Without Staff – The St. Catharines Public Library is beginning a new pilot project in April that will see the Port Dalhousie branch open for designated hours without staff. The project will require library users to go through a registration process in order to access the branch during unstaffed hours. (St. Catharines Standard)

• Inquest Into Fatal Shooting By NRP – A coroner’s inquest will be held into the death of Fred Penner, who died after being shot by police on Dec 31, 2019 in the west end of St. Catharines. Officers were cleared by the Special Investigations Unit months ago but now the Hamilton coroner’s office will conduct an inquest that will include a jury and “examine the circumstances surrounding Mr. Penner’s death”. (InNiagara Region)
• City Wants To Partner With New Owners Of YMCA – The city of St. Catharines is hoping to meet with the new owners of the Walker Family Centre YMCA to explore any potential partnerships. No plan has been announced for the property, which was was sold to Atria Development Corporation last January. (CKTB)
• Concern Over Raised Canal Bridges – The city of St. Catharines will be asking Transport Canada and the St. Lawrence Seaway Authority to not raise both the Lakeshore Road and Carlton Street bridges at the same time. Councillor Bill Phillips, who made the motion, said having both bridges raised creates a potentially dangerous situation since first responders could be delayed in responding to emergencies. (St. Catharines Standard)
• Councillor’s Expenses Questioned – The Niagara Region’s Audit Committee has recommended that over $1200 in submitted expenses by former regional councillor Mike Britton be rejected. Staff asks Britton for itemized receipts and more information regarding the expenses but Britton’s response did not provide staff with enough clarity on whether the items were eligible. (St. Catharines Standard)

• John Fogerty Comes To Casino – John Fogerty, the founder of Credence Clearwater Revival, will be playing at the OLG Stage at Fallsview Casino on June 30. Tickets will go on sale Friday, February 17 at 10:00 a.m. (Giant FM)
• Calls For More Representation On Police Board – The Niagara Region Anti Racism Association is asking that more civilians who are Black, Indigenous, and people of colour be added to the police board. The group has written a letter to the police board’s selection committee and says that more needs to be done to ensure adequate representation on the board. (105 The River)
• Lowest Unemployment Rate In Decades – The Niagara Region’s unemployment rate fell to 4.3 per cent for January. The January rate was the lowest recorded unemployment rate since March 2006. (InNiagara Region)
• Open House For Hospital Site – St. Catharines will be hosting an open house regarding the former St. Catharines General Hospital site on Thursday, Feb. 23 at 6:30 p.m. at the St. Catharines Collegiate. Residents will be able to give their input on the proposed plan to put in four mixed-use buildings, with heights ranging from 11 to 16 storeys, along with 40 townhouses for a total of 1,131 units along with commercial floor space. (Niagara this Week)
• Niagara Budget Deliberations Continue – The Niagara Region budget committee will hold another meeting next Thursday to look at options to trim the budget further, after voting to defer a decision to increase taxes by 9.4 per cent. The region is struggling to keep this year’s tax increase manageable after it absorbed the cost of Niagara’s newly amalgamated transit service. Previously, transit was a municipal cost. (CKTB)

• Applications For Community Gardens – St. Catharines is once again supporting community groups looking to establish new community gardens or improve existing ones.  Applications for the annual program are now open, providing the opportunity for incorporated charities and not-for-profit groups to apply to receive matching funds from the city for up to half of eligible start-up costs, including lumber, soil, seeds, rain barrels and other materials and equipment. (City of St. Catharines)
• Welland Walmart Evacuated – Police responded to an emergency call from an employee at the Welland Walmart store who indicated that the store had received an anonymous call regarding a bomb threat. Police evacuated the store and conducted a sweep of the premises before concluding there were no explosives that posed any threat to employees or customers. (Niagara Regional Police)
• Fundraiser For Sick Child – A GoFundMe for the parents of Calleigh Cameron, a one and a half year old, is close to the halfway point of its $25,000 goal. The St. Catharines toddler, who was born with a rare congenital heart defect, has been going through a number of operations including two open heart surgeries in the past week. (InNiagara Region)
• McDonalds Could Be Coming To Thorold – Thorold could see a McDonald’s restaurant built at the corner of Sullivan Avenue and Pine Street if a zoning bylaw amendment is approved by Thorold city council. Some councillors are concerned the intersection will be overwhelmed with traffic congestion but real estate broker Serge Carpino said they have done everything at this point to minimize the traffic impact. (St. Catharines Standard)

• City To Operate Merritton Arena – After operating the Merritton Arena through a lease agreement since 1979, the Lions Club of Merritton has decided not to renew their lease agreement beyond this year’s ice season. The city of St. Catharines will take over operations of the arena and has allocated $250,000 in its 2023 operating budget to support arena operations. (City of St. Catharines)
• Burch Launches Healthcare Petition – Niagara Centre MPP Jeff Burch has written to Doug Ford and Minister Sylvia Jones about his concerns regarding the plan to end emergency surgeries in the evenings and weekends at the Welland hospital. Burch, who has started an online petition demanding that full services be kept at the Welland hospital, says his office has received many calls from concerned nurses, doctors and residents about the changes. (CKTB)
• More Acts Announced For Casino – Bret Michaels, former lead singer of the 80s band Poison will be playing at the OLG Stage at Fallsview Casino on March 18. As well, Cheap Trick will be playing the OLG Stage on May 27 while country group the Eli Young Band will be performing at the Avalon Theatre on April 29. (Giant FM)
• Adopt A Fire Hydrant – The city of Niagara Falls has started a unique program that asks residents to adopt a fire hydrant. The volunteers are being asked to keep thier adopted fire hydrants clear by removing snow around the fire hydrant and by keeping trees, hedges and grass cut back in the summer months. (City of Niagara Falls)