St. Catharines News Briefs

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  • Thorold Council Chambers Still Closed – Thorold is one of the only municipalities in Niagara to not allow resident to attend city council meetings in person. While originally the meetings were switched to a virtual format due to COVID, other Niagara municipalities have now opened the council chambers back up. (Thorold Today)
  • Niagara Parks Job Fair – Niagara Parks is hosting a job fair this Saturday from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. at Table Rock Centre in the Grand Hall on the second floor. Niagara Parks hopes to hire 350 additional employees this coming tourist season. (CKTB)
  • Comic Con In Buffalo Sold – The team behind Niagara Falls Comic Con have purchased the rights to Nickel City Comic Con in Buffalo. A factor in the purchase was a decline in American visitors to the Niagara Falls Comic Con show since the pandemic. The Niagara Falls Comic Con is scheduled for June 9 to 11 at the Niagara Falls Convention Centre. (St. Catharines Standard)

St. Catharines News Briefs

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  • Anesthesiologists Shortage Affecting Niagara Health – There is currently a nationwide shortage of anesthesiologists, which is affecting Niagara Health. The shortage had led to some surgeries being redirected to Niagara Falls from the Welland hospital but officials are working on a plan to ensure surgeries continue uninterrupted. (St. Catharines Standard)
  • Monster Trucks Coming To St. Catharines – The Monster Madness tour is coming to the Meridian Centre on May 13th with tickets on sale beginning Friday. Fans will get to see several monster trucks, as well as quad racing and FMX motocross. (105 The River)
  • Former Brock Badger To Play In NHL All-Star Game – Logan Thompson, who was the starting goalie for the Brock University Men’s Hockey team in 2018-19, has been named to the roster for the 2023 NHL All-Star Weekend. After playing for Brock, Thompson was signed by the Las Vegas Golden Knights in 2020. (InNiagara Region)
  • Farmer’s Market Reduces Days Open – The city of St. Catharines has decided to pause its Thursday Farmer’s Market for January and February. While the Farmer’s Market will continue to operate on Saturday, the decision to pause Thursday’s market was made due to a lack of customers and vendors on Thursday. (Niagara this Week)
  • Niagara Regional Housing To Reduce Capital Backlog – Niagara Regional Housing (NRH) has come forward with a funding opportunity that promises to reduce its capital backlog of repairs and renovations by 97 per cent. If all goes as planned, the work will reduce the NRH capital backlog to $1.3 million by the end of 2025. (St. Catharines Standard)

St. Catharines News Briefs

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  • Region Approves $237 Million Capital Budget – The Niagara Region has tentatively approved $237-million in capital spending. Once approved, the 2023 capital budget will include $71.3 million for roads and bridges, $20.9 million for machinery, equipment and software and $9.3 million for building expansions and replacements. (St. Catharines Standard)
  • Bridge Closure – The Glendale Avenue bridge will be closed next week Monday to Friday from 7:30am and 4:30pm for maintenance. (105 The River)
  • Transit Systems Amalgamate In Niagara – On January 1, the existing Niagara Region Transit, Niagara Falls Transit, St. Catharines Transit, Welland Transit and Fort Erie Transit systems were amalgamated into one region-wide transit service. While riders will not experience any changes to bus routes or schedules, they may see changes in fare prices and technology. (In Niagara Region)
  • OPP May Investigate Greenbelt Plan – Ontario Provincial Police are working to determine whether they should investigate the government’s plan to open up the protected Greenbelt to development. The PC government has proposed removing land from 15 different areas of the Greenbelt so that 50,000 homes can be built. (Thorold News)
  • Program Reduces Hospital Stays – A new program is looking at helping seniors avoid unnecessary hospital stays and get home quicker. The ‘Let’s Go Home’ initiative will decrease the number of hospital admissions and placements in acute care beds for people 65 years of age or older and allow them to return home while receiving community support. (CKTB)

St. Catharines News Briefs

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  • Niagara COVID Cases Reaches Milestone – The Niagara Region will have recorded more than 50,000 cases of COVID-19 over the past three years before the end of the day. As well, more people have died from COVID-19 this year than in 2020 or 2021 as there were 19,035 COVID-19 related deaths in Canada in 2022. (In Niagara Region)
  • Pathstone Launching Pen Centre Walk-In Clinic – Pathstone Mental Health’s pop-up clinic at the Pen Centre, which offers free services to Niagara’s youth, has been deemed a success. The clinic will now become permanent at the Pen Centre and will reopen on Jan 16. (St. Catharines Standard)
  • Home Struck By Gunfire – A home in Niagara Falls was stuck by gunfire as at least three bullets were fired through the front window just after 9pm last night. The homeowners were inside but were not injured. (CKTB)

St. Catharines News Briefs

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  • NRP Officer Suspended – A Niagara Regional Police officer has been suspended following reports of a suspicious person at a retirement community. Police say this is in connection to reports of a woman posing as an officer asking for prescription drugs at a retirement home. (105 The River)
  • Large Crowd Celebrates New Year’s Eve in Niagara Falls – It was estimated that 30,000 people celebrated New Year’s Eve at Queen Victoria Park in Niagara Falls despite the absence of a concert. This is leading officials to question whether a large concert, like those held before COVID, is even necessary although some believe many came to Niagara Falls expecting to see a big show. (Niagara Falls Review)
  • Closing of Canal Postponed – The Canadian Coast Guard’s newest light icebreaker made its way up the Welland Canal Monday, docking in Port Colborne. The Welland Canal was originally scheduled to close at noon this coming Saturday for the winter but will now close Monday due to the arrival of the icebreaker. (St. Catharines Standard)

St. Catharines News Briefs

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  • Support For Injured Bills Player – Both the American Falls and Canadian Horseshoe Falls will be illuminated in blue tonight from 9 p.m. to 9:15 p.m. in support of Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin. Hamlin was taken to a Cincinnati hospital during an NFL game Monday night after suffering a cardiac arrest after making a tackle. He remains in hospital and is listed in critical condition. (St. Catharines Standard)
  • New Year’s Baby – A Mississauga couple had the first baby born in the Niagara Region when their son arrived at 5:30 a.m. at the St. Catharines Hospital. The couple, who were given a due date of January 23, came to Niagara Falls for New Year’s Eve. (in Niagara Region)
  • Reducing Niagara’s Politicians – Niagara Falls Mayor Jim Diodati is anticipating that the number of elected municipal politicians will be decreased in Niagara. Diodati said Niagara has 126 politicians while Hamilton has 16 and Toronto has 26, despite those two cities having a population that is larger than Niagara. (105 The River)
  • Worm Exhibit Comes To Niagara – A new travelling exhibit called Soil Superheroes will take place at the Niagara Butterfly Conservatory from Jan. 13 to May 2. The exhibit will showcase how worms help make life on Earth possible. (Niagara this Week)

World News Briefs

Sunday December 18, 2022
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  • Shooting in Vaughan – Between five and seven people are dead following a shooting at a condo tower in Vaughan on Sunday night. Police are working with the understanding that there was a single shooter who is now dead. It is not known if there was any relation between the suspect and the victims. (CBC)
  • Canada Accused of Demoralizing Russian Soldiers – Russia‘s ambassador to Canada is claiming that Ottawa is leading social media effort to demoralize Russian soldiers by tweeting unflattering information about the war in Ukraine, particularly recent tweets about Russian men fleeing a military draft. Russia‘s ambassador also said that Canada appears to be leading an effort by Western countries to isolate Russia. (Global News)
  • Turbulence Causes Serious Injuries – Thirty-six people were injured during turbulence on a Hawaiian Airlines flight, including 11 people who are in a serious condition. The injuries included bruises, lacerations, loss of consciousness and a serious head injury. In total, 20 of the passengers were taken to hospital. (Sky News)
  • Musk May Resign as Twitter CEO – Twitter CEO Elon Musk launched a poll on Twitter on Sunday asking whether he should step down as head of the company, adding that he would abide by the poll results. Twitter also announced on Sunday that accounts created solely for the purpose of promoting other social media firms and content that contains links or usernames for rival platforms will be prohibited. (Global News)

St. Catharines News Briefs

Sunday December 18, 2022
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  • Niagara Region Chair in Hospital – Niagara Region Chair Jim Bradley was admitted to hospital this weekend to seek medical advice and treatment after experiencing some flu-like symptoms. It is anticipated that the chair will soon return to his duties in the coming days. (St. Catharines Standard)
  • Outdoor Skating Rink Opens – The outdoor ice rink at the Pillar and Post in Niagara-on-the-Lake opened for another season on Dec. 14. The rink will be open (weather permitting) from Monday to Thursday noon to 8 p.m., then noon to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays. (St. Catharines Standard)
  • Thorold Apartment Building Approved – The Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT) has ruled that the proposed six-storey apartment building on Ormond St. S. can move forward as planned despite opposition from the City of Thorold and surrounding neighbours. The developer said the entire process was a waste of taxpayers’ money. (Thorold Today)
  • Lack of Protection for Escarpment – Ontario’s auditor general says the province isn’t providing enough funding to allow proper protection of the Niagara Escarpment. The auditor general said there are significant areas of the Escarpment not covered by the official plan and that the plan allows for development that harms endangered species’ habitats. (CKTB)

St. Catharines News Briefs

Tuesday May 31, 2022
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  • Last Day For YMCA. The Walker Family YMCA in St. Catharines will officially close its doors today after 28 years. Toronto based Atria Development has purchased the building and is hoping to build condo units on the site. (610 CKTB)
  • Accommodation Tax Approved. St. Catharines City Council approved an accommodation tax that will see guests at hotels, motels, bed and breakfasts and short term rentals charged an additional 4% tax on their bill.  The new tax is expected to bring the city one million dollars in revenue annually. (105 The River)
  • Walk Raises $191K. The IG Wealth Management Walk for Alzheimer’s was held Sunday at Firemen’s Park in Niagara Falls and has raised $191,000 for people in Niagara living with dementia. (610 CKTB)
  • Arts Festival Downtown. In the Soil Arts Festival returns to downtown St. Catharines from June 10 to 12. The 3-day festival will showcase music, theatre and visual arts. (Niagara this Week)
  • Race Track Opens. The 125th racing season kicks off today at the Fort Erie Race Track with the first race set for 4:05 pm. The first 2,000 fans will get a free opening day t-shirt with a program purchase. (105 The River)
  • St. Catharines Adopts Vacant Building By-Law. In an effort to drive re-development of derelict properties, St. Catharines city council passed a Vacant Building Registry By-law that aims to address issues associated with vacant buildings and encourage property owners to not leave buildings empty for extended periods of time. Owners with vacant properties will be required to pay a $350 one-time fee and $850 annual fee. (City of St. Catharines)
  • Travel Restrictions Remain. COVID-19 travel restrictions, which include vaccine mandates, random COVID-19 tests and answering pandemic-related questions on the ArriveCan app are going to remain in place at the border for at least another month. However, MP Tony Baldinelli said the ArriveCan app is a mess and requires many fully vaccinated Canadians to quarantine upon arrival in Canada from the U.S. (610 CKTB)
  • Land Use Study For Old GM Property. The City is launching a land use study of the Ontario Street corridor from the QEW in the north to Welland Avenue in the south, leading into the downtown core.  The corridor includes the former GM lands and will guide future decisions for land use in that area. (City of St. Catharines)

St. Catharines News Briefs

Monday May 30, 2022
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  • COVID-19 Declining. Niagara’s acting medical officer of health, Dr. Mustafa Hirji, said COVID-19 indicators that include wastewater surveillance are indicating that we are starting to come out of the sixth wave of COVID-19 infections. It is possible that measures such as lockdowns and capacity restrictions may be gone for good. (St. Catharines Standard)
  • Tougher Waste/Grass Bylaw. The city of St. Catharines will be discussing the city’s waste and grass/weed bylaws at tonight’s council meeting. According to a staff report, the city may implement a tiered system of fines with each additional infraction seeing higher and higher fines. (Insauga)
  • Falls Turning Red And White. The Falls will be lit red and white tomorrow between 10:30 pm and 10:45 pm in honour of the St. Catharines Falcons, who won the Sutherland Cup on Sunday evening. (105 The River)
  • Indigenous Speaker Series. In recognition of National Indigenous History Month, Niagara Parks will collaborate with Indigenous leaders to deliver a three-part virtual speaker series. The interactive virtual sessions will explore issues impacting Indigenous women from different perspectives, age groups and career paths. (Niagara Parks)
  • Beach Parking Permits. St. Catharines residents can now purchase parking permits for St. Catharines beach lots online. The permits entitle St. Catharines residents to park without hourly charges or limits at the Sunset Beach and Lakeside Park lots, with no time limit, from May 1 to Sept. 30, when paid parking is in effect. (City of St. Catharines)
  • Adopt-A-Road. The Niagara Region is seeking community groups to Adopt-A-Road and pick up litter along regional road rights-of-way. Adopt-a-Road is a way for citizens, community and civic organizations, private businesses, and industry to contribute to making roads in Niagara more clean and beautiful. (Niagara Region)