The LocalSKIM for Tuesday, August 10
- St. Catharines city council voted in favour of asking the MTO to reduce the speed limit on residential neighbourhood roads within Ontario from 50 km per hour to 40 km per hour. (610 CKTB)
- St. Catharines City council has voted to take a balanced approach with respect to the city’s pools and splash pads which includes spending up to $31 million to build a new indoor aquatic facility, redeveloping Lion Dunc Schooley Outdoor Pool and building 3 new splash pads. (610 CKTB)
- The YMCA is reviewing a number of offers for the purchase of the Walker Family YMCA building. However, St. Catharines city council has directed Mayor Walter Sendzik to advise the YMCA board that the city is interested in investing in the building to keep it open to the public. (St. Catharines Standard)
- Despite calls for a vaccine passport, Health Minister Christine Elliott reiterated on Tuesday that Ontario will not be implementing a vaccine certification system that could be used to restrict access to places such as restaurants and gyms to vaccinated individuals only. (680 News)
Photo: PexelsNRPS introduces deaf – hard of hearing communication placards
- The Niagara Regional Police Service has partnered with Canadian Hearing Services, Inc. to provide accommodations between people who are deaf/hard of hearing and the police.
- Placards for officers have been created to keep in their cruisers that can be used when communicating with a member of the deaf/hard of hearing community.
- In addition, officers can also access professional interpretation (sign language) services on any device with an internet connection.
- Members of the public will be able to pick up a placard at the front desk of any Niagara Regional Police Station to advise officers that they are deaf/hard of hearing.
The LocalSKIM for Monday, August 10
- Five beaches in Niagara are posted unsafe to swim including Bay Beach, Waverly Beach, Humberstone Centennial Park Beach, Sherkston Wyldewood and Long Beach. (610 CKTB)
- With COVID-19 cases on the rise again in Ontario, business groups are asking the Ontario government to implement a vaccine certificate system as a means to avoid another lockdown. (CP 24)
- Canada’s border officers reached a new tentative agreement with the federal government late Friday after a daylong work-to-rule campaign. The deal came after 36 straight hours of mediated talks. (CBC News)
- Brock University is not mandating staff and students to be vaccinated as interim president Lynn Wells said the university will follow provincial guidelines, which do not currently call for mandated vaccinations. (St. Catharines Standard)
The LocalSKIM for Friday, August 6
- Ontario has now been in the third step of its pandemic reopening plan for the past 3 weeks but it has yet to hit the vaccination targets set for restrictions to roll back further. The province had previously progressed through earlier phases of its reopening within the 3 week timeframe but a drop-off in vaccinations is slowing progress. (Thorold News)
- The Niagara real estate market is cooling down as the number of real estate listings and the number of homes sold continued its downward trend in July. As well, for the first time in 15 months, the average selling price decreased slightly from the previous month. (St. Catharines Standard)
- The Hamilton-bound QEW will be fully closed from North Shore Boulevard to Eastport Drive for roadwork beginning at 11 p.m. Friday, Aug. 6 until 5 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 9. (Inside Halton)
- Dr. Mustafa Hirji said the recent “slow gentle increase” in COVID-19 cases in Niagara, which included 11 new cases on Friday, is likely the result of moving into Step 3 of the province’s pandemic reopening plan. (St. Catharines Standard)
- Delays at the Canada-U.S. border have slowed commercial crossings to a crawl, as Canadian border staff begin work-to-rule strike action in the midst of contract negotiations with the federal government. (Reuters)