Volunteers needed for Pumpkinville
Do you like working with children? Have a few hours to spare on Saturday, Oct. 15? The City needs about 100 volunteers to help at the annual fall family event. Duties range from setup and tear down to face painting and giving out pumpkins.
Let us know if you're interested.
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Help fill the Mayor's barrel
Mayor Walter Sendzik has challenged Niagara's Mayors to support local charities and help "stomp out poverty" at the 43rd annual JCI St. Catharines Mayors' Invitational Grape Stomp.
The Grape Stomp takes place Saturday, Sept. 17 at noon
at Montebello Park
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Niagara Mayors came together in 2015 to raise awareness about poverty and collectively gathered over 11,000 lbs of donations for their respective local charities.
Barrels from Community Care have been dropped off at City Hall and Mayor is calling out for help to fill them so he can have a head start on this year's competition.
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Help bring more buzz to Rennie Island
Have some time next Saturday morning? How about helping out in the planting of Niagara's largest pollinator garden?
The City of St. Catharines is calling for volunteers to help plant 20,000 native wild flowers, field grasses and other plants at Rennie Island to give honey bees, butterflies and other pollinators a place to feed and rest as they follow the Lake Ontario shoreline.
Volunteers should meet at Rennie Park, 60 Lakeport Rd., and are encouraged to wear appropriate clothing and bring their own trowel. Refreshments will be available.
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Fall clean up now Oct. 1
Last weekend's Clean City Clean Up has been rescheduled for Saturday, Oct. 1.
Join the Clean City Advisory Committee and other volunteers from across St. Catharines as they help pick up litter and garbage from City parks and public spaces from noon to 3:30 p.m.
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City Council meetings
online
Did you know you can now tune in to City Council meetings from anywhere you have an Internet connection.
The City of St. Catharines is livestreaming City Council meetings you can watch from anywhere on your smart phone, tablet or computer by going online to
www.stcatharines.ca/LiveStream.
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Recreation programs registration open
Check out the fall and winter Leisure Guide. Then, register online for the rec programs you'd like to try.
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Watch out for these dangerous weeds
Giant Hogweed and Wild Parsnip may sound like cute names, but in reality they're forms of noxious weeds that residents are best to avoid.
Sap of Giant Hogweed can cause a severe burning reaction if exposed to the sun. Wild Parsnip can cause a burning rash and irritation. If you come in contact with either of these weeds you should immediately wash and rinse skin and wash clothing separately from other laundry.
The City actively sprayed and removed the weeds throughout the spring and summer, and warning signs have been placed on trails that have a higher concentration of weeds.
If residents spot either weed in a City park or trail they should report it to Citizens First at 905.688.5600 or [email protected].
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Loonie swim
Make a splash for only $1 Saturday, Sept. 24 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the St. Catharines Kiwanis Aquatics Centre.
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Communicate with ease at the City
The City of St. Catharines is proudly displaying a new symbol at its customer service points to show it is committed to making communication accessible for all residents.
Last week, Mayor Walter Sendzik and Trish Cardwell, the City's manager of customer service, unveiled the blue and white symbol at Citizens First, the City's centralized, one-stop point of contact for residents. Communication Disabilities Access Canada promotes human rights, accessibility and inclusion for people who have speech and language disabilities that are not primarily caused by hearing loss. Customer service staff have completed CDAC's communication training.
Organizations like the City of St. Catharines display the Communication Access symbol to show they welcome people with communication disabilities and will use communication methods that work best for each individual.
Residents will find the Communication Access symbol at some other City facilities, including the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre, the Meridian Centre, the St. Catharines Museum and Welland Canals Centre, Russell Avenue Community Centre, St. Catharines Kiwanis Aquatics Centre and Victoria Lawn Cemetery.
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Culture Days are back
Culture Days are back in St. Catharines and local artists are encouraging residents to get creative and try something new.
The City of St. Catharines joins more than 900 communities across the country in celebrating Culture Days from Friday, Sept. 30 to Sunday, Oct. 2 with free activities for all ages. Abstract painting, puppetry, theatre improv, sculpture, film screenings, drawing, music, facility tours and more will all be part of the Culture Days St. Catharines weekend.
There will be a lot to do: Culture Days activities will take place at the eight participating sites in St. Catharines
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Check out the fall lineup at the Film House
Word is circulating that The Film House at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre is the best place in Niagara to experience the rich world of cinema.
The fall schedule has been announced and features both classic cinema and first-run features. Titles include: Wiener-Dog, Vertigo, Café Society and How To Build A Time Machine.
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Final weekend for Guided Spirit Walks
Take a trip back in time to 100 years ago and discover the stories and familiar music of the First World War at the Victoria Lawn Cemetery this September.
The St. Catharines Museum and Welland Canals Centre presents its Guided Spirit Walk with a new theme this year: Keep the Home Fires Burning: Stories and Music from the First World War. The walks feature local actors who bring a collection of war-time stories of notable St. Catharines personalities to life.
Guides will lead walks at 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. Sept. 16-17. Tickets are $10 per person.
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A Report from
Mayor Walter Sendzik
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The Inter-Municipal Transit Working Group of mayors, CAO's and transit staff from St. Catharines, Niagara Falls and Welland, with input from the Regional Chair and staff, have been working together with a consulting team to develop options for an integrated transit system for all of Niagara. Over the summer months the team consulted with the business community, top regional employers, service agencies and the health care sector.
Feedback showed strong support for co-operation and transit integration. In August we received a progress report with options for future service plans and governance for an integrated transit system for the region. The progress report is available on at www.stcatharines.ca/IMT.
As we continue, the working group is focused on immediate improvements and better service coordination (including new routes which started this September for Brock and Niagara College service), fare integration, coordination with GO service, and long-term options for transit integration across the region. The working group will present a final report to local city councils and regional council later this fall. We will do more public consultation later this fall.
We all agree that public transit and inter-muncipal transit is vital for the future of our city, our region, and our economic growth. Integrated transit is identified in our St. Catharines Strategic Plan and it is also a strategic priority of Regional Council. I'm pleased by the progress and co-operation to date, and look forward to working together with Mayor Diodati, Mayor Campion and Chair Caslin to report our recommendations for public transit.
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City on board with sprucing up old canal lock
Council endorsed a proposal to spruce up the historic canal lock in Port Dalhousie put forward by the Kiwanis Club and Port Dalhousie Beautification and Works Committee.
The community groups are proposing to make improvements to the area of Lock 1 of the Second Welland Canal, such as repairing wrought iron fences, adding a seating area and installing a public art display.
City Council directed staff to assist with moving the projects forward
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New fund to help revitalize Centennial Gardens
Centennial Gardens could use a little help from its "friends."
City Council established a Centennial Gardens Partnership Fund with $15,000 in matching grant money for 2016 and another $15,000 next year. The grant money is available to community groups and private organizations for community projects in Centennial Gardens.
The City is encouraging interested groups to work together on revitalization efforts for the park and consider forming a "Friends of" group similar to those set up for Walker's Creek and Malcolmson Eco-Park.
This group could, with one voice, advocate for improvements, raise funds, leverage partnerships and bring volunteers together to revitalize the downtown park.
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Canal monument moving forward
The Welland Canal Fallen Workers Memorial is moving on to the next phase.
City Council authorized an agreement for between the City and Dereck Revington Studio Inc. to proceed with final design drawings, production of tender documents, memorial fabrication and installation, and contract administration for construction.
Council also directed staff to work with the design team to issue a tender for the construction and installation of the project.
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Other items
Grant applications
Council directed the City to apply to the Waterfront Investment Program for nearly $375,000 in grant funds for improvements to Centennial Gardens and to build the Welland Canal Fallen Workers Memorial.
Council also directed staff to submit an application to the Ontario 150 Partnership Program for funding for Youth 150 - St. Catharines Youth Forum. Council also reallocated $2,000 to the forum from the 2016 Mayor's Youth Advisory Committee budget and referred the report to the Budget Standing Committee.
Grape and Wine
street party
Council approved a request to close part of James Street from King Street to the old Courthouse from Sept. 22-25 for a special event.
Cenotaph
The cenotaph at 111 Church St., the former location for the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 24, will be relocated to City Hall in time for Remembrance Day celebrations.
Beer
Council will allow the Lock Street Brewing Corporation to serve and sell craft beer at its manufacturing site.
Official Plan
Council directed staff to review how it evaluates applications to severe land to insure developments are compatible with neighbourhoods.
Tourism
Council threw its support behind having a tourist information centre at QEW Casablanca off ramp.
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More council online
Council Highlights offers informal summaries of some of the recent decisions and business discussed during St. Catharines City Council meetings. The Office of the City Clerk provides a full recap of decisions and motions in its official minutes, available on the Friday after every St. Catharines City Council meeting.
Click here for City of St. Catharines council meeting agendas and minutes.
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Digital versions of the Garden City Current are available. Click here to read past issues.
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Sept. 26
City Council
6:30 p.m., City Hall
Click here to learn about other upcoming meetings.
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Click here to learn about construction projects happening in the City.
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