Celebrate Lakeside Park
It's a Lakeside Park celebration and everyone is invited.
The official opening of the revitalized Lakeside Park will take place Thursday, Aug. 31 from noon to 3 p.m.
The event is open to everyone and will include giveaways, games, informative displays, free rides on the Lakeside Park Carousel, courtesy of the Friends of the Carousel, and much more.
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The fall/winter Leisure Guide is out
The City's new Fall/Winter Leisure Guide is out. Find it at City Hall, City recreation facilities and online.
Online registration for St. Catharines residents opens at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 29. Walk-in registration opens Wednesday, Aug. 30 at 8:30 a.m. and will be available during regular business hours at the St. Catharines Kiwanis Aquatics Centre, Citizens First at City Hall and the Seymour-Hannah Sports and Entertainment Centre.
Live outside St. Catharines? Non-resident registration opens Thursday, Aug. 31 at 6 p.m.
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What's open, what's not on Labour Day
Take a spin on the carousel. Play a round of golf. Take a dip in the City's outdoor pools. The City has your Labour Day holiday weekend covered with loads of activities.
City Hall and some other City of St. Catharines facilities will be closed for Labour Day, Monday, Sept. 4. City offices return to regular business hours Tuesday, Sept. 5.
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Have a fire-safe backyard cookout
St. Catharines residents are free to enjoy backyard cooking fires. But, Acting Fire Chief Jeff McCormick cautions revelers to be safe and follow the City's by-law for open air burning.
Residents can enjoy backyard cooking fires as long as their cooking fires meet certain safety requirements, such as being contained in small pits covered with a grill and located at least three metres away from buildings, trees, fences and other structures.
Residents must have a way to put out the cooking fire within reach, such as a bucket of water or fire extinguisher, and fires must be extinguished immediately after use. Cooking fires must never be left unattended.
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Carlisle Street / Garden Park Parking Garage
closed Labour Day weekend
The Carlisle Street/Garden Park Parking Garage will close temporarily on Labour Day weekend for regular maintenance.
The City is replacing the waterproof membrane, a thin rubberized coating on the concrete, that's been worn away due to regular traffic.
The parking garage will be closed from 6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 1 to 6 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 5.
Because of the nature of the repairs, all vehicles must be out of the parking garage at 6 p.m. on Friday. The maintenance will produce dust and debris and any vehicle left in the garage is done so at the owner's risk.
Vehicles that must be left in the garage for the weekend should be moved to the top floor by 6 p.m. on Friday.
Between the Ontario Street Parking Garage, the Market Square parking lot and other nearby City parking lots and on-street spots there are still hundreds of parking spots available within a five-minute walk to most of the downtown. Parking is free from 6 p.m. on Friday nights to 9 a.m. Monday mornings.
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Back to school Sept. 5; watch for crossing guards
It's time for back to school and that means more youngsters will be on City streets around the same time you may be heading to and from work.
The City is committed to keeping its streets safe for everyone, including children as they learn to follow the rules of the road. The City has more than 90 crossing guards helping children get to and from class safely at elementary schools across St. Catharines.
Crossing guards have the authority to stop traffic to help pedestrians cross the street. Pedestrians and motorists must respect directions from crossing guards. Also, pedestrians have the right-of-way when crossing the street legally.
Recent changes to Ontario law requires motorists to wait until pedestrians and crossing guards have cleared the crosswalk before proceeding. That means motorists can longer turn left, right or drive through the clear section of the road.
More tips:
Parents, remind children to
- Walk on sidewalks.
- Cross roads with a crossing guard.
- Cross only at intersections when safe.
Drivers, you must
- Respect directions from crossing guards.
- Look for School Zone signage and slow down.
- Be aware: children don't always look for traffic.
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Community groups: apply to use the City's Meridian Centre seats
The City of St. Catharines is offering local community youth groups and charities the chance to cheer on the Niagara IceDogs and Niagara River Lions from its seats at the Meridian Centre.
Registered charities, incorporated non-profit organizations and minor not-for-profit sports associations are eligible to apply to use the City's community suite or club seats for select IceDogs and River Lions home games at the Meridian Centre.
Organizations planning to bring children and youth to an IceDogs or River Lions game can apply for 12 club seat tickets and receive priority for weekend games. Organizations interested in fundraising can apply for the 12 tickets and use of the City's community suite.
Applications will be reviewed by a committee of City staff. All applicants will be notified in writing once selections are completed, with successful applicants assigned a game date.
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Summer Concerts in the Park
The season wraps up Wednesday, Aug. 30 with Amanda Marshall, Michelle Treacy and Mélanie Brulée performing a free concert as part of the ONtour concert series.
Summer Concerts in the Park take place rain or shine but may be cancelled due to severe weather. Food and drink will be available for purchase. Bring your own lawn chair or blanket for seating. There are washrooms on site and free parking is available after 6 p.m.
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Take part in our Transportation Master Plan
It's been a while since the City created a transportation plan (1965, to be exact),
which is why City staff are hard at work creating a new Transportation Master Plan to shape the future of walking, driving, cycling and commuting in St. Catharines.
The public can give input on the transportation needs of the city by taking part in MetroQuest, an interactive, online activity that guides residents through questions and scenarios related to cars, transit and cycling.
Additional public feedback opportunities will be available in the fall, including a series of open houses and an online survey.
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Celebration of Nations Sept. 8-10 at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre
Celebration of Nations features a three-day gathering of Indigenous arts, culture, and the traditions of First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples within Canada in downtown St. Catharines.
Performances include: Buffy Sainte-Marie; Kaha:wi Dance Theatre's Re-Quickening; a dance party hosted by DJ Shub (formerly of A Tribe Called Red); a special Rumble: All-Star Jam with Kenny Lee Lewis (Steve Miller Band); and Derek Miller (two-time JUNO Award-winner). Festivities also include three days of films at The Film House, including RUMBLE: The Indians Who Rocked the World; Gord Downie's Secret Path; and Shirley Cheechoo's Moose River Crossing. Free and ticketed events all weekend long.
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A report from Mayor Walter Sendzik
 It's been a great summer so far with many fun events, supper markets, concerts in the park and movies under the stars. Construction season continues with progress on major works in motion on Queenston Street, St. Paul Street, Ontario Street and repairs to the St. Catharines Kiwanis Aquatics Centre.
Next week we will officially open the new and improved Lakeside Park in Port Dalhousie with a community celebration. While the new pavilion, Rotary Bandshell, washrooms, sun shelter and playground have been open for most of the summer, this will be a fun opportunity for the community to come out and appreciate the new accessible features in the park and thank our community partners. I hope you'll join us on Thursday, Aug. 31 at noon.
As the summer winds down there is one more event coming up this weekend: The Mayor's Au Marche on Saturday, Aug. 26 at 13th Street Winery. This fundraiser supports the Niagara Community Foundation's
Investing in
St. Catharines Youth Initiative that helps young people participate in recreational, sports and cultural activities. For tickets, contact the Niagara Community Foundation at 905.684.8688.
It's inevitable that soon, summer will come to an end and students will be heading back to school and streets and sidewalks will be busy. I ask you to remember to drive safely in school zones and help our crossing guards get students to school and home safely.
I've enjoyed meeting many of you over the summer at some of the great events we have here in St. Catharines. I look forward to seeing you at the annual Labour Day parade in Merritton and to your feedback on local issues and City Council. As always, I can be reached at [email protected] or at City Hall.
Enjoy the rest of your summer.
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More new homes coming to
St. Catharines
City Council approved a condominium application for a 28-unit townhouse development at 30 Power Glen to move forward.
City Council also approved minor changes to a previously approved draft plan of subdivision for a 44-unit townhouse development at 54 Mackenzie King Ave.
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Dunlop Drive and Geneva Street intersection improvements
City Council is in favour of using $48,000 from the 2017 Capital Budget to pay for its share of the work to widen a boulevard the westbound lane of Dunlop Drive between Geneva Street and the Grace Anglican Church driveway.
City Council also directed staff to request the Niagara Region to reconsider a decision by its Public Works Committee because it was contrary to recommendations jointly made by the City and Region's transportation planners.
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Design review panel set
City Council appointed Greg Hynde, Richard Baker, Chris Miller, Mark Kudreikis and Eric Jones to the City's new design review panel.
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Heritage permit granted for demolition
City Council approved an application for a heritage permit allowing property owners to demolish the single-storey house at 13 Johnston St.
The work requires a heritage permit because the property falls within the Port Dalhousie Heritage district.
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Provisional items added to Welland Canal Fallen Workers Memorial
City Council revised the scope of work for installation of the Welland Canal Fallen Workers Memorial to include a list of provisional items, such as landscaping, lighting, tree plantings and other commemorative features.
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Other news
SCCIP
City Council invested more than $185,000 in 27 arts and cultural organizations through the St. Catharines Cultural Investment Program.
Two-way traffic
City Council declared a small piece of land at 64 Geneva St. surplus for the purpose of selling it to the Niagara Region to complete the downtown two-way traffic project.
No parking
Parking is prohibited on the south side of Clarendon Avenue from Thornton Street to Ferndale Avenue.
New sidewalk
The City will build a new sidewalk on the east side of Roehampton Avenue from Winnifred Avenue to a point 40 metres south.
Ridgewood Road
City Council awarded a contract for sewer replacement, watermain upgrades, storm sewer connections and sidewalk improvements for Ridgewood Road to Catalina Excavating. The project is estimated to cost $645,571 plus HST.
Lorne Street
City Council approved an increase of just more than $110,000 to the contract for road and sewer upgrades on Lorne Street to address contaminated soil discovered during the project.
Special meeting
City Council scheduled a special meeting for Monday, Oct. 23 at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall to review and consider the proposed Fire Master Plan.
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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.
City Council meeting agendas and minutes are available online.
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City Council
6:30 p.m., City Hall
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| Oakdale Avenue from Westchester
Crescent to Lincoln Avenue will be under construction from summer 2017 to spring 2018.
Construction continues on
Queenston Street until the end of the year. Rolling road blocks will be in place weekdays from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. between Page Street and Eastchester Avenue. One lane of traffic will be open on evenings and weekends.
St. Paul Street between Carlisle and James streets and part of Carlisle from St. Paul to Race streets will be closed until September.
Businesses are open and pedestrian access will be maintained.
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Click here to learn about construction projects happening in the City.
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