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Ontario Street Parking Garage permit holders need new swipe cards
Do you have a parking permit at the Ontario Street Parking Garage? You are going to need a new swipe card.
The City of St Catharines is replacing the swipe card readers at the Ontario Street Parking Garage at all entrances and exits.
The new readers will require new parking permit swipe cards as the old swipe cards are not compatible. All parking permit holders must have the new swipe cards in order to enter and exit the parking garage starting on Tuesday, Nov. 21.
New swipe cards are now available for pick up at Parking Services on the second floor of City Hall (50 church St.). You must present identification to receive your new swipe card. Old swipe cards can be desposited in a drop box at the exit gate starting Nov. 21.
If you are unable to pick up your new swipe card before the upgrade, new swipe cards will be available exclusively at the guard gate at the Ontario Street exit starting Tuesday, Nov. 21.
You must present identification to receive your new swipe card. You can pull a ticket to enter the parking garage without your new swipe card. However, you will need your new swipe card to exit the parking garage.
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Santa Claus is coming to town
The countdown to Christmas begins Sunday, Nov. 19 with the St. Catharines Santa Claus Parade.
The parade begins at 1 p.m. and will march down McGuire Street in front of the Meridian Centre, turn left on Carlisle Street, left on St. Paul Street and end at the corner of Queen Street and St. Paul Street.
Holiday festivities continue after the parade with free public skating and other activities at the Meridian Centre from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Families can also meet Santa Claus and enjoy crafts, face painting and pony rides.
Parade and festivities take place rain, shine or snow. Spectators are encouraged to dress for the weather. Volunteers will collect non-perishable food, hats and mittens along the parade route for Community Care of St. Catharines and Thorold. Canada Post will also be collecting letters for Santa along the parade route.
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City collecting toy and gift donations
The City of St. Catharines is proud to once again partner with Santa's helpers across the city to spread holiday joy throughout the community.
The City will accept new, unwrapped gifts for children up to 16 years old until Friday, Dec. 8. Residents can support the campaign by purchasing a gift and returning it with the "Little Angel" to any of these City facilities:
- City Hall
- City community centres
- St. Catharines Museum and Welland Canals Centre
- City older adult centres
- St. Catharines Kiwanis Aquatics Centre
- Seymour-Hannah Sports and Entertainment Centre.
The City will also accept new toy and gift donations without "Little Angel" tags as well as gift card donations.
Toy and gift donations support Community Care of St. Catharines and Thorold.
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Museum collecting warm woolly donations
The St. Catharines Museum and Welland Canals Centre is calling on the community to join in its woolly stand against the cold.
From Saturday, Nov. 25 to Sunday, Jan. 7 the museum will collect warm woolly mittens, hats, scarves, socks and other gently used winter clothing for adults and children in need through its annual Mitten Tree. The museum's Mitten Tree campaign kicks off with a knitting workshop and other activities Saturday, Nov. 25 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Everyone is welcome to learn how to knit at the kickoff. Visitors can also enjoy sipping hot chocolate, making a hand-made gift and other crafts and activities. Admission to the museum is by donation.
All winter clothing donations will go to local adults and children through Community Care of St. Catharines and Thorold and Out of the Cold.
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City celebrating National Child Day
Celebrate National Child Day with free skating and free swimming on Monday, Nov. 20.
- Free skating
4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
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Free swimming
6 p.m. to 7 p.m.
The FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre is also offering discounted tickets for the Nov. 20 performance of Old Man and the River - a story of friendship told through puppetry and music. The stage show is recommended for families with children ages three to seven years old.
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3rd annual Older Adults Forum Nov. 22
St. Catharines older adults are invited to take part in an interactive discussion at the third annual Older Adults Forum.
The Older Adult Forum is set for:
Wednesday, Nov. 22
9:30 a.m.
Mayor Walter Sendzik will offer an update about Council's strategic plan and priorities and older adults are welcome to ask questions and share feedback about City programs and services. Following the discussion, residents can meet service providers and agencies with questions about local services for older adults.
All are welcome and there is no cost to attend. It is not necessary to be a member of the City's Older Adult Centres to participate. RSVP to [email protected] or call 905.688.5601 ext. 1540.
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Street cleaning starting soon
It's that time of year again: the leaves are coming down and crews will soon be out to clean them away from City streets.
Fall street cleaning will begin once the majority of leaves have fallen from trees throughout the city. Crews use equipment to collect leaves and clean debris from City streets, working on a neighbourhood-by-neighbourhood basis until every street in St. Catharines is clean.
Street cleaning takes place Monday to Friday between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. and will take several weeks to complete. You can help our street cleaners by not parking vehicles on the street when crews are scheduled to be in your area.
We will post the areas where street cleaners will be working online as well as on the City's Facebook page Twitter account.
Check for updates daily: some sectors or neighbourhoods may take longer to clean than others. Weather can also disrupt street cleaning.
Leaves on roads can cause slippery conditions for pedestrians and motorists, and increase the risk for flooding by clogging drains. It's also against the law and not safe to rake yard waste and other garbage onto roads because it could cause drainage issues and pose as a hazard to pedestrians and motorists.
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Put yard waste in its place
Are you cleaning up your yard and garden for winter? Be sure to put yard waste in its place.
The Niagara Region picks up most yard waste placed at the curb in green organics bins and large paper bags during regular weekly garbage collection. The Region will also pick up small bundles of branches left at the curb on regular collection days until Nov. 24.
Branches and yard waste should not be dumped in ravines or creeks because they could be carried downstream, create blockages and cause water levels to flood.
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New memorial honours the work of 137 fallen workers
An 85-year-old promise to honour 137 men who died building one of the greatest engineering marvels in Canada was fulfilled with the unveiling of the Welland Canal Fallen Workers Memorial on Sunday, Nov. 12.
Visit the new memorial at Lock 3 of the Welland Canal near the St. Catharines Museum and Welland Canals Centre.
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City offers help to clear snowy sidewalks
to those who need it
When the snow starts piling up there's help for o
lder adults and residents with disabilities who are unable to shovel snow and ice from their sidewalks.
To be eligible for the program applicants must:
- provide a doctor's note stating they are not physically able to shovel their sidewalk themselves
- own and reside at the property they require assistance for
- have no one else living at their home who is able to shovel sidewalks.
Applications are due by Thursday, Nov. 30.
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Coming up at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre
Here's what's coming up at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre:
Shane Koyczan
Tuesday, Nov. 21 - 7:30 p.m.
The beloved anti-bullying icon and poet for our generation returns to
St. Catharines for an intimate spoken word performance.
Susan Aglukark & "Survivorman" Les Stroud
Thursday, Nov. 30 - 7:30 p.m.
A music, film and concert experience like no other in celebration of the arctic and the earth, highlighting the story of the Inuits' survival through the ages.
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A report from Mayor Walter Sendzik
On Sunday, Nov. 12, our community fulfilled an 85-year-old promise to honour 137 men who died building one of the greatest engineering marvels in Canada with the unveiling of the Welland Canal Fallen Workers Memorial
.
The memorial honours the fathers, brothers, sons, uncles, veterans and newcomers to Canada who died building the Welland Canal between 1913 and 1932 - a project that continues to shape our community and support our national economy.
It was a memorable day for the family members who came from near and as far away as England and California for the special unveiling ceremony. Our community is proud to host the memorial and to fulfill this long-forgotten promise to honour the fallen workers. I encourage you to visit this extraordinary new tribute to the fallen workers, which is open now at Lock 3 beside the St. Catharines Museum and Welland Canals Centre. It is an incredible memorial and a moving experience. You can also watch the unveiling ceremony online or on YourTV Niagara (TVCogeco) on Nov. 17 at 11 a.m. and Nov. 26 at 9 p.m
.
Once again, I'd like to thank the donors, supporters and the task force volunteers who have been working on this project for many years. Thank you to the Department of Canadian Heritage, Niagara Region, the City of St. Catharines, the marine and shipping industry, local businesses, the labour community and the many individuals who made a contribution to the memorial. Memory slowly fades with time, but now the Fallen Workers of the Fourth Welland Canal will be remembered for generations to come.
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Council objects to charges being dropped against veterinarian
City Council passed a motion formally objecting to criminal charges against St. Catharines veterinarian Dr. Mahavir Rekhi being dropped. City Council is also requesting an explanation from the Crown about why charges were dropped.
Council will send its objection to the Provincial Ministry of the Attorney General as well as communicate its concerns to local MPPs Jim Bradley, Cindy Forster and Sam Oosterhoff.
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Free afternoon parking downtown in December
City Council approved three hours of free afternoon parking at all City meters and hourly machined lots from Monday, Dec. 11 to Friday, Dec. 29.
Visitors taking advantage of free afternoon parking are still subject to the usual three-hour time limit. The City's on-street metered spots and hourly machined lots are intended for short visits only and have a three-hour limit.
Council also delegated authority to approve future holiday parking promotions to the director of financial management services.
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Memorial tree and bench program updated
City Council approved updates to the City's Memorial Bench and Tree program policy with some changes intended to make the program self-funding.
The update also introduces a term for memorial benches that's in line with the bench's lifecycle to ensure costs are recouped for maintenance.
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2018 property tax payment due dates
City Council has set the 2018 due dates for City property tax payments.
- Wednesday, Feb 28
- Monday, April 30
- Friday, June 29
- Friday, Sept. 28
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Other news
Hannelore Headley Chess Park
City Council added Hannelore Headley Chess Park to the Municipal Alcohol Policy so the park will be eligible for functions that require a Special Occasion Permit.
Highway 406 work
City Council approved a request from the Ministry of Transportation for a noise by-law exemption to permit night work when the province repairs or replaces structures along Highway 406 from Fourth Avenue and Westchester Avenue between 2018 and 2020.
Council also delegated authority to approve these types of exemptions for public authorities to the director of transportation and environmental services.
Park master plans
City Council endorsed developing park master plans for Sunset Beach, Burgoyne Woods, and Fairview Park / John Page Park by a third party consultant. Council also directed staff to develop park master plans for Community Park and the Buchanan House lands.
There will be opportunity for public input during the development of the park master plans, which will enable strategic and long-term decision making and external funding readiness.
City Council also approved Sunset Beach as the priority location for the development of a park master plan.
By-law enforcement review
City Council received recommendations from the Parking and Property Standards By-Law Enforcement Review Task Force and directed staff to report back on the task force's findings.
Council also directed staff to report on how residents can access by-law information and action after hours and to look at certain restrictions for on-street parking and height of grass.
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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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Click here to learn about construction projects happening in the City.
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