Culture Days to put spotlight on arts and culture | |
The City of St. Catharines will celebrate everything arts and culture over three weeks this fall. A diverse range of live and virtual performances, events and workshops, are planned from Sept. 22 to Oct. 15, 2023, to mark Culture Days. The festival is held annually across the country.
In 2022, the City was ranked number one in Canada in terms of the number of digital activities residents could participate in. St. Catharines also ranked eighth nationally of mid-sized cities when it came to overall participation.
The City is one of eight regional hubs in the province this year. It means St. Catharines will act as a community lead and be featured on the Ontario Culture Days website, creating potential tourism opportunities.
This year’s list of events include: Living Mino Bimaadiziwin: An Indigenous Journey through the Arts Exhibition, The Drama Garden with Carousel Players, First thoughts: Making words Workshop, Classical Chamber Music Program with the Strettino Quartet, and Eco-photography: Sustainable Approaches to Image Making Workshop. All events are free, but some require pre-registration. You can find a full list of events at stcatharines.ca/CultureDays.
An official flag raising will take place on the front lawn of City Hall on Friday, Sept. 22 at 4 p.m., followed by the opening of the City’s 14th annual juried art exhibit inside City Hall.
| St. Catharines launches new building permit application portal | |
St. Catharines has launched phase one of a new building permit application portal, allowing those looking to build or renovate in the city to easily apply and pay for permits online.
This initial stage allows residents, contractors and developers to fill out and track permit applications to construct, renovate, add on to, or demolish structures like houses, semi-detached houses, townhouses, apartment buildings and hotels. Payments can be made for invoices within the portal using the invoice number or building permit number.
Users can expect upcoming phases to include additions such as applications for minor variances, property severances and site plan agreements. The flexibility of the new system allows for potential future expansions including business licensing and renewal applications.
The portal guides applicants through the process of requesting a personal identification number (PIN) and the creation of their profile. An individual can either manage the account as an individual or use it to represent an organization upon the company’s approval. The system then takes the user through the rest of the process – making an initial application, managing it, viewing the status, and paying any associated fees.
A user guide is available within the portal which takes users through the entire application process and provides support for ongoing account management. City staff will be monitoring incoming applications and providing necessary assistance.
The new portal can be found at stcatharines.ca/BuildSTC.
| Final tax bill payments being accepted through new online payment system | |
Residents can use the City’s new online payment system to pay their final tax bills this year.
The City mailed out final residential and commercial property tax bills on June 9, 2023, and payments are due to the City by Sept. 29, 2023, at 4:30 p.m.
Property tax payments can also be made through banks, financial institutions and online banking as usual, though those types of payments are not immediately received by the City and can take a few extra days to be processed. Property owners making payments through other institutions should do so several days ahead of the due date to ensure their payments make it on time.
Payments can also be made in person at City Hall from Monday to Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. where cash, cheques, and debit are accepted. Cheques can also be left in the deposit box at the James Street entrance at City Hall or mailed to Citizens First at the City of St. Catharines, 50 Church St., PO Box 3012, St. Catharines ON L2R 7C2.
Payments received after 4:30 p.m. on the instalment due date will be subject to a 1.25 per cent late payment charge on the first day of default and the first day of each calendar month until paid.
Property owners are encouraged to contact Citizens First at 905.688.5600 if their final tax bill hasn’t been received. A reminder that cash should not be put in the City Hall drop box or sent through the mail.
The City offers a 10-month preauthorized payment plan from January to October which is helpful for those who prefer to make monthly payments. New in 2023, a 12-month payment plan was also introduced. Learn more about property taxes and preauthorized payments at stcatharines.ca/Taxes.
The payment portal can be found at stcatharines.ca/PayOnline.
| St. Catharines Fire Services lays 84 charges in connection with Keefer Road explosion | |
St. Catharines Fire Services has laid charges in the aftermath of the explosion and subsequent fires that occurred at 20 Keefer Road in Port Weller on Jan. 12, 2023.
A total of 84 charges have been laid against Ssonix Products 2010 Inc. and its three directors – 21 counts each – in the ongoing efforts to address the incident.
The first court appearance is scheduled for the end of September 2023.
This appearance will mark the beginning of the court process to address the charges laid following the events at Keefer Road earlier this year.
Residents are encouraged to stay informed at stcatharines.ca/KeeferRoadFire.
| Bogart Street Park re-opens featuring renovations and art installation | |
Bogart Street Park officially re-opened at a ceremony on Aug. 28 celebrating the completion of extensive renovations to the park's tennis courts and playground, as well as the unveiling of a captivating new art installation.
The revitalization portion of the project was made possible by funding from the City of St. Catharines as well as the Government of Canada and the Province of Ontario as part of the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP) which supports various community, cultural, and recreation infrastructure projects. The maximum amount of funding that St. Catharines was approved for was $437,000. The art installation was supported by the City of St. Catharines in partnership with the Niagara Regional Native Centre.
The park received enhancements including new landscaping, a reconstructed parking lot, and a playground structure featuring several accessibility elements. The existing tennis courts were transformed into multi-use courts to accommodate a variety of sports, including tennis, basketball, ball hockey and handball.
Throughout the design and implementation phases of the art project, the City of St. Catharines collaborated closely with the Niagara Regional Native Centre (NRNC). Visual artist Cheyenne Ricard created the chosen public art piece. Additionally, the NRNC worked alongside children who are members of the centre to produce artwork for the interior of the building.
The Port Weller Community Centre has been enriched with the installation of a mural on the outside of the building titled Ohné:ka. Inside, an exhibition titled ‘Ohné:ka: The Mohawk Word for Water’ is on view.
For more information on the Bogart Street Park Public Art project and a peek at the mural art, visit stcatharines.ca/BogartArt.
| St. Catharines announces registration for fall recreational activities | |
Residents of St. Catharines and the surrounding area can now register for their favourite activities as the City opens registration for this year’s fall recreational programs.
There is a wide variety of active fitness programming provided by qualified instructors for a range of ages including Kids and Youth Yoga, Intro to Mat Pilates, Total Resistance Exercises (TRX) Fitness, Kick Fit Kickboxing Fitness, Balance and Core Fitness, High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) Fitness, Stronger for Longer, Strength and Tone, Youth Sports Training, Older Adult Fit, Essentrics, and multiple resistance training classes.
There will also be a variety of drop-in programs available, including badminton, table tennis, tai chi, line dancing and much more.
A Community Walk series is taking place at the Victoria Lawn Cemetery. These guided tours are different from Spirit Walks held in September, and the stories featured will vary for each tour. Highlights include Monuments on Oct. 1, Money Makers on Oct. 15, and Military on Oct. 30.
More information on the Community Walks and other happenings at the museum can be found at stcatharines.ca/MuseumEvents.
At the St. Catharines Kiwanis Aquatics Centre, fall programming includes swimming lessons for all ages, leisure swims, lengths, a variety of aquatic fitness classes in both the leisure and lane pools including aqua cycle classes. For more information, please visit stcatharines.ca/Swimming.
New programming is on at Canada Games Park (2021 Canada Games Way) every Wednesday including Steps and Strength, Yoga for Strength, Cardio Fitness, and Pickleball. Canada Games Park has free parking, a bottle-filling station, change rooms, and an indoor walking track for a comfortable workout.
Check out all of these activities and more at stcatharines.ca/ActiveSTC.
| Online payment system opens on stcatharines.ca | |
The City of St. Catharines has launched a new online payment portal allowing residents to easily pay for property taxes, water bills and parking tickets online.
The new portal is designed to provide a convenient and seamless payment experience through its user-friendly interface. With just a few clicks, residents can take care of City payments promptly. The system uses industry-standard encryption protocols to ensure that personal and financial data is protected throughout the payment process.
A convenience fee will apply for credit card transactions. The fee for paying property tax or water bills is a minimum of $1 or 1.75 per cent, and for parking tickets, a flat fee of $1.95 applies.
The City still accepts in-person debit, cash or cheque payments with a quick visit to Citizens First at City Hall, or cheques and money orders can be mailed to 50 Church St., PO Box 3012, St. Catharines ON, L2R 7C2.
The payment portal can be found at stcatharines.ca/PayOnline.
Our dedicated support team at Citizens First is always ready to help. Questions can be directed to them at 905.688.5600 or citizensfirst@stcatharines.ca.
| | A Message from Mayor Mat Siscoe | |
Hello St. Catharines,
It is hard to believe that we are midway through September and that the summer months are now behind us. But with the school year beginning, hockey season starting up and with the Grape and Wine Festival in full swing, it very much feels like September in St. Catharines!
On Monday night, City Council dealt with a number of big issues on the agenda. Most importantly, Council was updated on the changes coming to the budget process because of the Strong Mayor legislation passed by the Provincial government and extended to the Mayor. A number of good questions were raised along with many concerns about the implications of the Strong Mayor legislation. As Mayor, I reiterated that all of the powers that are possible to be delegated under the legislation, be delegated back to the status quo. While some have concerns about how the Strong Mayor legislation will impact the budget process, it does draw clear lines of accountability with respect to passing the City’s budget, and as such the budget will be my responsibility.
The other major issue on Monday night dealt with a policy about displays by the community on the front lawn of City Hall. Council made the decision to continue to allow displays going forward, with assurances that opportunities for display would be open to all groups in the community. Council asked staff to come back with criteria and a written policy as to how community displays can be appropriately accommodated.
What’s Happening in Our Community
Terry Fox Run
Join me this Sunday Sept. 17 to take part in the Terry Fox Run taking place at Lakeside Park. This year’s event commemorates the 43rd Anniversary of Terry’s Marathon of Hope. To date over $850 million has been raised for cancer research in Terry’s honour. To donate or to sign up and run with me visit: run.terryfox.ca/28664.
Walk a Mile in Her Shoes
Did you know that one in three women in Canada experience violence and abuse at the hands of an intimate partner? Join me on Oct. 14 at the Pen Centre to raise awareness and vital funds for Gillian's Place. This year, Walk a Mile in Her Shoes needs to raise $125,000 to help support priority and under-funded programs that enable women, sexually- and gender-diverse folks to break the cycle of violence and abuse. To register to walk with me or to donate visit: gilliansplace.com/walk-a-mile-in-her-shoes.
Grape and Wine Time is Here
Established in 1951, the Niagara Grape and Wine Festival is the oldest and largest celebration of its kind in Canada and it just happens to occur in our own backyard. The Niagara Grape and Wine Festival takes place in the historic Montebello Park over the course of the next two weekends, Sept. 15 to 17 and 22 to 24, with a celebration of the region and the bounty of the harvest, offering wine and culinary experiences that truly showcase all that our home has to offer. The event will feature 100 Niagara VQA wines, mouth-watering local cuisine, and 50+ hours of live music.
Be sure to join me at the Pied Piper Parade on Saturday, Sept. 16 at 11 a.m., at the Annual Grape Stomp on Sunday, Sept. 17 at noon and then of course please join me and Council at the Grande Parade on Saturday, Sept. 23, 2023 at 11 a.m.. For all your Grape and Wine Festival information visit: niagarawinefestival.com.
I hope to see you at Montebello Park for the Grape and Wine Festival over the next two weekends.
Mayor Siscoe
| |
Administrative penalties expanded to various City by-laws
Council voted to add administrative penalties to 11 by-laws including, the Sign By-Law, Fence By-law, Noise By-Law, and Removal of Snow and Ice By-Law.
The Non-Parking Administrative Monetary Penalty System (AMPS) By-Law was first approved in the spring of 2021. Initially, Non-Parking AMPS only applied to the Short-term Rental By-Law, and was then expanded to include five more by-laws such as waste and long grass / weeds, for a total of six, and with the new additions now applies to 17 City by-laws.
The penalty system has three tiers, where the fines start to increase. The tiered system holds repeat offenders more accountable due to increasing penalty amounts. Non-parking administrative penalties are also added to the property tax roll if not paid, meaning the City has leverage to ensure penalty payment.
Changes to budget process due to Strong Mayors Powers
Council received an update as to how the provincial Strong Mayors Powers (Bill 3 the Strong Mayors, Building Homes Act, 2022) will impact the City’s next budget process. The provincial government expanded the powers to 26 additional municipalities, including St. Catharines, on July 1, 2023.
The legislation requires the Mayor to present a budget, on or before Feb. 1 of each year.
It’s expected the draft budgets will be presented by staff at a meeting on Nov. 22. A telephone town hall, as well as two open houses, have been proposed for late November. An EngageSTC page will also be published.
Council approved their budget meetings for Jan. 10, 22, and 31, 2024. The proposed timeline better aligns with the Region’s budget process, and enables public engagement to occur over a longer period of time and earlier in the process.
New policy for community and cultural displays on City property
The City of St. Catharines will move ahead with a new policy regarding community and cultural displays on City property.
At their meeting on Monday, Council approved a motion which will permit physical displays on City property to recognize significant community dates and cultural events.
Criteria and eligibility requirements for displays will be referred to the City’s Equity Seeking Advisory Committee for review. Staff will then report back to Council with an implementation plan.
City staff had recommended Council approve a lighting and illumination display, similar to what other Ontario communities have implemented, but that motion was defeated.
Request for traffic calming along Carlton and Lake Street
Council is requesting that Niagara Region install traffic calming bollards, similar to what is currently in place on Pelham Road, as soon as possible on Carlton Street, between Ontario Street and Lake Street.
It also calls on City staff to consider installing a similar traffic calming treatment along Lake St., between Carlton St. and Welland Ave. It was pointed out that due to the amalgamation of two elementary schools in the neighbourhood, more students need to cross Carlton and Lake Streets.
The issue was raised following a recent collision in which a City crossing guard was injured. The intersection was already under review by Niagara Region.
Feasibility study to explore moving totem pole indoors
City staff have been given the go-ahead to proceed with a feasibility study to examine potential installation options and associated costs of placing the totem pole indoors at Canada Games Park.
Concerns were raised last year, by those who worked on the totem pole restoration, regarding the totem pole’s exposure to the elements and potential vandalism if it were to be placed back outdoors in Richard Pierpoint Park. It does not signify an end to adding public artwork in Richard Pierpoint Park in the future. However, in the interim, it is advised to prioritize artwork that is replaceable, considering the vulnerability of outdoor installations to potential acts of vandalism.
The interior of Canada Games Park was identified as the most appropriate option for an indoor location as it can accommodate the totem pole’s height, which is 12.32 metres.
Once the feasibility study is complete, staff will report back to Council with reinstallation options, including associated costs.
| |
