June 2, 2016
Community
Council Chambers_ City Hall

Talk dollars and cents with the Budget Standing Committee
 
The Budget Standing Committee wants to talk dollars and cents with you.
To encourage additional input in the City's Operating Budget, the Budget Standing Committee has been holding public consultations for the 2017 budget process. Meetings are open to the public and the Budget Standing Committee invites residents to share comments, feedback and identify priorities.

The next consultation is set for Wednesday, June 8 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at City Hall. For more information or to provide feedback on the City's Operating Budget or the budget process, please email [email protected].

Learn more
June is Recreation_ Parks and Older Adult Month
Give our parks and rec programs a try
 
June is Recreation, Parks and Older Adult Month and the City of St. Catharines is encouraging residents to give its recreational and leisure offerings a try.
 
With the warm weather moving in, June marks the perfect time to rediscover some of the amazing parks and programs the City offers to keep residents of all ages active, healthy and connected to their community. A listing of some of the programs and activities residents can enjoy this month is posted at www.stcatharines.ca/RecAndParksMonth.
 
Read more
Click here to license your dog
Purchase dog tags online
 
St. Catharines residents can now purchase tags for the family dog online.
 
Dog owners can visit stcatharines.docupet.com to set up an account, complete online dog profiles and even upload photos. The new system also allows residents to manage and update contact information and details about their dogs as well as access to DocuPet's lost pet network should their dogs go missing. 

CLick here to learn more  

Annual rain barrel sale June 18

Keep rainwater out of the gutter and put it to good use in your gardens this summer. Collect and store rainwater with a rain barrel for not-so-rainy days.
 
The City of St. Catharines' annual rain barrel sale is set for Saturday, June 18 at the Seymour-Hannah Sports and Entertainment Centre. The one-day sale runs from 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. or until sold out. Barrels cost only $40 each for St. Catharines residents, cash only. Limit of two barrels per household. Proof of residency is required.
 
Free of chlorine and other chemicals, rain water is ideal for helping plants thrive. Rain barrels can also help reduce rainwater that washes pollutants into the sewer system and local waterways.
 
Learn more  


Arts Awards this Saturday
 
The St. Catharines Arts Awards will recognize famed international photographer and St. Catharines native Edward Burtynsky on Saturday, June 4 with its highest honour, the Lifetime Achievement in the Arts Award.

For more than three decades Burtynsky has been producing award-winning photographs that juxtapose the beauty of landscape with the impact industry has had on the land. His work has been displayed in more than sixty museums around the world, including the National Gallery of Canada and the Guggenheim Museum in New York. In 2006, Burtynsky was named to the Order of Canada. He was also among the first recipients of the renowned TED Prize, alongside Bono and Robert Fischell.

This year, 19 artists are up for awards in five categories: Emerging Artist, Arts in Education, Established Artist, Making a Difference, and Patron of the Arts. Burtynsky will also be in attendance to receive his lifetime achievement award.

The St. Catharines Arts Awards take place at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre. Tickets are $12 in advance and $17 at the door, plus applicable fees and taxes. Click here to buy tickets online or visit the the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre box office.

Learn more

St. Catharines Kiwanis Aquatics Centre

St. Catharines Kiwanis Aquatics Centre pools closing for maintance
 
The pools at the St. Catharines Kiwanis Aquatics Centre will close from Sunday, June 12 at 8 p.m. until Thursday, June 30 for regular maintenance work. The pools reopen Friday, July 1.

No leisure swims or aquatics programs are scheduled during the closure and the pools will be unavailable for rentals. The Guest Services counter and program rooms will remain open except for when exterior work near the entrance closes the building to the public. Those dates include:
  • Monday, June 13
  • Monday, June 20
  • Monday, June 27
Operating hours for the St. Catharines Public Library's Dr. Huq Family Library Branch will not be affected by the maintenance work.

Learn more  

Free lane swims and Aquafit this Saturday

The St. Cathariens Kiwanis Aquatics Centre is celebrating National Health and Fitness Day Saturday, June 4 with free all ages lane swims all day and free all ages Aquafit from 11 a.m. to noon.
Sign-up for swimming lessons opens June 14
 
Swimming lessons at all City pools begin Monday, July 4.
 
Registration opens online at www.stcatharines.ca/eplay Tuesday, June 14 and in person at the St. Catharines Kiwanis Aquatics Centre, the Seymour-Hannah Sports and Entertainment Centre and Citizens First at City Hall Wednesday, June 15.

The City is offering lifeguard re-certification Sunday, June 12 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the St. Catharines Kiwanis Aquatics Centre. Re-certification is available to all lifeguards. Call 905.688.5601 ext. 1800 for registration details.

Learn more  

Splash pads

City splash pads are open
 
City splash pads at Lester B. Pearson Park and Catherine Street Park opened for the season Friday, May 20. Splash pads are open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Admission is free.

Click here to learn more  


PAC looking forward to next season
 
Pavlo and Remigio, Terri Clark and other crowd favourites will be playing the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre as part of the 16/17 HOT TICKET season line up.
 
The PAC is following up an incredible opening season that brought in more than 75,000 people for perfomances and events with a stellar lineup of more than 100 performances by local, national and international dance, theatre, music and comedy acts.
 
Check out the full list online at FirstOntarioPAC.ca.
 
Tickets go on sale for PAC donors and seat owners Friday, June 3. Renewing members can purchase tickets starting Friday, June 17 while new members can purchase tickets Monday, June 27. Tickets go on sale to the public Wednesday, Aug. 17.
 
Free outdoor concerts start June 29
 
Classic rock, the blues, golden oldies, Latin music - we've got your playlist covered for Wednesday nights in Montebello Park this summer.
 
The City of St. Catharines kicks off its free Summer Concert series with blues night Wednesday, June 29. The CADs open the free concert at 6 p.m. with Howling Horns taking the stage at 7 p.m.
 
Summer Concerts take place rain or shine but may be cancelled due to severe weather. Click here to read about cancelation notification.
 
Learn more
A Report from
Mayor Walter Sendzik
Mayor Walter Sendzik
Last Thursday, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) hosted a public meeting about the Port Dalhousie Piers. Thank you to the almost 200 residents who came out to show how important the piers are to our community. At the meeting, the DFO presented the findings of the sonar testing which confirmed very serious deterioration of the piers which made them unsafe for walking or mooring. If you missed the meeting click here to checkout the DFO's PowerPoint presentation.
 
The piers will remain closed this summer. However, repairing the piers remains the top priority of City Council and we are working closely with St. Catharines' MP Chris Bittle on this issue. The DFO presented three options for repair and now it's important that residents get involved in helping us determine which repair option will work best for our community for the next 50 to 100 years.
 
Over the summer the City will gather feedback from the community on www.portpiers.com and at local events. Please go online, fill out a survey and share your ideas and vision for the piers. The City will collect the feedback and report back to the DFO early in the fall on the community's preferred option for repairs.
 
In the fall, the DFO will complete interim repairs to shore up part of the east pier near the Port Dalhousie Yacht Club. The federal government has also provided funding to prepare a detailed design on the preferred repair option, once we know what the community wants. All of this will take time and we want to get it right. Please share your feedback and future vision for the Port Dalhousie piers at www.portpiers.com.

Council Highlights
Council makes changes to zoning by-law
 
Need office space to launch your new home business? Minor changes to the City's comprehensive zoning by-law mean you can now set up shop more easily.
 
Council made a number of minor changes to the city's zoning by-law addressing omissions, inconsistencies and other issues that have surfaced since it adopted it in 2013.
 
The housekeeping items included changes to provisions for home-based businesses, including allowing more than one home-based business to operate at a premises and allowing business to be conducted in accessory structures, including teaching swimming in your backyard pool.
 
Council also made minor revisions to its official plan and sign by-law.
 
Click here to read the full report.
 
New admin building for cemetery
 
Council tapped Raimondo + Associates Architects Inc. to design a new administration building for the Victoria Lawn Cemetery.
 
The current building is nearing the end of its serviceable life and the new building will offer more space for public and staff needs and will better meet accessibility requirements. The new building will be located at 431 Queenston St.
 
Raimondo ranked highest of the five firms that bid and will design the new building and oversee the construction contract at a cost to the City of about $97,000. Council has approved a $1.35 million budget to design and build the new administration building.
City working on traffic issues under Geneva Street overpass
 
Dunlop Drive is going to be a two-way street from the entrance of Grace Anglican Church near Geneva Street to Wiley Street.
 
Council converted the section of road to two-way traffic to help improve traffic conditions on Geneva Street under the QEW overpass. The Niagara Region is also proposing its own operational changes to Geneva Street and Carlton Street to improve the traffic situation under the QEW overpass.
 
Council also wants a traffic study completed for the area six months after the changes have been implemented.
Lacrosse Day in Niagara June 4
 
Lacrosse Day in Niagara is getting an assist from the City.
 
Council directed staff to enter into special event license agreement with the St. Catharines Athletics Lacrosse Club for a one-day public event at Jack Gatecliff Arena celebrating lacrosse. Council also authorized Kully's Original Sports Bar to license the upper lobby at the arena for the community event.
 
The event is set for June 4 from 4 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. and includes a skills competition as well as midget and junior games.
 
Did you know: The St. Catharines Museum and Welland Canals Centre is home to the Ontario Lacrosse Hall of Fame.
Other council news
 
New homes
Council approved an application for a 29-unit townhouse condominium development at 60 Canterbury Drive as well as an application to develop a new, 44-unit townhouse subdivision at 54 Mackenzie King Ave.

Asbestos
City council is requesting the federal government officially ban the use, exportation and import of asbestos.
 
Parkette named
A small park in front of the Sobey's plaza on Glendale Avenue will be named Merritton Bill Wiley Memorial Parkette.

Code of conduct
The City's interim integrity commissioner looking into complaints a pair of councillors broke council's code of conduct has cleared the councillors of any wrong doing.

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.
Upcoming meetings

June 13

City Council

6:30 p.m., City Hall

 

Click here to learn about other upcoming meetings.

 

 

Click here to learn about construction projects happening in the City.

City of St. Catharines | [email protected] | http://www.stcatharines.ca
50 Church St
St. Catharines, L2R 7C2