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St. Catharines Downtown Association

Category: Business Announcements


Rachel Braithwaite Departs for Provincial Leadership Role
Posted on April 2, 2025April 2, 2025 in BIA Member Communications, Business Announcements

Rachel Braithwaite Departs for Provincial Leadership Role

St. Catharines, ON – The St. Catharines Downtown Association (SCDA) announces that Executive Director Rachel Braithwaite has accepted a new […]

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RFQ: Photo/Video
Posted on March 28, 2025March 28, 2025 in Business Announcements, Downtown in the News

RFQ: Photo/Video

Request for Quotes (RFQ) for Photography and/or Videography and/or Drone Services Issued by: St. Catharines Downtown Association (Suite 14, 80 […]

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NEW BUSINESS: EARTH TO EVE
Posted on May 16, 2024 in BIA Member Communications, Business Announcements, Downtown in the News, Featured Members

NEW BUSINESS: EARTH TO EVE

Welcome Earth to Eve at 331 St. Paul St, a new botanical store that’s offering tropical plants and fauna. The […]

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St. Catharines considers Downtown Heritage District
Posted on April 24, 2024April 24, 2024 in BIA Member Communications, Business Announcements, Downtown in the News

St. Catharines considers Downtown Heritage District

St. Catharines is looking to make the downtown core, a heritage district. The downtown is the city’s urban growth area. […]

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Downtown St. Catharines comes together for Out of the Cold Supper program
Posted on April 4, 2024September 13, 2024 in BIA Member Communications, Business Announcements, Downtown in the News, Featured Members

Downtown St. Catharines comes together for Out of the Cold Supper program

As another season draws to a close, the St. Catharines Downtown Association (SCDA) extends a sincere thank you to the […]

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NEW BUSINESS: SOLAIA
Posted on February 29, 2024February 29, 2024 in Business Announcements, Downtown in the News, Featured Members, Member Feature

NEW BUSINESS: SOLAIA

Welcome Solaia at 30 St. Paul St, a new restaurant that’s offering a modern twist on classic Italian dishes. The […]

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NEW BUSINESS: RODMAN ART INSTITUTE OF NIAGARA
Posted on February 23, 2024February 23, 2024 in Business Announcements, Downtown in the News, Member Feature

NEW BUSINESS: RODMAN ART INSTITUTE OF NIAGARA

Welcome Rodman Art Institute of Niagara (RAIN) at 104 St. Paul Street, a gallery that is offering an array of […]

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NEW BUSINESS: RIDE SKATE SHOP
Posted on December 6, 2023December 6, 2023 in Business Announcements, Downtown in the News, Featured Members

NEW BUSINESS: RIDE SKATE SHOP

Welcome Ride Skate Shop at 1 Ontario Lane, a new one-stop shop for all your skateboard needs. The owner Trevor […]

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‘Spend more in the core’ with new Downtown St. Catharines Gift Card
Posted on November 27, 2023November 27, 2023 in Business Announcements, Downtown in the News, Uncategorised

‘Spend more in the core’ with new Downtown St. Catharines Gift Card

The St. Catharines Downtown Association (SCDA) is excited to unveil its new Gift Card to encourage people to rediscover and […]

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NEW BUSINESS: BERG COUNSELLING
Posted on November 16, 2023November 16, 2023 in Business Announcements, Downtown in the News, Featured Members, Uncategorised

NEW BUSINESS: BERG COUNSELLING

Welcome Berg Counselling, a new practice that is dedicated to helping clients “find purpose in their pain” at 110 James […]

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NEW BUSINESS: TINY RAILROADS
Posted on October 26, 2023October 27, 2023 in Business Announcements, Featured Members

NEW BUSINESS: TINY RAILROADS

Welcome Tiny Railroads, a new store that’s offering exclusive model trains and accessories. The owner Elmer Scott brings a sense […]

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NEW BUSINESS: SAIGON SPRING ROLLS
Posted on October 19, 2023October 19, 2023 in Business Announcements, Featured Members

NEW BUSINESS: SAIGON SPRING ROLLS

Welcome Saigon Spring Rolls at 409 St Paul St, a new cafe that’s offering a signature and modern take on […]

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NEW BUSINESS: CLIPTOMANIA SALON
Posted on September 27, 2023October 3, 2023 in Business Announcements, Downtown in the News, Featured Members

NEW BUSINESS: CLIPTOMANIA SALON

Welcome Cliptomania Salon, a new salon that’s offering an indulgent cosmetology experience. Manager Sarah Scott brings an affordable luxury to […]

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Posted on June 8, 2023June 8, 2023 in Business Announcements

Part-time opportunity: Marketing & Communications Support

The St. Catharines Downtown Association team is growing again! We are looking for a dedicated part-time support person for our […]

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New Downtown Business: Tandem Waves Collective
Posted on November 30, 2022November 30, 2022 in BIA Member Communications, Business Announcements, Downtown in the News, Featured Members

New Downtown Business: Tandem Waves Collective

Tandem Waves Collective is a new Downtown Business that offers innovative & affordable group therapy, corporate wellness training, workshops and […]

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Part-time Job Opportunity: Office & Admin Support
Posted on September 28, 2022 in Business Announcements

Part-time Job Opportunity: Office & Admin Support

The St. Catharines Downtown Association (SCDA) is looking to fill a part-time Office & Admin Support contract position. Responsibilities include […]

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Alazzam Engineering Inc.
Posted on May 4, 2022May 5, 2022 in Business Announcements, Featured Members, Uncategorised

Alazzam Engineering Inc.

A warm downtown welcome to Alazzam Engineering Inc who are also celebrating 11 years in business this month! Owners Fouad Alazzam, […]

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Downtown Newsletter: January 2022
Posted on January 25, 2022January 25, 2022 in BIA Member Communications, Business Announcements, Downtown in the News

Downtown Newsletter: January 2022

Our January Newsletter is out! This months newsletter features: Tag Your Take-out promotion, Chairperson Robin McPherson appointed to City Council, […]

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2021 Weekends in the heart of the City Selected for My Main Street Program
Posted on January 21, 2022January 24, 2022 in Business Announcements, Downtown in the News

2021 Weekends in the heart of the City Selected for My Main Street Program

Downtown’s 2021 Weekends in the heart of the City project selected in first round of My Main Street Community Activator […]

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Chair Robin McPherson Appointed to City Council
Posted on January 18, 2022January 18, 2022 in BIA Member Communications, Business Announcements, Downtown in the News

Chair Robin McPherson Appointed to City Council

The St. Catharines Downtown Association sends a big congratulations to our Chair Robin McPherson for being appointed to St. Catharines […]

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Posted on March 30, 2021March 31, 2021 in Business Announcements

March 2021 Newsletter

Swing into Spring in Downtown St. Catharines! Read the latest information in our newsletter. Your neighbours and friends in the […]

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Posted on March 1, 2021March 1, 2021 in Business Announcements

Niagara Moves to Level Red-Control on March 1

The Ontario Government has moved the Niagara Region to Level Red-Control, effective March 1, 2021. New measures are now in […]

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Posted on February 25, 2021February 25, 2021 in Business Announcements

February 2021 Newsletter

Support Local in a number of ways in Downtown St. Catharines. Read the latest information in our newsletter. Your neighbours […]

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Posted on February 19, 2021February 19, 2021 in Business Announcements

Downtown Association AGM

The 48th Annual General Meeting of the St. Catharines Downtown Association will take place on Tuesday, February 23, 2021 at […]

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St. Catharines Downtown Association

Do More in the Core.

St. Catharines Downtown Association

80 King Street, Main Floor, St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada, L2R 7G1

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Imagine grabbing your bike and riding along the Twelve Mile Creek to your favourite restaurant downtown!

Once trees are established as natural assets and partnerships are created, these urban trees can be protected through the implementation of municipal by-laws. These efforts will provide urban trees with the proper resources to grow into mature infrastructure under the guidance of an urban forest technician.

From there, we can improve connectivity between the St. Catharines Downtown BIA and Twelve Mile Creek. Improving connectivity with Twelve Mile creek will help the SCDA to activate and monitor this area for its potential as an environmental & tourist asset. With this action, the SCDA can also advocate for improved multi-modal transportation routes and monitor their value for the downtown BIA.

While the law can help protect the existing tree population, the City of St. Catharines can invest in effective planning to ensure that new trees are provided with the proper ingredients to thrive and grow into maturity.

Each tree will require its own unique considerations and should be appraised by a professional. The primary considerations include:

LOCATION: Determining available sites within the Downtown core for new trees.

SPECIES SELECTION: Selecting hardy species that can survive within the conditions of an urban environment, while ensuring that the diversity of the urban forest remains high (this creates resilience against disease and climate change).

SITE PREPARATIONS: Preparing the site is arguably the most important step to ensuring longevity in a tree population; if a tree doesn’t have the opportunity to establish stability within its environment, it will not likely reach its full potential for size and age. There are multiple factors to consider:

  • Tree Species
  • Canopy potential
  • Stature
  • Hardiness (i.e. resilience to drought, weather conditions, sunlight, etc)
  • Leaf Size (shade capacity)
  • Soil Conditions (i.e. compaction, nutrient accessibility, moisture availability, etc.)

Is the soil too compacted for a sapling to establish itself? Perhaps a soil cell system and potential mycorrhizal amendments will do the trick! Is the site not suitable for in-ground tree planting? Perhaps a large, mobile tree planter would be more suitable.

There are a lot of creative ways to integrate green technology to ensure a flourishing urban canopy!

When a tree falls in the city, does it make a sound? Under the direction of the Urban Forest Manager & with the proper by-laws in place, every urban forest tree will be provided with various protections to prevent unmonitored losses:

  • Long-term maintenance
  • Developer accountability for equal-value replacements
  • Funds or subsidies for private property owners for replacing trees
  • Tree inspections and assessments
  • Investigations on maintenance and replacement strategies

Many municipalities have varying urban forest management by-laws that help protect their urban canopy. By exploring these protections, the City of St. Catharines can help protect our urban forest investments and reduce costly retroactive efforts to replace lost value.

We all love trees for their natural radiance: they provide us with shade, greenery, and a sense of community. For many of us, trees are the reference for where we call home. Like many other animals, we use trees to keep us cool, to get around and to keep us safe. Since trees are so important, it can be difficult to truly capture the infrastructural importance of trees for our communities and the environment.

This is where our first step comes into play. By reclassifying USTs, we will help establish these trees as valuable, sustainable, and significant assets for the City. The City of St. Catharines Asset Management department works to provide longevity for their assets, guide decisions, provide guidance for maintenance and rehabilitation, analyze costs/benefits, and strategically integrate this infrastructure with community objectives.

“Natural asset management is a meaningful way for municipalities to respond to the impacts of climate change.”

Cassandra Pacey, Asset Manager, City of Waterloo (August 2022)

By reclassifying trees as assets, particularly with an emphasis on Climate Change adaptation, the City of St. Catharines will ensure that the services trees provide us are justly appraised and appreciated, so that proper management of these assets can create a sustainable investment into the future.

By 2041, Downtown St. Catharines will look at lot different than it does today with an estimated 30% increase in population density. This level of development will have significant implications for the Urban Forest (UF) in the BIA. Currently, tree planning and maintenance is generally divided between two departments: Community, Recreation & Culture Services and Municipal Works.

These two departments are responsible for the entire UF in the City of St. Catharines which is an incredible amount of responsibility. An expanded Urban Forestry team would amplify and assist the work being done already, allowing for greater capacity, interdepartmental collaboration, and external participation from the public.

An expanded Urban Forestry team can provide many services for the City, to ensure these urban forests are properly valued and maintained into the future.

In a forest, some trees provide shade for other species to thrive beneath the canopy – while others share nutrients in the soil so that diversity can thrive! Similar to these forest trees, the best way to create strength and resilience for a sustainable urban forest is through the establishment of formal partnerships.

To bring more harmony between the City wide greening efforts, a formal partnership could exist between the City of St. Catharines’ Green Committee and the SCDA’s own StreetScape & Sustainability Committee. This would establish a cooperative force to ensure that urban street trees are effectively managed and prioritized as important infrastructure for the Downtown core.

These partnerships can be extended to other groups that will improve our collective efforts to provide a sustainable urban forest for many years to come such as:

  • The City of St. Catharines
  • Niagara Region
  • Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority
  • Vineland Research & Innovation
  • Niagara College
  • Land Care Niagara
  • Trout Unlimited
  • Bring Back the Brookies
  • ncStewards
  • Many more!
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