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St. Catharines Downtown Association

Category: Downtown in the News


Walter Sendzik of 610CKTB’s The Drive speaks with Rachel Braithwaite about Gift Card Launch
Posted on November 29, 2023November 29, 2023 in BIA Member Communications, Downtown in the News, Uncategorised

Walter Sendzik of 610CKTB’s The Drive speaks with Rachel Braithwaite about Gift Card Launch

Thank you to Walter Sendzik and 610 CKTB for the opportunity to talk about the new Gift Card program!

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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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2023 Halloween Candy Trail
Posted on November 2, 2023November 3, 2023 in Downtown in the News

2023 Halloween Candy Trail

Last weekend we welcomed hundreds of families for the second annual FREE Downtown St. Catharines Halloween Candy Trail! Thank to […]

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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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Article: Yesterday & Today: The Brownlee Block, a prominent corner of downtown St. Catharines
Posted on August 8, 2023August 8, 2023 in Downtown in the News

Article: Yesterday & Today: The Brownlee Block, a prominent corner of downtown St. Catharines

Check out this interesting history on the corner of St. Paul & Queen Street in Downtown St. Catharines! Read full […]

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NEW BUSINESS: Cacao Crémeux
Posted on August 3, 2023August 8, 2023 in Downtown in the News, Featured Members, Member Feature

NEW BUSINESS: Cacao Crémeux

Welcome Cacao Crémeux, a new patisserie that’s offering mouthwatering and decadent desserts. The owner Akhil Sebastian brings a piece of […]

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Photo Gallery: Holi Festival of Colour
Posted on June 28, 2023June 28, 2023 in Downtown in the News, Uncategorised

Photo Gallery: Holi Festival of Colour

On Saturday, June 24th Downtown St. Catharines hosted the second annual Holi Festival of Colour welcoming hundreds of visitors into […]

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NEW BUSINESS: Amara’s Café
Posted on June 13, 2023June 13, 2023 in Downtown in the News

NEW BUSINESS: Amara’s Café

Welcome to Downtown Amara’s Café! Amara’s Café can be found at 43 Church Street and is open Monday – Friday, […]

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St. Catharines Downtown Association Becomes First Certified Bicycle-friendly BIA in Niagara
Posted on June 6, 2023June 6, 2023 in BIA Member Communications, Downtown in the News

St. Catharines Downtown Association Becomes First Certified Bicycle-friendly BIA in Niagara

Downtown St. Catharines is a cultural hub of activity, connected to over 90km of trail networks including both Merritt & […]

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Davids & DeLaat Downtown Block Party Announced
Posted on May 19, 2023May 19, 2023 in Downtown in the News

Davids & DeLaat Downtown Block Party Announced

The St. Catharines Downtown Association is excited to bring the Downtown Block Party back for its third year with new […]

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Downtown Businesses come together to let it glow this Holiday Season
Posted on December 20, 2022December 20, 2022 in Downtown in the News, Featured Members, Uncategorised

Downtown Businesses come together to let it glow this Holiday Season

Brighter than ever, twinkling lights and lighted window displays illuminate downtown streets. This winter Downtown Businesses have been expressing their […]

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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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The Value of Trees in a BIA
Posted on October 13, 2022October 14, 2022 in Downtown in the News

The Value of Trees in a BIA

Around the world, downtown communities have been faced with various adaptation challenges from climate change impacts. In Canadian cities, forest […]

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Parade After Party Brings Grande Vibe Downtown
Posted on September 28, 2022September 28, 2022 in Downtown in the News

Parade After Party Brings Grande Vibe Downtown

On Saturday, September 24th the community lined Downtown streets for the return of the Niagara Grape & Wine Festival Grande […]

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Blues, Brews, and Burgers Concert
Posted on September 19, 2022September 19, 2022 in Downtown in the News

Blues, Brews, and Burgers Concert

Blues, Brews, and Burgers will take place on Saturday Oct. 1, at 60 James St. (just outside of the Works) in downtown […]

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Step Inside Downtown’s New Bottle Shop
Posted on September 16, 2022September 16, 2022 in Downtown in the News, Featured Members

Step Inside Downtown’s New Bottle Shop

St. Catharines has its very own dedicated Wine, Spirits, and Craft beer bottle shop – Archives Wine and Spirit Merchants […]

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Downtown Block Party Rocks St. Catharines
Posted on September 14, 2022September 15, 2022 in Downtown in the News

Downtown Block Party Rocks St. Catharines

The Downtown Block Party was such a unifying event for our community. It was incredible to see so many people […]

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Posted on July 27, 2022July 27, 2022 in Downtown in the News

St. Catharines Standard: New robots at the St. Catharines library help with navigation, book carrying

The downtown St. Catharines Public Library has received two new helper robots, donated to the library from Wind Group Inc., […]

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Posted on July 26, 2022July 26, 2022 in Downtown in the News

Bloemenmarkt Kicks Off the Summer with a Fun Floral Festival

On Saturday June 18th, the St. Catharines Downtown Association put on a Dutch-inspired flower market with help from many of […]

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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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St. Catharines Standard: Down on Main Street? Not so fast – new St. Catharines program could have things looking up
Posted on January 18, 2022January 18, 2022 in Downtown in the News

St. Catharines Standard: Down on Main Street? Not so fast – new St. Catharines program could have things looking up

The City of St. Catharines announced earlier this month Downtown & Merritton would be participating in the new My Main […]

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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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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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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!

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