Mayor Walter Sendzik

Happy Monday STC! Some good news to start the week more groups are opening up this week for #COVID19 vaccines through the Provincial Portal. Ontario.ca/bookvaccine 1-833-943-3900:... As of Tues, May 11th at 8:00 am. : - Individuals with at-risk health conditions - Group Two of workers who cannot work from home Check eligibility here: https://covid-19.ontario.ca/ontarios-covid-19-vaccination-p As of Thurs, May 13 at 8:00 a.m. - Individuals 40+ Book your appointment when you are eligible and follow Niagara Region Public Health for the latest information. #VaccinateNiagara #stickittocovid

Mom. One word that is packed full of so much meaning. A word that is unique to each of us. For me it is one of love, strength, courage, compassion, caring, intelligence, ingenuity, empathy.. and so much more. My mom has been my foundation since the day I came into this world. She gave so much of herself to be a mom in all aspects of the word. As I was one of four kids - I can only imagine how hard it was to juggle it all - but somehow she did it. The person I am today can be traced back to her - and all that she gave as I was growing up. My mom continues to inspire me today. To all the Moms in our lives thank you with the deepest gratitude and love. Happy Mother’s Day.

Some good news on this rainy, grey Friday Heddle Shipyards in Port Weller are partnering to build a pair of polar icebreakers for the Canadian Coast Guard. It has been great to see activity at the Dry Docks once again thanks for Heddle Shipyard’s investment in St. Catharines. As a member of Team STC (Future Leaders Award) it’s great to see the company grow under the leadership of President, Shaun Padulo. Taking on these kinds of projects allows for further expansion, ensu...res the continued growth of the shipbuilding economy in Ontario through sustainable, long-term work and aid in the retention and creation of hundreds of high-paying jobs locally. Thank you to Heddle Shipyards for your investment in St. Catharines look forward to continued growth. Learn more: https://bit.ly/3vJd2Fk Check out the video from this year’s State of the City: https://bit.ly/3f0YOcd : Pre-lockdown (March 18, 2021). InvestinSTC

Happy Community Living month! In honour of Community Living Month, May 6th is Shine the Light Day; a day across Ontario where the province lights up blue and green for Community Living. Community Living St. Catharines has a great support team in helping people reach their goals and are positive role models. All clients at Community Living are unique in their abilities and gifts and we thank you for helping to create social opportunities and delivering critical skills.... We are a community that values diversity and inclusivity and appreciate all that you do for our community. : 2018 flag raising (pre-covid)

It's your weekly Thursday Tea on CHCH Morning Live Tune in below for a City of St. Catharines update on: Vaccines ... - New groups and eligibility opened today - More clinics opening across Niagara as supply increases Beaches - Free Parking passes for St. Catharines residents - visit www.stcatharines.ca/beaches - Paid parking for our visitors - This will help to enhance our beaches for locals and visitors to the area St. Catharines Farmers Market - Now open on Thursdays 8-2 - Niagara growing season is about to feature some of my favourites! - Support our local famers and growers Enjoy the rest of the week

Ontario has declared a second State of Emergency and Stay at Home order (outside of essential items i.e. grocery, medical supplies, exercise) effective Thursday, January 14, 2021. City of St. Catharines this is an urgent health crisis - we must Stay Home, limit our contacts and we can flatten the curve once again. For more details on restrictions:... https://news.ontario.ca//ontario-declares-second-provincia See more

Thanks CHCH TV Morning Live for continuing the Meet the Mayor segment. Tune in for updates on: City of St. Catharines on going response to the COVID19 pandemic.... Need for our residents to limit physical contacts to those within our households - this will drive down transmission. Vaccine - Roll out needed here in Niagara for Long Term Care workers & residents and our front line health care workers. Continue to support our local business - 2021 will be a challenging year. https://www.chch.com/meet-the-mayor-3/

STC - Choir Nation is looking for your help to spread some hope, and appreciation during these times coming together in song to thank your front line health workers! Check out the info below and record yourself singing along. Thank you Choir Nation for putting this together!

12 Days of Giving Day 2: Start Me Up Niagara Start Me Up Niagara works with individuals facing significant life challenges such as addiction, mental illness, poverty, homelessness and unemployment. They provide opportunities to improve health, increase community integration, employment services and community lunches. To support their work: www.startmeupniagara.ca/site/support-us

With the holiday season upon us ~ it’s a good reminder to Give as well as receive. This year I am getting into the Holiday Spirit with the ‘12 Days of Giving’. I will be featuring various charities and organizations in St. Catharines leading up to Christmas. Of course we could have 365 Days of Giving for all the amazing social organizations, charities in our community but here are some ideas to get started! For our 1st day of giving, a spotlight on The Salvation Army Boo...th Centre - St. Catharines who have been helping the most vulnerable in Canada since 1882 with shelter, social services and more. One of their biggest fundraisers is the Christmas Kettle Campaign a critical fundraising campaign as well as a boost the Army’s visibility and awareness. Due to the pandemic they are not able to run the traditional Kettle campaign this year. They have moved it online and you can donate at www.FilltheKettle.com The Salvation Army in Canada

The former home of the City’s Community, Recreation and Culture Services department, will be the future home of residents seeking an affordable place to live. We made a commitment to address the growing crisis of the lack of affordable housing in City of St. Catharines - and this decision illustrates one path that is within our control. Proud of Council for stepping up. The Geneva Street property will be another significant contribution towards our collective efforts in buil...ding an inclusive and livable city for everyone. Learn more: https://bit.ly/3a0pHfo https://bit.ly/3nbPkO6 #compassionatestc #HousingForAll #ourhomestc

Niagara mayors came together to discuss COVID-19 challenges facing our region. With the significant increase in cases and alarming rate of pandemic-related deaths and outbreaks, Niagara is at a critical point and a concerted effort needed from everyone to gain control of situation. We are calling for timely access to vaccines equal to other parts of Ontario for our front-line health care workers. ... Niagara Mayors are urging the province to consider increasing the role of municipalities and public health units for distribution of vaccines and to openly share plans regarding distribution. We are also asking the province to add paramedics to the list of priority healthcare to receive vaccinations. These are unprecedented times with many challenges - we need to continue to follow public health directives to keep everyone safe as we await for vaccinations. The federal and provincial government have committed to ensuring there will be a vaccine for everyone who wants one, but this process will take time. Read the full statement here: https://www.niagararegion.ca/news/article.aspx

Made in STC Congratulations to Kristen Dias, Mortgage Agent and Brian Hogben, founder on the opening of Mission35 Mortgages and NEW co work office here in St. Catharines (62 Welland Ave) Brian founded the company after accomplishing his mission of paying off his mortgage by the age of 35something that is no small feat and has now grown the Mission35 Team with locations in Niagara, Burlington and Hamilton area. ... Kristen has a wealth of knowledge from her earlier career working with portfolios in real estate lending as well as managing and operating her own business. She looks forward to working with our residents and making the mortgage journey as stress free as possible. In addition to this being a satellite office for Mission35 Mortgages the space also has commercial space for others to lease at this prime location at the gateway to downtown STC. Thank you to Kristen and Brian for your investment in St. Catharines, we wish you many years of success. InvestinSTC #investinstc #Mission35StCatharines

Remembering Neil Peart a year later One year after Neil Peart’s passing momentum continues to build in the establishment of a commemorative work of art that will honour the legendary Rush drummer from Port Dalhousie. This past year we named the pavilion the ‘Neil Peart Pavilion at Lakeside Park’ to honour Peart’s connections to Lakeside Park a place that inspired the lyrics to a famous Rush single of the same name. ... Council also established the Neil Peart Commemorative Task Force with the objective to commission a public work of art that will commemorate Neil Peart’s life in music. We want to be able to acknowledge and commemorate an iconic individual who has done so much for music, not just here in Canada, but around the world. Thank you to the Neil Peart Commemorative Task Force for all of its efforts to date. I am looking forward to the day we can come together to celebrate the installation. Port Dalhousie is a place where Neil spent the formative years in his life, even working at Lakeside Park’s former midway. He learned to play music here, launching his career as a writer and musician who is recognized as one of the best all-time drummers in history. We celebrate Neil Peart’s life and legacy thank you for the music and memories. Learn more: https://mayorsendzik.ca/remembering-neil-peart-a-year-late/ Watch for updates on the launch of the memorial fundraising campaign in Feb: www.st.catharines.ca : Craig Renwick

Today is the day for the Great Holiday Food Drive Express in support of Community Care of St. Catharines and Thorold! This year is a new take on an old tradition - the Great Holiday Food Drive EXPRESS bus is making its rounds throughout St. Catharines and Thorold 6am - 7pm, beginning at Market Square. Bring your food and/or monetary donations to one of the drop off locations to help us STUFF A BUS.... Thank you Bell Media: Newstalk 610 CKTB 105.7 EZ Rock 97.7 HTZ-FM for putting the event together! Shout out to Cllr Lori Littleton STC for rallying STC Cllrs to get involved! If you can’t make it to one of the stops but still want to help. You can donate online at the community care website or Text GIVE to 20222 to make a $10 or $25 donation. Locations: ARRIVE DEPART LOCATION 6:00 AM 7:30 AM Market Square 8:00 AM 8:30 AM Zehrs @ Fairview Mall 9:00 AM 9:30 AM Freshco (Ontario St) 10:00 AM 10:30 AM Real Canadian Super Store 11:00 AM 12:30 PM Zehrs @ Pen Centre 1:00 PM 1:30 PM Foodland (Thorold) 2:00 PM 2:30 PM Freshco (Welland Ave) 3:00 PM 6:00 PM Market Square #GreatHolidayFoodDriveExpress

Tune into the next edition of the Mayor's Report for updates on community, events, businesses and more in #OurHomeSTC. Update & clarification on Oranage - Restrict and Niagara Region Public Health Section 22. Thank you City of St. Catharines crews and Alectra for all their work with the wind storm Sunday. ... Congratulations St. Catharines Culture on being listed as #1 in Canada by Canadian Culture Day rankings for the month long Culture Days celebration. Ground was officially broken for the Henley Rowing Centre a brand-new rowing facility that will be located at the Royal Canadian Henley Rowing Course. The Niagara 2022 Canada Summer Games will be a transformational opportunity for our community, leaving a legacy for generations to come. New Business: theindianaromakitchen - congrats to owners Ravi and Kamini. Check them out for authentic made in house Indian food. National Association of Estheticians - Congrats to owners: Marysa Reid and Kalleigh Sharp for establishing their beautician school in our community. Upcoming events: Positive Living Niagara Flag raising for Canadian HIV/AIDs Awareness Week & Red Scarf Project - Nov 23. Winter in the Market series at Market Square running on Thursdays 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. until December 17th and is featuring local artisans and small businesses. Take care of yourself and ensure you are getting outside for that fresh air. As Mayor Nenshi has stated and a take from Friday Night Lights: - Clear Head - be mindful - Clean Hands - that should be a given now..... - Open Heart - take care of your mental health and check in with friends & family.

Tonight is the start of Hanukkah an important Jewish Holiday also known as the ‘Festival of Lights’. The history of Hanukkah goes back over 2,000 years and commemorates the dedication of the second temple in Jerusalem. Candles are lit for eight nights atop a menorah; families eat foods cooked with oil to represent the miracle of the burning oil lamp and exchange presents. Thank you Dr. Howard Slepkov for taking some time to share the meaning and traditions of Hanukkah.... We understand the difficulties many will face this year of not being able to join together to spend time with friends and family, lighting the candles, enjoying food with one another and welcome people into your home. We ask that all observe physical distancing during this time, get together virtually, share family recipes and that the Festival of Lights gives you the opportunity to renew your sense of identity.

Yesterday was the start of Diwali and tomorrow is an important day in the celebration of ‘The Festival of Lights’ - India’s biggest and most important holiday of the year. Tomorrow on Day Three the main day of the five day festival families would traditionally gather together in prayer to Goddess Lakshmi, followed by delicious food and firework festivities. I stopped by theindianaromakitchen (486 Grantham Ave) to meet with owners Ravi & Kamini Srivastaca to learn more... about Diwali. I was honoured to light the candle for Day 1 of the festival as the lights and lamps are said to help Lakshmi find her way into peoples' homes, bringing prosperity in the year to come! I also got a taste of Diwali with many courses of some delicious food prepared by Executive Chef Kamini who makes all the food from scratch. Some truly amazing flavours and I experienced the ‘feast’ part of Diwali. As Diwali is the start of a new year it is also an opportunity for new beginnings and the triumph of good over evil, and light over darkness. We understand the difficulties many will face this year of not being able to join together to spend time with friends and family, dance celebrations, enjoy delicious feasts and welcome people into your home showing your beautiful rangoli designs at the entrance. We ask that all observe physical distancing during this time, get together virtually, order in some delicacies from your favourite Indian restaurant and wish you a Good and Prosperous New Year.

City of St. Catharines staff had a productive call today with Minister of the Environment Jeff Yurek & Jennie Stevens MPP, as well as ministry officials regarding the former GM lands on Ontario Street. We know residents have concerns and both levels of government are working together and towards a solution. The safety and wellbeing of residents is paramount. Thank you to Minister Yurek for his time and attention to this issue.

Merry Christmas to Orthodox Christians in St. Catharines and across the country. As Christmas is a special time of year we understand the difficulties many will face of not joining together for church services, song, traditions and feasts. We ask that all observe physical distancing and only celebrate with those within your household. May this Orthodox Christmas bring you peace, hope, happiness, goodwill and blessing from above. Wishing you a Merry Christmas.

The Holiday spirit is alive in Port Dalhousie. Check out some new business that have opened and of course visit & support the faves that have been institutions in Port. Thank you Chris O’Connor Port Dalhousie Supply Company Market Remember to #supportlocal this holiday season.... Comment below on your Port go to business and how you plan to support them this season. Twisted Pig Bar and Grill KaiserHaus Chz Plz 416 Coffee Homestead Donuts & Bak Carousel Tattoo & Barbershop Portside Social Bar & Kitchen Lock Street Brewing Company The Local Life Kilt & Clover Scorecard Harry's RegattaSport Rozie's Cafe Endless Pawzabilities Haus of Marleau Patio Andaluz, St. Catharines Balzac's Coffee #TheJuniperInn Pla-Mor Bowl Glitzy Jools & Antiques

Today marks the 3rd anniversary of the unveiling of the Welland Canal Fallen Workers Memorial. The unveiling ceremony was a special occasion for family members and descendants of the fallen workers to remember their loved ones. This year the Welland Canal Fallen Workers Memorial received an Outstanding Achievement Award in the Commemorative Landscapes category by the 2020 Niagara Biennial. The memorial is comprised of four elements: - Lock - Timeline... - Steel Veil - Gates of Remembrance inscribed with the names of all of the 137 men who died during the construction of the fourth Welland Canal. The Memorial is open to the public next to lock 3 at the St. Catharines Museum & Welland Canals Centre. Thank you to all who contributed to the project. The beautiful and ever-lasting memorial would not have come to life were it not for your energy and commitment to this project. Today we take time to pause and reflect and to remember. Memory slowly fades with time, but the fallen workers who built our community and national economy, will be remembered for generations to come. Learn more here: www.stcatharines.ca/en/governin/Fallen-Workers-Memorial.asp Learn more about the 2020 Niagara Biennial Recipients: www.niagararegion.ca/culture-and-environment/biennial-awards

Watch the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 24 Remembrance Day Service and and pay your respects at home. #RemembranceDay #CanadaRemembers #LestWeForget