Thorold drive-in movie theatre up for sale
The 84-acre property off of Hwy. 20 in Thorold on which Can View Drive-In currently sits is up for sale for $10.8 million.
Zoned a mix of highway commercial, agricultural, and protected wetlands, the real estate listing for the property labels it a “Generational, Commercial Investment Opportunity.”
Niagara’s only drive-in movie theatre, and one of the largest outdoor viewing venues in the province with four screens, Can View has been in operation since 1973.
The property owners have yet to put out a public statement regarding the sale. However, in a Facebook post from Sept. 2021, it doesn’t appear that Can View was previously intending to sell in 2022.
“We opened this year amid great uncertainty and feel we did the best we could under the circumstances,” read the post. “We wish you all the best during our off season and look forward to a hopefully more normal spring 2022.”
Two local bakers revealed as judges on new Food Network Canada series
On Wednesday, Corus Entertainment announced the premiere of its new Food Network series ‘Wall of Bakers’. The show, a spin-off of ‘Wall of Chefs’, tests the precision skills of Canada’s best home bakers as they battle in three rounds of captivating competition, in front of a dozen of the country’s most accomplished pastry chefs.
Two of the inaugural judges are from right here in Niagara: Tara O’Brady and Anna Olson.
A resident of St. Catharines, O’Brady is an award-winning author and best-known for her popular blog-turned-book Seven Spoons.
A long-time fixture on the Food Network and Welland resident Anna Olson joins O’Brady for the opening season of Wall of Bakers. Some of Olson’s show credits include Anna’s Occasions, the Big Bake, Great Chocolate Showdown, the Marilyn Denis Show, Junior Chef Showdown, Bake with Anna Olson, and Sugar.
In all, the show features an expert panel of 24 of the country’s biggest names in baking in rotation throughout the season.
Wall of Bakers premieres Mar. 28 at 10pm.
Province awards Pelham half million dollars to upgrade Centennial Park
Supplied through Ontario’s ‘Community Building Fund’, the $489,800 in provincial funding will help the Town of Pelham redevelop a multi-purpose court at Centennial Park in Fenwick into a dedicated basketball and ball hockey court. The funding will also support the construction of six new pickleball courts at the park.
“It is encouraging to see these timely investments for improved access to updated and accessible spaces, especially in rural communities,” said Mayor of Pelham Marvin Junkin. “The improvements of the multi-use court will be a welcome addition to Centennial Park, the hub of outdoor recreation in rural Pelham.”
In total, the province’s Community Building Fund is investing $105 million to support community arts and culture, heritage, tourism, sport, and recreation organizations that are experiencing significant financial pressures due to COVID-19.
“The pandemic has shown how truly valuable our outdoor recreation spaces are for the overall health and well-being of our communities,” said Regional Councillor Diana Huson.
“I would like to thank the Ontario government for this important funding opportunity. It’s a timely investment in Pelham’s recreation assets, which has the potential to improve our quality of life and benefit citizens of all ages for many years to come.”
Niagara College top three in the nation
For the seventh year in a row, Niagara College was ranked in the top 10 colleges in the country for research funding.
According to Research Infosource’s annual ‘Top 50 Research Colleges’ ranking, Niagara College was third in Canada for the 2020/21 academic year, attracting $13.9 million in funding to conduct innovative projects involving industry partners in the food and beverage, advanced manufacturing, precision agriculture, and related environmental technologies sectors.
“We are delighted to see this continued recognition as one of Canada’s top colleges in research funding. Research and innovation continues as a key priority for NC, as we deliver value to our community, to industry, to students and our faculty,” said Niagara College president Sean Kennedy.
“Our funders see this dedication to innovation at work year after year – and throughout the pandemic – and they continue to invest in us.”
Amongst Canada’s medium-sized colleges, NC earned the top spot in industry research income, as well as first in industry research income as a percentage of the total research income, at 70.3 per cent ($9.79 million).
At number three overall, Niagara College improved by five spots from 2019/20.
Canada’s Olympic flag-bearers announced
The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) announced that two-time Olympic champion Marie-Philip Poulin and three-time Olympic champion Charles Hamelin will be Team Canada’s flag bearers for the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games Opening Ceremony.
Team Canada’s Beijing 2022 Chef de Mission, two-time Olympic champion Catriona Le May Doan, surprised the duo with the news via video conference prior to departing for Beijing.
“They were chosen not just for their outstanding achievements, but for their leadership on and off the ice and how they have carried themselves with the successes and struggles of the past two years,” said Le May Doan.
“They are incredible athletes and leaders who have and continue to represent the nation so well – a perfect choice to represent this resilient delegation.”
Poulin is headed to Beijing with three Olympic medals under her belt – back-to-back golds from Vancouver 2010 and Sochi 2014 along with a silver from PyeongChang 2018. While Hamelin is set to become the first Canadian short track speed skater to compete in five Olympic Games, tying the all-time participations record in his sport.
The 2022 Winter Olympics officially kick off Friday, Feb. 4.
O’Toole ousted as leader
In a closed-door virtual caucus meeting early Wednesday, a majority of Conservative MPs voted to remove Erin O’Toole as leader of the party.
According to several sources, 73 members voted to oust O’Toole, 45 members voted to keep him.
MPs will now need to decide on an interim leader and hold a permanent leadership race in the coming months, the party’s third since Stephen Harper was defeated in 2015.
Early front runners for O’Toole’s possible replacement include Pierre Poilievre, Peter MacKay, Michael Chong, Michelle Rempel, Leslyn Lewis, and Patrick Brown.
