Happy New Year!
All of us at The Niagara Independent wish our loyal readers and all Niagara residents a healthy, happy and prosperous New Year. We look forward to bringing you the news that matters by our talented team of writers who are experts in the areas they write about. As we navigate along what is hopefully the road towards the end of the pandemic, please remember to support your local businesses, stay safe and let’s hope for a much better year in 2021!
Ontario COVID-19 vaccination rollout ramping up again
After a brief pause Ontario’s vaccination program is back up and running. In addition, Ontario has now received the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. These are the first of 40 million doses Canada will be receiving through its agreement with Moderna. The Moderna vaccine has been called “a real gamechanger” as it does not need to be stored at extremely cold temperatures and is more mobile.
Retired General Rick Hillier, who has been tapped to lead the vaccination distribution, said earlier this week that roughly 50,000 doses are set to be delivered to four sites, then redistributed to long term care and retirement homes.
Niagara has yet to find out when it will start receiving vaccines.
Christmas morning shooting in St. Catharines
Christmas Day got off to a troubling start in Niagara’s largest city as shots were fired in the early morning hours.
The Special Investigations Unit is looking into the shooting after a 30 year old man was shot by officers and later transported to hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Niagara Regional Police were notified by Hamilton Police of an assault suspect believed to be in the Grimsby area. The suspect’s vehicle was eventually located in the St. Paul Street West and Vansickle Road area of St. Catharines just before 3 a.m.
SIU officials say a knife was located at the scene. Anyone with more information should contact the SIU at 1-800-787-8529.
Tourism industry will take massive economic hit over New Year’s
Ontario’s tourism and hospitality industry is facing a loss of almost $2 billion in revenue over the New Year’s holiday, according to a new survey by the Tourism Industry Association of Ontario.
1,091 Ontario residents were surveyed and the results found that, on average, Ontarians are planning to spend about half of what they normally would on New Year’s Eve celebrations.
The association’s president and CEO, Beth Potter, said that in 2019 the tourism and hospitality industry in Ontario was valued at more than $36 billion and was the largest employer of youth in the province.
Niagara’s paramedics hit hard by COVID
The number of Niagara paramedics in isolation is at 34; although not all have tested positive for COVID-19. During the first wave of the pandemic about 70 paramedics were forced to isolate and be off the job. It’s believed that those paramedics who have been infected got the virus in the community and not while on the job.
Daily case counts in Niagara remain high with 107 cases recorded yesterday and 138 recorded Tuesday. The total number of active cases in Niagara now stands at 808.
Niagara Region holiday changes in waste collection
In the weeks following Christmas Day and New Year’s Day, households are allowed to put out two extra bags or cans of garbage, without a tag, on their curbside collection day for garbage.
Dec. 28 – Jan. 2 is Fort Erie, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Pelham, St. Catharines, Thorold, Wainfleet and West Lincoln. Jan. 4 – 8 are the municipalities of Grimsby, Lincoln, Niagara Falls, Port Colborne and Welland. All materials must be at the curb by 7 a.m. on collection day.
Christmas tree collection will be Jan. 11-15, 2021. Residents are asked to put their tree at the curb by 7 a.m. on your regular collection day and remove all ornaments and decorations. Christmas trees wrapped in plastic, buried in snow, or placed on top of snow banks will not be collected said the Region. No artificial trees will be collected.
Niagara Non-Profits delivering vital services to receive financial support from Province
The Ontario government is providing $882,200.00 to help 12 non-profit organizations across Niagara rebuild and recover from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The grants are part of the first round of funding through the Ontario Trillium Foundation’s new $83-million Resilient Communities Fund.
The Resilient Communities Fund provides grants of up to $150,000 to eligible non-profit organizations that can apply for a broad and flexible range of needs, such as mental and physical health and well-being supports for staff or volunteers, identify new health and safety processes or purchasing of new technology and personal protective equipment. The fund also provides grants to support capital needs, such as renovations and facility updates to meet the changing needs of the communities they serve.
“The Resilient Communities Fund will help key non-profits in our community adapt to the current challenges of COVID-19,” said Sam Oosterhoff, MPP for Niagara West.
“The new funding ensures community organizations like the FORT Youth Centre in Grimsby and Port Cares in Port Colborne, which also serves residents in Wainfleet, provide the best service to those who need it most.”
