Quick roundup of the main St. Catharines/Niagara stories today:

🗳️ Mat Siscoe won a second term as mayor (unofficial results). He got 16,763 votes, or 52.42%. Ann-Marie Zammit was second with 9,740.

🏛️ Four council seats changed. Matt Aymar won in Merritton. Bryan Blue won in St. Andrew's. Mike Britton and Sal Sorrento return in St. George's. The other three wards kept both councillors.

🚒 The new fallen-firefighters memorial held its first ceremony. More than 300 people came. The names go back 88 years, to Joseph McNulty in 1938. The community raised $518,000.

🏆 Five local athletes and builders join the Sports Hall of Fame Thursday. It's 5:30 p.m. at the Meridian Centre. Free. The hall will have 203 members.

💉 Free flu and COVID vaccines are open to everyone six months and older. Call your pharmacy or clinic first, because not every place has both.

🎆 Free New Year's Eve concert returns to Niagara Falls. Riley Green headlines at Queen Victoria Park, 10:30 p.m. Dec. 31.

🏨 A 49-room hotel is going up in Jordan Village beside Inn On The Twenty. Opening is planned for spring or summer 2028.

🎃 Brock's Trick or Eat is Oct. 31. Student volunteers collect non-perishable food for Community Care.

🥕 Farmers Market Thursday, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Market Square.

🎬 Rocky Horror Picture Show at the Film House, Thursday and Friday, 7 p.m. It's $20. Interactive Halloween screening.

I put this together from Garden City Digest, my free local newsletter. It comes out Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

If you want it in your inbox, here's the link: Garden City Digest

Any body have suggestions about good places and costs? Do they offer a monthly membership or do you pay by each use? How many sessions before you see changes to your skin? Anyone had any negative experiences?

It seems like the gales gas station on Martindale is always significantly cheaper than other gas stations in the area (even just slightly down the road). Why are they so much cheaper and why are so many people still going to the other more expensive gas stations near by? Why isn't everyone at gales?

Smelling it right now both inside our place and outside in the middle of the street. Noticed it several times over the past 2 years always at nightime. Pretty aure it's not coming from our place and doesn't seem to be coming from a neighbor's house. Any speculation as to what this is cause it's really terrible.

Edit: added the nighttime mention.

I am currently having a crash out because a bus honked at me because I was passing it and the arm came out and lights came on. Like I could not stop. Like when a light turns yellow and you have to either keep going or slam on your breaks and get rear ended. I was too close to the bus to be able to reasonably stop, and the driver honked at me.

Losing it about that because I think they are prob going to report me, and im not sure if the buses have cameras or not?

What the hell is a girl supposed to do about this? Like are cops even going to believe me when I tell them I didnt have time to stop? Yes I saw the bus, yes I saw the sign start to come out- I was already driving by it at 50- what the hell was I supposed to do? Was the driver just being unreasonable?

Hi everyone! I’m currently pregnant and looking for recommendations for an OB/GYN in the Niagara Falls/Niagara Region area for prenatal care and delivery.

I’ve already reached out to a few midwife practices, but unfortunately, I’ve been placed on waitlists, so I’m now exploring other options.

If you’ve recently been pregnant or given birth in the area, I’d really appreciate hearing about your experiences! I’m especially interested in finding a doctor who is approachable, takes the time to answer questions, and makes you feel comfortable and supported throughout pregnancy and delivery.

I’d also love to know which hospital you delivered at and how your overall experience was. If there are any doctors or clinics you particularly loved (or had a less positive experience with), feel free to share that too.

Any advice or recommendations would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Up until now I've been crossing the border to get my welding shielding gas, but with the goings on down there, I'm avoiding crossing at all costs.

I have a practically new, healthy but empty argon tank (80 or 120 cu ft, I don't recall ATM) I'm looking to get refilled with 100% argon. (Or exchanged, but preferably refilled).

Is there anywhere in town/the region I can do that?

Google searches come up with little useful results.

Out of curiosity, I just looked up the wages for city councillors and the mayor.

Councillors : ~$37,000

Mayor: ~$138,000

Here are my thoughts (keeping in mind I have not compared our wages to any other city or what is "typical")

1) Campaigning is a huge amount of work for a part time job. Some obviously were able to/did put more effort into it than others but thats a lot of work and money to put it before the job is even secured.

2) I dont know exactly what the job entails, but I feel like some city councillors are putting way more than PT hours into this job. I see them all over town, at meetings, posting on social media lots to keep people informed... not to mention the flack they get if they say/do the wrong thing (or even just what some people disagree with). I get that being in the public eye is part of the job, but thats a lot of headache for 37K.

3) Why is the CEO of Niagara Health making over $500K when the mayor is only making $138K? Again, I dont know the EXACT demands of each job, but that seems like an insane gap (and sort of starts a whole other conversation about the Healthcare system etc).

Anyways, these are just some thoughts that crossed my mind when I saw the wages. Thanks to all who ran and put the effort in and thanks to all who are serving. Do you feel like the wages for city staff are fair?

To the people who voted Siscoe back in, just wait until you end up paying for GM's mess and the Magna's tax breaks. Your property taxes are going to go through the roof! The people of Niagara Falls actually got it right. They voted Doug Ford's puppet out. Not the majority of people in St. Catharines, just a bunch of lemmings. God help us. I am disgusted!!!

This guy is a class A jackass.

No grace, no gratitude.

Good job STC... 🙄🙄🙄

Siscoe AGAIN

Looks like we get to pay the bill.

my insurance adjuster finally gave me the general estimate of getting my basement redone after getting gutted from the flood back in july.

i read the whole document and is thinking of getting a second adjuster to make an estimate.

does anyone know/recommend any local companies for this?

Quick roundup of the main St. Catharines/Niagara stories today:

🗳️ Polls are open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. today. You can vote at any of the three polling places in your ward. Bring ID showing your name and a St. Catharines address.

📋 On your ballot: mayor, city councillors and school board trustees. Regional councillor seats are gone. The 12 mayors now sit on Regional Council with a chair picked by the province.

🏫 No school today. It's a PA day for Niagara's public, Catholic and French boards. Some schools are polling places.

🧒 Kids at home? Three free or cheap options. The museum PD-Day program is 10:30 a.m. to noon, by donation. Dia de Muertos crafts are at 11 a.m. at Dr. Huq Library. LEGO is 1 to 3 p.m. at Merritt Library.

💼 Niagara's youth unemployment hit 12.6% in September. The overall rate rose from 6% to 6.5%.

🏠 The average two-bedroom rent in St. Catharines is now $1,900 a month. More than 20,000 households here rent.

🚆 GO trains to Toronto are back to normal. A new Lakeshore West schedule starts today. Check the trip planner before you go.

🚒 No one was hurt in a fire at an auto shop on Grantham Ave. S. Crews stopped it from spreading. The cause is still unknown.

🎸 Free RBC Music at Noon Tuesday at the PAC. Guitar and flute with Tim Phelan and Doug Miller.

📅 Election results are declared Tuesday, Oct. 27. That's per the City's key-date list.

I put this together from Garden City Digest, my free local newsletter. It comes out Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

If you want it in your inbox, here's the link: Garden City Digest

Are there any local vets that have a wide variety of access to things like:
Labs
X-ray
Ultrasound
Can perform surgery if needed

That ARE NOT the emergency vet in Thorold?

My pet is currently there, and I am up to $5,000. I’m likely taking him home today, and I want to know what my options are should he need care again, where I won’t need to pay such inflated fees (unless after hours, I understand). Not knocking them. I get it. I just can’t afford anymore!

Thank you!

This isn’t about who to vote for or not for. This is a reminder to vote today during Election Day if you haven’t already gone to the advanced polls! If you don’t have a voter card that came in the mail or misplaced it, want to know what ward you’re in, who the candidates are, etc., I’ve found the city has helpful info at https://www.stcatharines.ca/council-and-administration/elections/
Good luck to all of the candidates! It takes a lot to sign up for something like this especially during a time of awful online abuse, misogyny and armchair quarterbacking.

Went to Burger King and got 4 kids meals and all were this hello kitty. My daughter really wants some of the other ones that come in the mystery pack. This might be niche but is someone willing to trade for any other ones?

Mods, if this breaks the rules, feel free to pull it.

I’m making an audio drama called We Interrupt This World. Each episode is a different end-of-the-world story told only through local radio: call-in shows, newscasts, emergency alerts.

The first episode, Familiar, is about an hour long. I’d love honest feedback from people who know the area. Did it hold your attention? Is there anything that can be improved?

Be blunt. If you’re up for it, leave a comment or send me a message and I’ll DM you the link. It’s unlisted, so please don’t share it yet.

Thank you

Chris

Does anyone recommend/know a local company that does concrete repair work?
The concrete between our walk stones has dried out (probably after years of salting during the winter) and is cracking and falling out of the gaps.
We’re hoping to get it repaired and sealed permanently once it’s repaired and gets any worse.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

i am looking for an orthodontist that will help with overbite and crowded teeth in adults. any recommendations for a kind and supportive team would be appreciated!

Daughter will be 6 years old 🙂 ONLY IN ST.CATHARINES

Thanks in advance

Hello, for a birthday dinner of 2, would you recommend Fat Rabbit, Les Incompetents or Odd Bird? I would like to visit these three restaurants and don't know which one to pick. Any feedback?

This female tuxedo cat was making my own cats freak out this morning. No tags or anything. Very friendly. Area of Lake St, Crescentwood Dr., Black Knight Drive

I'm trying to get everything ready as my house is listed. One part I want to fix for the potential new owners is a bit of a carpet pull from my vacuum in the middle of the floor.

I have the excess carpet well beyond the foot print, but looking for someone who can come do the repair and blending efforts.

Does anyone have suggestions with positive experiences?