St. Catharines Standard e-edition

Downtown St. Catharines gets federal funding boost

City, association awarded a $20,000 grant to bring streets alive

JULIE JOCSAK

Downtown St. Catharines has received a boost from a new federal initiative aimed at helping small businesses through the COVID-19 pandemic.

The My Main Street Community Activator grant awarded to the city and St. Catharines Downtown Association more than $200,000 for their efforts to bring life back into the downtown streets.

“The way they did it was fantastic because it meant that all of those expenses that we scrambled to do would be reimbursed and then it’s now going to allow us to free the budget up that we had allocated for that towards funding for this year,” said Rachel Braithwaite, executive director of the downtown association.

“It was very much a lifeline that we’ve needed because we hope this year to be able to animate the streets more,” she said.

The grant pool is a $23.25-million investment by the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario and handed out through the Canada Urban Institute. This is its first year, but submissions are open for the second year.

The grant marks the largest the downtown association has received to date.

Braithwaite said much of the money will cover city staffing costs and lost parking revenue; while on the association side it will help pay for small infrastructure items, such as tables.

Despite the pandemic and public health measures, the association and city created a safe environment for people to enjoy food, music, art and more through various festivals and initiatives run throughout the year, such as the Summer Block Party and the Halloween Costume

Parade.

“The grant wouldn’t have been a successful application without our partnerships,” said Braithwaite.

“From small businesses who went out and created vendor pop-up markets, to the performing arts centre that led amazing initiatives like Celebration of Nations and Emancipation Day to different initiatives that the city led to activate the space, too — we really wouldn’t have had a successful application without the support.

“Same with the Niagara Artists Centre, they were a huge partner as well, and same with Suitcase In Point. Their In the Soil Festival was located downtown on our open streets and that was huge draw, too.”

Every weekend this past summer and into the fall, there were street closures to facilitate pedestrian traffic which helped businesses downtown.

This year there are plans for weekend street closures with slightly different hours.

“We got feedback that said close it all day Saturday … Its open to traffic all day Sunday,” said Braithwaite.

Every weekend in May multicultural events to coincide with the Folk Arts Festival are proposed.

July is to feature the Holi Festival, which is Hindu and originated in India. It normally takes place in March to say goodbye to the winter and welcome the spring, but with the inclement weather Canadians can usually expect in March, the festival has been moved.

Also considered is a sustainability-focused festival with workshops on how to make a worm compost or a smoothie with a bike.

The opening ceremonies for the Canada Games, which are set to happen in August, are also slated to take place downtown.

FRONT PAGE

en-ca

2022-01-27T08:00:00.0000000Z

2022-01-27T08:00:00.0000000Z

https://stcatharinesstandard.pressreader.com/article/281522229475814

Toronto Star Newspapers Limited