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Matthew P. Barker

@matthewpbarker.bsky.social
80 followers 64 following 98 posts

Reporter at St. Catharines Standard| Homelessness, Housing & Food Insecurity | *reposts not endorsements* mbarker@niagaradailies.com

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Matthew P. Barker @matthewpbarker.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
“It’s very simple, when I went to the school, I starved, so when I opened the business, I wanted to help the community,” said Joney Ponrajah, the owner of the Sunset Grill restaurant on Welland Avenue in St. Catharines.
stcatharinesstandard.ca
St. Catharines restaurant owner has spent a decade making 200 pancakes a week for hungry students
For more than a decade, the owner of the Sunset Grill restaurant on Welland Avenue in St. Catharines on both days has made and distributed 200 pancakes to District School Board of Niagara E.I. McCulle...
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Matthew P. Barker @matthewpbarker.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
“Rents have gone through the roof. They’re just starting to stabilize, but we still are dealing with not only a housing crisis, but … the further stages of an actual affordability crisis,” said Lori Beech, CLTN vice-chair, and executive director of Second Story Community Homes and Services.
stcatharinesstandard.ca
Land trust taps Thorold council for housing land
Vacant city land could be used for building up to 60 units of affordable housing.
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Matthew P. Barker @matthewpbarker.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
“It’s time, we’ve had a great run, made a lot of friends and that’s what we bought the business years ago for, to make friends and family and now it’s time to move on,” Mike Scott said, fighting back tears.
stcatharinesstandard.ca
Scorecard Harry owners say good-bye to Port Dalhousie institution
The restaurant and bar is set to change hands after John Scott and his brother Mike Scott sold the business after 32 years.
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Matthew P. Barker @matthewpbarker.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
“So, I thought, ‘you know what, here we go — cancer survivor, disabled person, do good for Terry,” said Liz Hay.
stcatharinesstandard.ca
Colon cancer diagnosis gave a St. Catharines woman a new perspective on the Terry Fox Run
Liz Hay was 16 when Terry Fox began the Marathon of Hope. Now 62, a disabled colon cancer survivor, she ran in her second Terry Fox Run at Lakeside Park in St. Catharines.
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Matthew P. Barker @matthewpbarker.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
“Our goal from the start was to engage the community,” said Syl Roach, NAC chair.
stcatharinesstandard.ca
Residents get say at public forum on homelessness and housing
Residents got to ask questions about growing interconnected crises in the region and how politicians planned to address it
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Matthew P. Barker @matthewpbarker.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
“We need to educate people that the cold alert threshold — the temperature at which emergency warming centres open — is -10 C,” said Syl Roach, Niagara Advocacy Coalition chair.
stcatharinesstandard.ca
Niagara Advocacy Coalition takes aim at homelessness and housing crises
Niagara Advocacy Coalition will host No One Should Be Left Outside: A Public Forum on Homelessness and Housing. It runs Saturday 9 a.m. until noon at St. George’s Anglican Church, 83 Church St. in St....
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Matthew P. Barker @matthewpbarker.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
“The need is great and it’s always growing,” said Jordan Mammoliti, Niagara Nutrition Partners’ giving and community engagement manager.
stcatharinesstandard.ca
Demand for school meal programs surges in Niagara
Student enrolment in Niagara school food programs has jumped from 24,000 to over 30,000 in a single year — and demand keeps growing.
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Matthew P. Barker @matthewpbarker.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
“I’m trying to deal with everything. There’s an emptiness, a hole in our life,” said Chris Embrey, father of Kiesha Embrey, who died Dec. 25, 2023.
stcatharinesstandard.ca
Port Colborne family keeps daughter's memory alive through fundraiser for Ronald McDonald House
Chris and Tammy Embrey host Kiesha's Crusade every year to support families at Ronald McDonald House. On Sept. 12, they return to Port Colborne to raise $5,000 in their daughter's memory and help othe...
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Matthew P. Barker @matthewpbarker.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
“The anger’s still with me. My life changed forever,” Diann Brown said, choking back tears during an interview Tuesday.
stcatharinesstandard.ca
1,150 ribbons: How one Niagara mother is fighting the overdose crisis
Diann Brown has placed 1,150 purple ribbons at St. Catharines city hall since her son's overdose death in 2018. Now she demands systemic change— housing, treatment beds and harm reduction services tha...
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Matthew P. Barker @matthewpbarker.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
“I’m glad staff advised us to refuse this,” said Coun. Anthony Longo.
stcatharinesstandard.ca
Thorold rejects development shortcut over flood risks
Thorold councillors voted to require a full watershed study for Port Robinson West development after recent flooding raised drainage concerns. Primont Homes' exemption request was rejected.
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Matthew P. Barker @matthewpbarker.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
“It’s going to take some of the burden off replacing the food, as many neighbours paid out of pocket,” Melinda Crocker, 351 Geneva St., tenant.
stcatharinesstandard.ca
Niagara paralegal: Flooded tenants deserve more than rent credits
A Niagara apartment building flooded in July, displacing tenants for 11 days. The landlord offered rent credits, but a paralegal says they should also cover hotel, food, and other out-of-pocket expens...
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Matthew P. Barker @matthewpbarker.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
“I see now it takes one small event to completely derail your life — and before this, I would look at (unhoused) people and be like, ‘Oh, there’s got to be something out there they can do,” said Alexandria Martin, resident of 351 Geneva St., apartment building.
stcatharinesstandard.ca
Flood left her homeless. Niagara shelters wouldn't take her cats
She had a full-time job and apartment — until two floods forced her out. Emergency shelter was available, but it didn't accept pets. She, her boyfriend and her cats slept nearly two weeks in the car.
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Matthew P. Barker @matthewpbarker.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
“It takes a community to heal a community, I totally believe that, and everybody should,” said George Myers, president of Community Family Foundation.
stcatharinesstandard.ca
‘It takes a community to heal a community’: Volunteers serve hot meals to St. Catharines flood evacuees at Niagara Falls emergency shelter
A team of volunteers came together to ensure St. Catharines residents staying at Niagara Falls MacBain Centre were well fed
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Matthew P. Barker @matthewpbarker.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
“I’m trying to do the best I can for my children and all this stress, it doesn’t help,” said Ted Smith, a tenant of 351 Geneva St. “This is going to lead to me losing our home again, because at this point, I’ve been covering everything.”
stcatharinesstandard.ca
'This is going to lead to me losing our home again': St. Catharines flood displaces all residents of Geneva Street apartment building
A Geneva Street apartment building was evacuated after this week's flash floods. Community volunteers are feeding displaced families who fear returning to homelessness.
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Matthew P. Barker @matthewpbarker.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
“For me, it sounded very much like a train, but because of the hail hitting … we couldn’t tell what exactly was happening,” said Martine Rioux, Thorold resident.
stcatharinesstandard.ca
‘It was nuts, it came down so hard’: Thorold left to clean up after ‘intense storm’
Areas across Thorold were impacted by a severe thunderstorm early Saturday morning that downed large growth trees, broke utility poles and frightened many residents.
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Matthew P. Barker @matthewpbarker.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
“(We’re) heartbroken about what this means for our community. We have deep concerns about … our clients still actively using,” said Talia Storm, director of StreetWorks Services at Positive Living Niagara, which has been operating the consumption and treatment site (CTS).
stcatharinesstandard.ca
Final day: Emotions run high as St. Catharines safe injection site closes its doors
Staff and clients of Niagara’s only safe consumption and treatment site closed Friday after provincial funding was cut earlier this year. “(We’re) heartbroken about what this means for our community,...
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Matthew P. Barker @matthewpbarker.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
“It’s very easy for municipalities to not listen to homeless people, to their advocates, to community organizations or health authorities in designing bylaws, because they don’t take it seriously, this is a social issue and a policy issue,” said Joe Hermer, sociology professor at U of T, Scarborough
stcatharinesstandard.ca
Will St. Catharines bylaw restricting homeless encampments be affected by Waterloo ruling?
Visible encampments across St. Catharines have effectively dropped to zero, according to city staff, after a punitive bylaw targeting at-risk populations came into effect late last year.
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Matthew P. Barker @matthewpbarker.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
“I’ll tell you what I’m disappointed about: kids are going to food banks. Parents working 40 hours a week — their first stop isn’t to the bank, it’s to a food bank,” NDP MPP Wayne Gates said while debating the bill.
stcatharinesstandard.ca
Wayne Gates left with bad taste in his mouth after food insecurity Bill 113 defeated
Niagara Falls MPP Wayne Gates says he is disappointed after legislation was defeated in its second reading that would have helped to address food insecurity in Ontario.
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Matthew P. Barker @matthewpbarker.bsky.social · 04/05/2026
“Reality is (about) 70 per cent of these people are not homeless,” he said, “but they (are) … one bad situation away from being homeless,” said Manny Rumbos, Neighbors Table.
stcatharinesstandard.ca
Community programs aid each other to get food to Niagara’s hungry
Food assistance groups continue to form aiding many people living in poverty, unhoused or precariously housed, get access to food.
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Matthew P. Barker @matthewpbarker.bsky.social · 02/05/2026
“When Mr. Ford talks about (not) encouraging anybody to do drugs, you’re not encouraging a drug addict, they must have their drugs,” Bisson said.
stcatharinesstandard.ca
‘You’re not encouraging a drug addict’: Welland woman fears for daughter as safe consumption sites close
Rose Bisson said her 50-year-old daughter has been an active drug addict since youth and would likely die without the treatment and health services the centres provide
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Matthew P. Barker @matthewpbarker.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
“What happened was … roadways were established following the pre-existing Indigenous trails … and one of those is now known as St. Paul Street,” said Tim Johnson, president of the Niagara Academy for Indigenous Relations.
stcatharinesstandard.ca
Intersecting Indigenous trails led to modern day roads and cities in Niagara
Modern thoroughfares like St. Paul Street follow routes laid down by Niagara’s first peoples.
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Matthew P. Barker @matthewpbarker.bsky.social · 25/04/2026
“As much anger as I’ve had to carry throughout this whole thing, I just want to be able to sit down and start healing from it all,”Ashley Cronkwright said.
stcatharinesstandard.ca
Cronkwright family says justice not served for Johnny
Ashley Cronkwright says the justice system continues to fail not just her family, but many Indigenous communities.
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Matthew P. Barker @matthewpbarker.bsky.social · 30/03/2026
“My whole goal is to stop this from happening to any other parent that has a child (living) with addiction, that has an Indigenous child, that has a marginalized person in their family,” said Francine Shimizu, Heather Winterstein’s mother.
stcatharinesstandard.ca
‘Start of something new and powerful’: Inquest into death of Niagara Indigenous woman starts today
Heather Winterstein died in December 2021 while waiting in the St. Catharines emergency department.
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Matthew P. Barker @matthewpbarker.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
“All those horrible things you can imagine happen to women, people trying to traffic you constantly” or worse, said Laura Beaupré, happens to unhoused women when encampments are cleared.
stcatharinesstandard.ca
Isolation caused by encampment sweeps puts residents at risk, advocates warn
Outreach workers say sudden displacement leads to a disruption of services, which can worsen health and societal outcomes.
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Matthew P. Barker @matthewpbarker.bsky.social · 16/03/2026
“(We) can absolutely expect these numbers to go up, because we know these sites are not just about preventing overdose deaths,” said Sandra Ka Hon Chu, lawyer and HIV Legal Network co-executive director.
stcatharinesstandard.ca
‘We’ll see more people dying in city parks’: Fear of more overdoses rises with imminent closure of St. Catharines CTS
It’s being called a step backwards that will lead to more overdose deaths and further stress hospital emergency medical services, after the Ontario government confirmed it will pull funding from all d...
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Matthew P. Barker @matthewpbarker.bsky.social · 16/03/2026
stcatharinesstandard.ca
Should in-person attendance be mandatory? Thorold councillor may make the case
Jim Handley attends meeting electronically while spending the winter in Dominican Republic. He says nothing restricts constituents from contacting him.
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Matthew P. Barker @matthewpbarker.bsky.social · 13/03/2026
“I want to work full time, but I can’t because I have a (criminal) record and I’m homeless. And because I’m homeless I don’t have an address to give them, or I don’t have clothes or the means to get a uniform, so I’m stuck,” said Shaun Christie.
stcatharinesstandard.ca
Niagara Falls’ Silvertown encampment to be cleared
Niagara Regional Police are working with city bylaw staff to clear a property near the corner of Victoria Avenue and Buttrey Street while outreach workers try to move people into shelters.
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Matthew P. Barker @matthewpbarker.bsky.social · 08/03/2026
“I got ahold of them fourth hand … I got ahold of somebody, who got ahold of somebody in Europe, who’d gotten ahold of them, (as) they had moved up north (near) the Caspian Sea,” said Amir Farsoud.
stcatharinesstandard.ca
Iranian Canadian in Niagara concerned for family and friends in Iran
As the United States and Israel enter the second week of their aerial campaign in Iran, Iranians in Niagara fear for family and friends caught in the crossfire, condemning the attack on the Persian Gu...
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Matthew P. Barker @matthewpbarker.bsky.social · 16/02/2026
“The meatballs taste like hope, with a touch of resisting oppression on the finish, and garlic, lots of garlic,” said Craig Adams, jokingly.
stcatharinesstandard.ca
St. Catharines food recovery setup needs $12,000 upgrade to continue
A St. Catharines man ‘s food recovery setup might need to bite off more than it can chew, after Niagara Public Health informed him of needed upgrades to his home kitchen if he plans to continue.
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Matthew P. Barker @matthewpbarker.bsky.social · 16/02/2026
“It is not so much the CTS helped me get clean per se, it’s they helped me not die, which is an important step to getting clean. You can’t get clean if you’re dead,” he said.
stcatharinesstandard.ca
‘You can’t get clean if you’re dead’: Possible closure of Niagara’s only consumption, drug treatment centre cause for worry
Under provincial legislation, the St. Catharines centre would not be permitted to relocate if a Montessori school continues with its plan to move nearby.
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Matthew P. Barker @matthewpbarker.bsky.social · 03/02/2026
“I imagine that that (homelessness) curve, if you put that on top of our food insecurity curve, like … in the Feed Ontario report, it would look very similar,” said The Hope Centre CEO, Jon Braithwaite.
stcatharinesstandard.ca
Niagara homelessness tied to food bank usage, report finds
Evidence shows people in low-income households will attempt to cut other expenses in order to keep a roof over their heads — until they can’t.
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Matthew P. Barker @matthewpbarker.bsky.social · 01/02/2026
“They’re (recipients) not receiving enough to afford housing and then they can’t afford food, and we see increasing numbers at food banks and congregate meals and community meals,” said Joanne Heritz, a Brock University adjunct political science professor.
stcatharinesstandard.ca
Niagara’s rising unhoused population tied to low social assistance support payments: report
Nearly 97 per cent of people experiencing homelessness in Niagara receive some form of government assistance, that’s the finding of data in a new policy brief, released by Toronto-based human rights o...
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Matthew P. Barker @matthewpbarker.bsky.social · 30/01/2026
“How many? We’ve heard about people losing their limbs, how many people have lost their lives, how many are just looking for a hand up, and are being turned away,” said Elizabeth Allen.
stcatharinesstandard.ca
Niagara’s winter shelter policy gets cold shoulder from sister of man who died after being found on a frigid street in 2025
The sister of a man who died last winter after first responders came to his aid on a downtown St. Catharines street last winter is expressing dissatisfaction with Niagara’s cold weather response for u...
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Matthew P. Barker @matthewpbarker.bsky.social · 29/01/2026
“He’s a very complex (case) … I’m honestly shocked this man is not in a long-term-care facility,” said Deanna Ernest, Beyond the Streets co-founder.
stcatharinesstandard.ca
From jail to the homeless shelter: Released Niagara Detention Centre prisoner left at Welland church
Releasing people from lockup into homelessness has “been getting worse over the past several years,” says Brock sociology and criminology professor.
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Matthew P. Barker @matthewpbarker.bsky.social · 26/01/2026
“There were people who saw him and didn’t do anything, that’s on them,” said Elizabeth Allen about the night her brother freezing to death.
stcatharinesstandard.ca
Bob Allen died a year ago after being found on a frozen St. Catharines street. Has anything changed?
It was a year ago that Robert (Bob) Allen died days after being released from Thorold Detention Centre and after being turned away from a local emergency shelter due to an outbreak. He was found Jan. ...
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Matthew P. Barker @matthewpbarker.bsky.social · 23/01/2026
“It was a real blow to my self-esteem, Patricia Rysdale said in an email to The Standard. “It was terrifying to have to go to a shelter at my age, I didn’t know what to expect.”
stcatharinesstandard.ca
Fire forced a Niagara woman from her subsidized apartment; her landlord rented it to someone else
Lutheran Homes Niagara was ordered by the Landlord and Tenant Board to pay more than $12,000 to a former tenant after locking her out after repairs were made following a kitchen fire and renting her u...
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Matthew P. Barker @matthewpbarker.bsky.social · 10/01/2026
“It’s about managing people’s discomfort, when you’re talking about these laws … (regarding) difference, and in this case, the difference is poverty and homelessness.” - Samantha McAleese.
stcatharinesstandard.ca
Niagara experts say legislation aimed at unhoused like earlier ‘ugly laws’
Policies targeting at-risk populations seem to favour addressing people’s discomfort at witnessing the effects of inequality over working toward long-term solutions, they argue.
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Matthew P. Barker @matthewpbarker.bsky.social · 03/01/2026
“I just cannot believe we are allowing people to freeze, when we have the means to stop it,” said St. Catharines regional councillor Haley Bateman Wednesday.
stcatharinesstandard.ca
‘It is cold’: Two Niagara Region councillors say new emergency overflow shelter beds should be open
Temperatures dropped over the holiday break, but didn’t reach the threshold set by Niagara Region.
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Matthew P. Barker @matthewpbarker.bsky.social · 31/12/2025
“In fact, most police investigations, in my experience, is this guy was murdered until proven otherwise,” said Jack Stanborough, retired regional supervising coroner for western Ontario.
stcatharinesstandard.ca
How did a Niagara man’s arm bone get to Hamilton Harbour?
Several competing theories look to explain how partial remains of a St. Catharines man found their way to Hamilton as a lack of information stymies progress in Nicholas Adamson’s disappearance more th...
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Matthew P. Barker @matthewpbarker.bsky.social · 21/12/2025
“We had a perfect in-line view to watch the whole thing … it was like four stars on ‘Grand Theft Auto,’ the drones, the helicopters,” said Jesse Doucette, a nearby resident.
stcatharinesstandard.ca
‘A matter of time before it happened’: Tense Welland standoff had neighbours worried for their safety
A tense nearly 24-hour standoff that ended early Saturday morning in the arrest of a 59-year-old Welland man is being described as “scary” and “a matter of time before this happened,” by nearby reside...
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Matthew P. Barker @matthewpbarker.bsky.social · 26/11/2025
“Housing is a human right and as legislators we should be making sure everyone has the ability to rent or to live in affordable housing,” said St. Catharines NDP MPP Jennie Stevens.
stcatharinesstandard.ca
New Ontario act ‘threat to democracy’ and housing as human right: St. Catharines MPP
Its being called a threat to democracy, as the provincial government rammed through highly contested legislation stripping tenants’ rights and consolidating power in the hands of landlords.
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Matthew P. Barker @matthewpbarker.bsky.social · 21/11/2025
“If you had asked me two weeks ago, I would have said there is zero hope. I was very down and depressed … I was drowning in sorrow and grief and now I feel like the sun is rising,” said Brenda Boulanger, unhoused Welland woman.
stcatharinesstandard.ca
‘The sun is rising’: Unhoused Welland woman given hand up to get off the streets
Brenda Boulanger breathed a sigh of relief on the other end of the phone, fighting back tears and emotions as the reality set in, she would no longer have to stay in a Niagara shelter.
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Matthew P. Barker @matthewpbarker.bsky.social · 11/11/2025
“(It) was terrible last night, heartbreaking, I cried most of the night,” said Brenda Boulanger.
stcatharinesstandard.ca
Winter’s coming. Where do Niagara’s unhoused go if they’re turned away from emergency shelters?
After the first frigid, snowy night this year, with temperatures dipping below freezing, a regional councillor is hoping to implement stopgaps to prevent more unhoused deaths this winter.
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Matthew P. Barker @matthewpbarker.bsky.social · 08/11/2025
“(I) reached out to the local legion in Merritton, asking them, how can we fundraise that will go directly to the veterans, and they told us about the poppy fund,” said Stephanie Arsenault-Smith, co-owner of The Docks pub.
stcatharinesstandard.ca
Poppy fund raffle aims to raise money for Niagara veterans
Supporting veterans and providing vital services is the hope for The Docks Pub Saturday as they host their annual poppy fund raffle.
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Matthew P. Barker @matthewpbarker.bsky.social · 08/11/2025
“What’s happening in the area, the city and the region are responsible and they’re letting it happen. There are a lot of solutions to (these situations), and we’re not seeing it,” said Tim Toffolo, St. Catharine’s resident and business owner.
stcatharinesstandard.ca
Encampment garbage frustration results in St. Catharines resident taking action
A St. Catharines resident and business owner is frustrated with the Region after having to clean up an abandoned encampment, bagging garbage and move it to the curb, while receiving the silent treatme...
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Matthew P. Barker @matthewpbarker.bsky.social · 08/11/2025
“We’re up already 52 per cent more people who came on the first night,” said Jane Cocco, program coordinator for St. Alfred’s church, Out of the Cold meal program.
stcatharinesstandard.ca
‘People are stretched to the limit’: Out of the Cold program sees staggering increase in hunger
The community funded program is expected to have 10 per cent more people accessing its nightly meals
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Matthew P. Barker @matthewpbarker.bsky.social · 27/10/2025
“People aren’t donating. Obviously, grocery stores are, and we still get those food recovery programs coming in,” said
stcatharinesstandard.ca
‘There’s too much month at the end of the money’: Niagara food banks unsure how long they can sustain services
With demand continuing to increase while donations stagnant, operators are dipping into their coffers more than ever to keep shelves full.
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Matthew P. Barker @matthewpbarker.bsky.social · 27/10/2025
The interactive feature is being hosted by The NOTL Contemporary art gallery at Ironwood Cider House, 1425 Lakeshore Rd., on Saturday 6-9 p.m.
stcatharinesstandard.ca
Urban exploration art exhibit in Niagara-on-the-Lake focused on abandoned buildings
Photographers James Mattiazzo and Dave Conlin have organized “Urbex, The Urban Exploration Exhibit” happening Saturday in the gallery at Ironwood Cider House.
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Matthew P. Barker @matthewpbarker.bsky.social · 11/10/2025
Some residents said the development would be out of place, while others felt it would be another step toward gentrification, pushing people out of the predominantly lower- to middle-class neighbourhood that has been affordable for them.
stcatharinesstandard.ca
9 highrises for former St. Catharines hospital site not healthy for Queenston St. neighbourhood, residents say
Concerned about gentrification, St. Catharines residents who turned out for a public meeting at Connaught Public School said the developer’s proposal does not promise enough affordable apartment units...
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Matthew P. Barker @matthewpbarker.bsky.social · 04/10/2025
“It’s forcing people back into the shadows,” said Dan Hennessey, Peterborough homelessness advocate. “I agree that the open-air drug use is rampant, but, they (police and agencies) should have other dedicated places, outside of the CTS (for people to go), where they can access services too.”
stcatharinesstandard.ca
Will Niagara follow Peterborough’s experience with no-tolerance approach to public drug use?
With Niagara Regional Police Service declaring a no-tolerance open-air drug policy for Niagara, experts worry, as Niagara politicians praise communities targeting vulnerable populations.
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