Vibrant Cultural Experiences in the Core
July 12, 2024
Downtown St. Catharines is filled with eclectic and vibrant cultural experiences. So says the St. Catharines Downtown Association municipal arm of the NDP. Take, for example, today’s experience at the Mahtay Cafe, one of the few businesses in the core which has somehow managed to survive the war as well as the City’s ongoing and relentless attempts (all with the full blessing of the SCDA, which emphatically claims to represent businesses like the Mahtay, while making membership mandatory and giving them practically no voice as to the governance and direction of the organization) to drive every last bit of commercial activity out of downtown.
A bearded dude set his backpack down on the sidewalk and approached the window. The two young kids behind the counter recognized him right away. “Don’t give him anything,” the guy said to his female colleague. “He tried to beat my friend. Best to ignore him.” The commissionaire ordering a coffee also recognized him. “He’s a colorful character,” he said.
After making a few faces in the window, the dude poked his head inside. He wanted a coffee. “I’ve been told not to give you anything,” the kid behind the counter said. “But I thought as long as I didn’t come inside . . .,” the dude replied.
The plea fell on deaf ears. No free coffee for him. It was as if he tried to get a parking spot without a smartphone. So he turned around and instead made for the tree near the curb. Reaching up, he plucked a few leaves (the leaves lower down weren’t to his liking), then returned to his backpack, where he dug out a well-used crack pipe out of an old naloxone kit. I can’t imagine how many of those kits have been used to revive this pillar of society. But I digress. With pipe in hand, he stuffed the leaves into it, lit it and moseyed off down the street. Take your smokes wherever you can get them apparently.
Now who says there’s nothing going on in downtown St. Catharines?
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