Keys to the City

Facts & Fundamentals

Niagara Falls proper is home to just under 80,000 people, and more than 410,000 people reside in the Niagara Region.

Government statistics show that the some 14 million people visit Niagara Falls annually. Not surprisingly, the hospitality industry is the region's leading economic contributor, employing some 30,000 people. Other leading industries employment-wise include manufactoring (more than 8000), retail (over 4500), health services (approximately 3000) and professional services (3800 or more).

Provincial Sales Tax (PST) in Ontario is 8% on all purchased goods and services. Travelers also encounter the following provincial taxes: 5% on room accommodations, 10% alcoholic beverages, and 8% on restaurant food. In addition, there is a 6% value-added General Services Tax (GST) applied to most goods and services, food, alcohol, and hotel and motel accommodation.

Weather

The Niagara Penninsula has a humid continental climate. Its location between Lakes Eerie and Ontario translates weatherwise into warm, humid summers and cold winters with plenty of "lake effect" snowfall. The wettest months are August through December. The warmest are June, July and August. The coldest temperatures, meanwhile, occur in January and February. The average snowfall is about 52 inches annually.

Holidays & Business Hours

Most offices maintain Monday-Friday hours, usually 9am-5pm. Retail businesses generally open from about 10am-9pm Monday-Saturday, and Noon-5pm on Sunday.

New Year's Day   January 1   Good Friday   Friday before Easter   Easter Sunday   Varies   Victoria Day   Monday on or before May 24   Canada Day   July 1   Labour Day   1st Monday in September   Thanksgiving   2nd Monday in October   Christmas   December 25   Boxing Day   December 26

If a statutory holiday falls on a weekend, it may be observed the previous Friday or following Monday. Many businesses close for Simcoe Day (1st Monday in August), and some may close for Remembrance Day (November 11).

Coming & Going

Though there is no international airport on the Niagara Penninsula, major airports are nearby. The closest, Buffalo Niagara International Airport, is in Cheektowaga, New York. This airport is popular with residents of SW Ontario because it offers flights by many major carriers, including Delta, American, Continental and US Air and United, and fares are typically cheaper here than their counterparts in Toronto. Slightly farther away is Hamilton/John C. Munro International Airport, a smaller airport that is serviced primarily by Air Canada and often provides traffic relief for the larger airport in Toronto. Toronto Pearson International Airport is over an hour's drive away. It is the primary hub for Air Canada but receives flights from nearly all major international carriers, including Delta, KLM and British.

If you're not flying into the region, that means you're traveling by either car or rail. Niagara Falls Station is serviced by VIA Rail, which offers extensive intercity service all over Canada. The Maple Leaf line, which is co-operated by Amtrak and VIA Rail, also stops in NIagara Falls while making regular runs between Toronoto and New York City.

Those driving themselves will find the area is easily navigatable thanks to Highway 420, also called Queen Elizabeth Way, which runs west to Hamiliton, where it links with 403 and heads north into Toronto, and east to the Canada-US border and the Peace Bridge.

Making Your Way

The best and most efficient way to get from A to B in the Niagara region is by car. If you don't drive your own, it's probably best to arrange a rental.

If you plan to hit the wine country or just don't want to drive, check into Niagara Adventures (800-640-8687, www.niagaraadventures.com), which offers scenic, winery and adventure tours. Another company featuring similar packages is Magnificent Tours of Niagara (888-501-8916).

Public transportation, primarily by way of ten city routes, is available by Niagara Transit. Single fares are $2.25.

News & Views

The Niagara Falls Review (www.niagarafallsreview.ca) is entrenched as the main daily newspaper for the cities of Niagara Falls, Fort Erie and Niagara-on-the-Lake and has been around in some form or fashion since 1879. Other daily newspapers available in the area include the Hamilton Spectator, St. Catharines Standard, and Toronto's Star and Sun. The Metroland Media Group publishes several popular Canadian weeklies, including Niagara this Week, whose readership reaches from Oakville to Niagara. For coverage of the region's finer pursuits, look to the bi-monthly Niagara Life Magazine, which focuses on local chefs, décor, fashion and health issues.

Quirks & Curiosities

Though supplanting the Falls as the region's number one tourist draw isn't likely to happen anytime soon, the Niagara Penninsula wine-making industry certainly does its part to diversify the incoming flow of traffic thanks to more than 70 award-winning wineries from Grimsby all the way 'round to Niagara-on-the-Lake.

On the economic side, as of April 1, 2007, non-citizen travelers are no longer elligible for any type of GST Visitors' Rebate Program for short-term accommodation or purchased goods. Some exceptions do apply; see the Canada Revenue Agency Website for specific details (www.cra-arc.gc.ca).

Getting Your Bearings

Since the Niagara Region is one of the most touristed in Ontario, travelers have at their disposal several great local resources that put together and distribute information about what to see and do. Below is the contact information for visitor centers operated by two such organizations.

Niagara Falls Tourism
5400 Robinson St 5515 Stanley Ave
Niagara Falls, ON L2G 2A6 Niagara Falls, ON L2E
800-563-2557
www.niagarafallstourism.com
Daily 9am-5pm

Tourism Niagara
424 S Service Rd W
Grimsby, ON L3M
800-263-2988
www.tourismniagara.com
Daily 9am-6pm

Necessities - Post Offices

Stamps are available at most convenience and drug stores, as well as at the front desks of most hotels. Canada Post counters are situated in most shopping centers and malls.

The contact information for the main branch is:

Niagara Falls Post Office
4500 Queen St
Niagara Falls, ON L2E 2L0
800-267-1177
Mon-Fri 8am-5pm

Common Courtesies

Tipping for services rendered is customary. The standard tip is 15%, more for exemplary service (this includes restaurant servers, taxi drivers, etc).