DID YOU KNOW: St. Paul Street is Hiding a Rare "Boston Secret" in Plain Sight? 🇨🇦

A rendition of the unique curves of St. Paul Street.

I’ve lived all over Niagara and driven down St. Paul Street more times than I can count, and I never thought twice about it. I’ve also hung out in cities like Boston, MA where winding streets are everywhere! But here in Ontario, a "curved" downtown is almost unheard of. It turns out, while every other city was being forced into a straight grid, St. Paul Street was busy following a mind of its own...

 

The Road That Refused to Be Straight

 

Most of our local streets were drawn by surveyors using a ruler to create perfect squares. St. Paul Street is a rare exception because it wasn't "built"—it was inherited from an ancient Indigenous trail. This natural path existed long before the city was a hub for the Welland Canal, serving as a vital link across the region. While cities like Boston are world-renowned for their tangled, "cow-path" layouts that date back centuries, Ontario’s landscape was almost entirely flattened into a rigid, predictable grid. St. Paul Street remains one of the few places in the province where history simply refused to be straightened out by a surveyor’s pen.

Fast Facts:

• • Original Route: Part of the Iroquois Trail spanning 50 km (31 miles).*
• • The Curve: Follows the lower ridge of the Niagara Escarpment.
• • Rarity: One of the only major downtown main streets in Ontario that isn't a straight line.
• • Heritage: Central to the St. Catharines Heritage Conservation District.

*While the entire Iroquois Trail stretched for hundreds of kilometres across Ontario and into the States, the section that became our local Highway 8 (connecting Queenston through St. Catharines) is the part roughly 50 km (31 miles) long that most locals identify with.

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SOFISTIKATEIT VISUAL ARCHIVE

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"St. Paul Street in St. Catharines" — Visual by Mike R. Duncan

Surprising Secrets

• The Ancient Ridge: The street curves because it stays on the natural high ground of the Niagara Escarpment, allowing early travellers to avoid the swampy lowlands of Twelve Mile Creek.
• The "Un-Planned" Path: Early settlers simply built their shops along the existing winding trail instead of straightening it out to a grid.
• Indigenous Heritage: The route was originally a major Indigenous trail connecting the Niagara River at Queenston to the head of Lake Ontario.
• The Boston Connection: While organic growth like this is common in older cities like Boston, the strict British surveying of Ontario makes this downtown layout a rare engineering "accident."

Source(s): St. Catharines Downtown Association | St. Catharines Museum Blog

The Revolving Door of Beauty: Why the Butterfly Conservatory Operates Like an International Airport

An artistic rendition of inside the federally regulated biosecurity zone. Exotic species arrive as "cargo" from around the globe to maintain this revolving door of beauty.

I have to say, when I first started looking into the Butterfly Conservatory, I had a very simple image in my head. I pictured it as a quiet, self-sustaining garden where the same colorful residents fly around happily—perching on your hands or shoulders every so often (from what I've seen in pictures)—to live out their long, carefree lives in the tropical warmth. But as I started digging into the research, I realized I was so wrong. I had no clue that this peaceful destination is actually a high-security biosecurity zone regulated by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). Even though I haven't stepped foot inside yet, looking at the logistics of how this place actually stays "afloat" has me absolutely floored. It is an international operation happening right here in our own region, and after researching all this, I want to go visit it more now than ever!

A High-Security International Airport

The Niagara Parks Butterfly Conservatory isn't just a beautiful tourist attraction; it's a federally regulated biosecurity zone approved by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). Because these butterflies are exotic species not native to Canada, they arrive as "cargo" (in their pupae stage) under strict quarantine rules. The primary goal is to ensure no "hitchhikers," like foreign parasites or invasive insects, enter our local Niagara environment. The facility uses multi-layered biocontainment netting and strict air-lock protocols to keep the glass dome secure. It isn't just a garden; it's a federally regulated fortress of beauty.

The "Bermuda Triangle" of the North: The Graveyard of Lake Ontario

A rendition of the Marysburgh Vortex in Lake Ontario. While this image visualizes the dramatic legend of a swirling funnel, the reality is a fascinating magnetic anomaly in the lakebed, not a physical whirlpool.

Such fascinating stuff! First of all I didn't know we had a Bermuda Triangle equivalent in the Great White North and secondly, I didn't know it had more wrecks per area than the Bermuda Triangle! Yes, you read that right. It isn't just a legend folks, this is for real and in our own backyard!

While we often think of Lake Ontario as a peaceful backdrop to our daily lives, there is a triangular stretch of water in the eastern end that has claimed between 270 and 500 ships and at least 40 aircraft. Known as the Marysburgh Vortex, this area between Prince Edward County and Kingston is a place where the rules of navigation seem to change without warning.

A Winter Drive: Queen’s Royal Park Snapshots | NOTL

It was your typical cloudy winter day when I took a drive down to Niagara-on-the-Lake on a cold Friday evening in late 2025. I noticed these beautiful sunbeams peering through the heavy clouds, and I actually looked it up—there is a name for this: "crepuscular rays". Even with the winter chill, it was surprising to see so many people out and about near the gazebo at Queen’s Royal Park. There is something peaceful about the way the light hits the water this time of year.

Note: Some of these snapshots were captured while in motion. Please forgive the blurriness😳...

Snapshot by © sofistikateit

Capturing the 'Sea Keeper' Mural on the CSL St-Laurent Bulk Carrier | Welland Canal, ST. CATHARINES

Talk about perfect timing! About eight years ago, on a gorgeous sunny day, I was heading toward one of my favorite spots—the Welland Canal. In the distance, I noticed a cargo ship moving steadily through the trees. As I got closer, I realized it wasn't just any ship; it was the Trillium Class bulk carrier CSL St-Laurent.