It's Cold and Freezing and Canada has no Salt

Also be very afraid of your mailbox

James P Fitzsimmons

— 8 min read
It's Cold and Freezing and Canada has no Salt
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💧 YOUR TOTALLY SERIOUS NEWSLETTER ABOUT BOTH NIAGARA FALLS

Wednesday, February 18, 2026 — Today’s Edition

“All the news that’s fit to get wet — from both sides of the river”

A note on geography: There are two Niagara Falls. One is in New York. One is in Ontario. They share a waterfall, a bridge, and the mutual conviction that the other side has easier parking. Today, we cover both.
shallow focus photography of person facing trees

🌧️ TODAY’S WEATHER: FREEZING RAIN THAT CAN’T COMMIT (BOTH CITIES)

On the American side, it’s 33°F with a 100% chance of rain, winds out of the northeast at 15–25 mph, and freezing drizzle expected after midnight. Bridges and overpasses may ice up quickly tonight. Tonight drops to 28°F. Tomorrow: a thrilling 38°F. Spring is not here.

On the Canadian side, Environment Canada has issued a Yellow Warning for freezing rain, with 2–5mm of ice buildup possible and rainfall of 10–20mm. Their guidance: “Roads and walkways will likely become icy and slippery. Be very careful if walking or driving.” Thank you, Environment Canada. Truly pioneering advice for a February in Southern Ontario.

Both cities: cold, wet, and navigated entirely at your own risk. The Falls are still falling.

🎭 THE RAPIDS THEATRE MAY FINALLY HAVE A NEW OWNER (USA)

This is the best news from Main Street in years. Mayor Robert Restaino announced this morning on WEBR AM 1440’s “Viewpoint” talk show that the city is close to an agreement with a private developer for The Rapids Theatre — the beloved 1921 concert hall on Main Street that has been dark since 2024.

The theatre’s recent history is a saga worthy of its own stage production: built in 1921 as the Bellevue, host to Snoop Dogg, the Dropkick Murphys, and Eric Church in its heyday, then shuttered after owner John Hutchins pleaded guilty to defrauding a COVID-19 relief loan program for $1.9 million. The city bought the building for $800,000. Several developer groups have since done in-depth engineering reviews of what renovation would require.

“We’re pretty confident that we should have that building in the hands of a private developer within the next couple of weeks,” said the mayor.

A private developer. Within the next couple of weeks. For a building that has had more lives than a cat and is allegedly haunted by the ghost of a jilted actress who still walks the stage in heels. Snoop Dogg performed there. The Three Stooges performed there. The place is 105 years old and refuses to die. We are rooting for it.

🔥 EARLY MORNING FIRE ON 14TH STREET — ONE PERSON ESCAPES, RED CROSS RESPONDS (USA)

Niagara Falls firefighters responded to a house fire at 2327 14th Street at approximately 3:30 a.m. Wednesday, finding flames rising from the second floor of the home. Multiple hose lines were stretched into the house and the fire was extinguished by around 5:30 a.m.

The only occupant of the home escaped without injury. The Red Cross is assisting the displaced resident. Fire investigators are looking into the cause.

At 3:30 in the morning, in the freezing cold, the Niagara Falls Fire Department showed up and did their job. The building still stands. The resident is safe. That’s the whole story and it’s a good one.

💊 70-YEAR-OLD PLEADS GUILTY TO RECEIVING METH IN THE MAIL (USA)

A 70-year-old Niagara Falls man faces up to 40 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to receiving shipments of methamphetamine sent to his home through the mail, according to the Niagara Gazette.

Forty years. He is seventy years old. The math here is not encouraging for him. We are not going to make a joke about this one. We’re just going to note that the United States Postal Service is apparently a significant vector for controlled substances, which is perhaps the least surprising thing anyone has reported this week, and move on.

🏢 THE NIAGARA AEROSPACE MUSEUM WANTS A CANAL (USA)

In news that sounds like a very specific wish list: the Niagara Aerospace Museum has submitted a bid for the Hydraulic Canal parcel, a piece of downtown property the museum apparently wants for expansion purposes.

The Niagara Aerospace Museum — which exists, is excellent, and is chronically underrated — is trying to grow. The Hydraulic Canal parcel is available. The museum bid for it. We support this. A city that has a military air base, a proud aviation history, and a decommissioned power plant should absolutely have a thriving aerospace museum with room to expand. More on this as it develops.

🏘️ NIAGARA FALLS ONTARIO IS HOSTING AN OPEN HOUSE ABOUT WHERE TO PUT MORE PEOPLE (CANADA)

The City of Niagara Falls, Ontario is holding an Open House today on Settlement Area Boundary Expansion Policies — which is the planning department’s way of asking: where, exactly, should we allow new development to happen?

This is a genuinely important question. The region needs housing. It also has some of the best farmland in Ontario. It has the Greenbelt on one side and the U.S. border on the other. Figuring out where to put 25 years of projected growth is the kind of problem that generates very long reports and very animated public meetings. Tonight’s open house is your chance to weigh in before the planners decide for you. Show up or forever hold your peace — and your farmland.

🎲 ALSO TONIGHT IN NIAGARA FALLS ONTARIO: TRIVIA NIGHT

The Rotary Club of Niagara Falls is hosting its Annual Trivia Night tonight at the Gale Centre. Teams compete. Questions are asked. Winners win. Losers go home having learned something, which is arguably better.

On one side of the bridge: an open house about urban growth policy. On the other side: a pub trivia night. Both happening simultaneously. We are not here to judge which is the better use of a Wednesday evening. (It’s trivia night.)

🧂 STILL NO SALT. STILL THE WORLD’S LARGEST SALT MINE THREE HOURS AWAY. (CANADA)

For anyone who missed this story: the City of Niagara Falls, Ontario is mixing its remaining road salt with sand due to a province-wide shortage, caused by higher-than-usual demand and supply chain disruptions.

Meanwhile, Compass Minerals’ Goderich mine — the world’s largest underground salt mine, located approximately three hours from here — has been shipping large quantities of Canadian-produced salt to American customers. Ontario’s roads are icy. Canadian salt is in America. The irony remains fully operational and perfectly preserved, like a road treated with adequate de-icing product.

🍁 CANADIAN COMPANY NOW OFFICIALLY MOVING TO AMERICAN NIAGARA FALLS

The week’s landmark cross-border story: Metal Craft Spinning and Stamping Ltd., Canada’s largest metal spinning shop, is formally establishing U.S. manufacturing operations in Niagara Falls, New York — driven across the border by U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum that made exporting from Canada too costly.

They’re investing $1.3 million in a facility on Hyde Park Boulevard and creating up to 17 new American jobs. The tariffs intended to protect American manufacturing have successfully caused a Canadian manufacturer to move to America and hire Americans. Trade policy: working exactly as intended, sort of.

💼 THE NIAGARA USA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE NEEDS A NEW BOSS (USA)

The Niagara USA Chamber of Commerce has launched a formal search for its next permanent executive director. The position description has been finalized and the search is underway.

If you are a person who enjoys networking events, ribbon cuttings, advocating for local business, and using phrases like “economic ecosystem” without irony, your moment has arrived. Niagara Falls, New York is looking for someone to lead its business community. Applications presumably accepted through normal channels and not through the U.S. Postal Service, given recent events.

🏊 THE NIAGARA FALLS WOLVERINES: NOW WITH 100% MORE WOMEN (USA)

Twelve years ago, the current members of the Niagara Falls Wolverines swim team were little girls. Today they are competing together as a high school team and making history doing it.

We don’t have the full story yet, but the headline alone earns a mention: a group of girls who twelve years ago were just kids are now athletes. That trajectory — from little girl to competing high schooler, with a team around her — is exactly what local youth sports is supposed to do. Good for the Wolverines.

🎣 THE FISHING EXPO STARTS TOMORROW (USA/BOTH)

The Greater Niagara Fishing Expo opens Thursday, February 19 at the Niagara Falls Convention Center and runs through February 22 — New York State’s largest fishing show, featuring 300+ hours of fishing education and 100+ exhibitor booths.

Three hundred hours. Starting tomorrow. If you have ever wanted to learn to fish, the infrastructure for doing so has never been more present or more conveniently located. If you leave this expo still unable to catch a fish, the fish have won, and they did it fair and square.

📬 CANADA: YOUR UNHOUSED ACTION PLAN INPUT IS STILL NEEDED

The City of Niagara Falls, Ontario has extended its public engagement period for its Unhoused Action Plan to February 28, 2026. If you have thoughts about how the city should address homelessness, public drug use, and related challenges, now is the time to share them. Input closes February 28th. Recommendations go to City Council in June. Your voice, your city.

🌙 WHAT’S OPEN TODAY: THE BINATIONAL GUIDE

🇺🇸 AMERICAN SIDE:

🇨🇦 CANADIAN SIDE:

❌ CLOSED UNTIL SPRING: Maid of the Mist (May), Hornblower City Cruises (April), Whirlpool Aero Car (Spring), White Water Walk (May), Whirlpool Jet Boats (May). The river is frozen. The boats are waiting. We are all waiting.

🌉 CROSSING: Rainbow Bridge open 24 hours. $6.00 USD / $8.50 CDN. Allow 5–10 minutes. Bring ID. Note: bridges and overpasses may ice up tonight after 11pm. Factor this into your international travel plans accordingly.

🏁 FINAL THOUGHT

It is Wednesday, February 18, 2026. A 105-year-old haunted concert hall is about to get a new owner. A 3:30 a.m. fire was put out and everyone survived. A 70-year-old is facing 40 years for meth in the mail. The Aerospace Museum wants a canal. Canada is hosting an open house about where to put 30 years of growth and a trivia night simultaneously. The salt is still gone despite the world’s largest salt mine being down the road. The Fishing Expo starts tomorrow. The Wolverines are swimming. The Rapids may finally rock again.

The Falls are falling. The ice is thick. The newsletter continues.

This newsletter is published daily when there’s enough news on both sides of the border to fill a page. We are not responsible for any decisions made after reading this, especially ones involving frozen on-ramps, the QEW, the UPS Store on Military Road, the Whirlpool Aero Car, or the Vegas of the North.

Got a tip from either side of the river? We accept everything except meth by mail.

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