Major changes are in store for one of the main tourist draws in Niagara Falls.

The Maid of the Mist Steamboat Company has lost the contract to operate the famous tour boats that have ferried
tourists to the brink of the Horseshoe Falls since 1846.

The Niagara Parks Commission made the surprising announcement on Wednesday afternoon saying it has awarded a 30-year
land-lease agreement related to boat tour operations in the Niagara Falls Gorge to Hornblower, a California-based company.
   
The new deal is expected to generate over $500 million in revenue for the parks commission over the life of the contract, an increase
of more than $300 million from previous contracts, but the new contract isn't scheduled to begin until the spring of 2014.

It's unclear whether the Maid of the Mist company will stay in operation until then putting this summer's tourist season in question for the attraction.

Ontario's Liberal cabinet ordered the Niagara Parks Commission to open the tour boats to competitive bidding in 2009 after complaints
that Maid of the Mist had been given another 25-year untendered contract.
  

Hamilton's garbage debate is over for now.

City Council, in a vote of 13-to-3, has given final approval to a plan that includes weekly garbage collection with a one container limit.   All families in the city will also be given 26 complementary tags that can be used to dispose of additional bags throughout the year.

The new system, which was given initial approval at Tuesday's meeting of the General Issues Committee, will take effect in April of 2013.

Also included are unlimited year-round collection of leaf and yard waste, as well as weekly collection of organics and recyclables.  

Ontario's Ombudsman has ruled on allegations of improper secret meetings by a group of Hamilton politicians.

In issuing his ruling, Andre Marin has cleared members of the NHL sub-committee saying that what was portrayed as a secret breakfast meeting with a league official was in fact an informal gathering.

Marin adds that the evidence does not show "that sub-committee business was discussed in any material way, that any decisions were made or that the groundwork was set for future decision making".

He concludes that since the breakfast was not a meeting, the open meeting provisions did not apply.

Councillors exonorated by the ruling are Terry Whitehead, Jason Farr, Lloyd Ferguson and Robert Pasuta.

It's unclear when the downbound lanes of the Claremont Access will reopen to motorists.

They were closed to traffic on Wednesday afternoon after a retaining wall collapsed below the west end of Sam Lawrence Park.  Nobody was injured.

General Manager of Public Works Gerry Davis says geotechnical and structural engineers must declare the situation safe before contractors are sent in to make repairs.

Davis adds that the wall is over 40 years old, having been built when the Claremont was built in 1971.

He hopes to have a clearer picture of when the access will reopen by Thursday afternoon.

Ironically, Davis points out that the city's much discussed illegal dumping problem likely played a role on the collapse.  He notes that the area is popular for the dumping of yard waste which builds up on the wall and contains moisture.

One person is dead after a collision at the intersection of Barton and Melrose.

EMS got the call just before 4 this afternoon and found two elderly people, a man and a woman.

The female patient suffered fatal injuries and died on the scene despite feverish attempts at resuscitation by advanced paramedics.

The male patient is currently in the Hamilton General Hospital in critical condition.

Still nothing official but it looks like the Ticats and McMaster university are working out some plans to have the team play on few games on campus next season.

Jeff Giles, Director of Athletics at Mac, says they are looking at the options to expand Ron Joyce to fit the Ticats for part of the 2013 season.

The Stadium would likely be expanded to about 15,000 seats for the CFL games.

There is also talk of playing a few games at Western University in London, and another trip down east for the touchdown atlantic series.

The new stadium being built for the pan am games is scheduled to be ready for the 2014 season

The new Bishop Ryan Catholic High School in Hamilton comes with a 36-million dollar price tag.

Trustees awarded the construction contract to a Guelph-based company last night.

Construction of the new Bishop Ryan on an 18-acre site in the Rymal and Upper Mount Albion area will begin in the next few days.

Board Chair Pat Daly says they hope the school will be ready to open by the fall of 2013.

It will include a 600-seat theatre auditorium, 65 classrooms, a "college style" Library Resource Centre, and a lighted artificial turf sports field.

School officials say the new Bishop Ryan will also incorporate many environmentally friendly technologies.

ArcelorMittal Dofasco continues to seek out new opportunities as it navigates through a challenging global economy.

That's the message from the company's VP of Corporate Communications and Public Affairs, Tony Valeri.

He says thanks to growth in China, steelmakers are paying sky-high prices for raw materials, and then selling product at North American prices.

But, he says 'continuous improvement' has been a phrase that's long been associated with Dofasco and the company is constantly looking for better ways to do things in order to sustain profitibility.

Valeri says that means the company's 5-thousand employees are working hard to look for and apply new technologies to remain competitive and meet the needs of customers.

A recent announcement about high-strength steel, Valeri says, was a direct response to the need for stronger, lighter, more pliable material within the automotive sector.

Dofasco is celebrating 100 years in Hamilton this year.

The Special Investigations Unit has taken over after shots were fired in Brantford.

Police aren't saying much but it's believed the shots were fired in a parking lot behind a plaza on West Street around two yesterday afternoon.

Witnesses say undercover Brantford police officers had surrounded a vehicle in the parking lot.

The vehicle spun around in an attempt to escape and shots were reportedly fired.

The getaway vehicle collided with a parked car as it was speeding away.

Nobody was hurt and there's no word on any suspects.

A compromise has finally settled Hamilton's garbage debate.

City Councillors have overwhelmingly approved a recommendation that will include weekly garbage collection with a one container limit but homeowners would also be given 26 free tags that can be used for pickup of additional bags throughout the year.

Pending final approval at Wednesday night's council meeting the new system will take effect in April of 2013.

Councillor Russ Powers says special exemptions will also continue for groups with unique challenges.

The proposal includes unlimited year-round collection of leaf and yard waste as well as weekly collection of organics and recyclables.  

Powers believes simplicity is what makes it the right approach.