The Niagara Falls Convention Centre is a convention centre located in

Niagara Falls Niagara Falls is a group of three waterfalls at the southern end of Niagara Gorge, spanning the Canada–United States border, border between the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario in Canada and the state of New York (s ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, Canada, along Stanley Avenue and Dunn Street. It was previously known as the Scotiabank Convention Centre from 2011 to 2021 and was renamed after Scotiabank's naming rights expired.

History

In 2007, a public-private partnership was formed to fund the project. Both the federal and provincial governments contributed $35 million each and the remaining one-third commitment came from private investors. The

Regional Municipality of Niagara The Regional Municipality of Niagara, also colloquially known as the Niagara Region or Region of Niagara, is a regional municipality in southern Ontario, Canada, which occupies most of the Niagara Peninsula. As of 2024, the region had an estimate ...

provided the lease of land on which the facility was built for a nominal fee of $1 per year. Construction on the two-storey building began on May 1, 2009. The halfway point of construction was marked by a ceremony on April 30, 2010. In 2015, a president for the convention centre was hired. It was renamed the Niagara Falls Convention Centre in 2021 when Scotiabank's naming rights expired. In 2022, the centre successfully underwent a certification process that marked it as being accessible to individuals with sensory issues. The convention centre often hosts large events that attract tourists from outside the city. Some examples of hosted events include the Canadian Cheer National Championships, the Niagara Falls

Comic Con A comic book convention or comic con is a fan convention emphasizing comic books and comic book culture, in which comic book fans gather to meet creators, experts, and each other. Commonly, comic conventions are multi-day events hosted at conv ...

, and the 420 Expo. The building has also been used as a film set location. The convention centre was impacted by the

COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario The COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario was a viral pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a novel infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first confirmed case of COVID-19 in Canada w ...

, as tourism to Niagara Falls dwindled and government restrictions were made on building capacity. It was used as a

mass vaccination Mass vaccination is a public policy effort to vaccination, vaccinate a large number of people, possibly the entire World population, population of the world or of a country or region, within a short period of time. This policy may be directed duri ...

site during the pandemic. In 2024, the venue was used for an event hosted by the Ford government. Thousands of people stood outside the building to protest various policies. In particular, his policies surrounding healthcare funding (leading to the closure of a hospital in

Fort Erie Fort Erie is a town in the Niagara Region of Ontario, Canada. The town is located at the south eastern corner of the region, on the Niagara River, directly across the Canada–United States border from Buffalo, New York, and is the site of ...

) and education funding were criticized. The protests lasted for two days, which was the duration of the event held at the convention centre.

References

{{Coords, 43, 04, 34.7, N, 79, 05, 5.6, W, display=inline,title Convention centres in Canada Buildings and structures in Niagara Falls, Ontario Buildings and structures completed in 2011 2011 establishments in Ontario

History

See also

References