ST. CATHARINES – A fire has completely destroyed the former location of the newspaper, a notable structure located in the center of the city.
The blaze erupted Friday night and was put out late Saturday afternoon, according to a statement from a representative of the City of St. Catharines. The fire started on an upper floor at 17 Queen St. and spread throughout the building, leading to part of the roof collapsing, it said.
Firefighters utilized an excavator to access sections of the building so they could extinguish some lingering hot spots, as reported by the city.
Because of significant structural damage and safety concerns, officials decided in consultation with the Office of the Fire Marshal not to conduct an investigation and labeled the cause of the fire as undetermined, according to city officials.
No injuries were reported, and there is currently no estimate available for damages, it noted.
The , which also covered this incident, mentioned that the building had been unoccupied since the paper relocated in 2013.
Kat Dodge, executive director of the St. Catharines Downtown Association, expressed that this building has been part of downtown since the late 1800s and remained “recognizable and meaningful” to many locals even after its vacancy.
“We’ve been hearing all weekend from people who have worked there or who grew up with parents working there and have memories of running through the halls,” Dodge said.
“Our longtime business owners remember when the Standard was the heartbeat of the city. There’s just so many memories and nostalgia centred around the Standard building, so it’s a big piece of history here in the downtown core.”
“It’s a huge loss to downtown,” she added, noting it’s too soon to determine whether any architectural features will be preserved.
The emotional impact from this fire has so far been more significant than any operational disruption since flames were contained within this particular structure and fire officials confirmed that smoke posed no risk to public safety.
A couple side streets were closed off; however, most businesses downtown managed to remain open during this time, according to Dodge.
This report by The Canadian Press was first Dec. 8, 2025.
The Canadian Press
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