2E Tremont Drive #5, St. Catharines, ON, Canada, L2T 3B2

e-mail address: info@bcon.club  

Phone: 905-704-0446

Note that our phone is only answered during games at the Club. If you have an enquiry, the best way to reach us is to send an email to the address above.

Conveniently located off Hwy 406, across from the Pen Centre in St. Catharines, Ontario, we are proud to have nearly 300 members. We are a member owned, and volunteer run club drawing from the entire Niagara Region.

BCON believes in fostering the game of Bridge, by catering to players of all levels. We have games for new players, experienced "card sharks," and everything in between. Games are available most days and we offer both face to face and online. Please keep checking our website for our up to date game schedule. We are pleased to have an active education program, whether you have never played cards before, need a brush up, or want to advance your game to the next level. Of course, with all the brain work that goes on in Bridge, we love to socialize and have fun! We hold regular social events to give everyone a chance to mix, mingle and make new friends. Please join our mailing list to receive up coming information.

We always welcome visitors, and hope you'll come to one of our games. Do you need a partner? We'll do our best to help, just send us an email. If you would like to be added to our email list, or would like more information, please click here (you can unsubscribe at any time.)                                                       

2E Tremont Drive #5, St. Catharines, ON, Canada, L2T 3B2

e-mail address: info@bcon.club  

Phone: 905-704-0446

Note that our phone is only answered during games at the Club. ..........

A very Canadian message from Jean Chretien, who published this open letter on Jan 11th: 

Today is my 91st birthday.

It’s an opportunity to celebrate with family and friends. To look back on the life I’ve had the privilege to lead. And to reflect on how much this country we all love so much has grown and changed over the course of the nine decades I’ve been on this Earth.

This year, I’ve also decided to give myself a birthday present. I’m going to do something in this article that I don’t do very often anymore, and sound off on a big issue affecting the state of the nation and profoundly bothering me and so many other Canadians: The totally unacceptable insults and unprecedented threats to our very sovereignty from U.S. president-elect Donald Trump.

I have two very clear and simple messages.

To Donald Trump, from one old guy to another: Give your head a shake! What could make you think that Canadians would ever give up the best country in the world – and make no mistake, that is what we are – to join the United States?

I can tell you Canadians prize our independence. We love our country. We have built something here that is the envy of the world – when it comes to compassion, understanding, tolerance and finding a way for people of different backgrounds and faiths to live together in harmony.

We’ve also built a strong social safety net – especially with public health care – that we are very proud of. It’s not perfect, but it’s based on the principle that the most vulnerable among us should be protected.

This may not be the “American Way” or “the Trump Way.” But it is the reality I have witnessed and lived my whole long life.

If you think that threatening and insulting us is going to win us over, you really don’t know a thing about us. You don’t know that when it came to fighting in two world wars for freedom, we signed up – both times – years before your country did. We fought and we sacrificed well beyond our numbers.

We also had the guts to say no to your country when it tried to drag us into a completely unjustified and destabilizing war in Iraq.

We built a nation across the most rugged, challenging geography imaginable. And we did it against the odds.

We may look easy-going. Mild-mannered. But make no mistake, we have spine and toughness.

And that leads me to my second message, to all our leaders, federal and provincial, as well as those who are aspiring to lead our country: Start showing that spine and toughness. That’s what Canadians want to see – what they need to see. It’s called leadership. You need to lead. Canadians are ready to follow.

I know the spirit is there. Ever since Mr. Trump’s attacks, every political party is speaking out in favour of Canada. In fact, it is to my great satisfaction that even the Bloc Québécois is defending Canada.

But you don’t win a hockey game by only playing defence. We all know that even when we satisfy one demand, Mr. Trump will come back with another, bigger demand. That’s not diplomacy; it’s blackmail.

We need another approach – one that will break this cycle.

Mr. Trump has accomplished one thing: He has unified Canadians more than we have been ever before! All leaders across our country have united in resolve to defend Canadian interests.

When I came into office as prime minister, Canada faced a national unity crisis. The threat of Quebec separation was very real. We took action to deal with this existential threat in a manner that made Canadians, including Quebeckers, stronger, more united and even prouder of Canadian values.

Now there is another existential threat. And we once again need to reduce our vulnerability. That is the challenge for this generation of political leaders.

And you won’t accomplish it by using the same old approaches. Just like we did 30 years ago, we need a Plan B for 2025.

Yes, telling the Americans we are their best friends and closest trading partner is good. So is lobbying hard in Washington and the state capitals, pointing out that tariffs will hurt the American economy too. So are retaliatory tariffs – when you are attacked, you have to defend yourself.

But we also have to play offence. Let’s tell Mr. Trump that we too have border issues with the United States. Canada has tough gun control legislation, but illegal guns are pouring in from the U.S. We need to tell him that we expect the United States to act to reduce the number of guns crossing into Canada.

We also want to protect the Arctic. But the United States refuses to recognize the Northwest Passage, insisting that it is an international waterway, even though it flows through the Canadian Arctic as Canadian waters. We need the United States to recognize the Northwest Passage as being Canadian waters.

We also need to reduce Canada’s vulnerability in the first place. We need to be stronger. There are more trade barriers between provinces than between Canada and the United States. Let’s launch a national project to get rid of those barriers! And let’s strengthen the ties that bind this vast nation together through projects such as real national energy grid.

We also have to understand that Mr. Trump isn’t just threatening us; he’s also targeting a growing list of other countries, as well as the European Union itself, and he is just getting started. Canada should quickly convene a meeting of the leaders of Denmark, Panama, Mexico, as well as with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, to formulate a plan for fighting back these threats.

Every time that Mr. Trump opens his mouth, he creates new allies for all of us. So let’s get organized! To fight back against a big, powerful bully, you need strength in numbers.

The whole point is not to wait in dread for Donald Trump’s next blow. It’s to build a country and an international community that can withstand those blows.

Canadians know me. They know I am an optimist. That I am practical. And that I always speak my mind. I made my share of mistakes over a long career, but I never for a moment doubted the decency of my fellow Canadians – or of my political opponents.

The current and future generations of political leaders should remember they are not each other’s enemies – they are opponents. Nobody ever loved the cut-and-thrust of politics more than me, but I always understood that each of us was trying to make a positive contribution to make our community or country a better place.

That spirit is more important now than ever, as we address this new challenge. Our leaders should keep that in mind.

I am 91 today and blessed with good health. I am ready at the ramparts to help defend the independence of our country as I have done all my life.

Vive le Canada!

A very Canadian message from Jean Chretien, who published this open letter on Jan 11th: 

Today is my 91st birthday.

It’s an opportunity to celebrate with family and friends. To look back on the life I’ve had the privilege to lead. ..........

Join BCON, or renew your membership! 

It’s been great to see so many of you back to the club, and playing bridge face to face, at the table. We offer games 5 days a week at BCON at various levels. We also offer lessons and a beginner learning game. Check our website for details.  For those of you who enjoy playing online, we offer games most days on BBO. Please check the calendar on our homepage for our schedule. We hope that you will continue to enjoy Bridge at BCON, and renew your membership for 2024. Of course, we welcome everyone, and if you haven't been part of the club before, we would love to have you join. Want to try a game with us first? Guests are welcome anytime. Do you need a partner? Let us know, and we'll try to help, send us an email, and someone will be in touch. 

Our membership year runs April 1 to March 31. Currently half year memberships are available for $45, and are valid to March 31, 2025.  Name tags are complimentary to new members upon payment of the annual fee. Replacement name tags may be ordered for a fee at the time of membership renewal.

Please make payment:
1. By mail: Send a cheque payable to The Bridge Centre of Niagara, ℅ Kathy Morrison, 17 Laurier Trail, Welland, ON, L3C 0H2
2. By e-transfer to bridgecentre2020@gmail.com. Make sure to put your name in the reference.
3. In person at our face to face games. Cash, cheque, credit/debit cards are all accepted

Once your payment has been received, your membership card will be waiting for you at the club. Please keep your membership card, or a photo on your phone as proof of membership. If you have questions about membership, please send us an email.

I look forwards to seeing you at the club!

Dena Jones,
Membership Chair

Join BCON, or renew your membership! 

It’s been great to see so many of you back to the club, and playing bridge face to face, at the table. We offer games 5 days a week at BCON at various levels. We also offer lessons and a beginner learning game. ..........

For 2024-25, BCON has chosen to support Hospice Niagara. Here at The Bridge Centre of Niagara, we believe in supporting local charities within the Niagara Region.

We have a long standing relationship with the Alzheimer Society of Niagara, and each year around the Summer Solstice in June, we run an event for "The Longest Day," which raises funds to support those with Alzheimers in our local area. In 2024, our members donated a very impressive $5,600 for this great cause. 

In addition, each year, a local charity is chosen for which we raise funds through special games and social events. In 2023 our selected charity was Community Care of St. Catharines and Thorold, for which we raised $615 in cash, as well as large amounts of food donations. 

We are very proud of our members, who continue to generously support all of these wonderful organizations! You can see some of the recognitions in the photos accompanying this post, or by clicking here. (Please be patient, as it loads onto your screen.)

For 2024-25, BCON has chosen to support Hospice Niagara. Here at The Bridge Centre of Niagara, we believe in supporting local charities within the Niagara Region.

We have a long standing relationship with the Alzheimer Society of Niagara, and each year around the Summer Solstice in June, we run an event for "The Longest Day," which raises funds to support those with Alzheimers in our local area. ..........