With Niagara-on-the-Lake council endorsing the StopGap ramp program, which allows local businesses to easily install ramps for people using mobility devices, long-standing questions about the conflict between keeping NOTL’s heritage aesthetic on its main street and making the town more accessible are being reconsidered.
Coun. Gary Burroughs, a member of the municipal heritage committee, said the overall cultural thinking on the issue has “absolutely” shifted since he moved to NOTL in 1964.
“We were supposed to have done this long before now,” he said.
Council is accepting applications to distribute 15 portable wooden ramps from the Toronto-based organization StopGap. The ramps are designed for businesses with a single step between two and nine inches high.
The Lake Report spoke with managers of four Old Town businesses that fit this description. Some have already applied for a ramp. All said they support the idea.
Sherry McIntyre, manager of Cow’s ice cream shop, said Cow’s has applied for a ramp. Her reaction when she heard StopGap was coming to NOTL? “Finally.”
“The owner of Cow’s has always wanted to do something about it,” said McIntyre. She said the “CEO and upper management” were aware that the single step posed both an accessibility problem and a tripping hazard.
McIntyre said a mix of factors, including heritage regulations, prevented Cow’s from becoming accessible sooner. Her view reflects that of several other NOTL business owners, who say heritage rules have made accessibility improvements difficult.
Jamie-Lynn Jones, store manager at Cool as a Moose, said her business has also applied for a StopGap ramp. She said she believes they couldn’t alter the storefront due to heritage restrictions.
Tracy Kent, manager of Neob Lavender, shared a similar perspective.
“From my understanding, most of it goes back to it being the heritage district,” she said. “That’s basically how things were built back then, and from what I understand, it’s a little more difficult to make changes to these older buildings.”
Kent said she believes Neob Lavender is looking into applying for a ramp.
A recurring theme among the business managers The Lake Report interviewed was uncertainty around the exact heritage rules.
“I don’t know all the heritage rules, I just know there are rules,” said McIntyre.
Zoe Paraskavopou, a manager at her parents’ restaurant, Gyros on the Lake, said they have “looked into” a ramp but have not yet applied.
She said there’s “a lot of demand for it” and noted their temporary patio includes a ramp.
However, she admitted she was “not very” familiar with the heritage regulations either.
Marah Minor, the town’s communications co-ordinator, said temporary adjustments to heritage buildings are generally permissible. However, permanent changes to buildings require a heritage permit.
“If a business owner is looking to enhance accessibility in their business in a heritage building, they would need to consult the Town and apply for a heritage permit,” she said.
Jones said the town’s heritage is part of its charm, often drawing comments from tourists who describe the town as resembling a Hallmark movie. She said she doesn’t want that appeal erased.
Still, she and other local managers believe it’s possible to balance preservation with accessibility — ensuring customers can enter through the front door like everyone else.
“I think you can still preserve the heritage district by not really disturbing it,” said Kent.
Burroughs agreed. He said he is proud of Old Town’s heritage and beauty but sees StopGap as an “interim step” toward accessibility.
A permanent solution is still needed, though he said he does not yet know what that would be.
McIntyre expects the ramp at her location to arrive around September or October.
Businesses can apply for one of the 15 StopGap ramps through the town at notl.com/form/stopgap-ramp-program-application. They can also purchase ramps directly at stopgap.ca/get-involved/request-a-ramp.
