It’s a 400-something-page document that’s going to guide the future of Niagara-on-the-Lake for the foreseeable future.
And on Wednesday and Thursday, it got dozens of residents out of their homes to learn what exactly it’s all about.
The Town of NOTL hosted a pair of open houses at the community centre to share the details of its updated official plan and hear what those living in the community have to say about the plan, which council expects to adopt early next year.
Town staff were on hand both days to present details and hear feedback from attendees. Informational placards lined the rooms, and municipal staff were there to answer questions.
Fiona Main, senior policy planner and one of the plan’s key architects, delivered a 15-minute presentation at each session, outlining the plan’s history, development process and current issues. Each presentation was followed by a question-and-answer period.
Two drafts have come out so far of the official plan, the first released in mid-July and the second at the start of October.
Main said it’s unclear how many comments the town has received since the second draft’s release, as the feedback still needs to go through internal review.
“Transportation and infrastructure come a little later,” she said, adding that, “For the most part, the comments we’ve received have been reasonably spread out,” by topic in the official plan.
Residents attended with varying levels of familiarity but shared an understanding of the plan’s scope and influence on town policy.
Norm Arsenault, a former town councillor and director at the NOTL Residents Association, was involved in developing the 2019 official plan. He said he attended to “find out what people are thinking.”
“I think we need to make sure that the language is fairly strong,” he said. “Sometimes I think the language can be a bit wishy-washy in that.”
Tom Smith, who attended Wednesday’s session, said he had “very limited” familiarity with the plan and wanted a “basic” understanding of its purpose. He was particularly interested in zoning and property issues.
Heritage preservation was the priority for resident Gracia Janes, who said she appreciated stronger language in the second draft but remained concerned about long-term protections.
“Even with the most strong planning that you have, how do you protect our heritage district?” she said.
Lidjia Biro, president of Seniors for Climate in Niagara, said she welcomed changes to environmental language in the second draft.
“They’ve changed some of the language to ‘shall,’ which is good,” she said.
Kassie Burns, the town’s climate change co-ordinator, agreed the language had significantly improved since 2019.
“Prior to even the first draft of the official plan that was released, you wouldn’t see the terminology of climate change,” she said. “There weren’t actually really policies indicating anything about climate change.”
She described the updated wording as more “definitive.”
Many attendees also came to learn more about the future of the former hospital site on Wellington Street, which was featured in the open house materials and was the subject of its own twin open houses this week.
Al Campagnola, who attended Thursday’s session, said he had little knowledge of the overall plan but was drawn by his interest in the Royal Oak School.
“It seemed to be extremely downplayed as a community school,” he said.
Resident Stan Harrington also said he was concerned about the former hospital site and noted the town’s lack of a high school.
Following Main’s presentation, both she and Kirsten McCauley, director of community and development services, took questions from the public.
A significant number of attendees at Wednesday’s event were from Chautauqua, a neighbourhood where residents have expressed concern about changes from the 2019 plan.
While the previous version committed to a secondary plan for the area, the 2025 draft allows for alternatives, such as a character study.
Resident Kate Sullivan questioned the effectiveness of these changes: “It’s vague,” she said.
McCauley pointed to site-specific policies for Chautauqua, which could include landscaping guidelines. She said these could eventually develop into a secondary plan but noted such plans are intensive and that protections could be achieved through other means.
During the second session, resident Scott Kirby asked about future development and population growth. McCauley pointed to Glendale as a key growth area.
“We want a mix of housing,” she said. “We need different housing options for different family sizes, different lifestyles, where you are in your life cycle — all of those things.”
The second draft includes sections on secondary plans for areas like Queen-Picton, Glendale and Chautauqua.
The town is updating its 2019 official plan to align with Niagara Region’s 2022 plan and Ontario’s 2024 planning statement.
A statutory public meeting is scheduled for November, with council expected to adopt the official plan in February.
The official plan serves as the town’s guiding policy document for managing population and job growth, agricultural land use, and secondary plans for key areas. It is reviewed every five years but can be amended by council in the interim.
