Dear editor:

David Israelson’s recent editorial struck exactly the right chord (“Community cultural hub is best use for old Wellington hospital,” Oct. 16).

The future of Niagara-on-the-Lake depends on how wisely we choose to use the few remaining public assets that belong to everyone.

Redeveloping the former hospital into an arts, education and cultural centre would do more than resurrect a building; it would restore a long-standing gathering place for residents of all ages.

The recent storyboard presentation by NPG Planning Solutions was a start to spark discussion, but the respondent profile tells its own story: 80 per cent of respondents were aged 54 or older with no children.

While their voices are essential, our planning for NOTL cannot end there. We need spaces that bring together families, children, and grandparents — places where shared experiences in learning, performance, creativity, and history bind us as a community.

As a mother of two grown sons who attended Parliament Oak, I’ve watched generations of children grow up here with fewer and fewer places to gather beyond sports fields or seasonal events.

A repurposed hospital could become a welcoming year-round home for recreation, arts and education — where the story of Niagara is told, and where new stories are written by those who live, learn and create here.

To know the history of one’s region is to live intentionally — to see the past not as nostalgia, but as a foundation for the future.

The people of NOTL built the hospital to care for their residents. That spirit of service and connection should continue. It is a community asset, and it must remain one.

Mr. Israelson’s call to imagine a more inclusive, forward-looking future is exactly what this town needs. Redeveloping 176 Wellington is an opportunity to reinforce that Niagara-on-the-Lake is not only a place to retire, but also a place for all generations to live, learn, connect and belong at every age.

Toby Simmonds
Old Town