Anna Lamanna and Tracey Peters say they did not have to wait long to know whether Niagara-on-the-Lake would feel like home.
The married couple, who have been together for 20 years, moved to town just over two years ago after retiring from careers in policing.
They came looking for a quieter life after decades of public service in demanding and often stressful environments. They wanted safety, small-town character and a strong sense of community.
They also wanted to know they would be welcomed as a lesbian couple.
“As members of the LGBTQ+ community, feeling accepted and welcomed was an important consideration when choosing where to settle,” Lamanna told The Lake Report.
The answer, they said, came quickly.
“From the moment we arrived, we immediately felt embraced by our neighbours and our broader community.”
That welcome, they said, did not take long to feel real.
“Being gay was never a barrier when it came to meeting people and cultivating friendships — in fact, it was quite the opposite,” Lamanna said. “We were overwhelmed by how positive, welcoming and accepting the residents of NOTL were.”
The couple had been visiting NOTL for years before moving here.
One of their favourite places was Caroline Cellars, where the hospitality and “comfort food” made it feel like a home away from home.
Lamanna now works there part-time as a wine bar tasting associate and called it “a place where that same feeling of family and camaraderie has continued,” she said.
Meanwhile, Peters, an avid golfer, found her place at the historic Niagara-on-the-Lake Golf Club.
Since becoming a member, she has joined women’s leagues and Solheim events and has been asked to join the club’s social committee.
The couple said Peters has developed friendships with women of all ages and has felt “immediately accepted and genuinely embraced” by members, both men and women.
“We have experienced kindness, inclusiveness and genuine friendship (by both women and men), which has deepened our appreciation for NOTL,” they said.
Their life in town also includes their two rescue Galgos Español, a breed of Spanish greyhound.
Lamanna has travelled to Spain several times as a flight patron, bringing dogs home to Canada for adoptive families.
In NOTL, the couple has friends in Old Town and elsewhere in the region who share their passion for the breed. They regularly walk through town with the dogs, often drawing attention from passersbys because of their calm demeanour and regal appearance, Lamanna said.
She said those walks have become another way to meet people and talk about adoption.
The couple also has a 30-year-old daughter who visits often. They said she loves coming to NOTL and says she feels like she is on vacation every time she visits.
Their home backs onto a vineyard and their daughter says it feels like being in Italy, the country of their descent.
For Lamanna and Peters, the town has become exactly what they were looking for: a place where they could retire, stay involved and be fully themselves.
The people they now call friends, they said, are forward thinkers who have embraced them with open minds and open hearts.
“We were looking for a community that offered a true sense of belonging and feeling at home, and NOTL provided exactly that,” Lamanna said.
