As Niagara-on-the-Lake’s newly elected council prepares to take office, Queen Street business owners have some requests for managing tourism: better crowd control, restrictions on temporary vendors and no pedestrian-only Queen Street.
Tourism NOTL has its own priorities, including public Wi-Fi in the heritage district, better signs and transportation improvements.
The organization, which parted ways with the NOTL Chamber of Commerce a few months ago, plans to present its 2027 business plan to the new council in January. Meanwhile, the chamber is developing its own strategic plan to guide its priorities as an independent organization.
Among those calling for changes are Bill and Lisa Pullman of It’s All Fun & Games, a Queen Street shop selling games, puzzles, ice cream and other treats.
Their first request for the incoming council concerns vehicle access to the historic downtown.
“Do not make Queen Street pedestrian-only,” they said in an email to The Lake Report.
The business owners said closing the street to traffic would block access to driveways, make deliveries nearly impossible and push vehicles onto residential side streets, while eliminating already limited parking spaces.
They also oppose temporary businesses, such as food trucks and pop-up shops, operating in the heritage core in direct competition with established storefronts “who already pay high taxes and rent,” they said.
Their third request was for the town to address and initiate a provincial program that allows eligible property owners to get a municipal property tax reduction, between 10 to 40 per cent, called the Ontario Heritage Property Tax Relief program.
Other Queen Street businesses are raising different concerns.
For Darren Michlik, who owns Great Things, a high-end women’s clothing boutique at 80 Queen St., with his wife, Sharon, too many tourists are visiting during the busy season.
The couple opened the store in 1996 and have watched the town change over the past 30 years. Michlik wants the town to better manage crowds and consider how they affect local businesses, residents and visitors staying for longer periods.
“We just find there’s too many people coming in high season,” he said.
The couple’s clothing business has evolved to cater to customers seeking higher-end products, many who spend several days in town visiting restaurants, hotels, shops and spas, he said — sometimes spending $10,000 to $20,000 over a three- or four-day visit, he estimated.
“We follow the rule that 10 per cent of the people that visit the town account for 90 per cent of the spending,” he said.
But Michlik worries that heavy day-trip traffic can detract from the luxury experience those visitors are seeking.
“They make it difficult for the high-rollers to enjoy because it gets so busy at times.”
Michlik and his wife are lifelong residents who live about a five-minute walk from their store. He said they’ve watched the effects of overcrowding extend beyond Queen Street into residential neighbourhoods, including through short-term rentals.
“We get it at home and in the business,” he said.
Nonetheless, Michlik said, tourism remains vital to his business, which he said has seen a welcome increase in American customers this year.
“Americans came back this year and supported us big time,” he said. “We love Americans.”
Robin Ridesic, the Exchange Brewery’s owner, is open to expanding pedestrian areas as part of a broader plan to protect the town’s heritage.
“I have a lot of faith in this new council preserving and supporting the heritage of our community,” Ridesic said.
She hopes to see a meaningful heritage tax rebate for businesses and a heritage district plan addressing issues such as patios and expanded pedestrian areas.
“Our heritage is what makes us an attractive destination for visitors and needs to be protected — for the benefit of both our businesses and our residents,” she said.
Kathy Weiss of Tourism NOTL said the destination organization wants the new council to focus on making tourism more beneficial to the community.
“Successful tourism is about more than attracting visitors,” she said. “It’s about ensuring that tourism delivers lasting economic benefits while managing its impact on our community.”
Among the organization’s priorities are better parking, transportation and visitor services, including clearer signage to help tourists find their way around, and public Wi-Fi in the heritage district.
Weiss said Wi-Fi would particularly help international tourists who may struggle to use the town’s digital parking payment system without Canadian mobile data.
Tourism NOTL also wants council to move forward with the town’s upcoming wayfinding signage strategy to make it easier for visitors to find their way around.
Another priority is encouraging tourism outside the busy summer months and across all five of NOTL’s communities, helping businesses benefit from visitors throughout the year.
Weiss said the organization is also investing in research to better understand visitor spending, travel patterns and tourism’s impact on local infrastructure.
“Ultimately, our goal is not simply to attract more tourists,” Weiss said. “It’s to build a stronger visitor economy that supports our businesses, strengthens our community and contributes positively to the quality of life that makes Niagara-on-the-Lake such a wonderful place to live, work and visit.”
Meanwhile, the NOTL Chamber of Commerce is preparing to set its own priorities following its separation from Tourism NOTL.
“We are now focused on looking ahead,” said interim executive director Terry Dow in an email.
Dow, who said she is looking forward to working with the new lord mayor and council, said the chamber has been establishing its direction as an independent organization and ensuring it continues to serve the local business community over the long term.
She said she will be in a better position to discuss the chamber’s priorities once its board completes that “strategic planning process.”
While their individual priorities differ, business owners are looking for municipal decisions that account for the realities of operating in one of NOTL’s busiest tourism areas.
