Julia Sacco, Author at Niagara Now

Lesser known history on display at Past Is Present heritage festival

David Brandow, a blacksmith from Guelph, Ont., took passersby right into the past with a live demonstration of his thousands-year-old craft.

PHOTOS: Royal Canadian Legion hosts civic holiday BBQ

Running from noon onward, guests at the Legion could spend their afternoon and evening enjoying burgers, hot dogs and live music from the Trophy Husbands in support of increased accessibility standards at Branch 124.

Loss of patios will alter NOTL tourism, Irish Harp owner says

Speaking with The Lake Report, Lord Mayor Gary Zalepa said all patios operating under temporary licenses will cease operations in December, and those on municipal lands may not be able to reapply for permanent licenses.

300 pack community centre for NOTL Residents Association inaugural open house

The more than 300 chairs set up for Wednesday evening’s inaugural open house of the Niagara-on-the-Lake Residents Association were filled with those ready to have their voices heard on the issues and topics most important to them as people who call NOTL home.

Tourism ambassadors unveil new seasonal kiosk and provide council update

Located outside the old courthouse on Queen Street, the kiosk is more than two years in the making and serves as a welcome centre to greet visitors and residents.

Hoverlink from Niagara to Toronto one step closer to anchors aweigh

Through a partnership with PortsToronto, the company has officially secured a docking area in Toronto after more than three years of consultation. However, there is still a two-year minimum before the crafts are actually manufactured, Hoverlink’s president told The Lake Report.

Willowbank honours Canada’s missing and murdered Indigenous women

Curated by Michele-Elise Burnett, the exhibition made its debut at Willowbank and will travel across Canada next year, with its first stop at Black Creek Village in Toronto.

Councillors review regional transit report, seek feedback on transit costs

Cheropita also raised concerns about the apparent cost imbalance between Niagara-on-the-Lake and other municipalities. The report notes the cost per ride as $5.22 for taxpayers.

Council approves York Road residential units, sparking school board discussion

Councillors raised concerns about environmental impacts and a lack of feedback from the District School Board of Niagara: “The public school in St. Davids is pretty full and we keep putting more and more subdivisions,” Coun. Gary Burroughs said in an interview.

‘It’s still a democratic process’: Council doesn’t reject strong mayor powers

Councillors voted 5-4 against a motion brought forth by Coun. Sandra O’Connor, requesting that the province rescind the powers for NOTL. These powers, which came into effect May 1, give the lord mayor more control over key parts of municipal governance.

Local residents association plans open house for May 14

Beginning at 6:30 p.m., the meeting will focus on achieving respectful dialogue, informed engagement with local government, and a commitment to integrity, transparency and accountability.

Post-election victory, Baldinelli to focus on ‘issues that matter most to the people here’

Throughout the campaign, Baldinelli pushed a platform focused on affordability, public safety and economic development: “I can be that voice and that advocate to bring forward their concerns to Ottawa,” he said.

Council votes to shut down temporary patios, again

Some business owners presented to council on Tuesday night in favour of keeping the patio program, saying they add vibrancy and life to the community, while others say the program has issues with compliance and enforcement.

Spring has sprung at NOTL’s new tulip pick farm

With an official opening date of April 30, the start of tulip season in Ontario, TASC’s new farm, located on Line 3 Road, features 135 different varieties of tulip.

NOTL volunteers help leave their Earth Day mark

The group has been doing the cleanup annually for around four years now, Joyce Loewen told The Lake Report.

Glencairn Hall recognized during heritage building celebration

“The fire at Glencairn Hall is a profound loss to Niagara-on-the-Lake’s cultural fabric,” said Kirsten McCauley, the town’s director of community and development services, during her presentation.

A friendly face at Penner’s looks forward to retirement after 32 years

Throughout her final shift in the paint department, where Judy Doerksen worked for the last few years, customers and NOTLers stopped by to say goodbye and wish her well.

Chautauqua residents want NOTL’s official plan to preserve neighbourhood’s character

The residents association is requesting that Chautauqua be recognized as a distinct planning area within the town’s official plan.

Historic NOTL home engulfed in flames, suffers ‘extensive damage’

The provincial fire marshal is looking into the cause of the blaze and assessing the damage to the 193-year-old home. “It’s pretty clearly a total loss,” said one man who witnessed the fire on Wednesday morning.

Horticultural society brings spring cheer to long-term care residents

“It’s a little bit of brightness for the residents,” horticultural society member Susan Dodd told The Lake Report.

The search for NOTL’s new CAO hits a wall

Staff confirmed job offers were extended to three different candidates, all of whom declined “for various personal and professional reasons.” Recruitment efforts will continue over the coming months.

O’Connor to fight ‘strong mayor powers’ at next council meeting

Coun. Sandra O’Connor told The Lake Report that strong powers allocated to Lord Mayor Gary Zalepa would jeopardize equal representation among councillors, saying if the powers come into effect, “we no longer have the power the people have given us to represent them.”

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