When it comes to generating headlines, Niagara-on-the-Lake is far from the sleepy, retirement community many view it as.

NOTL produces a huge amount of news, week in and week out — and we have chosen to highlight some of the top stories and newsmakers of 2024.

Here are just a few of the major newsmakers of the past year:

In any small Canadian town, the elected councillors and mayor tend to be among the biggest newsmakers in any given year.

Niagara-on-the-Lake is no different and we don’t just have a mayor, we have a lord mayor.

• And love him — or not — as the leader of town council, Lord Mayor Gary Zalepa stands out as one of the top newsmakers of 2024 in NOTL.

His influence and oversight of council and how it deals with issues appears to have led to a more hands-on, professional and practical approach to issues.

Many might argue this has amounted to a more pro-development approach.

• Former chief librarian Cathy Simpson was also a top newsmaker.

Her career as CEO of the NOTL Public Library abruptly ended last spring after she wrote an opinion piece for The Lake Report headlined, “Censorship and what we are allowed to read.”

After a complaint from letter writer Matthew French, the library board demanded Simpson formally renounce the piece, which ironically was published during Freedom to Read Week.

She refused and was fired, sparking much debate about the role of libraries and the concept of library neutrality.

• Peter Earle‘s story is both sad and uplifting. The longtime NOTL store owner told The Lake Report about how his battle with ALS had led him to decide to end his life on his own terms.

In an emotional and frank story published on May 1, he spoke about choosing to have a medically assisted death on June 4.

• NOTL Catholic school board trustee Natalia Benoit became a major newsmaker, for all the wrong reasons.

The unrepentant Benoit was suspended for five months last January for violating the board’s code of conduct by comparing the Pride flag to the Nazi flag.

As well, a financial audit showed she did not properly report her 2022 election expenditures.

• As COVID wreaked havoc on society, NOTL’s Dorothy Soo-Wiens came up with a novel idea in 2021: an annual pre-Christmas Tractor Parade to celebrate the farming community.

It’s a natural fit for NOTL and almost makes us wonder why no one ever thought of it before.

The concept caught on and has grown in size and popularity in the years since. It’s just one example of the tireless community work that Soo-Wiens is well-known for.

• After vandals twice targeted her Pride flags, Virgil’s Sheri Durksen fought back against intolerance and spoke out. She would not be deterred and instead doubled down by putting up even more Pride flags.
• Red Roof Retreat’s Steffanie Bjorgan was honoured by the Governor General as she received the Meritorious Service Award.

Whether it’s pickleball, tennis, hockey, lacrosse, golf, soccer or water sports, NOTL remains a big sports town.

• This summer two local lacrosse teams, the U9 and U13 Niagara Thunderhawks, showed the power of never giving up.

They battled back from deficits to capture their zone championships in an action-packed tourney played at home in Virgil.

• Two young NOTL golfers (and St. Davids Public School classmates), Kaige Zhu, 11, and Eli Perng, 12, finished first and second in the Notah Begay Junior Canadian Golf Championships in Quebec.

Then at the U.S. final in Louisiana in November, Zhu, who is also a talented tennis player, tied for ninth. Perng is also a gifted hockey player and continues to pursue his sporting passions.

• Kennedy Bartel and rowing partner Isabella Issig won gold in the pairs under-17 2,000-metre race at the prestigious Royal Canadian Henley Regatta.
• St. Davids amateur boxer Mckenzie Wright travelled the world representing Canada in her bid to earn a trip to the 2024 Paris Olympics. She fell just short of that goal but did herself and the country proud with her gutsy performances.
• The NOTL Wolves U18 rep hockey team beat the Fort Erie Meteors and qualified for the provincial championship tournament in Kingston.

The team, coached by Devon Neudorf, had a stellar season and wrapped it up with a 1-2 record in the round-robin in Kingston.

• NOTL minor hockey grad Kaleb Dietsch overcame surgery for a shoulder injury and became a regular on the blue line of the Ottawa 67’s of the Ontario Hockey League.

With 2024 behind us and 2025 underway, this will certainly be another new year of news and newsmakers in Niagara-on-the-Lake — and The Lake Report will be here to report on all of them.