Niagara-on-the-Lake is home to countless strong, fearless, talented, hard-working and intelligent women.

We know this first-hand because so many of them contribute to this newspaper and to our community at large.

So, in honour of International Women’s Day this year, we decided to focus this edition of The Lake Report on some of the incredible women in our community. Among them:

Teresa Wong, one of NOTL’s newest residents, is a fierce mother, having left the formerly democratic state of Hong Kong for Canada to give her children a chance at a better life, political freedom and a balanced education.

It’s not every day we come face-to-face with someone as courageous as Wong, willing to speak out about how China has cracked down on democratic freedoms we take for granted and in doing so altered life as it was once known in Hong Kong. Kudos to her.

Another young woman in NOTL, though a mere 10 years old, has now helped secure funding for thousands of people who live with type 1 diabetes. Maya Webster's selfless campaign to force the provincial government to act is an inspiration to us all. 

As the world watches the Russian invasion unfold in Ukraine, NOTL actress Tara Rosling is once again stepping up to support humanitarian efforts – this time with a bake sale fundraiser. It's a small way to do something to help the cause.

Another NOTL mother, Priya Litt, is one of the bronze medal finalists at the Global Music Awards, a prestigious international music competition based out of La Jolla, Calif. Her music has received millions of streams on music platforms like Spotify.

NOTL’s women leaders share insights about politics and how the world is changing for women. We are proud to have these women representing our community, bringing much-needed diversity to our municipal leadership.

NOTL has also just welcomed two more women to prominent posts, town planning director Kirsten McCauley and Chamber of Commerce president Minerva Ward.

And as Lord Mayor Betty Disero told us this week, these are just a few of the outstanding women who help keep this town running and make it the special place we know it to be. 

To all of you, we offer our thanks and indebtedness for everything you do.