It was all over in just 63 minutes — far quicker than a typical meeting of any town council, school board or other similar gathering.

The start of the formal “coming out party” for the Niagara-on-the-Lake Residents Association last Wednesday evening was delayed by 10 minutes because the community centre lot was so jammed people couldn’t find a place to park.

Then, from 6:40 to 7:43 p.m., the 300-plus who packed the main hall at the community centre heard from a variety of speakers.

They described the intentions and motivations behind the establishment of a faction of residents who are not happy with how the town’s elected officials are managing NOTL nor how they are dealing with people’s concerns.

It’s a purely organic and grassroots movement.

As Ron Simkus, one of the association’s directors, astutely told the crowd, many residents feel the lord mayor and other members of council are hearing their pleas — but are not actually, actively listening to them.

Of course, having supported development and other changes that some residents question or oppose, many on the “winning” side of council’s regular 5-4 split might tell you they have indeed listened. They just see things differently.

Full credit to association chair (and one-time councillor) Stuart McCormack for emphasizing the desire to keep things constructive. “Try to be positive in a negative way” as much as possible.

But, as he cautioned in paraphrasing a quote from “The Leopard,” if residents want things to stay the same, “we must change.”

Effecting substantial change could be an uphill battle.

Many of the issues people have raised concerns about are done deals.

Columnist Garth Turner this week highlights some of those projects, from the hotel on the site of Parliament Oak to a large new phase of the Village development and planned major highrise condos beside White Oaks in Glendale, to name a few.

Those are among numerous plans that have been in the pipeline for years. So NOTL is already on the cusp of major change and the spectre of even more growth looms large.

Full marks to the organizers of the residents association for stepping up and attempting to be the catalyst for change.

In Doug Ford’s Ontario, it will be a tall order.

Ordinary folks can push back, elected councils can reject or modify development proposals and small towns like NOTL can strive to maintain their history and charm and quaintness.

However, in many ways the deck is stacked against them. Because big money talks in this province and developers have the ear of the premier and his newly re-elected majority government.

Despite Ford’s folksy Everyman demeanour, his new dubiously named Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act coupled with 2022’s More Homes Built Faster Act and many other so-called anti-red tape measures, usurp much of the power local residents and their councils once had.

In short, curtailing or controlling some of the objectionable projects that people have protested about — with more such developments coming — will be difficult.

Because we’re not just fighting developers, we’re fighting provincial mandates.

Of course, that does not mean we should just fold up our tent and accept what’s coming. And this commentary is not an attempt to pour cold water on the goals of the residents association. The organizers’ ideas are laudable.

But it is meant as a caution that everyone needs to go into this process with their eyes wide open and realize it is going to be a tough slog.

The fact remains that 300 people took the time to show their support for what the residents association is trying to do between now and the next municipal election.

In doing so, they’ve taken the first step on what no doubt will be a long road.

But in the interests of maintaining a strong and vibrant NOTL, it is a journey we all must make. Together.