Dear editor:

As Niagara-on-the-Lake residents prepare to go to the polls, I believe they should take a hard look at how our current council has handled community recreation needs — and whether it has demonstrated the leadership required to take advantage of significant government funding opportunities.

On July 15, 2025, the Niagara-on-the-Lake Pickleball Club opened a conversation with council about its willingness to partner with the town in developing a dedicated indoor pickleball facility for the community.

In February 2026, council formally approved the closure of the Virgil outdoor courts and directed staff to find an alternative outdoor location.

After learning that the town was looking for another outdoor location, I wrote to council on May 25 suggesting that, rather than simply replacing the outdoor courts, the town should revisit the club’s proposal for a dedicated, year-round indoor facility.

Shortly afterward, I learned about the provincial Community Sport and Recreation Infrastructure Fund (CSRIF), which could provide funding of up to 70 per cent of eligible project costs. Given the club’s willingness to partner, the growing demand for pickleball and the loss of the Virgil courts, I believed this opportunity warranted immediate investigation.

I wrote to the lord mayor and council on July 5 and continued to raise the issue in subsequent correspondence.

Yet, with the Dec. 22 CSRIF application deadline rapidly approaching, council has still not directed staff to investigate or develop a potential indoor pickleball facility project.

That raises a much bigger question:

Is this simply about pickleball — or is it about the way this council leads?

Consider the St. Davids pool.

Preliminary plans were presented to residents in July 2019, official plans followed in August, revised designs were completed in October, and a fundraising campaign was launched in February 2020 for a project estimated at approximately $5 million.

The project subsequently stalled when expected funding did not materialize.

More recently, the town did not apply for the provincial CSRIF program in 2024, an opportunity that could have provided substantial funding toward the St. Davids pool project.

After that experience, one would think council would understand the importance of being prepared when government funding opportunities become available.

Apparently, that lesson has not been learned.

Here we are again.

The town has known about the loss of the Virgil courts. It has known about the club’s interest in a potential partnership and the growing popularity of the sport. It has been made aware of a provincial funding program that could potentially cover a substantial portion of an eligible project. And it has been repeatedly reminded of the approaching deadline.

Yet council has not even directed staff to develop a proposal that could be brought back to council for a decision on whether to proceed with a CSRIF application.

That is not a failure of government funding. It is a failure to be prepared for it.

Other municipalities have demonstrated that municipal leadership means looking beyond today’s problems and preparing for tomorrow’s opportunities. It means identifying community needs, developing projects, establishing partnerships and being ready to act when government funding becomes available.

Niagara-on-the-Lake should expect the same.

This is not really about pickleball. It is about leadership, accountability and priorities.

Do we have a council prepared to listen to community organizations, investigate opportunities and act with urgency when significant outside funding is available?

Or will we continue planning only after funding opportunities have passed?

Municipal elections are about more than personalities, promises and campaign signs. They are an opportunity for residents to decide what kind of leadership they expect from their elected representatives.

So before marking your ballot, ask the candidates:

What will you do differently to ensure Niagara-on-the-Lake is prepared to take advantage of government funding opportunities rather than watching them pass us by?

And perhaps most importantly:

After the St. Davids pool experience and now this CSRIF opportunity, has this council demonstrated the vision, urgency and leadership our community deserves?

If your answer is no, then this election gives residents the opportunity to make their voices heard.

Vote for change. Vote for accountability. Vote for leadership that is prepared to act.

Ron Pychel
Virgil