The following letter was sent to Lord Mayor Gary Zalepa and members of town council. A copy was also sent to The Lake Report.
Dear lord mayor and members of town council,
We are writing to express our dismay with the lack of leadership shown by the present council concerning the NOTL Hospital on Wellington Street. The town purchased it in 2017 for $3.5 million.Â
With the move of the Niagara North physicians in early 2022, the Royal Oak Academy leases a portion but the remainder of the 2.7-hectare property sits empty.
Since the council has not suggested any use for it, a private foundation has taken the initiative to propose it become a hub for arts, education, and heritage groups and has hired an Ottawa company to conduct a survey of 300 residents’ opinions on this (“Company seeking feedback on plan for old hospital site,” The Lake Report, Oct. 6).
This is the same polling firm, Abacus Data, that managed to conclude on behalf of the Chamber of Commerce that a majority of Niagara residents support more tourism — without ever directly asking the question in their survey of 1/70th of the town’s population.
Do we not already have enough cultural hubs created from local schools that have been closed?
The old Virgil Public School and the Laura Secord School in Queenston provide artists’ and pottery studios. The Pumphouse also for many years has served as a vibrant cultural hub.Â
And the Niagara-on-the-Lake Museum, just two blocks away, offers outstanding exhibitions, stimulating lectures and a variety of clubs for residents interested in history.
Now that Upper Canada Lodge has been closed and will become an extension of the Shaw Festival, the town should be investing in retirement homes and public health facilities.Â
The old hospital is the perfect place to build a health/retirement/seniors facility that would benefit the aging population of this town.
We suggest the town council set up a committee to actively attract companies that run this kind of facility.
There should be no need for residents seeking it to have to move away from NOTL as so many have done.
It should be perfectly clear to the town’s residents where our priorities lie, without the need for another survey to obfuscate the issue.Â
Moreover, the town council should begin to take its responsibilities to its residents seriously instead of catering to the tourism industry.
Paul and Elizabeth Masson
NOTL