NOTL is in the home stretch of having a new plan that'll guide how the town will grow and how its land will be used — and, it hopes, one that the province will give a thumbs up to.
After the Shaw Festival's open house last week at the Royal George Theatre, some Niagara-on-the-Lake residents are feeling more optimistic about the planned rebuild — while others remain cautious.
Contrary to speculation in local Facebook groups and a freshly painted building, no approval has been granted for a microbrewery and farm distillery at the former Harvest Barn property in Niagara-on-the-Lake.
A new five-year safety plan from Niagara Region is putting renewed focus on crisis intervention in Niagara-on-the-Lake, aiming to stop emergencies before they happen.
Beachgoers are now expected to check the region’s website or assess real-time conditions themselves — a shift that left a Niagara-on-the-Lake councillor, along with some visitors at Queen’s Royal Beach last month, feeling uneasy.
Gary Zalepa said he thought it was important to "bring clarity" to the town of NOTL and make it clear to the new CAO that he would like to hand these responsibilities back to him.
The new theatre being proposed would be noticeably larger and occupy more of downtown Old Town, moved slightly further north from its current location on Queen Street and seat around 360 people.
“Bed and breakfasts and country inns need to separate from other short-term rentals,” said Doug Johnson, who owned a bed and breakfast in NOTL for 19 years. “Bed and breakfast owners have to live in their place … If residents were bothering people, they were bothering me, too."
Three members of Niagara-on-the-Lake’s irrigation committee say new funding from a regional project is a major step forward in making water access more reliable for farmers — and expanding a system that’s vital to the town’s agricultural future.
A spokesperson for the District School Board of Niagara confirmed that St. Davids Public School is experiencing overcrowding and that the school board is looking at the situation. Parents say they want to see concrete action as soon as possible, for the sake of the students, teachers and school staff.
As part of the agreement, the town of NOTL is entitled to review and comment on all future design drawings, but can’t allow any construction to happen within the project limits until the bridges construction is completed.
