March 2024 Edition

Welcome to the first edition of Niagara-on-the-Lake's brand-new quarterly e-newsletter! We're thrilled to introduce this platform as a vital communication tool to keep our community informed, engaged, and connected. In these pages, you'll discover exciting updates, important announcements, upcoming events, and stories that reflect the vibrancy and diversity of our great Town. This newsletter will serve as a bridge between the community and the corporation, fostering a sense of unity and providing another avenue for communication sharing. Thank you for joining us on this journey, and we look forward to keeping you informed and inspired through each edition to come.

I am excited to present the launch of our quarterly Town Newsletter! This initiative is another step forward in our commitment to keeping our community informed and engaged.

A big thank you to our dedicated Staff whose hard work and enthusiasm have brought this newsletter to life.

It is a privilege and honour to serve the Niagara-on-the-Lake community, and I am so grateful for the many men and women who dedicate their time and effort to making our Town a great place to live, work, and visit. Your support and engagement are invaluable as we work together to address the needs and aspirations of our community.

Stay tuned for upcoming editions of the Town Newsletter, where each member of Council will share their perspectives on the questions I've answered below. We're excited to offer deeper insights into our roles, priorities, and visions for Niagara-on-the-Lake.

Thank you for your continued interest and participation. Together, let's continue to build a vibrant and thriving community we can all be proud of.

As Spring breathes new life into our Town, I look forward to embracing the buzz of activity and growth throughout our community. Happy Spring, Niagara-on-the-Lake!

Council Member Highlight - Lord Mayor Gary Zalepa

What inspired you to become a Town Councillor?

I was inspired to become a Town Councillor because of my involvement with business and professional organizations. Having worked in local, provincial, and national governance roles, I saw Town Council as an opportunity to use my experience and expertise to benefit my community.

As you reflect on your time as Lord Mayor, what are you most proud of?

Reflecting on my experiences on the Council of Niagara-on-the-Lake and the Niagara Region, I am most proud of my efforts to improve both organizations' long-term capital infrastructure funding. These efforts include advocating for sustainable infrastructure funding and securing adequate funding to meet the community's future needs.

During my time on Town Council, I have worked with Councillors to improve Niagara-on-the-Lake's visibility and impact with various interested parties, including Provincial and Federal governments, local MPPs and MPs, and important local community leaders such as Niagara College, Shaw Festival, Parks Canada, Niagara-on-the-Lake Chamber of Commerce and The Grape Growers on Ontario. Building relationships and engaging with these individuals and groups helps to create a more collaborative and effective approach to addressing the Town's unique needs.

What do you see as top priorities in the Town right now?

The current top priorities in the Town are outlined in the Council's recently approved Strategic Plan, which includes a comprehensive work plan with specific targets and measurable metrics. With a focus on environmental stewardship, diversity, equity, and inclusion, as well as effective communication and organizational excellence, Council is dedicated to fostering a vibrant and inclusive community. Our priorities revolve around ensuring good governance, enhancing community assets, and investing in our environment and infrastructure. For more detailed information, please refer to the Strategic Plan document.

Are there any upcoming projects or initiatives you're particularly excited about?

Two upcoming projects that particularly excite me are the finalization of the Tourism Master Plan and the decision-making process regarding the Old Hospital site.

The Tourism Master Plan is geared towards establishing a focused tourism marketing strategy for the Town and creating an accountable organization to execute this strategy. Additionally, the Master Plan will help identify the necessary infrastructure support to address both budgetary and community pressures associated with our Town as a tourist destination.

The second project involves repurposing the Old Hospital property. I am hopeful that Council will identify various community benefits as desired outcomes, which will serve as the primary decision-making criteria when evaluating proposals for the property. This endeavour will entail gathering input from the community and stakeholders, developing a transparent process to guide decision-making, and ultimately selecting a solution from the private or public sector. With a clear sense of purpose from the outset, this process aims to deliver a proposal that effectively meets the identified community needs and benefits our Town in the long term.

What do you love most about Niagara-on-the-Lake?

I love that Niagara-on-the-Lake is a community where I've raised my family, operated a business, and actively participated in organizations that contribute to our collective quality of life.

Welcome to the launch of our new Town e-newsletter – NOTL News! We are excited to share with you the recent happenings in our Town and what’s coming up next. Our small Town boasts a dynamic community and Staff wish to utilize this newsletter to highlight the many successes.

We want to showcase the milestones that make our municipality vibrant and inform you about the events and initiatives that are taking place in our Town. With this newsletter, we hope to foster engagement and build a sense of community in Niagara-on-the-Lake.

As a recent addition to the Town's team, I'm thrilled to contribute to this initiative. Every day, I witness our dedicated Staff working hard to provide customer experience excellence while serving the community and advancing the objectives outlined in Council's Strategic Plan. From small victories to significant milestones, our community has no shortage of positive achievements. We're eager for you to explore this newsletter and hope you find it informative and insightful. Don't hesitate to share it with your friends and family. Thank you for your readership!

Look Back (January to March 2024)

Completion of the Winter Season: A big thank you to our dedicated Winter Control Team for their commitment to ensuring the safety of our roads and sidewalks throughout the chilly months! As Spring arrives, it's worth noting that the ice will be officially removed from the arenas. We hope everyone enjoyed the skating and activities provided at our arenas and we look forward to welcoming you back next season.

Snow and Sidewalk Plows Named: The Town successfully completed its Name a Snow and Sidewalk Plow Contest, naming its fleet of six plows and two sidewalk plows. The Town is excited to introduce Sled Zeppelin, Buzz Ice-Clear, Ctrl Salt Delete, Skip the Ditches, Catch my Drift, Darth Blader, Snow-be-gone Kenobi and Scoop Dogg to the Niagara-on-the-Lake community! Thank you to the many participants, and congratulations to the contest winners.

Rural Ontario Municipal Association (ROMA) Conference: Town representatives attended the ROMA conference to discuss important matters such as irrigation infrastructure, building homes and preserving heritage with Bill 23, modernizing the retail of alcohol, reinstating a local nurse practitioner and recruiting physicians, and addressing the threat of Oak Wilt to our trees. Niagara-on-the-Lake representatives attended seven delegations, met with six provincial ministries to advocate for local priorities and exchanged ideas with other municipalities. To learn more, read the Media Release about the Town’s participation at ROMA. 

Capital & Operating Budget Approvals: Town Council approved the Capital and Operating Budget for the 2024 fiscal year, ensuring the Town's success in achieving its priorities. For more information, read the Town's Capital Budget Approval Media Release and Operating Budget Approval Media Release.

Heritage Trail Interpretive Signage: The Town showcased its new interpretive signage along the Heritage Trail that is aimed to enhance users' experience, showcasing unique facts and history about the local area. Check out the new signage by visiting the Heritage Trail located in Old Town and visit the Heritage Trail website to learn more.

LoveNOTL Contest: In honour of Kindness Week and Valentine’s Day in February, the Town held a LoveNOTL contest for community members to share what they love about our amazing Town! Here are a few of the comments shared:

• "NOTL has the best combination of food, wine, scenery, and relaxation!"

• "The history and architecture of the buildings downtown are just spectacular."

• "It really feels like a completely different world, just so peaceful."

• "The most amazing small businesses.”

• "People always offer a friendly smile or wave."

• "Uniquely rich in character."

• "Magnificant soul-filling sunsets."

• "It's full of so much beauty, and history!"

• "I haven't found a town I've gravitated to more than NOTL."

Look Ahead

Solar Eclipse Travels Niagara: Niagara-on-the-Lake, alongside the Niagara Region and numerous other locations worldwide, will experience the rare celestial phenomenon of a solar eclipse on April 8. Visit the Town's Solar Eclipse webpage to learn more.

Earth Day Opportunities: To promote a greener community, Niagara-on-the-Lake encourages residents to take part in environmental initiatives to support Earth Day on April 22, 2024. For more information, visit the Town's Community Initiatives and Events webpage.

Street Sweeping Efforts: Keep an eye out for the street sweepers as they make their rounds! This annual ritual, typically occurring in May, ensures clean and safe roads for everyone while also signalling the approach of the new season.

Spring and Summer Programming: As we eagerly anticipate the warmer months ahead, we're thrilled to announce the opening of registration for our highly anticipated Spring and Summer Programming. Stay tuned for more details, and visit www.notl.com to learn more.

Hanging Basket Installation: The installation of beautiful hanging baskets will be underway shortly in the picturesque villages of Niagara-on-the-Lake! Read page 28 of the Spring/Summer Community Guide to learn more about the Town's Hanging Basket Program.

Spring/Summer Community Guide: The Community Guide is the Town's bi-annual publication containing valuable information about Town services, community programs, activities, events, and local organizations. This excellent resource for residents and businesses is available online, with 1000 copies available at the Arenas, Community Centre, Niagara-on-the-Lake Public Library, Town Administration Building and coffee shops and businesses throughout the Town.

Strategic Plan

Council’s 2022-2027 Strategic Plan is a roadmap for success, designed to guide decision-making and investments for this term of Council, ensuring decisions made today set the course for the community’s desired future.

Strategic planning is an organization’s process to define its vision, mission, and priorities, and develop specific plans to implement the strategy and evaluate the results.

Town Staff are currently integrating a project management software tailored to monitor and track the progress of Council's Strategic Plan. This new tool will serve as a centralized hub, allowing Staff to gather, organize, and share information with the community efficiently.

Mark your calendars! In April, Council will receive an Information Report detailing the advancements made in implementing the Strategic Plan, with a public dashboard set to launch in June. This user-friendly interface will provide stakeholders with real-time updates on the Strategic Plan's progress, keeping everyone informed and engaged in our community's development journey. Stay tuned for more updates! Stay tuned for more updates! Click here to read Council's 2022-2027 Strategic Plan.

Do you have something you would like to see included in future editions of NOTL News? Let us know by emailing communications@notl.com. We appreciate your feedback! 😀

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