City Council Meeting: April 26, 2016

Open Air Burning - Nuisance By-law Amendments Approved

Last night, City Council approved the amendments to the nuisance by-law to reduce public nuisance arising from open air burning. It indicates that any fire that is causing a public nuisance is not permitted, and the Fire Department may order the fire to be extinguished immediately.  

Changes Approved for the WEGO Purple and Green Line

At last night's meeting, Council approved the elimination of the WEGO Purple Line for 2016, and the realignment of the WEGO Green Line to service the VIA/GO Train station hub. 

The elimination of the Purple Line will reduce WEGO dependence on capital reserves. The realignment of the Green Line will result in an additional 9,500 Green Line buses passing through this busy transportation hub. This additional service level will reduce the wait time for customers to about ten minutes during the peak summer season.

Boys and Girls Club of Niagara Tax Exemption 

Last night, Council supported private legislation being sought by the Boys and Girls Club of Niagara to exempt them from municipal and school taxation.

Niagara Falls: An Age-Friendly Community

The Niagara Age-Friendly Community is continuing with implementation of the Aging Strategy and Action Plan which was launched in June 2015. One of their primary goals was to reach out to each of the 12 local municipal councils to make them aware of the strategy and of the social and economic opportunities to capitalize on the fact that we have a growing aging population. 

Staff will be identifying Age-Friendly initiatives through the distribution of a Needs Analysis Survey specifically targeted to the older adult citizens of Niagara Falls. The feedback collected from these surveys will form the foundation of a 1/2 day forum to be held on Thursday October 13, 2016 to address any concerns generated from the survey and to capture suggestions about developing an Age-Friendly community. The survey can be completed on-line commencing June 21, 2016. 

Upcoming Road Closures

Canadian National (CN) is planning on rehabilitating three road/ rail crossings this Spring in Niagara Falls, resulting in temporary closures. They include: 

Montrose Road (between Thorold Stone Road & Lundy's Lane): May 2 - May 6
Montrose Road will be closed at the rail crossing to vehicle and pedestrian traffic starting on Monday, May 2, 2016 until Friday, May 6, 2016. The road will be closed for the entire duration of the project. A detour route will be posted along Thorold Stone Road, Kalar Road, and Lundy's Lane. Local access to businesses will remain open. View more information.

Dorchester Road (South of Morrison St): May 9 - May 13
Dorchester Road will be closed at the rail crossing to vehicle traffic and pedestrians starting on Monday May 9, 2016 until Friday May 13, 2016. The rail crossing is located south of Morrison Street. A detour route will be posted along Morrison Street, Drummond Road and Lundy's Lane. Local access to businesses will remain open.

Stanley Avenue (south of Church's Lane): May 16 - May 20
Stanley Avenue (south of Church's Lane) will be closed at the rail crossing to vehicle and pedestrian traffic starting on Monday, May 16, 2016 until Friday, May 20, 2016. The road will be closed for the entire duration of the project. A detour rote will be posted locally.

Select Niagara Falls Transit routes and bus stops will be affected by these closures. For more information, please visit www.niagarafalls.ca 

20 Storey Addition Approved to a 10 Storey Hotel Tower

At last night's meeting, Council approved the Zoning By-law amendment application to amend the site specific zoning for 6455 Fallsview Boulevard (Sheraton Four Points Hotel) to permit the construction of a 20 storey addition to the existing 10 storey hotel tower on the land. Council also approved to amend the site specific zoning of 6471 Stanley Avenue and 5896 and 6046 Dunn Street to permit additional required parking for this addition to be provided on these lands. 

Flagged Raised In Support of the Niagara Ice Dogs

Last night, City Council approved the Niagara Ice Dogs to fly their flag in front of City Hall for the duration of the playoffs. At 2:00 p.m. today, Mayor Jim Diodati and Niagara Ice Dogs Franchise Owners, Denise and Bill Burke, raised the flag in support of the team.

Thundering Waters (Paradise): Secondary Plan

Last night, GR (Can) Investments made a presentation to Council on the Secondary Plan for the Thundering Waters (Paradise). The presentation was in advance of the public meeting process. 

Niagara Foreign Trade Zone Announced

On April 15, 2016  the designation of the Niagara Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ) Point, serving the region's 12 municipalities from east of Hamilton to the United States border was announced. This Point will serve as a one-stop shop for businesses to access information on Canada's FTZ policies and programs. This is the first FTZ Point established in Ontario.

The FTZ Point will promote Niagara as a hub for international trade and will attract foreign and domestic investment. Designating a FTZ Point in Niagara aligns with the Government of Canada's priorities to help businesses integrate into foreign markets and global value chains.

• The Niagara FTZ Point will provide streamlined information on the Government of Canada's tax and tariff export-related programs that can make it easier for businesses looking to expand and export.
• FTZ programming includes, for example, the Duty Deferral Program, the Drawback Program, the Customs Bonded Warehouse Program, the Export Distribution Centre Program and the Exporters of Processing Services Program. To establish the Niagara FTZ Point, Niagara Region partnered with the Niagara Development Corridor Partnership Inc. (NDCPI), Niagara's business community, Brock University, Niagara College, and its 12 local municipalities. A task force of federal, provincial and municipal representatives will meet regularly with regional industry exporters.
• This designation supports the Niagara region's plans to leverage its central position, high-quality infrastructure, favourable business environment and world-renowned location to further lead the region and Canada into international markets.

 More information on this announcement can be found at news.gc.ca

May: Brain Tumor Awareness Month

Last night, Niagara Falls City Council proclaimed the month of May as Brain Tumor Awareness Month. This year, for the first time, the Brain Tumor Foundation of Canada are highlighting the month of May as Brain Tumor Awareness Month in order to align with efforts in the United States and create a North American campaign, bringing greater support and awareness to the cause. 

The Falls will be illuminated orange at 10 p.m. on May 1, 2016 in support of Brain Tumor Awareness Month.

Week of May 16: Respect the Law Week

At the request of the Niagara Falls Optimist Club, the week of May 16, 2016 was proclaimed by Council as "Respect the Law Week" in Niagara Falls. During this week, Optimist Clubs around the world have recognized the accomplishments of law enforcement officers in the community through a Respect the Law Program.