November 14, 2023, City Council Meeting
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Remembrance Day Service
Thank you to all those who joined in person or online for the City of Niagara Falls Remembrance Day Service at the Tomb of the Unknown Solider at the Fairview Cemetery. Over 500 people were in attendance.
On this day and every day, we remember and honour those who sacrificed for our freedoms.
View the 2023 Remembrance Day Ceremony here.
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Meeting to Reconsider Refusal of Official Plan Amendment 157:
Fraser Street, west of Stanley Avenue and lands east of Fourth Avenue, north of Hamilton Street
Official Plan Amendment 157 proposes to convert two subject sites of employment lands to non-industrial use. The two sites are near the Gale Centre and, more specifically, are on lands centred around Fraser Street, west of Stanley Avenue and east of Fourth Avenue, north of Hamilton Street. Mostly, these sites contain land uses (primarily residential) that do not conform to the Industrial designation in the City’s Official Plan.
At its August 15 meeting, Council passed a motion to refuse to approve OPA 157 as Council believed that the proposed amendment was incompatible with the surrounding area land uses.
At its October 24 meeting, Council passed a motion to reconsider the above-noted decision to refuse the Official Plan Amendment (OPA 157).
Council approved a motion to split the Employment Lands Conversion, Official Plan Amendment 157, into two separate Sites.
- Firstly, Site 1, Fraser Street, west of Stanley Avenue, will remain as employment land (industrial).
- Secondly, that Council supports OPA No. 157 with site-specific conditions as outlined in report PBD-2023-47, and referred to as Site 2, Fourth Avenue, north of Hamilton Street and east of Stanley Avenue, to permit the conversion of this employment land site to a non-industrial use (residential).
- That final Council approval of OPA No. 157 occurs after public input has been collected and reviewed by staff.
View the report. View the Staff presentation. View the Agent presentation. View the presentation by NPG.
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Official Plan and Zoning By-law Amendment Application:
2358-2378 Portage Rd, 2495 Stanley Ave
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Zoning By-law Amendment Application:
5640 Stanley Ave, 5609 & 5619 Buchanan Ave
Council approved a Zoning By-law Amendment Application for a 14-storey mixed-use building at the corner of Stanley Avenue and North Street, including the Staff recommendations, with the deletion of the Parking Impact Analysis.
Council also made an additional recommendation that the developer and applicant work with the community neighbours to mitigate some of the concerns.
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City of Niagara Falls Outdoor Pools
Every summer, the City of Niagara Falls operates five outdoor pools during July and August.
According to the City’s Recreation, Parks & Facilities Plan published in 2021, Niagara Falls’ outdoor pools require a substantial annual financial investment to operate and maintain.
This summer, City staff hired a consultant to complete a Building Condition Assessment to determine the future capital cost of keeping all five of the City’s pools open and operating at a minimum service level standard. In addition to the $620,000 it costs annually to operate the five pools for July and August, the consultant estimated that 1.8 million dollars of capital investment would be required in 2024 to upkeep the outdoor pool facilities, with additional funds needed from 2025 to 2029 to ensure facilities are accessible, safe, and operating efficiently.
Kathy Moldenhauer, General Manager of Recreation, Culture & Facilities, presented a ten-year plan recommendation for the future of the City of Niagara Falls outdoor pools.
Council did not approve the staff recommendations in the report, essentially deferring the matter and instead passing the following motion:
- That staff arrange for members of Council to have a tour of the City’s existing pools;
- That staff report back to Council with a more comprehensive list of required repairs needed for all pools;
- That staff report back to Council with possible community partnerships, sponsorships and/or naming rights opportunities to assist with the repair costs for the pools;
- That staff take the steps required for an Engineering Study for all five outdoor pools, including a Request for Proposal process, if necessary.
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City of Niagara Falls Customer Service Strategy
The City of Niagara Falls engaged Deloitte Inc. in June 2023 to undertake research and stakeholder facilitation to support the City in developing customer service vision elements to guide technology investments and service delivery and to inform the City’s Customer Service Strategy (CS strategy).
Representatives from Deloitte Canada presented an overview of the work completed as part of their engagement.
Council approved the City’s customer service vision, motto, objectives, and guiding principles, providing Staff with clear direction or a constant “North Star” that will guide them through critical process changes and other decisions over the following years.
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Niagara Falls Public Library 2024-2028 Strategic Plan Presentation
Anne Andres-Jones, Chair of the Niagara Falls Public Library Board, and Alicia Subnaik Kilgour, CEO / Chief Librarian, along with plan consultants Dov Goldstein of Lord Cultural Resources and Kimberly Silk of Brightsail Research, presented to Council the Library’s new 2024-2028 Strategic Plan.
View the presentation here.
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Hospice Niagara Presentation
Hospice Niagara is currently underway with the provincially-approved expansion of hospice care with the
addition of 20 new hospice suites within the region.
Carol Nagy, Executive Director and Board Member, updated Council regarding Hospice Niagara and the approved expansions in Niagara.
View the presentation here.
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Community Crew Presentation
Stephen Cooper of Community Crew presented to Council about their impact on the Niagara Falls area.
Community Crew provides over 4,500 healthy lunches weekly to children in 30 schools throughout the Niagara Region, including 633 lunches to Niagara Falls schools a week across seven schools last year. They work to ensure that every child will have access to quality food every day.
To learn more about Community Crew and their upcoming charity event, "A Niagara Christmas", on December 8 & 9, please visit https://www.communitycrew.ca/upcoming-events/
View the presentation here.
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Crime Stoppers of Niagara - Annual Update
Mike Britton, Board Member of Crime Stoppers Niagara, presented annual statistics to inform Council of other programs and discussed ways the community and the City of Niagara Falls can get involved in making a safer Niagara for all.
View the presentation here.
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- Further Update on Strong Mayors Legislation
- Staff have received questions from Council about the impact of Strong Mayors Legislation on the City of Niagara Falls. Staff provided Council with a summary of the new legislation and included some helpful visual aids prepared by the Municipality of Clarington.
- Response to Rodent Control Efforts in the City
- At the September 10, 2023, meeting of Council, Council identified rodent concerns throughout the municipality. Staff provided a report to apprise Council of the current abatement efforts from the 2018 Council-approved residential rodent control rebate program.
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Proclamations, Flag-Raising and Illumination Requests
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Proclamation Request | November 20 - 26, 2023
Talk to a Stranger Week
Council approved a request to proclaim the week of November 20 - 26, 2023, as Talk to a Stranger Week. Talk To A Stranger Week seeks to educate people about the numerous benefits of engaging with strangers, focusing on presenting the latest research that highlights the overwhelmingly positive nature of such encounters.
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Flag Raising Request | January 2024
Crime Stoppers Awareness Month
Council approved a request by Crime Stoppers Niagara to recognize January 2024 as Crime Stoppers Awareness Month. A flag-raising will be held.
Crime Stoppers of Niagara plans for the coming year to try and help our community with Human Trafficking awareness and education.
If you have information regarding a crime that occurred, report it to Crime Stoppers Niagara through the Tip Line 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS).
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Upcoming Proclamations, Flag-Raising and Illuminations
(approved at Previous Council Meetings)
Proclamation | Lung Cancer Awareness Month (November 2023)
Proclamation | Chohn's and Colitis Canada (November 2023)
Flag Raising Request | AIDS Awareness Week (November 23, 2023)
Proclamation & Flag Raising | 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence
(November 25 to December 10, 2023)
Proclamation | Mike Glavcic Day (December 6, 2023)
Proclamation Request | Wear Red Canada Day (February 13, 2024)
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Next Council Meeting: Tuesday, November 28 at 3:00 pm
The next Niagara Falls City Council meeting, a Special Meeting of Council for the 2024 Capital and Parking Budgets, will be open to the public and held on Tuesday, November 28, 2023, at 3:00 pm. For more information, please visit niagarafalls.ca/council.
Time change for Tuesday, December 12 meeting
Please note that the Tuesday, December 12 City Council Meeting will start at 1:00 p.m.
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