Niagara Parks Update Presentation 
 

Julio Batres-Gavidia, President of the Rotary Club of St. Catharines South, and Victoria Biliak, President of AMD for Hope, appeared at Council to express gratitude to the Niagara Falls community for their outstanding support towards humanitarian efforts.

AMD for Hope is an organization that has been working tirelessly to provide humanitarian aid to Ukraine.

AMD for Hope will host a Ukraine Night fundraiser on May 14 at St. Peter and St. Paul Ukrainian Church (5906 Sylvia Place) between 5 - 8 pm, featuring live Ukrainian music, food and drinks. A $5 donation will be collected per person.

To learn more, please visit amdforhope.com, or view the presentation here.

Niagara Falls Fire Department (NFFD), in cooperation with all Niagara Regional Fire Services, will launch Camp Molly Niagara to be held in Niagara Falls at the NFFD Station No. 1 Training Centre from May 11-14, 2023. 

Molly Williams (1818) was the first known female and first known African American firefighter in the United States. The name, Camp Molly, pays tribute to this incredible trailblazer by providing young women in the community a unique opportunity.

Camp Molly is a four-day camp for 35 young females between the ages of 15-18 that showcases all the opportunities in the fire service, including suppression, rescue, prevention, investigation, education, and communications. The Camp provides a positive and supportive opportunity for young females in our community who may not have considered the possibility of pursuing a career in the fire service.

View the report here. View the presentation here.

Council approved Official Plan and Zoning By-law Amendments for the 0.98 hectares (2.4 acres) site of the Optimist Club to convert the existing building for commercial uses and to construct a separate building for commercial uses. 

The Optimist Club is privately owned land not considered a public park. Meadowvale Park, located on Freeman Street across from Latina Crescent, provides a public park for the neighbourhood.

View the report here. View the presentation here.

Zoning By-law Amendment: 6633 McLeod Road
 

Municipal Works Staff regularly encounter residents surprised to learn they are responsible for water and sewer service lines between the property line and their residence. This is a concern, particularly as a large portion of the post-wartime housing stock ages. Consequently, many of the associated water and sewer lines are also expected to reach the end of their useful lives. Staff expect that the frequency of unsuspecting residents encountering financial hardships for costly water and sewer line repairs is expected to increase. 

In response, Staff have explored an opportunity to offer residents a low-cost, no-obligation warranty program to assist with the repairs and replacements to private side water and sewer service lines and in-home plumbing. 

Council authorized Staff to enter into an agreement with Service Line Warranties of Canada (SLWC), a vendor of choice by the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) and their subsidy Local Authority Service (LAS), who presently offer this program in seventy other Ontario municipalities. The program provides homeowners with full coverage for repairs or replacement to their water and sewer lines at a modest monthly cost of $6.00 (water line), $8.00 (sewer line), and $9.00 (in-home plumbing).

View the report here.

Council directed staff to commence a City initiated amendment to consider converting two additional subject sites of employment lands to non-industrial use. The two sites are located in the vicinity of the Gale Centre. These sites contain land uses (primarily residential and recreational) that do not conform to the Industrial designation in the City’s Official Plan. Further, land use compatibility concerns with neighbouring properties would occur if a new industrial use were introduced into these two areas. An amendment would be an official process to determine if the potential conversion of these sites to non-employment use would be appropriate and justified.

The City has retained Watson Consulting to investigate the appropriateness of these lands for continued Industrial use. This initiation report provides background information on the proposed amendment and highlights for Council the process and potential timing for consideration of the amendment.

View the report here.

Council approved the suggestion from Staff to hold Canada Day 2023 Celebrations on July 1st at Firemen's Park. This location was selected to attract new participants and rejuvenate the event. This location will allow for the development of a new partnership with the Stamford Centre Volunteer Firemen’s Association(SCVFA).

Staff was asked to look at accessibility, Niagara Regional Police to have a presence at the event, as well as By-law, the timing of completion of the Children's Memorial Walkway, and to possibly revisit holding a mini-parade for 2024.

Read the memo here.

Fudzi International Group Inc. requested an Official Plan and Zoning By-law amendment to permit the development of a 77-storey building (at a height of 245 metres) with 962 residential dwelling units and 516 square metres of commercial floor area on lands known as 5602 and 5592 Robinson Street and part of 6158 Allendale Avenue.

Council approved the application with a number of conditions.

If you would like to learn more about the application and the conditions put in place, you can watch the Council session here.

Upcoming Proclamations, Flag-Raising and Illuminations
(approved at Previous Council Meetings)