The Lake Report: Check out our weekly print edition for Niagara-on-the-Lake here.

Rand Estate hotel faces wall of opposition at packed NOTL meeting

Paige Seburn -
Benny Marotta's latest plan for the Rand Estate received a frosty reception Tuesday night, as not one public speaker backed his proposal to build a five-storey hotel on the historic site.

SORE marshals expert team against Rand Estate proposal for NOTL

When the Rand Estate hotel proposal came to council Tuesday night, Save Our Rand Estate came armed with lawyers, planners, engineers and other experts to articulate its questions and objections.
Paige Seburn -

NOTL finally moves plans for former hospital site out of limbo

Council voted Wednesday to start a two-stage search for qualified proponents for 176 Wellington St., the former hospital site that has sat in town hands since 2017.
Paige Seburn -

Royal George Theatre demolition begins after court dismisses legal challenge

The Royal George Theatre's 111-year-old history is coming to an end: teardown of the theatre on Queen Street began today following the dismissal of a legal challenge that put its demolition on hold for two months.
Niagara Now -

NOTLers sing their way to centre stage at Carnegie Hall

Kevin MacLean -
Daryl Novak and Laura Lynn Harry joined a handful of other Chorus Niagara singers last week to perform at the legendary concert hall as part of a special U.S. Memorial Day program.

NOTL raises flag for Pride month, but LGBTQ+ resident says turnout fell short

The ceremony was held without Pride Niagara, the region's most prominent LGBTQ+ non-profit organization. However, town officials maintain that this year's flag-raising was no different from past events.
Paige Seburn -

A husband’s message: Don’t feel guilty for needing help

Brian Crow does not describe his wife’s move into long-term care as a joyful occassion. But her move this year into the new building at Pleasant Manor has allowed her to access the care she needs, he says.
Paige Seburn -

Sports: Yolanda Henry wins Hunter Cup competition

The weather was perfect Tuesday when the Niagara-on-the-Lake Golf Club’s nine- and 18-hole women’s leagues hit the links to compete for the Hunter Cup.
Kevin MacLean -

Step inside the Wilderness at first public pathway opening this June

Zahraa Hmood - 0
The organization behind the ongoing revitalization of a historic plot of land in Old Town is inviting the public to have a look at the work it's done so far to transform a forest that's seen better days into an urban oasis.

Experience the talent of NOTL’s artists at studio tours this weekend

The NOTL Studio Tour on Saturday, June 6 and Sunday, June 7 will see the works of 29 visual artists displayed at 16 locations across town, with some opening up their home studios to invite people in.
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News

Garrison Village market turns 20 in new square, but needs more farmers to grow

Andrew Hawlitzky - 0
Niagara-on-the-Lake's annual farmers' market's organizer says it's waiting for more Niagara farmers to sign on, hoping to accommodate up to 40 vendors in its new, larger space.
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News

Fort George resurrects the training camp that built Canada’s First World War army

Andrew Hawlitzky - 0
Fort George National Historic Site brought Camp Niagara back from the dead last weekend, staging a full First World War re-enactment on the grounds where more than 75,000 soldiers trained before shipping overseas.
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Local

Workers Welcome concert 60 years of seasonal farmworkers in Niagara

The 2026 Welcome Concert marked the 60th anniversary of Canada's seasonal agricultural workers program and returned the Toronto Mass Choir to the stage for the first time since 2016.

NOTL Votes 2026: Gary Burroughs seeks to rejoin council, hopes to address ‘anger’ and distrust among residents

Ahead of this fall's municipal election, Coun. Gary Burroughs says Niagara-on-the-Lake’s next council needs to start by asking why some residents no longer trust town hall.

The battle begins again: Residents pack open house with questions about plan for NOTL’s Rand Estate

Resident concerns ranged from doubting the merits of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Comany deal and questioning why the NOTL community would have no access to the site.

Council kills St. Davids farm storage proposal — again

Lord Mayor Gary Zalepa attempted to use of his provincially given "strong mayor powers" to save the project, but failed when council voted against the proposal for a second time.

Entertainment

Arts review: Shaw’s ‘Funny Girl’ glitters in spots, fades in others

"It was Sara Farb's finale, a stationary no-holding-back solo, guaranteed to rouse emotions, that wrenched the audience to an eruption of applause. Impressive, but still not quite enough to fill the void," writes Penny-Lynn Cookson.

Step into the world of surrealist art at RiverBrink’s garden party

A Surrealist Garden Party, being held from 6 to 8 p.m., will immerse visitors in an evening of whimsical décor, interactive art experiences and live performances inspired by the surrealist movement.

Opinion

Editorial: Congratulations to the Shaw Festival

"More than 40 years later, it is almost hard to imagine the town without the Shaw as we now know it," writes Richard Harley. "And yet here we are again, acting as if the next step forward is some shocking attack on the town’s soul."

Editorial: Zalepa boxed himself in on Rand Estate

"The same tired logic keeps being used to make elected officials sound powerless, as if councillors are merely there to nod along while planners, consultants, developers and provincial policy do the real governing," writes Richard Harley.

The Turner Report: A town that chose to eat itself

"The legacy of our current council will be forever. A large hotel and venue plunked in a residential hood ... Changes of mass and scope to the main street that can never be undone," writes Garth Turner.

Entertainment

Enjoy plenty of laughs and support a good cause at Pink Pearl’s comedy night

Eat, Pink, Drink! Comedy returns Friday, May 15, featuring comedians Frank Spadone, Leonard Chan and Ali Hassan, for an evening of live entertainment in support of the national charitable organization.

Events

Today

News

Reduction of NOTL council to seven members written into provincial law

It's official: get ready for two fewer seats at council's table by the end of this year. The Ontario government's plan to shrink municipal council is now enshrined in provincial law.

Local

NOTL sends $95K in leftover grant money back to coffers

Niagara-on-the-Lake council rejected a plan Tuesday to spend $95,029 in leftover community and youth grant money, leaving the full amount with the town for now.

Tony Hendriks, Queen Street grocery store owner, named NOTL’s Citizen of the Year

Tony Hendriks is marking 36 years since he began working at the only grocery store that lives in Niagara-on-the-Lake's busy downtown core — his longtime efforts have not gone unnoticed.

Share why your neighbourhood’s the best in NOTL — it might be named Neighbourhood of the Year

The town is inviting residents to showcase their community spirit through the launch of NOTL’s Neighbourhood of the Year contest in celebration of Neighbour Day on Saturday, June 20.

News

Used book store to open in Virgil, in support of Farmworker Hub

Niagara Now - 0
Virgil’s Book Nook will celebrate its opening June 13 at Cornerstone Community Church, with all proceeds going to the Farmworker Hub, which helps out seasonal agricultural workers in Niagara-on-the-Lake.
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NOTL Pickleball Club celebrates 10 years with members’ tournament

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The game that was once the lesser-known cousin of tennis and badminton has become one of the fastest-growing sports in North America. The NOTL tournament is set for June 6.

New giant riverfront grape sculpture in NOTL

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The sculpture, "Vinifera," features 110 polished steel spheres roughly the size of cantaloupes arranged along a vine structure to resemble oversized vinifera grapes.

‘It’s not one-size-fits-all’: Psychotherapist opens holistic wellness studio in NOTL

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With six or seven instructors and roughly 35 classes a week, the studio directly addresses the mental health demand psychotherapist Stacey Stemplowski has watched grow across Niagara since COVID-19.

Four generations deep: Meyers Farms flower sale blooms again

The annual sale, which began in the early 1980s, runs Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. until late June.

NOTL man charged after police shut down illegal online cannabis service

A Niagara-on-the-Lake man is among three people charged after an Ontario Provincial Police investigation into an alleged illegal online cannabis dispensary led to the...

Niagara-on-the-Lake mayor moves to revive rejected proposal on protected farmland

A proposal for a storage hub on protected farmland that Niagara-on-the-Lake council already killed last month is back from the dead, with the lord mayor using his "strong mayor powers" to revive it.

No update on worker rescued from hole at Parliament Oak hotel construction site in NOTL

Firefighters and paramedics were on the scene for 45 minutes to rescue the 55-year-old man and provide him medical assistance, one witness says.

SORE says new Rand Estate plan ‘flies in the face’ of Ontario Land Tribunal ruling

Lyle Hall, member of Save Our Rand Estate, says this project proposed for the historic Rand Estate lands in Old Town is "a classic wolf in sheep's clothing."

No new candidates registered in NOTL election, one incumbent plans return

Several big questions continue to hang over the race, including whether the 2022-26 council table will largely stay intact or if NOTL voters will deliver a major political shakeup this year.