One Woman at the Table. But Is That Really the Bigger Problem? By Maria Mavridis | Former Councillor, Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake There will be just one woman sitting at the Niagara-on-the-Lake council table for the next four years. One. Out of seven elected representatives (six councillors and one mayor). Recently, a reporter from The Lake Report reached out to ask me about the lack of female representation on the incoming council. She wanted to know what challenges this mig

Preserving the Past While Planning for the Future: Why Context Matters More Than Percentages A response to the Niagara Foundation’s recent advertisement and the importance of fairness, transparency and neutrality during a municipal election. Niagara-on-the-Lake is a community that takes tremendous pride in its history, heritage and character. I share that pride, and throughout my term on Council, I have worked to balance protecting what makes our Town special with planning r

WHEN DOES POLITICAL CRITICISM CROSS THE LINE? I have spent the last four years serving the residents of Niagara-on-the-Lake, and I entered public office knowing that my decisions would be questioned, challenged and sometimes criticized. I have never expected everyone to agree with me. In fact, I welcome healthy debate, difficult questions and differing opinions. That is what democracy is supposed to look like. But there is a difference between holding an elected official acco

When did fairness for all businesses become controversial? Over the past several months, I’ve watched the temporary patio debate in Niagara-on-the-Lake become another opportunity for people to question my integrity and suggest that I had a conflict of interest because my father owns Corks Winebar & Eatery on Queen Street. But there is a rather important fact missing from that narrative. My father also owned Firehall Flame, which had a temporary patio under the very same progr

Preserving the Past, While Planning for the Future There has been no shortage of conversation about development in Niagara-on-the-Lake over the past four years. We’ve heard concerns about density, building heights, traffic, infrastructure, heritage preservation, protecting agricultural lands and maintaining the unique character of our five villages. But there’s one question I believe deserves much more attention: How much developable land do we actually have left in Niagara-o

We talk a lot in Niagara-on-the-Lake about protecting agricultural land. But protecting farmland on a map is only part of the job. If we want agriculture to remain viable for future generations, our growers need the infrastructure necessary to actually farm that land with reliable access to water, functioning drainage, maintained ditches and drains, pumping stations, siphons and an irrigation system capable of responding to both drought and extreme rainfall. Niagara-on-the-La

Four years ago, when I first ran for Council, I made a promise that has guided many of my decisions: “Preserving the past, while planning for the future.” Parliament Oak is one example of what that means to me. And the history of this property didn’t begin with Parliament Oak School. Before the school, this property was home to the historic Josiah Burr Plumb residence, a substantial 19th-century home associated with Senator Josiah Burr Plumb. In the 1940s, the Town acquired t

There has been a lot said about 325 King Street and the former Parliament Oak School property, particularly during this election. Unfortunately, when pieces of a long history are taken out of context, it can leave residents with a very different impression of how we actually got to where we are today. So, here is the history. 2015 Parliament Oak School Closes First and foremost, the Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake did not close Parliament Oak School. The decision was made by the

I recently saw a campaign post suggesting that Niagara-on-the-Lake’s planning process is being “hijacked” by land speculators, and that development approvals should simply expire after three years if someone doesn’t build. I actually agree with part of the concern behind the post. We should not allow scarce water and wastewater capacity to be tied up indefinitely by developments that aren’t moving forward. The Province agrees, and Ontario has introduced additional “use it or

Today I was having a conversation with Councillor Adriana Vizzari about future development in our Town when a simple question came up: How much land do we actually have left to develop? Rather than speculate, we pulled out the Town’s new Official Plan, reviewed the settlement boundaries and land-use schedules, and cross-checked the remaining lands within our five settlement areas. What became very clear is that there are three terms that are often used interchangeably — but m

You often hear that Niagara-on-the-Lake welcomes approximately 3 to 3.5 million visitors every year. The important word is approximately. There is no turnstile at the entrance to Niagara-on-the-Lake and there is no single system physically counting every person who enters our municipality. The Town itself currently says NOTL welcomes more than 3.5 million visitors annually, while other government sources have historically used “more than 3 million.” These figures should there

During an election, it is easy to talk about millions of dollars as though they are simply numbers on a page. We hear promises about new programs, new facilities, new services and new spending. But there is one question that always needs to follow: Where is the money coming from? As a Councillor who has actually sat through four municipal budgets, I believe residents deserve to understand what these numbers mean — and the financial pressures this Council has actually had to m

This week, a candidate for Lord Mayor chose to purchase a full-page newspaper advertisement criticizing the current leadership of Niagara-on-the-Lake and our response to the recent flooding. Everyone running for office has every right to challenge the decisions of Council. In fact, they should. But if you are going to spend money publicly telling residents that their Town wasn’t prepared and “is still not doing enough,” then I believe you also have a responsibility to accurat

One of the most interesting things I’ve observed during my time on Council is that some elected officials seem to have mastered the art of voting against an application they know will pass. Not because they genuinely believe it should be rejected. Not because they have a realistic path to stopping it. But because they understand the mathematics of the vote. If an application already has enough support around the Council table to pass, a councillor can safely vote “no,” issue

One of the realities of municipal government is that the rules are constantly changing. While residents often see the final decision at a Council meeting, what happens behind the scenes is a continual process of adapting to new provincial legislation, regulations, policy statements, and mandates. Municipal staff are regularly required to review, interpret, and implement changes that originate at Queen’s Park, often with little notice and evolving timelines. A recent update to

NOTL; one of the lowest tax levies per Capita in Ontario

One thing residents may not always realize is that the development activity we are seeing today did not happen overnight. During the last term of Council, Niagara-on-the-Lake was operating under an Interim Control By-law (ICBL), which temporarily restricted certain development and building applications while planning policies and studies were being reviewed. Shortly after, the world was hit with COVID-19. For several years, many projects were effectively paused, delayed, or s

What residents often don’t see is the amount of work that happens long before the cameras turn on at Council meetings. Reading reports. Meeting with community groups. Reviewing applications. Working with staff. Asking questions. Researching policies. Trying to build programs that genuinely help residents while being responsible with taxpayer dollars. Last night’s Council meeting was a perfect example of that disconnect. For the last four years, I have served on the Discretion

At yesterday’s Council meeting, something happened that deserves a broader conversation with the community—not about personalities, but about process, accountability, and respect for the role we all serve. As members of Council, we each have a responsibility to come to the table informed, prepared, and acting in the best interest of the entire community. That includes how we handle information—especially information that arrives at the last minute. Yesterday, an email was sen

As Council prepares to vote on a proposed temporary patio program this Tuesday, it’s important to step back and look at the bigger picture. This isn’t just about patios. It’s about consistency, fairness, and whether we are making decisions that support the long-term success of Queen Street—or continuing down a path of short-term, reactive policymaking. You Can’t Have It Both Ways Over the past few weeks, Council has received emails from members of the public urging us not to