April 2, 2026, Volume 7, Issue 15
Mayor Wayne Redekop
Beautifying Fort Erie
Recently, I noticed a car parked along the side of the street on which I was travelling. A woman exited and walked in front of the vehicle. She then picked up a large green garbage bag on the side of the road and put it into her trunk. I have seen others do this from time to time. I have done it myself.
This is a powerful statement of how many of us take pride in the community in which we live. It is an antidote to those who thoughtlessly or inconsiderately leave litter or debris in public spaces. It sets an example for how we make and maintain our community as a welcoming place for those who live here and those who visit.
For a number of years, community groups and individuals have taken to our streets, parks and trails to conduct a spring cleanup. The downtown business areas, service clubs, neighbourhood groups, municipal committee members and volunteers engage in picking up trash, litter and debris around Earth Day, April 22nd. The Town provides gloves and garbage bags to those who register with it and will pick up the filled garbage bags at locations agreed on in the areas where cleanups take place. You can make these arrangements by calling Town Hall at 905-871-1600.
Town Council is intent on establishing a more consistent and organized initiative whereby residents and local groups can “Adopt a Street” or “Adopt a Park” or “Adopt a Trail”. These types of programs allow residents to make a meaningful contribution to making Fort Erie an attractive place to live and visit, while permitting the Town to benefit from the desire of residents to engage in civic activities. Everyone wins.
On a personal level, my family will be engaging in our own cleanup initiative just before Earth Day. We will be reaching out to friends, as well, to help us do our part to tidy up our neighbourhood.
Governance Update
The mayors of the eight municipalities in Niagara who have opposed amalgamations (Fort Erie, Port Colborne, Pelham, Wainfleet, West Lincoln, Grimsby, Thorold and Niagara on the Lake) continue to meet to discuss ways in which services can be delivered by the Region and our municipalities in a more effective, efficient and affordable manner. On March 26th, Regional Council overwhelmingly adopted a resolution that provides the initial steps for a governance and services review in which all local area municipalities and the Region will participate. To date, several municipalities have passed resolutions to reduce the number of their Council members and have requested that this be made effective for the municipal elections scheduled for October 26th this year. This is something that Fort Erie did in 2000, when our Council was reduced from 8 councillors and a mayor to 6 councillors and a mayor, and the current wards were established around the six fire stations that existed at the time. Those boundaries have been realigned once since then to take into account changes in population dispersal as the Town has grown.
Any changes in governance or how services are delivered in Niagara, and in Fort Erie in particular, will be based on data, financial analysis, a sound business case and public consultation.
