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Hamilton Spectator
23-05-2025
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
Native Centre gets $73K grant for HR role
The Niagara Regional Native Centre in Niagara-on-the-Lake announced yesterday it received a $73,100 seed grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation for a human resources manager. Halley Irwin, the centre's director of development and community engagement, said the funding will support a human resources manager, who will be a part of recruitment and strengthen the centre's capacity to serve the Indigenous community. Cynthia Whyte was hired for the position on a one-year contract in February and works closely with the executive director to create an internal system for human resources at the centre and strengthening its team of staff — a 'strictly internal' role, said Irwin. 'To help us put some structure in place to support our staff,' Irwin told The Lake Report. 'Which, in turn, will help us better run our programming,' she said. Serving about 2,000 Indigenous people annually, the centre hopes the funding will help it reach more of the estimated 14,000 Indigenous residents in Niagara, said Irwin. 'Having Cynthia (will) help us cast a little bit of a wider net to secure talent,' she said. 'A key piece of what she is here for.' To Irwin, having a dedicated HR manager 'is a signal of the growth' of the centre and a 'sign of the good things' it's doing, she said. The grant isn't going to all be used for salary — Irwin says it will also support updating policies, performance reviews, staff onboarding and supporting existing employees to better run programs. 'I'm very excited. I'm honoured,' said Whyte. Whyte, who works in the office two days a week, said her top priority is building a strong HR foundation through her policies, procedures, internal training, recruiting and long-term plans to develop the workforce. 'It's really building the HR structure,' she said. 'It's actually been a need in First Nation communities for years.' Niagara Falls MPP Wayne Gates attended the announcement to recognize Ontario's support. 'We invited Wayne to join us today,' said Irwin, who called Gates 'a great ally' and a consistent supporter of the centre's work. 'The indigenous community is extremely important,' said Gates. 'In particular, the Native Centre.' Gates called the funding a great step made possible by the Trillium grant process and said it will help support a new position 'which can now work really hard on different programs,' he said. 'Every once in a while, you need help and that's where the Trillium Fund comes in,' he said. Irwin described the provincial grant as a 'great show of support and a good step in the right direction,' she said. 'It's a good opportunity for Indigenous organizations to apply for support from the provincial government,' she said. The centre plans to seek additional grants to extend Whyte's contract beyond next February. 'Even in the few months Cynthia has been here, it has been life-changing,' said Irwin. paigeseburn@
Hamilton Spectator
08-05-2025
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
Council approves York Road residential units, sparking school board discussion
A draft plan for a three-unit development on York Road was unanimously approved during Niagara-on-the-Lake's committee of the whole planning meeting on Tuesday. The proposal for 1490 York Rd., located in St. Davids, includes three single detached dwellings and accessory structures. The development may be formalized as three condo units, but it is three residential buildings, Coun. Gary Burroughs told The Lake Report. The plan's approval follows multiple rounds of public consultation, environmental review and revisions made in response to resident feedback. 'The houses have been redesigned from the previous proposal,' said Kirsten McCauley, the town's director of community and development services. Councillors raised concerns about environmental impacts and a lack of feedback from the District School Board of Niagara. St. Davids Public School is a minute away, by car, from the site of the proposed development. The next nearest school is St. Michael Catholic School. 'The public school in St. Davids is pretty full and we keep putting more and more subdivisions,' Burroughs said in an interview. Staff submit requests for feedback when new developments come before the town, to gauge how the board will accommodate new residents and very rarely receive responses, he said. Coun. Adriana Vizzari noted the Catholic school board responded with information about the capacity of schools in its board, but the public board had yet to reply. Vizzari said she was not seeking to delay the application, but asked staff whether there was a way to secure a response from the District School Board of Niagara before proceeding. 'Unless we hear from both school boards, I struggle understanding it as a complete application,' she said. McCauley said staff would take her comments as a directive to follow up on school capacity as it relates to development applications. Lord Mayor Gary Zalepa noted the District School Board of Niagara has a paid planner and should be accountable to taxpayers. 'I know this community is sending significant dollars to the school board to operate, and I would at least expect a response to a planning application,' he said. Burroughs said the Glendale secondary plan also never received a District School Board of Niagara response. Coun. Erwin Wiens added that this has happened with many past applications. 'Maybe not every application, but most,' said Vizzari. Coun. Sandra O'Connor raised questions about environmental protection, given that the site includes a significant amount of tree-covered land. McCauley said the application follows a previously approved zoning amendment with smaller setback requirements than the region's standard 30 metres. She added that detached accessory dwelling units will not be allowed under Niagara Escarpment Commission policies. A condition of approval includes ensuring proper waste management access. Garbage collection strategies will be further reviewed during the site plan approval phase in line with regional policy. If no appeals are filed, Zalepa is authorized to endorse the draft plan 20 days after the notice of decision is issued. juliasacco@
Hamilton Spectator
01-05-2025
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
Post-election victory, Baldinelli to focus on ‘issues that matter most to the people here'
Tony Baldinelli will serve as Member of Parliament for Niagara-on-the-Lake's riding once again. Taking a lead of just over 2,500 Liberal candidate Andrea Kaiser, Baldinelli was named winner of the Niagara Falls—Niagara-on-the-Lake riding late Monday night, marking his third consecutive electoral victory. Speaking with reporters Monday evening at his election party at Delphi Banquet Hall in Niagara Falls, Baldinelli outlined several concerns, including the need to address the industrial carbon tax on the steel and aluminum industries to protect jobs, to revise the excise tax on duty-free products, and to eliminate the 2035 electric vehicle mandate. 'I worked (at General Motors) facility in St. Catharines for four summers — it put me through university,' he said. 'My job now is to ensure that we can keep that facility going,' he said. 'What (the Liberals) have tried to do is stoke fear in the community about what's going on in the United States instead of responding to the issues that matter most to the people here,' Baldinelli said. Throughout the campaign, Baldinelli pushed a platform focused on affordability, public safety, and economic development, he said. Being able to represent the people of NOTL and Niagara Falls is a 'tremendous honour,' Baldinelli said. 'I can be that voice and that advocate to bring forward their concerns to Ottawa,' he said. In an interview with The Lake Report during election night, Baldinelli said he gained unwavering support from voters by forming strong bonds with residents in his riding — and he plans to continue building these relationships. 'I tell constituents, 'I'm just like you,'' he said. 'I'm blessed that I'm able to represent the people of this riding.' The Lake Report spoke with some of Baldinelli's supporters during election night. They emphasized his personability and work ethic. 'Tony is the most hardworking person I know. He's our incumbent. He's the person for the job,' Sheila DeLuca said. Alana Hurov, founder of Jewish Niagara, cited his support of communities like her own. 'Tony is a great example of just how the Conservative Party gets behind the Jewish community and minority groups. That's a big reason why I'm here, supporting the campaign and the Conservative party,' Hurov said. Liberal candidate Andrea Kaiser told The Lake Report that while she may not be walking away with a win in her riding, she's still celebrating a federal victory with Mark Carney and the Liberal party's federal win. 'I am absolutely ecstatic,' she said. Kaiser looks forward to returning to her role of regional councillor, she said. The Lake Report reached out to Baldinelli for updated comment regarding his plans for the riding this term, but he was not available to chat before publication deadline. Baldinelli won the Niagara Falls—Niagara-on-the-Lake riding with 29,774 votes, followed by Liberal Andrea Kaiser at 27,194 votes, NDP Shannon Mitchel with 2,335 votes, Celia Taylor with the Green Party at 518 votes, PPC candidate Dinah Althorpe with 481 votes, Daniel Shakhmundes with the Libertarian Party at 160 votes and Yawar Anwar with the Centrist Party at 128 votes. juliasacco@
