Policy Directory

Access and review policy and protocol documents that guide City of Niagara Falls operations. These documents ensure transparency, accountability, and efficient services for our community.

 

Local governments in Ontario must be transparent and accountable. To ensure this, the Province created strict rules under Section 239 of the Municipal Act.

This policy outlines how the City of Niagara Falls will ensure that it is accountable and transparent to the public for its actions.

The City of Niagara Falls owns and manages facilities where alcohol consumption is not permitted, and other facilities where alcohol consumption is permitted under the authority of a special occasion permit or catering endorsement.

Arena ice allocation policy

This policy clarifies the City's responsibility for ice allocation and administration.

Arena payment and cancellation policy

This policy clarifies the City's responsibilities for arena administration.

Policy #: 1000.16
Issue Date: May 8, 2006
Revision Date: June 12, 2012
Revision Date: February 8, 2024

Purpose

The Culture Committee's Purpose is to foster, develop and unite artistic and cultural activities in the community. Through the Arts & Culture Wall of Fame initiative the community will have the opportunity to celebrate the many outstanding accomplishments of its past and present citizens, as well as the works of art that reflect the best of Niagara Falls.

Objectives

  1. To serve as a visual memory of artistic and cultural contributions in the City of Niagara Falls;
  2. To ensure that both past and present residents receive due recognition for their artistic and cultural contributions;

Procedures

  1. Wall of Fame Nomination Forms are available for public nomination through the City website www.niagarafalls.ca. Completed Nomination Forms will be accepted throughout the year.
  2. Nominations may originate directly from: a) a governing body; b) an association; c) an individual; d) a family member; e) Committee member. Nominations are to be signed by the nominator.
  3. A subcommittee of the Culture Committee will be struck at the March Committee meeting to review potential nominations, prepare documentation for the committee and put forward nominations for voting.
  4. The deadline for nominations is May 31st of each year. Nominations received after this date will be considered as a nomination for the following year.
  5. Depending upon the Nominee, the Culture Committee may call upon specialists in the appropriate field to assist in the selection.
  6. Qualifying nominations will be forwarded for to the Culture Committee for a special Wall of Fame selection meeting.
  7. Recommended inductees will be forwarded to Council in a report for final approval.
  8. Nominees selected by the Culture Committee shall be publicly presented in the Fall at a date and time determined by the Committee.
  9. There shall be no publicity as to the proposed nominees or voting at any time. The only names released to the public shall be those selected to be inducted into the Wall of Fame.
  10. No current member of the Culture Committee can be installed on the Wall of Fame.

Conduct of Wall of Fame Meetings

  1. A special Wall of Fame meeting of the Culture Committee will be called for selection of Inductees in July of each year.
  2. When dealing with nominations to the Wall of Fame meetings shall be held in camera.
  3. Three (3) members of the Culture Committee shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. All members of the Culture Committee are invited to assist with the selection process and are entitled to vote. A Recreation & Culture Staff will attend the meeting in an advisory position.
  4. Committee Members will state a conflict of interest in advance of the meeting and abstain from discussion and voting. Conflict must be declared should a committee member be the nominator, is a relation to the nominee or any other conflict as defined by the committee general conduct. Conflict of interest is self-declared.

Nominee Selection

Categories of Induction:

  1. Artist(s): an artist(s) who has/have been recognized for their outstanding contribution, or has brought significant recognition to Niagara Falls.
  2. Cultural Builder(s): individuals who have made exceptional contributions to the artistic life and cultural development of the community as champions, supporters, patrons, administrators, teachers and mentors.

Induction Criteria:

Nominations will be reviewed by the Wall of Fame subcommittee to ensure that the minimum criteria are met using the Arts & Culture Wall of Fame Induction Criteria form. A minimum of ten (10) points must be achieved in order to be considered for induction. Those scoring ten (10) or higher will be forwarded to the Arts & Culture Committee for a special Wall of Fame Meeting. Nominees must illustrate the following to be inducted:

  1. Outstanding achievement in their artistic or cultural field.
  2. A measurable impact on the Niagara Falls community must be illustrated municipally, provincially, nationally, or internationally.
  3. A person must have resided in Niagara Falls and/or have Niagara Falls as the main venue for their art for an extensive period of time.

Process:

  1. Up to three (3) nominees per year may be inducted. Inductees will be chosen based on the merit of the application and may not necessarily be chosen from each Category on any given year.
  2. Inductees receiving recognition on the Wall of Fame will also be showcased on the "Virtual Wall of Fame" on the City of Niagara Falls website.
  3. Inductees will receive a personal plaque that will state their name and year of induction.
  4. Each nomination must be submitted in writing on the appropriate Nomination Form and contain, but not be limited to, the following:
  5. Nominator's name, address, telephone, and email address;
  6. A brief biography of the Nominee that includes date and place of birth;
  7. Details of the Nominee's awards or recognition;
  8. Number of years the Nominee resided in Niagara Falls;
  9. The nominator's relationship with the Nominee;
  10. The Nominee's approval (family representative or agent, if Nominee is deceased);
  11. A 8" x 10" or minimum 2400 x 3000 pixel jpeg (or 300 dpi), colour or black and white, professional quality photo of the Nominee.
  12. The nomination form must be properly and completely filled out with all the information requested. Incomplete forms will be sent back to the Nominator and may not be eligible for the current year's consideration.
  13. Further information may be required by the Awards Sub-Committee to evaluate the Nominee's candidacy. The Nominator or other sources will be contacted/researched to assist in this endeavour.
  14. Nominees who are eligible for induction but are not selected will be kept on file for future consideration for a period of five (5) years. All Nomination Forms, applicable documentation and photos will become the property of the Niagara Falls Culture Committee and therefore not returned to the Nominator unless specifically requested. Nominees may add new accomplishments and information to the application if this information was achieved after submission.
  15. Nominees who are not accepted following the period of five (5) years on the ballot may not resubmit for three (3) years.

Automatic Induction:

  1. Nominees who have met the minimum criteria; and have been recognized by their peers with a prestigious award such as a Juno, where such an award exists; or have been recognized for their art through national or international acclaim will be eligible for automatic induction.

Care and Maintenance of the Wall of Fame

  1. The Awards Sub Committee will determine the appropriate care and maintenance of the Wall of Fame in consultation with the Recreation & Culture Staff and the venue operators.
  2. Recreation & Culture Staff shall maintain an archive composed of an information file on each Nomination and Inductee.

Online Application Form

The City of Niagara Falls provides a range of services to residents, businesses and visitors, and these services rely on physical assets such as roads, watermains, sewers, parks and recreation facilities and equipment, fire protection equipment, municipal administration facilities and a range of others. The City’s assets, which are essential to its service delivery, are best managed through effective asset management plans, policies and practices. 

The City of Niagara Falls Civic Recognition Program provides an opportunity to recognize individuals, teams and groups that have brought honour to the community based on their achievements. Awards are presented for accomplishments in education, arts, culture, sport, recreational pursuits, and other special achievements. 

The City of Niagara Falls Community Garden Program Policy is designed to guide and support community groups to successfully develop community gardens on City-owned property.

Niagara Falls City Council Members have the privilege of attaining elected office. That privilege carries significant responsibilities and obligations with respect to the public trust. In order to strengthen the role of Council and to enhance public trust with respect to the obligations of its Members, this Code is established to govern and regulate the ethical conduct of all Members and also supplements existing superior legislation, municipal by- laws and related corporate policies that govern Members’ conduct.

This policy establishes rules of decorum for people attending city-run meetings or events.

Learn more on the Decorum Policy page.

This policy clarifies the building code requirements for emergency access and site servicing for a detached additional dwelling unit (ADU) located on the same lot as a detached principal dwelling.

City of Niagara Falls Events Calendar Posting Criteria

The City of Niagara Falls will post information regarding activities, programs, meetings, events and festivals organized by the City, its affiliates, and public community events. The City of Niagara Falls reserves the right to edit event details and exclude the posting of an event onto to City Events Calendar. All events must meet the criteria outlined below.

  1. Events should serve the Niagara Falls community and be open to all members of the public.
  2. Events must take place within the boundaries of the City of Niagara Falls. Events taking place outside the boundaries of the City of Niagara Falls may be posted to the Events Calendar provided that the focus of the event listing is on a Niagara Falls initiative or City-supported.
  3. Events will not conflict with the City’s core values, vision or strategic goals and should not adversely impact the City’s identity.

Events submitted by staff or requests from the public will not be published on the City’s website calendar if they:

  • Are commercial in nature, and in the City’s sole opinion, are attempting to advertise, promote or sell products or services of an individual or an individual business unless it is for a City sponsored or sanctioned event
  • Promote, exhibit, illustrate or manifest hate or obscene/pornographic/sexual content of any kind
  • Do not comply with municipal, provincial or federal legislation
  • Promote an individual religion or religious service
  • Open-ended, ongoing events without a start date and end date
  • Online contests will not be accepted. Events must be held in a physical location that can be accessed by the public.
  • Events deemed by the City of Niagara Falls to be political in nature will not be posted (with the exception of notices for Council meetings, voting locations, and similar general election information
  • Fundraising events, unless they are registered charities or nonprofit organizations

For the purpose of posting on this website, a fundraiser is defined as any event or campaign whose primary purpose is to raise money for a recognized non-profit organization or a registered charity. The City of Niagara Falls does not benefit from the proceeds of this fundraising event.

Notwithstanding the criteria listed above, the City of Niagara Falls reserves the right to post, refuse to post, or remove any event from its website calendar at any time, without notice.

To be considered for publication an event submission must be accompanied by a name and contact information of an individual from the event organizing committee. Anonymous postings of events will not be published. Decisions on whether or not to add remove or deny the posting of an event to the City’s website calendar will be made by the Web Services Administrator, Communications Officer, or City assigned designate.

If you have further questions, please send your inquiry by email to the Communications Officer.

Disclaimer:
Posting an event does not imply endorsement by the City. The City does not accept responsibility for any damages caused by posting of incorrect or inappropriate information. The City reserves the right to edit a message or category for grammar and clarity and the right to deny submissions at its sole discretion. The City reserves the right to revise its event calendar criteria at any time.

The purpose of this policy is to provide finance assistance in the form of fee waivers to non-profit groups or organizations that provide programs, services or events that are of a general benefit to the community. This policy is to ensure that the City’s support of festivals and events through the waiving of fees is facilitated in a fair and equitable manner and does not burden the City’s annual operating budget.

This policy shall apply to all Gateway Features within the City of Niagara Falls, excluding Gateway Features existing or proposed in commercial Site Plans or Plans of Condominium, as defined under the Planning Act.

The Honourary Street Naming Policy is intended to establish:

  • A clear process for the naming of Honourary streets that is transparent, equitable and efficient.
  • Criteria and principles to assess the appropriateness of a name to ensure that the names are consistent with the identity, values and character of the City of Niagara Falls and the area or neighbourhood served.

This policy applies to all proposals for Honourary Street naming in the City of Niagara Falls.

The purpose of this policy is to ensure continuity of the City’s existing industrial use development charge (DC) exemptions, as outlined in the City’s 2019 DC Background Study.

The purpose of this policy is to ensure continuity of the City’s existing Community Improvement Program Development Charge (DC) exemptions and incentives, as outlined in the City’s 2019 DC Background Study and within the City’s current Community Improvement programs.

The purpose of this policy is to outline a procedure for the commemorative naming or renaming of City property including buildings, parks/open spaces, and component features and amenities as part of the acquisition and/or management of these spaces by the City of Niagara Falls.

To honour and perpetuate the names and deeds of those individuals and teams whose athletic abilities have brought fame to themselves and Niagara Falls, and of those individuals whose knowledge, interest in, and work for sport have resulted in a climate which benefited athletes and athletics.

This policy establishes and clarifies the City’s responsibility for playing field administration.

The City of Niagara Falls takes every precaution to protect your personal information on the internet. This privacy statement applies to interactions with the City of Niagara Falls web server. It does not apply to any other website.

Learn more on the Privacy Policy page.

This policy outlines the guiding principles of public procurement and the approach that the Corporation of the City of Niagara Falls will take when procuring goods, services and construction.

The applicant must install the Official Plan Amendment, Zoning By-law Amendment, Plan of Subdivision, and Plan of Vacant Land Condominium notice signs per the Planning Act and the requirements in this policy.

Activity subsidy fund policy

Through its fundraising activities, the Recreation Committee allocates limited subsidies to individuals requiring financial assistance to participate in community recreation and culture activities.

Financial assistance for leadership training funding policy

The Recreation Committee will annually include funds in their budget to assist individuals wishing to attend instructional sessions including seminars, coaches and training clinics.

Financial assistance for provincial, national, and international championships policy

The Recreation Committee will annually include funds in its budget to assist teams or individuals to participate in recreation type championships at a Provincial, National or International level.

The City of Niagara Falls is responsible for managing stormwater to preserve and protect life, support healthy natural resources, mitigate property damage, and complement sustainable growth within the City. It is recognized that some areas within the Urban Area, including private property, do not have positive drainage of stormwater to City right-of-ways.

The City of Niagara Falls is committed to ensuring the safety of service users and staff in its programs, facilities or properties, and fostering an environment where there is Respect for others, and Responsibility for all actions. The City will exercise no tolerance to any form of violence, vandalism or inappropriate behaviour in its programs, facilities or properties. 

Innovation, Science, and Economic Development (ISED) Canada is responsible for the licensing and approval of telecommunication equipment and facilities in Niagara Falls. Council has no approval authority for telecommunication towers. As part of the application process, new tower proponents must consult with local municipalities and the public in accordance with local protocols and obtain comments. The decision of Council serves as a written response to ISED on behalf of the City for the new proposal.

The City has adopted a Consultation Process for Radio Telecommunication Facilities (Policy #: 500.20) that requires the proponent of a facility to hold a public information meeting and to forward any written or oral concerns/issues received from the public to the City to form part of their deliberation of the proposal. If concerns have been raised, the method by which the proponent has dealt with it must also be forwarded to the City. Policy #500.20 also contains siting and design criteria for new telecommunication towers, which new towers must meet, and if unable to do so, provide the City with a proper justification of their reasons.

Collection of water and sewer arrears from condominiums policy

This policy outlines a procedure for transferring outstanding water arrears on condominium utility accounts where there is one large meter and multiple individual tax accounts.

Estimating consumption of malfunctioning water meters policy

This policy outlines a procedure for estimating water consumption on malfunctioning water meters. 

High water consumption adjustment policy

The purpose of this policy is to provide a framework for high water consumption adjustments applied to residential account holders as a one-time courtesy due to a leak at the property. 

Reluctant water and sewer charges policy

This policy outlines the procedure for placing water and sewer accounts on the water and sewer reluctant rate. The reluctant water rate is used when an account holder refuses to allow access to City employees to complete the necessary repairs or inspections in order to ensure the water meter is in sufficient condition and accurate meter readings are being obtained. 

Water and sewer back billing policy

The purpose of this policy is to provide a framework for back billing of water and sewer consumption and service charges to account holders when there has been a lapse in billing, a billing error or has never been billed.

Water and sewer collection policy

This policy provides the framework for collection procedures for all water accounts. 

Water disconnection and reconnection policy

This policy outlines the procedure for disconnecting and reconnecting water at a property to stop an account. 

The objective of this Winter Maintenance Plan is to define the level of service to be maintained and procedures to be followed to reduce the hazards resulting from winter snow and ice and maintain the City's roadways and sidewalks in a safe condition.

Contact Us

City of Niagara Falls
4310 Queen Street
P.O. Box 1023
Niagara Falls, ON L2E 6X5
Canada
905-356-7521
service@niagarafalls.ca