This is the text of a letter sent by The Niagara Foundation to members of Town Council.
July 6 2018
We are writing with respect to the Two Sisters Resorts letter of June 25 to Council advising of its intent to demolish a number of structures at 200 John Street and 588 Charlotte Street.
The board of The Niagara Foundation is astounded and dismayed by that letter. Coming on the heels of Council’s June 11 decision to proceed with the process of designating all four properties on the Rand Estate, this can only be seen as a flagrant disregard of the wishes of both Council and the Town’s Municipal Heritage Committee. The Two Sisters Resorts letter can be seen as nothing more than a complete denial of the repeated and unqualified assurances by the developer in their presentations to Council that they were pursuing heritage designation for the properties.
We urge Council to do everything in its power to ensure that the developer is not able to proceed with what could be viewed as wanton destruction of the irreplaceable cultural heritage assets on the Rand Estate.
We trust Council will take urgent action to address this affront to you, our cultural heritage and the many people of Niagara-on-the-Lake who have clearly and passionately voiced their opposition to the actions of Solmar Resorts on the Rand Estate.
We will support Council in any way possible in addressing this blatant defiance of the decision of Council and the wishes of the vast majority of Niagara-on-the-Lake residents.
On behalf of the Board of Directors of The Niagara Foundation
Michael Howe
President
Two Sisters plan demolition at Rand Estate