The Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake and developers Solmar and Two Sisters Resorts are set to face off in court on Valentine’s Day: Feb. 13, 2019 Niagara Now article

The image is from a Feb. 13, 2019 Niagara Now article featured at the post you are now reading. Caption reads: “Artist rendering of the proposed six-storey hotel at Randwood Estate in Niagara-on-the-Lake. (Supplied).”

A Feb. 13, 2019 Niagara Now article is entitled: “A Valentine’s Day affair.”

The opening paragraphs read:

The Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake and developers Solmar and Two Sisters Resorts are set to face off in court on Valentine’s Day.

Two Sisters Resorts Corp. and Solmar (Niagara 2) Inc. are trying to quash a proposed heritage designation of four Randwood Estate properties under the Ontario Heritage Act.

There’s no love lost among residents, the town and the developers as plans for the landmark Randwood Estate have been a focal point of local controversy for months.

Rear of the Rand Estate at 588 Charlotte, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Nov. 1, 2018. Source: SORE article referenced at a previous post.

The court application filed by Solmar and Two Sisters states the heritage act “prohibits the alteration or demolition of buildings” and “prohibits the alteration of property if the alteration is likely to affect the property’s ‘heritage attributes.’ ”

Solmar and Two Sisters say “the town’s actions must be undone” and accuse the town of acting “outside the fundamental principles of administrative law.”

Rear of the Rand Estate at 588 Charlotte, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Nov. 12, 2018. Source: SORE article referenced at a previous post.

[End of excerpt]

Previous posts

Previous posts about Niagara-on-the-Lake include:

News update: Story regarding clear-cutting at Randwood Estate in Niagara-on-the-Lake continues to unfold

Niagara-on-the Lake: Nov. 12, 2018 Save Our Rand Estate (SORE) article is entitled: “Marotta clear-cutting Rand Estate and destroying protected landscape”

Rampant tree cutting: Protesters gather outside Randwood Estate in Niagara-on-the-Lake

Source: Nov. 6, 2018 Niagara Now article. Caption reads: “Residents concerned about trees being cleared from John Street properties gather in protest. (Richard Harley).”

Commentary

Along the same lines: I’m following a number of Ontario Divisional Court cases involving decisions by the Toronto Local Appeal Body and Ontario Municipal Board, where developers have gone to court seeking to overturn decisions in southern Etobicoke that have gone in favour of residents. The judges, in a manner of speaking, in these and similar cases become authoritative news reporters and opinion writers, offering their legal interpretations on matters of public interest.

Of related interest:

Click here for previous posts about the topic (and concept) of journalism >

On the topic of how different jurisdictions in Canada address heritage preservation issues, among previous posts related to journalism is one entitled:

“The Once and Future New Brunswick Free Press” (2010) outlines what a free press entails