...this week's editorial....online...

Many watchful eyes ensuring process unfolds as it should Posted 10 hours ago

Those in opposition to Project Niagara continue to ask questions, and so they should—they are protecting the enjoyment of their homes and quality of life.

They also have difficulty with the answers they receive.

It needs to be said that those supporting the project also continue to ask questions and seek answers.

In the case of this proposal, there are many bright minds, some with a vested interest in the project, others vehemently opposed and still others with no personal involvement, looking for answers.

Town and regional staff are involved in protecting local interests and making sure no stone is left unturned. Parks Canada is entrusted with the protection of its own property, and Project Niagara proponents who of course want their proposal to move ahead to fruition want it to be successful.

The Harmony Group members are correct in calling the recent traffic study a first step. What it told us is that the traffic expected for Project Niagara concerts can be managed. Those who undertook the study also said there is more work to be done—that with that initial information that the increase in traffic can be accommodated (recommending fewer on-site parking spaces), off-site parking lots need to be identified as part of a traffic management plan and emergency services need to be consulted.

This project, as it moves forward, has to be the most scrutinized development ever to occur in Niagara-on-the-Lake, with so many different agencies, levels of government and concerned citizens safeguarding both the success of the proposal and the interests of the residents.

Nobody has a crystal ball that is showing us what the future of NOTL will look like post-2012. But it seems that all who are taking an active role in Project Niagara, from the proponents to the Harmony Group to the political and administrative representatives in between, are probing and investigating and analyzing this project in such a methodical, rigorous and comprehensive manner that we are confident that the process is unfolding as it should.

Copyright © 2009 Niagara Advance