“The lack of consultation with the community is a violation of public trust. We feel let down by our representatives, but there is still time to make this right.” – Gloria Leahey, a resident living near Memorial Park and representative of Friends of Memorial Park
A News Commentary by Doug Draper
Posted November 19th, 2025 on Niagara At Large
Gloria Leahey (centre and behind podium), a Thorold resident and represetative of Friends of Memorial Park, addresses Thorold’s city council about concerns over plans to extend a parking lot into the park.
Thorold, Ontario – Facing down a gallery full of residents living around Thorold’s historic Memorial Park, the city’s council pushed the pause button this November 18th on a controversial plan to extend a parking lot into the historic park.
“I would rather wait two or three months and do this right,” concluded Thorold Mayor Terry Ugulini after agreeing to a request from the residents on a request from the residents for a public meeting they say should have taken place before any idea of extending parking into the park was placed before council.
“Astonishment, disbelieve, frustration. These words describe how many Thorold residents feel after having learned, just a few days ago, that the city plans to tear up greenspace in Memorial Park to, in the memorable words of the great musician Joni Mitchell; ‘put up a parking lot’,” said Gloria Leahey, who lives near the park and who spoke at the November 18th council meeting on behalf of a recently formed residents group called Friends of Memorial Park.“We have been given no opportunity to explore alternatives,” she added. “Instead, we were blindsided” – only finding out about the plan for a parking lot extension for the nearby Thorold Seniors Centre from a report in a local newspaper just days before the council meeting.
“We are delighted that the Thorold 50+ (Seniors) Centre is growing in this lovely green setting,” said Leahey. “We couldn’t ask for better neighbours (and) we’re committed to helping the Centre solve the problems that accompany expansion.”
But for residents in the area, paving over greenspace in the park is a non-starter, she stressed in so many words.
Thorold’s Memorial Park with a cenotaph honouring those in the community who fought and died in World Wars I and II, and in the Korean War.
Memorial Park, said Leahey, is “a beautiful, peaceful park in downtown Thorold that serves the entire community. It’s a place where people, young and old, go to read and relax, where kids play, where trees provide respite and calm, where the nearby war memorial offers a site for quiet contemplation. It is a public space for all of us to use and enjoy. It is a quintessential ‘public good’.”
Brenda Bator, president of the Thorold 50+ Citizens’ Association that runs programs for seniors at the Centre, also spoke at the council meeting.
Bator said the Centre’s membership is growing and the Centre is in “dire need” of more parking next to it for older citizens to come and go safely.
At this past November 18th’s Thorold council meeting, Brenda Bator, president of the Thorold 50+ Citizens’ Association stresses the ‘dire need’ for more parking for the city’s Seniors’ Centre
“I feel very guilty about this,” said Bator, adding that she understands the concerns of the residents to save greenspace in the park, but the Seniors Centre is counting on the city to keep a promise it made to provide more parking as soon as possible.
She emphasized that the current situation is completely unacceptable and is dangerous “and getting worse” for seniors, especially during the winter months, and the Centre is “going to start losing people (members)” if something isn’t done soon.
The city’s council voted to hold a public meeting for all sides to come and discuss options for parking but did not yet set a date for it.
What the mayor and council did not do is explain why residents in the area were not informed of the plan to extend parking into the park and hold a public meeting on it in the first place – something that may have helped avoid the confrontation that unfolded at the council meeting this November 18th.
As Gloria Leahey of the Friends of Memorial Park group put it at the end of her presentation to the council; “The lack of consultation with the community is a violation of public trust. We feel let down by our representatives, but there is still time to make this right.”
A plaque showing Thorold’s Memorial Park’s designation as an Ontario heritage site.
“As Thorold homeowners, renters, taxpayers, shoppers and voters, we have a right to be informed and consulted about decisions that affect our community and our quality of life. We are good neighbours and we want to work together to solve this problem.”
Bator told Niagara At Large after the meeting with council that she shares the same hope that everyone can come together as soon as possible and find a solution to the parking issue that is beneficial to all.
For another recent piece Niagara At Large has posted on this issue, click on – Join Thorold Residents In Fight To Bury City’s Plan To Expand A Parking Lot Into Historic Memorial Park | Niagara At Large
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