“Victoria Park is treasure. It’s hard to believe anyone, least of all the Niagara Parks Commission, is facilitating the destruction of a part of this beautiful and well-loved local park for the benefit of a private company (the owner of the ferris wheel).” – Liz Benneian, chair of the Niagara-wide citizens coalition Biodiversity and Climate Action (BCAC)
A News Release from Liz Benneian, chair of the Niagara-wide citizens coalition, Biodiversity and Climate Action
Posted June 23rd, 2026 on Niagara At Large
Please join the growing number of citizens saying no to plans to erect this amusement park ride on the beautiful Queen Victoria Park lands near the Horseshoe Falls. Tell Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Niagara Falls Mayor Jim Diodati to scrap this plan NOW
Should a substantial section of Niagara Falls’ much-loved Queen Victoria Park, directly across from the falls, be destroyed for a second ferris wheel? A group of Niagara Falls residents and a regional environmental advocacy group don’t think so.
Today (this June 22nd), they are calling on Mayor Jim Diodati to speak up publicly, and in the halls of Queen’s Park, to make it clear that neither the city’s citizens nor his own Council are in favour of the plan. As the community’s mayor, Diodati has an obligation to represent his citizens and the will of his Council.
“Since the mayor heard clearly from his council during a recent meeting that they were not in favour of the ferris wheel and having received an avalanche of negative comments from the public about the project, Diodati has an obligation to convey the community’s disapproval to the Province on this proposal,” says Liz Benneian, chair of Biodiversity and Climate Action
Collective Niagara (BCAC), an environmental advocacy coalition with group and individual members across Niagara Region
As a commissioner on the Niagara Parks Board, Diodati also has an obligation to uphold the mandate of Niagara Parks, which is “to protect the natural and cultural heritage along the Niagara River for the enjoyment of visitors while maintaining financial self-sufficiency”.
“Mayor Diodati should be able to argue that the park-destroying, and redundant, second ferris wheel does not strike an appropriate balance between protecting natural and cultural heritage and making a profit off one of the world’s most scenic and iconic places,” says Benneian.
BCAC decided to speak out because protecting public parkland and greenspaces, like the Greenbelt and Niagara Parks, from rapacious development has always been a part of BCAC’s mission Benneian says.
“Victoria Park is treasure. It’s hard to believe anyone, least of all the Niagara Parks Commission, is facilitating the destruction of a part of this beautiful and well-loved local park for the benefit of a private company,” says Benneian.
The plan to build a second ferris wheel, (there is already another ferris wheel for sightseers on nearby Clifton Hill) was raised by Premier Doug Ford as part of his Destination Niagara strategy, announced in the fall of 2025, which seeks to double tourism to the Region from 13 million to 25+ million, expand gaming and build new attractions in the area.
John Brucato, a resident of Niagara Falls notes, the people of Niagara are acutely aware that they are the beneficiaries of the extraordinary assets that the Niagara River corridor provides “with its green spaces, beautiful gardens, and facilities that are maintained to the highest standards.
He adds, “As such, we view ourselves as responsible custodians and guardians of its global relevance and insist that the original mandate of the Niagara Parks Commission be strictly honoured. Adding circus-like contrivances will only diminish the stature of this precious landmark. We urge authorities to look elsewhere for such developments.”
Many citizens aren’t happy with the non-transparent way the decision was made by Niagara Parks to put out a Request for Proposal (RFP) to build the ferris wheel. There is no public record of a vote to do so. “A decision that could destroy a jewel on the Niagara waterfront like Victoria Park, and that also removes a significant portion of the only greenspace in the area, should be made with full public consultation and with full transparency,” argues Debra Jackson-Jones, a Niagara Falls resident.
The closing date for the RFP is June 23rd. Benneian notes that an RFP is an expression of interest, not a licence to build, there is still time for citizens to make their voices heard. Benneian adds: “Write your mayor, copy your Council. Write the Niagara Parks board. Write Ontario Tourism Minister Stan Cho and copy Premier Ford. “If this is allowed to happen, what’s next?” she asks.
Signing on to this press release are:
- Liz Benneian, Chair, Biodiversity and Climate Action Niagara
- John Brucato, resident of Niagara Falls
- Debra-Jackson-Jones, resident of Niagara Falls
- Melanie Holm, resident of Niagara Falls
- Sarah Ward, resident of Niagara Falls
- Linda Manson, resident of Niagara Falls
- Carla Rienzo, resident of Niagara Falls
To visit Biodiversity and Climate Action’s Facebook page, click on https://www.facebook.com/p/Biodiversity-and-Climate-Action-Committee-Niagara-100069417398384/
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