Parks and Open Space Master Plan

The Town of Fort Erie is planning its parks, trails and open spaces for the future.

The Town of Fort Erie's parks and open space system consists of 34 parks. In addition, we have a total of 150 hectares of sports fields, passive parks, natural areas, heritage parks, and civic squares. We also have over 35 kilometres of recreational trails and a variety of waterfront access points.

With a projected population growth of 32% over the next 20 years, the Parks and Open Space Master Plan will provide a long-range and comprehensive strategy to assist with meeting the needs of current and future populations. The Plan will also assist Council in making strategic investments to ensure a healthy community, improve residents' quality of life, and encourage a sustainable environment.

The Master Plan will consider the following:

• community values, priorities and expectations;
• evolving standards and recreation trends;
• forecast community growth.

It will ensure a fair and consistent service delivery model across neighbourhoods within the community.

We invite you to participate in this process by attending the Public Open Houses and emailing us your comments. 

A summary of the Master Plan process to date is provided below.

Parks and Open Space Survey

In 2018 February 500+ people took the time to complete the survey and share your thoughts with us - your input will help set the priorities and guide the development of the Parks and Open Space Master Plan.

The Town is conducted an additional round of community engagement to gather a more informed perspective on parks and open spaces post-COVID. In March 2024 over 150 people took the survey. 

Parks and Open Space Master Plan Public Open House

The first two public open houses occurred on February 15th, 2018. The purpose of this open house was to gather feedback from the community. Three questions were asked relative to our existing park system - what are the strengths, where are the gaps in service, and what should be the priorities for the future.

Parks and Open Space Master Plan Public Open House #1 - PowerPoint Presentation

The second round of public open houses occurred on March 6 and 7th, 2024.  The purpose of this open houses was to gather a more informed perspective on parks and open spaces post-COVID.

Parks and Open Space Master Plan Public  Open Houses#2,3- PowerPoint Presentation

The Draft Report

The information collected from multiple sources, including the open house, online survey results, and email inquiries, was carefully consolidated and analyzed to inform the creation of the draft report. These insights were instrumental in shaping the content, recommendations, and addressing community needs. The Draft Parks and Open Space Master Plan, reflecting the community's feedback and priorities, was formally presented to the council on October 7th, 2024 for their review and consideration.

Draft Parks and Open Space Master Plan

Council Presentation for Draft Parks and Open Space Master Plan

Next Steps

The Town is accepting feedback on the Draft Master Plan from both the Council and the public until October 20th, 2024. This input will help refine the report for the final version of the Parks and Open Space Master Plan. The final version is scheduled to be presented on December 16th, 2024.

Contact Information

Community Planning - 905-871-1600 

Elizabeth Latif, Parks Planner/ Project Manager - 905- 871- 1600, elatif@forterie.ca

Patrick Casey, Planner, The GSP Group - 226-499-6769,  pcasey@gspgroup.ca