Business View Civil and Municipal | January 2021

147 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL JANUARY 2021 GR IMSBY , ONTAR IO is expected to be up and running in the area come 2022 to give riders more seamless transit service to and from surrounding urban centres. “Another one of our important endeavors is the Niagara Regional Transit On Demand service, which started in Grimsby in August of this year,” adds Jordan. “The ride-share service is a partnership between local municipalities, Niagara Region, and Via Mobility enabling residents to book trips using a smartphone app or a service number in as little as 15 minutes. Grimsby had the highest uptick of ridership, so we’ve been ahead of the curve. We’re really happy to have a transit service available to our residents that is reliable, efficient, and affordable and so far it’s going really well.” Grimsby’s current population of about 30,000 is expected to rise to 38,000 over the next 10 years, so having an updated hospital facility is imperative. The complete rebuild of West Lincoln Memorial Hospital, which had initially been slated for demolition, has been the result of much passion and persistence by Jordan and West Niagara’s remaining two mayors. “The hospital development is moving forward and we’re at Stage 3 right now,” says Jordan. “We’re really looking forward to seeing shovels in the ground in early 2022.We’ve worked tirelessly to bring this project forward and the Ontario government has stepped up and guaranteed that we are going to move forward.” The growing community is currently scoping out areas such as Main Street East for infill development. Around the hospital is a site where there is potential for infill and that is why the town is pushing for a heritage cultural district study to protect the local heritage yet enable smart and long-term development. Jorden reflects, “Heritage is the fabric of Grimsby, along with the escarpment and waterfront. It is the reason people settled here in Niagara, because of the close proximity of the escarpment and the lake, and this is why Grimsby is a popular small-town community... the fact that we have so much heritage.”