The Niagara Parks Commission was established in 1885 to control the lands and buildings immediately surrounding the Canadian Horseshoe Falls. The area, which is now known as Queen Victoria Park, encompassed just 62.2 hectares (154 acres).
In our long history we’ve grown to own and maintain over 1,720 hectares (4,250 acres) of parkland along the entire length of the Niagara River, stretching 53 km (36 miles) from Fort Erie in the south to Niagara-on-the-Lake in the north.
We are set up like a city within a city, with our own police services, road maintenance, waste collection and all other services needed to sustain our extensive operations. During the height of the tourist season, Niagara Parks employs over 1,700 staff: approximately 300 full-time and 1,400 seasonal hires. Niagara Parks receives no government financing – we raise our own revenues through gift shops, golf courses, restaurants, attractions and parking lots.
Every dollar you spend with use helps preserve the nature and heritage of the Falls and the Niagara River corridor. Niagara Parks operates without tax dollars.
Our Mission
The Niagara Parks Commission has the mission to preserve and enhance the natural beauty of the Falls and the Niagara River corridor for the enjoyment of visitors, while maintaining financial self-sufficiency.
As guardian of a national trust, we are mandated to preserve and commemorate the historical, cultural and environmental significance of the Niagara River corridor. Stewardship roles we assume have been an important aspect of the Commission since its inception.
Our Mandate
The Niagara Parks Commission is an Operational Enterprise of the Government of Ontario, incorporated by an act of the Provincial Legislature on April 23, 1887. We are obligated to maintain economic self-sufficiency through the application of sound business practices and we must function under the terms set out in the Niagara Parks Act, the Memorandum of Understanding between the Minister of Tourism and the Commission and some sections of the Corporations Act. Along with stewardship responsibilities, Niagara Parks must fulfill a broad range of activities laid out by government, as detailed in the Act under General Powers and Duties (Section 4) and Regulations (Section 22). The Niagara Parks Act
Classification as an operational enterprise means we sell goods or services to the public in a commercial manner, including but not necessarily in competition with the private sector. We receive the revenues from our commercial activities and apply them to further the objects for which we were incorporated. We are self-funding but rely on the government of Ontario for guarantees of bank loans.
Niagara Parks is similar to a private corporation, with all the objects, powers and duties prescribed under the Niagara Parks Act.
Niagara Parks uses the revenues it raises in part to provide numerous FREE activities and facilities for the enjoyment of our visitors from around the world, such as:
- FREE concerts and Fireworks throughout the summer
- special festive lighting during the popular Winter Festival of Lights, November to January each year
- thousands of floral displays, including the Niagara Parks Botanical Gardens, Floral Clock, Centennial Lilac Gardens and a year-round Floral Showhouse filled with exotic plants, seasonal displays and free-flying tropical birds.
- the scenic Niagara Parkway and the accessible Niagara River Recreation Trail, that connect our parkland, conservation areas, boat launches, covered picnic pavilions and picnic tables, children’s playgrounds and splash-pads
- over 100 plaques, monuments and War of 1812 sites that commemorate the persons, places and events that played significant roles in Niagara’s history
Explore all of the pages on this website to learn more interesting facts about Niagara Parks.
