Lincoln Mayor Sandra Easton says her town is an exciting place to be these days.
“Lincoln is buzzing,” said the mayor during her state of the town address to Lincoln Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday.
“In 2023, we saw $1.4 billion of real gross domestic product in Lincoln,” Easton said. “It reinforces our level of productivity and that we are using every inch of available space for value-added agriculture and manufacturing.”
The mayor noted nine local businesses expanded operations last year, and the town is seeing a big investment by Bell to expand high-speed internet across the community.
“We’re anticipating another historic announcement from another internet provider soon,” Easton said.
She said local businesses have shared $152,500 in provincial funding to enhance their internet presence, and the town’s Digital Service Squad has assisted more than 60 firms with their online business.
Easton said the town’s Youth Skills Studio in Beamsville received job-related provincial funding last year.
“This additional funding of $2.9 million well-prepared 250 youth in Lincoln and across Niagara for careers in technology, tourism and hospitality and connected trained youth with 75 businesses hiring across sectors including tech, manufacturing and tourism,” she said.
The mayor also saluted the wine industry, noting local winemakers collected 211 medals at the 2023 National Wine Awards of Canada and that Restaurant Pearl Morissette has been honoured with a spot on the 2024 La Liste Top 1,000 Restaurants in the World.
“We’re so proud of all these achievements the wineries and businesses of the Niagara Benchlands,” Easton said.
During a question-and-answer session following her remarks, Easton was asked what the town is doing about the shortage of housing.
Calling it a “housing crisis,” Easton said the town is working to address it.
“We have close to 8,000 housing units that have been approved that have not started,” Easton said. “Forty-three hundred are in Prudhommes.”
The mayor said high interest rates and a shortage of skilled construction workers have slowed construction, but she remains optimistic.
“I have every confidence that the work we’ve approved will be done, and there are certainly new projects that are coming down the pipe,” Easton said.
The mayor was also asked for an update on the town’s planned purchase of the former Beamsville District Secondary School (BDSS) site.
Easton said the matter remains under discussion with District School Board of Niagara.
“Letting BDSS go through our fingers is not in our plan,” Easton said. “Should the purchase take place successfully, we are going to engage extensively with community members.”
But she said some of the property will likely be sold off for housing to help pay for the community hub envisioned for the Central Avenue site.
“There’s a lot of options on the table,” Easton said. “Think family doctors (offices), think outpatient facilities, think about a health hub in general.”
The mayor said the location could also be home to more recreation facilities.
“The seniors are banging on the doors for more pickleball (courts),” Easton said.
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