The Hamiton Conservation Authority Board of Directors agenda package for the September 4, 2025 meeting included correspondence between a resident who lives near the Tiffany Falls Conservation Area and the HCA’s Executive Director Lisa Burnside.

The correspondence followed reporting by this publication regarding the HCA’s plans to transform the Tiffany Falls Conservation Area. The changes include building a new parking lot off of Lower Lions Club Road which will replace the existing parking area off of Wilson Street.

Burnside’s response explains the plan is “in the early stages of this process” and there will be many points of public engagement during the process of plan approvals and modifications.

Here is the full text of Burnside’s letter:

Dear Warren Waxman,

Thank you for taking the time to share your concerns regarding the proposed parking lot on Lower Lion’s Club Road related to Tiffany Falls.

As part of efforts to address growing pressures at this popular conservation area, staff recently completed a Visitor Use Management Plan. This plan, which was reviewed by both the Conservation Advisory Board and our Board of Directors, examined current trends and challenges related to visitor access and proposed strategies to better manage these pressures over the long term.

The framework used for this plan is a well-established approach also adopted by agencies such as Parks Canada. The approved strategy includes restricting access at the existing Wilson Street lot and developing a new parking area on Lower Lion’s Club Road. This approach is not focused on increasing visitor numbers; rather, it enables the introduction of tools that help better manage visitor flow and behaviour that cannot currently be achieved at the Wilson Street location, such as a reservation system, a longer trail to help disperse use, and opportunities for enhanced education and stewardship messaging.

A reservation system has been successfully implemented at the Spencer Gorge Conservation Area, resulting in significant improvements to traffic congestion and visitor impacts in the Greensville area. Municipal parking enforcement played a supportive role in addressing related street parking concerns.

At this time, we are in the early stages of this process. Additionally, a development permit from the Niagara Escarpment Commission which includes a public consultation process will be required.

I would be pleased to speak over the phone to better understand your concerns if you could provide me with the number to reach you.

Sincerely,

Lisa Burnside
CAO
Hamilton Conservation Authority

Update: The HCA launched a webpage with information regarding this project.

Production Details
v. 1.0.1
Published: September 6, 2025
Last updated: September 7, 2025
Author: Joey Coleman

Update Record
v. 1.0.0 original version
v. 1.0.1 added links (September 7) and fixed content display issue. Thank you for the comments regarding the display error.

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2 Comments

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  1. Hey Joey,

    Just a heads up, the email you quoted was hard to read because there are parts of sentences that are doubled, including the first sentences of the first 3 paragraphs.

    Thank you for your work.

    Reply

    1. Thank you for flagging.

      There was a glitch between what I see logged-in and what was published. I’ve fixed it.

      Thank you again, I could not see the error.

      Reply