EXECUTIVE SUMMARY by Michael Ennamorato! Executive Summary The Shaw Festival executive wishes to demolish the Royal George Theatre on Queen Street in the heritage district of Niagara-on-the-Lake and replace it with a new, expanded theatre facility at the same location. This initiative has been spurred by consideration that the Royal George, in its current structural form, has reached the end of its useful life. With some funding secured from the provincial government, there is a desire to move relatively quickly to the construction phase and to complete redevelopment of the site within a three-year time frame. Preliminary architectural plans have been made available for public input with the aim of arriving at a widely accepted proposal to put forward for local council approval. The Niagara- on-the-Lake Residents Association (NOTLRA) wishes to engage in this process as an advocate for residents from across the municipality. As a grassroots organization, it is critical that the NOTLRA solicit direction from its members to ensure that its approach to advocacy is consistent with their perspectives, concerns, needs and desires. To this end, The NOTLRA conducted a survey among its members to determine the extent to which they are aligned with the leadership’s proposed advocacy approach vis-a-vis the Royal George rebuild. Results of the survey indicate that members typically have a good understanding of current issues surrounding the Royal George and are, consequently, well placed to provide the NOTLRA with direction on an approach to advocacy on their behalf. With this knowledge-base established, they were presented with the following proposed approach for assessment. The Niagara-on-the-Lake Residents Association supports the Shaw’s initiative to replace the current Royal George Theatre with a new theatre facility at the current location. We are committed to working with the Shaw and other stakeholders to alter aspects of the size and design of the proposed structure in an effort to better protect the unique heritage character of the streetscape and the residential integrity of the surrounding neighbourhood. Members strongly support this position, with 9-in-10 indicating agreement and more than two- thirds doing so in unequivocal terms. Moreover, among the few who express dissent, the prevailing rationale is that the proposed position is not strong enough. Some would rather have the new theatre constructed at another location that might be better suited to the scale and design of the facility outlined in initial plans. Relocating is not feasible for a number of practical reasons. However, dissenters’ underlying concern about compatibility suggests that that they would endorse the NOTLRA advocating for the majority with some forcefulness, insofar as that advocacy strives for a better fit at the current location on Queen Street. Implications On the basis of these survey results, the NOTLRA has a mandate to intervene on behalf of its members in a manner consistent with the proposed positioning statement. This involves taking a collaborative and constructive approach that recognizes the Shaw’s role as an important partner in nurturing NOTL’s long-term health. Nonetheless, in alignment with members’ core concerns, the NOTLRA should not hesitate to adopt an assertive stance in continuing to advocate for changes to the design and scale of a new Royal George at the current location with the aim of preserving the heritage character and the residential integrity of the surrounding neighbourhood.