Town shelves park name residents favoured, pitches Earl Plato Park

The Town of Fort Erie is considering naming a new park on Thunder Bay Road in memoriam of a local naturalist after Mayor Wayne Redekop said he was “disappointed” with the popular pick.

The town is considering Earl Plato Park for the new 1.27-hectare park at 3440 Thunder Bay Road, naming it after a local naturalist who died in 2017, though earlier public feedback had pointed to Thunder Bay Park as the preferred choice.

Earl Plato, who died in 2017, helped start the Bert Miller Nature Club and the Bertie Historical Society. He helped save Marcy’s Woods, a rare forest along Lake Erie, wrote local newspaper columns and led nature walks for years.

When the town asked residents for input, most preferred the name Thunder Bay Park, and staff recommended it to council. But Redekop rejected that name at a meeting in July 2025.

“I have to say I’m a little disappointed we’re going to adopt a pretty mundane name for an area that has a lot of history,” said Redekop.

The mayor pointed to the Fenian retreat and the Butler’s Rangers, early soldiers who served in the area, and asked staff for a name tied to that history.

After consultation, town staff came back to council with a shortlist of three names: Thunder Bay Park, Butler’s Rangers Park and Claus Farm Park.

The land was once a golf course and beach called Thunder Bay Golf and Beach Park. It later became Ridgeway Shores Golf before the course closed.

The town plans to start building in fall 2026 and finish by spring 2027, once a separate project to rebuild Thunder Bay Road is done.

Residents who want a say in the park naming have 30 days to comment through the town’s Let’s Talk website, before the name goes to council.

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