Fort Erie encouraged to further ties with Brock University
March 25, 2026 at 3:11 AM
The leader of one of Niagara’s major postsecondary institutions is grateful for the support they’ve received from Fort Erie, but opened the door for more partnerships that could benefit the school, its students and the south Niagara town.
Lesley Rigg, president and vice chancellor of Brock University, spoke at the March 23 Fort Erie council meeting about the work being done at the campus and the strong partnerships between the school and Niagara’s towns and cities.
“It’s very meaningful to for a university like Brock to know its community stands behind it,” she told councillors.
According to Rigg’s presentation, Brock University has nearly a $1.5 billion per year impact on Niagara’s economy, and just over $2.8 billion overall in Ontario. Credit: Brock UniversityEven though the campus is towards the opposite end of the Niagara peninsula, Rigg said there remain strong connections between Fort Erie and Brock. There are 50 staff members at the school who call Fort Erie home, and Fort Erie businesses, schools and other organizations combined this year to offer 50 co-op and internship placements for students.
Additionally, local business Airbus Helicopters was the school’s co-op employer of the year in 2025. The company maintained 18 co-op positions between 2022 and 2026. Rigg said partnerships like the one with Airbus are helping to provide talented, hard working employees for tomorrow.
“Niagara’s future relies on a strong, prepared workforce,” she said.
Responding to a question from Councillor Tom Lewis, Rigg said the school is open to working with more Fort Erie employers to further develop co-op positions.
“We have students all the time who are looking for internships and co-ops,” she said.
Though transportation can be a challenge, Rigg pointed out that a large percentage of the student body comes from Niagara, which means they often have access to transportation or an ability to get to Fort Erie.
And for those who weren’t born in the region, Rigg said many students fall in love with Niagara when they attend Brock and end up settling in one of the local communities after they graduate.
Insinna says police budget cut request doesn’t affect ‘boots on the ground’
MOU paves way for EV charging stations at Crystal Ridge library
Council denies Dominion development as recommended by staff
About The Author
Luke Edwards
Luke Edwards is a longtime Niagara community journalist who has covered a variety of beats, including business, agriculture, the wine industry and politics. When not writing, there's a good chance he can be found at a baseball diamond or curling rink.
transportation is a barrier for the youth, working individuals and elderly alike in fort erie. With growing families and ageing populations this community needs to advocate for a better system and or improve the micro, which It is only making private companies like uber and lyft the preference as often the micro system is overbooked w very limited times. just terrible. Hope this 10 year plan w the region implements more bus routes to colleges/universities direct or express to towns like welland, port colborne, st Catherine, and express buses to the go and via rail.