The City of St. Catharines and the Rotary Club of St. Catharines Lakeshore have unveiled two new installations at Charles Ansell Gateway Park: an upcycled Peace Pole and a drinking water bottle refill station. Both were celebrated at a ribbon‑cutting ceremony held last Friday.
Public art with a message
The newly installed Peace Pole is a four‑sided, upcycled white PVC column bearing the message, “May Peace Prevail on Earth.” The inscription appears in English, French, Japanese — a nod to the movement’s origins in Japan in 1955 — and Anishinaabemowin.
The Peace Pole Project is a global initiative, with poles placed in more than 200,000 communities on every continent. Locally, the pole is intended to act as a daily reminder to cultivate peace in thought, word and action.
“When we discussed with the Rotary Club their goals for the additions to the park, the community impact they wanted to make, and seeing the anticipated cost, it all aligned well with both our goals and the use of the City’s Parks Legacy Fund,” said Morgan McAvoy, City Landscape Architectural Planner.
Practical addition for trail users
Alongside the Peace Pole, the Rotary Club funded a new water bottle filling station that includes both a bottle refill unit and a conventional drinking fountain. The station is located along the pathway adjacent to the north end of the park’s parking lot, serving users of the Welland Canals Parkway Trail and other visitors.
Wayfinding signage will be installed throughout the park to direct people to the new water station. The city highlights the practical benefit of improving access to drinking water while encouraging the use of reusable bottles.
Funding partnership and park history
The Rotary Club of St. Catharines Lakeshore founded Charles Ansell Gateway Park, a 1.25‑hectare waterfront site showcasing the Welland Canal and the St. Lawrence Seaway, in 1999. Its most recent proposal for the Peace Pole and water station met the criteria for the City’s Parks Legacy Fund, a matching program designed to pair municipal funds with donations, legacy giving and community projects to renew and upgrade park assets.
City officials said the installations align with municipal priorities, including environmental stewardship, by reducing reliance on single‑use bottles and improving public amenities.
- Location: Charles Ansell Gateway Park, adjacent to the Welland Canals Parkway Trail
- Installations: four‑sided Peace Pole (English, French, Japanese, Anishinaabemowin) and a water bottle filling station
- Funding: proposal by Rotary Club of St. Catharines Lakeshore matched through the City’s Parks Legacy Fund
Local context and community impact
Charles Ansell Gateway Park serves as a waterfront gateway and recreational stop for residents and visitors moving along the Welland Canals Parkway Trail. The additions enhance the park’s role as a community gathering place by combining a symbolic public artwork with a practical amenity.
As municipal budgets and community groups increasingly partner to maintain and enhance public spaces, projects like this illustrate how civic grants and third‑party donations can be combined to deliver improvements without relying solely on tax‑funded capital. For trail users — cyclists, walkers, and families — the refill station addresses an everyday need; for the broader community, the Peace Pole provides a visible statement about inclusivity and reconciliation through recognition of Indigenous language alongside international languages.
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Park size | 1.25 hectares |
| Installations | Peace Pole; water bottle filling station |
| Languages on Peace Pole | English, French, Japanese, Anishinaabemowin |
City staff and Rotary members say the additions reflect both the club’s priorities and the city’s strategic objectives. The Peace Pole and the water station are now in place for residents and visitors to use and reflect on as they enjoy the park’s waterfront views.
