Taken from the NPC Website:

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What We Are About

The Niagara Parks Commission was founded in 1885 as a self-funding agency of the Ontario Government.

The goal of The Niagara Parks Commission is:

To preserve and enhance the natural beauty of the Falls and the Niagara River corridor for the enjoyment of visitors while maintaining financial independence.

What We Do

When first established, The Niagara Parks Commission included the immediate area surrounding the Falls (on the Canadian side) which totalled 62.2 hectares (154 acres).

The Commission now maintains approximately 1,720 hectares (4,250 acres) of parkland stretching along the entire length of the Niagara River from Fort Erie to Niagara-on-the-Lake, with no cost to the taxpayer.

Our Chairman reports to the Ontario Minister of Tourism. Commissioners are appointed by the Province (8) and area municipalities (4) to determine policy and direction for the Commission. The General Manager reports to the Chairman.

Because we are a Crown agency, our staff are termed Crown employees and are not considered public or civil servants.

Because we receive no government financing, we raise our own revenue through gift shops, golf courses, restaurants, attractions, parking lots and rentals. In this context, we operate along private business lines where expenditures cannot exceed revenues.

For major capital projects or to get us through the off-season, we periodically obtain short term bank financing in the same fashion as the public sector.

We operate the School of Horticulture located on the grounds of the Niagara Parks Botanical Gardens. Established in 1936, this is one of the few residential schools for apprentice gardeners. Only 12-14 students each year are admitted to this 3-year program.

The yearly profits of The Niagara Parks Commission are used in part to provide numerous FREE activities and facilities to be found within the Parks system such as:

A Floral Showhouse that is second to none, open year round with FREE admission and free-flying tropical birds.

Thousands of floral displays, including the Floral Clock, Centennial Lilac Gardens and the Niagara Parks Botanical Gardens.

Hundreds of hectares of lawn and shade trees; free boat launching areas; covered picnic pavilions and picnic tables along the Niagara Parkway; nature trails at the Niagara Glen; a recreation trail which runs parallel to the Niagara River from Fort Erie in the south, to Niagara-on-the-Lake. This popular wheelchair accessible trail is used for jogging, biking, walking, etc., and has over 70 historic interpretative plaques placed along its length.

In addition to these facilities, The Niagara Parks Commission sponsors numerous FREE band concerts, FREE Falls Fireworks throughout the summer and provides special festive lighting during the annual Winter Festival of Lights which takes place in late November to mid-January.