City Council approves name ‘Old Lock One Commons’ for outdoor public space in Port Dalhousie

St. Catharines City Council has approved the name, ‘Old Lock One Commons,’ for the outdoor community and event space at 45 Lakeport Rd. in Port Dalhousie.

City Council voted at its December meeting to endorse the City staff-recommended name following its direction in November 2024 that staff undertake a formal naming process. A permanent sign with the name, ‘Old Lock One Commons,’ will be installed in early 2026. The City will also host a ribbon cutting event for the space next spring.

“Thank you to everyone who submitted a naming suggestion, and to those who voted on a finalist name,” said Amanda Knutson, the City’s Community Project and Development Planner. “We were pleased to recommend to City Council the name, ‘Old Lock One Commons,’ which is consistent with our Naming Policy on Parks, Trails, and Recreation Facilities, acknowledges the area’s history, and is reflective of the community’s connection to the space.”

Earlier this year the City launched the “Name This Space!” public engagement campaign on its engagestc.ca platform to solicit residents’ naming suggestions for the space near Lakeport Road, in the Port Dalhousie Commercial Core and Harbour Area Heritage Conservation District. The City received more than 200 suggested names for the space, including ‘Old Lock One Commons,’ or variations of it. Ultimately, ‘Old Lock One Commons’ won the popular vote during a second round of engagement, with 96 votes, and City staff recommended the name to Council.

The outdoor event space now named ‘Old Lock One Commons’ has a rich history, once serving as Lock 1 for the second Welland Canal, which operated from 1835 to 1945. The lock’s stone walls are still visible today and are a focal point of the stage and seating area constructed in 2018 with efforts from Kiwanis Club of St. Catharines, National Trust for Canada, Port Dalhousie Beautification and Works Committee, Rankin Construction Inc., and various private donors. Today, Old Lock One Commons is used an outdoor concerts and community events’ venue, enjoyed by residents and visitors.