The City of Niagara Falls Museums are owned by the City of Niagara Falls and operated by the City of Niagara Falls Board of Museums.  The Board of Museums is a City Council appointed management board.

Mission Statement

To inform and educate residents and visitors about the City of Niagara Falls history through the preservation and presentation or our community’s past.

Statement of Purpose

To Manage Historic Sites, Museums, Heritage Properties and Artifact Collections owned by the City of Niagara Falls.

By-Laws #73-23 and #76-65

• The City of Niagara Falls Board of Museums was established under the following by-laws #73-23 and #76-65.

A by-law to establish a board known as the "City of Niagara Falls Board of Museums" and to provide for the appointment of members thereto.

Whereas paragraph 74 of section 352 of the Municipal Act R. S. O. 1970 authorizes the council of a municipality to establish a board of management to operate a Museum on its behalf:

AND WHEREAS it is desirable that such a board be established to act on behalf of the Council of the Corporation of the City of Niagara Falls for the management of historic sites and museums or properties owned or acquired by the Corporation within the city of Niagara Falls.

NOW THEREFORE THE COUNCIL OF THE CORPORATION OF THE CITY OF NIAGARA FALLS ENACTS AS FOLLOWS:

1. There is hereby established a board to be know as the "City of Niagara Falls Board of Museums" herinafter called "the board" to which is entrusted the maintenance, control, operation and management of historic sites, museums or properties owned or acquired by the Corporation within the City of Niagara Falls as the Council may hereafter designate subject to such limitations and restrictions as the Council may from time to time impose.
    
2. (1) The Board shall consist of ten members appointed by Council, two of whom shall be members of Council and the remaining members shall be persons qualified to be selected members of Council.

2. (2) The members of Council may be appointed to the Board for the whole or any part of their unexpired term as members of Council, and the remaining members shall be appointed for not more than three years.
   (While there has been no ammendment to this By-Law by City Council to date, City Policy currently relects that Board of Museum Members are appointed for the same length of Term as that of City Council, which is currently four years as of 2006.)

2. (3) In the case of a vacancy from any cause other than the expiration of the term, the member appointed to fill the vacancy shall hold office for the balance of the term of the member whose place has become vacant.
    
3. Subject to such limitations and restrictions as Council may from time to time impose, by by-law, resolution or otherwise, the Board may:
   • Fix the time and place for meetings of the Board, and the mode of calling and conducting them, and make regulations governing the conduct of its members and employees.
   • Elect a chairman and vice-chairman all of whom shall hold office at the pleasure of the Board and for such period as the Board shall prescribe;
   • Employ such officers and servants as it may deem necessary, determine the terms on which they are employed, fix their salaries and prescribe their duties;
   • Fix the hours when any Museum under the management of the Board shall be open to the public, and require payment of fees or charges for admission thereto on the use thereof, and prescribe such fees and charges;
   • Adopt policy for rules for the use of any Museum under the management of the Board for the admission of the public thereto, and for regulating all other matters and things connected with the management therof;
   • Sell or distribute objects and literature of historical significance or interest, sell within the Museum souvenirs, articles and refreshments at such prices as the Board may decide, provided that the exercise of the power to sell refreshments shall be subject to the prior approval of Council, and to such terms and conditions as Council may impose;
   • Produce, copy and distribute historical publications and documents relating to the history of the City of Niagara Falls;
   • Encourage and develop volunteer groups to assist in the further development of museums and historical matters within the City of Niagara Falls;
   • Carry out such other duties relating to the history and development of the City of Niagara Falls as may be assigned to it by Council.
4. The Board shall not at any time set in a manner that is contrary to or inconsistent with any legal obligation of the Corporation of the City of Niagara Falls applicable to any historic site or property under the jurisdiction of the Board.
5. The Board shall not acquire any land or buildings or make or authorize a structural change of any kind to any historical site or property under its management without the approval or authorization of Council.
6. The Board shall initiate, consider an develop proposals fro the preservation and restoration of historic sites, properties and objects in the City of Niagara Falls.
7. The Board shall consult with and make recommendations to the Council in respect to all matters that in any way affect the Council.
8. The Board shall annually submit to Council an audited report of the previous year’s operations and a budget showing the expected revenues and expenditures for the current year.
9. The members of the Board shall serve without remuneration.
10. A member shall cease to be a member of the Board if he absents himself from three successive meetings without notifying the Board. Board members can be released from the Board subject to a Board resolution.
11. The Board shall hold not less than 12 meetings of its members in each calendar year. All meetings of the Board shall be open and no person shall be excluded therefrom except for improper conduct.
12. The chairman, or in his absence, the vice-chairman, shall upon written or oral request of a majority of the Board members, call a meeting for the consideration of any business within the Board’s jurisdiction.
13. A quorum of the Board shall consist of 50 % of the Board membership plus 1.
14. No member of the Board nor any member of Council shall have contract with the Board or be pecuniarily interested, directly or indirectly in any contract or work relating to the operations or function of the Board.
15. The Board shall keep minutes of its meetings and shall keep all papers and documents pertaining to the business of the Board, and all books, documents and files kept by the Board shall be open to the inspection of members of Council or any other person or persons appointed for that purpose by Council. The Board shall distribute copies of the minutes of all regular and special meetings of the Board to all participating Museum societies in the City of Niagara Falls.
16. The Board is hereby authorized to appoint committees to act on its behalf to assist in the operation and maintenance of museums within the City of Niagara Falls provided that all such committees shall be subject to the same limitations and restrictions as are imposed upon the Board by by-law, resolution or otherwise and without limiting the generality of the foregoing the limitations and restrictions contained in clause f of section 3 and in sections 4,5,7,9 and 14 of this by-law, all of which shall apply to any such committee to the same extent as if such committees were specially named therein.

How to become a Board member

Members of the Board of Museums are appointed by the Niagara Falls City Council every four years after the City of Niagara Falls Municipal elections.

Interested applicants can apply through the City of Niagara Falls Clerk's Office.  In order to be a member of the Board of Museums, applicants must be current residents of the City of Niagara Falls.

Board of Museums Meeting Minutes

• January 2007
• February 2007
• March 2007
• April 2007
• May 2007
• June 2007
• September 2007
• October 2007
• November 2007
• January 2008
• February 2008
• March 2008
• April 2008

City of Niagara Falls Museums' Policies

The City of Niagara Falls Museums follow the Ontario Ministry of Culture Standards for Community Museums in all parts of its operations.  Some of the policies guiding the on-going operation of these museums are as follows:

• Board of Museums Policy Manual - PDF format - 829 KB