‘It’s what we dreamed of’: Brockville council recognizes local family’s long standing contribution to waterfront

More than 40 years after a casual conversation over coffee sparked the idea for one of Brockville’s most popular public spaces, the family behind the Armagh Sifton Price Park returned to City Hall to reflect on a legacy that continues to shape the community.

As Brockville City Council prepared to approve an amendment to a decades-old agreement at their meeting on Tuesday, July 28, Mayor Matt Wren welcomed Winfield Sifton to council chambers, where he spoke about the journey the waterfront park has taken over the years.

The bylaw updates the 1983 agreement that established what is now the Armagh Sifton Price Park, spelling out the original “S” in the park’s name as “Sifton” and ensuring a formal role in future discussions about the park’s care and development by including a representative to be named by the Armasifton Charitable Foundation.

Wren shared that the original gift from Winfield Sifton and his late brother, Travis Price, in memory of their mother, Armagh Sifton Price, was instrumental in reshaping Brockville’s shoreline.

“For those of you do not know, Armagh never knew of the park,” Sifton explained. “Though in her role as a local real estate developer, she once pointed out to me when looking at the park ‘that’s the best piece of land in Brockville.'”

Speaking to council, Sifton detailed the little-known story behind the park’s genesis. He recalled attending a council meeting in 1983 about an unrelated development project when then-mayor Steve Clark, city staff and parks officials invited him to a nearby restaurant afterwards.

“A couple cups of coffee later and a shared plate of French fries, a park was envisioned,” Sifton said.

That conversation led Sifton and his brother to donate $325,000 toward the project, which was coming together around the same time the City acquired the former railway tunnel and surrounding waterfront lands for just $1.

“This act of kindness truly solidified the transition of our downtown waterfront area from its industrial past to the jewel of Brockville’s crown that it is today,” Mayor Wren stated. “All of us who treasure our beautiful waterfront certainly owe a debt of gratitude to these gentlemen.”

Within days, what Sifton described as a vision for “a people place” on Brockville’s waterfront had taken shape.

“It warms my heart every time I go down to the park,” Sifton shared. “It’s what we wanted. It’s what we dreamed of… Kids riding the mini train, people enjoying an ice cream cone, movies in the park, or as something simple as sitting on a bench and watching a freighter go by.”

For Sifton, it is now impossible for him to imagine Brockville’s waterfront existing without the park.

Looking back more than four decades, he credited the project’s success to collaboration between elected officials, staff and community partners.

“The right timing, the right place, the right people; we cooperated and worked as a team,” he said.

Closing the discussion, Wren thanked the Sifton family for its decades of generosity and contributions, which continue to benefit generations of Brockville residents and visitors.