Brock University provides public access to a wide range of educational, cultural, recreational, and community spaces that support engagement between the University and the broader Niagara community. Community members can access university facilities for learning, research, cultural events, recreation, public lectures, and outdoor activities throughout the year.

One of Brock’s most significant publicly accessible facilities is the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts (MIWSFPA) in downtown St. Catharines. Located in a restored heritage building, the MIWSFPA serves as a community cultural hub and hosts exhibitions, performances, concerts, educational programming, public events, and guided tours. The facility includes public galleries, theatres, recital spaces, and performance venues that regularly welcome community members and visitors from across Niagara. Within the MIWSFPA, the Visual Arts Gallery is free and open to the public Tuesday to Saturday from 1 to 5 p.m. from September through April and Thursday to Saturday from 1 to 5 p.m. during the summer.

The James A. Gibson Library also provides access to community users through Alumni and Community Borrower programs. Community members can obtain a Community Borrower’s Card and access borrowing privileges, library services, study spaces, and selected campus resources, extending the University’s educational resources beyond the student population. The library publishes its operating hours online, with Fall access currently available from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, and 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends.

Brock’s Archives and Special Collections is also publicly accessible Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Visitors are encouraged to provide at least 24 hours’ notice because the Archives may periodically close to researchers while hosting teaching workshops or events.

Brock’s campus also provides public access to natural and recreational spaces. The internationally recognized Bruce Trail, Canada’s longest and oldest hiking trail, passes directly through the University’s campus along the Niagara Escarpment UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Community members and visitors may access these trails for walking, hiking, running, and outdoor recreation while enjoying protected natural areas adjacent to campus.

The University further contributes to community learning through publicly accessible lectures, presentations, and speaker series. Initiatives such as the Reimagining Aging Speaker Series provide public lectures for both the Brock and wider Niagara communities, while the Stewardship Speaker Series, delivered in partnership with Niagara Parks, connects community members with experts on environmental sustainability, conservation, Indigenous perspectives, and stewardship.

In addition, Brock regularly hosts public tours, open houses, outreach events, and community programming that invite residents and visitors to engage directly with university facilities and services. These activities support Brock’s role as a community resource and foster stronger connections between the University and the Niagara region.

By providing public access to cultural spaces, library services, outdoor recreation areas, public lectures, and community programming, Brock University helps strengthen community engagement and contributes to the cultural, educational, and civic life of the Niagara region.

Brock University provides public access to library resources, services, and learning spaces through the James A. Gibson Library. Community members, alumni, retirees, visiting scholars, high school classes, and other eligible users can access library services, borrow privileges, study spaces, and selected campus resources, supporting lifelong learning and community engagement beyond the University’s student population.

The James A. Gibson Library welcomes community users through its Community Borrower program, which allows members of the public to obtain a Community Borrower’s Card and borrow library materials. Community borrowers may borrow up to 20 books at a time for 14-day loan periods with up to four renewals, providing meaningful access to the library’s collections and educational resources for residents of the Niagara region. They may also borrow audiovisual materials and Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority NaturePlus passes through the library’s lending system.

In addition to borrowing privileges, community members may access library facilities for research, studying, and academic inquiry. The library supports a broad range of users including Brock alumni, retirees, visiting scholars, high school students, and members of the public, reinforcing Brock’s commitment to knowledge sharing and community access.

The library’s borrowing policies specifically recognize community borrowers as eligible users alongside students, faculty, staff, alumni, and users from other Canadian universities. Community members who hold a valid Community Borrower’s Card can access and borrow materials from the library’s collections while adhering to the same accountability standards applied to all library users. Borrowers are responsible for materials signed out in their name and may incur fines or replacement charges for overdue, lost, or damaged items. Borrowing privileges are suspended when outstanding fines reach $20 or more and are reinstated once fines are paid.

Through public access to library collections, borrowing privileges, study spaces, and educational resources, Brock University supports lifelong learning, community engagement, and equitable access to information for residents of the Niagara region and beyond. The University’s library policies provide clear and transparent borrowing rules, loan limits, renewal options, and fine structures that help ensure community access remains sustainable and available to all users.

Collaborative partnerships:

• Brock University is part of the Omni network, maintaining a reciprocal borrowing agreement, allowing faculty, staff, and students from 19 participating universities to borrow books from member libraries at no charge.

Brock University supports public access to arts, culture, and heritage through exhibitions, galleries, and community cultural programming. The University provides opportunities for community members to engage with contemporary art, creative practice, and educational experiences through public cultural spaces and events.

The Visual Arts Gallery (VISA Gallery), located within the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, is open to the public free of charge and hosts rotating exhibitions featuring students, faculty, alumni, visiting artists, and independent curators. The gallery serves as a space for artistic engagement, dialogue, and community participation.

In addition, the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts hosts exhibitions, performances, and cultural events throughout the year, contributing to the cultural life of downtown St. Catharines and the broader Niagara community. As Brock’s dynamic hub of creative and intellectual activities, over 75 events are hosted each year, drawing over 10,000 attendees to performance, exhibition, concerts, recitals and artist talks.

Another public access collection can be found at the Library Archives and Special Collections which preserves and shows unique materials documenting the history of Niagara and the University. Any community member can visit the collections through a free appointment booking.

Brock also preserves the legacy of the former Rodman Hall Art Centre, a contemporary art gallery that welcomed students, artists, and members of the public and remains an important part of the University’s cultural heritage.

Through public galleries, exhibitions, and cultural programming, Brock University provides opportunities for community members to explore the arts and participate in the cultural life of the Niagara region.

Brock University provides free public access to open spaces and green spaces throughout the day, seamlessly integrating the campus into the broader Niagara community’s natural landscape.

Brock’s campus serves as a vital green corridor, with communal spaces thoughtfully positioned throughout outdoor areas that are freely accessible all day:

• Pond Inlet – a scenic space that overlooks a human-made pond and waterfall, providing a soothing outdoor sensory experience.
• Jubilee Court – a large multi-purpose communal courtyard lined with picnic tables and trees.
• Walker Complex Courtyard – a manicured outdoor area with shaded seating under umbrellas and multi-purpose outdoor workout space.
• Outdoor firepit near Alphies Trough – tucked behind the Thistle Complex along the escarpment.
• Picnic tables outside Market Hall – providing a space for people to enjoy a meal together close to food stations on campus.

Daily, employees from neighboring institutions such as Hotel Dieu Shaver and the Niagara Region utilize these spaces, demonstrating the university’s role as a community hub for health, wellness, and connection to nature.

The campus’s integration with the Bruce Trail – Canada’s longest and oldest hiking trail – exemplifies Brock’s dedication to maintaining shared land ecosystems and promoting conservation.

Brock University contributes to the cultural and heritage life of the Niagara region through arts education, public cultural programming, exhibitions, performances, and the preservation and adaptive reuse of heritage spaces. Through partnerships with artists, cultural organizations, community members, and audiences, the University helps strengthen local cultural identity while supporting creativity, artistic expression, and heritage preservation.

A cornerstone of Brock’s contribution to arts and heritage is the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts (MIWSFPA), located in a restored nineteenth-century industrial building in downtown St. Catharines. The adaptive reuse of the former Canada Hair Cloth factory transformed a significant heritage structure into a vibrant center for arts education, exhibitions, performances, and community engagement, contributing to the revitalization of the downtown core.

The MIWSFPA hosts more than 75 events annually – drawing over 10,000 attendees –  and includes galleries, theatres, studios, and performance venues that support artistic and cultural programming for students and the wider community. Through exhibitions, concerts, receptions, lectures, and performances, the University contributes to the cultural vitality of the Niagara region.

The Visual Arts Gallery (VISA Gallery) further supports public engagement with the arts through free exhibitions featuring students, faculty, alumni, visiting artists, and independent curators. The gallery provides opportunities for cultural dialogue, creative exchange, and community participation in the arts.

Brock also preserves and shares the legacy of the former Rodman Hall Art Centre, a contemporary art gallery that served the Niagara community for many years and remains an important part of the University’s cultural heritage.

Through arts education, cultural programming, heritage preservation, public exhibitions, and community engagement, Brock University contributes to the cultural and artistic life of Niagara while supporting the preservation and celebration of the region’s heritage.

Brock University records, preserves and provides access to cultural heritage through archival stewardship, special collections, conservation of historic places, adaptive reuse and cultural resources. Its work encompasses local and regional heritage, histories of displaced communities, Indigenous and Black heritage, and collections of broader national significance.

Local and Regional Cultural Heritage

• Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts / Canada Hair Cloth Building: Brock transformed the historic nineteenth-century Canada Hair Cloth factory in downtown St. Catharines into the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts while retaining and adaptively reusing the historic industrial property. The project preserves an important element of St. Catharines’ built and industrial heritage while giving it an ongoing educational and cultural purpose.
• Rodman Hall and Thomas Rodman Merritt House: Brock preserves and shares documentation relating to the former Rodman Hall Art Centre, housed within the historic Thomas Rodman Merritt House, maintaining the legacy of an important part of Niagara’s artistic and architectural heritage.
• Niagara Collection: Brock University Library Archives and Special Collections preserves primary and secondary materials documenting the history and development of the Niagara region. Its holdings cover subjects including the War of 1812, the Underground Railroad, United Empire Loyalists, immigration, industrialization, agriculture, the Welland Canal, urban development, the Bruce Trail and the Niagara Escarpment.

Black Cultural Heritage

• Brock’s archival collections preserve the history of Black communities in Niagara and Ontario. The Adams, Butler and Hill Family Fonds contains more than 150 years of family records documenting Black history in Ontario, while other archival holdings document the Underground Railroad, abolitionist connections and Black communities in Niagara.
• The Rick Bell Collection also preserves historical materials connected with regional Black history.

Indigenous Cultural Heritage and Knowledge

• The Phyllis Webstad Lending Library, located within Brock’s Hadiya’dagęnhahs First Nations, Métis and Inuit Student Centre, provides access to educational materials selected by Indigenous knowledge carriers. Named for Orange Shirt Day founder and residential school Survivor Phyllis Webstad, the collection supports access to Indigenous knowledge and learning resources.

Displaced and Refugee Cultural Heritage

• United Empire Loyalist Collection: Brock preserves an extensive collection documenting the United Empire Loyalists, people displaced during the American Revolution who migrated elsewhere within the British Empire. Approximately 5,000 Loyalist refugees settled in Niagara, and Brock’s collection preserves materials documenting their migration and subsequent role in the development of Niagara, Ontario and Canada.
• Brock’s Loyalist holdings have been expanded through acquisition and digitization initiatives. The Friends of the Loyalist Collection supported the acquisition of books, archival records and more than 500 microfilms, while the Woodruff Family archival collection was digitized after being designated significant cultural property to Canada.

National Cultural Heritage

• The United Empire Loyalist Collection extends beyond Niagara history by documenting migration, settlement and political and economic developments that contributed to the formation of modern Canada. Brock’s Archives describes the collection as providing insight into the Loyalists’ role in developing the region, province and country.
• Brock’s Masonic Book Collection contains more than 1,200 works, making it one of the largest collections of books on Freemasonry at a Canadian university.

Through the preservation of historic buildings, archival records, cultural collections and community histories, Brock safeguards and provides access to heritage representing Niagara and broader Canadian experiences, including communities historically displaced or underrepresented in traditional archival records.

Brock University measures sustainable commuting among its student population through transportation-related surveys. These surveys provide a quantitative basis for tracking commuting patterns over time and evaluating the use of sustainable transportation options.

Brock University promotes sustainable commuting by encouraging the use of public transit, active transportation, and low-emission vehicles. Through transportation initiatives and supporting infrastructure, the University works to reduce transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions while providing sustainable travel options for students, faculty, staff, and visitors.

Examples of sustainable commuting initiatives include:

• Public Transit Access: Brock supports public transit use through the Universal Bus Pass program, which provides students with access to transit systems across the Niagara region and offers an alternative to single-occupancy vehicle travel.
• Cycling Infrastructure: Brock promotes active transportation by providing more than 30 bicycle racks across its main and east campuses and supporting cycling as a sustainable commuting option.
• Electric Vehicle Charging Stations: Brock has installed 22 electric vehicle charging stations across campus, including Level 2 and Level 3 chargers that support low-emission transportation.
• Sustainable Transportation Promotion: The University actively promotes sustainable transportation options and provides resources that encourage the use of public transit, cycling, and electric vehicles.
• Remote Work Flexibility: Brock offers remote work options for employees, reducing daily vehicle emissions.

Through public transit access, cycling infrastructure, and electric vehicle charging facilities, Brock University supports sustainable commuting and contributes to reducing the environmental impacts associated with transportation.

Brock University supports flexible work arrangements through its formal Flexible Work Arrangement Policy, which enables eligible employees to perform some or all of their work remotely where operationally appropriate. The policy is designed to support employee well-being, work-life balance, productivity, recruitment, retention, and organizational effectiveness while maintaining operational requirements and service delivery.

Brock University supports employees with housing and relocation-related costs through collective agreement provisions and accommodation supports.

• Faculty and professional librarians: Eligible newly appointed employees can receive reimbursement for reasonable and receipted moving expenses. The Brock University Faculty Association collective agreement provides reimbursement of up to $5,000 for moves within 1,000 kilometres and up to $10,000 for moves exceeding 1,000 kilometres, subject to the agreement’s eligibility requirements.
• Graduate Teaching Assistants: Brock also provides housing-related accommodation supports for eligible graduate student employees, helping address individual accommodation needs while they study and work at the University.

Together, these provisions reduce relocation and housing-related barriers for eligible employees joining or working at Brock.

Brock University provides university-managed student housing across a range of residence styles and price points and publishes residence costs to support informed housing decisions.

• Range of housing options: Brock offers traditional, semi-suite and townhouse residence accommodations, providing students with different room configurations and price points.
• Published residence rates: For 2026-27, Fall/Winter room fees range from $8,920 for a Village double room to $11,040 for several single-room options. Residence room fees include furnishings, utilities and wireless network access. Mandatory meal-plan costs are separate.
• Transparent costs: Brock publishes room-specific residence fees and payment schedules so students can compare accommodation options before selecting housing.
• Financial difficulty: Brock’s Housing Services directs students experiencing financial difficulty to contact the department regarding their residence payments.
• Off-campus support: Students living off campus also have access to Brock resources on tenant rights and housing issues. Through BUSU support, Brock students can access free legal services and information from the Niagara Community Legal Clinic for issues including maintenance, eviction notices, lease disputes and landlord-tenant matters.

Through university-managed housing, transparent pricing and housing support services, Brock supports student access to safe and suitable accommodation.

Brock University prioritizes safe, accessible, and sustainable movement across campus through a network of sidewalks, pedestrian pathways, crosswalks, and accessible routes connecting academic buildings, residences, recreation facilities, and transit stops. The University supports walking as a primary mode of travel while promoting accessibility and reducing reliance on single-occupancy vehicles.

Pedestrian mobility is further supported through campus accessibility infrastructure, including mapped accessible routes, elevators, accessible washrooms, and passenger drop-off locations that help ensure campus spaces can be accessed safely and efficiently by all members of the University community.

Brock also encourages active and sustainable transportation through public transit connections, bicycle infrastructure, and access to the Bruce Trail, which passes through campus and provides opportunities for walking, recreation, and connection to the surrounding Niagara Escarpment UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.

Through pedestrian infrastructure, accessibility planning, and active transportation initiatives, Brock University supports a campus environment that prioritizes safe and sustainable movement for students, employees, and visitors.

Brock University collaborates with municipalities, community organizations, and regional partners to support evidence-based planning, sustainable development, and community resilience throughout the Niagara region. Through research partnerships, policy engagement, and community-based projects, the University contributes expertise that helps inform local decision-making and long-term planning initiatives.

Examples of local planning and development collaboration include:

• Brock-Lincoln Living Lab: A partnership between Brock University and the Town of Lincoln that connects researchers, students, municipal leaders, and community stakeholders to address local sustainability priorities. The initiative supports projects related to economic development, tourism, agriculture, water management, urban forestry, and community resilience.
• The Prudhommes Project: A collaboration involving Brock University, the Town of Lincoln, and the Vineland Research and Innovation Centre focused on sustainable community development and resilient urban planning. The project helps inform land-use planning, transportation requirements, public realm design, and green-blue infrastructure development.
• Niagara Community Observatory: Brock’s public policy think tank works with municipalities, community organizations, policymakers, and regional stakeholders to conduct research on emerging issues affecting Niagara. Its work supports evidence-based decision-making on economic development, public policy, community planning, and regional growth.
• Municipal and Community Research Partnerships: Through initiatives led by the Environmental Sustainability Research Centre and other academic units, Brock contributes research expertise, experiential learning opportunities, and policy analysis that help local governments and organizations address sustainability and development challenges.

Through collaborative planning initiatives, policy research, and partnerships with municipalities and community organizations, Brock University supports sustainable local development and contributes to informed decision-making across the Niagara region.

Brock University incorporates sustainability principles into the planning, design, construction, and operation of new and existing buildings. The University uses recognized sustainability frameworks, guidelines, and performance standards to improve energy efficiency, reduce environmental impacts, and support long-term campus sustainability.

Examples of Brock’s sustainable building standards include:

• LEED Certification Framework: Brock uses the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building rating system, an internationally recognized framework for sustainable building design, construction, and operation. LEED certification promotes energy efficiency, water conservation, waste reduction, and lower greenhouse gas emissions.
• LEED Building Design and Construction (BD+C): Brock applies LEED standards to new construction and major renovation projects through the Building Design and Construction certification pathway.
• Sustainable Building Guidelines: Brock maintains institutional planning, design, architecture, and energy guidelines that support the integration of sustainability considerations into campus development projects.
• Certified Sustainable Buildings: Several campus facilities have achieved LEED certification, including the Plaza Building, International Centre, and the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts. These projects incorporate energy-efficient design, water conservation measures, waste reduction practices, and sustainable building materials.
• Adaptive Reuse and Heritage Preservation: The Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts demonstrates Brock’s commitment to sustainable development through the rehabilitation and reuse of a historic industrial building while incorporating modern energy and environmental performance standards.

Through LEED certification, sustainable design guidelines, energy planning, and responsible building practices, Brock University works to ensure that campus development supports environmental sustainability and long-term resource efficiency

Brock University supports sustainable urban development through the redevelopment and adaptive reuse of previously developed sites. A major example is the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, which opened in downtown St. Catharines in 2015 following the rehabilitation of the historic Canada Hair Cloth industrial property.

• Brownfield and industrial-site redevelopment: The former Canada Hair Cloth property was rehabilitated and repurposed as Brock’s downtown arts campus rather than developing previously undeveloped land.
• Adaptive reuse: The project retained and restored significant elements of the historic industrial building while adapting the property for contemporary teaching, learning, performance and cultural uses.
• Downtown revitalization: Locating the School in an existing downtown property brought students, faculty, performances, exhibitions and community activity into the urban core.
• Reduced greenfield pressure: Reusing an existing developed property supported more efficient land use while preserving architectural and cultural heritage.

The Marilyn I. Walker School therefore demonstrates Brock’s use of brownfield redevelopment and adaptive reuse to support sustainable land use, heritage conservation and downtown revitalization.