Comments on: This Year’s Municipal Elections Are Vital to Niagara, Ontario’s Future – Get Involved Now!

By: Angela Browne

Angela Browne — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 07:32:07 +0000

I think we need to seek and identify candidates that support a fully accessible, affordable and reliable regional transit service that can eventually be made into light rail. We need to dispose of regional councilors that are slowing down or blocking the progress of this initiative. Maybe before they put their name forward, they should leave their car behind for a month and just get around on what’s available, no carpooling, just use what inadequate buses there are or be forced to give up their first borns to take taxis to get from place to place … see if they can keep their job, let alone do it … see if they can access medical care, see if they can access recreational visits, etc. then let them make comment on whether or not a regional transit service will help. Tired of drivers making all the decisions about how non-drivers get around (or not).

By: gail

gail — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 02:14:45 +0000

really enjoying your site
keep up the great work

By: John Bacher

John Bacher — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 23:56:11 +0000

Regarding the hopsptial site controversy, I would like to point out to sue that the Preservation of Agricultural Lands Society, opposed the west St. Catharines site. This was moreover, a difficult issue for us to take, because we actually lost a member as a result, who was subsequently appointed by the Provijncial government to the LINS board, which co-ordinates hopsital services for the Hamilton-Niagara area. Unfortunately, due to a hostile media, our positions our not widely understood, which is why forums such as Niagara at Large are so valuable.

By: Fiona McMurran

Fiona McMurran — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 15:58:50 +0000

In response to Dennis Soron — You are quite right, of course. I know many residents of St. Catharines and area who oppose the NHS’ HIP as well as the location of the new hospital. Might I suggest that you make your opinions known to candidates for the upcoming municipal elections, particularly those seeking to serve as regional councillors. Of all the many meetings I have attended on the Niagara hospital restructuring issue, I personally found the Region’s recommittment to support for the new hospital the most disheartening. Both the discussion and the actual vote revealed only too clearly that most members of Regional Council care little or nothing for the concerns of residents of south Niagara about the future of their hospital services. Please consider adding your voice to our protest against the HIP, if you have not already done so.

By: Dennis Soron

Dennis Soron — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 14:39:54 +0000

I sympathize with Sue’s frustration, but don’t think that she needs to direct it at John and ‘his’ hospital. Is he behind the NHS’s plans somehow? I don’t think so. In fact, I’d be willing to bet that he would be against building a new hospital on agricultural land, furthering sprawl, and creating all kinds of access problems for people in the region. My point here is that Sue and others shouldn’t assume that all people (including John and myself) in St. Catharines support what the NHS (and / or the province) are doing with health care in this region. We’re allies, so don’t lump us in with some undifferentiated “north Niagara” mass.

By: Helen Tilley

Helen Tilley — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 13:45:11 +0000

I would rather have anybody as Regional Chair except Debbie Z. She is too much of a Diva.

By: Sue Salzer

Sue Salzer — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 12:24:27 +0000

PERHAPS MR BACHER ,AS POSTED ABOVE, BEING A GREAT ENVIRONMENTALIST, WOULD AGREE THAT THE POLLUTION FROM ADDITIONAL CARS TRAVELLING THROUGH ST CATHARINES TO HIS NEW HOSPITAL FROM THE SOUTHERN TIER IS NOT DESIREABLE.

MR DRAPER QUOTED OUR JOB STATISTICS.
OUR HEALTH STATISTICS ARE WORSE. THE NIAGARA PENINSULA DEATH RATE IS OVER 30% HIGHER THEN THE REST OF THE PROVINCE AND DEATH FROM HEART PROBLEMS IS OVER 50% HIGHER THEN THE REST OF THE PROVINCE.
THE NIAGARA HEALTH SYSTEM SPIN IS THAT WE ARE OLDER AND SICKER.

CHALLENGE EVERY SINGLE PERSON RUNNING FOR MUNICIPAL OFFICE TO ANSWER THIS QUESTION.
“WHAT WILL YOU DO TO ENSURE THAT EVERY COMMUNITY IN NIAGARA HAS ACCESS TO EQUAL AND ACCESSIBLE MEDICAL CARE?”
MAKE SURE YOU VOTE THIS YEAR,,,SOUTHERN TIER LIVES ARE AT RISK.

By: John Bacher

John Bacher — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 04:55:37 +0000

I thank Doug Draper for drawing attention to the municipal election. I am a candidate for City Council in St. Catharines in St. Patrick’s ward. I have a great concern for the environment, which is shown in my role as a founding member and current researcher for the Preservation of Agricultural Lands Society. It is generally not recognized that many environmental approaches can actually save money. Having costly curbs and gutters of concrete instead of grass swales, not only adds to pollution by increasing the speed of the flush of contaminates, it also is more expensive that grass swales, which can be attractively managed as constrcuted wetlands, complete with beautiful wetland plants such as Cardinal Flower. Such an approach would truly make St. Catharines a Garden City and save expenses for taxpayers!