Ontarians are not buying (Ford Government Education Minister) Paul Calandra’s political games; we need real investments to set kids up for success
A Statement from Ontario NDP ‘Shadow Minister’ for Education Chandra Pasma
Posted September 24th, 2025 on Niagara At Large
Chandra Pasma, the Ontario NDP Shadow Minister for Education, is calling on the Ford government to reverse course on their political games and invest in our classrooms after reports show that a majority of Ontarians are not buying (Ford Government Education Minister) Paul Calandra’s political games and want to see more investments in our classrooms:
“It’s clear no one is buying what Doug Ford is selling. Parents see right through this government’s blatant power grab and partisan games, and they know this government does not have our kids’ best interests at heart. Continue reading
NIAGARA FALLS, ON – Birchway Niagara is proud to announce a transformational gift of $750,000 from long-time Niagara philanthropists Jana and Michael Katz in support of the agency’s Creating Safe Spaces capital campaign.
With the once-every-tear sight of that harvest moon up there in the sky just two weeks away, farmers markets, road-side stands and what few independent, locally owned grocery store outlets we have left across Niagara and other neighbouring regions of our province are brimming with vegetables and other produce grown by our local farmers.
St. Catharines, Ontario –– Three-in-four (74%) Canadians ages 18–34 say they lack a sense of community, according to new YMCA research. Yet the same amount believe that “third places” like the YMCA are the key to feeling more connected.
“The current Israeli government is working methodically to prevent the prospect of a Palestinian state from ever being established. It has pursued an unrelenting policy of settlement expansion in the West Bank, which is illegal under international law. Its sustained assault in Gaza has killed tens of thousands of civilians, displaced well over one million people, and caused a devastating and preventable famine in violation of international law. It is now the avowed policy of the current Israeli government that ‘there will be no Palestinian state’. … It is in this context that Canada recognises the State of Palestine” – Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney
Toronto, ON / Cleveland OH – The Council of the Great Lakes Region (CGLR) through its Canadian nonprofit corporation (CGLR Canada) is pleased to announce the appointment of Vance Badawey as President and Chief Executive Officer, effective September 15th, 2025.
(A Brief Foreword by Niagara At Large reporter/publisher Doug Draper – What fantastic news this is, not just from the standpoint of domestic availability of a key, life-saving vaccine in our country, but also because it is one more giant step in moving our country away from our dependence on a country – Trump’s United States – that we can no longer count on as a fair supply line for much-needed vaccines and other products Canadians need.
Today (this September 19th, 2025), the Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions, and the Honourable Marjorie Michel, Minister of Health, along with Stéphane Bancel, Chief Executive Officer of Moderna, announced that Moderna has achieved a major milestone, producing the first made-in-Canada doses of its COVID-19 vaccine at its new state-of-the-art mRNA vaccine biomanufacturing facility in Laval, Quebec.
“As respiratory viruses circulate this fall, vaccination is our strongest defense. We encourage all Ontarians, especially seniors and others at higher risk of complications from infection, to get their seasonal vaccines as soon as they’re available. If you’re unsure about timing or eligibility, your family physician can help you make a plan and find convenient options close to home. Getting protected now lowers the risk of severe illness and helps keep people healthier in their communities and out of hospitals.” – Dr. Jobin Varughese, President, Ontario College of Family Physicians
“As we head into respiratory illness season, our government is using every tool in our toolbox to protect our communities, families and our most vulnerable,” said Sylvia Jones, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. “Working with our health-care partners, we are making sure flu, COVID-19 and RSV immunizations are available close to home, where and when they are needed.”
NIAGARA FALLS, Ontario – Ontario’s New Democrats are going back to their roots for their first in-person convention since 2019, kicking off in Niagara Falls this afternoon. Over 63 years ago, the party was founded in Niagara Falls by farmers, unions, and families fighting for a better future.
There were 7,000 fewer job openings in Ontario at the end of June than March and there were more than 200,000 fewer openings than June 30, 2022, according to a Statistics Canada report released Tuesday morning.
“Like most people of my generation (born and growing up during the Great Depression of the 1930s and Second Word War eras), I was brought up to believe in progress. I still do. But we are now at a point where we have to ask ourselves if we are beneficiaries of our progress – or the victims. Manifest Destiny doesn’t work anymore. Progress from now on has to mean something different. We’re creating a world a world that is tipping dangerously out of balance. We are running out of places, we’re running out of resources, and we’re running out of time. … It is a pretty lousy legacy we have left our children. …
Canadians are in a housing crisis. Despite recent improvements in several cities, far too many Canadians – particularly young Canadians – are struggling to find homes they can afford. Canada’s new government is stepping up with a bold new approach and unprecedented investments to increase the housing supply in Canada.
Lincoln, ON –– Town of Lincoln Committee of the Whole has approved a $25,000 Physician Recruitment Incentive Agreement with Dr. Danielle Robinson, who will establish her first full-time practice in Niagara at the Lincoln Medical Clinic. The report is scheduled for Council ratification on September 22, 2025. 
For hundreds of small and medium-sized communities across the Great Lakes region, preparing for the water-related impacts of changing weather patterns can be challenging. The International Joint Commission’s (IJC) Great Lakes Water Quality Board) has developed a new Great Lakes Climate Adaptation Resource Guide .
Niagara, Ontario – More Brock University students will soon learn the vital skills needed to provide critical care for residents in Niagara and across Ontario.
The federal government is developing a new agency to accelerate construction across the country. 
When they privatized cataract surgeries, Ford appeared all over TV promising that people would never pay with their credit card, only their OHIP card. That was a lie. All over Ontario, seniors are now routinely charged thousands of dollars in the private for-profit eye surgery clinics. 
This Monday night at 9p.m., if you get the PBS channel (WNED) out of Buffalo, N.Y. that public broadcast network will be playing a two-hour long American Experience documentary called “Poisoned Gound- The Tragedy At Love Canal” in Niagara Falls, New York.
Niagara Region, Ontario – Teachers and school leaders in Niagara now have an easier way to bring vital safety education into their classrooms.
GRIMSBY – This past September 5th, Sam Oosterhoff, MPP for Niagara West, welcomed the announcement that Hamilton Health Sciences has officially taken ownership of the redeveloped West Lincoln Memorial Hospital following substantial completion.
Toronto — A powerful coalition of private developers, non-profit housing providers, and civil society leaders is calling on the federal government to launch an ambitious “nation-building” plan to build one million affordable homes for low- and middle-income Canadians.
Niagara, Ontario – Niagara Transit is receiving a major investment of more than $128 million from the Government of Canada, Government of Ontario and Niagara Region to refresh its transit fleet and improve public transit services.
Lincoln, ON – As part of the Town of Lincoln’s commitment to growing a healthy tree canopy and supporting water conservation, residents are encouraged to take part in the 2025 Tree and Rain Barrel Sale.
This Labour Day, my thoughts go back to the darkest days of the COVID pandemic just a few years ago when our politicians at the municipal, provincial and federal level locked our public buildings up to us like Brinks trucks while employees at grocery stores went on working every day so that we could put food on our tables.
As of this last long weekend of summer, Trump and his tens-of-millions of MAGA supporters in the United States continue to target our Canada with punishing trade tariffs in the hope that they can bring us to our knees and make us agree to be annexed as a “51st state.”
OTTAWA – Ontario NDP Shadow Minister of Education Chandra Pasma made the following statement in response to Ford’s education minister’s comments on Newstalk 1010
It was a great delight recently to learn that the increase surge in Canadian visitors has caused the revenues of the Niagara Parks Commission to increase, despite a decline in American tourists to our region.
FORT ERIE, Ontario — The Town of Fort Erie Council has adopted a new Official Plan that establishes a strategic framework to guide growth and development through to the year 2051.
“There always seems to be a reason for this (Ontario Ford) government to not pass this legislation. It is not a difficult task. Creating a safe working environment requires clear workplace protections. This is the third iteration of this legislation. It’s been debated for three years. (Ontario Municipal Affairs) Minister (Rob) Flack knows exactly what is needed to get this right.” – Haley Bateman, a Niagara Regional Councillor for St. Catharines and member of the province-wide citizens advocacy group Women of Ontario Say No
Ontario’s wetlands store 29 billion tonnes of carbon. They provide critical habitat for 20% of our species at risk, protect our communities from flooding, clean our water and deliver over $50 billion in ecosystem services annually in southern Ontario alone. 
Bruce Springsteen was already rising rapidly to the top of the pantheon of rock stars when on August 25th, 1975, he and his E Street Band released a song he composed that would forever brand him in the world of popular music as ‘The Boss’.
Niagara Falls, ON – In celebration of the 100th anniversary of the binational Niagara Falls Illumination Board, a special light and laser show synchronized to music will be presented on Niagara Falls on the evenings of September 12, 13 and 14.
The International Joint Commission (IJC) is seeking public input on the recently released Draft
The Grace Peace Group (GPG) is partnering with the Niagara Palestine Coalition (NPC) to put on a yard sale to raise funds for local Palestinian/Gazan families who are supporting relatives currently suffering in Gaza, or caught in refugee limbo in Egypt, and who hope to join their relatives in Canada.
Niagara, Ontario – August is Tree Check Month
Niagara At Large 