From NAL publisher Doug Draper
Due to a severe flooding storm that has done costly damage to our home base, Niagara At Large will not be in a position to officially re-launch this independent news and commentary site for our greater Niagara region until September 9th.
One of more than three weeks of garbage pickups in front of our homebase in Thorold, Ontario. More than 200 plastic bags of destroyed possessions and counting.
In the meantime, we will continue to post appropriately signed comments from readers to posts on the site and will, from time to time, include a piece on issues we believe to be of interest and concern to the public at large.
I also wish to stress this again to so many of you out there who understand the value and the need for strong and independent news organizations that strive to be watchdogs for us in a free and democratic society. Many of us know that this greater Niagara region is a great and promising place to live, and we also know it continues to face many challenges economically and from the standpoint of the services needed to fulfill a goal we can all achieve together – of being a leading model around the world for healthy, livable communities.
We have watched over the past two decades as corporations like Hollinger, Sun Media and Torstar/Metroland have bought up once-decent media outlets in this region and have continued to systematically rape them of the resources they need to provide the kind of news coverage and analysis people in Niagara need and deserve.
Niagara At Large has every intention in the weeks and months ahead to re-launch this independent news and commentary site and to reach out for support from readers and advertisers to support its future survival. We will not be able to do it without support from members of the Niagara community and we will have more to do about what you can do to rebuild an effective media watchdog in our region in the weeks ahead.
Thank you all for your patience as we work to get Niagara At Large back in a position where it can rock and roll for our communities for years to come.
Doug Draper, publisher, Niagara At Large.
(Niagara At Large encourages you to share your views below.)
Niagara At Large 
We trust your ethics and morals and know that this is what needs to be done to keep the integrity alive through Niagara at Large. Perhaps you will set the new standard to show that honest journalism can thrive. Looking forward to September 9th!
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Doug: as you are well aware, there are times that you and I are diametrically opposed on some issues. At the same time, even though I live in Flamborough (part of Hamilton), I strongly support what you do!
As a former journalist, albeit in broadcasting, I too am appalled at what is happening to the so-called “mainstream” media.
We need the independent media such as Niagara At Large to ensure that the truth gets to as many people as possible.
Yes, I know that you and many of your readers and supporters tend to lean a little (in a few cases, much farther) to the left of the political spectrum. I tend to lean slightly to the right of the political spectrum (but not as far as Hudak/Harper et al).
I also know what it is like to have to deal with flooding in a basement. Fortunately, ours was not as severe as yours. You have our full sympathy! I hope you do not have the same experience we had with the insurance company. Their response to our situation was “too bad…so sad…go away.”
A quick reply from NAL publisher Doug Draper on basement flooding insurance.
Due to a botched up municipal infrastructure job involving the wastewater lines in our neighbourhood, we have had more than a dozen flooding incidents in our home over the past 15 years so our insurance company stopped covering us for basement flooding a long time ago.
This time we have finally installed backwater valves to prevent this from happening at our home again. We’ve had our share of the City of Thorold’s wastewater in our basement. Let it find somewhere else to go from now on.
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That’s a Monday starting off a new week, with new resolve, I am amazed at how much damage that storm did, very little about Thorold in the papers about it, mostly Valley Way, Niagara Falls. which was a swale called muddy run and covered with a concrete pipe, years ago..
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I am sure we all look forward to assisting Doug . I do , as I am sure all of us , want to hear views from the left , right and centre of the spectrum . I have never learned anything from some one who agrees with me ! Every man is my Teacher and I have always believed it is the best idea for the situation that should be used — Not because it came from any Political Bent .
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Sorry to hear about your challenges Doug!
Would have loved to hear your thoughts and the public dialogue relating to our spineless Regional Council and NRP Board and their negotiation of a 7.5% (over three years) raise for an already overpaid police force.
As we all know, many have made wage concessions, lost their jobs, food banks are struggling and taxes are always on the rise. Not our public employees!!! They get a raise that is twice the amount of inflation!!!
No wonder it didn’t go to arbitration!!!
In case anyone is interested here are some facts as they pertain to our regional force.
a) Our police chief makes more than the police chief of New York city. Anyone see the problem with that? Does this strike anyone as odd?
b) Our police officers make more than many university educated members of our various levels of government after a mere 4 years on the job,
c) Comparatively speaking policing is, with some exceptions in very limited areas, a safer job than truck driving, construction working and farming (we all need food, homes and shipping as much as seatbelt tickets) to name a few per Workers Compensation Board statistics,
d) the bulk of policing is limited to traffic enforcement. Not the kind of work that requires a $100k per year salary. Do crossing guards, (those who control traffic and are in charge of the safety of children), make that much?
e) NY police departments are required to publish every call they make so the taxpayer knows firsthand how their tax dollars are returning value and to ensure that bloated departments are not created! Does anyone else think this is a good idea?
Sorry for digressing on this Doug. Good luck with getting things up an running.
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