By Pamela Minns
Where have all the letters gone ?
Rosemary Hale, former Dean of Humanities at Brock, University, championed a performing arts centre for Niagara, Ontario
I have been a subscriber to The St. Catharines Standard for probably over 40 years and the one section that I enjoyed reading the most was the Letters to the Editor — opinions that came from the community.
I have noticed recently, that this section of the newspaper is almost non-existent – possibly two or three letters a week – there used to be hundreds of them ! I was a regular contributor, and there was always a “line up” to get a letter printed – but it did get printed ! I think if I were in business one of the things that would be of utmost importance to me would be the feedback from my customers – that is the only way to make things better; but, it would seem that the readers are not the customers any more – it is the advertisers !
Where would we be without Niagara at Large; here we have an experienced, trustworthy journalist, whose work I have always admired, giving us the news as it should be reported. Thank you Doug !!!
I still read and subscribe to The Standard since I need it ! I do a lot of “clipping” for the volunteer work that I do in my community. I also need to comment on an article (and pictures) which appeared in this newspaper the week of August 19th, 2013, as follows :
Cornerstone Ceremony: Algoma gives $250,000. for arts centre
“City will be better place to live and work”
This was a timely story about Algoma Central Corporation’s generous donation for the new arts centre, and this was used as the centerpiece to a cornerstone ceremony at the construction site of the St.Catharines Performing Arts Centre. This is an important project and is going to change the face of St.Catharines and the Region of Niagara forever ! The building of the spectator facility and Brock University’s Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts is now on its way !
It was noted in this article that Peter Partridge spoke at this event, with some political dignitaries in attendance – which included St.Catharines Mayor Brian McMullan, St.Catharines MPP Jim Bradley and St.Catharines MP Rick Dykstra, all of whom were busy leaving handprints in the concrete blocks.
Someone was missing from this scene ! Where was Rosemary Drage Hale, former Dean of Humanities at Brock University, whose vision it was from the very beginning, to have this facility built and in this location ? Her focus was always on the Canada Hair Cloth building – a gorgeous heritage building, steeped in the history of this area and very visible to ongoing traffic.
I am shocked that she is being omitted from all of the “festivities” when, without her hard work, ingenuity, commitment and long-term vision this facility would never have reached the drawing board.
My hope is that, somewhere in this magnificent facility, space will be found to recognize this innovative, hard-working and deep-thinking person who is a credit to Brock University and to all of Niagara.
Pamela Minns is a Niagara, Ontario resident and long-time advocate for protecting and preserving heritage sites in the greater Niagara region.
(Visit Niagara At Large at www.niagaraatlarge.com for more news and commentary on matters of interest and concern to resident in our greater Niagara region and beyond.)
Niagara At Large 
Pamela
How are you able to find Niagara At Large? It doesn’t appear in print. Or did you find it with your web browser? Seems like for you a letter to the Standard must be in print, or did you mean that it is difficult to find the Letters page on their website?
Look under Opinion and then Letters or you can scroll to the navigation at the bottom of the page and find it easily that way as well.
The costs for a printed page are higher than an online page and also limits the amount of real estate for Letters to be printed. Not so online.
The rest of your column may stand as correct, but times have changed and newspapers are moving more and more content online where resources are cheaper.
Through discussion software, they (and other sites like Niagara At Large) are also offering more interactivity with the readers on all news items than ever before.
Fair disclosure, I work for their parent company Sun Media.
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I appreciate Mr. Lake’s comments and disclosures, however, the Letters to the Editor online are far from perfect. I have emails received from former ME Wendy Metcalfe (and phone calls too) earlier this late spring and into the first week of July, to admit the online letters were not being regularly posted. The phone line to “letters” was completely non-functional. If you do go online to the Opinion Page, far at the bottom of the lists are Letters, and yes, you can find some, but not all! I have an email from Erica Bajer about a letter I hoped they would print (dated August 28th) and they did indeed print it the following week. It is not listed in the only Sept. listing which is Sept 5th. It was about the wonderful idea of neighbourhood lending library boxes.
So not much oversight here. Sun Media, or QMI is not the least bit interested in local content. Only those that work, or worked for (before dismissal) of this Quebec co. will know how poor the coverage is. The Edmonton Journal reported that The St. Catharines Standard was losing 8 employees this summer, and when I asked staff why I had to read this from an Alberta newspaper I had no response. Finally one staffer did say 7 editors (who knew any were left?) and one reporter would go, through buy-out or seniority. But wait, there’s more. But not here.
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