Yearly Archives: 2025

2025 Saw The Passing of Renown Naturalist and Environmental Activist Jane Goodall At Age 91

“We are all interconnected – people, animals, our environment. When nature suffers, we suffer. And when nature flourishes, we all flourish” – Jane Goodall

Ayoung Jane Goodall in the field.

A Remembrance by Doug Draper

Posted December 31st. 2025 on Niagara At Large

Going back to the very first Earth Day in 1970 and even before, few people have done as much to teach us about how vital it is for we humans to live in harmony with the natural world around us than Jane Goodall.

We saw the passing of a lot of significant others in 2025, from long-time public servant Jim Bradley in our own Niagara region to legendary musicians and actors like Brian Wilson and Robert Redford.

But on the environmental front, the loss of primatologist and environmental activist Jane Goodall this past September 2025 is immeasurable at a time on this planet when we have the loss of biodiversity  species and climate catastrophes threatening our own survival,

Jane Goodall and one of her many friends

Even at the age 0f 91, Jane Goodall continued to travel from region to region around the world, talking to people of all ages about the need to do all we can as individuals to protect and preserve all that is natural on this one and only oasis in the universe that we have to live on.

Here she is, doing an interview somewhere in the U.S.A. with a reporter from The Wall Street Journal just days before she died.

You can watch it by clicking on the screen immediately below –

R.I.P Jane Goodall

A Brief Footnote from Doug Draper – The best way we can pay tribute to Jane Goodall, is to do everything we can, in our own individual way, to make this earth healthier for every being living on it.

For an earlier tribute Niagara At Large posted on  Jane Goodall, click on – https://niagaraatlarge.com/2025/10/01/one-of-this-worlds-truly-great-people-naturalist-and-global-activist-jane-goodall-dies-at-91/#:~:text=The%20Greatest%20Danger%20To%20Our%20Future%20Is,Draper%20on%20Niagara%20At%20Large%20October%201st%2C

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Film actor and producer and environmental activist Robert Redford

Posted By Doug Daper on Niagara At Large

December 31^st, 2025

In case you missed it, here is a nice piece that BBC TV aired on some of the significant others who left us in 2025.

It is well worth the 27 minutes or so it takes to watch it, and to do just that , click on the screen immediately below –

If you would like to name some others we have lost in 2025, Niagara At Large encourages you to share their names and a little bit about them in the comment space below or on the Facebook posting of this piece at (20+) Facebook .

(A footnote from Doug draper At Niagara At Large – To start us off on others, here are two Canadians that paid tribute to earlier this years – Niagara’s longest serving political representative, Jim Bradley, and Canada’s Blue-eyed soul singer of Mandala fame, George Olliver. To visit those tributes, click on the links immediately below – https://niagaraatlarge.com/2025/10/02/jim-bradley-was-remains-the-best-environment-minister-this-province-and-country-have-ever-had/ 

A Belated Farewell To Canada’s “Blue-Eyed Prince Of Soul”

NIAGARA AT LARGE Encourages You To Join The Conversation By Sharing Your Views On This Post In The Space Following The Bernie Sanders Quote Below and by sharing the Niagara At Large site at www.niagaraatlarge.com with all of your friends and associates.

“A Politician Thinks Of The Next Election. A Leader Thinks Of The Next Generation.” – Bernie Sanders

 “We are strongest when we are united, when we look out for each other, and when we take care of each other. That is what makes Canada strong.”

A Statement From Prime Minister Mark Carney

Posted December 31^st, 2025 on Niagara At Large

“Tonight, Canadians will gather with loved ones to celebrate the start of the New Year.

This is a time for families and friends across the country to come together and to welcome the year ahead. On New Year’s Eve, we pause to reflect on the moments over the year that brought us joy, and the people in our lives who made them special.

Although this year has brought more than its share of challenges to our country, we have also been reminded that we are fortunate to be part of one extraordinary, generous, and caring nation.

We are strongest when we are united, when we look out for each other, and when we take care of each other. That is what makes Canada strong.

As this year comes to a close, we resolve to carry that same spirit and those same values into 2026.

Happy New Year, Canada.”

• Mark Carney

Niagara Parks’ annual Festival of Lights. Go enjoy it before the holiday season is over.

NIAGARA AT LARGE Encourages You To Join The Conversation By Sharing Your Views On This Post In The Space Following The Bernie Sanders Quote Below and by sharing the Niagara At Large site at www.niagaraatlarge.com with all of your friends and associates.

Now They Are Going To Take A Mug Shot Of Us Every Time We Cross The Border. What’s Next? A One Way Trip To A Prison Camp?

A Commentary by Niagara At Large reporter/publisher Doug Draper

Posted December 27^th, 2025 on Niagara At Large

As of this past Boxing Day, 2025, cross the Peace Bridge or any other border crossing to the U.S. and have your mug shot taken. Better still boycott the U.S. and stay here, in support of Canada.

The year 2027 will mark the 100^th anniversary of the building of the bridge crossing between Niagara, Ontario in Canada and Buffalo, New York in the United States – named the Peace Bridge in honour of many years of a friendship between two countries that was, until recently, about the warmest you could find anywhere in the world.

I say ‘until recently’ because thanks to Donald Trump and the tens-of-millions of followers in his ‘American First’ MAGA cult who kneel to him and believe every lying thing he has to say, we Canadians are an alien threat- a potential enemy out to do Americans harm.

This aversion against Canada goes back at least six or seven years, during Trump’s first term as U.S. president, when he put Canada on a national security threat list for reasons that no one outside his twilight zone could understand. Continue reading →

A Belated Tribute To Musician Extraordinaire Rick Derringer by Doug Draper

Posted December 2025 on Niagara At Large

Rick Derringer of McCoys/Edgar Winter Band fame.

Those of you who have been following Niagara At Large for any real length of time now know that one of my biggest loves in life is music and so many of the great people out there who have done a top job of making it.

In that spirit, I want to end the year by confessing that I missed hearing the news this past spring of 2025 that Rick Derringer died so I can’t help making up for it here with a  couple of videos that at least some of you may enjoy.

Who is Rick Derringer, some of you may ask? Continue reading →

News from the City of St. Catharines

Posted December 27^th, 2025 on Niagara At Large

Road closures in place as firefighters deal with hot spots, public asked to avoid the area

A pair of overnight fires at vacant buildings in downtown St. Catharines, including former St. Catharines Standard building, will be investigated by St. Catharines Fire Services investigators.

The former St. Catharines Standard, already facing a wrecking crew, following a major fire their earlier this December 2025. photo by Doug Draper

(A Brief Foreword by Doug Draper At Niagara At Large – Pardon me but whenever I hear or read that authorities are investigating building fires for the possibility of an arsonist going in with a can of propane or gasoline with the idea of possibly catching them, I can’t help but feel that it is going to amount to absolutely nothing, except for another waste of our taxdollars..

We have heard this ‘we are going to investigate’ line so many times before, whether it is the Welland House in St. Catharines, Welland Secondary School in the city by the same name, the grand old Welland Club building on King Street in that city, and the list goes on.

As for the old Standard building, I have visitied the site of the fire three times now to take pictures, and I have had people come up to me and say how easy it was for anyone to get in there. There was  even some party that went in to the building sometime before the fire and showed broken down the place looked. (see that here –https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IV7lnJoTrG8 Continue reading →

A Brief Post from Doug Draper At Niagara At Large

December 25^h, 2025

King Charles with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky

I am about as far away from being a monarchist as I think anyone can be, but I think that if you missed it, Charles III, King of the United Kingdom, delivered a message this Christmas that we all need to hear and take to heart during these troubling times.

Please take a few minutes to give it a listen and let’s all try to do what we can to work together for a better world for all.

To hear the King’s Christmas message, following a brief chorus of God Save the King, click on the screen immediately below –

NIAGARA AT LARGE Encourages You To Join The Conversation By Sharing Your Views On This Post In The Space Following The Bernie Sanders Quote Below and by sharing the Niagara At Large site at www.niagaraatlarge.com with all of your friends and associates.

“A Politician Thinks Of The Next Election. A Leader Thinks Of The Next Generation.” – Bernie Sanders

A Statement by Prime Minister Mark Carney on Christmas

Posted December 25^th, 2025 on Niagara At Large

(A Very Brief Foreword Note from Doug Draper at Niagara At Large – Regardless of how you feel about our current Prime Minister, how fortunate we are to have him rather than that character our friends and neighbours across the border have to put up with – at least those who did not vote for Trump.

Now here is the Prime Minister’s statement – )

“In a fast-changing, more divided and uncertain world, the holiday season is an opportunity to slow down, reflect, and focus on what really matters.

This is a season of joy for families, and I hope that you find time to rest, reconnect, and celebrate with the people you love most. Continue reading →

Cheers To All Of You From Doug Draper

Posted on Christmas Eve, December 24^th, 2025

Once Upon A Holiday Season, when Bruce Springsteen and his E Street Band were on tour and still doing those marathon four hours plus shows, they would always include a song that was perfect for those of us who still young enough at heart to dream about sound of that sleigh and hooves of nine reindeer, including Rudolph, landing on our roof tops.

I was fortunate enough to be at one of those shows at the old Buffalo Aud on a cold December night in 1980 when he and the band performed that song for us.

Here it is for you,  from a show filmed during the same era. To watch it, click on the screen immediately below –

• Have a Very Happy Christmas Eve, Doug Draper, Niagara At Large

A home in Niagara, lit up for Christmas. photo by Doug Draper

NIAGARA AT LARGE Encourages You To Join The Conversation By Sharing Your Views On This Post In The Space Following The Bernie Sanders Quote Below and by sharing the Niagara At Large site at www.niagaraatlarge.com with all of your friends and associates.

“

A Statement from Regional Chair Bob Gale on the resolution of the police incident in Welland

Posted December 20^th, 2025 on Niagara At Large

(A Brief Foreword from Doug Draper at Niagara At Large – The following statement was issued in the wake of the arrest of one suspect in the shooting of a Niagara Regional Police officer, now recovering in hospital from a non-life threatening chest would) after a standoff with police in the Lincoln Street/Plymouth Road area of Welland that had businesses closed and residents, schools and the Welland Hospital locked down for a period of about 24 hours beginning this past Friday.)

Niagara Regional Chair Bob Gale

Regional Chair Gale provided the following statement regarding the resolution of the active shooter situation which was resolved this morning (Saturday, December 20^th, 2025:

“On behalf of Regional Council, I would like to personally thank and commend the Niagara Regional Police Service, Niagara EMS, and Welland Fire for their exceptional work in responding to this challenging situation and keeping our community safe. Continue reading →

Memorandum of Understanding Between New York Power Authority and Ontario Power Generation Aids Deployment of Advanced Nuclear Energy in New York and Ontario

New Agreement Will Unlock Opportunities for Workforce Development and Economic Growth in New York

Separate Declaration of Intent Signed by Governor Hochul and Premier Ford Pledges Cooperation Between New York and Ontario at a Time When National Policy Has Impacted Tourism And Economies on Both Sides of the Border

News from the Office of New York State Governor Kathy Hochul

Posted December 19^th, 2025 on Niagara At Large

Ontario Premier Doug Ford and New York State Governor Kathy Hochul

Buffalo, New York – Governor Kathy Hochul today (the December 19^th, 2025) announced a landmark agreement between the New York Power Authority (NYPA) and Ontario Power Generation (OPG).

The signed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) establishes a framework for collaboration on the development of advanced nuclear energy technologies, including large-scale nuclear and small modular reactors (SMRs), to strengthen energy reliability, affordability, and decarbonization efforts in New York and Ontario. Continue reading →

Bob Gale Is A Niagara Falls Regional Councillor, Ford Appointed Chair of the Niagara Parks Commission & Failed Ford Conservative Candidate In The Riding Of Niagara Falls

“I am grateful to Premier Ford for entrusting me with the responsibility of serving as Chair of the Niagara Region.”                 – Bob Gale.

News from Ontario’s Ford Government and Niagara’s Regional Government

Posted December 18^th, 2025 on Niagara At Large

Niagara Falls Regional Councillor Bob Gale has been appointed Niagara’s Regional Chair by Ontario’s Ford Government

The Government of Ontario has formally announced the appointment of Bob Gale as the new Regional Chair, effective immediately. A lifelong resident with deep community roots, Mr. Gale brings decades of public service, business leadership, and philanthropic dedication to this pivotal role.

Gale began his career in the 1970s as a Niagara Regional Police Officer and was named Police Officer of the Year in 1978, receiving the Medal of Merit for outstanding service. Transitioning to business, he acquired and expanded Gale’s Gas Bars Limited in the 1980s into one of Niagara’s largest independent fuel and convenience retailers, supporting local employment and economic vitality.

A recognized philanthropist, Gale and his family have made significant contributions to Niagara’s infrastructure and community programming, including major support for the Greater Niagara General Hospital emergency room renovation, the construction of the Gale Centre sports complex, youth and recreation initiatives, and the Niagara Falls Museum. Continue reading →

A Lake Erie Conditions Statement from the NPCA

Posted December 18^th, 2025 on Niagara At Large

For Thursday, December 18th, 2025, this notice is intended to advise the public and local municipalities of the condition of the Lake Erie Shoreline as it relates to the Niagara Peninsula and the eastern portion of Haldimand County.

The Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority is issuing a Water Safety Statement for the Lake Erie Shoreline.  A potent low-pressure system is moving through southern Ontario from Friday (December 19^th) morning into the evening, bringing strong westerly winds to the Lower Great Lakes region, particularly in the eastern Lake Erie basin. Continue reading →

A Call-Out from Ontario Nature, a not-for-profit citizens organization dedicated to protecting and preserving our natural heritage

Posted December 18^th, 2025 on Niagara At Large

Unique to Ontario, conservation authorities holistically manage watersheds to prevent flooding, conserve natural areas and safeguard water quality – all benefitting both people and the environment. This work requires local connections to the communities they serve.   

However, a series of changes (by Ontario’s Ford government) to their mandate, resourcing and independence have made it harder for conservation authorities to fulfill their crucial role. Continue reading →

And The Impact On All Of Us, South Of The Arctic Circle, Could Be Even More Catastrophic Than It Is Now

For The Sake Of Our Kids &Their Future At Least, Let’s Work Together To Do Something About It

A Brief Commentary by Niagara At Large reporter/publisher Doug Draper

Posted December 17th, 2025 on NIagara At Large

I have to admit, there are many days when I wonder if I am wasting my time posting stories about climate change. With all the immediate concerns people already have over the  basics like paying for groceries and keeping a roof of their head, if they have one, how much more time and energy is left to care about this? 

Then I think about my daughter and her millennial age peers and all of the other younger kids who are going to be around when I am gone, and who are going to have to cope with all of the wildfires, severe winds, heat waves and other impacts far more destructive than what we are dealing with now, and I can’t give up posting reports on it.

So here, on video, is a cameo of  the latest Arctic Report Card – the 20th and possibly last one from the world-renown U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), thanks to Trump –  on what climate change is continuing to do to a part of the world that has a significant impact on the weather we experience south of the Arctic too.

To watch it, click on the screen immediately below –

For another report on this, click on – https://www.rcinet.ca/eye-on-the-arctic/2025/12/16/arctic-report-card-2025-rainfall-record-warmth-and-rapid-change/ 

NIAGAR AT LARGE Encourages You To Join The Conversation By Sharing Your Views On This Post In The Space Following The Bernie Sanders Quote Below and by sharing the Niagara At Large site at www.niagaraatlarge.com with all of your friends and associates.

“A Politician Thinks Of The Next Election. A Leader Thinks Of The Next Generation.” – Bernie Sanders

‘For residents near the former GM site, the stakes are significant. The filtration system was designed to prevent potentially contaminated water from leaving the site and entering the environment or private properties. Despite clear evidence that the system was not functioning, public updates have been ignored.’

An Investigative Report by Ed Smith, a Niagara, Ontario resident and journalist working for  an on-line news site called The Pointer

(The following report originally appeared in The Pointer and is being shared here with the permission of its author.)

Posted December 17^th, 2025 on Niagara At Large

Niagara resident and a journalist who is a good friend of Niagara At Large, Ed Smith

On October 28th, officials at the City of St. Catharines knew the filtration system designed to prevent highly toxic chemicals from leaching into the former GM property on Ontario Street and the surrounding area was no longer functional, but for weeks they have failed to tell the public.

A freedom of information request by The Pointer has revealed an alarming lack of disclosure by the City and the provincial government.

(Ontario) Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) staff informed the City that the system has not been operating, but have failed to make any public announcement.

It was staff at the environment ministry who initially ordered the owner of the giant 55-acre piece of former industrial land right next to the downtown district, to install the filtration system after cancer-causing PCBs were found to be leaking from the former GM site, while other dangerous toxins had been detected on the property at levels as high as 1,000 times above allowable limits the last time an environmental assessment was done more than a decade ago. Continue reading →

For the Niagara Region 2026 Budget, a 1.15 per cent decrease for Waste Management Services and a 7.42 per cent increase for Water and Wastewater Services were approved.

News from Niagara’s Regional Government

Posted December 17^th, 2025 on Niagara At Large

Niagara Region has approved both the Waste Management and the Water and Wastewater Services budgets for 2026.

For the Niagara Region 2026 Budget, a 1.15 per cent decrease for Waste Management Services and a 7.42 per cent increase for Water and Wastewater Services were approved.

Niagara residents pay for Waste Management and Water and Wastewater rates to support programs such as waste collection and water and wastewater services. Continue reading →

Posted by Doug Draper, this December 16^th, 2025 on Niagara At Large

Jimmy Kimmel tells it like it is about the sick man in the White House

“Just when you think he (Trump) can’t go any lower he somehow finds a way to do that. …. That corroded brain is in charge of our lives.”

“I know from my personal interactions with Rob Reiner that he would want us to continue to point out the loathsome atrocities that ooze out of this sick and irresponsible man’s mouth. So we are going to do that over and over again until the rest of us wake up.”

• Jimmy Kimmel, from his monologue on his late night show this past Monday, December 15^th, 2025, two days after Rob Reiner and his wife Michele were found dead, allegedly at the hands of one of their sons, and one day after Trump made reprehensible remarks about them.

In case you missed this brave, tell-it-like-it is monologue from Jimmy Kimmel, whose late night show Trump and his corporate hacks in the media tried last September to have permanently banned from the air until Disney, the owner of the network he is on, was forced to bend to public pressure and put back on, I can’t help posting it.

Kimmel could have lost a good deal of what he worked so hard in his career for when Trump and company tried wiping out his show but he never backed down. And when he came back on the air, he could have toned it down but he remained as fearless as ever in his criticisms of Trump and everything he is doing to threaten peace, freedom and democracy in the United States and around the world.

Kimmel’s fearlessness reminds me of that demonstrated by the late, great comedian and social critic George Carlin who faced similar attempts to have him banned from performing decades ago.

So here is Jimmy Kimmel’s monologue this past December 15^th that you can hear and watch by clicking on the screen immediately below –

Long live Jimmy Kimmel!

• Doug Draper, Niagara At Large

NIAGARA AT LARGE Encourages You To Join The Conversation By Sharing Your Views On This Post In The Space Following The Bernie Sanders Quote Below and by sharing the Niagara At Large site at www.niagaraatlarge.com with all of your friends and associates.

“A Politician Thinks Of The Next Election. A Leader Thinks Of The Next Generation.” – Bernie Sanders

Decades of experience across North America shows that expanding urban highways (non-tolled) just induces more traffic. … The best way to reduce gridlock is to reallocate the highway funding to transit builds.”

A Statement from the not-for-profit public interest groups Environmental Defence and Transport Action Ontario

Posted December 16^th, 2025 on Niagara At Large

(A Brief Foreword Note from Doug Draper at Niagara At Large – The recommendations in this important new report leave me saying; When will they (meaning the majority of our politicians at the municipal, provincial and federal levels) ever learn. Like the renown social and planning critic Lewis Mumford said decades ago; “Building more highways to address traffic congestion is like a person putting on a bigger belt to address obesity.” Now here is statement  about the findings and recommendatins in the new port from Environmental Defence and  Transport Action Ontario.)

Toronto – A  new “Transit Over Traffic” report contains recommendations for how the provincial government could unlock public transit’s potential to solve the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area’s growing gridlock, which currently costs the economy and residents $45 billion every year. 

This report, authored by Environmental Defence and Transport Action Ontario, makes the case that spending an estimated  $80 billion on mega-highways like the Bradford Bypass, Highway 401 and the Highway 401 tunnel will make your commute worse, not better.

Decades of experience across North America shows that expanding urban highways (non-tolled) just induces more traffic. 

For the same $80 billion price tag, Ontario could build 400 kilometres of new rapid transit. That’s equivalent to building enough light-rail connecting Toronto to Sudbury, or the equivalent of three new light rail transit lines spanning the entire width of the GTHA. Continue reading →

“I’m excited to welcome Lisa De Angelis to Niagara Region and look forward to working with her as she leads our Public Works Department. She brings with her a proven track record of success and has extensive experience in the areas of capital infrastructure delivery, asset management and public works leadership that will be of great benefit to Niagara Region.”                                      – Ron Tripp, Niagara Region’s Chief Administrative Officer

News from Niagara’s Regional Government

Posted December 16^th, 2025 on Niagara At Large

Niagara Region’s incoming Commissioner of Public Works Lisa De Angelis

THOROLD, ONTARIO – Lisa De Angelis has been appointed as the new Commissioner of Public Works. De Angelis joins Niagara Region with more than 35 years of experience in leadership and public infrastructure management.

As a licensed Professional Civil Engineer and a Registered Professional Planner, she brings strong inter-disciplinary background to her new role. She will begin her new role on Jan. 12, 2026. Continue reading →

When you’re weary, feeling small,
When tears are in your eyes, I will dry them all;
I’m on your side. When times get rough
And friends just can’t be found,
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down.

– Lyrics by Paul Simon

A Brief Commentary by Niagara At Large reporter/publisher Doug Draper

Posted December 15, 2025 on Niagara At Large

What a troubling few days we have collectively had in the last gasp of a year that has been troubling enough.

As if there haven’t been enough reports this year about the damage Trump’s tariffs are doing to  Canada’s economy, the continuing rise in the cost of food and the growing number of homeless encampments and people lining up at food bank – not to mention the outrageous rise in property, water and policing taxes our Niagara regional government is slamming on us – there has been all the news since this  past Friday of the mass shootings on the campus of Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island and on a popular beach area in Australia (the latter rampage specifically targeted at Jewish people on the first day of Honukka), and there has been the murder of famed entertainers and humanitarians Rob and Michele Reiner, allegedly at the hands of one of their own sons.

As I, like I image so many of you, try to work my mind and body through all of this, a song came to mind, as it often does during times like this, that made me feel a little better.

It is Paul Simon’s ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’ and I want to share with you this beautiful version of it performed by 21-year-old British singing sensation Lucy Thomas.

To hear and watch her sing it, click on the screen immediately below –

• Let’s All Hold Hands And Cross That Bridge Together, And Do Our Best To Make A Better World And Stay Strong – Doug Draper

NIAGARA AT LARGE Encourages You To Join The Conversation By Sharing Your Views On This Post In The Space Following The Bernie Sanders Quote Below and by sharing the Niagara At Large site at www.niagaraatlarge.com with all of your friends and associates.

“A Politician Thinks Of The Next Election. A Leader Thinks Of The Next Generation.” – Bernie Sanders

And Mayors Jim Diodati of Niagara Falls and Gary Zalepa of Niagara-on-the-Lake Love It

A Commentary by Niagara At Large reporter/publisher Doug Draper, followed by a December 15^th, 2025 News Release from the Ontario Government of Doug Ford

Posted  December 15th, 2025 on Niagara At Large

Niagara Parks recently opened this amusement ride, allowing visitors to take a virtual flight above the briink of The Falls.

Two decades ago, when the Niagara Parks Commission and the then Ontario Liberal Government of Dalton McGuinty partnered to construct a controversial gondola ride over one of the world’s natural wonders – the Horseshoe Falls – the Parks Commission’s Chairman at the time, Jim Williams, tried to defend the idea to me and a fellow reporter working on that story by saying, and I paraphrase; “You need more for visitors to the Falls than the site of water splashing over rocks.”

If what Williams said then is  true, what a sad comment that is on our relationship, collectively as human species, with all of the rich, irreplaceable, organic beauty Mother Nature has to offer. Continue reading →

A Brief Tribute from Doug Draper, a life-long fan

Posted December 13^th, 2025 on Niagara At Large

Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore, who played his wife, on The Dick Van Dyke Show during the early 1960s.

I know there are a lot of issues of interest and concern to our Niagara community that I want and I need to get back to reporting and commenting on, but I can’t help but take a few minutes out on a snowy Saturday in December to say Happy 100^th Birthday to actor/comedian Dick Van Dyke.

Yes, this December 13^th, 2025 is his 100^th birthday and at the risk of dating myself, I am old enough to remember when he first burst on the scene in 1961 on a television sitcom called The Dick Van Dyke show.

I was just a little kid living in my childhood home on the west side of Welland but, again, I was old enough to recall how “modern” that show was compared to most of the other shows on television at the time.

There was  Dick and Mary Tyler Moore, who played his wife on the show,  channeling all of the youthful   energy and charisma  of a young U.S. President John F. Kennedy and his wife Jackie who were then wowing Americans and Canadians alike in the White House. Continue reading →

A Few Last Words on this By Doug Draper, a former St. Catharines Standard reporter 

Posted December 12^th, 2025 on Niagara At Large

A St. Catharines Standard Christmas card from the times when the Burgoyne family still owned the newspaper that the family founded in the late 1800s.

I knew I was full of emotion about it, but I never thought I would hear from so many people across the Niagara region who wanted to share their feelings for the place where I once did what I thought was some of my best reporting of the news, especially on issues that had to do with the quality of our environment..

As recently as this December 12^th, I had at least half a dozen people email me or stop me on the street or in a store to say that they thought of me and so many of the others thatI  once worked there with when they heard that the building that once housed The St. Catharines Standard was gutted this past December weekend by fire.

What was clear to me was that each and every person that reached out was not as upset about the building as they were about the loss of a daily newspaper  that was once owned by a local family who cared enough about the community to staff it with  the resources necessary to do high-quality work.  Continue reading →

“Your loving support can help ensure the belugas’ immediate needs are addressed and that long-overdue plans for safe, compassionate placement—ideally in seaside sanctuaries—can finally move forward.”

A Call-Out from Animal Justice, a not-for profit national animal advocacy organization

Posted December 12^th, 2025 on Niagara At Large

Lives of 30 surviving beluga whales now in limbo at shuttered Marineland amusement park in Niagara Falls, Ontario

As the holiday season begins, most of us look forward to warmth, rest, and loving connection. But for the 30 beluga whales still trapped at Marineland, the weeks ahead are an uncertain, desperate fight for survival.

These sensitive, social animals have already endured years of confinement, deteriorating tanks, and dangerous conditions that have resulted in more than 20 whale and dolphin deaths at Marineland since 2019.

This fall, Marineland even threatened to kill the surviving belugas rather than continue their care—a despicable reminder of how little Marineland values these intelligent, beautiful individuals. Continue reading →

Council Agrees To Take More Time To Consult With Residents And Explore Alternatives To Laying Down Pavement In Historic Memorial Park

A News Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted December 11^th, 2025 on Niagara At Large

Thorold’s beloved Memorial Park, hosting the cenotaph for honouring the community’s war dead. photo by Doug Draper

“We made some progress,” Gloria Leahey, a Thorold resident and a leading member of Friends of Memorial Park told this reporter, shortly after the city’s council voted this December 9th to investigate possible alternatives to extending a parking lot for a seniors’ centre onto the green grounds of the historic park located in a charming old neighborhood near the municipality’s downtown.

“Power to the people,” added Tami Friedman, another leading member of the Friends group, who delivered a heartfelt presentation to the council at the December 9^th meeting.

Power to the people, indeed. Continue reading →

“The Ontario Premier (Doug Ford) has caused the conditions where the very people who keep our hospitals running will lose their jobs. Why won’t the Premier properly fund hospitals so Niagara Health can cancel all the layoffs and ensure patients get the care they need and deserve?”                                                                – Wayne Gates, NDP MPP for the Riding of Niagara Falls

“The Premier has caused the conditions where the very people who keep our hospitals running will lose their jobs. Why won’t the Premier properly fund hospitals so Niagara Health can cancel all the layoffs and ensure patients get the care they need and deserve?”                                                                                               – Jennie Stevens, NDP MPP for the Riding of St. Catharines

Niagara Falls MP Wayne Gates and St. Catharines MP Jennie Stevens

A News Release from the constituency Offices of Niagara Falls NDP MPP Wayne Gates and St. Catharines NDP MPP Jennie Stevens

Posted December 10^th, 2025 on Niagara At Large

QUEEN’S PARK — Niagara MPPs Wayne Gates (Niagara Falls) and Jennie Stevens (St. Catharines) pressed the Premier in Question Period today (this December 10th, 2025)  (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fGKmnS70CjXuvV49h3Fbzzf7Y5ebQ0Mz/view) after an entire week has passed since Niagara Health announced 100 layoffs , with workers still having no clarity about who is losing their job or how patient care will be affected.

Gates said the situation is the direct result of the government’s refusal to properly fund hospitals, leaving frontline staff exhausted and patients waiting hours for care. Continue reading →

News from the Niagara Ontario Health Team

Posted December 10th, 2025 on Niagara At Large

Remembering Heather Winterstein from Niagara, Ontario

St. Catharines, ON – This week marks four years since the tragic death of Heather Winterstein, a 24-year-old Anishnawbe Kwe community member. Her passing is a painful reminder to the Niagara Ontario Health Team – Équipe Santé Ontario Niagara (NOHT-ÉSON) and its partners of the urgent need to confront anti-Indigenous racism and long-standing inequities in health and social care.

On December 9, 2021, Heather went to Niagara Health’s St. Catharines site with severe back pain after a fall. She was discharged home with Tylenol. She returned to the hospital on December 10, 2021, and later collapsed and died while in the emergency department.

Following her death, an independent Emergency Department Assessment Panel reviewed Niagara Health’s emergency services and made 10 recommendations to improve care and experiences for Indigenous Peoples.

In response, an Indigenous Health Services Plan was developed by Niagara Health to improve access, strengthen cultural safety, and support traditional healing practices within the hospital, including the creation of an Indigenous Health Services and Reconciliation Team.

The NOHT-ÉSON remains committed to ensuring that health and social care planning in Niagara supports Indigenous communities and reflects reconciliation efforts, while continuing to work in allyship with Indigenous-led organizations to improve care in the region. Indigenous health is one of the six pillars in the NOHT-ÉSON 2024–2027 Strategic Plan, and learning opportunities, such as Indigenous cultural safety training, are offered to NOHT-ÉSON staff, volunteers, and partners.

We all have a role to play in making sure Indigenous people receive high-quality, safe, timely, and culturally-based services that reflect Indigenous traditions.

An inquest into Heather’s death was announced on June 5, 2024. A date and location have not yet been set. The NOHT-ÉSON is committed to listening and learning from the jury’s recommendations and working with Indigenous partners to help ensure that what happened to Heather does not happen again, and that Indigenous voices are prioritized in all aspects of care

Who We Are – The Niagara Ontario Health Team is a local health integration network of more than 45 health care providers, social service agencies, educational institutions and patient/client, family and caregiver representatives in Niagara. We are committed to working together to build a more integrated, inclusive and seamless health care system with a goal of improving the overall experience and health outcomes for people in Niagara.

For more on the Team, click on – Home – Niagara Ontario Health Team – Équipe Santé Ontario Niagara

NIAGARA AT LARGE Encourages You To Join The Conversation By Sharing Your Views On This Post In The Space Following The Bernie Sanders Quote Below and by sharing the Niagara At Large site at www.niagaraatlarge.com with all of your friends and associates.

“A Politician Thinks Of The Next Election. A Leader Thinks Of The Next Generation.” – Bernie Sanders

An Invite to All from Jim Stanford, a renown Canadian economist and director of the Centre For Future Work

Posted December 10^th, 2025 on Niagara At Large

Jim Stanford, Canadian economist and director of the Centre for Future Work

Once again, Canadian politicians have jumped down the rabbit hole of interminable debates over pipelines.  

A new agreement between Ottawa and Alberta seems to open the door for a new oil export pipeline – or does it?  

Oil executives promise investment and jobs if a pipeline goes ahead. Yet despite a 35% increase in oil output over the past decade (and 24% more natural gas), fossil fuel industries eliminated 38,000 jobs. Fossil fuel industries now account for under 1% of total employment in Canada.  

That trajectory will continue, even if another oil pipeline were built. That’s because cold hard economics, technology, and corporate greed are allowing oil companies to make more profit, with fewer workers. Continue reading →

A News Release from Mosque Aisha of Thorold

Posted December 9^th, 2025 on Niagara At Large

THOROLD, ON – There will be a vigil at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, December 9, 2025 outside Thorold City Hall to demand Muslim burial rights at the public Lakeview Cemetery, including having a section for Muslims.

Thorold City Councillors intervened in preventing the burial of Alina Masud of Thorold at Lakeview Cemetery, which was supposed to take place on Saturday, December 6.

“Everyone should have the right to buried at a public cemetery There is already a Muslim child buried facing Makkah in section A which is an open section, why couldn’t Alina Masud be buried there?” asked Asad Mahmood, imam of Thorold’s Mosque Aisha.

Mosque Aisha of Thorold was established in 2018 and is the only mosque in Thorold.

For a recent news report on this issue, aired on CHCH TV, click on the following link – Thorold Muslim family denied local burial for daughter

NIAGARA AT LARGE Encourages You To Join The Conversation By Sharing Your Views On This Post In The Space Following The Bernie Sanders Quote Below and by sharing the Niagara At Large site at www.niagaraatlarge.com with all of your friends and associates.

“A Politician Thinks Of The Next Election. A Leader Thinks Of The Next Generation.” – Bernie Sanders

An Obituary For A Building That Once Housed What Was One Very Fine, Locally-Owned Daily Newspaper

A Few Thoughts and Memories shared by Doug Draper and by some of his former Standard colleagues.

Posted December 8th, 2025 on Niagara At Large

Doug Draper, at work at The St. Catharines Standard, way back when newspapers still had newsrooms

By Niagara At Large reporter/publisher and former St. Catharines Standard reporter Doug Draper –

When, on my own terms and after 20 years of working there. I walked out of the door of that building on Queen Street that housed The St. Catharines Standard for the last time, I vowed never to go near it again.

For most of the past 25years, I would not even drive passed it in my car.

The front of what is left of the St. Catharines Standard building, windows smashed and interior gutted from a fire that began over night this past Friday and Saturday, December 5th and 6th, 2025. photo by Doug Draper

But when I learned this past Saturday (December 6^th) morning that the building had been gutted by fire, something inside me made drive, as soon as I could, to St. Catharines’ downtown to get as close to the smoldering remains of it as the firefighters, still hosing piles of hot embers down, would let me.

As I looked on, memories of The Standard, not the bad ones of the place after the place after the corporate chains took it over in the mid-to-late 1990s and began gutting it in their own way, but the very good ones I have when it was still locally owned and operated by the Burgoyne family, with Henry Burgoyne serving as the family’s last publisher, Continue reading →

NOW IS THE TIME For All Of Us Who Care About Thorold’s Memorial Park and About Preserving What Precious Green Space We Have Left In Our Urban Neighbourhoods To Speak Out!

A Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted December 7th, 2025 on Niagara At Large

Thorold’s beloved Memorial Park, hosting the cenotaph for honouring the community’s war dead. photo by Doug Draper

It seems like Thorold’s council – for reasons it has largely failed to openly discuss, let alone properly explain to the  citizens it was elected to represent – can’t leave one of most beloved parks in the city alone.

This coming Tuesday, December 9th, at a council meeting starting at 6:30 p.m. at Thorold’s city hall, located next and just north of the Four Points by Sheraton (Niagara Suites) Hotel on540 Schmon Parkway, the council may decide – if it is not stopped – to push forward with a controversial plan to extend paved parking for a seniors centre into Memorial Park. Continue reading →

“Gonna be a long night (gonna be all right)
It’s gonna be all right on the night shift (on the night shift)
You found another home
I know you’re not alone on the night shift.”

 – lyrics from a 1985 song by The Commodores about some of the great soul artists who left us

A Few Words of Tribute to Steve Cropper from Doug Draper, a long-time fan

Posted December 5^th, 2025 on Niagara At Large

Soul music guitarist, composer and producer Steve Cropper

One by one, and far more frequently by the year, the great music artists from the golden age of Rock, Folk, Soul, and R&B are passing on to that great stage in sky where you want to believe they can all go on making those oh so sweet sounds on the night shift.

The latest great one to pass on to  that stage is Steve Cropper, soulful guitarist extraordinaire who was a member of Booker T. and the M.G.’s and who backed up everyone from Stax and Atlantic Records hit makers Wilson Picket, Sam & Dave and Otis Redding, just to name a few, to the hugely popular R & B band The Blues Brothers, featuring Saturday Night Live regulars John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd, in the late 1970s. Continue reading →

Latest move from President Trump only benefits big automakers

“Letting U.S. decisions dictate our progress would only weaken climate action, slow EV adoption, and undermine billions invested in Canada’s growing EV industry.”

A Statement from Environmental Defence Clean Transportation Program Manager Sam Hersh

Posted December5th, 2025 on Niagara At Large

Ottawa – The U.S. retreat (this early December, 2025) from clean-car rules only underscores even more why Canada must hold firm on a strong Electric Vehicle Availability Standard (EVAS).

The move from President Trump won’t make EVs or gas cars cheaper — it only saves money for big automakers. Meanwhile, relaxing these rules will increase pollution by allowing more inefficient vehicles on the road and force consumers to pay more in fuel and maintenance.

Canada has already committed billions to build a domestic EV industry. Flinching on our progress now would jeopardize that momentum, put Canadian auto jobs at risk, and deprive Canadians of access to cleaner, more affordable vehicles. Continue reading →

“This is a great example of our valuable partnership with the City of St. Catharines and Canadian National Railway on a vital and complex project for the community. This is also a testament to the dedication, commitment and skillset of our Regional crews and contractors, who worked very hard to complete this important portion of the overall GO Station Precinct initiative.”    – Frank Tassone, Director of Transportation Services, Niagara Region

News from Niagara’s Regional Government

Posted December 5^th, 2025 on Niagara At Large

Completed bridge. Photo courtesy of Niagara Region

Niagara Region is proud to announce that the replacement of the St. Paul Street West CNR bridge (Regional Road 81) in St. Catharines is complete and has reopened to traffic and pedestrians – a full year ahead of schedule.

The bridge, which spans the Canadian National Railway (CNR) tracks, was replaced as part of the larger GO Station Precinct project, which has combined the scope of work of four projects that Niagara Region, CNR and the City of St. Catharines are sharing. Niagara Region is leading the project because of its close relation to the St. Catharines Train Station redevelopment into a multi-model transit hub. Continue reading →

“Vaccination is the best protection against serious respiratory illness” – Dr. Azim Kasmani, Medical Officer of Health, Niagara Region Public Health.

Residents Are Encouraged To Take Precautions Leading Into The Holiday Season

An Important Message  from the Niagara Region Public Health Department

Posted December 5^th, 2025 on Niagara At Large

Dr. Azim Kasmani, Medical Officer of Health, Niagara Region Public Health

Niagara Region – Flu activity and other respiratory illnesses are currently rising in Niagara as we enter one of the busiest social periods of the year.

Niagara Region Public Health and Niagara Health are reminding residents to get vaccinated and take simple preventative steps. Taking these precautions helps protect the community and eases pressure on local hospitals.

“Vaccination is the best protection against serious respiratory illness,” said Dr. Azim Kasmani, Medical Officer of Health, Niagara Region Public Health. “With flu, COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses on the rise and holiday gatherings underway, getting vaccinated now helps protect yourself and your loved ones, so everyone can enjoy a healthier holiday season.” Continue reading →

“More than 40 million people (Americans and Canadians)  rely on the Great Lakes for drinking water. We cannot afford to roll back protections now.”

An Action Alert from the Alliance For The Great Lakes, a nonpartisan nonprofit working across the region to protect our most precious resource: the fresh, clean, and natural waters of the Great Lakes

Posted December 4^th, 2025 on Niagara At Large

The world’s larges supply of fresh water, as seen from space

A Brief Foreword Note from Doug Draper at Niagara At Large – While the Alliance for the Great Lakes is an American-based environmental group, they have always welcomed Canadians joining them in contacting U.S. government parties about issues of concern around the Great Lakes. After all, these are shared waterbodies and we have to work together to protect and preserve them for present and future generations.

Now back to the Alliance’s Action Alert – 

The U.S. EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) is proposing to weaken the Clean Water Act by eliminating protections for many streams and wetlands that feed into the Great Lakes. This would put our drinking water, communities, and wildlife at risk. Continue reading →

One-Quarter Of Canadian Households Are Considered Food Insecure.

“Ongoing concerns, such as increasingly severe and unpredictable weather events (CLIMATE CHANGE), retail shifts, and energy prices all have potential to impact Canadian food prices. This impact will continue to be felt in 2026.

Posted December 4^th, 2025 on Niagara At Large

Residents in Ontario, Alberta, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Quebec are expected to see food price increases above the national average next year. 

Rising grocery costs are now a daily concern for most Canadians. But data-driven research is available to help consumers make smarter budget decisions.

Canada’s Food Price Report (CFPR) is an annual collaboration between research partners Dalhousie University, Saint Mary’s University, University of Prince Edward Island, Cape Breton University, University of Guelph, Université Laval, University of British Columbia, and University of Saskatchewan. The research team employs a suite of predictive analysis models to forecast Canadian food prices for the coming year.

Canada’s Food Price Report 2026 forecasts that overall food prices will increase by 4% to 6%. Continue reading →

“Doug Ford is trying to gaslight the people of our province with their own money. Never has it been harder to get good jobs, afford a home, or pay for groceries. People don’t need propaganda. They need a government that works.” – Marit, Ontario’s Official Opposition Leader

News from Ontario’s Official Opposition, NDP Leader Marit Stiles

Posted December 3^rd, 2025 on Niagara At Large

Doug Draper, at work way back when newspapers still had newsrooms

A Brief Foreword from Doug Draper at Niagara At Large – Here we are, living through some pretty tough times, with many among us having one hell of a hard time of it just paying the bills.

For at least three generations now, it has hardly ever been this difficult – going back to at least to the Great Depression of the 1930s and the Second World War – for young people to find a decent job and buy a home of their own.

Homelessness is growing by leaps and bounds and so are lines at food banks.

And yet, according to an annual report released this December 2^nd, 2025 by the Auditor General of Ontario, here also is a Ford government at Queen’s Park,  made up of big-C Conservatives who always like to brag about how fiscally responsible they are  compared to other public bodies like our school boards and conservation authorities, spending tens-of-millions of our tax dollars on ads, marinated in B.S., about what a great job it is doing. Continue reading →

“More than one million people in Ontario needed a food bank this year. Let that sink in.”

A Statement from the Official Opposition/New Democratic Party of Ontario

Posted December 2^nd, 2025 on Niagara At Large

QUEEN’S PARK – Ontario NDP Shadow Minister for Children, Community and Social Services, Lisa Gretzky (Windsor West); and Shadow Minister for Women’s Social and Economic Opportunity and Shadow Minister for Citizenship and Multiculturalism, Alexa Gilmour (Parkdale—High Park); issued the following statement in response to Feed Ontario’s latest Hunger Report:

“More than one million people in Ontario needed a food bank this year. Let that sink in. That’s families, seniors, kids, and workers who are running out of options in a province that keeps getting harder to live in,” said Gretzky. Continue reading →

Holiday Season News from Brock University in St. Catharines/Niagara

Posted December 3^rd, 2025

When Molly Solomon brings her contemporary Fancy Shawl Dance to life in Brock University Dramatic Arts’ (DART) mainstage production, she will draw strength from her Ojibwe name, Ishkode Kwe.

The name, translated to “Fire Woman” and “First Spark in my Heart,” was gifted to the third-year DART student by her grandmother — and she wears it proudly, just like the handcrafted regalia she dons on stage.

Solomon plays the Maple Sugar Fairy in Brock’s upcoming production of Métis Nutcracker, which opens Friday, Dec. 5 at the Marilyn I. Walker Theatre.

Continue reading →

A cherished holiday tradition returns to St. Catharines this December.

An Invite to All from the City of St. Catharines

Posted December 3^rd, 2025 on Niagara At Large

The City of St. Catharines is delighted to present the 35th Annual Civic Carol Concert on Tuesday, Dec. 9, at St. Thomas Anglican Church, 99 Ontario St. The event will run from 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m., with doors opening at 11:30 a.m.

Admission is free, and monetary donations are encouraged in support of Community Care of St. Catharines and Thorold.

This year’s event details include performances by the Ridley College Chapel Choir, the Laura Secord Secondary School Concert Choir, and the Civic Brass Ensemble. The concert will also feature the Massed Choir, conducted by Ross Stretton, with organist Lesley Kingham providing accompaniment. Continue reading →

A Brief Commentary, with a little melancholy, by Niagara At Large reporter/publisher Doug Draper

Posted December 1st,  2025 on Niagara At Large

“I’m the last leaf on the tree
The autumn took the rest
But it won’t take me
I’m the last leaf on the tree

“When the autumn wind blows
They’re already gone
They flutter to the ground
They just can’t hang on”
– lyrics from a recent song by legendary singer/songwriter Willie Nelson called ‘The Leaf’ 

One of the very last leafs clinglng to one of the trees in my yard. photo by Doug Draper

As beautiful as the  colours of Fall can be, I have always looked forward to  Spring and Summer when everything comes to life and, for at least a few months, leaves me with feelings of immortality.

When the colour of the leaves and plants around me change to brown and begin to fall to the ground, my thoughts sometimes  turn to all of the relatives and friends I know who have passed on and like Willie Nelson, who is now 92 and has seen his share of people he knows fall away, I resolve to be that last leaf on the tree that hangs on.

When I hear Willie’s song about that last leaf, I can’t help but think of some of my favourite artistic performers who have passed away over the past number of months – artists like Beach Boys legend Brian Wilson, film actor and film maker Robert Redford and actress Diane Keaton who always seems so forever young to me.

I also think of my old friends and acquaintances  like  Niagara Regional Chair and former St. Catharines MPP and Ontario Environment Minister extraordinaire Jim Bradley, like Stan Sadava, one of my favourite psychology professors and mentors at Brock University,  like Robert (‘Bob’) Livesey, one of my all-time favourite teachers who was such an inspiration for learning (like the teacher Robin Williams played in the movie Dead Poet’s Society)  back at Centennial High School in Welland, , like Wayne Stortz, a member of my old childhood gang back in the then vibrant neighbourhood, surrounded by fields and forests, I was fortunate to grow up in on Willson Road in Welland, and like  former journalism colleaguesand community activists  Linda Crabtree and Willy Noiles, and likes too many others who have fallen from that tree of life over the past number of months.

I am sure that at least some of you share the same thoughts I do during the Fall of the year  and for those of you who do, here is Willie Nelson’s song which was recorded only a year or so ago. You can hear it – Willie’s withering voice and all – by clicking on the screen immediately below –

• May you live to be the last leaf on the tree, Doug Draper, Niagara At Large

NIAGARA AT LARGE Encourages You To Join The Conversation By Sharing Your Views On This Post In The Space Following The Bernie Sanders Quote Below and by sharing the Niagara At Large site at www.niagaraatlarge.com with all of your friends and associates.

“A Politician Thinks Of The Next Election. A Leader Thinks Of The Next Generation.” – Bernie Sanders

News from the Constituency Office of Niagara Centre NDP MPP Jeff Burch

Posted December 1st, 2025 on Niagara At Large

Niagara Centre MPP Jeff Burch

QUEEN’S PARK — Niagara Centre MPP Jeff Burch slammed the government this December 1^st, 2025 after Niagara Health announced nearly 100 jobs will be eliminated.

“Last week we learned that Niagara Health will be eliminating nearly 100 jobs in hospitals across the Niagara Region,” Burch said.

“These jobs are being eliminated to deal with a deficit of 26 million dollars caused by this provincial government. The same thing is playing out in hospitals all across this province as already understaffed hospitals struggle to deal with deficits created by this government’s negligence.” the Niagara Centre MPP added. Continue reading →

“What we’re seeing in this report (survey) is not just frustration with prices, but a deeper concern about fairness, transparency, and the future of our food economy. Trust is becoming just as important as affordability—and right now, both are under strain.”                                                                                                           – Dr. Sylvain Charlebois, Director of the Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University

News from researchers at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia

Posted December 1^st, 2025 on Niagara At Large

HALIFAX, NS —  The Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University, in partnership with Caddle, has released the Fall 2025 edition of the Canadian Food Sentiment Index, offering a detailed snapshot of how Canadians think and feel about food affordability, access, trust, and purchasing behaviours as the year comes to a close.

This latest national survey highlights a population increasingly challenged by persistent food inflation, shifting purchasing habits, and growing skepticism toward food system actors. Despite pockets of optimism—particularly around local and Canadian-made foods—overall sentiment continues to reflect financial pressure and uncertainty. Continue reading →

“These decisions are always hard but are necessary to ensure we are continuously improving efficiency, evolving hospital operations and ensuring we are responsible stewards of public resources, while protecting patient care.”

News from Niagara Health, the amalgamated system of hospital services across Niagara

Posted November 30th, 2025 on Niagara At Large

Hospital budget savings update

Niagara Health System’s west St. Catharines hospital site

Niagara Health, like all hospitals across Ontario, is facing significant pressures.

Patient needs are growing in both volume and complexity, while we work to make the most responsible use of our resources. To maintain high-quality, safe care, we must balance the need to make strategic investments in innovative models of care, technology, and infrastructure, with financial responsibility.   

We ended the last fiscal year with a $26 million deficit and are now working hard to find savings. We’ve already taken numerous steps to reduce the deficit including reviewing contracts, improving sick time and overtime, reducing discretionary spending and continuing to strengthen Emergency Department and in-patient performance.  Continue reading →

A Brief One from Doug Draper at Niagara At Large

Posted November 30^th, 2025 

Reggae music icon Jimmy Cliff

He was one of the world’s leading champions of reggae music.

Jimmy Cliff, whose musical career on the global stage stretches back to the 1960s, and who blessed our lives with such songs as Beautiful People, Wonderful World and You Can Get It If You Really Want It, floated away from this earth this November 24^th at age 81.

When I heard the news of this wonderful Jamaican singer/songwriter’s death, the first song that came to mind was ‘Many Rivers to Cross’ which in these difficult times, still resonates as much now as it did when he wrote it more than five decades ago. Continue reading →

Below is a list of those on Niagara Regional Council who recently piled $900,000 in development charges on the backs of everyday taxpayers across the region

A Brief Commentary by Niagara At Large reporter/publisher Doug Draper

Posted November 28^th, 2025 on Niagara At Large

In less than 11 months, there will be municipal elections and we, the people, will have another opportunity to decide who sits in these Niagara Regional Council seats. Let’s elected people who will represent us.

At a Niagara Regional Council meeting this past November 20^th, 2025, despite the efforts of St. Catharines Haley Bateman and a handful of others on the council, a total of 14 Regional Councillors, including 10 Niagara area Mayors, vote to waive $900,000 in development charges for a luxury hotel being built by Two Sisters Resorts Corp. in Niagara-on-the-Lake.

How many times have we heard from our municipally elected representatives that “growth should pay for itself.”

Yet for at least 14 of those sitting on Niagara Regional Council – 10 of them mayors of area municipalities – that chorus line rings pretty hollow, especially when it comes to making big money developers pay development charges for parking, roadways, water and waste water pipes and other infrastructure needed to accommodate what they are building. Continue reading →

A News Brief from the Canadian Environmental Law Association 

Posted November 28^th, 2025 on Niagara At Large  

Ontario’s watershed-based Conservation Authorities (CAs) are essential to protecting drinking water, reducing flood risk, conserving natural areas, and monitoring watershed health. 

Over the past decade, a number of provincial changes (made by the Ford government) have narrowed CA powers, redefined what programs CAs are allowed to deliver, and increased provincial control over permitting, land use, and budgets.  Continue reading →

“This  MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) Prime Minister Mark Carney signed withAlberta Premier Danielle Smith to build another oil pipeline) is a blow to Canada’s climate ambition, our economic prospects, Reconciliation with First Nations and Indigenous Peoples, and national unity. This is a gift to the oil industry and Alberta Premier Smith, at the expense of practically everyone else.”

A Statement from Environmental Defence on Nation-Betraying Alberta-Canada MOU 

Posted November 27^th, 2025 on Niagara At Large

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney shake hands on building another pipleline

Toronto – We denounce the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) announced today between Alberta and Canada, and firmly reject the notion that it is in any way a bargain for people living in Canada. This deal is even worse than we had anticipated.

This MOU is a blow to Canada’s climate ambition, our economic prospects, Reconciliation with First Nations and Indigenous Peoples, and national unity. This is a gift to the oil industry and Alberta Premier Smith, at the expense of practically everyone else. Continue reading →

A Message from the Green Party of Ontario 

Posted November 27^th, 2025 on Niagara At Large 

As we face the reality of more frequent storms, the Ontario Greens are fighting to stop Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s reckless cuts to flood protection. 

Doug Ford just announced plans to slash Ontario’s conservation authorities by 63 percent, but the battle is far from over. 

This plan opens the door for more development in flood-prone areas where local safety expertise and flood-prevention measures can be bypassed at will. Continue reading →

“Youth unemployment is at nearly 17%, long-term joblessness is rising, and families are really feeling it. … Workers deserve leadership that focuses on stable, well-paid jobs, not slogans.”

News from the Official Opposition New Democratic Party of Ontario

Posted November 27^th, 2025 on Niagara At Large

QUEEN’S PARK – Ontario NDP Shadow Minister for Finance Jessica Bell (University-Rosedale), and Shadow Minister for Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade Catherine Fife (Waterloo), say the Financial Accountability Office of Ontario’s (FAO’s) new economic monitor (https://fao-on.org/en/report/oem-2025-q3/) shows what Ontario already knows – workers are being left behind while the Ford government continues to deny the realities of a weakening job market.

In the report, the FAO confirms Ontario has now seen two straight quarters of job losses, youth unemployment has climbed to its highest level in more than a decade, and manufacturing has fallen to its lowest share of employment since record-keeping began in 1976. Continue reading →

A Brief Comment on America’s Thanksgiving Day by Niagara At Large reporter/publisher Doug Draper

Posted November 26^th, 2025 on Niagara At Large

This is an exact replica of the Mayflower, that saled from England and landed in Plymouth Massachusetts near Cape Cod  four hundred and five years ago where the first American Thanksgiving was celebrated. photo by Doug Draper

This Thursday, November 27^th is Thanksgiving Day in the United States and not all that many years ago my family and I would have been down on Cape, Cod, Massachusetts celebrating it with a gathering of close American friends at a beautiful old inn two members of that group owned.

Unfortunately, thanks to the COVID pandemic and more recently, the second coming of  Donald Trump, those days of getting together are gone.

Like many Canadians, my wife and I refuse to travel across the border to the United States or – as much as possible – spend our money on anything made there. But while we rightfully join many of you in doing that as a way of standing  up for our country of Canada, it is important to remember at least one thing. Continue reading →

“One in seven people need a food bank just to get by. The Premier has been in charge for nearly eight years, and affordability has never been worse. People are fed up. Three in four residents say there’s been no progress at all.”                                                               – Wayne Gates, MPP for Riding of Niagara Falls which includes Niagara Falls, Fort Erie and Niagara-n-the-Lake

News from the Constituency Office of Niagara Falls NDP MPP Wayne Gates

Posted November 26^th, 2025 on Niagara At Large

QUEEN’S PARK — Ontario NDP MPP Wayne Gates (Niagara Falls) is sounding the alarm after new polling shows families across Niagara are losing hope of ever affording a home, while day-to-day costs continue to soar.

Gates pressed the Premier in Question Period today (the November 26^th. 2025) (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1VPnEuKN5PUykSWlOR4siSavUf3VDnO-T/view) , demanding immediate action as nine out of ten Niagara residents are worried their kids will never be able to buy a home. Continue reading →

“This initiative will fuel sustainable change in an innovative way, building on Brock’s legacy of climate action and emphasizing the critical role universities play in leading the way to a sustainable future.”                                                                                                           – Scott Johnstone, Brock University’s Vice-President, Administration and Services.

News from Brock University in St. Catharines, Niagara

Posted November 26^th, 2025 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – With the flip of a switch, Brock officially embarked on a more than $100-million journey that will reimagine campus sustainability and position the University as a leader in climate action.

A celebration was held Tuesday, Nov. 25th to mark the launch of the SPARK (sustainability, performance, adaptation, renewal and knowledge) initiative, which will drastically reduce Brock’s carbon footprint and accelerate achievement of its sustainability goals.

Brock University President Lesley Rigg (left) and Vice-President, Administration and Services Scott Johnstone celebrate after flipping the ceremonial switch to launch SPARK. photo courtesy of Brock University

“SPARK is exactly what its name suggests: a catalyst — for ideas, for collaboration, for change,” says Brock University President and Vice-Chancellor Lesley Rigg. Continue reading →

“We need to be building affordable homes, not making them less affordable.”                                                                                                    – Wayne Gates, NDP MPP for the Riding of Niagara Falls that includes Niagara Falls, Fort Erie and Niagara-on-the-Lake

Ontario NDP Official Opposition Leader Marit Stiles Tables Motion To Repeal Bill 60

“Ontario is facing a jobs disaster, but Doug Ford is more focused on attacking renters and making housing even more expensive.” – Marit Stiles, Leader of Ontario’s Official Opposition NDP

News from Ontario’s New Democratic Party

Posted November 26^th, 2025 on Niagara At Large

Niagara Falls Riding MPP Wayne Gates

QUEEN’S PARK – MPP Wayne Gates (Niagara Falls) is urging the Ford government to review the housing provisions of Bill 60, as the Ontario NDP move a motion to protect seniors, retirees, and young families from fast-tracked evictions and higher rents.

“Retirees in Niagara are already struggling to stretch their pensions, and young families are trying to save for their first home,” said Gates. “The cost of living has never been higher and the last thing families need is a bill that helps corporations and wealthy investors squeeze more profit, faster, out of Niagara’s residents.” Continue reading →

Say NO To Any Plan To Extend Parking In To Thorold’s Historic Memorial Park

A Commentary by Niagara At Large reporter/publisher Doug Draper

Posted November 25^th, 2025 on Niagara At Large

Thorold Mayor Terry Ugulini, at the podium, saying a few words before laying a wreath at the cenotaph in Memorial Park on Remembrance Day this past November 11th, shortly before residents in the area learned that the city is planning on extending a parking lot into the park

This past Remembrance Day, my wife and I joined a large gathering of people at Memorial Park in Thorold for a ceremony held there every November 11^th to honour those who fought and died in past wars.

The 106-year-old park, located in a neighbourhood of grand old homes located near the west banks of the Welland Canal, features equally grand old trees and a cenotaph carved with the names of young people from the Thorold area who sacrificed their lives in The First and Second World Wars and the Korean War that followed.

It was a beautiful ceremony with a number of the area’s elected representatives, including the city’s mayor, Terry Ugulini, there to say a few words and lay a wreath, and was all still fresh in my mind a few days later when I received an email from a resident living in the neighbourhood that the city was barnstorming ahead with plans to expand a parking lot from an adjacent seniors’ centre right in to the park grounds. Continue reading →

A Brief One Posted by Doug Draper on Niagara At Large

November 24^th, 2025

This Monday, November 24^th, 2025 CBC Radio’s Ontario Noon program have a half hour phone in on the province’s Greenbelt, asking listeners if protecting and preserving the Greenbelt still matters to them.

Some of you who are strong supporters of protecting our province’s Greenbelt as a valuable piece of our natural heritage and a source of home-grown food may wonder why such a question is even being asked. Continue reading →

Bill 60 Gives Province More Power Over Planning Decisions – Diminishing the Decision-Making Role of Local Governments & The Citizens They Are Elected To Represent Once Again 

Posted November 24^th, 2025 on Niagara At Large

A Brief Note from Doug Draper – Niagara At Large will have more on this issue soon. Stay Tuned!

Here is an outline of what Bill 60 is about –

Ontario’s recent Bill 60, called the “Fighting Delays, Building Faster Act,” is a comprehensive omnibus bill that makes changes to several laws, primarily to speed up housing development and address issues in the planning act.

The bill also includes provisions that critics say will make it easier for landlords to evict tenants and may block the construction of new bike lanes if they reduce vehicle lanes, while proponents state it aims to create more housing and a more balanced rental market. The bill has passed third reading in the legislature.  Continue reading →

‘Three-Quarters Of Canadians – a full 77 Per Cent – Say They View The United States More Negatively As A Travel Destination This Year Than In Those Prior.’                                                               – from a recent survey of Canadians conducted by the non-profit Angus Reid Institute

A Commentary by Niagara At Large reporter/publisher Doug Draper, based on polling information reported this November, 2025 by the Angus Reid Institute and others

Posted November 24^th, 2025 on Niagara At Large

Like many Canadians who do our best to tough it out through our country’s cold winters, I have known my share of friends and neighbours who, every year around this time, show their resolve not to do that.

They pack up as much as they can travel with and head off to warmer climes like Florida or other southern regions of the United States for the winter.

But the number still doing that, according to recent reports on this annual migration of Canadians who are commonly identified as “snowbirds,” has dropped off significantly. Continue reading →

A Statement by Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney on Holodomor Memorial Day For Genocide in Ukraine

Posted November 22nd, 2025 on Niagara At Large

“Today (this November, 22^nd, 2025), we remember the millions of Ukrainians who suffered and died during the Holodomor – a genocide carried out by Stalin’s Soviet regime in 1932 and 1933. It was a deliberate attempt to starve and eradicate the Ukrainian nation, yet Ukraine endured.

For centuries, Russia has sought to dominate Ukraine. Time and time again, Ukrainians have fought back with tremendous determination – on the battlefield, in their communities, and through their unwavering commitment to their sovereignty, land, and heritage. Continue reading →

A Brief One from Doug Draper at Niagara At Large

Posted November 22^nd, 2025

Cars, trucks, and more trucks and cars, and where has all the green space gone?

At this past November 20^th’s Niagara Regional Council meeting, the debate was over whether a development corporation should pay the Region development charges for an underground parking lot it will include with a hotel it is building in Niagara-on-the-Lake or burden everyday ratepayers across Niagara will the cost.

In Thorod, a group of residents called Friends of Memorial Park packed a city council meeting there to oppose the extension of a parking lot for a nearby seniors’ centre write into that historic park.

A few representatives for the Thorold residents came right out, during their message to city councillors and fellow residents, and quoted the lyrics from a song by the legendary Canadian singer/songwriter – “They paved paradise, put up a parking lot.”

It all leaves me asking once again – How long are we going to let cars and trucks rule? And at what cost to everything else?

With that, I thought I would leave you with a young Joni Mitchell performing that song about paving over paradise, called Big Yellow Taxi, followed by a bonus song by her, Both Sides Now, from way back in the very wild and rebellious year of 1969. You can hear and watch this great Canadian artist here by clicking on the screen immediately below –

Here are a few recent posts on the issues I referred to that you can visit by clicking on the following links – Niagara Regional Councillors Defy Opposition & Waive Development Charges For Underground Parking For Planned Niagara-on-the-Lake Hotel | Niagara At Large

Thorold Council Agrees To Public Meeting On Plan To Extend Parking Lot Into City’s Historic Memorial Park | Niagara At Large

From Doug Draper at Niagara At Large, remembering the assassination of John F. Kennedy – a U.S. president who so many Canadians actually thought very well of – 62 years ago this November 22^nd during a trip he and his First Lady, Jackie, took to Dallas, Texas.

President John F. Kennedy and First Lady Jackie, riding in a limo in Dallas, Texas on November 22nd, 1963, just moments before the president was assasinated.

NIAGARA AT LARGE Encourages You To Join The Conversation By Sharing Your Views On This Post In The Space Following The Bernie Sanders Quote Below and by sharing the Niagara At Large site at www.niagaraatlarge.com with all of your friends and associates.

“A Politician Thinks Of The Next Election. A Leader Thinks Of The Next Generation.” – Bernie Sanders

“We could be setting a terrible precedent if we approve this (waiver).”                                                                                    – St. Catharines Regional Councillor Haley Bateman

A News Brief by Doug Draper With More News and Commentary To Come On This In Days Ahead

St. Catharines Regional Councillor Haley Bateman was a leader in the fight not to have the development charge waived.

At a Niagara Regional Council meeting this November 20^th, a majority of councillors voted to waive more than $900,000 in development charges for underground parking a developer – Two Sisters Resorts Corp. – is including at hotel being built in the scenic Old Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake.

The approval was granted despite concerns raised by St. Catharines Regional Councillors Haley Bateman and Brian Heit, along with a handful of councillors from other area municipalities that waiving the development charges means that every property taxpayer across Niagara will be left making up the difference at a time when property taxes have already become such a burden for so many.

If the more than $900.000 in development charges doesn’t come from the developer, will it come from everyday ratepayers, “yes or no.” Welland Regional Councillor Leanna Villella asked. Continue reading →

“With a 1.74 per cent increase that still addresses the concerns in our community … we’re showing the ability to be responsive to resident concerns.” – Mat Siscoe, Mayor of St. Catharines

News from the City of St. Catharines in Niagara, Ontario

Posted Thursday, November 20^th, 2025 on Niagara At Large

A Brief Foreword Note from Niagara At Large reporter/publisher Doug Draper – With residents across Niagara now still facing the possibility of a property tax hike as high as 10 per cent on the Region’s portion of the tax bill and the Niagara Regional Police Service board recently approving a hike of 11.5 per cent for 2026 – both figures well above the rate of inflation – how, exactly, does the City of St. Catharines manage to keep its increase down to 1.74 per cent for the coming year?

Someone out there is going to have to have to help me explain that one.

Could it have anything to do with Niagara’s regional government baring a disproportionate burden of the services here, from public transit to waste management, policing and water & wastewater, with little or nothing in the way of financial relief from the provincial government?

And if so, why aren’t our regional councillors putting up more of a fight over that with the province’s premier, Doug Ford?

Enough of this; “Well regional government is a creature of the province and there is only so much we can do.” Get more aggressive on our behalf!

Now here is the City of St. Catharines news release on its budget for 2026 –

St. Catharines City Hall

St. Catharines Mayor Mat Siscoe waived the mayoral veto period for the 2026 multi-year budget on Thursday, finalizing the City of St. Catharines’ budget by accepting City Council amendments tabled Nov. 19.

This marks the conclusion of the budget process under the Strong Mayor legislation introduced by the Province of Ontario in 2023. Continue reading →