Yearly Archives: 2025

“Canada as 51st State? Four-in-five Americans say a merger should be up to Canadians; 90% of Americans say ‘no.” – Angus Reid Poll Show

 ‘Among Americans, 31 per cent have a very favourable view of Canada and a further 46 have a generally favourable view.’

A Report from Data Shows, a professional Ontario-based polling analysis group

Posted January 15, 2025 on Niagara At Large

Trump’s threat to take over Canada by ‘economic force’ is not polling well with most Americans

President-elect Donald Trump may have gone too far and handed Canadians some useful ammunition to battle against his proposed 25 per cent tariff attack, a new poll suggests.

Trump’s recent pitch to use tariffs as “economic force” to annex Canada appears to be a misfire with his own supporters, who don’t want that, according to the survey by Angus Reid released on January 14^th, 2025.

Among 2024 Trump voters, 76 per cent disagreed with using economic or military force to annex Canada, the survey shows. Just nine percent of Trump supporters favoured economic force to annex Canada; only two per cent favoured use of military force. Eleven per cent didn’t know or couldn’t say. Continue reading →

It’s One Great Escape From The Cold Winter & Bad News

A Brief One from Doug Draper

Posted January 14^th, 2025 on Niagara At Large

The cover of the now-classic 1963 album, ‘The Freewheelin’ Dylan’, showing Bob Dylan and his then girlfriend Suze Rotolo walking down one of the snowy streets of Greenwich Village, New York.

I have sometimes asked myself the following – ‘If I could travel back somewhere in a time machine, where would it go?’

One of the places and times near the top of my list is Greenwich Village in New York City in the early 1960s when it was one of the world’s great meccas for poets and other writers, and for young musicians like Gordon Lightfoot, Leonard Cohen, Joan Baez and Bob Dylan.

Earlier this week  my wife Mary and I went to a movie theatre at the Pen Centre in St. Catharines/Nagara  and saw a movie called ‘A Complete Unknown’ that brought me about as close to realizing that dream of going there than just about any other book I’ve read about that exciting time and place. Continue reading →

“I don’t care if you’re Conservative, Liberal, NDP, Green, or Independent – we must work together across party lines to protect Ontarian & Canadian jobs, independence, and sovereignty,”  – Wayne Gates.

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

Posted January 14^th, 2025 on Niagara At Large

Niagara Falls NDP MPP Wayne Gates whose riding includes the Canada-U.S border municipalities of Niagara Falls, Fort Erie and Niagara-on-the Lake

NIAGARA FALLS, Ontario  — NDP MPP Wayne Gates (Niagara Falls) responds to Premier Doug Ford’s dousing gasoline on rumours to call a provincial snap-election in the face of a U.S. tariff threat, and urging the Premier to use a Team Ontario approach, working with border communities and leaders across the province to protect jobs and the economy – 

“Ontario cannot afford to take its eye off the ball,” said Gates. “What I hear from my communities along the border and from our leaders is that this is an existential threat that requires an all-hands-on-deck approach. Continue reading →

An Important  Message from Niagara Region Public Health

Posted January 14^th, 2025 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – Niagara Region Public Health is reminding parents and guardians to review and update their children’s immunization records as required by the Immunization of School Pupils Act (ISPA).

This provincial law mandates that all Ontario students must be vaccinated against nine diseases, or have valid exemptions, to attend school. High vaccination rates are essential for protecting children, reducing school disruptions and preventing outbreaks. Continue reading →

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

Posted January 13^th, 2025 on Niagara At Large

Let me ask you a few questions.

If you are lucky enough to have a job, when was the last time you got a 25 per cent pay raise?

If you are a senior, when was the last time your pension was hiked 25 per cent?

And if you happen to own a small business, when was the last time you say a 25 per cent increase in revenue?

Yet on the other side of the ‘looking glass’, in that ‘wonderland’ where far too  many  of our federal, provincial and municipal politicians have taken to calling  shots that are completely out of touch with reality, raising costs well above the rate of inflation for   everything from municipal taxes, water rates, police services and post-secondary education to posting a parcel or letter has become the norm. Continue reading →

“Encampments and homelessness in every single community are a stark reminder of this (Ontario Ford) government’s failure. After six years, there is still no real plan to address the critical lack of affordable housing that is forcing so many of our neighbours out in the cold.”                           – Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles

A Statement from Ontario NDP Official Opposition Leader Marit Stiles

Posted January 13^th, 2025 on Niagara At Large

QUEEN’S PARK – Marit Stiles, Leader of the Ontario NDP, released the following statement in response to AMO’s Municipalities Under Pressure report on homelessness – 

“This report is a searing indictment of this government’s inaction the homelessness crisis” said Stiles. “Under Ford’s watch, the number of people facing housing instability continues to increase at an alarming rate.”

“Encampments and homelessness in every single community are a stark reminder of this government’s failure. After six years, there is still no real plan to address the critical lack of affordable housing that is forcing so many of our neighbours out in the cold.” Continue reading →

‘You tell me
Over and over and over again, my friend
How you don’t believe
We’re on the eve of destruction.’

Posted on Niagara At Large with a Brief Commentary by Doug Draper

January 12^th, 2025

There are some songs that are more relative today than they were when we first heard them.

With Trump’s inauguration to a second term as U.S. president just days away, a song called “Eve Of Destruction” by Barry McGuire is one of them.

Released in 1965, with a nuclear arms race in full throttle and civil rights and  anti-war protests playing out on streets and campuses across North America, McGuire’s hit song from 60 years ago could be the perfect soundtrack for the havoc Trump is promising to start wreaking  on his country, on Canada, and on other nations – including longtime friends and allies-  around the world  “on day one” of his presidency.

To hear and to listen to the powerful words of this prescient song, click on the screen below and crank it up –

• Doug Draper, Niagara At Large. 

Stand Up For A Canada That Is Independent, Strong and Free!

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.

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

“All of the internationally produced global temperature datasets show that 2024 was the hottest year since records began in 1850. Humanity is in charge of its own destiny. … The future is in our hands – swift and decisive action can still alter the trajectory of our future climate.”                                                 – Director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service, Carlo Buontempo

News from the European Weather Forecast Centre

Posted January 10^th, 2025 on Niagara At Large

The year 2024 was the warmest on record globally and the first calendar year that was more than 1.5°C above the pre-industrial level, according to the Global Climate Highlights Report 2024 from the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) implemented by ECMWF.

The Paris Agreement of 2016 has a goal to keep the rise in global surface temperature to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels, and preferably to 1.5°C. This refers to an average over at least 20 years, so that one calendar year does not mean the goal has been missed.

Human-induced climate change remains the primary driver of rising air and sea-surface temperatures, while other factors, such as the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO), also contributed to the unusual temperatures observed during the year. Continue reading →

“Niagara is one of the fastest-growing regions in Ontario, home to over 14 million tourists every year. Why is Niagara being treated like a second class community by barely being mentioned in the (Ford government’s)expansion plan?” – Niagara Falls Ontario NDP MPP Wayne Gates

From the Constituency Office of Niagara Falls NDP MPP Wayne Gates

Posted January 10^th, 2025 on Niagara At Large

NIAGARA FALLS, Ontario – Wayne Gates, NDP MPP for Niagara Falls, called out the Ford government over the lack of clear commitment to expanding Metrolinx’s GO Train service expansion plans with a timeline for all-day, two-way service to Niagara Falls.

“This isn’t just about GO Train service. It’s about making life better for all of us,” said Gates.

Continue reading →

“The scope and scale of homelessness across Ontario’s municipalities is truly staggering,”  – Robin Jones,  President, Association of Municipalities of Ontario

A Report from the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO)

Posted January 10th, 2025 on Niagara At Large

This January 9th , 2025 the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) released a comprehensive study that reveals the unprecedented and growing toll of homelessness on individuals, families, communities, and governments.

It outlines the risk of inaction and how we can work together toward a solution.

The study was conducted by HelpSeeker Technologies, in partnership with AMO, the Ontario Municipal Social Services Association (OMSSA) and the Northern Ontario Service Deliverers Association (NOSDA).

Ontario is at a tipping point in its homelessness crisis.

Continue reading →

“I am thrilled to have Dave as a part of our strong Team Niagara as we get to work delivering a better, brighter future for the people of Ontario!”- Ontario’s NDP Official Opposition Leader Marit Stiles

News from Ontario New Democratic Party

Dave Augustyn, Ontario NDP candidate for Niagara West Riding

Posted January 10^th, 2025 on Niagara At Large

GRIMSBY, Ontario – New Democrats in Niagara West came together to nominate Dave Augustyn to be the Ontario NDP candidate in the next provincial election.

“Niagara West deserves a representative that stands up for them and a government that builds homes, hires doctors, fixes schools, and makes life easier,” said Augustyn.

Continue reading →

“This strategy is a product of that collaboration and provides a roadmap that will benefit both students and the broader community.”                                                                                                 –  Michelle Sergi, The Niagara Regional Government’s Deputy Chief Administrative Officer

News from Niagara’s Regional Government

Posted January 9^th, 2025 on Niagara At Large

Niagara’s Regional Headquarters in Thorold

Niagara, Ontario – Niagara Region is working to improve housing for post-secondary students by supporting a new Post-secondary Student Housing Strategy.

This strategy, a part of the Region’s broader Attainable Housing Strategy, aims to optimize existing housing stock, enhance the availability and quality of student accommodations, and address the growing housing needs of Niagara’s students.

The strategy focuses on five main areas: collecting data, increasing the supply of housing (both on-campus and off-campus), securing funding and advocating for change from other levels of government, creating effective policies, and building partnerships. Continue reading →

“The Pow Wow is an opportunity for the Brock and broader Niagara community to come together and celebrate the brilliance and beauty of Indigenous cultures.” – Robyn Bourgeois, Vice-Provost, Indigenous Engagement, Brock University

An Invite from Brock University in St. Catharines/Niagara

Posted January 9^th, 2025 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – A powerful community-building tradition will return to Niagara next week as the second annual Pow Wow gears up to bring a vibrant celebration of Indigenous music, dance and art to Brock University.

Hosted by the Brock Hadiya’dagénhahs First Nations, Métis and Inuit Student Centre, in association with the Office of the Vice-Provost, Indigenous Engagement, the free public gathering will take place Friday, Jan. 17 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the University’s Ian Beddis Gymnasium.

Continue reading →

  “As a leader, President, and humanitarian, Jimmy Carter left the world a better place. He leaves behind a profound legacy that will inspire us for generations to come.”                                                                                                        —  Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada

A News Release from the Office of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

Posted January 9^th, 2025 on Niagara At Large

Former U.S. President and life-long humanitarian Jimmy Carter

Ottawa, Ontario – The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, announced he will travel to Washington, D.C., United States of America, on January 9, 2025, to attend the funeral of former U.S. President Jimmy Carter.

President Carter was an inspirational statesman, leader, and lifelong humanitarian. During his visit, the Prime Minister will deliver condolences on behalf of Canadians for the loss of President Carter, as well as reaffirm Canada’s commitment to a successful Canada-U.S. partnership. Continue reading →

Ontario Launches Rebates for Home Renovations Including New Windows, Insulation, Air Sealings, Smart Thermostats and Heat Pumps

A News Release from the Constituency Office of Niagara West Ford Government MPP Sam Oosterhoff

Posted January 8^th, 2025 on Niagara At Large

BEAMSVILLE – The Ontario government is launching new energy efficiency programs, including the Home Renovation Savings Program, to help families and businesses across Ontario and in Niagara save money.

The programs are part of a new $10.9 billion twelve-year investment in energy efficiency, the largest in Canada’s history.

“These new Energy Efficiency Programs will lower energy bills, put more megawatts into Ontario’s energy grid, and ultimately put more money back into the pockets of the people of Ontario,” said Sam Oosterhoff, MPP for Niagara West. Continue reading →

A Brief One from Doug Draper, a life-long Beatles fan who has room for Elvis too

Posted January 8th, 2025 on Niagara At Large

“There must be lights burning brighter somewhere
Got to be birds flying higher in a sky more blue
If I can dream of a better land
Where all my brothers walk hand in hand
Tell me why, oh why, oh why can’t my dream come true.”

From a 1968 song written for Elvis Presley by Walter Earl Brown

It is hard to imagine a 90-year-old Elvis Presley. 

Forever known as ‘The King of Rock & Roll’, he was born on January 8th, 1935. And to borrow a few words from a Bob Dylan song, Elvis, who died on August 16th, 1977 at age 42 from an apparent drug overdose, will always remain “forever young.”

In 1968, at the end of a television show that rekindled his career and became known around the world as his ‘comeback special’, Elvis Presley introduced a song called ‘If I Can Dream’ which, in the dark and divisive times we are living in now, shares a  a message that we need more than ever. Continue reading →

At January 7^th, 2025 Press Conference, Trump Once Again Gives Canada’s  Sovereignty The Finger As He Talks About That ‘Artificially Drawn Line’ Between The Two Countries

A Commentary by Doug Draper at Niagara At Large

Posted January 7^th, 2025

Trump, figuratively speaking, gives Canada the finger as he strengthens his rhetoric about Canada becoming a “51st state.”

Up to now I have joined what I believe were many other Canadians in half dismissing U.S. Presidential-elect Donald Trump’s taunts and threats against our country as child-like ravings from the ignorant clown that he is.

But his rant at a press conference he hosted at his palace down in Florida this January 7^th has crossed the line for me, as I suspect it has for many others judging from the commentary later in the day on CBC’s main cable news network.

Even our outgoing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly, who have been walking fairly gingerly up to now in the hope, I imagine, that they can keep Trump from poisoning a long-standing friendship and economic partnership between the two countries, finally spoke out with some pretty strong words. Continue reading →

The Gentle-Spoken Folk Singer & Peace & Civil Rights Activist Dies At Age 86

A Brief Tribute by Doug Draper at Niagara At Large

Posted January 7^th, 2025

Peter Yarrow in his later years. He died this January 7th, 2025 at age 86.

Peter Yarrow, with his friends and fellow folksingers Paul Stookey and Mary Travers of ‘Peter, Paul and Mary’ fame, along with Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, Pete Seeger and others that played the clubs and coffee houses in Greenwich Village, N.Y. in the early 1960s, were at the vanguard of a folk music revival that continues to inspire singers and songwriters today.

I was fortunate enough to see Peter, Paul and Mary in concert three times.

And in 1995, I was there to hear them perform a few of their best-known anthems for peace and social justice – Pete Seeger’s ‘Where Have All The Flowers Gone?’ and ‘If I Had A Hammer’, and Bob Dylan’s ‘Blowin’ In The Wind’ – at a 25^th commemoration at Kent State University in Ohio in memory of four students who, in 1070, were shot and killed on that campus by Ohio Guardsmen during a protest of the Vietnam War. Continue reading →

Provincial police resources will conduct highly visible activities to crack down on illegal cross-border activity

News from Ontario’s Ford Government

Posted January 7^th, 2025 on Niagara At Large

Traffic crossing the Canada-U.S. border on the Peace Bridge linking Buffalo, N.Y. and Fort Erie in Niagara, Ontario. On e of the busiest border crossings on the continent.

TORONTO – The Ontario government has launched “Operation Deterrence,” the province’s preparedness and planning framework for enhanced security at international borders and tackling criminal activity that is harming people on both sides of the border.

“Ontario has been calling on the federal government to step up and address safety and security concerns at the border. We need to see words turned into visible action,” said Premier Doug Ford. Continue reading →

“Every Liberal MP in power today and every potential Liberal leadership contender fighting for the top job helped Justin Trudeau break the country over the last 9 years.” – Federal Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre

A Statement  from Canada’s federal Conservative Party Leader On Justin Trudeau’s announcement to resign as Prime Minister

Posted January 6^th, 2024 on Niagara At Large

“This Changes Nothing”

Canada’s federal Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre wants an “Axe the Tax election” now.

Ottawa, ON – The Hon. Pierre Poilievre, Leader of the Conservative Party of Canada and the Official Opposition, released the following statement (this January 6^th, 2025) on Justin Trudeau resigning as the Liberal Leader:

“Canadians desperate to turn the page on this dark chapter in our history might be relieved today that Justin Trudeau is finally leaving.

“But what has really changed? 

“Every Liberal MP in power today and every potential Liberal leadership contender fighting for the top job helped Justin Trudeau break the country over the last 9 years. Continue reading →

A Brief One Posted by Doug Draper, Niagara At Large

January 6^th, 2025

Here is Canada’s now outgoing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau(left)  making nicey nice with Trump down at Mar–Lago late this past year. Within a matter of days after  Trudeau’s audience with America’s soon-to-be dictator, Trump went right back to openly  threatening Canada with plans for tariffs that would wreak havoc on the economies of both countries and with dreams of making Canada the 51st state  of his MAGA nation.

Shortly after Justin Trudeau announced this January 6^th, 2025 that he was resigning from office, Donald Trump, who has spent several weeks now, mocking and threatening Canada, posted the following on his social media site –

“Many people in Canada LOVE being the 51st State. The United States can no longer suffer the massive Trade Deficits and Subsidies that Canada needs to stay afloat. Justin Trudeau knew this, and resigned,” Trump posted.

“If Canada merged with the U.S. There would be no Tariffs, taxes would go way down, and they would be TOTALLY SECURE from the threat of the Russian and Chinese Ships that are constantly surrounding them. Together, what a great Nation it would be!!!”

An Afterword from Doug Draper at Niagara At Large – Maybe we should tell Trump that if federal Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre is elected the next prime minister of Canada, his leadership would be redundant.

Meanwhile, here is a question for  all my fellow Canadians out there. How many of you want to live in the 51^st state of the United States with ringmasters Donald J. Trump and his buddy Elon Musk running the show?

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.

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

A Brief Comment from Doug Draper at Niagara At Large

Posted January 6^th, 2025

It was beginning to seem like it was taking forever for this day to come, but within minutes of  this posting, Justin Trudeau – first sworn in as Canada’s Prime Minister in 2015 – will hold a press conference and announce that he is resigning.

The news, first reported by CBC, raises some obvious questions.

Probably first and foremost, who will take over leadership of the federal Liberal Party and will it make any difference coming into an election that will most certainly take place later this year?

Continue reading →

A year or so before the pandemic started in 2020, signs like this began appearing on lawns in Buffalo neighbourhoods. Buffalo residents were trying to assure us that regardless of anything Trump, then serving his first term as U.S. President,  had to say about Canada at that time, they considered us to be friends.

“It certainly is true Canadians’ opinion of the United States has plummeted. Surveys by Environics in the 2010s regularly found 60 to 70 per cent of Canadians held a favourable view of the US. But in September 2020, only 29 per cent held a favourable view. Canadian opinion recovered a bit with the election of Joe Biden but remains low, and is likely to fall lower with the return of Trump.”            – from a News Release circulated by the Ontario-based polling survey group Data Shows

A Brief News Commentary by Doug Draper at Niagara At Large followed by News from the polling survey group Data Shows

Posted January 3rd, 2025 on Niagara At Large

The Peace Bridge crossing between Niagara, Ontario and Buffalo, New York

With only a few weeks left before President-elect returns to White House for a second term, this commentator has heard and read more than a little commentary from my fellow Canadians about their waning interest in crossing the Canada-U.S. border, even for a day of shopping.

While some of it may have to do with the diminishing value of our dollar against American currency, more often than not I hear people say they don’t want to go to a country with a president who, even before he is sworn in, is already threatening Canada with potentially crippling trade tariffs and is insulting Canada with not-so-funny “jokes” about making us the 51st state. Continue reading →

“Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.” – the late French author Anatole France

Our newest furry friend, Misty

Support All Animal Assistance Efforts In Your Community

A Brief One by Doug Draper at Niagara At Large

January 3^rd, 2025

This past December, thanks to a partnership between Niagara Falls Community Cats, a citizens-based animal assistance group, and the folks who run the Pet Valu Store at the Pine Plaza in Thorold (Ontario) – two parties that have had a long record of finding cats good homes – our family was fortunate enough to adopt a beautiful young tabby named Misty.

As a family of animal lovers, there could be no better Holiday Season gift than that.

Here is Misty, striking a regal pose –

To find out more about Niagara Falls Community Cats and about what you can do to support their good efforts, click on – https://www.facebook.com/Niagara-Falls-Community-Cats-1655197994755647/

For information on Pet Valu in Thorold and cats that may be up for adoption, click on the store’s Facebook page at – https://www.facebook.com/PetValuThorold/

Let’s all do everything we can to live safely and lovingly together with all creatures great and small on this earth – domestic or wild.

• Wishing You All Better Days in the New Year, Doug Draper, Niagara At Large

Luna

The best to you from Luna too, another wonderful friend and companion who came to us by way of Pet Valu and Niagara Falls Community Cats too.

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.

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