Author Archives: dougdraper

Ontario Health Coalition Submission to the Standing Committee on Finance & Economic Affairs – February 1st, 2016

Priority Recommendation: Stop Devastating Hospital Cuts & Restore Funding to Average of Other Provinces

Hospital global funding increases have been set below the rate of inflation since at least 2008. Since 2012/13 global hospital budget funding levels have been frozen. In sum, this means that global hospital budgets have been cut in real dollar terms (inflation-adjusted dollars) for 8 years in a row.

Ontario Health Coalition’s executive director Natalie Mehra at podium outside Queen’s Park following submission to provincial legislative committee on hospital funding.

This is the longest period of hospital cuts in Ontario’s history and there is no end in sight. The evidence shows that the hospital funding formula and austerity measures that have cut global hospital budgets in real dollar terms for almost a decade, have resulted in a dramatic reduction in needed services. By key measures, Ontario now ranks at the bottom of comparable jurisdictions in key measures of hospital care levels.

As a result, hospitals large and small in every geographic region of Ontario are cutting needed services. Hospitals are now at dangerous levels of overcrowding; staffing levels have dropped precipitously; and patients are suffering as they are forced to wait longer and drive further to access care and are discharged before they are stable.

A sampling of recent cuts:

• North Bay – 30 – 40 beds closing and 140 staff positions to be cut.
• Brockville – 17 Registered Nurses cut affecting departments across the hospital.
• London – up to 500 surgeries including hip, knee, gall bladder and others cancelled until next fiscal year due to inadequate funding of surgery budgets.
• Woodstock – hip, knee and other surgeries cancelled til next fiscal year.
• Trenton – virtually all surgeries cut and closed down along with half the remaining acute care beds.
• Minden – the hospital CEO is speculating openly about closing the Minden hospital.
• Niagara – five entire hospitals to be closed and replaced with one.
• Windsor — > 160 nurses and staff positions to be cut affecting departments across the hospital.
• Kitchener-Waterloo – 68 staff positions to be cut affecting departments across the hospital.
• Midland – at risk: birthing, cafeteria, OR closure 2 days per week, ICU beds to be cut, along with beds and other services.

Continue reading →

News from Niagara Health System, Niagara, Ontario’s amalgamated hospital system

Posted February 3^rd, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – Niagara Health System is pleased to announce that we will continue to operate the Extended Care Unit (ECU) at our Welland Site and make the unit an integral part of our planning for the future.

The Niagara Health System’s hospital site in the Niagara community of Welland, Ontario

NHS had been in discussions about the possible sale of the licence to operate the ECU beds with other not-for-profit long-term care operators. After various opportunities were examined by NHS, our Board of Directors approved a recommendation at a recent meeting to maintain the licence for the ECU beds.

“We are committed to keeping these beds in Welland,” says Dr. Barry Wright, Chair of the NHS Board of Directors. “The Extended Care Unit will be incorporated into our future planning efforts as we explore how to best use our resources, services, and partnership opportunities to support and respond to the greater healthcare needs of residents.” Continue reading →

News from Brock University in Niagara, Ontario

Posted February 3^rd, 2016 on Niagara At Large

St. Catharines, Ontario – A yearly event that brings together 30 community organizations along with scholars, activists and citizens will be held at Brock University Saturday, February 6th, 2016.

The main tower at Brock University’s St. Catharines campus in Niagara, Ontario

The ninth annual Niagara Social Justice Forum will include 12 knowledge-sharing and relationship-building workshops. This year’s theme is ‘Building Solidarities.’

Hosted by the MA Program in Social Justice and Equity Studies and the Social Justice Research Institute, the event is planned by graduate students and faculty members.

“Students in the SJES program are always looking outward in an attempt to create tangible impacts within our communities,” says Carissa Taylor, currently pursuing her degree in the program. “The Niagara Social Justice Forum gives us the opportunity to focus our passion for social justice into an event that will leave a lasting impression on the community, even if we ourselves do not stay here after graduation.” Continue reading →

• ‘The Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority Is Keen To Open Up Wetlands To Development’- Ontario Nature

A Commentary by from Ontario Nature, a charitable organization representing 30,000 members and supporters across the Province of Ontario

Posted February 3^rd, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Toronto, Ontario – This past Tuesday, February 2^nd, 2016  was World Wetlands Day – celebrated around the globe each year to raise awareness about the importance of wetlands. It’s a perfect day to consider the storm that is brewing over wetlands in Niagara.

A wetland in southern Ontario – In Niagara, Ontario, the Region Government’s Conservation Authority is targeting them for developement

Wetlands provide critical habitat for wild plants and animals, including more than 20 percent of Ontario’s species at risk. They play a vital role purifying water, controlling floods, reducing erosion and mitigating climate change. These benefits, provided for free, are valued at over $51 billion per year in southern Ontario alone.

Yet wetlands have long been vilified as useless swamps and sloughs – dark, damp, unproductive places to be drained and paved over without a second thought. Sadly, we have lost over 70 percent of our wetlands in southern Ontario and these losses continue. In some places, like Niagara, the loss exceeds 90 percent.

What little remains of wetlands in the Niagara region, such as the provincially significant Frenchman’s Creek wetland complex near Fort Erie, merit protection. But many local politicians, and even the local Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA), are keen to open up wetlands to development. They speak of ‘balancing’ environment with other interests, such as housing. Continue reading →

1. Featurng Speaker Mark Shantz, Executive Director of Garden City Co-Op in Niagara, Ontario

An Invite from the St. Catharines & District Council of Women

Posted February 3rd, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Free Public Meeting:Wednesday February 10^th, St. Catharines Centennial Library 54 Church Street in downtown St. Catharines, Ontario at 7:30 p.m.

• Why are food Co-operatives valuable to the community and     society ?
• How does Garden City  Food Co-op work?
• How do members benefit?

Speaker,   MARK SHANTZ  Executive Director of the Garden City Co-op will “dig into” these questions and help “spread the word” on this important St. Catharines food experience and service .

Sponsored by the 17 Federated Group members of the St. Catharines and District Council of Women, a public interest organization based in Niagara, Ontario

For More Information : Find us on Facebook by googling our name.

NOW IT IS YOUR TURN. Niagara At Large encourages you to share your views on this post. A reminder that we only post comments by individuals who share their first and last name with them.

Visit Niagara At Large at www.niagaraatlarge.com for more news and commentary for and from the greater bi-national Niagara region.

 Please Sign the Petition on the Link Below

A Call-Out To All Of Us from the Canadian chapter of Humane Society Interational

Posted February 3^rd, 2016 on Niagara At Large

The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (OMNRF) has introduced a proposal to relax restrictions on the killing of wolves and allow the unlimited killing of coyotes across most of Ontario in an ill-informed effort to enhance moose populations.

But in reality, these measures will not save moose populations and will place wolves and coyotes at greater risk.

HSI/Canada, alongside a coalition of wildlife protection groups, have made a formal submission to the OMNRF, opposing its wolf and coyote-killing proposal and suggesting that they instead provide non-lethal solutions to protect moose. This would include cracking down on poaching, further limiting moose hunting, and providing better research and monitoring of moose populations.

Tell OMNRF’s minister Bill Mauro and Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne that you wish to see effective, humane protections for moose rather than the killing wolves and coyotes in the process.

Please take a little time to clink on the following link from Humane Society International and add your name to the petition – https://action.hsi.org/ea-action/action?ea.client.id=104&ea.campaign.id=46731&ea.tracking.id=website&_ga=1.263912837.887342131.1454492673 

NOW IT IS YOUR TURN. Niagara At Large encourages you to share your views on this post. A reminder that we only post comments by individuals who share their first and last name with them.

Visit Niagara At Large at www.niagaraatlarge.com for more news and commentary for and from the greater bi-national Niagara region.

A Brief One from Doug Draper

Posted February 2^nd, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Ted Cruz – the Tea Party Senator from Texas who was born in Alberta, Canada to an American mom – came from behind to beat the so-called frontrunning contender Donald Trump in the State of Iowa Republican race for the presidential nomination this February 1^st,.

Trump spent much of January pounding away at Cruz’s Canadian birth (at one point calling him an “anchor baby) in an effort to argue that he might not be eligible to run for an office where, by law, the President must be a native American. But in the end, the tactic didn’t work and Trump, who brags about always being a “winner,” fell to second place, raising the possibility that Cruz might crush him again next week in an all-important New Hampshire primary that sets a strong tone for the remainder of the presidential race.

The New York Daily News – a Manhattan-based tabloid that has mocked Trump’s candidacy since its start last June – published another attention-getting front page on the bombastic billionaire’s campaign follies, as it is want to do.

My parting question is this. Does the outcome in Iowa make Trump, who is famous for calling others who don’t finish first a loser, a loser? I doubt his inner narcissist would ever let him tell.

NOW IT IS YOUR TURN. Niagara At Large encourages you to share your views on this post. A reminder that we only post comments by individuals who share their first and last name with them.

Visit Niagara At Large at www.niagaraatlarge.com for more news and commentary for and from the greater bi-national Niagara region.

A News Commentary by Doug Draper in Niagara, Ontario

Posted February 1^st, 2016 on Niagara At Large

“We are trying to build a better community for our children,” said St. Catharines Mayor Walter Sendzik on behalf of his council as he began his 2016 State of the City address before a large luncheon gathering at Club Roma this past January 29^th.

St. Catharines, Ontario Mayor Walter Sendzik delivers his ‘State of the City’ address with his grandfather’s lunch pail sitting in the foreground. Photo by Doug Draper

With those words, Sendzik walked over to a table near his podium and picked up a lunch pail that once belonged to his grandfather who emigrated to Canada during a time when events in his native Poland made life there very difficult and dangerous.

Sendzik said his grandfather, like all too many other immigrants, weathered his share of indignities which, in his case, included being called a “Pollock.” But he stood outside the gates of a factory in St. Catharines until they finally hired him and he carried that lunch pail back and forth for all the many years worked there.

That lunch pail, added Sendzik, sits in a place in his office as a reminder of what his and other immigrant families endure as they work to build a better life for their children.

Communities like St. Catharines have been built, in no small part, by people who came to them after “escaping tyranny elsewhere,” said Sendzik, and “in this community, we should not tolerate it when someone says (to an immigrant or refugee); ‘You are a terrorist. Go home.’” Continue reading →

Statement by the Prime Minister of Canada on Black History Month

Posted February 1^st, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Ottawa, Ontario – The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today issued the following statement to mark Black History Month:

“February is Black History Month, a time to acknowledge and celebrate the many achievements and contributions that Canadians of African and Caribbean heritage have made to our great country.

“This year, we mark the 20^th anniversary of Black History Month in Canada. Throughout our history, Black Canadians have played a key role in building and shaping the diverse, free, and prosperous country that we enjoy today. Continue reading →

Posted February 1^st, 2016 on Niagara At Large

(A Brief Foreword Note from NAL publisher Doug Draper – If you are wondering why I am posting the following endorsement for a candidate running for U.S. president, I have at least two important reasons.

First, what happens in the United States and who the people of that country elects to lead them often has a major impact on Canada, whether we Canadians like it or not.

U.S. contender for the Democratic presidential nomination, Bernie Sanders

Given that, Canada had a federal election last fall where enough of us voted to finally get rid of a government that favoured corporate elites by pursing policies that cut health and other caring programs for the many, gutted environmental protection programs and allowed the upper one per cent to avoid paying hundreds of billions of dollars annually in taxes that could have been used to make life better for all Canadians.

A successful presidential run by Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, who has had a decades long record of fighting for fairness for everyday people in his country and who has been a consistently strong voice for affordable, quality health care and education, and fair trade and environmental protection on a global scale, would strengthen the case for Canada’s new government pursuing a more progressive agenda.

Second, Niagara At Large is fortunate to have solid base of subscribers and supporters on both sides of the Canada/U.S. border and I am sure many of our American visitors to this site would agree that the amount of coverage the mainstream media has given to the campaign of Donald Trump compared to that of Bernie Sanders has been so outrageously out of balance that one might conclude the media has a hidden agenda to help Trump win the Republic nomination and see Sanders lose the Democratic nomination to Hillary Clinton, who has Wall Street stamped all over her back.

As one more piece of proof of this, I heard nothing on any of the American cable news channels of the endorsement Sanders received this January 31^st from Michael Moore, who is an Academy Award-winning film maker and citizen activist who, most recently, stood up for the people in his hometown of Flint, Michigan, consuming poisoned water long before most of the mainstream media did. On the other hand, we have been nearly bombarded to death the with endorsement Trump received late this January from Sarah Palin, whose intelligence rivals that of a tree stump in my backyard and who so obviously sees hitching her wagon to Trump’s over-covered campaign as another way of drawing widespread attention to herself.

For those reasons alone, I am posting the following endorsement from Michael Moore for the one person I would vote for in a presidential election if I where an American citizens – Bernie Sanders.

From Michael Moore –

Tonight (Sunday, January 31^st) I officially endorse Bernie Sanders for President.

My Dear Friends,

When I was a child, they said there was no way this majority-Protestant country of ours would ever elect a Catholic as president. And then John Fitzgerald Kennedy was elected president.

U.S. filmmaker and citizen activist Michael Moore

The next decade, they said America would not elect a president from the Deep South. The last person to do that on his own (not as a v-p) was Zachary Taylor in 1849. And then we elected President Jimmy Carter.

In 1980, they said voters would never elect a president who had been divorced and remarried. Way too religious of a country for that, they said. Welcome, President Ronald Reagan, 1981-89.

They said you could not get elected president if you had not served in the military. No one could remember when someone who hadn’t served had been elected Commander-in-Chief. Or who had confessed to trying (but not inhaling!) Illegal drugs. President Bill Clinton, 1993-2001. Continue reading →

News from the Hamilton Coalition to Stop the War

Posted February 1^st, 2016 on Niagara At Large

It’s not often we get anti-war speakers of the calibre of Zafar Bangash and Phil Taylor in Hamilton. Zafar Bangash is a world-renowned Muslim scholar, editor of Crescent International, an on-line magazine of contemporary Islamic thought, and imam of the Islamic Centre of York Region in Markham, Ontario.

Zafar Bangash

Phil Taylor is the host of “The Taylor-Report” which is broadcast every Monday from 5 to 6 pm at CIUT.FM, 89.5 on your FM dial, at the University of Toronto. He is also a former investigator at the International War Crimes Tribunal at Arusha, Tanzania and a former US Marine. For our Feb. 2 teach-in, the Hamilton Coalition To Stop The War is pleased to announce a return visit to Hamilton of Zafar Bangash and Phil Taylor, who lectured together here last year on the sinister implications of the Hollywood film, “American Sniper”. Continue reading →

• ‘This Is The Time,’ Says Award-Winning Palliative Care MD

A News Release from McMaster University’s Faculty of Health Sciences

Posted January 29^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Hamilton, Ontario – Grimsby palliative care physician Denise Marshall has a clear view about the changes in Canada that will soon include support for physician assisted death.

Dr. Denise Marshall at McMaster University in Hamilton, specialist in palliative care

“It needn’t be polarizing; who isn’t in favour of the relief of human suffering?” she said. “It is clear Canadians have asked for physician assisted death, and the Supreme Court has honoured that societal wish.

“Now that there is national focus on the nature of death and dying in Canada, we have an unprecedented opportunity to ensure that the current option of equitable palliative care for all Canadians, is a genuine option. This is a chance we won’t get again.”

The Supreme Court of Canada has given the Canadian government until the summer of 2016 to deliver a new law after the court’s ruling that a ban on physician-assisted dying violated Canadians’ charter rights. Continue reading →

By John Bacher

Posted January 29^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

After more than forty years of work in environmental and social justice causes in Niagara, Ontario, I am delighted to see the emergence of an informed, popular movement to protect and celebrate our threatened ecosystems.

This January 27^th, more than 200 people mobilized to protest a proposed change to provincial wetland policy which could possibly undermine the protected status of provincially significant wetlands.

Could what is left of ancient swamps forest like this in Niagara be “off set” to make way for paved development? The Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority is beginning to explore the idea of doing just that.

A follow up to this event will be held on Saturday, February 6^th at 7pm at Mahtay Cafe, located at 241 St. Paul Street in downtown St. Catharines, by a newly formed group, Youth For Wetlands. It is intended as a celebration of our threatened wetlands and will involve art and music.

What makes the threat to our wetlands so pernicious is that the review which included a poorly attended meeting in a Niagara Falls arena last November, comes around the time of what should be a celebration of a quarter century of provincial policy to protect wetlands in Ontario.

The strength of the existing policy is that once established as provincially significant (generally on the basis of providing habitat for threatened species) these lands are no longer subject to the threat of site alteration. They are further protected by a thirty meter buffer.
Continue reading →

A Quick One from Doug Draper, NAL

Posted January 29th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Someone who is a regular  reader and supporter of Niagara At Large sent me the following image of a police surveillance camera scanning a neighbourhood in front of the London, England home of the late George Orwell, author of the  1984 – a nightmarish vision of a future where ‘Big Brother is Watching’ and where ‘war is speace’, ‘freedom is slavery’, ‘ignorance is strentch  and where fear and paranoia are used to keep people compliant and under control.

The image was emailed to me with a caption that read; ‘The ultimate irony.” And if you look at it closely enough, you can see the round blue plaque with Orwell’s name on it fastened to the wall of his old home behind the probing camera.

Back at the beginning o this 21st century, just a few years before he died in 2005, the former Rolling Stone magazine journalist Hunter St. Thompson wrote the following words that can be found in a collection of some of his essays called; ‘Kingdom of Fear’.

“We are living in dangerously weird times now,” Thompson wrote. “Smart people just shrug and admit they’re dazed and confused. … The only ones left with any confidence at all are the New Dumb. It is the beginning of the end of our world as we knew it. Doom is the operative ethic.”

Those words came to mind as I took my first glance at the image of Orwell’s house with the surveillance camera in front of it. And as gloomy as they are, it must be remembered that Thompson wrote them when George W. Bush and Dick Cheney where in control of the  White House, commanding, from afar, their “shock and awe” bombing and bulletting campaigns in the Middle East while keeping the fear level high in the populace back home.

Over the past 10 years in Canada, we had a government run by Stephen Harper that played on anger, fear and intolerance toward others to diminish democratic rights and freedoms here.

Fortunately, Bush and Cheney’s record has been largely discredited in the U.S. and this past October in Canada, a federal election threw out Harper and hopefully the country now has a federal government less inclined to use terror and intolerance of others as power tools.

Hopefully.

NOW IT IS YOUR TURN. Niagara At Large encourages you to share your views on this post. A reminder that we only post comments by individuals who share their first and last name with them.

Visit Niagara At Large at www.niagaraatlarge.com for more news and commentary for and from the greater bi-national Niagara region.

Thompson was not a Honda. He terrified his son. Juan F. Thompson’s memoir, “Stories I Tell Myself: Growing Up With Hunter S. Thompson,” is a calm book about a wild man. It’s a careful yet

An Invite from the Niagara Sustainability Initiative

Posted January 27^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – On February 3, 2016 the Niagara Sustainability Initiative (NSI) will host Niagara’s first Energy Summit at the Fallsview Casino in Niagara Falls. Through this summit, NSI aims to provide the tools and resources for Carbon Project members, other businesses and interested community members to turn their energy reduction ideas into reality.

Attendees, vendors and local distribution companies will have the opportunity to connect, form partnerships and find innovative solutions that will serve the region as we transition into a low carbon future. Registration is required and space is limited: https://www.eventbrite.ca/myevent?eid=19918064467  Continue reading →

Statement from MPP Vic Fedeli on Court Appearance of Top Liberals Operatives

Posted January 27^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

QUEEN’S PARK – Ontario, Conservative MPP Vic Fedeli (Nipissing) released the following statement this January 27^th on the first court appearance by David Livingston, former Liberal Premier Dalton McGuinty’s Chief of Staff, and Laura Miller, McGuinty’s former Deputy Chief of Staff:

Two top aids of former Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty make court appearance on criminal charges over gas plant scandal.

“It’s a disgrace that two top Ontario Liberal Party operatives have been charged with criminal activity. We’re disappointed that it has gotten to this point and that top Liberal officials are before the courts. 

While the Wynne Liberals have tried to distance themselves from Miller and Livingston by dismissing them as former staff, Premier Wynne’s current Deputy Chief of Staff Pat Sorbara is still the subject of an OPP investigation for an alleged breach of the Elections Act in relation to the Sudbury by-election scandal.

These charges reflect a culture of corruption and abuse of the public’s trust within the Liberal Government and the Liberal Party of Ontario. How many key decision-makers in the Liberal Party need to be charged before the Premier will take responsibility?  The people of Ontario deserve better.”

NOW IT IS YOUR TURN. Niagara At Large encourages you to share your views on this post. A reminder that we only post comments by individuals who share their first and last name with them.

Visit Niagara At Large at www.niagaraatlarge.com for more news and commentary for and from the greater bi-national Niagara region.

If  U.S. Governments Can Be Pressed To  Action, Maybe We Can Get Canadian Governments To Act Too!

A Call-Out from the global citizens advocacy group Avaaz

Dear friends,

Bees are vanishing. These industrious creatures that bring us 70 of the worlds top 100 foods are collapsing in a rain of toxic pesticides.

But finally the U.S. government could take action to ban bee-killing poisons. And we could make this the moment to save the bees! 

The US has just opened an official public consultation to consider regulation on a major bee-killing chemical. But so far, agrichemical companies are the loudest voices in the room. 

A massive call from this community, in partnership with beekeepers, farmers, and scientists, is urgently needed. Our community is already winning a ban on bee killing toxins in the EU. 

If we can get a ban in the US, it will have a ripple effect on the rest of the world to get rid of these chemicals and protect our delicate food supply. The US regulatory agency is taking comments this week! Let’s flood them with messages to be the voice that stops the collapse of bees. Continue reading →

Statement by Justin Trudeau, the Prime Minister of Canada on meeting with Inuit leaders

Posted January 26th, 2016 in Niagara At Large

Ottawa, Canada – The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, issued the following statement today on meeting with Inuit leaders:

Two Inuit girls pose with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau after performing throat singing at his swearing -in ceremonies in Ottawa last November

“Today, I had the honour of meeting with Inuit leaders from across the North to discuss the unique challenges their communities face and the exciting opportunities the region holds.

“This afternoon’s discussion with members of the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami was an important step in renewing the relationship between Canada and the Inuit – one based on respect, rights, cooperation, and partnership.

“A key part of our meeting focused on how we can better work together with Inuit leaders, the territories and provinces, along with other parties, to address issues important to the Inuit, including the social and economic obstacles that directly affect Inuit success.

“I want to thank leaders of the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami for meeting with me today and giving me the opportunity to begin to earn their trust. I am eager to bring about positive change in the lives of Inuit across Canada and work together to unleash the North’s amazing potential.”

NOW IT IS YOUR TURN. Niagara At Large encourages you to share your views on this post. A reminder that we only post comments by individuals who share their first and last name with them.

Visit Niagara At Large at www.niagaraatlarge.com for more news and commentary for and from the greater bi-national Niagara region.

A Brief Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted January 25^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

“My people are so smart! And you know what else they say about my people. … (in) the polls? They say I have the most loyal people where I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot someone, and I wouldn’t lose any voters. It is, like, incredible!.”

Donald Trump has you in his sites.

In gun-crazy America? Incredible? And Donald Trump, the front-running Republican U.S. presidential contender who hurled out those words during a January 23^rd campaign rally in Iowa as part of his ‘I-can-get-away-with saying-and-doing-almost-anything-I-want-and-still-be-a-winner schtick, knows it’s not incredible either.

In a country where more than 30,000 people die from gun shots each year and where just the day before Trump poured forth those words, a good Samaritan was killed in North Carolina when he stopped to help someone stranded in a car during the recent snow blizzard down there and the person in the car felt startled and shot him, why would there be anything incredible about him saying he could gun someone down in the street and not lose any voters?

Continue reading →

A Call-Out to All of Us from the online  globe-wide advocacy group Avaaz

Dear friends,

The ivory trade is pushing elephants to the edge of extinction, and Yahoo is making a killing from trinket sales in Japan!

But right now we have a chance to end this corporate complicity.  Several big brands like Google and Amazon are refusing to sell ivory.

Yahoo is one of the few major online markets left. But we could influence that decision. Right now Yahoo is losing some of its best employees, and the CEO is offering millions to convince people to stay.

If we threaten to lift the lid on Yahoo’s bloody secret, she could lose staff even faster, and may reconsider the costs of this cruel trade. 100 elephants are being massacred a day, and their emotional intelligence means they understand the horror of what is happening to them. Continue reading →

–        How would it work?

Buffalo, New York – The Sierra Club Climate and Clean Energy Writers Group presents Ron Scott of the Citizens Climate Lobby discussing these questions.

Mr. Scott is one of the foremost local advocates fora Carbon Tax

When: Monday, February 1st, 2016 @  6:00-7:30 PM

Where: Unitarian Universalist Church  695 Elmwood at Ferry (Garden Entrance), 2nd Floor Alliance Room – in Buffalo, New York.

This meeting is free and open to the public.

For more information contact – billnowa@gmail.com

To learn more about the carbon tax idea before this session click on the following –

http://www.carbontax.org/states/

http://cleantechnica.com/2015/07/23/ny-state-carbon-tax-proposal-moving-closer-according-network-sustainable-financial-markets/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/charles-komanoff/a-carbon-fee-can-cut_b_4339925.html

NOW IT IS YOUR TURN. Niagara At Large encourages you to share your views on this post. A reminder that we only post comments by individuals who share their first and last name with them.

Visit Niagara At Large at www.niagaraatlarge.com for more news and commentary for and from the greater bi-national Niagara region

A Call Out to Canadians from the public advocacy group Friends of Canadian Broadcasting

Posted January 24th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Starting Monday, January 25th, the survival of local TV in Canada will be the focus of a public hearing convened by the CRTC, Canada’s broadcast regulator. 

This examination can’t come fast enough.  Even though local TV is highly valued by viewers, as a sector it is bleeding red ink and has been for years.   Since 2010, private conventional TV has seen revenues drop by approximately 25%.

A combination of factors has brought local TV to its knees including economic, technological and audience behavior changes affecting the industry as a whole, as well as removal of regulatory protections and public subsidies to support this valued and particularly vulnerable sector. Continue reading →

St. Catharines Regional Councillor Andy Petrowski resigns from Niagara Police Board.

By Doug Draper, publisher, Niagara At Large

Posted January 22^nd, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Andy Petrowski, a two-term Niagara regional councillor for St. Catharines, has resigned his seat on the Niagara Police Services Board “to spend more time with his family and his father,” according to a statement posted on the Board’s website this January 22^nd by Niagara Falls regional councillor Bob Gale, who serves as the Board’s chair.

Gale’s statement on Petrowski, who has already been replaced on the Board by Niagara regional chair Al Caslin, offered nothing but praise for Petrowski’s year of service on the body. The statement made no reference to calls for Petrowski’s resignation following comments he made on a local radio phone-in program this past December about Syrian refugees coming into Canada. Continue reading →

An Invite to You from Brock University’s Environmental Sustainability Research Centre

Posted January 22^nd, 2016 on Niagara At Large

ESRC Events

Science Café: ‘Electric Cars: Future Opportunities & Challenges’

Join the ESRC as we discuss the opportunities and challenges associated with electric vehicles. This event will feature guest speakers:

• Ron Goves, Manager of Education and Outreach, Plug’n Drive
• Josipa Petrunic, Executive Director & CEO, Canadian Urban Transit Research & Innovation Consortium (CUTRIC)

Continue reading →

• The Ongoing Fight In Canada And The U.S. To Prevent Private Interests From Diverting Water From The Great Lakes Basin

News from the Canada-U.S. International Joint Commission

Posted January 22^st, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Preventing harm to the waters of the Great Lakes from diversion or shipment outside of the basin is a visceral issue for those who love the lakes.

Lake Ontario and Lake Erie and beyond from space. Click on the image to enlarge and you may see the Niagara River connecting the two lakes. These are our precious life-sustaining fresh waters to protect and preserve.

When a private (Canadian-based) firm received a permit in 1998 to take Lake Superior water and export it via tanker to overseas customers, the resulting public uproar not only halted the project, but prompted the U.S. and Canadian governments to ask the IJC to study and report on the issue.

The resulting IJC report to the governments, “Protection of the Waters of the Great Lakes,” issued in 2000, provided a road map for assuring that consumptive uses, diversions and exports of the basin’s water did not injure the lakes. Continue reading →

“We need to balance what must be done to address climate change and protect our environment and the development of our energy resources.” – Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne

Statement on Meeting between Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne and Alberta Premier Rachel Notley

Posted January 22nd, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Toronto-Ontario – Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne met with Alberta  Premier Rachel Notley today in Toronto to discuss issues important to the future prosperity of both provinces. The meeting focused on climate change, the upcoming First Ministers’ Meeting and infrastructure, including Energy East.

Alberta Premier Rachel Notley (left) makes a point while Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne looks on.

Following the meeting, Premier Wynne issued this statement:

“I have said all along that we need to balance what must be done to address climate change and protect our environment and the development of our energy resources. That is why the Canadian Energy Strategy is so important. Continue reading →

News from the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority

Posted January 22^nd, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Nagara, Ontario – At the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority’s Annual General Meeting held on Wednesday, Jan. 20th, 2016, the Board of Directors elected Bruce Timms, Regional Councillor for St. Catharines as Chair of the Board of Directors. 

“It’s an honour and a pleasure to be voted in by my Board colleagues as Chair of the NPCA Board for 2016,” stated Councillor Timms. “We had a very successful year, and I look forward to continuing our work, particularly with so many important projects currently in progress such as; exploring biodiversity offsetting, Welland River floodplain mapping, NPCA policy review and the Niagara River Remedial Action Plan.” Continue reading →

From Niagara At Large publisher Doug Draper

January 21st, 2016

The commentary by Nick Fillmore on Canada’s Postmedia Corp.’s newspaper has been resent due to typos in the headline for the first draft circulated. Please move past that one and open the second, redrafted version sent your way.

Thanks and Sorry for the foul-up. Doug Draper

A Commentary by Nick Fillmore

Posted January 21^st, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Another 90 dedicated journalists in Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton and Ottawa lost their jobs Tuesday as cutthroat Publisher Paul Godfrey slashed away again in an effort to turn Postmedia into a profit-making business.  In a bizarre move, two competing papers will continue to be separate entities, but there will be one set of editors and most journalists will be shared.

Postmedia’s “cutrhroat” publisher and CEO Paul Godfrey

In Vancouver, the Sun and The Province will come under one roof. In Edmonton, the Journal and the Sun will come together; in Calgary, the Calgary Herald and the Sun; and in Ottawa, The Ottawa Citizen and the Sun. This latest maneuver, in effect, reduces the four cities to print media monopolies. Even as weak as the original Postmedia and Sun papers were, they still competed with each other. Now the same editors will assign reporters from both papers. Continue reading →

News from the Pen Centre, Niagara Furniture Bank and Niagara Refugee Assistance Committee

Posted January 21^st, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Niagara Region, Ontario – The Niagara Refugee Assistance Committee and Niagara Furniture Bank have announced a partnership to help avert 10,000 square feet of hotel furnishing from landfill and make it available to Syrian refugees and other families and individuals in need.

Syrian refugees arriving in Canada

Hotels are updating furnishings and instead of the furniture heading for landfill and a group of hotel owners in Niagara is donating the still very usable goods to the Niagara Furniture Bank who provides gently used home furnishings to families in need in the Niagara Region.

“With the influx of Syrian Refugees, there is more stress on already restricted resources of our organization, such as space, staffing and stock”, explains Niagara Furniture Bank Executive Director Gillian Kemp. “We are thrilled by the leadership and generosity of these local businesses”. Continue reading →

“In Canada

• This year, just 5 Canadians have the same wealth as the bottom 30% of Canadians – more than 11 million people. Canada’s top 5 billionaires own $55 billion, while the bottom 30% owns $54.97 billion. 

• The poorest 10% of Canadians only make about $2.30 more per day than they did 25 years ago.” 

News from Oxfam Canada on the Growing Wealth Gap in Canada and around the World

Posted January 21st, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Runaway inequality has created a world where 62 people own as much wealth as the poorest half of the world’s population. This figure has fallen from 388 just five years ago, according to an Oxfam report published today ahead of the annual gathering of the world’s financial and political elites in Davos.

An Economy for the 1%, shows that the wealth of the poorest half of the world’s  population has fallen by a trillion dollars since 2010, a drop of 41 per cent. This has occurred despite the global population increasing by around 400 million people during that period. Meanwhile the wealth of the richest 62 has increased by more than half a trillion dollars to $1.76 trillion. Continue reading →

“The biggest gap in many communities is private sponsorships.” – Jeff Burch,  Director,  Niagara Folk Arts Multicultural Centre

News from Brock University in Niagara, Ontario

Posted January 20^th on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – Thousands of Syrians have died fleeing the Middle Eastern country plagued by war and terrorism.

Syrian refugees arriving recently in Canada.

For too many, turning to smugglers and deadly boat crossings on the Mediterranean Sea is the only option for escape.

It’s a grim reality that served as the catalyst for a group of 18 Brock University faculty and staff to come together to sponsor a family of Syrian refugees through Ryerson Lifeline Syria.

“We are providing a legal way for people to flee so they don’t have to risk their lives,” said Ebru Ustundag, Associate Professor in the Department of Geography. “For me, it’s an ethical and political responsibility. This is one of the worst humanitarian crises in decades.” Continue reading →

A Column from Natalie Mehra, Executive Director of the Ontario Health Coalition, a province-wide public advocacy group

Posted January 20^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

We have raised it repeatedly for the last half-decade or more in legislative

Ontario Health Coalition executive director Natalie Mehra

hearings on the Ontario Budget and the Local Health Integration Networks. Now, finally, the Ontario government is taking some modest action to roll back the worst of hospital parking fees.

In advance of the protests against hospital cuts that we are holding across the province this week at each pre-budget hearing, the government proclaimed early Monday morning that it will be requiring hospitals to roll back some parking fees.

But the announcement will not actually lower parking fees in many communities. This is the bottom line:

• Hospitals will still be able to charge $10 per day or more to visitors.
• For hospitals that charge $9.99 per day or less, nothing changes.
• But those hospitals that do charge $10 or more per day for visitors will be required to provide access to 5 -, 10 -, and 30 – day passes discounted by 50%. These discount passes must be transferable between patients and caregivers and must include in- and out- privileges.

Continue reading →

A Brief Commentary from Doug Draper, Niagara At Large

Posted January 20th, 2016

I’m one Canadian who has always taken exception whenever I here one of my fellow citizens make the sweeping statement that “Americans are stupid.”

As I’ve mentioned several times in commentaries posted on Niagara At Large, many of my close friends are Americans and they are far from “stupid” when it comes to what is happening in and to their country.

Yet even I must admit that it is hard to remember that America has its share of smart people when you see cable news replays of U.S. Tea Party star Sarah Palin, spewing words (when she was not making a mash of them) like a mentally challenged out-paitent on crack,

Then along comes the following front-page of the New York Daily News, published this January 20th, to restore some of your faith that there may be enough people in America to keep Donald Trump out of White House where he would have his fingers near the missle button while he is inflicting his angry, hate-filled demagoguery on the people of his country, on his neighbours in Canada and on the rest of the world.

By the way, if anyone really wants to get into the down and dirty business of doing a per capita comparison of how many stupid people there are in the U.S. versus Canada, one could begin by remembering that in Canada’s last federal election – held two months ago this mid-January, almost 32 per cent of the 17.5 million Canadians who bothered to go to the polls voted for the Stephen Harper Conservatives. Continue reading →

‘A Brief Comment from Doug Draper

Posted January 19^th, 2016 in Niagara At Large

“I’m afraid of Americans. I’m afraid of the world. I’m afraid I can’t help it.  … I’m afraid of Americans. …… God is an American. God is an American”

When David Bowie wrote those lyrics for an album called ‘Earthling’ in 1997, the inspiration for them apparently came while he was visiting the Indonesian island of Java and witnessed the first McDonald’s fast food restaurant going up there – an invasion of a base feature of Americana on that culture he found “depressing.”

With Bowie’s death this January and those lyrics swirling around in so many of the tributes, I could see them being reborn again as a perfect soundtrack as Donald Trump and Sarah Palin – two of America’s most ghoulish politicians and both such masters at playing to the darkest side of their fellow citizens – came together this January 19^th so that Palin could endorse Trump’s campaign for the presidency of the United States. All while praying for God’s blessing for them and the American nation they are fighting to save.

“I’m afraid of Americans. … God is an American.”

And God help the rest of the world.

NOW IT IS YOUR TURN. Niagara At Large encourages you to share your views on this post. A reminder that we only post comments by individuals who share their first and last name with them.

Visit Niagara At Large at www.niagaraatlarge.com for more news and commentary for and from the greater bi-national Niagara region.

“Create a national pharmacare program to expand universal, comprehensive coverage to all Canadians for needed medications.”

New from the Ontario Health Coalition

Posted January 19^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Toronto/Vancouver – Urgent action must be taken to safeguard equal health care for all as a first priority as Health Ministers from across Canada gather in Vancouver this week, say advocates from the public health care watchdog the Ontario Health Coalition.

“We are seeing an alarming increase in user fees charged to patients in private clinics,” said Natalie Mehra, Executive Director of the Ontario Health Coalition. “Cuts and privatization have resulted in patients being charged hundreds or even thousands of dollars for needed tests and surgeries, in violation of the Canada Health Act and provincial laws.

As the Health Ministers gather in British Columbia this week, we are calling on Ontario Health Minister Eric Hoskins to insist that the fundamental principle of equal health care for all, based on need not wealth, be upheld and enforced as a first priority; and funding be provided to meet population need for care.” Continue reading →

Posted by Doug Draper, publisher, Niagara At Large

January 18^th, 2016

Each Martin Luther King Day – a day each January that Americans and others around the world are asked to remember one of the most stirring and courageous voices for human rights for the past 100 years – I like to share a fitting quotation from this great individual, who would have turned 87 this past January 15^th and who is being honoured in gatherings across North America this Monday, January 18^th.

Martin Luther King Jr.

This quotation is one I found in a blog posted by a young person named Kayle Lunde who lives and works in Washington D.C. It is a particularly relevant statement from the American civil rights leader given so many of the questions and concerns – along with some very ugly words and actions – expressed across North America as we contront a Syrian refugee crisis of historic proportions.

That quotation, followed by some reflections (in which you can just as well substitute the word Canadian for American if you live north of the border)on it by Kayle Lunde, goes like this –

“We may have all come on different ships, but we’re in the same boat now.” – Martin Luther King

Continue reading →

Posted January 18^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

News from the Hamilton,Ontario-based Citizens At City Hall (CATCH)

In the few weeks since the Paris climate accord (this past December), there have been three pipeline occupations and there are promises of more civil disobedience as citizens, including Hamilton organizations, turn up the heat on the National Energy Board (NEB) and the fossil fuel sector it oversees.

A pipeline protest in Sarnia, Ontario area this past December resulted in arrests

Multiple groups including First Nations, the Council of Canadians, and 350.org are pushing the federal Liberals to implement their promised reform of the Board before the NEB makes further decisions on oil and bitumen pipelines.

The immediate focus is the controversial Kinder Morgan application to twin a pipeline from Alberta to Vancouver, but the promised reform of the NEB could also affect three Enbridge pipelines through Hamilton – Line 9 that was shut down twice by protests last month, Line 7 that was also briefly disrupted, and Line 10 whose expansion application is now before the NEB. Continue reading →

Putting Patients First By Reducing Fees for Frequent Visitors

News from the Government of Ontario

Posted January 18^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Queen’s Park, Toronto – Ontario is making hospital parking more affordable for thousands of patients, their loved ones and caregivers. As of October 1, 2016, hospitals that charge more than $10 a day for parking will be required to provide 5-, 10- and 30-day passes that are:

The Niagara Health System’s Welland, Ontario hospital site. photo by Doug Draper

• Discounted by 50 per cent off their daily rate
• Transferable between patients and caregivers
• Equipped with in-and-out privileges throughout a 24-hour period
• Good for one year from the date of purchase.

Continue reading →

A Brief Comment from Doug Draper

Posted January 17th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Canada’s national media keeps reporting on what an economic blow it is for the people in the Province Of Canada with the work price for oil cratering the way it has.

But times can’t be that bad when billboards like the following are popping up in the province.

NOW IT IS YOUR TURN. Niagara At Large encourages you to share your views on this post. A reminder that we only post comments by individuals who share their first and last name with them.

Visit Niagara At Large at www.niagaraatlarge.com for more news and commentary for and from the greater bi-national Niagara region.

With A Brief Foreword Note from Doug Draper, publisher, Niagara At Large

Posted January 14^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

From Doug Draper

With all of the negativity we are fed by politicians, it was great to tune in one of the cable news channels this January 12^th and hear some truly positive and forward-thinking ideas coming from Barack Obama during his last State of the Union Address as President of the United States.

U.S. Barack Obama delivers State of the Union Address for last time in his presidency.

It sounded like a youngish new Canadian Prime Minister named Justin Trudeau who is already being sniped at with lines like ‘he can’t do that’ or ‘he’s trying to move too fast’ or (especially with reference to his ambitious promise to land 50,000 Syrians in Canada by early this year) ‘ah, you see, he’s going to miss his target’ by critics representing the narrow and dated interests – too often drenched in anger, phobia and cynicism – of old stock Canadians.

Let’s hope that for the sake of the future of younger generations of Canadians and Americans, Trudeau and Obama and whoever takes his place in the White House do not let the voices of negativity and entrenched interest discourage them from at least try pursuing a more progressive course.

In that spirit, what follows is one of the more instirational, forward-thinking excerpts – at least, in my view – from Obama’s January 12^th, 2016 State of the Union Address –

“Sixty years ago, when the Russians beat us into space, we didn’t deny Sputnik was up there. We didn’t argue about the science, or shrink our research and development budget. We built a space program almost overnight, and twelve years later, we were walking on the moon.

Continue reading →

“The Niagara Poverty Reduction Network has become a strong and reliable voice on poverty issues within our region.”

News from the Niagara Poverty Reduction Network

Posted January 13^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – The Niagara Poverty Reduction Network (NPRN), which includes over 30 organizations and individuals working to raise awareness of poverty issues and solutions, welcomes new leadership starting in 2016. 

Glen Walker will become the Chair of the Network, while Melenie Neamtz steps in as Network Vice-Chair.  Walker is the Executive Director of Positive Living Niagara with an extensive background in community development and the health and developmental services sectors. 

Neamtz is the Community Connections Coordinator with the Niagara Folk Arts Multicultural Centre working to improve opportunities for youth in Niagara. Continue reading →

News from Brock University

Posted January 12^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – Young entrepreneurs in Niagara will reap the rewards of provincial funding for BioLinc, Brock University’s incubation facility run by the Goodman School of Business.

Support provided by the Government of Ontario’s Youth Entrepreneurship Partnerships (YEP) program will allow BioLinc to launch the Niagara Youth Entrepreneurship Network (NYEN), which will bring various organizations in Niagara together to deliver a more focused approach to programming for entrepreneurs between the ages of 12 and 29.

“To ensure a strong, competitive and vibrant economy in the future, Ontario must act now to nurture the entrepreneurs and business leaders of tomorrow,” says Brad Duguid, Minister of Economic Development, Employment and Infrastructure. Continue reading →

• Pre-Budget Consultations Taking Place in Communities Across Province

News from Ontario Finance Minister Charles Sousa

Posted January 12^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Queen’s Park, Toronto – Ontario is seeking input from individuals, organizations, and businesses, across the province to help shape Ontario’s upcoming budget.

Ontario Finance Minister Charles Sousa

Today, Charles Sousa, Minister of Finance, was in Toronto to kick off provincewide pre-budget consultations, which include in-person sessions, telephone town halls and online idea-sharing.

Pre-budget consultations are an important way for Ontarians to have their say on how to grow the economy, create jobs and plan for the province’s future. Ideas gathered through these consultations will be considered as part of the budget development process. Continue reading →

• “The 2015 season closed on December 31^st with the passage of the vessel Mississagi through Welland Canal Lock 1.”

News from the St. Lawrence Seaway Corp.

Posted January 12^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Cornwall, Ontario – With water temperatures well above the 10-year average, the St. Lawrence Seaway closed its 2015 navigation season ice free on December

A big laker navigates its way through Lock 2 on the Welland Canal in Niagara, Ontario

31^st. Thirty-six million tonnes of cargo transited the waterway during the season, with grain, at volumes well above the five-year average, leading the way. The Seaway once again proved to be a key asset for farmers as they shipped their crops to markets at home and overseas.

Grain volumes on the Seaway amounted to 10.8 million tonnes, one of the strongest years in recent memory.  The Port of Thunder Bay, the principal point of entry for grain into the Great Lakes / Seaway System, reported its second-best season in 15 years. Combined with grain being loaded onto ships from other ports such as Hamilton, Duluth / Superior and Toledo, agricultural commodities have become increasingly important to the Great Lakes / Seaway System. Continue reading →

Another Column from Pelham Mayor Dave Augustyn

Posted January 12^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

The Town of Pelham in Niagara, Ontario – You may recall that during the summer there were no grants available from the Provincial or Federal government for “quality of life investments” like recreational facilities.

Pelham, Ontario Mayor Dave Augustyn

In July, I informed you that “Since there are currently no Federal or Provincial grants available [for a potential new community centre], the Town will continue to lobby for a policy change and for funding.”

In August I asked that you assist the Town’s efforts; I wrote “So, during this National election, please ask your local candidates to ensure that the Canadian Government will also help fund improvements to our quality of life – like new recreational and cultural facilities.”

Since that time, Canadians elected a new Federal Government. During their election campaign, the Liberal Party promised: “Over the next decade, we will invest almost $20 billion more in Canada’s social infrastructure.” Continue reading →

An Invite to All Of Us from the Niagara Prosperity Initiative

Posted January 11^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – Proposals are invited from the community for projects that will provide an effective service to address poverty at a neighbourhood level for residents of the Niagara region.

Information session on addressing poverty to be held at Niagara Regional Headquarters in Thorold.

The Niagara Prosperity Initiative (NPI) uses a neighbourhood-based approach to addressing poverty with the understanding that the nature and degree of poverty varies from neighbourhood to neighbourhood.

NPI seeks to build strong communities to ease the enduring impacts of poverty and the stigma and stress associated with living in poverty. Stronger and healthier communities will provide individuals with social supports and access to the broader factors that affect health.

Applications will be available at www.unitedwayniagara.org  from February 1, 2016 – February 26, 2016

An information session will be held Tuesday, February 2, 2016

3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Niagara Region Headquarters, Council Chambers, 2201 St. David’s Road, Thorold

For more information, please visit www.unitedwayniagara.org or email Natalie.Chaumont@unitedwayniagara.org

NOW IT IS YOUR TURN. Niagara At Large encourages you to share your views on this post. A reminder that we only post comments by individuals who share their first and last name with them.

Visit Niagara At Large at www.niagaraatlarge.com for more news and commentary for and from the greater bi-national Niagara region.

 “Ratepayers will benefit from the Darlington refurbishment.” – Ontario PC Energy Critic John Yakabuski 

From Ontario’s Progressive Conservative Party

Posted January 11^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Queen’s Park, Ontario – Today at the Legislative Assembly, Energy Critic for

The Ontario Conservative Party’s Energy Critic John Yakabuski says caucus supports refurbishing nuclear power reactors

the Official Opposition John Yakabuski gave his support for the announced refurbishment of four nuclear reactors at Ontario Power Generation’s Darlington generating station.

The 12.8 billion dollar refurbishment is a major investment in Ontario’s nuclear industry and will help to stabilize electricity rates in the future. “The announcement today will ensure that the province retains its position as a centre of excellence for nuclear research and technology” said MPP Yakabuski. “Moreover, ratepayers will benefit from the Darlington refurbishment because it will result in the province continuing to use nuclear as a source of reliable, cost-effective, and emission free source of electricity.” Continue reading →

A Citizen Group’s’ Response To News From Ontario Government On Refurbishing Nuclear Plants

From Angela Bischoff, Outreach Director, Ontario Clean Air Allanice

Posted January 11^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Despite official hype that electricity from a re-built Darlington Nuclear Station will be a good deal, the truth is that the cost of power from Darlington is just going up and up while the cost of power from renewable and efficiency sources is going down, down, down.

Ontario Power Generation (OPG) claims that electricity from a re-built Darlington Nuclear Station will cost 7.2 to 8.1 cents per kWh (before inevitable cost overruns).  That means power from a re-built Darlington will cost anywhere from 30% to 45% more than OPG’s average sales price for nuclear electricity in 2014 (5.6 cents per kWh).

The Darlington deal also explicitly recognizes that once you open up 30-year-old reactors, costs can – and almost certainly will – skyrocket.  Continue reading →

Statement by NDP Energy Critic Peter Tabuns

Posted January 11^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Queen’s Park, Ontario – “The (Ontario) Liberal government shouldn’t keep the people of Ontario in the dark when it comes to the Darlington refurbishment. This government has not provided a proper business case that clearly and transparently examines the costs, benefits and risks of this project. This project needs a transparent and independent review.

Ontarians have good reason to be disappointed in the Liberal government’s handling of the energy file. From the gas plants scandal to the sell-off of Hydro One, time and time again the Liberals have shown they can’t be trusted to stand up for Ontarians. Continue reading →

“Projects will Boost Economic Activity, Create Jobs and Help Fight Climate Change” – Provincial Government

News from the Ontario Ministry of Energy

Posted January 11^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Queen’s Park, Ontario – Ontario is moving forward with nuclear refurbishment at Darlington Generating Station, securing 3,500 megawatts of affordable, reliable, and emission free power.

Ontario’s giant Darlington Nuclear Plant off northern shores of Lake Ontario

Nuclear refurbishment at Darlington will contribute $15 billion to Ontario’s gross domestic product (GDP) throughout the project and create up to 11,800 jobs annually. The refurbishment of all four units is expected to involve about 30 million hours of work over 10 years and will support Ontario’s globally recognized CANDU nuclear supply chain, with more than 180 companies employing thousands of highly skilled workers. Continue reading →

A  Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted January 10^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large in Niagara, Ontario

As I post this commentary, residents in the Buffalo, New York area are bracing themselves for another one of those lake effect storms that sometimes leaves the city and surrounding areas buried in enough snow to make headlines across the continent.

Buffalo’s City Hall, both outisee and in its great hallways and chambers, is a towering monument to the era of Art Deco design.

Now people from coast to coast are about to be introduce to a side of Buffalo that at least some of us who’ve taken time to get off the 190 beltway between the Peace Bridge and Walden Galleria and airport in Cheektowaga, and ventured into downtown Buffalo and the neighbourhoods in between and around Delaware Park have seen rising for the past five to 10 years. Continue reading →

News from the Constituency Office of Niagara Falls MPP Wayne Gates

Posted January 9^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Niagara Falls, Ontario – Wayne Gates, NDP MPP for the riding of Niagara Falls, said that the Liberal government has failed Niagara families once again as

Niagara Falls NDP MPP Wayne Gates

Statistics Canada released job numbers today that showed an increase in the unemployment rate in the Niagara region compared to the same time last year.

“In 2015, as families in Niagara faced rising unemployment, the Wynne Liberal government failed to create a jobs plan. Instead they plowed ahead with the sell-off of Hydro One, which will lead to higher hydro bills, making life harder for families and businesses, and hampering job creation,” said Gates.

Statistics Canada numbers released today show that the unemployment rate in the Niagara region rose to 8 per cent in December 2015.  Gates has been consistently calling on the Liberal government for a comprehensive jobs strategy and an end to the sell-off of Hydro One.
Continue reading →

An Urgent Call from Zoocheck Canada to act on behalf of Alberta, Canada’s wild horses

Posted January 8th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

It is expected that Alberta Environment and Parks Minister Shannon Phillips will make a decision about whether to allow the capture of more of Alberta’s wild horses as early as next week.

Photo by Duane Starr posted with this call for urgent action on Zoocheck Canada website

Please take a few minutes to call or email her office and urge her NOT to approve any permits to remove free roaming wild horses from the Alberta landscape in 2016.

Please reference the following points: * there is NO evidence that free roaming wild horses are damaging the environment; * horses evolved in North America and co-evolved with the habitats they now live in; * the reintroduction of horses into Alberta more than 200 years ago should be viewed as a reintroduction of a native species and thus wild horses should be given native wildlife status; * the continued removal of wild horses threaten their survival as numbers are already low. Continue reading →

News from the animal advocacy group ZooCheck Canada

Posted January 8th, 2015 on Niagara At Large

Toronto, Ontario – The Ontario government received thousands of letters, including testimony from many world renowned experts, and a 115,000 person petition calling for substantive action to protect marine mammals in captivity in Ontario.

The Government knew about the large, high profile, protests taking place outside of Marineland in Niagara Falls and of the hundreds of media stories, including a lengthy front page series in The Toronto Star (which generated a number of SLAPP suits against former Marineland employees as well as the TO Star) that were featured in print, radio, television and online media everywhere.

The Government had numerous meetings with various stakeholders, Canadian and international experts, and organizations (including Zoocheck), on captive marine mammal issues and expended a great deal of staff time and taxpayer dollars developing new captive marine mammal regulations. During that time Ontario Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services Yasir Naqvi repeatedly promised decisive action to protect marine mammals in captivity.

So after all this, what was the result? Continue reading →