Author Archives: dougdraper

A Comment from the Public Interest Organization Avaaz on the Outcome of Canada’s Federal Election

Dear Friends,

Let’s just take a minute to let it sink in — we finally got rid of Stephen Harper!!!

It took over nine years, but we can finally say goodbye to the Conservative government and everything that came with them — climate denial, corruption, silencing opposition, tax cuts for the rich, pipelines and pollution, and Islamopobia. The nightmare is over!

Many progressive groups did a ton of work to get this done. And the Avaaz community stepped up in a big way, campaigning in some of the closest races — and a progressive candidate won in every riding we worked in.

Together we picked up the phones and connected personally to thousands of Canadians in call-ins to swing ridings in Ontario and BC, urging them to vote for change. Our hard-hitting campaigns ran in ridings across the country, with radio and newspapers ads, lawn signs, and targeted social media. Continue reading →

A Message from Ontario’s NDP

(A Brief Preface from NAL – This message is a response to a threat issued by Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne to dock the pay of elementary school teachers and support workers in elementary schools across the province if a contract settlement is not reached with the government by November 1^st.)

Ontario NDP education critic Lisa Gretzky

Queen’s Park, October 23rd – Ontario NDP Education Critic Lisa Gretzky issued the following statement.

“Like all parents and students across the province, New Democrats are relieved that the government has finally agreed to return to the negotiating table with teachers and education workers. Continue reading →

Canada’s NDP Leader Tom Mulcair

A Message from Canada’s NDP Leader Tom Mulcair

(A Brief Foreword by NAL’s Doug Draper- The outcome of the recent federal election was a bad one for the New Democratic Party of Canada. When the outgoing Conservative government of Stephen Harper called the election at the end of July, national polls showed the NDP neck and neck with the Conservatives and Liberals and even slightly ahead in some surveys.

By the end, the NDP had fallen to third, losing its Official Opposition status and many of its key members, especially in Atlantic Canada and the Greater Toronto Area where it lost virtually every seat.

Under those circumstances, Mulcair has been keeping a low profile since the vote and was not present at the Ottawa memorial service marking the first anniversary of the killing of two members of Canada’s armed forces, but sent another member of the party in his place.

This is the first post-election message Mulcair has sent to his party members and supporters, and NAL is posting it here for interest.)

• From Tom Mulcair to his party’s supporters

Monday’s election results weren’t exactly what we had hoped for, but I want you to hear this directly from me: Continue reading →

News from the Dunnville, Ontario area

With a continuing decline in student numbers, it has become an all-to-common happening in Niagara and other parts of Southern Ontario – this time it is Grandview School in nearby Dunnville.

The poster posted below urges residents in the Dunvville to attend an  upcoming meeting with an aim to save the  school. If you have trouble reading the fine print in the poster try clicking on the image to enlarge it.Niagara At Large invites you to share your comments below and to visit Niagara At Large at http://www.niagaraatlarge.com for more news and commentary on matters of interest and concern to residents in our binational greater Niagara region.

 –        U.S. Vice President and Former Senator Joe Biden Says He Won’t Run

A Brief Introduction to Joe Biden’s Remarks from Doug Draper, Niagara At Large

I’ve always had trouble with fellow Canadians who say, and some of them say it in a smug or braggadocious way: ‘I don’t follow U.S. politics. Who care what happens there. I’m interested in Canada.’

U.S. Vice-President and former Senator Joe Biden

The fact is –whether we Canadians like it or not – being interested in Canada very much means caring about what happens in the United States.

Why? Because we share one of the world’s largest borders with the United States, not to mention the world’s largest supplies of fresh water in the name of the Great Lakes, with the United States, and we continue to have close economic and cultural ties with that country. The United States remains our single largest trading partner in the world and what happens in and to that country – and what its leaders do – often have an impact, sometimes a very large one, on our health and welfare here.

Continue reading →

News from the Hamilton Coalition To Stop The War

Hamilton, Ontario, October 21st, 2015 – On Tuesday, October 20^th, at a media conference in Ottawa, Prime Mnister-elect Justin Trudeau announced that he had talked with US President Barack Obama and informed him that Canada would be withdrawing its six CF-18 fighter bombers from the US-led coalition in Syria and Iraq.

Canadian jet bombers in skies over Iraq and Syria

Trudeau made no comment about the 70 Canadian trainers on the ground in the Kurdish region of northern Iraq.

The Hamilton Coalition To Stop The War is claiming a partial victory in that our year-long petition at Change.org to Canadian MP’s, to withdraw from the US-led coalition to wage war in Syria and Iraq, has been essentially realized. Continue reading →

An Invitation   To You from Liz Palmieri, Executive Director of the St. Catharines, Ontario-based Niagara Community Foundation

October 21, 2015

• Less than two weeks to go for you to get tickets to this year’s breakfast.  Great speaker.  Current topic.  Ticket ordering info is below.

For the past 13 years we have brought to Niagara ideas, inspiration and insights from speakers on a variety of topics.  This year is no exception.

Clotilde Perez-Bode Dedecker, President and CEO of the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo

We have read much over the past few years about what Buffalo is doing as a community to turn the tide on the many challenges they have faced.  The Buffalo Billion Investment Plan was created to chart the Buffalo Niagara region’s unique path to a thriving economy.

Our speaker, Clotilde Perez-Bode Dedecker, President and CEO of the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo, was there from the beginning of the journey to chart this path. Continue reading →

A Brief from NAL publisher Doug Draper

Poor Rob Ford.

It was only a few days before this October 19^th’s federal election that he and his brother-in-arms Doug rallied their Ford Nation troops together for one last rocous rally in the Greater Toronto for Stephen Harper before the Conservative leader flew home to Alberta to see his all of his power and party’s seats drown in a Liberal sweep.

Those were the days – just a few days ago – weren’t they?

Imagine what kind of a ride Rob’s been on since Justin Trudeau and his Liberals painted ever last riding in the GTA, including ones in the epicentre of Ford Nation, blood red., All less than 48 hours after he was standing – with no need to worry – a few metres away from a Prime Minister who, among other things, played to his base with an ol’ Mississippi-style get-tough-on-crime on druggies and other offenders (especially if they are poor and brown) shtick.

And now look where we are. No more ‘Four More Years’ chants, the streamers are on the floor and all of the air has gone out of the blue and white balloons.

Have you seen any pics of poor Rob lately. It looks like he’s suffering from a bad case of ‘Trudeau Derangement Syndrome- a right-wing strain of ‘Harper Degrangement Syndrome’ Conservative supporters say was inflicting any leftie who expressed what they believed was an “irrational hatred” for Stephen Harper during the election campaign.

But hey Rob. Things may not turn out as horribly as you think. If those election ads Harper and his gang were spreading around neighhourhoods populated by more socially conservative peoples were true, Trudeau will make sure every neighbhourhood across the country has pot shops and brothels where anyone so inclined canl find more than enough to eat.

And here’s the most exciting part – especially for those of us who hope the Conservatives are left wandering in the wilderness until every last zenophobe, homophobe and person who enjoys being a slave to coporate masters passes on.

If we’re lucky, maybe your brother Doug will run for the leadership of the Conservative Party and win! If I could only find a way on to the convention floor, I’d vote for that.

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

(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.)

The party is over for Stephen Harper

A Brief One from Niagara At Large publisher Doug Draper

I don’t know about you, but when it appears that someone you’ve been wanting to see leave for a long, long time is finally going to do you and the country a favour and do it, I want to see a promise of that in writing – just to make sure! Continue reading →

A Column from Niagara, Ontario’s Town of Pelham Mayor Dave Augustyn

October 20^th, 2015 – How do you make the best use of a decommissioned fire truck?

Pelham, Ontario Mayor Dave Augustyn

Despite being maintained in excellent condition and with just over 2,000 hours of operation time and 24,000 kilometres (on the odometer), provincial insurance regulations require that the Town has to decommission and replace the 1991 pumper from Pelham Fire Station #2 this year.

The Town could sell the vehicle for non-fire use. Or we could sell or donate the fire truck to communities or areas where less stringent insurance rules apply – in another country or areas covered by Canadian Federal regulations.

That’s where the Welland Rotary Club came in. After hearing the Town approve the purchase of a new pumper, the Club wondered whether there was a community in Central or South America that might need such a vehicle. Continue reading →

News from Niagara Falls’ provincial member of parliament Wayne Gates

Queen’s Park in Toronto, Ontario – This Tuesday, October 2oth, NDP MPP and Transportation Critic Wayne Gates called on Premier Kathleen Wynne to re-commit to reducing auto-insurance rates by 15 per cent. It has been over two years since the (province’s) Liberal government promised to reduce auto-insurance rates and they are nowhere near that goal.

Niagara Falls NDP MPP Wayne Gates

“This Government said they would reduce auto insurance rates by fifteen per cent within two years” said Gates. “But over that same two years, Ontarians were overbilled for their auto insurance to the tune of 1.5 billion dollars.”

Currently, Ontarians pay more for their auto-insurance than anywhere else in the country. Gates says the Liberal government is prioritizing reducing costs for the insurance industry over the needs of drivers in Ontario. Continue reading →

A Brief Message from NAL publisher Doug Draper

Thank God it is over.

Now let’s stay engaged as Canadian citizens in undoing the damage of the Harper era and rebuilding a country that is a beacon for peace, tolerance and prosperity and for all that is good in the world.

More on what we have to do together to collectively address the issues important to our lives and country later.

Julia Blushak is a communications and community developer living in Niagara, Ontario. Niagara At Large thanks her for the image above and for others she has shared with NAL for use here throughout the election.

For more information on Julia Blushak’s work and for contacting her visit |  www.paperfang.com    |    facebook – Julia Blushak

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

(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.)

From the Office of Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne

October 19^th, 2015 – Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne issued this statement following the 2015 federal election results:

“I want to congratulate Justin Trudeau and the Liberal Party of Canada on tonight’s federal election victory. They have received a clear mandate to govern from the people of Canada. I look forward to working in co-operation with our new federal partner on behalf of the people of Ontario.

Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne

I also want to congratulate everyone elected tonight, and thank every candidate who put his or her name on a ballot. It takes courage to put your name forward for elected office, and you have made a valuable contribution to our healthy democracy.

To Canadians from coast to coast to coast who cast a ballot, thank you. Your participation keeps our country strong.”

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

(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.)

A Brief from NAL publisher Doug Draper

The Liberal Party’s winning sweep across Canada – one that will see it form a majority government – has included two key wins in Niagara, Ontario this October 19^th.

Vance Badawey, former mayor of Port Colborne, wins for the federal Liberals in the Niagara Centre Riding

Liberal candidate and former Port Colborne mayor Vance Badawey has won in a Niagara Centre Riding that includes Port Colborne, Welland, Thorold and a piece of south St. Catharines, beating NDP incumbent Malcolm Allen.

In the St. Catharines Riding, Liberal candidate Chris Bittle has defeated Conservative incumbent Rick Dykstra who many local political observers expected to hang on to his seat, even if the party collapsed nationally as it has. Continue reading →

It is looking like Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

A Brief from Doug Draper, Niagara At Large

It isn’t quite 10:30 p.m. and the polls in Ontario and Quebec have only been closed for half an hour, and already CBC is forecasting a Liberal Party victory – meaning, of course, that Justin Trudeau will be Canada’s 23^rd Prime Minister.

The only thing CBC is not forecasting yet is whether the Liberals will win a minority or a majority of seats they have so far been taking away at the expense of both Stephen Harper’s Conservatives and Tom Mulcair’s NDP – the party that was at least slightly ahead in a number of national polls when this election was called two-and-a-half months ago. Continue reading →

Do what people in many other parts of the world risk their lives to do – VOTE!

The polls in most ridings across the country until 9:30 p.m. this October 19th.

Niagara At Large invites you to share your comments on this post in the space below. Visit NAL at http://www.niagaraatlarge.com for more news and commentary on matters of interest to our greater Niagara region.

A Brief from Doug Draper

If you haven’t been to the polls yet this October 19^th, or even if you have, you may find a recent take on Canada’s election and the leaders of the three mainstream parties by John Oliver, host of the HBO cable channel’s ‘Last Week Tonight’ both funny and interesting.

Mike Myers, decked out in a Mountie uniform, joins HBO’s John Oliver for a lampooning of Canada’s federal election. The beaver behind Myers is taking Stephen Harper’s place on the piano.

Well, wait a minute now. Not everyone out there may find it to be all that funny. Oliver spends a little time in this bit lampooning the Liberal’s Justin Trudeau and the NDP’s Tom Mulcair, but he saves most of his satirical barbs for Canada’s Conservative leader and outgoing prime minister Stephen Harper.

I had a good laugh over the whole thing, especially the Harper part where Ontario-born comedian and former Saturday Night Live cast member Mike Myers shows up on the scene wearing a Mountie’s uniform, but I find a lot of Harper Conservative supporters aren’t in a very humorous mood these days – especially since the poll numbers for their party began going south. Continue reading →

It’s STOP HARPER day in Canada!

Go out and vote as if you future and the future of our country depends on it – because it does.

And that means all you millennials out there too. The outcome of this federal election may have more of an impact on your future, than it does on any one else’s.

Image courtesy of Julia Blushak, a Niagara, Ontario resident and a communications and community developer. For more information on Julia’s work visit http://www.paperfang.com | facebook – Julia Blushak .

The overwhelming school of thought in political science circles is that the more young Canadians go out and vote, the more likely it is that Harper and his Conservatives will go down to defeat. So get out there to the polls and do it. Leave no Conservative candidate in Niagara or any other region of the country standing.

This Stop Harper Message is from Niagara At Large

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

(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.)

From Doug Draper, Niagara At Large

As I was preparing this message, someone sent a note this way saying thank goodness the vote day is finally here and my “Harper bashing” will be over.

The person who sent that note may not believe it, but I feel the same way. There are so many important issues in this region and this province and country that need more attention, and I’ve been looking forward for weeks to get back to them.

Meanwhile, I will leave what is left of the Harper bashing and why it is so important for you to go to the polls this Monday and vote for change to a few others, starting with Mary Walsh, a Canadian actress, satirist and social activist many of you may remember from CBC’s ‘This Hour Has 22 Minutes’.

Below is an image from Mary Walsh’s pitch to Canadians to vote for change, followed by a link to her website on the same topic which I urge you to take a few moments to visit.

Visit Mary Walsh’s site at http://cents.margbringschange.ca/index.htm . Continue reading →

A Brief from Niagara At Large publisher Doug Draper

After being called everything from a ‘commie” and ‘ideologue’ to a ‘drunk’ whose ‘worse than Stalin’ who should leave Canada by some of the Harperites out there, I seem to share ground with more than a few significant others who also want Stephen Harper and his gang gone.

Former lawyer from Harper’s Prime Minister’s Office Benjamin Perrin

This one just recently came into circulation, and with hours left before the final polls open in this federal election, I want to make sure you have a chance to read it too It is a  statement from Benjamin Perrin, the former lawyer in Harper’s Prime Minister’s Office, and it goes  as follows – “Last week, I voted in an advance poll for change,” states Perrin

“As a lifelong conservative, I never thought that would happen. But after what I’ve personally seen and experienced, there was no other choice. The current government has lost its moral authority to govern.” Continue reading →

A Commentary by Niagara At Large publisher Doug Draper

“The Tories: An imperfect choice” reads what passes as the election endorsement published this past Saturday, October 17^th by The Globe and Mail’s editorial board.

An imperfect choice? I’d say that’s putting it lightly. It’s sort of like saying why not choose to wait until you have to have all your teeth pulled out over going to the dentist a little more often for a cleaning and the odd filling.

Adios Mr. Harper and please take all of the puppets in your party with you.

What is even crazier about this particular newspaper endorsement, and I’ve never seen one like it in Canada in my 36 years in journalism, is how it twists itself into knots asking Canadians to go to the polls and do the impossible – support the Conservative Party which, in an election, can only mean voting for the Conservative candidate in your riding, and say no to any future in the party for its leader, Stephen Harper, at the same time.

You don’t have to study the Canadian political system very long to know that a vote for a party’s riding candidate is a vote for that party’s leader.

Yet, here The Globe’s editorial board saying yes to the Conservatives’ economic platform, which it argues has been the party’s “strong suit” in terms of of controlling spending and keeping taxes down, and saying the following things with) about Harper.

“It is time for Mr. Harper to take his leave,” reads the editorial. Continue reading →

A Brief Comment from Niagara At Large publisher Doug Draper

In the final hours of this federal election, as I watch television news clips of Stephen Harper standing before audiences of mostly older Canadians, greeting them over and over again as “friends” as he performs this this game show shtick – all of it designed to scare us with phony claims about how Trudeau’s Liberals would steal thousands of dollars through taxes from our pockets, I can’t help but think of those snake oil salesman from the ‘Old West’.

I can’t help but conjure up an image of Harper standing on the back of one of those wagons the Professor Marvel xharacter peddled around

Harper stirs up fear as he peddles his Conservative Party’s tonic in final hours of federal election

in The Wizard of Oz and saying: ‘Gather rounds friends while I introduce you to a tonic that can cure all that ails you.”

“Not only will it grow back your hair and cure erectile and postmenopausal sexual dysfunction in old stock Canadians who do not engage in acts the state may judge to be perverse or barbaric. Just one one bottle of this, my friends, and you can go to bed at night never having to fret again about a knock on the door from a woman wearing a niqab, or some guy named Mohamed wearing a dark mask like one of those jihadists, or from enemies of the state like David Suzuki and his environmentalist hordes, or from anyone suffering from ‘Harper Derangement Syndrome, or from the CBC’s Rick Mercer, Rosemary Barton and Michael Enright – or most of all my friends, from that taxman Trudeau or Mulcair would send over to take what’s left of your food money!” Continue reading →

A Message from Niagara At Large

Did you know that thousands more Canadians die prematurely each year from breathing polluted air than from “barbaric cultural practices” or “terrorists.”

Vote for federal candidates in your riding who care about protecting our environment. Vote for better health care, pharmacare (a universal medial drug benefit plan), public transit, decent-paying jobs and more affordable access to education.

This October 19^th is our chance to hire politicians who take matters these and other common good seriously and fire those who don’t.

The image above is courtesy of Julia Blushak, a Niagara, Ontario resident and a communications and community developer with interests that range fromsocial change, creativity, recovery and mindfulness practices. Julia’s PaperFang editorial illustrations work in the corporate and not for profit sectors, as well as for newspapers such as The Globe and Mail, The Hamilton Spectator, and numerous magazines and journals. For more information visit |  www.paperfang.com    |    facebook – Julia Blushak

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

(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.)

A Brief Commentary by Niagara At Large publisher Doug Draper

He might just as well have been aiming some of his most stinging remarks at Canada’s leading climate change denier – Stephen Harper.

For Stephen Harper, it has been almost all about the tar sands as his government has muzzled Environment Canada scientists and gutted the country’s environmental protection rules.

Early this past September, in an Alaskan city just south of the Arctic Circle where the ice cover has been for years and is continuing to disappear at an unprecedented rate, U.S. President Obama delivered what many news correspondents agreed was his most powerful speech yet on the urgency of addressing the role human activities play in one of most serious threats to our health and security in this 21^st Century – climate change.

Obama’s speech was a preview of a more progressive, action-oriented position his administration wants to take to the international Climate Change Conference in Paris running through the first week and a half of this coming December and as I heard it the first time and re-read the text, it seemed as if parts of it were directed at Harper, who has never taken the epic scale of this problem seriously. Continue reading →

News from Canada’s New Democratic Party

Ontario, October 16^th – In Southwestern Ontario Canadians have the chance to end the decades long cycle of Liberal scandal, being replaced by Conservative scandal, only to return to more Liberal scandal.

Political consultant and energy sector lobbyist Dan Gagnier – Why did the Trudeau campaign take someone with ties to tar sands-related projects on its team to begin with?

On Wednesday (October 14^th), Liberal scandal reared its head once more when it came to light that Justin Trudeau’s campaign co-chair and senior advisor Dan Gagnier was being paid by Energy East (a corporation proposing to build a pipeline from Alberta’s tar sands, through Ontario to the east coast) and gave them secret lobbying advice in the closing days of the campaign. Continue reading →

A Commentary by Doug Draper

“This (Trans-Pacific trade) deal is, without any doubt whatsoever, in the best interests of the Canadian economy.”

Those were Stephen Harper’s words as he took time on the campaign trail this October 3^rd to announce that a long-anticipated trade deal – known as the TPP for short – had been reached between Canada, the United States and 10 other Pacific Rim countries.

Harper out on the hustings earlier this October, cheering the TPP trade deal.

Yet here we are – only days away from Canadians heading to the polls in this federal election – and the Harper government still hasn’t released the full text of what is being loosely described as the mother of all “free trade” agreements going back to the first one Canada signed with the United States and Mexico in 1992.

That means we may very well be going to the polls knowing more than we ever wanted to about niqabs, barbaric cultural practices and Harper’s charge that Justin Trudeau’s Liberals want to get us all hooked on pot, but with key questions left unanswered about what this trade deal could mean for jobs and the pocketbook of everyday Canadians. Continue reading →

A Brief from Niagara At Large publisher Doug Draper

In an age when it’s getting harder and harder to find profiles of courage and integrity in senior levels of government, Ken Taylor, who died this October 15^th, 2015 at age 81, was just that.

Ken Taylor – A true Canadian hero who did his country proud in external affairs.

For those who care to know history, Ken Taylor will always be remembered as Canada’s ambassador to Iran during a brutal revolution in that country that, in 1979, toppled aWestern sponsored autocracy and replaced it with the Islamic regime that rules to this day.

During that period, Taylor and his staff risked their lives hiding six Americans in Canada’s embassy in Tehran while revolutionaries held 52 American diplomats and citizens hostage in the nearby U.S. embassy. While the hostage taking at the American hostage dragged on for 444 days – an agonizing length of time that played no small role in the undoing of Jimmy Carter’s presidency – Taylor and his staff worked with U.S. operatives to smuggle the Americans they hid out of Iran. Continue reading →

News from the Ontario Clean Air Alliance

October 15^th, 2015 – Someone needs to tell our provincial government that they can’t have it both ways. They can’t pay only a couple of cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) for energy efficiency initiatives while agreeing to pay close to 9 cents a kWh for power from a rebuilt Darlington Nuclear Station and still say they are putting Conservation First.

Ontario’s Darlington Nuclear plant has already been a financial nightmare with thecost of its construction ballooning from almost $4 billion in the late 1979s to $14.4 billion by the early 1990s. And Ontario energy consumers paid for this fiasco.

To really put Conservation First we have to pay for all efficiency measures that are lower cost than rebuilding old nuclear reactors. Offering just over 2 cents for efficiency while agreeing to pay almost 9 cents for nuclear power flies in the face of simple logic and official Ontario policy.

If the government is intent on letting Ontario Power Generation spend tens of billions of dollars re-building Darlington’s four aging reactors, then it should be even more ready to spend on efficiency measures that will lower our electricity bills and minimize the need for Darlington’s high-cost power. Continue reading →

For those of you who may be feeling a bit down about where Canada may be heading with this federal election, the following Open Letter to Harper from British Columbia resident Mary Cleaver should give  to all of us who know this morally bankrupt government has to go cause to move forward with optimism.

From Mary Cleaver, October 10^th, 2015

I live in British Columbia (Canada) with my husband and two little girls. I grew up in Calgary and have many friends and family members there. I’m white and in my early 40s.

This image didn’t come with Mary Cleaver’s letter. Blame its inclusion here on Niagara At Large.

One of us is a stay at home parent, so we benefit 100% from the direct deposits in lieu of a national childcare program. We also benefit 100% from income splitting. And we can afford to take advantage of the increased allowance in our TFSAs.

In other words, we’re the picture of the family who benefits the most from your economic policies.

But we’re not voting Conservative on October 19th.

You see, you’ve misjudged us. We enjoy our standard of living, we work hard for it but it’s not the only thing that matters to us. Continue reading →

A Commentary by Doug Draper

As this coming October 19^th – Voting Day across Canada – closes in on more than nine and a half years of Stephen Harper using and abusing the levers of power to (as he was once reported to have put a gathering of U.S. conservatives) change Canada in ways that we won’t recognize it, Harper seems to be taking steps to distance himself from the Conservative Party he played such a key role in shaping over the past few decades.

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and then-Toronto Mayor Rob Ford during more up times for both during the 2011federal election. Fort and his brother Doug are out cheering Harper again during the last days of this election.

“This election is not about me,” Harper can be heard saying in ads his party’s campaign has been running in the final days of this federal election.

Not about Harper? Then who or what is this election about?

Is it about the millions of everyday Canadians out there who are left paying for services the wealthiest individuals and corporations aren’t paying their fair share for because the Harper government refuses to get rid of loopholes that allow them to export an estimated $200 billion a year to tax havens in other parts of the world? Continue reading →

We’ve seen enough of this across the Niagara region over the years. . Here’s a Summit focused on formulating plans  in Niagara for a stronger, more prosperous future

News from the Niagara, Ontario-based Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce

October 9^th, 2015 – We are at a critical juncture in Niagara’s economic development. Our region continues to deal with cyclical, high unemployment, particularly amongst our youth. There is a shortage of skilled labour in key sectors. And yet, changes that would give our businesses and economy a competitive edge, have been slow in coming.

Building Niagara — our community — is a shared responsibility. On Friday, October 30, 2015 business and government leaders will gather at the Niagara Economic Summit, hosted by the Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce, to formulate an ambitious plan for a stronger, more prosperous Niagara. Continue reading →

 A Commentary by Niagara At Large publisher Doug Draper

To paraphrase something posted this past September by Margaret Wente – a Globe and Mail columnist Harperites can hardly brand as a liberal or leftie, by the way – it is looking like Harper is “toast.”

That is especially so in the last couple weeks of this unusually long Canadian election where Harper and his minions are down to throwing gutter balls, not only at their political opponents, but at a couple of women who wear veils and almost anyone else who engages in “cultural practices” they deem to be “barbaric.”

Stephen Harper in the Toronto, Ontario area, using what looks to critics like a game show shtick to claim that a federal Liberal government would hike taxes to pick the pockets of average Canadians.

And now, with polls showing Justin Trudeau pulling ahead of both the Conservatives and the NDP, Harper and his puppets have resorted to stirring fear in the minds of average Canadians about how much they claim they will be ripped off financially if the Trudeau Liberals win enough seats to form a government.

At one of his most recent campaign rallies, Harper invited a member of what we are led to believe is a typical Canadian family from the crowd to join him in front of a big red sign reading; “The Cost of Liberal Tax Hikes.”

As Harper lists some of the pledges in the federal Liberal Party’s platform, like its vow to get rid of the Conservative’s income-splitting scheme, Canadian tender is spread out on a table in front of the sign and the dollar figures keep adding up – all suggesting that a family could stand to be fleeced for as much as $3,360 annually. Of course, Harper doesn’t mention the plans the Liberals have promised for putting more money in people’s pockets.

The whole bit looked like a Harper makeover of ‘The Price Is Right’ with the obligatory Tory fear-mongering mixed in. Only the set for the show – red sign included – looked like it was slapped together in a garage by that pair of nerds from ‘Wayne’s World’, making one wonder where did all that corporate funding for Harper and his campaign props go. And Harper played Bob Barker (if I were good ol’ Bob I’d sue) like the same soulless stiff he is when he sits down at a piano and mutilates a Beatles song which, for a Beatles fan, is one more reason to send him packing. Continue reading →

News from the Niagara Health System

October 13^th, 2015 – The Niagara Health System is pleased to announce the launch of its first Thrombosis Service, which is aimed at improving patient safety in Niagara.  The official opening of the clinic was held in conjunction with World Thrombosis Day, which is marked annually on October 13^th.

Thrombosis is the formation of potentially deadly blood clots in the artery (arterial thrombosis) or vein (venous thrombosis), and is one of the leading causes of preventable deaths in the hospital. Once formed, a clot can slow or block normal blood flow, and even break loose and travel to an organ. This can result in significant injury, including heart attack, stroke and venous thromboembolism (VTE) – the top three cardiovascular killers. Continue reading →

News from the Provincial and Federal NDP

Fort Erie, Ontario, October 13^th, 2015 – Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath joined Niagara federal NDP candidates Carolyn Ioannoni (Niagara Falls) and Malcolm Allen (Niagara Centre) to talk about Stephen Harper’s secret TPP deal, and the damage that it could do to jobs and the cost of life-saving medication.

Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath

“During Stephen Harper’s lost decade, over 8,000 good-paying manufacturing jobs in Niagara have been lost. Now Stephen Harper’s secret TPP could kill more jobs, and make life-saving medication more expensive,” Horwath said. “This is a two-way race, and the only way to protect jobs, privacy and the cost of medication is to stop Stephen Harper by voting for Carolyn Ioannoni.”

During the past week, former Parliamentary Budget Officer Kevin Page, Blackberry co-founder Jim Balsillie and Hillary Clinton have all come out in opposition to the secretly negotiated deal. Senior members of the US congress have committed to reopening the TPP. Yet Liberal leader Justin Trudeau refuses to take a position against this secret deal. Only Tom Mulcair has committed that he will not be bound by Harper’s agreement. Continue reading →

A Brief One from Niagara At Large publisher Doug Draper

In all of the hate politics Harper and his Conservatives are fermenting in this federal election to gin up their base, it may do us well to remember that we have had leaders in this country who spoke for bringing people together in a spirit of building a better future.

One of Canada’s great prime minister and one of the world’s great peacekeepers, Lester Pearson.

If you doubt what I am saying, read this –

“Whether we can live together in confidence and cohesions with more faith and pride in ourselves and less self-doubt: strong in the conviction that the destiny of Canada is to unite, not divide, sharing in co-operation, not in separation or in conflict; respecting our past and welcoming our future.”

Those words were spoken back in 1966 by then Canadian Prime Minister Lester Pearson who was also a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize back in the days when Canada was also more of a peacekeeper in the world than a warrior. Continue reading →

–      –  An Open Letter Regarding Conservative Party Campaign Tactics

Circulated a non-partisan, public affairs organization of Canadian academics called ‘In Due Course’

The following letter has been signed by 587 Canadian academics, condemning the tactics being employed by the Conservative Party of Canada in the current federal election campaign. It will appear in newspapers tomorrow, but there is no room in print to reproduce all of the signatures. So we are making the full list available here:

Harper’s Citizenship and Imigration Minister Chris Alexander preaches the Conservative gospel against ‘barbaric cultural practices’ and the threat the party believes they pose to Canadian values.

“We are a diverse group of academics with different political views and different political allegiances. We are united by a common interest in the integrity of democratic processes and a concern about the ugly and dangerous turn we have recently witnessed in the election campaign.

In democratic electoral politics there is an ethical line that distinguishes spirited partisan strategy from cynical tactics that betray the values of mutual respect and toleration that lie at the heart of civil democratic discourse.

Honourable politicians do not cross that line even when they think doing so will be politically advantageous. Disreputable politicians ignore the line when they find it convenient to do so. Continue reading →

A Message from NAL publisher Doug Draper

Unless you belong to one of those story book families whose members can cram themselves into the ‘little house on the prairie’ and have a nice warm time all weekend, Thanksgiving can be a trying time.

It is one of those mercifully few times of the year when families feel forced get together and are reminded why they are lucky that they can at least choose their friends.

So mixing a discussion about politics in with the turkey dressing could be all it takes to bust up the chairs and turn the table over. But it may be worth the chance if you are planning to vote for change in this federal election and can convince at least a few others in the family to join you.

Given what’s at stake in this election, give it a try and please don’t forget to pass the cranberry sauce.

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

(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.)

A Brief Message from Niagara At Large

The advanced polls for the federal election have already opened in every riding across the country this Canadian  Thanksgiving weekend so if you don’t think you can make it to your polling station on election day  this coming October 19th, take advantage of them.

We have had some pretty unimpressive voter turnouts during the last few federal elections in this country. In 2011, the Harper government won a majority – enough to give it a free hand to do virtually anything it wanted to over the past four years – with only 61 per cent of those eligible to vote across the country actually casting a ballot and barely 40 per cent of them voting for Harper’s Conservatives.

Image courtesy of Niagara, Ontario artist Julia Blushak

Continue reading →

A Brief Note from Doug Draper

One of the first pages I almost always turn to in any newspaper I pick up is the one hosting letters to the editor.

The reason I’m so hot on letters to the editors that is on almost any given day in a newspaper like The Globe and Mail – one of a dwindling number of good newspapers we have left in Canada – you can find a least one letter that nails it on an issue.

Bodies of drowned Syrian refugees lined up along the Mediterranean shores. Some official estimates place the number of drownings so far this year at more than 2,300 men, women and children.

That was the case this October 9^th on an issue The Globe’s investigative staff broke a day earlier on Stephen Harper’s office getting directly involved in the vetting of Syrian refugees feeling from death and destruction in their homeland, and desperately seeking a new home in Canada.

The letter, from David Wood of Mildmay, Ontario is short and right to the point, and reads as follows –

“Stephen Harper and those in the PMO who want to personally conduct Canada’s screening process should be sent at once to the beaches of Turkey, where they’ll find a number of kids face down in the water patiently awaiting this country’s enlightened confirmation that, as refugees, they no longer pose a security threat.” Continue reading →

–        Support of Greenbelt Fund Will Encourage Consumption of Ontario-grown Food

News from the Office of the Ontario Premier

Queen’s Park, October 8^th, 2015 – Ontario is providing $6 million over three years to increase sales of local food by making it more widely available and building awareness of the variety of food grown and produced in Ontario.

Premier Kathleen Wynne announced this investment today, during Ontario Agriculture Week, while visiting Fresh City Farms in Toronto’s Downsview Park. The government will provide the funding to the Greenbelt Fund, a non-profit organization that helps encourage consumption of local food in the Greenbelt and across Ontario.

The investment announced today will support: Continue reading →

News from the Campaign Office of Niagara Centre MPP Malcolm Allen

Thorold, Ontario, October 8^th, 2015 – NDP candidate Malcolm Allen and the Seafarers International Union of Canada (SIU) President James Given hosted a press conference today regarding SIU’s fight against the Harper government’s decision to give away more Canadian jobs.

Niagara Centre MPP Malcolm Allen speaks for protecting Seafarers jobs

“I’ve talked to a lot of folks this campaign—if there’s a primary concern among residents, it’s jobs and job security,” stated Allen, NDP candidate for the Niagara Centre riding. “ We’re against using the Temporary Foreign Worker to take away Canadian jobs and give them to low paid foreign workers.”

SIU launched two lawsuits last week challenging the issuing of temporary foreign work permits, as Canadian law states that domestic ships may only use foreign workers if no qualified Canadian workers are available. It is currently estimated that 25% of Canadian maritime workers are unemployed. Continue reading →

A Brief from NAL publisher Doug Draper

The headline on the top of the front-page of this October 8th edition of The Globe and Mail reads: ‘PMO ordered halt to refugee processing’.

This image, making the rounds on socialmedia,was taken during a pro-refugee rally in front of the St. Catharines campaign office of Harper Conservative Rick Dykstra

And yes, the story is referring to Syrian refugees and how Canada’s Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his Conservative government have been responding to what international aid workers have continued to call the worst refugee crisis since the Second World War in the 1940s.

A short memory refresher may be in order here given how artfully Harper and the high-priced Australian campaign consultant he hired have used the issues of a woman wearing a piece of cloth on her face and other so-called “barbaric cultural practices” to turn the national conversation away from questions about jobs and the economy, student debt, climate change and Canada’s place in the world when it comes to refugees and other global crises. Continue reading →

A Message from Niagara At Large publisher Doug Draper

On October 19th, Go Out And Vote As If The Future Of Our Country Depends On It!

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

(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.)

– Province Probing Possible Violations under the Environmental Protection Act

News from the Ontario Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change

Queen’s Park, Ontario, October 7^th, 2015 – The action by Volkswagen Canada and Audi Canada to sell cars to its dealers and consumers with software to bypass the vehicle’s emissions control is under investigation by the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change for possible violations under the Environmental Protection Act.

Ontario’s Environmental Protection Act prohibits the sale of vehicles that do not meet emissions standards. Continue reading →

News from the Office of Niagara Falls, Ontario MPP Wayne Gates

TPP to put 20,000 jobs in auto industry at risk: NDP

Queen’s Park, Ontario, October 7^th, 2015 – NDP MPP for Niagara Falls and Transportation Critic Wayne Gates questioned Acting Premier Charles Sousa this morning in the legislature about the Ontario Government’s support for the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

Niagara Falls, Ontario MPP Wayne Gates

The TPP is expected to have a devastating impact on jobs in the auto sector.“This week it was announced that the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement was signed. The agreement is going to be bad for our rural communities, bad for manufacturing, bad for healthcare costs, and very bad for the auto sector.

It’s good to see at least one Federal Leader is standing up and opposing the deal and hopefully your party will have the courage to do the same,” Gates said. “Acting Premier, with this deal looming on the horizon what is this government going to do to protect the good jobs in manufacturing and the auto sector that so many people in Niagara, Oshawa, the GTA, Brampton and Windsor rely on?” Gates asked. Continue reading →

News from the Government of Ontario

Queen’s Park, Ontario – This October 7th, 2015  Ontario passed the Great

A look at the world’s largest basin of fresh water from space

Lakes Protection Act which will strengthen the province’s ability to keep the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River clean, as well as to protect and restore the waterways that flow into them.

Passing the Act enables the province to address significant environmental challenges to the Great Lakes, including climate change, harmful pollutants and algal blooms. The Act will also: Continue reading →

Niagara At Large is posting the following from an October 6th, 2015  Brock University Media Release

“You can be for it, or against it, but just don’t call it a free trade agreement.”

So says Brock international relations expert Blayne Haggart on Monday’s signing of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).

Trade deal could mean “windfall” for producers and sellers of pharmaceutical drugs

The TPP would form the world’s largest trading bloc covering some 800 million consumers. Its members still need to ratify and sign the agreement.

“While the deal commits its 12 member countries to reduce or eliminate tariffs across sectors of the economy, it reportedly includes many provisions that go far beyond traditional trade concerns,” says Haggart, assistant professor in the Department of Political Science. Continue reading →

News from Natalie Mehra, Executive Director of the citizens-based Ontario Health Coalition

The “most harmful trade pact ever for access to medications”

Doctors Without Borders (Medecins Sans Frontieres) issued a statement today with a dire warning about the impact of the newest trade deal on the cost of drugs. The TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership), is called a trade agreement by the media, but actually goes far beyond trade and includes many provisions that limit or stop the power of governments to regulate corporations.

The TPP is, “on track to become the most harmful trade pact ever for access to medicines in developing countries, unless damaging provisions are removed before the deal is sealed,” according to Doctors Without Borders. A humanitarian agency, Doctors Without Borders works in 70 countries, and often is a first-responder in disaster areas of the world. They are worried that the TPP will damage people’s ability to get needed medicines by driving up costs. Continue reading →

A Commentary by Doug Draper

‘Well, it seems to be working.’

That line has been spun out by a number of political pundits in the days since the 1^st of this October when the Harper Conservatives unleashed this idea of setting up a tip line to report what they are calling “barbaric cultural practices” to the RCMP.

The tip line is aimed mainly at Muslims in our midst who y engage in such practices as forced marriage or the wearing of the niqab and so on – conduct that may be seen as being in conflict with Canadian values, whatever those are these days.

Harper’s Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Chris Alexander stands up for ‘Canadian values’ and against what his party calls ‘barbaric cultural practicies’.

I responded this past October 3^rd with what admittedly was an angry commentary on this site, denouncing this promise of a tip line as divisive tactic by the Harperites, appealing to the darker side of our nature when it comes to showing tolerance for people who may look and behave differently than we do. And for my outburst, I’ve had a number of people call me things I’d rather not repeat here – suggesting to me that Harper, who has also seen his party rise in recent polls, has struck a winning chord with all too many Canadians.

Canada’s Liberal leader, Justin Trudeau, was in Brampton, Ontario – one of the province’s more culturally diverse communities outside of Toronto – this past October 4^th, denouncing this ‘barbaric cultural practices’ business and the “fear” and “nastiness” it breeds as un-Canadian.

But is it? Continue reading →

A Message from NAL publisher Doug Draper

Four more years of Stephen Harper at the helm? Is that really what most of us want in this country?

I refuse to believe that.

If you agree with me that four more years of Harper running Canada like a dictator would be a disaster for our health and prosperity as a nation, and our standing as an environmental leader and peace maker in the world, don’t be complacent.

Remember that it only took 39 per cent of the popular vote, split the wrong way in key ridings across the country to deliver Harper a majority in the 2011 federal election, and some of the polls that have come out over the first few days of this October are scary.

Tom Muclair’s NDP – only a month ago looking like the frontrunner – has slipped behind, and the Liberals and Conservatives are leading in a statistical tie, with either party in a position to surge ahead. And if and when one of them does, there is practically no time left for any of the others to catch up.

Harper can probably count on most, if not all of his hardcore base of supporters turning out for the poll that counts the most – the one on election day. And if the past two or three federal elections serve as examples, it would also serve Harper well if significant numbers of the rest of us, including younger people, don’t go out to vote at all.

So do your best to find out which candidate in your riding is in the best position to beat the Harper Conservative and get out there on October 19^th (or find out when and where to can cast your ballot early in your riding) and vote!

Now here is another in a series of ‘Stop Harper’ images produced for us by Niagara, Ontario artist Julia Blushak.

Julia Blushak is a communications and community developer with interests that range from social change, creativity, recovery and mindfulness practices. Julia’s PaperFang editorial illustrations work in the corporate and not for profit sectors, as well as for newspapers such as The Globe and Mail, The Hamilton Spectator, and numerous magazines and journals. For more information visit |  www.paperfang.com    |    facebook – Julia Blushak

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

(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 also  share their first and last name.)

• Province Recognizes Those Who Grow and Make Ontario’s Food

News from the Ontario Government

Queen’s Park, October 6^th, 2015 – In the lead up to Thanksgiving, Ontario is celebrating Agriculture Week which runs from October 5-11.

The province is encouraging the people of Ontario to mark this important week by visiting a local farmers market, buying VQA wine, craft beer and cider, and planning a meal with seasonal ingredients. 

Ontario’s agri-food industry is a significant driver of the province’s economy, contributing $34 billion annually, including $12.5 billion in exports, and employing more than 780,000 individuals. Those who work in the industry: Continue reading →

• Attend Niagara Public Meeting On October 15^th

By John Bacher

The Ontario government is currently undertaking a review of its policies to protect wetlands. In announcing its review the province released an informative document, “Wetland Conservation in Ontario: A Discussion Paper.”

It gives a valuable description of the benefits of wetlands and how in southern Ontario, a region identified as the Mixed Wood Plains Ecozone, over 85 per cent of them have been destroyed.

The discussion paper notes that one of wetlands most remarkable abilities, is to reduce pollution by filtering sediments, absorbing nutrients “and biologically convert many chemicals into less harmful forms.” Through such “natural factories”, some $40 billion accrues to the Ontario economy every year. Continue reading →

A Column by Niagara, Ontario’s Town of Pelahm Mayor Dave Augustyn

(A Brief Foreword by NAL publisher Doug Draper – As someone who lives on a residential road with two elementary schools on it and another in the immediate vicinity – a flat, straight road that is often used as a drag strip with hardly ever a police cruiser around to catch the drivers – I’ve often thought that speed bumps or some other traffic calming device may be the only answer.

Share any views you may have on this at the end of Mayor Augustyn’s column.)

A generic image of a ‘chicane’ or what some commonly refer to as a speed bump on a residential road.

October 5^th, 2015 – Last Friday, Town Staff installed a temporary traffic calming measure on Haist Street North (north of Regional Road 20). Shortly after, I drove through and posted a photo on my Facebook pages and other social media. The reactions were immediate and polarized. Continue reading →

News from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives

Ottawa, Ontario, October 5^th, 2015 —Today the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) released The Harper Record 2008-2015, a detailed account of the Conservative government’s economic, environmental, social, foreign policy and democratic records through the 2008 crisis, Great Recession and ongoing economic recovery.

Has Stephen Harper help see that you better off job-wise and other wise than you were before the Great Recession of 2008? Here’s a book addresses that very question.

From the economy to the environment, social programs to foreign policy, health care to tax cuts, the tar sands to free trade deals, and many other areas, the 36 contributors to this book detail the facts and key moments of the 40th and 41st parliamentary sessions.

According to editors Teresa Healy and Stuart Trew, if there is a prominent crosscutting theme in The Harper Record it is how the 2008 global financial crisis acted as a cover of sorts for the government’s plans to restructure the public sector, cut public services, deregulate industry, dismantle environmental protections, reform Canada’s immigration system, and undermine parliamentary democratic processes. Continue reading →

News from the Ontario Health Coalition

The Ontario Health Coalition and its regional chapters across the province are hosting a series of federal candidates debates focusing on health care issues.

The Niagara Health System’s mega-hospital complex in west St. Catharines

Two are scheduled for Niagara, Ontario this Wednesday, October 7^th and Thursday October 8^th in the ridings of Niagara Falls and St. Catharines respectively.

Here are the details of where and when –

Niagara Falls: Candidates’ Debate on Health Care Issues – All are welcome!

Wednesday October 7, 6:30 p.m., Gale Centre Arena, 4171 4th Avenue, Niagara Falls.  Sponsored by: Niagara Health Coalition and the Retired Teachers of Ontario (RTO/ERO) District 14.

St. Catharines: Candidates’ Debate on Health Care – All are welcome!

Thursday October 8, 6:30 p.m., St. Catharines Library (Mills Room), 54 Church St. St. Catharines. Sponsored by: Niagara Health Coalition and the Retired Teachers of Ontario (RTO/ERO) District 14.

Visit Niagara At Large at www.niagaraatlarge.com for more news and commentary for and from our greater binational Niagara region.

(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.)

News to Niagara At Large readers from G20 Summit victim John Pruyn

(A Brief Foreword Note from Niagara At Large – Just a reminder that John Pruyn is a Niagara, Ontario residents and retired federal government employee who found himself making international headlines in June of 2010 when riot police grabbed him while he was sitting on the lawns of Queen’s Park, pulled off his artificial leg and, without ever stating a reason, arrested him and his daughter Sarah, along with more than 1,000 other people during a weekend of G20 Summit meetings in Toronto, Ontario.

John and Sarah Pruyn at Terry Fox statue in St John’s at the end of their cross-ountry  ride. ‘Terry Fox gave me courage and inspired me. When times were tough, when I was tired, aching and cold I thought about Terry Fox.” said John.

The police actions that weekend, committed under the federal government of Stephen Harper and provincial government of then Ontario premier Dalton McGuinty, were summed up in reports and statements by the province’s official Ombudsman Andre Morin and civil liberties lawyers as one of the worst assaults on citizens rights in Canadian history.)

October 2015 – My daughter Sarah and I completed our 8,005 kilometre bike ride across Canada.

We started June 9^th from Victoria, British Columba and finished October 1^st in St John’s, Newfoundland.

I believe it was the greatest achievement by a disabled athlete from Niagara or from Canada this year. I am 62 years old and an above the knee amputee (aka) on the left side. It is difficult for a aka to ride a regular bicycle. About 85 per cent of the work is done by my right leg. Biking up hills is hard and even more difficult when you have four paniers loaded with 80 poundss of gear and food. Continue reading →