Author Archives: dougdraper

“The creation of a Niagara Climate Change Action Network reinforces Niagara Region’s commitment to make changes and investments necessary to combat the effects of climate change before it’s too late.”                                                                                        – Jim Bradley, Niagara Regional Chair

A News Release from Niagara Region

Posted December 19th,2022 onNiagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – The Niagara Climate Change Action Network held its inaugural meeting this past Dec. 1, 2022, putting action to the call to action that was signed at the Niagara Climate Change Summit in June 2022 and launching a commitment to form partnerships, share critical data and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Niagara.

Four local organizations – Niagara Region, Brock University, Niagara College and the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority – worked together to establish the Niagara Climate Change Action Network. Over 50 individuals from educational institutions, environmental groups, Indigenous organizations, municipalities and businesses from sectors including energy, agriculture, development and engineering attended the kick-off meeting as members of the network. Continue reading →

A Comment from Cindy Forster, former NDP MPP for the Niagara, Ontario Riding of Niagara Centre

Posted December 17^th, 2022 on Niagara At Large

Cindy Forster, former NDP MPP for Riding of Niagara Centre and former mayor of Welland

(A Brief Foreword Note from Doug Draper at Niagara At Large – The following comment by former Niagara Centre MPP Cindy Forster was shared by her on Niagara At Large’s Facebook page in response to stories posted here and in The St. Catharines Standard this December 16^th by David Eke, a Ford government appointed member of the Niagara Regional Police Services Board, who floated the idea to the police board that homeless people believed to be suffering from mental illness should be locked up or institutionalized.

Due to Cindy Forster’s long-time stature in the Niagara community, both as a provincial member of the legislature and as a health care nurse, Niagara At Large is re-posting her comment here.)

This suggestion of Dave Eke (Co-Chair of the Niagara Regional Services Police Board) is totally unacceptable and deeply disturbing to me for to those hundreds of thousands of people awaiting mental health services many of which are homeless because they cannot access the care they need. Continue reading →

Ford Appointee David Eke –  Empty-Headed  Windbag That He Is – Should Be Fired Off Niagara’s Police Services Board

A News Commentary by Niagara At Large Reporter and Publisher Doug Draper

Posted December 16^th, 2022 on Niagara At Large

Niagara Regional Police Board  Board C-Chair  Doug Ford Appointee David Eke suggests intitutionalization for homeless people

I found myself barely able to stop a blood vessel from bursting this morning when I picked up a copy of The St. Catharines Standard to a front-page story with a headline that read; “Eke suggests locking away homeless people.”

Who is David Eke?

His full name is David Eke and he was a former Niagara-on-the-Lake town councillor and eventually a Lord Mayor who also sat on Niagara’s Regional Council going back about a decade ago.

He was a rather affable fellow when you met in one on one, but never the brightest light on the tree, and he had a cringe worthy reputation at regional council meetings of getting up and pontificating for very many long minutes on end. And at the end of all that pontificating, many were left saying ‘we will never get that time back.’ Continue reading →

“Judging by all the car honks and thumbs up (our) group got, I would say most folks support our position that Bill 23 (legislation assaulting Ontario’s natural heritage) needs to be repealed and Doug Ford needs to keep his promise to protect the Greenbelt.”     –  Liz Benneian, Chair of Biodiversity and Climate Action Niagara, a region-wide coalition of individuals and groups advocating for the protection of our natural heritage

Niagara citizens rallying for protection of the Greenbelt and other natural heritage lands gather this December 14th, 2022 to greet Niagara West Ford government MPP Sam Oosterhoff – photo by Doug Draper

A News Commentary by Niagara At Large reporter and publisher Doug Draper

Posted December 15th, 2022 on Niagara At Large

Those citizens rallying along Hwy. 20 in Fonthill were met with choruses of honking horns from passersby supporting them.

So what if you heard that Niagara West MPP Sam Oosterhoff – one of Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s loyal soldiers – was going to meet with members of the local media at the Legion Hall in Pelham and you were an advocate for Niagara’s Greenbelt who wanted to confront him with your concerns there.

Then you and more than 40 other citizens from across the region scramble together this past Wednesday afternoon to encounter him and he fails to show up.

“What a coward,” said one of the citizens when it became obvious Oosterhoff was going to be a no show at the Legion Hall. “I’m calling him ‘Slipper Sam’,” said another.

As it turned out, Oosterhoff, an enthusiastic supporter of his Ford government’s controversial Bill 23 and its potential to sprawl onto Greenbelt lands, allegedly for the purpose of building more affordable housing, was at another meeting in the Fonthill area, meeting in an undisclosed location with what he described later, in a note to Niagara At Large, as “community leaders.”

“I was invited to meet with some local community leaders in Pelham, and I did so today (this December 14th),” the Niagara West MPP said in response to a note I sent to him, asking why he did not show up at the Legion Hall. Continue reading →

“Removal of thousands of acres of legally protected farmland, forests and wetlands from the Greenbelt threatens us all. A government doing so in a manner shrouded in secrecy that appears to benefit a select group of property owners, including recent purchasers, needs to be thoroughly investigated by the OPP.”                                                                                                                   – Tim Gray, Executive Director, Environmental Defence.

A News Release from Environmental Defence and  Democracy Watch Canada

Posted December 14th, 2022 on Niagara At Large

One of the more than 100 Niagara citizens rallying this November 19th in support of saving our green lands. Photo by Dahlia Steingberg

Toronto  – Today, (this Dec. 14th, 2022)  Environmental Defence and Democracy Watch called on the Ontario Provincial Police to investigate whether the provincial government’s apparent leak of secret plans to allow residential development on 15 specific areas within the Greenbelt amounted to a criminal breach of trust by a public officer.

It seems very likely that before any authorized public disclosure of the province’s plans to remove these specific lands from the Greenbelt, some government official, government MPP or employee leaked that information privately.

Recent investigative reporting by the Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, The Narwhal, and CBC, has revealed multiple transactions to purchase Greenbelt land conducted prior to the November 4th announcement of the plan to remove 15 parcels of land from the protected Greenbelt. These transactions would seem to have been irrational if all the parties were unaware that these Greenbelt lands would be proposed for removal. Continue reading →

“These businesses and workers have been through so much in the past few years, and they need to know that we have their backs.” – Jennie Stevens, NDP MPP for St. Catharines

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

Posted December 13^th, 2022 on Niagara At Large

Niagara Falls NDP MPP Wayne Gates and St. Catharines NDP MPP Jennie Stevens

QUEEN’S PARK – A new report reveals Ontario’s tourism industry is not expected to fully recover from the COVID-19 pandemic until 2025. NDP tourism critic and St. Catharines MPP Jennie Stevens is pushing for a plan to protect local businesses and workers, and ensure that Ontario’s tourism sector can thrive.

“The Ontario tourism sector has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Stevens. “Local businesses have faced an incredibly difficult few years and now the skyrocketing cost of living is making it more challenging for workers to remain in or return to the sector. The tourism sector continues to feel the pinch, and workers and businesses need support.” Continue reading →

Funding will help establish Canada’s only renewable natural gas facility – located here in Niagara – to exclusively use woody by-products

News from the Governments of Ontario and Canada

Posted December 13th, 2022 on Niagara At Large

THOROLD, Ontario  – The governments of Ontario and Canada are investing more than $11.3 million to expand CHAR Technologies’ facility in Thorold to produce renewable natural gas (RNG) and biocarbon – creating the largest facility of its kind in Canada, and the only RNG facility in the country to exclusively use woody biomass. Expanding CHAR’s Thorold facility will create close to 40 new direct and indirect jobs, as well as 20 construction jobs.

“This new facility will produce clean alternative fuels and increase sustainability in the forest sector through new and emerging uses of renewable forest biomass,” said Graydon Smith, Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry. “Our investment in CHAR Technologies is an investment in Ontario, which will boost productivity, create jobs and support a thriving forest economy that communities throughout the province depend on.” Continue reading →

“Bill 23, forced municipal boundary expansions, greenbelt removals, “strong” mayors’ legislation and Conservation land sell offs are a betrayal by the Ford government of its citizens.”      –  Liz Benneian, chair of Biodiversity and Climate Action Niagara

Niagara citizens at Regional Headquarters for November 24th Inaugural meeting of council. Photo by Doug Draper

News from Biodiversity and Climate Action Niagara, a region-wide coalition of individuals and organzations advocating for protecting and preserving Niagara’s Natural Heritage

Posted December 12^th, 2022 on Niagara At Large

The Ford government’s recent legislation is an unprecedented assault on Ontario’s environment and Niagara’s citizens are asking for the federal government’s help in thwarting these destructive policies.

That was the message sent to (Canada’s)  Prime Minister (Justin Trudeau), key federal Ministers, and other political leaders, by members of Biodiversity and Climate Action Collective Niagara, on Wednesday.

Niagara resident and environmental aactivist Liz Benneian, a leading member of Biodiversity and Climate Action Niagara

The letter, signed by the collective’s 22 group members and 80 individual members, called for the government to consider all measures, from denying federal funding for infrastructure projects to extending Federal protection to critical natural features, as well as other suggestions.

“Bill 23, forced municipal boundary expansions, greenbelt removals, “strong” mayors’ legislation and Conservation land sell offs are a betrayal by the Ford government of its citizens,” said Liz Benneian, chair of BCAC.

“These policies will cause innumerable harms to current and future generations, all for the benefit of a handful of wealthy developers.”

Continue reading →

A Brief Message from Doug Draper at Niagara At Large

Posted December 9th, 2022 

There are two means of refuge from the miseries of life: music and cats.” – Albert Schweitzer

Just a quick note to thank so many of you out there for all of the kind emails, and comments on NAL’s Facebook site and main online site following the death this past Tuesday, December 6^th of our family’s furry, feline girl Alice.

Alice who, like all of the cats I’ve ever known, was an expert at finding a spot in the house where she feels competely comfortalbe. File photo by Doug Draper

For anyone who know who knows what it is like to live through the loss of a beloved cat, dog or other treasured pet in our family, it is never easy to say goodbye to these wonderful characters.

Here it is  four days later, am I am still expecting our cat Alice to jump up on the bed beside me during the middle of the night and again this morning, I caught myself reflexively looking over at a spot in the kitchen where she usually waits for a little food before reminding myself, ‘wow, she’s not going to be there anymore.’

I’ve gone through that same phantom experience with other cats from the past in our home – Woody, Jessica, Dylan and Dexter, and now Alice. It never gets any easier to live with the fact that as precious the time is that they are with us, they are too soon gone.

Our beautiful kitty Alice  Photo by Doug Draper

So the nice notes meant so much to us, including my daughter Sarah, who, so many years ago, rescued Alice from a shelter and introduced us to our home. Many of those notes came from people who have experienced the love and the loss of a beloved pet themselves, and I reach out to you with an embrace for your non-human friends and family members too.

For Alice and for all of the great cats out there – living or gone – I leave you with a great song   that you can listen to (play it as loud as you can)  by clicking on the screen below –

An Afterword from Doug Draper at Niagara At Large – NAL will be back in the days ahead  with more of the usual news about what politicians, bureaucrats, pirates in the development industry and others are doing to mess up this earth for future generations of humans and other living creatures.

NIAGARA AT LARGE Encourages You To Join The Conversation By Sharing Your Views On This Post In The Space Following The Bernie Sanders Quote Below.

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

“The Niagara Region has a long history of unregulated zoos, wildlife menageries and animal attractions, including in St. Catharines. Most of them are now gone. The City should not move backwards by allowing new unregulated exotic animal attractions within its boundaries.”

A Call-Out to Residents of Niagara, Ontario from ZooCheck Canada, a Canadian-based international wildlife protection charity established in 1984 to promote and protect the interests and well-being of wild animals.

Posted December 8^th, 2022 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – Most of you probably already know that the Reptilia exotic animal business is coming back to St. Catharines City Council on December 12th to seek an exemption to the City’s animal control Bylaw 95-212.

Reptilia tried three times earlier this year but they pulled back each time.

That was because so many people, just like you, in St. Catharines and elsewhere, took the time to say NO by emailing, calling councillors and/or by signing up to speak to Council in opposition to the Reptilia exemption request.

Your help is needed again. If you’re a resident of St. Catharines (or the Niagara Region),  you have a ton of influence – probably far more than you might think.

Continue reading →

A Brief One from Doug Draper at Niagara At Large

Posted December 6^th, 2022 on Niagara At Large

I am sorry to say I have to take a few days away from Doug Ford and all of the other bullshit going on around us in Niagara and the rest of the world here.

Our household has lost a sweet feline member of our family – a beautiful black Bombay named Alice – all of a sudden this December 6^th.

Our beautiful Alice hasw suddenly lfet us. Niagara At Larkge mY VW ODDLINW DOE dwq sYA.

Our daughter Sarah brought Alice into our home in Throld  years ago, after she came back with this cat she loved following a breakup with a partner in Florida.

Alice immediate loved it here, especially a door in a bedroom window that took her out to a cat house I built in the backyard, where all of the felines we ever had could get some sunshine and enjoy the fresh air, but could not wander free onto neighbourhood roads where far too many cats get hit by cars and die. Continue reading →

“Premier Ford and his developer friends have started a war against Ontario’s future. Now it’s our turn to start working together for a livable Ontario.”

See Details Below. Join In Signing A Letter to Ontario Premier Doug Ford

A Call-Out from The Liveable Ontario Committee, a province-wide coalition of individuals and organizations standing up against Doug Ford’s efforts to pave over what’s left of our food-growing lands and  natural heritage

Posted December 5^th, 2022 on Niagara At Large

Dear fellow Ontarian,

Niagara citizens at Regional Headquarters for November 24th Inaugural meeting of council. Photo by Doug Draper

We need your help to stop Premier Ford’s attack on affordable and liveable communities and local democracy. As you may have heard on November 21st, over 125 organizations representing hundreds of thousands of Ontarians, released a damning statement <https://yourstoprotect.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/11/Big-Tent_-Statement-on-Bill-23-and-Greebelt-Land-Removal_Nov21.pdf> about Bill 23 and the Greenbelt land grab.

*This release got great news coverage around Ontario and nationally. It shows what a massive number of unlikely groups can do when they work together. 

Continue reading →

“We haven’t seen food prices increase this high in Canada for over 40 years.”                                                                                                   – Simon Somogyi,University of Guelph campus lead and co-author of the Food Price Report

A News Release from the Dalhousie Faculty of Management in Halifax, Nova Scotia

Posted December5th, 2022 on Niagara At Large

Canadians will continue to feel the effects of high food inflation and insecurity

HALIFAX, NS – Consumers can expect food prices to continue to rise. Canada’s Food Price Report 2023 predicts a 5% to 7% food price increase in 2023, with the most substantial increases in vegetables, dairy, and meat. The report forecasts that an average family of four, including a man (age 31-50), woman (age 31-50), boy (age 14-18), and girl (age 9-13) will spend up to $16,288.41 per year on food, an increase of up to $1,065.60 from what was observed in 2022. 

“To say that it’s been a challenging year for Canadians at the grocery store would be an understatement,” says Dr. Sylvain Charlebois, project lead and Director of the Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University.

“Consumers will continue to get smarter about grocery shopping as they navigate through this so-called food inflation storm.” Continue reading →

A Brief News Commentary by Niagara At Large reporter and publisher Doug Draper

Posted December 2^nd, 2022 on Niagara At Large

St. Catharines’ Brian Heit iis finally back on Niagara Regional Council

It should not have happened this way for Brian Heit, but at least it happened.

This Thursday, December 1^st, Brian Heit – a veteran Regional Council who, earlier on, also served on St. Catharines city council and as a deputy mayor for the city – was finally sworn in and returned to his seat on the Region’s council.

Why the delay, amounting to a full week after the other 31 or so regional councillors were sworn in at a November 24^th Inaugural Meeting?

The reason is this. In this October’s municipal elections, Heit polled 7^th in a fairly large field of candidates running for the Region’s council in St. Catharines, and the city is only entitled to six seats on the body. Continue reading →

“The Niagara Escarpment is a unique and vital landmark running right through the heart of southwestern Ontario. Our communities rely on this conservation area for recreation, green space, and local wildlife protections.”                       – Jennie Stevens, NDP MPP for St. Catharine, Ontario

A News Release from the Constituency Office of St. Catharines NDP MPP Jennie Stevens

Posted December 1^st, 2022 on Niagara At Large

St. Catharines NDP MPP Jennie Stevens

NIAGARA – The NDP’s Niagara area MPPs are calling on the Ford government to provide the funding and oversight needed to uphold environmental protections of the Niagara Escarpment.

Their call comes after the Auditor General Bonnie Lysyk’s 2022 Report (released this November 30^th) found that the Niagara Escarpment has been virtually stripped of environmental protections, leaving it vulnerable to harmful development that have been ongoing quietly for years.

“The Niagara Escarpment is a unique and vital landmark running right through the heart of southwestern Ontario,” said Jennie Stevens, MPP for St. Catharine’s. “Our communities rely on this conservation area for recreation, green space, and local wildlife protections. Yesterday’s report revealed that there is effectively no protection for any of this land anymore, and no consequences to building on the Escarpment against the rules.” Continue reading →

See details for place and time of the rally below

A Call-Out to All of Us  from Liz Benneian and Biodiversity and Climate Action Niagara, a coalition of individuals and groups advocating for the preservation of our natural heritage across the Niagara region

Posted December 1^st, 2022 on Niagara At Large

A Message from Liz Benneian and Biodiversity and Climate Action Niagara

So, Bill 23 passed on Monday but don’t get disheartened.

This fight is far from over.

Niagara resident and environmental aactivist Liz Benneian, a leading member of Biodiversity and Climate Action Niagara

Now is the time to steel our spines and to prepare ourselves for the organized resistance that must go on until the day this anti-democratic, science-denying, corrupt-to-the-core government is voted out of office.

And in the immediate term, we still have to fight to protect the Greenbelt.

Please know that I am in meetings with leaders of groups from around the Province, and they are working together like never before, bringing social justice and housing affordability advocates, labour leaders and municipal officials, environmentalists and citizens’ rights groups to oppose this government.

*You have made a difference.*

Continue reading →

A Brief One from Doug Draper

Posted December 1^st. 2022 on Niagara At Large

Christine McVie of Fleetwood Mac

For those of you who have been following Niagara At Large for a while, you know that I sometimes post something about a milestone moment – good, bad or sad – in the world of popular music and culture

This time it is a sad moment as news circulates about the passing this November 30^th of Christine McVie, the keyboardist and primary songwriter and vocalist in the super group Fleetwood Mac, at age 79.

Sometimes a group, even one that has been around as Fleetwood Mac, can hang in their and put out one more album or do one more tour. But it is hard to see that happening here, withouth Christine McVie. She was that consequential to this band. Continue reading →

“Bill 23 will encourage urban sprawl and undermine local democracy by effectively dissolving 50 years of regional planning in the Golden Horseshoe. This will certainly lead to a substantial conversion of farmlands, loss of green lands, and suburban sprawl.”                                                     – from an Open Letter to Ontario Premier Doug Ford and his government from prominent Ontario architects in the fields of landscaping and urban design.

An Open Letter to from leading architects across Ontario

Posted November 30th, 2022 on Niagara At Large

On Friday (November 25^th, 2022), over a dozen of Ontario’s most prominent architectural firms issued an open letter to Premier Ford and Minister Clark in response to Ontario’s Bill 23, which was passed on Monday, November 28.

The letter read as follows:

“We are writing to you as leading architects, landscape architects, and urban designers in Ontario.

The More Homes Built Faster Act, introduced on October 25, proposes extensive and significant legislative changes that would, if enacted, radically alter land use planning and city building in Ontario. The stated intention of this proposed legislation is to accelerate the construction of 1.5 million homes over the next 10 years to address our housing crisis.

We firmly believe that this legislation will not achieve its stated intent.

Continue reading →

“The Auditor General … found that almost half of southern Ontario’s remaining wetlands are at risk of being lost, the government has been MIA (missing in action) on confronting urban flooding risks, and that there is no environmental monitoring of the Niagara Escarpment.”

A News Release from Ontario’s Official Opposition New Democratic Party

Posted November 30^th, 2022 on Niagara At Large

Ontario Premier Doug Ford gets his vaxxine, then has to throw millions of dollars of expired vaccine out because his government failed to promote and deliver it to communities in need.

QUEEN’S PARK — Interim Ontario NDP Leader Peter Tabuns said it’s shameful that Doug Ford has left Ontarians less healthy and less safe by turning his back on his environmental responsibilities and on vulnerable communities at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a report released Wednesday (November30th, 2022), the Auditor General (Bonnie Lysyk)  found several critical shortcomings in the government’s vaccination rollout. In addition to communication problems and wasted vaccines, nine high-risk neighbourhoods — including in Hamilton, Niagara, Peel and Windsor — were excluded from the government’s vaccine strategy for hot spots. Continue reading →

Ontario’s Ford government “is failing to protect Ontarians from the risks of urban flooding, though the risks of flooding are increasing due to climate change. Additionally, wetlands are being lost at a record pace, and there is no provincial strategy in place to conserve them.”                                                                                 – one of several damning conclusions reached in  latest reports from Ontario Auditor Bonnie Lysyk

A Statement from Keith Brooks, Programs Director, Environmental Defence

Posted November 30^th, 2022 on Niagara At Large

Should Ontario Auditor General Bonnie Lysyk

Toronto | Traditional territories of the Huron-Wendat, the Anishnaabeg, Haudenosaunee, Chippewas and the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation – The Auditor General’s reports confirm what Ontarians already know: this government is not interested in protecting the environment, keeping Ontarians safe from the impacts of climate change, or in making evidence-based decisions.

Among the long list of grievances Ontarians already have, we can now add a number of others to the list:

Continue reading →

Saturday December 3, 2:30 pm to 4:30 pm

A Call-Out from Environmental Defence, one of Canada’s largest citizen advocacy groups for protecting our precious natural resources

Posted November 30th, 2022 on Niagara At Large

Toronto | Traditional territories of the Huron-Wendat, the

A mid-20th Century Neanderthal’s Vision of Ontario’s future, with less than a wit of concern for climate crises or the value of a healthy ecosystem.

Anishnaabeg, Haudenosaunee, Chippewas and the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation – Following the recent passage of Bill 23, Environmental Defence is gathering concerned Ontarians to rally at Bay and College Streets in downtown Toronto on  Saturday December 3, 2:30 pm to 4:30 pm.

The rally will demand that Bill 23 be repealed and that the Ontario government cancel its plan to hand out 7,400 acres of Greenbelt land to sprawl developers. Continue reading →

Join A Citizens Rally in Opposition to Ford’s Disastrous Greenbelt Gutting Bill 23 – This Saturday, December 3^rd – 2 to 3 P.M., in the Niagara, Ontario Town of Grimsby

A Call-Out to All of Us from Biodiversity and Climate Action Niagara, a region-wide citizens coalition advocating for the protection and preservation of our natural heritage

Posted November 29^th, 2022 on Niagara At Large

A Brief Foreword Note from Niagara At Large reporter and publisher Doug Draper –

Giving the finger to all of the concerns raised by citizens, by municipalities and by conservation authorities and a host of other organizations across Ontario, Premier Doug Ford and his Tories charged ahead this November 28^th with the passage of their infamous Bill 23.

Photo of  recent rally at Niagara Regional headquarters by Doug Draper

Among other things, and under a highly-questionable claim of building more affordable housing in the province, this legislation threatens to allow urban sprawl to cover what Ford would call “chunks” of our food-producing lands in the Greenbelt, further weaken the role our Conservation Authorities play in the environmentally sound management of our watersheds, and deprive our municipalities of collecting fees for building new infrastructure from the province’s development syndicate and therefore slamming significant tax hikes on current property owners. Continue reading →

“In shortchanging health care funding by $859 million, Doug Ford is sending a clear signal that his government doesn’t want to spend the money to fix the crisis in our hospitals. We should be investing more to ensure people get the care and treatment they need, when they need it.”

A News Release from Ontario’s New Democratic Party

Posted November 29^th, 2022 on Niagara At Large

QUEEN’S PARK — Ontario NDP Finance critic Catherine Fife responded to the Financial Accountability Office’s latest report on government spending, which shows shocking underspending in key areas like health:

“It’s unconscionable that, in the middle of a health care crisis, the Ford government is choosing to underspend on health care by almost $900 million. Pediatric ICUs across the province have been overwhelmed. Surgeries are being cancelled. Families with sick children are waiting upwards of 10 hours for care. Continue reading →

“The legislation is likely to result in fewer and more expensive homes, higher costs of services, less energy efficient construction, increased car dependency and transportation expenses for residents, and increased property taxes.”                                              – Environmental Defence, a Canada-wide citizens advocacy organization for protecting and preserving our environment

A Statement by Phil Pothen, Ontario Environmental Program Manager, Environmental Defence

Posted November 28^th, 2022 on Niagara At Large

By forcing passage of Bill 23, the “More Homes, Built Faster Act”, Ontario’s government has lit the fuse on an explosion of expensive sprawl that will destroy much of the remaining wetland and wildlife habitat in Ontario’s most sensitive ecoregions.

Moreover, while the Ontario government has attempted to defend Bill 23’s dismantling of flood and habitat protection, regional planning and green building standards by framing it as a measure to address the province’s housing shortage and lack of affordability, it is likely to have the opposite effect.

The legislation is likely to result in fewer and more expensive homes, higher costs of services, less energy efficient construction, increased car dependency and transportation expenses for residents, and increased property taxes.

Bill 23 must be repealed.

Continue reading →

“ Bill 23’s erosion of the Greenbelt, which intersects the Niagara Escarpment Biosphere from Niagara to Tobermory, is effectively an attack on biodiversity and on the capacity of our natural areas and farmlands to provide ecosystem benefits, human physical and mental health benefits, and in this time of food insecurity, the ability to feed ourselves. …

“If we learned one thing from the COVID-19 pandemic, it is that the best prevention for future recurrence is biodiversity and people’s ability to immerse themselves in open spaces.”

A Statement from the Niagara Escarpment Biosphere Network, a grassroots coalition of Ontario groups and communities dedicated to protecting and preserving the Niagara Escarpment as a Globally Significant Biosphere

Posted November 28^th, 2022 on Niagara At Large

Ontario Premier Doug Ford and his party, including Niagara West MPP Sam, Oosterhoff, today (this November 28th) passed this greenbelt gutting bill.

(As Niagara At Large was preparing to post this statement from the Network, it was reported that Ontario’s Ford government passed Bill 23 this Monday, November 28^th afternoon. This vote makes it clear that Ford and his minions, including Niagara West MPP Sam Oosterhoff, could give a damn if we have any green lands or food-growing lands left for our children. Will enough Ontario residents rise up to fight this? We hall see.)

The Niagara Escarpment Biosphere represents an extensive stretch of forested land in south-central Ontario which includes two major biomes, boreal needleleaf forests and temperate broadleaf forests.

The Biosphere remains one of Ontario’s most scenic landscapes and offers a mix of both natural and urban environments.

The main goals of the Biosphere are to preserve the region’s ecological diversity, to encourage stakeholders to use sustainable practices, and to uphold socio-cultural relationships through educational programs and tourism. Continue reading →

News from Niagara Regional Headquarters  

Posted November 26^th, 2022 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – This past Friday, Nov. 25^th  marked International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and the launch of 16 days of activism against gender based violence, ending on Dec. 10, International Human Rights Day.

With Niagara Regional Chair Jim Bradley (left) looking on, a flag for eliminating voilence against women is raised at the Region’s headquarters in Thorold, Ontario

This November 25^th, we raised the Wrapped in Courage and the “No More Stolen Sisters” flags, which will remain raised for 16 days to show our support, build awareness, and promote advocacy to end gender based violence. Continue reading →

NDP MPP is asking the AG to investigate who will benefit from Doug Ford’s scheme to remove thousands of acres from the Greenbelt

News from Ontario’s Official Opposition New Democratic Party

Posted November 25^th, 2022 on Niagara At Large

QUEEN’S PARK — Marit Stiles, NDP MPP for Davenport, has written to the Auditor General to ask for an investigation into how much property owners stand to benefit from Doug Ford’s scheme to remove thousands of acres from the Greenbelt — and whether it’s in the public interest.

Should Ontario Auditor General Bonnie Lysyk and her team get involved in investigating who may be profiting from the Ford government’s plans to carve up the Greenbelt for urban sprawl?

Stiles’ request comes on the heels of investigative reports that have revealed the suspicious timing of recent purchases of Greenbelt land by powerful landowners with donor and political ties to the Ontario PC Party.

To read Ontario NDP’s Letter to Ontario Auditor General Bonnie Lysyk, click on – (https://mcusercontent.com/353019c4e982ae7eb8ea53150/files/d7e323fe-5127-e1e5-5943-8ece8409122c/2022_11_24_Stiles_AG_Letter.pdf) .

NIAGARA AT LARGE Encourages You To Join The Conversation By Sharing Your Views On This Post In The Space Following The Bernie Sanders Quote Below.

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

Inaugural Meeting has Many Councillors Resigned to Idea that Ford’s Assault on Municipal Government Decision-Making will Prevail

In an Interview, Niagara Regional Chair Assures Niagara At Large his “first responsibility will continue to be to the people of Niagara.”

Niagara citizens rally for local democracy and for saving our greenl lands against an assault on both by the Ford government as Niagara Region’s new council met this November 24th for its inaugural meeting.

A News Commentary by Niagara At Large reporter and publisher Doug Draper

Posted November 24^th, 2022 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – After walking into Niagara Region’s headquarters today, passed more than a hundred citizens holding up signs scorning the Ford Government’s assault on local democracy and on what are left of our precious farmland, wetlands and other natural places, a majority on the newly inaugurated regional council said yes to Ford reappoint Jim Bradley as Regional Chair.

Photos of rally at Niagara Regional headquarters by Doug Draper

The only ones who voted no to a straight-out reappointment of Bradley without the usual voting process that the Region’s council goes through for the Chair’s position were recently elected St. Catharines regional councillor Haley Bateman and second-term Welland regional councillor Leanna Villella.

Haley Bateman was specific in her views for saying no to simply following Ford’s order, making it clear it had nothing to do with her respect for Jim Bradley, but everything to do with the Ford government marching in to Niagara and dictating who will be our municipal leader. Continue reading →

Ford  Reappoints Niagara Regional Chair Jim Bradley as his Man to Get Things Done  For Him  in Our Region

“The Ford government’s Bill 39 will … allow the government to override local decision-making and handpick regional chairs in Niagara, Peel, and York.”

A News Release from the Official Oppostion New Democratic Party in Ontario

Posted November 23^rd, 2022 on Niagara At Large

Doug Ford has spent weeks disrespecting democracy

QUEEN’S PARK — As MPPs debate the government’s Bill 39, legislation that would give Doug Ford permission to bulldoze local decision-making and handpick the heads of regional councils, Ontario NDP Interim Leader Peter Tabuns said that in recent weeks, Ford has trampled democratic freedoms in Ontario multiple times.

“In recent weeks, the Ford government seems to be dead set on flouting democracy at every turn,” Tabuns said. “Ford used the sledgehammer of the notwithstanding clause to override workers’ constitutional right to strike, he limited the usual public consultation at committee hearings and he’s pushing to allow the mayors of Ontario’s largest cities to rule their councils by minority. Continue reading →

“Destruction of endangered species habitat and important historical items will be happening soon at Waverly Woods. I know we are all heart-broken. But things are about to get worse for all of Ontario if Bill 23 passes on Monday November 28.”         – Marcie Jacklin, a Fort Erie, Niagara resident and a champion for saving Waverly Woods along the Lake Erie shores

A Call-Out for Citizens to Rise Up Against Bill 23 from Marcie Jacklin

Posted November 23^rd, 2022 on Niagara At Large

Marcie Jacklin, Fort Erie, Niagara

Dear friends

Destruction of endangered species habitat and important historical items will be happening soon at Waverly Woods. I know we are all heart-broken. But things are about to get worse for all of Ontario if Bill 23 passes on Monday November 28. 

This Bill has been designed by the development community.  Continue reading →

Thursday, November 24th, from 6 to 7:30 PM, at Thorold Public Library

Guest Speaker, Anne Yagi, wildlife biologist and president of the Niagara- based 8 Trees Inc.

Members of Friends of Richmond Street Forest, supportser and Thorold City Council gather at a tree planting recently to save frog pond from urban developement. More on this success in the days ahead on NAL. Photo by Doug Draper

An Invite from Friends of Richmond Street Forest

Posted November 23^rd, 2022 on Niagara At Large

On Thursday November 24. 2022, Friends Of The Richmond Street Forest Will Be Holding Their Annual AGM At The Thorold Library From 6pm -7:30pm. Please Attend For A Chance At Winning A Tulip Tree (Two Being Donated, Purchased From A Local Nursery) And Wildflower Seeds Along With A Few Other Door Prizes. Continue reading →

“Premier Ford’s sudden determination to break  an earlier promise to leave the  permanently protected Greenbelt lands alone … is inexplicable!”                                                                                 – Gracia Janes, a Niagara citizen and a founding member of the Preservation of Agricultural Lands Society

A News Release from the Niagara-based Preservation of Agricultural Lands Society (PALS)

Posted November 23rd, 2022 on Niagara At Large

Gracia Janes, a Niagara resident and a founding member of The Preservation of Agricultural Lands Socieity

The Preservation of Agricultural Lands Society  calls out  Premier Ford for  sudden provincial policy leap backward  that will make  protection of Niagara’s unique fruit land harder and harder, with the very possible “elimination of the viability of the Niagara fruit belt!” !

In a letter to the Premier (this November 21st)  PALS President Doug Woodard   warned that Bill  23 “More Homes Built Faster act 2022”, along with  the planned  “ Amendments to the Greenbelt Plan,” and the “Greenbelt Area Review”,  pose  a dire threat  to the best farmlands in Canada,Niagara’s unique tender fruit and grape lands, and the farm industry which is a significant economic driver in Niagara. Continue reading →

“Early detection is critical for prostate cancer, and the PSA test is a simple and effective way to help people get diagnosed and access care before their prognosis gets worse.”                                 – Niagara Falls NDP MPP Wayne Gates

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

Posted November 22^nd, 2022 on Niagara At Large

Niagara Falls NDP MPP Wayne Gates

QUEEN’S PARK – Wayne Gates, MPP for Niagara Falls, tabled a motion today to ensure PSA testing for early detection of prostate cancer is eligible for coverage under OHIP.

“A cancer diagnosis is frightening news to receive but testing for prostate cancer can make all the difference when it comes to treatment,” said Gates. “I am proud to support the campaign to extend OHIP coverage to make PSA testing available when requested by a physician.”

One in eight Canadian men are expected to receive a prostate cancer diagnosis in their lifetime. Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed  – https://cancer.ca/en/get-involved/advocacy/what-we-are-doing/psa-test – cancer amongst Canadian men and has disproportionate impacts among Black men, including those of African or Caribbean ancestry, and those with a family history. When prostate cancer is found early, almost 100 per cent of men will survive five years or more. Continue reading →

Groups Call Law “an Egregious Violation of (elderly hospital patients’) Charter Rights”

“Under this law, hospitalized senior’s personal health information can be sent to any long-term care home without their consent, breaching a fundamental right to privacy over health information that every other Ontario citizen enjoys.”            – Jane Meadus, lawyer and institutional advocate at the Advocacy Centre for the Elderly (ACE)

A News Release from the Ontario Health Coalition, a citizen advocacy group for access to quality public health care in the province

Posted:November 21st, 2022 on Niagara At Large

Toronto –The Ontario Health Coalition and the Advocacy Centre for the Elderly launched a Constitutional Challenge this this November 21^st  in response to the Ford government’s new law that forces elderly hospital patients into long-term care homes against their choice.

The two groups will be co-applicants to the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in what is known as a Charter Challenge, seeking a court ruling to strike down the law as a violation of the fundamental rights of the patients affected under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

On Sunday November 20, regulations under Bill 7, the euphemistically titled More Beds Better Care Act (2022) came into effect, requiring hospitals to charge elderly patients $400 if they refuse to go to a long-term care home or other service against their will. Continue reading →

Ontario Premier Doug Ford bars Niagara Region and other municipalities from speaking to provincial standing committee on controversial Bill 23

“The legislation will create serious risks to the environment and human health at a time when the impacts of climate change are evident and urgent,” warns the submission The proposed changes to how municipalities approve development and manage where and how growth occurs signal a move away from environmental protection when it is needed most.”                                                                                         – A Statement from the Association of Ontario Municipalities representing Niagara Regionand 443 other municipal governments across Ontario

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

Posted November 21st. 2022 on Niagara At Large

Ford government to municipalities in Niagara and across the province on Bill 23

In a highly unusual move, the Association of Ontario Municipalities have been refused permission to speak to the committee examining Bill 23.

Not allowed to speak – 

Municipalities are particularly affected by Bill 23 changes being pushed forward by the provincial Progressive Conservatives. But in a highly unusual move, the Association of Ontario Municipalities (AMO) have been refused permission to speak to the committee charged with detailed examination of the legislation.

AMO’s purpose is to represent the province’s 444 municipalities. It has a memorandum of understanding with the provincial government to provide “input and reaction to provincial policy ideas.” More specifically, the province is to consult with it “on matters that are of a federal-provincial nature that could affect municipal services and finances.” Continue reading →

Citizen Opposition Is Growing to Plans by Ontario Premier and his Enablers in Politics and the Development Industry to Gut More of our Natural Heritage for Urban Sprawl

A News Commentary by Niagara At Large reporter and publisher Doug Draper

Posted November 20^th, 2022 on Niagara At Large

One of the more than 100 Niagara citizens rallying this November 19th in support of saving our green lands. Photo by Dahlia Steingberg

Niagara, Ontario – Neither icy roads nor blowing snow stopped more than 100 Niagara residents from picketing outside of the Beamsville constituency office of Ontario Ford government MPP Sam Oosterhoff in support of saving what is left of our natural heritage from Ford, Oosterhoff and their pals in the province’s money-grubbing development syndicate.

Based on messages Niagara At Large received this past weekend, far more people would have joined the November 19^th, Saturday afternoon rally from places like Port Colborne, Fort Erie, Niagara-on-the-Lake and  the northern end of St. Catharine’s had the lake-effect impacts of the storm not made driving to Beamsville more hazardous.

One thing seems for sure though.

Neither rain, sleet nor snow is going to stop the opposition to the Ford government’s horrific Bill 23, which calls for selling off what Ford has called “chunks” of our Greenbelt and what is left of our conservation lands to the worst of the worst  in the development industry.

Continue reading →

David Suzuki

“The Greenbelt has the potential to ensure healthy and vibrant ecosystems, provide fresh air and drinking water, locally sourced and high quality agriculture, and access to beautiful natural recreation sites…. It is only through bold commitment in the decisions we make today that we can ensure that the Greenbelt establishes a legacy of sustainability to be passed on to future generations.”                                     –  Renown Canadian Scientist and Earth Advocate David Suzuki and the David Suzuki Foundation

An Important  Message for all of us living in  and around the Greenbelt in Ontario’s Golden Horseshoe from the David Suzuki Foundation, a non-profit advocacy group for biodiversity on our planet

Posted November 18th, 2022 on Niagara At Large

Ford Government and its scoundrels in development industry are once again aiming to pave over “chunks” of our world-renown Greenbelt

By protecting some of our most valuable natural systems, the Greenbelt (in Niagara and around tHamilton and the  Greater Toronto Area) has the potential to ensure healthy and vibrant ecosystems, provide fresh air and drinking water, locally sourced and high quality agriculture, and access to beautiful natural recreation sites.

In addition to these benefits, the Greenbelt’s forests, wetlands, and agricultural soils offer valuable climate change mitigation services through the capture and storage of carbon. Continue reading →

Ford Government Has –Without Any Consultation from Niagara Citizens – Simply Reappointed Bradley to Another Four Years as Regional Chair

“I’d like to know why Jeff Burch doesn’t support a great parliamentarian like Jim Bradley.” – Ford Government Minister Steven Burch, in Support of Bradley and in Response to Questions from Niagara Centre MPP Jeff  Burch about the Ford government cancelling elections for Niagara Regional Chair

Ontario Legislature Hansard Featuring Niagara Centre NDP MPP Jeff Burch asking the Ford Government Why It Is Upending Niagara Regional Council’s Long-Standing Process for Electing a Regional Chair

Posted November 17^th, 2022 on Niagara At Large

Niagara Centre NDP MPP Jeff Burch

Mr. Jeff Burch: Speaker. Through you to the Premier: Yesterday, in a move no one asked for or recommended, this government, with absolutely no consultation, tabled a bill that would allow them to appoint regional chairs in Niagara, York and Peel.

Just four years ago, in the middle of the municipal election campaign, this government cancelled regional chair elections in these regions, elections in which citizens were electing their chairs at large. They didn’t trust citizens with free and fair elections.

Now, they don’t even trust democratically elected councillors to choose a chair. Now the Premier is going to handpick who he wants to rule in his stead as he hands them additional powers to do his bidding. Why is the Premier showing such disdain for municipalities and turning local democracy into his own personal sandbox?

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.

Niagara Regional Chair Jim Bradley and former Ontario parliamentarian that Niagara Centre MPP Jeff Burch apparently hasn’t got enoughrespect for,according to
Doug Ford Tories who just reappointed Bradley to another four year term as Niagara Regional Chair.

Hon. Steve Clark: I’d like to know why Jeff Burch doesn’t support a great parliamentarian like Jim Bradley.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): I’m going to ask the minister to refer to his colleagues across the floor by their riding as opposed to their personal name.

Hon. Steve Clark: Premier Ford made it crystal clear to Ontarians that the Strong Mayors, Building Homes Act was just the start, that we wanted to ensure by the time those two new mayors were sworn in in Ontario’s two largest cities, Toronto and Ottawa, he made it crystal clear that that was the start.

So the announcement yesterday in Bill 39, which it was pretty obvious that New Democrats don’t support-just to add to the litany of housing initiatives this government has done. We’ve done over 90 since 2018, and every single time we try to increase housing supply and actually provide an opportunity for a young person to realize the dream of homeownership, New Democrats vote against it. So it’s no surprise, Speaker, that this member and their party under the leadership of Marit Stiles is going to not support. Continue reading →

Bradley Applauds “All Options” by Ford Government to Address Housing Crisis

A Statement from Niagara Regional Chair Jim Bradley on Ford Govewrnment’s Introduction of ‘Better Municipal Governance Act’

Posted November 17^th,2022 on Niagara At Large

Niagara Regional Chair Jim Bradley

Niagara Regional Chair Jim Bradley offered the following statement regarding the provincial government’s introduction of the Better Municipal Governance Act:

“The Regional Municipality of Niagara, like all other municipalities across Ontario, are creatures of the province. As such, I fully respect the province’s authority over local governments and their ability to make decisions they feel are in the best interest of the people of Ontario.

 In regard to Minister Clark’s announcement that he is reappointing the Regional Chairs in Niagara, York and Peel, I can affirm my steadfast commitment to the people of Niagara and my readiness to continue serving as Regional Chair. I also want to share my enthusiasm for working with the next term of Council and getting back to work in early December. Continue reading →

Legislation Just Tabled by Ford Government May Also Lead to More Urban Sprawl On To Green Lands, and Amalgamation of Municpalities across  Niagara

“The proposed legislation would allow the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing to appoint the Regional Chairs of Niagara, Peel and York regions for the current term of council. If these proposals are passed, the Minister intends to re-appoint the existing regional chairs – Jim Bradley in Niagara, Nando Iannicca in Peel, and Wayne Emerson in York. This approach will provide continuity and stability at the regional level as facilitators consider how best to extend strong mayor powers to existing two-tier municipalities that are shovel-ready and committed to growth and cutting red tape.”                                                                                                             – from a News Release circulated this November 16^th, 2022 by Doug Ford’s Ontario Government

A Brief Commentary by Doug Draper at Niagara At Large followed by a News Release from Ontario’s Ford Government

Posted November 16^th, 2022 on Niagara At Large

While so much for any further speculation about who will be elected or re-elected Niagara’s Regional Chair by the Region’s soon-to-be-sworn in new Regional Council if this latest legislation, so hastily tabled by the Ford government this November 16^th, is passed which – given the government’s majority – probably will be.

Niagara Regional Chair Jim Bradley may get the Chair’s job back without a vote from the Region’s Council, but at what cost?

If this legislation, allegedly focused on building more affordable housing – is passed, Jim Bradley will automatically serve a second term as Niagara’s Regional Chair which, by the way, this journalist has no problem with.

But the big question is this – At what cost to our current system of municipal government and to our man-made and natural heritage, and the quality of our local services and our property taxes?

On that front, we just don’t know. And given the Ford government’s tilt toward serving rich and privileged interests that have supported it with their campaign donations, etc., that is frightening.

There will obviously be much more to say about this in the days and weeks ahead as the truth and consequences around this latest bombshell piece of legislation come to light.

• Stay Tuned! Doug Draper, Niagara At Large

Now here is the News Release from the Ford Government –

Ontario Taking Next Steps to Expand Strong Mayor Powers and Tackle the Housing Supply Crisis

Province introduces further measures to deliver on shared provincial-municipal priorities – November 16, 2022

Continue reading →

“Will the Premier tell the people of Ontario the true nature of his motives in putting their farmland, food security and conservation lands in jeopardy when his own experts are saying that we have plenty of land available for development?”                – Niagara Centre NDP MPP Jeff Burch

Niagara Centre MPP Jeff Burch, from Hansard in the Ontario Legislature, November 15^th, 2022

Posted November 16^th, 2022 on Niagara At Large

Niagara Centre NDP MPP Jeff Burch

Mr. Jeff Burch: “Speaker, through you to the Premier: Despite promising the people of this province not to quote “touch the Greenbelt,” this government has put forward a plan to remove 7,400 acres of land from the greenbelt, claiming they need more land to build housing.

“Yet the province’s Housing Ability Task Force reported that a lack of land was not the problem. We have already had all the land we need for housing. The Greenbelt was created to preserve valuable farmland and connect the forest and wetland ecosystems. Every expert is saying that removing parts of it threatens all of it. Continue reading →

“It just adds insult to injury that (the Ford government) wants people in Niagara and St. Catharines to pay the price for his scheme to help wealthy developers get wealthier.”                                         – Niagara Falls NDP MPP Wayne Gates and St. Catharines NDP MPP Jennie Stevens

Speaking to the Growing Province-Wide Opposition to Ford’s Bill 23 and its Assault on Municipalities and Our Natural Heritage

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

Posted November 16th, 2022 on Niagara At Large

Niagara Falls NDP MPP Wayne Gates and St. Catharines NDP MPP Jennie Stevens

QUEENS PARK — NDP MPPs Wayne Gates (Niagara Falls) and Jennie Stevens (St. Catharines) are sounding the alarm over concerns raised by the Niagara Region and St. Catharines city councils that local families could face service cuts or tax hikes if Doug Ford takes away funding used to pay for municipal services.

In his so-called housing legislation, Ford is taking away the funding municipalities use to pay for local infrastructure like community centres and roads. The province’s Fall Economic Statement shows that their so-called housing scheme has already failed, as the Ford government forecasts that fewer new homes will be built than it has previously projected. Continue reading →

Official Opposition vows to keep fighting for investments as Conservatives sit on billions

A News Release from Ontario’s Official Position New Democratic Party

Posted November 14^th, 2022 on Niagara At Large

QUEEN’S PARK — Ontario’s NDP is vowing to keep fighting for urgent investments in health care and education, as well as cost of living help, as Doug Ford puts forward a Fall Economic Statement that bakes in a worsening hospitals crisis and leaves families to struggle with skyrocketing bills.

There is not a single new penny in the government’s economic update for nurses and health care workers as a staffing crisis shakes Ontario’s hospitals. The Financial Accountability Office (FAO) confirmed today that the government will spend around $400 million less than needed in education this year. Continue reading →

Ontario’s 2022 Fall Economic Statement takes action in a time of economic uncertainty and global inflation

News from the Office of Ontario Premier Doug Ford

Posted November 14^th, 2022 on Niagara At Large

TORONTO — Today (Nov. 14th, 2022), Minister of Finance Peter Bethlenfalvy released the 2022 Ontario Economic Outlook and Fiscal Review – Ontario’s Plan to Build: A Progress Update.

It includes the government’s first-ever progress report on its plan to build Ontario, as well as new targeted measures that advance its plan to build the economy, address the province’s labour shortage and help families and businesses keep costs down. Continue reading →

Government Providing Ongoing Relief for Businesses and Families During Uncertain Times

“I am proud that I am part of a government, under the leadership of Premier Ford, that continues to lower the cost of living in our region and across the province by putting money back in the pockets of working families.”                                              – Niagara West Ford Government  MPP Sam Oosterhoff

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

Posted November 14^th, 2022 on Niagara At Large

TORONTO – As part of its plan to help keep costs down for Ontario families and businesses, the government’s 2022 Fall Economic Statement will propose legislation that would, if passed, extend the current gas and fuel tax rate cuts to December 31, 2023.

Niagara West ConservativeMPP Sam Oosterhoff

“At a time when inflation has reached the highest levels in over four decades, we know families are feeling the pressure from rising prices on everything from gas to groceries,” said Hon. Doug Ford, Premier of Ontario.

“To continue providing real relief, our government is proposing to extend the gas tax cut for another year to put more money back in peoples’ pockets where it belongs.”

The proposed extension of the gas and fuel tax rate cuts for an additional year would save Ontario households $195 on average between July 1, 2022, and December 31, 2023.  This extension follows legislation passed this spring that cut the gas tax by 5.7 cents per litre and the fuel tax by 5.3 cents per litre for six months, from July 1, 2022, to December 31, 2022. Continue reading →

“This additional military assistance will support Ukrainians as they bravely continue Vladimir Putin’s illegal invasion, while these new sanctions will put added pressure on those who support these acts of war.”                                                                           – Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada

An Announcement from Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

Posted November 14th, 2022 on Niagara At Large

As Russia continues its brutal, unjustifiable invasion of Ukraine, Canada will continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Ukrainian people and our allies, in defence of our shared values of peace, democracy, and human rights.

We will continue to use every tool at our disposal to support Ukraine and hold Russia accountable.

Today (November 14th, 2022), at the G20 Summit in Bali, Indonesia, the Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, announced that Canada will provide $500 million in additional military assistance for Ukraine, to assist the Armed Forces of Ukraine in defending their country against Russia’s brutal and unjustifiable invasion. Continue reading →

Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority is Proving Weak on Protection What is Left of Niagara’s Wetlands

A Message from Biodiversity and Climate Action Niagara – a region-wide coalition of individuals and citizen groups advocating for  protecting and preserving our natural environment

Posted November 13^th, 2022 on Niagara At Large

Why worry about Ford dismantling our Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA) when some board members seem eager to do the job themselves.

That is the only conclusion that can be taken following (the NPCA’s recent) governance committee meeting where they recommended a policy that could result in zero buffers for some wetlands.

At issue was a section of the Authority’s proposed new policy on non-Provincially Significant (non-PSWs) Wetland buffers. Continue reading →

Demand that the Government of Ontario revoke amendments likely to weaken the protection of farmland and natural heritage, and uphold the role of the public, conservation authorities and regional municipalities.

A Call-Out for Your Voice from Ontario Nature, a time-honoured public advocacy group for our natural heritage

Posted November 13^th, 2022 on Niagara At Large

Bill 23 Spells Disaster for Farmland, Conservation Authorities, Wetlands and Democracy

With Bill 23, the More Homes Built Faster Act, 2022, the Government of Ontario is proposing sweeping changes to the province’s natural heritage and land use planning legislation and policy.

Ontario Premier and his supports believe that gutting more of this in our region and province will help solve the housing crisis.

This omnibus bill would amend many laws (e.g., the Planning Act, the Conservation Authorities Act), removing and weakening environmental protections and cutting out the public from meaningful involvement in land use planning and decisions affecting their communities (refer to Schedule 2 and Schedule 9 – ERO# 019-6141 and ERO# 019-6163). Continue reading →

A Brief Commentary by Doug Draper

A memorial to Canada’s soldiers in Chippawa Park in Welland, Niagara

Posted this Remembrance Day – this Friday, November 11^th – on Niagara At Large

The Environment Canada weather reports for this Remembrance Day call for a bit of rain so it may be a good idea for those wishing to visit a Cenotaph at the 11^th hour of the 11^th day of this November to bring along an umbrella.

This Remembrance Day – as corny or as melodramatic as it might sound – I cannot help but think that some of the raindrops that may fall will be tears from all of those young Canadians who fought and, in too many cases, died in past wars.

There may be tears enough over the carnage of war but there may also be tears for how little that far too many of us are now doing to honour their sacrifice for democracy by doing our part to actively participate in the democratic process. Continue reading →

Ford Government’s Bill 23 (so-called ‘More Homes Built Faster Act’) “will undermine the Greenbelt and do nothing to build affordable homes for people who need it the most in communities near existing transit, services and jobs.”                                                  – Ontario Greenbelt Alliance

A Statement from Ontario Greenbelt Alliance Steering Committee regarding the Provincial Announcement to Remove Lands from the Greenbelt

Posted November 9th, 2022 on Niagara At Large

Late (last)  Friday (November 4^th) afternoon,, the Ontario Government announced its intention to remove 7,400 acres of precious farmland and natural areas from Greenbelt protection as a purported “solution” to the housing crisis and to add new land to the Greenbelt to make up for the loss.

The housing crisis requires immediate action. That’s why Premier Ford’s government should make it easier to build housing on the 86,500 acres across the GTHA that are already zoned and ready for development in communities close to existing transit and services. Continue reading →

“Ford’s legacy of environmental destruction gets worse every day. And once these environmentally sensitive lands are gone, they are gone forever.”

Ontario Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner

A Statement from Ontario Green Party Mike Schreiner

Posted November 9^th, 2022 on Niagara At Large

Remember when Doug Ford looked straight into the camera  and said this: “THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN – WE WON’T TOUCH THE GREENBELT . . . THAT’S IT.”

So do I – but that was then (in the year 2018 when he was first running for premier.)

Late last week, while everyone was watching Ford and Lecce stumble into a disastrous standoff with education workers, the government quietly announced its PLAN TO OPEN UP 7,400 ACRES OF PROTECTED GREENBELT LAND TO DEVELOPERS. Continue reading →

“Removing land from the Greenbelt, taken together with the Ontario government’s Bill 23 attack on Conservation Authorities, the Growth Plan, the Planning Act, the Endangered Species Act and other important legislation, dismantles decades of slow progress toward protecting Ontario’s environment and creating more sustainable communities.”

A Statement from Phil Pothen, Ontario Environment Program Manager, Environmental Defence

Posted November 6^th, 2022 on Niagara At Large

Toronto | Traditional territories of the Huron-Wendat, the Anishnaabeg, Haudenosaunee, Chippewas and the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation – This afternoon the Ontario government announced that it intends to break its loudest, clearest election promise, by inflicting a fatal 7,400 acre wound on the vital and wildly popular Greenbelt.

It is clear that this attack would end the critical role the Greenbelt plays to stop sprawl and protect farmland, forests, and the source of our drinking water, as well address climate change. The government should be ashamed and the people of Ontario should be outraged.  

Promises by the government to “swap” in 9,400 acres of land in other locations will do nothing to mitigate the damage to the Greenbelt system. Continue reading →

A Statement from Ontario’s Official Oppostion NDP on the Ford government’s Move to Sell off ‘Chunks’ of our farmlands to developers

Posted November 7^th, 2022 on Niagara At Large

QUEEN’S PARK — Peter Tabuns, Interim Ontario NDP Leader and Climate Crisis critic, released the following statement in response to the Ford government’s latest scheme to remove protected land from the Greenbelt:

“It’s disturbing that Doug Ford is taking another run at punching holes in the Greenbelt. Continue reading →

Now Ford and his Pirates Go After Our Most Precious Food-Growing Lands.

What’s Next? Selling Off the Fresh Waters in Our Great Lakes?

A Brief News Commentary by Niagara At Large reporter and publisher Doug Draper

Posted November 4^th, 2022 on Niagara At Large

As if raping our wetlands and woodlands for urban sprawl is not enough, now Ontario Premier Doug Ford and his Tories are aiming at our province’s world-renown Greenbelt.

Ford Government and its scoundrels in development industry are targetting our world-renown Greenbelt

In a news release this Friday, November 4^th afternoon that can be otherwise called a “Friday afternoon dump” –the kind of news scoundrels release just before a weekend, hoping it won’t get much attention – the Ford government says it is going after Greenbelt lands to build sprawling suburbs. Continue reading →

“In the past, I have avoided commenting on the legacy of turmoil we inherited from the previous term of council (under the chairmanship of Al Caslin). ….But I think it is worth remembering how far we have come. … I am honored to work with a team of councillors who took immediate action to set a new tone and reestablish Niagara Region’s character and standing in the community.”

– Niagara Regional Chair Jim Bradley, Nov. 3^rd, 2022, at final session of 2018-2022 Council

Jim Bradley, a former St. Catharines MPP, is sworn in as the new Niagara Regional Chair in front of a new council in 2018/ File photo by Doug Draper

Posted November 4^th, 2022 on Niagara At Large

(A Brief Foreword from Doug Draper at Niagara At Large – In the wake of this October’s municipal election and the final meeting, this November 3^rd, of the current Niagara Regional Council before a new council is sworn in, I thought it would be of some value to post the complete text of the opening remarks the Region’s Chair, Jim Bradley, delivered to the outgoing council and to any members of the public listening in.

In this final session of council, many concerns were also raised about proposals by Ontario’s Ford government to change and, more to the point, weaken rules and systems for protecting and preserving what is left of Niagara’s natural heritage to build more housing at any cost to that heritage.

Niagara At Large will have more news and commentary on that issue in the days ahead. Please stay tuned.)

Chair’s Remarks to Council
November 3, 2022

Niagara Regional Chair Jim Bradley

“I want welcome everyone this evening for what is the final meeting of this term of council.

I want to begin my comments by stating that serving as Regional Chair has been one of the great honours of my life, and it is a position that I continue to hold in the highest regard.

I consider myself fortunate to have worked with such a dedicated and committed group of individuals, each of whom brought their own unique experiences and talents to this chamber in an effort to represent their constituents and advocate for the betterment of the Niagara region. Continue reading →

Don’t Let Doug Ford and His Tories Use Thuggish, Draconian Tactics Beat Hard-Working People Down!

A Comment from Niagara At Large reporter and publisher Doug Draper

Posted November 4^th, 2022 on Niagara At Large

Many thousands of people across Niagara and the rest of Ontario who work every day of the school year to keep our schools clean and safe and functioning for young people have been fighting hard for more livable wages and benefits.

They have been answered by a Ford government in Ontario that came to power more than four years ago with an expressed hatred for unions and a zeal to keep wages as low as possible for everyone working in this province. Continue reading →

“Our education system is at stake right now, and we know it’s worth fighting for. We are proud to stand up for what is right.”    – Niagara Falls MPP Wayne Gates, St. Catharines MPP Jennie Stevens and Niagara Centre MPP Jeff Burch, Member’s of Ontario’s New Democratic Party

A News Release from the Niagara, Ontario Constituency Offices of NDP MPPs Wayne Gates, Jennie Stevens and Jeff Burch

Posted November 2^nd, 2022 on Niagara At Large

Niagara NDP MPPs stand with students, parents, and education workers

QUEEN’S PARK – Niagara NDP MPPs Wayne Gates (Niagara Falls), Jennie Stevens (St. Catharines), and Jeff Burch (Niagara Centre) released the following statement after their ejection from Queen’s Park for refusing to back down from their advocacy on behalf of Ontario students, parents, and education workers:

From left, Niagara Centre MPP Jeff Burch, Niagara Falls MPP Wayne Gates and St. Catharines MPP Jennie Stevens

“Doug Ford and Stephen Lecce can prevent disruption in our schools right now by getting back to the bargaining table and respecting education workers with a fair deal. If Ford and Lecce continue their attack on education workers, their actions will have one result—driving more and more caring adults out of our Niagara classrooms and leaving our kids with less support in school. Continue reading →

Apparently it is “Parliamentarian” in Ontario to Tell the Truth

Breaking News Commentary from Niagara At Large reporter and publisher Doug Draper

Posted November 2^nd, 2022 on Niagara At Large

Niagara Centre NDP MPP Jeff Burch

If you ever met Jeff Burch, you might be struck by the Niagara Centre MPP’s mild-mannered voice and smile.

He seems almost too nice for the rough and tumble of today’s political arena.

And indeed, he would hardly strike you as the kind of person who could be ordered by Ontario’s Speaker of the Legislature to leave the chambers if he did not withdraw remarks about the province’s premier that were deemed to be parliamentarian.

Yet thrown out he was this November 2^nd morning, along with more than a dozen other members of Ontario’s NDP Official Opposition Party, including Niagara Falls MPP Wayne Gates and St. Catharines MPP Jennie Stevens,  for hurling words considered improper at Premier Doug Ford over Ford and his government moving to use draconian measures in the name of a “notwithstanding clause” to order unionized public school workers to remain in school despite what they consider to be a breakdown in negotiating what they consider to be a fair  pay increase with the government. Continue reading →

Doug Ford and His Ontario Tories – Wording Hand in Hand with Developers – Are Posed to Destroy What is Left of Our Natural Heritage

To Learn More, Join a Webinar Session this coming Monday, November 7^th,  from 12  p.m to 1 p.m.

Hosed by Environmental Defence, a non-profit advocacy group for protecting and preserving a quality environment

Posted November 2^nd, 2022 on Niagara At Large

To learn more about the dangerous environmental effects of Bill 23, please register for: Bait and Switch: Understanding Bill 23, The ‘More Sprawl, Fewer Wetlands’ Act

Ontario Bill 23 – which the government refers to as the “More Homes Built Faster Act “– is a complex policy and legislation package which changes zoning rules, wetland evaluation, conservation authority powers, regional planning power and more. 

Environmental Defence is hosting this panel discussion to review the destructive impacts of this bill and discuss how people who care about Ontario’s environment can fight back. 

Register today to join this essential conversation!

Details:
When: Monday, November 7th, 12 p.m. – 1 p.m. (ET)
Where: Online webinar – Register today for access details

Host:
Lynda Lukasik, Ph.D., Executive Director, Environment Hamilton

Panelists:
Anne Bell, Ph.D., Director of Conservation and Education, Ontario Nature
Phil Pothen, Ontario Environment Program Manager, Environmental Defence

If Ford and his Tories and the vandals in Ontario’s development industry have their way, place like thisin  Thundering Waters Forest in Niagara Falls, Ontario – wetlands and woodlands that we need to support clean air and water and biodiversity and to fight climate change, will be gone, not in the name of affordable housing but  in the name of reckless, ingorance and greed. File photo by Lori Monroe

Environmental Defence is a leading Canadian environmental advocacy organization that works with government, industry and individuals to defend clean water, a safe climate and healthy communities.

For the official invite from Environmental Defence on this, click on – Environmental Defence Canada

NIAGARA AT LARGE Encourages You To Join The Conversation By Sharing Your Views On This Post In The Space Following The Bernie Sanders Quote Below.

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

“(The Ford government’s) Bill 23 ….  is an attack on Conservation Authorities, woodlands and provincially significant wetlands that aims to enable destruction of wetland habitats and conservation lands:” – Environmental Defence Canada

A Statement and Detailed Analysis of Bill 23 from Phil Pothen, Ontario Environment Program Manager, Environmental Defence

Posted November 1^st. 2-22 on Niagara At Large

Toronto | Traditional territories of the Huron-Wendat, the Anishnaabeg, Haudenosaunee, Chippewas and the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation – The Ontario government’s Bill 23 “More Homes Built Faster Act” includes only tepid measures to enable more badly needed home construction in existing cities, while diving deep into dangerous attacks on wetland habitat, woodlands and other conservation lands and encouraging even more of the expensive rural sprawl that caused Ontario’s housing crisis.

The most glaring feature of Bill 23 and its associated policy proposals is an attack on Conservation Authorities, woodlands and provincially significant wetlands that aims to enable destruction of wetland habitats and conservation lands:

Continue reading →

  *   Iconic Floral Clock was vandalized on the evening of October 27

  *   Significant damages to the clock and surrounding landscaping occurred, with repair costs estimated to be more than $10,000

  *   Investigation by Niagara Parks Police is ongoing to identify perpetrator(s)

The iconic Floral Clock along the Niagara Parkway in Niagara, Ontario. Photos courtesy of Ontario’s Niagara Parks Commission

A News Release from Ontario’s Niagara Parks Commission

Posted October 31^st,2022 on Niagara At Large

(A Brief Foreword Note from Doug Draper – Why would anyone do this to this nice site in our region? The Floral Clock may be dated and all-to quaint compared to the more jazzy places many tourists now like to visit a little further up the road in Niagara Falls. But it still holds a warm spot in many hearts and it is still a place where I’ve seen so many people stop and take a fond look. Continue reading →

Among a Host of Assaults on Ontario’s Natural Heritage and Municipal Taxpayers, Act Proposes Paving Over Conservation Areas, Woodlands and Wetlands, and Weakening Role of Conservation Authorities in Protecting and Preserving Our Precious Watersheds.

A mid-20th Century Neanderthal’s Vision of Ontario’s future, with less than a wit of concern for climate crises or the value of a healthy ecosystem.

A Brief Foreword by Niagara At Large reporter and publisher Doug Draper, followed by a News Release from Niagara West Tory MPP Sam Oosterhoff

Posted October 31^st, 2022 on Niagara At Large

A Foreword by Doug Draper –

At a time when growing numbers of us – especially during this awful pandemic – have grown to appreciate how much a walk through nature areas means to our mental and physical health, and the mounting evidence that protecting and preserving our wetlands and woodlands all of the biodiversity they host can protect us from the impacts of climate change, Ontario has a jackass in the Premier’s Office who has proven, once again, that he could give a damn.

Ontario’s Tory Premier Doug Ford and his caucus of puppets have just tabled a piece of legislation they call the ‘More Homes Built Faster Act’ which they have the nerve to say will address a very real affordable housing crisis we face in Niagara and elsewhere across the province. Continue reading →

Among the Ford Government’s Proposals –

• A Proposal to remove terms ‘conservation of lands’ and ‘pollution’ as considerations in permit decisions and changes to the definition of watercourse.

• A Proposal that Conservation Authorities identify potential conservation lands that could support housing development.

A Statement From the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority On Changes To The Conservation Authority Act

Posted October 29th, 2022 on Niagara At Large

Earlier this week, the (Ontario) Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing outlined the next phase of Ontario’s Housing Supply Action Plan, the “More Homes Built Faster Act.”

Inside the Woodend Conservation Area in Niagara. A favourite place in the region for Nature walks.  Should some of this natural land be parcelled off for urban development?

 As part of the plan, the government proposes new legislative changes that will impact Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA) and other Conservation Authorities (CAs) across Ontario.

Key changes being proposed that impact conservation authorities include:

Continue reading →

A Brief One from Doug Draper, Niagara At Large

Posted October 29^th, 2022

Jerry Lee Lews in his prime.

Little Richard and Chuck Berry left us not that long ago. Roy Orbison left a few decades ago and Elvis Presley left the building what now seems like a long time ago.

Now Jerry Lee Lewis, about the last man standing, if not the last of these legencdary rock & roll pioneers from the 1950s has died too at age 87.

To quote signature lines from o one of his biggest hits .’ goodness, gracious great balls of fire.”

Here he is performing another big hit with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band during his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio in the mid1990s. You can watch and hear it by clicking on the screen below – 

NIAGARA AT LARGE Encourages You To Join The Conversation By Sharing Your Views On This Post In The Space Following The Bernie Sanders Quote Below.

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

“We need to make sure mechanisms are still in place to ensure that we balance growth with a healthy environment.”                     – Angela Coleman, General Manager, Conservation Ontario

A News Release from Conservation Ontario, representing the NPCA and 35 other Conservation Authorities across the province

Posted October 28^th, 2022 on Niagara At Large

Angela Coleman, General Manager, Conservation Ontari

Newmarket, Ontario –  In a bid to address the housing supply, the Ontario government released a series of new proposed legislative changes, many of which impact Ontario’s 36 conservation authorities.

Among them, the Province proposes to prevent municipalities from entering into agreements with conservation authorities to review planning applications on their behalf, proposes exemptions from natural hazard permits for select municipalities where Planning Act approvals are in place, remove ‘conservation of lands’ and ‘pollution’ as considerations in permit decisions, to put a freeze on development fees and to possibly tap into conservation lands to support housing. Continue reading →