Author Archives: dougdraper

The Niagara, Ontario Municipality’ Council  Deserves the Nation-Wide Praise it is Getting for  Responding with a Unanimous NO to Proposed Gas-Fired Energy Plant in its Community and the City Should Serve as a Role Model for other Municipalities across the Country

A News Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted September 21^st, 2023 on Niagara At Large

Those who have followed any of my writing as a journalist in Niagara, Ontario over however number of decades, may know that I am hardly the go-to guy when it comes to singing praises for governments on any number of issues.

The City of Thorold’s current council receives Canada-wide praise for its recent decison to reject a plan to build a carbon-emitting gas plant in the municipality

Yet I cannot help but sing some praise for Mayor Terry Ugulini and his Council in the Niagara, Ontario City of Thorold – a municipality I happen to live in – for voting No this past September 19^th to a proposed gas-fired power plant in the municipality – a proposal that was driven by the wrong-headed and dangerous policies of Ontario’s Ford government to continue opting for burning carbon fuels that wreak havoc on our climate over renewable energies. Continue reading →

“To clean up what remains of the Ontario government’s land use and environmental mess, including Highway 413, it is essential to strengthen Greenbelt protections to ensure future government’s can’t try this again.”

A Statement from the Canada-wide citizens group Environmental Defence on Ontario’s Greenbelt Scandal

Posted September 22^nd, 2023 on Niagara At Large

A Statement from Phil Pothen, Ontario Environment Program Manager on Premier Ford canceling $8.28-billion Greenbelt land removals

Toronto | Traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinaabeg, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat – “While we welcome Premier Ford’s full reversal of the inappropriate removals of Greenbelt lands, the Ontario government’s $8.3 billion gift to developers represented just the most visible part of a dishonest and counterproductive push for sprawl that will only worsen Ontario’s housing shortage.

“To clean up what remains of the Ontario government’s land use and environmental mess, including Highway 413, it is essential to strengthen Greenbelt protections to ensure future government’s can’t try this again. Continue reading →

Ontario Premier Doug Ford tries sweeping Greenbelt scandal under the rug

“I made a promise to you that I wouldn’t touch the Greenbelt. I broke that promise and for that I’m very, very sorry. …. I made a mistake”                                                             –  Ontario Premier Doug Ford at September 21st Press Conference in  in Niagara Falls, Ontario

A Brief News Commentary for now on this  with more to come, from Doug Draper

Posted September 21^st on Niagara At Large

Following two damning reports this past August – one from Ontario’s Auditor General and one from its Ombudsman – and the resignation of two senior ministers and the rolling of heads in senior staff, Premier Doug Ford has announced a decision to reverse any and all multi-billion dollar plans with developers to pave over what he once called “big chunks” of the Greenbelt.

In making this announcement, which is a victory for present and future Ontario citizens who know that value of these precious Greenbelt lands, there was no clear message in Ford’s words that he has come to realize how valuable this natural resource is to we, the people, collectively.

Instead, Ford tried to pass the whole corrupt mess off as a “mistake” with the process the government used to parcel off Greenbelt lands in a manner that the Ontario Liberal Party’s interim leader John Fraser says looks like “insider trading” and a “gravy train” for his development industry buddies. Continue reading →

‘Thorold understand(s) that more polluting gas is the last thing we need. Unfortunately, the Ford government does not.’

A News Release from the Ontario Clean Air Alliance, a citizens advocacy group for greener, more renewable sources of energy

Posted September 20^th, 2023 on Niagara At Large

Last night (Tuesday, September 19^th), the people of Ontario scored a major victory thanks to the determination of a group of local councillors who listened to their constituents.

That resulted in  Thorold City Council voting unanimously to reject Northland Power’s proposal to build a new gas plant in their Niagara Peninsula community.

And that matters, because Energy Minister Todd Smith has stated that no gas plant can be built without municipal approval.

Now, thanks to the work of local citizens who kept the pressure on Thorold Council, making it crystal clear that a gas plant was not welcome in their community, we have created a real test for the minister’s resolve. Continue reading →

“We are encouraged to see communities like Thorold recognize this and stand up for their residents. … In voting against this proposal, Thorold has both helped with the global project of decarbonization and taken an important step to protect air quality in Thorold  and the broader Niagara region.”                                                                         – from the Canada-wide   group Environmental Defence

A Statement on Thorold City Council’s Unanimous Vote Against a New Gas Plant in Niagara, Ontario

From the Canadian citizens advocacy group for green issues, ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENCE

Posted September 20^th, 2023 on Niagara At Large

Toronto | Traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinaabeg, the Haudenosaunee, and the Huron-Wendat – We applaud the members  of Thorold City Council for voting unanimously against this unnecessary and  highly polluting project. Ontario doesn’t need more gas plants.

We are encouraged to see communities like Thorold recognize this and stand up for their residents. In order to ensure a safe and stable future, we need more clean energy, not more fossil power.

Respected bodies like the International Energy Agency have been clear – there is no room for new fossil fuel infrastructure if we want to hold warming to 1.5 degrees. Continue reading →

Investment at Highland Ridge in West Lincoln Part of Province-Wide Push to Competitiveness in Ontario’s Agri-Business

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

Posted September 19^th, 2023 on Niagara At Large

SMITHVILLE in Niagara, Ontario  – The Ontario government is investing up to $25 million in fifteen innovative projects through the Strategic Agri-Food Processing Fund to expand food-processing capacity in the province and strengthen food supply.

Niagara West ConservativeMPP Sam Oosterhoff

Through the Strategic Agri-Food Processing Fund, Highland Ridge in Smithville is receiving up to $1.7 million to increase meat processing capacity.  The project includes construction of a 17,932 square foot facility in West Lincoln and installation of meat processing equipment, including slicers, scales, metal detectors, smokehouse, grinders and mixers.

“As a leading meat processor in Southern Ontario, Highland Ridge is a model of innovation and economic growth in our region,” said Sam Oosterhoff, MPP for Niagara West.

“I congratulate the de Jonge family and the hardworking team at Highland Ridge as they expand their growing operation in Smithville.” Continue reading →

“Ontario’s Greenbelt was established to protect farmland, specialty crop, forests, wetlands, watersheds and communities. It also preserves cultural heritage and supports recreation and tourism in Ontario’s Greater Golden Horseshoe.”                     – – From St. Catharines Regional Councillor Haley Bateman’s motion to Niagara Regional Council to save our precious Greenbelt lands.

Contact your Niagara Regional Councillors and Urge Them to Support5 this Motions 

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

Posted September 18^th, 2023 on Niagara At Large

Since this August’s bombshell reports from Ontario’s Auditor General and Ombudsman on the highly questionable deals members of the Ford government have made to sell off protected Greenbelt lands to powerful developers, we have had little to nothing about this growing scandal from Niagara Region’s chair, Jim Bradley, and most of the others sitting o9r doing whatever else they do on Niagara’s regional council.

St. Catharines Regional Councillor Haley Batement was the only other regional councillor who stood up and said she would vote no to Ford telling the Region who it should have as its Chair.

One of the all to  few on the council who has raised the issue is St. Catharines Regional Councillor Haley Bateman, who let her fellow councillors know at a meeting in late August that she was going to be bringing a motion forward on the Greenbelt at this coming Thursday, September 21^st’s meeting of Niagara Region’s council.

That motion echoes a recommendation Ontario Auditor Bonnie Lysyk made in her scathing report this past August – for Premier Doug Ford and his government to roll back land swaps in the Greenbelt that stand to haul in developers closetothe Ford government more than $8 billion dollars.

If you support protecting our precious food-growing lands and adjoining woodlands, wetlands and other natural resources in a Greenbelt that includes lands in Niagara, please contact and urge your members of Niagara Regional Council to support Haley Bateman’s motion. Continue reading →

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

Posted September 18^th, 2023 on Niagara At Large

This Tuesday, September 19^th at 6:30 p.m., the City of Thorold’s council will be holding a special meeting to decide whether or not to approvel plan by a corporation called Northland Power to operate in Thorold a gas-fired plant for generating energy during times of peak energy demands.

Representatives of Northland Power – a company that is also known in more positive ways for building renewable solar and wind energy plants across the country – told me and others attending an open house this past spring on the Thorold project that Ontario’s Ford government is pushing for these gas-fired “peaking projects.”

This is the same provincial government whose Premier, Doug Ford, declared more than four years ago that he was “proud” to rip up hundreds of renewable energy contracts signed with private companies by Ontario’s former Liberal government. Continue reading →

Engage in learning and reflection with local Indigenous artists, storytellers and knowledge keepers

An Invite from the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority

Posted September 15^th, 2023 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario The Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA), Niagara Folk Arts Festival, and Kakekalanicks Consulting have partnered once again to host the second annual Reawakening program at Ball’s Falls Conservation Area.

Set within the beautiful landscape of the Niagara Escarpment and Carolinian forest, the Reawakening event series returns on Saturday, Sept. 23, featuring ‘Indigenous Stories by the Fire’ and interactive storytelling, drumming, music and dancing that will ignite participants’ sense of place, purpose and connection. 

This specially programmed evening will allow participants to awaken their spirits in the natural world with immersive Indigenous cultural programming under the stars. Continue reading →

Find Details for this 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, September 20^th Meeting and How to Register for it Below An Invite to All of Us from the Niagara District Council of Women

A News Relase from the Niagara District Council of Women in Niagara, Ontario

Posted September 14^th, 2023 on Niagara At Large

The Niagara District Council of Women is hosting a Public Zoom meeting on Wednesday September 20th   regarding “ Our  Great Lakes in Troubled Times  Big Threats, Root Causes, New Strategies. “

Our Great Lakes – the largest single source of fresh water in the world and vital to the lives of tens-of-millions of Canadians and Am,ericans – re,main under stress from a host of human activities. What can we all do together to protect this precious resource for present and future generations?

Speakers Jane Elder, from Pittsburgh Pennsylvania  and John Jackson of Kitchener, Ontario  have worked on Great Lakes issues  for more than forty years.

Both are founding members of the Great Lakes Ecoregion Network, a border-spanning network to galvanise leadership around tackling over-arching threats to the Great lakes, such as climate change and old and new toxic pollution, like radionuclides,- to air, water, soils, birds and animals and residents  in and surrounding the Great Lakes . Continue reading →

“Doug Ford is actively making the climate crisis worse — most recently, by carving up the Greenbelt.”

A Message from Ontario’s NDP Official Opposition Party

Posted September 13^th, 2023 on Niagara At Large

QUEEN’S PARK — Doug Ford is actively making the climate crisis worse — most recently, by carving up the Greenbelt — and Ontario’s climate change impact assessment (https://www.ontario.ca/page/ontario-provincial-climate-change-impact-assessment) is an inconvenient reminder of the risk that climate change poses to Ontarians’ health, livelihoods and property.

The report was presented to the government in January and quietly released August 25, with no announcement from the government, as the Premier and his ministers have attempted to cover up their growing Greenbelt corruption scandal. Continue reading →

“The I(recent Ontario Ombudsman)report found the government failed to protect seniors, their families, and workers. …The (Ford) government had no plans for how inspections were to be conducted during the pandemic – and in fact, the government cut inspections before the pandemic. Inspectors were not provided with basic PPE or training.”                                                                         – Niagara Falls NDP MPP Wayne Gates

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

Posted September 12^th, 2023 on Niagara At Large

Niagara Falls NDP MPP Wayne Gates

QUEEN’S PARK – MPP Wayne Gates (Niagara Falls), NDP Critic for Long-Term Care, questioned new LTC Minister Stan Cho, on Monday about the Ford government’s record on long-term care. Cho was recently named Minister, the fourth in five years under the Ford government.

“It’s unfortunate that this file has been passed around to four different Ministers in the last few years – especially since nearly 6,000 of our moms and dads, our grandparents, and loved ones died in long-term care during the pandemic,” said Gates. “Maybe if the Conservative government took the file seriously, that wouldn’t have happened.”

Gates asked the new Minister to acknowledge whether the Ford government made mistakes in long-term care that led to the deaths of LTC residents – a question the Minister refused to answer. Continue reading →

Friday, September 15^th at 4 P.M. Starting at Niagara Falls City Hall in Niagara, Ontario

A Call-Out to All of Us from 50by30 Niagara, a citizens group dedicated to fighting the climate crisis

Posted September 12^th, 2023 on Niagara At Large

50by30 Niagara is participating in ‘Fridays for Future’ climate rallies taking place around the world on Friday, September 15th.

Join us in Niagara Falls, at City Hall front steps and lawn, and make your voices heard!

Continue reading →

Date of Meeting Has Been Changed to September 19^th But Keep Up the Pressure Against This Carbon-Emitting Plant! Urge Thorold Councillors and Your Niagara Regional Councillors to Vote NO!

A Brief Update from Doug Draper at Niagara At Large

Posted September 12^th, 2023

The Thorold City Council meeting, originally scheduled for September 12^th, on whether or not to approve a new Gas-Fired Energy Plant in the Niagara, Ontario municipality has been postponed to Tuesday, September 19th at 6:30 p.m.

This image from the citizens advocacy organization Ontario Clean Air Alliance(OCCA

Please read the revised the post on this controversial at the bottom of this update for information on what you can do to raise your voice by clicking on the link below.

And, for the sake of our future and the fight to address a climate crisis that is ravaging homes, economies and life on our planet, use the information in the link below to contact Thorold councillors and your Niagara regional councillors to reject this carbon-polluting plant proposal

– Doug Draper, Niagara At Large

Please click on the following link – https://niagaraatlarge.com/2023/09/10/urge-thorold-city-council-to-vote-no-to-a-new-carbon-emitting-energy-plant-in-niagara/

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

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

An Urgent Update – The Thorold City Council meeting on whether or not to approve a new Gas-Fired Energy Plant in  the municipality has been postponed to Tuesday, September 19th at 6:30 p.m. Please read the revised post on this controversial below and, for the sake of our future and the fight to address our climate emergency, use the information below to contact Thorold councillors and your Niagara regional councillors to reject this carbon-polluting plant proposal – Doug Draper, NAL

At a time when the world is literally on fire, we should not be adding any more fossil fuel generation, especially as alternatives exist.’                                                                – from a Call-Out to All of Us from Liz Benneian, a leading member of the Niagara citizens coalition Biodiversity and Climate Action Niagara

This image from the citizens advocacy organization Ontario Clean Air Alliance(OCCA) See a link for the OCCA below.).

Posted September 10^th, 2023 on Niagara At Large

From Liz Benneian, Biodiversity and Climate Action Niagara, with her Special Thanks to another regional citizens group, 50by30Niagara –

On September 19th, Thorold City Council will be voting whether to approve Northland Power’s bid to install a Gas Peaker Plant in Thorold.

At a time when the world is literally on fire, we should not be adding any more fossil fuel generation, especially as alternatives exist (more wind, solar, large scale battery storage capacity, improve energy efficiencies, buying clean hydro from Quebec etc.). Continue reading →

$1.8 Million Investment Will Help Expand Health Care Workforce and Increase Ambulance Availability Across Niagara Region

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

Posted September 8^th, 2023 on Niagara At Large

THOROLD, Ontario – As part of Your Health: A Plan for Connected and Convenient Care<https://www.ontario.ca/page/your-health-plan-connected-and-convenient-care>, the Ontario government is investing an additional $51 million into the Dedicated Offload Nurses Program over the next three years to reduce offload delays at hospitals across the province.

From Left to Right. Sam Oosterhoff, MPP for Niagara West, joins Jim Bradley, Chair of the Regional Municipality of Niagara, at the Merrittville Highway EMS Station in Thorold. Photo courtesy of Niagara West MPP Sam Oosterhoff’s constituency office

This will provide thirty local municipalities with around 800,000 dedicated hours to support offloading ambulance patients to the emergency department, ensuring paramedics can get back out into the community faster.

Through this investment, the Regional Municipality of Niagara is receiving $1,853,196 in provincial support, more than doubling funding from last year. Continue reading →

Ontario Ombudman Report finds that Ontario’s Long-Term Care Home Inspection System Collapsed

‘Make no mistake – the Ford Conservatives axed the level of LTC inspections when they took office, leaving the system already strained when the COVID-19 pandemic struck. They failed to respond to the clear crisis with the appropriate level of urgency and commitment.’                                                                                              –  from Wayne Gates , NDP MPP for the Ontario Riding of Niagara

Niagara Falls NDP MPP Wayne Gates

A News Release from Niagara Falls MPP and NDP critic for Long-Term Care Wayne Gates

Posted September 7^th, 2023 on Niagara At Large

Ford failed Ontario’s seniors during the pandemic, the latest Ombudsman report confirms, finding that Ontario’s Long-Term Care inspection system “collapsed during the deadly first weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic.” MPP Wayne Gates (Niagara Falls riding), NDP critic for Long-Term Care (LTC), released the following statement:

“Ford’s absolute failure to protect seniors during the pandemic contributed to an unconscionable wave of deaths in Long-Term Care. Today, we learned that many of these deaths were preventable.

The safeguards meant to protect seniors failed entirely. Under this government’s watch, inspectors did little or nothing to hold these homes accountable. And thousands of our friends, parents and grandparents died. Continue reading →

“Tragically, the (Ontario) Ministry of Long-Term Care was unprepared and unable to ensure the safety of long-term care residents and staff during the pandemic’s first wave.” – Ontario Ombudsman Paul Dubé

News from the Office of Ontario’s Ombudsman

Posted September 7^th, 2023 on Niagara At Large

Toronto, Ontario – Ombudsman Paul Dubé today (September 7^th.2023)  called for an overhaul of Ontario’s long-term care inspection system, after his latest investigation found it was completely overwhelmed during the first wave of COVID-19.

There were no inspections of long-term care homes for seven weeks in the spring of 2020 and no inspection reports issued for two months, the Ombudsman reveals in his investigation report, Lessons for the Long Term, released today. “Few knew that this oversight mechanism had fallen apart,” he writes.

“Tragically, the Ministry of Long-Term Care was unprepared and unable to ensure the safety of long-term care residents and staff during the pandemic’s first wave,” he states, noting that “it is crucial that the Ministry fully understand and learn from the failure of the Inspections Branch to adequately and quickly respond.”

The Ombudsman launched the investigation on his own initiative on June 1, 2020, shortly after Canadian Armed Forces personnel reported shocking conditions inside several long-term care homes where they had been called in to help in the early days of the COVID crisis. Continue reading →

A Message from the City of St. Catharines in Niagara, Ontario

Posted September 7^th, 2023 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario — The City of St. Catharines is deeply saddened to learn about anaccident that injured one of our dedicated crossing guards at the corner of Haig and Carlton Streets.

The safety and well-being of our crossing guards, who play a vital role in ensuring the safety of our community’s children, is of utmost importance to us. Our thoughts are with the injured crossing guard and their family, and we are hopeful for a speedy recovery.

We urge all members of our community to exercise caution and be vigilant while driving, especially in school zones and areas where crossing guards are on duty. Please remember that safety is a shared responsibility, and together, we can help prevent accidents. Continue reading →

Join the Celebration September 8^th thru 10^th  In Downtown St. Catharines in Niagara, Ontario

News from The FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre in Downtown St. Catharines

Posted September 7^th, 2023 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – The 7th annual Celebration of Nations brings Indigenous teachings and reflections on sustainable living, environmental stewardship and harmonious coexistence.

From 8-10 September in downtown St. Catharines, the gathering includes a variety of opportunities to learn more about Indigenous culture with a variety of teachings that include The Creation Story, Indigenous Food Sovereignty, The Medicine Wheel and Land Based Leadership.

For the 2023 edition, Artistic Producer Tim Johnson has contributed programs that explore the theme of borders.

“This year my curatorial focus deals with the theme of borders, physical, sociological, and personal,” said Artistic Producer Tim Johnson. Continue reading →

“We are collecting evidence about private clinics (in Ontario) and how they are extra-billing patients illegally.”                                              – from the Ontario Health Coalition, a not-for-profit citizen-based group fighting to save quality public health care.                                                           

A Call-Out from the Niagara Health Coalition, a branch of the non-profit citizens-based Ontario Health Coalition

Posted September 6^th, 2023 on Niagara At Large

Have you been charged for health care in a private clinic? We need to hear from you urgently

If you have been charged for a cataract surgery, diagnostic test like an MRI or CT scan, or other medically needed surgery in a private clinic in Ontario we need to hear from you.

We are collecting evidence about private clinics and how they are extra-billing patients illegally. This fall we will also be actively pursuing getting people’s money back for illegal charges.  Continue reading →

A Statement from Niagara Falls NDP MPP Wayne Gates

Posted September 5^th, 2023 on Niagara At Large

Niagara Falls NDP MPP Wayne Gates

NIAGARA FALLS, Ontario – Niagara Falls NDP MPP Wayne Gates made the following statement regarding the appointment(by Ontario’s Doug Ford Government) of Stan Cho as Minister of Long-term Care –

“This is now Ford’s fourth Minister of Long-Term Care in almost as many years. Seniors in long-term care are incredibly important, but the way Ford passes the LTC file around like a hot potato shows they are just not his priority. With this cabinet shuffle, Ford is rearranging the deck chairs on a sinking ship.

“We need a government that is working pro-actively to prioritize seniors’ care, not one that expands a private, for-profit system that is failing residents. Continue reading →

‘Meet the New Boss, Same as the Old Boss’. We, The People, Should Not Get Fooled Again

A Brief One from Doug Draper

Posted September 5^th, 2023 on Niagara At Large

Ontario Premier Doug Ford

So Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s ethically bankrupt Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Steve Clark is gone and Ford has replaced him and and made a few other changes in his cabinet in the wake of growing concerns over corruption – possibly rising to crimes being committed – over more than $8 billion dollars worth of land swaps being make in our province’s protected Greenbelt. Continue reading →

A News Brief from Doug Draper, Niagara At Large

Posted September 5^th, 2023

For the record, Niagara At Large is posting below  a copy of Ontario’s now-out-of-here Munipal Affairs and Housing Minister Steve Clark’s September 4^th resignation letter to his boss, Premier Doug Ford.

Now ex-Ontario Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing continues to echo Ford government’s untruths about the need to pave over Greenbelt land to build housing.

You may very well note, as you read Clark’s letter, that he continues dipping himself in the snake oil his government peddles that the housing crisis we face  has something to do with whether or not to pave over what Ford once called a “big chunk” of our Greenbelt lands.

Even as he resigns, Clark seems unwilling to openly admit a truth that virtually every municipal planner in the Greenbelt region of Ontaro, including those in Niagara, can tell him –that there is enough room within existing urban boundaries to build housing for many years to come.

There is absolutely no need to pave over lands in the Greenbelt.

Continue reading →

Premier Doug Ford and All of his Willing Enablers Should Be Next

A Brief One from Doug Draper at Niagara At Large

Posted this September 4th Labour Day, 2023

Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s scandal-ridden Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Steve Clark has at long last  resigned.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Steve Clark finally resigns. Good riddance to this ignorant, arrogant threat to our green lands.

And wouldn’t you know that this arrogant pawn for Ford’s long-intended plans to sell off “chunks” of what’s left our precious green heritage to the worst of the worst in the development industry would pick Labour Day – a day set aside to honour working people – to make his resignation announcement, hoping it would catch news outlets and critics flat-footed and  take some of the edge off of it.

Of course, when did the Ford Conservatives (forget the ‘Progressive’ in their party namer) every really care about working people, despite the B.S. Ford shovels out that he is there for ‘regular people’. Never mind his horrid tasting ‘buck a beer’. One of the first things Ford and company did when they formed a government in 2018 was gut a “basic income project” that would have given more of a chance for people making poverty wages a chance to put a roof over their heads and build a decent life.

So now here we have Steve Clark resigning in the wake of a growing scandal involving the Ford government and greedy developers colluding to destroy Ontario’s Greenbelt for billions of dollars in profit. Continue reading →

“A housing crisis is no excuse for breaking the law. None.” – Marit Stiles, Leader of Ontario’s Official Opposition NDP

A Statement from Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles

Posted September 1^st, 2023 on Niagara At Large

(Ontario Premier Doug) Ford and (his Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Steve) Clark gave empty apologies for the Greenbelt scandal to the camera (this past August 31^st)  – while they run a massive publicly-funded advertising blitz that pushes the busted myth that their corruption scandal has anything to do with housing.

Marit Stiles, Leader of the Official Opposition Ontario NDP released the following statement:

“Everywhere I go in Ontario – even in places kilometres away from the Greenbelt – people are angry at this government. They’re angry that Ford and Clark are still refusing to take accountability for something they know is wrong. And they’re angry that when they go on social media, or turn on their radio, they find advertisements pushing their tired excuses. Continue reading →

From Doug Draper on Niagara At Large

Posted September 1^st, 2023

To the rest of you. and especially to all of those who voted for Doug Ford and company or who didn’t care enough to vote at all,  join the fight and make a pledge on this Labour Day Weekend to take action to address the climate crisis and to support the fight for guaranteed livable income for all.

And for the sake of your future and everyone else’s, make a promise to never vote for a Doug Ford Conservative Party or any other political pary like it in this country again!

A Labour Day Message from Doug Draper

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

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

Premier Doug Ford Must Fire his Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister, Steve Clark

Statement from Ontario’s Official Opposition NDP Leader Marit Stiles followed by a Note on this growing candal by journalist Doug Draper

Posted September 1^st, 2023 on Niagara At Large

Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles

Marit Stiles, Leader of the Official Opposition NDP issued the following statement after Premier Ford expressed his confidence in Minister Clark, who still refuses to resign, even after the Integrity Commissioner’s blistering report:

“This Minister broke the law with his involvement in these dirty deals.

Ontarians deserve so much better than fake apologies. His words are meaningless without any action to back them up.

Ontarians have lost all trust in this Minister and he needs to go.

The Premier needs to step up, show some leadership, kick Clark out of cabinet. Then get us all back in the Legislature so we can restore all of these lands back to the Greenbelt.”

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

Continue reading →

A Statement from Ontario’s Official Opposition NDP Party Leader Marit Stiles 

Posted August 30^th, 2023 on Niagara At Large 

Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles

QUEEN’S PARK – Marit Stiles, Leader of the Official Opposition NDP, released the following statement in response to the Integrity Commissioner’s finding (https://www.oico.on.ca/web/default/files/public/Commissioners%20Reports/Report%20Re%20Minister%20Clark%20-%20August%2030%2C%202023.pdf) that Conservative Municipal Affairs & Housing Minister Steve Clark breached Section 2 and 3.2 of the Member’s Integrity Act:

 “Today we got another damning piece of the puzzle in this disturbing pattern of corruption from Ford’s government.

Continue reading →

Some Breaking News on the Greenbelt Issue

Posted August 30^th, 2023 on Niagara At Large

Integrity Commissioner Releases Report Re: (Ontario  Municipal Affairs and Housing) Minister Steve Clark

Aug 30, 2023

Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Steve Clark – an arrogant, yet incompenent destroyer of Ontario’s precious food-growing lands. It is time for him to go.

In a report filed today (this August 30^th, 2023) with the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, Integrity Commissioner J. David Wake, K.C., determined that the Honourable Steve Clark, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing and MPP for Leeds–Grenville–Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes contravened the Members’ Integrity Act, 1994.

Minister Clark contravened sections 2 and 3(2) by failing to oversee the process by which lands in the Greenbelt were selected for development, leading to the private interests of certain developers being furthered improperly.

The inquiry established that Minister Clark’s former Chief of Staff, Ryan Amato, was the driving force for the process by which lands in the Greenbelt were selected for development. Mr. Amato was involved in the selection of 14 of the 15 properties that were removed from the Greenbelt or redesignated and received information provided to him by certain developers. Continue reading →

Chiefs Adopt Resolution Calling for “a criminal investigation into the manner in which the Greenbelt lands were chosen for removal and the extent to which the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing (Steve Clark) and the Premier (Doug Ford) had control over the situation.”

News from The Chiefs of Ontario, representing all First Nations groups in Ontario

Posted August 29^th, 2023 on Niagara At Large

Toronto, Ontario – The Chiefs of Ontario have released the following statement following today’s Emergency Chiefs Assembly and subsequent media event with First Nations Leadership, pertaining to the Auditor General’s Special Report on the Changes to the Greenbelt:

‘On August 28, 2023, the Chiefs of Ontario (COO) called an Emergency Chiefs Assembly to allow for all Ontario First Nations Leadership to gather virtually to discuss the Auditor General of Ontario’s Special Report on the Greenbelt, as well as further direction for the COO to undertake with regard to the relationship with the provincial government.

Following this, the COO held a media event as an opportunity for First Nations Leadership to discuss their concerns directly with members of the media.

During the Emergency Chiefs Assembly, a resolution was passed by the Chiefs-in-Assembly that directs the COO to demand that Premier Doug Ford commit to all the recommendations as outlined in the Auditor General’s Report, including the recommendation to return all land parcels to the Greenbelt immediately. Continue reading →

A Statement from Ontario’s Official Opposition NDP Party Leader Marit Stiles

Posted August 29^th, 2023 on Niagara At Large

Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles

Queen’s Park– Earlier this August 29^th, 2021) morning, (Ontario’s Premier’s office shared a statement with media regarding two Greenbelt properties that the developer put up for sale in Ajax.

Ford’s statement noted that developers were “on notice” and that any land not being used by developers for housing will be put back into the Greenbelt.

Marit Stiles, Leader of the Official Opposition NDP, issued the following statement:

“Ford’s Conservatives are changing their tune simply because they got caught. Continue reading →

“ONTARIANS DESERVE TO KNOW THE FULL STORY OF HOW $8.3 BILLION FLOWED INTO THE HANDS OF DEVELOPERS CONNECTED TO THE PREMIER AND THE PC PARTY.”                             – Ontario Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner

A Statement from Ontario Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner

Posted August 29^th, 2023 on Niagara At Large

Ontario Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner

Under Doug Ford’s watch, accountability and transparency have gone out the window in the name of favours to wealthy, well-connected elites.

Meanwhile, precious farmland and forests and wetlands are still being removed from the Greenbelt, and wealthy land speculators are still cashing in.

Auditor General Bonnie Lysyk’s special report (released earlier this August, 2023) on the Greenbelt found that “direct access to the housing minister’s chief of staff resulted in certain prominent developers receiving preferential treatment” with regards to the process of selecting which lands were to be removed from the Greenbelt.

Let’s get the truth out into the open .

Continue reading →

“Marineland should be restructured without animals, and the existing animals at Marineland should be moved to appropriate and safe sanctuaries.”

A Statement from Niagara Falls, Ontario NDP MPP Wayne Gates

Posted August 25^th, 2023 on Niagara At Large

Protesters have been a common sight outside of Marineland for many years. File photo by Doug Draper

A Brief Foreword from Doug Draper at Niagara At Large –

In all of the many years I have been following the Marineland story, going back to my time, in the 1980s and 90s,  as an environment reporter at The St. Catharines Standard, Wayne Gates, a former Niagara Falls city councillor and now an elected member of the Ontario legislature, is one of the first – if not the very first – politician in this region calling on the amusement park to get out of the business of holding animals in captivity to draw park visitors.

Gates’ call for a Marineland without animals – falling in the wake of a Canadian Press report that a total of 15 marine mamals – 14 whales and one dolphin – have died at the park since 2019, echoes similar calls made by animal rights groups and by some of the park’s former employees, including former marine mammal trainers, for at least half of the park’s 62-year existence.

In the face of any and all charges of animal mistreatment, Marineland representatives, including the park’s founder, John Holer, who died in 2018, have repeatedly insisted that the animals it holds in custody have received a high quality of care and that any charges to the contrary are completely false. Continue reading →

“Our entire community benefits with this significant shoreline acquisition, one more step in Fort Erie’s efforts to protect and preserve our natural heritage.”                                                                     – Fort Erie Mayor Wayne Redekop

News from the Town of Fort Erie in Niagara, Ontario

Posted by Niagara At Large on August 25th, 2023

FORT ERIE, Ontario – Mayor Redekop and Fort Erie Council are thrilled to announce that Fred Costabile of 5001997 Ontario Inc. has donated 22 acres of riparian lands east of Waverly Beach Park to the Town of Fort Erie for conservation and public use.

Inside the tree canopy of Waverly Woods in Fort Erie, Ontario, near the shores of Lake Erie. It appears that at lease some of these wooded lands are being donated to the Town for preservation. Photo by Doug Draper, Niagara At Large

The Transfer of title to the lands was registered on August 14, 2023. Access to the Lake Erie shoreline is a significant issue in Fort Erie. This acquisition of waterfront lands will add to the inventory of Lake Erie properties owned by the Town.

In May 2022, an environmentally friendly settlement regarding the Harbourtown Development was reached between the developer and Fort Erie Community Voices. Continue reading →

Unknown Second Ontario Ford Government Staffer Had Hand In Greenbelt Grab

“The resignation of (Ford Cabinet Minister) Clark’s Chief of Staff  (Ryan Amato) – apparently against the wishes of Ford – is not nearly enough. This corruption starts at the top, and we need to get to the bottom of how far down it really goes.”                              – Niagara Centre NDP MPP Jeff Burch

Niagara Centre NDP MPP Jeff Burch

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

Posted August 24^th, 2023 on Niagara At Large

WELLAND – Jeff Burch, the Ontario NDP Critic for Municipal Affairs, is reiterating Official Opposition Leader Marit Stiles’ demand (https://www.ontariondp.ca/news/rot-starts-top-opposition-leader-stiles-demands-accountability-greenbelt-corruption-scandal) that Premier Ford force Minister Clark’s resignation from Cabinet, highlighting that Clark’s chief of staff was not the only member of his team who had a hand in the Greenbelt Grab

There was an unknown second staffer who had a significant role in selecting Greenbelt sites.

“The fact that a second Clark staff member was selecting Greenbelt sites to hand over to developers makes it even more incredulous that the Minister was unaware of what was going on in his own office,” Burch said.

“Who was this staffer that had a role in carving up five parcels of the Greenbelt? What was their role? We need more information about who was involved in this important matter of public interest.” Continue reading →

“We’re fighting for vital environmental land that needs to be protected for the benefit of the people of Ontario (and Premier) Doug Ford doesn’t get to wash his hands of this.”                              – Ontario Opposition Party Leader Marit Stiles demands accountability on Greenbelt Corruption Scandal

News from Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles

Posted August 24^th, 2023 on Niagara At Large

Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles

QUEEN’S PARK – Leader of the Official Opposition NDP Marit Stiles says the resignation of the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing’s Chief of Staff is not nearly enough in the wake of one of the most serious breaches of public trust in Ontario’s history.

“The Auditor General’s report left no room for doubt – there is no way this single staff member acted alone to rig the system,” Stiles said. “Ford and Clark’s assertions are completely and utterly implausible.  The rot starts at the top. The Minister must do the right thing and step down.” Continue reading →

“Investigating the provincial (Doug Ford) government’s land use decision-making processes requires an expanded investigation by the Integrity Commissioner and a new investigation by the Auditor General. We urge your office to make these investigations a priority.”

“Gutting Ontario’s Wetland Evaluation System to such a degree that Conservation Authorities have estimated that over 80% of the wetlands that currently receive protection will lose this status.”   – Just One of Many Examples raised by the Coalition of the Ford Government’s Assault on our Natural Heritage

News from Alliance For A Liveable Ontario, a large coalition of citizen voices from across Ontario, including Liz Benneian and Biodiversity and Climate Action Niagara representing numerous individuals and citizen groups from across the Niagara region

Posted August 18^th, 2023 on Niagara At Large

This August 18th, key members of the Alliance for a Liveable Ontario sent a letter to the Auditor General and Integrity Commissioner asking them to investigate a host of other planning policy changes made within the last year.

The letter notes that these changes may have been the result of indefensible processes similar to those identified with the Greenbelt land removal and may also have benefitted a small number of select interests.

The green areas on this map, including those in Niagara, mark the Greenbelt. It is unclear if there is enough political will among our municipal and regional elected representatives to fight for its protection.

As the letter notes, “Transparent, defensible and unbiased land use planning is a cornerstone of a healthy economy and democracy. We are concerned that, given the revelations from the Auditor General’s report about the Greenbelt land removal, there is a disturbing possibility that other recent provincial land use planning policies may have and may come from equally problematic processes.” Continue reading →

Dec. 11, 2014 – Photo by Denis Cahill

In 2016, Ted Luciani Was One of Only Eight Elected Reps Brave Enough to Vote Against Hiring Carmen D’Angelo to Niagara Region’s Top Administrative Job

A Brief Tribute from Doug Draper, reporter/publisher, Niagara At Large

Posted August 17^th, 2023

If or when you enter the lobby of Niagara, Ontario’s regional headquarters where St. David’s Road turns into Sir Isaac Brock Way in Thorold, you may look along one of the walls and notice the portrait of Al Caslin along with those of six other past Regional Chairs going back to the formation of Niagara Region in 1970.

I have say that the sight of Caslin’s portrait up there with those of Gary Burroughs, Debbie Zimmerman and the others is an insult to them and it should come down. No other elected member of the Region’s council – and I know I’m far from the only Niagara citizen who feels this way – has done more to soil the reputation and healthy functioning of our regional government than Al Caslin. Continue reading →

“If we don’t begin to regulate fertilizer use and the amount of nutrients going across the terrestrial, aquatic interface, conditions for harmful algae growth will continue.”                         – Vaughn Mangal, Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry, Brock University

News from Brock University in Niagara, Ontario

Posted August 16^th, 2023 on Niagara At Large

The prevalence of blue-green algae blooms in southern Ontario will become more frequent as temperatures rise, say Brock University researchers.

The hot, dry periods from June to August create perfect conditions for harmful algae to grow, impacting fish populations and potentially putting human and pet health at risk.

Brock researchers Kelly Biagi (left) and Vaughn Mangal gather samples from the Wignell Drain in Port Colborne to examine what contributes to algae blooms. – Photo courtesy of Brock University

Brock researchers Vaughn Mangal, Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry, and Kelly Biagi, Assistant Professor in the Department of Earth Sciences, are investigating what nutrients are entering the water that contribute to uncontrollable algae growth and the neurotoxins that shut down beaches and recreational water activities. Continue reading →

‘While the rich are getting richer, the rest of us are losing. We’re losing thousands of acres of prime farmland, wetlands and woodlands’.

A Statement from the Green Party of Ontario on the Sacking of our Greenbelt by the Ford Tories and their Developer Pals

Posted August 11^th, 2021 on Niagara At Large

Paving more paradise, even in a time of climate crisis

This past Wednesday, August 9^th, 2023, a bombshell report from Ontario’s Auditor General confirmed what we’ve known all along about the Ford government’s Greenbelt giveaway.

Our main takeaway?

Since day one, this government has favoured friends and insiders at the expense of everyday Ontarians.

Here’s just some of what the Auditor General dug up:

Continue reading →

A Few Words from Doug Draper, Niagara At Large

Posted August 9^th, 2023

Robbie Robertson, known most for his work with the legendary rock group, The Band

As if we need any more sad news in a world weighed down with bad news these days, we learned this August 9^th that Robbie Robertson, an iconic Indigenous musician born in Canada and heart and soul of the legendary group, The Band, has died at age 80.

Robbie Robinson was also The Band’s principle songwriter with such great songs as Up on Cripple Creek, The Night They Rolled Old Dixie Down and The Weight.

Songs like this will always keep Robbie Robertson alive.

Click on the screen below to watch and hear the band performing The Weight –

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

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

A News Release from Environmental Defence, one of Canada’s major citizen groups on green issues

Posted August 9th, 2023 on Niagara At Large

Toronto, Ontario – This August 9th, the Ontario Auditor General released a report that concludes that the political level of the Ontario government directed its civil service staff to remove land owned by particular developers from the Greenbelt. As a result of those actions, the decision to remove these lands should be revisited.

The Auditor General’s report confirms that lands were removed from the Greenbelt as a favour to particular sprawl developers to enable them to make up to $8.3 billion in windfall profits by building on land meant to be protected forever.

Shockingly, this occurred despite clear and abundant evidence that lands in the Greenbelt are not required to meet Ontario’s housing supply needs.

Continue reading →

Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles called for the immediate resignation of the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing

A News Release from Ontario’s Offical Opposition Party

Posted August 9^th, 2023 on Niagara At Large

QUEEN’S PARK – Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles called for the immediate resignation of the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing (Steve Clark) after the Auditor General’s special report showed disturbing evidence of corruption, collusion, and fiscal irresponsibility. This report comes after requests from Stiles.

“Let’s call this what it is: corruption. Ontarians deserve better than a government that enriches a select number of party donors at the expense of hard-working Ontarians,” said Stiles, after noting that the Ford government’s Greenbelt transferred $8.3 billion over to donors and developers. Continue reading →

Selection of Lands Removed from Ontario’s Greenbelt Was Biased and Dismissive of Effective Land-Use Planning

Preferential Treatment Given to Certain Land Developer Requests – Ontario Auditor General

A News Release from the Office of Ontario Auditor General Bonnie Lysyk

Posted August 9^th, 2023 on Niagara At Large

Ontario Auditor General Bonnie Lysyk lets Ford government have it on possible gutting of Ontario’s Greenbeit lands

Toronto, Ontario – “Provincial government actions in 2022 to open parts of the Greenbelt for development failed to consider environmental, agricultural and financial risks and impacts, proceeded with little input from experts or affected parties, and favoured certain developers/landowners,” – Auditor General Bonnie Lysyk said in a special report tabled this August 8^th, 2023 with the Legislature.

Lysyk also noted that the owners of the 15 land sites removed from the Greenbelt could ultimately see more than an $8.3 billion increase to the value of their properties. Continue reading →

Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles

Posted August 2^nd, 2023 on Niagara At Large

QUEEN’S PARK – Marit Stiles released the following statement this August 3^rd, 2023 on the sudden departure of former Ford Conservatives staffer Luca Bucci

QUEEN’S PARK – Marit Stiles, Leader of the Official Opposition NDP, released the following statement on the sudden departure of former Ford Conservatives staffer Luca Bucci (https://www.thetrillium.ca/news/housing/luca-bucci-housing-ministers-former-chief-out-as-ceo-of-homebuilders-association-7355580) as the CEO of the Ontario Home Builders Association (OHBA):

“In addition to the serious environmental concerns, Ontarians are rightly worried about the appearance of insider trading when it comes to Ford’s Greenbelt Grab. Continue reading →

News from Niagara’s Regional Government

Posted July 21^nd 2023 on Niagara At Large

At a Thursday, July 20^th, 2023 special meeting of Niagara Regional Council, members unanimously approved their new strategic priorities for the 2023-2026 term which are focused on “growing better together”.

Council’s strategic priorities provide the organization with clear direction about what Council’s expectation are and what will be accomplished over the balance of this term.

Ultimately, council’s priorities dictate where resources are invested, how work is undertaken and how decisions are made. Continue reading →

A Brief Tribute from Doug Draper, Niagara At Large

Posted July 21^st, 2023

“Light up your face with gladness
Hide every trace of sadness
Although a tear may be ever so near
That’s the time you must keep on trying
Smile what’s the use of crying
You’ll find that life is still worthwhile
If you’ll just
Smile”

• From the song ‘Smile’, written by the late legendary silent film actor Charlie Chaplin and performed best, in Chaplin’s view, by Tony Bennett

On Cape Cod, Massachusetts, there is an entertainment venue called The Melody Tent where, much like the old and now long gone Melody Fair venue it resembled in Niagara County, New York, continues to feature some of the best-known music makers in the business. Continue reading →

News from Niagara Health, the region’s amalgamated system of hospitals

Posted July 18^th, 2023 on Niagara At Large

Niagara Falls, Ontario –After more than a decade of planning, Niagara residents are celebrating the start of construction on the new South Niagara hospital.

On Tuesday, July 18, Premier Doug Ford along with Sylvia Jones, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health, and Kinga Surma, Minster of Infrastructure, joined Niagara Health and the Niagara Health Foundation to break ground on the 1.3-million-square-foot hospital.

Cutline info: From left, Lynn Guerriero, Niagara Health President and CEO, Sylvia Jones, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health, Premier Doug Ford, Sam Oosterhoff, Niagara West MPP, Kinga Surma, Minister of Infrastructure, and Andrea Scott, Niagara Health Foundation President and CEO, gathered Tuesday, July 18th, 2023 to break ground on the new South Niagara hospital in Niagara Falls. The groundbreaking event, attended by about 300 people, officially marks the beginning of construction on the hospital, expected to open in summer 2028. Photo courtesy of Niagara Health

“Today’s groundbreaking event for the new South Niagara hospital brings us one step closer to connecting the people of the growing Niagara region to more convenient care close to home for generations to come,” said Premier Doug Ford. “Right across the province, we’re investing nearly $50 billion over the next 10 years to support more than 50 major hospital projects. When it comes to your health, we’re building a healthcare system that all Ontarians deserve.”

Located in Niagara Falls at the corner of Montrose and Biggar roads, the South Niagara hospital will increase regional healthcare capacity. The facility has been designed to meet the growing needs of Niagara’s aging population, featuring centres of excellence in complex care, wellness in aging and stroke. Continue reading →

Posted May 2^nd, 2023 on Niagara At Large

R.I.P. Gordy.

To read a tribute from Canada’s Prime Minister, click on – https://pm.gc.ca/en/news/statements/2023/05/02/statement-prime-minister-death-gordon-lightfoot 

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

“Generally, the grades of the Niagara Peninsula watershed are below those observed in Ontario, but equivalent to grades observed across southwestern Ontario, where there are greater environmental stressors from higher population densities and larger concentrations of agriculture and industry.”

A News Release from the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority

Posted March 23^rd, 2023 on Niagara At Large

2023 NIAGARA PENINSULA WATERSHED REPORT CARD

In celebration of World Water Day (this past March 22nd, 2023), the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA) is pleased to present the 2023 Watershed Report Card—a check up on the health of the Niagara Peninsula watershed, focusing on surface and groundwater quality, forest conditions, and watershed features.

The Watershed Report Card is part of an initiative by conservation authorities to evaluate key indicators of watershed health with guidelines and a grading system provided by Conservation Ontario. The NPCA has participated since 2012, producing a report every 5 years. Continue reading →

Zoom Meeting to Take Place on Wednesday, March 22 at 7 P.M. (See details for registering to attend this important meting below)

An Invite to Everyone Interested and Concerned from the Niagara Health Coalition, a member of the province-wide, citizens-based Ontario Health Coalition

Posted March 20th, 2023 on Niagara At Large

Niagara Health’s Welland Hospital site among those that may see services, including emergency care, reduced in months and years ahead..

Niagara Public Meeting

The Niagara Health System (the amalgamated organization running Niagara’s hospital services) is planning to close vital hospital services in Welland, Port Colborne & Fort Erie. It has already reduced ER times and surgeries in Welland.

At the same time, the Ford government is moving forward with a plan to cut and privatize our public hospitals’ core services including surgeries and diagnostic tests. Our hospitals will be financially impacted by the loss ofthose services. This in turn will affect the types of services offered and the staffing levels . Continue reading →

From Doug Draper, Niagara At Large

Posted March 20th, 2023

I you received two copies in your in-box of the Niagara At Large post that begins with the words ‘Hallelujah to Sunshine….’, one of them will not open to my celebration story to spring. But please try the other copy you received. It will work. Thank you. Doug Draper

“With this initiative, our government is helping more Canadians access a home that meets their needs and is within their means. This is a significant step toward building more housing faster in our cities and ensuring that everyone has a safe and affordable place to call home.”                                                                                     – Ahmed Hussen, Federal Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion

A News Release from the Office of Canada’s Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau

Posted March 17^th, 2023 on Niagara At Large

Right now, in cities across the country, it is too hard to build the housing we need, particularly affordable housing.

Housing policies are often barriers to producing results and many Canadians – from young families, to seniors, to newcomers – are finding it harder to find an affordable place to call home. It is clear that we need to accelerate change so the system works for all Canadians. Continue reading →

The “Peaceful Memorial” for Kiska will be Held Outside the Marineland Amusement Park along Portage Road in Niagara Falls, Ontario on Saturday, March 18^th from 10 to 11 A.M.

An Invite to All of Us to attend from Niagara animal advocates Jenny McQueen and Shadia Toderovitz

Posted March 17th, 2023 on Niagara At Large

Kiska, the now late orca whale, served more than 40 years in captivity at Marineland in Niagara Falls,, Ontario

Please join us for a quiet memorial for Kiska (an orca whale who lived in captivity at Marineland for decades and spent her last dozen or so years remaining there, as the only orca (“killer whale”) still living in captivity in all of Canada).

Absolutely everyone is welcome.

We’ll bring the big RIP banner. Feel free to bring your own signs too, and messages to display.

Kiska was beloved by all; so many individuals and organizations campaigned for her, for decades. Humankind failed her.

Continue reading →

“It appears it’s (back to) business as usual at the Region.”

A Comment to Niagara At Large from  one of many concerned and upset Niagara, Ontario residents

Posted March 16th, 2023

Before we share the Niagara resident’s comment with you, here is a Brief Foreword from Niagara At Large reporter and publisher Doug Draper –

The comment I am featuring below was recently sent to Niagara At Large as a response to a March 11th news commentary posted here on the recent decision by Niagara Region’s council to agree to settle a more than three-year-old, $850,000 lawsuit against former Niagara regional chair Al Caslin and two of Caslin’s then senior staff, Jason Tamming and Robert D’Ambrose.

Then Niagara regional chair Al Caslin delivering one of his ‘State of the Region’ addresses during his time in office in the mid- to late-2010s. He kept telling the audience of mostly business leaders and fellow politicians how much there was “to cheer about.”

The lawsuit was launched against Caslin and other two in response to their alleged misconduct around the controversial hiring in2016 of Carmen Angelo as the Region’s chief administrative officer (CAO) – a position  Angelo disappeared from following a 2018 municipal election that saw Caslin and several other regional councillors who relentlessly supported Caslin’s agenda soundly defeated at the polls.

Then, this past March 10th, Niagara’s Regional Government circulated a news release to announce that the lawsuit against Caslin and the others has been settled and that the results of that settlement will remain “confidential,” never to be known to Niagara citizens and taxpayers. Continue reading →

Investment Providing Supports in Long-Term Care Homes Across Niagara Region

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

Posted March 15^th, 2023 on Niagara At Large

Niagara West ConservativeMPP Sam Oosterhoff

GRIMSBY – The Ontario government is investing $294,513 in nineteen projects across Niagara to help seniors with complex medical needs like dementia and bariatric care connect to specialized care and supports in their long-term care home instead of a hospital.

This is part of a $20 million investment this year in 189 projects province wide through a new Local Priorities Fund operated by Ontario Health.

The funding was announced today at Deer Park Villa in Grimsby, a local long-term care home administered by the Regional Municipality of Niagara.

“Today’s announcement in Grimsby highlights our government’s commitment to fix Ontario’s long-term care system and ensure seniors in Niagara get the quality of care and quality of life they need and deserve,” said Sam Oosterhoff, MPP for Niagara West. Continue reading →

“Canadians need to have confidence in our electoral system, and in our democracy. As Independent Special Rapporteur, David Johnston brings integrity and a wealth of experience and skills, and I am confident that he will conduct an impartial review to ensure all necessary steps are being taken to keep our democracy safe and uphold and strengthen confidence in it.”                              – Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada

A News Release from the Office of Canada’s Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau

Posted March 15^th, 2023 on Niagara At Large

The Government of Canada takes any attempts at undermining our democracy very seriously and will continue to take action to protect our institutions and uphold Canadians’ confidence in our democracy.

The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today announced that the federal government intends to appoint the Right Honourable David Johnston as Independent Special Rapporteur, a new role as part of a suite of measures to help combat foreign interference and strengthen confidence in our federal electoral process and democratic institutions. This follows consultations with all parties in the House of Commons. Continue reading →

“The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) is a group of trained, certified volunteers who help their community in a time of disaster or crisis.”

A News Release from Niagara’s Regional Government in Niagara, Ontario

Posted March 13^th, 2023 on Niagara At Large

Niagara Region is searching for volunteers from across Niagara to join its Community Emergency Response Team.

The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) is a group of trained, certified volunteers who help their community in a time of disaster or crisis. Having an emergency response team in place helps increase Niagara’s safety and resiliency, and is a critical part of emergency response employed by communities throughout North America. Continue reading →

“On behalf of Regional Council, I want to unequivocally restate our position that the actions of the former regional chair (Al Caslin), and his staff (former regional execs Jason Tamming and Robert D’Amboise), were entirely inappropriate and truly inexcusable for any individual holding public office or serving in a position of influence.”                                                                             – current Niagara Regional Chair Jim Bradley following the settlement of an $850,000 lawsuit this March 9th, filed by the Region more than three years ago against the trio.

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

Posted March 11^th, 2023 on Niagara At Large

Former Niagara Regional chair Al Caslin

Niagara’s current regional council and supporting staff have reached what they are coming right out in a news release and calling a “confidential” settlement with former Niagara regional chair Al Caslin and two of Caslin’s then senior staff, Jason Tamming and Robert D’Ambrose.

The lawsuit – seeking an $850,000 claim that broke down to $500,000 against Caslin, $250,000 against D’Ambrose and $100,000  against Tamming, for their alleged roles in the controversial 2016 hiring of Carmen D’Angelo to the Region’s top job, Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) – a position D’Angelo vanished from following the 2018 municipal elections that saw Caslin soundly defeated.

According to what little Niagara’s regional government is willing to tell us about the settlement in a news release, it can at lease continue to call the actions of Caslin and the other two egregious and can also continue to agree with the findings of an Ontario Ombudsman’s 2019 report called ‘Inside Job’on the CAO hiring controversy. Continue reading →

Kiska’s Death at Niagara Falls, Ontario Amusement Death Hopefully Marks the End of These Great Whales Being Held in Captivity for Humans’ Amusement

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

March 11^th, 2023 on Niagara At Large

Kiska, an orca or species of whale more commonly and callously referred to by humans as a “killer whale,” died at Marineland in Niagara Falls, Ontario this past March 9^th.

Kiska, the orca whale, serving more than 40 years in captivity at Marineland in Niagara Falls,, Ontario

This magnificent member of a marine mammal family known to be highly social it natural environment of oceans and seas, lived out all but three of her 47 years in cement ponds at the Marineland amusement park – the last 11or so of them as the only captive orca left in this park and in all of Canada. Continue reading →

“Ontarians need a functioning, well-funded, publicly available health care system that is there when we need it. That’s what people in this province deserve.”                                                                 – France Gélinas, Ontario NDP Health critic.

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

Posted March 9^th, 2023 on Niagara At Large

QUEEN’S PARK – The Financial Accountability Office (FAO) report (https://www.fao-on.org/web/default/files/publications/FA2209%20Health%20Sector%20Spending%20Plan%20Review/Ontario%20Health%20Sector%20Spending%20Plan%20Review-EN.pdf)  found that the Ford Conservatives’ plan will fall $21.3 billion short of the funding needed for hospitals, home care, and long-term care unless the government immediately changes course.

“Ford continues to put profiteers ahead of patients,” said Opposition Leader, Marit Stiles. “Conservatives say their plan is working but today’s report shows what too many Ontarians already know – it’s not. His ideological push to privatize will only make things worse.”

“When it comes to health care, Ford has fundamentally failed Ontarians,” said France Gélinas (Nickel Belt), NDP Health critic. “Year after year, Ford has refused to fund the health care services that all Ontarians deserve, and support the health care workers who care for us in times of need. Unless Ford makes a change right now, Ontario will have less hospital capacity and less long-term care capacity in 2028 than we did a decade ago. This $21 billion funding shortfall is only part of the story – the larger problem is a health care staffing shortage created by the Ford government.” Continue reading →

Congressmembers Brian Higgins of New York & Bill Huizenga of Michigan Lead Push for Greater Commitment from Canada on Great Lakes

Leaders Stress Importance & Benefits of Joint Effort to Protect Shared Fresh Water Resources

A News Release from the Buffalo, New York Office of U.S. Democratic Party Congressman Brian Higgins

Posted March 9^th, 2023 on Niagara At Large

Buffalo, New York area Congressman Brian Higgins. File photo

Congressmembers Brian Higgins (NY-26) and Bill Huizenga (MI-04) are leading an effort to encourage the Government of Canada to strengthen its commitment to protecting and investing in the Great Lakes.

In a letter to President Biden, the Members say, “we write to underscore the importance of the Great Lakes to the United States and Canada, as well as the shared commitment that both our nations must uphold to support the Great Lakes.”

President Biden has announced his intention to visit Canada and meet with Prime Minister Trudeau during the month of March.

The Congressmembers are asking for this issue to be a priority in bilateral discussions, writing “We encourage you to highlight the importance of this binational resource, the investments needed to restore and protect the Great Lakes during your official visit to Canada…” Continue reading →

“The more clearly we can focus our attention on the wonders and realities of the universe about us, the less taste we shall have for destruction.”
― Rachel Carson

“In nature nothing exists alone.” – Rachel Carson, from Silent Spring

By Doug Draper, reporter and publisher at Niagara At Large

Posted March 8th, 2023 on Niagara At Large

This March 8th, 2023 is International Women’s Day and it is a time when I join many others, as we should not every day of the year and not just on International Women’s Day, celebrate women whose pioneering work has inspired us to build a better world for all

On this International Women’s Day one of the first women that comes to mind for this journalist and veteran reporter on environmental issues is American scientist Rachel Carson, whose book that shook the world, the most powerful and now legendary ‘SILENT SPRING’, set the stage for the first Earth Day in 1970 and what became known as the “modern environmental movement” and inspired people in Niagara (many of them women) and around the world to become leaders in fighting for environmental protection.

In 1963, the year after her ground-breaking book Silent Spring was first published,, Rachel Carson is featured on a cover of Time Magazine

When Silent Spring was published 60 years ago, in the fall of 1962, is became a bestseller but it also had those powerful concerns in the petro-chemical industry, in particular, to try to smear her as a communist and to try to have her black-balled as a professional scientist and writer. Continue reading →