Author Archives: dougdraper

“At (the World Economic Forum in) Davos, (Switzerland,) Mark Carney called for giving up hope that the Pax Americana can be restored, and Donald Trump proved him right.”                                      – American news columnist and Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman

Paul Krugman, former New York Times columnist and 2008 Nobel Prize winner in economic sciences.

A Commentary by Paul Krugman, retired New York Times columnist and Nobel Prize winning economist, from his online site https://paulkrugman.substack.com

Posted January 22^nd, 2026 on Niagara At Large

On Tuesday (January 20^th, 2026)  Mark Carney, Canada’s Prime Minister, gave a remarkable speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, (Switzerland). In effect he announced, calmly and lucidly, that Canada is filing for divorce from the Pax Americana:

“Let me be direct. We are in the midst of a rupture, not a transition.”

Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney is being praised by many for delivering powerful address at World Economic Forum.

“Over the past two decades, a series of crises in finance, health, energy and geopolitics have laid bare the risks of extreme global integration. But more recently, great powers have begun using economic integration as weapons, tariffs as leverage, financial infrastructure as coercion, supply chains as vulnerabilities to be exploited.”

“You cannot live within the lie of mutual benefit through integration, when integration becomes the source of your subordination.”

And he (Carney) urged other nations — implicitly, although he didn’t say it in so many words, the nations of Europe in particular — to join Canada in a new alliance of democracies no longer willing to take orders from an abusive hegemon:

“The middle powers must act together, because if we’re not at the table, we’re on the menu.” Continue reading →

News from Brock University in Niagara, Ontario

Posted January 22^nd, 2026 on Niagara At Large

Brock University Professor of Psychology Karen Campbell, Canada Research Chair in the Cognitive Neuroscience of Aging

With Alzheimer’s Awareness Month well underway, a Brock University neuroscientist is calling attention to a preventive step older adults can take to reduce their risk of developing dementia.

Professor of Psychology Karen Campbell, Canada Research Chair in the Cognitive Neuroscience of Aging, says research suggests early treatment of age-related hearing loss can reduce an individual’s risk of developing dementia by seven per cent<https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(24)01296-0/fulltext>.

Campbell says there are competing theories on the relationship between hearing loss and dementia. Continue reading →

Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney

“Canada has what the world wants. We are an energy superpower. We hold vast reserves of critical minerals. We have the most educated population in the world. Our pension funds are amongst the world’s largest and most sophisticated investors. We have capital, talent, and a government with the immense fiscal capacity to act decisively. And we have the values to which many others aspire.

Canada is a pluralistic society that works. Our public square is loud, diverse, and free. Canadians remain committed to sustainability. We are a stable, reliable partner—in a world that is anything but—a partner that builds and values relationships for the long term.

Canada has something else: a recognition of what is happening and a determination to act accordingly. We understand that this rupture calls for more than adaptation. It calls for honesty about the world as it is.”                      – Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, from his January 20^th, 2026 address to the World Economic Forum

A Brief Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted January 21^st, 2026 on Niagara At Large

Since our Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney delivered his speech to world leaders at a major economic forum in Davos, Switzerland this past January 20^th, I have received so many messages from people in Niagara and other regions of our country mentioning how proud they were hearing it. Continue reading →

“The fact that the last eleven years were the warmest on record provides further evidence of the unmistakable trend towards a hotter climate. The world is rapidly approaching the long-term temperature limit set by the Paris agreement. We are bound to pass it; the choice we now have is how to best manage the inevitable overshoot and its consequences on societies and natural systems.” – Carlo Buontempo, Director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service

“Rising concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere5 – mainly a direct consequence of human activities – are the primary driver of the observed long-term increase in the global mean temperature.” – Laurence Rouil, Director of Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service at ECMWF

News from Copernicus, the Earth observation component of the European Union’s Space program

Posted January 21st, 2026 on Niagara At Large

Copernicus data show that 2025 was the third warmest year on record1, only marginally (0.01°C) cooler than 2023, and 0.13°C cooler than 2024 – the warmest year on record. The past 11 years have been the 11 warmest on record.

Global temperatures from the past three years (2023-2025) averaged more than 1.5°C above the pre-industrial level (1850–1900). This marks the first time a three-year period has exceeded the 1.5°C limit. Air temperature over global land areas was second warmest, whilst the Antarctic saw its warmest annual temperature on record and the Arctic its 2nd warmest. Continue reading →

You Are Invited To An Online Panel Discussion On This Issue Scheduled For This Wednesday, January 21^st at 7 P.M. ET

A Call-Out from Animal Justice, a not-for-profit citizens group dedicated to protecting and preserving other species we share our lives with in Canada.

Posted January 20^th, 2026 on Niagara At Large

We hope you’ll join us for a special online panel TOMORROW (January 21st 2026) that will gather some of the top leaders in the movement to ban fur farms.

Fur farms cage foxes, minks, wolves, and other wildlife in tiny, barren cages on fur farms before brutally killing and skinning them for their fur. This cruel and outdated practice has been banned in countries around the world, and public opposition is stronger than ever.

But Canada has yet to act.

Continue reading →

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

Posted January 20^th, 2025

On the 1^st year anniversary of his second term as U.S. president – in a nightmare I’m sure that most people in free world pray will come to an end – Donald Trump posted the following image this January 20^th on his social media site –

Last year, he posted a similar image of him planting a Canadian flag in our country (what a minute, could that be the Alps or Himalayas? but then why would he know?) during his continued threats to make Canada a “51^st state” through punishing sanctions or some of force.

This January 20^th, Prime Minister Mark Carney is meeting with countries from across Europe and other regions of the world at a World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland where he will reportedly continue to forge build friendships and forge new trade bonds that will take Canada further away from the economic relationship we have had with the United States. Continue reading →

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado gifts Trump her Nobel Peace Prize medal this January 15th, possibly hoping it means he will back her in her bid to become leader of Venezuela.

A Brief Message to the World from Paul Krugman, retired New York Times columnist and 2008 winner of a Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences

Posted January 20^th, 2026 on Niagara At Large

A Foreword Note from Doug Draper at Niagara At Large – Renown journalist and Pulitzer Prize winning economist Paul Krugman posted the following few words in the wake of Venezuelan opposition leader

Paul Krugman, 2008 Nobel Prize winner in economic sciences.

Maria Corina Machado giving away her 2026 to Donald Trump this January 15^th. 

Now here is the note from Paul Krugman – 

“It’s a Nobel medal, a symbol of the honor, not the honor itself. Only a vain, insecure fool would imagine that blackmailing someone into handing their medal over adds to his stature.”

Continue reading →

 “Today is Martin Luther King Day and in his honour, we will strive to make his dream come true.” – from an address Donald Trump delivered when he was sworn in for the second time as U.S. president, on Martin Luther King Day, 2025

A Brief Commentary on Martin Luther King Day by Doug Draper

Posted January 19th, 2026 on Niagara At Large

The night before he was assassinated in April, 1968, civil rights leader Martin Luther King told an audience he was addressing in his stirring :I’ve Been To The Mountaintop” speech, that he had seen the promised land.

I many not get there with you,” were his all too prophetic words, “but we, as a people, will get to the promised land.”

Fifty-eight years  later, on this Martin Luther King Day, January 19^th, 2026, that promised land of peace, justice and equal opportunity for all that Dr. King envisioned for America seems farther away than ever. Continue reading →

‘Friends Are Like Stars. They Come And Go. But The Ones That Stay Are The Ones That Glow’

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

Posted January 19^th, 2026 on Niagara At Large

As Trump ramps up his threats to take over nieghbouring Greenland and the roughly 58,000 people who call that northern island next to Canada their home, let’s double down on our efforts as Canadians to boycott American products and to cancel out any unnecessary trips to the U.S.A.

The people of Greenland – a territory that falls under the governance of Denmark, a member of NATO, just as Canada is – are reportedly reacting with a mixture of fear and anger, and a determination to do whatever they can to protect their sovereignty, just as Canadians have been in the wake of Trump’s threats to turn our country into “a 51^st state” through economic if not military force. Continue reading →

Zoom Meeting To Take Place Wednesday, January 21^st, at 7 P.M. (See details below)

An Invite from the Niagara District Council of Women

Posted January 19^th, 2026 on Niagara At Large

On Wednesday January 21st  at 7:00 p.m. , the Niagara District Council of Women  is holding a public   zoom meeting regarding   the Provincial Government’s  Privatization of Health Care and its impact on hospitals, public health services and primary care   in Niagara, Ontario  and elsewhere in Canada.

 Our featured speaker Natalie  Mehra, Executive Director of the Ontario Health Coalition  heads up a fast -growing  number of Ontarians  who are rallying, educating and working hard to save these vital public services and counter the Provincial government’s support of privatization. Continue reading →

Niagara’s Horseshoe Falls illuminated in the red, white and blue colours of The Buffalo Bills. photo courtesy of Ontario’s Niagara Parks Commission

A Big Bright Light Show for the Buffalo Bills & their Fans on both sides of the border from Ontario’s Niagara Parks Commission

Posted January 16^th, 2026 on Niagara At Large

UPDATED Note from Doug Draper on January 18th, 2026 – My heart goes out to long-suffering Buffalo Bills fans on both sides of the Canada-U.S. border following the loss this past January 17th to the Denver Bronco’s that put an end to the teams Super Bowl hopes for at least another year. As so many Bills fans say at a time like this – “Oh well, maybe next year.”

Niagara Falls, ON  – The Niagara Falls Illumination Board will unite fans on both sides of the border on Friday, January 16, by lighting Niagara Falls in red, blue and white in support of the Buffalo Bills, ahead of their divisional round playoff game against the Denver Broncos.

Special illuminations are scheduled for Saturday at 8:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m., with each display running for 15 minutes. Continue reading →

Please Watch It And Do Whatever You Can, In Whatever Way You Can, To Protect and Preserve The Lives Of Other Living Beings On This Planet 

A Brief One from reporter/publisher Doug Draper

Posted January 14^th, 2026 on Niagara At Large

If you have not yet seen the following  short video from the Canadian Wildlife Federation, I can’t help sharing it with you.

It is one of my favourite video/ads of this kind and the sight of the two young foxes alone,  peaking out from their den, is enough to make my heart melt and is such a great escape from all of the bad and ugly things going on  in this world right now.

The warmth that radiates from this video should remind us that there is is still a a great deal of  warmth and beauty to be found on this third stone from the sun.

To watch the ad (an no I’m not making a penny for running it), click on the screen immediately below –

In honour of the late great Jane Goodall, let’s do all we can to live in harmony with the wildlife we are all so fortunate – for just an instant of time – to share this planet with.

• Doug Draper, Niagara At Large

NIAGARA AT LARGE Encourages You To Join The Conversation By Sharing Your Views On This Post In The Space  Below and by sharing the Niagara At Large site at www.niagaraatlarge.com with all of your friends and associates.

Visit us every day on www.niagaraat.arge.com and on Doug Draper’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/doug.draper.180 and encourage everyone else you know to do the same. Let’s build local news and commentary media!

‘Many (Canadians) are breaking old travel habits and choosing somewhere other than the USA.’

News from Data Shows, a professional, non-partisan data gathering venue based in Ontario, Canada

Posted January 14^th, 2026 on Niagara At Large

Canadians’ air travel to the USA didn’t just drop to a lower level with the election of Donald Trump and his declaration of economic war on Canada. It continues to decline most months as Trump’s threat rises and the USA’s internal situation grows more chaotic and unsafe.

The largest drop yet came in November, according to passenger screening data from Statistics Canada released last week. November Passengers screened at Canada’s eight largest airports for travel to the USA were down 13.5 per cent from November 2024. Continue reading →

Will We Ever Have A Totally Independent And Locally Owned News Outlet With Enough Resources To Adequately Serve Our Niagara Region Again?

Doug Draper – Oh but I was so much younger then, at work in the 1980s in my role as an environment reporter in The St. Catharines Standard newsroom. photo taken by one of my old colleagues in the newspaper’s photography department

A Brief Commentary by Niagara At Large reporter/publisher  and former St. Catharines Standard reporter Doug Draper

Posted January 13th, 2025 on Niagara At Large

Yes, I know. I have already commented on the fire that gutted the former St. Catharines Standard building in that city’s downtown this past December, 2025.

Yet I cannot help but comment, at least one more time, after visiting the demolition site on Queen Street this January 8th and seeing the remains of the newsroom where I worked as a reporter when The Standard while it was still independently owned by the Burgoyne family – the founders of the newspaper more than 120 years ago – and where so much good work was being done for the community by a great team team of  old friends and colleagues that I was proud to be apart of.  Continue reading →

‘None of this is good for Canada.’

News from Brock University in St. Catharines, Ontario

Posted January 13^th, 2026 on Niagara At Large

Trump threatens takeover of Canada

A week after the U.S. invaded Venezuela and ousted its president, questions remain about what comes next for the South American nation — and the rest of the world — as a result.

Brock University Associate Professor of Political Science Pascal Lupien says this recent military action against Venezuela fits into a long-standing pattern of the U.S. government failing to respect “rules-based international order” in Latin America and the Middle East. Continue reading →

Let’s Do Everything We Can To Let Them Know That We Are Standing Together With Them

A Brief News Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted January 12^th, 2025 on Niagara At Large

Buffalo residents protest against ICE and Trump in neibhouring City of Buffalo, N.Y.

In the wake of the fatal shooting in Minneapolis, Minnesota this past January 7^th of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good by masked thugs Trump has deployed to strike fear in Americans and any one who now dares to enter the United States for any reason, residents in neighbouring Buffalo, N.Y. joined countless thousands of their fellow citizens across the country in calling for an end to this ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency’) reign of terror and an end to Trump’s presidency.

Three cheers to Buffalo residents for showing the courage to protest against an agency that has shown it will arrest and possibly even shoot to kill anyone – however law abiding and whether they are a citizen of the country or not – who gets in its way now.

It should also serve as another reminder to all of us in Canada that we have friends and neighbours across the border – and not just a few – who are just as opposed to what Trump is doing to sow fear and hate as we are,.

At a rally across the border last year, Buffalo residents show their support for Canada

Last winter, when Trump began threatening Canada with damaging tariffs and talk of making our country a “51^st state,” some may recall that Buffalo residents lined up along the American side of the border near the Peace Bridge, waving Canadian flags in a demonstration of their support for us.

In return, we Canadians should do everything we can to show our American neighbours the friendship and support they need until this plague of Trump and his cult is behind us and we can all go back to the times when we looked forward to crossing the border and enjoyed spending time with our friends in some of our favourite places again.

To watch a recent Buffalo, N.Y. news report on the rally against Trump’s ICE thugs, click on –

• Hands across the border, Doug Draper, Niagara At At Large

During Trump’s first term as president, many Buffalo residents displayed this sign on their front lawns to let us know that they did not support Trump’s negative views of Canada at that time. photo by Doug Draper

NIAGARA AT LARGE Encourages You To Join The Conversation By Sharing Your Views On This Post In The Space  Below and by sharing the Niagara At Large site at www.niagaraatlarge.com with all of your friends and associates.

Visit us every day on www.niagaraat.arge.com and on Doug Draper’s Facebook page on https://www.facebook.com/doug.draper.180 and encourage everyone else you know to do the same. Let’s build local news and commentary media!

“Under Ford’s watch, Ontario’s unemployment problem is going from bad to worse. These official stats understate the damage. Many people have stopped looking for work, many are underemployed, and many are stuck in precarious jobs. Doug Ford is a jobs disaster.”

A News Release from Ontario’s NDP Official Opposition Party

Posted January 12^th, 2025 on Niagara At Large

QUEEN’S PARK – As Ontario records the second-highest unemployment rate in the country (https://globalnews.ca/news/11606030/unemployment-december-2025-labour-force-survey/) , Ontario NDP Shadow Minister for Finance and Shadow Minister for Treasury Board Jessica Bell (University–Rosedale); and Shadow Minister for Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade Catherine Fife (Waterloo) say the Ford government is busy with announcements and talking points, but is ultimately failing to protect workers and build the jobs Ontario needs.

Bell says the latest jobs numbers should expose the gap between Doug Ford’s claims and reality and deeply concern everyone in the province. Continue reading →

A Brief One from Doug Draper

Posted January 9^th, 2026 on Niagara At Large

I don’t know about you but as we navigate our way through the stormy waters of first nine days of this New Year, I’m hearing a lot of people talking about how burned out and how down they feel about what is going on in the world around us.

I’m feeling a bit that way myself so I am going to end the week here with a song by one of Canada’s greatest rock groups, The Guess Who, that, in these troubled times, might make us  feel a little better – a song with words we should all take to heart.

To hear and watch The Guess Who perform it at a 2004 reunion concert, click on the screen immediately below –

 Here is Wishing Peace & Love to Us All. If Enoug Of Us Hold Hands  Together, The Agents Of Fear, Anger and Hate Can’t Win. Doug Draper, Niagara At Large –

NIAGARA AT LARGE Encourages You To Join The Conversation By Sharing Your Views On This Post In The Space  Below and by sharing the Niagara At Large site at www.niagaraatlarge.com with all of your friends and associates.

Visit us every day on www.niagaraat.arge.com and on Doug Draper’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/doug.draper.180 and encourage everyone else you know to do the same. Let’s build local news and commentary media!

“For so long there was no dancing, drumming or celebrations allowed in public spaces, so this is a way to reclaim Indigenous identity while healing and growing together. The Pow Wow is also an exciting experience for non-Indigenous people because as soon as they walk in the door and hear the drums, they will absolutely feel the power of the event deep in their hearts.”             – Syerra Jasmin, Hadiya’dagénhahs Centre Operations Supervisor

News from Brock University in St. Catharines, Ontario

Posted January 9^th, 2026 on Niagara At Large

Underscored by the beating heart of roaring drums and stunning displays of handcrafted regalia, Pow Wow<https://brocku.ca/indigenous/pow-wow/> will bring a vibrant celebration of Indigenous dancing, music, art and food back to Brock University next week.

Now in its third year, the free event takes place in the University’s Ian Beddis Gymnasium on Friday, Jan. 16 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Hosted by the Hadiya’dagénhahs First Nations, Métis and Inuit Student Centre<https://brocku.ca/hadiyadagenhahs/> with support from across the University, Pow Wow is open to Indigenous and non-Indigenous students, staff, faculty and members of the broader community. Continue reading →

Only Nine Days Left To Get As Many Signatures As Possible

A Call-Out from the Ontario Health Coalition, a non-profit citizens organization advocating for quality public health care across the province

Posted January 8th, 2026 on Niagara At Large

Canadian public health care is in an existential threat because of Alberta’s new law that violates the Canada Health Act and brings in U.S. style private (for-profit) health insurance.

In Ontario, public hospitals are under existential threat by the Ford government that is forcing cuts and closures to them while shifting more than $300 million to open new for-profit clinics to take over their core services.

Continue reading →

News from the City of St. Catharines in Niagara, Ontario

Posted January 6^th, 2026 on Niagara At Large

St. Catharines Mayor Mat Siscoe speaks at launch of city’s 150th year celebrations

St. Catharines Mayor Mat Siscoe officially launched the City’s 150th anniversary celebrations with a ceremonial flag raising at City Hall on Monday (January 5th, 2025), marking the beginning of the milestone year under the theme “Our Common Ground”.

While its roots trace back much earlier, St. Catharines was officially incorporated as a City on May 1, 1876.

“This anniversary is about more than marking a date on the calendar,” said Mayor Siscoe. “It’s about recognizing what we share as a community — our histories, our neighbourhoods, and the people who have helped build St. Catharines over the last 150 years.” Continue reading →

“Ontarians Deserve The Truth,” Responds  Province’s Official Opposition Leader To Court Ruling

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

Posted January 5th, 2026 on Niagara At Large

Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles

QUEEN’S PARK — Marit Stiles, Leader of Ontario’s Official Opposition, has issued the following statement, after an Ontario court ruled that Premier Doug Ford must turn over his personal phone records (https://globalnews.ca/news/11597458/ontario-premier-doug-ford-cellphone-judicial-review-decision/)  in compliance with numerous freedom of information requests:

“This goes back to the beginning of the Greenbelt scandal, when we demanded (https://mcusercontent.com/353019c4e982ae7eb8ea53150/files/a5cb9b73-3058-2219-e6c0-2f1405979a62/DiEmanuele_letter.01.pdf)  that the Cabinet Secretary lock down the Premier’s records. Continue reading →

“Thank you for banking with us. We value your business and we’re there to help…” – from letter the Bank of Montreal has sent to its Thorold customers, informing them that their Thorold bank branch is going to close

A Commentary by Niagara At Large reporter/publisher Doug Draper

Posted January 5^th, 2026 on Niagara At Large

Bank of Montreal plans to close its Thorold branch in Niagara at the cost of good service to its customers from front-line employees they know and trust. Those employees also expect to see their jobs disappear.

Don’t you just love these big, faceless corporations that tell you, the customer – almost always in a recorded or written message – that they “value your business.”

You hardly ever hear that from a smaller, locally owned business, and you know why? Because they actually value your business.

The last time I was fed this line was in a letter I received in the mail this past November from the Bank of Montreal, informing me that it plans to shut down, effective this coming April 2026, the branch of its bank at the Pine Street Plaza in Thorold where I and so many others in that community have been doing our banking business for most, if not all of our adult lives. Continue reading →

Canada Day 2025 Brought Out The Best In Us As A Country

A Brief Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted December 29^th, 2025 on Niagara At Large

I’ve never cared much for making a big show of waving the national flag.

It always seemed to me to be a fairly hollow gesture unless you are also willing to stand up openly, with strength and determination, for the values and freedoms that the flag represents.

That has not so much been the case in recent years where, all too often, we have seen our Canadian flag flying on cars and trucks covered with bumper stickers and makeshift signs – many of them  opposing vaccines, denying the climate crisis, hurling ‘F’ bombs at one national leader or another, and advocating for  leaders more like Donald Trump. Continue reading →

The Gap Between Their Pay And Average Workers’ Pay Has Never Been Greater. That’s Gotta Change. 

A Message from the not-for-profit activist organization, the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives 

Posted January 2^nd, 2026 on Niagara At Large 

Bleak news for ordinary workers: (Two days in to the New Year), Canada’s 100 highest-paid CEOs have already made what it will take the average worker all of 2026 to earn. 

The average worker’s pay has increased by only 15 percent over the previous year, while CEOs’ pay has risen by a staggering 49 percent. 

Meanwhile, regular costs are rising faster than workers’ income: beef is up 39 per cent, eggs are up 36 per cent, rent is up 26 per cent and utilities are up by 23 percent.  Continue reading →

“Canada is working relentlessly with our allies to secure a just and lasting peace for Ukraine. We must deter and fortify – with robust security guarantees and by ensuring Ukraine can rebuild, recover, and create the foundations of true prosperity.”                 – Mark Carney, Prime Minister of Canada

News from the Office of Prime Minister Mark Carney Posted December 2^nd, 2026 on Niagara At Large 

Ottawa, Ontario – Canada is working with international partners to secure a just and lasting peace for Ukraine. To that end, the Prime Minister, Mark Carney, today (this January 2nd, 2026) announced that he will travel to Paris, France, from January 5 to 6, 2026, to meet with fellow leaders of the Coalition of the Willing.

Together, they will accelerate efforts toward a negotiated peace for Ukraine, supported by strong security guarantees. The meeting comes at a crucial point in this war, when the combined efforts and might of the United States, Ukraine, European allies, and Canada are creating the conditions for a just and lasting peace.

Continue reading →

Posted on Niagara At Large by Doug Draper

January 1^st, 2026, the first day – and a very cold one at that – of the New Year

For those of us who do not rank winter as our favourite season of the year, there are songs that can help get us through.

One of them was produced by one of Canada’s most legendary singer/songwriters, Gordon Lightfoot.

That song is called ‘Song For A Winter’s Night’ and you can hear it, accompanied by some beautiful photos that almost want to make you change your mind about winter, by clicking on the screen immediately below –

• The Warmest To You In This New Year, Doug Draper

NIAGARA AT LARGE Encourages You To Join The Conversation By Sharing Your Views On This Post In The Space  Below and by sharing the Niagara At Large site at www.niagaraatlarge.com with all of your friends and associates.

Visit us every day on www.niagaraat.arge.com and on Doug Draper’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/doug.draper.180 and encourage everyone else you know to do the same. Let’s build local news and commentary media!

News from Niagara Health, Niagara, Ontario’s amalgamated system of hospital services

Posted New Years Day, January 1st, 2026 on Niagara At Large

Rachel McColeman with son Rory. Rachel and her partner Robert McColeman welcomed Rory on Jan. 1, making him the first baby born at Niagara Health in 2026. photo courtesy of Niagara Health

This January 1st, 2026, for Rachel McColeman and her partner Robert, it’s all about the three R’s now.

 The couple welcomed their baby boy, Rory, on Jan. 1, making him the first baby born at Niagara Health in 2026.

Rory was originally due Dec. 31 but arrived at 3:26 a.m. on New Year’s Day, weighing just over four kilograms (eight pounds and 15 ounces).

“We joked a lot about him being the New Year’s baby and then it was, ‘There’s no way,'” Rachel said. “At 3:30 in the morning, we didn’t think it was us, and (the nurses) said, ‘Nope, you’re it.’ We didn’t expect it by any means.” Continue reading →

2025 Saw The Passing of Renown Naturalist and Environmental Activist Jane Goodall At Age 91

“We are all interconnected – people, animals, our environment. When nature suffers, we suffer. And when nature flourishes, we all flourish” – Jane Goodall

Ayoung Jane Goodall in the field.

A Remembrance by Doug Draper

Posted December 31st. 2025 on Niagara At Large

Going back to the very first Earth Day in 1970 and even before, few people have done as much to teach us about how vital it is for we humans to live in harmony with the natural world around us than Jane Goodall.

We saw the passing of a lot of significant others in 2025, from long-time public servant Jim Bradley in our own Niagara region to legendary musicians and actors like Brian Wilson and Robert Redford.

But on the environmental front, the loss of primatologist and environmental activist Jane Goodall this past September 2025 is immeasurable at a time on this planet when we have the loss of biodiversity  species and climate catastrophes threatening our own survival,

Jane Goodall and one of her many friends

Even at the age 0f 91, Jane Goodall continued to travel from region to region around the world, talking to people of all ages about the need to do all we can as individuals to protect and preserve all that is natural on this one and only oasis in the universe that we have to live on.

Here she is, doing an interview somewhere in the U.S.A. with a reporter from The Wall Street Journal just days before she died.

You can watch it by clicking on the screen immediately below –

R.I.P Jane Goodall

A Brief Footnote from Doug Draper – The best way we can pay tribute to Jane Goodall, is to do everything we can, in our own individual way, to make this earth healthier for every being living on it.

For an earlier tribute Niagara At Large posted on  Jane Goodall, click on – https://niagaraatlarge.com/2025/10/01/one-of-this-worlds-truly-great-people-naturalist-and-global-activist-jane-goodall-dies-at-91/#:~:text=The%20Greatest%20Danger%20To%20Our%20Future%20Is,Draper%20on%20Niagara%20At%20Large%20October%201st%2C

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 and by sharing the Niagara At Large site at www.niagaraatlarge.com with all of your friends and associates.

Film actor and producer and environmental activist Robert Redford

Posted By Doug Daper on Niagara At Large

December 31^st, 2025

In case you missed it, here is a nice piece that BBC TV aired on some of the significant others who left us in 2025.

It is well worth the 27 minutes or so it takes to watch it, and to do just that , click on the screen immediately below –

If you would like to name some others we have lost in 2025, Niagara At Large encourages you to share their names and a little bit about them in the comment space below or on the Facebook posting of this piece at (20+) Facebook .

(A footnote from Doug draper At Niagara At Large – To start us off on others, here are two Canadians that paid tribute to earlier this years – Niagara’s longest serving political representative, Jim Bradley, and Canada’s Blue-eyed soul singer of Mandala fame, George Olliver. To visit those tributes, click on the links immediately below – https://niagaraatlarge.com/2025/10/02/jim-bradley-was-remains-the-best-environment-minister-this-province-and-country-have-ever-had/ 

A Belated Farewell To Canada’s “Blue-Eyed Prince Of Soul”

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

 “We are strongest when we are united, when we look out for each other, and when we take care of each other. That is what makes Canada strong.”

A Statement From Prime Minister Mark Carney

Posted December 31^st, 2025 on Niagara At Large

“Tonight, Canadians will gather with loved ones to celebrate the start of the New Year.

This is a time for families and friends across the country to come together and to welcome the year ahead. On New Year’s Eve, we pause to reflect on the moments over the year that brought us joy, and the people in our lives who made them special.

Although this year has brought more than its share of challenges to our country, we have also been reminded that we are fortunate to be part of one extraordinary, generous, and caring nation.

We are strongest when we are united, when we look out for each other, and when we take care of each other. That is what makes Canada strong.

As this year comes to a close, we resolve to carry that same spirit and those same values into 2026.

Happy New Year, Canada.”

• Mark Carney

Niagara Parks’ annual Festival of Lights. Go enjoy it before the holiday season is over.

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Now They Are Going To Take A Mug Shot Of Us Every Time We Cross The Border. What’s Next? A One Way Trip To A Prison Camp?

A Commentary by Niagara At Large reporter/publisher Doug Draper

Posted December 27^th, 2025 on Niagara At Large

As of this past Boxing Day, 2025, cross the Peace Bridge or any other border crossing to the U.S. and have your mug shot taken. Better still boycott the U.S. and stay here, in support of Canada.

The year 2027 will mark the 100^th anniversary of the building of the bridge crossing between Niagara, Ontario in Canada and Buffalo, New York in the United States – named the Peace Bridge in honour of many years of a friendship between two countries that was, until recently, about the warmest you could find anywhere in the world.

I say ‘until recently’ because thanks to Donald Trump and the tens-of-millions of followers in his ‘American First’ MAGA cult who kneel to him and believe every lying thing he has to say, we Canadians are an alien threat- a potential enemy out to do Americans harm.

This aversion against Canada goes back at least six or seven years, during Trump’s first term as U.S. president, when he put Canada on a national security threat list for reasons that no one outside his twilight zone could understand. Continue reading →

A Belated Tribute To Musician Extraordinaire Rick Derringer by Doug Draper

Posted December 2025 on Niagara At Large

Rick Derringer of McCoys/Edgar Winter Band fame.

Those of you who have been following Niagara At Large for any real length of time now know that one of my biggest loves in life is music and so many of the great people out there who have done a top job of making it.

In that spirit, I want to end the year by confessing that I missed hearing the news this past spring of 2025 that Rick Derringer died so I can’t help making up for it here with a  couple of videos that at least some of you may enjoy.

Who is Rick Derringer, some of you may ask? Continue reading →

News from the City of St. Catharines

Posted December 27^th, 2025 on Niagara At Large

Road closures in place as firefighters deal with hot spots, public asked to avoid the area

A pair of overnight fires at vacant buildings in downtown St. Catharines, including former St. Catharines Standard building, will be investigated by St. Catharines Fire Services investigators.

The former St. Catharines Standard, already facing a wrecking crew, following a major fire their earlier this December 2025. photo by Doug Draper

(A Brief Foreword by Doug Draper At Niagara At Large – Pardon me but whenever I hear or read that authorities are investigating building fires for the possibility of an arsonist going in with a can of propane or gasoline with the idea of possibly catching them, I can’t help but feel that it is going to amount to absolutely nothing, except for another waste of our taxdollars..

We have heard this ‘we are going to investigate’ line so many times before, whether it is the Welland House in St. Catharines, Welland Secondary School in the city by the same name, the grand old Welland Club building on King Street in that city, and the list goes on.

As for the old Standard building, I have visitied the site of the fire three times now to take pictures, and I have had people come up to me and say how easy it was for anyone to get in there. There was  even some party that went in to the building sometime before the fire and showed broken down the place looked. (see that here –https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IV7lnJoTrG8 Continue reading →

A Brief Post from Doug Draper At Niagara At Large

December 25^h, 2025

King Charles with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky

I am about as far away from being a monarchist as I think anyone can be, but I think that if you missed it, Charles III, King of the United Kingdom, delivered a message this Christmas that we all need to hear and take to heart during these troubling times.

Please take a few minutes to give it a listen and let’s all try to do what we can to work together for a better world for all.

To hear the King’s Christmas message, following a brief chorus of God Save the King, click on the screen immediately below –

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

A Statement by Prime Minister Mark Carney on Christmas

Posted December 25^th, 2025 on Niagara At Large

(A Very Brief Foreword Note from Doug Draper at Niagara At Large – Regardless of how you feel about our current Prime Minister, how fortunate we are to have him rather than that character our friends and neighbours across the border have to put up with – at least those who did not vote for Trump.

Now here is the Prime Minister’s statement – )

“In a fast-changing, more divided and uncertain world, the holiday season is an opportunity to slow down, reflect, and focus on what really matters.

This is a season of joy for families, and I hope that you find time to rest, reconnect, and celebrate with the people you love most. Continue reading →

Cheers To All Of You From Doug Draper

Posted on Christmas Eve, December 24^th, 2025

Once Upon A Holiday Season, when Bruce Springsteen and his E Street Band were on tour and still doing those marathon four hours plus shows, they would always include a song that was perfect for those of us who still young enough at heart to dream about sound of that sleigh and hooves of nine reindeer, including Rudolph, landing on our roof tops.

I was fortunate enough to be at one of those shows at the old Buffalo Aud on a cold December night in 1980 when he and the band performed that song for us.

Here it is for you,  from a show filmed during the same era. To watch it, click on the screen immediately below –

• Have a Very Happy Christmas Eve, Doug Draper, Niagara At Large

A home in Niagara, lit up for Christmas. photo by Doug Draper

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“

A Statement from Regional Chair Bob Gale on the resolution of the police incident in Welland

Posted December 20^th, 2025 on Niagara At Large

(A Brief Foreword from Doug Draper at Niagara At Large – The following statement was issued in the wake of the arrest of one suspect in the shooting of a Niagara Regional Police officer, now recovering in hospital from a non-life threatening chest would) after a standoff with police in the Lincoln Street/Plymouth Road area of Welland that had businesses closed and residents, schools and the Welland Hospital locked down for a period of about 24 hours beginning this past Friday.)

Niagara Regional Chair Bob Gale

Regional Chair Gale provided the following statement regarding the resolution of the active shooter situation which was resolved this morning (Saturday, December 20^th, 2025:

“On behalf of Regional Council, I would like to personally thank and commend the Niagara Regional Police Service, Niagara EMS, and Welland Fire for their exceptional work in responding to this challenging situation and keeping our community safe. Continue reading →

Memorandum of Understanding Between New York Power Authority and Ontario Power Generation Aids Deployment of Advanced Nuclear Energy in New York and Ontario

New Agreement Will Unlock Opportunities for Workforce Development and Economic Growth in New York

Separate Declaration of Intent Signed by Governor Hochul and Premier Ford Pledges Cooperation Between New York and Ontario at a Time When National Policy Has Impacted Tourism And Economies on Both Sides of the Border

News from the Office of New York State Governor Kathy Hochul

Posted December 19^th, 2025 on Niagara At Large

Ontario Premier Doug Ford and New York State Governor Kathy Hochul

Buffalo, New York – Governor Kathy Hochul today (the December 19^th, 2025) announced a landmark agreement between the New York Power Authority (NYPA) and Ontario Power Generation (OPG).

The signed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) establishes a framework for collaboration on the development of advanced nuclear energy technologies, including large-scale nuclear and small modular reactors (SMRs), to strengthen energy reliability, affordability, and decarbonization efforts in New York and Ontario. Continue reading →

Bob Gale Is A Niagara Falls Regional Councillor, Ford Appointed Chair of the Niagara Parks Commission & Failed Ford Conservative Candidate In The Riding Of Niagara Falls

“I am grateful to Premier Ford for entrusting me with the responsibility of serving as Chair of the Niagara Region.”                 – Bob Gale.

News from Ontario’s Ford Government and Niagara’s Regional Government

Posted December 18^th, 2025 on Niagara At Large

Niagara Falls Regional Councillor Bob Gale has been appointed Niagara’s Regional Chair by Ontario’s Ford Government

The Government of Ontario has formally announced the appointment of Bob Gale as the new Regional Chair, effective immediately. A lifelong resident with deep community roots, Mr. Gale brings decades of public service, business leadership, and philanthropic dedication to this pivotal role.

Gale began his career in the 1970s as a Niagara Regional Police Officer and was named Police Officer of the Year in 1978, receiving the Medal of Merit for outstanding service. Transitioning to business, he acquired and expanded Gale’s Gas Bars Limited in the 1980s into one of Niagara’s largest independent fuel and convenience retailers, supporting local employment and economic vitality.

A recognized philanthropist, Gale and his family have made significant contributions to Niagara’s infrastructure and community programming, including major support for the Greater Niagara General Hospital emergency room renovation, the construction of the Gale Centre sports complex, youth and recreation initiatives, and the Niagara Falls Museum. Continue reading →

A Lake Erie Conditions Statement from the NPCA

Posted December 18^th, 2025 on Niagara At Large

For Thursday, December 18th, 2025, this notice is intended to advise the public and local municipalities of the condition of the Lake Erie Shoreline as it relates to the Niagara Peninsula and the eastern portion of Haldimand County.

The Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority is issuing a Water Safety Statement for the Lake Erie Shoreline.  A potent low-pressure system is moving through southern Ontario from Friday (December 19^th) morning into the evening, bringing strong westerly winds to the Lower Great Lakes region, particularly in the eastern Lake Erie basin. Continue reading →

A Call-Out from Ontario Nature, a not-for-profit citizens organization dedicated to protecting and preserving our natural heritage

Posted December 18^th, 2025 on Niagara At Large

Unique to Ontario, conservation authorities holistically manage watersheds to prevent flooding, conserve natural areas and safeguard water quality – all benefitting both people and the environment. This work requires local connections to the communities they serve.   

However, a series of changes (by Ontario’s Ford government) to their mandate, resourcing and independence have made it harder for conservation authorities to fulfill their crucial role. Continue reading →

And The Impact On All Of Us, South Of The Arctic Circle, Could Be Even More Catastrophic Than It Is Now

For The Sake Of Our Kids &Their Future At Least, Let’s Work Together To Do Something About It

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

Posted December 17th, 2025 on NIagara At Large

I have to admit, there are many days when I wonder if I am wasting my time posting stories about climate change. With all the immediate concerns people already have over the  basics like paying for groceries and keeping a roof of their head, if they have one, how much more time and energy is left to care about this? 

Then I think about my daughter and her millennial age peers and all of the other younger kids who are going to be around when I am gone, and who are going to have to cope with all of the wildfires, severe winds, heat waves and other impacts far more destructive than what we are dealing with now, and I can’t give up posting reports on it.

So here, on video, is a cameo of  the latest Arctic Report Card – the 20th and possibly last one from the world-renown U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), thanks to Trump –  on what climate change is continuing to do to a part of the world that has a significant impact on the weather we experience south of the Arctic too.

To watch it, click on the screen immediately below –

For another report on this, click on – https://www.rcinet.ca/eye-on-the-arctic/2025/12/16/arctic-report-card-2025-rainfall-record-warmth-and-rapid-change/ 

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

‘For residents near the former GM site, the stakes are significant. The filtration system was designed to prevent potentially contaminated water from leaving the site and entering the environment or private properties. Despite clear evidence that the system was not functioning, public updates have been ignored.’

An Investigative Report by Ed Smith, a Niagara, Ontario resident and journalist working for  an on-line news site called The Pointer

(The following report originally appeared in The Pointer and is being shared here with the permission of its author.)

Posted December 17^th, 2025 on Niagara At Large

Niagara resident and a journalist who is a good friend of Niagara At Large, Ed Smith

On October 28th, officials at the City of St. Catharines knew the filtration system designed to prevent highly toxic chemicals from leaching into the former GM property on Ontario Street and the surrounding area was no longer functional, but for weeks they have failed to tell the public.

A freedom of information request by The Pointer has revealed an alarming lack of disclosure by the City and the provincial government.

(Ontario) Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) staff informed the City that the system has not been operating, but have failed to make any public announcement.

It was staff at the environment ministry who initially ordered the owner of the giant 55-acre piece of former industrial land right next to the downtown district, to install the filtration system after cancer-causing PCBs were found to be leaking from the former GM site, while other dangerous toxins had been detected on the property at levels as high as 1,000 times above allowable limits the last time an environmental assessment was done more than a decade ago. Continue reading →

For the Niagara Region 2026 Budget, a 1.15 per cent decrease for Waste Management Services and a 7.42 per cent increase for Water and Wastewater Services were approved.

News from Niagara’s Regional Government

Posted December 17^th, 2025 on Niagara At Large

Niagara Region has approved both the Waste Management and the Water and Wastewater Services budgets for 2026.

For the Niagara Region 2026 Budget, a 1.15 per cent decrease for Waste Management Services and a 7.42 per cent increase for Water and Wastewater Services were approved.

Niagara residents pay for Waste Management and Water and Wastewater rates to support programs such as waste collection and water and wastewater services. Continue reading →

Posted by Doug Draper, this December 16^th, 2025 on Niagara At Large

Jimmy Kimmel tells it like it is about the sick man in the White House

“Just when you think he (Trump) can’t go any lower he somehow finds a way to do that. …. That corroded brain is in charge of our lives.”

“I know from my personal interactions with Rob Reiner that he would want us to continue to point out the loathsome atrocities that ooze out of this sick and irresponsible man’s mouth. So we are going to do that over and over again until the rest of us wake up.”

• Jimmy Kimmel, from his monologue on his late night show this past Monday, December 15^th, 2025, two days after Rob Reiner and his wife Michele were found dead, allegedly at the hands of one of their sons, and one day after Trump made reprehensible remarks about them.

In case you missed this brave, tell-it-like-it is monologue from Jimmy Kimmel, whose late night show Trump and his corporate hacks in the media tried last September to have permanently banned from the air until Disney, the owner of the network he is on, was forced to bend to public pressure and put back on, I can’t help posting it.

Kimmel could have lost a good deal of what he worked so hard in his career for when Trump and company tried wiping out his show but he never backed down. And when he came back on the air, he could have toned it down but he remained as fearless as ever in his criticisms of Trump and everything he is doing to threaten peace, freedom and democracy in the United States and around the world.

Kimmel’s fearlessness reminds me of that demonstrated by the late, great comedian and social critic George Carlin who faced similar attempts to have him banned from performing decades ago.

So here is Jimmy Kimmel’s monologue this past December 15^th that you can hear and watch by clicking on the screen immediately below –

Long live Jimmy Kimmel!

• Doug Draper, Niagara At Large

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 and by sharing the Niagara At Large site at www.niagaraatlarge.com with all of your friends and associates.

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

Decades of experience across North America shows that expanding urban highways (non-tolled) just induces more traffic. … The best way to reduce gridlock is to reallocate the highway funding to transit builds.”

A Statement from the not-for-profit public interest groups Environmental Defence and Transport Action Ontario

Posted December 16^th, 2025 on Niagara At Large

(A Brief Foreword Note from Doug Draper at Niagara At Large – The recommendations in this important new report leave me saying; When will they (meaning the majority of our politicians at the municipal, provincial and federal levels) ever learn. Like the renown social and planning critic Lewis Mumford said decades ago; “Building more highways to address traffic congestion is like a person putting on a bigger belt to address obesity.” Now here is statement  about the findings and recommendatins in the new port from Environmental Defence and  Transport Action Ontario.)

Toronto – A  new “Transit Over Traffic” report contains recommendations for how the provincial government could unlock public transit’s potential to solve the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area’s growing gridlock, which currently costs the economy and residents $45 billion every year. 

This report, authored by Environmental Defence and Transport Action Ontario, makes the case that spending an estimated  $80 billion on mega-highways like the Bradford Bypass, Highway 401 and the Highway 401 tunnel will make your commute worse, not better.

Decades of experience across North America shows that expanding urban highways (non-tolled) just induces more traffic. 

For the same $80 billion price tag, Ontario could build 400 kilometres of new rapid transit. That’s equivalent to building enough light-rail connecting Toronto to Sudbury, or the equivalent of three new light rail transit lines spanning the entire width of the GTHA. Continue reading →

“I’m excited to welcome Lisa De Angelis to Niagara Region and look forward to working with her as she leads our Public Works Department. She brings with her a proven track record of success and has extensive experience in the areas of capital infrastructure delivery, asset management and public works leadership that will be of great benefit to Niagara Region.”                                      – Ron Tripp, Niagara Region’s Chief Administrative Officer

News from Niagara’s Regional Government

Posted December 16^th, 2025 on Niagara At Large

Niagara Region’s incoming Commissioner of Public Works Lisa De Angelis

THOROLD, ONTARIO – Lisa De Angelis has been appointed as the new Commissioner of Public Works. De Angelis joins Niagara Region with more than 35 years of experience in leadership and public infrastructure management.

As a licensed Professional Civil Engineer and a Registered Professional Planner, she brings strong inter-disciplinary background to her new role. She will begin her new role on Jan. 12, 2026. Continue reading →

When you’re weary, feeling small,
When tears are in your eyes, I will dry them all;
I’m on your side. When times get rough
And friends just can’t be found,
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down.

– Lyrics by Paul Simon

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

Posted December 15, 2025 on Niagara At Large

What a troubling few days we have collectively had in the last gasp of a year that has been troubling enough.

As if there haven’t been enough reports this year about the damage Trump’s tariffs are doing to  Canada’s economy, the continuing rise in the cost of food and the growing number of homeless encampments and people lining up at food bank – not to mention the outrageous rise in property, water and policing taxes our Niagara regional government is slamming on us – there has been all the news since this  past Friday of the mass shootings on the campus of Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island and on a popular beach area in Australia (the latter rampage specifically targeted at Jewish people on the first day of Honukka), and there has been the murder of famed entertainers and humanitarians Rob and Michele Reiner, allegedly at the hands of one of their own sons.

As I, like I image so many of you, try to work my mind and body through all of this, a song came to mind, as it often does during times like this, that made me feel a little better.

It is Paul Simon’s ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’ and I want to share with you this beautiful version of it performed by 21-year-old British singing sensation Lucy Thomas.

To hear and watch her sing it, click on the screen immediately below –

• Let’s All Hold Hands And Cross That Bridge Together, And Do Our Best To Make A Better World And Stay Strong – 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 and by sharing the Niagara At Large site at www.niagaraatlarge.com with all of your friends and associates.

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

And Mayors Jim Diodati of Niagara Falls and Gary Zalepa of Niagara-on-the-Lake Love It

A Commentary by Niagara At Large reporter/publisher Doug Draper, followed by a December 15^th, 2025 News Release from the Ontario Government of Doug Ford

Posted  December 15th, 2025 on Niagara At Large

Niagara Parks recently opened this amusement ride, allowing visitors to take a virtual flight above the briink of The Falls.

Two decades ago, when the Niagara Parks Commission and the then Ontario Liberal Government of Dalton McGuinty partnered to construct a controversial gondola ride over one of the world’s natural wonders – the Horseshoe Falls – the Parks Commission’s Chairman at the time, Jim Williams, tried to defend the idea to me and a fellow reporter working on that story by saying, and I paraphrase; “You need more for visitors to the Falls than the site of water splashing over rocks.”

If what Williams said then is  true, what a sad comment that is on our relationship, collectively as human species, with all of the rich, irreplaceable, organic beauty Mother Nature has to offer. Continue reading →

A Brief Tribute from Doug Draper, a life-long fan

Posted December 13^th, 2025 on Niagara At Large

Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore, who played his wife, on The Dick Van Dyke Show during the early 1960s.

I know there are a lot of issues of interest and concern to our Niagara community that I want and I need to get back to reporting and commenting on, but I can’t help but take a few minutes out on a snowy Saturday in December to say Happy 100^th Birthday to actor/comedian Dick Van Dyke.

Yes, this December 13^th, 2025 is his 100^th birthday and at the risk of dating myself, I am old enough to remember when he first burst on the scene in 1961 on a television sitcom called The Dick Van Dyke show.

I was just a little kid living in my childhood home on the west side of Welland but, again, I was old enough to recall how “modern” that show was compared to most of the other shows on television at the time.

There was  Dick and Mary Tyler Moore, who played his wife on the show,  channeling all of the youthful   energy and charisma  of a young U.S. President John F. Kennedy and his wife Jackie who were then wowing Americans and Canadians alike in the White House. Continue reading →

A Few Last Words on this By Doug Draper, a former St. Catharines Standard reporter 

Posted December 12^th, 2025 on Niagara At Large

A St. Catharines Standard Christmas card from the times when the Burgoyne family still owned the newspaper that the family founded in the late 1800s.

I knew I was full of emotion about it, but I never thought I would hear from so many people across the Niagara region who wanted to share their feelings for the place where I once did what I thought was some of my best reporting of the news, especially on issues that had to do with the quality of our environment..

As recently as this December 12^th, I had at least half a dozen people email me or stop me on the street or in a store to say that they thought of me and so many of the others thatI  once worked there with when they heard that the building that once housed The St. Catharines Standard was gutted this past December weekend by fire.

What was clear to me was that each and every person that reached out was not as upset about the building as they were about the loss of a daily newspaper  that was once owned by a local family who cared enough about the community to staff it with  the resources necessary to do high-quality work.  Continue reading →

“Your loving support can help ensure the belugas’ immediate needs are addressed and that long-overdue plans for safe, compassionate placement—ideally in seaside sanctuaries—can finally move forward.”

A Call-Out from Animal Justice, a not-for profit national animal advocacy organization

Posted December 12^th, 2025 on Niagara At Large

Lives of 30 surviving beluga whales now in limbo at shuttered Marineland amusement park in Niagara Falls, Ontario

As the holiday season begins, most of us look forward to warmth, rest, and loving connection. But for the 30 beluga whales still trapped at Marineland, the weeks ahead are an uncertain, desperate fight for survival.

These sensitive, social animals have already endured years of confinement, deteriorating tanks, and dangerous conditions that have resulted in more than 20 whale and dolphin deaths at Marineland since 2019.

This fall, Marineland even threatened to kill the surviving belugas rather than continue their care—a despicable reminder of how little Marineland values these intelligent, beautiful individuals. Continue reading →

Council Agrees To Take More Time To Consult With Residents And Explore Alternatives To Laying Down Pavement In Historic Memorial Park

A News Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted December 11^th, 2025 on Niagara At Large

Thorold’s beloved Memorial Park, hosting the cenotaph for honouring the community’s war dead. photo by Doug Draper

“We made some progress,” Gloria Leahey, a Thorold resident and a leading member of Friends of Memorial Park told this reporter, shortly after the city’s council voted this December 9th to investigate possible alternatives to extending a parking lot for a seniors’ centre onto the green grounds of the historic park located in a charming old neighborhood near the municipality’s downtown.

“Power to the people,” added Tami Friedman, another leading member of the Friends group, who delivered a heartfelt presentation to the council at the December 9^th meeting.

Power to the people, indeed. Continue reading →

“The Ontario Premier (Doug Ford) has caused the conditions where the very people who keep our hospitals running will lose their jobs. Why won’t the Premier properly fund hospitals so Niagara Health can cancel all the layoffs and ensure patients get the care they need and deserve?”                                                                – Wayne Gates, NDP MPP for the Riding of Niagara Falls

“The Premier has caused the conditions where the very people who keep our hospitals running will lose their jobs. Why won’t the Premier properly fund hospitals so Niagara Health can cancel all the layoffs and ensure patients get the care they need and deserve?”                                                                                               – Jennie Stevens, NDP MPP for the Riding of St. Catharines

Niagara Falls MP Wayne Gates and St. Catharines MP Jennie Stevens

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

Posted December 10^th, 2025 on Niagara At Large

QUEEN’S PARK — Niagara MPPs Wayne Gates (Niagara Falls) and Jennie Stevens (St. Catharines) pressed the Premier in Question Period today (this December 10th, 2025)  (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fGKmnS70CjXuvV49h3Fbzzf7Y5ebQ0Mz/view) after an entire week has passed since Niagara Health announced 100 layoffs , with workers still having no clarity about who is losing their job or how patient care will be affected.

Gates said the situation is the direct result of the government’s refusal to properly fund hospitals, leaving frontline staff exhausted and patients waiting hours for care. Continue reading →

News from the Niagara Ontario Health Team

Posted December 10th, 2025 on Niagara At Large

Remembering Heather Winterstein from Niagara, Ontario

St. Catharines, ON – This week marks four years since the tragic death of Heather Winterstein, a 24-year-old Anishnawbe Kwe community member. Her passing is a painful reminder to the Niagara Ontario Health Team – Équipe Santé Ontario Niagara (NOHT-ÉSON) and its partners of the urgent need to confront anti-Indigenous racism and long-standing inequities in health and social care.

On December 9, 2021, Heather went to Niagara Health’s St. Catharines site with severe back pain after a fall. She was discharged home with Tylenol. She returned to the hospital on December 10, 2021, and later collapsed and died while in the emergency department.

Following her death, an independent Emergency Department Assessment Panel reviewed Niagara Health’s emergency services and made 10 recommendations to improve care and experiences for Indigenous Peoples.

In response, an Indigenous Health Services Plan was developed by Niagara Health to improve access, strengthen cultural safety, and support traditional healing practices within the hospital, including the creation of an Indigenous Health Services and Reconciliation Team.

The NOHT-ÉSON remains committed to ensuring that health and social care planning in Niagara supports Indigenous communities and reflects reconciliation efforts, while continuing to work in allyship with Indigenous-led organizations to improve care in the region. Indigenous health is one of the six pillars in the NOHT-ÉSON 2024–2027 Strategic Plan, and learning opportunities, such as Indigenous cultural safety training, are offered to NOHT-ÉSON staff, volunteers, and partners.

We all have a role to play in making sure Indigenous people receive high-quality, safe, timely, and culturally-based services that reflect Indigenous traditions.

An inquest into Heather’s death was announced on June 5, 2024. A date and location have not yet been set. The NOHT-ÉSON is committed to listening and learning from the jury’s recommendations and working with Indigenous partners to help ensure that what happened to Heather does not happen again, and that Indigenous voices are prioritized in all aspects of care

Who We Are – The Niagara Ontario Health Team is a local health integration network of more than 45 health care providers, social service agencies, educational institutions and patient/client, family and caregiver representatives in Niagara. We are committed to working together to build a more integrated, inclusive and seamless health care system with a goal of improving the overall experience and health outcomes for people in Niagara.

For more on the Team, click on – Home – Niagara Ontario Health Team – Équipe Santé Ontario 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 and by sharing the Niagara At Large site at www.niagaraatlarge.com with all of your friends and associates.

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

An Invite to All from Jim Stanford, a renown Canadian economist and director of the Centre For Future Work

Posted December 10^th, 2025 on Niagara At Large

Jim Stanford, Canadian economist and director of the Centre for Future Work

Once again, Canadian politicians have jumped down the rabbit hole of interminable debates over pipelines.  

A new agreement between Ottawa and Alberta seems to open the door for a new oil export pipeline – or does it?  

Oil executives promise investment and jobs if a pipeline goes ahead. Yet despite a 35% increase in oil output over the past decade (and 24% more natural gas), fossil fuel industries eliminated 38,000 jobs. Fossil fuel industries now account for under 1% of total employment in Canada.  

That trajectory will continue, even if another oil pipeline were built. That’s because cold hard economics, technology, and corporate greed are allowing oil companies to make more profit, with fewer workers. Continue reading →

A News Release from Mosque Aisha of Thorold

Posted December 9^th, 2025 on Niagara At Large

THOROLD, ON – There will be a vigil at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, December 9, 2025 outside Thorold City Hall to demand Muslim burial rights at the public Lakeview Cemetery, including having a section for Muslims.

Thorold City Councillors intervened in preventing the burial of Alina Masud of Thorold at Lakeview Cemetery, which was supposed to take place on Saturday, December 6.

“Everyone should have the right to buried at a public cemetery There is already a Muslim child buried facing Makkah in section A which is an open section, why couldn’t Alina Masud be buried there?” asked Asad Mahmood, imam of Thorold’s Mosque Aisha.

Mosque Aisha of Thorold was established in 2018 and is the only mosque in Thorold.

For a recent news report on this issue, aired on CHCH TV, click on the following link – Thorold Muslim family denied local burial for daughter

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 and by sharing the Niagara At Large site at www.niagaraatlarge.com with all of your friends and associates.

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

An Obituary For A Building That Once Housed What Was One Very Fine, Locally-Owned Daily Newspaper

A Few Thoughts and Memories shared by Doug Draper and by some of his former Standard colleagues.

Posted December 8th, 2025 on Niagara At Large

Doug Draper, at work at The St. Catharines Standard, way back when newspapers still had newsrooms

By Niagara At Large reporter/publisher and former St. Catharines Standard reporter Doug Draper –

When, on my own terms and after 20 years of working there. I walked out of the door of that building on Queen Street that housed The St. Catharines Standard for the last time, I vowed never to go near it again.

For most of the past 25years, I would not even drive passed it in my car.

The front of what is left of the St. Catharines Standard building, windows smashed and interior gutted from a fire that began over night this past Friday and Saturday, December 5th and 6th, 2025. photo by Doug Draper

But when I learned this past Saturday (December 6^th) morning that the building had been gutted by fire, something inside me made drive, as soon as I could, to St. Catharines’ downtown to get as close to the smoldering remains of it as the firefighters, still hosing piles of hot embers down, would let me.

As I looked on, memories of The Standard, not the bad ones of the place after the place after the corporate chains took it over in the mid-to-late 1990s and began gutting it in their own way, but the very good ones I have when it was still locally owned and operated by the Burgoyne family, with Henry Burgoyne serving as the family’s last publisher, Continue reading →

NOW IS THE TIME For All Of Us Who Care About Thorold’s Memorial Park and About Preserving What Precious Green Space We Have Left In Our Urban Neighbourhoods To Speak Out!

A Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted December 7th, 2025 on Niagara At Large

Thorold’s beloved Memorial Park, hosting the cenotaph for honouring the community’s war dead. photo by Doug Draper

It seems like Thorold’s council – for reasons it has largely failed to openly discuss, let alone properly explain to the  citizens it was elected to represent – can’t leave one of most beloved parks in the city alone.

This coming Tuesday, December 9th, at a council meeting starting at 6:30 p.m. at Thorold’s city hall, located next and just north of the Four Points by Sheraton (Niagara Suites) Hotel on540 Schmon Parkway, the council may decide – if it is not stopped – to push forward with a controversial plan to extend paved parking for a seniors centre into Memorial Park. Continue reading →

“Gonna be a long night (gonna be all right)
It’s gonna be all right on the night shift (on the night shift)
You found another home
I know you’re not alone on the night shift.”

 – lyrics from a 1985 song by The Commodores about some of the great soul artists who left us

A Few Words of Tribute to Steve Cropper from Doug Draper, a long-time fan

Posted December 5^th, 2025 on Niagara At Large

Soul music guitarist, composer and producer Steve Cropper

One by one, and far more frequently by the year, the great music artists from the golden age of Rock, Folk, Soul, and R&B are passing on to that great stage in sky where you want to believe they can all go on making those oh so sweet sounds on the night shift.

The latest great one to pass on to  that stage is Steve Cropper, soulful guitarist extraordinaire who was a member of Booker T. and the M.G.’s and who backed up everyone from Stax and Atlantic Records hit makers Wilson Picket, Sam & Dave and Otis Redding, just to name a few, to the hugely popular R & B band The Blues Brothers, featuring Saturday Night Live regulars John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd, in the late 1970s. Continue reading →

Latest move from President Trump only benefits big automakers

“Letting U.S. decisions dictate our progress would only weaken climate action, slow EV adoption, and undermine billions invested in Canada’s growing EV industry.”

A Statement from Environmental Defence Clean Transportation Program Manager Sam Hersh

Posted December5th, 2025 on Niagara At Large

Ottawa – The U.S. retreat (this early December, 2025) from clean-car rules only underscores even more why Canada must hold firm on a strong Electric Vehicle Availability Standard (EVAS).

The move from President Trump won’t make EVs or gas cars cheaper — it only saves money for big automakers. Meanwhile, relaxing these rules will increase pollution by allowing more inefficient vehicles on the road and force consumers to pay more in fuel and maintenance.

Canada has already committed billions to build a domestic EV industry. Flinching on our progress now would jeopardize that momentum, put Canadian auto jobs at risk, and deprive Canadians of access to cleaner, more affordable vehicles. Continue reading →

“This is a great example of our valuable partnership with the City of St. Catharines and Canadian National Railway on a vital and complex project for the community. This is also a testament to the dedication, commitment and skillset of our Regional crews and contractors, who worked very hard to complete this important portion of the overall GO Station Precinct initiative.”    – Frank Tassone, Director of Transportation Services, Niagara Region

News from Niagara’s Regional Government

Posted December 5^th, 2025 on Niagara At Large

Completed bridge. Photo courtesy of Niagara Region

Niagara Region is proud to announce that the replacement of the St. Paul Street West CNR bridge (Regional Road 81) in St. Catharines is complete and has reopened to traffic and pedestrians – a full year ahead of schedule.

The bridge, which spans the Canadian National Railway (CNR) tracks, was replaced as part of the larger GO Station Precinct project, which has combined the scope of work of four projects that Niagara Region, CNR and the City of St. Catharines are sharing. Niagara Region is leading the project because of its close relation to the St. Catharines Train Station redevelopment into a multi-model transit hub. Continue reading →

“Vaccination is the best protection against serious respiratory illness” – Dr. Azim Kasmani, Medical Officer of Health, Niagara Region Public Health.

Residents Are Encouraged To Take Precautions Leading Into The Holiday Season

An Important Message  from the Niagara Region Public Health Department

Posted December 5^th, 2025 on Niagara At Large

Dr. Azim Kasmani, Medical Officer of Health, Niagara Region Public Health

Niagara Region – Flu activity and other respiratory illnesses are currently rising in Niagara as we enter one of the busiest social periods of the year.

Niagara Region Public Health and Niagara Health are reminding residents to get vaccinated and take simple preventative steps. Taking these precautions helps protect the community and eases pressure on local hospitals.

“Vaccination is the best protection against serious respiratory illness,” said Dr. Azim Kasmani, Medical Officer of Health, Niagara Region Public Health. “With flu, COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses on the rise and holiday gatherings underway, getting vaccinated now helps protect yourself and your loved ones, so everyone can enjoy a healthier holiday season.” Continue reading →