Author Archives: dougdraper

‘There Will Be No Economic Recovery In Ontario Without A She-Covery’

“We need to build an inclusive economic recovery that includes everyone and recognizes the devastating impact of the pandemic on women.”                                                                                                        – Ontario New Democratic Party representatives

A Statement from members of Ontario’s NDP Official Opposition Party

Posted September 9^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

MPPs Catherine Fife, the NDP’s critic for Economic Growth and Job Creation, and Jill Andrew, NDP critic for Women’s Issues, have issued a statement – 

QUEEN’S PARK, Ontario  – MPPs Catherine Fife (Waterloo), the NDP’s critic for Economic Growth and Job Creation, and Jill Andrew (Toronto—St. Paul’s), NDP critic for Women’s Issues, have issued a statement following the publication of a new Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC) report on the need to address the disproportionate economic impact of the COVID-19 on women:

“While the pandemic is having profound effects on all Ontarians, it isn’t affecting us equally. Women have lost the majority of jobs, and many women have been unable to get back into the workforce or get their businesses back on track. The she-cession has affected Black, Indigenous, racialized and disabled women most severely, as they work disproportionately on the frontlines in health care and service jobs and are at the most risk of contact with the virus. Continue reading →

A Stressful Interaction – Climate Change and Other Ecosystem Stressors Often Have Greater Influence When Combined

Join the Canada-U.S. International Joint Commission for a Public Webinar on the Great Lakes – Tuesday, September 22^nd, 2020 at 10:30 a.m. EDT

An Invite to All from the International Joint Commission

Posted September 9^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Our Great Lakes- a wondrous, life-sustaining treasure to millions of us who live around them. Let’s work together to protect and preserve them.

There are many factors stressing the health of the Great Lakes ecosystem, but some issues like climate change are making other problems even worse.

The International Joint Commission Science Advisory Board (SAB) Science Priority Committee’s new report, An Evaluation of Stressor Interactions in the Great Lakes, explores the cumulative effects of important stressors in the Great Lakes basin.

There will be a public webinar reviewing the report’s findings on Tuesday, September 22 at 10:30 am EDT; advance registration is required to participate. Continue reading →

“A lot of the children we talked to were really aware of the pandemic and of what you need to do to stay safe, and they were worried about other people not following the rules.”                            – Rebecca, Raby, Professor of Child and Youth Studies, Brock University

News from Brock University in Niagara, Ontario

Posted September 9^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Rebecca Raby, Professor of Child and Youth Studies, Brock University

Niagara, Ontario – Most children participating in an ongoing Brock University study on COVID-19 say they’ve missed certain aspects of school, especially seeing friends, and are open to returning to class.

But many are also worried about becoming sick or bringing the virus home to their families, says Professor of Child and Youth Studies Rebecca Raby.

“As families and teachers prepare for children to go back to school, either in-person or online, we have generally not heard from children themselves about their views of the pandemic, their experiences of online schooling in the spring, and their thoughts about going back to school,” says Raby.

Raby is leading a research team that began a study in early April<https://brocku.ca/brock-news/2020/04/brock-team-begins-online-study-of-childrens-experiences-during-covid-19/> consisting of regular online interviews with 30 children and youth about their experiences at home during the pandemic, including online schooling. Continue reading →

Superior Court Judge Rules Ford’s Mandatory Order for Carbon Price Stickers on Gas Pumps is “Unconstitutional”

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

Posted September 8^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

The Ontario Doug Ford government ordered gas stations across the province to put these stickers on their pumps, just weeks before the October 2019 federal election. The stickers are not only misleading, they fail to tell gas consumers that the federal government is placing a price on carbon pollution and that the proceeds would be used to fund  greener alternatives

Well, apparently at least some of us do need to be told, because many among us voted in 2018 for now Ontario Premier Doug Ford and a Conservative Party that is such a cabal of right-wing extremists, it bears no resemblance to the Ontario Conservative Government of Bill Davis half a century ago.

So thank God that Ontario Superior Court Justice Edward M. Morgan has done just that in a ruling he tabled this past September 4^th, declaring “unconstitutional” the province’s Ford Government’s outrageous move a year ago, to force private sector companies in the gas-selling business to place a self-serving, political sticker on their gas pumps.

Can anyone other than Ford and the sycophants in his party that lick his boots now imagine any member of the Conservative Party during the era of Bill Davis or John Robarts ordering private sector companies to display blatantly political stickers on their property at the risk of being fined or worse, if they do not?

This is a Ford government that not only could not care less about true conservative principles, but is acting it out in the case of environmental issues former Ontario Conservative governments like that of Bill Davis demonstrated a record of caring about, in its contempt for virtually any and all environmental protection measures, and for any and all of the science that shows our human carbon-based energy culture is wreaking havoc on the earth’s climate. Continue reading →

An Invite from the Niagara District Council of Women

Posted September 8^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

We need these bees, badly, to help produce our food. Or we are in even bigger trouble than we are in now.

A  Foreword by Niagara At Large reporter and publisher Doug Draper –

How great it is that the Niagara District Council of Women – one of the longest-lasting public interest and advocacy groups in this region, and one of its equally great leaders, Gracia Janes – is hosting this virtual meeting for all of us on the need to save our pollinators.

And how great that the NDCW is doing this virtually, during a time when so much attention has so understandably  been paid to the COVID-19 health crisis all around us.

Too many pressing issues that we need to be addressing, for the sake of our future, right now – issues like the climate emergency, the toxic algae blooms and plastics choking our Great Lakes, and the continued threat to populations of pollinating bees by chemical sprays used by farmers who should be just as concerned about the loss of these pollinators – are tragically been pushed to the side or are not receiving the attention they deserve because of the pandemic. Continue reading →

Ontario’s Official Opposition/New Democratic Party calls for transparency on school COVID-19 cases and outbreaks

A News Release from Ontario’s New Democratic Party

Posted September 8^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

QUEEN’S PARK, Ontario — The Official Opposition is asking the Ford government to commit to posting a list online of all schools with COVID-19 cases, while maintaining the privacy of students and staff.

“Of course we all hope that COVID-19 doesn’t make its way into schools, but we believe parents, students and staff including supply teachers should be informed if it does,” said NDP Education critic Marit Stiles. “With so much pressure being put on staff, students and their families to monitor symptoms and follow protocols, they deserve information and transparency. Continue reading →

An unprecedented wave of public involvement to defund the police has seen letters from over 400 people. Over 40 video delegations coming this Tuesday, September 8th

News from Citizens at City Hall (CATCH), a citizens watchdog group in Hamilton Ontario

Posted September 8th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Hamilton, Ontario – In an unprecedented wave of public involvement in a civic issue, Hamilton officials have received written correspondence from over 400 people supporting the defund police campaign. The outpouring continues this week with more than three dozen people set to make personal video delegations to city councillors at the Tuesday morning on-line general issues committee meeting.

The comments and demands are various but most call for  shifting police budget dollars “towards initiatives fighting against food insecurity, racism and towards more affordable housing.” Many demand that police stop ticketing and surveillance of houseless and disabled people, and end the purchase of more weapons and high tech surveillance equipment.

The number of individuals submitting these highly critical letters is even more extraordinary given the reasonable fear that publicly challenging the police and their practices could result in personal repercussions. Continue reading →

“Canada’s unions are looking for targeted investments in green infrastructure, education and training, and care work. … The United States is showing us what happens when we act like everyone is in it for themselves. We can and must do better.”        – Canadian Labour Congress

A Labour Day Message from the Canadian Labour Congress

Posted September 7^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Ottawa – To mark Labour Day, Canada’s unions are calling on all levels of government to focus on investments and community supports to help restart our economies and protect Canadians.

Forward Together: A Canadian Plan is a new campaign centred on ensuring that Canada is ready to disaster-proof our nation so that no one is left behind when crisis hits. The campaign will roll out digitally on various social media platforms and will encourage Canadians to engage with their elected representatives on key issues. Continue reading →

“We will do this, together. Stay positive, kind, and optimistic, and know that by working together, we will overcome any challenge with strength and unity.”                                                                               – Ontario Minister of Education Stephen Lecce

The Following is a Statement from Ontario Minister of Education Stephen Lecce

Posted September 7th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Ontario Education Minister Stephen Lecce

Toronto, Ontario — Today (this September, 7th, 2020), the Honourable Stephen Lecce, (Ontario) Minister of Education issued the following statement on students returning to school over the coming days –

“While COVID-19 has forced upon us many changes to our schools and our lives, some things remain constant. The importance of quality education, our collective mental health, and the safety of our students and staff. 

This year is like no other in our past.  I am fiercely proud of our province, and our collective efforts. We will overcome any challenge on the horizon, so long as we continue to work together in the interests of our students and aggressively work to stop the spread in our communities.  Continue reading →

A Public Service Announcement from Niagara’s Regional Government

Posted September 5tgh, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – Niagara’s residents, businesses and visitors are asked to treat each other with kindness and respect when it comes to wearing a mask in public spaces.

If you have concerns about someone not wearing a mask or face covering, keep in  mind that Niagara’s Face-Covering By-law includes a number of exemptions. Not everyone can wear a mask and many disabilities are invisible. There’s no requirement for people to prove they are exempt.

Wearing masks in enclosed public spaces is one way we can prevent the spread of  COVID-19. The primary objective of the by-law is to educate the public about the importance of face coverings, and gain voluntary compliance.

*Who do I call?*

During normal business hours, concerns around enforcement should be directed to  your local municipality’s by-law office.

After 4:30 p.m., please call Niagara Region’s dispatch line at 905-984-3690 or 1-877-552-5579. Do not call 911. Regional or local by-law enforcement or Niagara Regional Police Services may respond to reports of significant or ongoing non-compliance.

For more information on the Face Coverings By-law, visit  niagararegion.ca/COVID19 <http://www.niagararegion.ca/COVID19>.​

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

Now – For the First Time on a Big Screen in Niagara –  DON’T MISS  ‘The Walrus and The Whistleblower’

One Showing Only – This Sunday, September 6th, 2020 at the the Can View Drive-In directly  off the  Highways 20 and 406 interchange in Thorold – Box Office for the film opens at 7:30 p.m.

A Brief One from Doug Draper at Niagara At Large

Posted September 4th, 2020

If you missed the CBC Television debut of this award-winning documentary film this past May, now is your chance to see it for the first time on the big screen, this Sunday at the Can View Drive-In in Niagara.

Click on the screen immediately below to watch  a brief trailer for the Walrus and the Whistleblower –

The following is a brief promotional summary of the film –

The Walrus and the Whistleblower (2020)

Phil Demers is a part-time mailman who lives in a bungalow across the creek from MarineLand, the iconic amusement park in Niagara Falls, where he had his dream job as an animal trainer for over a decade. He swam with killer whales and ran the show, until he quit and blew the whistle, making claims of animal abuse and calling for an end to the near 60-year-old practice of keeping marine mammals in pools.

For a news commentary on the film, posted this past May on Niagara At Large, click on – https://niagaraatlarge.com/2020/05/25/new-film-focuses-on-former-marineland-trainer-and-whistleblower-phil-demers-his-epic-battle-with-an-iconic-niagara-falls-amusement-park/

For another  piece Niagara At Large posted on the documentary this past May, click on https://niagaraatlarge.com/2020/05/28/a-gripping-look-at-one-citizens-epic-battle-with-marineland-in-niagara-falls-ontario/

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

“Criminalizing a member of the Indigenous media sets a dangerous precedent in a society that is supposed to have a free press.”

Karl Dockstader is also known to many in Niagara as an outspoken critic of urban development plans for the Thundering Waters Forest in Niagara Falls, Ontario

A News Release from Members of the Indigenous Community in Canada

Posted September 4^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Karl Dockstader, at a demonstration in front of Niagara Falls City Hall a few years ago, speaking out for the preservation of the Thundering Waters Forest and its wetlands, File photo by Doug Draper

Karl Dockstader – Oneida of the Thames Bear Clan – is a freelance journalist working for One Dish, One Mic Indigenous media who was arrested and charged thisSeptember 2nd for reporting during a land action at 1492 Land Back Lane.

Criminalizing a member of the Indigenous media sets a dangerous precedent in a society that is supposed to have a free press.

Karl spent last week at 1492 Land Back Lane to do an immersive story for One Dish, One Mic as independent media.

He understood that as a journalist that as long as he didn’t actively assist the land defenders that his status as a journalist would protect his work. On the last day he was there for the week – August 29th – he made the following editorial commentary on videoi: https://twitter.com/OneDishOneMic/status/1299849385858281473?s=20&fbclid=IwAR3uOZlE7VkQrIIlhgg4DjIu6PfGQ_T7Ji9NJ8LaTG3CUk6gw3CsI80rOtA Continue reading →

Scales of Justice Are Tipping in the Right Direction for We, The People

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

Posted September 3rd, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Former Niagara Region CAO Carmen D’Angelo may not be having the best of weeks.

Unless I am mistaken, I’m guessing that the last six or seven days have proven to be far from the best of times for one of the individuals at the centre of the ongoing controversy and legal machinations over the 2016 hiring of Carmen D’Angelo for the top administrative job at Niagara Region.

And yes, with reference to news that has unfolded over the last six or seven days, I am talking about the now former Niagara Regional CAO himself – Carmen D’Angelo.

First it was reported September 1^st in one of Niagara’s daily newspapers, The St. Catharines Standard, that this past August 28^th, that Ontario Superior Court Justice Elizabeth Sheard ruled against D’Angelo’s efforts to keep relevant documents tied to his 2016 hiring sealed or under wraps. Continue reading →

“A hunt is not the approach that should be utilized to ensure maintaining a sustainable population of cormorants in Ontario.”

For the Ford Government, and for many anglers and hunters, the answer to protecting fish populations in our freshwater lakes is a mass-killing of this bird.

A Commentary by Niagara At Large reporter and publisher Doug Draper, followed by an Open Letter to Ontario Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry John Yakabuski from 51 Wildlife Experts

Posted September 2nd, 2020 on Niagara At Large

If we need one more reason why people of voting age across Ontario have to promise ourselves to throw the Conservative government of Doug Ford out of office as soon as possible, here it is.

The Ford government, along with an Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry that has become such a public disgrace that it might as well be shut down, is now on the verge of letting hobby hunters out in the weeks ahead, to participate in the possible extermination of an entire species of bird in a Great Lakes basin that we share with our American neighbours.

The species in question is the double-creased cormorant, and the grounds the Ford government and this waste of a space of a ministry is offering for unleashing every Homer Simpson and Elmer Fudd who owns a gun on them is that they are rather filthy birds that foil some of the near-shore environment and worst of all, they compete with anglers for catching fish. Continue reading →

A Statement from Canada’s Prime Minister on the 40th anniversary of Terry Fox’s Marathon of Hope

Posted September 1^st, 2020 on Niagara At Large

September 1, 2020

Remembering Terry Fox

Ottawa, Ontario – The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today (this September 1^st, 2020) issued the following statement on the 40th anniversary of Terry Fox’s Marathon of Hope:

“Terry Fox is a Canadian hero who taught us invaluable lessons about the importance of helping others. After losing his leg to cancer, he ran the Marathon of Hope to raise money for cancer research. Starting at Canada’s easternmost point in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, Terry ran – with a prosthetic leg – a marathon a day for 143 days. Sadly, before he arrived in Thunder Bay, Ontario, on September 1, 1980, his cancer spread to his lungs and  Terry had to cut his cross-country tour short. Continue reading →

‘This disproportionate representation of women on elected council and appointed committees and boards can lead to a “policy blindness” that can “impact Niagara’s choices of actions, investments and ultimately, whose needs are prioritized and whose remain unmet.”’

News from Brock University and the Niagara Community Observatory

Posted September 1^st, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Carol Philips, a reserarch co-ordinator with the Niagara Community Observatory and a co-author of the brief

Niagara, Ontario – Women in Niagara are not equitably represented on elected local councils, new research from Brock University has found.

And while they are more likely to participate on appointed advisory committees and municipal boards, those numbers are still not in line with their share of the population, says the Niagara Community Observatory (NCO)’s latest policy brief, ‘Gender Representation and Governance in Niagara,’ which will be released later this month.

“Our research begins with the supposition that the choices that are made in terms of policy priorities and actions are a function of who is making those choices,” says Carol Phillips, research co-ordinator at the NCO and co-author of the brief. “It’s about bringing people to the table who see life through a different lens and a different experience. In this research, we begin with gender representation.” Continue reading →

A Statement from Niagara Falls NDP MPP Waye Gates

Posted September 1^st, 2020 on Niagara At Large

MPP Wayne Gates released a statement following the decision of the four major teachers unions to challenge Ford’s school re-opening plans 

Niagara Falls NDP MPP Wayne Gates

NIAGARA FALLS, Ontario  – MPP Wayne Gates (Niagara Falls), Official Opposition NDP critic for Workplace Health and Safety, released a statement following the decision of the four major teachers unions to challenge Ford’s school re-opening plans at the Ontario Labour Relations Board:

“It shouldn’t have to come to this. Front-line educators and everyone working in our schools are workers just like anyone else – and just like everyone else they deserve a safe workplace. No Ontarian should have to go to work and worry about catching this virus, and potentially spreading it to their families and the community. Continue reading →

“Ontario post-secondary students were already paying some of the highest tuition fees in Canada, and were saddled with an average debt load of $28,000. … “It is unfair to expect post-secondary students reeling from months of financial hardship and facing a limited campus and in-class learning experience this Fall to pay the same hefty tuition fees that were too high to begin with.”                                                         – Ontario NDP MPP Chris Glover

News from Ontario’s Official Opposition New Democratic Party

Posted September 1^st, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Ontario NDP MPP Chris Glover and his Offfical Opposition Party call for relief for post-secondary students during pandemic

The Ontario NDP is urging the Ford government to provide Ontario post-secondary students with direct pandemic tuition relief of $1,000 to each full-time student and $500 to each part-time student, and is asking the government to stop clawing back the Canadian Emergency Student Benefit (CESB) and Canadian Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) from students’ OSAP supports.

NDP MPP Chris Glover, also an adjunct professor at York University,  was joined Tuesday morning by post-secondary students from different parts of the province, who spoke out to stress the additional financial pressures college and university students are facing as a result of COVID-19.

Students from the Canadian Federation of Students, the College Student Alliance and the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance joined MPP Glover in calling for $1,000 pandemic relief for full-time students and $500 for part-time students. Continue reading →

COVID-19 has left Many in the Industry Unemployed

News from the Niagara Falls Illumination Board and Niagara Parks Commission

Posted September 1st, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Niagara Falls, Ontario – The Niagara Falls Illumination Board will be illuminating both the American and Canadian Horseshoe Falls in red on September 1st, joining over 1,500 venues from across North America in appreciation of the live events industry which has been devastated by the impacts of COVID-19.

A second illumination will also take place on September 22nd. Continue reading →

Stevens deeply concerned about news that YMCA-licensed school age child care centres will not re-open until later in September

Late opening child care options will disproportionately affect women in Niagara

A Message from the Constituency Office of St Catharines NDP MPP Jennie Stevens

Posted August 31^st, 2020 on Niagara At Large

St. Catharines NDP MPP Jennie Stevens

St. Catharines, Ontario  – NDP MPP Jennie Stevens (St. Catharines) is deeply concerned about news that YMCA-licensed school age child care centres will not re-open until later in September, with a staggered return to full operations, and is urging the Ford government to support parents who can’t return to work.

“Parents depend on child care centres to look after their kids before and after school. As schools are set to re-open in Niagara in September it’s essential for parents, including teachers themselves, returning to work to know that there’s care available out of school hours so they can go back to their jobs,” said Stevens. Continue reading →

Bill Seeks to Reduce Role of Public in Reviewing Plans and Projects that may harm Environment

“Bill 197 holds true to an insidious pattern of environmental deregulation that reflects neither the values nor the long-term interests of Ontarians who understand the importance of a healthy environment,”                                                                               – Caroline Schultz, Ontario Nature’s Executive Director.

A News Release from Ontario Nature, Earthroots and the Canadian Environmental Law Association (CELA)

Posted August 31st, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Defending the health and prosperity of communities and the environment

Toronto, Ontario – In the wake of the passage of Ontario’s controversial Bill 197, a legal challenge against the legislation has been commenced by Earthroots; Canadian Environmental Law Association; Ontario Nature; Cooper Price, a 16-year old activist; and Michel Koostachin, who was born and raised in Attawapiskat.

These parties have jointly filed an application for judicial review that asks the Divisional Court to issue declaratory relief and other remedies in relation to the omnibus legislation, which overhauls the Environmental Assessment Act and amends other provincial laws. Continue reading →

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

Posted August 31^st, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Every now and then – eveb in the face of Ontario’s Ford government’s relentless war against environmental protection measures – citizens across this province who care about protecting and preserving our natural heritage win one.

According to an August 28^th story posted on the National Observer of Canada’s website, citizen pressure, including some from residents in a Greater Toronto Area riding that just happens to have a Ford government member as an MPP, has caused Premier Doug Ford to back away from allowing more quarries in areas of the Golden Horsehoe where there is endangered species habitat. Continue reading →

Wonder why your property insurance costs are soaring. Devastating wildlires and flood have become more commonplace in Canada and the United States, but politicians like Donald Trump and Doug Ford don’t want to talk about that – certainly not in the context of a climate emergency

“What is radical is doing nothing to take on the existential threat of climate change while the world burns.”                – U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders

By Bernie Sanders, in a recent email to supporters

Posted August 29^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

A Brief Foreword Note from Doug Draper at Niagara At Large –

Read the following from Vermont Senator and former U.S. presidential candidate Bernie Sanders and see if you agree with me that when it comes to the climate crisis our world faces, we sure could use more voices in politics like Bernie Sanders here in Canada.

There are way too few at the federal, provincial and municipal levels. We, the people, need to use our votes to do something about that.

Now here is Bernie Sanders –

Bernie Sanders, always telling it like it is. No B.S.!

Sometimes, when you hear a speech, what is NOT said is more important than what is said. 

You wouldn’t know it if you watched the first night of the Republican National Convention, but we are in the middle of a climate emergency with scientists telling us we have just a few years to act in order to save our planet for future generations.

Just look around our country (the United States):

The second and third largest fires in the history of the state of California have burned more than 1.2 million acres in just a month, thousands of homes and businesses have been lost to the blaze, and tens of thousands of people have been forced to flee. Continue reading →

Let’s hope our Canadian government, for the sake of our citizens security, keeps border crossings like this Peace Bridge between Niagara, Ontario and the Buffalo, New York area closed.

Trumpland is Far Too Dangerous to Allow More People from that side of the Border to visit Canada

A Commentary by Niagara At Large reporter and publisher Doug Draper

Posted August 28^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

As a life-long Niagara, Ontario resident who has always enjoyed crossing the Canada-U.S. border, and who has – quite naively, as it turns out – taken the freedom to cross for granted, how sad the past five months have been for so many of us who have enjoyed our cross-border visits to friends and relatives, and to all those places and events we loved to visit and engage in.

As residents in both countries now observe the fifth full month of border crossings to all but essential (mostly commercial) traffic due to COVID-19, the toll on those who have relatives and friends or own properties on either side, and on businesses and communities that benefit from cross-border traffic is incalculable.

How sad it is that events like this wonderful Elmwood Avenue Festival of the Arts in Buffalo, New York has been cancelled – thanks to Trumpland treating COVID-19 like a joke. File photo by Doug Draper

As I write this, I am reminded that this weekend of August 29^th and 30^th would mark the 21^st anniversary of the Elmwood Avenue – an event that my family and always looked forward to. It has been one of the last great street festivals of the summer season, and certainly a wonderful boost to an Elmwood Village in Buffalo, New York that has been so much fun for people on both sides of the border, and such an economic boost for artists, and for the cafes and restaurants and other businesses in that so-very nice neighbourhood. Continue reading →

Let Your Niagara Regional Councillors and Mayors of Your Towns and Cities Know That You Care About About Saving What Remains of Our Precious Natural Areas

For the sake of ours and future generations, let’s save what is left of places like this in our Niagara region.

A Call-Out to All of us from the Biodiversity and Climate Action Committee, a non-partisan coalition of citizens in Niagara, Ontario

Posted August 28^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Niagara’s Regional Council is about to make what may be the most important decisions of their term.

Will they make the right one?

The Region of Niagara is conducting an Official Plan review to bring its plan into compliance with Provincial Policy. As part of this review, the Region must create a Natural Heritage System (NHS) plan and Water Resource System (WRS) plan. Unfortunately, staff are not currently recommending the best option for either system.

We need to save what is left of places like this – one of the wetlands in Thundering Waters Forest, a sprawling green area in the Niagara River watershed in Niagara Falls, Ontario. Photo courtesy of Lori Monroe

Given the development pressure Niagara Region is under, now is the time to protect our remaining, fragmented natural areas and link them into systems that are robust and resilient enough to ensure the region’s children and grandchildren will be able to depend on all the benefits they provide. Continue reading →

We Sure Miss You Buddy. Even More During These Perilous Times

Dexter, on his back, catching a few rays. File photo by Doug Draper

By Doug Draper

Posted August 27^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Dexter, on his perch, in an open-air cat house in our backyard.

Every now and then, while sitting on the back porch of our home, I still look up expecting to see those beautiful green eyes stark g back at me from a perch near a bedroom window where he loved to sit on a warm summer day.

Then I am reminded, once again, that he is gone.

The perch where he sat is empty. Man how I miss that wonderful cat and wish so much that he was still here, looking on with those eyes that seemed to reflect a such a boundless spirit and a wisdom of the ages. Continue reading →

As the late David Bowie said in a song; “I’m Afraid of America!” Thank God those Border Crossings to the U.S. are Still Closed

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

Posted August 25^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Wasn’t he going to end all of the “carnage” and “Make America Great Again”? What happened? He’s already had more than three and a half years.

Don’t know if you dared to tune in to any of the first night of Trumps Republic National Convention shit show this now-past Monday, August 24^th, but Trump’s son, Donald Jr., and a rogue’s gallery of others sure did paint one nightmarish picture of the state of the nation in the United States today.

Isn’t it interesting how, four years ago, Trump ran for U.S. president on a slogan that he was going to; “Make America Great Again.” After he won, and during his inauguration address in January of 2017, he vowed that he was going to end what he claimed was the “carnage” in his country right there and then. Continue reading →

United States Pushes Forward With Plans For Big-Oil Arctic Drilling

A News Release From The World Wildlife Fund

Posted August 21st, 2020 On Niagara At Large

In Response To The Trump Administration Releasing A Record Of Decision That Will Allow For The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Coastal Plain Leasing Program To Move Forward, World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Issued The Following Statement From Margaret Williams, Managing Director, Arctic Program:

“Drilling In The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Poses An Intolerable Risk To One Of Our Nation’s Greatest Natural Treasures. The Refuge Is One Of The Few Places Remaining In The World Where Wildlife Has The Freedom To Roam, And Communities’ Ancient Traditions Are Deeply Rooted To The Land And Sea.

“The Administration Has Once Again Prioritized Unsustainable Development That Will Exacerbate Climate Change. It Also Has Undercut The Ability Of This Sensitive Environment To Support Vast Herds Of Caribou And The People Who Rely On Them, As Well As Denning Polar Bears, Musk-Oxen, And Birds From Every State And Continent. Continue reading →

A Plea to Our American Friends and Neighbours from At Least One Canadian

A Commentary by Niagara At Large reporter and publisher           Doug Draper

Posted August 21st, 2020 on Niagara At Large

At least some Niagara At Large readers may wonder why I dwell so much on the nightmare that has been folding over the past three or four years, south of the Canada-United States border.

The answer for me is simple and it begins with an insight about the Canada-U.S. relationship that then Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau spelled out 51 years ago during a trip to the White House for a meeting with then-President Richard Nixon.

“Living next to you is in some ways like sleeping with an elephant. No matter how friendly and even-tempered is the beast, if I can call it that, one is affected by every twitch and grunt.”

Elephants, unfortunately, are animals that many often associate with circuses rather than the great wide-open savannas that should be their peaceful homes.

And for the past three or four years, with Trump’s ascendancy to power in the U.S., we Canadians have had ring-side seats at a circus that has often come off as more of a horror show, with the most scary kind of clowns anyone could conjure up in a nightmare laughing wickedly in our face.

Trump and his army of willing enablers have not only caused grave damage to the pillars of democracy and fair, civil governance in their country. They have done significant damage to us, and they have placed the hopes and dreams of a healthy, prosperous future for our children in Canada, and the rest of the world, in jeopardy too. Continue reading →

“While Niagara continues to cope with the impacts of COVID-19 on operations and budgets, the work of AMO (the Association of Municipalities of Ontario) has never been more important. I am confident that Councillor Foster will continue to ensure our priorities are brought forward, and Niagara will have a strong seat at the table.”                                                                                              – Niagara Regional Chair Jim Bradley

News from Niagara, Ontario’s Regional Government

Posted August 21^st. 2020 on Niagara At Large

Niagara Regional Couoncillor Rob Foster

Earlier this week (of August 17th) at the annual Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) conference, Niagara Regional Councillor Rob Foster was re-elected to the AMO Board of Directors Regional for two-year term.

This is Councillor Foster’s second term on the AMO Board of Directors. Councillor Foster, a first-term Regional Councillor from the Town of Lincoln, was first elected to town council in by-election in 2001 has remained active in his community since that time.

AMO is a non-partisan, non-profit organization that works to support and enhance Ontario’s 444 municipalities to achieve shared goals and meet common challenges through advocacy, policy and consultative opportunities. It promotes the value of the municipal level of government as a vital and essential component of the Provincial and Federal Governments. Continue reading →

“Changes pushed through (by Ontario’s Ford Government) last month (July, 2020) – in the middle of a pandemic – gut our Environmental Assessment (EA) safeguards and even allow for shovels in the ground before weakened reviews are complete.”                                                                                                      – Green Party of Ontario

A Call-Out to All of Us from the Green Party of Ontario

Posted August 20^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Save Ontario’s Farmland

(Then Ontario conservative Party leader and now Premier) Doug Ford was caught on tape in the run up to the (2018 provincial) election telling developers that he was planning to open the Greenbelt for development.

Intense public pressure forced Ford to backtrack, and he’s been promising not to touch the Greenbelt ever since.

The Greenbelt is important land for growing food, providing habitat for wildlife and protecting us against climate change. Continue reading →

“The government has an out-dated view of how to boost Ontario’s economy – a new highway, more sprawl, and more pollution isn’t the answer.”                                                                                           – Keith Brooks, Programs Director with Environmental Defence.

A News Release from Environmental Defence, a Canada-wide advocacy group for a healthier environment

Posted August 20th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

(A Brief Foreword Note from Doug Draper at Niagara At Large – Will Ontario’s Ford government resurrect a more than two-decade-old plan to build a 400-series ‘mid-peninsula highway’ through the heart of rural Niagara next? We’ll be watching and getting ready to fight.)

A new report – Is Building Highway 413 the Best Option for Moving People & Goods in the GTA-West Region? – shows the proposed GTA-West Highway is a poor use of funds and suggests alternatives to meet the region’s transportation needs

In Doug Ford’s Ontario, the slogan ‘Open for Business’ is – among other things – code for fast-tracking building projects at any cost to our natural environment.

Toronto, Ontario – A report] released this August 19th by Environmental Defence, Sustainable Vaughan and Transport Action Ontario, challenges the wisdom of the proposed GTA-West Highway, which would run from the Highway 401/Highway 407 interchange near Milton, to Highway 400 near Kleinburg.

This highway proposal, also known as Highway 413, was cancelled in 2018, but then resurrected by the current government. The report argues that the highway will harm the environment and damage communities, while offering little benefit for commuters, making it a poor use of $6 billion tax dollars. Continue reading →

Now Retired Revenue Canada Employee John Pruyn Had  His Artificial Leg Ripped Off by Cops, Before Being Locked in a Cage for a Weekend, Then Dumped on the Streets of Toronto like  Garbage,  Without Any Explanation

This Should Never Happen in Our Canada! Never!

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

Posted August 19th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Disappointing, indeed!

John Pruyn and his prosthetic leg, being dragged away by riot police, on the lawns of Queen’s Park in Toronto in June 2020.

John Pruyn, a Niagara, Ontario resident and now-retired Revenue Canada employee, has every right to feel that way about a measly $16.5 million in compensation that will be divided between himself and more than 1,000 other Canadians haphazardly swept up, during the G20 Summit in Toronto 10 years ago, in the largest mass arrest of citizens in this country’s history.

That amount of compensation – quoted in a Settlement Agreement revealed between lawyers for the citizens and Toronto Police Services Board this August 17th – means that those arrested in this disgraceful display of police abuse and trampling of Canadians’ rights to freely assemble in the streets and parks of their own communities, will only each be eligible for compensation  between $5,000 and $24,700, depending on how egregious the acts committed against them were. Continue reading →

The COVID Death Count in Trump’s America is now 170,000 and Climbing – Almost Three Times the Number of Americans Killed during more than a decade of combat in the Vietnam War!

A Brief Commentary by Doug Draper at Niagara At Large

Posted August 18, 2020

If you happened to miss the first night of the televised U.S. Democratic National Convention this August 17th, one of the most powerful addresses by an ordinary American during the program was delivered by a young woman named Kristin Urquiza, whose recently lost her father to COVID-19.

If you missed this address, or even if you saw it, it is well worth sharing with anyone who has any doubts about what a dangerous monster Donald Trump is.

To watch it here, click on the screen immediately below –

I for one, can hardly wait until this orange-hair monster is dragged out of the White House, because even if he loses this coming November’s presidential election in a landslide, they are going to have to drag him out, and thrown in jail.

To all of my American friends and neighbours – Get out and vote in droves this fall, and  throw this dangerous character out, for the sake of the future of your country and the world!

• Doug Draper, Niagara At Large

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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

‘People living in the United States who believe, or know, they are COVID-19 positive are more likely to lie about their physical distancing practices when compared to people who believe they are free of the virus.’

‘Although a similar study hasn’t yet been conducted in Canada, Brock University PhD student Alison O’Conner expects “there would be a similar pattern of lie-telling among Canadians.”’

A News Release from Brock University in Niagara, Ontario

Posted August 18^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – People with COVID-19 often lie about symptoms and distancing, says Brock research

People living in the United States who believe, or know, they are COVID-19 positive are more likely to lie about their physical distancing practices when compared to people who believe they are free of the virus, new Brock University research has found.

Although rates of lie-telling are fairly high, concealment drops in older populations and among those who are community-oriented, says the Brock study “Dishonesty during a pandemic: The concealment of COVID-19 information<https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1359105320951603>.”

“This study highlights the difficulties in trying to accurately track and prevent the spread of the virus,” says PhD student Alison O’Connor, who co-authored the study with her supervisor, Associate Professor of Psychology Angela Evans.

“In accurately tracking COVID experiences and COVID rates during the pandemic, we’re relying on people honestly disclosing this information,” O’Connor says. Continue reading →

“COVID-19 has created employment disruption in retail, as in all other employment sectors across the region. … The project aims to have a conversation with both employers, employees, and job-seekers in the retail trade sector to learn the employment-related needs of the new retail environment, given the impacts of COVID-19.”

A statement from Niagara Workforce Planning Board, Literacy Link Niagara and the Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce (GNCC) on a new project in support of Niagara’s retail sector

Posted August 18^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – Niagara Workforce Planning Board, Literacy Link Niagara and the Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce are pleased to announce a new joint project with a spotlight on Niagara’s retail sector.

In 2019, retail trade businesses provided over 25,000 full and part-time jobs, representing nearly 14 per cent of all jobs in Niagara. More than 2,300 of Niagara’s self-employed work in the retail industry.

COVID-19 has created employment disruption in retail, as in all other employment sectors across the region. While some elements of retail trade have, and will continue to, face disruption due to the COVID-19 virus, others may struggle to meet labour demand. Continue reading →

“The City (of St. Catharines) is expected to grow by roughly 31,000 people by 2041. … “So the big questions we needed to answer through the Land Needs Assessment were, can we accommodate this growth through the City’s current Land Use Plan, and are there opportunities to revise the Land Use Plan to best support and facilitate the accommodation of future growth?” – St. Catharines’ Director of Planning and Building Services Tami Kitay

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

Posted August 17^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Have your say in how Niagara’s largest municipality – the City of St. Catharines – should grow for the future. File photo by Doug Draper

Niagara, Ontario – Residents of St. Catharines can have their say on the latest recommendations and draft changes to the City’s Official Land Use Plan.

Triggered by the potential redevelopment of 50 acres of industrial land located on Ontario Street in the middle of the city, Council directed the City’s Planning and Building Services department to study the potential conversion of industrial lands to allow for alternative uses, such as residential and mixed use purposes.

This conversion, or re-designation, of industrial lands requires an amendment to the City’s Official Plan, and as such a comprehensive city-wide Land Needs Assessment was completed. Continue reading →

“As the entire world sits on the edge of a knife watching the scientific community race toward a solution, delivery of a sub-optimal COVID-19 vaccine would significantly contribute to erosion of public trust in scientific pursuit and public health and jeopardize the integrity and success of immunization programs around the world.”                                                                                       – Brock U.researchers Adam MacNeil and Jeremia Coish

A News Release from Brock University in Niagara, Ontario

Posted August 17^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – Russia made headlines this week with claims it had approved an early COVID-19 vaccine, despite it being tested in fewer than 100 people  North American researchers have also proposed and then walked back on unorthodox modifications to Phase III trials with the goal of accelerating vaccine delivery.

Brock University PhD student Jeremia Coish, left, and Associate Professor of Health Sciences Adam MacNeil work in BrockUniversity’s Level 3 containment laboratory, a special facility that enables researchers to study infectious pathogens such as Zika, West Nile, and SARS-CoV-2 virus. Coish and MacNeil are among scientists urging that Phase III clinical trials for potential COVID-19 vaccines are not rushed. Photo by Mariana Garrido de Castro.

Against the unprecedented backdrop of scientists around the world taking careful steps to move more than 165 vaccine candidates through clinical trials at a time of urgent global need, researchers are sounding the warning bell.

Their message: don’t cut corners on clinical trials.

Continue reading →

And the Prison Guards Include the Governments of Canada, European Union (EU) Countries and the Bahamas, Among a Multitude of Others

A Commentary by American filmmaker, author and political activist Michael Moore, from Michael Moore’s Facebook Page

Posted August 15^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Political activist and Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker Michael Moore

Planning a trip over the holidays?

You do realize the rest of the world has placed us in our own private prison, right?

We are now prohibited from traveling to and entering without restriction nearly every single nation on Earth.

Only EIGHT countries will currently let anyone holding an American passport in without any restrictions (no quarantine, no pre-testing, no visa, no nothing).

Here are the only nations you can freely travel to without question or a doctor’s note as an American:

Continue reading →

“With the grim struggle in both Europe and Asia over, the world mourned the steep human cost of a war that had ravaged it for almost six years. In Canada alone, we grieved and honoured more than 45,000 who had lost their lives and 55,000 who were wounded.”                                                                                                      – Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada

A Statement by the Prime Minister on the 75th Anniversary of Victory over Japan Day and the end of the Second World War

Posted August 15^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Ottawa, Ontario – The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today (August 15^th, 2020) issued the following statement on the 75th anniversary of Victory over Japan Day and the end of the Second World War:

“Today (this Saturday, August 15th, 2020) , we pause to honour over one million Canadians and Newfoundlanders who served during the Second World War, including those who helped our Allies in the war in Asia and the Pacific.

“More than 10,000 Canadian service members fought courageously in Asia, with tens of thousands more volunteering to join the Pacific forces as part of the final Allied push to victory. Continue reading →

Canada’s Top Public Health Chief Warns of Possible ‘Major Spike’ This Fall

A Brief One from Doug Draper at Niagara At Large

Posted August 15th, 2020

Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer, warns of possible “major spike” in COVID-19 cases this fall, if we are not careful

To cop a line from Andrew Cuomo, the good Governor of neighbouring New York State, we Canadians “have been to hell and back” when it comes to how much COVID-19 ravaged our lives, our communities and our economies over the past six or so months.

Not to mention the more than 9,000 Canadians who have so far died, and the everlasting grief and suffering that has caused for their loved ones.

And there is no way of calculating the toll this plague has taken, in terms of stress and fear and depression, on our mental health.

So here we are now, many of our communities back in a so-called Stage 3 level of re-opening as we “flattened the curve,” and we all have the urge to bust out of our homes and go back to doing things in ways that seem like something normal. Continue reading →

A Case of Hypocrisy, Irresponsibility, and Using Children in an “Orwellian Experiment”

A Brief Commentary by Carla Rienzo

Posted August 14^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Signs like this, at Niagara’s Regional Government Headquarters, greet visitors at most municipal buildings across region and province during this COVID-19 health crisis. Do municipal officials know something that those running Ontario’s schools don’t?

So, we have every level of government, Federal, Provincial and Municipal, rushing to get our teachers, support staff and children back to school while they, themselves, refuse to open their own doors!

Teachers, principals, janitors, cafeteria attendants, librarians and the very students they serve cannot attend meetings at Queen’s Park, Regional Council, City Council or conduct face to face business at Service Canada or Service Ontario yet we are to believe that it is safe to go back to school?

Are taxpayers nothing more than guinea pigs; an experiment that might succeed but if it doesn’t can result in any number of bizarre and lifetime illnesses or death??!! Continue reading →

The End for this Magnificent Mammal Could Come by the End of This Century

News from the University of Toronto, with a brief Foreword by Doug Draper at Niagara At Large

Posted August 13^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

A Foreword by Doug Draper –

COVID-19 has certainly had a way of taking all of the oxygen when it comes to other issues our world is facing, hasn’t it.

To mention just one example, here we are faced with a full-fledged global climate emergency and yet, you hardly here a word about it because mainstream media outlets have felt pressed to invest what is left of their ever-shrinking newsroom resources covering the fallout from the global pandemic.

Just days ago, there were at least a few reports that one of the last, if not the very last major ice shelf collapsed in the Canadian Arctic as we continue sweating through a summer season of historically high temperatures.

As much as this may be “fake news” or another “hoax” to climate deniers, the long-term consequences of this are terrible for what is left of the biodiversity of life in the Arctic, for our oceans and for shoreline communities already facing rising water levels in North America and all over the world. Continue reading →

Would These Politicians Please Stop Behaving Like They Are Gifting Us Money Out of Their Own Pockets!

It’s Our Money and It Should Be There For Us in Times of Trouble. Forget About the Self-Promoting Quotes and Photo Opportunities. Show Some  Humility

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

Posted August 12^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

On this August 12th, this online news outlet has received, as I would imagine most other media outlets have across Niagara and this province, another in a number of media releases from provincial and federal government representatives – this one informing us that our municipalities will be  receiving at least some of the emergency funding they so desperately to get us through this ongoing global pandemic.

It is certainly good that our regional and local municipalities are receiving this federal/provincial assistance – Niagara’s regional government is reportedly receiving close to $12.2 million and Niagara’s 12 local municipalities are each receiving amounts in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, and up to more than $7 million for the City of St. Catharines – at a time when they have been struggling to keep services operating during a time that, for most of the past three or months, so much of the normally working economy has been shut down. Continue reading →

Region Now has “Green Bins Galore” to Satisfy  120-Per-Cent Spike in Demand from Niagara Homeowners

A News Release from Niagara’s Regional Government

Posted August 12^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – Demand for Green Bins in Niagara has spiked by 127 per cent (June /July 2020 compared to June/July 2019) in advance of curbside waste collection changes coming Oct. 19, and Niagara Region has responded by preparing 2,000 new bins for residents to pick up.

The new Green Bins arrived recently following a surge in requests from residents. Niagara Region is encouraging residents, who do not have a Green Bin – used for recycling food and organic waste, to purchase a bin if they do not have one ahead of the coming shift to every-other-week garbage collection.

Blue/Grey Box and Green Bin material will continue to be picked up weekly.

“People have really begun to get on board with the Green Bin program since we’ve launched our Box It. Bin It. Sort It campaign,” says Catherine Habermebl, director of Niagara Region Waste Management. “Since we first posted on social media on June 17 about the changes, we had more than 2,000 people pick up a Green Bin, which almost depleted our current stock.” Continue reading →

Joe Biden Has Picked a Winner

A Brief Comment by Doug Draper

Posted August 11^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Joe Biden does right in his pick of California Senator Kamala Harris as a presidential running mate. For those of us praying for the day Trump is fired out of the Oval Office, let’s wish Biden and Harris the very best.

For people around the world who have been holding their breath, hoping that the U.S. Democratic Party’s presumptive presidential candidate Joe Biden would pick the best person possible to help sweep the orange monster from office this November, Biden could hardly have done better this August 11^th in his choice of California Senator Kamala Harris.

Biden’s choice of Kamala Harris as his vice-presidential running mate makes history in a country that has had more of its share of problems giving a fair shot to women and to people of colour

Kamala Harris is the first woman of colour in the close to 250-year history of the United States to run for vice president.

She is also, for many of us who have, for better or worse, been following American politics in recent years, charismatic, highly intelligent, a person of passion of fairness and passion when it comes to fellow citizens in need, and someone who can be as sharp and as tough as she needs to be with adversaries. Continue reading →

Brock University professor and research Jessica Blythe

“There are looming food — and associated social and political — crises associated with oceans and fisheries. Oceans are a critical part of the climate conversation that are often overlooked.”  – Jessica Blythe, Assistant Professor in Brock University’s Environmental Sustainability Research Centre

News from Brock University in St. Catharines

Posted August 11^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – Within 30 years, tropical fisheries — on which some 1.9 billion people depend on for their food and livelihood — may see a decline of 40 per cent if nothing is done to mitigate climate change.

This is the prediction of a new study, described in a paper co-authored by Jessica Blythe, Assistant Professor in Brock University’s Environmental Sustainability Research Centre (ESRC), and recently published in Nature Reviews — Earth & Environment<https://www.nature.com/articles/s43017-020-0071-9>.

The researchers mapped out the drastic effects that warming oceans, rising sea levels and changes to ocean chemistry and ecosystems will have on tropical fish stocks, and by extension, on people. In many Pacific island nations, for example, fish can make up as much as 90 per cent of the animal protein in an average person’s diet. Continue reading →

Government Delivers Early on Expanded Risk Management Program for Agro Sector

“This funding supports farmers with unforeseen challenges such as fluctuating market prices, extreme weather events like flooding or drought, and disease.”

News from Ontario’s Ford Government

Posted August 11^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Wellandport in Niagara, Ontario  – This August 10^th , Sam Oosterhoff MPP for Niagara West, welcomed the government’s action to expand the Risk Management Program a year earlier than planned by $50 million for a total of $150 million annually.

Niagara West MPP and Ontario Ford government rep Sam Oosterhoff announcing aid for farmers in the Niagara community of Wellandport this August 10th. Photo courtesy of the MPP’s constituency office

This funding supports farmers with unforeseen challenges such as fluctuating market prices, extreme weather events like flooding or drought, and disease.

The announcement was made on July 16 by Premier Doug Ford, and Ernie Hardeman, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.

Approximately 80 percent of eligible commercial production in the cattle, hog, sheep, veal, grains and oilseeds, and edible horticulture sectors in Ontario is covered by the provincial Risk Management Program. Continue reading →

The ugly truth is that from September 15 to December 31, anyone with a shotgun and a hunting licence (in Ontario) will be able to kill up to 15 cormorants a day.

‘There is no compelling evidence that cormorants have had a significant negative impact on commercial or sport fish stocks.’    – Anne Bell,  Ontario Nature’s director of conservation and education programs

A News Release from Anne Bell, Ontario Nature

Posted August 8^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Double-crested cormorant rests along wetland shores © cuatrok77 CC BY-SA 2.0

Who equates the words “fall harvest” with the slaughter of inedible birds? The Government of Ontario, apparently. On July 30th it announced the introduction of a fall hunting season for double-crested cormorants, using these fine words: “Fall Harvest for Double-Crested Cormorants Introduced to Protect Local Ecosystems.”

The ugly truth is that from September 15 to December 31, anyone with a shotgun and a hunting licence will be able to kill up to 15 cormorants a day.

Wanton disregard for wildlife bothers me at any time, but in this case, dressing up the carnage as “protecting fish and wildlife habitat,” as the government has done, is particularly abhorrent. Is it too much to ask that wildlife management be based on fact, not fiction? Continue reading →

“The findings and recommendation of this Science Advisory Board report are an unambiguous call to action for Canadian and US government leadership to explore and implement a holistic, ecosystem-based approach to managing invasive species, nutrients and fisheries, not just one or the other in isolation.”                                                                                                      – Jeff Ridal, SAB Science Priority Committee Canadian co-chair and executive director of the River Institute at Cornwall, Ontario

News from the Canada-U.S International Joint Commission’s Science Advisory Board

Posted August 10th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Shallow Lake Erie must stick to its strict diet to starve its problematic algal blooms, but the four deeper Great Lakes face a tricky dilemma balancing their nutrient needs, according to a new report by the International Joint Commission’s (IJC) Great Lakes Science Advisory Board.

Understanding Declining Productivity in the Offshore Regions of the Great Lakes looks at the decline in fish populations in the offshore regions of Lakes Huron, Michigan, Ontario and Superior. In the report, the Science Advisory Board (SAB) recommends a cooperative approach to ecosystem forecasting science.

Many complex factors contribute to the observed decline in fish populations in four of the five Great Lakes. Ultimately, however, disruptions to the food web and nutrient cycle are a cause of declining offshore productivity of the fishery in every Great Lake except Erie. Continue reading →

Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce Says Trump Tariffs Will Harm Both Americans and Canadians

A News Release from the Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerice in Niagara, Ontario

Posted August 7^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario  – The Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce (GNCC) is extremely disappointed to learn of the U.S. restoration of a 10% import tariff on Canadian aluminum.

This policy was misguided and economically harmful to both Americans and Canadians when it was first floated in 2018. Now, in the middle of a once-in-a-generation economic and public health crisis, it is even more so.

The GNCC has always been a proponent of free trade, recognizing that all sides benefit from the free flow of goods and services.

Previous U.S. tariffs and trade wars have only hurt Americans. Steel, aluminum, and softwood tariffs all increased prices for the American consumer. American manufacturing has reeled from the impact of the trade wars the U.S. has started with China, Mexico, and Canada.

The GNCC supports the actions of the Government of Canada to fight for free trade and to support Canadians and Canadian businesses. We hope that the U.S. government will see the folly of this decision and reverse it immediately.

The Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce is the largest business organization in Niagara and the second-largest Chamber of Commerce in Ontario, with 1,500 members representing 50,000 employees. More information on the GNCC is available at gncc.ca<https://gncc.ca/>.

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

How in Hell Can You Have a Bi-National Business Relationship with a country of Whacked Out Xenophobes? It’s Like Trying to Live with a Mental Case

You want to play fast and loose with a killer virus in the United States. They stay out of Canada.

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

Posted August 7^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Canada can no longer risk staking our economic future on nut bars like this

“Canada has taken advantage of us as usual,” barfed America’s monster Trump during a visit to a washing machine factory in Ohio this August 6^th before – for reasons that might make sense only in his twisted mind – he called out that he is imposing another round of potentially damaging tariffs on Canadian aluminum, effective August 16th.

We have taken at advantage of the United States as usual, the orange monster says? What in hell is it with that!

Canada has had a long history of being a good neighbour and friend of the United States.

We have lived in peace with our American neighbours, and have even celebrated it in Niagara with an each“Friendship Festival” each Canada Day and Fourth of July at the Fort Erie/Buffalo border that, under the current circumstances, this once-America-loving Canadian could give a damn if we ever have again. Continue reading →

The Day the World’s First Nuclear Bomb was Dropped on Hiroshima, Japan

A Brief Commentary by Doug Draper, Niagara At Large

Posted August 6^th, 2020

One of the mushroom clouds from an atomic bomb dropped on a city in Japan, 75 years ago this August

“The release of atom power has changed everything except our way of thinking…the solution to this problem lies in the heart of mankind. If only I had known, I should have become a watchmaker.”             – Albert Einstein, a scientist and pacifist, whose ground-breaking research were used by others, in the Second World War-era “Manhattan Project” to build the first atomic bomb.

On August 6^th, 1945 – 75 years ago this August 6^th, 2020 – the world’s first atomic bomb, nicknamed “Little Boy,” was dropped on the City of Hiroshima, Japan.

Three days later, a second atomic bomb, this one named “Fat Boy” was dropped on the Japanese city of Nagasaki.

1945: Atomic bomb damage in Hiroshima. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

No one may ever know for sure, but estimates are that somewhere between about 130,000 and 225,000 civilians died in these two horrific bomb attacks, and on August 15^th, 1945 Japan surrendered to Allied forces in the Pacific and the Second World War – one of the most destructive events in human history – finally came to a complete end. Continue reading →

“In a pandemic, where immune compromised people are among the most vulnerable and where takeout has become the go-to eating out option due to physical distancing measures, there is no room for chemicals that could weaken the immune system in the wrappers and bowls that package our meals.”                                   – Muhannad Malas, Toxics program manager at Environmental Defence

A News Release from the public advocacy groups, Environmental Defence, Mind The Store Campaign And Toxic-Free Future

Posted August 8^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Toronto,Ontario — In a new report released today, Environmental Defence, the Mind the Store campaign, Toxic-Free Future, and its partners found that nearly half of all take-out food packaging tested from six popular food chains likely contains toxic PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances)—chemicals known to threaten human health and the environment.

The new study, Packaged in Pollution: Are food chains using PFAS in packaging?, analyzed packaging from top fast-food chains Burger King, McDonald’s, and Wendy’s as well as top health-minded food chains including Freshii.

The testing suggests toxic PFAS content in both McDonald’s “Big Mac” container and Burger King’s “Whopper” wrapper as well as the health-conscious chain’s salad bowls. Continue reading →

A Public Service Announcement from Niagara Health, Niagara, Ontario’s amalgamated system of hospital

Posted August 6^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – Niagara Health’s new temporary COVID-19 Assessment Centre has been opened for hospitality and tourism staff.

Niagara Health’s new temporary drive-through COVID-19 Assessment Centre opened this morning, in the parking lot at the Scotiabank Convention Centre in Niagara Falls, for testing hospitality and tourism employees.

The organization is reminding the public that appointments are required to be tested; the centre cannot accommodate walk-ins or friends and family members of the hospitality and tourism workers at this location. Continue reading →

The  NDP are calling for urgent changes, they’re also has pushing for a fully transparent public inquiry into long-term care and the conditions that led to the tragic COVID-19 outbreaks.

News from the Office of Ontario’s NDP and Official Opposition Leader Andrea Horwath

Posted August 5^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Ontario NDP and Official Opposition Andrea Horwath in St. Catharines this August 8th to press for more resources to safeguard province’s long-term care homes

ST. CATHARINES, Ontario – NDP Leader Andrea Horwath is calling on the Ford government to take urgent, immediate action so seniors can have a safer, better quality of life in long-term care.

Low staffing levels and a lack of standards and inspections mean seniors aren’t getting the time, care and attention they deserve, said Horwath.

Too often, that’s leaving our loved ones – ”the parents and grandparents who built this province” – to develop bedsores, to become malnourished or dehydrated, to suffer falls and to be more vulnerable to illness, including COVID-19, which took the lives of more than 1,840 people in long-term care. Continue reading →