Author Archives: dougdraper

Ontario Health Coalition executive director Natalie Mehra

“Doug Ford has shown the most contempt for parliamentary democracy that we have ever seen. All of his radical health reform plans have been forged in secret and steamrolled through with the least notice, the least amount of public hearings and the fastest timelines ever.”                                       – Natalie Mehra, executive director,  Ontario Health Coalition.

News from the Ontario Health Coalition 

Posted April 25^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large 

Toronto – Usually a change in a regulation under an Ontario law is posted in the Ontario Gazette and the public is given 60-days notice to give input, reported the Ontario Health Coalition today in response to new cuts to OHIP coverage that were posted online at:https://www.ontariocanada.com/registry/view.do?postingId=29390&language=en

But the public has only been given until Tuesday to provide feedback on the latest OHIP cuts revealed today.

In the online posting, the Ford government reports that it met with private insurance corporations to consult about the changes, but not with patients and their advocates, seniors’organizations, public interest groups or the public. The Coalition warns this is only the latest in terribly undemocratic changes to our public health care. Continue reading →

A Call-Out to All from the City of St. Catharines

Posted April 25^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Earth Day Celebration at Market Square

Meet the City of St. Catharines to learn about water quality, take the tap-water taste test, discuss reducing single-use plastics and enjoy other environmental activities at the Links for Greener Learning’s annual Earth Day Celebration at Market Square on Friday, April 26 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Continue reading →

“Students voted last year to give the project, and its initial $6.8-million price tag, the green light. It will be funded through a $17-per-credit fee for all full- and part-time undergraduate students over a period of five years, starting in September 2020, when the expansion is completed.” 

A News Release from Brock University in St. Catharines 

Posted April 25^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large 

Niagara, Ontario – As shovels hit the ground Wednesday, the next chapter officially began for Brock University’s expanded fitness centre.

Karen McAllister-Kenny, Brock’s Director of Recreation Services, Aidan Hibma, outgoing President of the Brock University Students’ Union, Brock student and current Zone user Paige Phillips and Brock President Gervan Fearon break ground at the Zone Fitness Centre expansion on Wednesday, April 24.

 The Brock community came together April 24 to mark the groundbreaking of the Zone Fitness Centre project that will see the popular campus facility triple in size.  Continue reading →

Autumn Peltier speaking last year to United Nations General Assembly on water issues

“We all have a right to this water as we need it. Not just rich people, all people. No one should have to worry if the water is clean or if they will run out of water.”                                                   – Autumn Peltier, from an address the young Indigenous girl from Canada delivered to the United Nations General Assembly in 2018 on World Water Day

A Brief Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted April 24th, 2019, during a week of  Earth Day events and observances, on Niagara At Large

As communities around the world continue celebrating Earth Day through this week, I want to offer yet another example of a young person talking to adults about action they know, or at least should know they should be taking for the sake of everyone’s future.

The last young person we featured on Niagara At Large in a post this April 23rd – the day after the official anniversary date of Earth Day – was Greta Thunberg, who delivered passionate addresses to representatives of the European Union earlier this April, and to a United Nations summit last December to act now to prevent a climate catastrophe that might spare no one. Continue reading →

Any Government out there that would Cut Funding to Public Libraries has Absolutely No Concept of  the Common Good

“Whatever the cost of our libraries, the price is cheap compared to that of an ignorant nation.”                             — the legendary television and radio news broadcaster Walter Cronkite

A Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted April 24^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

And Ontario Premier Doug Ford and his Tory Party lapdogs out there call themselves a “Government for the People”?

What people are they talking about?

Ontario Premier Doug Ford and his “Government for the People” are now aiming their budget-slashing sites at the province’s public libraries

It’s bad enough that they have been slashing funding for municipal transit services, environmental protection, health care and public education, and rolling back social assistance for people living in poverty, along with plans by the previous government to increase the minimum wage so that people at the lowest end of the salary ladder can one day have a livable wage.

Now they are cutting funding for public libraries across the province, for God’s sake.

They can’t even leave our public libraries alone. Continue reading →

“Ford’s proposed change to OHIP coverage for Ontarians traveling out of country fits a disturbing pattern of this government bypassing public consultation as it tries to force through rapid changes to our health care system,”                             – from an April 24th  statement by France Gélinas, the Ontario NDP’s Health Care critic

A News Release from Ontario’s NDP/Official Opposition Party

Posted April 24^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

QUEEN’S PARK — The NDP’s Health Care critic, France Gélinas, said the Ford government proposing to cancel Ontario Health Insurance Program (OHIP) coverage for out-of-country Ontario travelers is alarming. Continue reading →

Hosted by Niagara’s Regional Government this Wednesday, April 24th  from 5 to 7 p.m. at the St. Catharines Public Library, 54 Church Street, in downtown St. Catharines

News from the Niagara Region

Posted April 24th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

About Niagara Region’s Specialized Transit Study – 

The Specialized Transit Study is one of the key studies in Moving Transit Forward in Niagara.

To best meet the transportation and mobility needs of our aging population and residents requiring accommodation, the Linking Niagara Transit Committee is reviewing specialized transit in Niagara. IBI Group will lead this review.

The review will determine how we can meet the short- and long-term needs of regional and municipal specialized transit clients. Continue reading →

Author and Historian Sarah King Head Explores the Evolution of Beaverdam’s Unique Cultural Landscape

News from Heritage Thorold LACAC, a volunteer heritage group based in Thorold, Ontario

Posed April 23^rd, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Author and historian Sarah King Head. Proceeds from the sale of her award-winning book about Niagara’s Beaverdams area supports the good work of one of the area’s great heritage groups,  Heritage Thorold LACAC

Into its fourth printing, sales of the book Where Beavers Built Their Dams: The Evolution of a Unique Cultural Heritage Landscape in Thorold, Ontario continue to support the work of Heritage Thorold LACAC.

The history of Beaverdams is a good story; something author and historian Sarah King Head has successfully been able to tell by putting the island community’s extant heritage gems within the context of the island village’s rich, less tangible history.

She notes that what most people don’t always appreciate is how entirely Beaverdams’ “cottage country” illusion today is a creation of the past two centuries. Indeed, creation of the Welland Canals to the east and Lake Gibson to the west, south and north has transformed the landscape. Continue reading →

‘Don’t Worry Though. The Planet Will Be Fine. It will   be here for a Long, Long Time. We’re Going Away’ – from a routine by the late George Carlin called ‘The Planet is Fine’

A Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted on Earth Day, April 22^nd, 2019 on Niagara At Large

We all have those days in our lives where we will never forget where we were and what we were doing at the time.

One of mine was April 22^nd, 1970 – the very first Earth Day observed anywhere around the world – and my high school principal in Welland, Ontario allowed me and about four or five of my classmates to hold a demonstration in front of a Union Carbide plant that was infamous for belching clouds of filth from this stacks that could be seen from one end of the Niagara region to another.

As we stood outside the chain-link fence of that plant – me wearing a gas mask I borrowed from my arts teacher, and holding a sign reading; “If You Aren’t Part of the SOLUTION, You are Part of the POLLUTION” – cars raced by with horn honks of support, and workers from the plant, out on their break, threw empty pop cans at the chain-link fence behind us and yelled; “Beat it. Go back to school.”

Our April 22nd, 1970 demonstration on the very first Earth Day, with the author of this post out front wearing a gas mask.

We remained undaunted. Continue reading →

All Ontario’s Ford Government can do is blow hot air about a four-to-five cents per litre “Carbon Tax” on gasoline.

Is That All Our Future is Worth?

Posted this Earth Day, April 22^nd, 2019 on Niagara At Large

A Brief Foreword by Doug Draper, Niagara At Large –

Could this be ‘Ford Nation’ in the year 2014? Wonder how much this Ford supporter would be willing to pay for gas now?

A few weeks ago, after Niagara At Large posted another in a series of news commentaries on the Ford government’s obsession with spending large sums of our money fighting efforts by Canada’s federal government to put a price on climate-altering carbon pollution – what Ford and his allies like federal Tory leader Andrew Sheer, and newly elected Alberta premier Jason Kenny strategically call a “carbon tax” to make it sound like some poison pill the feds are trying to get us to swallow – one Niagara resident and NAL reader, Linda McKellar, shared the following comment.

We posted this comment on Niagara At Large at the time, but feel it is well worth repeating on Earth Day, along with the dramatic video message from the late great Carl Sagan that it refers to. Here it is.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford seen here, slamming the four-to-five cent “carbon tax” the feds are adding to a litre on gasoline as one way of reducing climate-altering carbon pollution. Here is a question you might want to ask Ford and his Tory MPPs. How about killing the more than 20 cents a litre in provincial taxes on gas while you are at it? Or does that go to pay for the salaries and expenses of Ford and his cabinet?

A Comment from Niagara, Ontario resident Linda McKellar on reports from a global team of scientists that we may only have 11 or 12 years left to avert a world-wide climate catastrophe –

So what does Ford do?

Open for business.

I don’t mind paying more for gas or a carbon tax if it enables me to breathe.
Somehow people think we’re immune from extinction. We’re not. Neither are the animals and pollinators we need to keep us alive in the chain of life.

It’s like (former U.S. senator and vice-president, and climate change fighting advocate) Al Gore’s frog analogy.

Put a frog in hot water and it jumps out…if it can. Put it in water and heat it gradually and it adapts up to a point and won’t jump out until the damage is done and it’s too late.

More people need to read Carl Sagan’s “Pale Blue Dot” to realize how insignificant and stupid humans are and how lucky we are to have a liveable place called earth.

Maybe eons from now, some species will look back at our fossils and say, wow, were those extinct creatures ever stupid!

A Footnote from Niagara At Large –

Please click on the following screen, for a message from the late great scientist and environmentalist Carl Sagan –

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 reminder that we only post comments by individuals who also share their first and last names.

For more news and commentary from Niagara At Large – an independent, alternative voice for our greater bi-national Niagara region – become a regular visitor and subscriber to NAL at www.niagaraatlarge.com .

“A politician thinks of the next election. A leader thinks of the next generation.” – Bernie Sanders

Umbrella Group for NPCA and 35 other CAs  across Province Responds to “Deep Cuts” in Ford Budget to Core Services           like Flood Management 

A Message from Conservation Ontario

Posted April 22^nd, 2019 on Niagara At Large

A Brief Foreword by Doug Draper, Niagara At Large

One of the more frequent pieces of news I heard on CBC Radio coming into this rain-soaked Easter weekend was broadcast with the heading; “Ontario’s Conservation Authorities on flood alert.”

Flooding waters from near-record rainfalls in the spring of 2017 covered swampedf Lakeside Park and the outer Port Dalhousie Harbour area in St. Catharines, Ontario, resulting in hundreds of thousands of dollars of damage and cleanup costs. File photo by Doug Draper

This news came just days after reports circulated across the province that the budget Ontario’s Ford government tabled this past April 11^th included up to 50 per cent cuts in transfer payments to the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority and 35 other Conservation Authorities in Ontario for delivering core services that include, at or near the top of the list, flood management.

One finds it hard to imagine what logic – economic or otherwise – Premier Doug Ford, his cabinet and his caucus of MPPs that includes Niagara West MPP Sam Oosterhoff, used to make this cut. Continue reading →

“This move is regressive and dangerous. The world is in a biodiversity crisis, and the Ontario government has proposed to gut one of the most comprehensive endangered species laws in the world.” – from a statement by three of Canada’s leading environmental organizations

Ontario Nature file photo

A Statement from Ontario Nature , Environmental Defence of Canada and the David Suzuki Foundation

Posted April 19^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Ontario Nature file photo

Toronto, Ontario – The Ontario government’s shocking and irresponsible proposed changes to the Endangered Species Act will effectively remove all safety nets for species at risk in this province. The proposal will give industry a free pass to exterminate species in Ontario.

This move is regressive and dangerous. The world is in a biodiversity crisis, and the Ontario government has proposed to gut one of the most comprehensive endangered species laws in the world. The province is bending to pressure from industry and sprawl developers when they should be working to restore and protect vulnerable habitats. Continue reading →

“Many of us are aware of how wonderful the Niagara River ecosystem is, but to be honored on a global scale would be an incredible boost both ecologically and economically. These are world-renowned wetlands in our own backyard.”              – Professor Kim Diana Connolly, director of the Environmental Advocacy Clinic at the University at Buffalo School of Law

Provincially significant wetlands under the canopy of the Thundering Waters Forest, in the Niagara River watershed in Niagara Falls, Ontario. file photo

News from the Niagara River Ramsar Binational Steering Committee

Posted April 18th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

(Niagara At Large will be posting more information on this important development for our Niagara River corridor in the days ahead, including comments from key players on both sides of the Ontario/New York State border. Stay Tuned.)

Now here is news released this April 18 by Canadian Chair Jocelyn Baker, U.S. Chair Jajean Rose-Burney and the rest of the Niagara River Ramsar Binational Steering Committee

Niagara Falls New York  – The Niagara River is one step closer to being recognized under an international Convention as a Wetland of International Importance.

The listing of a site under the Ramsar Convention is a source of pride for the site’s community and a major draw for ecotourism.

“This is an exciting advancement for the region. The Ramsar honor will put the Niagara River on par with other Ramsar sites like the Everglades and the Galapagos Islands” said Greg Stevens, Executive Director of the Niagara River Greenway Commission.

The Niagara River Ramsar Binational Steering Committee, made up of local environmental experts and advocates, has been working on this nomination for six years. Continue reading →

On the Eve of Earth Day, 2019, Ford and his Tory MPPs continue their Rlentloess War on our Environment

An Urgent Outcry from Ontario Nature, a not-for-profit citizens advocacy group for protecting what is left of Ontario’s natural heritage

Posted April 18^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Ontario’s Environment Minister Rod Phillips shamelessly outlines plans to let developers do end run around endangered species laws, while his boss, Doug Ford, looks on.

When the government holds a press conference in the afternoon before a long weekend, the news is unlikely to be good.

Indeed, today Minister Rod Phillips (Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks) announced proposed changes to Ontario’s Endangered species Act.

As we feared, these changes would effectively allow the government to ignore the pressing need to save Ontario’s most vulnerable plants and animals.

Niagara citizens rally o save Thundering Waters Forest in Niagara Falls, Ontario and wildlife in it from plans by developers to build there. file photo

If the changes go through –

• * Species listed as threatened or endangered may no longer be automatically protected.
• * The Minister will have discretion to interfere with the listing of at-risk species at his convenience, bringing politics into the listing process.
• * Developers and other proponents of harmful activities will be able to “pay-to-slay” by paying into a fund to compensate for harming species at risk and their habitats (rather than providing an on-the-ground overall benefit to species).
• * Southern Ontario species at the northern limit of their range may receive less or no protection, depending on their status outside Ontario.

These moves are regressive and dangerous.

Continue reading →

St. Catharines’ Acting Fire Chief says ‘it is dangerous for restaurants, bars and nightclubs to have more people than they can accommodate’.

A News Release from the City of St. Catharines

Posted April 18^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Acting St. Catharines, Ontario Fire Chief Jeff McCormick

Niagara, Ontario – The operator of the Mansion House Hotel in Downtown St. Catharines has been fined by the Ontario Court of Justice for overcrowding at the bar.

1602128 Ontario Ltd. pled guilty on Friday, April 12 to Ontario Fire Code charges of exceeding the occupant load for the number of persons occupying a room or floor space in an assembly occupancy. The establishment had more occupants in its main floor bar area and in its lounge area than the authorized capacity.

The court imposed a $7,500 fine against the operators as well as court costs and victim fine surcharges.

Acting Fire Chief Jeff McCormick said it is dangerous for restaurants, bars and nightclubs to have more people than they can accommodate. Continue reading →

A News Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted April 17^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

At a meeting of the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority’s board of directors this April 17th, Interim CAO for the NPCA, Gayle Wood, seated to the left of the board’s Vice Chair and Pelham Regional Councillor Diana Huson, talks to board about funding cut from the Ontario government.

On top of other deep cuts to Ontario’s environmental protection programs, the Ford government has also taken an axe to the funding the province transfers to Conservation Authorities for protecting people and their properties from climate-related hazards like flooding.

NPCA’s Interim CAO Gayle Wood

At a meeting of the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority’s board of directors this April 17^th, Gayle Wood, the NPCA’s Interim CAO, told board members that concerns that last April 11^th’s provincial budget would mean significant cuts in funding from the province to Conservation Authorities across Ontario have been confirmed.

Wood said annual funds the province transfers to the NPCA will be cut from about $174,000 to $90,000 – almost half of the money the province gives to the Conservation Authority each year for core services like flood management.

The cut may not be much of a blow to the NPCA’s budget this year, she said, because some money is being saved “due to a number of (recent) staffing gaps,” but next year they could prove “extremely challenging.” Continue reading →

And What’s With Ford’s Incessant Use of this Totalitarian Trope “Government for the People”

Doug Ford unveiling another ‘Open for Business’ billboard at Ontario’s borders

A Commentary by Niagara At Large reporter and publisher  Doug Draper

Posted April 16^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Unless you have been living somewhere far away from the province over the past 10 months, it probably comes as as no news  to you that Doug Ford wants to make Ontario “Open for Business”.

That apparently means that Ontario’s premier and his self-described “Government for the People” are bent on making the province a more friendly place for private companies to do business in.

As of the release of his ‘Government for the People’s first budget this April 14th, Ford may want to amend that “open for business” call-out to say that Ontario is open for business just so long as your business is willing to stick whatever propaganda his government wants on or near a product you are selling, or face a steep fine!

A copy of one of the possible stickers the Ford government will force gas stations to display on their pumps.

As much as that is what you might expect from a government in a totalitarian state, Ford and his army of MPPs are now looking at making it mandatory for private companies that sell gasoline in their oh-so “open for business” Ontario to place a sticker on their gas pumps, telling customers that they are paying an extra four to five cents per litre for a federal “tax” on climate polluting carbon.

If owners of gas stations don’t put these stickers on their pumps where prospective customers can see them, they could face a $10,000 fine.

What Ford and his minions choose to call a “carbon tax,” by the way, which is more realistically a price the federal government is trying to impose on highly damaging carbon pollution in an effort to address climate change by reducing our country’s carbon footprint, is a hell of a lot less than the 25 or so cents slapped on to a litre of gas through provincial taxes. Continue reading →

The Association of Municipalities of Ontario shocked by Ford’s eliminating 42 of 52 land ambulance services

A News Release from Ontario’s NDP Official Opposition Leader Andrea Horwath

Posted April 16^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Ontario NDP and Official Opposition Leader Andrea Horwath

Queen’s Park — NDP Official Opposition Leader Andrea Horwath was deeply troubled to learn Tuesday that Doug Ford’s cuts to frontline healthcare will include axing 42 of the province’s 52 land ambulance services in a massive cut to essential emergency services, according to an internal memo from the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO).

“With each passing day, it’s clearer that the Ford Government’s reckless and dangerous cuts to frontline health care are going to hurt families across Ontario,” said Horwath. Continue reading →

Funds raised will support play therapy for children who have experienced trauma 

News from Niagara College 

Posted April 16th, 2019 

Niagara, Ontario – As a result of this year’s Many Hands Project, $40,800 was donated to Pathstone Mental Health<https://www.pathstonementalhealth.ca/> – a community-based organization that provides innovative and effective treatment for all children in Niagara diagnosed with mental health issues.

Students in NC’s Event Management program present the cheque for $40,858 to Pathstone Mental Health, the grand total raised from their fundraising efforts as part of NC’s 2019 Many Hands Project.

 The funds were announced at a Many Hands Project reveal ceremony held at Branscombe Mental Health Centre in St. Catharines on April 15. The donation included $35,858 raised by NC student fundraisers and $5,000 from Canadian Tire Bank, a sponsor and long-time supporter of NC’s Many Hands Project. Continue reading →

How Much Will Ford’s Court Crusade for Carbon Polluters Cost Ontario Tax Payers? How Much Will It Cost Our Future?

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

Posted April 14^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Well, of course. Why not?

Less than two weeks after the release of an alarming report by scientists for Environment and Climate Change Canada, concluding that Canada’s climate is warming twice as fast as the world average, and just a few months after a team of the world’s climate experts warned that we only have about a dozen years to prevent what could be an unbearable future for generations to come, what does Ontario’s premier, Doug Ford, and his government decide to do?

They decide to go to court this week to fight a federal government move to slap an extra four to five cents on a litre of gasoline as a way of putting a price on climate-altering carbon pollution on the grounds that it is “unconstitutional.”

Unconstitutional?

That argument is coming from the same Ford government that is now threatening to force owners of private gas stations to put a sticker on their pumps warning of this so-called “carbon tax” or face a heavy fine.

How constitutional is that?

Hopefully, the courts will give the Ford government’s case (launched at Ontario taxpayers’ expense) the thumbs’ down it deserves. And hopefully enough people across the province will come to the conclusion that doing whatever we can do to avert a climate catastrophe not too many years down the line is worth more than four or five cents extra for a litre of gasoline. Continue reading →

“Walking at random through the streets, we came by chance upon the Cathedral of Notre Dame. I shall long remember my first impression of the scene within. The lofty gothic ceiling arched far above my head and through the stained windows the light came but dimly – it was all still, solemn and religious.”          – Bayard Taylor, an American journalist from thew 1800s

A Brief One from Doug Draper 

Posted April 15^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

You don’t need to be Catholic or religious in any way to feel terrible about this one.

As I post this, the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris France – a masterpiece of gothic architecture and one of the most iconic heritage buildings in the world – is engulfed in flames and parts of its out structure, including its towers, are reported to be crumbling.

It you care anything at all about heritage or cultural history, the scenes of this grand place burning on cable news channels are devastating to watch. Continue reading →

Executive Director and Advisor for the Ontario Urban Forest Council Speak in Thorold – Wednesday April 17th at 7:00 p.m.

An Invite to All from the Thorold Garden Club 

Posted April 15^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large 

Peter Wynnyczuk, executive director of Ontario Urban Forest Council, to speak at Thorold meeting. If you care about protecting and preserving trees in our region, don’t miss this meeting

This Wednesday, April 17^th.  the Thorold Garden Club is holding a free meeting for the public on a topic that is very timely, given all the recent concern and controversy over the cutting down of trees in Niagara Falls, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Fort Erie and other municipalities in the region. 

The meeting, to begin at 7 p.m. in the Holy Rosary Hall, 35 Queen Street S., in Thorold will feature two guest speakers who are both respected representatives of the Ontario Urban Forest Council.   Continue reading →

Buffalo, New York area Congressman Brian Higgins warns against Trump possibly removing personnel from vital border crossings like the Peace Bridge. Trump wants to shift resources to Mexican border to address what he calls an “infestation.”

U.S. President is Looking at Stripping Away Resources at Buffalo/Niagara and other Border Crossings to Address Mess he has Made at Mexican Border

A Call-Out from Buffalo-Area Congressman Brian with a Brief Foreword from Niagara At Large reporter and publisher Doug Draper

Posted April 15^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

A Foreword  from Doug Draper –

The border crossings overt the Niagara River, between Niagara Ontario and Western New York – particularly the Peace Bridge – are among the busiest border crossings in North America, accommodating millions of people and tens-of-billions of dollars of goods transported back and forth each year.

So good for U.S. Congressman Brian Higgins from the Buffalo, New York area for speaking out and working to avert a very costly crisis for people and businesses on both sides of the border if the U.S. Trump administration pulls away border officers and other resources from the Canada/U.S. border to seemingly address his self-made border crisis with Mexico. Continue reading →

“The gutting of Ontario’s climate action plan in combination with the taxpayer-financed partisan campaign against federal climate action expose a government that is deeply in denial on the urgency of the climate crisis.” – Keith Stewart, Senior Energy Strategist with Greenpeace Canada

A News Release from the environmtal group Greenpeace Canada

Posted April 15th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

TORONTO — Keith Stewart, Senior Energy Strategist with Greenpeace Canada, said the following in response to the 2019 Ontario budget:

“The 35 per cent cut to the Ministry of Environment and promised attacks on environmental protections make this the most anti-environmental budget in Ontario since the deadly tainted-water disaster in Walkerton (that killed six people and made more than 2,000 people sick in May of 2000). The gutting of Ontario’s climate action plan in combination with the taxpayer-financed partisan campaign against federal climate action expose a government that is deeply in denial on the urgency of the climate crisis.” Continue reading →

“This is a new low, even for Doug Ford. It’s bad enough that he’s wasting public money on partisan promotion, but now he’s threatening private business owners with massive fines for failing to post Conservative Party advertisement. So much for free speech.”                                                                                                           – Peter Tabuns, the NDP’s Energy and Climate Change critic

A News Release from Ontario’s Official Opposition (NDP) Party

Posted April 12^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

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

Doug Ford. Is he Ontario’s premier or is he BIG BROTHER!

This is the kind of rule you would expect to see a government force on private businesses in a fascist state!

Gas station owners should tell Premier Doug Ford to go  take his propaganda stickers to hell with him.

Our American neighbours put up with a lot, but  would never put up with this kind of strong-arm crap. They would be up in arms with government spending their tax money for totalitarian B.S. like this, and so should we!

QUEEN’S PARK – The Ford Government isn’t just spending thousands of public dollars on gas pump stickers promoting a partisan campaign against carbon pricing – yesterday’s budget bill revealed that Ford plans to fine gas stations $10,000 a day if the businesses fail or refuse to post the stickers. Continue reading →

Lend Your Name to the Fight to Protect What Are Left of our Red-headed Woodpeckers and Natural Heritage

A Petition posted by Marcie Jacklin and Community Voices of Fort Erie, a citizens group in Fort Erie, Ontario

Posted April 12th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

As some of you may already know, Waverly Woods (an area now being targeted for urban development) is a strong-hold for Red-headed Woodpeckers.

The Red-headed Woodpecker is now listed as Threatened under the Species at Risk Act for Canada and as Special Concern under Ontario’s Endangered Species Act.

The population is declining.

You can help by responding to Environment and Climate Change Canada’s request for input for their proposed recovery strategy. Continue reading →

A News Release from the Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce

Posted April 12^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – The new Government of Ontario released its first budget yesterday afternoon.

Although a budget is a closely-guarded secret until its release, some measures were expected: tax cuts aimed at stimulating business growth, dental care for seniors in poverty, childcare subsidies, a transit plan for the GTA, some service cuts and/or efficiencies, a virtually-unavoidable deficit, and an omnibus of legislation, some unrelated to the budget, in a move which has become routine for Canadian governments of all parties.

As in 2018<https://gncc.ca/gncc-welcomes-business-investment-and-municipal-supports-but-urges-deficit-caution-in-ontario-budget/> and 2017<https://gncc.ca/gncc-offers-comments-2017-ontario-budget/>, the GNCC urged caution on deficit spending. Continue reading →

Cool Beat Music and Books in Cheektowaga, New York and Niagara Records in St. Catharines, Ontario

“There is nothing as glamorous to me as a record store.”                – Paul McCartney

A Brief Call-Out for Record Stores  from Doug Draper, Niagara At Large

Re-posted April 12^th, 2019

This coming Saturday, April 13^th is a very special day for those of us who love music and, most importantly, for what are left of the marvellous and magical places in our regions that bring that great music too us.

This Saturday, April 13^th marks the 11^th annual ‘Record Store Day’ across North America and other parts of the world – a day when those of us who love music and the very special sense of community music inspires when we experience it together can do that coming together at favourite brick and mortar record stores, to support and celebrate t what Paul McCartney rightly calls the glamour and the joy they can bring to our lives.

Cool Beat Music and Books, one of the great stores for records in the greater Niagara region – this one in nearby Cheektowaga, New York

Those of you who regularly visit  Niagara At Large may already know that I like to advocate for supporting what are left of some of the great  independently owned stores in our region, and recently I highlighted three of the best used book stores, including Hannelore Headley Old and Fine Books and The Write Bookshop in St. Catharines, Ontario and  Rust Belt Books  in Buffalo, New Year.

This time, on the eve of this year’s Record Store Day, I want to mention at least a couple of the  coolest record stores on either side of the Niagara River.

And I’ll start with one called Cool Beat Music and Books that you can find on the American side of the border, less than a 10 minute drive from downtown Buffalo, New York on 2445 William Street in neighbouring Cheektowaga.

Inside the Cool Beat store with owner Wayne Zaganiaczyk, a veteran record and book seller in the region.

If you are wondering how you are going to find this very cool store, I will include a link for a map you can click on near the bottom of this post. For now, all you need to know is that Cool Beat is a store well worth finding. Continue reading →

News from the Office of Ontario Premier Doug Ford

Posted April 11th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Ontario Premier Doug Ford tables his government’s first budget

Building a sustainable future while protecting frontline services In its first /Budget/, Ontario’s Government for the People has introduced a comprehensive and sustainable plan that sets out a five-year path to a balanced budget to protect critical public services such as health care and education.

“We are restoring sustainability to government finances in order to protect what matters most,” said Minister of Finance Vic Fedeli.

“The previous government was spending about $40 million a day more than it was collecting in revenue. Our plan will make every dollar count so we can continue to invest in the critical programs like health care, education, and other services that the people of Ontario rely upon each and every day while protecting frontline workers.” Continue reading →

Among other things, the U.S. Trump Administration is “systematically dismantling” the Clean Water Act – legislation that has had a positive impact on protecting Great Lakes waters for decades. 

A Message from Joel Brammeier , President & CEO Alliance for the Great Lakes, a U.S.-based citizens group in the Great Lakes basin

Posted April 11th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Like many people around the Great Lakes, I was astonished by President Trump’s recent comments at a rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

At the rally, the president declared his love for the lakes and announced that he would fully fund the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI).

This cornerstone of Great Lakes protection and restoration efforts has funded more than 4,700 on-the-ground projects in all eight Great Lakes states. His (Trump’s) comments raised eyebrows around our office because the program he pledged to support is the same one he has cut in his budget every year since he took office. Continue reading →

Sample cricket flour cookies, take a guided hike or snap a selfie with a reptile – there are many ways to connect with nature at this rain-or-shine event

News from Niagara College in Niagara, Ontario

Posted April 11^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large 

Staff, students and community residents are welcome to participate in Niagara College’s fourth annual Spring BioBlitz. 

Organized by NC’s Office of Sustainability, the event will be held on Saturday, April 13 from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the College’s Niagara-on-the-Lake Campus. A BioBlitz is a community approach to identifying plant and animal species on a property, over a specified period of time.

The goal is to collect species information to better understand all of the organisms living on campus and to monitor how biodiversity is changing over time.  Continue reading →

News from the Niagara Dental Health Coalition

Posted April 11th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – The Niagara Dental Health Coalition is very pleased to see a commitment in today’s provincial budget for access to dental care for low income seniors. The Coalition has been part of an advocacy movement for several years across Ontario calling for expanded access to dental care for the two to three million Ontario residents who cannot afford care.

“We regularly receive calls and emails from Niagara residents who need dental care and can’t afford to pay, including many seniors,” says Lori Kleinsmith, Chair of the Niagara Dental Health Coalition. “In many cases, we are not able to suggest where to go for help, so this new funding for low income seniors will start to make a difference.” Continue reading →

The GNCC has convened a panel of experts who will explore questions such as what the opportunities and pitfalls of the various options (for municipal government restructuring in Niagara) are, what it will mean to citizens, taxpayers, businesses and organizations, what the likely outcomes might be, and more.

News Release from the Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce

Posted April 11^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

How different will this municipal map look in the years ahead and what will it mean for the people who live and work in Niagara?

Niagara, Ontario – On April 26th, at Lookout Point Country Club, the Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce will hold its AGM and Annual Business Luncheon. At this event, the GNCC will host a forum on governance reform.

The Government of Ontario has announced its intention to review and potentially change the governance structure of Niagara and other regions of Ontario. Niagara needs to know what those changes might be, and how they will affect us. Continue reading →

This year provides important opportunities for every resident around the Great Lakes  to learn more about issues affecting the Great Lakes, express why they care about them and share what actions they are taking – large and small – to restore and protect the ecosystem.

News from Sally Cole-Misch at the Canada/U.S. International Joint Commission

Posted April 9th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Across the Great Lakes region, residents overwhelmingly value the lakes and everything they provide – recreationally, economically and aesthetically.

In binational polls taken by an IJC board, in person, and in letters and emails, citizens have expressed a deep caring for and desire to protect the Great Lakes. People also want the lakes restored to their full potential for themselves, for everything in the lakes and for future generations. Continue reading →

“Transphobia and homophobia are real. To stop discrimination, hate and violence against LGBTQ people, we need to call it out. We cannot confront homophobic and transphobic bullying if the government won’t acknowledge that those things are very real.”  – Terence Kernaghan, Ontario’s Official Opposition NDP Critic for LGBTQ Issues

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

Posted April 10^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

NDP critic for LGBTQ Issues responds to minister’s refusal to acknowledge homophobia and transphobia – 

Ontario’s Education Minister Lisa Thompson

QUEEN’S PARK — Terence Kernaghan, Official Opposition NDP Critic for LGBTQ Issues, released the following statement regarding Education Minister Lisa Thompson’s outright refusal to acknowledge the reality of homophobia and transphobia:

“Today during question period, Minister of Education Lisa Thompson categorically refused to say the words homophobia and transphobia – refusing to acknowledge that members of the LGBTQ community and students in Ontario face hate, discrimination and violence that must be called out, and stamped out. Continue reading →

Lincoln County Humane Society Executive Director Kevin Strooband Receives Award for Leadership, Cooperation and Innovation

Kevin Strooband, the Lincoln County Humane Society’s executive direct, with a friend

“Kevin is a true example of what can be achieved when we work collaboratively in the animal welfare sector”    – Barbara Cartwright, CEO of Humane Canada

News from Humane Canada, the federation of SPCAs and humane societies across Canada

Posted April 10th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Ottawa – Humane Canada is pleased to announce that Kevin Strooband, Executive Director of the Lincoln County Humane Society will receive an award recognizing his leadership in the animal welfare movement and innovation in programming.

Kevin Strooband with the Lincoln County Humane Society’s Mobile Adoption Unit, which made its debut in the summer of 2018

“Kevin is a true example of what can be achieved when we work collaboratively in the animal welfare sector” says Barbara Cartwright, CEO of Humane Canada. Continue reading →

Ontario Announces $28.5 Billion to Get Ontario Moving

“In just nine months, Ontario has delivered the long asked for expansion of GO Train service to Niagara Falls and           St. Catharines, years ahead of schedule.”

News from the Office of Ontario Premier Doug Ford

Posted April 10^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

TORONTO — Transit users and commuters across Ontario can look forward to transportation improvements as part of the Government of Ontario’s historic new transportation vision, Premier Doug Ford announced today.

Joined by Jeff Yurek, Minister of Transportation, and Monte McNaughton, Minister of Infrastructure, Ford announced a $28.5 billion expansion to Ontario’s transit network. This is the most money ever invested to get shovels in the ground and get new subways built.

“Our government is investing in transportation to bring relief and new opportunities to transit users and commuters,” said Ford. Continue reading →

‘The Ford government has not done its part to protect St. Catharines residents struggling with mental health challenges, as it has failed to provide mental health and addictions services and failed to fund a suicide prevention barrier on Burgoyne Bridge.’ – St. Catharines MPP Jennie Stevens

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

Posted April 9^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

St. Catharines MPP Jennie Stevens

QUEEN’S PARK — Today in the legislature, the NDP MPP for St. Catharines, Jennie Stevens, said the Ford government has not done its part to protect St. Catharines residents struggling with mental health challenges, as it has failed to provide mental health and addictions services and failed to fund a suicide prevention barrier on Burgoyne Bridge.

For over a year, the city of St. Catharines and the Niagara region have been advocating for a suicide prevention barrier to be installed on the Burgoyne Bridge. Since October, six people lost their lives to suicide at the bridge. Continue reading →

“A living wage reflects what earners need to be paid based on the actual costs of living and being included in the community.”          – Glen Walker, Chair of the Niagara Poverty Reduction Network

“It is my belief that our employees should not have to choose between something they love and affording the costs associated with living in our community. “                                                                – Spirit Athletics owner Rhys Ottaway.

News from the Niagara poverty Reduction Network

Posted April 9^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

The Niagara Poverty Reduction Network is pleased to announce that Spirit Athletics has become a certified living wage employer.

Rhys Ottaway Owner Spirit Athletics, left and Melenie Neamtz Vice Chair Niagara Poverty Reduction Network with living wage certificate

Spirit Athletics opened in 2018 and is owned by Rhys Ottaway. They are an athletic and character development program based out of St. Catharines that offers cheerleading, tumbling, and other fitness activities. They currently employ six part time staff. Continue reading →

Ontario NDP and Official Opposition Leader Andrea Horwath

“Women in Ontario deserve to receive equal pay for work of equal value, and the NDP will keep fighting until that becomes a reality in this province.”                     – from  Official Opposition Party and NDP Leader Andrea Horwath

Andrea Horwath releases Statement on Equal Pay Day

Posted April 9^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

QUEEN’S PARK — NDP Official Opposition Leader Andrea Horwath released the following statement on Equal Pay Day:

“Women’s work is not worth less than the work of the men working beside them, yet they continue to be paid less.

In Ontario, women are paid 71 cents on the dollar for their work compared to their male counterparts. That gap grows for Indigenous women, racialized women and women living with disabilities. Continue reading →

Ontaro’s Ford government’s cuts to medicine programs leave the most vulnerable to fall through the cracks

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

Posted April 8^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Niagara Falls MPP Wayne Gates

QUEEN’S PARK — NDP MPP for Niagara Falls Wayne Gates said the Ford government needs to reverse its cuts to government prescription drug programs for children. Gates shared the story of a family being hurt by these cuts in the Legislature on Monday.

“This week I spoke to a new mother with a six-month-old son who requires prescription formula. The formula was covered by a government program, until Doug Ford’s cuts ensured this family would no longer receive coverage,” said Gates.

“Now it will cost this young family $600 a month, because their private insurance does not cover the formula.” Continue reading →

Just When Some of Us Thought Our Long, Dark Journey with a Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority in Chaos Might Finally be Over

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

Posted April 5^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Opening Ontario’s Conservation Authorities up for reform. What does this man have in mind for our Conservation Authority?

Just as some of us thought we have turned a corner for the better at the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority NPCA) with the appointment of a new acting CAO many have respect for, we have the following to look forward to.

Ontario’s Ford government, which isn’t exactly proving to be a friend of environmental conservation, has circulated a news release this April 5^th that it is now going to work on plans to reform the legislation governing the NPCA and more than 30 other Conservation Authorities across the province.

So what on earth is that going to mean for Conservation Authorities we need to restore, protect and restore our region’s precious watershed?

The NPCA’s recently appointed interim CAO Gayle Wood, a respected conservationist, has given many Niagara citizens hope that the Conservation Authority will get back to playing a real role in  protecting and preserving our region’s natural heritage.

All I advise at the moment is that those of us in this region and others who care about environmental conservation and who have fought so hard in recent years to rescue our dysfunctional NPCA from a group of hijackers and get it back on track, had better get engaged and be ready to raise our voices loudly if the Ford government does anything to further weaken or damage these bodies. Continue reading →

Natalie Moore, a Listowel, Ontario high school student whose message of concern triggered a province-wide walkout for quality education

“We do understand that balancing the books is important, but it should never come at the cost of our world-class education system we’ve built in Ontario-” – Natalie Moore, an 18-year-old high school student from Listowel, Ontario who sparked the province-wide, April .4^th student walkout with a message of concern she shared on social media.

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

Posted April 5th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

More than 200 students at Holy Cross Secondary School in St. Catharines join this April 4th’s province-wide walkout to protest the Ford government’s cuts to education.

Niagara, Ontario – If there was any doubt that young people should have a voice in the decisions the Ford government is making that that are affecting their lives, this past Thursday, April 4th they used it.

More than 200 students at Holy Cross Secondary School in St. Catharines joined countless tens of thousands of others at high schools across Niagara and the rest of the province in an afternoon walkout to protest recent moves by the Ontario government of Doug Ford to, among other things, increase class sizes, cut teachers jobs, kill a recently updated sex education curriculum and force students to take at least four mandatory online courses in place of having a real teacher in the classroom.  Continue reading →

Niagara Region’s new Chair, Jim Bradley

“Niagara is more than the sum of its parts, and it is because of our spirit of cooperation and team work that we will always find a way to move beyond our limits. … We should all believe that Niagara’s future is bright and has no limits.” – from Niagara Regional Chair Jim Bradley’s ‘State of the Region’ address, delivered this April 3^rd, 2019 at a luncheon gala hosted by the Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce

A News Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted April 4^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

A year ago this spring, when the Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce hosted the annual “State of the Region” address in a sprawling banquet room of the Scotiabank Convention Centre in Niagara Falls where the event, the person who was Niagara’s Regional Chair at the time entered the room wearing the chain of office – one of those gaudy metal livery collars often worn by royals and autocrats as a mark of fealty.

The audience in the big room at the Scotiabank Convention Centre in Niagara Falls this April 3rd, listening to Niagara Regional Chair Jim Bradley deliver his first State of the Region address. The even was hosted by the Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce.

He burst in to the room to the noise of some ‘We Are the Champions’-like or Rocky-like theme music blaring from loud speakers, sprinting through the audience on his way to the podium as if he was Bruce Springsteen taking the stage for a big show.

But this was certainly not ‘The Boss’ about the break in to a rousing performance of ‘Born To Run’ or ‘Thunder Road’. Not even close. Continue reading →

Niagara Centre MPP Jeff Burch

“We need to ask ourselves: Why is it that in this period of heightened awareness, … we cannot ensure that help (for sexual assault victims) is available? We have a social responsibility to all victims and survivors to make sure they can access properly funded services.” – Niagara Centre NDP MPP Jeff Burch

A Share from the Constituency Office of Niagara Centre MPP Jeff Burch

Posted April 4^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

A Statement delivered by Niagara Centre MPP Jeff Burch this past Wednesday, April 3^rd in the LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF ONTARIO

Mr. Jeff Burch: “Recently, I had the privilege of meeting with Lisa Berketo, the administrative coordinator with the Niagara Region Sexual Assault Centre. She described the dire straits they find themselves in due to a lack of proper sustainable funding. Continue reading →

“Elder Abuse Ontario envisions an Ontario where seniors are free from abuse, have a strong voice and are safe and respected.” from the Vision statement of Elder Abuse Ontario, a province-wide not-for-profit body with a budget that the province’s premier, Doug Ford, and his Tories are now looking at cutting.

‘Ford must stop cut to Elder Abuse Ontario.’                         – Ontario NDP Seniors’ Affairs critic Joel Harden

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

Posted April 3^rd, 2019 on Niagara At Large

QUEEN’S PARK — NDP MPP Joel Harden, critic for Accessibility, Persons with Disabilities and Seniors’ Affairs, today asked the Minister for Seniors and Accessibility, Raymond Cho, to fight Finance Minister Vic Fedeli and Doug Ford on their plan for Elder Abuse Ontario — which a new document shows could see a funding cut of up to 15 per cent.

Harden’s office obtained the document via a freedom of information request. Elder Abuse Ontario protects seniors across the province by training thousands of frontline workers in identifying and preventing elder abuse. It also runs a free safety hotline as a resource for older adults who are victims, or at risk of, abuse. Continue reading →

The Slogan “Yours To Discover” May Go. How about one of Ford’s favourites – “Open For Business” – as a Replacement?

Some Brief Commentary from Niagara At Large reporter and publisher  Doug Draper, with a News Release from Ontario’s Official Opposition and New Democratic Party

Posted April 2nd, 2019 on Niagara At Large

An Ontario licence plate with the time-honoured ‘Yours To Discover’ logo on it.

I posted the following media release from the Ontario NDP, along with a little commentary from me this April 1^st, underneath a  fictional story that I spun as an April Fool’s joke, and I think this news, about a possible significant change to what appears on the licence plates the province issues to vehicle owners after 35 years of the plate reading “Ontario – Yours To Discover” may have got lost in the joke.

The fact is that the news that Ontario’s Ford Government may be looking at changing the slogan on the plate from “Yours To Discover” to possibly “Open For Business” began circulating this past Friday, March 29^th and is no April Fool’s joke. Continue reading →

Dispatch is the first full-service restaurant in Ontario to become a certified living wage employer.

“We are delighted to see the growing number of employers in Niagara who see the benefits of offering a living wage and we hope this group continues to grow,”                                                       – Glen Walker, Chair of the Niagara Poverty Reduction Network.

News from the Niagara Poverty Reduction Network

Posted April 2nd, 2019 on Niagara At Large

The Niagara Poverty Reduction Network is pleased to announce that Dispatch has become a certified living wage employer. Opened in March 2019 by Chef Adam Hynam-Smith and Tamara Jensen, Dispatch is a 40-seat fine dining restaurant located in downtown St. Catharines.

The Niagara Poverty Reduction Network’s Glen Walker, left, with the Dispatch restaurant’s Adam Hynam-Smith and Tamara Jensen

They currently employ six full time and four part time staff.  Dispatch is part of a growing movement to empower hospitality teams to succeed in their careers while enjoying the professional respect they deserve. Continue reading →

Encouraging Job Creation, Investment and Trade in Ontario

“Our government is delivering on our commitment to be open for business.”  – Jeff Yurek, Ontario Minister of Transportation

News from Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s “Government for the People”

Posted April 2^nd, 2019 on Niagara At Large

The Ontario government is putting people first by investing $1.3 billion to rebuild and restore highways across the province.

Jeff Yurek, Minister of Transportation announced funding for projects that will help create jobs for Ontario’s construction industry and keep our highways safe and reliable so that Ontario has a transportation network that encourages job creation, investment and trade in every region across the province. Continue reading →

Niagara Centre MP Vance Badawey

“We have been working with our partners to reduce chronic homelessness across the region.  We are taking immediate action to help reduce homelessness by investing $5.2-million in Niagara over the next five years.” – Niagara Centre Liberal MP Vance Badawey

News from the Constituency Offices of Niagara Centre MP Vance badawey and St. Catharines MP Chris Bittle

Posted April 1^st, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – Every Canadian deserves a safe and affordable place to call home.

Yet every day, vulnerable Canadians experience or are at risk of becoming homeless. The Government of Canada is taking action to help those in need, and make a real impact to reduce homelessness across Canada.

Jean-Yves Duclos, Canada’s Minister of Families, Children and Social Development

Today (this Monday, April 1^st), the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, launched the Reaching Home: Canada’s Homelessness Strategy. Reaching Home will continue to support communities’ efforts to prevent and reduce homelessness in Canada.

It will also support the goals of the National Housing Strategy, specifically the reduction of chronic homelessness nationally by 50 percent by 2027–2028.

Through Reaching Home, the Government of Canada is reinforcing its community-based approach by delivering funding directly to municipalities and local service providers. Continue reading →

Canada’s NDP Leader  Jagmeet Singh

“Trudeau’s Liberal government wants a patchwork plan that works for their friends at the big pharmaceutical and insurance companies – but leaves too many people out. And with Canadians paying some of the highest drug prices in the world, we need to have the courage to fight for a solution that actually helps everyday people.”

– Jagmeet Singh, Leader, Canada’s NDP

A Statement From Canada’s NDP Leader  Jagmeet Singh

Posted April 1st, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Across Canada, people are having to make impossible choices every day – seniors are cutting their pills in half in order to make them last, and families are being forced to choose between paying rent on time or filling their prescriptions. Continue reading →

After 25 Years, Ontario No Longer Has an Official Environmental Watchdog

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

Posted April 1^st, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Here we are on the first day of April – just 21 days away from celebrating the 49^th anniversary of the first Earth Day – and what I am about to mention is not an April Fool’s joke.

Dianne Saxe, Ontario’s  last Environmental Commissioner, worked as an independent watchdog for the public. The Ford government claims that chopping Saxe’s office is about saving money, yet the Office cost the province a mere 30 cents per person in Ontario, per year.

This past Friday afternoon (March 29^th), Ontario’s Environmental Commissioner, Dianne Saxe, and her staff turned off the lights in the Environmental Commissioner’s Office (ECO) for the last time because as of this April 1^st, thanks to Premier Doug Ford’s self-described “Government for the People,” that office is officially closed.

The Ford government announced it would be closing the ECO, which has served as an official, independent watchdog on provincial government affairs when it comes to environmental protection, in November of last year.

The announcement came shortly after the Office released a major report titled; Climate Action in Ontario – What’s Next, which included the following summary remarks on the challenge the province faces now –

“Although climate disruption is already starting to hammer Ontario,” states the report, “we continue to emit high levels of greenhouse gas pollution. It is no longer possible for us to have what we all want: both a safe, predictable climate that sustains our lives and economy, and unlimited fossil fuel use.” Continue reading →

New Requirement Follows in the Wake of Ongoing Crackdowns at the U.S./Mexico Border

A News Brief from Niagara At Large reporter and publisher Doug Draper

Posted April 1^st, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Starting this May, Canadians crossing into the United States by truck or car will be issued bumper stickers by homeland security officers, stamped with a red maple leaf and reading; “Canadians for Donald Trump.”

The issuance of the bumper sticker, according to a news release from the U.S. government, will come with a warning to everyone who owns a vehicle bearing a Canadian licence plate that if the stickers are not displayed where they can be clearly viewed on the back bumpers of their truck or car by July 4^th of this year, they may be turned around at the border and not allowed to enter the United States. Continue reading →

“Last October, the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released (a) special report (that) was a screaming alarm for immediate action. … And yet, months later, governments continue to act as though it is business as usual.”    – Elizabeth May, Leader of Canada’s Green Party

A Call-Out Elizabeth May and the Green Party of Canada

Post April 1st, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Dear Friend,

Canadian Green Party Leader Elizabeth May

Last October, the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its special report on why the world must reach the Paris target of no more than a 1.5 degree C global average temperature increase – or face the most dire of consequences. It was a screaming alarm for immediate action.

And yet, months later, governments continue to act as though it is business as usual. The report has been massively misinterpreted. Media and politicians keep saying “We have 12 years.” This is not true.

Rather than measure our actions in years, we must adjust our level of urgency to measure the time before the window of opportunity on 1.5 degrees is closed forever. 

We don’t have years; we have months. Continue reading →

Join People Around the World for Earth Hour 2019 this Saturday, March 30^th from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m.

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

Posted March 30^th, 2019

Earth Hour.

I know what some of you may be thinking. What good is turning off your lights for one hour going to do for the planet.

Well, probably not much, but at least it is a start. It is a chance to at sit around with friends and relatives for an hour and thinks about what you can do as an individual and what all of us can do in our communities to take the action we need to take collectively to spare our future from ever more destructive impacts of climate change. Continue reading →

Announcement Follows Outcry from Province’s New Democratic Party and Others as Deadline Approaches for Re-Funding Treatment Sites

Sites for continued funding include one at Positive Living Niagara on Queenston Street in St. Catharines and at the Hamilton Urban Core Community Health Centre on Rebecca Street in Hamilton

“Our government takes the opioids crisis very seriously,”               – Christine Elliott, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health and Long-Term Care, March 29^th, 2019.

Ontario Health Minister Christine Elliott

A News Release from the Ontario Government

Posted March 29^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Ontario’s Government for the People is putting patients at the centre of our integrated health care system. As part of this commitment the Government of Ontario is ensuring those struggling with drug addiction can connect with full wrap-round supports for treatment and rehabilitation services, by approving 15 Consumption and Treatment Services sites in communities with high need and will continue to accept applications from interested organizations. Continue reading →