Author Archives: dougdraper

The Problems at the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority Demand Urgent Attention

Niagara’s Taxpayers and Natural Heritage Deserve Far Better Than What We Are Getting Here

The N,PCA’s new chair – recently elected West Lincoln Mayor Dave Bylsma –  seeks some direction from “acting NPCA CAO” David Barrick to his left, while the NPCA’s recently promoted “communications and administration director” Krystle Caputo flanks him on the right at a recent NPCA board meeting.

Commentary by Niagara At Large reporter & publisher Doug Draper

Posted January 29^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

In my view, Peter Gill is almost always spot on with the images he produces to spotlight the many messes in municipal governance that are in need of urgent redressing across this Niagara region.

However, I have a wee bit of an issue with one of the images that Gill -a retired Niagara Regional Police who unfortunately lost his bid last fall for a seat on Niagara’s Regional Council, posted on social media this January 29th.

I am re-posting the image for you here, and then I’ll tell you why –

Did you see the snail that Peter Gill pasted on the flag flying in front of the Region-owned building in Welland where the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA) has its headquarters.

The problem I have with attaching a snail to that flag to depict the status of efforts to clean up the monumental mess at the NPCA is that at least snails, like sloths or turtles, move forward. Continue reading →

“Niagara College is a strong contributor to Niagara’s economic prosperity (and) we welcome the opportunities this partnership will provide for our students and look forward to working together with Lincoln to promote and foster innovation and sustainability in Niagara’s key industries.”                                          –  Niagara College President Dan Patterson

News from Niagara College and the Town of Lincoln in Niagara, Ontario

Posted January 29th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Lincoln, Ontario  – This January 28th, Niagara College and the Town of Lincoln signed a formal memorandum of understanding (MOU) that will see the municipality and college collaborate to explore, facilitate and support social and economic development. A main area of focus will be Niagara’s agri-business sector.

From left to right, Associate Dean Al Unwin, Niagara College; Lincoln Mayor Sandra Easton; President Dan Patterson, Niagara College; Councillor Paul MacPherson, Town of Lincoln; CAO Michael Kirkopoulos, Town of Lincoln

The MOU was signed by Mayor Sandra Easton and Niagara College President Dan Patterson at Lincoln’s Council meeting on Jan. 28. This MOU is another opportunity for Lincoln to benefit from the expertise of the high quality post-secondary institutions here in Niagara. Continue reading →

An Event featuring Members of the Legal Team that helped win the Dave vs. Goliath case against the Monsanto corporation. Attend the Event  or Watch It on Livestream

Hosted by the Canadian Environmental Law Association (CELA) and Friends of the Earth

Posted January 28th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

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

In a  David vs. Goliath court battle last year against one of the world’s large manufacturers of chemicals and biotechnology for agriculture, lawyers representing a  school groundskeeper in California was able to win a $289-million damages suit against Monsanto.

For the first time in any court, lawyers were able to win a ruling that one of Monsanto’s major chemical products, identified by the trade name Round Up, was responsible for groundskeeper Dewayne Johnson’s cancer. Continue reading →

One of area’s largest employers is now set to fill over 350 seasonal positions

An Invite to Job Seekers from Ontario’s Niagara Parks Commission

Re-Posted this January 28^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Niagara Falls, Ontario – The Niagara Parks Commission, one of the region’s largest employers with over 1,700 full-time and seasonal employees, will host its annual Job Fair on Saturday, February 2 at Niagara Parks’ Legends on the Niagara Golf Complex.

The annual Job Fair allows Niagara Parks to showcase the seasonal job opportunities that exist within the Commission each year, while providing individuals with an opportunity to connect directly with various departmental hiring managers. Representatives from Niagara Parks’ Human Resources Department will also be on-hand to help answer any questions. Continue reading →

Stop Private  Clinics and Unlawful User-fees and Extra-billing of Patients. Sign an Online Petition Below

A Call-Out from the Ontario Health Coalition, a province-wide citizens network fighting to save quality public health care

Posted January 28^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

The Ontario Health Coalition, in partnership with the provincial and territorial health coalitions and the Canadian Health Coalition, has been working tirelessly to bring an end to the unlawful extra-billing of patients by private health clinics and stop the privatization of health care services. Continue reading →

Statement from Ontario NDP and Official Opposition Leader Andrea Horwath on International Holocaust Remembrance Day

Posted January 27^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

QUEEN’S PARK — Andrea Horwath, leader of the Ontario NDP and Leader of the Official Opposition, issued the following statement on International Holocaust Remembrance Day:

To the horror of many last year, this swastika was found sprayed on a sidewalk near an elementary school in St. Catharines/Niagara where children and their teachers and parents gathered two years earlier to celebrate the unveiling of a statue of 19th Century civil rights icon Harriet Tubman

“On International Holocaust Remembrance Day, we remember the six million Jews who were murdered in the Holocaust. We honour their memories, and pledge never to forget the horrific genocide systematically carried out against them.

This January 27th, on behalf of Ontario’s New Democrats, I re-commit to never forgetting the thriving communities destroyed, and the millions of lives senselessly snuffed out by the Nazis.

We pledge to continue the work of stamping out anti-Semitism in our own communities, and to eliminate discrimination and xenophobia in all its forms, against all peoples.”

To read story posted on Niagara At Large in February 2018 on a swastika spray painted near a St. Catharines school where a statue of civil rights heroine Harriet Tubman stands, click on – https://niagaraatlarge.com/2018/02/02/hate-in-the-shape-of-a-swastika-finds-expression-near-a-statue-of-civil-rights-heroine-harriet-tubman-in-niagara-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 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

Nine Cents  – That’s Right, Just  Nine Copper Pennies Left – in the Police Budget’s Reserves!

A Commentary by Niagara At Large reporter and publisher            Doug Draper

Posted January 25th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Nine cents!

That’s right, only nine copper pennies left in reserves for a Niagara Regional Police Service with an annual operating budget exceeding $140 million a year.

Or since we don’t have pennies in Canada any longer, let’s round that out to one thin dime. And as the old song about being down and out on the streets of Broadway goes, “one thin dime won’t even shine your shoes.”

Nine cents was all that Niagara Regional Police (NRP) Chief Bryan MacCulloch and the new board of the Niagara Regional Police Force has found left over in a pot of reserve money – set aside for emergencies and unexpected expenses that turn up – that should hold at least few hundred thousand dollars, according to a January 25th report in The St. Catharines Standard.

Here is someone’s impression of, from left to right, then-Niagara Regional Chair, then-Port Colborne Regional Councillor David Barrick and Niagara Falls Regional Councillor Bob Gale (the only one of the three who is back again) on the last Niagara Regional Police Services board.

As outrageous as that is, it is not really all that shocking given all of the concerns raised and reports we’ve heard about voodoo economics and the reserves being raided by members of the old police board, chaired over the past four years by Niagara Falls Regional Councillor Bob Gale – all with a mind to making overall annual budget increases for NRP look good, and to achieve that much ballyhooed zero per cent increase. Continue reading →

“We are looking forward to reviewing the purposed changes to help serve Niagara Residents better. Niagara Region is committed to making service delivery and improvements as one of our top priorities” ~ Jim Bradley, Niagara Regional Chair

News from Niagara’s Regional Government

Posted January 25th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – Niagara Region’s Waste Management Division recently completed an extensive public consultation with various stakeholders groups (residents, businesses, business groups, local area municipalities, etc.) to obtain their input on the proposed waste collection service options being considered for Niagara Region’s next waste collection contract (i.e. garbage, recycling and organics).

The results of the public consultation are now being shared with local area municipal councils, for further input, before reaching Regional Council for their review in March. Continue reading →

“Many students are struggling financially, many have left their jobs to pursue their education, and we find that they really appreciate the help they receive through this event,” – Marsha Fiorino, co-op career consultant and employer support, Niagara College’s Career Services

A News Release from Niagara College

Posted January 25^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – Niagara College is helping students suit up to make a positive impression on potential employers.

Dress to Impress, a free business clothing and accessories giveaway for students, will be held at the College’s Niagara-on-the-Lake Campus on January 29 and at the Welland Campus on January 30.

Niagara College staff members Nimisha Sumathi (co-curricular recognition program coordinator, Centre for Student Engagement) and Leadership) and Marsha Fiorino (co-op career consultant and employer support, Career Services) roll up their sleeves to collect donations in the advance of the Dress to Impress clothing giveaway

Hosted by NC’s Career Services department, the event will give students the opportunity to pick up professional attire free of charge to wear for job interviews and networking events. Continue reading →

Unfortunately, It Sure Looks That Way & Niagara Deserves A Much Better Voice For Our Environment Than This.

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

Posted January 23^rd, 2019 on Niagara At Large

It was just a month ago that a Superior Court Justice, James Ramsay, stated in an Ontario court in Welland that the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA) was in a state of “chaos” and that circumstances inside this public agency were “intolerable” enough that new board members, appointed by Niagara’s Regional Council, needed to meet as soon as possible to address what is wrong.

Almost two months after  Niagara’s new Regional Council appointed 12 new members to the board of the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA), how much of what an Ontario Superior Court judge called “chaos” at the NPCA has the new board really addressed?

Well, thanks in no small part to efforts a citizens group called A Better Niagara made in that court,  a new board of the NPCA has now met a total of three times – much of those times behind closed doors with little to show in the way of real change.

“I have lost faith in this board,” said Liz Benneian, A Better Niagara’s executive director, when those doors were closed on the board’s third kick at fixing the NPCA can this January 23^rd.   Continue reading →

What the region needs are more housing options for renters and owners, within our cities, close to where people want to live, work and play. Not sprawling subdivisions on farmland, forests and the source of our drinking water.

From Environmental Defence, a Canada-wide organization dedicated to environmental protection

Posted January 22^nd, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Statement from Environmental Defence’s Executive Director, Tim Gray on Ontario’s proposed changes to the Growth Plan

Toronto, Ontario – This (past January 15^th), the (Ontario) Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing posted proposed changes to the Growth Plan for public comment.

What we apparently don’t have in Ford’s Ontario is enough of this, which is not only costly in terms of lost farmland and other natural areas, but in terms of how much it costs to service lower density sprawl with roads, waterlines and other infrastructure.

These changes were proposed under the guise of helping to increase housing supply in the Greater Golden Horseshoe (GGH), by loosening the regulations in place that encourage building within our existing town and cities, and instead favouring sprawl. Continue reading →

This Coming Sunday, January 27th  – 2 to 4 p.m. – at the Niagara Falls Military Museum

“Anti-Semitism is alive and well throughout Europe as well as Canada and the U.S. — and it is virulent and violent.”  – Elizabeth Vlossak,  Associate Professor of History and co-founder of Brock University’s History Lab

An Invite from Brock University in Niagara, Ontario

Posted January 22nd, 2019 on Niagara At Large

A free public event designed to educate people about the Holocaust and the larger context of the Jewish community is planned for Sunday, Jan. 27.

Brock University will host the lecture at the Niagara Falls Military Museum in observance of International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

History Professor Jack Lightstone, past-President and Vice-Chancellor of Brock University, will deliver a public keynote lecture titled “The making of ‘the other’ and its social and political consequences: Lessons from the historical experience of the Jewish people.”

“The Holocaust was not simply the ‘final solution’ to the ‘Jewish question’ stemming from the minds of Nazis, but the result of 1,700 years of virulent anti-Judaic rhetoric, primarily from Christian leadership, beginning in the second century,” says Lightstone. Continue reading →

Ford’s “Government for the People” Set to Unleash Low-Density Sprawl Across The Countryside

It’s Growth at any Cost to Our Green Places in Ford’s Ontario, and the Rogues in the Development Industry are Rubbing their Hands

Another Dispatch from CATCH (Citizens at City Hall) in Hamilton

Posted January 21^st, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Does “Open For Business” have to mean paving over ever more of our natural heritage?

The provincial government has tossed another bombshell into municipal planning with the release last week of dozens of proposed changes to the rules governing how cities can grow.

These are in addition to the controversial Bill 66 changes that lets municipal councils override the Greenbelt Act, Clean Water Act and other environmental and planning legislation in order to facilitate specific development prospects.

More than one hundred amendments to the Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe were posted last week for 45 days of public comment. Major changes include substantially lower density requirements, reduced protection of agricultural lands, and removal of social justice and climate change objectives from the plan.

Is Ontario’s Ford government opening the door to more of this kind of business like what was done at this wild and wonderful place – Thundering Waters Forest in Niagara Falls – this past fall. File Photo by Emily Spanton

 A Queen’s Park media release announcing the changes says “Ontario’s government for the people wants to speed up development and increase the supply of housing”.

Continue reading →

How Climate Change is Affecting Ice on Lake Superior

By Lianna Lopez,  York University for the Canada/U.S. International Joint Commission

From the International Joint Commission’s newsletter Great Lakes Connection

Posted January 21st, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Changes in lake ice tell a story about a region’s climate. The time when lake ice freezes and breaks is highly sensitive to changes in climate, along with how long that ice remains intact.

The timing of these events is affected by fall, spring and winter air temperature but also can be influenced by snowfall, rain, wind strength and incoming sunlight. In particular, Lake Superior’s rich ice history has been a subject of interest, motivating researchers to look back several decades to detect patterns in the climate.

Ice on Superior in Duluth, Minnesota. Credit: Sharon Mollerus

Due to the size of Lake Superior, ice research has generally been conducted at a specific location or focused on the extent of ice formed over the lake surface area. A specific lookout point in Bayfield, Wisconsin has consistently kept records since 1858 of the day lake ice broke each spring. Continue reading →

One of area’s largest employers is now set to fill over 350 seasonal positions

An Invite to Job Seekers from Ontario’s Niagara Parks Commission

January 20^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Niagara Falls, Ontario – The Niagara Parks Commission, one of the region’s largest employers with over 1,700 full-time and seasonal employees, will host its annual Job Fair on Saturday, February 2 at Niagara Parks’ Legends on the Niagara Golf Complex.

The annual Job Fair allows Niagara Parks to showcase the seasonal job opportunities that exist within the Commission each year, while providing individuals with an opportunity to connect directly with various departmental hiring managers. Representatives from Niagara Parks’ Human Resources Department will also be on-hand to help answer any questions. Continue reading →

Ontario NDP wants to see details on Ford government’s     Ontario Student Assistant Plan changes

“Reports reveal that the Ford government is not going to fund a two-year tuition freeze it’s imposing, forcing colleges and universities to accept what is estimated to be a $250-million revenue loss.”

A Message from Ontario’s NDP and Official Opposition Party

Posted January 21^st, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Queen’s Park — Ontario NDP Colleges and Universities critic Chris Glover released the following statement regarding news that tuition will drop for 2019-2020, and be frozen for 2020-2021:

“Doug Ford’s … tuition announcement is going to turn out to be a smoke and mirrors exercise. Ontario’s college and university students know that they are not going to benefit from a Doug Ford government.

Reports reveal that the Ford government is not going to fund a two-year tuition freeze it’s imposing, forcing colleges and universities to accept what is estimated to be a $250-million revenue loss. That means cancelled courses, larger class sizes and laid-off faculty. Students will likely pay for the freeze with two years of a lower quality education — followed by skyrocketing tuition in 2021 to make up for the shortfall.

Ontario already has the lowest per-student funding in Canada, the highest levels of student debt, the largest class sizes and the most precariously employed professors.  

We are also growing deeply concerned that Ontario Student Assistant Plan (OSAP) grants will be cut by Ford, hurting low and middle income students. Students counting on OSAP to give them a shot at university or college know that OSAP needs to be improved, not hacked apart.

The NDP has proposed a new system that would see provincial student loans converted to grants. That would means schools and students would both win, and new graduates wouldn’t saddled with a debt load that weighs them down just as they’re starting out.

The Ontario NDP will be paying very close attention to this announcement.”

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

Need for Universal Drug Plan should be one of the most pressing issues facing Canadians in this federal election year

A New Report from the Broadbent Institute

Posted January 21st, 2019 on Niagara At Large

This January the Broadbent Institute released a significant new report, ‘Charting the Path to National Pharmacare in Canada‘, concerning what we expect will be one of the most pressing issues facing Canadians in this election year.

Right now, about 7.5 million Canadians are not taking the medications they need because they can’t afford them, and it’s been estimated that around 700,000 Canadians skip buying groceries to pay for their medications that currently aren’t covered. Continue reading →

This Event is Free and Open to the Public

An Invite from Brock University in St. Catharines/Niagara

Posted January 21^st, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – After inclement weather put Demystifying Dementia on hold last fall, the much-anticipated Brock event has been rescheduled for later this month.

The much-anticipated Brock panel has been rescheduled for Thursday, Jan. 31 at 6:30 p.m. in Sean O’Sullivan Theatre.

Co-hosted by Brock University’s Centre for Lifespan Development Research and the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences, Demystifying Dementia will help raise awareness about the increasing prevalence of dementia in Niagara and the many agencies and partners across the region that have taken on the roles of education, prevention, intervention and research targeting memory-related issues.

The event will see Lynn McCleary, Associate Professor of Nursing, explain what dementia is, why we shouldn’t assume that it is a normal part of aging, and how, through education, stigmas may be broken down.

“I hope this panel will become a platform for people to be able to talk with each other about their symptoms and how to have a good life with dementia,” McCleary says. “Unfortunately, many are afraid to tell someone they are having difficulty. We hope to shift this perspective.”

McCleary and Recreation and Leisure Studies Associate Professor Colleen Whyte will join a panel of representatives from the community to provide an overview of recent and ongoing Brock research as well as resources available in Niagara.

Topics will include the prevalence of dementia and how the likelihood of it developing increases with age, diagnosis and transitions in care. Findings from research will also highlight how friendships are sustained for people living with dementia, as well as the role of music among older adults with dementia.

Panel members will also include: Melanie Elliott (MA ’17), Research Associate with Methologica Inc.; Naomi O’Brien, Respite Services Manager with Niagara Region’s Community Programs for Seniors; and Jessica Pace, Education Co-ordinator with the Alzheimer Society of Niagara Region.

The event is free and open to the public, but online RSVP through brockdementiapanel2019.eventbrite.ca is required as space is limited. Free parking is available in Lot D.

What: Demystifying Dementia — Lessons from research and community programming
Who: The event is open to anyone interested in learning more about dementia, including the general public, policy-makers, organizations, educators and practitioners
When: Thursday, Jan. 31 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Where: Brock University, Sean O’Sullivan Theatre, 1812 Sir Isaac Brock Way, St. Catharines.

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

 “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” – Martin Luther King

A Brief One from Doug Draper

Posted January 19^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

This Monday, January 21^st is Martin Luther King Day across the United States – a day set aside to mark the all-too-short life of one of the most passion voice of the past hundreds years for social justice and peace around the world.

One can only wonder what great civil rights leader, who would have turned 90 this January had he not been cut down 50 years ago this past spring by an American-born white man who no doubt would have voted for Trump had he been alive today, would think about his country today.

What would Martin Luther King have to say about all of the yelling and screaming for wall to keep people out by millions of Americans who feel emboldened by the character now occupying the highest office of the land to say the most vile and vulgar things they want about people of colour or about women or about members of the LGBQ community, or about Canadians and their prime minister?

 “Brick by brick they built them but it seems to me
Brick by brick they built them where they shouldn’t be
We should be building bridges to a better day
Where no walls would stand in the way.”

• Lyrics from a song called ‘Walls’ from a great new Barbra Streisand album by the same name – an album that is a call out for truth and justice in the age of Trump.

To hear and watch, Martin Luthuer King’s iconic ‘I Have A Dream’ speech from 1962, click on the screen below.

.NIAGARA AT LARGE encourages you to join the conversation by sharing your views on this post in the space following the Bernie Sanders quote below.

A 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

A Brief Note from Doug Draper at Niagara At Large

Posted January 19th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Do you notice yet how Doug Ford – – Ontario’s college drop-out, buck-a-beer guzzling premier – and his self-described “Government for the People” don’t seem to my pandering to aging baby boomers and other more senior supporters out there, all while they  relentlessly go on cutting and gutting  programs for younger people and for whatever may be left of a quality future for young people on on this plane.

Cheaper gas and beer sure seem to hit the spot for Ford’s aging supporters across the province – far more so than an affordable education and a clean environment for young people.

Ford is all for cutting taxes on carbon fuels that are wreaking havoc on our atmosphere, oceans and climate – all so that Bob and Bonnie Baby Boomer, who seemed to forget about saving for their retirement while they were buying plastic toys all their adult lives, can save a few pennies on a litre of gas while they driving their four-wheel monster mobile to the shopping mall.

But to hell with younger people and any opportunity they have for an affordable education, secure jobs with a living wage, and a planet that is liveable, long after Bob and Bonnie are no longer over-burdening our health care system and have made their final exit. Continue reading →

“Thorold has moved from an industrial city to one where families want to live and visit. We have a new downtown – a busy one. There is much building going on and now we have this latest decision (by Thorold’s City Council to say ‘yes’ to Cannabis stores) which does not quite fit in.”

A Commentary by Pamela Minns, a Thorold resident and award-winning heritage advocate

Posted January 18th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

In 2017, the revitalization of downtown Thorold  has begun to receive national attention. It  has been a project done in partnership with local heritage advocates like Pamela Minns, local businesses, Thorold’s city council and the provincial and federal governments.

Niagara, Ontario – I am disappointed, but not surprised, that our new Thorold Council voted unanimously this past January 15th to have Cannabis stores in Thorold/Niagara.

I noted there were only two “letters to the editor” on this subject in the local newspaper.

I would have thought, with the keen interest in sports in Thorold, that we have families with children, and that members of our community would express their thoughts on this important subject offering some objection to Council, but as I understand it, only 1,600 responded to the City (with a total population of more than 18,000) on this subject, and a decision was made on that very low response where 65% “opted in” – that is 1,040 residents said “yes.” Continue reading →

“This plan would further fragment and worsen home care, having the private companies themselves take over all of home care is akin to having the fox guard the chicken coop. It is unacceptable and we will fight it with all our strength if it comes to that.”  – Natalie Mehra, Executive Director of the   Ontario Health Coalition

A Message from the Ontario Health Coalition, a province-wide citizens network advocating for quality public health care for all

Posted January 18^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Ontario Health Coalition executive director Natalie Mehra

Following the story that broke on CBC news this January 17, revealing rumours that Ontario’s fourteen local health integration networks (LHINs) will be restructured into five, the Ontario Health Coalition has raised questions about the Ford government’s intentions regarding this restructuring rumour.

The Coalition had heard similar rumours last week.

“When Tim Hudak was PC party leader their plan was to shut down the LHINs entirely. Today the rumoured plans is to keep the LHINs but make the regions ginormous. The question is what part of the existing LHINs does Ford intend to keep,” said Natalie Mehra, executive director of the Ontario Health Coalition. Continue reading →

An Extreme Cold Weather Alert will go into effect on on Sunday, Jan. 20, 2019, as temperatures are expected to drop below -15 C

A Heads Up from Niagara’s Regional Government

Posted January 18^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Temperature Gauge in the Snow

Niagara, Ontario – The Extreme Cold Weather Alert is intended to mobilize outreach workers and community agencies, recommend precautions for the general public during extreme cold weather, and offer information on the location of shelters and additional resources.

During extreme cold, those most at risk include: infants under one year of age, individuals 65 years of age or older, the homeless, outdoor workers, sport enthusiasts (skiers, ice skaters), people living in homes that are poorly insulated or without heat, and people living in homes without power (usually due to other weather-related events such as a winter storm). Continue reading →

A Call-Out for Ideas from the Niagara Prosperity Initiative

Posted January 18^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – The Niagara Prosperity Initiative’s 2019 Request for Proposals (RFP)will be open February 4 – March 1, 2019. An information session will be held at 1pm on Monday, February 4, 2019 at Four Points by Sheraton, Thorold.  Registration is not required. 

NPI is open to funding projects that focus on specific areas within housing, health, employment and neighbourhood/community empowerment.

The questions and instructions for the 2019 RFP are attached and available under the resources menu at www.niagaraprosperityinitiative.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 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

Support Will Help Enhance and Expand Transit Systems

News from the Constituency Office of Niagara West MPP Sam Oosterhoff

Posted January 18^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Niagara West MPP Sam Oosterhoff .

Niagara, Ontario – Sam Oosterhoff, MPP for Niagara West has announced that the municipalities of St. Catharines and Pelham will be receiving $2,632,909 and $51,334 respectively in provincial funding. Ontario’s Government for the People is helping 107 municipalities across the province expand or improve their public transit systems with Ontario’s gas tax program.

“St. Catherines and Pelham can use this funding to upgrade transit service, purchase new vehicles, add routes, and improve accessibility,” said Oosterhoff. “The goal is to keep commuters moving, and prevent gridlock.”

“We are investing in public transit to make it a more convenient travel option and attract more riders,” said Jeff Yurek, Minister of Transportation. Continue reading →

Free tuition for low-income students cancelled

“The Ford government is going after low-income and middle-income students by cutting grants, making loan support harder to get, and cranking up the amount of interest they’ll pay.”             – NDP Colleges and Universities critic Chris Glover

News from Ontario’s New Democratic and Official Opposition Party

Posted January 17^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Queen’s Park — Students who need grants and loans to help pay for post-secondary education are going to get less help and pay more interest, following changes by the Doug Ford government.

“The Ford government is going after low-income and middle-income students by cutting grants, making loan support harder to get, and cranking up the amount of interest they’ll pay,” said NDP Colleges and Universities critic Chris Glover. “This is going to mean more debt, holding back young people already desperate for relief from debt.” Continue reading →

“The Doug Ford government has attempted to spin this announcement as a 10 per cent reduction in tuition fees when in reality Ford’s plan will increase out-of-pocket costs for students, diminish the quality of education students receive and undermine crucial student supports on campus,” said Nour Alideeb, Chairperson of the Canadian Federation of Students-Ontario

A Response to Ford’s 10-Per-Cent Tuition Fee Cut Announcement from the Canadian Federation of Students-Ontario

Posted January 17, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Toronto, Ontario – On January 17, 2019, the Ontario Progressive Conservative (PC) government launched a reckless plan for post-secondary education in the province, leaving students in Ontario worse off. Continue reading →

“Instead of using OSAP (the Ontario Student Assistance Program) to indirectly subsidize future rounds of tuition hikes, we will focus our resources on the families in greatest need while challenging our partners in the post-secondary sector to deliver better value for the high tuitions they already charge.” – Merrilee Fullerton, Ontario’s Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities

News from the Ontario Government

Posted January 17th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

(A Note from Niagara At Large – We urge are readers to also click on the link and read the following response to this Ford announcment from the Canadian Federation of Students-Ontario at – http://cfsontario.ca/2019/01/17/ford-sets-pse-on-disastrous-path/ . NAL has also posted this response from the Students Federation as a separate story.)

The first ever province-wide tuition reduction will make college and university more affordable and accessible for students and families, while empowering students to choose how fees are spent

For the first time in Ontario, students at every publicly-assisted college and university will see their tuition rates go down by 10 per cent thanks to a province-wide tuition rate reduction introduced by Ontario’s Government for the People. The tuition rate reduction is the latest step in the Ford Government’s plan to keep more money in the pockets of Ontario students and families. Continue reading →

The Class, called “Grow Yer Own Stone,” will be held at t Hannelore Headley Books on Sunday, February 10^th                      in St. Catharines, Ontario

News from the Proprietors of Hannelore Headley Books in St. Catharines

Posted January 17^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

On Feb 10, 2019, Hannelore Headley Books will be offering their first  “Cannabis 101” class that we are calling “Grow Yer Own Stone.”

With legalization in Ontario, we have been asked by our customers to offer some basic courses so that they all can grow their recreational cannabis indoors and out!

The class runs from 1-4 p.m.(or a bit longer depending on discussions) on Sunday Feb 10.  You must be pre-registered and can pay at the bookstore or by etransfer . 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

News from the Niagara Poverty Reduction Network

Posted January 17^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Glen Walker, Chair, Niagara Poverty Reduction Network presenting certificate to Alyshia Meredith, Owner/Founder. Person Centred Care Inc., Fort Erie.

Niagara, Ontario – The Niagara Poverty Reduction Network is pleased to announce that Person Centered Care (PCC) has become Niagara’s tenth certified Living Wage Employer.

Person Centered Care is a private agency that was founded in 2016 by Alyshia Meredith. Their Life Skills Coaches are trained to support people of all ages with vulnerabilities such as developmental disabilities, mental health, dual diagnosis, and the elderly. Supports include goal setting, outreach and day services, person-directed programs and activities, and respite care. Continue reading →

Blue Monday is a myth, but the winter blues are very real

From Niagara Health Psychiatrist Dr. Amin Muhammad

Posted January 17^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

It’s about this time of year you might hear the term Blue Monday. Typically the third Monday of January, it has been described as the most depressing day of the year.

In fact, Blue Monday – created by a travel company in the early 2000s – is actually a myth because there is no scientific basis to call a day the most depressing of the year, says Niagara Health Psychiatrist Dr. Amin Muhammad.

While Blue Monday is a myth, the winter blues are all too real for many people. “Winter can bring a lot of depression,” says Dr. Muhammad, pointing to fewer daylight hours as one of the reasons. Continue reading →

“Our Niagara’s Greenbelt tender fruit and grape lands and other prime farm lands should not be “open for business”    other than that of tender fruit and grape, cash crops and other farming, and farm-related uses.” – from Gracia Janes and Doug Woodard of the Preservation of Agricultural Lands Society

A Call-Out from the Niagara-based Preservation of Agricultural Lands Society (PALS)

Posted January 15^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Gracia Janes, a Niagara resident and veteran citizen activist, has joined with her group, the Preservation of Agricultural Lands Society (PALS) in calling on Niagara’s municipal politicians to oppose the Ontario Ford government’s Bill 66.

As the oldest farmland preservation group in Canada, and credited in the Provincial Legislature for being the impetus behind the establishment of the Greenbelt land use protections, the Preservation of Agricultural Lands Society (PALS) strongly opposes Bill 66 the Open For Business Act.

This week,  as the January 20^th  deadline for comment on  the proposed  Legislation closed in ,  PALS  is sending letters to the Regional  Council  and all 12 lower-tier municipalities, asking them to let the Government of Ontario  know that our  Niagara’s  Greenbelt tender fruit and grape lands and  other prime farm lands  should not be  “open for business”    other than that of  tender fruit and grape , cash crops and other farming, and farm-related uses.

 PALS also urges Niagara’s 12 lower- tier municipalities to officially   go on record, that   they will not use these re-zoning powers should Bill #66 be approved.

According to PALS Board member Gracia Janes,  “ We know that Bill 66  refers to commercial development , but this will bring with it  sewer, water,  and road  extensions,  which in turn use  good farmland and put pressure on nearby farmlands and farming. Continue reading →

Review Will Also Include Numerous Other Local Municipalities Across the Province

Ford’s Ontario Conservatives “have announced a plan Tuesday to comprehensively review the province’s regional governments. …

Are 12 local municipalities in Niagara, Ontario too many? What do you think?

The review includes all eight regional municipalities — Halton, York, Durham, Waterloo, Niagara, Peel, Muskoka District, Oxford County, and the County of Simcoe — and their lower-tier municipalities … and the province hasn’t ruled out the possibility that some could be amalgamated in the future.” – an excerpt from a January 15th, 2019 CBC News report

A  News Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted January 15th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

The day Doug Ford’s Conservatives won enough seats in last June’s Ontario election to form a majority government, you had to know that the infamous “A” word – for amalgamation of municipalities in the province – would be back on the agenda again.

Ontario’s Doug Ford (right) picks up where his Tory predecessor Mike Harris left off with the municipal amalgamation bandwagon

And you also had to know – if you have been paying any real attention to the politics around municipalities in Ontario over the past 20 or 30 years, that Niagara, with its 12 local municipalities and more than 130 mayors and councillors for a population of less than 500,000 – would surely be one of the regions on the list for review.

So here we are, less than seven month in to the four year term of Ford’s self-described “Government for the People,” and municipal amalgamation is back on the table for the first time since the former Ontario Conservative government of Mike Harris began pushing it in a big way more than 20 years ago. Continue reading →

Still Looking Like ‘the Same Old, Same Old’ at the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority

A Commentary by Niagara At Large reporter and publisher Doug Draper

Posted January 15^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

There’s an oft-repeated lyric in song by the rock band The Who that goes like this; “Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.”

The lyric is from a song  called Won’t Get Fooled Again’ and the 12 members Niagara’s Regional Council appointed to the board of the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA) might do well to keep the title of that song in mind.

The new board of the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority spent most of its first meeting this past January 7th behind closed doors

They might do well to remember it because citizens across Niagara spent the past four years fighting for openness and accountability, and for an NPCA that puts conservation first – a Conservation Authority that is a strong, unwavering voice for our natural heritage – and they are not about to be fooled by a new board that behaves like the old one. Continue reading →

“The darkest hour is always just before the dawn.”           – from a song by Crosby, Stills and Nash

A Commentary by Niagara At Large reporter and publisher Doug Draper

Posted January 11th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

If you don’t think elections matter, you are wrong. They do.

Members of Niagara’s new Regional Council take the oath of office at their inaugural meeting this past December 6th.

All that it takes to remind myself of that is a visit to Niagara’s regional government headquarters where the comparison between the way things are in that building now and the way they were a year ago at this time, or even four or five months ago, when Al Caslin and his so-called “cabal” were still running the show, could not be more stark.

Among my nightmare images of the last Regional Council at work was this one, with poor Toto representing just about any member of the council or public who had the audacity to confront or question what certain others on the council were doing. Thanks to Niagara’s voters, most, if not all of the flying monkeys are gone.

You go in that regional headquarters now and the people workers there look happier and the atmosphere is so much warmer than it was over the past four years when what I took to calling the flying monkeys were around, squawking and barking at whoever they didn’t want around while they were doing their business.

No one who dared to question or raise concerns about what they were up to seemed immune from their bullying and insults. In my nightmares, it wasn’t hard to imagine them dragging poor Toto away.

Then came last October’s municipal elections and like the Good Witch in Oz Land who came to shoo the bad one and her monkey army away, the voters of Niagara had the presence of mind to throw a good number, if not all, of the bad actors out. Continue reading →

This legislation could also spell the end for Thundering Waters Forest in Niagara Falls and other green areas across our region and province

A Brief News Commentary by Niagara At Large reporter and publisher Doug Draper, followed by a statement from the Canadian citizen’s group, Environmental Defence

Posted January 10th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Believe it or not, there was a time in the history of Ontario that the province’s Conservative Party demonstrated a real interest in protecting the environment for present and future generations.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford and his so-called “Government for the People” have declared all-out war on environmental protection – all in the name of making Ontario more “open for business.”

It was an Ontario Progressive Conservative government under the leadership of then Premier Bill Davis – way back in 1972, when the word “progressive” in the party’s name meant something – that created the Ontario Ministry of Environment and set the prototypes for so many of the environmental protection rules that would follow.

Then in the mid-to-late 1990s, with the Ontario Conservatives taking a hard swing to the right under the leadership of Mike Harris, and now with Doug Ford, who has recast the once-proud party of Bill Davis with the deceptive brand “your (supposedly meaning ‘our’) Government for the People,” a war on environmental protection, cheered on by the most backward and self-serving members of the business, development and farming industries, has reached its shock and awe moment. Continue reading →

One and All are Invited to this First Community Meeting on Sunday, January 13^th from 1:30 to 3 p.m. at Civic Square,           60 Main Street, East in Welland

A Public Notice from A Better Niagara

Posted January 10^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

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

A Better Niagara is a network of citizens from across our Niagara region that organized before last October’s municipal elections to encourage their fellow citizens to get engaged and vote in those elections for positive change for our future.

Debbie Zimmerman, a former Niagara regional chair and municipal councilor, fielding questions from  area citizens in St. Catharines a year ago this January as a guest speaker at a Better Niagara session on getting engaged in the coming October 2018 municipal elections. File Photo courtesy of Emily Beth Spanton

This veteran Niagara reporter would join many others across the region in arguing that voters in those October elections certainly delivered by casting out a good number of bad actors, particularly at the regional government level where the conduct, over the past four years, of far too many on the Region’s council was disturbing, to say the least. Continue reading →

“We hope in doing so (becoming a certified Living Wage employer) that we will be able to retain employees and attract higher caliber candidates who will aid in our growth.” – Daryl Crowder, Operations Manager at Niagara Pallet

New from the Niagara Poverty Reduction Network

Posted January 10^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – The Niagara Poverty Reduction Network is pleased to announce that Niagara Pallet has become Niagara’s 9th certified Living Wage Employer.

The Niagara Pallet team receives Living Wage Employer certification

Niagara Pallet started in 1993 and is owned by the Vrugteveen family. They are a leading manufacturer, seller and recycler of pallets and shipping materials. Their Smithville-based operations are housed in a 23,000 square foot building with an 18,000 square foot addition opening soon. This is the first phase of a significant expansion plan scheduled over the next five years. Continue reading →

Admission to this Free Event will be on a first come, first served basis – Tuesday, January 15^th, 2019 at 7 p.m. (doors open at 5 p.m.) at Brock University’s Ian D. Beddis Gymnasium

News from Brock University in St. Catharines, Ontario

Posted January 9^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – We are very excited to invite alumni, friends and the community to embrace this unique opportunity.

Admission to the free event will be on a first come, first served basis. Those wishing to attend will enter a queue in front of the Ian D. Beddis Gymnasium upon arrival.

While there are approximately 2000 seats available for the town hall, organizers expect the event to reach capacity and some visitors in the queue may be turned away. Brock will be unable to reserve seats. Continue reading →

How Much Are  Justin Trudeau’s Words On Reconciliation With First Nations and Fighting Climate Change Really Worth?

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

Posted January 9^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Police moving in to arrest Indigenous protesters during protests this past Decembers over plans to build tar pipeline across First Nations lands in British Columbia.

While Canada’s Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, was preparing a statement this January 8th about strengthening relationships with Indigenous communities across the country, federal police forces in British Columbia were busy arresting Indigenous people protesting plans to build pipelines for transporting climate-disrupting toxins from Alberta’s tar sands across First Nations lands.

Something is terribly wrong with this picture, and all of the platitudes from this Prime Minister about closer relations with Indigenous people and about fighting climate change are growing quite thin while arrests like this are being made and while the PM’s own government invests more than $5 billion on buying and building pipelines that major bank investors in other parts of the world will no longer support of Indigenous people

Now here is a Statement released this January 8th, 2019 from the Office of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau –

Ottawa, Ontario – The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, issued the following statement today(this January 8th)  after meeting with Modern Treaty and Self-Governing First Nations:

“Today, I had the honour to meet with leaders of Modern Treaty and Self-Governing First Nations for a second time to strengthen our unique and enduring relationship. Continue reading →

Service reaching Niagara Falls and St. Catharines arrives four years early

News from Niagara’s Regional Government

Posted January 9th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

​Niagara, Ontario – This past Monday on January 7^th at at 5:19 a.m., Niagara residents got their first chance to take advantage of daily commuter GO Train service between and Toronto and Niagara Falls.

Two-way daily GO Train service has significant economic potential for our region. As GO Train service continues to develop in Niagara, residents can benefit from access to GTHA employment opportunities and an easier commute each morning. Continue reading →

Not Necessarily the Best Way to Begin a New Era of “Openness and Accountability”

A News Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted January 8^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

The new board of the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority was finally able to hold its first meeting this January 7^th – less than an hour of it in public, and close to three and a half hours behind closed doors.

The open session of the new NPCA board looked like this –

The glass doors to the meeting room, papered over as they  often were when the NPCA’s old board was in session, were papered over again, as shown here this January 7th, while the new council was in closed session for more than three hours – 

Welcome to another week of what has  be touted as a new term and a new era of openness and accountability in municipal governance in Niagara where so far, at the NPCA and at the Niagara Regional Council level, our elected representatives have chalked up more time behind closed doors than they have with a gallery of citizens looking on.

Continue reading →

This Jan. 7, 2019 route and schedule improvements will begin and provide increased service capacity and additional transfer opportunities to give more options to transit riders

A News Release from Niagara’s Regional Government

Posted January 8^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

This winter Niagara residents will experience the benefits of Niagara Region Transit service enhancements involving extended hours, a new express route and the addition of a new stop.

On Jan. 7, 2019 route and schedule improvements will begin and provide increased service capacity and additional transfer opportunities to give more options to transit riders. Continue reading →

“Property owners have a responsibility to make sure their buildings and rental units meet the fire code prior to occupancy so their tenants have the peace of mind they are safe at home.”     – Jeff McCormick, Acting Fire Chief for St. Catharines

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

Posted January 8^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Downtown St. Catharines

St. Catharines/Niagara – Landlords must make sure their rental properties are up to code and safe for their tenants to live in, Acting Fire Chief Jeff McCormick said after the Ontario Court of Justice levied fines in provincial court against two St. Catharines property owners on Dec. 14, 2018.

“Every resident deserves to feel safe in their own home,” said the acting fire chief. “It is an owner’s responsibility to ensure that their buildings are in full compliance with the Ontario Fire Code, including ensuring that homes or rental units are protected with working smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms, as required.” Continue reading →

“We can only hope that with a clean slate of board members the days of the NPCA trying to muzzle opposition by suing individuals who dare question its operation, management, hiring and firing practices is finally over.” – Niagara Centre MPP Jeff Burch

Posted January 6th, 2019 on Niagara At Large 

An Open Letter from Niagara Centre MPP Jeff Burch to Board Members of the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority 

Dear NPCA Board Members:

Former NPCA employee Jocelyn Baker still has a costly lawsuit hanging over her head after speaking out about alleged cases of workplace harassment inside the NPCA

I am sending this letter on behalf of constituent Jocelyn Baker, a former employee of Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority, who is the defendant in a lawsuit brought against her by the NPCA stemming from comments made public by Former MPP Cindy Forster in the Ontario Legislature. 

I commend Niagara Regional Council for taking immediate action in replacing the former NPCA Board, which spearheaded the lawsuit against Ms. Baker.

She was mentioned in the recent Auditor General’s report covering staffing changes and harassment in the workplace and the unsuccessful lawsuit against taxpayer Ed Smith. That lawsuit cost the NPCA and taxpayers of Niagara over $130,000 dollars to settle with a total legal bill in excess of $260,000. Continue reading →

Wednesday, January 9^th at 8 p.m. at the City of St. Catharines Central Library in downtown St. Catharines/Niagara

Hosted by the Niagara District Council of Women

Posted January 6^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Come listen to a panel of experts discuss what we can do to address an issue that is affecting the welfare of countless thousands of residents across Niagara and the province.

Here are the details for this free and oh so very important event –

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

People of Niagara Deserve Far Better from an Agency that has a Vital Role to Play in Environmental Stewardship

A Commentary by Niagara At Large reporter and publisher          Doug  Draper

Posted January 4^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Margaret Mead

To quote the late, great American anthropologist Margaret Mead; “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”

Those inspiring words crossed my mind a number of times over the past few weeks after A Better Niagara, a group of thoughtful, committed citizens in our Niagara region, took a lead in doing what no other group or government body would do before it did – file an action in the Ontario courts to settle questions and concerns over how many representatives from our Niagara region can sit on the board of directors of the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA), and when those member can finally hold a first meeting.

This past December 21^st, and again this January 2^nd – thanks in large part to a an application filed in the courts  by members of A Better Niagara and their lawyer Erin Pleet – Ontario Superior Court Justice James Ramsey issued the following orders:

• That the 12 Niagara regional councillors that the Region’s new council appointed to the board last at its December 6^th inaugural meeting are Niagara’s board members on the board, and that the old board members are out, and;
• That the new board of the NPCA hold its first meeting this January 7^th.

Grimsby Regional Councillor Wayne Fertich stands to thank the citizens group, A Better Niagara, for intervening in the Ontario courts to help resolve NPCA issues.

To its credit, Niagara’s regional government agreed to join A Better Niagara in the court action. But it was A Better Niagara that led the way, and one member of the Region’s new council, Wayne Fertich from Grimsby, was good enough to stand up at a December 28^th special meeting of the council and give the group the credit it deserves.

“I would just like to thank the Better Niagara group for putting a fire under our backsides and everyone else’s,” said Fertich as A Better Niagara’s directors, Ed Smith and Liz Benneian, and other members of the group sat in the gallery of the Region’s council chambers listening. “I think they did a fabulous job.”

After those kind words, the Region’s council voted to move into a closed session that lasted for more than two hours to discuss ongoing problems at the NPCA and other matters. Then, following that closed session and another session in the court with Judge Ramsey this January 2^nd, the Region circulated a brief statement to the public, outlining the “purposes” of the January 7^th board meeting. Continue reading →

Wednesday, January 9th at 8 p.m. at the St. Catharines Central Library

An Invite to All from the Niagara District Council of Women

Posted January 4th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

The Niagara District Council of Women will be hosting a Public Forum Panel, “Precarious Work” on Wednesday, January 9 at 8:00 pm in the Mills Room at the St. Catharines Central Library (54 Church Street in the city’s downtown). 

Our guest speakers will be: Dr. Jeff Boggs of Brock University, co-author of Uncertain Jobs, Certain Impacts: Employment Precarity in Niagara; Lori Kleinsmith, Health Promoter at Bridges Community Health Centre and co-author of Uncertain Jobs, Certain Impacts: Employment Precarity in Niagara; and Karrie Porter, Coordinator of Start Me Up Niagara and St. Catharines City Councillor. Continue reading →

Presented annually to a current resident of Niagara who best exemplifies Roy’s values and dedication to community service

News from Niagara’s Regional Government

Posted January 3rd, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Award named after the late st, Catharines regional councillor and mayor for St. Catharines, Roy Adams

The award honours the memory of the late Councillor T. Roy Adams and is presented annually to a current resident of Niagara who best exemplifies Roy’s values and dedication to community service; a person who sees volunteerism as an integral part of their life.

Last year’s winner was James Rennie (recognized for his many efforts to improve the lives of people with disabilities).

For details on nominating individuals for this award, click on the link immediately below – 

View the criteria for the award and submit a nomination online.​

Nominations are open until March 31, 2019.

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.

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

Judge’s Order Hopefully Means No More Road Blocks For New Board to Meet A.S.A.P.

A News Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted January 2^nd, 2019 on Niagara At Large

David Barrick, who was recently apparently appointed “acting CAO” of the NPCA, was in court this January 2nd to hear Ontario Superior Court Justice James Ramsey issue an order for a new board of the Conservation Authority to meet on January 7th.

This time David Barrick, who is allegedly serving as the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority’s “acting CAO,” has heard the call for a long overdue meeting of the new NPCA board in the form of a clear and simple order from an Ontario Superior Court judge.

Justice James Ramsey, who added the word “allegedly” after Barrick identified himself as the NPCA’s acting CAO in a Welland court room this past December, served the order this January 2^nd that there will be a first meeting of the Conservation Authority’s new board this coming Monday, January 7^th.

The January 7^th meeting, now scheduled to take place at 2;30 p.m. at the NPCA’s Centre for Conservation at the Balls Falls Conservation Area in Lincoln, received a green light from a majority of Niagara regional councillors at a special meeting the Region’s council held at the end of December. Continue reading →

The Good They Have Done More Than Makes Up for the Bad Actors Out There

Doug Draper, reporter and publisher of Niagara At Large

Posted January 2nd, 2019 on Niagara At Large

The year 2018 may very well go down in the record books when it comes to the sheer number of bad acts and actors in public affairs in Niagara.

So much so that I often found friends and neighbours wondering where are the good people doing good things?

Certainly, Niagara had a bumper crop of what (for the purposes of keeping it clean) took to calling creeps doing some pretty damn creepy things in the name of whatever special interest they served. But as I hope Niagara At Large did it’s best to remind, there were – and still are – some very good people in politics and actively involved in our communities too.

In that spirit and before the time to post reviews on the people and events of the past year expires, I don’t want to leave 2018 behind before paying tribute to two women in particular, who exemplify, in this veteran news reporter’s view, some of the best of what a life in politics and community activism can do.

Those two women, in alphabetical order, are –

Cindy Forster

Cindy Forster, who retired from politics this past spring after serving seven years as MPP for Niagara Centre (formerly the Riding of Welland and after, years earlier, serving as  mayor then a regional councillor for Welland, and who did as much, if not more than any other single politician at any level of government over the past year to champion the cause for openness and accountability in Niagara regional governance and at a Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA) that went rogue with millions of dollars of our tax money. Continue reading →

“There will no longer be public reporting on how (Ontario) ministries implement and comply with the Environmental Bill of Rights.”

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

Posted January  2^nd, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced plans to kill the Office of the Ontario Environmental Commissioner shortly after the Office issued this report, urging the Ontario government to do more to fight climate change

The Ford government’s forced silencing of the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario (ECO) will have major impacts in Hamilton as well as across the province. It appears likely to also seriously undermine environmental rights that Ontarians have had for a quarter century.

As part of an omnibus bill, the Progressive Conservative government is eliminating the commissioner as well as two other independent watchdogs who also report directly to the legislature, one that advocates for children and the other that protects French language services.

The Environmental Commissioner Dianne Saxe critiques government activities related to climate change, energy and a broad range of environmental matters. Continue reading →

“We are all linked in a joined human enterprise; we are bound to a planet we all must share.” Bill Anders, a former NASA astronaut who took the first iconic photographs of our Earth from a space craft orbiting the moon, 50 years ago this December, 2018

A Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted December 31^st, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Before we say goodbye to this month of December and this year of 2018, it might do us well to remember something remarkable and never before experienced in human history that happened 50 years ago this just past Christmas Eve.

On December 24^th, 1968, while countless hundreds of millions of people watched the grainy images beaming in over their television screens, three American astronauts circled the moon for the very first time during an Apollo 8 space mission.

One of the astronauts, Bill Anders, took out a camera as our Earth was rising above the moon’s hemisphere, and took the first ever photos of our planet taken from so far away, with the surface of another celestial body in the foreground.

Those iconic photographs of our blue and green planet, floating in the darkness of space, sent a stirring message home then, as they should still now, that this ‘third stone from the sun’ remains our only oasis for life in the universe. Continue reading →

Meeting Date follows recent Ontario Court’s ruling that continued chaos at Conservation Authority cannot be tolerated

By Doug Draper

Posted December 28^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Niagara’s new Regional Council has directed 12 council members it appointed to the board of the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority to hold a special meeting as soon as possible to get going with the business of addressing what has been described as the “chaos” at the Conservation Authority.

Area residents protest outside of a meeting of the old NPCA board two years ago. A new board, now scheduled to hold its first meeting on January 7th, offers hope that demonstrations like this will not be necessary. File photo by Doug Draper

“While Council recognizes the need for prompt action, the earliest possible date a Special Meeting could be held allowing for proper public notice required under NPCA by-laws and to ensure transparency is Jan. 7, 2019,” reads a statement released by the Regional Council following a closed-door session this December 28^th. Continue reading →

A Brief Foreword to the following appeal to you from the wildlife advocacy group Zoocheck to help stop this destructive hunt from Niagara At Large publisher Doug Draper –

Posted December 27th, 2018 

When are we humans going to stop playing God with the web of life on this planet?

Just look at the lengthening  lists of extinct and endangers species of life that we have  racked up already – even as we recklessly work our way to making one of the two lists ourselves. 

How much more playing around with nature are we going to do? Haven’t we done enough?!

Apparently not according  to Doug Ford, who is Ontario’s answer to Donald Trump and arguably the most block headed excuse for a premier this province has ever had.

Just as there are still some out there in the tin-foil hat crowd who believe that it was “the commies” who put fluoride in our drinking water to undermine the health and well-being of God-fearing North Americans, Ford is reviving the old saw that we have to declare a shooting war on double-crested cormorants because they are stealing too many fish out of our rivers and lakes. Continue reading →