Author Archives: dougdraper

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 →

Coroner’s jury inquest into the death of Bradley Chapman recommended declaring public health emergency

A Call-Out from Ontario’s Official Opposition/NDP

Posted December 27^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Queen’s Park — A coroner’s jury has recommended that the Ford government declare the opioid overdose epidemic a public health emergency following an examination into the death of Bradley Chapman.

The Ontario NDP’sOfficial Opposition Mental Health and Addictions critic Bhutila Karpoche released the following statement in support:

“The findings of the inquest into Bradley Chapman’s death have underscored what health care experts, frontline workers and we in the NDP have been saying for quite some time now. The opioid crisis is real, it is relentless, and one of the critical things the province has to do in addressing it is declaring a state of emergency. Continue reading →

From Doug Draper

Posted December 24^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

There are reports out there that people are not participating as excessively as they once did in the insane level of consumption that has come to dominate the Holiday Season over the past 50 or so years.

Growing numbers of people – especially younger people who are being screwed by greed anyway, and are not granted the opportunities past generations were to a livable wage or affordable home – are saying humbug to the kind of pushing and shoving in feeder lines at the box store, and the trampling over of old people with walkers and shopping clerks for discounts on smart phones or flat TV screens.

Growing numbers of people are saying NO to  those sneakers with the lights in them that one of my favourite cultural critics, George Carlin, often pointed to as a metaphor for mindless consumption, and for the possible downfall of humanity and intelligence on this planet.

I believe that this is a good thing if we use some of the time we might have spent standing in cash-out lines talking to one another, trying understand one another, and thinking about what we might do to work together to make a better world for all of us.

I will leave you with that and with one of my favourite songs for this time of year by one of Canada’s greatest gift to the world of music – singer/songwriter Joni Mitchell, who turned 75 live past fall .

The song is called River and you can warm up a few more moments of the Holiday Season by clicking on the screen below to hear it –

Finally, and just to show, once again, that there is some sanity south of Canada’s border – embodied in a good many good people in America who are resisting the dangerous and destructive poison that is Trump and the greed and hate machine that has become the modern-day Republican Party – there is a church in Tulsa, Oklahoma that has surrounded a nativity scene with a chain-link cage and posted a sign out front that says; “The Holy Family was a Migrant Family.”

The nativity scene at a church in Tulsa, Oklahoma

That is just one beacon of hope among many, if we take the time to go looking for them and create some of our own.

(By the way, we could use more of that sanity up here in Fort Nation these days.)

Here is a gift idea for the Holiday Season. How about working together to pass on the gift of a peaceful, healthy planet to future generations?

With Hope for a Brighter Future, Doug Draper

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

A 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

“This ruling is a victory for our democracy and for the people of this region.” – Ed Smith , executive director of A Better Niagara, a citizen’s watchdog group that brought a case for at least 12 NPCA board members for Niagara to court

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

Posted December 21^st, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Saying that the “chaos” at the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority has got to end, an Ontario Superior Court Justice rule in a Welland courtroom this December 21^st that the 12 new members Niagara’s Regional Council appointed to the NPCA’s board earlier this month “are members of the board” and the old members “are not.”

Ontario Superior Court Justice rules that  the members of the NPCA’s old board, shown here in 2017, are NPCA board members no more, and that Niagara Region’s appointment earlier this December of 12 new members is valid.

“I think that the court has to make some sort of order immediately. The present situation is intolerable,” said Justice James Ramsey in answer to a claim A Better Niagara, a region-wide citizen’s group, filed with court this December 18^th, supporting the Regional Council’s appointment of 12 members to the NPCA board and opposing a claim by some members of the past board that Niagara can only have five members.

“The constitutional order”needs to be restored,” added the judge of the questions and concerns swirling around who is responsible for decision-making at the NPCA.  “The governance of the Conservation Authority cannot remain in chaos.”

“Niagara Region has 12 constituent lower municipalities (and) it can appoint at least 12 members to the board of the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority,” ruled Justice Ramsay before ending this way – Continue reading →

EMERGENCY ALERT: GOVERNMENT’S CORMORANT “ERADICATION” PLAN DANGEROUS, WASTEFUL AND REGRESSIVE Ontario government proposal is not a wildlife management

PLEASE SPEND 10 MINUTES OF YOUR TIME PROVIDING INPUT

A Call-Out to All from Zoocheck, a Canada-based international wildlife protection organization

Posted December 21, 2018 on Niagara At Large

The Government of Ontario is proposing a “hunt” of double-crested cormorants that could easily eradicate this important, ecologically beneficial native waterbird from most of the province.

The Government is proposing to:

• designate double-crested cormorants as a “game” species,
• create a province-wide annual hunting season from March 15 until Dec 31,
• allow anyone holding a valid Ontario Outdoors Card and small game hunting license to kill up to 50 cormorants per day (1,500 per month or more than 14,000 per season),
• including nesting parents and,
  allow the carcasses to spoil (i.e., rot),
• designate double-crested cormorants as a “game” species,
• create a province-wide annual hunting season from March 15 until Dec 31,
• allow anyone holding a valid Ontario Outdoors Card and small game hunting license to kill up to 50 cormorants per day (1,500 per month or more than 14,000 per season),
• including nesting parents and,allow the carcasses to spoil (i.e., rot).
• 

Continue reading →

First phase of construction includes lower level retail and concourse areas, and Elements on the Falls restaurant

Table Rock will remain open during construction with temporary closures taking place of the north retail store and Elements

News from Ontario’s Niagara Parks Commission

Posted December 21^st, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Niagara Falls, Ontario – Niagara Parks is investing in its flagship Table Rock Centre through a multi-million-dollar redevelopment project to fully renew its retail, culinary and attraction offerings and better enhance the true sense of arrival and experience for the millions of guests who begin their travel journeys at Table Rock each year.

One of Niagara Parks’ most famous and well-known sites, the historic Table Rock Centre is perched atop the Canadian Horseshoe Falls, acting as an important gathering point and hub of activity for visitors from throughout the world. Continue reading →

Niagara’s 12 New NPCA Board Members Must Be Allowed To Get To Work – ASAP!

“We believe recent actions taken by the NPCA are not only interfering with a timely and orderly appointment of new Board members to the NPCA, but are undermining our democracy and are further jeopardizing Niagara’s green heritage,” – Ed Smith, a St. Catharines resident and executive director of the region-wide citizen’s group, A Better Niagara .

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

Posted December 20^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

A whole week has gone by since Niagara’s recently sworn-in Regional Council directed 12 regional councillors it appointed to the board of the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA) to hold a special meeting of the board no later than this Thursday, December 20^th – all with an aim to addressing, as soon as possible, the many problems besieging and bogging down this agency in the very important role it is supposed to play in protecting and conserving what is left of our region’s natural heritage.

This doctored image of the building in Welland where the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority has its headquarters seems fitting at a time when at least some of the old guard at the NPCA seem unwilling to make way for a new board of directors. The image was originally posted on a Facebook page by Peter gill, a retired Niagara Regional Police officer who regularly comments on municipal politics in Niagara.

Now here we are. It’s December 20^th at the time of this posting and as at least some of you who have been following the sad saga of the NPCA already know, what some have taken to calling an “emergency meeting” of Niagara’s 12 new board members has not taken, and possibly won’t through what remains of this holiday season.

Why no meeting when so many citizens across this region have been hoping and praying for such a thing to bring the NPCA back on track? Continue reading →

“If Doug Ford won’t do the right thing, when will someone in his government stand up to him and tell him that providing off-the-books perks to the premier is not the job of the Ontario Provincial Police?”

A News Release from Ontario’s Official Opposiion and NDP

Posted December 19th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

QUEEN’S PARK — This past Tuesday (December 18th), Doug Ford confirmed that he, in fact, demanded the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) buy him a custom camper van, from his preferred source, built to his specifications, and hide the expense from Ontarians.

This Wednesday (December 19th), NDP MPP for Essex, Taras Natyshak, said Ford’s excuse — that a “used” camper would have been acceptable — does not make Ford’s secret order ok.

“Yesterday Doug Ford defended his office’s order that the OPP buy a custom camper van for him, and keep the costs of this vehicle off the books,” said Natyshak. “According to Mr. Ford, the OPP could have easily acquired a used recreational camper van, probably off of Kijiji or something. Continue reading →

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

Posted December 19^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

St. Catharines MPP Jennie Stevens

QUEEN’S PARK — The NDP MPP for St. Catharines, Jennie Stevens, has asked the Conservative Minister of Transportation for a response to her urgent request to fund a suicide prevention barrier on the Burgoyne Bridge, in her riding of St. Catharines.

“In October, two people died after jumping from the Burgoyne Bridge in St. Catharines. Today (this December 18th), we are mourning the loss of another life in our community,” wrote Stevens in an open letter to Minister Jeff Yurek. Continue reading →

How About As Many As 27 Board Members for Niagara and the same old Two for Hamilton and One for Halidmand?

City of Hamilton Representatives Are Now Claiming It Should Have Four Members, Haldimand Should Have Two, and Niagara Should Have As Few As Five

A News Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted December 18^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Hamilton’s city council is perched to give final approval to a motion this coming Wednesday that would double the number of members it has on the board of the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA) from two to four, while allowing two members for Haldimand County, and only five for Niagara.

How many board members from Niagara, Hamilton and Haldimand will now get to sit around this table.

That would give members representing the eastern, rural areas of Hamilton and Haldimand a majority on the board if they chose to vote as a block of six, even though close to 80 per cent of the watershed that falls under the NPCA’s jurisdiction is located within the urban boundaries of Niagara.

It would also make for a major change in the makeup of an NPCA board that for more than two decades now has had two members from Hamilton, one from Haldimand, and 12 from each one of the local municipalities in Niagara where – again – most of the watershed the Conservation Authority is responsible for looking after is located. Continue reading →

“Funds raised at the Rankin Cancer Run are integral to the work being done here at Niagara Health. Over the years, critical patient care equipment like Vital Signs Monitors, Ultrasounds,  Beds, Treatment Chairs and upgrades to vital technology have been funded through the Rankin Cancer Run. The impact of the event on local healthcare through the years has been truly awe-inspiring.”                                                                                                     – Niagara Health Foundation President & CEO Roger Ali

News from Niagara Health (formerly known as the Niagara Health System)

Posted December 18th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – On May 26, 2018, more than 14,000 people participated in the 13th Annual Rankin Cancer Run, raising an extraordinary $1.15 million for cancer care in Niagara. Today, Niagara Health Foundation was presented with a remarkable $800,000 of those funds, which will be used to support cancer care at Niagara Health. Continue reading →

News from Ontario’s Ministry of Labour

Posted December 18th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Welland, Ontario – Convicted: Welded Tube of Canada Limited, 111 Rayette Road, Concord, Ontario (registered office), a multi-faceted cold formed carbon steel and high strength low alloy steel tubular producer.

Location: The company’s facility at 191 Ridge Road in Welland, Ontario.

Description of Offence: A worker was injured after a one-ton steel pipe came into contact with a worker. The injury was a result of the injured worker being unable to communicate with another worker due to the poor quality of the two-way radios being used. Continue reading →

“Effective immediately Chris Carter, General Manager; Peter Wadsworth, Director of Human Resources; Jason Tamming Director of Strategic Communications and Public Affairs and Domenic Ursini, Director of Economic Development, are no longer with Niagara Region.” – a statement released late this December 17^th by Niagara Region

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

Posted December 17^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

If it was change Niagara voters went to the polls for in this past October’s municipal elections, they are getting it – fast.

St. Catharines Standard reporter Bill Sawchuk, right) being ordered out of Niagara regional headequarters a year ago this December after his computer was wrongfully seized. Ontario’s Ombudsman Office eventually ruled the actions against the reporter to be unlawfully. The Region’s then general manager, Chris Carter, second from right, was one of five individuals who were let go at the Region this December 17th.  File photo by Emily Beth Spanton.

In a statement Niagara At Large received form the Region shortly before 5 p.m. this December 7^th, it was confirmed that earlier in the day five key staff members at Niagara’s regional headquarters saw their jobs disappear, “effective immediately,” while others have been appointed, in the interim, to serve in their place.

All five of the individuals let go were hired over the past four years and during a term of Niagara Regional Council, led by then chair Al Caslin, that became increasing controversial. Continue reading →

Niagara At Large Will Report More Details On This When We Receive Official Confirmation from the Region

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

Posted December 17^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Niagara Regional Headquarters

Less than two weeks after the swearing in of Niagara’s new Regional Chair Jim Bradley and Council, there are reports on social media this December 17^th that individuals in key senior positions in the regional government have been  let go.

At least five individuals have apparently been shown the door this December 17^th in what appears to be a major shake-up at the senior level. Due to the seriousness of an action  like this for peoples’ reputation and lives, Niagara At Large will not be identifying anyone who has reportedly been let go until we have received official confirmation from the Region. Continue reading →

“Enough is enough. … We need to get in there as soon as possible and start cleaning house.” – St. Catharines regional councillor and recently appointed NPCA board member Brian Heit

News by Doug Draper

Posted December 14^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Reports of former Port Colborne regional councillor and NPCA operations manager David Barrick suddenly being hire to serve as the next CAO of the Conservation Authority has triggered yet another wave of public outrage.

Niagara’s new Regional Council has approved steps to move as quickly as possible to end the turmoil at the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority.

In a motion the council passed following a closed session this December 13^th, Niagara’s 12 recently appointed interim members of the NPCA’s boar have been directly to call on the board’s current co-chair, James Kaspersetz (a board member representing the City of Hamilton) to hold a special meeting no later than Thursday, December 20^th.

The Region’s Clerk has also been directed to send a letter to all of Niagara’s outgoing NPCA board members, including former regional councillors Sandy Annunziata of Fort Erie, Bruce Timms of St. Catharines, Brian Baty of Pelham, Tony Quirk of Grimsby and others, “that their term on the board is complete.”

Many hope that change will come to the NPCA, making protest rallies like this, outside one of the Conservation Authority’s monthly board meetings, far less common in the future. File photo by Doug Draper

Those steps and others approved by the Region’s council this December 13^th follow in the wake of news that David Barrick, a former Port Colborne regional councillor has reportedly been fired from his job as the NPCA’s operations administrator, then rehired as its chief administrative officer (CAO) by an outgoing board that may no longer have any legal authority to make such decisions. Continue reading →

Kelly Edgar is finally sworn in to serve another term on Niagara Region’s council

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

Posted December 14^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

St. Catharines Regional Councillor Kelly Edgar is back.

Here, in my view anyway, is one of the best pieces of news on the municipal scene in Niagara since the new Regional Council appointed Jim Bradley Chair this past December 6^th.

This December 13^th, at the first full meeting of Niagara Regional Council, Kelly Edgar was finally sworn in to serve a second term as a regional councillor for St. Catharines.

Kelly Edgar was one of a handful of regional councillors who had the backbone to stand up against what became commonly known as Al Caslin’s cabal during the last term of regional council. Continue reading →

New Morning and Evening Train Service Will Start Four Years Ahead of Schedule

“This is great news for people in Niagara Region.Weekday GO train service between Niagara Falls and Toronto will help connect the region and create new business opportunities.”            – Niagara West MPP Sam Oosterhoff

News from Ontario’s Ford Government and Ministry of Transportation

Posted December 14^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

St. Catharines, Ontario  — Ontario’s Government for the People continues to deliver on its promise to get people moving faster by adding regular weekday GO train service to Niagara Falls and St. Catharines for the first time.

Today (this December 14th), Jeff Yurek, Minister of Transportation, Kinga Surma, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Transportation, Sam Oosterhoff, MPP Niagara West, along with Leslie Woo, Chief Planning and Development Officer, Metrolinx, visited the rail station in St. Catharines to announce that the government will introduce long-asked-for weekday GO train service to Niagara Falls and St. Catharines on the Lakeshore West line. Continue reading →

A Statement from Niagara Regional Chair Jim Bradley

Posted December 14^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Ron Tripp, Niagara Region’s Commissioner of Public Works, has been appointed the Region’s acting CAO

“At our meeting on Dec. 13, 2018 Niagara Regional Council appointed Ron Tripp to the position of acting Chief Administrative Officer for the Niagara Region while current CAO Carmen D’Angelo is on leave. This appointment is effective immediately.

While Ron Tripp is in the position of Acting CAO, Catherine Habermebl will assume the position of Acting Commissioner of Public Works.

On behalf of Niagara Regional Council I would like to thank both Mr. Tripp and Ms. Habermebl for accepting these positions and look forward to working with them on the continued delivery of the important programs and services provided by Niagara Region.”

– Jim Bradley, Niagara Regional Chair

Continue reading →

Posted by Doug Draper on Niagara At Large

December 13^th, 2018

David Barrick

Niagara’s new Regional Council was in session this December 13^th, discussing how appointments to the board of the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA) should be done in the future, when a few of us attending the session discovered a story that had just popped up on the internet.

“Barrick fired by NPCA, rehired, appointed as CAO – Former Port Colborne councillor’s hiring subject of Auditor General’s report earlier this year,” read the headline in the St. Catharines Standard story.

Fired, then rehired and appointed CAO?

Under whose authority?

Continue reading →

City of Hamilton Councillors Vote for Four Members on Board of Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority – Up From Two

According to Province’s Conservation Act, Niagara Should Only Have Five Members, Not Twelve, says  Hamilton Councillor

News from Doug Draper, Niagara At Large

Posted December 12^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Niagara’s new Regional Council and 12 local councils may have to take another look at how many representatives they can appoint to seats on the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority’s board of directors.

For more than two decades now, the NPCA board has operated with a total of 15 members – 12 appointed by municipalities in Niagara, two appointed by the City of Hamilton and one appointed by Haldimand County.

There could soon be a big change in the number of members sitting around this NPCA board table, and in the number of representatives Niagara has sitting on the board. File photo by Doug Draper

A motion passed unanimously by Hamilton city councillors at a general issues committee meeting this December 12^th aims to force a huge change in those numbers.

The motion, tabled by Hamilton Councillor Brenda Johnson, calls for Hamilton to now appoint four members to the NPCA board – two councillors and two members of the public – and Johnson told Niagara At Large in a phone interview this December 12^th that she expects the motion to get final approval in the city’s council meets this coming December 19^th. Continue reading →

Niagara Region’s new Chair, Jim Bradley

“During the recent municipal campaign all of us received a clear message from the voters. A justified demand that council conduct its business with honesty, integrity, civility, fairness, openness and accountability. Without a doubt there is an expectation that elected officials must embraces these attributes at all times and in all circumstances is a profound message that all of us will heed I’m sure in the term ahead.”  – Niagara’s new Regional Chair Jim Bradley

The Full Text of Niagara Regional Chair Jim Bradley’s Inaugural Address to the Region’s Council, delivered Thursday, December 6^th, 2018

Posted December 11^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

(A Brief Foreword from Niagara At Large reporter and publisher Doug Draper – A number of Niagara residents who had the opportunity to attend the inaugural ceremonies for the new term of Niagara Region’s council this past December 6^th or watch the proceedings online, commented on how heartening it was to hear the words new Regional Chair Jim Bradley delivered in his inaugural address – particularly after all the controversy and turmoil we’ve been put through at the regional government level over the past four years.

Niagara’s new Regional Chair Jim Bradley shortly after his inauguration with Debbie Zimmerman, who was Niagara’s regional chair from 1997 to 2003. Photo used with permission from Debbie Zimmerman’s Facebook page

In that spirit, I decided that we would post the full text of Bradley’s inaugural address as soon as it became available electronically, which was this December 11^th.

So for those who heard it the first time, and for all those who did not get a chance to hear it, here it is with the promise Jim Bradley finishes with – that Niagara will finally get back to moving forward again with the kind of representation we expect and deserve.

Now here is Bradley’s full inaugural address.)

”I would like to begin this afternoon by extending to all who are in attendance in the Chamber and in Regional Headquarters a warm welcome as the Council of the Regional Municipality of Niagara begins a new four-year term which commences today that will be completed in the latter part of 2022. Continue reading →

The total facility investment and improvements are estimated at a value of $40 million and will create up to 100 new high-skilled jobs

“This announcement is exciting not just because of Steelcon’s investment, but also because of the industry-leading technology that the SIN beam brings to the North American market. We look forward to working together to open the facility and advancing the future of manufacturing right here, in St. Catharines.” Walter Sendzik, Mayor of St. Catharines, Ontario.

News from the City of St. Catharines

Posted December 11th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – Steelcon Fabrication Inc. has announced a new $40 million manufacturing facility will open in St. Catharines to produce its leading SIN-beam product for the North American market.

From left, St. Catharines Mayor Walter Sendzik, Danny Bianco, Carmine Bianco, Director of Economic Development Brian York and Fabian Hoggard at SIN Structures new location on 87 Grantham Ave., St. Catharines

A family-owned company based in Brampton, Steelcon uses advanced technologies to produce construction beams that are lighter, use less steel, and have less of an impact on the environment while making construction more efficient. Continue reading →

Ontario NDP and Official Opposition Leader Andrea Horwath

“While Doug Ford is telling everyday people the cupboards are bare, he is making sure that his friends, and the most wealthy Ontarians are more than taken care of.” – Ontario NDP and Official Opposition Leader Andrea Horwath

A News Release from the Office of Ontario’s Official Opposition Leader Andrea Horwath

(Andrea Horwath and her Ontario New Democrats released the following this past December 6^th, when the 2018 summer and fall session of the provincial legislature came to a close.)

Posted December 11^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Queen’s Park — Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath says that Doug Ford and his Conservatives spent their first six months in the legislature making things worse for everyday people.

“The Liberal government let us down,” said Horwath. “But, in six months at Queen’s Park, Doug Ford has made things even worse for people. This is a government that makes decisions in back rooms, with and for their insiders.

“While Doug Ford is telling everyday people the cupboards are bare, he is making sure that his friends, and the most wealthy Ontarians are more than taken care of.” Continue reading →

Niagara West MPP Sam Oosterhoff .

“Our Government is committed to providing high quality care for those who are ill and near the end-of-life. We will keep working so that everyone can access compassionate care that respects the wishes of the patient and their loved ones.”                                         – Sam Oosterhoff, MPP for Niagara West

A News Release from the Constituency Office of Niagara West MPP Sam O osterhoff

Posted December 11th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Queen’s Park – This December 10th, Christine Elliott, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health and Long-Term Care and Effie Triantafilopoulos, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister announced that our Government is investing nearly $33.6 million to build 193 new hospice beds across Ontario.  Continue reading →

All are Invited to George Bukator Park off  Chippawa Parkway and Stanley Avenue  in Niagara Falls, Ontario on Saturday, December 15^th at 7.am.

An Invite to All from Niagara’s Indigenous Community

Posted December 10^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

A Brief Foreword from Doug Draper, Niagara At Large –

The following invitation to to this special event is being circulated by members of the Indigenous community , including Karl Dockstader  who has been fighting passionately with many others across our region to save the provincially significant wetlands and other natural riches in the sprawling Thundering Waters Forest in Niagara Falls from an urban development project that could and shoud be built somewhere else.

“Ceremony won’t bring back the Wetlands, but respecting water as living will bring us strength,” said Dockstader in a recent Facebook note about this Sunrise Ceremony event. Continue reading →

Niagara River is one of 15 ecosystems in the Great Lakes listed as particularly vulnerable to impacts of a crude oil spill.

“Existing crude oil transport infrastructure near or in the Great Lakes makes the ecosystem particularly vulnerable to spills, particularly in 15 areas the committee identified (including the Niagara River, Long  Point Bay along the shores of Lake Erie and the northern shores of Lakes Ontario) based on their level of biodiversity and as highly valued habitats for fish spawning, such as estuaries, rivers and bays.”

– from the International Joint Commission’s Great Lakes Science Advisory Board report, titled ‘Potential Ecological Impacts of Crude Oil Transport in the Great Lakes Basin

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

Posted December 12^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Oil production in central northern United States and western Canada has increased rapidly since 2010. Its transport near or through the Great Lakes region via pipelines and rail has expanded as a result.

What does this mean for the lakes in terms of the environmental threats posed by crude oil transport, and what are the potential ecological impacts from a spill in freshwater ecosystems like the Great Lakes? Continue reading →

You Are Invited to Join a Rally for Workers’ Comp in Downtown St. Catharines this Tuesday, December 11^th at Noon

A Call-Out from the Niagara Injured Worker Group

‎Posted December 10^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

The Niagara Injured Worker Group is looking forward to rallying together with our allies to send the message that Workers’ Comp is a Right.

We are joined by eight  other communities in Ontario to make our voices and our demands heard. Join us! Continue reading →

“We can only hope that with a clean slate of board members and a new Interim CAO 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

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

Posted December 7th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

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

With a new interim board of directors and CAO in place at the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority, one of Niagara’s Members of Provincial Parliament is calling on them to drop an ongoing lawsuit that the NPCA’s old board and managers  slapped against former employee Jocelyn Baker.

“I commend Niagara Regional Council for taking immediate action in replacing the former NPCA Board, which spearheaded the lawsuit against Ms. Baker,” Niagara Centre MPP Jeff Burch said in an open letter this December 7^th of the Region’s new council voting before adjourning its December 6^th inaugural ceremonies to immediately install an interim replacement board at an NPCA where the old board was threatening not to step down.

“We can only hope that with a clean slate of board members and a new Interim CAO 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,” added Burch in the letter, a copy of which was sent to all 12 Niagara regional councillors and mayors now sitting on the board, and to Niagara’s new Regional Chair Jim Bradley. Continue reading →

“We worked with community members to show the need for this, and I’m proud to see that the legislature agrees.” – Niagara Falls MPP Wayne Gates

News from the Constituency Office of Niagara Falls MPP Wayne Gates

Posted December 7th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Niagara Falls MPP Wayne Gates in Ontario legislature. File photo

Queen’s Park, Ontario  – Niagara Falls NDP MPP Wayne Gates’s motion has won support of all of the parties in the Ontario legislature, moving Niagara closer to round-the-clock mental health services.

 “This is just another example of how, when we come together as a community, when we work together and when we raise our voices, we can get things done. We worked with community members to show the need for this, and I’m proud to see that the legislature agrees. Now, we’ll move forward to get a timeline on that funding and to get these facilities up and running.

This is an important piece, though just one part, of what we can do as a community to say to those struggling, ‘You’re not alone, you’re loved and we care,’” said Gates. Continue reading →

Niagara Region’s new Chair, Jim Bradley

“I am honoured to be appointed as Niagara’s Regional Chair for the upcoming term of Council. I look forward to working collaboratively with all members of our Council and Niagara’s dedicated public service to move our Region forward and provide the important services our community relies on. ”                            ~ Niagara’s new Regional Chair,  Jim Bradley

News from Niagara’s Regional Government

Posted December 7^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – This December 6th, Niagara Region announces that Jim Bradley has been appointed to the position of Regional Chair by a unanimous vote of Regional Council for the 2018-2022 term. Bradley will be officially sworn in later today, making him the eighth Regional Chair for the Niagara Region.

Niagara’s new Regional Chair Jim Bradley, centre below the Region’s crest, takes the oath of office this December 6th. Photo by Doug Draper

Bradley began his political career as a St. Catharines City Councillor from 1970-77. He served as the Member of Provincial Parliament for St. Catharines from 1977-2018. During this time, Bradley held roles as Provincial Minister of Environment, Transportation, Municipal Affairs and Housing, Tourism and Recreation, Community Safety and Correctional Services, and Seniors.

Bradley has contributed to the Niagara community as a hockey and baseball coach, manager and referee; as member of Grantham Optimist Club, as an active supporter of the Rankin Run, Gillian’s Place, Start Me Up Niagara, Community Care, Bethlehem Place and other volunteer organizations.

In Ontario, the Municipal Act sets out the responsibilities of the Regional Chair. The Regional Chair is both the head of council and the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Region.

To watch the Inaugural Meeting of Niagara’s new Regional Council, click on the screen below –

To learn more, please visit www.niagararegion.ca

Niagara At Large will be posting more news and commentary on the dawn of a new era for regional government in Niagara on our online site soon. Stay tuned.

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

Jig is Up for Annunziata and other Niagara ex-councillors and mayors on outgoing NPCA Board

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

Posted December 6^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

If Sandy Annunziata or any others on a Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA) board of directors that has gone rogue think they are going to be the ones sitting around the table when the board is scheduled to hold its next meeting this December 12^th, they had better think again.

Shortly after Niagara’s new regional council, seen here, took the oath of office this December 6th, it voted to immediately appoint an interim NPCA board to replace an old one that has drawn a great deal of public controversy in recent years, and has continued to right up to this week.

Niagara Region’s new council, in its first official act business this December 6^th following its inauguration and selection of former St. Catharines MPP Jim Bradley as Regional Chair, named a member of regional councillors from each of Niagara’s 12 local municipalities to form an interim NPCA board – “effective immediately,” says a motion the new council passed, “for a period of three months until it is determined how to proceed with the board composition.” Continue reading →

NPCA Appoints Lisa McManus As Interim CAO

This News just in from the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority with a Brief Foreword from Niagara At Large reporter and publisher Doug Draper

Posted December 7^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Doug Draper’s Foreword –

Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority’s Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Mark Brickell has been replaced by interim CAO. Members of the public are already demanding more details about this.

There has been speculation from NPCA watchers all week that the shotgun meeting that the NPCA’s outgoing board chair and defeated Fort Erie regional councillor Sandy Annunziata and other lame duck members of the board held at a  Niagara-on-the-Lake hotel this past December 3^rd a may have had something to do with letting at least one senior manager at the problem-plagued Conservation Authority go.

And now we know, based on the NPCA news release below, that the speculation was fairly spot on.

We are now learning that Mark Brickell,  hired to the NPCA’s CAO post after Carmen D’Angelo left it two years ago for the CAO position at Niagara Region, has been replaced with an interim CAO, Lisa McManus, who has previously served in other administrative positions at the Conservation Authority.

As word of this news is getting around, some Niagara residents who have volunteered many years of their lives to conserving our region’s natural heritage are already circulating notes of their own, wondering what all this may cost Niagara residents and that portion of their tax dollars that go to the NPCA for  conservation projects. Continue reading →

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

Posted December 5^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

“Sit down. … You are out of order. …. I said sit down! … If you don’t sit down, I’m going to have to ask you to leave. …Sit down. …  (to which, one speaker, at one time, responded: ‘I’m not finished.’) …. Yes you are…..  I don’t want to hear it. …. I told you to sit down. … Time’s up …. Sit down. You are out of order!” (word clips from numerous Niagara regional council meetings over the past four years).

Those were the days, weren’t they?

I can still hear these verbal missives – aimed over and over again by Niagara’s recently defeated regional chair Al Caslin at virtually any member of the Region’s council or delegation of citizens from the community who he and members of his cabal perceived to be a political opponent.

They are still  ringing in my ears.

This sign, still along a roadside in St. Catharines, the day after the October 22nd municipal elections in which Caslin was buried in the polls.

Thankfully, Caslin is now gone – buried in the polls in this past October’s municipal elections – and this Thursday, December 6^th marks the beginning of new Niagara regional council with a majority of members serving on the council for the first time. Continue reading →

A News Release from Niagara Health, Niagara, Ontario’s amalgamated health system

Posted December 5th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Open Your Heart and Be Kind is the message on the joyful holiday drawing that will be the face of Niagara Health’s 2018 Holiday Greeting Card.

Niagara Health’s Grand Prize Holiday Card

Alexa Kirkwood, nine-year-old daughter of Service Desk Analyst David Kirkwood at our Data Centre in Thorold, is the brilliant artist behind the grand prize-winning entry of our 12th Annual Holiday Card Contest for kids.

The colourful drawing shows a nurse, an elf, along with Santa and his reindeer spreading this message of kindness. “Alexa’s drawing is meant to bring joy to sick children,” says her father David.  “Her drawing is about being kind and sharing with others, especially during this holiday season.”

Angela Zangari Niagara Health’s Executive Vice President Finance, Operations and Chief Financial Officer, presenting the Holiday Card Contest grand prize certificate to Alexa Kirkwood of Fonthill.

In addition to her love for drawing, Alexa is an avid dancer, and has a special interest in ballet. She practices dance four days a week and is proud to be performing in Niagara Ballet’s Nutcracker. Continue reading →

“With this appointment, Doug Ford is promoting a close friend and ally by several ranks, leapfrogging the OPP’s senior leadership team without an explanation.” – Ontario NDP critic for Community Safety and Correctional Services Kevin Yarde

Doug Ford and his pic for Ontario Provincial Police chief, Ron raverner, at a gala in the Toronto area in 2016

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

Posted December 5th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

QUEEN’S PARK — Kevin Yarde, NDP critic for Community Safety and Correctional Services, released the following statement regarding the appointment of Ron Taverner as Commissioner of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP): Continue reading →

‘A living wage is not the same as the legislated minimum wage. It is a voluntary commitment that employers can make to compensate directly-employed and contract-employed full-time and parttime workers. The 2018 living wage for Niagara region has been calculated to be $17.99/hour.’

News from the Niagara Poverty Reduction Network- a collective of over 30 agencies and individuals working to wipe out poverty in Niagara, Ontario

Posted December 5^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Matt Bonanno, Owner, Iron Will Raw, left, and Glen Walker, Chair, Niagara Poverty Reduction Network

The Niagara Poverty Reduction Network is pleased to announce that St. Catharines-based Iron Will Raw Inc. has become Niagara’s 8th certified Living Wage Employer.

Iron Will Raw Inc.TM was purchased in June 2013 by Matt Bonanno. For many years Matt had worked with and trained protection and police dogs. His experience and love for these canine athletes lead to his recognition of the need for quality, raw pet food, free from additives and preservatives that could be available to all households.

In just five short years the company has advanced to become a leader in the raw pet food market in Ontario and has big plans for continued growth. Iron Will Raw currently sells product through retailers across Ontario, Manitoba, Quebec and Newfoundland. Iron Will Raw is dedicated to making a premium quality, safe and nutritious raw diet for dogs and cats.  Continue reading →

“In almost all scenarios. employers also see net savings as their contributions to private drug plans decrease by more than their taxes increase. In options where pharmacare savings are  shared with households, employers  still save between $1 billion and $3 billion a year.” – CCPA/C4TF Research Report

A Report from the Canadian Centre for Public Alternatives and Canadians for Tax Fairness

Posted December 5th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Ottawa, Ontario —A federally funded universal national pharmacare plan could create large net savings for Canadians, up to $600 per household a year, but just who benefits depends on how the funding is designed, says new research from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) and Canadians for Tax Fairness (C4TF).

A range of policy options have been proposed to finance a national pharmacare program. A Prescription for Savings analyses various options to determine which are the most fair and equitable, and how Canadians can best share and distribute the considerable savings that would be generated by the introduction of pharmacare .

CCPA Senior Economist David Macdonald

“There is a right and a wrong way to pay for pharmacare. Pick the wrong way and you can completely eliminate pharmacare’s net savings for low and middle income families. Pick the right way and you can fairly distribute those savings between low-income families, the middle-class, businesses and governments,” says CCPA Senior Economist David Macdonald, co-author of the report. 

The report analyses seven tax-based scenarios the federal government could consider if  additional fiscal capacity is needed to raise the estimated $10.4 billion required to finance a  pharmacare program based on the Quebec drug formulary. Continue reading →

 “Democracy Dies in Darkness.” – the recently adopted motto of The Washington Post 

Let the sun shine in!

“Government ought to be all outside and no inside. . . . Everybody knows that corruption thrives in secret places, and avoids public places, and we believe it a fair presumption that secrecy means impropriety.” – from an address by late American president Woodrow Wilson

A Commentary by Niagara At Large reporter and publisher  Doug Draper

Posted December 3^rd, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Every new group of regional councillors,  going back almost 50 years now to the creation of regional government in Niagara, has started their term of office with a list of goals in mind.

The group of regional councillors to be sworn in this December 6^th faces at least one goal that is so huge, it supersedes virtually anything else on the list.

Waiting for Niagara’s newly sworn in regional council. At least for some Niagara residents, this December 6th’s inauguration ceremonies could not come soon enough. Photo by Doug Draper

That goal is restoring the trust of the public in regional government.

Can it be done?

There is one old school of thought that once you lose people’s trust it is very difficult or nearly impossible to win it back. I don’t think that is true in this case. Continue reading →

What Was This “Special Meeting” At A Niagara-on-the-Lake Holiday Inn All About?

A Brief News Commentary from Niagara At Large reporter Doug Draper

Posted December 3rd, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Just when many Niagara residents may have been thinking that the outgoing board of the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA) may at long last be going away, it whipped together a “special meeting” – almost all of it held in “closed session,” according to an agenda that popped up sometime in the past few days on the NPCA’s website – in the Staybridge Suites at a Holiday Inn in Niagara-on-the-Lake.

Niagara At Large learned of this meeting late this Monday, December 3rd afternoon, and we fired off a quick email to NPCA staff, asking for more information, including a copy of any  announcement or statement that might come out of the meeting. At the time of this posting, NAL was still waiting for a response. Continue reading →