Author Archives: dougdraper

The Creator of the Niagara Falls, Ontario Amusement Park Is Remembered This July 23rd in an Obituary in The Globe and Mail

A Brief Foreword to the Globe Obit from Niagara At Large reporter and publisher Doug Draper

Posted July 23rd, 2018 on Niagara At Large

For the past two or three decades, Marineland became a magnet for protests by animal activists from across the region and beyond. File photo by Doug Draper

Niagara, Ontario – A full month after Marineland creator and owner John Holer died this past June 23rd at age 83, it is still hard to believe that this person who loomed so large for so long in the history of Niagara, Ontario is gone.

Going back to my years as an environment reporter at The St. Catharines Standard, I had my share of encounters and run-ins with John Holer over his park’s history of keeping whales, dolphins and other animals in captivity for people’s amusement.

Notwithstanding John Holer’s repeated insistence that he must be giving people what they want because many hundreds of thousands of them pay money each year to visit Marineland, I remain just as insistent that these animals do not belong in places like this. Continue reading →

Canada’s Government makes $8.95 million investment  in protection and restoration projects across the    Great Lakes Basin

Canada’s Environment Minister Catherine McKenna with Niagara Centre MP Vance Badawey for announcement in Port Colborne on Great Lakes funding

“We are working collaboratively with our partners so that Canadians can enjoy cleaner, healthier waterfronts along the shores of Lake Erie.” – Vance Badawey, Member of Parliament for Niagara Centre

News rom: Environment and Climate Change Canada

Posted July 23rd, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Port Colborne, Ontario – The Government of Canada is committed to protecting Canada’s natural legacy and freshwater resources. Part of this commitment is protecting and restoring the water quality and ecosystem health of the Great Lakes, a vitally important environmental, economic, and cultural resource for millions within its basin and beyond.

This July 19th, Canada’s  Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Catherine McKenna, announced $8.95 million in funding over four years for 36 local on-the-ground projects under the Great Lakes Protection Initiative.

Toxc algae blooms in Lake Erie and other parts of the Great Lakes have worsened in recent years. Among other things, this algae robs the waters of the oxygen necessary to sustain a multi-billion fishery in the Great Lakes.

The Initiative supports projects across the Great Lakes Basin, which will help restore areas of concern, prevent toxic and nuisance algae, reduce the release of harmful chemicals, engage the public through citizen science, and engage Indigenous Peoples.

Minister McKenna was accompanied at the July 19th  announcement by funding recipients from ALUS Canada and Swim Drink Fish Canada. The Swim Drink Fish Canada project will receive $1.8 million to engage Canadians through citizen science in Great Lakes water quality monitoring of our beaches and other recreational waters.

Monitoring hubs will be set up in communities across the Great Lakes Basin. ALUS Canada will receive $600,000 over three years to focus on reducing phosphorus inputs to Lake Erie through restoration of natural features on agricultural lands.

The Government of Canada recognizes the integral role that our partners, including Indigenous Peoples, play in protecting and restoring the Great Lakes. The Great Lakes Protection Initiative is proud to support projects that tackle issues that matter most to the lives of Canadians—from cleaner drinking water, to beaches we can enjoy, to waters in which we can fish and swim.

Quotes

Canada’s Minister for Environment and Climate Change, Catherine McKenna

“Protecting and restoring our Great Lakes for current and future generations is a priority for Canada. With the help of our partners, we will work together to protect our freshwater resources. The Government of Canada is proud to support these 36 projects that help to ensure a clean and healthy source of drinking water for Canadians and restore and protect the health of ecosystems for the many species of plants and animals relying on the Great Lakes.” – Catherine McKenna, Minister of Environment and Climate Change

“The Government of Canada is committed to protecting the health and well-being of Canadians by reducing harmful and nuisance algal blooms in Lake Erie. The Canada-Ontario Lake Erie Action Plan, announced earlier this year, and the work being done by ALUS Canada will help us achieve the phosphorus-loading reduction targets set out in the plan. We are working collaboratively with our partners so that Canadians can enjoy cleaner, healthier waterfronts along the shores of Lake Erie.” – Vance Badawey, Member of Parliament for Niagara Centre

“The Great Lakes are an important freshwater resource in the Niagara region. Restoring and protecting them will help ensure future economic prosperity, strong communities, as well as clean and safe recreational areas for Canadians in the Niagara region and communities across the Great Lakes Basin.” – Chris Bittle, Member of Parliament for St. Catharines

Protecting the world’s largest supply of fresh water should be a number one priority for our governments in Canada and the United States

Quick facts

• The Great Lakes are one of the world’s largest repositories of fresh water: They contain 20 percent of the world’s surface fresh water.
• The Great Lakes contain one of the most diverse ecosystems on earth—sustaining 4000 species of plants and animals.
• The Great Lakes Basin provides a source of drinking water for one in four Canadians and one in ten Americans.
• The Great Lakes region represents the third-largest economy in the world, if measured as a country. It supplies 51 million jobs or nearly 30 percent of the combined American and Canadian workforce.

New Project Funding for Niagara River Area of Concern –

• Project: Restoring Riparian Zones of the Niagara River Area of Concern
• Proponent: Niagara Parks Commission
• Great Lakes Protection Initiative funding: $130,000 over 2 years
• Project description: This project will create, restore and expand riparian and nearshore habitat for fish and wildlife by planting native species and constructing habitat structures, part of the Niagara River Area of Concern.

Associated links

The Great Lakes Protection Initiative

Funded projects for 2018-2019

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.

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 Statement from Official Opposition Leader Andrea Horwath

Posted July 23^rd, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath

Queen’s Park – In the wake of the deadly shooting on  Avenue, Official Opposition Leader Andrea Horwath issued the following statement:

“My heart is with the victims of last night’s shooting, their friends and loved ones, and the beautiful Danforth community so deeply impacted by this heinous crime. Our immediate focus is on strength for the victims in hospital, and for those that now need to recover from emotional trauma. Continue reading →

“The Region owes a formal and public apology to the reporters who were unfairly ejected from the meeting and had their personal property seized. Beyond the reporters, the Region owes the public an apology for violating the Municipal Act and locking the public out of an open meeting.” – Jeff Burch

A News Release from the Constituency Office of Niagara Centre MPP Jeff Burch

Posted July 22n^d, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Retired Niagara Centre MPP Cindy Forster with Niagara Centre’s new MPP, Jeff Burch. Cindy Forster was one of the first to call on the Ontario Ombudsman to investigate the seizure of a reporter’s computer and notes and his explusion from Niagara’s regional headquarters last December

Niagara, Ontario – NDP MPP Jeff Burch’s response to Ombudsman Paul Dube’s report on the December 7th 2017 situation that led to reporters being ejected from a public meeting and their private property being seized –

“I echo the comments made by the Ombudsman. The actions taken against local media by Regional Staff were not only unjust, they were illegal.”

The Ontario Ombudsman investigated the incident following numerous complaints, including one from former Welland MPP Cindy Forster. Continue reading →

 Sam Oosterhoff re-introduces the Compassionate Care Act 

 News from the Constituency Office of Niagara West MPP Sam Oosterhoff

Posted July 22nd, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Niagara West MPP Sam Oosterhoff

Queen’s Park – This third week of July, Sam Oosterhoff, MPP for Niagara West, once again tabled his first Private Member’s Bill, the Compassionate Care Act.  Bill 3, as it is now know, would establish a hospice palliative care framework for the province of Ontario.

 “Hospice palliative care is of great importance to the people of Niagara West and to those across Ontario,” declared Oosterhoff. “I am glad that I have the opportunity to introduce and debate this key piece of legislation during this summer session.”

Oosterhoff originally introduced the Compassionate Care Act in November 2017. While it passed Second Reading unanimously on December 14, 2017, the bill did not become law as the Parliament was dissolved before the bill made it to Third Reading. Continue reading →

Are Our Regional Councillors Across Niagara Getting The Message Yet?

At Long Last, Do The Right Thing For Your Constituents And Our Region, And Shred This Guy’s Contract!

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

Posted July 21st, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Niagara Region’s CAO Carmen D’Angelo under fire again

Since Ontario’s Ombudsman released a detailed report this past July 18th – a report that, among other things, named Niagara Region’s CAO Carmen D’Angelo, along with the regional council’s chair Al Calsin, for playing lead roles last December in the illegal seizure of a St. Catharines Standard reporter’s computer and notes, followed by his expulsion from Niagara’s regional headquarters – calls from citizens and political representatives and candidates for the resignation or firing of both men have been mounting.

Every time I go back to my In Box there are more, and I can’t keep posting each and every one of them.

But the following one from Mo Al Jumaily, a Niagara citizen and now acandidate for St. Catharines regional councillor seat, deserves special mention because Mo Al Jumaily was also at Niagara regional headquarters as a citizen observer on December 7th, 2017 when the computer and notes of St. Catharines Standard reporter Bill Sawchuk were wrongfully seized by regional officials. Continue reading →

A recent rally in front of Niagara’s regional headquarters with area residents calling for the ouster of the Region’s CAO Carmen D’Angelo

“We have been crying out for good governance (in Niagara) for years now and it is starting to pay dividends, but if you don’t finish what we all started together then it is all for nothing.” – Ed Smith, a Niagara resident and citizen activist who was sued by the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority’s regional council-dominated board after demanding accountability for our tax dollars from that wretched agency. That lawsuit was eventually dismissed in Ed Smith’s favour by a senior Ontario Court Judge

The Following Message is Posted on Niagara At Large with NAL’s full endorsement, July 21st, 2018

A Message from Ed Smith, Niagara, Ontario

Hey everybody,

Most of us know that Carmen D’Angelo is one of the people behind many of the various issues we have been fighting against tooth and nail for the past 3 years (or longer) in Niagara. Together we have managed to keep an incredible amount of pressure on him and many of the lousy Councillors who work in this region and right now things are finally starting to crack.

Niagara Region’s chair Al Caslin with the Region’s CAO, Carmen D’Angelo perched to his right. File photo by Doug Draper

We are approaching the epoch of accountability….but we are not there yet…there remains work to be done. Continue reading →

St. Catharines citizen Haley Bateman, during one of the times, she addressed Niagara regional council last year on the need for stronger code of conduct rules for councilors and staff

‘The Ontario Ombudsman’s Report is thorough, and I believe that our Chair’s  (Al Caslin), and our CAO’s (Carmen D’Angelo) actions are so appalling and damaging to our reputation as a region that the only solution is to ask for their resignations.- Niagara, Ontario citizen and Niagara regional council candidate for St. Catharines Haley Bateman

A Statement from St. Catharines resident and Niagara Regional Council candidate Haley Bateman

Posted July 21st, 2018 on Niagara At Large

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

Haley Bateman, a concerned citizen of St. Catharines, back at Niagara regional council this past December 7th, urging the council to take firmer action to discipline St. Catharines regional councillor Andy Petrowski in the wake of code of conduct rulings against him.

On that same December 7th evening, the council went into closed session to discuss the matter and within minutes, as a recently report on an Ontario Ombudsman Office investigation put it, “chaos ensued.” Continue reading →

Ontario Ombudsman Calls Niagara Region’s Seizure Of Standard Reporter’s Computer, Notes, Expulsion From Municipal Property “Contrary To Law, Unreasonable, Unjust And Wrong.”

“I also found that the Regional Municipality of Niagara acted unreasonably and without due care when it ejected a citizen blogger (Preston Haskell) from the council meeting on December 7, 2017, and seized his digital recording device.” – from the report of Ontario Ombudsman Paul Dubé, released this July 18th, 2018

A News Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted July 18^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Ontario Ombudsman Paul Dubé

Before I get started, let me say this.

As a journalist who has closely followed regional government in Niagara for decades, and who once upon a time worked in communications for the regional government, it is impossible to imagine anything close to what I am about to highlight below happening under the leadership of any one of the past Niagara regional chairs, Brian Merritt, Peter Partington, Debbie Zimmerman or Gary Burroughs.

Or we could go all the way back to the creation of regional government in 1970 and Niagara’s first regional chair, John Campbell.

Would the late John Campbell or any of the others who have had the privilege to serve as Niagara’s regional chair have anything to do with seizing a newspaper reporter’s computer and notes, then ordering that reporter off municipal property?

Impossible! It just wouldn’t happen!

While Niagara Region’s council was in closed session this past December 7th, 2017, St. Catharines Standard reporter Bill Sawchuk (right) had his computer and notes seized and was ordered out of Niagara’s regional headquarters.  Photo by Emily Spanton

It takes a special cast of characters to cook up the cauldron of contemptible conduct that is detailed in a 60-page report released this July 18^th, 2018 by Ontario’s Ombudsman and chief public sector watchdog, Paul Dubé. Continue reading →

Identifies a series of other apparent irregularities by current Region Chair and CAO

A News Release from the Campaign to Elect Dave Augustyn Niagara Regional Chair

Posted July 19^th 2018 on Niagara At Large

Pelham Mayor and Regional Councillor Dave Augustyn engaged in a debate this term at Niagara Region council meeting.

Niagara, Ontario – Based on new revelations in yesterday’s (July 18th. 2018) Ontario Ombudsman’s final report – Press Pause: Investigation into a meeting of council for the Regional Municipality of Niagara on December 7, 2017 – Mayor Dave Augustyn is calling for a full and frank apology to the Office of the Ombudsman by the current Chair (Al Caslin) and CAO (Carmen D’Angelo) of Niagara Region.

The final report by the Ontario Ombudsman reveals how the Region’s external legal counsel aggressively dealt with the Ombudsman’s office and tried to influence the impartial investigation. Continue reading →

“As Canadians, we know that our success as a country rests on equality, inclusion, and justice. Mandela showed us what it means to spend a life in service to those ideals.”                                – Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

A Statement by Canada’s Prime Minister on Nelson Mandela International Day

Posted July 18^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today issued the following statement on Nelson Mandela International Day:

“Today (July 18^th), on Nelson Mandela International Day, we join people around the world to reflect on the life and legacy of the anti-apartheid revolutionary and former South African President.

Nelson Mandela, with then Prime Minister Jean Chretien, greeting a group of children while in Canada in 2001 to accept an nonourary Canadian citizenship

As we mark 100 years since Nelson Mandela’s birth, we celebrate his contributions to peace and justice, and carry forward his call for equality and freedom. Continue reading →

Ombudsman Paul Olist Also Calls For “Procedural Improvement” At Regional Headquarters

‘Although (Niagara) regional officials have the power to bar people from municipal property in some instances, the municipality “has an overriding responsibility to act in accordance with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms when exercising those powers.,”                                                             – Ontario Ombudsman Paul Dubé

A News Release from the Office of the Ontario Ombudsman

Posted  July 18^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

(A Brief Note Foreword Note from Niagara At Large reporter and publisher Doug Draper – The following news release, along with a detailed report, was released by the Ontario Ombudsman’s Office at 9:30 a.m. this Wednesday, July 18th.

The news release and report are the products of a lengthy investigation the Ombudsman’s Office launched following the seizure of the computers and notes  of St. Catharines Standard reporter Bill Sawchuk and Niagara area blogger Preston Haskell by Niagara regional officials at the Region’s headquarters this past December.

Niagara At Large will have more news and commentary on the Ombudsman’s  report and findings in the hours ahead. Stay tuned.)

Ontario Ombudsman Paul Dubé

Toronto, Ontario – Ontario Ombudsman Paul Dubé today (July 18th, 2018) called on the Regional Municipality of Niagara to apologize publicly to a local journalist and a citizen blogger for seizing their property and ejecting them from a council meeting last December. The region’s actions were unreasonable, unjust, wrong and contrary to law, Mr. Dubé’s investigation found.

Although regional officials have the power to bar people from municipal property in some instances, the municipality “has an overriding responsibility to act in accordance with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms when exercising those powers,” the Ombudsman writes in Press Pause, his report on his investigation of the incident. Continue reading →

Let’s Promise Ourselves Not To Have Another Four-Year Clown Show at Niagara Regional Council.

Get Informed & Engaged. There Is Nothing Less Than Our Region’s Future At Stake!

A Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted July 18^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

This June, I took off to the east coast for a week or so to visit some friends. And while I was away, walking the beaches of Cape Cod, I tried my best not to give the circus that passes for regional government back here a minute’s thought.

Yet every so often I’d pick up a copy of The Boston Globe and read about some ugly thing that Trump had said or done, or I’d see something that would remind me of the totally unfunny clown show we’ve been treated to for the past three and a half years inside Niagara’s regional council chambers.

One of those reminders came in the form a t-shirt I found hanging in an off-beat shop in Provincetown on the Cape, with words on it that read as follows –
I almost bought that t-shirt but I would rather wear one with words reading something like; ‘A Future to Believe In’, the slogan from Bernie Sanders’ 2016 U.S. presidential campaign, or the ‘Better Niagara’ slogan that a growing number of our fellow citizens in Niagara are adopting for the coming October 22nd municipal elections.

Come the morning after those elections, I hope to wake up in a Niagara region where we no longer have to face an image like the one below  ever again –

Enough of the clowns and the circus for now though.

We’ll get back to highlighting some of their lowest moments  over the past three and a half years as the campaign leading up to the  October 22^nd election day unfolds. Continue reading →

Doug Ford launches Commission of Inquiry to do Line-by-Line Audit of former Liberal government’s spending

Doug Ford, Premier of Ontario’s new “Government for the People”

“I promised the people of Ontario that we would put an end to the party with your money. With this decisive action, that is exactly what we are doing. Promise made, promise kept.”                           – Ontario Premier Doug Ford

News from the Office of Ontario Premier Doug Ford

Posted July 17th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

TORONTO — Ontario’s Government for the People is taking action to restore the people’s trust in the public finances.

(This July 17th) Premier Doug Ford joined with Vic Fedeli, Minister of Finance, and Peter Bethlenfalvy, President of the Treasury Board, to announce unprecedented action to restore the public’s confidence in Ontario’s books. Continue reading →

“The last Liberal government pushed Ontario’s hospitals to the brink. … But instead of taking urgent steps to fix it, the premier handed a contract – worth over a million dollars – to one of his friends, the former president of the Conservative party. Why was Doug Ford’s first act in health care an act of blatant political patronage?”

A News Commentary from Ontario’s New Democratic Pary

Posted July 17^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Ford gives former Ontario PC Party president Rueben Delvin plum patronage appointment. Who is next in line for one?

Queen’s Park, Ontario – During question period this July 17th, NDP health critic France Gélinas questioned Premier Doug Ford on his decision to award a million-dollar contract to the former president of the Ontario PC party.

Rueben Devlin will be paid $348,000 each year during his three year term – over $1 million in total – to provide advice on the health care system.

“The last Liberal government pushed Ontario’s hospitals to the brink. Hallway medicine and painfully long wait times have become the new normal inside our hospitals,” said Gélinas, MPP for Nickel Belt. Continue reading →

“It’s nice to see respected officials thinking beyond drugs as simply a product of criminality and deviance.” – Brock University Associate Professor of Health Sciences Dan Malleck

News from Brock University in Niagara, Ontario

Posted July 17th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – One of Canada’s most well-respected experts in the history of Canada’s drug laws is applauding the call by Toronto’s top public health official to decriminalize all drugs for personal use.

Brock University Associate Professor of Health Sciences Dan Malleck, who has authored two books on the topic and given talks around the world, said Tuesday (July 17th) “it’s nice to see respected officials thinking beyond drugs as simply a product of criminality and deviance.”

Dr. Eileen de Villa, Toronto’s Medical Officer of Health, recently suggested the federal government should allow personal use of all recreational drugs. Continue reading →

Have Our American Friends Finally Had Enough Of The Madness Of Donald Trump. For The Sake Of The World And All Of Us Who Live In It, Let’s Hope So

A Brief One from NAL reporter and publisher Doug Draper

Posted July 17th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Remember when Donald Trump bragged during his 2016 presidential campaign that he could stand out of Fifth Avenue in New York City and shoot someone, and still keep his supporters?

Well check out this cover page of the Tuesday, July 17th, 2018 edition of the New York Daily News –

“Donald Trump’s press conference performance in Helsinki rises to & exceeds the threshold of ‘high crimes & misdemeanors.’ It was nothing short of treasonous.” – former U.S. CIA director John Brennan, July 16th, 2018

Continue reading →

“No prior president has ever abased himself more abjectly before a tyrant.” – from a statement U.S. Republican Senator John McCain released this July 16th, following Trump’s meeting in Helsinki with Russian dictator Vladimir this July 16th

Canada’s Prime Minister Should Condemn Trump too and call upon other World Leaders for his Ouster from NATO,  the G7 and the United Nation’s Security Council

Posted by Doug Draper, July 16^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

The following is the full text of a statement released this Monday, July 16^th by U.S Senator John McCain, a former presidential candidate and decorated Vietnam War veteran now battling brain cancer, and one of the last true standard bearers left in the now dying (or already dead) Republican Party, about the individual now occupying the White House.

John McCain’s statement says just about all the rest of the world needs to know about how dangerous and destructive Trump is to global peace and security.

Let’s hope that enough of our good American neighbours take steps to impeach Trump before he starts a nuclear war! Continue reading →

“I am proud to be chosen as the next leader of St. Joseph’s Health System and Niagara Health.  We have an exciting opportunity to build on the incredible success that led to the creation of one of the largest health care systems in the country.”  – Dr. Tom Stewart, incoming CEO for the Niagara Health and St. Joseph’s Health Systems

News from the Health Systems in Niagara and Hamilton, Ontario

Posted July 16^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

The new CEO for the Niagara Health and St. Joseph’s Health Systems in Niagara and Hamilton, Ontario

Hamilton, Ontario – Dr. Anne Anderson, csj, Chair of the Board of Directors of St. Joseph’s Health System (SJHS), in consultation with the Diocese of Hamilton, today announced that Dr. Tom Stewart, is the new incoming Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SJHS and Niagara Health.

Dr. Stewart is currently serving in an integrated system role as Joint Chief of Staff for Niagara Health, where he is also Executive Vice-President Medical, at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton and at Haldimand War Memorial Hospital. He begins his new role on August 1st, 2018. Continue reading →

The change in government at Queen’s Park could mean different provincial rules and policies or at least different enforcement. In a private meeting with developers prior to the election, the new premier (Doug Ford)  promised to “open up” Greenbelt lands. After a public outcry, he recanted, but developer pressure for easing of provincial land use restrictions is sure to continue.”

A News Commentary from CATCH (Citizens at City Hall) in Hamilton, Ontario

Posted July 16^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

A shift in the provincial government’s approach to protecting the Greenbelt and other foodlands could allow Hamilton municipal politicians to achieve their growth plans at the expense of foodlands.

The green in this map covers the lands in Niagara and other regions now included in Ontario’s protected Greenbelt. Will the province’s new Ford government now work to sell off what Doug Ford called “chunks” of the Greenbelt to developers?

With the closing of nominations next week (July 25) this fall’s municipal election campaign will become clearer and residents can decide who will best represent their views on these issues. Continue reading →

“It is clear that Ontario is not a national security risk to the United States. In fact, the U.S. and Ontario share many of the same goals.”

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

Posted July 16^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

A Statement by Ford’s Trade Minister Jim Wilson on the U.S. s. 232 National Security Investigation –

TORONTO, Ontario  – This July 16th, Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade, Jim Wilson issued the following statement:

“Later this week, I will be travelling to Washington, D.C. during which time I will be vigorously advocating for the Canadian and American jobs that depend on our historic trading relationship.  I will be accompanied by Mr. Dean French, Chief of Staff to the Premier of Ontario, Doug Ford.

“Our Government for the People stands with the Government of Canada, and we will continue to work with our provincial counterparts and Ontario’s businesses and workers to protect Ontario jobs and build a stronger economy for the future. Our message has been and will continue to be: Ontario is Open for Business.

“The U.S. Department of Commerce will be holding a public hearing on the section 232 national security investigation of imports of automobiles and automotive parts.

“Having been offered the opportunity to represent the government of Ontario at this hearing, I look forward to speaking in defense of Ontario’s’ auto industry and the economic benefits it delivers in the both the U.S. and Canada.

“The U.S. and Ontario share a unique economic relationship grounded in fair and balanced trade, integrated supply chains and complementary markets.

“It is clear that Ontario is not a national security risk to the United States. In fact, the U.S. and Ontario share many of the same goals — together, we can advance our shared priorities of creating jobs on both sides of the border by developing strong, competitive business environments that spur innovation and growth.

“Ontario is open for business and we look forward to working with our American neighbours to create new jobs and better jobs for us all.”

Background – Minister Wilson will be speaking at the DOC’s s 232 hearing on autos on July 19, 2018 on Panel 6 at approximately 1:40 – 2:20 pm.

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

“I will continue to draw on my professional and life experiences, the personal relationships I have developed over the years and my understanding of all aspects of our community to ensure that Fort Erie succeeds in meeting its full potential as a preferred place for all to live, work, do business, raise a family and prosper.” – Fort Erie Mayor Wayne Redekop

News from the Campaign to Re-elect Fort Erie Mayor Wayne Redekop

Posted July 16^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Fort Erie Mayor Wayne Redekop

Fort Erie in Niagara, Ontario – Today (this July 16th) current Fort Erie Mayor Wayne Redekop officially filed his registration papers for re-election in the upcoming municipal election on October 22, 2018.

“It has been a singular honour and privilege to serve as the Mayor of my home town and a municipality with such promise,” said Redekop. “I want to continue to provide the necessary experience and leadership needed to guide and work with Council and Town Staff to ensure that Fort Erie can continue to prosper and grow.” Continue reading →

Visit by Academy For Black Youth Marks Mandela Day At Brock University

Coinciding With Nelson Mandela International Day, Brock’s Schmon Tower Will Be Illuminated In The Colours Of The South African Flag The Evenings Of Tuesday, July 17 and Wednesday, July 18.

News from Brock University in St. Catharines, Ontario

Posted July 16th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

The late South African leader and Nobel Peace Prize icon, Nelson Mandela

St. Catharines in Niagara, Ontario – A summer academy aimed at advancing the life skills of young black boys by building their educational potential will visit Brock University on Nelson Mandela International Day.

The Toronto-based Strong Academy will be at the main Brock campus on Wednesday, July 18, the day being celebrated around the world as what would have been Mandela’s 100th birthday.

The Academy’s students will be greeted at 11 a.m. by Brock University President Gervan Fearon, the first and only black president of a Canadian university.

“As an institution, we understand the significant role we play in supporting the aspirations of a progressive, inclusive society that has Canada celebrated around the world,” Fearon said.

Continue reading →

Sign the Petition Below

From Rayne Fisher-Quann, an Ontario citizen living in Toronto

Posted July 16^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Ontario recently announced plans to revert to a 20-year-old sex-ed curriculum, rather than continue with the current curriculum which covers issues like consent, online bullying and safety, and discussions around same-sex relationships.

Petition starter Rayne believes this move will set sex-ed back decades and put students at risk — if you agree, sign today. Continue reading →

“For the first time ever, you and the other residents of Niagara have a chance to choose our Regional Chair. Finally, you have the power to make a truly democratic choice. Let’s take this opportunity to reset the Region and focus on what matters across the Niagara Peninsula.” – from the “Blueprint” Town of Pelham Mayor Dave Augustyn rolled out this July 12th as he launched his campaign to run for Niagara Regional Chair

An  Introductory Message and Commentary from Niagara At Large reporter and publisher Doug Draper

Posted July 13th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Pelham Mayor Dave Auguystyn, following his announcement to run for Niagara regional chair this July 12th.

Niagara, Ontario – This July 12^th, with little more than 100 days left before voters across Niagara go to the polls in the October 22^nd municipal elections, Pelham Mayor Dave Augustyn, who has taken a lot of hits over the past three and a half years for standing up to the cabal now ruling the roost on Niagara Region’s council, announced his plans to run for Niagara regional chair in the first election that gives citizens at large the opportunity to choose who holds that position.

As far as this journalist is concerned, no other regional council in my almost 40 years as a news reporter in Niagara, has come close to being as divisive, or to conducting itself with the lack of civility and decency as this regional council of 2014 to 2018 – a council chaired by former St. Catharines regional councillor Al Caslin, who just recently announced his intentions to run for the job again.

In the past three and a half years there has been example after ugly and disturbing example – all captured on video and some that will be highlighted here as October 22^nd draws closer – of councillors attacking or tarring each other, and of treating individuals speaking before the council as delegations being treated in condescending and disrespectful ways.

In one particularly dark moment, while Niagara Region’s council was in closed session last December, 2017, St. Catharines Standard reporter Bill Sawchuk (right) had his computer and notes seized by regional staff and was ordered out of the regional headquarters. The incident has been the subject of an investigation by the Ontario Ombudsman’s Office. A report on the findings from that investigation  is expected from the Office  soon. Photo by Emily Spanton

Continue reading →

“We’re calling on (Ontario Premier Doug) Ford to put a pause on cancelling these contracts until we know just how much it’ll hurt.”

A News Release from Ontario’s New Democratic Party

Posted July 13^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Toronto, Ontario – NDP Energy critic Peter Tabuns says Doug Ford’s latest attack on the environment – ripping up 758 renewable energy contracts – could cost thousands of jobs, hundreds of millions of dollars, and damage the quality of the air and water in Ontario.

“It’s Kathleen Wynne’s gas plants scandal all over again,” said Tabuns. “People don’t want to see our beautiful lakes get dirtier and our air get smoggier, and they absolutely do not want to pay extra to watch that happen. Continue reading →

‘Britons never, never, never shall be slaves,’ so one of the old British rallying cry goes.

Canada should no longer be a slave to Trump either – on Trade, on NATO or any other matter vital to the future of our lives

A Brief Comment from Doug Draper

Posted July 13^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Trump landed on British soil this second week of July and right on cue, up in the skies above London went the Trump Baby Balloon, complete with diapers, small hands and a little phone for tweeting – all to the cheers of countless many British citizens who don’t want Trump in their country.

And who can blame them?

The nerve of this reality show character insulting and slamming Britain, along with Canada and other long-time allies, for not investing enough in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) after Britain took such a horrible pounding during the Second World War and it had to beg the United States over and over again to finally join the fight against Hitler’s Nazis. Continue reading →

You Can Support Young Canadians In This Effort. Sign The Petition Below

Posted by Doug Draper on Niagara At Large

July 13^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Project Two Degrees started this petition to Prime Minister of Canada/Premier ministre du Canada Justin Trudeau and 4 others

Climate change is an environmental, economic, and humanitarian crisis. The government’s current environmental plan is inadequate to ensure a healthy, sustainable and prosperous future for us, the youth of Canada and our unborn children.

Our government’s current plan leads to more investment in non-renewable energy and the continuation of subsidies for the fossil fuel industry. Continue reading →

Stay Tuned For That. And stay tuned for the reasons why, in these scoundrel times in Niagara regional government, Niagara At Large feels it is so necessary   to support Dave Augustyn’s campaign – Now!

Posted by Doug Draper

July 12^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Here is an image that is already circulating on social media following Augustyn’s announcement this July 12^th to run for Niagara Regional Chair that you might enjoy.

Here’s hoping Dave Augustyn can win and pull that dark cloud that has formed over our regional government over the past three and a half years away!

For the sake of a better future for everybody across this Niagara region, let’s get behind him and other good candidates running in this October’s municipal elections.

For more information on Dave Augustyn’s announcement to run for the top political job in Niagara, click on – https://niagaraatlarge.com/2018/07/12/breaking-news-dave-augustyn-mayor-of-pelham-for-12-years-and-member-of-niagara-regions-council-announces-his-run-for-niagara-regoinal-chair/ .

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

“Working together we can restore Niagara’s reputation, increase prosperity, encourage more livable communities while protecting the environment, and creating more care and compassion for you, your children and your grandchildren.” – Pelham Mayor and candidate for Niagara Regional Chair, Dave Augustyn

Pelham Mayor Dave Augustyn has made it official. He is running for Niagara Regional Chair.

A News Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted July 12th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Countless hundreds, if not countless thousands of residents across Niagara and been waiting and hoping for this.

And in a packed Tim Horton’s in his home municipality of Pelham this July 12th, while people stood and applauded, it finally happened.

Dave Augustyn, a three-term Town of Pelham  mayor and member of Niagara’s regional council – one of the few in municipal politics who has  continuously and fearlessly stood up against the Caslin and his gang at the Region over the past three and a half years, announced and filed his papers this July 12th to run in the first Niagara-wide race for Regional Chair.

Dave Augustyn making his announcement to run for Niagara Regional Chair at a Tim Horton’s restaurant in Pelham this July 12th. Photo by Doug Draper

As supporters, including former Niagara Regional Chair Debbie Zimmeman, former Niagara Centre MP Malcom Allen, former Port Colborne mayor and regional councillor Bob Saracino, former St. Catharines mayor and regional councillor Brian McMullan, Niagara Falls City Councillor Carolyn Ioannoni and many others listened on, Augustyn pledged to focus on three things  – “integrity, prosperity and compassion so that we might build a better Niagara for everyone.” Continue reading →

“When it comes to NATO, Canada has always pulled its weight. Our engagement in NATO has only expanded over the years, and with good reason: it reflects Canadian values, and is essential in preserving the rules-based international order.” – Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

News from the Office of Canada’s Prime Minister

Posted July 13^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, concluded (this July 12th) his participation at this year’s NATO Summit in Brussels, Belgium, where he announced increased support for NATO. These contributions underscore Canada’s commitment to play an active role in the Alliance and advance international peace, security, and stability.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau holding a press conference at a previous NATO summit in Brussels, Belgium

While in Latvia earlier this week, the Prime Minister announced Canada will extend its contribution to NATO’s enhanced Forward Presence through Operation REASSURANCE for another four years and increase the number of personnel taking part in this mission from 455 to 540. Continue reading →

Switch to LED Lights Save City $726,000 in 2017 Alone And it is a Big Plus for our Environment!

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

Posted July 13th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – The City’s investment in LED street lights has paid off with brighter roads and improved energy consumption.

Downtown St. Catharines. file photo

The LED conversion project started in November 2015 and wrapped up May 2018, seven months ahead of schedule. Out of the 14,791 street lights in St. Catharines, 13,823 are now LED, or roughly 93 per cent of all street lights in St. Catharines. Continue reading →

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

Posted July 11th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

I often find myself driving home from meetings of Niagara regional council, haunted by at least two questions.

The first question is this; ‘How many people out there are paying attention to the disturbing things going down at these meetings?

It’s a question that almost always comes to mind because so much of what goes down at these meetings is dark, divisive, dis-spiriting and, most certainly, disturbing.

This sign, fastened to the walls of Niagara Region’s council chambers months ago, seems ever so appropriate. Only who is its target audience – members of the public or the council?

The second question is this; ‘How many people care?’

If the answer to both these questions is not many more than the handful of good people who show up in front of the Niagara regional headquarters with protest signs then, in all due respect to those good people, I might just as well stop wasting my time writing these commentaries and spend more of it learning a few new songs to play on my guitar.

Then low and beholden, I go to my inbox and find a whole bunch of messages from people across Niagara, noting that they have shared whatever disturbing story I happened to go home and write about from these meetings with their friends and associates on social media.

Even more encouraging are the comments I receive for sharing with our growing Niagara At Large audience from people I don’t even know – comments like the one I wish to highlight below, which contains a list of questions that still need to be asked about the findings a Toronto lawyer, hired by Niagara’s regional government, reached about the hiring, in the fall of 2016, of Carmen D’Angelo to the $230,000 a year job as the Region’s chief administrative officer (CAO).

Niagara Region’s chair Al Caslin with CAO Carmen D’Angelo to his right

The lawyer, Marvin Huberman, told Niagara’s regional council at its July 5th meeting that there was nothing wrong or tainted with the way the Region ran a hiring process that led to D’Angelo winning the job over a field of candidates. Continue reading →

“After years of rising electricity bills, this is a step towards our main goal—bringing down electricity rates for all Ontarians. Help is here.” – Doug Ford’s new Minister of energy, Northern Development and Mines, Greg Rickford

News from Ontario’s PC Government

Posted July 11^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Toronto, Ontario  — Today (July 11^th) , Minister of Energy, Northern Development and Mines Greg Rickford released the following statement:

“Our government was elected on a promise to lower electricity bills for the people of Ontario. This included a promise to address governance at Hydro One.

Sure enough, ‘They’re Done!’ Now who is the Ford government going to appoint and how much is that going to cost?

Today (this July 11^th), Hydro One has informed us that Chief Executive Officer Mayo Schmidt is retiring from the company, effective immediately. Continue reading →

Vast Majority of Great Lakes Residents Opt for Environmental Protection , says International Joint Commission Survey

A Comment from Carla Rienzo, a Niagara resident and community activist

Posted July 11^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

“A whopping 88 percent feel it is essential to protect the Great Lakes from a variety of threats,” according to a survey just released by the International Joint Commission of Canadian and U.S. citizens living around the Great Lakes.

In the coming October 22nd municipal elections, vote for more regional and local council members who will work to protect wetlands like this one in the Thundering Waters Forest in Niagara Falls, located in a Niagara River watershed that is vital to the health of the lower Great Lakes.

Which means that the other 12 percent were our current regime of politicians, city planners, “Conservation Authorities” and the developers to whom they are pandering because who else but the above-mentioned sociopaths (and there are, notably, a very few but outnumbered exceptions within these groups) could argue that our Great Lakes and associated watersheds are not worth protecting and restoring? Continue reading →

“I’m proud of the direction City Council is taking . …Other cities, institutions and businesses have taken action to limit plastic waste and it’s time for us to take a step and do our part.”               – St. Catharines Mayor Walter Sendzik

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

Posted July 11th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – In another move to protect the environment for future generations, the City of St. Catharines will no longer sell water in plastic bottles at City arenas, community centres and other City facilities.

At Monday night’s (July 9th, 2018) City Council meeting, Council voted in favour of removing water sold in plastic water bottles from vending machines and concessions at most City facilities.

Drinking water is always available free of charge at water fountains and water filling stations at City facilities. As part of this plan, the City will also install more water filling stations at municipal facilities. Continue reading →

Citizens in both Countries view Great Lakes  as Valuable for Recreation, Drinking Water and Essential to Region’s Economy

“It is clear that the Great Lakes community cares deeply about the resource, is prepared to accept increased costs to protect it, and recognizes personal responsibility to be part of the solution,” David Ullrich, U.S. Co-Chair of the  International Joint Commission’s  Great Lakes Water Quality Board 

News from the Canada/U.S. International Joint Commission

Posted July 10th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Eighty eight percent of respondents in an International Joint Commission poll believe protecting the Great Lakes is highly important and are willing to pay more to ensure their restoration, according to the second large survey conducted on public perception of the world’s largest freshwater system.
The International Joint Commission (IJC) sponsored the survey, which was completed by its Great Lakes Water Quality Board in January 2018 and is summarized in the poll report released today. Continue reading →

Doug Ford Cuts Target Younger Ontarians. Shouldn’t Ford’s Senior Supporters See Their Services Cut Too?

A Commentary by Niagara At Large reporter and publisher Doug Draper, followed by a Statement from the Ontario New Democratic Party On New Cuts to the Province’s Schools

Posted July 9^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Ontario’s PC Premier Doug Ford drew a lot of his support from seniors, including aging Baby Boomers, during his recent election campaign on a promise of tax and spending cuts.

With all of those tax cuts Ontario’s new premier Doug Ford promised during this spring’s election, we had to know that cuts to services must be made to pay for them – and those cuts are already coming fast and furious.

And there seems to be a disturbing pattern here.

Most of the cuts are so far happening to health care, education and other programs that impact on younger families and their children, and that hardly seems care.

Scraping Ontario’s cap and trade program on climate-changing carbon emissions, with a word of anything else the Ford Tories would do to address climate change, is also something that could have serious consequences for younger people long after those of us over the age of 60 are gone.

This July 9th, yet another Ford government cut was reported – this one in the form of $100 million slashed from the province’s budget to keep public schools in repair. Continue reading →

A Commentary by John Bacher

Posted July 9^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

On May 8, 2018, near midnight and immediately following a required Statutory Public Meeting under the Planning Act, the  Council for the City of Niagara Falls, Ontario voted to approve what is now termed the Riverfront development.

This would, if actually approved by the Ontario Land Use Planning Tribunal, (LPAT) involve the destruction of 120 acres of diverse natural habitats, some of which are now protected wetlands.

Dense Blazing Star, (threatened Wildflower), discovered on proposed Riverfront lands by Daniel Nardone

Absent from the voluminous detail on which the Niagara Falls Planning Department based its recommendations on the city’s website are two letters from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, (MNRF) These letters from MNRF are dated December 11, 2017 and January 25, 2018. Both were signed by Tara McKenna, Senior Planner for the Guelph District of MNRF. Continue reading →

People Need Answers On Curriculum Modernization Program. Government email posted to social media says summer 2018 curriculum writing sessions are cancelled

“Indigenous education benefits all students, and promises a better shared future. Scrapping the TRC curriculum writing sessions at the last second is a damaging step backwards on the road to reconciliation.” – NDP MPP-elect and the NDP’s Critic for Education and Women’s Issues, Peggy Sattler from London West

A News Release from Ontario’s New Democratic Party

Posted July 9th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Ontario’s new PC Premier Doug Ford – Let the gutting of services begin to pay for those big tax cuts. Why not target programs for Indigenous people? More like another reckoning than reconciliation.

Toronto, Ontario – The NDP is demanding to know what Doug Ford is doing with the school curriculum modernization plan after a government email posted to social media says the 2018 summer curriculum writing sessions are being cancelled. The change is another in a series of closed-door back-room decisions from Ford, hidden from the public until they leak out.

 “Doug Ford needs to come clean with families, teachers, educators and students about what’s going on here,” said NDP MPP-elect Peggy Sattler. Continue reading →

A News Release from Niagara’s Regional Government

Posted July 9th,l 2018 on Niagara At Large

With just over 100 days until the 2018 Municipal and School Board Elections, voters are encouraged to visit voterlookup.ca to ensure they are on the voters’ list and their information appears correctly.

By visiting voterlo​okup.ca individuals can verify that their name, address and school support information is correct on the voters’ list. Those without Internet access are encouraged to phone the Office of the City Clerk for their local municipality to confirm their information.

Depending on each municipality’s voting procedures, the information will be used to send voters either a voter notification card, a mail-in ballot or deliver details on Internet voting. Continue reading →

“We have a very fine CAO in Carmen ‘D’Angelo. … We could not have found better and we tried very hard.” – Niagara Falls regional councillor Selina Volpatti

A News Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted July 6th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – The verdict is in from a lawyer Niagara Region hired this April investigate charges swirling around the 2016 hiring of the Region’s chief administrative officer (CAO) Carmen D’Angelo.

Niagara Region’s CAO Carmen D’Angelo, hired in 2016 with questions lingering about the process that led to him being awarded the Region’s top $230,000-a-year administrative job

Marvin Huberman, a Toronto lawyer who apparently had the powers of the Ontario Omdudsman’s Office, including the power to subpoena for evidence, stood before Niagara’s regional council this July 5th with a 43-page report that councillors were forced absorb on the fly because it had just been disclosed, while he outlines his findings, conclusions and recommendations.

In a nutshell, Huberman – retained by the Region to do the probe in the wake of an April 6th St. Catharines Standard story outlining what the newspaper described as a 2016 hiring process for the CAO job “tainted by backroom dealing and the violation of critical confidentiality rules – came to the conclusion that there was nothing wrong or tainted about the job selection process at all and that D’Angelo’s hiring was fair and square. Continue reading →

Controversial Regional Councillor Remains On ‘Medical Leave’

By Doug Draper

Posted July 6th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

St. Catharines regional councillor Andy Petrowski

Andy Petrowski’s regional council seat has been empty now for the better part of a year, but the errant St. Catharines regional councillor has not stopped being a topic of discussion in the council chambers.

Over the year since close to 100 Niagara regional government officials and others received an image of a nude woman from Petrowski’s government email account – a porno pic he initially insisted must have been sent from his device by somebody else – he has been mostly on paid leave from the council and there have been calls from at least some of his constituents that he be docked his pay or resign. Continue reading →

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

Posted July 6th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Lincoln regional councilor Bill Hodgson quit NPCA board last year after fellow board members censured him for allegedly committing improprieties while he was pushing for an independent audit of the Conservation Authority’s multi-million-dollar operations.

Those of you who have been regular visitors to Niagara At Large and have been following our posts on the ongoing saga of the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA), may already know the story about Bill Hodgson, the Lincoln regional councillor and former NPCA board member.

You may also remember reports on Niagara At Large and other media outlets about how Hodgson quit the NPCA a year ago last May after other board members censured him for the way he went about trying to get independent auditors to comb over the Conservation Authority’s books and manner of doing business with millions of dollars of our tax money – something that is going on right now, by the way, with investigators from the Ontario Auditor General’s Office spending the past four or more interviewing NPCA staff and going through the files. Continue reading →

“This study highlights that our lifestyle choices matter and can potentially be putting us at risk of developing or progressing neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s.” – Brock University Master’s student Bradley Baranowski

News from Brock University in St. Catharines, Niagara

Posted July 6^th, 2017 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – New research from Brock University has shown the food decisions you make today could contribute to the development of Alzheimer’s disease later in life.

Assistant Professor of Health Sciences Rebecca MacPherson and master’s student Bradley Baranowski were among a Brock University research team that found a diet high in saturated fats and sucrose can contribute to the development of Alzheimer’s disease when paired with the normal aging process.

Brock research published recently in the journal Physiological Reports says a diet high in saturated fats and sucrose can lead to Alzheimer’s disease when paired with the normal aging process.

Alzheimer’s is a type of dementia that causes problems with memory, thinking and behaviour, with symptoms worsening over time. Associated with aging, previous research has also linked the development of Alzheimer’s disease to diet-related obesity. Continue reading →

“Rail safety and the safe transportation of dangerous goods in Canada remain top priorities for the Government of Canada, and we will continue to take steps to prevent another tragedy like this from ever happening again.” – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

A Statement from Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on a tragedy that shook public confidence in rail transportation across the nation

Posted July 6^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today issued the following statement on the fifth anniversary of the Lac‑Mégantic tragedy:

Fire balls and explosions abound following a catastrophic train accident in Lac Mégantic, Quebec, five years ago this July

“Five years ago, a terrible tragedy took place in Lac-Mégantic. During the night, a runaway train carrying a shipment of crude oil derailed and caught fire in the heart of the community. The explosion that followed destroyed close to half of the downtown area and took the lives of 47 people, in the deadliest rail disaster in our country’s modern history.

“Today, we remember the victims, and our thoughts go out to all those whose lives were forever changed. The tragedy left scars that cannot be erased – but in the weeks, months, and years that followed, Lac‑Mégantic became a symbol of hope, determination, and solidarity. Today, the people of Lac‑Mégantic continue to show resilience and courage as they rebuild their community. Continue reading →

Maybe We Don’t Deserve Good People Like Bill Hodgson in Municipal Politics. Do We?

A News Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted July 5th, 2018 on Niagara At Large 

Bill Hodgson, on his way into an NPCA board meeting in April, 2017, where he was censured behind closed doors. Soon after, he would resign from the board. File photo by Doug Draper

“My whole spirit of community service is crushed. I just feel discouraged. I don’t see an end to the nasty, self-serving people.”

Those were among the words Lincoln regional councillor Bill Hodgson shared with a local newspaper this July 4th to explain why, after 25 years of public service, he has decided not to run for another term of regional council in Niagara.

Crushed. Discouraged. Those two feelings have shaken his spirit, to say the least.

This decent, honest and caring man – three of the qualities that have always glowed from the only Bill Hodgson I have known going back to his earliest days as a school board trustee in Niagara and mine as a reporter at The St. Catharine’s Standard – has also found himself a target of the kind of political bludgeoning that has left others wondering why any good person in this region would want to run for elected office in the first place.

“I feel bad about this and I’ve already had some people tell me that if I don’t run, then they win,” he told me after I called him about the newspaper report this July 5th. “But I can’t go back,” he said, before going on to explain how much all of the stress around being attacked has taken a toll on his health and his family. Continue reading →

Vance Badawey, MP for Niagara Centre, has worked for the past four weeks with local steel companies to address the impact of a 25 per cent tariff on steel and aluminum imposed May 31 by the president of the United States.

News from the Constituency Office of Niagara Centre MP Vance Badawey

Posted July 5th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Welland, Ontario  – As of this July 4th, , six companies and more than 1000 jobs have been spared from imminent closure, thanks to the collaborative efforts of MP Badawey, his counterparts in the nation’s capital, and a $2-billion commitment from the Canadian government to defend and protect Canadians in the steel, aluminum, and manufacturing business.

Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visits ArcelorMittal Dofasco steel plant in Hamilton earlier this 2018.

“It is entirely inappropriate to view any trade with Canada as a national security threat to the United States,” stated Badawey.

“These unilateral tariffs, imposed under a false pretext of safeguarding U.S. national security, are inconsistent with the United States’ NAFTA and World Trade Organization (WTO) obligations. These tariffs will harm industry and workers on both sides of the Canada-U.S. border, disrupting linked supply chains that have made North American steel and aluminum more competitive around the world.” Continue reading →

Motion to Be Tabled at July 5^th Regional Council Meeting, Calling On Province to Appoint Supervisor to Take Over NCPA Operations

A News Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted July 4^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

“The NPCA is committed to maintaining its position as the most transparent Conservation Authority in the Province.”

That line was taken right off the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority’s website.

And it’s the same line that we, the people, who pay millions of dollars in taxes to fund this Conservation Authority’s operations, have been hearing over and over again from the NPCA’s current board chair, Fort Erie regional councillor Sandy Annunziata, and past chair, St. Catharines regional councillor Bruce Timms.

The Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA) board of directors, dominated by Niagara regional council members, in session.

Okay then, if the NPCA is such an “Ontario leader” when it comes to transparency, when are the taxpaying residents of Niagara going to find out how much of their money has been spent on buyouts for however many employees have been ushered out the doors in recent years.

It has now been four months since Niagara’s regional council passed a motion, tabled by St. Catharines regional councillor Brian Heit, and supported by a vote of 16 to seven, for the NPCA to disclose how many municipal tax dollars have been spent to part ways with as many as two dozen employees over the past four years. Continue reading →

 Three regulations set to be implemented this month quietly postponed, including a cap on entertainment and sports ticket prices

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

Posted July 4th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Ontario INDP Leader Andrea Horwath

Toronto, Ontario  – Doug Ford appears to be governing from backrooms, making changes to laws in secret, without disclosing who asked for those changes, or who he consulted with. Three separate regulations scheduled to come into effect over the long weekend were quietly postponed indefinitely, with no public notice. Continue reading →

’s Also Hoping that Bernie Sander’s Revolution and the Youth Movement it has Inspired Will Prevail in America, in Canada and around the World

A Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted July 4th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

One of America’s greatest literary figures, Mark Twain, once wrote; “Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it.”

More than a hundred years after Twain put those words on paper, they are excellent ones to embrace not only in the United States, but right here in Canada.

We Canadians have often looked upon expressions of American patriotism as being mindless and misdirected in the sense of; ‘an attack against our president is an attack against our country,’ and loud and showy to the point of being annoying and obnoxious.

I found none of that on a recent trip to visit friends on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. All the way there and back, and found people who feel embarrassed and ashamed of how their nation must look in the eyes of the world, and who wonder out loud of the great American experiment in democracy is going to survive. Continue reading →

Posted by Doug Draper on Niagara At Large

July 4^th, 2018

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 Message from the Alliance for the Great Lakes

Posted July 3^rd, 2018 on Niagara At Large

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

Maybe there are groups on the Canadian side of the Great Lakes that can join the call to purge plastics from our Great Lakes too.

We once had activist groups in Ontario like Pollution Probe, the Canadian wing of the now-defunct Great Lakes United and Niagara’s own Operation Clean dedicated to Great Lakes issues, but no more.

At least we have the U.S.-based Alliance for the Great advocating for these precious water bodies. There is information in this message by the Alliance that Canadians in Ontario should embrace too.)

The Great Lakes are one of the best places to spend the 4th of July. Chances are, plastic pollution on the beach, or in the water, isn’t a part of your perfect holiday. It’s an eyesore, it’s bad for wildlife, and it gets in our drinking water. Continue reading →

“It had been estimated that pharmacare for youth would cost about $465 million a year while pharmacare for seniors would cost about $1 billion over three years. Ford pledged to reduce the corporate tax rate to 10.5 per cent from 11.5 per cent. That promise is expected to cost about $1.3 billion a year in government revenue.” – Council of Canadians

News from the Council of Canadians, a nation-wide public advocacy  organization

Posted July 3^rd, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Well, “my friends,” Doug Ford promised to cut  services to put “more money back in your pockets.” Maybe you can use some of that money to pay for your own pharmaceutical drugs! Good luck with that. (An editorial comment from Niagara At Large.)

The Council of Canadians is dismayed by Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s weakening of pharmacare for youth and seniors while at the same time he pledges to implement a massive corporate tax cut.

The previous Liberal government in Ontario introduced a pharmacare plan called OHIP+ that provided free access to 4,400 medications in a provincial formulary to 4 million children, teens and young adults under 25. The Council of Canadians – and its allies the Ontario Health Coalition, the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario, and Unifor – welcomed OHIP+ when it was first announced in April 2017. Continue reading →

Health Coalition Calls for Ford to Restore Public Drug Coverage & Proper Public Consultation About Policy Changes that Impact Ontarians’ Lives and Pocketbooks

Ontario Health Coalition executive director Natalie Mehra

“Mr. Ford would do well to remember that he has no mandate to cut health care and no mandate to privatize it and we intend to fight every cut and every attempt to privatize health care tooth and nail.” – Ontario Health Coalition executive director      Natalie Mehra

News from the Ontario Health Coalition

Posted July 3^rd, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Toronto, Ontario – Twenty-four hours after being sworn in as Ontario’s new Premier, Doug Ford’s government issued a press release on the Canada Day weekend revealing a plan to cut health care coverage.

Details are scant. It appears that the plan is to roll back OHIP+ — the Liberal government’s expansion of public drug coverage to those aged 24 and under – so that only those families and young people who do not already have a private drug plan will be covered. Continue reading →

“Ontario egg farmers deliver eggs that are safe, nutritious, and top-quality. This investment will help Ontario’s egg industry take a major step forward on animal welfare, for less cost and with less waste.” – Vance Badawey, Member of Parliament for Niagara Centre

Niagara Centre MP Vance Badawey

A News Release from the Niagara Centre Constituency Office of Vance Badawey

Posted July 3^rd, 2018 on Niagara at Large

West Lincoln, Ontario – Canada’s hardworking farmers are the backbone of Canada’s economy, ensuring families across Canada and around the world have safe, high-quality food on their tables.

The Canadian egg industry is a vital part of the Canadian economy, contributing over $1 billion a year and employing 17,000 people.

Today (this July 3^rd, 2018), Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, announced an investment for the egg industry to assist in the development of an electronic scan to determine the gender and fertility of eggs, helping to increase the capacity and efficiency of hatcheries. Continue reading →

Fulfilment of election promise is the first step toward reducing gas prices by 10 cents per litre

News from the Office of Ontario Premier Doug Ford

Posted July 3^rd, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Ontario Priemer Leader Doug Ford

Toronto, Ontario — Ontario Premier Doug Ford today confirmed that, as the first order of business of Ontario’s Government for the People, his cabinet revoked the regulation that punishes Ontario residents at the gas pump through a wasteful cap-and-trade carbon tax regime; this measure comes into effect July 3, 2018.

In order to fulfill this election commitment, the Government of Ontario will immediately begin an orderly wind-down of all programs funded out of cap-and-trade carbon tax revenues. Continue reading →

Congratulations to St. Kevin’s Social Justice Scholarship winners

“There are graduation awards for students who are proficient in English, history, mathematics and the like. We put the focus on social justice leadership, commitment and involvement in the school and community. …They walk the talk by doing what they say.” – Joe Barkovich, chair of St. Kevin’s Social Justice Committee

News from St. Kevin’s in Welland, Ontario

Posted July 3^rd, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Zoe Bertrand, student, Blessed Trinity Catholic Secondary School

Four high school students this week received $1,000 scholarships for exceptional social service in their schools and communities.

During graduation ceremonies, St. Kevin’s Social Justice Committee members congratulated the 2018 recipients:

• Zoe Bertrand – Blessed Trinity Catholic Secondary School;
• Ian Hauber – Ecole secondaire catholique Jean-Vanier;
• Jane Jarrett – Notre Dame College School;
• Julia Labricciosa – E.L. Crossley Secondary School.

Continue reading →