Author Archives: dougdraper

A Canada Day Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted July 1^st, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Some of you may remember the time when Canada’s first Prime Minister Trudeau – scrappy old Pierre – responded to some hecklers in the federal legislature with words we could not clearly hear, but upon reading his lips, looked clearly like he had just fired them off the F-bomb.

Trump, hardly for the first time, giving our prime minister the look.

When one of the hecklers dared him to repeat what he had said, he told them that he had said “fuddle duddle” – an episode that launched a whole cottage industry of t-shirts with the words ‘fuddle duddle” on them, and that reminded the world that this was one national leader that was not going to be messed around with.

That scrappy little id inside me – the part of us we always have to work to control check when some bully or creep throws mud in our face – says it is well past time our current prime minister, Justin Trudeau, stop trying to be so civil and nice with Trump and just flat out, in front of the world, tell him to go fuddle duddle. Continue reading →

“Canada’s workers are the backbone of our country.   Together, we will keep building a country where every Canadian – no matter where they’re from, what religion they practice, or whom they love – has a real and fair chance to succeed.”

Posted July 1st, 2018 on Niagara At Large

“Happy Canada Day!

“No matter where we are, today, as Canadians, we celebrate Canada and the people who have built the country we love.

“We’re 37 million – strong in our differences, proud of our diversity, and united by our dreams. From one generation to the next, Canadians have brought our country’s promise to life, with hard work, bold vision, and determination. They’ve grown the strong middle class at the heart of our success – and today, Canada’s workers are the backbone of our country. Continue reading →

“The U.S. tariffs leave Canada no choice but to defend our industries, our workers and our communities, and we will remain firm in doing so.” – Chrystia Freeland, Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs

News from Canada’s Federal Government

Posted July 1^st, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Canada’s steel and aluminum industries have made North American steel and aluminum more competitive around the world. It is inconceivable and completely unacceptable to view any trade with Canada as a national security threat to the United States.

The U.S. has a US $2 billion annual trade surplus on iron and steel products with Canada. Canada buys more American steel than any other country in the world, accounting for 50 per cent of U.S. exports. Canadian steel is used in American tanks, and Canadian aluminum in American planes. Indeed, Canada is recognized in U.S. law as part of the U.S. National Technology and Industrial Base related to National Defence. Continue reading →

‘Just When You Thought It Was Safe …’

A Brief News Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted June 28^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – There were  rumours circulating around in recent weeks that Niagara Region’s chair, Al Caslin, might not run again in this coming October’s municipal elections.

So much for those rumours.

And because I just returned from a visit with friends on Cape Cod, where there were warnings, over and over again, about great white sharks in the water and where the all-time scariest shark movie, Jaws, was filmed, let me begin with this line – “Just when you thought it was safe. …”

Just when at least some of you in that rumour mill possibly did, Al Caslin announced this June 28^th that he is running again for Niagara Region’s top elected job  – only this time in a region-wide race where his name will be on the ballot in this October 22^nd municipal elections for each and every one of us who are eligible to vote.

When he won the top job on regional council the first time, in 2014, the then-St. Catharines regional councillor Al Caslin replaced past chair and Niagara-on-the-Lake regional councillor Gary Burroughs in a contest that was limited to only members of the council voting for a chairperson – a decades-long system of choosing regional chairs that has since been terminated by the provincial government.

Here is a statement from Caslin that his campaign released this June 28^th, which also came with a video featuring the same narrative –

“For the past four years, I have been honoured to lead a Niagara Regional Council that has repeatedly delivered for Niagara residents.

As your Regional Chair, I have worked hard to bring Council and staff together to deliver on our commitments to you – and the results are clear: More Jobs, Lower Taxes, Real Results.

We have seen the creation of 12,700 new jobs, billions of dollars in economic growth annually, the lowest unemployment rate in 18 years, and a low tax plan that included a tax freeze in 2016.

Every day I am working with people from across our region to bring our communities together to make a difference for you. We always get further when we row in the same direction.

Together, we secured Daily GO Train service to Niagara Falls, won the 2021 Canada Summer Games bid, and have seen significant private sector investment through companies like GE Canada.

Much has been accomplished and there is more to do – there is real momentum in our communities when we work together and I’m proud to be leading that change.

It’s a great time to be in Niagara and I’m excited to continue serving as your Niagara Regional Chair.”

Now there, as Caslin was want to say in his annual State of the Region addresses, ‘is something to cheer about.”

Isn’t it?

For a related story on Caslin’s announcement, including the aforementioned video, click on – http://www.iheartradio.ca/610cktb/news/local/niagara-regional-chair-seeking-re-election-1.3946304 .

We’ll have much more to say about this and the race for Niagara regional chair on Niagara At Large in the days and weeks to come. But first let’s make the best of  the Canada Day weekend.

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

 But Honestly, Are We Really Doug Ford’s “Friends?” Is He Really Ushering In “Ontario’s First-Ever Government for the People?”

A Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted June 29th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

“My friends …. we are going to turn this province around so that our children and their children will feel proud to call Ontario their home.”

Are we really Doug Ford’s friends? Are you?

That was the vow Doug Ford – sworn in this Friday, June 29th as Ontario’s 26tth Premier – made before cheering crowds of supporters on the night of June 7th, after just   enough  voters across the province gave him the number of seats his Ontario PC Party needs to rule the next four years as a majority government.

An Orwellian chill shot up my spine when I heard Ford make that election night vow. And not just because he led in with the words “my friends,”, although his frequent use of those words that night, and during the weeks of his campaign for the province’s top job, didn’t help.

There is something about politicians who repeatedly use “my friends” in addresses to crowds that makes me cringe – like someone I’m  not sure about placing a sweaty hand on my shoulder. Continue reading →

A Brief One from Doug Draper

Posted June 29^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

“When you’re down and troubled … you’ve got a friend.” – a few lyrics from Carole King

Our fabulous feline friend Dylan – white as snow with one eye green and the other blue – in all his glory.

I can’t let this month of June go by without saying a few words about one of my very best friends in this world.

His name is Dylan and he’s one of my all-time favourite cats, and this June he turned 19. That is all of 92 in human years, and still going strong.

Our daughter Sarah adopted Dylan into our family  when she, now in her late 20s, was still in her first years of grade school, and a lot of things – good and bad – have happened in our lives since then.

And like other people would know – people who are fortunate enough to have a cat or a dog in their lives –  the unqualified love Dylan has given back has never wavered through good times or bad.

However rough a day I may have had, Dylan is always there to jump up beside me and stare  into my eyes with a look of devotion I am not sure I always deserve. And that look, along with the soft  sound of his pure, never fails to make things better.

Happy birthday  dear buddy and hang in there. Let’s go for 20!

Dylan with another great pal of ours, Dexter, taking in some sun filtering in through the windows of our back door.

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 the Fort Erie Native Friendship Center

Posted June 29th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

No One Is Illegal – Niagara

Indigenous families in what is currently known as North, South and Central America have experienced separation and violence by the settler states.

Given this shared experience, the Fort Erie Native Friendship Center (FENFC) joins with those standing up on June 30th and adds its voice to demands that the U.S. government must immediately end their current policies of detaining migrants, reunite families and abolish ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency). Continue reading →

News from the Office of Ontario’s Niagara West MPP Sam Oosterhoff

Posted June 29th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Niagara West-Glanbrook PC Party MPP Sam Oosterhoof

Queen’s Park, Toronto  – Sam Oosterhoff, the newly re-elected MPP for Niagara West, will serve as the Parliamentary Assistant to Lisa Thompson, the Minister of Education, in the first Progressive Conservative government of Doug Ford.

“I am honoured and humbled to accept the responsibility of Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Education,” said Oosterhoff (this June 29th).

“I look forward to working with Minister Thompson and to deliver the positive change in education that the people of Ontario want and deserve.” Continue reading →

‘Just When You Thought It Was Safe …’

A Brief News Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted June 28^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – There were  rumours circulating around in recent weeks that Niagara Region’s chair, Al Caslin, might not run again in this coming October’s municipal elections.

So much for those rumours.

And because I just returned from a visit with friends on Cape Cod, where there were warnings, over and over again, about great white sharks in the water and where the all-time scariest shark movie, Jaws, was filmed, let me begin with this line – “Just when you thought it was safe. …”

Just when at least some of you in that rumour mill possibly did, Al Caslin announced this June 28^th that he is running again for Niagara Region’s top elected job  – only this time in a region-wide race where his name will be on the ballot in this October 22^nd municipal elections for each and every one of us who are eligible to vote. Continue reading →

See Details Below For Niagara, Ontario Events Scheduled For June 29th and June 30th

Posted June 28^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – Over a dozen cities across Canada, including St. Catharines and Niagara Falls, are joining 600+ #FamiliesBelongTogether rallies calling for family reunification of children separated from their families, an end to immigration detention and abolition of ICE in the United States.

Rallies in Canada are also calling on Prime Minister Trudeau to condemn US policies in the strongest terms; to end immigration detention and deportation in Canada which also separates families; open the borders to asylum seekers from the United States by revoking the Safe Third Country Agreement and the Designated Country of Origin list; and grant permanent resident status to undocumented and migrant people in Canada. Continue reading →

By John Bacher

Posted June 28^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – For the past two years the Haudenosaunee have been involved in a heroic struggle to protect the more than 500 acre Thundering Water Forest in Niagara Falls.

Located in Niagara Falls near the conflux of the Adam Beck Generating Power Canal and the Welland River, this rare mix of Carolinian habitat forms a large forest block, including publicly owned parklands along the Welland River.

John Bacher, left, and Danny Beaton, Mohawk Turtle Clan, Waverley Uplands

In this struggle a prominent role has been played by an Oneida family with long roots in Niagara Falls, the Dockstaders. A respected elder of this family Bob, spoke to Niagara Falls City Council on May 8, and identified himself as part of the Oneida Bear Clan. Continue reading →

Sign a Petition to the Canadian Government Below

A Call-Out from the Broadbent Institute

Posted June 28th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Considering the urgent nature of the immigrant and refugee situation at the borders in Donald Trump’s United States, the U.S. is simply not “safe” for immigrants, particularly immigrant children who are still being held in detention camps.

Human rights are not negotiable.

Let’s get Justin Trudeau’s attention together – please sign and forward this email to all of your friends, family, colleagues, and neighbours. Continue reading →

A Call-Out from members of the Western New York Peace Center

Posted June 28^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Dear Friends,

Yes!! Desperately needed and We Shall Overcome!

Si, se puede!

There’ll be a Families Belong Together Rally & March at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 30, starting at Niagara Square, with Music, Speakers, and a march up to ICE at Delaware North, 250 Delaware Ave. (cnr w Chippewa). Continue reading →

“Challenges include the enormity of the plan, isolated location, high costs of servicing infrastructure, transit tax rules, difficult drainage patterns, changing provincial density rules, and the public determination to preserve agricultural land.”

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

Posted June 28^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

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

For anyone in Niagara, Ontario  who may think this news from a citizens’ watchdog group the City of Hamilton is not relevant here, consider the following;  Continue reading →

Let’s Make Wins Like This Happen In Niagara, Ontario This Coming Fall

A Brief Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted June 27th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

28-year-old Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez went up against big money and the establishment and won one for the people

You might wonder what the stunning victory of 28-year-old Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in a Democratic election primary in the Bronx and Queens, New York this June 27th has to do with our greater Niagara region and why we would post anything about it here.

Well, in a sense it has nothing to do with our region, but in at least one way, it could be a great source of hope and inspiration for those in Niagara, Ontario hoping to campaign, possibly against big odds and money, for real change for the better in this coming October’s municipal elections. Continue reading →

“Some people tell me that they are delighted with the progress. … Others express regret that not much is different for riders since the pilot (for an inter-municipal transit system for Niagara) was first launched in 2011.” – Town of Pelham Mayor Dave Augustyn

A Column from Pelham Mayor Dave Augustyn

Posted June 27th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – I am wondering about your thoughts on the work toward a seamless and integrated transit system for the Niagara Peninsula.

You may recall that after working on an inter-municipal transit system for a few years, Staff presented a plan in 2010 for the Region to begin operating transit. Continue reading →

News from Niagara’s Regional Government

Posted June 27^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – Niagara celebrates the start of the tenth year of seasonal weekend GO Train Service to Niagara. Starting June 22 GO Transit runs trains from Union Station along the Lakeshore West corridor, making stops at the existing St. Catharines and Niagara Falls VIA Rail stations.

This seasonal service, which enjoyed a 40 percent increase in ridership in 2017, is an annual reminder of the importance of GO Train service for Niagara. Continue reading →

Target Trump Head-On. Slap Sandions On His Own Company and Assets

A Call-Out from Avaaz, a 47-million-people, online global campaign network

Posted June 27^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Dear friends across Canada,

Donald Trump might seem like a joke, but his tariffs on Canada are serious. It’s time we fight back — by hitting him where it hurts.

Trump’s trade war could cost thousands of Canadian jobs, and if we retaliate, we’ll mostly hurt hundreds of thousands of Americans who didn’t vote for him. That’s why a new idea has emerged to target Trump head-on — sanctions on Trump’s own company and assets. Continue reading →

News from Brock University in St. Catharines/Niagara

Posted June 27th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – A new nighttime look is on its way for Brock University’s signature building.

Since its construction in 1968, the Schmon Tower has been a key component of the University’s landscape and is visible on a clear day from miles around.

A new lighting system being launched on Canada Day will see Brock’s Schmon Tower lit up in various colours throughout the year. Photo courtesy of Brock University

But with the help of a new LED lighting system, the 13-storey landmark will soon be just as eye-catching at night. Continue reading →

Focused On Strengthening Niagara Communities

News from the Campaign to Elect Damian Goulbourne Regional Chair

Former Welland Mayor Damian Goulborne running for Niagara regional chair

Posted June 26th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – A Niagara area educator, business person, parent and former mayor filed his papers today to enter the first Regional Chair of Niagara election race October 22.

Damian Goulbourne, former Mayor of Welland, a Niagara College staffer, and columnist for the St. Catharines Standard, said he is seeking election because he believes in the region’s ability to build a community “where residents experience the value of a strong and vibrant local economy.” Continue reading →

“Before Ford makes a final decision to scrap cap-and-trade, let’s see just how much that will cost families and businesses – including the impacts on gasoline prices and household heating bills.” – NDP Leader Andrea Horwath

News from the Office of Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath

Posted June 26th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath.

Queen’s Park, Toronto  – Scrapping Ontario’s cap-and-trade program could come with a big price tag, and NDP Leader Andrea Horwath has asked the province’s Financial Accountability Officer (FAO) to look into just how big.

“With Kathleen Wynne and the Liberals’ gas plants scandal, Ontarians saw just how much it costs to rip up contracts,” said Horwath. “Before Mr. Ford rips up the cap-and-trade deal, and makes billions in credits already bought by Ontario businesses worthless, we need to take a hard look at those costs in this case – not just for the province, but the costs to families and businesses.” Continue reading →

John Holer in more recent times

A Powerhouse in the Niagara Falls Tourist Industry, He and His Park Became Targets of Controversy as the Years Wore On

A Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted on June 25^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

“I built this operation without any help from the government.” John Holer once told me of Marineland, the giant Niagara Falls, Ontario amusement park that was his baby and that became his life-long obsession. “I never got a nickel from the government and I never want a nickel from the government.”

Love him or hate him (and there never seemed to be a shortage of people who felt one way or the other), John Holer, who died this past Saturday, June 23^rd at age 83, was every bit a self-made man who built a venue for tourists that, by the 1980s, lived up to all the hype in those ubiquitous ‘Everyone Loves Marineland’ commercials as the most popular attraction next the Falls themselves. Continue reading →

“Most people who have spoken to me about this issue see (the Councillors’) fliers as an improper use of public resources and funds for self-promotion. Some have even called it electioneering.” – Pelham Mayor and Niagara Regional Councillor Dave Augustyn

A Column from Pelham Mayor Dave Augustyn

Posted June 25^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Pelham Mayor Dave Augustyn

Do you think that your property taxes should pay for self-promotion by elected Councillors?

This was the issue at our last Regional Council meeting when I brought forward a motion to end the practice of some Councillors using public funds to send self-promotional fliers to residents.

You see, this year Councillors Annunziata (Fort Erie), Barrick (Port Colborne), and Quirk (Grimsby) used Regional staff resources to prepare self-promoting fliers and public tax dollars to mail them to residents in their Towns/City. Councillor Quirk mailed something in January and again in May, when the others followed his lead. Continue reading →

News from Ontario’s Niagara Parks Commission

Posted June 25^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

• Long Range Queen Victoria Park Concept Master Plan Project

•    Niagara Parks’ Table Rock Centre to host upcoming information session for members of the public

•      Session will provide information, collect comments and discuss next steps related to the Queen Victoria Park Concept Master Plan project

  

  Queen Victoria Park with the American Falls in the background

Niagara Falls, Ontario – The Niagara Parks Commission will host a Public Information Centre (PIC) on Tuesday, June 26 from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Table Rock Visitor Centre Upper Rotunda. Continue reading →

‘Switching from coal, oil and other fossil fuels to energy derived from plants and animal waste is a crucial climate change strategy — but one businesses are still learning how to              find value in.’

News from Brock University in St. Catharines/Niagara

Posted June 25^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

While governments offer incentives for entrepreneurs to become biofuel leaders, the payoff may not be as attractive as continuing to extract and sell the fossil fuels that contribute to greenhouse gases which cause global warming.

Brock chemist Travis Dudding and his team are working with Welland-based Atlantic Biodiesel to boost production value. Photo courtesy of Brock University

That’s where Brock University chemist Travis Dudding comes in. Continue reading →

This is horrible – will you pitch in to help us put the Liberals on notice?

“Thus far, the non-action from Justin Trudeau and the federal Liberals in the face of this human rights tragedy is deeply disturbing. We can’t let this go on!” – Ed Broadbent

A Message from Former Canadian NDP Leader Ed Broadbent

Posted June 25^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Ed Broadbent

Like (so many of) you, I have been simply horrified at the news coming out of the US this week regarding the barbaric treatment of migrant children. It’s too horrible to believe. But it’s all too real. And the callous attitude of the Trump administration demands a strong and principled response from Canada’s government.

With an estimated 48 children a day being ripped from their parents and herded, alone, into detention centres often in baking heat in the desert, the urgency could not be clearer. Continue reading →

NDP says Ford’s anti-environment move comes with costs

A News Release from Ontario’s New Democratic Party

Posted June 16th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Queen’s Park – Doug Ford’s anti-environment crusade will put Ontario’s air, water and land at risk – and cost people and the province billions.

Ford announced Friday he’ll remove the cap on how much industrial operations are allowed to pollute, despite having no plan for a replacement climate change strategy.

Then Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne (left) signs cap and trade pact with Quebec Premier Pillippe Couillard (centre) and California Governor Jerry Brown in September of 2917 in one more effort to address climate change.

“Does Doug Ford not believe in climate change, or does he just think a climate strategy is not part of his job?” asked Peter Tabuns, the NDP MPP-elect for Toronto-Danforth. “Scrapping all clean-air and climate change initiatives will hurt Ontario – and doing that without any sort of a replacement carbon reduction initiative is completely irresponsible. Continue reading →

A Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted June 16th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

“My Friends …. We are going to turn this province around so that our children and their children will feel proud to call Ontario their home.”

Doug Ford likes to call us his “friends”.

That was the vow Doug Ford delivered before cheering crowds of supporters on the night of June 7th – on the day that just enough Ontario voters gave him the number of seats his Ontario PC Party needs to enjoy the next four years as a majority government in the province.

An Orwellian chill shot up my spine when I heard Ford make that election night vow, and not just because he used the words “my friends” to set it off.

There is something about politicians who repeatedly use “my friends” in addresses to crowds that makes me cringe – like someone I am not sure about putting a sweaty hand on my shoulder. Continue reading →

Mayors Pledge To Protect Urban Natural Spaces

“Wetlands and naturalized shorelines are critical habitat for so many of our indigenous species in the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Region. As mayors, we need to find ways to naturalize our shorelines and connect terrestrial habitat and migratory pathways throughout the region.” – Suzie Miron, councillor and representative of City of Montréal Mayor Valerie Plante

A News Release from the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative

Posted June 15th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

At the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative annual conference in Ajax, Ontario this June, Canadian and US mayors celebrated the strong, integrated relationship on environment and economy that binds our two countries and the Great Lakes St. Lawrence region as a whole. The mayors cautioned against isolationist policies towards trade and environmental protection.

“As mayors in the Great Lakes St. Lawrence region, we represent a community of common interest, dedicated to the protection of our shared waters and our integrated economic prosperity,” said incoming Cities Initiative chair Sandra Cooper, Mayor of Collingwood.

If the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence region were a country, encompassing Québec, Ontario and the eight Great Lake states, it would be the world’s third largest economy. It also holds 20% of the world’s fresh water. Due to the integrated nature of its economy, both sides of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence region would be seriously impacted by the imposition of trade tariffs. Continue reading →

An Invite to All from the Niagara movement for Justice in Palestine- Israel

Posted June 15th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

A number of very concerned residents of Niagara have initiated a “Movement for Justice in Palestine-Israel” (MJPI). The movement made its presence felt very positively at the Market Square in St. Catharines on 19 May.

Participants were  encouraged by the   large number of the public who were very receptive to their message.

They are now holding a MARCH FOR JUSTICE IN PALESTINE-ISRAEL on Friday, 22 June, 2018 starting at 4.30 p.m. on the sidewalks at the intersection of Geneva- St. Paul- Niagara Streets in St.Catharines.
Continue reading →

A News Release from the Campaign to Elect Haley Bateman, With a Foreword by Doug Draper

Posted June 13^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

A Foreword by Doug Draper –

When so much of what is happening in politics in our country, the world, and right here in our province and region is enough to make a person feel at least a little down, every once in a while some news comes along that gives you a lift and makes you feel hopeful again.

That is certainly true of the news that Haley Bateman has officially launched her campaign to run for one of the five directly elected seats the City of St. Catharines occupies on Niagara’s regional council.

As a citizen in our region, Haley Bateman already has a record of demonstrating her interest in making a Niagara better place to live and work in through her social through her work in the non-profit sector, supporting the Performing Arts, Health and Wellbeing and Women and Children’s organizations. Continue reading →

You Guessed It – America’s Donald Trump

Posted June 13^th, 2018 by Doug Draper, Niagara At Large

Every once in a while we at Niagara At Large like to share with our readers a letter-to-the-editor that grabbed us while reading the daily newspapers, something we also still do around here – read newspapers, as much as many have made the mistake of giving up on them.

If we have to have an autocrat in the G7, why not Russia’s Putin instead of America’s Trump?

The following letter caught our attention in the Monday, June 12^th edition of The Globe and Mail, and appeared in the wake of the ugly conduct of America’s reality TV show president, Donald Trump at the recent G7 Summit meeting in Quebec.

It was written by Michael Armstrong from Niagara Falls, Ontario, right here in our own region, and, believe it or not, when I shared it with a gathering of some of my American friends in Cape Cod, Massachusetts this June 13^th, they all thought it pinned the tail on the donkey too.

Here it is –

‘U.S. President Donald Trump wants Russia invited back to the G7.Fine: Let Russia replace America in the G7. That way, at least the lone autocrat there won’t be one withdrawing from the Paris climate agreement.’

In Putin, we at Niagara At Large would add, there would be someone much intelligent sitting at the table too.

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

“We must do what our electoral system failed to, make sure Ontario’s government represents the will of the people.” 

A Message from the Broadbent Institute, Dedicated to Upholding the Principles of Canada’s Former NDP Leader Ed Broadbent

Posted June 14th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Doug Ford’s PC win this past June 7th in Ontario proves the major fault in our electoral system.

Canada’s former federal NDP leader Ed Broadbent

Ontario will now be faced with a government set on an ultra-conservative agenda to cut services, freeze minimum wages, attack women’s right to choose, and ignore climate change – even though 58% of voters chose a decidedly different course of action.

This would never have happened with Proportional Representation.   Continue reading →

“BE IT RESOLVED that the Council of City of St. Catharines commends the media for their investigative reporting and in no way supports censorship of news.” – from a motion to be tabled at the Monday, June 11th meeting of St. Catharines council by City Councillor Joe Kushner

A News Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted June 111^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

St. Catharines City Councillor Joe Kushner standing up for local news coverage

There has probably never been a time since the first person chiselled what might be called a news story on a stone tablet, that one politician or another didn’t complain about the coverage they get.

These days though, attacks on the media are far less random or sporadic and have become part of one of the tools of choice politicians and other individuals in government use to paint the news media as just one more ‘elite’ or ‘enemy’ that is working to keep them from dong the peoples’ work.

We see this news bashing tactic employed daily south of the Canada/U.S. border where Trump and his loyalists repeatedly refer to any reporting they don’t like as “fake news” and make less than subtle threats about taking reporters or whole news organizations to court, and weakening age-old laws that support freedom of the press. Continue reading →

A Brief One by Doug Draper

Posted on June 10th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

What a blow to humanity.

Still coping with the loss of one of the great characters, Anthony Bourdain

It was bad enough waking up this past June 8th to the realization that Doug Ford had actually won the Ontario election, but to get the “breaking news” around 8 a.m. that Anthony Bourdain was found dead at age 61, reportedly after committing suicide, made the morning too damn much to take.

If you don’t know who Anthony Bourdain was, to say that he was a chef with a television series on CNN called  ‘Parts Unknown’ hardly gets to the essence of what endeared him to so many millions of people, including this person who doesn’t make a practice of watching so-called cooking shows. Continue reading →

“We are going to have to be ready to fight. … The forces of cuts and privatization are now ascendant and it will take a great deal of strength to protect public health care and our core principles of equity and public non-profit service in the upcoming months.” 

An Analysis by Ontario Health Coalition executive director Natalie Mehra

Posted June 11th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Natalie Mehra, Ontario Health Coalition’s executive director

In the last days before the election, we tried to find a way to contrast Doug Ford’s belated “platform” with the former Conservative government of Mike Harris to see how far apart they were.

Though I knew the cuts were massive, I was still shocked to discover that Ford’ planned cuts to provincial revenues — the money used to fund our public programs and services including health care — are‎ actually deeper than those of Mike Harris.

The Harris government cut $13 billion in its first four years. Doug Ford plans to cut $22 billion over three years. ‎ Continue reading →

“Our reputation is growing, in Canada and globally, as a university of academic excellence that welcomes diversity from across the country and around the world.” – Jamie Mandigo, Vice-Provost for Enrolment Management and International.

A News Release from Brock University

Posted June 11th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Brock University is emerging as a school of choice for more and more new students, despite a provincial decline in high school-aged applicants.

Brock U. is a magnet for growing numbers of first-year students

Ontario’s ongoing demographic trough has seen the population of 18-year-olds shrink by more than 13,000 in less than a decade. Yet the confirmation rate of first-year students intending to attend Brock this September is more than 15 per cent above where it was a year ago. Continue reading →

A Brief News Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted June 8th^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Doug Ford’s PC Party won a majority government in Ontario this June 7^th – a majority!

A majority government gives Ford a license to run a virtual dictatorship over the next four years.

These two will probably co-exist on this continent just fine.

The province’s NDP Leader Andrea Horwath promises that she is going to use her party’s second place finish and newly minted official party status to “hold Ford’s feet to the fire.”

Sounds good, Andrea, but with the size of the majority Ford has won, he can, in so many words, simply tell any NDP member who stands in the legislature and questions or complaints to sit down and shut up.

Given Ford’s past conduct, loaded with bullying and bluster, on Toronto’s city council, that may very well be the way it goes.

So welcome to Trumpland, my fellow Ontarians. Continue reading →

“The United States and Canada are the world’s largest trading partners.  Canada has been a reliable ally in fighting terror and has been a good friend to the United States. “We need to stand with our allies and friends, not abandon them.” – U.S. Congressman Brian Higgins, Buffalo, New York

Congressman Cites Costs to Lackawanna Company; Says: “We Need to Stand with Our Allies and Friends, Not Abandon Them”

U.S Congressman Brian Higgins

A News Release from the Office of U.S. Congressman Brian Higgins, a member of the House of Representatives Ways and Means Subcommittee on Trade and Co-Chair of the Northern Border Task Force

Posted June 8th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Buffalo, New York – Last week the President announced new tariffs on steel and aluminum – called Section 232 actions – on our strongest allies, including Canada and Europe.  Companies in Higgins’ district are already hurting from these bizarre penalties on America’s greatest trading and business partners. 

In a letter to Congressman Higgins, Lackawanna, New York based company Welded Tube, USA, writes, “The imposition of 25 percent duties on the OCTG we make in Lackawanna and finish in Ontario will render our products uneconomical. Continue reading →

Yet Putin’s Russia is Fine and so are those Neo-Nazis carrying torches and yelling anti-Semitic Epitaphs in the Streets of Virginia

A Brief Comment from Doug Draper

Posted June 8th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Did you know that Canada once burned down the White House?

That is what Trump (I’m sorry, I just can’t bring myself to call him “President Trump”) reported told Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

At least Trump didn’t bring up the time Canada attacked Pearl Harbor or that earlier time when we attacked Fort Sumter and started the Civil War.

And wasn’t it a Canadian who assassinated Abraham Lincoln while he was watching a play at the Shaw Festival Theatre?

Thanks to this faux pas, to put it politely as I can, about the torching of the White House (for all of you so-called undereducated deplorables out there you may take ever word the reality show huckster shouts or tweets out as gospel, it was the British that did that. The country of Canada was still 60 years out from being born  at the time), it may be hard enough next time I cross the border to visit my relatives and friends.

And yet this   clown,  who repeatedly blames others for spreading “fake news”,  got elected to one of the powerful positions in the world.

Why did you do this to yourselves and the rest of the world, America?

You should feel embarrassed to have a dangerous ignoramus like this in the same Oval Office where giants like Abraham Lincoln and Franklin Delano Roosevelt once served with intelligence and class.

The fiddle is now playing in Trumpland. Can you hear it?

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

Join us on a free and casual guided tour of a some Garden Walk Buffalo gardens!

A News Release from our cross-border friends at Garden Walk Buffalo

Posted June 7^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Campus Wheelworks and the Campus Cycling Collective are collaborating with Gardens Buffalo Niagara on three bike tours—each on the first Fridays of June, July and August.

We’ll visit a few select gardens in the Elmwood Village and Cottage District, as well as a couple public gardens. The tour will be a total of 8-10 moderately-paced miles on bike paths and bike lanes when possible. Continue reading →

Jerry Maren, 98, Dedicated Part of His Life to Advocating for “Little People”

A Brief One from Doug Draper

Posted June 8th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

I can’t help it. As a life-long fan of ‘The Wizard of Oz’, just want to put a little something in hear about the passing of the last actor who played one of more than 100 “munchkins in that classic 1939 movie.

His name was Jerry Maren and he played one of three members of the “Lollipop Guild” who sang a welcoming song to Dorothy (Judy Garland) as he – the one in the centre dressed in green – handed her a giant lollipop. Continue reading →

An Election Commentary by Niagara At Large reporter and publisher Doug Draper

Posted June 6^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

The choice for Ontario’s next premier should be obvious this time – it is Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath

About eight years ago, I had an opportunity to do a one-on-one interview for the better part of an hour with Kathleen Wynne during a break at a conference in Niagara-on-the-Lake, when she was serving in the cabinet of Liberal Premier Dalton McGuinty as his Minister of Transportation.

In that interview, Wynne was the first Minister of Transportation I can ever remember in the province who said she wasn’t interested in building more highways because she wanted to focus on making communities less car dependent and friendlier to walking, biking and public transit.

Everything about that part of the interview and the rest had me feeling that I was in the presence of someone who refreshingly candid and who embraced a green, progressive vision of where she wanted Ontario to go. Continue reading →

 “People want change, but Doug Ford isn’t change for the better. Ford’s repeated scandals, including active police investigations, are already worse than Kathleen Wynne’s scandals. He’d take Ontario from bad to worse.”

A News Release from the Ontario New Democratic Party

Posted June 6th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Ontario PC leader Doug Ford

Toronto, Ontario – Doug Ford has refused to be open and transparent with Ontarians following the explosive allegations made against him by the widow of his late brother Rob — including breach of trust, negligence and more than $6 million in losses at Deco Labels and Tags.

“Doug Ford wants to be your premier, yet he won’t answer the most basic questions about the serious allegations against him,” said Marit Stiles, NDP candidate for Davenport.

“What people are saying to me on the doorstep is that they have a lot of questions — and they believe they deserve answers. Continue reading →

Of The Region’s Four Provincial Riding, Niagara West-Glanbrook May Be The Only Outlier – Remaining Blue for the PCs

A News Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted June 6th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

I normally prefer to focus most of my commentary on the bigger picture when it comes to provincial and federal elections – as in which party should or shouldn’t form the next government for whatever reasons – but in this Ontario election, with the voting set to open first thing this Thursday, June 7th, morning, I find it not to comment on the local picture for at least one major reason.

The reason is this.

Those of you out there who have been following the news in Niagara over the past three and a half years know that there is a critical mass of people who are concerned about many of the decisions, the conduct and the make-up of the regional council and some of the local councils across the region. Continue reading →

A Brief Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted June 6^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Seventy four years ago – on June 6th, 1944, known from then on as D-Day – Canadian soldiers fought and died on the beaches of Normandy, France alongside U.S. soldiers, all under the direction of the then Supreme Commander of Allied Forces and future U.S. president, Dwight D Eisenhower.

Now, under the reality show celebrity/narcissist who plays at being U.S. president, Canada and the freely negotiated trading relationship Canada negotiated with his country are viewed as a “national security threat.”

A national security threat?

Continue reading →

“We can’t afford more cuts, our hospitals can’t afford more claw backs and our community certainly can’t afford more job losses.” – St. Catharines NDP candidate Jennie Stevens

A News Release from the Campaign of St. Catharines Riding NDP candidate  Jennie Stevens

Posted June 6th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

St. Catharines NDP candidate Jennie Stevens

St. Catharines, Ontario – With just two days left until Ontario voters hit the ballot box and Doug Ford’s Conservatives still refusing to disclose specifics about their $6 billion in promised cross-the-board cuts, Ontario NDP St. Catharines candidate, Jennie Stevens, said that the St. Catharines and Niagara regions would see a devastating 4, 076 jobs lost if Ford delivers on his promises.

“Our healthcare system is already bursting at the seams because of the Wynne Liberals’ cuts and budget freezes,” Stevens said.

“What our community needs is leadership that’ll invest in public services and that will stop shortchanging hospitals the way that twenty consecutive years of Liberal and Conservative governments have. We can’t afford more cuts, our hospitals can’t afford more claw backs and our community certainly can’t afford more job losses.” Continue reading →

A Message of Inspiration and Hope from the late Robert F. Kennedy

Posted June 6^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

A Brief Foreword Note from Doug Draper – Whenever I find myself feeling discouraged by the state of affairs around me, there is a quotation I sometimes turn to by the late Robert F. Kennedy, who died 50 years ago this June 6^th after being gunned down the night before, that inspires me to keep doing whatever I can to make things better.

The late U.S. Senator Robert F. (Bobby) Kennedy, was shot dead in June, 1968 while running for president.

The quotation comes from a ‘Day of Affirmation’ speech the then U.S. Senator Robert Kennedy delivered in South Africa in 1966, when that country was still under the grip of a racist regime and anti-apartheid activist Nelson Mandela was two years in to serving a 26 year jail sentence, and I have always kept it in a frame near me, going back to my earliest years as a reporter at The St. Catharines Standard.

I share the words in that quotation here in the hope that they may inspire some of you too –  

“Let no one be discouraged by the belief there is nothing one man or woman can do against the enormous array of the world’s ills – against misery and ignorance, injustice and violence.

“Few will have the greatness to bend history itself; but each of us can work to change a small portion of events, and in the total of all those acts will be written the history of this generation ….”

“Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or strikes out against injustice or acts to improve the lot of others, he sends a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centres of energy and daring, those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.” – Robert F. Kennedy.

One More Brief Note from Doug Draper – If you want to read a good book about Robert Kennedy – known affectionately by millions as “Bobby” – there is the current best seller by MSNBC news show host Chris Matthews called ‘Bobby Kennedy – A Raging Spirit’.

In the book’s prologue, Matthews asks the question; “What is it that’s missing (in so much of  politics and the way it is practiced) today?”

“Here is my straightforward answer,” Matthews goes on to say. “We’ve gotten so used to treating our politics as zero-sum that we’ve lost the faith that joint action by the people is capable of bringing joint success. Why can’t there be a patriotism that joins us together instead of dividing us?

Along the route of the funderal train, from New York City to Arlington National Cemetery outside of Washington, D.C.

“It’s now the accepted wisdom, for example, that the interests of the discarded factory worker and the ignored inner-city youth cannot be met together, so why try? Don’t we need leaders eager to champion the future of both? The faces and salutes of those thousands of Americans, white and black, lining the route of Bobby’s funeral train make for moving testimony to the fact that this country once had a brave figure who they believed could.”

Along the route of the funeral train in June, 1968.

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

 “And if this is how Doug Ford treats his own brother’s family, how will he treat everyone else’s families?”

A News Release from the Ontario New Democratic Party

Posted June 6th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Ontario PC Party leader Doug Ford

Reports in the Toronto Star and the Toronto Sun once again show that (Ontario PC Party leader) Doug Ford is not the business tycoon he claims to be.

In a $16.5 million lawsuit filed on Friday (June 1^st), the widow of late Toronto Mayor Rob Ford alleges that Doug Ford “mismanaged the Deco Companies to the point of insolvency, and then plundered Doug Sr.’s Estate to maintain the illusion that they were successful businessmen and retain their offices and compensation.” Continue reading →

We Could Sure Use A Robert Kennedy Now

Robert F. Kennedy, assassinated 50 years ago this June 5th while running for U.S. president

“Only those who care to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.”   —– Robert (‘Bobby’) F. Kennedy

“The problem of power is how to achieve its responsible use rather than its irresponsible and indulgent use – of how to get people of power to live for the public and not off the public.” – Robert (‘Bobby’) F. Kennedy

By Doug Draper, Niagara At Large

Posted June 5th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Robert F. Kennedy – one of the most inspiring political figures in my 67 years on this earth – was gunned down 50 years ago – on June 5^th, 1968 – and for millions of us growing up at the time, a good deal of the hope for a more just and peaceful  world was gunned down with him.

Senator Robert F. Kennedy with his wife Ethel, just left of him, celebrating with supporters on June 5th, 1968 after winning the key California primary in his race for the presidency. A few moments later he would be shot. The following day he was pronounced dead. Five months later, Richard Nixon was elected president and the country has been on a downward slide ever since.

On June 8th, 1993, on the 25^th anniversary of his assassination, I was still working as a full-time environment reporter at The St. Catharines Standard where an article I wrote as a tribute to man so many of us affectionately called “Bobby was published on the newspaper’s editorial page. Continue reading →

Sign It A.S.A.P. and Please Keep Raising Your Voice Against the Destructive Ivory Trade 

A Brief Introduction from Doug Draper, Niagara At Large

Posted June 5th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

I can’t believe we still haven’t done something about this in Canada – even in 2018 with a Prime Minister who claims he cares about keeping the planet safe and health for humans and all other species who live on it.

We should feel embarrassed and ashamed in the eyes of the world that this Canada, that prides itself in being a progressive leader on so many fronts, has still not banned the import and sale of elephant tusks in this country. Continue reading →

A News Release from the Office of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

Posted June 5^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Canadian Prime Miinister Justin Trudeau

Ottawa, Ontario – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke yesterday (June 4th)with provincial and territorial premiers to discuss Canada-United States (U.S.) trade issues, in particular concerning the unacceptable decision of the U.S. to apply tariffs to Canadian steel and aluminum. 

The Prime Minister expressed his disappointment with the decision by the U.S. Administration to impose tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum. The Prime Minister noted that, given our shared history, it is inconceivable that Canadian steel or aluminum might be a security threat to the U.S.  He stressed that these tariffs will hurt workers and industry on both sides of the Canada-U.S. border. Continue reading →

“While my local opponents continue to throw mud, I want to tell people what we’re actually going to do to make life better.” – Niagara Falls MPP Wayne Gates

A News Release from the Campaign to Re-elect Niagara Falls MPP Wayne Gates

Posted June 5th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Niagara Falls, Ontario – Wayne Gates joined local front-line healthcare workers at his Niagara Falls campaign headquarters (this June 4rth) to announce the NDP plan to address chronic problems in long-term care.

Niagara Falls NDP candidate and incumbent MPP Wayne Gates with local health care workers

The NDP’s healthcare plan will reduce wait lists and wait times for seniors and establish a minimum standard of care for long-term care residents. Continue reading →

Review Them Carefully Before You Go To The Polls this June 7th

A News Release from the Ontario Health Coalition

Posted June 5th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Toronto, Ontario  – Following the release of Doug Fords “platform” the Ontario Health Coalition has tried to analyze how Mr. Ford’s plan will impact health care funding.

From left, Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath, Liberal Leader Kathleen Wynne and PC Party Leader Doug Ford

 Over the next four years, with four days until the provincial election we still have no firm commitment on the level of hospital funding, nor any clear response to our priority “asks” to rebuild hospital capacity by reopening closed beds, wards and operating rooms. Continue reading →

Let’s stop Doug Ford’s cutting and privatizing plan in its tracks….. Let’s come together, and make change for the better happen.” – Ontario NDP Leader  Andrea Horwath

A Statement from NDP Leader Andrea Horwath

Posted June 4^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath

This election is about change for the better. And it’s never been more possible.

Let’s come together.

Let’s stop Doug Ford’s cutting and privatizing plan in its tracks. Let’s fix our health care system, have dental coverage for everyone and make life more affordable for families. Let’s come together, and make change for the better happen.

Kathleen Wynne has abandoned the fight against Doug Ford cuts. And her request today for a minority government is a demand that she be allowed to continue to hold the power at Queen’s Park – something voters have already rejected. Continue reading →

Worse than former Toy premier Mike Harris, we are “extremely worried” – Ontario Health Coalition

A News Release from the Ontario Health Coalitoin, a province-wide advocacy group for quality public health care

A Message from Natalie Mehra, the Ontario Health Coalition’s executive director

Posted June 3rd, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Many Ontarians are captured by the idea of getting the same or more services for less money. But few know what the numbers might actually mean.

Since Doug Ford did not release a clear platform, Ontarians know more about how much a beer may cost if the Conservative leader is elected than they know about how much their hospitals may be funded.

This is a serious problem because the numbers that Mr. Ford has revealed are disturbing. Continue reading →