Author Archives: dougdraper

A Commentary by Niagara, Ontario conservationist John Bacher

Posted January 30^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

This past January 24^th, 2018, the Memorial Room at the Gale Centre in the City of Niagara Falls, Ontario was packed with about 150 people. The purpose was an Open House regarding a proposed amendment to the City’s Official Plan.

This is Amendment 130, put forward by a private company, GR Canada Limited, and intended to promote a development the company and its supporters are calling “the Riverfront Community” to be built inside more than 480 acres of natural lands in the south west end of Niagara Falls known by many as Thundering Waters Forest.

Opponents of the development were more successful in getting their supporters out. A group of around twenty advocates of the development politely clapped when those who supported Riverfront did so on the basis of economic arguments such as job creation. One generated a few laughs when she said that such prosperity would allow her family to “walk in nature.” Continue reading →

Province Supporting Students and Families with Major Additions To Two Schools in Thorold and One in Niagara Falls

“These additions are an important investment for the Niagara Region.” — Indira Naidoo-Harris, Minister of Education and Minister Responsible for Early Years and Child Care

News from the Ontario Government

Indira Naidoo-Harris, Minister of Education and Minister Responsible for Early Years and Child Care

Posted January 30^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – The provincial government is supporting families in Niagara region with three school additions that will provide modern learning environments for students and more licensed child care spaces for families.

The expanded schools will help accommodate nearly 390 students and will include six new child care rooms with 98 new licensed child care spaces.

The new projects are: Continue reading →

It should have no place in our Greater Niagara Region either!

A Statement from Ontario’s NDP Leader Andrea Horwath

Posted January 29th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath

Queen’s Park, Toronto – Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath issued the following statement on the one-year anniversary of the shooting at the Centre Culturel Islamique de Québec.

“One year ago today, the lives of six men were cut painfully short, and the lives of so many others were changed forever, in a cowardly act of Islamophobic violence.  Continue reading →

“This was a terrorist attack against all Canadians, meant to test our resolve and weaken our values. It failed.” –  Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

From the Office of Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

Posted January 29th, v2018 on Niagara At Large

Statement by the Prime Minister on the first anniversary of the fatal shooting at the Centre culturel islamique de Québec

The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today (Monday, January 29th) issued the following statement on the first anniversary of the fatal shooting at the Centre culturel islamique de Québec:

Mourners fill streets of Quebec City for vigil following fatal Mosque attack.

“One year ago tonight, a senseless attack at the Centre culturel islamique de Québec in Ste-Foy claimed the lives of six worshippers and seriously injured nineteen more. Continue reading →

“Once again, the NPCA leadership has used language in a fashion that tends to obfuscate the truth.  The OPP found “no criminal wrongdoing”, that is not the same as finding “no wrongdoing” as the NPCA headline states.  The two are very different issues.” – Niagara, Ontario resident, retired Canadian Armed Forces Officer and fearless community activist Ed Smith

A News Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted January 26^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Ontario Court Judge dismissed NPCA lawsuits against Niagara citizen Ed Smith last November. But in the alternative universe the NPCA operates in, it  is almost  like  you would  never know it.

Niagara, Ontario – It took weeks for the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA) to finally disclose how much of our tax money it spent on its failed lawsuits against Niagara citizen Ed Smith, but it certainly didn’t waste any time posting a statement on its website about the fact that a yearlong investigation of the agency by the Ontario Provincial Police did not uncover anything rising to a level of criminality that it has done wrong.

Well, there’s some cause for celebration around the NPCA board table. And all the more so since the investigation was launched after police were approached by Ed Smith – a citizen in Niagara it has battled both in and outside the courts – with some questions and concerns about the Conservation Authority he believed worthy of a police probe.

“The OPP was approached by Niagara Regional Police (NRP) Chief Maguire to investigate claims brought forward by Mr. Ed Smith of St. Catharines, who claimed there was illegal activity occurring at NPCA,” says the statement the NPCA posted this January 25^th on its website.

“Upon completing a yearlong investigation,” the statement says, “the OPP found no basis for the claims brought forward.” Continue reading →

A Free Educational Event – Wed., January 31, 2018     from 6:45 PM – 9:00 PM

A Call-Out from the Niagara Greens

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

For those who may be wondering what this public meeting is about, it is about a plan driven by a China-based corporation, GR Canada, and Niagara Falls Mayor Jim Diodati and his political allies at the city and regional government level, and possibly event at the Ontario government level, to move forward with an urban development project inside more than 480 acres of woodlands, wetlands and savannah grasses known as Thundering Waters on the Ontario side of a Niagara River watershed vital to the health of the Great Lakes.

That is what it is about and is what is at stake here right now and for a healthy, sustainable future. Don’t let these short-sighted politicos and their special interest vandalize it.

Raise your voice and cast your vote in the coming provincial and municipal elections for Thundering Waters!

Continue reading →

“Up Cannabis is excited to be a part of the Niagara community, and we look forward to being a leading employer in the region, both now and in the years to come.”                                                   – Jennifer Maccarone, Chief Quality Officer at Up Cannabis.

News from Niagara College in Niagara, Ontario

Posted January 26th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – A rapidly expanding cannabis industry is set to bring positive changes to Niagara’s economic and educational landscapes.

ncTakeOff Project Manager Madison Fuller, Bill MacDonald, Coordinator of NC’s Commercial Cannabis Production program, Jennifer Maccarone, Chief Quality Officer at Up Cannabis, Chris Bittle, Member of Parliament for St. Catharines, Blake Landry of Niagara Economic Development

That was the focus of a panel discussion at Niagara College in a packed Yerich Auditorium Thursday evening. The event, hosted by ncTakeOff, the college’s entrepreneurship hub, featured a lively discussion on the future of the cannabis industry in Niagara, and how government, education and business can work together to position Niagara for success. Continue reading →

‘Any party with a seat in the House of Commons – and Canada’d Green Party Leader Elizabeth May has one – deserves a place in the debate.’

A Call-Out from the Green Party of Canada

Posted January 26^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Canada’s Green Party Leader Elizabeth May

Friend —

If you’ve ever seen Elizabeth May speak you’ll understand why some of the other parties want her shut out from the televised leaders’ debates. Elizabeth eloquently champions a sensible and refreshing approach to politics, and she’s not afraid to speak truth to power.

Don’t let them silence our voice — we must make sure that Elizabeth gets a fair chance to present our vision and policies to a national television audience during the 2019 campaign! Continue reading →

 Woods home to Red-Headed Woodpeckers, Bats, Pollinators, and other threatened species.

Liz Benneian, Executive Director and Manager of Environmental Education for Ontariogreen to speak.

A Call-Out from a Group of Concerned Ctiziens in Fort Erie/Niagara

Posted January 25th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

A lot of the local citizens have become attached to this red fox and her kits in Waverly Woods in Fort Erie – an oasis for nature that is home to a diversity of life that citizens in the area are fighting to save from sprawling development that could go some place less damaging to what is left of Niagara’s green places. Photo courtesy of Marcie Jacklin

Fort Erie, Ontario  – Wednesday, January 24, 2018 –  A group of concerned citizens is holding an open-house, on Sunday, January 28th at Royal Canadian Legion, 130 Garrison Road, Fort Erie, to discuss the application, currently before the Fort Erie Town Council, to allow for the development of a subdivision that will result in the clearance of Waverly Woods.

If allowed, this development, known as Harbourtown Village at Erie Beach, will decimate a habitat that is one of the few remaining spring migratory stop-overs for birds in the Niagara Region, as well as a known habitat of Red-Headed Woodpeckers, which are protected under the provincial government’s Species at Risk in Ontario List. Continue reading →

Posted January 25^th,  2018 on Niagara At Large

Premier Kathleen Wynne made the following statement this January 25th:

“I first want to say that the young women who have shared their experiences are very brave. It was very courageous for them to step forward.

Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne, now ex PC Party leader Patrick Brown

In my heart, I hope that they are finding the supports that they need now. They did a very difficult thing, and they’ve been carrying this for years. There’s an impact to them. I hope they are safe. I hope they are surrounded by loved ones today.

When I heard these allegations, I was shocked. And when I came to work this morning, I wanted to talk to people around the province who are reading this news and wondering what is going on. Continue reading →

 “How many jobs could they have preserved with that money? How much of our environment could they have preserved with that money?” – Niagara Citizen Ed Smith

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

Posted January 25th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Ontario Court Judge dismissed NPCA lawsuits against Niagara citizen Ed Smith last November. The failed lawsuits have proven costly for area tax payers.

Niagara, Ontario – After weeks of pressure from Niagara area citizens, municipal councillors and area MPPs to release the figures, the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority’s board of directors finally voted this January 24th to disclose how much it spent in its attempt to sue St. Catharines/Niagara resident Ed Smith.

The figure the NPCA disclosed is $146,757 – money that comes large from a pool of tax dollars the Conservation Authority gets from Niagara’s 12 local municipalities, and taxpayers in the City of Hamilton and the Haldimand County area.

That amount is in addition to another $130,000 Ontario Judge James Ramsay recently ordered the NPCA to pay Smith to cover his costs in the court case. Continue reading →

‘It Was Appropriate that Patrick Brown Resigned’ – PC Party Deputy Leaders

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE from the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party

Posted January 25th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

A Statement from PC Deputy Leaders Sylvia Jones and Steve Clark

Patrick Brown Resigns as Ontario PC Leader

“Like everyone, we were shocked to learn of yesterday’s serious allegations.

“Harassment has no place in our society, period.

“Allegations of sexual misconduct must be taken seriously. These voices deserve to be heard.

“It was appropriate that Mr. Brown resigned as Ontario PC Leader.

“Now it’s time for the Ontario PCs to move forward together to elect a new parliamentary leader. Continue reading →

A News Release from the Office of Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath

Posted  January 25^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath

Hamilton, Ontario – News reports this past January 24^th reveal that a number of doctors, nurses and administrators are speaking out about dangerous hospital overcrowding in the Greater Toronto Area.

Andrea Horwath, who has been raising alarm bells about growing hospital overcrowding concerns for over a year, released the following statement in response:

“Doctors and front-line health care workers are speaking out about the dangerous situations in overcrowded hospitals, and it’s time for leadership that listens to them, and takes action. Continue reading →

BREAKING NEWS from Doug Draper, reporter/publisher, Niagara At Large

Posted January 24^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Niagara citizen Ed Smith finally saw the lawsuits the NPCA and its former CAO Carmen D’Angelo filed against him dismissed by an Ontario court judge this past November. St. Catharines city council was among parties wanting to know how much those failed lawsuits cost area tax payers.

After weeks of pressure from Niagara area citizens, municipal councillors and area MPPs to release the figures, the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority’s board of directors finally voted this January 24^th to disclose how much it spent in its attempt to sue St. Catharines/Niagara resident Ed Smith.

The figure the NPCA disclosed is $146,757 – an amount that comes from a budget largely funded by  municipal tax dollars the Conservation Authority gets from Niagara’s 12 local municipalities, and taxpayers in the City of Hamilton and the Haldimand County area.

That amount – most of it ultimately coming from the pockets of municipal taxpayers – is in addition to another $130,000 Ontario Judge James Ramsay recently ordered the NPCA to pay Smith to cover his costs in the court case. Continue reading →

“The results are beautiful; there’s no doubt that the system works.”                                                                                   – Brock U. Professor of Health Sciences Ana Sanchez

 News from Brock University in St. Catharines/Niagara

Posted January 22nd, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – A chemist and a parasite expert at Brock University have teamed up to produce and test out a simple device that can detect diseases from DNA samples.

It’s a scaled-down version of what is normally an expensive and complicated DNA laboratory technique, yet it’s fast, inexpensive and accurate, making it ideal for use in developing countries.

From left, Brock University master’s student Tianyu Dong with Feng Li, Assistant Professor of Chemistry, and Ana Sanchez, Professor of Health Sciences.

Brock University Assistant Professor of Chemistry Feng Li’s device consists of a strip of paper attached onto a glass slide. The paper contains several rows of what look like thermometers, lines with markings projecting out of bulb-like circles. Continue reading →

“Oddly, the (province’s  Premier Kathleen Wynne and her Liberal) government shows no signs of recognizing the growing mismatch between its plans to spend billions of dollars on re-building aging nuclear reactors and the ever-decreasing need for the power they would produce.” – Ontario Clean Air Alliance 

A Message from the Ontario Clean Air Alliance, a province-wide citizens group based in Toronto

Posted January 22nd, 2018 on  Niagara At Large

Since 2005, demand for electricity in Ontario has been steadily falling.  In 2017, it fell a further 3.6% meaning that demand has dropped by 16% since 2005.

Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne would spend billions of dollars on nuclear plants like this Pickering facility on Lake Ontario when energy demand is dropping and there are other safer, greener energy alternatives.

That is the equivalent of taking 2.5 million homes off the grid –  like unplugging all the houses and apartments in the City of Toronto twice over.

Ontario is not alone in seeing a sustained drop in demand. This is a trend that has taken hold in many countries and provinces thanks to new technologies such as super-efficient LED lighting and smart controls, cost-effective energy efficiency programs, and economic changes.

In fact, reducing the need to generate electricity in the first place has become Ontario’s lowest cost way of addressing our energy needs – the province paid on average just 2.2 cents to save a kilowatt-hour of electricity in 2016. Continue reading →

You Are Invited to An Information Session – on Saturday, January 27th, 10 a.m. to noon – on East Fenwick Secondary Plan

News from Town of Pelham Mayor Dave Augustyn

Posted January 22^nd, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Pelham Mayor Dave Augustyn

Niagara, Ontario – Town of Pelham Staff recently issued a notice about an upcoming information session regarding the East Fenwick Secondary Plan this coming Saturday, January 27, from 10:00 AM to noon at Pelham Fire Station #2. (For those unable to make the session, I will ask Staff to post materials on the Town’s website.)

This will be the third time that Town staff and planning consultants will provide information and updates of the study’s process, objectives, and the input received to date.

East Fenwick’s Secondary Plan has been explored by staff, consultants, and residents since last June, beginning with a visioning workshop followed by a design workshop. During these workshops residents had an opportunity to have their say in the plan. Town Council also received a progress report in late-November. (Please check out my “on-line journal” for a link to this presentation.) Continue reading →

New research by Brock University shows adolescent bullies have a higher number of sexual partners than their non-bullying peers.

News from Brock University in St. Catharines, Niagara, Ontario

Posted January 17th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Brock Associate Professor of Child and Youth Studies Tony Volk

Building on previous studies on the issue, Brock Associate Professor of Child and Youth Studies Tony Volk looked at what makes teens willing and able to use bullying as a strategy to meet their sexual needs.

 “Is it being really angry? Is it being really reckless? Is it being really low in empathy? These are all common ideas to explain this behaviour,” says Volk, whose research was published last month in the journal Evolutionary Psychology Science. Continue reading →

“The proposed duties would cause undue burden, destabilizing the (newspaper and rest of the print) industry, forcing increases in subscription rates for consumers and reducing jobs in an area already stretched thin.” – Buffalo, New York area Congressman Brian Higgins

A News Release from the Buffalo, New York office of U.S. Congressman Brian Higgins

Posted January 17th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Buffalo, New York area Democratic Party Congressman Brian Higgins fights to save net neutrality rules that will impact U.S. internet users and may also hit Canadian users in the pocketbook.

Congressmembers Brian Higgins (NY-26) and Elise Stefanik (NY-21) announced opposition to the January 9, 2018 preliminary decision by the U.S. Department of Commerce to impose tariffs on paper commonly used in the print industry. 

Higgins and Stefanik are particularly concerned the measure will lead to added costs for consumers and potential job cuts for employees of large and small newspaper and book publishers across New York State and the nation. 

On August 9, 2017, North Pacific Paper Company brought a petition before the Commerce Department’s International Trade Administration (ITA) alleging paper manufactured in Canada is priced in a way that cuts into their business. Continue reading →

A Public Advisory from the Town of Lincoln in Niagara, Ontario

Posted January 13^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Temperatures expanded to plunge and stay very cold over weekend and well into week ahead.

Lincoln, Ontario  – The Town of Lincoln is reminding residents and agencies that Town facilities are available for warming centres during the extreme cold.

The following locations are available:

• Fleming Centre – open daily from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. (general concourse/lobby)
• ·        Amenities onsite include: Library (visit lincoln.library.on.ca for hours), Rinkside Café, free WiFi, uLinc transit hub
• Town of Lincoln Town Hall lobby – open daily from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
• ·        Amenities include: free WiFi
• Jordan Arena – open daily from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. (general lobby or upstairs lobby)
• ·        Amenities include: free WiFi, concession stand (hours vary)

If you require assistance with paying your electricity, gas, oil or water bills, assistance may be available through Community Care of West Niagara or Village of Hope.

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

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

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

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

A Brief Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted January 12^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

No, Donald Trump hasn’t included Canada on his list of “shithole countries” – at least not yet because maybe, just maybe, we Canadians still live in a country that is white enough.

A cover of the British tabloid The Daily Mirror sends a message out to Trump this past December

But that is no reason we shouldn’t do what our friends and allies in the United Kingdom have done and unwelcome this dangerous wing nut with his racist, homophobic, misogynous views and his ‘big button that works’ to our country.

It was reported on American cable news networks earlier this January 12^th that a trip Trump was planning to take to London, England  later this year has been cancelled in the wake of  an outpouring of protests from Brits who don’t want this clown setting one foot on their soil, let alone possibly standing anywhere near their beloved  Queen for any kind of official ceremony.

Following some of his most vile comments to date – ones that involve referring to nations populated mostly by people of colour as “shithole countries” – we Canadians should follow the British lead and rev up an unwelcoming campaign for Trump’s planned visit to a G7 summit in Quebec this June.

By the way, here – immediately below – is how the front page of the New York Daily News, a popular tabloid newspaper out of New York City portrayed the Tweeter-in-Chief this January 18^th.

I don’t know about you, but the thought of any of our tax money being spent on extra security for this bozo when it could be used – just as one example – to to improve water treatment facilities for Indigenous communities in our country is enough to have me throwing up in one of his ‘Make America White Again’ hats. Continue reading →

The Power Of Photovoice Research Method The Focus Of Métis Scholar Robert Henry’s Talk At Brock

News from Brock University in St. Catharines, Niagara, Ontario

Posted January 12^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Robert Henry, a Métis scholar from the University of Calgary, is speaking at Brock University Monday, Jan. 15.

A picture is worth a thousand words — especially if it gives a voice to someone who might not be heard otherwise.

Robert Henry, Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Calgary, is speaking at Brock University Monday, Jan. 15 to share his experience of how photography and photovoice methods have shaped his research on Indigenous street gangs.

Photovoice is becoming a frequently used research method that engages research participants by having them document their experiences from their own perspectives through photographs. Continue reading →

A Call-Out from St. Andrew’s United Church in Niagara Falls

Temperatures expanded to plunge and stay very cold over weekend and well into week ahead.

Posted January 12th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Niagara Falls, Ontario  – St. Andrew’s United Church in Niagara Falls will be hosting an emergency warming centre as temperatures are expected to drop this weekend. Continue reading →

“Nobody has oversight authority over the NPCA and they should. It’s disappointing that the Wynne Liberals (Premier Kathleen Wynne and other members of the current governing party in Ontario) continue to allow the actions of the NPCA to go unchecked.”  – Welland NDP MPP Cindy Forster

Forster To Introduce Legislation To Bring Transparency And Accountability To The NPCA

Niagara MPP Cindy Forster in Ontario Legislature. File Photo

A News Release from the Office of Welland Riding MPP Cindy Forster

Posted January 11th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Queen’s Park, Toronto  — Welland NDP MPP Cindy Forster says she will table legislation to bring accountability to regional conservation authorities and ensure board members have the environmental expertise necessary to perform their role, starting with the embattled Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA).

Forster’s announcement follows the Wynne Liberals voting down NDP amendments to Bill 139, Building Better Communities and Conserving Watersheds Act. Continue reading →

Linda Crabtree’s Inspiring Autobiography is Available Now!

Posted January 11th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Linda Crabtree writes inspiring autobiography

(A Brief Foreword Note from Niagara At Large publisher Doug Draper – Just as we are too often reminded that we have more than our fair share of problem issues and problem people to contend with across this greater Niagara region, it is also important to know that there are also a good number of extraordinary people out there working selflessly to make life in our communities better.

One of those extraordinary people is Linda Crabtree, a St. Catharines/Niagara resident and Order of Canada recipient who has overcome personal obstacles to fulfill goals that have helped enrich the lives of countless others.

For the purpose of full disclosure, I have known Linda Crabtree since I was hired to my first job in journalism almost 40 years ago at the St. Catharines Standard where  she was already working as a key member of the paper’s newsroom.. From the beginning, I could not help but be impressed with her decency as a person and her passion for doing things that benefited the lives of others around her.

So for everyone out there who may be looking for ways to restore your faith in humanity, or even if you are just looking for a reminder that there are good people out there, doing good things for the community, there is Linda Crabtree’s autobiography – CMT and Me – and the following outline and information on how you can get a copy.)

Linda Crabtree grew up in the Niagara, Ontario community of St. Catharines in the early 1940s when the future for a little kid with a disability wasn’t too promising.

Seventy-five years in, her autobiography – CMT and Me – chronicles her forays into education, journalism, running a charity, art, antiques, designing a home, her travels and becoming a member of the Order of Canada.  She also writes candidly about the emotional undercurrents of love, marriage, alcoholism, divorce and great loss as well as her love of dogs. Continue reading →

“A $15 minimum wage is the right thing to do, and I’m happy that we’re nearly there thanks to those activists that built a movement.”

A Statement from  Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath

Posted January 11^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath

Queen’s Park, Toronto  – Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath  attended a rally this past Wednesday, January 10th  in support of Tim Hortons workers who have faced retaliation from their employer in Cobourg. Horwath released the following statement:

“Millionaires are taking away minimum wage earners’ paid breaks, clawing back more of their paycheques for things like benefits that used to be covered, or calling workers contractors instead of employees to get out of providing some pay or benefits. There are workers, including staff at  some Tim Hortons stores, taking home less pay this month than they did in December because employers are punishing them for the minimum wage increase. That’s just wrong. And workers need us all to have their backs, and amplify their voices. Continue reading →

A New Year’s Message From Avaaz, an online citizens activist network with 44 million followers across the world

Posted January 11^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Dear Avaazers,

This video recorded by Avaaz team members is going viral! It’s a shot of hope and love for 2018 — will you help share it and spread the joy across the world?

2017 was a rough year, but wow, is the resistance on fire! We’ve never been prouder of our movement — both Avaaz, and all those we stand with.

We’ve stopped the rise of the far-right in several countries, frustrated Trumpism in almost every major accomplishment it sought, opened our hearts to refugees, won major battles to protect our planet, and defeated toxic foes from Monsanto to Rupert Murdoch. Continue reading →

A Call-Out from the Organizers of the 16^th Annual Soup’s ON Fundraiser in Niagara, Ontario

Posted January 11^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Soup Sampling Serves Up Scholarship

Tickets are going fast for the hottest scholarship event this winter.

The 16^th annual Soup’s On luncheon, on Friday, Jan. 26 at St. Kevin’s Parish hall, will feature soup samplings from secondary school and Niagara College culinary programs as well as from Stephanie, The Lunch Lady. Continue reading →

In Official Statement, Conservation Authority “Stands By” Its Defeated Case Against St. Catharines/Niagara Citizen Ed Smith

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

Posted January 9^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Niagara citizen Ed Smith finally saw the lawsuits the NPCA and its former CAO Carmen D’Angelo filed against him dismissed by an Ontario court judge this past November. That hasn’t stopped attacks from the NPCA though.

Niagara, Ontario – In an official statement the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA) posted late this past Monday, January 8^th on its website, it pushed backed against rulings by an Ontario Court Judge to dismiss its defamation case against Niagara area citizen Ed Smith and ordering it to pay Smith’s court costs – saying that it “stands by” the decision it made more than a year ago to sue the St. Catarines resident and retired Canadian Armed Forces officer.

The NPCA’s January 8^th statement – coming three days after Ontario Court Judge James Ramsay ordered it to pay Smith $131,000 to cover his costs of defending the lawsuit it slapped against him and more than a month after the same judge dismissed the suit itself – states that Conservation Authority “stands by its decision to defend its employees and the organization itself.” Continue reading →

Ruling Represents Another Victory for Cozens’ Democratic Right to Speak Out!

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

Posted January 6th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – The same Ontario Court Judge who recently dismissed the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority’s defamation suit against Niagara citizen Ed Smith has followed up with an order to pay Smith $131,000 in legal costs.

Niagara citizen Ed Smith finally saw the lawsuits the NPCA and its former CAO Carmen D’Angelo filed against him dismissed by an Ontario court judge this past November. Now the courts have ordered the NPCA to pay  his legal costs..

The way the NPCA responded in the face of document Smith circulated more than a year ago, raising concerns about the way the Conservation Authority spends millions of mostly municipal tax dollars, and even in the face of Smith’s willingness to retract anything in the document that might be incorrect, was “over the top” and “got in the way of an early resolution of the controversy,” said Judge James Ramsay in a ruling he released late this January 5th, while ordering the NPCA to pay Smith’s legal costs.

The NPCA sued Ed Smith, a resident and community activist from St. Catharines and a retired Canadian Armed Forces officer, more than a year ago, claiming that a document he circulated, raising questions and concerns about the NPCA’s hiring and firing practices, its awarding of contracts to private consultants and other matters, contained erroneous and defamatory information. Continue reading →

 Forum Is On Wednesday,  January 10th   at 8p.m. St. Catharines Centennial Library on 54 Church Street In the City’s Downtown

An Invite from the Niagara District Council of Women

Posted January 5th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – In light of the stark contradiction between the promises of the 1987 Federal  Government  during the International l Year of Housing for the Homeless   and what  some local Niagara  agencies who serve  those living in poverty are currently calling  housing    “crisis”, it is very good news that  both Federal and Provincial governments are  planning  to invest extensively in  affordable  housing . But, is this  enough  given the severity of the  problem? Continue reading →

At Brock University In St. Catharines/Niagara on Thursday, January 25th at 7 P.M.

An Invite from Niagara Action For Animals

Posted January 5^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

friends of animals

Niagara, Ontario – You are invited to a  a free screening of ‘Cowspiracy’ scheduled for Thursday, January 25th – 7 p.m. at Brock University – Academic South, Room 215 sponsored by At War for Animals, Niagara & Brock Critical Animal Studies. 

This film is largely non-graphic and gives a lot of info about the most destructive industry facing the planet today – and investigates why the world’s leading environmental organizations are too afraid to talk about it. Continue reading →

“CEOs are making 316 times more than someone who makes fifteen dollars an hour. If shareholders can afford this year’s CEO pay hike, they should absolutely be endorsing higher wages at the bottom as well.”

News from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives

Posted January 4^th,  2018 on N iagara At Large 

Ottawa, Ontario  — For the first time, Canada’s 100 highest paid CEOs netted 209 times more than the average worker made in 2016, according to a new report from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA).

For many boss hogs, there is no end to their greed while millions of others see their income falling ever farther behind.

The report shows the country’s highest paid 100 CEOs on the S&P/TSX Composite index now make, on average, $10.4 million — 209 times the average income of $49,738, up from 193 times more in 2015.

“Canada’s corporate executives were among the loudest critics of a new $15 minimum wage in provinces like Ontario and Alberta, meanwhile the highest paid among them were raking in record-breaking earnings,” says the report’s author, CCPA Senior Economist David Macdonald. Continue reading →

Increased Paid Vacations and New Personal Emergency Days Also in Effect

News from the Ontario Government

Posted January 4^th,  2018 on Niagara At Large

Starting this January , people across Ontario began to see their wages rise $14 an hour as the new general minimum wage takes effect. This change will help workers and their families who are struggling to get ahead in a changing economy.

As part of Ontario’s Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act, 2017, the minimum wage will increase again to $15 an hour on January 1, 2019, to be followed by annual increases at the rate of inflation.

Other provisions of the new provincial legislation that come into effect on January 1, 2018, include:

Ensuring workers are entitled to at least three weeks’ vacation after five years with the same employer, bringing Ontario’s vacation time in line with the national average.

Expanding the 10 days per calendar year for personal emergency leave to employees in workplaces with fewer than 50 employees, with at least two paid days per year for employees who have been employed for at least a week. Continue reading →

“Today, I hope all Canadians reflect on, or learn more about, the Great Ice Storm, and how we were there for each other.”

A Statement by the Prime Minister on the 20th anniversary of the Great Ice Storm

Posted January 4th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today issued the following statement to mark the 20th anniversary of the Great Ice Storm:

“On this day (January 4th), twenty years ago, freezing rain began to fall in Eastern Canada. For the next five days, the rain fell, coating cars, homes, trees, power lines – everything – in as much as 100 mm of ice.

“Power lines and hydro towers collapsed under the weight of the ice, leaving more than three million people in Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia in the dark. Blackouts lasted for days, weeks, and, in some cases, even months. Continue reading →

A Statement from MPP Cindy Forster

Posted January 3^rd, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Welland, Ontario – Cindy Forster, the NDP MPP from the riding of Welland, announced Wednesday (January 3^rd, 2018)  that she will not seek re-election in 2018. She released the following statement:

Welland Riding MPP Cindy Forster

“Over the last seven years, it has been an absolute honour to serve as the voice for the riding of Welland at Queen’s Park. With the support of my constituents, my staff and our riding teams, I have worked to create a healthier and a more just Ontario – not just in the Niagara Centre region, but across the province.

Together, we have accomplished so much: saving our local hospital and urgent care; building safer and more secure workplaces; and safeguarding our natural resources. We have done good work together. Continue reading →

And Here Is Hoping For Much Better Things For Our Niagara, Ontario Region. Creeps & Bullies Be Gone!

A New Year Message from Niagara At Large reporter and publisher Doug Draper, and from one of his Heroes

Posted December 31^st, 2017 on Niagara At Large

Hours away from turning the calendar on a year where Trump darkened and demeaned the landscape of America, and where something similar darkened the landscape on the Niagara, Ontario side of the border with a cabal of the of municipal politicians, the likes of which we have never seen,  I feel a growing resolve for something better in the air.

In 2018, American voters have mid-term elections that could wrestle the balance of power away from the cult of anti-science nihilists, neo-Nazis and greediest of the greedy that has become the once proud Republican Party of Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt, and could fast track the impeachment of the madman in the White House before – one way or the other – he destroys what’s left of life on our planet. Continue reading →

“Despite a tumultuous political landscape, Great Lakes champions like you accomplished some pretty amazing things.”

A 2017 Wrap-Up Message from the Alliance for the Great Lakes, a citizens advocacy group with members across the Great Lakes region

Posted December 31st, 2017 on Niagara At Large

2017 is wrapping up and we’re spending the last few weeks of the year looking back on everything you accomplished for the Great Lakes. This week, we’re highlighting advocacy wins and all the ways our supporters championed the Great Lakes.

You, our constituents, sent tens of thousands of emails, letters and petition signatures to decision makers in 2017.  You told your stories and raised your voices to protect the Great Lakes, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to have you on our team—check it out! Continue reading →

TVO’s Paikin, Premier Wynne Wynne & Ontario Clean Air Alliance’s Couillard discuss Quebec water power

A News Release from the Ontario Clean Air Alliance, a province-wide ctizens group

Posted December 30, 2017 on Niagara At Large

Why hasn’t Ontario signed a deal for power purchases from Quebec?

Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne stubbornly stands by plans to spend billions refurbishing old nuclear reactors over simply buying clean water power from neighbouring Quebec. Why?

That was the question host Steve Paikin asked the premiers of Canada’s two most populous provinces during the Mowat Centre’s Confederation of Tomorrow 2.0 conference held just before the holidays.

Paikin pointed out that the Ontario Clean Air Alliance continues to push Ontario to choose low-cost water power from Quebec over high cost nuclear rebuilds, and he pressed the Premiers for a response.

Premier Wynne waffled, acknowledging that Quebec has plenty of power to spare, yet defended her decision to spend tens of billions rebuilding old reactors as the “responsible” choice. Continue reading →

 “Day in and day out, we continued to train and educate thousands of progressive activists in every corner of the country, and embolden them to achieve even greater success in their own communities.” – Rick Smith, Broadbent Institute, Canada

A New Year’s Message from Rick Smith , Executive Director of the Canada-based Broadbent Institute

Posted December 30th, 2017 on Niagara At Large

This time last year, I will confess, I wasn’t feeling so hot.  A maniac had just taken over the White House, reverberations from Brexit were echoing around the globe, and neo-Nazis were building momentum throughout Europe.

As 2017 dawned, it felt like the forces of dangerous far-right bigotry were on the march everywhere.

Broadbent Institute executive director Rick Smtih, left, and the Institute’s namesake, former Canadian NDP Leader Ed Broadbent

But if the past twelve months showed that politics can get ugly in unexpected ways, it also showed that the majority of people won’t stand for hate.

In 2017, progressive politics came roaring back with a vengeance. Continue reading →

A Legendary Eyewitness News Anchor from Buffalo, New York Dies – December 26th, 2017 – at Age 87

A Commentary by Doug Draper, one of probably millions of people across Western New York and Southern Ontario who grew up watching Irv Weinstein on Eyewitness News

Posted December 30th, 2017 on Niagara At Large

“It’s 11 o’clock. Do you know where your children are?”

“Topping tonight’s Eyewitness News, a three alarm fire guts a warehouse in Buffalo and another fatal shooting rocks the city’s west side. … Don’t touch your dial.”

They were the kind of lines that Irv Weinstein turn into clichés over his more than three decades long reign as the king of local television news anchors in Western New York and in a good part of the Greater Golden Horseshoe of Ontario, and, by sheer force and the snap, crackle and pop of his on-air persona, made the old (pre-Cable TV) Channel 7’s Eyewitness News the top-rated newscast in Buffalo, New York area right up to the time of his retirement in 1998. Continue reading →

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

Posted December 30th, 2017 on Niagara At Large

(A Brief Foreword Note from NAL publisher Doug Draper – Niagara At Large is posting this important public service message from the City of St. Catharines, mindful of the sad probability that most of those who need these warming centres probably don’t have access to a computer to read this message either.

Finally, it is good that the city is providing these places for people to warm up during the day, but where do they go to keep warm overnight? If anyone has an answer to that question, please share it in the comment space below.)

Further to the times and locations for warming centres posted earlier on Niagara At Large, here is an update of times and locations for centres available this Monday, January 1st on New Years Day –

Warming centres at Market Square and Russell Avenue Community Centre will be open on New Year’s Day – Monday, Jan 1. Continue reading →

A Call-Out from Michael Moore, from Michael Moore’s Facebook Page

Posted December 29, 2017 on Niagara At Large

(A Brief Foreword Note from NAL – For  the sake of his country and for all of us living on this planet, we are posting this for our readers on the U.S. side of the border and we wish American filmmaker and activist Michael Moore the best of  luck with it. And yes, we’re sure a good number of  us on the Canadian side of the border would love to sign  this petition, but as hard as it is, please resist the temptation to do so. This is business for our American friends and neighbours, and we sure wouldn’t want to do anything that might invalidate such an important peitition.

Now here is Michael Moore’s call-out.)

Wow!

We’ve got 3,916,221 signatures to impeach Trump! C’mon everyone! This is historic.

Let’s get to 4 million signatures to Impeach Trump before the clock strikes 12 on New Year’s Eve! We’re only a few thousand away! No petition to remove a president has ever had this many people sign it. Continue reading →