Author Archives: dougdraper

News from Ontario’s Ministry of Labour

Posted August 21th, 2017 on Niagara At Large

(A brief foreword note from NAL publisher Doug Draper – Niagara At Large is posting this piece because there may be some of our readers out there who have found themselves in the position of working for someone who has, for whatever reason, stopped paying them for their work.

Such a problem never seems to have worked out very well for workers who have thought through legal or other means to recover the money owed to them for their work. But here – in the media release drafted below by the Ontario government –  is a rare case, where workers in Ontario won in the courts and, hopefully, it sets a good precedent for others facing the same injustice.

If you or someone you know is fighting for pay you believed you are owed by an employer, you might take some heart from what you read below, and fight on.)

Newmarket, Ontario  – An (Ontaro) employer who failed to pay wages after being ordered to do so by a Ministry of Labour employment standards officer has been given a jail sentence and fines. Continue reading →

Another one gone when we need people like him the most

A Brief Tribute from Doug Draper, NAL publisher

Posted August 20th, 2017 on Niagara At Large

“I never learned hate at home, or shame. I had to go to school for that.” – Dick Gregory

“In America, with all of its evils and faults, you can still reach through the forest and see the sun. But we don’t know whether that sun is rising or setting in our country.” – Dick Gregory

When they reported his death on CNN this August 20th, one of the hosts of early morning news program said; “I miss him already.”

Dick Gregory speaking at Ohio University in 1968

Really?

He’s certainly not missed so much that CNN or any of the other corporate networks in Dick Gregory’s home country of the United States would have him on the air very much.

For a country that prides itself in free speech and in being ‘the world’s greatest democracy’, Dick Gregory appeared to be on a fairly long list of individuals and groups that, for as long as anyone can remember going back to Dick Cavett or (believe it or not) Merv Griffin, who would regularly book people like him as guests on their shows, have been conspicuously absent on the mainstream American networks. Continue reading →

Posted early Sunday, August 20th 2017 on Niagara At Large

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

I wish to share with all of our NAL readers the following Facebook message and pictures. They were circulated late this August 29th by one of the young people who has been camping out in the Thundering Waters Forest in Niagara Falls all this past week in an effort to draw more public attention to controversial plans to buried parts of it under residential and commercial development.

The fact that this development proposal is still on the books after more than a year of heated debate  has less to do with the China-backed developers that purchased the land from Canadians interests for a sizable sum of money, and more to do with the lack of imagination and vision on the part of too many of this region’s municipal leaders when it comes to good planning, and to the lack of care they show for what is left of the natural heritage all of us who live here were blessed with.

At the end of the day, though, the responsibility for this lies not so much in them as it does in all of us of voting age who live and do business here.

We get the government we deserve, which is why it is so important for every one of us  to get more engaged in municipal politics and give maximum thought to who we elect to serve on our local and regional councils in next year’s municipal elections.

Now here is the message from one of the Thundering Waters Forest campers, Niagara citizen Owen Bjorgan –

Day 6. A walkabout in the Provincially Significant Wetlands, which cover approximately 235 acres of this 484 acres.

Insanity that a price tag of 1.5 billion could be slapped onto this fragile and ancient ecosystem. Tomorrow is our last day.

“Species come and go, but the Earth stands forever fast…What privilege do we have under the sun, That gives us the right to the throne?”

In Flames, “Embody the Invisble”

Tomorrow (Sunday, August 20th) is our last day- come visit and learn.

The campers will be there this Sunday, August 20th until 5 p.m.

Here are some directions on how to get to the Thundering Waters Forest site –

From the Queen Elizabeth Highway take the McLeod St exit (exit 27), go east on McLeod.  In approximately 550 metres turn right on Dorchester Blvd.   Follow Dorchester until it appears to end (Y in the road) and turn to the right, you will still be on Dorchester Road, continue on Dorchester across the railway tracks, about 75 metres after crossing the tracks you will see a trail going into the woods. It will be marked. 

Visit Owen Bjorgan’s Facebook age where you can learn more about the Thundering Waters Forest and related topics by clicking on – https://www.facebook.com/owen.bjorgan.7

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 binational 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

Go Visit the  Campers and Show your Support for Saving What is Left of Niagara’s Natural Heritage – Directions to Thundering Waters Camp Below

A Brief One from Doug Draper, reporter, veteran environment writer and publisher of Niagara At Large

Posted August 19th, 2017 on Niagara At Large

A peak at the provincially significant wetlands under the canopy of trees in the Thundering Waters Forest

Niagara, Ontario – This Sunday, August 20th marks the seventh and final day of a   camp out by a group of determined Niagara area citizens working to grow more public support for saving 484 acres of Thundering Waters Forest in Niagara Falls, Ontario from at least partial urban development.

Numerous Niagara area citizens, including some of our elected representatives on local and regional councils, have already been out to show there support for saving this natural gem and what is left of the forests and wetlands in our region – and there is precious little left, including less than 10 per cent of the wetlands that were originally here.

For more on what is at stake, click on and watch the video below —

And by all means, try to gothis Sunday, August 20th, if you haven’t been up to now, and visit the forest and water defenders in the campe and signing their guest book at the camp in Thundering Waters Forest  in Niagara Falls, Ontario

Here are some directions to the camp:

From the Queen Elizabeth Highway take the McLeod St exit (exit 27), go east on McLeod.  In approximately 550 metres turn right on Dorchester Blvd.   Follow Dorchester until it appears to end (Y in the road) and turn to the right, you will still be on Dorchester Road, continue on Dorchester across the railway tracks, about 75 metres after crossing the tracks you will see a trail going into the woods. It will be marked. 

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

Remove Him Now!

A Brief Message from the Facebook pages of Robert Reich, a university professor, author and former Secretary of Labour in the White House administration of President Bill Clinton

Posted August 19th, 2017 on Niagara At Large

 We have endured Donald Trump for 7 months. Although he has had few legislative victories, he has almost single-handedly destroyed the moral authority of the presidency of the United States at home and abroad, brought us to the brink of a nuclear war without consulting anyone, and sown division and hatred.

He has given encouragement and legitimacy to the ugliest in America.

How can this nation endure another 41 months of this man? Continue reading →

Someone needs to send this video to Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne and her Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry

A Brief One from Doug Draper, reporter, veteran environment writer and publisher of Niagara At Large

Posted August 17th, 2017 on Niagara At Large

A peak at the provincially significant wetlands under the canopy of trees in the Thundering Waters Forest

Niagara, Ontario – As night sets in and rain drops fall on Day 4 of a 24/7 camp out by a group of determined Niagara area citizens working to grow more public support for saving 484 acres of Thundering Waters Forest in Niagara Falls, Ontario from at least partial urban development, a very fine video on the Forest and the natural treasures that could be lost is now circulating on social meda.

Hoping that those who produced it and are circulating it on Facebook and other social media venues will permit us, we also want to post it here for our many Niagara At Large readers on both sides of the Ontario/New York border who share the Niagara River watershed where this great forest and its provincially significant wetlands play a vital role in the watershed’s health and biodiversity.

Here is the video for you to click on and watch –

Visit the Facebook site of Dave Tebutt who produced and first posted this great video, and you can join a growing number of others there in thanking him for this contribution to the campaign to save the wetlands, trees and diversity of other wildlife in Thundering Waters Forest by clicking on – https://www.facebook.com/davetebbuttvideos?hc_ref=ARS78k4Gb3sXT9Mw1AxXFEM1FKrb1ZZeY4qI-KXFUKvzPg_FPdy4fB4CTIKMOv9O8Co&pnref=story

Show your support by going out and visiting the defenders and signing their guest book at Thundering Waters Forest camp

Here is more information on making a visit and on how to find the site –

The members of the team at the Thundering Waters welcome anyone who would like to learn more about the rare, complex and unique ecosystem of Thundering Waters and its slough forest wetlands, that were etched into the earth by retreating glaciers thousands of years ago, its old growth trees, and its wildflower, pollinator and bird-filled-meadowlands, to come out to the site any time over the weekend until 5 p.m. on Sunday, August 20.

Visitors are encouraged to bring their cameras to capture the beauty of the wetlands. Visitors are also encouraged to wear shoes or boots that can withstand mud.

The media is always welcomed and encouraged to come out and meet with some of the citizens who are visiting the site.

Directions to the camp:

From the Queen Elizabeth Highway take the McLeod St exit (exit 27), go east on McLeod.  In approximately 550 metres turn right on Dorchester Blvd.   Follow Dorchester until it appears to end (Y in the road) and turn to the right, you will still be on Dorchester Road, continue on Dorchester across the railway tracks, about 75 metres after crossing the tracks you will see a trail going into the woods. It will be marked. 

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

Then there was the tweet the Prime Minister sent out after the Charlottesville, Virginia orgy of hate and terror

A Statement from the Office of Canada’s Prime Minister

Posted August 17th, 2017 on Niagara At Large

The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today issued the following statement on the terrorist attack in Barcelona:

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

“I am deeply saddened by today’s (August 17th) terrorist attack in Barcelona that has killed and injured so many innocent people.

“Sophie and I join all Canadians in offering our sincere condolences to the families and friends who have lost loved ones, and our best wishes for a fast and full recovery to those injured today.

“While we cannot ignore the outrage we feel, together we must renew our commitment to protect the freedom found in societies that promote unity, openness and inclusion. Continue reading →

Find out what you can do to press Canada’s federal government for more environmental protection below

A Call-Out from Niagara, Ontario citizen activist Fiona McMurran

Posted August 17^th, 2017 on Niagara At Large

A view of the lower Niagara River near Queenston, Ontario and Lewiston, New York

(A Brief Foreword by Niagara At Large reporter and publisher Doug Draper – Niagara At Large received the following information in the form of a comment from Fiona McMurran, a Niagara activist and long-time member of the Council of Canadians citizens organization, in response to a story posted on this site earlier this August 17th about more pollution entering the Niagara River from a waste water treatment plant in Niagara Falls, New York that appears not to be working properly.

McMurran began her comment, which we have already posted underneath the earlier story about the discharge of pollution from the American plant, by calling the lack of a strong response so far from Canada’s federal government and the Ontario Ministry of Environment and Climate change, “absolutely appalling.” Continue reading →

 This Message from a host of community groups and organization in the Niagara, Ontario area

Posted August 17^th, 2017 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – The group of young people, who began a sit-in at Thundering Waters Forest in Niagara Falls on Monday, August 15th, are thrilled with the support they have been receiving from Niagara citizens.

Many citizens, representatives of local groups and some area politicians, have visited the site to learn more about this unique and biologically-rich area consisting of 484 acres of provincially protected wetlands; forest and; meadowlands that have been threatened with development. Continue reading →

Discharge is tied to same Niagara Falls, N.Y. waste water plant

By Doug Draper, reporter and publisher, Niagara At Large

Posted August 17th, 2017 on Niagara At Large

The massive spill of oily looking waste to the Niagara River below the Falls that captured international headlines in the wake of its occurrence this past July 29th.

Niagara, Ontario – There has been another overflow of pollution to the Niagara River from the same Niagara Falls, New York waste water treatment plant that released a huge oily looking slick of waste to waters below the Horseshoe and American Falls late this July, reports The Buffalo News.

The discharge occurred this August 15th and added up to nearly three million gallons of untreated waste and storm water entering the waters of the river below the Falls, according to a story the News ran on its front page this August 17th.

“Before Tuesday’s (August 15th) discharge,” reports the newspaper, “data obtained under the state’s Sewage Right-To-Know Law shows at least 14 previous overflows from the same location near the base of the American Falls dating from last September.” Continue reading →

 A Brief One from Doug Draper

Posted August 16^th, 2017 on Niagara At Large

A peak at the provincially significant wetlands under the canopy of trees in the Thundering Waters Forest

A group of Niagara citizens pitching an occupation camp in Thundering Waters Forest in a bid to save the 484 acres of natural land in Niagara Falls from urban development have been featured on Hamilton’s CHCH TV news.

To view the CHCH news clip on the camp, now into its third day, click on – http://www.chch.com/protecting-thundering-waters-forest/ .

For a related story posted on Niagara At Large, click on – https://niagaraatlarge.com/ontario-voters-have-a-choice-between-rewarding-real-job-creators-or-as-hudak-would-have-us-do-offering-more-across-the-board-tax-cuts-to-his-corporate-friends/ .

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 binational 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

“They tried to kill my child to shut her up. Well, guess what? You just magnified her.” – Susan Bro, from her address during her daughter Heather Heyer’s August 16th memorial service in Charlottesville, Virginia

A Brief News Commentary from Niagara At Large reporter and publisher Doug Draper

Posted August 16th, 2017 on Niagara At Large

Slain citizen activist Heather Heyer. “If you are not outraged, you are not paying attention,” was one of her favourite slogans

“This is not the end of Heather’s legacy,” said Susan Bro at a memorial service earlier this August 16^th for her 32-year-old daughter Heather Heyer, who was killed in Charlottesville, Virginia this past August 12^th as she joined people protesting demonstrations of white supremacists and neo-Nazis in the community.

“You have to find in your heart that spark of accountability.” Susan Bro went on to tell those who attended the memorial service or watched on television. “I don’t want you to turn away. I don’t care. You poke that finger at yourself and you make it happen. You take that extra step. You find a way to make a difference in the world.”

To watch and hear Susan Bro’s entire address, click on –

.When a white supremacist murdered a group of African Americans gathered at a prayer meeting two years ago, then U.S. President Barack Obama cared enough to attend the memorial service for the Reverend Clementa Pinckney and other slain church members. and left the world with the following moving moment –

.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 One from Doug Draper and Niagara At Large

Posted August 16th, 2017 on Niagara At Large

In the middle of all of the dark, disturbing madness, thuggery, fear-mongering and hatred that is Donald Trump and his poisonous presidency – former U.S. President Barack Obama – remember him?  –  sent out a tweet of his own a few days after neo-Nazis and white supremecists visited their hate and terror on an American town.

The tweet has already received millions of hits around the world and we at Niagara At Large want to share it with you if you have not yet seen it – with hope that love, peace and humanity will prevail.

Here it is Barack Obama’s twitter message, offering a quote from the late, great humanitarian Nelson Mandela  –

 “No one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin, they can be taught to love. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love. Continue reading →

An Invite to an August 17^th event in Buffalo, sponsored by the Sierra Club’s Climate and Clean Energy Writers Group

Posted August 16^th, 2017 on Niagara At Large

 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 binational 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

Day 3 of campers’ efforts to draw more public awareness to controversial plans for urban development in this significant  natural area in Niagara region

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

Posted August 16^th, 2017 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – A group of Niagara citizens is continuing their camp out in Thundering Waters Forest and is urging as many other citizens across the region to visit them and support their efforts to spare this 484-acre tract of woodlands, wetlands and savannah grasses in the southwestern end of Niagara Falls from any invasion of bulldozers and buzz saws at the hands of developers.

The group is drawing a good deal of media coverage for their efforts too, including a CBC report this August 15^th  that included a call on politicians across the region from one of the campers, Owen Bjorgan, to visit them in Thundering Waters and “learn more about the incredible land that is there.” Continue reading →

 News from Brock University in St. Catharines/Niagara

Posted August 16^th, 2017 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – Understanding immune cells and their link to allergies, and mapping the impacts of climate change in Canada’s north are two Brock University research projects that received funding from the Canada Foundation for Innovation, Minister of Science Kirsty Duncan announced this August 15^th.

Kevin Turner will use funding from the Canada Foundation for Innovation to further his work on the impacts of climate change in the lake-rich area of the Yukon called Old Crow Flats.

Researchers Adam MacNeil and Kevin Turner received a total of $311,821 from the Canada Foundation for Innovation’s John R. Evans Leaders Fund (JELF), which enables leading researchers to purchase equipment for their work. Continue reading →

A Commentary by NAL publisher and reporter Doug Draper

Posted August 15th, 2017 on Niagara At Large

Earlier this August 15th, I posted a story on Niagara At Large with a headline reading – ‘Marineland Canada Mournfully Reports The Passing Of Our Beloved Beluga Whale Gia.’

Days are now numbers for orca – “killer whale” – shows at SeaWorld parks like this one in Orlando, Florida.

As I was posting that headline and the news release from the Marineland amusement park in Niagara Falls, Ontario that went with it, I could foresee at least few readers possibly firing back some criticism about the use of words like “mournfully” and “beloved” in a report about the death of a whale that had likely spent its entire life held captive in a tank or pool.

I can dig the criticism – and if you’re of a mind to, bring it on – but I did not write the headline. The communications staff at Marineland did and I do not believe in playing around with the wording of anyone’s media release. Continue reading →

“Municipalities … need a government committed to services – not cuts – and one willing to shoulder its fair share when it comes to these shared priorities,” – Ontario New Democratic Party Leader Andrea Horwath

Hopefully, this means Horwath’s party would include the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority among the services it would have the province take more responsibility for

News from Ontario’s New Democratic Party

Posted August 15, 2017 on Niagara At Large

(A Brief Foreword from Niagara At Large publisher and reporter Doug Draper – Here are two thumbs up for Andrea Horwath, the only party leader who is so far promising, prior to next year’s provincial election, to take back responsibility for a number of government services that the former Ontario Tory government of Mike Harris downloaded on municipalities in the mid to late 1990s.

Costs and responsibility for services like the Niagara Penisula Conservaaton Authority were downloaded to municipalities by the former Ontario Tory government of Mike Hharris, and look at the  mess we have now.

The downloading included Conservation Authorities, including the one (the NPCA) municipal taxpayers are now saddles with in the Niagara region and parts of Hamilton and Haldimand, which is costing local municipalities millions of dollars a year for services that have less and less of anything to do with nature conservation or protection than it did even five years ago. Continue reading →

News from Marineland Canada in Niagara Falls, Ontario

Posted August 15^th, 2017 on Niagara At Large

(This news release was originally posted by Marineland Canada – owner and operator of a large theme park in Niagara Falls, Ontario – on August 14^th, 2017)

Niagara, Ontario – Marineland Canada has received preliminary necropsy results on, Gia, a beluga whale who has called Marineland home since birth.

Gia passed away suddenly at Marineland. Up until her passing, Gia appeared happy, healthy and a well-adjusted member of her pod.  Gia was taken care of by a dedicated marine mammal care team that have given hours of care to her each day of her life.

Complete necropsy results will be provided when received. Continue reading →

News from Brock University in St. Catharines/Niagara

Posted August 15th, 2017 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – Neuroscientist Sid Segalowitz is on a mission to determine how early the development of autism can be detected in a child’s brain.

“Autism is one of those conditions where, if they can diagnose it early, then intervention can have a huge beneficial effect,” said Segalowitz, a professor in Brock’s Department of Psychology. “But we have got to get it early because the brain is developing quickly and we can influence the brain development pattern more the earlier we start.

Mike Cichonski, a programmer and technician in the Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Lab, look overs the brainwave data of infants alongside neuroscientist Sid Segalowitz, a professor in Brock’s Department of Psychology

“We have some sense of how the brain may be developing differently in children who have been diagnosed with autism, but does this manifest itself right after birth?” Continue reading →

“The purpose of the camp is to prevent the ultimate destruction of Thundering Waters Forest (in Niagara Falls, Ontario) and raise public awareness as to the threat being posed.”                                  – a statement from the Thundering Waters Forest defenders

A News Commentary by Niagara At Large publisher Doug Draper

Posted August 14^th, 2017 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – Late this August 13^th, about eight Niagara citizens entered 484 acres of land known as Thundering Waters Forest in Niagara Falls, Ontario and set up camp there, all in an effort to draw more public attention to an ongoing citizens’ campaign to save the land from urban development.

“This is our grandest attempt yet to raise public attention and support for saving this land,” Owen Bjorgan, a university graduate in biodiversity sciences and a spokesperson for the defenders told Niagara At Large this August 14^th during an interview from the camp.

The defenders have every intentions of carrying on with the occupation in a peaceful, responsible manner, said Bjorgan, and anticipate that the number of people joining them will grow through this week. They are also extending invitations to politicians and other community leaders across the region to visit their camp as a show of support, he said.

Citizen defenders setting up camp in Thundering Waters Forest

A grassroots, citizens drive to save the Thundering Waters Forest –  located in the Niagara River watershed and hosting a diversity of native vegetation, wildlife and “Provincial Significant Wetlands” (PSWs mapped out by field experts employed by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry) – has been building since word began circulating more than a year and a half ago that a China government-linked company, GR Canada, is planning to build a so-called “Paradise” community with a mix of commercial and residential on a portion of the site. Continue reading →

News from the Council of Canadians, a citizen activist group based in Ottawa, Ontario

Posted August 14th, 2017 on Niagara At Large

Ottawa – An ad highlighting the Council of Canadians’ top three priorities for NAFTA’s negotiation will begin a four-day run on CBC’s The National tonight, coinciding with Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland promoting Canada’s NAFTA negotiating plans today before the House of Commons Committee on International Trade.

A message to Canada’s Prime Minister from the Council of Canadians – ‘Don’t cave to Trump during  NAFTA trade re-negotiations’

“The Liberal government needs to go back to the drawing board on its NAFTA position. Unless a renegotiated NAFTA contains real penalties, and sets standards, these talks may just replicate the dangerous provisions of the Trans-Pacific Partnership,” says Maude Barlow, Honorary Chairperson of the Council of Canadians and veteran NAFTA critic.

“If Trudeau’s government is truly concerned about the environment, labour and public protection, it should look at the glaring problem: Chapter 11, which has made Canada vulnerable to billions of dollars of corporate lawsuits over our environmental and public policy decisions. Trudeau should be fixing NAFTA’s existing problems, instead of creating new ones.” Continue reading →

“A nuclear exchange must be avoided. … A commitment to peace by the United States and North Korea is crucial.”

An Open Statement from former U.S. President Jimmy Carter

Posted August 14th, 2017 on Niagara At Large

Jimmy Carter

The Carter Center, Atlanta, Georgia – The harsh rhetoric from Washington and Pyongyang during recent months has exacerbated an already confrontational relationship between our countries, and has probably eliminated any chance of good faith peace talks between the United States and North Korea.

In addition to restraining the warlike rhetoric, our leaders need to encourage talks between North Korea and other countries, especially China and Russia. The recent UN Security Council unanimous vote for new sanctions suggests that these countries could help.

In all cases, a nuclear exchange must be avoided. All parties must assure North Koreans they we will forego any military action against them if North Korea remains peaceful. Continue reading →

Register to participate in the Sunday, September 17th run below

News from Brock University and the City of St. Catharines

Posted August 14^th, 2017 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontaario – Brock University is rolling out the welcome mat for this year’s St. Catharines Terry Fox Run.

St. Catharines Mayor Walter Sendzik and Brock University President Gervan Fearon raise the Terry Fox flag this past August 10th in front of St. Catharines City Hall. Photo courtesy of Brock University

The annual fundraising run has been held in Port Dalhousie for nearly four decades, but this year’s high water levels along with construction projects at Lakeside Park meant a new home was needed for the Sept. 17 event.

Brock’s partnership with the Terry Fox Run has been getting stronger over the past few years with more staff, faculty and students taking part than ever before.

“Brock is proud to be the host site for the 2017 St. Catharines Terry Fox Run,” said University President Gervan Fearon Thursday after raising the Terry Fox flag in a ceremony at St. Catharines city hall. Continue reading →

 “It is time once again to work toward ridding the world of weapons of mass destruction. We have become lazy; there has not been much of an antiwar movement since the Iraq War. It is time to focus not only on nuclear nonproliferation but also on disarmament.” – Scott Galindez, writer, activist, US Army veteran, and currently the Political Director of ReaderSupportedNews.org.

A Commentary by Scott Galindez, from Reader Supported News

Posted August 14th, 2017 on Niagara At Large

I have always argued that we are hypocrites to say other countries can’t have nuclear weapons but we can. People have always said we were not crazy enough to use them. Um … Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Even if you ignore those bombings, the argument can no longer hold true.

Now there is a madman in the White House threatening fire and fury. Kim Jong-un may be a nut job, and the world is a more dangerous place with him in power. However, the new problem is Donald Trump, a nut job with a more dangerous military at his disposal. Continue reading →

News from Niagara, Ontario’s regional government

Posted August 11^th, 2017 on Niagara At Large

​Niagara, Ontario – Niagara Regional Chair Alan Caslin and Regional Councillors will join more than 1,900 participants at the Association of Municipalities of Ontario’s (AMO) 2017 Conference in Ottawa from August 13th to 16th.

Niagara, Ontario’s regional government headquarters,

Canada’s Minister of Infrastructure and Communities, Ontario’s Premier, Minister of Municipal Affairs, and both opposition leaders are featured speakers and several additional provincial ministers will participate in the conference.

The annual conference is a chance for municipal officials to discuss and move forward on shared challenges, to learn, and to create new opportunities that can benefit their communities. In addition to the conference program, municipal staff and officials will take part in municipal delegation meetings with provincial and federal ministries. Continue reading →

“We all have a responsibility to ensure that our marine resources are protected for future generations, and must take every step we can to help prevent whale deaths.”

News from the Government of Canada

Posted August 11^th, 2017 on Niagara At Large

A Statement by Canadian Government Ministers Garneau and LeBlanc on actions taken to address the deaths of whales in the Gulf of St. Lawrence

Ottawa, Ontario  –  This August 11^th,  the Honourable Marc Garneau, Minister of Transport and the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard issued the following statement:

Right whale off the east coast of Canada and U.S.

“Canada takes the protection, conservation, and recovery of endangered species very seriously. The recent deaths of several North Atlantic right whales in the Gulf of St. Lawrence are extremely concerning.

“There is evidence that the North Atlantic right whales have been increasingly present in the Gulf of St. Lawrence in recent years.  Our government has already taken action and will continue to ensure that measures are in place for the protection of this species and the safety of mariners using these waters. Continue reading →

A Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted August 10^th, 2017 on Niagara At Large

“War is the unfolding of miscalculations.” – The late American historian and author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning book, ‘The Guns of August’

As has been told by more than a few of America’s contemporary historians in recent days, the one book U.S. President John F. Kennedy urged everyone working around him to read during the height of the Cuban missile crisis in 1962 – the first time the world seemed on the brink of nuclear war – was Barbara Tuchman’s ‘Guns of August’, which made its debut that very same year.

The book brilliantly tells the story of how a series of miscalculations, marinated in bellicose rhetoric spewing from the mouths of a handful of adversaries, set the wheels turning irrevocably to a First World War that destroyed millions of lives and set the stage for so much of the suffering and unrest that plagued the rest of the 20^th century and that continues to haunt us to this day. Continue reading →

In a separate statement, the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals expresses  ‘extreme disappointment’  in Court’s decision

A News Release from Marineland in Niagara Falls, Ontario followed by a brief response from the Ontario SPCA

Posted August 10^th, 2017 on Niagara At Large

The full text of a News Release from Marineland –

 Niagara, Ontario – Marineland has been cleared of all charges laid by the OSPCA (Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals). The charges were formally withdrawn on Thursday (August 10^th).

In addition to the reputational damage suffered by Marineland as a result of the charges that were withdrawn, Marineland has also suffered five years of baseless accusations by ill-informed, radical activists. Continue reading →

News from the Office of Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath

Posted August 10^th, 2017 on Niagara At Large

Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath

Queen’s Park – This Thursday, August 10th at Queen’s Park, Ontario New Democratic Leader Andrea Horwath announced a comprehensive package of amendments to the Employment Standards Act and Labour Relations Act, aiming to improve working conditions across the province.

“In Ontario today, work is less stable. Jobs don’t last a lifetime like they used to. And so many workers don’t have even basic workplace benefits; it’s time to do something about it,” said Horwath.

“For a decade and a half, Kathleen Wynne and the Liberals turned their backs on everyday families, refusing to update workplace laws. Now, Kathleen Wynne’s new labour bill falls far short of what’s really needed. Clearly, she doesn’t get what workers are dealing with every day.” Continue reading →

A Comment to NAL from Niagara, Ontario resident Carla Rienzo

Posted August 10^th, 2017 on Niagara At Large

(A Brief Note from NAL publisher Doug Draper – Niagara At Large regularly receives a lot of good, thoughtful comments from readers to news and commentary posted on our NAL site. Every so often, given the topic and timing, there is one we also like to post as a stand-alone piece, as we are doing here.

Glen Campbell and his wife Kimberly,

Please keep the comments to the news and commentary we post on this site going because it makes a valuable contribution to the dialogue we all need to have on issues of interest and concerns in our region and in the world beyond.

Now here is a comment from Niagara resident Carla Rienzo to a commentary we posted yesterday on Glen Campbell and his brave battle with Alzheimer’s disease.)

The loss of Glen Campbell is the loss of another legend and another peek into the world of Alzheimer’s, a disease that is threading its way into more and more families with devastating consequences that are not limited to emotional and financial havoc. Continue reading →

Province Supporting Training in Low Carbon Building Skills

News from the Government of Ontario

Posted August 10th, 2017 on Niagara At Large

Ontario is helping workers thrive in the low-carbon economy with new support for apprentices, skilled trades, and other professionals from the building sector to develop green building skills.

This initiative is part of Ontario’s Climate Change Action Plan and is funded by proceeds from the province’s carbon market.

Deb Matthews, Minister of Advanced Education and Skills Development, was at the LiUNA Local 1059 Regional Training Centre in London today to make the announcement. Continue reading →

Statement by the Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, on Pastor Lim’s release

Posted August 10^th, 2017 on Niagara At Large

North Korea finally frees Ontario pastor Hyeon Soo Lim

The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today issued the following statement this August 10^th on the release of Pastor Lim:

“Today, I am pleased and relieved to confirm that Pastor Lim has been released from jail in North Korea and that he will soon be reunited with his family and friends in Canada.

“The Government of Canada was actively engaged on Mr. Lim’s case at all levels. In particular, I want to thank Sweden, our protecting power in North Korea, for assisting us. Continue reading →

“Hundreds of Canadian communities are now poorly served when it comes to local news by under-funded and under-staffed Internet news sites,  give-away newspapers and even bloggers.” – Veteran Canadian journalist and social activist Nick Fillmore

A Commentary by veteran Canadian journalist Nick Fillmore

Posted August 9th, 2017 on Niagara At Large

News outlets in Canadian communities are falling like bowling pins.

At least 171 media organizations in 138 communities closed between 2008 and this January, says the Local News Research Project, a project led by Ryerson School of Journalism.  By comparison, only 51 new outlets opened.

The loss of media is so severe that a special report submitted to the House of Commons Heritage Committee was entitled: “Local news poverty in Canadian Communities.” 

“Local news poverty, we argue,” project co-ordinator April Lindgren writes, “is greatest in communities where residents have limited or no access to timely, verified news about local politics, education, health, economic and other key topics they need to navigate daily life.” Continue reading →

“As long time nature club members, we are pleased to see how much effort is being put into limiting pesticide use, preserving water quality, and especially on improving wildlife habitat, including plans to restore 50 hectares of fields adjacent to the course providing additional habitat for grassland birds,”               – Joyce Sankey, Conservation Director, Niagara Falls Nature

News from Ontario’s Niagara Parks Commission

Posted August 9^th, 2017 on Niagara At Large

Niagara Falls, Ontario – Legends on the Niagara has retained its designation as a “Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary” through the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program for Golf Courses, an Audubon International program.

Legends on the Niagara from the air. Photo courtesy of Niagara Parks Commission

Participation is designed to help course personnel plan, organize, implement, and document a comprehensive environmental management program and receive recognition for their efforts. Continue reading →

A News Advisory from Niagara Region’s Public Health Department

Posted August 9^th, 2017 on Niagara At Large

​Niagara Region Public Health is informing residents that Niagara has received its first confirmation of West Nile Virus in mosquitoes. To date, in the Niagara region no human cases have been reported to Public Health.

While the mosquitoes that tested positive were found in St. Catharines and Pelham, all Niagara residents should take the necessary precautions to prevent West Nile Virus. Continue reading →

Join growing numbers of Niagara area citizens in signing         the petition below

Posted August 8th, 2017 on Niagara At Large

A Foreword Note from Niagara At Large publisher and reporter Doug Draper

The following petition, urging Ontario’s Premier Kathleen Wynne and other government leaders in this province and region to take whatever steps they can to pull the plug on the current board of directors (mostly made up of Niagara mayors and regional councillors) of the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority until a thorough forensic audit is completed on the NPCA’s operations, has been drafted by St. Catharines citizen activist Emily Spanton with the support of other citizens across the Niagara region.

The petition, which goes on to make other reasonable recommendations to rectify the useless mess this NPCA has become in recent times, is now making the rounds on social media and is gaining signatures by the day. Continue reading →

Al Gore returns with ‘An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power’ just as the knuckle dragger in the White House moves to rip up the Paris  Accord  and drag America back to the 19th century    age of coal

A Brief One by Doug Draper, a journalist and veteran environmental writer

Posted August 7th, 2017 on Niagara At Large

“There are many who would much prefer that the word ‘climate’ never be mentioned and that the issue be eliminated from our national conversation.” – former U.S. Vice President, and Novel Peace Prize laureate and environmentalist Al Gore

Trump, during a campaign style rally earlier this August, in old coal country, West Virginia.

That line by Al Gore could never be truer than it is right now with Trump and his rogues gallery of oil and coal barons working to roll back any painstaking progress that has been made over the past four or five decades in addressing climate change and other environmental issues threatening life on our planet.

This past June, Trump even appointed a Republican fundraiser and an American billionaire coal baron’s trophy wife Kelly Knight Canada to be the new U.S. ambassador to Canada although, so far at least, Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau does not appear to be letting that insult –  along with repeated calls from federal and provincial Conservative parties to join Trump’s back slide or risk no longer being “economically competitive” with the U.S. – weaken his resolve to work with more than 190 other nations around the world in charting a greener path. Continue reading →

One last call-out to save one of the Buffalo/Niagara  area’s    great cultural institutions

A Hope and a Prayer from Doug Draper, a friend of Record Theatre

Posted August 7th, 2017 on Niagara At Large

Since first getting slugged in the gut with news this June that my all-time favourite record store in our greater bi-national Niagara region will soon be closing for good, like a lot of other music lovers across Niagara, Ontario and Western New York, I began praying that someone who shared the same love and had the money, would buy this great store and keep it alive.

Customers begin lining up outside Record Theatre’s flagship Buffalo store for annual ‘Record Store Day’ this past April, just weeks before plans to close store were announced. Photo by Doug Draper

Now here we are, two months later, with the once vast inventory of vinyl and CDs now rapidly depleting and a closing day at the end of August bearing down, there is still no sign of anyone willing and able to save Record Theatre around.

It’s beginning to feel like that hapless dreamer in the old Bruce Springsteen song who has been ‘wasting their summer praying in vain for a savior to rise from these streets.” Continue reading →

News from Niagara Centre MP Vance Badawey

Posted August 7^th, 2017 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – The federal Gas Tax Fund provides predictable, long-term funding to municipalities to help them build and rehabilitate their infrastructure. These projects not only improve the local community, but the resulting jobs also contribute to the local economy.

Niagara Centre (Ontario) MP Vance Badawey

To date, $15 billion has been invested in municipalities through the federal Gas Tax Fund, with close to $22 billion to flow over the next 10 years.

The way funds are allocated to municipalities in each province or territory varies from one jurisdiction to another. The distribution model for each province and territory is outlined in the respective federal-provincial/territorial Gas Tax Fund agreements.

In Ontario, funds can be used to support projects such as, but not limited to: local roads and bridges, broadband connectivity, public transit, water/wastewater, brownfield development, and cultural, sport, recreational, and tourism infrastructure.

For a complete list, please see the associated links below. Continue reading →

 You can support the fight by signing the  petition below

A Call-Out Don Davies, Health Critic for Canada’s New Democratic Party

Posted August 7th, 2017 on Niagara At Large

In Canada, if you get a bad cut, you go get stitches. Simple.

But if you need prescription medication, it’s a different story. Your access to drugs depends on where you work, where you live, and how much money you make.

People shouldn’t have to struggle to pay for the prescription drugs they need. It’s time for universal pharmacare.

We think that every Canadian has the right to quality health care, regardless of how much is in your wallet. That’s one of our core values as Canadians. But the sad truth is, we’re falling short. Continue reading →

Depending on which political party you listen to, take your pick

Conflicting news from Ontario’s governing Liberal and the NDP

Posted August 4th, 2017 on Niagara At Large

A Brief Foreword from Doug Draper, publisher, Niagara At Large

I am not an economist, so there are limits to my ability to separate the true picture from any spin a political party chooses to put on those monthly job figures we get from official bean counters for provinces and states across Canada and the United States each month.

And don’t kid yourself. There is no party with a stake in the political game that isn’t putting at least some spin on the monthly job figures. If they are the party in government, the name of the game is to make the numbers paint as good a picture as possible. Those in opposition go looking for numbers that make the governing party look bad.

Usually, the truer picture is somewhere in the middle, but when you get media releases on the month job figures like the ones I found in my Inbox this August 4th from the Ontario Liberals and the NDP, it can leave a person’s head spinning almost as much as a rat-tat-tat burst of Donald Trump tweets. Continue reading →

An Invitation from the Sierra Club in Western New York

Posted August 4th, 2017 on Niagara At Large

Dear Friends of the Sierra Club –

You’re Invited – You Definitely Want To Know About This Exciting Initiative. 

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 binational 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 News release from Brock University in St. Catharines/Niagara

Posted August 3rd, 2017 on Niagara At Large

In his four decades of studying water contamination, Ian Brindle has learned that when something doesn’t smell right, there’s likely more to the story.

Brock prof and chemist Ian Brindle

That’s why the Brock University Emeritus Professor of Chemistry isn’t buying the story of the Niagara Falls, N.Y. Water Board that a discharge from a wastewater treatment plant which turned part of the Niagara River black on the weekend was completely above board.

“There’s a lot of stuff that goes through those treatment plants so it doesn’t strike me as being necessarily benign from a chemical standpoint,” says Brindle, a renowned researcher who has spent his career studying water contamination in Niagara and beyond. “They need to educate people. They can’t just do this and then seek an apology after the fact. It’s disgraceful.” Continue reading →

United States Congressman Brian Higgins Questions if Actions Taken Violate U.S. Clean Water Act or US/Canada International Water Agreements

News from the Buffalo, New York office of Congressman Brian Higgins

Posted August 3^rd on Niagara At Large

U.S. Congressman Brian Higgins representing Buffalo-Niagara, New York area

(A Brief Foreword Note from Niagara At Large reporter and publisher Doug Draper – Buffalo area Congressman Brian Higgins is the latest elected representative calling for a full investigation into a massive discharge of waste to the Niagara River from the Niagara Falls, New York waste water treatment plant this past July 29^th – a discharge witnessed by countless thousands of tourists there to see the American and Horseshow Falls.

Calls for an investigation have also come from New York Governor Andrew Cuomo to his own state’s Department of Environmental Conservation and from Niagara Falls, Ontario MPP and New Democratic Party representative Wayne Gates who is urging Ontario’s Ministry of Environment to investigate the incident.

The only response from the Ontario Ministry of Environment as of this posting – “It’s not our place to get involved.” – a response Wayne Gates said he found disturbing and irresponsible.)

Buffalo, New York – Congressman Brian Higgins (NY-26) is writing to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) calling for a full investigation into actions which led to a substantial sewer discharge into the Niagara River on July 29, 2017.  Continue reading →

A Message from Niagara West-Glanbrook MPP Sam Oosterhoff

Posted August 3rd, 2017 on Niagara At Large

As I campaigned throughout Niagara West – Glanbrook last fall, jobs, healthcare, hydro costs and education came up time and time again as the priorities of residents in Niagara.

Niagara West-Glanbrook MPP Sam Oosterhoff

Healthcare is an especially important issue in West Niagara, the area serviced by the West Lincoln Memorial Hospital. Although the hospital has served West Niagara very well since it was first opened in 1948, it has become dated and in desperate need of upgrades and redevelopment to serve the growing healthcare needs of the region.

For many years, residents and local representatives have brought the need for a new hospital to multiple provincial governments, and the redevelopment of the West Lincoln Memorial Hospital has been one of my top priorities since being elected. In fact, the very first question I asked in my first day in the Legislature was to the Minister of Health, asking him for assurance that the government will listen to the calls for redevelopment.   Continue reading →

Great Lakes environmental groups mark third anniversary of Toledo drinking water crisis by reporting on priority actions, setting bar for annual progress by jurisdictions

An Important  Message from the Chicago, Illinois-based Alliance for the Great Lakes, Kitchener, Ontario-based Freshwater Future, Michigan League of Conservation Voters, and Ohio Environmental Council

Posted August 3rd, 2017 on Niagara At Large

On the third anniversary of the Toledo water crisis and on the cusp of yet another summer of severe harmful algal blooms in western Lake Erie, environmental and conservation groups are calling on Ohio, Michigan and Ontario to speed up and scale up progress on efforts to reduce the pollution flowing into western Lake Erie.

Groups identified three immediate steps, and assessed progress on them across the three jurisdictions, to move the Lake Erie region toward a future where clean water flowing off of farm fields and in the lake becomes the norm. Continue reading →

An Invite to All from Ontario’s Niagara Parks Commission

Posted August 3rd, 2017 on Niagara At Large

Niagara Falls, Ontario – The Niagara Parks Commission will be hosting a diverse lineup of activities and promotions for all visitors to enjoy while spending the Civic Holiday weekend in Niagara Parks:

Simcoe Days at Mackenzie Printery
Celebrate the Civic Holiday, also known as ‘Simcoe Day’, or ‘Emancipation Day’ in the African Canadian community, which honours the first Lieutenant Governor of this province. Join us during the holiday weekend from August 4 to 7, as the Mackenzie Printery will be featuring the works of Upper Canada’s first Lieutenant Governor, John Graves Simcoe and his contributions to shaping the future of Ontario. Admission is $6.25 for adults and $4.05 for children six to 12 years of age. Children five years and under are admitted free at all Niagara Parks attractions. The Mackenzie Printery is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with free parking available. Continue reading →

By Doug Draper, environment reporter/publisher, Niagara At Large

Posted August 2^nd, 2017 on Niagara At Large

Niagara Falls, Ontario  MPP Wayne Gates told Niagara At Large this August 2^nd that he is disturbed by the way the Ontario Ministry of Environment has responded in the wake of a discharge the past July 29^th of dark, foul-smelling waste to the Niagara River.

An sky high view of the Saturday, July 29th discharge incident, with the inky pollution surrounding a Maid of Mist boat along the American side of the Niagara River, just downstream from the American and Horseshoe Falls.

“I thought the response from the Ministry of Environment was very irresponsible,” said Gates of reports he read that a media relations officer for the ministry responded to the discharge from a waste water treatment plant in Niagara Falls, New York with an email message that read; “The ministry does not have any involvement as the incident occurred in the U.S.A.”

What is the ministry thinking,” said Gates. “There is no wall in the middle of that river” to keep pollution from drifting to the Ontario side. Continue reading →

Ontario Ministry of Environment’s  Response?  – “It’s Not Our Place To Get Involved.”

“The discharge clearly violated water quality standards, which prohibit discharges that adversely affect colour, cause odour or cause a substantial visible contrast to natural conditions,” said a New York State Department of Environmental Conservation  official of the massive ‘blob’ of waste discharged immediately downstream from the Horseshoe and American Falls this past Saturday, July 29th

A News commentary by Doug Draper

Posted August 2nd, 2017 on Niagara At Large

Now there is a profile of leadership we see all too rarely in a government representative these days.

For a governor of a state that almost always has a mind-boggling mountain of issues on the plate, New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo has wasted no time calling on his state’s Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to carry out a thorough investigation of a discharge from a Niagara Falls, New York wastewater treatment that put a scare into countless thousands of visitors to Falls this past weekend.

A message to Ontario – When pollution is dumped in to boundary waters shared by all of us then, without question, it involves all of us!

The discharge occurred on the late afternoon of July 29^th and lingered as what was described as a dark, stench-ridden ‘blob’ that lingered immediately downstream from the world-famous Falls into the night before disappearing by sunrise the following day. Continue reading →

‘If fossil fuel companies get their way, this could be world’s worst nature reserve — but we can give Canada’s federal government the backing they need to protect our waters.’

A Call-Out from the international online activist group Avaaz

Posted August 2^nd, 2017 on Niagara At Large

Oil and gas exploration in the middle of a Newfoundland marine reserve that protects endangered whales? It’s as ridiculous as it sounds.

Canada wants to create a massive new marine reserve, but they could also open it to oil and gas exploration threatening endangered whales. Now they’re asking Canadians to weigh in — Click to add your voice to the below petition with one click, and help protect this precious place.

So Dear friends across Canada,

Seven endangered whales were just found dead in the Gulf of the Saint Lawrence. The government proposed a massive marine reserve along a critical migration route for the whales, but — and this is crazy — they could open it up to big oil. Continue reading →

“We will continue to push for Justice Gillese to consider the systemic issues in the long-term care sector that have contributed to conditions in which there have been more than twenty-five homicides in addition to the most recent murders.”  -Natalie Mehra

A Statement from Ontario Health Coalition executive director Natalie Mehra

Posted August 1st, 2017 on Niagara At Large

Ontario Health Coalition executive director Natalie Mehra

Toronto, Ontario  – The Ontario government appointed Justice Eileen Gillese from the Ontario Court of Appeal to head a Public Inquiry into the murders of eight long-term care residents by Elizabeth Wettlaufer.

The Ontario Health Coalition responded by raising concerns about the duration and the narrow mandate of the inquiry, noting that in addition to the tragic murders committed by Ms. Wettlaufer there have been at least an additional 25 homicides in Ontario’s long-term care homes in the last four years.

These are resident-on-resident homicides and they point to wider systemic issues that have resulted in an unacceptable level of violence in long-term care. 

The priority complaint of staff and consumer groups in long-term care is that the homes are severely understaffed, while the acuity (complexity of the care needs of residents) is increasing with population aging and the closure of thousands of hospital beds, including psychogeriatric cuts. The evidence shows that Ontario’s long-term care homes have care levels that do not meet safety standards. The high-acuity and chronic under-staffing in the homes compromises safety of residents and staff alike.

The coalition also raised concerns about the Inquiry’s timelines. The government’s mandate for the Inquiry gives it 2- years to conduct its work, pushing the final report and recommendations until well after the next election and media interest has died down. This is too long. It means that recommendations will not be forged and acted upon for years. The families who have lost loved ones as a result of the Wettlaufer murders deserve to have answers to their questions and actions more quickly. 

“We will continue to push for Justice Gillese to consider the systemic issues in the long-term care sector that have contributed to conditions in which there have been more than twenty-five homicides in addition to the most recent murders,” said Natalie Mehra, executive director of the Ontario Health Coalition.

“Our hearts go out to the families and staff impacted by the Wettlaufer murders and all of the families of those impacted by the additional 25 or more homicides in long-term care in the last four years,” she added.

“All the families have the right to a fulsome investigation of the issues. But this should not preclude immediate action. Most importantly, we need urgent action to improve the levels of daily hands-on care for residents in the homes now.”

​Natalie Mehra -Executive Director, Ontario Health Coalition

~ Protecting Public Medicare for All ~

For more information on the Ontario Health Coalition and its advocacy work, click on – www.ontariohealthcoalition.ca

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 binational Niagara region – become a regular visitor and subscriber to NAL at www.niagaraatlarge.com .

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

A Message from Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath

Posted August 1st, 2017 on Niagara At Large

Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath

Queen’s Park, Toronto – Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath issued the following statement.

“New Democrats, seniors groups, health care advocates, and concerned families across the province have spoken out clearly on the urgent need for a broad based public inquiry into the systemic problems in long-term care.

We are concerned that today’s (August 1st) announcement from Premier Wynne and her Liberal government fails to specify key issues that must be included in the inquiry’s mandate such as: Continue reading →

Join a Public Webinar with citizens around the Great Lakes – This Wed., August 2nd at 1 p.m. on a Webinar friendly computer near you

A Call-Out from the Alliance for the Great Lakes – a citizens’ advocacy group for our shared bin-national waters

Posted August 1st, 2017 on Niagara At Large

Algae robs Great Lakes waters of oxygen and wreaks havoc on one of the world’s great freshwater fisheries.

Three years ago, on August 2nd, the unthinkable happened. Toledo, a major Great Lakes city, had to ban drinking the water supply it draws from the lakes.

For two and a half days, Toledo area residents could not drink the water flowing from the taps in their homes. Businesses, from restaurants to hair salons to grocery stores, had to shut down or severely curtail operations. Residents waited in long lines for clean water or drove several hours to stock up on bottled water. A few weeks later residents of Pelee Island, Ontario faced a similar ban that lasted nearly two weeks. Continue reading →

Given the source of the inky pollution, quite possibly so

A News Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted August 1st, 2017 on Niagara At Large

On the last full weekend of this July, countless thousands of visitors who had come to cast eyes on one of the world’s ‘natural wonders’, were treated to a sight that was far from wonderful.

This isn’t the black “blob” that made an appearance in the Niagara River below the Horseshoe Falls this past Saturday, July 29th, but it is filthy scum that can too often be seen floating on the waters there. Here is that scum with the Rainbow Bridge in the background. Does anyone out there know the origin of this stuff and what exactly it is composed of, and why we continue to see it there? File photo by Doug Draper

This past Saturday, July 29th, on what would otherwise have been a nice warm, sunny afternoon to view the American and Horseshoe Falls from either side of the Ontario/New York border, what The Buffalo News later described as a “foul-smelling, black discharge cam billowing out into the Niagara River within sight of the base of the American Falls, alarming city businesses and tourists as it engulfed the shoreline from the Rainbow Bridge to the Maid of the Mist boat dock” along the American side. Continue reading →

An Update from Vermont Senator and 2016 presidential candidate Bernie Sanders

Posted August 1st, 2017 on Niagara At Large

Let me take this opportunity to give you an update as to what’s been happening in recent weeks.

U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, one of America’s most heroic and steadfast progressives in politics. He should be president.

As you all know, the disastrous Republican “health care” proposals have, for the moment at least, been defeated. They were defeated because millions of Americans stood up and fought back. They made phone calls and sent emails, letting members of Congress know how they felt. They got their friends involved in the struggle by utilizing social media. They attended town hall meetings. They went to rallies, including some that I attended in Michigan, Maine, Nevada, Arizona, West Virginia, Ohio, Utah, Pennsylvania and Kentucky.

And in poll after poll, an overwhelming majority of the American people were absolutely clear about their opposition to these destructive plans: Continue reading →

No Hot Dogs, Just Cool Cats

A Message from Ontario’s Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services

Posted August 1st, 2017 on Niagara At Large

(A Brief Foreword from NAL publisher Doug Draper – As one who has the privilege of sharing a home with two wonderful cats, I find it sad that there is a need to circulate a message like the one below, but there is.

Too of the coolest cats I know. My home mates, Dylan, sitting behind, and Dexter in the foreground. Photo taken by one of their humans.

Everyone summer, we hear horrific stories about dogs and cats roasting to death in cars or other confined places, while those entrusted to care for them are in the mall buying socks or losing their week’s earnings in a slot machine.

Some people, clearly, should not be allowed anywhere near another animal. But unfortunately for the animal, we often find out who those people are when it is too late.)

Summer is here, and for some people in Ontario that means road trips and exploring the outdoors with family and friends – including furry companions.

If your pet is travelling with you in your car, keep their needs in mind as you plan your trip. Do not leave pets unattended in your vehicle. The temperature inside your vehicle will quickly become much hotter than the temperature outside, and it can be fatal.

If your pet can’t go with you, leave them at home where they will be safe, cool, and comfortable. Here are some other things to keep in mind as you plan your summer road trips:

• Ensure your pet is properly secured in your vehicle at all times
• Always have fresh water available in the car for your pet
• Take frequent breaks so both you and your pet have an opportunity to stretch your legs.

If you come across an unattended vehicle with an animal inside that appears to be in distress, act quickly and report it to the OSPCA at 310-SPCA (7722). You can also contact your local police service, your local Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, or your local Humane Society.

QUICK FACTS

• Every summer, the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (OSPCA) runs the #NoHotPets campaign to keep pets out of hot cars. Consider signing the pledge and spreading the word to keep pets safe across Ontario.
• Dogs in particular have very limited ability to sweat. Even a short period in a hot environment can cause suffering and distress and could result in brain damage or death.
• Excessive panting, drooling, and listlessness are signs of heatstroke in animals. If you witness these signs in your pet, seek veterinary attention immediately, move the animal to a cool area and offer it drinking water.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Read more about the OSCPA’s #NoHotPets campaign

QUOTES

“Pets are treasured family members and loyal friends. Don’t leave them in your hot car – let them join in on your summer adventures, or let them stay home where they will be cool and safe.”  — Marie-France Lalonde, Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services

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 binational 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 Call-Out from the Ontario Clean Air Alliance

Posted July 31^st, 2017 on Niagara At Large

Give this a read and consider signing the petition below

Hydro One’s decision to invest in a U.S. utility that is part owner of one of the country’s largest coal plants certainly won’t do anything for the people of Ontario.

In fact, this investment will just contribute to the growing climate crisis and flies in the face of the extraordinary efforts Ontario made to end the dirty coal era here.

Instead of spending its money on dirty coal, Hydro One could actually help the people of Ontario by investing in energy efficiency and improving its ability to trade power with Quebec. Continue reading →