Author Archives: dougdraper

OMB Consultation Is Underway – Here’s How You Can Get Involved In Making The OMB Process More Responsive To Conservation Concerns

A Call-Out from Niagara, Ontario conservationist John Bacher

Posted November 19th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Between now and December 19^th, the Ontario government is engaged in a review of the role of the Ontario Municipal Board. (OMB).

Niagara conservationist John Bacher stands under a giant white oak tree in the Thundering Waters Forest area now being eyed by developers and some Niagara politicians for urban sprawl – a matter that might one day be decided at an Ontario Municipal Board meeting.

Appealing to the OMB is the only way to reverse the decision of an elected municipal council on a land use planning matter. Over the years this has  involved decisions on the protection of the unique Niagara Fruit Belt and threatened forests.

The most important training of my life under the guidance of two thoughtful role models, Mel Swart and Robert Hoover, was to develop an appreciation of the role of the OMB in protecting the environment. Continue reading →

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

Posted November 19th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – A project involving Brock University researchers — in which kestrels protect orchards and vineyards from fruit-eating birds — has won a prestigious award from the Ontario government.

A kestrel leaves its nesting box at a research site in Niagara region. Photo couresy of Brock University

Each year Ontario growers lose more than $24-million worth of fruit to wild birds. Seeking ways to protect crops, the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association (OFVGA) partnered with Brock researchers to install nesting boxes for the American kestrel near a number of orchards, vineyards and corn fields.

Researchers hit on the idea because these birds of prey feed on smaller bird species as well as insects, mice and voles. Plus, notoriously territorial kestrels drive other birds from their territory, which could be more than a kilometer in range. Continue reading →

“We are pleased that the Government of Ontario has stepped up and introduced this legislation. Businesses and citizens support this governance reform, allowing us to become more democratic, effective and transparent.”                                                                      — Mishka Balsom, President & CEO, GNCC

A News Release from the Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce

Posted November 17^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – This Wednesday, the Government of Ontario introduced new legislation which would mandate directly-elected regional chairs for two-tier regions such as Peel, York, and Niagara.

A recent meeting of Niagara regional council. File photo, Doug Draper

Governance reform has been an appeal the Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce alongside Niagara’s business community has supported for many years, and it remains so today. The GNCC’s Vote Niagara 2014 initiative called on all candidates to publicly state their support for this move following past surveys of GNCC members indicating that governance reform was one of the highest priorities for the business community. Continue reading →

A News Commentary by Doug Draper

Niagara, Ontario – No big surprise in the November 17^th byelection in the former Tim Hudak riding of Niagara West-Glanbrook.

Brock U. student Sam Oosterhoff wins big for Ontario Tories in Niagara West-Glanbrook riding

The PC candidate – 19-year-old Brock University student Sam Oosterhoff – swept to victory in the riding with more than 50 per cent of the votes, making him the youngest MPP in Ontario history to go to Queen’s Park.

In the only other provincial byelection this November 17^th, in the Ottawa-Vanier Riding, the Wynne Liberal candidate Nathalie De Rosier, a former counsel to the Canadian Civil Liberties Association and dean of civil law at the University of Ottawa, won that one with more than 50 per cent of the votes cast.

What that means for the future of Ontario’s Liberal government with Kathleen Wynne – a premier whose popularity across the province has tanked over the past two years – as it faces a general election a year and a half from now is a subject for more detailed analysis. Continue reading →

When the Liberals swept into government they promised real action on climate change. They promised that the broken process could not justify approving Kinder Morgan.                              Well… the process is still broken.”

A Call-Out to All of Us from The Green Party of Canada

Posted November 18^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Friend, have you seen these headlines?

Toronto Star: Liberals approve controversial natural gas project on B.C. coast

The Guardian: Environmentalists ‘expected better’ of Trudeau as Canada backs gas project

Bloomberg: Trudeau clears path for Canada to approve Kinder Morgan pipeline

A decision on the expansion of the Kinder Morgan pipeline is reported to be imminent. Media sources and Liberal leaks seem coordinated to create the impression of inevitability. Continue reading →

Ontario Government Pledges To “Modernize” Rules For Municipal Governance

A Brief Foreword by NAL publisher Doug Draper

Posted November 17th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – For the first time in more than four-and-a-half decades of regional government in Niagara, citizens across this region will get to elect the individual who holds its highest elected office.

Niagara’s current regional chair Al Caslin. If he wants to win the chair’s job again, he will have to run for it, region-wide, in the 2018 municipal elections. File photo

That is right my fellow Niagara citizens, thanks to legislation tabled this November 16th by the Ontario government, newly elected regional councilors in Niagara will no longer be the ones who get to choose among themselves who gets to sit as Niagara regional chair.

Beginning with the next municipal elections scheduled for the fall of 2018, any individuals who want that job – a full time one commanding a six-digit salary and benefits – will have to run a region-wide and we get to pick the candidate we want to win.

That’s in marked contrast to the system, Niagara’s regional government has had so far of having regional councilors elected by we, the people, from each of Niagara’s 12 local municipalities, then letting those councilors vote for a chair among themselves. That process always comes with a good deal of backroom lobbying, for better or worse, from the candidates vying for their fellow councillors’ support. Continue reading →

A Brief One from Doug Draper

Posted November 17^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

The former Bernie Sanders campaign office in Buffalo, New York – file photo, Doug Draper

While U.S. Democrats – members of a party that likes to think of itself as a party for ordinary working people – tries coming to terms with its crushing defeat by Donald Trump, the one candidate that the party’s elites derailed to secure the nomination of Hillary Clinton, offers some sober thoughts on why Trump wiped the floor with Clinton and the Democrats.

It is worth watching this excerpt of Bernie Sanders remarks during a talk he gave at George Washington University this November 16^th, as aired on the MSNBC program ‘Morning Joe’. All politicians in the U.S. and Canada who take everyday voters for granted should take note –

.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 .

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.

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

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“I’m seriously worried that our region will miss out on a significant economic opportunity if the Ontario government doesn’t stick to its renewable energy targets.” – Tom Rankin, CEO, Rankin Construction, Niagara, Ontario

Rankin Construction, Pumpcrete Join Province-Wide Coalition to Promote Renewable Energy and Protect Jobs in our Region

A Call-Out to the Ontario government from the Renewable Energy Alliance of Ontario

Posted November 17^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

St. Catharines/Niagara, Ontario – Local business leaders Tom Rankin and Ken Williams called on the Ontario government (this November 16^th_ to protect local jobs by ensuring that renewable energy remains a vital part of Ontario’s Long-Term Energy Plan.

Rankin, CEO of Rankin Construction on Martindale Road, and Williams, President of Pumpcrete on Progress Street, will be representing the newly formed Renewable Energy Alliance of Ontario (REAO) at Ministry of Energy led consultations tonight at the Holiday Inn on Ontario Street in St. Catharines.

Together, Rankin Construction and Pumpcrete employ over 700 hundred people in the St. Catharines and Niagara Falls region. Continue reading →

Lost Revenue From The Province’s Tourism Industry Impacting Job Creation and Growth

News from the Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce

Niagara, Ontario – This Thursday, November 17^th, the Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce (GNCC) in partnership with the Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC) has released new data that reveals a significant tourism opportunity gap when compared to international growth rates.

Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce CAO Mishka Balsom

According to the organization’s report, Closing the Tourism Gap: Creating a Long-Term Advantage for Ontario, Ontario has foregone nearly $16 billion in visitor spending between 2006 and 2012 by not keeping up with global growth trends. While this year has been a strong year for tourism in Ontario, it is important that this recent growth is translated into long-term, sustainable gains in tourism visitation.

“The tourism industry is an important economic driver in Niagara as well as in many other communities across the province,” said Mishka Balsom, President & CEO of the GNCC. Continue reading →

A Brief One from Doug Draper

Posted November 16^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

It may very well be that at least some of us Canadians will join many Americans I know in missing Barack Obama when he vacates the White House this coming January.

In the wake of Donald Trump’s ascendency as U.S. president-elect earlier this November, Obama offered these words of caution to the world during a media conference this past November 15^th in the historical cradle of democracy, Ahens, Greece –

“We are going to have to guard against a rise in a crude sort of nationalism, or ethnic identity or tribalism that is built around an us and a them, and I will never apologize for saying that the future of humanity and the future of the world is going to be defined by what we have in common, as opposed to those things that separate us and ultimately lead us into conflict,” Obama said.

“Take Europe,” he continued. “We know what happens when Europeans start dividing themselves up and emphasizing their differences and seeing a competition between various countries in a zero-sum way. The 20^th Century was a bloodbath.”

Lest We Forget!

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 .

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.

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

A Commentary by NAL publisher Doug Draper

Posted November 16^th, 016 on Niagara At Large

This Thursday, November 17, voters in the two Ontario ridings of Niagara West-Glanbrook and Ottawa-Vanier  where provincial byelections were recently called, have the opportunity to do all Ontarians a favour and send a powerful message to the Liberal government of Premier Kathleen Wynne that we are as mad as hell and aren’t going to take its smug, morally bankrupt, dictatorial ways any more.

It’s time for Ontario voters to send Premier Kathleen Wynne a message she deserves!

In that spirit, this news commentator (who started out having what I know admit were naïve hopes that Wynne get out from under the shadow of former boss hog Dalton McGuinty and be a good premier for Ontario), urges voters in these two ridings to go to the polls this Novmember 17^th and deliver the Wynne Liberals in both of them a crushing defeat.

So crushing, let’s hope, that it serves as a prelude to a total meltdown of the Wynne Liberals in the next general provincial election scheduled to take place on or before June 7^th, 2018. Continue reading →

An Invite To A Panel Discussion from Brock University in St. Catharines/Niagara

Posted November 16^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

St. Catharines/Niagara, Ontario – Sports teams are increasingly coming under fire for using logos, mascots and other images or wording that stereotype Indigenous peoples.

Cleveland Indians baseball team logo became a target of heated debated during the recent World Series playoffs when an attempt to ban it in Canada failed to get court approval during the team’s series with the Toronto Blue Jays.

Last month, several groups asked the Ontario Superior Court to block the Cleveland Indians from using its team name or “Chief Wahoo” logo during an American League playoff game in Toronto. After the court denied the request, Major League Baseball issued a statement saying “we would welcome a thoughtful and inclusive dialogue to address these concerns outside the context of litigation.”

St. Catharines/Niagara, Ontario – This Friday Nov. 18, a panel of Brock University sport, culture and Indigenous scholars will discuss how an increasing focus on social responsibility in pro sports and sport management may change how teams brand themselves. Continue reading →

“This is a matter of access, all individuals have the right to exercise their right to vote, and we need to make the process easier for those that are at a disadvantage.”

A Submission to Niagara At Large from Steven Soos, a Welland/Niagara, Ontario resident and former federal election and Welland city council candidate

Posted November 16^th, 2-16 on Niagara At Large

(Niagara At Large is posting Steven Soos’ submission as one way of encouraging some thought and discussion on an idea which, perhaps, should be considered for municipal elections in every municipality across our Niagara region.)

Steven Soos

Niagara, Ontario – Former Niagara Falls federal dlection candidate and Welland Resident Steven Soos is calling on Welland City councillors to give their constituents the option to cast their ballots online in the next Civic Election.

Soos recently started an online petition, available at change.org in support of online voting, and personally contacted all 12 councillors to plead the case for online voting.

“I’ve had great conversations about the need for online voting with some of the councillors, and I think there is definitely support on this issue,” Soos said. Continue reading →

An Invite from the Sierra Club’s Climate and Clean Energy Writers’ Group In Buffalo/Western  New York

Posted November 15th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

For more news and commentary from independent voices, visit Niagara At Large at www.niagaraatlarge.com and become a regular subscriber.

WE INVITE YOU TO JOIN THE CONVERSATION – Niagara At Large welcomes 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.

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

“We remain committed to the Town’s urban boundaries and increased the protections on the Fonthill Kame.”                               – Pelham Mayor Dave Augustyn

A Column from Town of Pelham Mayor Dave Augustyn

Posted November 15^th, 016 on Niagara At Large

Pelham Mayor Dave Augustyn

Town of Pelham, Niagara, Ontario – I keep the “Sprawl Repair Manual” by Galina Tachieva on my desk at home. The work “presents a comprehensive methodology for transforming sprawl” along with “implementation techniques” for “rebalancing suburbia.”

Why? Well, I hate to point out that much of Pelham developed as sprawl.

During the late-1800s and early-1900s, development in the former Township of Pelham and Village of Fonthill grew along traditional coach routes (like Canboro Road) and at crossings along the TH&B (through Fenwick) and NS&T (through Fonthill) railway lines. Continue reading →

An Invite To  Community Members And Businesses Owners from Niagara Region’s ‘Working Group’ On Public Transit Services

Posted November 15^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

As you may have heard, options for an integrated public transit system and service improvements are being considered and presented for consideration by municipal council and the community.

The working group is hosting four public meetings throughout the region over the next two weeks. Please find details below and attached.

All are welcome to attend and please feel free to share this information with your colleagues and networks, in particular with folks who use transit or have an interest in public transit service.

More information on the preliminary recommendations are available at http://www.niagararegion.ca/ . There is also a short survey to gather comments and feedback open until Nov. 30.
Continue reading →

A Brief One from Doug Draper

Posted November 14^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

If the skies are clear this Monday, November 14^th evening and through the dark hours of the night before sunrise, look up and see the largest moon anyone has seen with their naked eyes since 1948, and anyone will see again until the year 2034.

Photo of “supermoon” shared by Niagara, Ontario resident Linda McKellar.

I caught this “supermoon,” as it is being called because it is orbiting as close to our earth as it ever usually gets, just before morning set in this Monday, when I got up around 6 a.m. to serve our cats Dexter and Dylan their food.

It was an awesome sight and because Gord Downie and his band Tragically Hip have been so much in the minds of Canadians in recent months with news of Gord Downie’s terminal cancer diagnosis, I immediately began humming the words to one of my favourite songs by him and the group – ‘Morning Moon’. Continue reading →

A Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted November 14^th, 016 on Niagara At Large

“One pill makes you larger, and one pill makes you small. And the ones that mother gives you, don’t do anything at all. Go ask Alice, when your ten feet tall.” – from the Grace Slick/Jefferson Airplane song ‘White Rabbit’

Have I just taken a trip through Alice in Wonderland’s looking glass or something?

Or has more than half of everyone I am listening to on American cable news networks these days gone delusional or mad? …. If they hadn’t been delusional or mad all along.

Donald Trump in full flightiness during the campaign. The cable news people say, we can all come down. He’s “more tempered now.”

Just a few weeks ago, with the exception of the Donald Trump hacks on Fox News, most of these same cable news voices were behaving as if their hair was on fire over any chance this former Reality TV show huckster with the orange comb over might become the next president of the United States.

After more than a year of giving Trump all kinds of free air time because he was good for ratings, they could not, in the last month or two of Trump’s campaign, come up with enough ways of describing how mentally unfit they thought he is to hold the  most powerful elected office in the world.

“I fear for my kids’ future if this guy becomes president,” one of these chattering airheads said just a few days before the November 8^th vote. Continue reading →

By Linda Babb

Posted November 14^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

The November 8th U.S. election sent a great many people into a spiral of disbelief, shock and horror while many others were delighted that “their underdog” took the unanticipated prize.

As President Obama said in a televised speech on November 9; “Sometimes you lose an election”. That is not a cliché – it is reality. He also said; “Sometimes we try to persuade people we are right, and then people vote. And then if we lose, we learn from our mistakes, we do some reflection, we lick our wounds, we brush ourselves off, we get back in the arena.”

What is the most significant “take away” from this election? Continue reading →

Posted by Doug Draper on Niagara At Large

November 13^th, 2016

If you missed the first few introductory moments of Saturday Night Live this November 12^th, they unfolded as SNL cast member Kate McKinnon, who did a dead ringer impersonation of Hillary Clinton through the U.S. election campaign, sat down at a piano with the stage lights darkened behind her and sang Leonard Cohen’s ‘Hallelujah’.

It was a sombre and powerful shift from the usual comedic, satirical skits Saturday Night Live is so famous for and it was one that had many viewers at home turning to social media to say that it moved them from the numbness or sense of denial or shock they had been wallowing in since Trump’s election to begin the process on reflecting on what happened and on what people of good will need to do next.

It was also a reminder of how insightful and timeless so many of the lyrics are of Leonard Cohen, who died the day before the final vote this November 8^th but whose song Hallelujah, now more than three decades old, speaks to the feelings many people had following this election.

When Kate McKinnon, made up like Hillary Clinton one more time, finished singing the song she looked into the eye of the camera and into our eyes to millions of us who were watching on the other side of the screen and said – “I’m not giving up and neither should you,” before finishing with the show’s usual call-out, “Live from New York, it’s Saturday Night!’

If you missed this, here it is now for any of you who care to click on and view. Then share your thoughts below if you like.

The lyrics to Leonard Cohen’s ‘Hallelujah’  –

“Now I’ve heard there was a secret chord That David played, and it pleased the Lord But you don’t really care for music, do you? It goes like this The fourth, the fifth The minor fall, the major lift The baffled king composing Hallelujah Continue reading →

A Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted November 11th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

This may not sit well with at least a few folks out there, but I was impressed by someone I heard on a CBC radio program recently who said that Remembrance Day should be about remembering everyone whose lives were impacted by war – not just those who fought and sacrificed on the winning side of a conflict.

I apologize for not scribbling down the name of the individual who made that argument but it was one that spoke to a feeling I’ve had at Remembrance Day services that too many of them only focus on those who fought and sacrificed for one side of a conflict – usually “our side” or the victorious one – and barely make a mention, if at all, of those on the other side.

After all, most wars are started by a handful of individuals at the top of the food chain and everyone else has little choice but to heed their orders- or defy them at their peril – to do the fighting and dying. Continue reading →

A Call-Out from Catherine Ens and  Niagara Action For Animals (NAFA)

Posted November 10^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Dear friends of animals –

The College of Veterinarians of Ontario (CVO) has produced an online consultation regarding “Mandatory Reporting of Dismissal/Resignation Related to Incompetence/Incapacity of a Member.”

This consultation process is probably in response to Dr. Rekhi and the events at Skyway Animal Hospital which recently came to light and other similar situations that never came to light.  

This is your chance to make your feelings known.  Please take the time to complete this survey, in a rational and measured way.   Continue reading →

A Statement by Bernie Sanders, Reader Supported News

Posted November 10^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Vermont Senator and former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders released the following statement this past Wednesday, November 9^th after Donald Trump was elected president of the United States. –

Bernie Sanders

“Donald Trump tapped into the anger of a declining middle class that is sick and tired of establishment economics, establishment politics and the establishment media.

“People are tired of working longer hours for lower wages, of seeing decent paying jobs go to China and other low-wage countries, of billionaires not paying any federal income taxes and of not being able to afford a college education for their kids – all while the very rich become much richer. Continue reading →

“Never stop believing that fighting for what’s right is worth it.    It is!” – Hillary Clinton

From U.S. Presidential Candidate Hillary Clinton’s November 9^th Concession Speech

Posted November 10^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

A Brief Foreword from NAL publisher Doug Draper – As a parent of a member of the millennial generation and as an aging journalist and advocate for progressive change on a host of environmental and other fronts, I was heartened by how many millions of young people – in the United States and in Canada – became engaged in Bernie Sanders’ campaign and call for a “political revolution.”

We should all be just as concerned that these same young people might become discouraged and give up as a result of the way Sanders’ campaign was derailed by the elites in the political system, corporate board rooms and so much of the mainstream media that is, after all, owned by the same corporations they should be watchdogging on behalf of everyday people Sanders’ campaign (and Donald Trump’s for that matter) spoke to. Continue reading →

– ‘Get Out Of Your Bubble And Check Out The Pain People Are Feeling In The Rust Belts Of Trumpland’

Michael Moore’s “Morning After To-Do List” Facebook Post For Democrats Is Going Viral

Posted November 10^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

American filmmaker and activist Michael Moore journeys to Trumpland

A Brief Foreword Note by Doug Draper – Michael Moore, a child a working class family in Flint, Michigan – an old General Motors town ravaged in the wake of the NAFTA trade deal and producer of such documentaries as ‘Roger and Me’, ‘Sicko’, ‘Fahrenheit 9/11’ and most recently, ‘Micael Moore in Trumpland’, is well-placed to scold fellow liberals and left wingers who so completely  underestimated and misread the sense anger and betrayal of millions of Americans who voted for Donald Trump this November 8^th feel for establishment politicians and institutions.

Continue reading →

A News Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted November 9^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Buffalo, New York – It was a mild, picture-perfect day for fall leaf peepers walking the tree-lined streets of Buffalo’s Elmwood Village area this past Tuesday, November 8^th.

A polling station at the Unitarian Church on Buffalo’s Elmwood Avenue on this November 8th U.S. election day. Photo by Doug Draper

Yet along those same streets, one could also feel the stress and strain in the air.

It was election day in America – a day of reckoning at the end of one of the ugliest, most divisive and disturbing presidential races in modern American history – and one could literally read that stress and strain on the faces of people coming and going from a polling station set up in a spacious meeting room attached to the Unitarian Universalist Church at the corner of Buffalo’s Elmwood Avenue and West Ferry Street.

“We are doomed,” a young African American woman told me as she left the polling station after casting her vote for the lesser of what she felt to be two evils. Continue reading →

Statement by the Prime Minister of Canada on the result of the US Presidential Election

Posted November 9^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today (this November 9th) issued the following statement on the result of the US Presidential Election:

“On behalf of the Government of Canada, I would like to congratulate Donald J. Trump on his election as the next President of the United States.

“Canada has no closer friend, partner, and ally than the United States. We look forward to working very closely with President-elect Trump, his administration, and with the United States Congress in the years ahead, including on issues such as trade, investment, and international peace and security.

“The relationship between our two countries serves as a model for the world.  Our shared values, deep cultural ties, and strong integrated economies will continue to provide the basis for advancing our strong and prosperous partnership.”

NOW IT IS YOUR TURN. Niagara At Large encourages you to share your views on this post in the space below the Bernie quote .

A reminder that we only post comments by individuals who share their first and last name with them.

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

Province Partnering with Allied Marine & Industrial to Help Create Jobs

“It is great to see companies like this choosing to expand in Port Colborne and create new economic opportunities in the Niagara region.” – St. Catharines MPP Jim Bradley

News from the Government of Ontario and its Ministry of Economic Development and Growth

Posted November 9^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

St. Catharines MPP & longtime Liberal government member Jim Bradley joined in Port Colborne announcement

Ontario is partnering with Allied Marine & Industrial Inc. to invest in a new plant and innovative technologies, creating 16 new jobs and retaining 45 positions in Port Colborne.

Allied Marine & Industrial provides technical services to both marine and land-based industries in southern Ontario, including mechanical, machining, custom fabrication, manufacturing and field services. The company will move its tooling, machining, fabrication, assembly and storage buildings into a new state-of-the-art facility in Port Colborne with support from the province. Continue reading →

Shared by the Niagara Constituency Office of Welland Riding MPP Cindy Forster

Posted November 9^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – In the lead up to Remembrance Day every year, Canadians of all ages and backgrounds come together and collectively vow to never forget our brave men and women who lost their lives in military service in peacetime or in war. We adorn our lapels with poppies, donate to local legions, lay wreaths in memory, and promise to never forget.

The Cenotaph in Chippawa Park in Welland/Niagara – a designated heritage site

Legions across the country and in our very own community of Niagara have been helping veterans and their communities for over 90 years. 

Legion members contribute countless volunteer hours, support their local communities in various initiatives and fundraise millions of dollars each year.  Members invest resources, time, and energy to provide essential services in their communities. They support seniors, youth, healthcare, low income families through countless initiatives and organizations. Continue reading →

A Column from Town of Pelham/Niagara Mayor Dave Augustyn

Posted November 9^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Each year in Pelham, the Legion and Cadets organize a number of very special ceremonies to commemorate Remembrance Day.

On Remembrance Day – this year on a Friday – the Legion will host a complete service at Veteran’s Park at the Legion in Fonthill. The service begins at 10:45 AM so that the moment of silence can occur at 11:00 AM. In recent years, and especially since the revitalization of the park, many people participate in this Remembrance Day service. Continue reading →

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

A Brief Commentary by Doug Draper, publisher, Niagara At Large

Posted November 8^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

We just turned around and he was gone.

For one brief, shining moment, it looked earlier this year like there might be a chance that a truly progressive leader – a leader of vision, with a kinder, fairer, more inclusive vision for a future that the 99 per cent can believe in – had a chance of being elected to the most powerful political office in the world.

The reasons this did not or could not, in the eyes of the political elite and their corporate masters, be allowed happen will be discussed and debated for years to come.

But Bernie Sanders – always this Canadian commentator’s choice to win the presidency this 2016 in our neighbouring United States of America – has continued to vow that the “political revolution” for which he has been fighting for true, progressive change for peace and prosperity of everyone is not going away.

They might be able to  bury the candidate calling for the revolution, but they can’t bury the revolution. Continue reading →

Wednesday, November 9 2016, 9:00 AM to 11:30 AM

This is your chance to discuss climate change with a representative of your federal government!

Hosted by Niagara College at its Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario campus

A Call-Out to the Niagara community from Niagara College & Niagara Centre Liberal MP Vance Badawey

Posted November 7th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Niagara College will be hosting Niagara Centre Federal Member of Parliament (MP) Vance Badawey at our Niagara-on-the-Lake campus Wednesday November 9^th, 2016 (from 9:00-11:30am) for a discussion on climate change. MP Badawey is looking to obtain the important perspective of young professionals on the impacts of climate change in the Niagara Region and what the Canadian government can do to help mitigate these impacts.

The event will take place between 9:00-11:30 a.m. on campus in the big meeting room (W212). This will be a structured open house style event and is really just a platform for current and future young professionals in the Niagara Region to come together and discuss climate change impacts with one of their federal government representatives. Continue reading →

“Seemingly insurmountable student debt delays important life milestones for young people such as buying a car, owning a home, starting a family or starting a business.  This makes student debt not only a burden for those who carry it, but on the provincial economy as a whole.” –                                               Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath

News from Ontario’s New Democratic Party

Posted November 7th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Toronto, Ontario – Today at Queen’s Park Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath launched a new website aimed at empowering young people to tell their stories of how student debt is affecting their lives.

Horwath was joined by young people from across Ontario for the launch where she reiterated the NDP’s promise to immediately remove the interest from Ontario student loans if the party forms government in 2018.

“This is a first step in addressing the crisis of student debt in Ontario and it is an important one,” said Horwath. “Seemingly insurmountable student debt delays important life milestones for young people such as buying a car, owning a home, starting a family or starting a business.  This makes student debt not only a burden for those who carry it, but on the provincial economy as a whole.”

The Canadian Federation of Students-Ontario strongly supports the NDP’s commitment to remove interest from Ontario student loans and is enthusiastic about the chance for young people to tell their stories.

“Students from across Ontario welcome the NDP’s decision to remove interest on provincial student loans. This is one of the demands of our Fight the Fees campaign that saw thousands of students across the province demand immediate action to address the student debt crisis,” said Rajean Hoilett, Chairperson of the CFS-Ontario. “We hope that this is the first step in realizing students vision for a high-quality system of college and university that is free of financial barriers and accessible to all.”

Ahmad Moussaoui, a 26 year-old resident of Windsor was one of the young people who joined Horwath in Toronto.  Moussaoui is the creator of an online petition calling for an end to student debt that has already received the support of 60,000 people.  He is excited about the chance to join with the NDP and raise the level of urgency of tackling student debt in Ontario.

“If I didn’t have my student debt, I could afford to live on my own and invest in growing my business, and maybe, eventually, I could buy a house,” said Moussaoui.  “Taking the interest off my student loan would definitely be an important first step in helping with my loan.  Thanks to Andrea and the NDP for helping young people raise awareness of this important issue through the new website.”

www.endstudentdebt.ca is live today and will help the NDP fight for an end to student debt in Ontario by collecting stories from young people about how it is affecting them.

Once again, to engage the Ontario’s NDP new ‘End Student Debt’ site, click on – www.endstudentdebt.ca

Visit Niagara At Large at www.niagaraatlarge.com for more news and commentary for and from the greater bi-national Niagara region.

NOW IT IS YOUR TURN. Niagara At Large encourages you to share your views on this post in the space below the Bernie quote .

A reminder that we only post comments by individuals who share their first and last name with them.

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

Province Focused on Supporting Economic Growth

A News Message from Brad Duguid, the Ontario Liberal Government’s Minister of Economic Development and Growth

Posted November 7^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Ontario Economic Development Minister Brad Duguid

In October, employment in Hamilton increased by 3,400 and employment in St. Catharines-Niagara increased by 2,700 jobs. This is Hamilton’s third consecutive month and St. Catharines-Niagara’s fifth consecutive month of significant job growth

.rovince-wide, Ontario’s unemployment rate decreased to 6.4 per cent in October, and has been lower than the national average for 18 months in a row.

The October job numbers bring the total increase in employment since the recessionary low in June 2009 to 641,100. The majority of these new jobs are full time positions in the private sector and in industries that pay above-average wages. Continue reading →

“(Ontario) Conservatives and Liberals have both failed West Lincoln Memorial Hospital. Conservatives tried to shut down this hospital.  Liberals cancelled the new hospital project in 2012.” – Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath

News on the Niagara West By-Election from Ontario’s New Democratic Party

Posted November 7^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Grimsby, Niagara – This past November 4^th, Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath joined NDP by-election candidate for the riding of Niagara West-Glanbrook to commit the party to fighting for the redevelopment of the West Lincoln Memorial Hospital.

A rendering of a new West Lincoln Memorial Hospital in Niagara that – after more than a decade – has still not been approved by the province to be built.

 “Conservatives and Liberals have both failed West Lincoln Memorial Hospital,” said Horwath at a media availability in front of the hospital. “Conservatives tried to shut down this hospital.  Liberals cancelled the new hospital project in 2012.” Continue reading →

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

Posted November 4rth, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Oh, those damn politicians!

Pelham Mayor and regional councilor Dave Augustyn, one of the eight who showed the courage this October 31st to vote ‘NO’ on the CAO hiring.

As a group, they’ve never come anywhere near to being the most popular people on the planet. And these days –to paraphrase and generalize something American rock legend David Crosby recently said when he was asked if he could ever see himself voting for Donald Trump – it seems like most everyday citizens  would ‘rather eat a porcupine’ than vote for one of them.

If that’s so, there must have been an extra heaping helping of porcupine on the menu in this region of the world this week after the regional council got through hiring Carmen D’Angelo, the controversial CAO of the equally controversial Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority, to the loftiest of all administrative roles – that of CAO – in Niagara’s regional government.

In the wake of D’Angelo’s hiring at a hastily called special meeting of regional council this October 31^st, I found my answering machine and inbox filled with messages from area residents – many of them saying, in so many colourful words, a pox on them all.

That meant a pox on each and every one of the politicians sitting on regional council and, as much as I share the anger, tarring them all with one brush would be unfair and wrong.

Thorold regional councilor Henry D’Angela, another one of the eight who showed the courage to vote “No”.

I believe that it is important to point out at the end of a week when so many of us were understandably outraged at the way this whole hiring thing went down, that there are eight politicians on that regional council that had showed the courage and the principle to stand up to Niagara regional chair Al Caslin and his cabal, and to vote “No” to plunking that cabal’s hand-picked character into this most important public service job!

Those eight regional councillors, including two local mayors in Niagara, are as follow, and I urge you to remember their names right up to the next municipal elections in the fall of 2018 so that, should they choose to run for another term of council, we all get out and make sure they get back in again.

Those eight regional councillors, in alphabetical order include – Pelham Mayor and regional councilor Dave Augustyn, Thorold regional councillor Henry D’Angela (that is D’Angela with an “a” so that we are not mixing this good guy up with D’Angelo), St. Catharines regional councillor Kelly Edgar, St. Catharines regional councillor Brian Heit, Lincoln regional councillor Bill Hodgson, Thorold Mayor Ted Luciani, St. Catharines regional councilor Debbie MacGregor and Welland regional councillor George Marshall.

Continue reading →

More part-time jobs while Ontario continues to shed both private sector and full-time jobs.

A Shot at Ontario’s Liberal Government from the Opposition Conservatives

Posted November 4rth, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Queen’s Park, Ontario –This Friday, November 4rth, Statistics Canada released Ontario’s October job numbers showing that Ontario lost 7,200 full-time jobs, while shedding 5,000 important private-sector jobs.

Welcome to Ontario, Canada – the land of low-income, part-time McJobs.

“Last month (October), Ontario lost thousands of good paying jobs. The private sector was hit especially hard. Unfortunately, this doesn’t come as a surprise given the climate that the Wynne-government has created for businesses and job creators,” said Ontario PC Economic Development Critic Monte McNaughton.

“Trading important full-time jobs, for more transient part-time work is no way to grow our economy,” said McNaughton. “I continue to press the government to focus on the key fundamentals such as getting hydro rates under control and reducing the 380,000 different rules and regulations that are choking our economy and costing us good jobs.” Continue reading →

– Wednesday, November 9th at 7:30 P.M. In St. Catharines, Niagara, Ontario

An Invited from the Indigenous Solidarity Coalition at Brock University and Niagara District Council of Women

Posted November 4th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

The Indigenous Solidarity Coalition @ Brock, in partnership with the Niagara District Council of Women, invite members of the Niagara Region to an upcoming workshop focused on peace and reconciliation. When: Wednesday November 9th at 7pm  Where: Bankers Room and then at 7:30 p.m.   the Mills Room, St.Catharines Public Library, 54 Church Street, downtown St.Catharines

“Working together to build Indigenous-settler relations based on peace, friendship and respect” Continue reading →

Cindy Forster Talks About Region’s Rush To Hire New CAO And Why She Believes There Is A Need For A Forensic  Audit Of The Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority

A News Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted November 3^rd, 2016 on Niagara At Large

“What was the rush,” asked Welland Riding MPP Cindy Forster during 10 minute of air time she was granted this past November 1^st on 610 CKTB radio’s Larry Fedoruk Show.

Welland Riding MPP Cindy Forster

What was the rush, indeed!

Forster, a former Welland mayor and regional councillor who is now serving as the Niagara riding of Welland’s MPP, was making a reference to the very few days between the time a number of Niagara regional councillors heard rumors that Carmen D’Angelo –CAO of the embattled Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA) – was teed up to be hired as the new CAO for Niagara’s regional government. Continue reading →

“The chance of Jessie and Clarence Terpstra being reunited is zero (and) this is wrong. The system has to be changed.”                – NDP health critic France Gélinas

News from the Ontario New Democratic Party

Posted November 3^rd, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Niagara couple Clarence and Jessie Terpstra facing forced separation after seven decades together.

Queen’s Park, Toronto – France Gélinas, MPP for Nickel Belt and the Ontario NDP’s Health and Long-Term Care critic, rose in the legislature this November 2^nd to demand the Wynne government change its inadequate spousal reunification policy in the province’s long-term care system, after an elderly married couple were unwillingly separated in Grimsby.

“After almost 70 years of marriage, Jessie and Clarence have now been separated by what I call our heartless long-term care system,” said Gélinas. Continue reading →

Join A TPP Day of Action In St. Catharines, Niagara                       – Saturday, November 5th

A Call-Out from Fiona McMurran, South Niagara Chapter of the Council of Canadians

Posted November 3rd, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – A free trade deal that brings more job losses and higher drug costs to Canadians is no deal say Niagara residents set to meet this Saturday to voice concerns that big corporations and financial institutions are the only winners in the Trans Pacific Partnership.

 The community is urged to gather Saturday, Nov. 5, at 11 a.m. outside the office of St. Catharines MP, Chris Bittle, 61 Geneva St., for a TPP Day of Action.

One of the many past rallies against TPP trade deal – this one on a Welland Canal bridge crossing in St. Catharines, Niagara – File photo by Joanne McDonald.

 “Council of Canadians members from London, Hamilton and Guelph will join Niagara activists to draw attention to the problems with the TPP, and to let our MPs know that constituents will be taking notice of how they vote when this deal comes to Parliament for ratification,” said Fiona McMurran, South Niagara Chapter, Council of Canadians. Continue reading →

News from Brock University and the University of Buffalo

Posted November 3^rd, 2016 on Niagara At Large

A research project between universities in neighbouring countries will take a close look at the economy on both sides of the Niagara River.

Brock University’s Niagara Community Observatory and the University at Buffalo’s Regional Institute have teamed up to create a one-year research project that is taking an inventory of the two neighbouring economies.

The skyline of downtown Buffalo, New York with Niagara, Ontario across the river in the background.

The project aims to lay the groundwork for regional economic growth stemming from the start-up of cross-border partnerships. Continue reading →

“I know that no one in this house today, including the Health Minister, would ever want their parents to be separated in to different long-term care homes in different cities after a lifetime together.” – Niagara Falls MPP Wayne Gates

News from the Office of Niagara Falls Riding MPP Wayne Gates

Posted November 2^nd, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Queen’s Park, Toronto — NDP MPP for Niagara Falls, Wayne Gates, appealed to the Premier this November 2nd to address concerns with long-term care that have arisen around an elderly couple in Niagara.

Niagara Falls MPP Wayne Gates in the Ontario legislature. File photo

“Yesterday (November 1st) I was back in Niagara to meet Helen. Helen has been put in a terrible position by this government. You see her parents have been married for 70 years and were never apart before they needed long-term care in August. Helen’s father Clarence is a resident at Shalom Manor in Grimsby.

But her mom Jessie is at a home in St. Catharines. Clarence and Jessie have been separated, in their final years, after spending a life time together. And under the completely inadequate Couple Reunification Program, chances are they will never live together again,” said Gates.  “What will the Premier do today to help Helen reunite her parents and make sure they don’t spend another day apart?” Continue reading →

By Brent Patterson, Council of Canadians

Posted November 2^nd, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and European Union leaders signed the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) on Sunday, but signing and ratification are two very different things. The agreement still faces an uphill ratification battle that could be played out over the next five years.

1 – A Belgian region could scrap it during provisional application The Globe and Mail reports, “[It has] emerged [that CETA] could be scrapped at any time before final ratification… Final ratification is still required by the European Parliament and the legislatures in each EU member country… The EU and Belgium have now agreed that any one of Belgium’s regions can scrap CETA at any time before the final ratification vote if MPs don’t believe CETA is working… That would effectively kill the treaty because it would mean Belgium couldn’t ratify it.” Continue reading →

At Old Fort Erie In Niagara,   – Sunday November 6^th At 1 P.M.

An Invite from Ontario’s Niagara Parks Commission

Posted November 2^nd, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Fort Erie, Ontario – As part of its Old Fort Erie Speakers Series, The Niagara Parks Commission (NPC) is pleased to announce that on Sunday, November 6, at 1:00 p.m., it will host two guest speakers: Amek Adler, a Polish Holocaust survivor from the Second World War, as well as Bud Whiteye, a Canadian Residential School survivor.

Old Fort Erie at the south end of the Niagara Parksway in the Town of Fort Erie, Ontaro – a historic setting for Niagara Park’s speakers’ series.

Amek Adler was born in Lublin, Poland, in 1928 and grew up in Lodz. After Nazi occupation in 1939, his family escaped to Warsaw and then to Radom. In 1943, Amek was deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau, and from there was eventually shipped to Dachau, where his father and one brother perished. Continue reading →

Welland Riding MPP Cindy Forster Now Urges Ontario Natural Resources Minister To Order A Full Forensic Audit On Controversial Agency

By Doug Draper, reporter/publisher, NAL

Posted November 2^nd, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – In the wake of growing public anger over a decision by a majority of Niagara regional councillors to approve hiring outgoing Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority CA) Carmen D’Angelo as the next CAO of the regional government, Welland Riding MPP Cindy Forster is now urging Ontario’s Minister of Resources to order a full forensic audit of the NPCA’s operations.

Welland Riding MPP Cindy Forster in the Ontario legislature. File photo

The demand for a full forensic audit is contained in a letter Forster sent to the MNR Minister Kathryn McGarry this November 2^nd and follows up an October 31^st letter she sent to the minister, asking for an audit that would have been of a more garden variety, production of a financial statement nature.

A full forensic audit is employed to drilldown further to the core of the operations, and how a body’s finances (and in the case of the Niagara Peninsula Conservation, the finances amount to millions of public tax dollars) are being used or allegedly abused by those within an organization and other parties they may be doing business with.

“It’s been brought to my attention that a motion at a recent Niagara Regional Council meeting, requesting a financial audit of the NPCA, was defeated,” says Forster in her letter to the Ontario Natural Resources minister. “Given the alarm bells that many in my community have raised around the lack of financial transparency and given that $7.3 million in funding it receives are taxpayer dollars, I find this extremely troubling. As such, I urge you to launch an immediate forensic financial audit of the NPCA.” Continue reading →

“Thank you to the (hiring) committee for its very hard work.” – Niagara Falls regional councillor Selina Volpatti

A News Brief by Doug Draper, with more news and commentary on this development to come later

October 31^st, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – Niagara’s regional government has a new Chief Administrative Officer.

NPCA CAO Carmen D’Angelo is picked for CAO post for Niagara regional government

And as rumours going back to late last spring and reaching a crescendo within the past few days would have it, Niagara’s top municipal job – commanding an annual salary of more than $230,000 when the region’s last CAO vacated it early this year – – goes to the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority’s chief administrative officer, Carmen D’Angelo.

Given concerns many Niagara residents have expressed over the direction the Conservation Authority has taken in recent times when it comes to such issues as protecting wetlands and other natural features in the region, D’Angelo’s choice for the job is a controversial one – but it was approved at a hastily called, special session of regional council this October 31^st by a vote of 17 to eight.

A discussion over a recommendation to hire D’Angelo on a three-year contract as CAO was discussed behind closed doors before a vote was recorded with those in favour of hiring him voting “YES” and those against voting “NO”.

Here is the vote, as it appeared on the screen for about two dozen Niagara area residents who sat in the regional council chamber’s gallery.

Niagara At Large has learned from sources that as many as 17 individuals applied for the CAO job, with only a few finally making the cut for an interview before a five-member panel of regional council, including Niagara Regional Chair (and former regional councilor from St. Catharines) Al Caslin, recommended D’Angelo for the October 31st vote. Continue reading →

“The effectiveness and the credibility of the (NPCA, which I have addressed numerous times in the Legislature, appear to be at stake.” – Welland Riding MPP Cindy Forster

A Full Text of the MPP’s audit demand included below

By Doug Draper, Niagara At Large

Posted October 31^st, 2016

Niagara, Ontario – This past spring, a request to Niagara’s regional council by area resident Ed Smith and numerous other residents from across the region for an independent audit of the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority’s operations was voted down by a majority of councillors.

Welland Riding MPP Cindy Forster

Some of the councillors accused Smith of making statements about the NPCA and at least some of its board members, including St. Catharines regional councillor Bruce Timms, who serves as the board’s chair, that were untrue and even defamatory.

As a follow-up to Smith’s failed request for the audit, Niagara’s regional chair Al Caslin wrote Timms and the NPCA board a letter of apology on behalf of the region’s council for statements Smith made – statements that Smith and others, including St. Catharines regional councillor Brian Heit, who was acting as chair of the spring meeting, said they did not believe were out of line  or defamatory at all. Continue reading →

“Weaving a Story of Indigenous Hope” – Tuesday, November 1^st at 7:30 P.M. in the Niagara, Ontario City of St. Catharines

A Message on this Special Evening Event from Karl Dockstader

Our oldest Haudenosaunee story has this moment where Sky Woman has found herself on the back of the very beginning of Turtle Island.

I made this simple sketch and as I was drawing it all I was thinking about was how when I first heard the story how alone she must have felt in that moment. She must have thought about everything she left behind in the Sky World. Sky Woman’s entire life was something that she would never be a part of again and now in this moment she stood there isolated. Alone. Continue reading →

‘The future of a vital and integrated cultural educational centre in and for Niagara needs our community care right now.’

By Julia Blushak

Posted October 31^st, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – A wind of change rattles the windows at Rodman Hall Art Centre in St. Catharines and now gathers with some menace––to upset the very structure and spirit of what many consider a respected grand dame for culture in Niagara.

Rodman Hall Arts Centre in the Niagara, Ontario community of St. Catharines

Since Brock University’s public announcement to ease away from its contractual management responsibilities in 2023, a behind the scenes series of meetings of the Brock Board of Trustees, the Burlington PR firm Interkom and community stakeholders drafted 3 options to initiate a transitional plan for Rodman Hall’s survival.

Last week, and with short notice, a series of four public consultations began as part of this solution seeking process. Those in attendance at the Niagara Artists Centre and the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts were briefed and welcomed to offer suggestions that speak to sustainability, capital investment and alternative solutions to address bricks and mortar issues. Continue reading →

A Brief One by Doug Draper

Posted October 30^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

The days are growing shorter, the nights are growing longer and darker, there is a chill in the air, and if that isn’t enough to put any and all fond memories you may have of the summer gone by on ice, there is the spectre of creepy clowns with black balloons trolling the streets of neighbourhoods across our nations this Halloween.

And that is not even where the journey into the heart of darkness ends this Halloween eve.

In the United States, there is the prospect of Donald Trump winning one of the most powerful elected office in the world (not to mention access to the nuclear launch codes), followed by the prospect of Hillary Clinton winning the U.S. presidency and turning her back on every last promise she made to Bernie Sanders and his millions of supporters to pursue a more progressive agenda as she pivots and triangulates her way back to her Wall Street sponsors. Continue reading →

News from the Office of Canada’s Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau

Posted October 30^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

(A Brief Forward Note from Niagara At Large – We are posting the “good news” on the signing of this trade deal, as circulated to media outlets across the country, for our reader’s information and for readers to comment on below. More critical commentary on the deal is sure to follow soon, and that will be posted here too.

Keep in mind, that this trade deal still needs to be ratified by Canada’s Parliament before it is a done deal, so get ready for some fireworks from the opposition party benches.)

Canada is committed to deepening trade and investment links with new and traditional partners. Negotiating trade agreements, such as the Canada-European Union (EU) Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), will benefit Canadians, create new job opportunities, and help to grow the middle class and those working hard to join it.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau signs trade deal with his European Union counterparts.

In keeping with these objectives, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, together with Donald Tusk, President of the European Council, and Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European Commission, signed CETA during today’s (this October 30th) European Union-Canada Leaders’ Summit. Continue reading →

Trick-or-treating, Jack-O’-Lanterns and scary movies. What better way to prepare yourself for Halloween than to binge watch the Top 5 horror films of all time, according to a Brock University expert on horror cinema.

A Halloween Eve Posting from Brock University professor Barry Grant

Posted October 28^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Barry Grant, Professor in the Department of Communication, Popular Culture and Film, is internationally known for his research on horror and science fiction films and has written or edited more than two dozen books on the topic.

“Horror movies aim to rudely move us out of our complacency in daily life by way of negative emotions such as horror, fear, suspense, terror and disgust,” says Grant, who’s Planks of Reason: Essays on the Horror Film released in 1984 was the first scholarly anthology on horror and helped make the genre an acceptable field of academic inquiry. “Horror addresses fears that are universally taboo and respond to historically and culturally specific anxieties.”

Grant’s research explains how these films offer a release of our own (and collective) fears by providing us with vicarious, but controlled thrills. Continue reading →

Please Help If You Have Any Idea Where He May Be

Contact information for Snowshoe’s family is posted below.

Posted by Doug Draper, publisher, Niagara At Large

October 30^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Here is a brief call-out from the volunteer group Niagara Action For Animals about the ongoing search for a beloved family cat named Showshoe.

Help us return Snowshoe home.

– Snowshoe is still missing despite her guardians, Joe & Sheila, doing everything they can to find her.

If you can share this with your friends and especially anyone living in the South end of St. Catharines – ask them to check their basements, garages, out-buildings!  Sheila and Joe want to know what has happened to her even if it is not good news. Details from previous email below. Continue reading →

An Invite to the discussion from Brock University

Posted October 27^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

St. Catharines, Ontario – A presidential candidate accused of sexually assaulting more than a dozen women over the years. Another accused of deleting thousands of emails. Debates heavy on character assassination.

The U.S. election campaign has been one like no other, and on Tuesday a panel of Brock University experts will examine what’s happening in our neighbouring country.

The Making Sense of the U.S. Presidential Election panel will be held Tuesday, Nov. 1 from 7-9 p.m. in the Mills Room of the St. Catharines Public Library. Continue reading →

‘Ontario’s animal protection system has deficiencies that need to be addressed.’ – Zoocheck director Rob Laidlaw

News from Zoocheck and the Animal Alliance of Canada

Posted October 27^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Toronto, Ontario – Two of Canada’s national animal protection organizations, Zoocheck and Animal Alliance announced this Ocotber 25^th that they have contracted Mike Zimmerman, the former senior civil servant in charge of Ontario’s animal welfare legislation, to produce a report on the current state of animal welfare in the province.

“We think the situation needs to be carefully reviewed”, said Zoocheck’s Director, Rob Laidlaw.

“The people of Ontario care about animals, however most don’t know that our animal protection system has deficiencies that need to be addressed. Zoocheck’s focus is on animals in captivity and we have particular concerns in that area, but all animals deserve the best protection possible from cruelty and neglect and we want to do our part to help make that happen”. Continue reading →

 Young Activists Win ‘Badge Of Honour’ With Civil Disobedience In Ottawa, Canada

A News Commentary by Nick Fillmore

Posted October 26^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Ninety-nine young environmental activists achieved their goal on Parliament Hill on Monday by carrying out acts of civil disobedience. The boisterous group climbed over restricted-area police barricades near the Peace Tower.

Those arrested were part of a group of 200 protesting the possible construction of the Alberta to B.C. Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain pipeline. Some carried a giant banner reading: “Climate Leaders Don’t Build Pipelines.”

The 99 arrested were taken to a police station where they were issued citations and told not to appear on Parliament Hill for three months. They will not have criminal records, but police took their personal information. It’s unclear whether the information will go into a police database.

Protest spokeswoman Amanda Harvey-Sanchez, a third-year University of Toronto student, told media that pipeline approvals are a deal-breaker for many younger voters who helped propel the Trudeau Liberals to a majority government in last October’s general election. Continue reading →

By Doug Draper

Posted October 26^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

When I was hired fresh out of journalism school, to my first job at the then locally owned St. Catharines Standard in the summer of 1979, one of the first people I worked on a story with at the newspaper was photo journalist Mike Conley.

Mike was a tall, friendly guy who I immediately clicked with. He was patient with this green guy and what impressed me the most, is that it wasn’t just another click-the-shutter-and-run, photo shoot for him. He cared enough to stay around and capture the essence of the story I was tasked to capture in words – even when, in this particular case, neither one of us was likely to win a national newspaper award for a story about kids participating in a sheep shearing contest at the Welland fall fair.

That is one of the qualities that always separated true photojournalists like Mike – and a multiple award-winning photo journalist he was – from just plain photographers. And from that first story on, he was a friend and a mentor I always looked forward to going on assignments with as I graduated from sheep shearing contests to covering the environment beat at the newspaper. Continue reading →

Topics Include ‘Truth & Reconcilliation’ and ‘Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Women & Children’

• At Grace Mennonite Church in St. Catharines , Ontario– Tuesday, November 1st

An Outreach Initiative of the BRIDGE OF HOPE, the Refugee Sponsorship Organization of  Muslims, Mennonites and Quakers in the Niagara Area

Posted October 25th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Karl Dockstader, seen here at a rally to save the Thundering Waters Forest in Niagara Falls, Ontario this summer, is one of the speakers at the November 1st Bridge of Hope event.

Niagara, Ontario – There is an event scheduled for Tuesday November 1^st at 7:30 p.m. that has been designed to help us all understand better,  the past and future of First Nations peoples in Canada.

Two Indigenous presenters will describe historic treaties and events and how they influence the present and future.

You will hear how this century brings Hope to right many wrongs and respect the Treaties signed by First Nations and the Colonial Crown which helped form our country. Continue reading →

‘Where was the provincial government oversight?’ – Wynne won’t comment on ‘ongoing police investigation

Joint statement from NDP MPPs Teresa Armstrong (London-Fanshawe) and Peggy Sattler (London West) on revelations in multiple-murder investigation

Posted October 25^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Queen’s Park, Toronto – “This (October 25th) morning, all Ontarians learned about the horrific multiple-murder investigation in Woodstock and London.

Like our constituents in London, we are shocked and saddened by this news. Our hearts go out to the families and loved ones of all the victims of these alleged crimes. Every resident and every family of loved ones in long-term care has questions today. In the coming days and weeks, they will need answers.”

During Question Period this October 25th, MPP Armstrong, who also serves as NDP Critic for Seniors Affairs, asked the following questions to the Premier: Continue reading →

For 30 years, Japan has been slaughtering thousands of beautiful whales despite a total global ban

A Call-Out from Avaaz, a global on-line citizens activist group

Posted October 25^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Dear friends,

For 30 years, Japan has been slaughtering thousands of beautiful whales despite a total global ban, but we can finally make it stop.

Right now, at a historic global summit on whaling, Australia is leading a coalition to help close the crazy loophole that has allowed Japan to keep whaling by claiming it’s for “scientific purposes”.

The result could be decided by just one or two votes, but if we make this huge in a few key countries and deliver a million signatures to their delegations just before the vote — just hours away — we can stop this whale slaughter for good! Click to stop the Japanese whale slaughter Continue reading →

A News Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted October 24^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – Sam Oosterhoff – a 19-year-old Brock University student who was not old enough to vote in the last provincial election – beat the odds this October 22^nd to win the Ontario Progressive Conservative’s nomination to run in the Niagara West-Glanbrook Riding in the coming November 19^th by-election.

19-year-old, Brock political science student Sam Oosterhoff pulls an October surprise at Tory nomination meeting in Niagara West-Glanbrook riding.

And Oosterhoff could very well go on to win that by-election in a riding that was held by recently retired PC leader Tim Hudak and that is home to small town and rural constituencies that, with very few exceptions, have had a long history of backing Tory candidates at the provincial, federal and municipal government levels.

Oosterhoff’s bid for the nomination barely received a footnote in mainstream media reports leading up to his victory as most of the attention went to presumed frontrunners Rick Dykstra, a former federal Harper Conservative MP from St. Catharines, Grimsby regional councillor Tony Quirk and, to a lesser extent, longtime Grimsby area newspaper owner and editor Mike Williscraft.

For Dykstra, who was also a St. Catharines city councillor before winning a seat in the Harper government in the 2016 federal election, the nomination loss to Oosterhoff came almost a year to the day after he lost his St. Catharines Riding seat to Liberal Chris Bittle. Continue reading →