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“As the entire world sits on the edge of a knife watching the scientific community race toward a solution, delivery of a sub-optimal COVID-19 vaccine would significantly contribute to erosion of public trust in scientific pursuit and public health and jeopardize the integrity and success of immunization programs around the world.”                                                                                       – Brock U.researchers Adam MacNeil and Jeremia Coish

A News Release from Brock University in Niagara, Ontario

Posted August 17^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – Russia made headlines this week with claims it had approved an early COVID-19 vaccine, despite it being tested in fewer than 100 people  North American researchers have also proposed and then walked back on unorthodox modifications to Phase III trials with the goal of accelerating vaccine delivery.

Brock University PhD student Jeremia Coish, left, and Associate Professor of Health Sciences Adam MacNeil work in BrockUniversity’s Level 3 containment laboratory, a special facility that enables researchers to study infectious pathogens such as Zika, West Nile, and SARS-CoV-2 virus. Coish and MacNeil are among scientists urging that Phase III clinical trials for potential COVID-19 vaccines are not rushed. Photo by Mariana Garrido de Castro.

Against the unprecedented backdrop of scientists around the world taking careful steps to move more than 165 vaccine candidates through clinical trials at a time of urgent global need, researchers are sounding the warning bell.

Their message: don’t cut corners on clinical trials.

Continue reading →

And the Prison Guards Include the Governments of Canada, European Union (EU) Countries and the Bahamas, Among a Multitude of Others

A Commentary by American filmmaker, author and political activist Michael Moore, from Michael Moore’s Facebook Page

Posted August 15^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Political activist and Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker Michael Moore

Planning a trip over the holidays?

You do realize the rest of the world has placed us in our own private prison, right?

We are now prohibited from traveling to and entering without restriction nearly every single nation on Earth.

Only EIGHT countries will currently let anyone holding an American passport in without any restrictions (no quarantine, no pre-testing, no visa, no nothing).

Here are the only nations you can freely travel to without question or a doctor’s note as an American:

Continue reading →

“With the grim struggle in both Europe and Asia over, the world mourned the steep human cost of a war that had ravaged it for almost six years. In Canada alone, we grieved and honoured more than 45,000 who had lost their lives and 55,000 who were wounded.”                                                                                                      – Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada

A Statement by the Prime Minister on the 75th Anniversary of Victory over Japan Day and the end of the Second World War

Posted August 15^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Ottawa, Ontario – The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today (August 15^th, 2020) issued the following statement on the 75th anniversary of Victory over Japan Day and the end of the Second World War:

“Today (this Saturday, August 15th, 2020) , we pause to honour over one million Canadians and Newfoundlanders who served during the Second World War, including those who helped our Allies in the war in Asia and the Pacific.

“More than 10,000 Canadian service members fought courageously in Asia, with tens of thousands more volunteering to join the Pacific forces as part of the final Allied push to victory. Continue reading →

Canada’s Top Public Health Chief Warns of Possible ‘Major Spike’ This Fall

A Brief One from Doug Draper at Niagara At Large

Posted August 15th, 2020

Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer, warns of possible “major spike” in COVID-19 cases this fall, if we are not careful

To cop a line from Andrew Cuomo, the good Governor of neighbouring New York State, we Canadians “have been to hell and back” when it comes to how much COVID-19 ravaged our lives, our communities and our economies over the past six or so months.

Not to mention the more than 9,000 Canadians who have so far died, and the everlasting grief and suffering that has caused for their loved ones.

And there is no way of calculating the toll this plague has taken, in terms of stress and fear and depression, on our mental health.

So here we are now, many of our communities back in a so-called Stage 3 level of re-opening as we “flattened the curve,” and we all have the urge to bust out of our homes and go back to doing things in ways that seem like something normal. Continue reading →

A Case of Hypocrisy, Irresponsibility, and Using Children in an “Orwellian Experiment”

A Brief Commentary by Carla Rienzo

Posted August 14^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Signs like this, at Niagara’s Regional Government Headquarters, greet visitors at most municipal buildings across region and province during this COVID-19 health crisis. Do municipal officials know something that those running Ontario’s schools don’t?

So, we have every level of government, Federal, Provincial and Municipal, rushing to get our teachers, support staff and children back to school while they, themselves, refuse to open their own doors!

Teachers, principals, janitors, cafeteria attendants, librarians and the very students they serve cannot attend meetings at Queen’s Park, Regional Council, City Council or conduct face to face business at Service Canada or Service Ontario yet we are to believe that it is safe to go back to school?

Are taxpayers nothing more than guinea pigs; an experiment that might succeed but if it doesn’t can result in any number of bizarre and lifetime illnesses or death??!! Continue reading →

The End for this Magnificent Mammal Could Come by the End of This Century

News from the University of Toronto, with a brief Foreword by Doug Draper at Niagara At Large

Posted August 13^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

A Foreword by Doug Draper –

COVID-19 has certainly had a way of taking all of the oxygen when it comes to other issues our world is facing, hasn’t it.

To mention just one example, here we are faced with a full-fledged global climate emergency and yet, you hardly here a word about it because mainstream media outlets have felt pressed to invest what is left of their ever-shrinking newsroom resources covering the fallout from the global pandemic.

Just days ago, there were at least a few reports that one of the last, if not the very last major ice shelf collapsed in the Canadian Arctic as we continue sweating through a summer season of historically high temperatures.

As much as this may be “fake news” or another “hoax” to climate deniers, the long-term consequences of this are terrible for what is left of the biodiversity of life in the Arctic, for our oceans and for shoreline communities already facing rising water levels in North America and all over the world. Continue reading →

Would These Politicians Please Stop Behaving Like They Are Gifting Us Money Out of Their Own Pockets!

It’s Our Money and It Should Be There For Us in Times of Trouble. Forget About the Self-Promoting Quotes and Photo Opportunities. Show Some  Humility

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

Posted August 12^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

On this August 12th, this online news outlet has received, as I would imagine most other media outlets have across Niagara and this province, another in a number of media releases from provincial and federal government representatives – this one informing us that our municipalities will be  receiving at least some of the emergency funding they so desperately to get us through this ongoing global pandemic.

It is certainly good that our regional and local municipalities are receiving this federal/provincial assistance – Niagara’s regional government is reportedly receiving close to $12.2 million and Niagara’s 12 local municipalities are each receiving amounts in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, and up to more than $7 million for the City of St. Catharines – at a time when they have been struggling to keep services operating during a time that, for most of the past three or months, so much of the normally working economy has been shut down. Continue reading →

Region Now has “Green Bins Galore” to Satisfy  120-Per-Cent Spike in Demand from Niagara Homeowners

A News Release from Niagara’s Regional Government

Posted August 12^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – Demand for Green Bins in Niagara has spiked by 127 per cent (June /July 2020 compared to June/July 2019) in advance of curbside waste collection changes coming Oct. 19, and Niagara Region has responded by preparing 2,000 new bins for residents to pick up.

The new Green Bins arrived recently following a surge in requests from residents. Niagara Region is encouraging residents, who do not have a Green Bin – used for recycling food and organic waste, to purchase a bin if they do not have one ahead of the coming shift to every-other-week garbage collection.

Blue/Grey Box and Green Bin material will continue to be picked up weekly.

“People have really begun to get on board with the Green Bin program since we’ve launched our Box It. Bin It. Sort It campaign,” says Catherine Habermebl, director of Niagara Region Waste Management. “Since we first posted on social media on June 17 about the changes, we had more than 2,000 people pick up a Green Bin, which almost depleted our current stock.” Continue reading →

Joe Biden Has Picked a Winner

A Brief Comment by Doug Draper

Posted August 11^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Joe Biden does right in his pick of California Senator Kamala Harris as a presidential running mate. For those of us praying for the day Trump is fired out of the Oval Office, let’s wish Biden and Harris the very best.

For people around the world who have been holding their breath, hoping that the U.S. Democratic Party’s presumptive presidential candidate Joe Biden would pick the best person possible to help sweep the orange monster from office this November, Biden could hardly have done better this August 11^th in his choice of California Senator Kamala Harris.

Biden’s choice of Kamala Harris as his vice-presidential running mate makes history in a country that has had more of its share of problems giving a fair shot to women and to people of colour

Kamala Harris is the first woman of colour in the close to 250-year history of the United States to run for vice president.

She is also, for many of us who have, for better or worse, been following American politics in recent years, charismatic, highly intelligent, a person of passion of fairness and passion when it comes to fellow citizens in need, and someone who can be as sharp and as tough as she needs to be with adversaries. Continue reading →

Brock University professor and research Jessica Blythe

“There are looming food — and associated social and political — crises associated with oceans and fisheries. Oceans are a critical part of the climate conversation that are often overlooked.”  – Jessica Blythe, Assistant Professor in Brock University’s Environmental Sustainability Research Centre

News from Brock University in St. Catharines

Posted August 11^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – Within 30 years, tropical fisheries — on which some 1.9 billion people depend on for their food and livelihood — may see a decline of 40 per cent if nothing is done to mitigate climate change.

This is the prediction of a new study, described in a paper co-authored by Jessica Blythe, Assistant Professor in Brock University’s Environmental Sustainability Research Centre (ESRC), and recently published in Nature Reviews — Earth & Environment<https://www.nature.com/articles/s43017-020-0071-9>.

The researchers mapped out the drastic effects that warming oceans, rising sea levels and changes to ocean chemistry and ecosystems will have on tropical fish stocks, and by extension, on people. In many Pacific island nations, for example, fish can make up as much as 90 per cent of the animal protein in an average person’s diet. Continue reading →

Government Delivers Early on Expanded Risk Management Program for Agro Sector

“This funding supports farmers with unforeseen challenges such as fluctuating market prices, extreme weather events like flooding or drought, and disease.”

News from Ontario’s Ford Government

Posted August 11^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Wellandport in Niagara, Ontario  – This August 10^th , Sam Oosterhoff MPP for Niagara West, welcomed the government’s action to expand the Risk Management Program a year earlier than planned by $50 million for a total of $150 million annually.

Niagara West MPP and Ontario Ford government rep Sam Oosterhoff announcing aid for farmers in the Niagara community of Wellandport this August 10th. Photo courtesy of the MPP’s constituency office

This funding supports farmers with unforeseen challenges such as fluctuating market prices, extreme weather events like flooding or drought, and disease.

The announcement was made on July 16 by Premier Doug Ford, and Ernie Hardeman, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.

Approximately 80 percent of eligible commercial production in the cattle, hog, sheep, veal, grains and oilseeds, and edible horticulture sectors in Ontario is covered by the provincial Risk Management Program. Continue reading →

The ugly truth is that from September 15 to December 31, anyone with a shotgun and a hunting licence (in Ontario) will be able to kill up to 15 cormorants a day.

‘There is no compelling evidence that cormorants have had a significant negative impact on commercial or sport fish stocks.’    – Anne Bell,  Ontario Nature’s director of conservation and education programs

A News Release from Anne Bell, Ontario Nature

Posted August 8^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Double-crested cormorant rests along wetland shores © cuatrok77 CC BY-SA 2.0

Who equates the words “fall harvest” with the slaughter of inedible birds? The Government of Ontario, apparently. On July 30th it announced the introduction of a fall hunting season for double-crested cormorants, using these fine words: “Fall Harvest for Double-Crested Cormorants Introduced to Protect Local Ecosystems.”

The ugly truth is that from September 15 to December 31, anyone with a shotgun and a hunting licence will be able to kill up to 15 cormorants a day.

Wanton disregard for wildlife bothers me at any time, but in this case, dressing up the carnage as “protecting fish and wildlife habitat,” as the government has done, is particularly abhorrent. Is it too much to ask that wildlife management be based on fact, not fiction? Continue reading →

“The findings and recommendation of this Science Advisory Board report are an unambiguous call to action for Canadian and US government leadership to explore and implement a holistic, ecosystem-based approach to managing invasive species, nutrients and fisheries, not just one or the other in isolation.”                                                                                                      – Jeff Ridal, SAB Science Priority Committee Canadian co-chair and executive director of the River Institute at Cornwall, Ontario

News from the Canada-U.S International Joint Commission’s Science Advisory Board

Posted August 10th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Shallow Lake Erie must stick to its strict diet to starve its problematic algal blooms, but the four deeper Great Lakes face a tricky dilemma balancing their nutrient needs, according to a new report by the International Joint Commission’s (IJC) Great Lakes Science Advisory Board.

Understanding Declining Productivity in the Offshore Regions of the Great Lakes looks at the decline in fish populations in the offshore regions of Lakes Huron, Michigan, Ontario and Superior. In the report, the Science Advisory Board (SAB) recommends a cooperative approach to ecosystem forecasting science.

Many complex factors contribute to the observed decline in fish populations in four of the five Great Lakes. Ultimately, however, disruptions to the food web and nutrient cycle are a cause of declining offshore productivity of the fishery in every Great Lake except Erie. Continue reading →

Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce Says Trump Tariffs Will Harm Both Americans and Canadians

A News Release from the Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerice in Niagara, Ontario

Posted August 7^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario  – The Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce (GNCC) is extremely disappointed to learn of the U.S. restoration of a 10% import tariff on Canadian aluminum.

This policy was misguided and economically harmful to both Americans and Canadians when it was first floated in 2018. Now, in the middle of a once-in-a-generation economic and public health crisis, it is even more so.

The GNCC has always been a proponent of free trade, recognizing that all sides benefit from the free flow of goods and services.

Previous U.S. tariffs and trade wars have only hurt Americans. Steel, aluminum, and softwood tariffs all increased prices for the American consumer. American manufacturing has reeled from the impact of the trade wars the U.S. has started with China, Mexico, and Canada.

The GNCC supports the actions of the Government of Canada to fight for free trade and to support Canadians and Canadian businesses. We hope that the U.S. government will see the folly of this decision and reverse it immediately.

The Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce is the largest business organization in Niagara and the second-largest Chamber of Commerce in Ontario, with 1,500 members representing 50,000 employees. More information on the GNCC is available at gncc.ca<https://gncc.ca/>.

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

“A Politician Thinks Of The Next Election. A Leader Thinks Of The Next Generation.” – Bernie Sanders

How in Hell Can You Have a Bi-National Business Relationship with a country of Whacked Out Xenophobes? It’s Like Trying to Live with a Mental Case

You want to play fast and loose with a killer virus in the United States. They stay out of Canada.

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

Posted August 7^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Canada can no longer risk staking our economic future on nut bars like this

“Canada has taken advantage of us as usual,” barfed America’s monster Trump during a visit to a washing machine factory in Ohio this August 6^th before – for reasons that might make sense only in his twisted mind – he called out that he is imposing another round of potentially damaging tariffs on Canadian aluminum, effective August 16th.

We have taken at advantage of the United States as usual, the orange monster says? What in hell is it with that!

Canada has had a long history of being a good neighbour and friend of the United States.

We have lived in peace with our American neighbours, and have even celebrated it in Niagara with an each“Friendship Festival” each Canada Day and Fourth of July at the Fort Erie/Buffalo border that, under the current circumstances, this once-America-loving Canadian could give a damn if we ever have again. Continue reading →

The Day the World’s First Nuclear Bomb was Dropped on Hiroshima, Japan

A Brief Commentary by Doug Draper, Niagara At Large

Posted August 6^th, 2020

One of the mushroom clouds from an atomic bomb dropped on a city in Japan, 75 years ago this August

“The release of atom power has changed everything except our way of thinking…the solution to this problem lies in the heart of mankind. If only I had known, I should have become a watchmaker.”             – Albert Einstein, a scientist and pacifist, whose ground-breaking research were used by others, in the Second World War-era “Manhattan Project” to build the first atomic bomb.

On August 6^th, 1945 – 75 years ago this August 6^th, 2020 – the world’s first atomic bomb, nicknamed “Little Boy,” was dropped on the City of Hiroshima, Japan.

Three days later, a second atomic bomb, this one named “Fat Boy” was dropped on the Japanese city of Nagasaki.

1945: Atomic bomb damage in Hiroshima. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

No one may ever know for sure, but estimates are that somewhere between about 130,000 and 225,000 civilians died in these two horrific bomb attacks, and on August 15^th, 1945 Japan surrendered to Allied forces in the Pacific and the Second World War – one of the most destructive events in human history – finally came to a complete end. Continue reading →

“In a pandemic, where immune compromised people are among the most vulnerable and where takeout has become the go-to eating out option due to physical distancing measures, there is no room for chemicals that could weaken the immune system in the wrappers and bowls that package our meals.”                                   – Muhannad Malas, Toxics program manager at Environmental Defence

A News Release from the public advocacy groups, Environmental Defence, Mind The Store Campaign And Toxic-Free Future

Posted August 8^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Toronto,Ontario — In a new report released today, Environmental Defence, the Mind the Store campaign, Toxic-Free Future, and its partners found that nearly half of all take-out food packaging tested from six popular food chains likely contains toxic PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances)—chemicals known to threaten human health and the environment.

The new study, Packaged in Pollution: Are food chains using PFAS in packaging?, analyzed packaging from top fast-food chains Burger King, McDonald’s, and Wendy’s as well as top health-minded food chains including Freshii.

The testing suggests toxic PFAS content in both McDonald’s “Big Mac” container and Burger King’s “Whopper” wrapper as well as the health-conscious chain’s salad bowls. Continue reading →

A Public Service Announcement from Niagara Health, Niagara, Ontario’s amalgamated system of hospital

Posted August 6^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – Niagara Health’s new temporary COVID-19 Assessment Centre has been opened for hospitality and tourism staff.

Niagara Health’s new temporary drive-through COVID-19 Assessment Centre opened this morning, in the parking lot at the Scotiabank Convention Centre in Niagara Falls, for testing hospitality and tourism employees.

The organization is reminding the public that appointments are required to be tested; the centre cannot accommodate walk-ins or friends and family members of the hospitality and tourism workers at this location. Continue reading →

The  NDP are calling for urgent changes, they’re also has pushing for a fully transparent public inquiry into long-term care and the conditions that led to the tragic COVID-19 outbreaks.

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

Posted August 5^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Ontario NDP and Official Opposition Andrea Horwath in St. Catharines this August 8th to press for more resources to safeguard province’s long-term care homes

ST. CATHARINES, Ontario – NDP Leader Andrea Horwath is calling on the Ford government to take urgent, immediate action so seniors can have a safer, better quality of life in long-term care.

Low staffing levels and a lack of standards and inspections mean seniors aren’t getting the time, care and attention they deserve, said Horwath.

Too often, that’s leaving our loved ones – ”the parents and grandparents who built this province” – to develop bedsores, to become malnourished or dehydrated, to suffer falls and to be more vulnerable to illness, including COVID-19, which took the lives of more than 1,840 people in long-term care. Continue reading →

It’s Not Only a Natural Treasure. It is a Historical Treasure Too!

A News Release from the Niagara, Ontario citizens group, Community Voices of Fort Erie

Posted August 5^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Waverly Woods – A Witness To History

Fort Erie – A Development Is Proposed For One Of The Most Historic Sites In Canada

A recent article in the Globe and Mail highlighted Fort Erie as the location for the first meeting of the Niagara Movement, which was the precursor to the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People).

A plaque in Waverly Woods at the site of the long-lost Erie Beach Hotel where African American members of what became known as “the Niagara movement” held a meeting in 1905 that eventually led to the formation of one of America’s most important civil rights groups, the NAACP. File photo by Doug Draper

Readers may be interested in learning that this area, known as Waverly Woods/Erie Beach, is steeped in history going back thousands of years.

Archaeological information shows that this is the site of an important Indigenous settlement.  Climate, flint for weapons, abundant flora and fauna, and a safe river crossing allowed them to live here for many centuries.

The War of 1812, which had a major impact on the creation of Canada, was a big part of Fort Erie’s history. Continue reading →

Don’t Believe That? Check out a Species called  ‘Impotus Americanus’, Lurking Across the Border in the Once-Great U.S.A.

A Brief Commentary by  Doug Draper, Niagara At Large

Posted August 5th, 2020

There is a team of former Republican Party operatives in the United States that is doing a better job than most Democrats and almost anyone else in producing stinging ads on Trump as the U.S. presidential election looms this coming November.

That team of disaffected Republicans  -individuals who worked on campaigns for the party going back to the Bushes and Reagan -calls itself The Lincoln Project, and here is one of its most recent ads, which plays on National Geographic and a voice sounding quite like the iconic British filmmaker and nature and wildlife documentarian Richard Attenborough.

Members of the Lincoln Project describe what is depicted in the ad this way – “Impotus Americanus is one of the heaviest leaders in the animal kingdom, and is famously known to be an orange, ruddy color not found in nature.”

To watch the ad, click on the screen immediately below –

Now here is a plea from at least one Canadian to my friends and neighbours in the the United States.

I understand that early voting is already starting or is about to start in many regions across your country for a presidential election set for November 3rd of this year.

Please, for the sake of yourselves, and for the sake of the world, go out and vote in droves. Use this election to make the Trump administration and all of the destructive, hate-filled madness it propagates go extinct.

This election may be the last chance you have to make your country great again.

• Doug Draper, Niagara At Large

For more on The Lincoln Project and its many great ads, click on – https://lincolnproject.us/

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

“A Politician Thinks Of The Next Election. A Leader Thinks Of The Next Generation.” – Bernie Sanders

Another Lesson In Throwing Our Tax Dollars at the Business Community and Taking Credit for It

Posted August 4^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

A Brief Commentary by Doug Draper of Niagara At Large, followed by one of the latest funding announcements from the Ford Government

By Doug Draper – 

I was given a heads up in an advisory from Ontario’s Ford government that Premier Doug Ford and his entourage would be in Niagara this August 4^th as part of a cross-province tour it is doing, as it throws money around, most at members of the business community, like  drunkin’ sailors.

Lincoln Mayor Sandra Easton, Ontario Minister Vic Fedeli, Premier Doug Ford, Niagara West MPP Sam Oosterhoff during one of the stops on a tour in Niagara this August 4th. Photo courtesy of Niagara West MPP Sam Oosterhoff’s constituency office

I was given a list of the times and locations where Ford and company would be doing their run through our region, and I decided from the get-go that there was no way I was going to run around with hapless mainstream media reporters, following this orchestrated show like a bunch of lemmings.

Yes, I know, I know.

The premier has taken the time to come here with some of his ministers, and always with his only fellow Tory MPP in the region, Niagara West’s Sam Oosterhoff, sprinkling money our way, and we should be ever so grateful.

Continue reading →

“Parents in Niagara have been waiting anxiously for a plan to reopen schools safely – Doug Ford gave them one written on the back of a napkin.”                                                                                      – Steven Del Duca, Leader of Ontario Liberal Party

A News Release from the Liberal Party of Ontario

Posted August 4^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Doug Ford Fails Parents And Students In Niagara, Once Again

Are Niagara’s grade school students and their parents, along with teachers and support workers ready to unlock the gates and board the school bus?

Niagara Falls, Ontario  – Doug Ford’s half-baked plan to reopen schools is nothing short of a catastrophe for parents, students, and teachers.

The plan falls short of even the basic standards set out by SickKids and blatantly ignores recommendations from school boards, teachers, education workers, healthcare associations, and parents.

“Parents in Niagara have been waiting anxiously for a plan to reopen schools safely – Doug Ford gave them one written on the back of a napkin,” said Steven Del Duca, Leader of the Ontario Liberal Party. “None of the concerns parents raised have been addressed. None.” Continue reading →

It Appears that for  Many Regional Councillors, “Ignorance” is Bliss, Says Niagara-wide citizens watchdog group

A News Commentary from a Better Niagara, a region-wide citizens watchdog group on government affairs

Posted August 4th, 2020 on Niagara At Large (originally posted July 24th on A Better Niagara’s Facebook page

In June, West Lincoln Mayor Dave Bylsma managed to score a hat-trick of bigoted comments during a radio interview that offended members of Niagara’s black, indigenous and LGBTQ communities, not to mention the majority of Niagara’s citizens who believe in an inclusive, welcoming Region.

Niagara’s Regional Council could have used the opportunity at its July 23rd  meeting to affirm that racism has no place in our community. They could have assured the public that they will work proactively to ensure that all community members feel safe, respected and welcome. Instead, they squandered the opportunity. Continue reading →

“Though I am gone, I urge you to answer the highest calling of your heart and stand up for what you truly believe.”                           – the late American civil rights icon and U.S Congressman John Lewis, in a message he wrote to all of us, shortly before his death  on July 17^th, 2020

John Lewis crosses the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama for the last time on July 26th, 2020, shortly after his death from cancer at age 80. 

A Brief One from Doug Draper, Niagara At Large Posted August 1^st, 2020

This August 1^st is Emancipation Day in Canada, in commemoration of 186 years since a law was signed on August 1^st, 1834, abolishing slavery across Canada and all other nations then part of the British Empire.

John Lewis, during a return to the Edmund Pettis Bridge in Selma Alabama, where in 1965 he was almost beaten to death by police during a march for voting rights.

As a little way of honouring Emancipation Day and all that it stands for here, I want to put on a video of the late, great civil rights activist John Lewis delivering a commencement address at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia in 2014. In place of delivering a tribute of her own (she delivered a moving eulogy later at John Lewis’s funeral), U.S. Congresswoman and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi chose to play an audio version of this address this July 28^th, while John Lewis body lay in state in the U.S. Capital building rotunda. Continue reading →

Province Setting Stage for “Fall Harvest” Aimed At Blowing Away Fish-Eating Birds

Double-Crested Cormorants being Scapegoated again for Depleting Fish Populations in Great Lakes

A  Foreword by Doug Draper at Niagara At Large followed by a New Release from Ontario’s Ford Government

Posted July 31st, 2020 on Niagara At Large

A Foreword by Doug Draper –

Well, here we go again.

Evidence shows there are a good deal more fish in the Great Lakes dying from algae pollution traced to human activities than from fish-eating birds. Yet the Ford government is not laying a glove on polluters. So let’s blow away fish-eating birds.

It was about 25 or so years ago while I was still working as a full-time environment reporter at The St. Catharines Standard, that I attended a meeting in a banquet room of the Beacon – a restaurant around Jordan Harbour overlooking Lake Ontario – that was packed with anglers and hunters, all ginned up to kill a bird on the Great Lakes called double-crested cormorants.

Their argument, over and over again, was that these birds are “stealing our fish,” and they were doing it to a point, in their view, that there were very few fish in the Great Lakes left for them to catch. Continue reading →

A Public Advisory from Niagara Region Public Health

Posted Friday, July 31^st, 2020 on Niagara At Large

WHO: Niagara Region Public Health

WHAT: Niagara Region Mandatory Face Coverings in Enclosed Public Places By-law

WHERE: All Niagara region municipalities

WHEN: By-law now in effect (as of Friday, July 31, 2020)

WHY: Don’t forget your face covering! Wearing a face covering is now required when inside an enclosed public place and on Regional and municipal public transit in Niagara. This is in accordance with the Regional Face Coverings By-law.A non-medical mask or face covering should cover the nose, mouth, and  chin, and can be cloth or disposable. This by-law does not apply to children under the age of five and those who are unable to wear a face covering as a  result of a medical condition or disability.

For more information visit  niagararegion.ca/COVID19

<https://www.niagararegion.ca/health/covid-19/default.aspx?shorturl=1>

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

“A Politician Thinks Of The Next Election. A Leader Thinks Of The Next Generation.” – Bernie Sanders

Ontario Government Releases Plan for Safe Reopening of Schools in September

Province Providing Critical Investments and Resources to Keep Students and Staff Safe

A News Release from the Office of Ontario Premier Doug Ford

Posted July 30^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

TORONTO — The Ontario government is announcing the safe reopening of schools for in-class instruction beginning this September.

The government has unveiled a plan that prioritizes the health and safety of students and staff, and provides school boards with unprecedented resources and flexibility, while accommodating regional differences in trends of key public health indicators. This plan was developed in consultation with the Chief Medical Officer of Health, the COVID-19 Command Table and paediatric experts.

Details on the safe restart of the 2020-2021 school year were provided today by Premier Doug Ford, Christine Elliott, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health, Stephen Lecce, Minister of Education, and Dr. Barbara Yaffe, Associate Chief Medical Officer of Health. Continue reading →

Higgins Reflects on the late Congressman and Civil Rights Icon as a Man of Courage, Goodness & Grace

A Few Words of Tribute from Buffalo, New York area Congressman Brian Higgins

Posted July 30th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

As the late Honorable John Robert Lewis, who served in the House of Representatives for 33 years, made a final departure from Washington, D.C. on July 29, 2020, his colleagues on the House Ways and Means Committee paid tribute to the civil rights legend.

John Lewis, during a return to the Edmund Pettis Bridge in Selma Alabama, where in 1965 he was almost beaten to death by police during a march for voting rights.

On the House floor Congressman Brian Higgins remarked on John’s childhood visits to the City of Buffalo and hailed his presence of mind and courage to act on inspiration. Continue reading →

New Oakdale Commons Development in St. Catharines will support those at risk of being homeless

News from the Government of Ontario

Posted July 30th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Ontario Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Steve Clark

St. Catharines, Ontario ― The Ontario government is investing over $2.2 million in supportive housing to give those who are most at risk of homelessness in Niagara Region the housing and support services they deserve.

The new 24-unit Oakdale Commons development in St. Catharines will include 15 supportive housing units, four of which will be fully accessible.

The new building will include a community room, kitchen, public washroom and laundry facilities for residents, as well as a large community garden and access to a city-operated playground beside the site. A high contrast colour palette will also be used throughout the building to assist people with visual impairments.

“Communities across the province are facing housing challenges, which have been heightened by COVID-19. Our government is proud to be working to ensure that every Ontarian has a place to call home,” said Steve Clark, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. Continue reading →

Buffalo, New York area Congressman Brian Higgins Announces Approval of Water Resources Development Act

Bill Includes Higgins’ Text Addressing Algal Blooms

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

Posted July 29^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Toxic Aglal blooms in the Great Lakes is a threat to general water quality and a billion-dollar fishery on both sides of the border.

Buffalo, New York – Congressman Brian Higgins (NY-26) announced the House of Representatives approved the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), a bill providing authority for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to carry out water projects, studies, and Civil Works missions.

Higgins said; “Protecting our fresh water and maintaining waterways is important to our environment, economy, safety and future. The historic decline and recent rise of the Buffalo River provides lessons in protecting and maintaining valuable water resources.”

“Harmful algal blooms pose a threat to our waterways and must be addressed proactively. The professionals at the Army Corps of Engineers, particularly in the Buffalo District, are skilled stewards of our water.” Continue reading →

Findings Will Help Protect Residents and Staff from Future Outbreaks

News from the Office of Ontario Premier Doug Ford

Posted July 29^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

TORONTO — The Ontario government launched an independent commission into COVID-19 and long-term care.

Three commissioners will investigate how COVID-19 spread within long-term care homes, how residents, staff, and families were impacted, and the adequacy of measures taken by the province and other parties to prevent, isolate and contain the virus.

The commission will also provide the government with guidance on how to better protect long-term care home residents and staff from any future outbreaks. Continue reading →

Talks Will Focus on Relocating 134-year-old Pte. Alexander Watson Statue from City Hall Lawns

A News Release from City of St. Catharines

Posted July 29^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

What to do now with  the 134-year-old statue of Private Alexander Watson, involved in brutal military campaigns against Indigenous peoples in western Canada, currently located on thegrounds of St. Catharines City Hall.

St. Catharines, Ontario — The City will take a broad, consultative approach, in determining the details of relocation for a monument that has stood in front of City Hall for over 134 years.

On Monday evening July 27th, 2020)  City Council voted unanimously to consult several organizations in the development of a relocation plan for the statue of Pte. Alexander Watson that currently stands in front of City Hall.

As a militia volunteer Watson died in 1885 from wounds sustained during the Battle of Batoche. He was one of 8,000 soldiers sent by the Canadian government to stop the North-West Resistance headed by Metis leader Louis Riel.

Debate has been ongoing in the City related to the legacy of the statue, both related to its possible importance as a historical landmark, but also as it relates to a centuries-long history of racism and persecution in Canada.

Individuals have recently petitioned for its removal citing its relation to these historic wrongs. Continue reading →

The Weekend ‘Security Forces’ Went Rogue in the Streets of then-Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s Canada

By John Pruyn, with a Brief Foreword by Niagara At Large publisher Doug Draper

Posted July 8^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

A Foreword by Doug Draper

A recent photo of John Pruyn and his wife, Susan, now living in the Niagara, Ontario municipality of Pelham

Imagine sitting on the lawns of a legislative building – a place government leaders inside had assured members of the public was a “safe zone” where people could gather without being set upon by police decked out in riot gear.

Then, while you are sitting there, under the shade of a tree, listening to a series of speakers talking about health care and environmental issues, and better wages and jobs for working people, an army of heavily armed police, looking like Darth Vaders, descend upon you and others on those lawns.

In the case of one man sitting on the lawn – a 57-year-old amputee – police grab him, pull off his prosthetic leg, and proceed to drag him with his hands tied behind his back – all while his daughter pleads with them to let him go.

Separated from members of his family and denied requests to make a phone call, the man is imprisoned for a weekend in a warehouse full of make-shift cages, before finally being let go with no charges filed against him, and no explanation.

This incident did not happen in North Korea or Turkey or Saudi Arabia or Putin’s Russia, or in Trump’s America, for that matter.

It happened just 10 years ago, right here in our Canada – in Toronto, Ontario, during a week in late June, 2010 when world leaders gathered for a G20 Summit there. Continue reading →

U.S. Congressman Brian Higgins Urges U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to Create Guidance on Caregiver Crossings with US-Canada Border Travel Restrictions

Patient Caregivers Met with Uncertainty at Northern Border

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

Posted July 28^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Buffalo, New York area Congressman Brian Higgins has been advocating for plans to one day ease restrictions for Americans and Canadians to cross border

Buffalo, New York – Congressman Brian Higgins (NY-26) is calling for the United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to establish clear guidance for patient caregivers when crossing the U.S.-Canada border to give better certainty to families and the medical institutions providing care.

In a letter to the CBP’s Acting Commissioner Mark Morgan, Higgins writes, “At a time when families are contemplating very difficult decisions about the health of their loved ones, whether a caregiver can legitimately cross the border should not be a concern,” continuing on to say “Families who are trying to manage care of a devastating disease should have the support network available to provide the comfort and create the healthy environment needed to recover.”

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, travel across the border has been restricted with limited exceptions for travel deemed essential, including that for travel that is medically necessary. Continue reading →

Change must come at every level – from checking our own personal actions and biases to rebuilding institutions that are failing to keep racialized communities safe.

By Mike Schreiner, Leader of the Ontario Green Party

Posted July 28th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Ontario Green Party Leader Mike Schriener

The death of George Floyd in the United States has sparked a global movement to end police brutality against racialized communities.

The deaths of D’Andre Campbell, Regis Korchinski-Paquet, Chantel Moore, Ejaz Choudry and others during encounters with the police tell us that this conversation is urgent in Canada as well. 

The roots of colonization and oppression run deep in our country and cannot be denied. Some of our institutions were founded on racist ideas – built to serve white settler communities, while dominating Indigenous people.

For years, racialized communities have demanded an end to the systemic racism that continues to harm them, from aggressive acts of violence to structural barriers and subtle forms of discrimination. 

We have not done enough to deliver justice and meaningful change. Continue reading →

Increased parking fines on the way for beach areas

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

Posted July 28^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario — After another weekend of problematic behaviour at its beaches the City will move to restrict access to Niagara residents only, effective immediately.

Lakeside Park Beach in the Port Dalhousie area off Lake Ontario in St. Catharines. file photo by Doug Draper

The temporary restrictions in response to the COVID-19 state of emergency, will come into effect today, July 28. The move coincides with the introduction of stepped up seasonal fines for illegal parking in the areas surrounding beaches and Morningstar Mill. Fines will increase from $30 to $100. Continue reading →

First six months have marked significant organizational change

Chandra Sharma, CAO, Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority

“I am honoured to serve the communities of Niagara, Haldimand, and Hamilton, leading an organization that works to protect our precious natural resources. The role of conservation authorities has never been as important as it is now to conserve our watersheds, provide the much needed green infrastructure to our communities, engage our future generations, and support our municipal partners to address the challenges of growth and climate change.”                                          – Chandra Sharma, now ‘permanent’ CAO, Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority

News from the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority

Posted July 28^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – The Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA) is pleased to announce that the Board of Directors has offered current CAO-Secretary Treasurer, Ms. Chandra Sharma, a permanent tenure with the organization.

This critical decision was based on feedback from board members as well as senior staff. Continue reading →

Niagara Regional Chair Jim Bradley on resumption of weekend Go Train service

“We are pleased to see the return of seasonal weekend GO Train service into Niagara as we continue to take steps to recover from the effects of COVID-19. … This announcement is a positive step in the right direction. I am confident that those coming to Niagara will take all necessary precautions to slow the spread of the virus, including adhering to the recently passed mandatory mask by-law, as they enjoy all the best that Niagara has to offer.”                                     – Jim Bradley Niagara Regional Chair

News from the Government of Ontario

Posted July 28th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Niagara Falls, Ontario — The Ontario government is resuming weekend GO train service to  the Niagara region beginning on August 1st.

New schedules with four trips to and  from Niagara Falls and St. Catharines each Saturday, Sunday and holiday will provide more service than ever before and enable convenient day or overnight  trips, either in Niagara or Toronto.

“By increasing service to the Niagara Region, GO is once again connecting people  with some of the finest parks, attractions and destinations in Ontario,” said  Minister Mulroney. “As most of the province enters Stage 3 of our reopening,  it’s a great time for people to safely and responsibly experience the region.” Continue reading →

Safe Restart Agreement Represents New Funding for Many Priority Programs across Ontario

(Niagara At Large will update with news when it is determined how much of the funding will flow to municipalities in Niagara.)

News from the Office of Ontario Premier Doug Ford

Posted July 27^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Toronto — The Ontario government, in partnership with the federal government, is providing up to $4 billion in urgently needed one-time assistance to Ontario’s 444 municipalities.

This funding will help local governments maintain the critical services people rely on every day, including public transit, over the next six to eight months. Details on specific allocations will be provided in the coming weeks. This funding is part of the province’s made-in-Ontario plan for renewal, growth and economic recovery.

The announcement was made (this July 27th)  by Premier Doug Ford, Christine Elliott, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health, Rod Phillips, Minister of Finance, Steve Clark, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, and Caroline Mulroney, Minister of Transportation.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford

“By working together, we have united the country in the face of the immense challenges brought on by COVID-19 and secured a historic deal with the federal government to ensure a strong recovery for Ontario and for Canada,” said Premier Ford.

“I want to thank Ontario’s 444 local leaders who supported us through our negotiations with the federal government and through each stage of reopening. We will continue to be a champion for our municipal partners as they safely reopen their communities and ensure people can get back to work.” Continue reading →

Patient visiting has been cancelled until such time that the outbreak is cleared by Niagara Public Health.

News from Niagara Health, Niagara, Ontario’s amalgamated system of hospitals

Posted July 27^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – At Hotel Dieu Shaver (HDS) a second healthcare worker in as many weeks has tested positive for COVID-19. The workers are self-isolating at home.

At this point, there are no cases within the hospital involving patients, but the second case involving a healthcare worker has caused Niagara Public Health to classify the situation as an outbreak.

Following Public Health direction, our Infection Prevention and Control (IPAC) team have enhanced the monitoring of patients and staff. To the extent possible, communication is being made with family members of patients who have been placed in precautionary isolation. Continue reading →

“It has brought people, communities and nations together, and driven them apart.It has shown what humans are capable of – both positively and negatively.”

World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom’s opening remarks at the media briefing on COVID-19 – 27 July 2020

Posted July 27^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Dr. Tedros Adhanom, Director-General , World Health Organization

“Good morning, good afternoon and good evening.

This Thursday marks six months since WHO declared COVID-19 a public health emergency of international concern.

This is the sixth time a global health emergency has been declared under the International Health Regulations, but it is easily the most severe.

Almost 16 million cases have now been reported to WHO, and more than 640,000 deaths.

And the pandemic continues to accelerate.

Continue reading →

Niagara Region Anti-Racism Association Calls For Private Alexander Watson Statue to be Removed Permanently as Symbol of White Supremacy and Militarism

A News Release from the Niagara Region Anti-Racism Association, a citizens group in Niagara, Ontario

Posted July 27^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Should the 134-year-old statue of Private Alexander Watson, involved in brutal military campaigns against Indigenous peoples in western Canada, continue to have a place on the grounds of St. Catharines City Hall

St. Catharines, Ontario  – On Monday, July 27, 2020 the Niagara Region Anti-Racism Association made the following written submission to the St. Catharines City Council, urging it to remove the Private Alexander Watson statue permanently, not just relocate it, as it is ultimately a symbol of white and Anglophone supremacy and militarism and therefore should not stand anywhere:

Dear Mayor and Councillors,

The statue of Private Alexander Watson is ultimately a symbol of identification with white and Anglophone supremacy and militarism and therefore has no place anywhere other than the dust bin of history. It should not be relocated but should be disposed of and destroyed.

Any heritage value of the statue is tainted by the living heritage of racism, and to overlook this is to overlook the systemic inequity that the North-West Rebellion’s defeat brought forward, which Private Watson died contributing to.

The defeat of the Metis and First Nations in the North-West Rebellion reverberated across Canada and was a high water mark in establishing not only white and Anglophone supremacy but specifically the systematic oppression of Canada’s Indigenous peoples that served as the model for Apartheid in South Africa and elsewhere, such as the Pass System. Continue reading →

Enjoy It, For As Long As It Lasts

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

Posted July 24^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

These COVID times are strange ones, indeed.

For however long, the Toronto Blue Jays will be playing their home games here – at the very nice Coca-Cola Field in downtown Buffalo, New York

I am old enough to remember all of the lobbying in Buffalo, New York when doors opened in the late 1970s  for a home for a new Major League baseball team somewhere in this region of the continent.

As it turned out, Toronto won the bidding war and became home in 1977 to the newly minted Blue Jays, while baseball fans in Buffalo were left driving to Buffalo, Cleveland, or if they didn’t mind putting in a few more hours, Detroit or Pittsburgh for major league games. Continue reading →

You Will be able to

Follow the Discussion On-Line – Wednesday, July 29^th at 11 a.m. See Details Below

An Invite from Brock University in Niagara, Ontario

Posted July 24th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

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Brock UniversityPresident Gervan Fearon to speak on ‘Black Lives Matter’ and corporate responsibility

he Black Lives Matter movement has opened the world’s eyes to the systemic barriers affecting those who are Black, Indigenous and People of Colour. It has already led to some movement and dialogue around advancing change for more inclusion and equity initiatives within society.

During this time of social movement, what role should corporations play?

This question will be at the core of a discussion led by Brock University President and Vice-Chancellor Gervan Fearon on Wednesday, July 29 at 11 a.m. as part of the Business Breathers<https://brocku.ca/goodman-group/webinar-series/> webinar series.

The free weekly series is facilitated by the Goodman School of Businesses’ Goodman Group and features 30 minutes of live industry and faculty expert-led discussions, followed by a 15-minute question-and-answer period. Topics focus on leadership, management and innovation, as well as the financial and social impacts of trending topics. Continue reading →

“Programs described by (Niagara Regional Police Services Chief McCullough) for diversity tours and community relations are nice but are ultimately about public relations. Diversity and community relations are not the same as anti-racism training lead by experts from equity seeking groups.”                                      – Saleh Waziruddin, a member of the Niagara, Ontario citizen group, Niagara Region Anti-Racism Association

A Message from the Niagara Region Anti-Racism Association (NRARA)

Posted July 24th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario  – the Niagara Region Anti-Racism Association (NRARA) criticized the Niagara Region Council for missing the opportunity at its special meeting on Thursday, July 23, 2020 to pass meaningful and specific reforms of the Niagara Regional Police Service (NRPS).

Saleh Waziruddin, who spoke as a delegate at the special meeting representing NRARA, said; “Regional Council had an opportunity to pass actual reforms which have been long called for such as ending street checks, which was done by Vancouver just the previous night and which even the NRPS’s presentation has shown had dwindled down to zero stops. This was easy to do.

“Instead Regional Council only “continued the conversation” which is just a public relations exercise for the NRPS if it does not result in any action in the near future.” Continue reading →

Province Approves Construction of New Joint Elementary School in Wainfleet to Strengthen Student Learning and Increase Access to Child Care

News from the Constituency Office of Niagara West Ford Government MPP Sam Oosterhoff

Posted July 23rd, 2020 on Niagara At Large

The Ontario government announced (this July 23^rd)  it is investing over $500 million to build 30 new schools and make upgrades to 15 existing facilities.

The province has given the District School Board of Niagara and the Niagara Catholic District School Board approvals for a new Joint Elementary School in Wainfleet.

From left to right Doug Newton, DSBN (District School Board of Niagara) Trustee, Kevin Gibson, Mayor of Wainfleet, Sam Oosterhoff, MPP Niagara West, Dino Sicoli, NCDSB (Niagara Catholic District School Board) Vice-Chair. Photo courtesy of Niagara West MPP Sam Oosterhoff’s Constituency Office

The investment will provide a new, quality learning environment for the students of Wainfleet, as well as new child care rooms. This project is part of the province’s capital investment program to support students with better learning spaces. Continue reading →

Region-Wide Mask Bylaw takes effect Friday, July 31 and covers All Indoor Public Spaces and Municipal Transit. More Updates To Come

By Doug Draper

Posted July 23^rd, 2020 on Niagara at Large

In the City of Toronto, signs like this have now become commonplace. They have also become commonplace in St. Catharines, which implemented a mandatory mask requirement for indoor places a few weeks ago. Niagara’s Regional Council has now voted in favour to taking a similar step for the whole region. Stay tune for more details on when, where and how the mask rule will be implemented in Niagara.

Following a lengthy discussion this July 23^rd, a majority of Niagara Regional Councillors have voted in favour of having residents across Niagara where masks in indoor places where social distancing is not always possible.

The vote to approve some form of mandatory mask wearing during the continued COVID-19 health crisis comes two weeks after the Council held a special meeting to consider the issue and decided, by a slim margin at the time, to give it further review.

Niagara At Large will post details on when, how and where this mandatory rule will apply as soon as we get them from the Region. We assume that the Region will be circulating information to the news media and public on how this rule will be administered as soon as possible.

Stay Tuned.

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

“A Politician Thinks Of The Next Election. A Leader Thinks Of The Next Generation.” – Bernie Sanders

Francis and Hobbs the cat, together again for the first time in 10 years.

“I was dumbfounded! No Way! It’s been 10 years!”  – Niagara resident Frances, Hobbs the Cat’s ‘Mom’

“This reunion really signifies the importance of microchipping your pet. We scan every animal that comes into our shelter and are seeing more and more of these happy reunions”                            – Kevin Strooband, Executive Director of the Lincoln County Humane Society.

Some Good News from the Lincoln County Humane Society in St. Catharines, Ontario

And Couldn’t We Use a Little Good News, for a Change

Posted July 23rd, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Hobbs back at home with ‘mom’ Frances

Niagara, Ontario – After 10 years and untold stories of adventure, “Hobbs” the cat is back.

In 2010, Frances lost her beloved HOBBS from her home in Smithville, Ontario. She searched for her now 14 year-old, male, grey, possible Maine coon-cross cat, but had no luck and could not find him – until now.

Yesterday morning Hobbs turned up at the Lincoln County Humane Society (LCHS), in St. Catharines, after being turned over by a resident who found the cat around his house in Jordan Station, in the Town of Lincoln (over 25 kms away)

He brought him to the LCHS shelter, but lost him in the parking lot. After working to find wayward Hobbs throughout the day, the LCHS caught him and moments later staff scanned a microchip implanted in Hobbs and traced his owner. Continue reading →

Then How Do You Explain What Looks Like a Petri Dish for COVID-19 Up On the Honeymoon City’s Clifton Hill?

No, this isn’t Florida or Georgia or Texas. This is Clifton Hill in Niagara Falls, Ontario earlier this July. Might just as well open that Canada-U.S. border and let everyone in!

A Brief Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted July 23^rd, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Niagara Falls Jim Diodati, whose flair for media promotion brings to mind a master of that craft south of the border, managed to make the local daily newspapers in Niagara again recently with a photo of himself with Doug Ford, offering the Ontario Premier one of his “Crush the Curve” campaign’s caps and t-shirts.

Here is a photo of that moment in COVID-19 history, which popped on social media and made the local daily papers, only a few days ago.

Meanwhile, back in Diodati’s city’s, a freelancer shot some video that continues trending on social media as I post this commentary, showing hordes of tourists, most of them looking like they are almost glued together without masks, over the past weekend.

If you haven’t seen this video yet, you can watch it by clicking on the screen immediately below and while you do, ask yourself if ‘crushing the curve’ was on anyone’s mind here –

I don’t know about you, but this scene angers the hell out of me.

Collectively, as individual citizens, as private businesses, and as frontline workers in the private and public sectors across this region and province, we have been through hell in the last four or five months with this virus.

And as much as the curve has been flattened, it continues to cause that has continued to cause suffering and death, and cost jobs and the economy.

Maybe it’s time for a reality check people! If we are not careful, we could be back to where we were this past winter and spring.

So what in hell is this in Niagara Falls, Ontario. The people in this video are not only potentially endangering themselves. They then spread out in the community and potentially endanger all of us.

What in hell gives with this, happening right here, on the Canadian side of the border?

You would think that Trump is running the place!

To read a July 20^th story in the St. Catharines Standard on Niagara Falls, Ontario Mayor Jim Diodati getting his much-sought ‘Crush the Curve’ meeting with Ontario Premier Doug Ford, click on – https://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/news/niagara-region/2020/07/20/niagara-falls-mayor-jim-diodati-takes-crushthecurve-campaign-to-sitdown-meeting-with-premier-doug-ford.html

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

“A Politician Thinks Of The Next Election. A Leader Thinks Of The Next Generation.” – Bernie Sanders

“The decisions (Regional) Council will make on what Natural Heritage System option to support may be the most important decision this Council makes — one that will either protect Niagara’s natural legacy for future generations or lead to its inevitable loss.”                                                                                           – Liz Benneian, resident of Lincoln and Executive Director  and Manager of Environmental Education for Ontariogreen, a province-wide organization dedicated to improving public knowledge on environmental issues

A fall season look inside Waverly Woods in Fort Erie, an area of south Niagara now targeted for urban development. File photo courtesy of  Community Voice of Fort Erie

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

Posted July 22^nd, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Hiking along the Bruce Trail in the NPCA’s Woodend Conservation Area. Thanks to past visionaries this piece of our natural heritage is being protected. Photo by Doug Draper

Liz Benneian is right about the importance of decisions Niagara’s Regional Council soon has to make on how much care and respect that we as a community of municipalities, will show for our watersheds, our woodlands, our wetlands, and our green fields and meadows – of what is alarmingly little is left of Niagara’s natural heritage.

Do we protect and preserve what is left of it? Do we work to restore and replace at least some of what has been lost? Or do we continue to employ weasel words and phrases like “open for business” and “we need to strike a balance” to forever destroy more of it with low-density urban sprawl?

These are questions our Regional Councillors, including the mayors of Niagara’s 12 municipalities who share a seat on the Region’s Council, are now coming face to face with as they make decisions about how much weight protection, preservation and restoration of our natural heritage will have in a revised Official Plan that will guide the way the Region, in partnership with private parties and the public, develops and grows our communities in the future. Continue reading →

“The good old days of easy cross-border travel are likely over, at least for the next several years – and that fact could change habits and damage businesses on both sides of the border.”           – from a story in the Sunday, July 19th, 2020 edition of The Buffalo News

The skyline of Buffalo, New York from Fort Erie, Ontario. So close and now, so far away.

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

Followed by a link to an informative article published this past July 19th in The Buffalo News on the ongoing border crossing issue

Posted July 21st, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Some Introductory Comments by  Doug Draper – 

The normally busy Peace Bridge between Buffalo, New York and Fort Erie in Niagara, Ontario is almost empty of traffic now, except for the odd car and truck driven by those deemed to be involved in “essential” travel.

On the American side of the Canada-IU.S. border – at least in the Western New York area – reality seems to have set in with respect to the ongoing closing of border crossings to all but mostly commercial traffic deemed to be essential.

“I think we’re looking at the border being closed until the end of the year,” Buffalo, New York area Congressman Brian Higgins was quoted saying to The Buffalo News in a lengthy story on the issue, published in the newspaper this July 19th.

It may not have been easy for Higgins to come to terms with the sad reality of the situation around border crossings, and to say those words. Continue reading →

By this Tuesday, July 21st, Ford’s Mission to gut more of Ontario’s environmental protections through the passage of Bill 197 – the government’s so-called Economic Recovery Act – may be accomplished.

A Message from Ontario Green Party Leader  Mike Shreiner

Posted July 20^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Ontario Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner

Today (Monday, July 20th) I got my elbows up with the Environment Minister over Bill 197, the so-called _COVID Economic Recovery Act.

In my final Question before the legislature closes for the summer, I asked the government why it is taking another hammer to Ontario’s environmental laws.

Bill 197 tells us everything we need to know about Ford’s Conservatives. Their COVID recovery plan is an environmental destruction plan.

Continue reading →

“At Ripley’s Believe it or Not on Clifton Hill – front-line staff were told that their wages were being slashed when they returned.”        – Niagara Falls NDP MPP Wayne Gates

A News Release from the Constituency Office of Niagara Falls NDP MPP Wayne Gates

Posted July 2oth, 2020 on Niagara AtLarge

Niagara Falls MPP Wayne Gates

QUEEN’S PARK – Niagara Falls NDP MPP Wayne Gates is asking that Premier demand that billionaire Jim Pattison reverse severe wage cuts to front-line Niagara Falls tourism workers.

“I rise today to call out corporate greed in my community.” Speaking about front-line staff Gates added “We have a reputation for going above and beyond and delivering the vacation of a lifetime. The reason we have that reputation is because of the front-line staff, it is those front-line workers who risk their health every single day so they can keep these attractions open and ensure our guests remain safe.” Continue reading →

More Businesses and Services, Including Indoor Bars, Restaurants and Gyms, Across the Province Can “Safely Re-Open’ this coming Friday, July 24^th

News from the Office of Ontario Premier Doug Ford

Posted July 20^th, 2020

TORONTO — The Ontario government is allowing seven more regions to enter Stage 3 on Friday (july 24th), increasing the number of businesses and public spaces that will reopen across the province.

This decision was made in consultation with the Chief Medical Officer of Health and is based on positive local trends of key public health indicators, including lower or low transmission of COVID-19, ongoing hospital capacity, public health capacity to conduct rapid case and contact management, and a significant increase in testing.

The details were provided today by Premier Doug Ford, Christine Elliott, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health, and Rod Phillips, Minister of Finance. Continue reading →

Watching What Was Once a Beacon for Democracy Morph in to a Totalitarian State

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

Posted July 20^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

To an adoring, cult-like following of millions, Trump spews his messages of division, anger and hate.

Far be it for me to write anything like an open letter to America.

I certainly don’t have the stature to do that, and I am not sure who on the planet – except maybe Greta Thunberg and those other young people pleading for a future free of climate and other calamities  – does.

Yet if I were to draft such a letter, it would be all about expressing the horror I now feel witnessing a country that is losing its breath under the knee of fascist leaders and how very scary it now is living in a Canada that, for more than a century, prided itself in sharing one of the world’s friendliest, most peaceful borders with the United States.

Before I go on though, let me put what I am trying to say in context by showing you this – a new ad that has just been put out by a group of former U.S. Republican Party operatives calling itself The Lincoln Project.

Click on the screen immediately below to watch the new Lincoln Project ad –

In the days before this ad came out, I’m sure many millions of people in other parts of the world, including this Canadian, have been watching the news of Trump and his fascist attorney general Barr crushing peaceful protesters near the White House this past June 1^st. Continue reading →

“The last few months the world has watched with horror how the COVID-19 pandemic has hit people all over the globe. During this tragedy, we are seeing how many – not all – world leaders and people around the world stepped up and acted for the greater good of society. …

“It is now clearer than ever that the climate crisis has never once been treated as a crisis, neither from the politicians, media, business, nor finance. And the longer we keep pretending that we are on a reliable path to lower emissions, … the more precious time we will lose.”                                                                                                   – from an Open Letter to Global Leaders from Climate Activist Greta Thunberg and many others

An OPEN LETTER and DEMANDS to European Union  and other Global Leaders

From Climate Activist Greta Thunbert and a Growing List of Others, #FaceTheClimateEmergency

Read the Open Letter and Find Out How You Can Add Your Name to the List

Posted July 20^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

This letter has been sent to all European Union (EU) leaders and heads of state on 16 July 2020.

You must stop pretending that we can solve the climate- and ecological crisis without treating it as a crisis.

Here are our demands of this open letter:

Continue reading →

However Long It Takes, Niagara At Large Will Be Back!

A Brief Message from Niagara At Large publisher Doug Draper

Posted July 19th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

If you live in Southern Ontario and surounding regions, you may know that we have been under a severe weather watch this Sunday afternoon going in to the evening.

Should Niagara At Large, which depends on  hydro running our modems, go off line for a while, downed trees, downed  hydro wires or worse may be the reason why.

As of earlier this Sunday, July 19th Canada’s Weather Channel was warning of   possible severe wind damage in some parts of southwestern Ontario. In some areas of the province, trees have toppled down and h0use trailers, sheds and other building structures have been signifcantly damaged or  blown over. Continue reading →

Laura Bowman, lawyer for Ecojustice Canada

“This legislation is the latest in a series of attacks on environmental oversight in Ontario. Proposed changes to environmental assessment would exempt projects such as highways, sewage treatment expansion and removal of bike infrastructure from environmental assessment – denying the public an opportunity to express their voice and opinions.”                                                      – Laura Bowman, lawyer for Ecojustice, Canada’s largest environmental law charity

A Call-Out to All of Us from the environmental law group Eco Justice

Posted July 19^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

How about more highway building like this, through the heart of natural heritage areas in Ontario, with less environmental protection oversight, and less public sonsultation.

TORONTO, Ontario – Ecojustice, Canada’s largest environmental law charity, says the public must have an opportunity to consider and weigh in on Ontario’s Bill 197 (COVID-19 Economic Recovery Act) before it is made law. 

To speed the passage of the bill, the Ontario government has included a clause in the bill to retroactively exempt itself from the right of Ontarians to comment on environmentally significant legislation prior to third reading.  

Given the bill’s widespread impact, which includes major changes to environmental assessments in Ontario, Ecojustice says the Ontario government must allow at least 45 days for public comment on the bill and give Ontarians the opportunity to fully understand the impact of the bill. Continue reading →

U.S. Civil Rights Icon John Lewis Dies at Age 80, At a Time When His Country Needs the Likes of Him the Most

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

Posted June 18th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

“When you see something that is not right, not fair, not just, you have to speak up. You have to say something; you have to do something.”                                                                                                                     – American Civil Rights Giant John Lewis

Civil Rights Icon John Lewis

He was one of the last of the great foot soldiers from the Martin Luther King era in the ongoing struggle for civil rights in America and around the world.

Inspired by Martin Luther King, John Lewis was a young “freedom rider” in the battle against racial segregation in the early 1960s.

On what became known in history books as ‘Blood Sunday’, John Lewis almost lost his life from a police on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, during a march for voting rights in 1965, lived on to fight one battle after another for the betterment of those who are oppressed in this world.

In the end though, Lewis, who went on to serve for many decades as a U.S. Congressman, lost his battle against pancreatic cancer and died late this Friday, July 17^th. Continue reading →

United Nations Environment Programme director Inger Anderson

“Renewable (energy sources) are now more cost-effective than ever, providing an opportunity to prioritize clean economic recovery packages and bring the world closer to meeting the aris Agreement Goals. Renewables are a key pillar of a healthy, safe and green COVID-19 recovery that leaves no one behind.”                                                                                               – Inger Andersen, the Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

As governments try to kick-start their economies, the UN is calling for recovery plans to be built around low-carbon technologies, to avoid a return to fossil fuel-based “business as usual.

A Climate Change Update from the United Nations

Posted July 17^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

In island economies, importing fossil fuels,such as oil and gas, comes at  a considerable costs. This is one of the reasons that some of them are becoming front-runners, in the bid to reduce carbon frontprints, by investing in renewable energy sources.

Mauritius, for example, is planning to generate over a third of its electricity from renewable sources within the next five years. Projects supported by the UN Development Programme (UNDP), will be an important part of this transition, bringing an additional 25 Mega Watts of solar power to Mauritius, including a mini-power grid in Agalega, one of the outer islands.

At the current pace, it would take the world forever to come anywhere near a no-carbon system. Rana Adib, Executive Director, REN21. Continue reading →

‘(U.S. Congressman Brian) Higgins, who serves as Co-chair of the Northern Border Caucus and U.S. Canada Interparlementary Group, has been pushing for the United States and Canada to develop further guidelines for crossing allowances related to family and property unification during a pandemic.’

Buffalo, New York area Congressman Brian Higgins is among a group of U.S. border area representatives calling for some plan to phase in re-opening of shared border crossings

News from the Office of Buffalo, New York Area Congressman Brian Higgins

Posted July 17^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Higgins’ Measure on Northern Border Travel Included in Homeland Security Appropriations Bill

Language Directs Development of Binational Strategy Related to Family and Property Reunification

Buffalo, New York – Congressman Brian Higgins (NY-26) announced (this July 16th) the House of Representatives Appropriations Committee passed the FY 2021 Homeland Security Appropriations Bill, which included report language requested by Higgins related to essential traveler exceptions at the Northern Border.

The language reads as follows: “The Committee directs the Secretary (of Homeland Security) to work with the Government of Canada to establish and maintain the following exceptions to the US – Canada non-essential travel restrictions: family reunification and travel to secure property with the appropriate quarantining measures recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.” Continue reading →

“This application-based program offers assistance to homeowners who have no other financial options and who continue to experience severe financial impacts.”                                 – St. Catharines Manager of Revenue Lisa Read

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

Posted July 15^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

St. Catharines, Ontario. Downtown area. file photo, Doug Draper

Niagara, Ontario – St. Catharines City Council has approved the implementation of a Property Tax Penalty and Interest Relief Program to provide support to St. Catharines’ homeowners who are struggling financially due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Residential property owners who can demonstrate financial hardship related to the COVID-19 pandemic can now apply for relief from late payment penalties or interest charges during the five-month period between July 1, 2020 to November 30, 2020. Continue reading →