Category Archives: Learn How To Join Niagara At Large On Twitter And Facebook By Clicking Here

“Climate change is the issue of our lifetime, frankly.”     – New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo

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

Posted August 7^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

There once was a time when that I well remember as an environment reporter in this region that people in Ontario pointed accusing fingers across to the Niagara River to polluters on the New York side, and to government bodies in New York State that didn’t seem to be doing enough to keep those polluters from poisoning the water, fish and air that people on both sides of the border drank, ate and breathed.

With the possible exception of a few major discharges of waste from the Niagara Falls, New York wastewater treatment plant in recent years, pointing accusing fingers at our New York neighbours for environmental malfeasance carries very little weight any more. Continue reading →

“A recent survey with over 5,000 Niagara residents demonstrated that more than 76 per cent supported stronger restrictions around vaping and smoking tobacco or cannabis in outdoor settings.”

News from Niagara’s Regional Government

Posted August 7th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

​Following public consultation and approval from both regional and municipal councils, an updated Smoke and Vape-Free Outdoor Spaces Bylaw is now in effect for the Niagara region.

“Public support for smoke-free outdoor spaces is strong, especially in areas where children play,” said Diana Teng, manager, Chronic Disease and Injury Prevention, Niagara Region Public Health.

“A recent survey with over 5,000 Niagara residents demonstrated that more than 76 per cent supported stronger restrictions around vaping and smoking tobacco or cannabis in outdoor settings.” Continue reading →

Niagara Centre MPP Jeff Burch

“I have heard from constituents in my (Niagara, Ontario) riding that the closure (of the Hamilton Forensics Pathology Unit) will have a devastating impact on families dealing with the loss of a loved one who require an autopsy.”           – Niagara Centre MPP Jeff Burch

And the Ontario Ford Government’s Cutting and Gutting of Vital Health Services for Niagara and Rest of Province Just Keep Coming, and Coming, and Coming

An Open Letter to Ontario Solicitor General Sylvia Jones from Niagara Centre MPP Jeff Burch

Posted August 6^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Dear Minister:

I am writing to request that your Ministry conduct a review into the planned closure next year of the Hamilton Forensics Pathology Unit. I have heard from constituents in my riding that the unit’s closure will have a devastating impact on families dealing with the loss of a loved one who require an autopsy.

Rick Westlake, Funeral Director of the Bocchinfuso Funeral Home in Thorold, recently contacted my office to express concern regarding how the closure of the Forensics Pathology Unit will result in distressing delays in autopsy results for families already undergoing significant emotional distress. Continue reading →

“We should soundly reject language coming out of the mouths of any of our leaders that feeds a climate of fear and hatred or normalizes racist sentiments; leaders who demonize those who don’t look like us, or suggest that other people, including immigrants, threaten our way of life, or refer to other people as sub-human, or imply that America belongs to just one certain type of people.”                                                                                             – former U.S. President Barack Obama, in a statement he issued after a shooter poisoned with the same kind of white-supremacist hate Trump gins up at his rallies, murdered 22 people at a shopping mall in El Paso, Texas

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

Posted August 6^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

I wasn’t planning to post something so soon on this again on a site where most of our focus should go to news and commentary on issues of interest and concern to our region of the world.

But I dare say that most of us have been focused on the horrific violence that unfolded on people in El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio (yes, that is Dayton, not Toledo, Mr. President) over the past weekend in a country with a gun fetish that has, for decades, gone murderously out of control.

So when I read a copy of a statement former U.S. President Barack Obama issued this August 5^th, referring most specifically to the bloodbath in El Paso that now clearly looks like a hate crime committed by a young white man who issued an essay of his own, polluted throughout with the kind of garbage Trump spews at his rallies, I made up my mind to post Obama’s words here. Continue reading →

In Niagara region, Brock University researcher Meredith DeCock is working to determine just how much the Town of Lincoln’s Lake Ontario shoreline has changed, and what role climate change is playing in it. 

A Call-Out for Assistance from Brock University’s Biological Sciences Department 

Posted August 2^nd, 2019 on Niagara At Large 

Two years after storms and high water hammered the Town of Lincoln with flash floods and washed out roads, communities in the Great Lakes region continue to deal with record-breaking water levels.

This year, many of Lake Huron’s renowned beaches are reduced to shoreline footpaths. Commercial docks in the Thousand Islands are swamped and unusable. Residences along Lake Erie are threatened by eroding bluffs and shorelines.

Student researcher Meredith DeCock examines Lincoln’s Lake Ontario shoreline as part of her federally-funded research project. (Photo courtesy of Brian Jaworsky)

In Niagara region, Brock University researcher Meredith DeCock is working to determine just how much the Town of Lincoln’s Lake Ontario shoreline has changed, and what role climate change is playing in it. Continue reading →

No More Than Eight Cats Per Home in  Urban Areas of the City is Allowed

Too many cats can also be difficult to care for, cause property damage and may result in health problems for both animals and humans.

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

Posted August 2^nd, 2019 on Niagara At Large

St. Catharines, Ontario – A City by-law regulating the keeping of cats in St. Catharines aims to protect the health and safety of both residents and their feline companions.

Are you saying there are too many of us here?

The by-law allows residents to keep no more than eight cats at their homes in urban areas of St. Catharines. Generally, when cats live in large colonies many behavioural issues can arise, especially when there are too many cats in a home, said Kevin Strooband, president of Niagara Region Animal Services (NRAS). Continue reading →

Tell Ontario Premier Doug Ford, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Ohio Governor Mike DeWine to Act Now for a Clean Lake Erie

A Call-Out from the Alliance for the Great Lakes

Posted August 1^st, 2019 on Niagara At Large 

“You’re telling people, don’t drink the water. Don’t even touch it,” said John C. Jones, community liaison for a Toledo health system, as he recalled the 2014 water crisis. “Just picture that – you can’t touch what’s coming out of your tap.”

Tomorrow (August 2^nd) marks five years since toxins from a harmful algal bloom contaminated the drinking water system in Toledo, Ohio. More than half a million people were ordered not to drink, or even touch their water. The order lasted for days.

No one living in a Great Lakes city should have to anxiously wonder if their tap water is safe to drink. You can help by speaking out today – sign the petition calling for real accountability for a clean Lake Erie.

Right now, another harmful algal bloom is forming on the surface of Lake Erie. These blooms are caused by runoff pollution from agricultural lands. Unfortunately, not enough action has been taken to address the root of the problem. We need to move quickly to stop pollution and reduce harmful algal blooms. Continue reading →

A Major Hydro Power Plant Along Lower Niagara River to be Modernized for the 21^st Century

News from the New York Power Authority

Posted August 1^st, 2019 on Niagara At Large

(A Brief Foreword Note from Niagara At Large reporter and  publisher Doug Draper – At a time of climate emergency this announcement from our New York neighbours is great news for all of us. Hydro power, while one of the oldest sources of energy), is still one of the cleanest and greenest, not to mention one of the safest, energy sources around.

So I say thank you to New York State for making this wise investment for our future.)

• One of the Largest Capital Projects in New York’s History Directly Supports 200,000 Jobs and $17 Billion in Capital Investments

• Modernizing New York’s Largest Clean Energy Producer to Help New York Achieve Carbon Neutrality and Clean Energy Goals

• Niagara Power Project Supplies 10 Percent of New York State’s Energy

  

  The Rpert Moses Power Plant in New York State, almost directly across the Niagara River from Ontario’s Sir Adam Beck Hydro Power Plant, is in for a major upgrade.

New York State Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today (this July 31st, 2019 announced that the New York Power Authority is launching a 15-year modernization and digitization program to significantly extend the operating life of the Niagara Power Project, the largest source of clean electricity in New York State and one of the country’s largest hydroelectric projects.  Continue reading →

The Ontario Health Coalition released a major new research report earlier this year revealing that resident-on-resident homicide rates are higher in Ontario’s long-term care homes than in any major cities in the province and that staff accident and injury rates are the highest of any sector in our economy.

A Statement  from the Ontario Health Coalition, a not-for-profit advocacy group for quality public health care in Ontario

Posted July 31^st, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Toronto, Ontario – The Elizabeth Wettlaufer murders were terrible human tragedies and our heartfelt condolences go to the families of the victims, said the Ontario Health Coalition today on the occasion of the release of the report from Ontario’s public inquiry into long-term care.

The Coalition, which has advocated for improved access to care and improved regulated levels of care, released the following briefing note in response to the Inquiry’s report:

* *Briefing Note on Key Issues in Long-term Care + Public Inquiry Recommendations

“The report from the public inquiry into Ontario’s long-term care homes following the Elizabeth Wettlaufer murders highlights the need for systemic responses including improved staffing and care levels. Continue reading →

“She (Morufat Ogunkoya) is an ordained minister of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (and) religious persecution is the reason why she left Nigeria and that possibility cannot be ignored if she and her children are forced to go back.”                             – Niagara Centre MPP Jeff Burch, in an open letter to Canada’s Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Ahmed D. Hussen

Niagara Centre MPP and Ontario NDP rep. Jeff Burch appeals to Trudeau government on behalf of family living in fear of deportation.

An Open Letter to Canadian Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Ahmed d. Hussen from Niagara Centre MPP Jeff Burch

Posted July 31^st, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Dear Minister Hussen: … URGENT

Re: Welland Family Facing Uncertain Future:

I am joining hundreds of people in the Welland community seeking assistance to stop the deportation of 46-year-old Morufat Ogunkoya and her three children Victor, Hephzibah and Rejoice to Port Harcourt, Nigeria.

The family’s legal counsel have submitted a Humanitarian and Compassionate application to request that the government give them permission to stay in Canada, but this does not prevent them from being deported. Continue reading →

“It is frankly outrageous that when we talk about the housing crisis, we don’t often talk about the crisis faced by Canadian renters.”                                                                                                           

David Macdonald, senior economist, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives

– David Macdonald, senior economist, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives

From David Macdonald, Senior Economist, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives

Posted July 31st, 2019 on Niagara At Large

It’s frankly outrageous that when we talk about the housing crisis, we don’t often talk about the crisis faced by Canadian renters.

Recently, you may have seen or heard stories in the media about a new CCPA report on skyrocketing rental prices.

The fact that it is impossible, in all but a handful of Canadian neighbourhoods, to rent an average apartment if you’re paid the minimum wage really struck a nerve.

I was surprised myself when researching my paper—Unaccommodating: The Rental Wage in Canada (https://www.policyalternatives.ca/unaccommodating?mc_cid=033d0f2c81&mc_eid=[UNIQID]) —that for Canada’s 4.7 million households who rent their homes, you need to make an average of $22 an hour to be able to affordably pay your rent.

It is frankly outrageous that when we talk about the housing crisis, we don’t often talk about the crisis faced by Canadian renters. Continue reading →

NPCA is continuing to monitor the situation closely and will provide updates as required

An Update on Lake Levels from the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority

Posted July 31^st, 2019 on Niagara At Large

From space, Lake Erie in the lower half of this image, flowing into Niagara River and Lake Ontario.

LAKE ONTARIO and LAKE ERIE – FLOOD WATCH *UPDATE* 

This notice is intended to update the public and local municipalities of the status of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario conditions within the Niagara Peninsula and the eastern portions of the City of Hamilton and Haldimand County. 

LAKE ERIE 

Currently Lake Erie water levels have started to slowly decline but remain at record levels for this time of year.  As of July 28th, Lake Erie’s static water level was 175.09m.  This water level is 79cm above average and 9cm above the record-high set during this week back in July of 1986.  This level does not account for any increase in water levels due to storm surge or wind driven waves.

Stakeholders with interests along Lake Erie should pay close attention to any weather systems that generate strong sustained West to Southwest winds as the resulting storm surge could result in shoreline erosion due to damaging waves and localized flooding.  Continue reading →

A Call-Out for Your Ideas from Niagara’s Regional government

Posted July 30^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – Niagara Region is conducting a public opinion survey on Niagara Region Transit and is looking to hear from you! Whether you use Niagara Region Transit every day, once in a while or not at all, your opinion is important to us.

Niagara Region Transit buses at a stop in Welland. File photo by Doug Draper

By participating in this survey, you’ll have a hand in moving transit forward.

Niagara Region will be conducting the survey between July 29 and August 16. Continue reading →

 Join in a community gathering on Thursday, August 1, 2019 at                        noon for the raising the pan-African flag at                       St. Catharines City Hall in downtown St. Catharines

An Invite to All from the Niagara Region Anti-Racism Association

Posted July 30^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large 

St. Catharines, Ontario – The City of St. Catharines celebrated Emancipation Day on Thursday, August 1, 2019 at noon by raising the pan-African flag at City Hall downtown.  

Emancipation Day is August 1 by statute in Ontario and marks the declaration of freedom for slaves of African descent in most of the British colonies. The flag raising request was made by the Niagara Region Anti-Racism Association.

St. Catharines Mayor Walter Sendzik said, “We are proud to celebrate Emancipation Day once again in St. Catharines. We have great history here and commemorating Emancipation Day is a reminder of the courage and tenacity of the ancestors of the Black communities here in St. Catharines and also in Niagara and throughout North America.”  Continue reading →

“Everybody needs help and support,” Dane said. “Friends can be that resource for you when you need it.” – Andrew Dane, Brock Associate Professor of Psychology 

News from Brock University in St. Catharines, Ontario 

Posted on Niagara At Large on International Day of Friendship, July 30^th, 2019 

Bullies are often seen as powerful, but Brock Associate Professor of Psychology Andrew Dane sees greater strength in being a good friend.

Andrew Dane, Associate Professor of Psychology at Brock University, says there’s a social power to friendship.

“There’s tremendous social power in developing good close friendships,” Dane said in advance of International Day of Friendship<https://www.un.org/en/events/friendshipday/index.shtml> on Tuesday, July 30.

“The thing about friendship is that it’s for mutual benefit. It’s about sticking together, loyalty, reciprocity, pro-social behaviour and helping one another, and there’s a lot of strength in that.” Continue reading →

Join the Day of Action this Tuesday, July 30th to reverse cuts to CELA

A Call-Out from the Canadian Environmental Law Association

Posted July 29th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

(A Brief Forward Note from Niagara At Large reporter and publisher Doug Draper-

Ontario Premier Doug Ford is moving to slash funding to the Canadian Environmental Law Association, a legal aid organization that helps everyday people fight polluters.

For almost 50 years, when individual citizens citizen groups have found themselves facing a David vs. Goliath battle with a large corporation operating in ways that is harmful or potentially harmful to the environment, the Canadian Environmental Law Association (CELA) has been there to represent those citizens and help level the tables of power.

In my earlier years as an environment reporter, I covered cases where CELA represented citizens groups like Pollution Probe and Operation Clean Niagara in launching court battles against  companies discharging toxic chemicals to the Niagara River and Lake Ontario.

No wonder that  Ontario’s Ford government, so eager to pander to and please corporate donors,  has moved to slash CELA’s legal aid funding by as much as 17 per cent this year and 35 per cent next year. Continue reading →

One of the countless signs Ontario residents have held up over the past year in protest of Ford government cuts to autism program

Reversal may be bid to help Tory ally Andrew Scheer win seats in Ontario in coming federal election

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

Posted July 29^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Of all of the cold and callous cuts Ontario’s Ford government has made to public services over its first year in power, few have done more to show how low this government will go with cuts that impact the most vulnerable among us than those to services for assisting families with loved ones diagnosed with autism.

For the better part of a year now, the Ontario Autism Coalition, a non-profit organization representing families with children struggling with this disorder, have been begging the Ford government to reverse cuts it is making to services for assisting these families – all in the name of balancing the province’s books.

Yet month after month after month after month, Ontario Premier Doug Ford, along with every single member of his Tory caucus, including Niagara West MPP Sam Oosterhoff, either defended the cuts, denied them, or remained complicit to the harm they are doing to families dealing with autism through their silence. Continue reading →

Paving Paradise – Gutting Planning Rules Sacrifices Natural Heritage to Urban Sprawl

“They paved paradise, put up a parking lot. …”

– Joni Mitchell, from Big Yellow Taxi, 1969 

How much more of our natural heritage are we going to cover over with low-density sprawl like this?

A Foreword by Niagara At Large reporter and publisher Doug Draper

Re-osted July 26th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

To repeat one of those mangled phrases made famous by the late New York Yankees baseball legend Yogi Berra; “It’s like déjà vu all over again.”

It is a phrase that seems fitting in Ontario these days as the province’s current premier, Doug Ford, and his Tory government take us back a couple of decades to the dark years of Ford’s old friend and mentor, former Tory premier Mike Harris, when cutting and gutting policies and programs for protecting what is left of our natural heritage to unleashing low -density urban sprawl was the rule of the day. 

Doug Ford, then still leader of the opposition Ontario PC Party, in Niagara Falls, already pledging  to make Ontario “open for business” in the weeks leading up to the June, 2018 provincial election

Under a mantra of “open for business” (as if all our province and the regions in it are is venues for doing business), the Ford government has been changing rules and regulations in ways that make it easier for the greediest and most irresponsible and backward-thinking members of the development industry to have a hay day with lands that should otherwise be protected and preserved for farming and for supporting a health and rich diversity of life (including ours) on this planet. Continue reading →

MPP Wayne Gates and 7-Year-Old Maya Webster Collect Signatures on Petition, Calling on Ontario Government to Cover Costs of Glucose Monitors for Children with Type 1 Diabetes

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

Posted July 26^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Niagara Falls MPP Wayne Gates with Maya Webster and her mother Christi Webster with a petition full of signatures of support for children with type 1 diabetes

Niagara, Ontario – Niagara-on-the-Lake -Niagara Falls NDP MPP Wayne Gates joined a 7 year old Niagara-on-the-Lake resident, Maya Webster, to knock on doors in her neighbourhood collecting signatures for a provincial petition calling on the government to cover the cost of continuous glucose monitors for children with type 1 diabetes like Maya.

“Maya and her mother came to my office and made a presentation about the work she’s done in Ottawa and locally on trying to help those with type 1 diabetes who can’t afford these devices,” said Gates. Continue reading →

You are Invited to North America’s Largest and Most Popular Urban Gardens Tour, Free and Self-Guided, Running                                                      for Two Beautiful Days                                                – Saturday, July 27^th & Sunday, July 28^th from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

From the Organizers of Garden Walk Buffalo

Re-posted July 26th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

A getaway in a corner of a lush backyard near Buffalo’s Elmwood Village area and Delaware Park. File photo by Doug Draper

Join us for our 25th anniversary! Tour is free and self-guided. No tickets required. Nearly 400 creative urban gardens. NEW in 2019–the Parkside neighborhood is part of Garden Walk Buffalo!

Garden Walk Buffalo celebrates its 25th anniversary as a garden tour this year! It is America’s largest garden tour, attracting garden lovers throughout Western New York, Southern Ontario and beyond.

Held annually on the last weekend of July, Garden Walk has become one of the most anticipated summer events locally — and even nationally. An estimated 65,000 visitors flock to Buffalo to tour more than 400 residential gardens as well as many community and public gardens. Continue reading →

Niagara Regional Chair Jim Bradley

“By joining the Built for Zero Canada Collaborative, I believe that our team at Niagara Region will be empowered to explore new strategies and projects that will help improve the quality of life of some of our most vulnerable community members.”                                      ~ Jim Bradley, Niagara Regional Chair

News from Niagara’s Regional Government

Posted July 25^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – This July 23^rd, Niagara Region was announced as one of nine successful applicants to participate in the BFZ-C Collaborative and is currently in the signing  process of the Community Agreement. The nine successful communities of the  2019-2020 Collaborative will join 24 other communities linked to BFZ-C. Continue reading →

Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce CEO Mishka Balsom

“The power of the beverage alcohol sector to be a force for economic growth extends beyond just the expected industries. The production, distribution, and sale of alcohol has a ripple effect that benefits agriculture, tourism and hospitality, and retail in all corners of the province.”                                                          – Mishka Balsom, President & CEO of the Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce 

A News Release from the Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce 

Posted July 25^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large 

Niagara, Ontario – This July 24th, the Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce (GNCC) and Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC) released a new report, Refreshing the Sale of Beverage Alcohol in Ontario.  

This report outlines how the Province could modernize the sale and distribution of beverage alcohol and responsibly promote growth across all four categories – wine, beer, spirits, and cider. Continue reading →

Veteran Conservationist Gayle Wood‘s Five-Month Contract at NPCA Now Extended Until End of This Year

News from the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority with a Brief Foreword by Niagara At Large reporter and publisher Doug Draper

Posted July 24^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

By Doug Draper

NPCA Interim CAO Gayle Wood receives well-deserved contract extention

Let me say right up front that in this veteran environment reporter’s view, what follows is news that everyone who cares about restoring, protecting and preserving our region’s natural heritage should greet with a cheer.

And here is why.

After a more than six-year-long, dark journey into night for a Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA) that had lost its way, Gayle Wood is one of the very best things that have happened in recent times to this vital voice of an agency for a Niagara watershed that enriches our communities and our lives. Continue reading →

‘Responding to increased demand by farmers interested in taking on projects to reduce phosphorus entering waterways connected to Lake Erie, (federal and provincial) governments (in Canada) have increased funding to support their efforts to improve farming methods and better protect the environment.’

A News Release from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

Posted July 24th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Toronto, Ontario – The governments of Canada and Ontario are helping more farmers take action to make their operations more environmentally sustainable and to boost water quality in the Lake Erie and Lake St. Clair watersheds. Continue reading →

Plan will connect up to 220,000 new homes and businesses 

A News Release from the Constituency Office of Niagara West MPP Sam Oosterhoff 

Posted July 24^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large 

Niagara West MPP and Ford government member Sam Oosterhoff

Niagara, Ontario – Families and businesses in rural and remote communities can look forward to high-speed internet and better cellphone service as the province releases its first-ever, $315 million plan to improve and expand service. 

“Our government is committed to help businesses, families and farms stay connected, no matter where they live,” said Sam Oosterhoff, MPP Niagara West.

“Our investment will get shovels in the ground, get infrastructure built, and get people and business connected.” 

The plan includes a $150 million commitment for a new broadband fund, which will leverage private sector funding along with support from other levels of government, to drive investment and expansion to un-served and undeserved communities. Continue reading →

Niagara Citizens Committee Honoured for Decades of Work on Glenridge Quarry Naturalization Site

A plaque on a bench unveiled near the entrance to the Glenridge Quarry Naturalization Site in St. Catharines, honouring those who helped make this special place a reality.

A News Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted July 23^rd, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Niagara Regional Chair Jim Bradley speaks at unveiling ceremony. Photo by Doug Draper

It was a ceremony that seemed long overdue.

And yet in a day and age when groups of citizens and governments don’t always do the best job of working together, it was great to have a reminder of what can be accomplished for a community when they do.

Such a time and reminder came this Monday, July 22^nd when surviving members of what began in 1984 as the Glenridge Landfill Citizens Committee and representatives of Niagara’s regional government and cities of St. Catharines and Thorold gathered together at what is now known as the Glenridge Quarry Naturalization Site to celebrate the decades-long transformation of a problem-plagued municipal landfill site into a popular setting for outdoor recreation and wildlife.

It was in the 1980s that operational troubles at an old quarry on top of the Niagara Escarpment near Brock University and by then in full use by the City of St. Catharines as a municipal landfill site, were surfacing in the form of putrid effluent from manholes on streets and in the basements of some of the homes in a neighbourhood below.

Sitting on the new bench unveiled at the Glenridge Quarry Naturalization Site during the ceremony, are from left in front row, Glenridge Landfill Liaison Committee members Mary Lorimer, Maureen Barker and Bryant Prosser, and standing from left to right are Thorold City Councillor John Kenny, St. Catharines Regional Councillor Tim Rigby and Niagara Regional Chair Jim Bradley, Photo by Doug Draper

Residents in that neighbourhood formed a group called the Glenridge Landfill Citizens Committee to fight for a cleanup and for closing the site down. And by the end of the decade, the group was renamed the Glenridge Landfill Liaison Committee and was working with the city and later Niagara’s regional government to close the site and turn it into the naturalization park it is today. Continue reading →

Police Investigation now Underway to Catch Alleged Imposters

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

Posted July 22^nd, 2019 on Niagara At Large

The Comfort Maple in Pelham/Niagara, estimated to be about 500 years old, making it one of the oldest maple trees in all of Canada, is one of the most valuable features of our region’s natural heritage that the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority cares for.

As if the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA) has had enough problems over the past number of years under the direction of managers and board members  who, following last year’s municipal elections, are gone, now the agency has this bizarre and unwelcome situation to deal with – just as it has been doing a pretty good job of getting itself back on as a leading steward for our Niagara area watershed.

Why would anyone want to go around the region and even making phone calls and sending out email, as has been reported, posing as NPCA staff while they are doing it? Just this reporter’s speculation, but it seems like it would almost have to be people who know at least a little bit about the NPCA and the work it is doing. Continue reading →

Province Seeks Feedback on Proposed Changes to Provincial Policy Statement

Ontario Premier Doug Ford, then still a candidate for the provincial Tory Party’s top job, is caught on video tape early last year, telling developers he would open on “big chunks” of the province’s protected Greenbelt to build affordable housing

(The following News Release is being posted with a Footnote from Niagara At Large, raising concerns about possible plans by the Ford government to use a need for more affordable housing in Ontario as an excuse to pave over more agricultural land and “big chunks,” as Ford has described them, of the province’s protected Greenbelt lands.)

A News Release from the Ford Government and Ontario’s Ministry of Municpal Affairs and Housing

Posted July 22^nd, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Ontario Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Steve Clarks says government is cutting “red tape” and changing planning rules to “speed up”housing construction

NIAGARA — The Ontario Government is cutting red tape that is slowing down the process of building more homes that people need and can afford.

As part of the More Homes, More Choice: Ontario’s Housing Supply Action Plan, the government is consulting on proposed changes to the Provincial Policy Statement (PPS) — which sets out direction for land use planning in the province.

“Seniors are looking to down-size and young families don’t see a path to home ownership. That’s why we are proposing changes to provincial policies that would spur and speed up the construction of more and different types of housing that can meet the needs of people in different stages of life,” said Steve Clark, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.

“I encourage Ontarians to provide their feedback directly to my ministry during this 90-day consultation period.” Continue reading →

A Commentary by Niagara At Large reporter and publisher           Doug Draper

Posted July 20^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

First steps on the moon, July 20th, 1969.

“We choose to go to the Moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard; because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one we intend to win.”                                                          – from an address delivered by U.S. President John F. Kennedy in September of 1962

Kennedy spoke those bold words less than one year after his country sent the first American into space for a mere 15 minutes, and 59 years after the Wright Brothers were the first to successfully make a rickety contraption that passed for an airplane fly without crashing.

And 50 years ago this Saturday, July 20^th – a mere six years and 10 months after Kennedy spoke those words about humans walking on the surface of moon before the end of the decade – it actually happened, as more than 500 million people around the world, watched it in awe on our televisions some 230,000 miles (360,000 kilometres) away.

In the world we live in now, where it seems to take forever to upgrade an interchange on the QEW or 406 Highway, or fix a leaky tunnel under the Welland Canal, it is amazing to realize what an accomplish it was to go from the first humans in tiny capsules to barely kiss he heavens in the early 1960s to collecting moon rocks and bringing them back home safely in 1969. Continue reading →

Total Board Count Swells to 21 when Haldimand and Hamilton Reps are taken into account, with not one young person or millennial represented

Niagara Region’s Council has chosen West Lincoln’s Dave Bylsma, Lincoln’s Robert Foster and Port Colborne’s Bill Steele to sit on Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority  for remainder of this four year term

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

Posted July 19^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large (This is a corrected and updated version of this news commentary. Please delete any earlier version you may have.)

As of this July 18^th, the number of representatives Niagara will have sitting on the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority’s board of directors jumps from 12 to 15.

The Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority’s board of directors at a meeting earlier this year. They are now going to need a bigger table . File photo by Doug Draper

It makes for a total board membership 21 on a Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA) that is just beginning to get back on a positive track after six or seven years of bad when the two representatives from Haldimand County and four from Hamilton are taken into account. Continue reading →

Scorching Temperatures Expected to Last Through Saturday and into Sunday Morning

A Message from Niagara Region’s Public Health and Emergency Services 

Posted July 19^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

An Excessive Heat Alert will be issued tomorrow, July 19, 2019 by Niagara Region Public Health and Emergency Services, as temperatures are expected to reach 31 Celsius with the humidex approaching 40 Celsius.

The alert will continue until Sunday morning when temperatures are expected to return to normal. Niagara residents are advised to take extra precautions during episodes of extreme heat and humidity. Continue reading →

Signs like this, held by citizens protesting development plans at Thundering Waters Forest in Niagara Falls, became common over the past three years.

-Rich Forest in Niagara Falls, Ontario is Target of $1.5-Billion Urban Development Proposal

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

Posted July 18^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

What a difference a new board of directors at the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority can make.

Three years after a former Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA) board was so agreeable to a developer using something called “biodiversity offsetting” to potentially build over provincially significant wetlands (PSWs) in Niagara Falls’ Thundering Waters Forest, the Conservation Authority’s current board is taking quite a different tact.

A look at wetlands inside Thundering Waters Forest.in Niagara Falls, Ontario

Not only is there no mention of biodiversity offsetting in any discussion of these wetlands, the NPCA’s current board has decided to express its support for the PSW designations the province’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) now has on them. Continue reading →

“Declaring a climate emergency clearly states the NPCA’s intention to address this urgent issue.”

By Doug Draper 

Posted July 18^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large 

In the wake of what clearly now looks like a higher frequency of damaging rain, wind, wildfires and other climate-related episodes, the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA) has joined the cities of St. Catharines and Hamilton, and growing numbers of other public bodies across Canada and around the world in declaring a “climate emergency.”

Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA) joins a growing number of public bodies around the world in passing a climate emergency declaration.

A motion to make the declaration, tabled by Ed Smith, a community activist recently appointed to the NPCA board by St. Catharines’ city council with the blessing of Niagara’s regional council, received approval at a full meeting of the board this July 17^th. 

In a separate motion this July 17th, the board also approved working with municipal bodies and other parties in Niagara, Hamilton and Haldimand (the three regions sharing a Niagara watershed the NPCA has jurisdiction over, on developing and implementing a “Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan over the remainder of this year and next.  Continue reading →

God Bless America. Someone Has To!

A Commentary by Linda McKellar

Posted July 17^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Christian Evangelists rest their hands on Saint Donald’s shoulders during a prayer breakfast in the White House.

I will never understand how people can claim to be “Christian Evangelicals”  while at the same time be so racist and so full of hate.

That does not reflect the god that most people believe in. Since Trump’s mother was born in Scotland, the Isle of Lewis, should he go back there? Poor Scotland!!!!!!

He is no further removed from a foreign land than three of these women. Since his current and past wife were immigrants, (the current one working without documentation before her citizenship) should HIS wives go back to where they came from and take Trump’s spawn with them?

He also managed to get Melania’s parents into the country….so much for his hatred of and pledge to stop chain immigration. Of course both were essential to the economy….elderly… the father a car salesman and the mother a factory seamstress. Continue reading →

Third-term MPP Michael Coteau takes questions about building a better Province of Ontario

Ontario Liberal Party MPP and leadership hopeful Michael Coteau

“The biggest waste we face in Ontario is the waste of human potential. Doug Ford is in it for tax breaks to the wealthy and big corporations—and cuts for everyone else. I’m in it for children and families, our future.”                                                                           – Ontario Liberal MPP Michael Coteau

News from Ontario Liberal MPP Michael Coteau’s Leadership Campaign

Posted July 17^th, 2019

St. Catharines, Ontario – Michael Coteau, a third-term Liberal MPP and former cabinet minister, visited St. Catharines (this July 16^th) for a full-house neighbourhood meeting with local residents

“Doug Ford says kids today aren’t worth the cost. That’s his message—Ontario doesn’t value you. I was that kid who was told someone like you doesn’t matter,” said Coteau. “And now, someone like me is taking a stand. Continue reading →

If Trump and his Angry Republican Mob Want to Throw them out, we Canadians can let them know they are Always Welcome Here

From left to right, U.S. Congresswomen Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, Ihan Omar of Minnesota, Alexandria Occasio-Cortez of New York and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts. All American citizens. All women of colour. And all told by Trump to get out of America if they don’t like it, and “go back” to where they came from.

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

Posted July 16^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

They are young, well-educated, intelligent, progressive minded women – all passionate advocates for universal health care, for access to quality education, for good jobs and living wages, and for protecting our planet for present and future generations – and Donald Trump and his many Republican supporters are treating them like human garbage.

All four are American citizens (three of them born in the United States, and the fourth arrived in the U.S. from Somalia with her family when she was barely 10 years old) and duly elected members of U.S. Congress.

Yet much to the delight of millions of his Republican and Christian Evangelical supporters, Trump has tossed more meat to feed their cruel, hate-filled under belly by tweeting out one of the oldest racist tropes in the white supremacist playbook.

Trump tweeted out that the four U.S. Congresswomen – all women of colour, which is all that it seems to take these days to gin up the once-proud, and now disgraced “Party of Lincoln” – should get out of the United States and “go back” to where they came from because, according to Trump, they “hate” America anyway, apparently because they criticize its dear leader, meaning him. Continue reading →

On Thursday, July 18, the world will celebrate the 101st birthday of Nelson Mandela, a global icon of peace and equality who was the central figure in ending apartheid in South Africa.

News from Brock University in St. Catharines, Niagara

Posted July 16^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Dolana Mogadime, Associate Professor in Brock University’s Faculty of Education. Her great-grandfather, Henry Selby Msimang, was a founding member of a political group that became the African National Congress, later led by Nelson Mandela.

For Brock University’s Dolana Mogadime, educating others on Nelson Mandela’s legacy is more than just part of her job. It’s in her blood. Originally from South Africa, the Associate Professor in Brock’s Faculty of Education came to Canada at the age of seven.

Her great-grandfather, Henry Selby Msimang, was a founding member of a political group that became the African National Congress, later led by Mandela. Her mother, Caroline Goodie Mogadime, was recognized by the Canadian Museum for Human Rights<https://humanrights.ca/> (CMHR) for her contributions to Canada’s anti-apartheid movement.

On Thursday, July 18, the world will celebrate the 101st birthday of Mandela, a global icon of peace and equality who was the central figure in ending apartheid in South Africa. Continue reading →

Province’s Health Minister walks back Doug Ford’s comments on hallway medicine

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

Posted July 16^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Ontario NDP and Official Opposition Leader Andrea Horwath

QUEEN’S PARK — Last week, speaking from Saskatoon, Doug Ford said his government has addressed hallway medicine, and would end the practice within a year. On Monday (July 15th), Health Minister Christine Elliott walked those comments back.

Official Opposition and NDP Leader Andrea Horwath released the following statement in response:

“Across Ontario, people are waiting hours and hours in emergency rooms, and laying on stretchers in hospital hallways because there aren’t enough hospital beds. Ambulances are forced to wait — sometimes for hours — to offload patients. And some patients are walking away from ER waiting rooms, never getting a chance to see a doctor, because waiting in pain and discomfort becomes unbearable. Continue reading →

Citizens in the Niagara town of Fort Erie, Ontario are fighting to save this green place – Waverly Woods – from being compromised or destroyed for a condo that cpuld go somewhere that isn’t as green with trees as this.

Why Aren’t More Citizens Across this Region Pressing their Councillors for More Effective Rules for Conserving Trees?

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

Posted July 14^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Most of us are familiar with old line; “What if a tree falls in the forest and there is no one there to hear it?”

Well, what if a trees falls or, more to the point, an entire stand of trees is chopped down within ear or eye shot of a community of concerned citizens and there are no rules with enough teeth on the books to stop it?

The felling of this tree and others in Waverly Woods last year caused an outcry among citizens. File Photo courtesy of the group Community Voices for Fort Erie

There were at least two significant cases in this Niagara region this past November 2018 where citizens were faced with a case of trees they cherished being chopped down – one in the Waverly Forest area of Fort Erie where a multi-storey condo is on the drawing board, and one on the historic Randwood Estates property in Niagara-on-the-Lake where the current owner plans to build a new hotel, convention centre and recreational complex.

Tree cutting underway on the property of the Randwood Estate in Niagara-on-the-Lake last year. File Photo courtesy of members of the citizens group SORE (Save Our Randwood Estate)

And in both these cases and others like them, including a clearing of trees by developers in the Thundering Waters Forest in Niagara Falls to make way for a path or road, calls for action against the tree cutters were met with a response from authorities that upset and angered many of them.

In short, the response they received was that the tree and forest conservation rules on the books at the time, and are still the rules of the day at the Niagara regional government level, would do nothing to stop or to penalize the tree cutting that took place at these sites. Continue reading →

A Brief Message from Doug Draper 

Posted July 15^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large 

Our sweet white guy Dylan

I would like to offer a few lines of heartfelt thanks to all of the people out there who shared words of condolence after I posted a story about the passing this July 8^th of Dylan, a much-beloved feline member of my family for the past 20 years. 

The response to the story was overwhelming, including emails and phone calls my wife, daughter and I received from friends across the Niagara region and GTA, and as far away as Massachusetts and New Jersey, where the story was shared on social media. 

What I found most heartening in so many of the notes I received is that I may have succeeded in writing a brief story about Dylan’s life and death that came across as something more than just some person crying over the loss of his cat.   Continue reading →

Wednesday, July 17^th at 7 P.M. at the Victoria Avenue Public Library in Niagara Falls

From Karen Fraser, CEO, Niagara Falls Riding, Green Party of Canada

Posted July 15^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

On Wednesday July 17th at 7 PM, the Green Party of Canada, Provincial and Federal Niagara Falls Riding Associations will be hosting both federal and provincial Annual General Meetings (AGM) as well as the Nomination Meeting for our 2019 Federal Green Candidate.

* The meeting will be held at the Victoria Ave. Public Library  LaMarsh Room, 4848 Victoria Ave, Niagara Falls, Ontario L2E 4C5. Continue reading →

U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)Warns of Significant Harmful Algal Bloom, Which Are Toxic to People & Animals, in Lake Erie

“As climate change increases the threat of algal blooms, our efforts (to address (the harmful effects of this problem in the Lake Erie basin) must escalate proportionately.”                                           – Brian Higgins, U.S. Congressman

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

Posted July 14^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large 

Buffalo, New York area Congressman Brian Higgins

In a letter to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Congressman Brian Higgins (NY-26) is calling for swift action in response to new warning about toxic algae threatening the health of the Great Lakes and the communities around them.

Higgins letter calls on the EPA to accelerate efforts to combat Harmful Algal Blooms, writing, “Such a bloom may impact the health of the entire lake, including the eastern basin near my district in Buffalo, New York. As climate change increases the threat of algal blooms, our efforts must escalate proportionately.”

The green algae mass, seen from space as it grows in the western end of Lake Erie, and working its way to the lake’s eastern end off the shores of Buffalo and Niagara.

This week the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) issued a warning predicting a harmful algal bloom in Lake Erie. Continue reading →

“Together, we must create a safer, more peaceful world, where the media freedom so central to healthy democracies and strong societies can flourish.”                                                                               – Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

Somali-Canadian journalist Hodan Nalayeh, another light for peace and love put out by war and hate

A Statement by the Prime Minister on the terrorist attack in Somalia that killed Somali-Canadian journalist Hodan Nalayeh, July 14, 2019 Ottawa, Ontario

Posted July 14^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today (this July 14^th) issued the following statement on the terrorist attack in Somalia:

“On behalf of all Canadians, I offer my deepest condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of Hodan Nalayeh, a Somali-Canadian journalist who, together with her husband Farid, was killed in the terrorist attack in Kismayo, Somalia. Our thoughts are also with those who were injured or lost loved ones. Continue reading →

A Brief Look at the History and the Current Status of Efforts to Protect  and Preserve this Watershed for Generations to Come.

And a Few Words on How You Can Stay Informed on the Restoration Work as it Continues

By Doug Draper

Posted July 12th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

The waters of the American and Horseshoe Falls spill to the lower Niagara River

It hardly needs to be said that the Niagara River and the numerous tributaries  draining  into it play a vital role in the quality of life, including the health and economic prosperity of people and communities on both sides of the Canada/U.S. border.

Yet we have not always shown this sprawling watershed the respect and the care it needs to continue playing that priceless role. 

By the middle decades of the last century, growing numbers of citizens and civic leaders on both sides of the border began sounding alarm bells about discharges of pollution to the Niagara River that, according to a report from one Maid of the Mist captain at the time, made the water below the Horseshoe and American Falls smell like “airplane glue”. Continue reading →

“President Trump’s damaging attacks on clean water stand in stark contrast to any claims of protecting the Great Lakes. The visible toxic algae blooms and green slime plaguing Lake Erie and other waterways in recent years are visual evidence that the Trump administration’s anti-environmental policies are moving the Midwest backwards not forwards.”                                                                                                     – Howard A. Learner, Executive Director, Environmental Law & Policy Center based in the U.S. Midwest

The following is from the Environmental Law & Policy Center, a public advocacy organization in the United States with a long history of addresses  issues affecting the health of  the Great Lakes

Posted July 12^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Environmental Law & Policy Center Rejects President Trump’s Claims of Protecting the Environment    

“The Trump administration’s anti-environmental policies are moving the Midwest backwards not forwards”

Statement By Howard A. Learner, Executive Director, Environmental Law & Policy Center, in response to President Trump’s remarks (this July 8^th, attempting to defend his environmental record at a White House gathering:

“President Trump’s damaging attacks on clean water stand in stark contrast to any claims of protecting the Great Lakes. The visible toxic algae blooms and green slime plaguing Lake Erie and other waterways in recent years are visual evidence that the Trump administration’s anti-environmental policies are moving the Midwest backwards not forwards.” Continue reading →

“They paved paradise, put up a parking lot. …”

– Joni Mitchell, from Big Yellow Taxi, 1969 

How much more of our natural heritage are we going to cover over with low-density sprawl like this?

A Foreword by Niagara At Large reporter and publisher Doug Draper

Posted July 11th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

To repeat one of those mangled phrases made famous by the late New York Yankees baseball legend Yogi Berra; “It’s like déjà vu all over again.”

It is a phrase that seems fitting in Ontario these days as the province’s current premier, Doug Ford, and his Tory government take us back a couple of decades to the dark years of Ford’s old friend and mentor, former Tory premier Mike Harris, when cutting and gutting policies and programs for protecting what is left of our natural heritage to unleashing low -density urban sprawl was the rule of the day. 

Doug Ford, then still leader of the opposition Ontario PC Party, in Niagara Falls, already pledging  to make Ontario “open for business” in the weeks leading up to the June, 2018 provincial election

Under a mantra of “open for business” (as if all our province and the regions in it are is venues for doing business), the Ford government has been changing rules and regulations in ways that make it easier for the greediest and most irresponsible and backward-thinking members of the development industry to have a hay day with lands that should otherwise be protected and preserved for farming and for supporting a health and rich diversity of life (including ours) on this planet.

Like Harris before him, Ford’s “open for  business” mantra is, among other things, a way of selling us on the idea that we have to make a choice between economic growth and environmental protection or that when it comes to our wetlands, for example, we have to continue accepting a balance between urban growth and what few wetlands or meadows or forests we have left. Continue reading →

“Doug Ford’s crusade against the environment has got to  be stopped. We’re already experiencing more floods, wildfires and tornadoes in Ontario, and if we don’t take action to fight the climate crisis, our children and grandchildren will pay an unthinkable price.”                                                                                      – Ontario NDP Energy and Climate Change critic Peter Tabuns

A Statement from the Ontario New Democraric Party

Posted June 10th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Doug Ford took advantage of the Wynne’s lack of transparency on cap and trade to drag Ontario backwards

Much of the light is out for green energy projects in Ontario while other jurisdictions around the world lead the way to a greener, cleaner economies

TORONTO – NDP Energy and Climate Change critic Peter Tabuns released the following statement in response to a National Observer report that Doug Ford secretly cancelled 227 clean energy projects as a result of ripping up Ontario’s cap and trade deal:

“By cancelling 227 clean energy projects Doug Ford has cancelled jobs, and signed off on even more emissions to feed the climate crisis.

Thanks to a National Observer report, we now know Doug Ford secretly scrapped a project that would have made a community centre in Etobicoke net-zero, cancelled a zero-emissions child care centre construction project, and stopped the conversion of  TTC busses to electric – along with hundreds of other projects. These investments lower emissions, fight climate change and create jobs. Wynne and the Liberals let us down – they should have been transparent about all the projects being funded through cap and trade.

Doug Ford’s crusade against the environment has got to be stopped. We’re already experiencing more floods, wildfires and tornadoes in Ontario, and if we don’t take action to fight the climate crisis, our children and grandchildren will pay an unthinkable price.”

A Footnote  from Niagara At Large reporter and publisher Doug Draper –

If you wonder why Niagara At Large is coming down so hard – with no apologies – on Ford, Scheer and the like, this is why

Ontario Premier Doug Ford (left) and Alberta Premier Jason Kenney, in 19th century cowboy costumes at the Calgary Stampede, with their tar pipe dreams and hopes of seeing their pal Andrew Scheer elected Canadian prime minister in October

This second week of July , Ontario Premier Doug Ford and his pal, Alberta t Premier Jason Kenney, gathered at the Calgary Stampede with some of their other extreme right allies, wearing 19th century cowboy costumes and vowing to keep Ontario, Alberta and the rest of Canada (if they can help get fellow climate laggard Andrew Scheer elected prime minister this October) stuck in the 20th century when it comes to continuing to produce, transport via pipes and burn up dirty energy that is ravaging what is left of a health planet for future generations.

As a veteran environment writer and environmentalist with a daughter in her 20s, I believe that we have to take the gloves off and slam back at these dangerous, morally bankrupt clowns, the dirty energy interests they represent, and all others who support them with their donations and their votes.

Federal Tory leader Andrew Scheer (left) sharing the stage with Ontario Premier Doug Ford. If and when these two win, the future of our planet is the loser

Collectively, they are complicit in placing the future of our children, grandchildren and all life on this planet in jeopardy.

The rest of us, whether we are journalists, politicians and public servants, members of the private sector or whatever our station in life, have got to stop Ford, Kenney, Scheer and their like before they do any more to damage and destroy efforts to protect and preserve the life-sustaining resources of the only place in this universe where we have a home.

For anyone out there wondering why this journalist, on this news and commentary site is coming out so aggressively against what Ford and his ilk are doing  in the areas of environmental protection, endangered species protection, conservation, energy, transportation and transit, and urban planning, that is the reason.

The future of my daughter and her generation, and generations not yet born is the reason.

Please join in the fight to stop the war on our environment by the likes of Ford, Kenny and Scheer, and Trump across the border.

There is no “planet B” and there is no other option but to stop playing nice with these dangerous dinosaurs and fight as hard as we have to until they and their tar pits and pipes, and the  greedy interests they represent are consigned to the ash piles of history.

In this October’s federal election in Canada, vote for the future of our planet.

Let’s hope and pray that our American neighbours do the same in November, 2020.

• Doug Draper, journalist, Niagara At Large

• 

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

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

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

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

“The records for lakes St. Clair, Erie and Ontario are the highest for any month dating back to 1918.”                         – U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

A News Release from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Posted July 10^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Sand bags piled in an effort to hold off Lake Ontario’s rising waters at Lakeside Park beach in St. Catharines this spring. Photo by Doug Draper

DETROIT, Michigan –– The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District, announces that that based on preliminary data, new record high monthly mean water levels were set on Lake Superior, Lake St. Clair, Lake Erie and Lake Ontario in June.

The new record June levels are between three and four inches higher than the previous records for the month, which were set in 1986 on Lakes Superior, St. Clair and Erie and in 2017 on Lake Ontario.

The records for lakes St. Clair, Erie and Ontario are the highest for any month dating back to 1918. Lake Michigan-Huron was less than one inch from its June record. Additional record high water levels are possible on all the Great Lakes and Lake St. Clair this summer. Continue reading →

Blue Communities recognize that water is a shared resource for all. Access to water and sanitation are human rights.

A Guest Story by Gary Screaton Page

Posted July 10^th, 2019 on Niagara Atia Large

Jericho House Youth Leadership, Justice, and Spirituality Centre recently marked yet another milestone. It became the 49th Blue Community in the country.

Blue Community, a program initiated by The Council of Canadians, the Blue Planet Project and the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), recognizes that water is a shared resource for all. Access to water and sanitation are human rights!

Like other Blue Communities, Jericho House, located on Rathfon Road in Wainfleet, Niagara is committed to being free of bottled water and to advocating for publicly—not privately—owned water and wastewater services.

Among the resolutions passed that make Jericho House a Blue Community, is the recognition that it has a responsibility, “to promote the ethical treatment and preservation of water for this and future generations.”

Photo used by permission of Council of Canadians.

Board Chair, Wayne Badaway, seen here, signed the certificate as The Council of Canadians welcomed Jericho House as the newest Blue Community. Being situated close to Lake Erie and with a sizable source of spring water in the conservation area next to its teaching centre property, Jericho House, ably guided by Co-Directors Brother Bill Carrothers and Sister Jacquie Keefe, is committed to the responsible use of water. Continue reading →

Niagara Regional Chair Jim Bradley Announced as Honorary Coffee Break Chair

Niagara Regional Chair Jim Bradley

“We in Niagara have the most seniors on a per capita basis and many of us know someone with dementia or who is a caregiver. … The Alzheimer Society of Niagara Region is such a wonderful and important resource for us to have in our community. I encourage you to get involved and host a Coffee Break to help raise funds for this great cause and make a difference in lives of those with dementia.”                                                                                 – Jim Bradley, Niagara Regional Chair.

 A Call-Out for Support from the Alzheimer Society of Niagara Region

Posted July 10th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

The Alzheimer Society of Niagara Region needs funds more than ever, as over 10,296 people are living with a progressive form of dementia in Niagara and that number is projected to increase.

Niagara Regional Chair Jim Bradley found this “to be disconcerting and was deeply honoured to lend his assistance and leadership as Honorary Coffee Break Chair for the campaign kicking off September 19th at Regional Headquarters”.

“For as long as I have been at The Alzheimer Society Jim Bradley has shown his commitment and dedication to our organization”, states Teena Kindt, Chief Executive Officer for the Alzheimer Society Niagara Foundation. Continue reading →

Investment in Frontline Care will Give More Families More Choices

“Our government is protecting what matters most by ensuring families across Ontario have more choices when it comes to delivering their babies.” -Niagara West MPP Sam Oosterhoff.

A News Release from the Constituency Office of Niagara West MPP and Ford Government member Sam Oosterhoff

Posted July 10^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Niagara West MPP and Ford government member Sam Oosterhoff

LINCOLN- With more than 140,000 babies being welcomed to the world each year in Ontario, families are looking for more options when it comes to choosing their care. That’s why Ontario’s Government for the People is investing in frontline care by expanding access to midwifery services across the province.

This week, Sam Oosterhoff, MPP for Niagara West announced the government is providing an additional $225,842 to Lincoln Midwives; $448,101 to Sages Femmes Renaissance Midwifery in Niagara; and $665,163 to Niagara Midwifery in St. Catharines.

This is part of Ontario’s Government for the People’s investment of an additional $28 million to expand midwifery services across Ontario, which will help up to 3,400 more families access additional choice in primary care during a pregnancy, birth and postpartum. Continue reading →

 Our Sweet Buddy Dylan – June,  1999 to July 8th, 2019

A Tribute to a Friend  by Niagara At Large reporter and publisher Doug Draper

Posted Monday, July 8^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

As I write this, I am feeling empty. And I’m feeling a little afraid that I am going to key in some words that are way too maudlin and trite for a cat who seemed so wise and who composed himself with such quiet dignity.

I woke up at about 7 a.m. this Monday (July 8^th) morning and there was Dylan’s head, resting in the usual place, on the pillow right next to me with one difference. This time, he did not make a move to get up as he also always did when he saw me stir, to lead me to the place where I would fill his bowl with food.

One of Dylan’s favourite poses on one of his favourite places. (yes, one eye was blue and the other was green.)

Dylan had just turned 20 this June and he was getting pretty slow, as old guys do, and this Monday morning that beautiful heart of his just decided to give out. Continue reading →

One of the signs up at Happy Rolph’s Animal Farm in St. Catharines as urban beehives are installed.

“It’s through initiatives such as urban beehives and pollinator gardens that St. Catharines has taken a lead in protecting our environment for generations to come.”

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

Posted July 5^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

While St. Catharines’ Happy Rolph’s Animal Farm is already a hive of activity, the City is launching a new eco-initiative sure to create even more buzz at the beloved park.

The City has partnered with Small Scale Farms to install beehives at Happy Rolph’s in an effort to reverse declining honey bee populations. The City strategically located seven beehives on the west side of the pond, away from public areas so residents and bees can safely share the park.

City among first in Canada to install urban beehives. Photo courtesy of City of St. Catharines

“The City of St. Catharines is among the first municipalities in Canada to install urban beehives on its properties and we are proud to be their partner for this initiative,” said Renee Delaney, founder of Small Scale Farms.

“It’s through initiatives such as urban beehives and pollinator gardens that St. Catharines has taken a lead in protecting our environment for generations to come. By placing bees at Happy Rolph’s, Small Scale Farms and the City of St. Catharines hope to encourage residents to learn more about these fascinating insects.”

The number of honey bees housed by each hive will vary based on time of year. Small Scale Farms will provide bee keepers and maintain the urban beehives on behalf of the City. Any honey that’s extracted will go towards Small Scale Farms’ food assistance program. Continue reading →

“Now more than ever, we know how important it is to protect the health of our nature and ecosystems. … I encourage everyone to participate in this consultation to continue building resilient communities and protecting the environment.”                                  – Canadian Environment Minister Catherine McKenna

News from Environment and Climate Change Canada

Posted July 5^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Toronto, Ontario – Canada is addressing threats to Great Lakes water quality and ecosystem health and is working with partners and the public to protect this vital shared resource.

Today (this July 5^th), the governments of Canada and Ontario released a draft of a new Canada-Ontario Agreement on Great Lakes Water Quality and Ecosystem Health to coordinate actions to protect water quality in our Great Lakes.

To help develop this new Agreement, Canada and Ontario are seeking input from the public. The draft Agreement will be available for public comment between July 5 and September 4. A final agreement is expected in 2020. Continue reading →

Another Call to Action from One of the Wisest People on the Planet

A Brief Commentary by Doug Draper, followed by an address 16-year-old Greta Thunberg delivered late this spring at the Brilliant Minds Conference in Stockholm, Sweden

Posted July 5^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Her name is Greta Thunberg. 

She was born in the third year of this 21^st century and she is 16 years old.

And she is making more sense than most people over the age of 50, both in and outside of elected office or the business world, when it comes to what to do in the face of  one of the greatest threats, outside of a nuclear war, facing the future of all life on our planet.

Within the past year, this young Swedish activist has delivered calls to action that have been heard around the world as she spoke to delegates at the United Nations and to leaders of the European Union.

This past March, thousands of young people across Ontario went on strike form school for a day to march for action against the climate crisis. The rest of us need to join them.

Earlier this year, she inspired people her age and younger around the world, including her in Niagara, to march out of school for an afternoon and call on their adult counterparts to wake up and do something for their future before it is too late.

Niagara At Large is posting a  video of the full address Greta Thunberg delivered this spring to a large audience of high-profile makers and shakers, including former U.S. President Barack Obama, and innovative thinkers from around the world at the Brilliant Minds Conference in Greta’s home country.

Please click on the screen below and give it a listen, and make a pledge not to bland, not to compromise or find some “balance,” but to act now as if, as Greta has said, as if your house is on fire –

To read an excellent opinion piece published in The Globe and Mail this June 28th, titled ‘The World Needs More Greta Thunbergs’, click on – https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-the-world-needs-more-greta-thunbergs/ .

If you are wondering what the Brilliant Minds Conference is, for more information, click on –  https://brilliantminds.co/

NIAGARA AT LARGE Encourages You To Join The Conversation By Sharing Your Views On This Post In The Space Following The Bernie Sanders Quote Below.

 A Reminder That We Only Post Comments By Individuals Who Also Share Their First And Last Names.

For More News And Commentary From Niagara At Large – An Independent, Alternative Voice For Our Greater Bi-National Niagara Region – Become A Regular Visitor And Subscriber To NAL At Www.Niagaraatlarge.Com .

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

“Trump Is really a costume away from a full-on dictator.” – Bill Maher, American comedian, political commentator, television host

A Comment from Linda McKellar, a Niagara, Ontario resident who is a regular visitor to Niagara At Large

Posted July 5^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Bill Maher (host of the HBO political talk show Real Time) has a list of prerequisites for wanna-be despotic dictators –

• -Declaring the press enemies
  -Appointing unqualified family members to positions of power
  – Suggesting elections are rigged/suppressing votes
  – Rallies of sycophants
  – Uses his office for his own personal financial gain
  – A narcissist who puts his name and face on buildings
  – Aligns with other strongmen and dictators
  – Claims minorities are the source of the country’s problems
  – Has a state propaganda TV network
  – military parades

Now with his military parade, he only has one more on the list to go….a uniform with shiny buttons, unearned medals, and a big hat. Continue reading →

“Alarmingly, we have seen the Ford Conservatives take step after disturbing step backwards on safety measures and supports for injured workers.”

– Niagara Falls NDP MPP Wayne Gates

Tragic death in Toronto last weeks shows why Ontario can’t afford Ford’s steps backwards on health and safety

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

Posted July 5^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

QUEEN’S PARK — Wayne Gates, Ontario NDP Health and Safety and WSIB critic, and Guy Bourgouin, Ontario NDP critic for Trades, Training and Apprenticeships, are urging the Ford Conservatives to do more to protect workers after the tragic death of an 18-year-old following an on-the-job accident, rather than following through on Doug Ford’s plan to cut training, safety and protection for workers.

Vadim Buczel was doing work in a condo building in Toronto last week when he was electrocuted. Buczel died days later. A Global News report suggests the recent graduate was one of hundreds of unregistered electrical workers across the province. Continue reading →

“I don’t need your war machines
I don’t need your ghetto scenes
Coloured lights can hypnotize
Sparkle someone else’s eyes
Now woman, get away from me
American woman, mama let me be.”

• Lyrics from American Woman, the number one, 1970 hit by the Canadian rock band, The Guess Who

A Brief Commentary by Doug Draper, followed by a link to an epic live performance of ‘American Woman’ by The Guess Who

Posted July 4^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

By 1970, The Guess Who was already on a chart-busting streak like no other rock band from Canada had experienced up to that point with hits that had made America’s Top 40 Billboard list like ‘These Eyes’, ‘No Time’, ‘Laughing’ and ‘Undun’.

When ‘Americana Woman ‘, the title track for the band’s  third RCA album, was released as a single in March of 1970, protests against the ongoing War in Vietnam were in full tilt on campuses and in the streets of cities across the United States. And on May 4^th of that year, four students were shot and killed during anti-war demonstrations on the campus of Kent State University in Ohio.

‘American Woman’, which was not about a woman at all but about an America mired in a controversial war and looking for some support from its Canadian neighbour, soared up the Billboard charts to Number One and remained on the charts into the summer.

With the Lincoln Memorial in the background – for many Americans from days gone by, a symbol of freedom, equality and peace – Trump’s inner tin-pot dictator militarizes Washington, D.C. for the Fourth of July – possibly a message to the world that he is ready to kick ass with bullets and bombs if he feels like it.

With Trump in the White House and all of his reckless sabre rattling, his slams on Canada with damaging tariffs and the declaring of Canada (for reasons that possibly make sense only to him) as a “national security threat,” the song seems relevant again.

So on this Fourth of July in the U.S., with Trump militarizing Washington D.C.’s celebrations with tanks in the streets and fighter planes flying overhead, Niagara At Large is posting the following video of The Guess Who doing a very hot, lengthened version of ‘American Woman’ at a reunion concert it performed in the band’s hometown of Winnipeg, Manitoba one stormy night in June, 2000.

Click on the screen immediately below to watch and to listen –

Also for this Fourth of July, here is a great commentary by Mchaal A. Cohen, a columnist for The Boston Globe (not to be confused with the former Trump lawyer now sitting in jail for crimes he engaged in allegedly with you-know-who), titled ‘A Fraught Forth’ –

“Today is July 4th and every year on America’s birthday, the National Park Service hosts a celebration on the National Mall that is purposely non-political, non-military and, above all, fun. Continue reading →

A Beacon to the World No More

A Brief commentary by Doug Draper

Posted July 4^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

In front of an audience of hardcore supporters, hugging (or could he be mugging?) the American flag.

I am posting this with apologies to my many good friends in the United States, although maybe I don’t have to apologize.

I know that many of them are feeling more depressed and alarmed about the evil monster in the White House than those of us who at least have the comfort of viewing what is now going down in the once-proud land of  Abe Lincoln and Franklin Delano Roosevelt from the relative safety of another country.

For all of the bad and ugly in its history – slavery and racial segregation, the bloody and costly wars fought in far-off places like Vietnam and Iraq, the alarming rates of domestic gun violence and so on – America is, or at least was a land that spawned bigger-than-life leaders like Lincoln and FDR, and people who became heroes in my lifetime like Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy.

And there were great testaments to the country and to what, at the best of times, its leaders and people worked collectively to strive for, like the one written by 19^th Century Jewish American poet and activist Emma Lazarus, and immortalized on a bronze plaque at the base of the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor.

What would Emma Lazarus think now? What poem would she write about the plight of the migrants at the U.S./Mexico border?

“Give me you’re tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore,” Emma Lazarus wrote of those, often fleeing poverty or turmoil in their homeland, to start a new life in America. “Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

Now the monster in the White House has said these things about masses of poor and tired people fleeing hardship and violence in their own countries, and hoping to cross the border from Mexico for that same dream of a better life.

“They are bringing drugs, they are bringing crime, they are rapists,” he said at the start of his campaign for the U.S. presidency. Once in the Oval Office, he went on to dehumanize and tar them as an “infestation.”  He called them “bad hombres,” “terrorists,” “animals,” “trash” and worse, as the mobs at his rallies yelled things like; “F—k these dirty-beaners “and “Shoot them.” Continue reading →