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“Our government is keeping our promise to make mental health and addictions a priority.”                               – Sam Oosterhoff, MPP for Niagara West

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

Posted May 7th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Niagara West MPP Sam Oosterhoff

NIAGARA- Ontario’s mental health care system is disconnected, making it difficult for patients and families to get the care and services they need. This leaves many vulnerable Ontarians to navigate a confusing system on their own and access timely mental health care only when in crisis.

Too many Ontarians wait too long for the mental health and addictions services they need. This fragmented approach to care is failing Ontario’s families and is simply not good enough.

In response, Ontario’s Government for the People is adding desperately needed mental health and addictions services on the ground, in schools, communities and health centres across the province. Continue reading →

Meanwhile, Ontario’s Ford Government Doing its Party to Push Extinction Along by Shredding Endangered Species Protection Rules for Friends in Development Industry

An Alarming New Report from the United Nations

“Following the adoption of this historic report, no one will be able to claim that they did not know,” Audrey Azoulay, the head of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization said. “We can no longer continue to destroy the diversity of life. This is our responsibility towards future generations.”

Posted May 6th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

World is ‘on notice’ as major UN report shows one million species face extinction

Splendid Leaf Frog, Ecuador. (19 January 2015)

A hard-hitting report into the impact of humans on nature shows that nearly one million species risk becoming extinct within decades, while current efforts to conserve the earth’s resources will likely fail without radical action, UN biodiversity experts said on Monday (May 6th).

Speaking in Paris at the launch of the Global Assessment study – the first such report since 2005 – UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay said that its findings put the world “on notice”. Continue reading →

The NPCA’s New Board and Management Team has dropped a controversial lawsuit against former Conservation Authority employee Jocelyn Baker and is now partnering with her to pursue a key environmental designation for the Niagara River watershed

A Brief Foreword from Doug Draper, Niagara At Large, followed by statements from the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority

Posted May 6^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

From Doug Draper –

Respected conservationalist and former NPCA employee is now free of the lawsuit the old NPCA filed against her and has been hired by the new NPCA to assist with a global wetland designation for the Niagara River watershed.

Well, hallelujah.

And thank God for this great news about a conservationist who is highly respected on both sides of the Canada/U.S. border and is an decent, honest principles person who never deserved the nightmare she was put through by managers and an old board of the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA) that are now mercifully gone.

Jocelyn Baker, a conservationist and watershed expert who was fired by NPCA managers three years ago for reasons that never made sense to those she worked with at the regional, provincial and federal government levels, then slapped with a lawsuit two years ago by those running the NPCA for emailing a Niagara area MPP about a “culture of harassment” rank-and-file employees inside the body were enduring at the hands of then senior managers.

“NPCA frontline staff and middle managers continue to work in unsafe and dangerous conditions. This will continue until (the province’s Minister of Natural Resources – then Liberal government minister Kathryn McGarry) steps in and stops it,” wrote Baker in a 2017 email that now retired Niagara Centre MPP Cindy Forster received her permission to read in the Ontario legislature. Continue reading →

‘Water levels in Lake Ontario are forcasted to continue to rise. The City is monitoring the impacts of the spring thaw, rain and other factors that contribute to rising water levels and ewill respond as needed to maintain public safety and protect public assets.’ –City of St. Catharines

A News Release from the City of St. Catharines

Posted My 6th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Looking across from the east pier to the west pier in Port Dalhousie in the spring of 2017 when rising Lake Ontario waters flooded much of the shoreline grounds. file photo by Doug Draper

The east pier in Port Dalhousie is temporarily closed to the public due to high water levels in Lake Ontario.

Temporary fencing is being installed this May 6th to ensure the safety of visitors to Port Dalhousie along the east pier in the area of the Dalhousie Yacht Club. The temporary closure is in effect as of Tuesday, May 7 and will remain until water levels return to a safe level. Continue reading →

Auditor General Of Ontario’s Special Audit Recommendations Initiated By NPCA

A News Release from the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority, following  a Foreword by Niagara At Large reporter and publisher Doug Draper

Posted May 3rd, 2019 on Niagara At Large

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

At a time when there is more than enough bad news out there in the world today, here is what I think many of us can embrace as a bit of good news.

A meeting of the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority’s board of directors this past April – another day of work in getting the NPCA back on track as a serious conservation agency.

After five or six years of what I would describe as ‘a long, dark journey into night’ for a Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA) that this veteran environment writer long viewed as one of this region’s best and most important public agencies, I see it finally making a comeback at a time when we need an agency like this the most.

Ontario’s Auditor General Bonnie Lysyk issued a scorching report last year on the NPCA’s operations. The new NPCA board has been working to address the many concerns raised in the report.

I believe that I have been witnessing the re-birth of this agency for at a few months now, but it was particularly apparent this May 3^rd when members of the NPCA’s board of directors and senior staff held a special meeting at the Meridian Community Centre in Pelham to hear directly from Ontario’s Auditor General, Bonnie Lysyk, outline the findings and recommendations of what turned out to be a very scorching audit she and her team completed on the NPCA’s operations over the past six or so years – an audit her office released while the agency was still in the ice cold grip of managers and board members who are mercifully not there anymore.

Continue reading →

Legislation would commit United States to carbon reduction goals detailed in 2015 Paris Climate Accord

‘Niagara Falls (New York) and Erie County are among more the 280 American states, cities, and countieswho have independently committed to support climate action and reduce emissions.’

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

Posted May 3rd, 2019 on Niagara At Large

U.S. Congressman for the Buffalo, New York area, Brian Higgins, is a member of Nancy Pelosi’s Democratic Party caucus

Buffalo, New York – Congressman Brian Higgins (NY-26) announced House passage of H.R. 9, the Climate Action Now Act.

H.R. 9 requires the United States to honor its commitment to cut carbon pollution outlined in the Paris Agreement<https://unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/the-paris-agreement/the-paris-agreement>, the international climate accord signed by nearly 200 countries around the world in 2015.

It passed by a vote of 231-190, and was cosponsored by 224 Representatives, including Higgins. The bill is the culmination of more than 30 hearings in the House this year, which marked the first House of Representatives hearings on the critical issue in eight years. Continue reading →

Any Time one of our  Politicial Leader will Praise the Role of a Press in a Democracy, this Journalist will Take It

It sure beats all of the jabs about “Fake News” and journalists being “scum” and “enemies of the people”

A Brief One from Doug Draper

Posted this May 3^rd, World Press Freedom Day on Niagara At Large

Even after all of the criticism that Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau  has taken in recent months over his Liberal Party’s dealings with SNC-Lavalin, a giant, Quebec-based engineering firm, and the throwing of two high-profile members out of the party’s caucus, he released a statement for Word Press Freedom Day this May 3^rd, , praising the important role of the press plays in a democracy. Continue reading →

“We wanted to be involved in positive incentives for the community from day one (and) it only made sense to offer livable wages.” –  Niagara Herbalist co-owner Kevin Trethowan

News from the Niagara Poverty Reduction Network

Posted May 3^rd, 2019 on Niagara At Large

The reps of The Niagara Herbalist are recognized as one of the region’s latest businesses to provide their employees a livable wage.

Niagara, Ontario – The Niagara Poverty Reduction Network is pleased to announce that The Niagara Herbalist has become a certified living wage employer.

The Niagara Herbalist is a family owned and operated recreational cannabis retail store located in St. Catharines. They opened on April 1, a few months after being selected as one of 25 new retailers in the Ontario retail cannabis store lottery. The Niagara Herbalist is currently the only fully operational retail cannabis store in Niagara region, employing nine full time and six part time staff.

“We wanted to be involved in positive incentives for the community from day one. The first step in doing so was to offer employment opportunities for locals that reflected this. It only made sense to offer livable wages. The employees are happy to come into work and to be part of our “work family,” says The Niagara Herbalist co-owner Kevin Trethowan. Continue reading →

Citizens in Niagara rally to save what is left of our wetlands in Niagara. File photo by Doug Draper

“What doesn’t help is the fact that people are building close to rivers and lakes. …  You remove wetlands and pave over other areas so with heavy rainfall, the water has to go somewhere else.” – Brock University Professor of Biology and UNESCO Chair in Community Sustainability Liette Vasseur

“We need to start bringing more of the natural components that can help with these storms like recreating wetlands and marshes.” – Liette Vasseur

News from Brock University in St. Catharines, Ontario

Posted May 2^nd, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – Record-high lake levels led to devastating flood damage in Great Lakes coastal communities in 2017, but in the two years since, little has changed.

Provincially significant wetlands in Thundering Waters Forest in Niagara Falls, Ontario where foreign investors are now looking to build a sprawling community. Citizen campaigns to save the area from development continue.

Brock University Professor of Biology and UNESCO Chair in Community Sustainability Liette Vasseur said those communities are in for serious flooding this year and this may coming from frequently.

And she says despite knowing it was coming, our complacency as a society has meant that we’re not only ill-prepared, but we’ve made things worse on ourselves. Continue reading →

Ontario’s Ford Government is planning “new loopholes for developers and other proponents of harmful activities (that) will grease the wheels of destruction” for our province’s species at risk.

A Call-Out to All Ontario citizens from Ontario Nature, a citizen group advocating for our natural heritage

Posted May 2^nd, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Barn owls are an endangered species in Ontario

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

The current Ford government, which did not receive a mandate in last year’s Ontario elections from a majority of the province’s voters, has proven time and time again that it is willing to weaken or eliminate environmental protection programs and safeguards for those in the development industry who would pave over the landscape at any cost to our natural heritage.

As a veteran environment reporter, I remember representatives of the development industry in Niagara and other regions of Ontario who believed in building and growing communities in ways that were environmentally sustainable and respectful of our valuable green places.

Where are those members of the development industry now? Why aren’t they speaking out against those who are giving their industry such a bad name in the eyes of the public?

Please read the Call-Out below from Ontario Nature to save endangered species rules in this province that not only protected wildlife at risks, but the natural habitat birds, animals and other wildlife need to survive.

And click on the link provided to lend your name to a message to Ford’s environment minister to act like an environment minister, and not like an agent  for those who would damage or destroy what is left of our natural spaces for their own, short-term interests.)

Now here is the Call-Out from Ontario Nature to All of Us to Speak Up  for our Natural Heritage in this Province –

Photo: Prothonotary warbler © Bill McDonald, Video: Spotted turtle © Noah Cole

Ontario’s Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) is misleading the public by claiming that its recently proposed amendments to the Endangered Species Act, 2007  (ESA) will “improve outcomes for species at risk.” Continue reading →

“We call on the Government of Ontario to postpone the implementation of these funding cuts to at least 2020, to allow for proper discussion with municipalities and local residents. We call on the Government of Ontario to be transparent about its intentions and engage with cities before downloading more services.” – from a Statement released by the Mayors of 28 of Ontario’s larger cities, including St. Catharines

Statement from Mayor Cam Guthrie (Guelph, Ontario), Chair of LUMCO and LUMCO Mayors

Posted May 2nd, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Ontario Finance Minister Vic Fedeli presents the 2019 budget as Premier Doug Ford looks on at the legislature in Toronto on Thursday, April 11, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn

(This past April 30th), Mayor Cam Guthrie, Chair of the Large Urban Mayor’s Caucus of Ontario (LUMCO) released the following statement on behalf of Ontario’s big-city mayors:

“Big-city mayors from across Ontario are extremely concerned that the Government of Ontario is engaging in downloading by stealth – implementing funding and governance changes to municipalities without any consultation, after cities have already approved our budgets. Continue reading →

Spraying to be conducted at two identified locations to combat the damaging effects of the invasive insect species

A News Release from the Niagara Parks Commission in Niagara, Ontario

Posted May 2, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Niagara Falls, Ontario – In collaboration with Trees Unlimited and Zimmer Air Services Inc., Niagara Parks will be conducting an aerial spray program to protect foliage at Paradise Grove and Upper Whirlpool Woods, beginning on May 19 (weather permitting).

Cycling along the trails on Niagara Parks’ lands bordering the Niagara River. Niagara Parks Commission. file photo

These two locations were identified by Niagara Parks’ environment team as having the highest egg mass density of gypsy moths, a non-native invasive insect species that has spread into the central portion of Niagara, including patches in Niagara-on-the-Lake and along the Lake Erie shoreline. Continue reading →

“Ford promised that people of this province would never have to pay out of their pocket for health care, yet that’s exactly what he’s making people do if they leave this province even for a short day trip, and go to the United States.”                                                          – Niagara Falls MPP Wayne Gales

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

Posted May 1^st. 2019 on Niagara At Large

Niagara Falls MPP Wayne Gates in Ontario legislature. file photo

QUEEN’S PARK –Niagara Falls NDP MPP Wayne Gates rose in the legislature yesterday to speak out against recent plans from the Ford Government to cancel out-of-country OHIP coverage for residents.

“Ford promised that people of this province would never have to pay out of their pocket for health care, yet that’s exactly what he’s making people do if they leave this province even for a short day trip, and go to the United States,’ said Gates.

“Despite the fact that the Canada Health Act states that residents will be covered by OHIP when they leave this province-that’s in the act-this PC government is removing that vital OHIP coverage for people who leave the province. This isn’t a few people; this is literally thousands, including in my riding.” Continue reading →

We the People of Ontario Deserve That,  And We Should Demand It When It Comes to Protecting Our Environment!

A Commentary by Klara Young-Chin, a resident and a member of Friends of One Mile Creek in Niagara-on-the-Lake.

Posted May 1st, 2019 on Niagara At Large

In a recent story from CTV, I read  in disbelief about this provincial government’s decision to eliminate a program that is aimed at planting 50 million trees in urban areas in Ontario.

Here are some key points from the the CTV story –

• “The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry told Forests Ontario the day after the Progressive Conservative government delivered its budget this month that the 50 Million Tree Program was being eliminated.”
• ” Rob Keen, CEO of Forests Ontario, said since 2008 more than 27 million trees have been planted across Ontario through the program, which saved landowners up to 90 per cent of the costs of large-scale tree planting.”
• “About 40 per cent forest cover is needed to ensure forest sustainability, Keen said, and the average right now in southern Ontario is 26 per cent, with some areas as low as 5 per cent.”
• “ The program’s annual budget was about $4.7 million, Keen said, and Forests Ontario was told it was being cancelled as a way to cut provincial costs.”
• “ A spokeswoman for Natural Resources and Forestry Minister John Yakabuski said the government is committed to balancing the budget in a responsible manner.”
• “ Justine Lewkowicz said in a statement that the forestry industry, which depends on a sustainable supply of wood, is a responsible steward of the province’s forests.”
• “ On average, the forestry industry plants 68 million trees per year, creating jobs for foresters, nurseries, and tree planters,” she wrote. She did not say how many trees are harvested per year.”

I would like to point out that the 68 million trees (referred to in the CTV story) replanted in the forestry sector, is mandated by law up in Northern Ontario, after trees are harvested by the industry. There are no new forests being created. Continue reading →

Ontario Health Coalition executive director Natalie Mehra addressing thousands attending April 30th rally at Queen’s Park

“Doug Ford’s government has no mandate to impose cuts and privatization of public health care. Not a word of this was breathed in the (Jume 2018) election.” – Natalie Mehra, Executive Director, Ontario Health Coalition

A News Release from Natalie Mehra, Executive Director of the Ontario Health Coalition

Posted May 1st, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Toronto – They came from across Ontario in the middle of a work day by the
thousands with a message for the Doug Ford government.

From a stage in front of the Ontario Legislature Natalie Mehra, executive director of the Ontario Health Coalition called on the crowd of more than 10,000 to make enough noise that it would be heard by legislators inside the building –

More than 10,000 came from regions across Ontario, including Niagara, this April 30th to rally at Queen’s Park for Ford government to support quality public health care.Ontario Health Coalition file photos

“Doug Ford’s government has no mandate to impose cuts and privatization of public health care. Not a word of this was breathed in the election,” she said. Continue reading →

“Municipalities need a partner in the provincial government — not a government working against them.”

A News Release from the Constituency Office of Niagara Centre NDP MPP Jeff Burch

Posted April 30^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Niagara Centre MPP Jeff Burch

QUEEN’S PARK — Jeff Burch, Ontario NDP critic for Municipal Affairs, released the following statement as the mayors of more than two-dozen big cities speak up to fight Doug Ford’s cuts to municipalities. The Large Urban Mayor’s Caucus of Ontario (LUMCO) says Ford’s cuts are forcing municipal taxes to go up, or services to be cut.

“With cuts to public health, ambulances services, library services, child care, policing and more, Doug Ford is putting unbearable financial pressure on municipalities. Ontario’s big city mayors have taken the unprecedented move of speaking out to make it clear just how much Doug Ford’s cuts will hurt everyday people, and this government needs to listen, then reverse the cuts.

Municipalities need a partner in the provincial government — not a government working against them. Doug Ford is trying to force municipalities to wear responsibility for the Conservatives’ callous cuts.”

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

“This cut comes at a time when we are experiencing more extreme weather events and we need to take action to fight climate change.” – Monteith-Farrell, the NDP’s Forestry critic

A News Release from Ontario’s NDP/Official Opposition Party 

Posted April 30^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large 

QUEEN’S PARK – The 50 million trees program, a program that creates jobs and fights climate change, should not be scrapped by the Ford government, said NDP MPP Judith Monteith-Farrell during question period Tuesday. 

“This government is cutting a program that aimed to plant 50 million trees across the province.  This program would have created good jobs and helped grow our forests,” said Monteith-Farrell, the NDP’s Forestry critic. 

“This cut comes at a time when we are experiencing more extreme weather events and we need to take action to fight climate change.”  Continue reading →

Ontario’s Education Minister Calls on Teachers’ Unions to Start Negotiations

“Our government wants to work co-operatively with the unions to address the real issues with our education system and we are prepared to immediately begin bargaining in good faith.”              – Lisa Thompson, Ontario Minister of Education         

A News Release from the Ontario Government

Posted April 30th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Ontario Education Minister Lisa Thompson

TORONTO — Today (this April 30th), Lisa Thompson, Minister of Education, issued the following statement in response to the start of education sector labour negotiations:

“Our government took the unprecedented step this month of providing teachers’ unions with an opportunity to start early good faith bargaining to allow labour negotiations to conclude in time to ensure our students will be in classes, where they belong, in September.

The current education sector labour agreement negotiated by the previous government expires on August 31, 2019, which coincides with the start of the fall school year. Continue reading →

“A living wage reflects what earners need to be paid based on the actual costs of living and being included in the community.”

News from the Niagara Poverty Reduction Network

Posted April 30^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – The Niagara Poverty Reduction Network is pleased to announce that Dun’ for You Contracting has become a certified living wage employer.

Representatives for Livable wage winner Dun for You LW in Niagara receive certification from Niagara Poverty Reduction Network

Dun’ for You Contracting has been providing superior renovations and home improvements in the Niagara Region since 2003. There are two principals owners and four full time employees and they are currently looking to add another two skilled carpenters and a labourer to their team. Continue reading →

Buses will be leaving Niagara at 9:00 a.m. at the Welland Market, 9:30 a.m.  at the St. Catharines Go Bus Station ( Fairview Mall) and at 10:00 a.m. Grimsby go station ( Casablanca and South Service Road).

To Reserve a Seat on a Niagara bus heading to the Queen’s Park Rally, please email niagarahealthcoalition@yahoo.ca

A Call-Out to Every Citizen Across Ontario from the Ontario Health Coalition, a province-wide citizens organization advocating for quality, public health care for all

Posted April 29^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Sixteen Reasons for You to be Part of the Rally

Continue reading →

If your care about the future of life on our planet, this one might bring a tear to your eyes

A poignant Earth Day  video and “reminder of the urgent need to protect our  planet” from the United Nations

A Brief Comment by Doug Draper

Posted April 29^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Since we began observing the 40^th anniversary of Earth Day this past Monday April 22^nd with events that ran in communities across Niagara and other regions of the world through the remainder of the week, there were reasons for hope, for anger, and for tears.

The hope came from watching children and their parents planting trees, cleaning trash from parks and roadsides, and engaging in other Earth Day activities in their communities. And it came from all of the mostly young people who are standing up for their future in their calls for action on climate change.

The anger came from watching political leaders like Premier Doug Ford in Ontario warring on over what he calls a “federal tax” on gasoline – a price the federal government is attempting to put on climate-altering carbon emissions in an effort to reduce the amount of carbon spewing in to the atmosphere.

A poster for a workshop Conservation Ontario and Conservation Authorities in the Toronto area held on flood management in 2018. This April, Ford government cut funding to the NPCA and the other 35 Conservation Authorities in Ontario for flood management, even as flood waters in some areas of the province rise to destructive levels that have rarely been experienced in the communities impacted.

The anger also came from Ford cutting funding for planting trees in Ontario and cutting funding for Conservation Authorities in the province, including ours in the Niagara region, to take measures to reduce damage to people and property from flooding – all of this cutting of environment protection programs and more while people along the Ottawa River and other areas of Ontario were (and still are) suffering catastrophic losses due to record flooding.

And the tears came from thoughts of all we have to lose by way of a beautiful and health planet – the only oasis we know we have for life in the entire universe – if we don’t take action.

I certainly found myself shedding a few tears when I watched a video circulated world-wide by the United Nations, which has been working with armies of scientists and climate experts around the world to convince government leaders to take climate change seriously enough to do what is necessary before it is too late.

“This video is a poignant reminder of the urgent need to protect the planet,” said a message from the United Nations that accompanied its release on Earth Day.

Please watch the video by clicking on the screen below, and share it with all of your friends –

Learn More by clicking on –  https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/

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

Remembering All Those Who Were Injured or Who Died From Their Work

“This year it’s important we mourn the dead, but also fight for the living,” – Niagara Falls NDP MPP Wayne Gates

A Call-Out from the Constituency Office of Niagara Falls MPP Wayne Gates

Posted April 26^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Niagara Falls MPP Wayne Gates. File photo

Niagara Falls —Niagara Falls NDP MPP Wayne Gates released a statement ahead of Niagara’s Day of Mourning Ceremonies this Sunday, April 28th.

“I spent my entire adult life working in an industrial plant and I’ve seen first-hand what can go wrong in the workplace. Not one person should go to work in the morning and not know if they’ll ever see their families again,” said Gates.

Gates was the president of Unifor Local 199 when GM employee Joel Murray died on the job who is honoured every year in Niagara-on-the-Lake at the Day of Mourning ceremonies. Continue reading →

“Eliminating (Ontario’s) 50 million trees program weakens the province’s ability to fight climate change and absorb the impact of extreme weather events. This move is yet another signal that the Ford government is getting out of the business of land stewardship, something past PC governments supported.”            – Ontario Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner

Ford’s self-described “Government for the People” has axed funding for this valuable environmental program

A Statement from the Green Party of Ontario with a Brief Foreword by Niagara At Large reporter and publisher Doug Draper

Posted April 26th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

A Commentary by Doug Draper

Earth Day 2019 may have come and gone, but the slash and burn job Ontario Premier Doug Ford and the MPPs in his so-called “Government for the People” is doing to environmental protection policies and programs continues.

This time, the target of what the eyes of non-partisan people who care about the environment can only view as an all-out war on environmental protection programs in Ontario by the government that now runs the province is a program that costs an annual $4.7 million to plant trees that help prevent erosion and help purify our water and our air, including absorb some of the carbon from the atmosphere that contributes to climate change.

It should come as no surprise that the Ford government would not value the carbon-absorbing benefits of trees given a costly propaganda and court battle it is already waging against what it calls a “carbon tax.”

This “carbon tax” is a price that the federal government is placing on man-made carbon emissions from the burning of gasoline and other sources as a way of discouraging the use of carbon-based fuels in favour of green alternatives, and ultimately reducing what has already become a dangerous load of climate-altering carbon in the earth’s atmosphere. Continue reading →

St. Catharines MPP Jennie  Stevens Follows Up with Call on Ford Government to help fund barriers and Mental Health Services in Niagara

The Burgoyne Bridge over the Twelve Mile Creek valley and a stretch of Hwy. 406 swinging through St. Catharines/Niagara. Tragically, the bridge has recently become what some Niagara regional councillors have called a “magnet” for victims of suicide and the Region’s council voted this April 25 to install suicide prevention barriers on the bridge.

A News Release from the Constituency Office of St. Catharines NDP MPP Jennie Stevens

First, here is a  brief Foreword from Niagara At Large reporter and publisher Doug Draper –

Following lengthy discussions and debate, Niagara Region’s council voted this April 25^th to spend $4 million from its 2019 capital budget on barriers that will hopefully prevent any further deaths by suicide – including three in the past three months alone – from the recently rebuilt Burgoyne Bridge in St. Catharines.

Approval of the funding came after heartfelt calls for the barriers from friends and family members of suicide victims, along with a message from them and from some regional councillors, that if the barriers save even one life, they are worth it. Continue reading →

Niagara Citizens are urged to hop on the bus and  join Ontarians travelling in from dozens of communities  across the province to let the Ford government know that enough is enough!

Buses will be leaving Niagara at 9:00 a.m. at the Welland Market, 9:30 a.m.  at the St. Catharines Go Bus Station ( Fairview Mall) and at 10:00 a.m. Grimsby go station ( Casablanca and South Service Road).

To Reserve a Seat on a Niagara bus heading to the Queen’s Park Rally, please email niagarahealthcoalition@yahoo.ca

A Call-Out from the Ontario Health Coalition and the Niagara Health Coalition, a citizens advocacy network fighting to save quality public health care in Ontario

Posted April 26th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Toronto – It is shaping up to be one of the largest public rallies at Queen’s Park since the Ford government took power.

It will be held next Tuesday, April 30 at Queen’s Park.

Ontarians from towns and cities across the province are heading to the Ontario Legislature to stop health care cuts, privatization and mega-mergers that threaten care. Continue reading →

Ontario Health Coalition executive director Natalie Mehra

“Doug Ford has shown the most contempt for parliamentary democracy that we have ever seen. All of his radical health reform plans have been forged in secret and steamrolled through with the least notice, the least amount of public hearings and the fastest timelines ever.”                                       – Natalie Mehra, executive director,  Ontario Health Coalition.

News from the Ontario Health Coalition 

Posted April 25^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large 

Toronto – Usually a change in a regulation under an Ontario law is posted in the Ontario Gazette and the public is given 60-days notice to give input, reported the Ontario Health Coalition today in response to new cuts to OHIP coverage that were posted online at:https://www.ontariocanada.com/registry/view.do?postingId=29390&language=en

But the public has only been given until Tuesday to provide feedback on the latest OHIP cuts revealed today.

In the online posting, the Ford government reports that it met with private insurance corporations to consult about the changes, but not with patients and their advocates, seniors’organizations, public interest groups or the public. The Coalition warns this is only the latest in terribly undemocratic changes to our public health care. Continue reading →

A Call-Out to All from the City of St. Catharines

Posted April 25^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Earth Day Celebration at Market Square

Meet the City of St. Catharines to learn about water quality, take the tap-water taste test, discuss reducing single-use plastics and enjoy other environmental activities at the Links for Greener Learning’s annual Earth Day Celebration at Market Square on Friday, April 26 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Continue reading →

“Students voted last year to give the project, and its initial $6.8-million price tag, the green light. It will be funded through a $17-per-credit fee for all full- and part-time undergraduate students over a period of five years, starting in September 2020, when the expansion is completed.” 

A News Release from Brock University in St. Catharines 

Posted April 25^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large 

Niagara, Ontario – As shovels hit the ground Wednesday, the next chapter officially began for Brock University’s expanded fitness centre.

Karen McAllister-Kenny, Brock’s Director of Recreation Services, Aidan Hibma, outgoing President of the Brock University Students’ Union, Brock student and current Zone user Paige Phillips and Brock President Gervan Fearon break ground at the Zone Fitness Centre expansion on Wednesday, April 24.

 The Brock community came together April 24 to mark the groundbreaking of the Zone Fitness Centre project that will see the popular campus facility triple in size.  Continue reading →

Autumn Peltier speaking last year to United Nations General Assembly on water issues

“We all have a right to this water as we need it. Not just rich people, all people. No one should have to worry if the water is clean or if they will run out of water.”                                                   – Autumn Peltier, from an address the young Indigenous girl from Canada delivered to the United Nations General Assembly in 2018 on World Water Day

A Brief Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted April 24th, 2019, during a week of  Earth Day events and observances, on Niagara At Large

As communities around the world continue celebrating Earth Day through this week, I want to offer yet another example of a young person talking to adults about action they know, or at least should know they should be taking for the sake of everyone’s future.

The last young person we featured on Niagara At Large in a post this April 23rd – the day after the official anniversary date of Earth Day – was Greta Thunberg, who delivered passionate addresses to representatives of the European Union earlier this April, and to a United Nations summit last December to act now to prevent a climate catastrophe that might spare no one. Continue reading →

Any Government out there that would Cut Funding to Public Libraries has Absolutely No Concept of  the Common Good

“Whatever the cost of our libraries, the price is cheap compared to that of an ignorant nation.”                             — the legendary television and radio news broadcaster Walter Cronkite

A Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted April 24^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

And Ontario Premier Doug Ford and his Tory Party lapdogs out there call themselves a “Government for the People”?

What people are they talking about?

Ontario Premier Doug Ford and his “Government for the People” are now aiming their budget-slashing sites at the province’s public libraries

It’s bad enough that they have been slashing funding for municipal transit services, environmental protection, health care and public education, and rolling back social assistance for people living in poverty, along with plans by the previous government to increase the minimum wage so that people at the lowest end of the salary ladder can one day have a livable wage.

Now they are cutting funding for public libraries across the province, for God’s sake.

They can’t even leave our public libraries alone. Continue reading →

“Ford’s proposed change to OHIP coverage for Ontarians traveling out of country fits a disturbing pattern of this government bypassing public consultation as it tries to force through rapid changes to our health care system,”                             – from an April 24th  statement by France Gélinas, the Ontario NDP’s Health Care critic

A News Release from Ontario’s NDP/Official Opposition Party

Posted April 24^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

QUEEN’S PARK — The NDP’s Health Care critic, France Gélinas, said the Ford government proposing to cancel Ontario Health Insurance Program (OHIP) coverage for out-of-country Ontario travelers is alarming. Continue reading →

Hosted by Niagara’s Regional Government this Wednesday, April 24th  from 5 to 7 p.m. at the St. Catharines Public Library, 54 Church Street, in downtown St. Catharines

News from the Niagara Region

Posted April 24th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

About Niagara Region’s Specialized Transit Study – 

The Specialized Transit Study is one of the key studies in Moving Transit Forward in Niagara.

To best meet the transportation and mobility needs of our aging population and residents requiring accommodation, the Linking Niagara Transit Committee is reviewing specialized transit in Niagara. IBI Group will lead this review.

The review will determine how we can meet the short- and long-term needs of regional and municipal specialized transit clients. Continue reading →

Author and Historian Sarah King Head Explores the Evolution of Beaverdam’s Unique Cultural Landscape

News from Heritage Thorold LACAC, a volunteer heritage group based in Thorold, Ontario

Posed April 23^rd, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Author and historian Sarah King Head. Proceeds from the sale of her award-winning book about Niagara’s Beaverdams area supports the good work of one of the area’s great heritage groups,  Heritage Thorold LACAC

Into its fourth printing, sales of the book Where Beavers Built Their Dams: The Evolution of a Unique Cultural Heritage Landscape in Thorold, Ontario continue to support the work of Heritage Thorold LACAC.

The history of Beaverdams is a good story; something author and historian Sarah King Head has successfully been able to tell by putting the island community’s extant heritage gems within the context of the island village’s rich, less tangible history.

She notes that what most people don’t always appreciate is how entirely Beaverdams’ “cottage country” illusion today is a creation of the past two centuries. Indeed, creation of the Welland Canals to the east and Lake Gibson to the west, south and north has transformed the landscape. Continue reading →

‘Don’t Worry Though. The Planet Will Be Fine. It will   be here for a Long, Long Time. We’re Going Away’ – from a routine by the late George Carlin called ‘The Planet is Fine’

A Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted on Earth Day, April 22^nd, 2019 on Niagara At Large

We all have those days in our lives where we will never forget where we were and what we were doing at the time.

One of mine was April 22^nd, 1970 – the very first Earth Day observed anywhere around the world – and my high school principal in Welland, Ontario allowed me and about four or five of my classmates to hold a demonstration in front of a Union Carbide plant that was infamous for belching clouds of filth from this stacks that could be seen from one end of the Niagara region to another.

As we stood outside the chain-link fence of that plant – me wearing a gas mask I borrowed from my arts teacher, and holding a sign reading; “If You Aren’t Part of the SOLUTION, You are Part of the POLLUTION” – cars raced by with horn honks of support, and workers from the plant, out on their break, threw empty pop cans at the chain-link fence behind us and yelled; “Beat it. Go back to school.”

Our April 22nd, 1970 demonstration on the very first Earth Day, with the author of this post out front wearing a gas mask.

We remained undaunted. Continue reading →

All Ontario’s Ford Government can do is blow hot air about a four-to-five cents per litre “Carbon Tax” on gasoline.

Is That All Our Future is Worth?

Posted this Earth Day, April 22^nd, 2019 on Niagara At Large

A Brief Foreword by Doug Draper, Niagara At Large –

Could this be ‘Ford Nation’ in the year 2014? Wonder how much this Ford supporter would be willing to pay for gas now?

A few weeks ago, after Niagara At Large posted another in a series of news commentaries on the Ford government’s obsession with spending large sums of our money fighting efforts by Canada’s federal government to put a price on climate-altering carbon pollution – what Ford and his allies like federal Tory leader Andrew Sheer, and newly elected Alberta premier Jason Kenny strategically call a “carbon tax” to make it sound like some poison pill the feds are trying to get us to swallow – one Niagara resident and NAL reader, Linda McKellar, shared the following comment.

We posted this comment on Niagara At Large at the time, but feel it is well worth repeating on Earth Day, along with the dramatic video message from the late great Carl Sagan that it refers to. Here it is.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford seen here, slamming the four-to-five cent “carbon tax” the feds are adding to a litre on gasoline as one way of reducing climate-altering carbon pollution. Here is a question you might want to ask Ford and his Tory MPPs. How about killing the more than 20 cents a litre in provincial taxes on gas while you are at it? Or does that go to pay for the salaries and expenses of Ford and his cabinet?

A Comment from Niagara, Ontario resident Linda McKellar on reports from a global team of scientists that we may only have 11 or 12 years left to avert a world-wide climate catastrophe –

So what does Ford do?

Open for business.

I don’t mind paying more for gas or a carbon tax if it enables me to breathe.
Somehow people think we’re immune from extinction. We’re not. Neither are the animals and pollinators we need to keep us alive in the chain of life.

It’s like (former U.S. senator and vice-president, and climate change fighting advocate) Al Gore’s frog analogy.

Put a frog in hot water and it jumps out…if it can. Put it in water and heat it gradually and it adapts up to a point and won’t jump out until the damage is done and it’s too late.

More people need to read Carl Sagan’s “Pale Blue Dot” to realize how insignificant and stupid humans are and how lucky we are to have a liveable place called earth.

Maybe eons from now, some species will look back at our fossils and say, wow, were those extinct creatures ever stupid!

A Footnote from Niagara At Large –

Please click on the following screen, for a message from the late great scientist and environmentalist Carl Sagan –

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

Umbrella Group for NPCA and 35 other CAs  across Province Responds to “Deep Cuts” in Ford Budget to Core Services           like Flood Management 

A Message from Conservation Ontario

Posted April 22^nd, 2019 on Niagara At Large

A Brief Foreword by Doug Draper, Niagara At Large

One of the more frequent pieces of news I heard on CBC Radio coming into this rain-soaked Easter weekend was broadcast with the heading; “Ontario’s Conservation Authorities on flood alert.”

Flooding waters from near-record rainfalls in the spring of 2017 covered swampedf Lakeside Park and the outer Port Dalhousie Harbour area in St. Catharines, Ontario, resulting in hundreds of thousands of dollars of damage and cleanup costs. File photo by Doug Draper

This news came just days after reports circulated across the province that the budget Ontario’s Ford government tabled this past April 11^th included up to 50 per cent cuts in transfer payments to the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority and 35 other Conservation Authorities in Ontario for delivering core services that include, at or near the top of the list, flood management.

One finds it hard to imagine what logic – economic or otherwise – Premier Doug Ford, his cabinet and his caucus of MPPs that includes Niagara West MPP Sam Oosterhoff, used to make this cut. Continue reading →

“This move is regressive and dangerous. The world is in a biodiversity crisis, and the Ontario government has proposed to gut one of the most comprehensive endangered species laws in the world.” – from a statement by three of Canada’s leading environmental organizations

Ontario Nature file photo

A Statement from Ontario Nature , Environmental Defence of Canada and the David Suzuki Foundation

Posted April 19^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Ontario Nature file photo

Toronto, Ontario – The Ontario government’s shocking and irresponsible proposed changes to the Endangered Species Act will effectively remove all safety nets for species at risk in this province. The proposal will give industry a free pass to exterminate species in Ontario.

This move is regressive and dangerous. The world is in a biodiversity crisis, and the Ontario government has proposed to gut one of the most comprehensive endangered species laws in the world. The province is bending to pressure from industry and sprawl developers when they should be working to restore and protect vulnerable habitats. Continue reading →

“Many of us are aware of how wonderful the Niagara River ecosystem is, but to be honored on a global scale would be an incredible boost both ecologically and economically. These are world-renowned wetlands in our own backyard.”              – Professor Kim Diana Connolly, director of the Environmental Advocacy Clinic at the University at Buffalo School of Law

Provincially significant wetlands under the canopy of the Thundering Waters Forest, in the Niagara River watershed in Niagara Falls, Ontario. file photo

News from the Niagara River Ramsar Binational Steering Committee

Posted April 18th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

(Niagara At Large will be posting more information on this important development for our Niagara River corridor in the days ahead, including comments from key players on both sides of the Ontario/New York State border. Stay Tuned.)

Now here is news released this April 18 by Canadian Chair Jocelyn Baker, U.S. Chair Jajean Rose-Burney and the rest of the Niagara River Ramsar Binational Steering Committee

Niagara Falls New York  – The Niagara River is one step closer to being recognized under an international Convention as a Wetland of International Importance.

The listing of a site under the Ramsar Convention is a source of pride for the site’s community and a major draw for ecotourism.

“This is an exciting advancement for the region. The Ramsar honor will put the Niagara River on par with other Ramsar sites like the Everglades and the Galapagos Islands” said Greg Stevens, Executive Director of the Niagara River Greenway Commission.

The Niagara River Ramsar Binational Steering Committee, made up of local environmental experts and advocates, has been working on this nomination for six years. Continue reading →

On the Eve of Earth Day, 2019, Ford and his Tory MPPs continue their Rlentloess War on our Environment

An Urgent Outcry from Ontario Nature, a not-for-profit citizens advocacy group for protecting what is left of Ontario’s natural heritage

Posted April 18^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Ontario’s Environment Minister Rod Phillips shamelessly outlines plans to let developers do end run around endangered species laws, while his boss, Doug Ford, looks on.

When the government holds a press conference in the afternoon before a long weekend, the news is unlikely to be good.

Indeed, today Minister Rod Phillips (Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks) announced proposed changes to Ontario’s Endangered species Act.

As we feared, these changes would effectively allow the government to ignore the pressing need to save Ontario’s most vulnerable plants and animals.

Niagara citizens rally o save Thundering Waters Forest in Niagara Falls, Ontario and wildlife in it from plans by developers to build there. file photo

If the changes go through –

• * Species listed as threatened or endangered may no longer be automatically protected.
• * The Minister will have discretion to interfere with the listing of at-risk species at his convenience, bringing politics into the listing process.
• * Developers and other proponents of harmful activities will be able to “pay-to-slay” by paying into a fund to compensate for harming species at risk and their habitats (rather than providing an on-the-ground overall benefit to species).
• * Southern Ontario species at the northern limit of their range may receive less or no protection, depending on their status outside Ontario.

These moves are regressive and dangerous.

Continue reading →

St. Catharines’ Acting Fire Chief says ‘it is dangerous for restaurants, bars and nightclubs to have more people than they can accommodate’.

A News Release from the City of St. Catharines

Posted April 18^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Acting St. Catharines, Ontario Fire Chief Jeff McCormick

Niagara, Ontario – The operator of the Mansion House Hotel in Downtown St. Catharines has been fined by the Ontario Court of Justice for overcrowding at the bar.

1602128 Ontario Ltd. pled guilty on Friday, April 12 to Ontario Fire Code charges of exceeding the occupant load for the number of persons occupying a room or floor space in an assembly occupancy. The establishment had more occupants in its main floor bar area and in its lounge area than the authorized capacity.

The court imposed a $7,500 fine against the operators as well as court costs and victim fine surcharges.

Acting Fire Chief Jeff McCormick said it is dangerous for restaurants, bars and nightclubs to have more people than they can accommodate. Continue reading →

A News Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted April 17^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

At a meeting of the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority’s board of directors this April 17th, Interim CAO for the NPCA, Gayle Wood, seated to the left of the board’s Vice Chair and Pelham Regional Councillor Diana Huson, talks to board about funding cut from the Ontario government.

On top of other deep cuts to Ontario’s environmental protection programs, the Ford government has also taken an axe to the funding the province transfers to Conservation Authorities for protecting people and their properties from climate-related hazards like flooding.

NPCA’s Interim CAO Gayle Wood

At a meeting of the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority’s board of directors this April 17^th, Gayle Wood, the NPCA’s Interim CAO, told board members that concerns that last April 11^th’s provincial budget would mean significant cuts in funding from the province to Conservation Authorities across Ontario have been confirmed.

Wood said annual funds the province transfers to the NPCA will be cut from about $174,000 to $90,000 – almost half of the money the province gives to the Conservation Authority each year for core services like flood management.

The cut may not be much of a blow to the NPCA’s budget this year, she said, because some money is being saved “due to a number of (recent) staffing gaps,” but next year they could prove “extremely challenging.” Continue reading →

And What’s With Ford’s Incessant Use of this Totalitarian Trope “Government for the People”

Doug Ford unveiling another ‘Open for Business’ billboard at Ontario’s borders

A Commentary by Niagara At Large reporter and publisher  Doug Draper

Posted April 16^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Unless you have been living somewhere far away from the province over the past 10 months, it probably comes as as no news  to you that Doug Ford wants to make Ontario “Open for Business”.

That apparently means that Ontario’s premier and his self-described “Government for the People” are bent on making the province a more friendly place for private companies to do business in.

As of the release of his ‘Government for the People’s first budget this April 14th, Ford may want to amend that “open for business” call-out to say that Ontario is open for business just so long as your business is willing to stick whatever propaganda his government wants on or near a product you are selling, or face a steep fine!

A copy of one of the possible stickers the Ford government will force gas stations to display on their pumps.

As much as that is what you might expect from a government in a totalitarian state, Ford and his army of MPPs are now looking at making it mandatory for private companies that sell gasoline in their oh-so “open for business” Ontario to place a sticker on their gas pumps, telling customers that they are paying an extra four to five cents per litre for a federal “tax” on climate polluting carbon.

If owners of gas stations don’t put these stickers on their pumps where prospective customers can see them, they could face a $10,000 fine.

What Ford and his minions choose to call a “carbon tax,” by the way, which is more realistically a price the federal government is trying to impose on highly damaging carbon pollution in an effort to address climate change by reducing our country’s carbon footprint, is a hell of a lot less than the 25 or so cents slapped on to a litre of gas through provincial taxes. Continue reading →

The Association of Municipalities of Ontario shocked by Ford’s eliminating 42 of 52 land ambulance services

A News Release from Ontario’s NDP Official Opposition Leader Andrea Horwath

Posted April 16^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Ontario NDP and Official Opposition Leader Andrea Horwath

Queen’s Park — NDP Official Opposition Leader Andrea Horwath was deeply troubled to learn Tuesday that Doug Ford’s cuts to frontline healthcare will include axing 42 of the province’s 52 land ambulance services in a massive cut to essential emergency services, according to an internal memo from the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO).

“With each passing day, it’s clearer that the Ford Government’s reckless and dangerous cuts to frontline health care are going to hurt families across Ontario,” said Horwath. Continue reading →

Funds raised will support play therapy for children who have experienced trauma 

News from Niagara College 

Posted April 16th, 2019 

Niagara, Ontario – As a result of this year’s Many Hands Project, $40,800 was donated to Pathstone Mental Health<https://www.pathstonementalhealth.ca/> – a community-based organization that provides innovative and effective treatment for all children in Niagara diagnosed with mental health issues.

Students in NC’s Event Management program present the cheque for $40,858 to Pathstone Mental Health, the grand total raised from their fundraising efforts as part of NC’s 2019 Many Hands Project.

 The funds were announced at a Many Hands Project reveal ceremony held at Branscombe Mental Health Centre in St. Catharines on April 15. The donation included $35,858 raised by NC student fundraisers and $5,000 from Canadian Tire Bank, a sponsor and long-time supporter of NC’s Many Hands Project. Continue reading →

How Much Will Ford’s Court Crusade for Carbon Polluters Cost Ontario Tax Payers? How Much Will It Cost Our Future?

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

Posted April 14^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Well, of course. Why not?

Less than two weeks after the release of an alarming report by scientists for Environment and Climate Change Canada, concluding that Canada’s climate is warming twice as fast as the world average, and just a few months after a team of the world’s climate experts warned that we only have about a dozen years to prevent what could be an unbearable future for generations to come, what does Ontario’s premier, Doug Ford, and his government decide to do?

They decide to go to court this week to fight a federal government move to slap an extra four to five cents on a litre of gasoline as a way of putting a price on climate-altering carbon pollution on the grounds that it is “unconstitutional.”

Unconstitutional?

That argument is coming from the same Ford government that is now threatening to force owners of private gas stations to put a sticker on their pumps warning of this so-called “carbon tax” or face a heavy fine.

How constitutional is that?

Hopefully, the courts will give the Ford government’s case (launched at Ontario taxpayers’ expense) the thumbs’ down it deserves. And hopefully enough people across the province will come to the conclusion that doing whatever we can do to avert a climate catastrophe not too many years down the line is worth more than four or five cents extra for a litre of gasoline. Continue reading →

“Walking at random through the streets, we came by chance upon the Cathedral of Notre Dame. I shall long remember my first impression of the scene within. The lofty gothic ceiling arched far above my head and through the stained windows the light came but dimly – it was all still, solemn and religious.”          – Bayard Taylor, an American journalist from thew 1800s

A Brief One from Doug Draper 

Posted April 15^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

You don’t need to be Catholic or religious in any way to feel terrible about this one.

As I post this, the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris France – a masterpiece of gothic architecture and one of the most iconic heritage buildings in the world – is engulfed in flames and parts of its out structure, including its towers, are reported to be crumbling.

It you care anything at all about heritage or cultural history, the scenes of this grand place burning on cable news channels are devastating to watch. Continue reading →

Executive Director and Advisor for the Ontario Urban Forest Council Speak in Thorold – Wednesday April 17th at 7:00 p.m.

An Invite to All from the Thorold Garden Club 

Posted April 15^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large 

Peter Wynnyczuk, executive director of Ontario Urban Forest Council, to speak at Thorold meeting. If you care about protecting and preserving trees in our region, don’t miss this meeting

This Wednesday, April 17^th.  the Thorold Garden Club is holding a free meeting for the public on a topic that is very timely, given all the recent concern and controversy over the cutting down of trees in Niagara Falls, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Fort Erie and other municipalities in the region. 

The meeting, to begin at 7 p.m. in the Holy Rosary Hall, 35 Queen Street S., in Thorold will feature two guest speakers who are both respected representatives of the Ontario Urban Forest Council.   Continue reading →

Buffalo, New York area Congressman Brian Higgins warns against Trump possibly removing personnel from vital border crossings like the Peace Bridge. Trump wants to shift resources to Mexican border to address what he calls an “infestation.”

U.S. President is Looking at Stripping Away Resources at Buffalo/Niagara and other Border Crossings to Address Mess he has Made at Mexican Border

A Call-Out from Buffalo-Area Congressman Brian with a Brief Foreword from Niagara At Large reporter and publisher Doug Draper

Posted April 15^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

A Foreword  from Doug Draper –

The border crossings overt the Niagara River, between Niagara Ontario and Western New York – particularly the Peace Bridge – are among the busiest border crossings in North America, accommodating millions of people and tens-of-billions of dollars of goods transported back and forth each year.

So good for U.S. Congressman Brian Higgins from the Buffalo, New York area for speaking out and working to avert a very costly crisis for people and businesses on both sides of the border if the U.S. Trump administration pulls away border officers and other resources from the Canada/U.S. border to seemingly address his self-made border crisis with Mexico. Continue reading →

“The gutting of Ontario’s climate action plan in combination with the taxpayer-financed partisan campaign against federal climate action expose a government that is deeply in denial on the urgency of the climate crisis.” – Keith Stewart, Senior Energy Strategist with Greenpeace Canada

A News Release from the environmtal group Greenpeace Canada

Posted April 15th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

TORONTO — Keith Stewart, Senior Energy Strategist with Greenpeace Canada, said the following in response to the 2019 Ontario budget:

“The 35 per cent cut to the Ministry of Environment and promised attacks on environmental protections make this the most anti-environmental budget in Ontario since the deadly tainted-water disaster in Walkerton (that killed six people and made more than 2,000 people sick in May of 2000). The gutting of Ontario’s climate action plan in combination with the taxpayer-financed partisan campaign against federal climate action expose a government that is deeply in denial on the urgency of the climate crisis.” Continue reading →

“This is a new low, even for Doug Ford. It’s bad enough that he’s wasting public money on partisan promotion, but now he’s threatening private business owners with massive fines for failing to post Conservative Party advertisement. So much for free speech.”                                                                                                           – Peter Tabuns, the NDP’s Energy and Climate Change critic

A News Release from Ontario’s Official Opposition (NDP) Party

Posted April 12^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

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

Doug Ford. Is he Ontario’s premier or is he BIG BROTHER!

This is the kind of rule you would expect to see a government force on private businesses in a fascist state!

Gas station owners should tell Premier Doug Ford to go  take his propaganda stickers to hell with him.

Our American neighbours put up with a lot, but  would never put up with this kind of strong-arm crap. They would be up in arms with government spending their tax money for totalitarian B.S. like this, and so should we!

QUEEN’S PARK – The Ford Government isn’t just spending thousands of public dollars on gas pump stickers promoting a partisan campaign against carbon pricing – yesterday’s budget bill revealed that Ford plans to fine gas stations $10,000 a day if the businesses fail or refuse to post the stickers. Continue reading →

Lend Your Name to the Fight to Protect What Are Left of our Red-headed Woodpeckers and Natural Heritage

A Petition posted by Marcie Jacklin and Community Voices of Fort Erie, a citizens group in Fort Erie, Ontario

Posted April 12th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

As some of you may already know, Waverly Woods (an area now being targeted for urban development) is a strong-hold for Red-headed Woodpeckers.

The Red-headed Woodpecker is now listed as Threatened under the Species at Risk Act for Canada and as Special Concern under Ontario’s Endangered Species Act.

The population is declining.

You can help by responding to Environment and Climate Change Canada’s request for input for their proposed recovery strategy. Continue reading →

A News Release from the Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce

Posted April 12^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – The new Government of Ontario released its first budget yesterday afternoon.

Although a budget is a closely-guarded secret until its release, some measures were expected: tax cuts aimed at stimulating business growth, dental care for seniors in poverty, childcare subsidies, a transit plan for the GTA, some service cuts and/or efficiencies, a virtually-unavoidable deficit, and an omnibus of legislation, some unrelated to the budget, in a move which has become routine for Canadian governments of all parties.

As in 2018<https://gncc.ca/gncc-welcomes-business-investment-and-municipal-supports-but-urges-deficit-caution-in-ontario-budget/> and 2017<https://gncc.ca/gncc-offers-comments-2017-ontario-budget/>, the GNCC urged caution on deficit spending. Continue reading →

Cool Beat Music and Books in Cheektowaga, New York and Niagara Records in St. Catharines, Ontario

“There is nothing as glamorous to me as a record store.”                – Paul McCartney

A Brief Call-Out for Record Stores  from Doug Draper, Niagara At Large

Re-posted April 12^th, 2019

This coming Saturday, April 13^th is a very special day for those of us who love music and, most importantly, for what are left of the marvellous and magical places in our regions that bring that great music too us.

This Saturday, April 13^th marks the 11^th annual ‘Record Store Day’ across North America and other parts of the world – a day when those of us who love music and the very special sense of community music inspires when we experience it together can do that coming together at favourite brick and mortar record stores, to support and celebrate t what Paul McCartney rightly calls the glamour and the joy they can bring to our lives.

Cool Beat Music and Books, one of the great stores for records in the greater Niagara region – this one in nearby Cheektowaga, New York

Those of you who regularly visit  Niagara At Large may already know that I like to advocate for supporting what are left of some of the great  independently owned stores in our region, and recently I highlighted three of the best used book stores, including Hannelore Headley Old and Fine Books and The Write Bookshop in St. Catharines, Ontario and  Rust Belt Books  in Buffalo, New Year.

This time, on the eve of this year’s Record Store Day, I want to mention at least a couple of the  coolest record stores on either side of the Niagara River.

And I’ll start with one called Cool Beat Music and Books that you can find on the American side of the border, less than a 10 minute drive from downtown Buffalo, New York on 2445 William Street in neighbouring Cheektowaga.

Inside the Cool Beat store with owner Wayne Zaganiaczyk, a veteran record and book seller in the region.

If you are wondering how you are going to find this very cool store, I will include a link for a map you can click on near the bottom of this post. For now, all you need to know is that Cool Beat is a store well worth finding. Continue reading →

News from the Office of Ontario Premier Doug Ford

Posted April 11th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Ontario Premier Doug Ford tables his government’s first budget

Building a sustainable future while protecting frontline services In its first /Budget/, Ontario’s Government for the People has introduced a comprehensive and sustainable plan that sets out a five-year path to a balanced budget to protect critical public services such as health care and education.

“We are restoring sustainability to government finances in order to protect what matters most,” said Minister of Finance Vic Fedeli.

“The previous government was spending about $40 million a day more than it was collecting in revenue. Our plan will make every dollar count so we can continue to invest in the critical programs like health care, education, and other services that the people of Ontario rely upon each and every day while protecting frontline workers.” Continue reading →

Among other things, the U.S. Trump Administration is “systematically dismantling” the Clean Water Act – legislation that has had a positive impact on protecting Great Lakes waters for decades. 

A Message from Joel Brammeier , President & CEO Alliance for the Great Lakes, a U.S.-based citizens group in the Great Lakes basin

Posted April 11th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Like many people around the Great Lakes, I was astonished by President Trump’s recent comments at a rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

At the rally, the president declared his love for the lakes and announced that he would fully fund the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI).

This cornerstone of Great Lakes protection and restoration efforts has funded more than 4,700 on-the-ground projects in all eight Great Lakes states. His (Trump’s) comments raised eyebrows around our office because the program he pledged to support is the same one he has cut in his budget every year since he took office. Continue reading →

Sample cricket flour cookies, take a guided hike or snap a selfie with a reptile – there are many ways to connect with nature at this rain-or-shine event

News from Niagara College in Niagara, Ontario

Posted April 11^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large 

Staff, students and community residents are welcome to participate in Niagara College’s fourth annual Spring BioBlitz. 

Organized by NC’s Office of Sustainability, the event will be held on Saturday, April 13 from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the College’s Niagara-on-the-Lake Campus. A BioBlitz is a community approach to identifying plant and animal species on a property, over a specified period of time.

The goal is to collect species information to better understand all of the organisms living on campus and to monitor how biodiversity is changing over time.  Continue reading →

News from the Niagara Dental Health Coalition

Posted April 11th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – The Niagara Dental Health Coalition is very pleased to see a commitment in today’s provincial budget for access to dental care for low income seniors. The Coalition has been part of an advocacy movement for several years across Ontario calling for expanded access to dental care for the two to three million Ontario residents who cannot afford care.

“We regularly receive calls and emails from Niagara residents who need dental care and can’t afford to pay, including many seniors,” says Lori Kleinsmith, Chair of the Niagara Dental Health Coalition. “In many cases, we are not able to suggest where to go for help, so this new funding for low income seniors will start to make a difference.” Continue reading →

The GNCC has convened a panel of experts who will explore questions such as what the opportunities and pitfalls of the various options (for municipal government restructuring in Niagara) are, what it will mean to citizens, taxpayers, businesses and organizations, what the likely outcomes might be, and more.

News Release from the Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce

Posted April 11^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

How different will this municipal map look in the years ahead and what will it mean for the people who live and work in Niagara?

Niagara, Ontario – On April 26th, at Lookout Point Country Club, the Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce will hold its AGM and Annual Business Luncheon. At this event, the GNCC will host a forum on governance reform.

The Government of Ontario has announced its intention to review and potentially change the governance structure of Niagara and other regions of Ontario. Niagara needs to know what those changes might be, and how they will affect us. Continue reading →

This year provides important opportunities for every resident around the Great Lakes  to learn more about issues affecting the Great Lakes, express why they care about them and share what actions they are taking – large and small – to restore and protect the ecosystem.

News from Sally Cole-Misch at the Canada/U.S. International Joint Commission

Posted April 9th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Across the Great Lakes region, residents overwhelmingly value the lakes and everything they provide – recreationally, economically and aesthetically.

In binational polls taken by an IJC board, in person, and in letters and emails, citizens have expressed a deep caring for and desire to protect the Great Lakes. People also want the lakes restored to their full potential for themselves, for everything in the lakes and for future generations. Continue reading →

“Transphobia and homophobia are real. To stop discrimination, hate and violence against LGBTQ people, we need to call it out. We cannot confront homophobic and transphobic bullying if the government won’t acknowledge that those things are very real.”  – Terence Kernaghan, Ontario’s Official Opposition NDP Critic for LGBTQ Issues

A News Release from Ontario’s Official Opposition and New Democratic Party

Posted April 10^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

NDP critic for LGBTQ Issues responds to minister’s refusal to acknowledge homophobia and transphobia – 

Ontario’s Education Minister Lisa Thompson

QUEEN’S PARK — Terence Kernaghan, Official Opposition NDP Critic for LGBTQ Issues, released the following statement regarding Education Minister Lisa Thompson’s outright refusal to acknowledge the reality of homophobia and transphobia:

“Today during question period, Minister of Education Lisa Thompson categorically refused to say the words homophobia and transphobia – refusing to acknowledge that members of the LGBTQ community and students in Ontario face hate, discrimination and violence that must be called out, and stamped out. Continue reading →

Lincoln County Humane Society Executive Director Kevin Strooband Receives Award for Leadership, Cooperation and Innovation

Kevin Strooband, the Lincoln County Humane Society’s executive direct, with a friend

“Kevin is a true example of what can be achieved when we work collaboratively in the animal welfare sector”    – Barbara Cartwright, CEO of Humane Canada

News from Humane Canada, the federation of SPCAs and humane societies across Canada

Posted April 10th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Ottawa – Humane Canada is pleased to announce that Kevin Strooband, Executive Director of the Lincoln County Humane Society will receive an award recognizing his leadership in the animal welfare movement and innovation in programming.

Kevin Strooband with the Lincoln County Humane Society’s Mobile Adoption Unit, which made its debut in the summer of 2018

“Kevin is a true example of what can be achieved when we work collaboratively in the animal welfare sector” says Barbara Cartwright, CEO of Humane Canada. Continue reading →

Ontario Announces $28.5 Billion to Get Ontario Moving

“In just nine months, Ontario has delivered the long asked for expansion of GO Train service to Niagara Falls and           St. Catharines, years ahead of schedule.”

News from the Office of Ontario Premier Doug Ford

Posted April 10^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

TORONTO — Transit users and commuters across Ontario can look forward to transportation improvements as part of the Government of Ontario’s historic new transportation vision, Premier Doug Ford announced today.

Joined by Jeff Yurek, Minister of Transportation, and Monte McNaughton, Minister of Infrastructure, Ford announced a $28.5 billion expansion to Ontario’s transit network. This is the most money ever invested to get shovels in the ground and get new subways built.

“Our government is investing in transportation to bring relief and new opportunities to transit users and commuters,” said Ford. Continue reading →