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“Enforcement could get better or it could get worse, depending on how the provincial government responds.” – Brock Professor Kendra Coulter

News from Brock University in St. Catharines/Niagara

Posted March 4th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Brock University animal welfare expert Kendra Coulter and friend. file photo courtesy of Brock University in Niagara, Ontario.

Niagara, Ontario – A Brock University Labour Studies professor and internationally recognized researcher on animal welfare issues said a Monday (March 4th, 2019) announcement leaves the handling of animal-related investigations at a crossroads.

The Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals sent a letter to Ontario Community Safety Minister Sylvia Jones Monday saying it would not renew its contract to provide animal welfare investigation and enforcement services in the province. Continue reading →

Find Out Below How You Can Help Put the Pressure On

A Call-out to all of us from the Ontario Clean Air Alliance

Posted March 4^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Today (this March 4^th) we are launching our Etobicoke Campaign to persuade Premier Ford to keep his promise to lower your hydro bills by 12%. He can do it by signing a deal with Quebec.

Quebec has a huge surplus off low-cost water power which can keep your lights on at less than 1/3rd the cost of re-building the Darlington Nuclear Station.

We’re taking the message about these huge potential savings to Premier Ford’s backyard in Etobicoke. We’ve already posted a billboard on Kipling Ave, south of Bethridge Road, and will soon be distributing our Cut My Bill pamphlets there as well. Continue reading →

“Climate adaptation is a critical element of sustainability and developing an action plan to guide staff and Council, is a step towards success. We are grateful for the funding to support this initiative funded by the Government of Canada.”                              – Lincoln CAO Michael Kirkopoulos

A News Release from the Town of Lincoln in Niagara, Ontario

Posted March 4^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Lincoln, Ontario – The Town of Lincoln has been granted $125,000 in funding from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities’ (FCM) Climate change staff grants initiative to help address staffing gaps and increase our capacity to adapt to the effects of climate change or reduce greenhouse (GHG) emissions.

Lincoln is among 59 communities across Canada benefitting from this initiative.

Lincoln will use the funding to dedicate staff to activities such as the research and development of climate adaptation plan. Continue reading →

Niagara At Large Will Have More on the Following Notice Later, and  on What it May Mean for Protecting Niagara’s Natural Heritage

Posted March 3rd, 2019 on Niagara At Large

The Following  Notice is now being circulated – 

To the past and current clients of LPASC,

The citizens battle is still on to save this great green place in Niagara Falls from urban development

I am writing to let you know that the Government of Ontario has made a decision to close the Local Planning Appeal Support Centre (LPASC), effective June 30, 2019.

As LPASC winds down its operation, we will continue to serve, to the best of our ability, clients who have previously retained our services.  We are now limited in the range of professional legal and planning services we are able to provide.   Continue reading →

‘Universal health care is our baby and we must care for and nurture it’

A Commentary by Linda McKellar, a Niagara, Ontario resident and retired hospital nurse

Posted March 1^st, 2019 on Niagara At Large

(The following commentary by retired nurse Linda McKellar has been shared with Niagara At Large in the wake of news late this February that Ontario’s Ford government is moving forward with plans to merge health services in the province under one umbrella where some health experts fear publicly funded services will give way to an array of privately funded services already up and operating in Ontario.

The end result of such a mega merger, critics fear, is ever more privatization and a possible end to publicly funded, universal health care as we known it in Ontario and Canada for more than half a century.)

The attempt to privatize health care services in Ontario has been going on for years, primarily by Conservative governments which have always been pro-business and privatization, but contributed to by both ruling parties to some degree.

It has had lousy results.

Outsourcing food supplies – horrible meals, petrified sandwiches, all pre-packaged and sent from someplace – from China for all we know. Maybe surplus airplane meals. Continue reading →

 “I’m pleased that the government recognized the importance of creating new, paid work opportunities for young people across the province. …  The Ontario NDP will be watching closely to see that the government makes good on this commitment.” NDP MPP and Official Opposition critic Faisal Hassan

A News Release from Ontario’s New Democratic Party

Posted March 1^st, 2019 on Niagara At Large

QUEEN’S PARK — Faisal Hassan, NDP MPP for York-South Weston and Official Opposition critic, said young people are one step closer to seeing new work opportunities after his motion calling on the government to create 27,000 paid co-ops and internships passed this February 28th.

If implemented, the motion would unlock opportunities in the public and private sector, as well as the trades, for students, recent graduates and unemployed youth. The motion aims to help young people gain the real-world experience that is increasingly becoming a prerequisite to entry-level positions. Continue reading →

Ontario Saving Families Money with Free Travel for Kids 12 and Under on GO Transit

Starting March 9, 2019, children 12 and under can ride for free on all GO Transit trains and buses without a PRESTO card or paper ticket

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

Posted February 28^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario —Today, Sam Oosterhoff, MPP for Niagara West welcomed news that Ontario’s Transportation Minister Jeff Yurek announced all children 12 and under will travel for free on GO Transit trains and buses starting March 9, 2019 – just in time for March Break. Continue reading →

Ford government introduces health restructuring/privatization omnibus bill 

An Analysis from Natalie Mehra, executive director of the Ontario Health Coalition, a province-wide advocacy group for quality public health care

Posted February 27^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Ontario Health Coalition Director Natalie Mehra

Under the guise of “service coordination” the Ford government is introducing its new health care legislation today.

 Despite the rosy sounding rhetoric of the Health Minister that has focused entirely on positive-sounding words like “coordination” and “teams”, the draft legislation that was leaked a few weeks ago by a concerned civil servant to the NDP who made it public, was very clearly written to give the new “Super Agency” powers to order — with the stroke of a pen — the privatization of anything deemed a “support service” in almost all of the health care system.

Similarly, the “Super Agency” has the power to order the privatization of any procurement (not limited by definition). The Minister and the Super Agency together have powers to order transfers, closures, mega-mergers of virtually all health care providers.  Continue reading →

“Young people should expect more from their government, not less, and an opportunity to build their best life in Ontario.” – NDP Official Opposition Youth Engagement critic Faisal Hassan

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

Posted February 27^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Queen’s Park—NDP Official Opposition Youth Engagement critic Faisal Hassan (York South-Weston) said that too many young people are still finding it difficult to land their first paid job and get the experience that they need to build a career.

This Wednesday, February 27th  Hassan announced a motion calling on the government to create 27,000 new paid work opportunities for students, recent graduates or unemployed youth to get the real life work opportunities that they need to build a good life in Ontario.

“Imagine a province where students and youth that work hard actually get a shot to build their best life in Ontario,” said Hassan. “Years of Conservatives and Liberals robbed young people of this chance, and created an environment where there are just too few entry level jobs to go around. Continue reading →

Renewed, connected and sustainable health care system will reduce hallway health care by focusing resources on patient needs

“Our government is taking a comprehensive, pragmatic approach to addressing the public health care system.” –  Sam Oosterhoff, Ford Government rep. and MPP for Niagara West

News from the Constituency Office of Niagara West MPP Sam Oosterhoff

Posted February 27^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Niagara West MPP Sam Oosterhoff

Niagara, Ontario — Christine Elliott, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health and Long Term Care, has announced the Government of Ontario’s long-term plan to fix and strengthen the public health care system by focusing directly on the needs of Ontario’s patients and families.

“The people of Ontario deserve a connected health care system that puts their needs first,” said Elliott. “At the same time the people of Ontario deserve peace of mind that this system is sustainable and accessible for all patients and their families, regardless of where you live, how much you make, or the kind of care you require.”

“Our government is taking a comprehensive, pragmatic approach to addressing the public health care system,” said Sam Oosterhoff, MPP for Niagara West. Continue reading →

Gayle Wood has performed executive roles in other Conservation Authorities across Ontario, and has worked for the Ontario ministries of Environment and Natural Resources

News from the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority

Posted February 26th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Veteran Conservationist Gayle Wood appointed interim CAO of a Niagara Peninsula Conservation in need of her kind of leadership

The Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA) is pleased to welcome Ms. Gayle Wood to the position of Interim Chief Administrative Officer/Secretary-Treasurer.

Ms. Wood will commence her position on March 1, 2019. She was appointed by the Board of Directors for a term of 5 months, while the Board undergoes a permanent CAO search currently underway with the help of an external hiring firm.

“Ms. Wood brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise in conservation leadership as a senior executive to a number of Conservation Authorities across Ontario,” says NPCA Board Chair, Dave Bylsma. Continue reading →

We Need Several More Citizen Board Members Like Him To Finally Clean Up the Monumental Mess at the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority 

A News Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted February 26^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Citizen activist Ed Smith is on his way to a seat on the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority’s board of directors

Less than a week after the chair of the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority’s current board of directors cast the sole vote against allowing Ed Smith and another Niagara citizen speak at one of the board’s meetings, Smith may now only be weeks away from taking a seat around the board table.

The community activist, who has been among the most vocal critics across the region of the way the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA) has been doing business in recent years, received the support of St. Catharines’ city council this February 25^th to sit on the Conservation Authority’s board.

Smith, a retired Canadian Armed Forces officer who, more than a year ago, defeated an attempt by the NPCA’s senior administrators and old board to sue him after he circulated a list of questions and concerns about the way the public agency is spending millions of Niagara tax dollars, was one of more than 30 St. Catharines residents who applied for the one and only seat the city can have on a board that currently allows one seat to be filled by each of Niagara’s 12 municipalities.

In 2016, at a meeting of Niagara’s Regional Council, Ed Smith argues against NPCA’s plan to use something called biodiversity offsetting to gut provincially significant wetlands to make way for urban development.

He was selected for St. Catharines seat by a three-person nominating committee made up of city councillors Bruce Williamson, Carlos Garcia and Greg Miller. The committee was assembled after the city’s new council was sworn in last December and began advertising publicly for interested citizens to apply for the board seat. Continue reading →

Targeted Investments Needed To Future-Proof Canada’s Automotive Sector

Thousands of Auto Sector-Related Jobs At Stake In Niagara Alone

A Report on Canada’s Auto Industry from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives

Posted February 26^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Ottawa, Canada —A new report out today from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives finds that maintaining the competitiveness of Canada’s important automotive sector in a rapidly changing industry requires decisive action and collaboration by provincial and federal governments, targeted investment and new policies designed for the new automobility.

“We do not accept automotive plant closures as a foregone conclusion,” says report co-author Charlotte Yates, Provost and Vice-President Academic at the University of Guelph. “While Canada’s most recent free trade agreements have left our automotive sector more vulnerable to tariff-free foreign competition, the solutions proposed in this report could promote a revitalization of Canada’s the auto industry.”

The report, by two researchers affiliated with the Automotive Policy Research Centre (APRC), assesses the sector’s current landscape and outlines a multi-pronged policy plan to boost competitiveness and avoid plant closures within the Great Lakes Region. Continue reading →

NDP Renews Calls For Ford Minister Lisa Macleod To Resign, Autism Program To Be Fixed

Ontario Opposition and NDP Leader Andrea Horwath

“Minister MacLeod mislead the very families she’s tasked with helping, and demanded that service providers hide the truth about the frozen wait lists. How many children were kept on the wait list when they could have received support?”                             – Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath

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

Posted February 25^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Ford’s Minister of Children, Community and Social Services Lisa MacLeod – known to some as the “Minister of Mean” – is being asked to resign in the wake of reports that she has been trying to intimidate and bully experts in the care field who have questioned or criticized changes MacLeod and the Ford Government are planning to make to services for people living with autism.

New documents reveal that Doug Ford and Lisa MacLeod froze autism therapy wait lists five months ago, and instructed autism service organizations to hide that freeze from parents.

Now, the NDP is renewing calls for a revamp before the cuts are implemented, as well as calls for MacLeod to resign — for lying to parents, for threatening those who don’t support her cuts, and, most of all, for ripping treatment and hope away from children.

“By cutting autism therapy for thousands of kids, Lisa MacLeod is snuffing out hope, and robbing them of the opportunity to progress and develop,” said NDP Leader Andrea Horwath. “The fact that she and Mr. Ford actually ripped that hope away months ago, but decided to lie to parents about it, is reprehensible.”

Families of children living with autism joined the NDP at the legislature again Monday to demand better — a battle they’ve been forced to fight on behalf of their children since the underfunded and inadequate Liberal program let them down. Continue reading →

Niagara Parks Police say Ice Formations Pose Risk to Public Safety

News from Ontario’s Niagara Parks Commission

Posted February 2^nd, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Winds pushing ice up on Niagara River shore near Peace Bridge in Niagara, Ontario Town of Fort Erie. Niagara Parks Police image

Niagara Falls, Ontario – The Niagara Parks Commission would like to advise the public to exercise caution, when travelling along the south Niagara Parkway, particularly in the area of Mather Arch, in the Town of Fort Erie. Traffic is now being re-routed, with the south Niagara Parkway closed between Central Avenue and Queen Street.

As a result of the high-winds, large ice formations from Lake Erie have breached the Parapet Wall and have spilled onto the sidewalk, along the south Niagara Parkway. While visually stunning, these ice formations continue to move and shift, and members of the public are asked to please avoid this area, as the ice formations do pose a risk to public safety. Continue reading →

Royal Bank CEO David McKay made the highest salary of all Canadian bank executives in 2018, enjoying an eight per cent increase in salary over what he made in 2017. His bank has just announced plans to close its branch in downtown Thorold in Niagara, Ontario.

“This branch closure is happening at a time when Royal Bank is making healthy profits. Last year it had a record profit of $12.4 billion while your salary sir (CEO David McKay) was the highest of your colleagues at $12.43 million up nearly 8 percent from the previous year. I always thought that putting customers first was the way for a business to operate and succeed. Apparently not anymore” – from an Open Letter from Niagara Centre MPP Jeff Burch to Royal Bank of Canada President and CEO David McKay

An Open Letter to David McKay, President, CEO & Director, Royal Bank of Canada from Niagara Centre MPP Jeff Burch

Posted February 25^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Dear Mr. McKay –

A sign for the Royal Bank’s Credit Union in downtown Thorold welcomes one and all to “come bank with us.” The RC bank branch,, seen here across a downtown intersection and to the right of the sign, is now on Royal Bank’s chopping block.

I am sending this letter on behalf of many concerned residents in Thorold over yet another major bank deciding to leave the downtown. Royal Bank will officially close at 52 Front Street S on July 5th, just after Canada Day.

The attached letter from the RBC Regional Vice President seems to be an ongoing trend to close branches that have been part of the community for over a century citing changing times with online services and fewer customers. There is an indication the current employees will have their jobs at the end of this so called merger.

However, this branch closure is happening at a time when Royal Bank is making healthy profits. Last year it had a record profit of $12.4 billion while your salary sir was the highest of your colleagues at $12.43 million up nearly 8 percent from the previous year. Continue reading →

Canada’s Green Party Leader Elizabeth May

“So what exactly is the calculus for deciding when it’s worth wiping a species from the earth? For deciding we can ignore indigenous rights? For deciding we can give up on our own future? A handful of jobs, a risky business case, and propping up the old oil economy.”     – Canada’s Green Party Leader Elizabeth May

Posted February 25^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

A Call-Out from the Green Party of Canada

This past February 22nd, the National Energy Board (NEB) recommended approval of the Kinder Morgan pipeline.

This comes after they admitted that the pipeline could wipe out Southern Resident Killer Whales. After they admitted that it could devastate BC’s coastline and destroy our marine economies. After they admitted that construction will violate indigenous rights and dramatically increase greenhouse gases. Continue reading →

“This finding contrasts with the idea that people who use a lot of social media become more depressed over time.” – Brock researcher and Psychology PhD candidate Taylor Heffer

News from Brock University in St. Catharines

Posted February 25^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – Worries that teens and adolescents who use social media are at a greater risk of developing symptoms of depression later in life may be unfounded.

New research out of Brock University’s Department of Psychology and the Centre for Lifespan Development Research finds no evidence that social media use is a predictor of depressive symptoms over time.

“By using data from two large longitudinal studies, we were able to empirically test the assumption that social media use is leading to greater depressive symptoms,” says Psychology PhD candidate Taylor Heffer, lead author of the paper published in Clinical Psychological Science.

Study authors from left, Brock Psychology master’s student Owen Daly, Brock alumna Marie Good and Psychology PhD candidates Taylor Heffer and Elliott MacDonnell

While some research has found an association between the average time spent using social media and average well-being scores, those studies tend to look at a single point in time. Continue reading →

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

Posted February 24th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

The winds are whistling wildly through the trees where I live above the Niagara Escarpment in Thorold/Niagara and the power may go out at any second now.

Some areas in the central and south ends of Niagara have reportedly already lost power so before it quite possibly goes down here, please don’t think we have gone out of business if there are no posts on the site for a day or more.

We’ll be back with a vengeance, with more news and commentary as soon as we possibly can.

In the meantime, if you lose the power in your house because of this severe wind storm, and find yourself sitting there with family and friends in the candle light, use the time to give some thought to the climate catastrophe that faces us and future generations.

And think hard about how much worse it will be for our children and grandchildren, if we don’t take action and address this crisis now.

There is no more time for the ignorant and dangerous politics of Doug Ford and his like. The short-sighted stupidity that Ford and the federal Tories and others who embrace their ideology respresents will take us down the road to environmental and economic ruin, and to catastrophe!

We will catch you on the flip side of the storm. Please keep coming back to Niagara At Large for a truly independent and alternative voice on the news in Niagara and the world around us.

• Doug Draper, Niagara At Large

Please click on the screen and listen to the plea for action from this brilliant young Swedish girl at a Climate Change conference late this past year –

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

Severe Winds May Cause Power Outages In Niagara and surrounding regions this Sunday February 24^th and Monday, February 25^th

Some Tips for Staying Safe during a power outage

A Message from Hydro One

Posted February 24^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

We’re preparing for a wind storm that may cause power outages

Our outage prediction tool is forecasting that the high winds expected to start Sunday morning could cause hundreds of outages across southern, central and eastern Ontario.

Our crews are moving into position to assess damage and quickly and safely restore power to affected customers. As the damage is assessed, we’ll provide an estimated time of restoration for each outage. We prioritize emergencies and restoration in order to bring power back to the largest number of customers in the shortest period of time. Continue reading →

A Brief Commentary from Niagara At Large reporter and publisher Doug Draper (with a little help from our good readers)

Posted February 22^nd, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Public response grows to news of David Barrick’s exit from the problem-plagued Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority

In the wake of news this February 21^st that David Barrick, one of the most controversial characters in an ongoing nightmare around affairs at the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA), has made his exist as the public agency’s acting or interim CAO, many citizens across Niagara were quick to say they are pleased to see him go.

Many citizens say they also want to know how much of our municipal tax dollars Barrick may have received in what has been called by West Lincoln Mayor and NPCA board chair Dave Bylsma as a “mutual separation agreement” between lawyers for Barrick and the Conservation Authority.

And fair warning to Bylsma and the 11 other Niagara regional councillors and mayors on the NPCA board. The clear message we at Niagara At Large are getting is that many citizens are not taking word that the cost of the agreement with Barrick cannot be disclosed for an answer.

The public demand for disclosure of how much this settlement has cost area taxpayers, we predict, is only going to grow.

Why? Continue reading →

“You serve me
And I’ll serve you
Swing your partners, all get screwed
Bring your lawyer
And I’ll bring mine
Get together, and we could have a bad time

We’re gonna play the sue me, sue
You blues
We’re gonna play the sue me, sue
You blues”

• Lyrics from the George Harrison song,                                ‘Sue Me, Sue You Blues’

A Foreword by Niagara At Large reporter and publisher Doug Draper

Posted February 22^nd, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Here is one recent expression of all the suing that has been going on in Niagara, produced and posted on Facebook by one resident in the region, Peter Gill.

This January and February, there has been more than a little winter blues in Niagara.

What has been weighing down on us instead are one report after another about lawsuits and buyouts involving former Niagara regional government and Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA) employees, and t all of them involving large amounts of our tax money.

I can hardly ever go in to grocery store or somewhere else these days where people recognize me and know that I cover the news without at least one person in the place expressing concern and anger over all of this, and talking about a time in our region’s history where it never seemed to be this bad.

And I think they are right. Continue reading →

Doug Ford stacks the deck against everyday people in disputes with wealthy developers

A Statement from Niagara Centre MPP Jeff Burch

Posted February 22nd, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Niagara Centre MPP Jeff Burch

Niagara, Ontario  — Jeff Burch, Niagara Centre MPP and Ontario NDP Municipal Affairs critic, released the following statement in response to news that Doug Ford is dismantling the Local Planning Appeal Support Centre:

“Doug Ford is once again doing favours for his friends by dismantling an office set up to help everyday Ontarians navigate the complex planning appeals process. The Local Planning Appeal Support Centre gave local communities a fighting chance when facing off against wealthy developers trying to ram unreasonable proposals through the municipal planning process. Continue reading →

The controversial “acting CAO” has left the Conservation Authority by “mutual agreement” – effective this February 21, 2019

(In our haste to get a breaking report about David Barrick’s departure from the NPCA up this February 21st, Niagara At Large made the mistake of using Grimsby Mayor Jeff Jordan’s headshot in the body of the report instead of NPCA chair and West Lincoln Mayor Dave Bylsma’s. We sincerely apologize to all concerned.)

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

Posted February 22nd, 2019 on Niagara At Large

David Barrick, NPCA’s now departed “acting CAO”

David Barrick, one of the most controversial figures who has worked his way up to top of the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority’s administrative food chain over the past six years, has now partied ways with the agency.

Members of the NPCA’s board of directors and staff received official word this February 21^st afternoon of a “mutual separation agreement,” effective immediately and signed between Barrick, who last served as the Conservation Authority’s “acting CAO,” and the board.

The agreement apparently bars any public disclosure of how much any buy out package for Barrick cost the taxpayers of Niagara, Hamilton and Haldimand County who contribute (with most of the money coming from Niagara) to the NPCA’s $9 million-plus a year budget.

A memo circulated this February 21^st from the NPCA board’s current Chair, Dave Bylsma, to other board members and the agency’s staff reads, in part –

“Hello NPCA Board of Directors …

“The Interim Chief Administrative Officer/Secretary Treasurer, David Barrick and the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA) Board have concluded a mutual separation agreement effective today (February 21st, 2019).

Niagara citizens outside an NPCA board meeting as recently as this February 20th, holding up signs demanding the ouster of David Barrick. Photo courtesy of Emily Beth Spanton.

“I am proud of what I was able to accomplish during my tenure with the NPCA. During my time, and with the support of my team, we went from running at an annual net deficit of over $550,000 in 2013, to a combined net surplus for NPCA parks of over $280,000 by year-end 2018. The net surpluses add to the overall financial health of the organization, increased investment in capital have been made and operational reserves have been replenished,” said former Interim CAO David Barrick.

Continue reading →

The controversial “acting CAO” has left the Conservation Authority by “mutual agreement” – effective this February 21, 2019

(In our haste to get this breaking report about David Barrick’s departure from the NPCA up this February 21st, Niagara At Large made the mistake of using Grimsby Mayor Jeff Jordan’s headshot in the body of the report instead of NPCA chair and West Lincoln Mayor Dave Bylsma’s. We have corrected that error and we sincerely apologize to all concerned.)

By Doug Draper

Posted February 21^st, 2019 on Niagara At Large

David Barrick, NPCA’s now departed “acting CAO”

David Barrick, one of the most controversial figures who has worked his way up to top of the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority’s administrative food chain over the past six years, has now partied ways with the agency.

Members of the NPCA’s board of directors and staff received official word this February 21^st afternoon of a “mutual separation agreement,” effective immediately and signed between Barrick, who last served as the Conservation Authority’s “acting CAO,” and the board.

The agreement apparently bars any public disclosure of how much any buy out package for Barrick cost the taxpayers of Niagara, Hamilton and Haldimand County who contribute (with most of the money coming from Niagara) to the NPCA’s $9 million-plus a year budget.

A memo circulated this February 21^st from the NPCA board’s current Chair, Dave Bylsma, to other board members and the agency’s staff reads, in part –

“Hello NPCA Board of Directors …

“The Interim Chief Administrative Officer/Secretary Treasurer, David Barrick and the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA) Board have concluded a mutual separation agreement effective today (February 21st, 2019).

Niagara citizens outside an NPCA board meeting as recently as this February 20th, holding up signs demanding the ouster of David Barrick.

“I am proud of what I was able to accomplish during my tenure with the NPCA. During my time, and with the support of my team, we went from running at an annual net deficit of over $550,000 in 2013, to a combined net surplus for NPCA parks of over $280,000 by year-end 2018. The net surpluses add to the overall financial health of the organization, increased investment in capital have been made and operational reserves have been replenished,” said former Interim CAO David Barrick.

Continue reading →

Passage of Bill could Spell the End of Captive Marine Mammal Exhibits at Marineland in Niagara Falls

A Brief Foreword by Niagara At Large reporter and publisher Doug Draper, followed by a Call-Out to Support the Bill from Canada’s Green Party

Posted February 21st. 2019 on Niagara At Large

One of the countless demonstrations every spring, summer and fall in front of Marineland in Niagara Falls. File photos by Doug Draper

Going back to my earliest years as an environment reporter at The St. Catharines Standard in the 1980s, there have been individuals and groups in Niagara and across the North American continent pressing senior levels of government to ban the captivity of whales and dolphins and other marine mammals at amusement parks and acquariums like Marineland in Niagara Falls.

Groups like Niagara Action for Animals (NAFA) and Zoocheck Canada, a handful of activist teachers in Niagara who decided to stop taking groups of grade school students to Marineland, and former Marineland trainers like Phil Demers, who is still facing a$1.5 million lawsuit for speaking out seven years ago about conditions for the mammals in the park, are among a long paraid of groups and individuals who have been fighting for an end of captivity for these remarkable animals.

And now, with a federal bill, S-203 – better known as the End the Captivity of Whales and Dolphins Act -coming closer to a final vote in Canada’s Parliament, the dream of ending the practice of keeping whales and other marine mammals in tanks for public exhibition may finally come true. Continue reading →

“This is a wonderful opportunity that will bring all of Niagara together as we welcome athletes, parents and spectators from across Canada.” – Barry Wright, associate professor, Brock’s Goodman School of Business

News from Brock University in Niagara, Ontario

Posted February 21^st, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Brock Prof Barry Wright will serve as CEO for the 2021 Canada Games when they come to Niagara

Organizers of the 2021 Canada Games have reached into the academic ranks at Brock University to find their new Chief Executive Officer.

Barry Wright, an associate professor who has also served as Interim Dean in Brock’s Goodman School of Business, will officially move into the CEO role on May 1.

An announcement from Doug Hamilton, who is Chair of the 2021 Canada Games Host Society, said Wright will oversee a range of key organizational activities that include human resources, volunteer programming, finance, and sport and athlete services.

Wright will take a secondment from his Brock duties in order to concentrate on the Games, which will take place in the Niagara region in the summer of 2021. Continue reading →

After Ford Government admission that only families earning less than $55,000 are entitled to full amount

“People everywhere are coming together to fight back against Conservative cuts that rip funding away from the kids that need it most.” – Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath

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

Posted February 21^st, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Queen’s Park—Official Opposition Leader Andrea Horwath said that families of children living with autism have spoken; and they oppose Doug Ford’s scheme to rip supports and treatment away from their kids.

This past Wednesday (February 20^th), about 200 families from every part of the province joined the NDP at Queen’s Park to push back against Ford’s callous cuts to autism services — all families with a child with autism, all devastated by Ford’s cut to funding. 

“People everywhere are coming together to fight back against Conservative cuts that rip funding away from the kids that need it most,” said Horwath. Continue reading →

Province Transforms Tarion Warranty Corporation’s Broken System to Protect Ontario Families

News from the Constituency Office of Niagara West NPP Sam Oosterhoff

Posted February 2^nd, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Niagara West MPP Sam Oosterhoff

Niagara, Ontario —Sam Oosterhoff, MPP for Niagara West is working for the people by protecting hardworking Ontarians when making one of the biggest purchases in their lives — a new home.

Ontario’s Government is transforming Tarion Warranty Corporation and implementing initiatives to better protect purchasers of cancelled pre-construction condominium projects.

“There are many families across the province who have faced difficulties over the years when seeking a solution from Tarion,” said Sam Oosterhoff, MPP for Niagara West. “For our government one thing is clear, Tarion is broken. That is why our government is pleased to announce that we are taking decisive action to put the People of Ontario first by transforming Tarion and strengthening consumer protection.” Continue reading →

Time  Rapidly Running Out For This Board to Take Real Action to Clean e Mess at  Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority Up

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

Posted February 19^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

I don’t believe I’d be too far off the mark to say that if the current board of the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA) was a song, it would be lucky to ever make it on to the Hot 100 Billboard charts – not the way things on this board are going.

One of many demonstrations of citizens in front of the NPCA’s headquarters in Welland over the past four years. File photo by Doug Draper

Now more than two thirds of the way through a three-month interim mandate, the 12 area mayors and councillors Niagara’s Regional Council appointed to the board of this highly dysfunctional public agency, along with members from Hamilton and Haldimand County, have overseen a continuation of what an Ontario Superior Court Judge described this past December as the kind of chaos that cannot be tolerated any more. Continue reading →

April Jeffs is appointed Vice-Chair on board of Ontario’s  Niagara Parks 

A News Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted February 19th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Ontario’s Tory leader (now Premier) Doug Ford last year with then Tory candidate April Jeffs, who lost in the Niagara Centre riding last June to the NDP’s Jeff Burch. Jeffs also served as mayor of Wainfleet and sat on the board of the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority until Niagara’s Regional Council appointed new NPCA board members late this past year.

Ontario’s Ford government has appointed April Jeffs, a former Wainfleet mayor and a failed Ford candidate in last year’s provincial election, to the post of vice-chair on the Niagara Parks Commission’s board of directors.

Jeffs, who ran as a provincial Tory candidate in the Niagara Centre Riding last June and has been nominated to run as the Tory candidate in the same riding in this year’s federal election, also sat for the past four years as a member of the board for the problem-plagued Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA).

Jeffs, who decided not to run for another term for Wainfleet’s mayor in last October’s municipal elections, is the second failed provincial Tory candidate since this past fall to get appointed by the Ford government to sit on the Niagara Parks Commission board. Continue reading →

News from Ontario’s Niagara Parks Commission

Posted February 19^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Boyer’s Creek coastal wetland project to utilize recycled blue spruce from Queen Victoria Park holiday tree display

New project, as part of riparian zones initiative, uses felled ash trees to mimic the natural environment, creating instant small-scale fish habitat

Niagara Falls, Ontario – As part of delivering on Niagara Parks’ mandate as the environmental and cultural stewards of the Niagara River corridor, Niagara Parks will be undertaking another Niagara River coastal wetland restoration project at Boyer’s Creek, beginning the week of February 18, 2019 (weather-permitting).

A stretch of the Niagara River shoreline along the parkway on the Canadian side of the border

Niagara River Coastal Wetlands Restoration

Beginning in 2016, in collaboration with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry and Environment and Climate Change Canada, Niagara Parks began a series of coastal wetlands restoration projects to reduce shoreline erosion and provide essential fish habitat at seven strategic locations in the Niagara River. Continue reading →

Protesting the NPCA’s Firing of Stuart McPherson, the Conservation Authority’s “last resident ecosystem restoration expert”

“It is frankly bewildering to try and understand why this new (NPCA) Board would sanction the loss of a valuable employee.” – from an Open Statement circulated by the Niagara Chapter of Trout Unlimited Canada and the Niagara Restoration Council

By Dennis Edell, Chair of Niagara Chapter of Trout Unlimited Canada,  and John Bacher, Chair of the Niagara Restoration Council

Posted February 18^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Stuart McPerhson, a respected watershed restoration projects worker at the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority, is the latest rank-and-file employee to get axed at the controversial agency

Last week, the alleged management of the Niagara Conservation Authority fired Stuart McPherson, the Agency’s last resident ecosystem restoration expert.

Mr. McPherson was uniquely qualified as a water quality expert, with knowledge of the science and familiarity with the issues surrounding the management of Niagara’s watersheds.

This action was approved by the interim Board of Directors, acting without the advice of a qualified CAO.  

According to Conservation Ontario, “Conservation Authorities are local, watershed management agencies that deliver services and programs that protect and manage water and other natural resources in partnership with government, landowners and other organizations.” Continue reading →

Hell-Bent on Destroying More of our Natural Heritage in the Name of Economic Development

Sign Ontario Nature’s Petition, calling on the Ford government not to weaken the province’s Endangered Species Act

A Brief Commentary by NAL publisher Doug Draper followed by a Message and Petition from Ontario Nature

Posted February 18th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

From Doug Draper –

What is it about Conservatives in Canada and Republics in the United States that they cannot see a path to growth and prosperity without weakening or ripping apart policies and programs for protecting what is left of our natural environment.

Ontario’s Algonquin Wolf still needs our help. Ontario Nature photo

Don’t these people have any children or grandchildren that they want to leave some of our natural heritage to? Or is it all about making a quick buck at any cost?

Conservatives and Republicans never used to be this callous and uncaring when it came to the responsibility we all have to keep what is green, blue and beautiful on this planet clean and healthy for present and future generations. Continue reading →

A Call-Out for the Mismanagement and Chaos at the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority to End

From A Better Niagara, a region-wide citizens watchdog group

Posted February 18th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

(The following plea for the new board at the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority to finally show some demonstrable concern and take real action to clean house at this sad excuse for a publicly funded agency was posted by A Better Niagara this past February 15th on its Facebook page and website, and is being reposted here by Niagara At Large.)

The NPCA’s new board needs to listen more to the public.

To make A Better Niagara’s position on the NPCA (Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority) clear, below are a list of the things we want an end to, and a list of the things we want. The NPCA board needs to hear from the public. Continue reading →

“The United States and Canada are the world’s largest trading partners and strongest allies. This group brings our nations’ leaders together to advance efforts to enhance our interconnected economies and collaborate on issues of mutual interest including the environment, border security and infrastructure.” Brian Higgins, U.S. Congressman representing a district in the Buffalo/Western New York area.

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

Posted February 18^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

U.S. House Leader Nancy Pelosi appoints Buffalo area Congressman Brian Higgins to chair key Canada/U.S. body

Buffalo, New York – Congressman Brian Higgins (NY-26) has been named by House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi to serve as Chair of the Canada-US Inter-Parliamentary Group, a coalition of elected leaders from both the United States and Canada committed to advancing dialog and policies of mutual interest.  This is a new role for Higgins, a long-time member of the group.  Continue reading →

Governance Reform does not work well with “my way or the highway” leadership

A Column from Dave Augustyn, former Mayor of Pelham in Niagara, Ontario who also served on Niagara Regional Council

Posted February 18th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Dave Augustyn

In most regions across Ontario, the issue of governance reform and better service delivery has been discussed extensively over the last 50 years. Since the Province imposed Regional Governments in the late-1960s, various local Councils have debated numerous reports on governance and reform and various Provincial Governments have studied “who does what.”

The Harris Government imposed significant changes in the late 1990s as they forced several amalgamations and “downloaded” billions of dollars worth of Provincially mandated responsibility onto Cities and Towns. While the McGuinty / Wynne Governments “uploaded” many services back to the Province’s responsibility and coffers, they largely stayed away from other reforms. Continue reading →

We’re Looking At a 5.1 Per Cent Increase for Water and Wastewater, and 2.1 Per Cent for Waste Management

A News Release from Niagara’s Regional Government

Posted February 18th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

During a special meeting of council held Thursday, February 14th, Niagara Region Council approved by-laws authorizing a combined net operating budget increase for 2019 of 5.1 per cent for water and wastewater services and 2.1 per cent for waste management.

Water and Wastewater

The approved water and wastewater rates are effective Jan. 1, 2019 and will be billed to the local area municipalities based on water and wastewater usage in accordance with the Council approved methodology. As the wholesaler of water and wastewater services in Niagara, the Region will bill the local municipalities, who will in-turn incorporate these new rates into resident water bills. Continue reading →

Help stop the gouging now!

A report from the Canadian public interest group, Democracy Watch

Posted February 18^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Feeling gouged by your bank right now?

You have a right to – while businesses in many sectors across Canada were suffering, Canada’s Big 6 Banks gouged out record annual profits for the 8th year in a row of $45 billion in 2018!

That works out to more than $22 million in profit every hour banks are open – 6% higher than in 2017, and more than double their profits in 2010. Continue reading →

Building opportunity for the students of Niagara, Ontario

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

Posted February 18^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Niagara West MPP Sam Oosterhoff

Beamsville in Niagara, Ontario  – This past Friday, February 15th, Sam Oosterhoff, MPP for Niagara West announced that the Hon. Lisa Thompson, Minister of Education, has approved land funding for the new high school serving the communities of Grimsby, Lincoln, and Smithville.

The Ministry of Education has worked closely with the District School Board of Niagara and local municipalities to ensure the project meets the needs of families and students.

Once completed, the school will create space for 1,533 pupils. West Niagara Secondary School will be located at 4670 Durham Road, Beamsville. Continue reading →

A Call-Out from the Ontario Public Services Employees Union

Posted February 18^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Ford’s Minister of Children, Community and Social Services Liza MacLeod – known to some as the “Minister of Mean” – is being asked to resign

Toronto, Ontario – Children, Community and Social Services Minister Lisa MacLeod should resign immediately for trying to pressure a group to publicly support the Ford government’s changes to autism services, OPSEU President Warren (Smokey) Thomas said Thursday.

“I can’t tell you how disappointed I am in Lisa MacLeod,” Thomas said.  “It’s bad enough she’s become the Minister of Mean, but it’s unbelievable she would bully others to pay lip service to Doug Ford’s attack on autistic children.”

Thomas is appalled by reports that MacLeod and her staff demanded the Ontario Association for Behaviour Analysis provide a quote endorsing the Ford cutbacks to autism services.

The association says it was told if it didn’t knuckle under it would face “four long years.”

Thomas says the Ford government has descended to new depths by turning the screws on frontline experts to provide platitudes.

OPSEU President ‘Smokey’ Thomas accuses Ford government of “turning the screws” on frontline social service workers.

“I thought I’d seen everything, but a government that resorts to extortion to get support for its heartless policy decisions? That’s a new low,” Thomas said.

Thomas is also calling for a public inquiry to clear the air on MacLeod’s ordering to pressure the behavior analysts to toe the Ford line.

Thomas noted that Ford complained about autistic youth long before he became premier.  Published reports indicate that when Ford was on Toronto council in 2014, he said that a group home for autistic youth had “ruined” a neighbourhood in his ward.

“Did Ford’s ‘not in my neighbourhood’ attitude toward kids with autism influence his government’s mean-spirited program cuts? “Did he order his minister to scare groups into supporting his cruel program cuts?  The Premier’s office has some explaining to do,” Thomas said.

OPSEU’s frontline members directly provide support for kids with autism, helping them lead productive lives. OPSEU First Vice-President Treasurer Eduardo (Eddy) Almeida says the Ford cutbacks make it far more difficult to provide the help children need.

“If Ford doesn’t stop being a bully and keeps ignoring frontline workers, OPSEU is going to make it a long four years for him and his MPPs,” Almeida said.

About the Ontario Public Service Employees Union – OPSEU represents approximately 155,000 members across Ontario. They are full- and part-time workers, men and women, young and old. They trace their ancestry to all parts of the globe – as diverse a group as you could imagine. Our members work for the Ontario government, inside community colleges, for the LCBO , in the health care sector and they are employed in a wide range of community agencies inside the broader public service.

For more on the Ontario Public Service Employees Union, click on – https://opseu.org/

In a Canadian Press story posted this past February 15^th, the Ontario Minister, Lisa MacLeod, issued an apology to behaviour analyists.

Here an excerpt from that Canadian Press story –

TORONTO — A group of behaviour analysts acknowledged an apology Friday from Ontario’s social services minister for warning them of consequences if they didn’t support her new autism program.

The Ontario Association for Behaviour Analysis said it is still calling on Lisa MacLeod to abandon a “one-sized fits all” funding model that will leave many families without enough funding to pay for the level of treatment children need.

“We acknowledge that Minister MacLeod now regrets her comments,” the group said. “We are still calling upon the government to reconsider its approach.”

To read the entire story, click on – https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/behaviour-analysts-acknowledge-social-services-minister-lisa-macleod-s-apology-1.4299319 .

To read a Toronto Sun story, reporting on MacLeod being “unapologetic” in her plans to make changes to services for people with autism in Ontario, click on – https://torontosun.com/news/provincial/macleod-stands-unapologetically-by-ontario-autism-program .

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

Some of Our Municipal Politicians Apparently Still Don’t Get The Message that People are Fed Up with the       Ugly Conduct of the Past Four Years

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

Posted February 15th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

As word spreads of a plan hatched inside the bowels of the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA) to slime Niagara Falls Regional Councillor Barbara Greenwood and Grimsby Mayor Jeff Jordon (both recently appointed to serve as interim members of the NPCA’s bard) with a censure motion for speaking their minds about the continued presence of “acting CAO” David Barrick at the agency, it has been heartening to watch how many Niagara residents have taken to social media and other venues to express support for Greenwood and Jordan and their anger over the disgusting crap this agency is still trying to pull.

Some residents also taken the time to contact their elected representatives at the Niagara regional government level to let them know that they want to see behaviour aimed smearing those who have the courage to speak out or tell it like it is on issues of concern to the public stopped. Continue reading →

With a Brief Foreword Note from Niagara At Large publisher and reporter Doug Draper

Posted February 15, 2019 on Niagara At Large

A Note from Doug Draper –

Former NPCA CAO Mark Brickell is reportedly suing the Conservation Authority for $2 million, claiming he was ‘illegally fired’.

CBC reporter Samantha Craggs posted a story this February 15th that once again, should raise questions as to whether the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA) can restored to the good public agency it once was, or shut down and replaced with something else.

Craggs’ story focuses on court documents filed by former NPCA CAO Mark Brickell, who is suing the Conservation for $2 million around claims that he was illegally fired by the Conservation Authority this past December.

“In the claim,” according to the CBC story, “Brickell said he was received an email at 5:53 p.m. on Dec. 6 from NPCA legal counsel stating that his employment had been terminated as of 5:01 p.m. that same day, and that at 6:15 p.m. regional council passed a motion to remove the old NPCA board.”

“On Dec. 27,” the CBC story continues, “someone sent an email full of “false and unsubstantiated allegations” against (Brickell) using theemail aconcernedcitizen905@gmail.com. The email was sent to dozens of people, including local media, the NPCA board, Premier Doug Ford and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.” Continue reading →

“Our collective goal (is) to make the changes that will benefit future generations who will inherit a city and region that is much better than we have today”                  – St. Catharines Mayor Walter Sendzik

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

Posted February 14^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

St. Catharines Mayor Walter Sendzik

St. Catharines/Niagara – Compassion, optimism and momentum are the defining words for St. Catharines according to Mayor Walter Sendzik’s state of the city address.

The Mayor delivered his annual speech to an audience of more than 500 business and community leaders this afternoon at Club Roma. The event was hosted by the Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce with Verge Insurance Group as title sponsor.

He shared his optimism for the future based on recent successes and momentum, including the early arrival of daily GO train service connecting Niagara to the Greater Toronto Hamilton Area, investments in Port Dalhousie and the revitalization of the piers, continued investment in the downtown and developments taking place throughout St. Catharines. Continue reading →

“Age-friendly communities benefit individuals of all ages and the entire community. They are more accessible, reduce isolation, stimulate local economy, improve quality of life, and improve access to, and awareness of community, health and social services.”

News from the Age-Friendly Niagara Network

Posted February 14^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – The Age-Friendly Niagara Network (AFNN), in partnership with the Pelham Seniors’ Advisory Committee hosted a Niagara-wide forum to explore the role that having access to a range of housing options plays in community inclusion and aging well.

At the forum.

The February 13th event took place at the new Meridian Community Centre in Fonthill. Participants include older adults from across Niagara, newly-appointed municipal Seniors and Age-Friendly advisory committee members, municipal council members, and individuals whose focus is on lifespan wellness.  Continue reading →

Barbara Greenwood, Jeff Jordan and Brian Heit Are Being Targeted for Working for Us

The Toxic Attacks Against Decent People – Still Metastasizing Like A Cancer In Niagara’s Politics – Have Got To Stop

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

Posted February 13th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

It is almost impossible now to remember how good so many people across Niagara felt when our new Regional Council was sworn before the New Year, with former St. Catharines MPP Jim Bradley at the helm, replacing the ever-more-unpopular Al Caslin as the Region’s Chair.

December 6th, 2018 – Inauguration Day for the new Niagara Regional Council – seemed oh so sweet to many of us. What has happened to all of the sunshine?

It was December 6th, 2018 – Inaugural Day for the new term of Regional Council – and there were all of the welcome words from Bradley and others about restoring public trust, bringing back a climate of decency and civility to the Council Chambers, and welcoming members of the public across Niagara, without fear or favour, to share their questions and concerns with their elected representatives.

Barbara Greenwood, a Niagara Regional Councillor for Niagara Falls who has earned a good deal of respect from the public and her political peers over the years, is now being targeted for censureship for something she said about NPCA’s “acting CAO” CAO David Barrick as a member of the Conservation Authority’s board

And now here we are, less than three months later, and we are sliding right back to where we were a year and more ago, with at least three good members of the Region’s council – Barbara Greenwood, a directly elected Regional Councillor from Niagara Falls; Jeff Jordan, a new Mayor who sits on the Region’s Council for Grimsby; and Brian Heit, a directly elected Regional Councillor from St. Catharines – in the process of being smeared and slimed by at least some characters  who refuse to put away the kind of divisive, mean-spirited, guttural depravity that infested politics in this region over the past four years.

The continuation of this garbage is already resurfacing the most at – surprise, surprise – the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA), one of the Niagara Region’s partner agencies, where not enough of our Regional Councillors appointed to the NPCA’s new board are showing the will or courage to do the complete house cleaning job that was, at the time of their appointment more than two months ago, and that still is so desperately needed at the administrative level. Continue reading →

Sacking of Employee Proceeds Even as New NPCA Board Passed A Freeze on Staff Hirings and Firings

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

Posted February 12th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Stuart McPherson, a respected watershed restoration projects worker at the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority is the latest rank-and-file employee to get axed at the controversial agency

Meet the new NPCA board, same as the old NPCA board.

That’s the way it seems to be going, unfortunately. Nothing much has changed since the old Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA) finally took a hike and since last December 6th, when Niagara’s Regional Council appointed 12 members of the council last December 6th to sit on the Conservation Authority’s board for an interim period of three months.

In fact, things seem to have been getting worse over the past couple of months at a Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA) that – to borrow a word Ontario Superior Court Justice James Ramsey used this past December on this problem-plagued agency – has been a textbook study in “chaos” for some time now.

Within the past couple of weeks alone, there was an appearance of David Barrick, a former Port Colborne regional councillor and currently the NPCA’s controversial “acting” or “interim” CAO, before Niagara Region’s budget review committee that raised the ire of a number of councillors for failing to answer key questions about the NPCA’s finances. Continue reading →

News from the Niagara Poverty Reduction Network

Posted February 12th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

The Niagara Poverty Reduction Network (NPRN) is pleased to see local area municipalities taking an active role in addressing affordable housing.

(This past Monday, February 11th), Port Colborne city council passed a motion to create an affordable housing strategy, while St. Catharines is creating a task force to develop their plan with targets and timelines.

Both join the Town of Fort Erie which began drafting an affordable housing action plan late last year. Continue reading →

Proposed Actions Fight Climate Change, Protect Environment Without a Carbon Tax

A News Release from Ontario’s Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks

Posted February 12th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Ontario’s government for the people today announced the next stage in its commitment to protect the environment and fight climate change without imposing a carbon tax. 

In particular, Ontario’s proposed regulatory approach combines emissions reductions standards while recognizing the unique circumstances of Ontario’s economy and its manufacturing sector. These made-in-Ontario emissions standards will consider factors such as trade exposure, competiveness and process emissions. Continue reading →

Applications for funding are due Wednesday, March 8th at 4 p.m.

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

Posted February 12th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Looking to start up a new community garden or grow an existing one?

The City of St. Catharines is offering funding to help community gardens take root.

The community gardens at Centennial Park in St. Catharines. Photo courtesy of City of St. Catharines in Niagara, Ontario

Incorporated charities and not-for-profit groups looking to build or expand a community garden can apply for matching funds from the City to cover up to half of eligible start-up costs, including lumber, soil, seeds, rain barrels and other materials and equipment. Continue reading →

“If (privatizing health care services in Ontario) happens ,it starts the ball rolling on a process that leads our health system to look more and more like that of our neighbours in the U.S.”                   – Niagara Falls MPP Wayne Gates

News from the Constituency Office of Niagara Falls MPP Wayne Gates

Posted February 11^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Niagara Falls MPP Wayne Gates

Niagara Falls, Ontario —Niagara Falls NDP MPP Wayne Gates posted a video last week detailing potential healthcare privatization plans leaked to the public by the NDP. In the viral video Gates asked for the public to comment on these potential plans. The video has since reached over 340,000 people and received hundreds of comments which Gates mailed directly to the Premier.

“I asked people to leave a comment with their thoughts on the leaked plans and apparently people had a lot to say,” said Gates. “It’s clear, they are opposed to any outsourcing or privatization of our healthcare system here in Ontario.”

Gates’ office compiled the social media comments, removing the names of residents into a letter for the Premier. Gates said the letter was dozens of pages long and contained hundreds of comments. Gates read every single comment posted. Continue reading →

NPCA’s “acting CAO” David Barrick has been a “centre of controversy,” Niagara Centre MPP Jeff Burch

“David Barrick, the interim CAO (for  the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority) has been at the centre of controversy since assuming the position. He was fired by the NPCA, then rehired by the new acting CAO, and then appointed as the replacement CAO. To this day it remains unclear who signed off on the hiring of Mr. Barrick. … This organization cannot be successful if it is still haunted by the actions of the previous administration.” – Niagara Centre MPP Jeff Burch, from an Open Letter to Dave Bylsma, chair of the NPCA board

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

Posted February 11th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Niagara Centre MPP Jeff Burch

The following Open Letter from Niagara Centre MPP Jeff Burch to Dave Bylsma, Mayor West Lincoln and a Niagara Regional Councillor who now serves as Chair of the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority’s recently appointed interim board, was circulated by the MPP this February 11^th, in the wake of growing public concern that the new board is not working effectively to address the serious problems plaguing the NPCA.

Over the past few weeks alone, David Barrick, a former Niagara Regional Councillor for Port Colborne and full-time NPCA administrator who now puts himself out there as the Conservation  Authority’s “acting” or “interim” CAO, raised the ire of councillors for the City of Hamilton and Niagara Region by, in the case of Hamilton, failing to show up for a presentation of the NPCA’s latest budget and, in the case of Niagara Region, showing up but falling significantly short of answering key questions councillors had about the budget. Continue reading →

Start Me Up Niagara Director Susan Venditti to be Honoured At International Women’s Day Event  – March 8th, 2019 in Niagara

A News Release from the Greater Niagara Chamber of commerce

Posted February 11^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Featuring Canadian Olympian and Silver Medalist Charmaine Crooks as keynote speaker

Niagara, Ontario – On March 8th, the Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce (GNCC) and its Women in Niagara Council (WIN) will celebrate International Women’s Day at Fallsview Casino in Niagara Falls, sponsored by Performance Auto Group and PenFinancial Credit Union.

The event will be hosted by Niagara Casinos’ ncCommunity Giving Program. International Women’s Day is the date on which the world not only celebrates the achievements of women, but also focuses on breaking down the barriers faced by women in business, in politics, and in leadership.

The GNCC and WIN are proud to welcome keynote speaker Charmaine Crooks to Niagara for this event. Crooks is a five-time Canadian Olympian and Olympic silver medalist (athletics), Member of the Order of Canada (C.M.), entrepreneur, speaker, moderator and advocate for sport and athletes both in Canada and internationally.

Start Me Up Niagara director Susan Venditti to be honoured for her community work

Susan Venditti, Director of Start Me Up Niagara, will also be honoured with an award for her creation of the Out of the Cold program and her achievements as its leader. The award is richly deserved, not just for Ms. Venditti’s incredible and tireless leadership, but also for helping the homeless, unemployed, and those suffering from mental illness stay safe, warm and fed on cold winter nights.

The event also includes fundraising components. Firstly, a bursary is offered for an up-and-coming female leader in Niagara to attend the Leadership Niagara program. Secondly, guests will be asked to bring unopened menstrual hygiene products to the event in support of United Way’s Tampon Tuesday.

Now in its third year in Niagara, Tampon Tuesday is an initiative that aims to collect menstrual hygiene to donate to local shelters and food banks. These products can be expensive and are often overlooked as donations to food banks and shelters. Socks for Change will also be onsite, collecting donations to provide warm wool socks and other winter gear to the less fortunate in our community.

For more information please visit iwd.gncc.ca .

Quotes –

“The vision of the GNCC is the region at its social and economic best. We are overjoyed to recognize the remarkable contributions to the social good of Niagara by honouring Susan Venditti, and to welcome Olympian Charmaine Crooks as a figurehead of sports and their role in a healthy and happy community.” — Mishka Balsom, President & CEO, Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce

“This is a time of incredible progress, change, and recognition for women, but also a reminder that we still have far to go. Our work through the GNCC has helped us take those few extra steps, and every International Women’s Day, we can not only take stock of how far we’ve come, but the journey ahead.” — Nicole Regehr, WIN Chair & Community Development and Public Relations Manager, Gillian’s Place

“At Niagara Casinos we are committed to creating a positive, inclusive environment where all members of our team are supported to thrive and succeed. We are pleased to partner with the GNCC in bringing our community together to share conversations that matter and celebrate the accomplishments of women throughout the region.” — Richard Taylor, President, Niagara Casinos

About GNCC – The Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce is the largest business organization in Niagara and the third-largest Chamber of Commerce in Ontario, with 1,600 members representing 50,000 employees. More information on the GNCC is available at gncc.ca.

About WIN – Women in Niagara is a business council of the GNCC made up of volunteers with the goal of fostering the growth and success of women in business in Niagara. They provide strategic and tactical direction to support the Council’s mission and strategic priorities. Responsibilities include identifying issues relevant to women in Niagara and providing strategic guidance to address these challenges and opportunities.

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

A Public Forum  – Wednesday, February 13th at 8:00 at the St. Catharines Central Library

An Invite to All from the Niagara District Council of Women

Posted February 11th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

The Niagara District Council of Women will be hosting a Public Forum on “The Opioid Crisis in Niagara: What is Being Done?” on Wednesday, February 13 at 8:00 pm in the Mills Room at the St. Catharines Central Library (54 Church Street). 

Our guest speaker will be Talia Storm, Manager of StreetWorks Services at Positive Living Niagara. She will talk about the work of the StreetWorks harm reduction program including the needle exchange which provides safer injection and inhalation supplies throughout the region, and the local Overdose Prevention Site. Continue reading →

• With Apologies to the late, great Rolling Stone magazine journalist Hunter Thompson, who first coined the term “fear and loathing” for circumstances that provoke anger and distrust, just like this

A Commentary by Niagara At Large reporter and publisher           Doug Draper

Posted February 8^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Very rarely in my almost 40 years as a journalist have I grown so angry over something I have been covering that I have had to stop before I wrote any more about it and said to myself; “Doug, you are filled with a little bit too much fear and loathing to write about this now. You better wait until you settle down.”

Things haven’t got much better, in fact, an argument could be made that they have only gotten worse since this old NPCA board went away.

I find myself feeling that way now about the rancid mess that the once proud Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA) has become over the past five or six years. Continue reading →

Hosted by the Niagara District Council of Women on Wednesday, February 13th at 8 p.m. in St. Catharines     – See Details Below

Posted February 7th, 2019 on 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 NAL at www.niagaraatlarge.com .

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

“Niagara has a fascinating earth history that has created so many beautiful sites, culminating in Niagara Falls. And this brand allows us to showcase those sites as well as the history and culture that has developed around them.” – Carol Phillips, Research Co-ordinator with the Niagara Community Observatory

Carol Phillips, Research Co-ordinator with the Niagara Community Observatory, presents a brief she wrote about the possibility of Niagara becoming a UNESCO Global Geopark. Photo courtesy of Brock University

News from Brock University’s Niagara Community Observatory

Posted February 7^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – With the mighty cataracts, vineyards producing critically acclaimed wines and vast networks of bicycle paths, tourists coming to Niagara have many options of what to see and experience. There’s also a world of rocks, canyons, waterfalls and other land features that even many locals don’t know about.

Niagara’s unique, rich geology — and the economic and cultural activities connected to these features — might be better known if Niagara region was to become a UNESCO Global Geopark, says new research from Brock University’s Niagara Community Observatory (NCO). Continue reading →

News from Ontario’s “Government for the People”

Posted February 5^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

A Brief Foreword Note from NAL reporter and publisher               Doug Draper –

Ford government picks fellow Tory traveller Sandie Bellows to chair board of Ontario’s time-honoured Niagara Parks Commission

This news should come as no real surprised for those who have been following rumours for months now that Ontario’s Ford Government would begin to appoint Tory partisans to positions on a Niagara Parks Commission (NPC)  that has been under the jurisdiction of the province since it was founded more than a century ago.

So it is no surprise that Sandie Bellows, who ran as a Ford candidate in St. Catharines  last June’s provincial elections, and received an appointment from the Ford government as a member on the Parks Commission board weeks before she won a seat in St. Catharines on Niagara’s Regional Council, has now been appointed as chair of the NPC’s board, replacing Janice Thomson, a Niagara-on-the-Lake resident who held the position for seven years.

It will be interesting to see who else gets appointed to positions on the NPC in the days and weeks ahead. We’ll be watching.

Now here is the Ford government’s news release on Bellows’ appointment – 

The Honourable Michael Tibollo, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport, has announced the appointment of Sandie Bellows as the new Chair of the Niagara Parks Commission. She will begin her four-year term immediately. Continue reading →

“We are already working together as Team Niagara to be open for business and attract investment, jobs, and economic development.” – from a Statement released this February 4^th from Niagara, Ontario’s 12 mayors

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

Posted February 5^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

The mayors of Niagara’s 12 local municipalities released a statement this February 4^th about the Ontario Ford government’s recently announced review of municipal governance in Niagara and several other regions of the province – a statement that seems more interesting for what it doesn’t say than for what it does.

Ontario’s Doug Ford (right) has picked up where his Tory predecessor Mike Harris left off with the municipal amalgamation bandwagon. Now Niagara’s 12 mayors have released a statement on Ford’s “governance review.”

The Niagara mayors’ statement – posted immediately below in full – expresses support for the Ford government’s call for “improved governance” and they pledge to work together with the provincial government to find “improvement in the way Niagara works.”

They go on to talk about “working together as Team Niagara” to attract more “investment, jobs and economic growth.” Continue reading →

See the Award-Winning Follow the North Star exhibit at the St. Catharines Museum this Black History Month – February 2019

“On behalf of the Government of Canada, I invite all Canadians to take part in community events for Black History Month and learn more about the important role that Black Canadians have played – and continue to play – to strengthen the country we all call home.” – from a Statement on Black History Month from Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

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

Posted February 5^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

A statue of the great heroine of the Underground Railroad and one time St. Catharines resident Harriet Tubman, standing at a public school named after her in St. Catharines, Ontario

Niagara, Ontario – The St. Catharines Museum and Welland Canals Centre is celebrating Black History Month in February with special guided tours of its award-winning Follow the North Star exhibit.

Museum visitors are invited to learn more about local Black History at the St. Catharines Museum with special guided tours every Thursday this month (Feb. 7, 14, 21, 28) at 10:30 a.m. and select Saturdays (Feb. 9, 23) at 10:30 a.m.

  “Everyone is invited to explore the Follow the North Star exhibit and discover the rich legacy of Niagara’s African-Canadians,” said Kathleen Powell, curator of the St. Catharines Museum. “The special guided tours tell the stories of the city’s first African-Canadian settlers, such as Harriet Tubman, St. Catharines’ role in the Underground Railroad, and more.”

Follow the North Star is a permanent exhibit at the museum and recognizes the contributions of local Black Canadians to St. Catharines, Niagara, and Canada. Black History Month is celebrated across the country every February and offers the opportunity for everyone to learn about these stories and the many important contributions of Black Canadians. Continue reading →

• On Wednesday, February 20^th at 7 p.m. at the Holy Rosary Hall in Thorold, Ontario

An Invite to All from the Thorold Garden Club

Posted February 5^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

It’s the time of the year when we start planning our gardens. 

We choose the fruits and vegetables we want to grow for food and the flowers that will add beauty to our lives. 

None of this will happen if we don’t have bees to pollonate the plants.  The bee population is diminishing rapidly. 

Communities are taking action by becoming “Bee Cities” and educational institutions are becoming “Bee Schools”.

A Bee City is part of a North American movement to support pollinator protection. Continue reading →

D’Angelo Reportedly Quit the CAO Job Late This January and –Believe It Or Not – Has Filed a Lawsuit Against the Region for “Constructive Dismissal”

A Brief One by Doug Draper

Posted February 4^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Niagara Region’s embattled CAO Carmen D’Angenlo, who has reportedly been off on medical leave since late last year, has now quit his job and is suiing the Region.

According to at least two news reports, members of Niagara’s Regional Council received an email this February 4^th that the Region’s besieged CAO Carmen D’Angelo, who has been off on medical leave from his $230,000-plus benefits job for more than a month now, quit the job late this January.

D’Angelo, who has been a subject of growing evidence reported to the media over the past year that he received unfair advantages in getting the job in the first place, then had his contract for the position extended by former Regional Chair Al Caslin and others without the knowledge and approval of the Region’s council and the public that ultimately pays him, has also filed a lawsuit against the Region, claiming constructive dismissal.

Al Caslin, then Niagara Region’s Chair, sits to the left of then CAO Carmen D’Angelo at a Regional Council meeting more than a year ago. In last October’s municipal elections, Caslin polled almost last in a field of more than 20 candidates running for a seat on the Region’s council in St. Catharines. Former St. Catharines MPP Jim Bradley polled first and is now the Region’s Chair.

Generally speaking, constructive dismissal involves circumstances where an employee feels that have little or no choice but to leave or quit their job, not because they want to, but because of the conduct of an employer.

All of this – D’Angelo going on medical leave, then quitting and suing the Region – has taken place while the Region’s new council and the public at large awaits the findings of an investigation into the circumstances around D’Angelo’s hiring and contract extension that was launched last year by Ontario’s Ombudsman. Continue reading →

Always Remember, There Are Good People Among Us, Working To Make Our World A Better Place

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

Jane Goodall, as I remember her during my first years at Brock University in the 1970s

Posted February 4th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

“Whatever we believe about how we got to be the extraordinary creatures we are today is far less important than bringing our intellect to bear on how do we get together now around the world and get out of the mess that we’ve made. That’s the key thing now. Never mind how we got to be who we are.”                                                                                                 – Jane Goodall, primatologist, anthropologist, environmentalist and all-round humanitarian

This time of year, when the winter blues set in, I sometimes find myself feeling even more down over news about people in other regions of the world, and even some in our own backyard, who are saying and doing things that self-serving, dishonest, hurtful and sometimes even dangerous and destructive.

With a friend.

Whenever I catch myself feeling a little too down about all of the bad out there, it is always good for the psyche and soul to remind myself or to be reminded by others that there are also a lot of good people out there, doing good things.

Feeling in the dumps late this January about everything from Donald Trump and Doug Ford, to all of the garbage still going on at the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority, such a reminder came for me when I turned on CNN and Fareed Zakaria, one of the very best hosts of a program on that cable TV network, was interviewing one of my heroes going back to my school days in the 1970s – the oh so wonderful Jane Goodall.

As she has for more than 50 years now, Jane Goodall, at age 84, is still touring country after country, encouraging anyone who will listen to find peace and harmony with our planet and all the creatures living in it while we still have time to pass on a world that is worth living in to future generations.

Her words and her passion are truly uplifting, and if you don’t believe that getting a little exposure to a person like Jane Goodall can inspire you to feel a little better about the state of the world we live in, click on the screen link below –https://www.cnn.com/videos/tv/2019/01/27/exp-gps-0127-jane-goodall-full-interview.cnn

Living examples of people like Jane Goodall can and should inspire each and every one of us, however average or ordinary we think we are, to do extraordinary things for the good of our community and our world, and for all of the humans and non-humans we are fortunate enough to have a few brief moments sharing what may be the one and only oasis for life in the universe.

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