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“There is a direct correlation between the health of our water and the health of our economy.” – U.S. Congressman for Buffalo, Western New York area Brian Higgins

Congressman Higgins & U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Buffalo District Announce Buffalo River Dredging Work

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

Posted May 11th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Buffalo, New York Congressman Brian Higgins (NY-26) and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Buffalo District Commander Lt. Col. Adam Czekanski recently announced the commencement of a multi-phase project to remove sediment from the Buffalo River.

“There is a direct correlation between the health of our water and the health of our economy,” said Congressman Higgins, a member of the Congressional Great Lakes Task Force. Continue reading →

“During his previous stint as Minister of the Environment, he was an innovative leader in cleaning up pollution, and bringing the Blue Box recycling to millions of homes. As Minister of Transportation, Jim brought in legislation to toughen penalties against drunk driving, and expanded public transit across Ontario.”

St. Catharines MPP Jim Bradley

A News Release from the St. Catharines Provincial Liberal Association

Posted May 11th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

St. Catharines, Ontario  — Current MPP Jim Bradley has been nominated by the St. Catharines Provincial Liberal Association to run for the Liberal Party in the June 7 provincial election.

Jim, who was first elected to represent St. Catharines in the Ontario Legislature in 1977, has had the honour of holding several cabinet positions throughout his political career.

During his previous stint as Minister of the Environment, he was an

innovative leader in cleaning up pollution, and bringing the Blue Box recycling to millions of homes. As Minister of Transportation, Jim brought in legislation to toughen penalties against drunk driving, and expanded public transit across Ontario.

Before his election to the legislature, Jim served as a member of the St. Catharines City Council.

Jim has been instrumental in securing infrastructure projects that are creating thousands of local jobs and transforming our local health, education and transportation systems, including the state-of-the-art hospital and Walker Family Cancer Centre, bringing GO trains and buses to Niagara, and the Downtown Performing Arts Centre.

“As your MPP, I have worked hard to deliver reliable local health and seniors care, a quality education system and to ensure that we continue to receive investments that will help strengthen our community. I would be honoured and privileged to continue serving as your MPP for St. Catharines,” Bradley said.

Our plan includes building a stronger, healthier Ontario through historic new investments in health care, including publicly funded medications for everyone under 25 and a committed expansion to serve those over 65 through OHIP+; providing access to postsecondary for over 235,000 students and on-the-job learning opportunities to help land a great job; and helping 100,000 kids access quality, licensed child care, including a commitment to publicly funded preschool child care.

The Doug Ford Conservatives have threatened billions of dollars in cuts to critical public services. While the Ontario Liberal Party is focused on investing in the services and infrastructure people rely on, the Conservatives will gut health care and education, denying working people a decent paycheque, and threatening much-needed public infrastructure projects.

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

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

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 intensification project … will make a positive difference in the lives of the tenants who will live here and it will also enhance the neighbourhood as a whole.” Niagara Regional Housing Board Chair and Thorold regional councillor Henry D’Angela

A News Release from Niagara Regional Housing

Posted May 11th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Niagara Regional Housing Board Chair and Thorold regional councillor Henry D’Angela announces run for Thorold mayor in October municipal elections.

Niagara, Ontario  – This Friday, May 11th Niagara Regional Housing (NRH) and the City of Welland announced the site of NRH’s intensification project on Roach Avenue in Welland. 

The project will see four aging NRH Public Housing units (two semi-detached homes) replaced with six stacked row houses (12 units):  eight two-bedroom units (one accessible)   four three-bedroom units (one accessible)

 “At the end of April, there were more than 400 family households waiting for affordable housing in Welland”, said NRH Board Chair Henry D’Angela, “This intensification project is a perfect opportunity to make better use of space and maximize unit potential on the corner of Roach Avenue and Martin Street. It will make a positive difference in the lives of the tenants who will live here and it will also enhance the neighbourhood as a whole.” Continue reading →

“Parents can finally have hope knowing that change is coming to the province, that they no longer have to continue choosing between bad and worse, that there is hope for schools, for educators and for students. “– St. Catharines NDP candidate Jennie Stevens

News from Ontario’s New Democratic Party

Posted May 11th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

St. Catharines NDP candidate Jennie Stevens

St. Catharines, Ontario  –  Ontario New Democrats are committed to bringing change for the better to schools across the province and making sure students, teachers, education professionals and children have the supports they need while in the classroom.

As the Ontario Teacher’s Federation of Teachers unveiled their endorsement of Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath’s plans today, Ontario NDP Niagara-area candidates Jeff Burch (Niagara Centre), Wayne Gates (Niagara Falls), and St. Catharines (Jennie Stevens) welcomed the  historic endorsement saying it will bring long-needed investments and improvements to classrooms in the Niagara region. Continue reading →

“During his previous stint as Minister of the Environment, he was an innovative leader in cleaning up pollution, and bringing the Blue Box recycling to millions of homes. As Minister of Transportation, Jim brought in legislation to toughen penalties against drunk driving, and expanded public transit across Ontario.”

St. Catharines MPP Jim Bradley

A News Release from the St. Catharines Provincial Liberal Association

Posted May 11th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

St. Catharines, Ontario – Current MPP Jim Bradley has been nominated by the St. Catharines Provincial Liberal Association to run for the Liberal Party in the June 7 provincial election.

Jim, who was first elected to represent St. Catharines in the Ontario Legislature in 1977, has had the honour of holding several cabinet positions throughout his political career. Continue reading →

A Column from Pelham Mayor Dave Augustyn

Posted May 11th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

The Town of Pelham in Niagara, Ontario – It’s gratifying when people support local charities that improve our community; it’s fun when people get dressed up for a great time. The Annual Mayor’s Gala combines both opportunities!

On Saturday, May 26, 2018, community volunteers will host the Tenth Annual Pelham Mayor’s Gala. This year’s magic-themed gala will appear “right before your eyes” at Lookout Point Golf & Country Club at 6:00 PM. Continue reading →

One Niagara, Ontario resident’s plea to Save Thundering Waters Forest

A Statement from Joyce Sankey, Director of Conservation for the Niagara Falls Nature Club to Niagara Falls City Council on May 8th, 2018

Posted May 10th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

“Good evening.  My name is Joyce Sankey.

I am with the Niagara Falls Nature Club.  We protested the removal of trees from this site in 1992 and again in 2008, but much of this forest was destroyed.

I am not against this development.  I am against this development being built within the Thundering Waters Forest Complex.

Inside Thundering Waters Forest

People in Niagara Falls have been told this subdivision would provide between 1800 and 2800 jobs.  This is not a promise.  The developer would not have to provide these jobs, just employment lands.  Business could locate in this subdivision but could also locate elsewhere in the city.  By locating somewhere else, they could revitalize an area of the city that needs this, be near transit, and not destroy a natural area. Continue reading →

Canada will finally formally apologies for turning away Jewish Germans fleeing Hitler’s Genocidal Regime

Posted May 10th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

A Brief Foreword from Niagara At Large publisher Doug Draper  –

Two of the passengers aboard the ship, still hopeful that Canada would offer them refuge

Along with other assorted crimes, including the hanging of Louis Riel, the systematic starving of Indigenous peoples to clear the way for settlements in the west, the residential schools, the internment of Japanese Canadians during the Second World War and, more recently, the violent assault on Canadians’ liberties during the 2010 G20 Summit in Toronto, the turning away of Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi Germany in 1939 – an act that, for many of them, had them returning to certain death – is one of the more shameful episodes in a Canada many of us prefer to think of as one of the most peaceful, open and inclusive nations in the world.

Could something like the MS St. Louis and its 907 Jewish German passengers desperately looking for asylum – what became known as “the voyage of the damned” – happen  in Canada today?

The photo of this Syrian child, washed up on a Turkish beach, went global three years ago. The child and his family were fleeing from deadly war in Syria and were hoping to settle in Canada.

It was just three years ago, during the 2015 federal election, that we had Canada’s then Conservative government – a government and a party supported by millions of Canadians – planning to put in place a “snitch line” Canadians could use to report anyone they believe were engaging in something it called “barbaric cultural practices.” At the same time, it was taking steps to restrict any influx of refugees fleeing war-torn Syria while we were haunted by that photo of the body of a Syrian child, whose family was hoping would emigrate to Canada, washed up on a Turkish beach.

So could something like the MS St. Louis episode happen in Canada again? That is entirely up to us, as Canadian citizens, to decide.

It became known as “the voyage of the damned.” The lives of many of these passengers ended in Nazi death camps.

In the meantime, it is high time that a Prime Minister of Canada issued a formal apology for this shameful episode, which comes six years after the United States apologized for its part in shutting its doors and delivering these people back to one of histories most notorious mass murderers. Continue reading →

‘More work is needed to adapt to the stresses climate change s puts on people and infrastructure in the basin. Governments need to be better prepared.’

By Jeff Kart, International Joint Commission

News from the Canada/U.S. International Joint Commission

Posted May 10th, 2018 on  Niagara At Large

The 1972 Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement between Canada and the U.S. was amended in 2012 to, among other things, include a new annex to address climate change impacts.

Storms becoming more frequent and severe in and around the Great Lakes – this one on Lake Michigan

The new annex commits the Parties (Canada and the U.S.) “to identify, quantify, understand, and predict the climate change impacts on the quality of the Waters of the Great Lakes” and to “sharing information that Great Lakes resource managers need to proactively address these impacts.” Continue reading →

 “Better health care is not a just dream – it’s possible. And it’s my plan.” – Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath 

News from Ontario’s New Democratic Party

Posted May 10th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

 Toronto, Ontario  – At the Regent Park Community Health Centre this past Wednesday, May 9th, Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath joined community health advocates, front-line care workers, and NDP candidates to lay out her plan for better health care in Ontario – a plan she says is a top priority for her and the NDP.

Ontario INDP Leader Andrea Horwath

 “Health care is at the heart of my plan,” she said. “Imagine a province where everyone gets the care they need, without the long waits. Where families know they’ll get the prescriptions they need, and the dental care they need – and no one ends up in the ER just because they couldn’t afford those things. Instead of waits getting longer and hospitals getting squeezed more every year, imagine a province where health care gets better every year. Continue reading →

Does Quality Public Health Care in Ontario Matter to You? Find Out Where Candidates Running for Provincial Seats in Niagara Stand on Health Care

A News Release from the citizen-based Niagara Health and Ontario Health Coalitions

Posted  May 10th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – Four Niagara-based organizations – the Canadian Association of Retired Persons (CARP) Niagara; Council of Canadians (CoC) South Niagara Chapter; Niagara Health Coalition/Ontario Health Coalition and The Retired Teachers of Ontario (RTO/ERO) District 14 Niagara — have teamed up to host candidates’ debates on healthcare in the four Niagara ridings. Continue reading →

“The Green Wave is coming. … It’s time to elect Green MPPs in Niagara!” – A message from Ontario’s Green Party

From the Ontaro Green Party

Posted May 9^th 2018 on Niagara At Large

GREEN LIGHT: The 2018 Provincial Election Is Here!

The Green Wave is coming to Niagara in 2018! Greens have been elected in BC, New Brunswick and PEI to tackle the most urgent problems in their communities. It’s time to elect Green MPPs in Niagara! Continue reading →

Party launches new ad, laying out Horwath’s vision: Imagine

News from the Ontario New Democratic Party

Posted May 10th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Toronto, Ontario  – The Ontario NDP launched  a new campaign ad on Thursday, May 10th.

Andrea Horwath running to be Ontario’s next Premier

In the 30-second commercial, Horwath describes her vision, and plan, for Ontario. Horwath voices and appears in the ad, saying:

 “Imagine a place where Hydro is public and we pay less for it.  Where no one skips their medication because they can’t afford it.  Where new graduates have less debt and more opportunities.  A place where everyone can get dental care, and seniors can live in dignity.

Now imagine a leader who asks the very rich to pay a little more to make this happen.  I’m Andrea Horwath. For me it’s not a dream. It’s a plan. Change for the better.”

The ad will play on television, online and on social media.

To view it here, click on the screen below –

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

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

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 is a gem here. … Once it is gone, it is gone, forever.” – one of the many comments citizens made to Niagara Falls city councillors before they voted to move ahead with urban development plans for          Thundering Waters Forest

A Brief News Commentary from Doug Draper

Posted May 9th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

A full quarter – 120 acres – of the 484-acre Thundering Waters Forest is now closer to being developed thanks to a majority on Niagara Falls’ city council who voted to let that step closer to putting shovels in the ground happen.

The wetlands in Thundering Waters Forest in the Niagara River watershed

A six to two vote of approval for an “Official Plan amendment” for constructing what has been described as a multi-use Riverfront community in a portion of Thundering Waters Forest in the southeast side of Niagara Falls followed some three hours of presentations from members of the public – most of them speaking against any development in what many described a natural gem.

The approve comes with a condition that the developer – a Chinese investment firm called GR (CAN) Investment Co. Ltd – fulfill 27 recommendations, including working with the province’s Ministry of Natural Resources to have provincially significant wetlands (PSWs) on the lands designated as “environmental protection areas” EPAs with 30 metre buffer zones. Continue reading →

Mayor, Council ‘Acted Properly’, ‘Broke No Rules’ – Ontario’s Ombudsman, Paul Dubé

No Call for ‘Provincial Municipal Audit’ on Town’s Finances – Ontario’s Municipal Affairs Minister, Bill Mauro 

Pelham Mayor Dave Augustyn

“I am very pleased with this (Ontario mbudsman’s) report. … Our community has been through an emotional rollercoaster and hopefully this closes the loop on all of those accusations.”               – Dave Augustyn, Mayor of the Town of Pelham in Niagara, Ontario

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

Posted May 8th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – An “emotional rollercoaster” is certainly one way of describing the past 14 months since accusations of financial malfeasance began flying at Town of Pelham’s mayor and council from characters who, if not Dave Augustyn’s political enemies, are certainly not his friend.

There are other words, far less tasteful than emotional rollercoaster, to describe the enormous amount of public money and money that has been peed away chasing down accusations, however aimed at the mayor and his council, but in an effort to rise above the lack of civility that was so often displayed by the accusers, I will try to refrain from using them here.

Port Colborne regional councillor David Barrick got the accusation ball rolling with a motion he tabled in March of 2017

Fourteen months have passed since the accusations were unleashed  with a motion tabled at a Niagara Region council meeting by Port Colborne regional councillor and corporate services committee chair David Barrick – a motion that was as long-winded as it was bloated with whereas’s aimed at painting the town’s finances as the “train wreck” Barrick would later come right out and claim they were.

As the months since Barrick’s March 2017 opening volley rolled on, the tangled web of accusations thickened to include complaints that Augustyn and his council had wrongly gone into closed session, then later held another meeting amongst themselves at a local restaurant, to discuss Pelham’s finances and apparently some related personal matters. Continue reading →

The Fate of this rich piece of Niagara’s Natural Heritage may be decided this May 8th at a Niagara Falls Council Meeting

Posted by Doug Draper, this May 8^th , 2018 on Niagara At Large

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

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

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

“With clear solutions within reach, it’s time to ask our local candidates for a commitment: What steps will your party take to address Ontario’s gap in oral healthcare?”

A Commentary from the Niagara Dental Health Coalition

Posted May 7th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – The Niagara Dental Health Coalition regularly receives phone calls and emails from people in our community experiencing dental infection and pain who urgently need to see a dentist but cannot afford the cost.

One recent example was from a self-employed woman living in severe pain who needed tooth extractions and repairs estimated to cost $5000.00. She had no dental benefits or the means to pay.

In most cases, we cannot help them. Our health system provides great care for most parts of our bodies, but OHIP doesn’t cover the cost of caring for our teeth and gums. Ontario has a public oral healthcare program for low income children, but nothing for the working poor or seniors living in poverty. Continue reading →

A News Release from Citizen Members of  the Save Thundering Waters Forest campaign

Posted May 7th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Niagara Falls, Ontario – Volunteers are inviting the public to learn about how to help Save Thundering Waters Forest before the May 8^th public meeting at Niagara Falls City Hall.

The Thundering Waters Forest complex is one of the most species rich areas in all of Canada according to biodiversity expert Owen Bjorgan who camped with 5 other people in the forest last summer to help try to raise awareness to save the forest, and adjacent natural heritage corridor.

Niagara Falls City Council will hear deputations and view reports on the controversial Thundering Waters Development, formerly Paradise Project now called the Riverfront Proposal. Community members are hosting a free information session to help educate public on the value of wetlands and some of the challenges presented by trying to develop in, on and around such valuable natural features.

Volunteers will be sharing information for the public from 5pm and the public is encouraged to be in attendance for the 6:30 pm meeting start time.

A two minute overview of some of the challenges the development is attached:

For more information on the campaign to save this rich ecosystem in our region visit: https://www.facebook.com/stwf6

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

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

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-on-the-Lake councilor Betty Disero running for Lord Mayor of Town.

“This is a critical time in Niagara-on-the-Lake and we are at a tipping point.   As issues become more complex, it is important that we balance  the uniqueness of our Town with our current challenges.   These challenges require strong leadership.   I hear and understand you. I am ready to lead.”  – Betty Disero

A News Release from the campaign to elect Niagara-on-the-Lake Town Councillor Betty Disero Lord Mayor

Posted May 7th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario – This May 4th, , Betty Disero registered her nomination papers for the Office of Lord Mayor in the Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake for the upcoming 2018 Municipal Election to be held on October 22, 2018.

Betty Disero is “READY TO LEAD”. She has listened to the concerns of the residents of Niagara on the Lake, she has learned what is working and what is not working in the Town and she is ready to lead NOTL. Continue reading →

“This collaboration between Brock University and NiagaraRegion, enabled through the support of the Government of Ontario, is a striking example of how transdisciplinary research can engage with innovative community projects. The data … will support evidence-based planning and action on social and economic development in Niagara Region.” ~ Tim Kenyon, Vice-President, Research, Brock University

Tim Kenyon, Vice-President, Research, Brock University

A News Release from Niagara Region and Brock University

Posted May 7th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – Niagara Region and Brock University are proud to announce a partnership to evaluate the impact of the Niagara Prosperity Initiative (NPI) on Niagara’s communities. Now in its 10th year, the NPI provides $1.5 million annually to support poverty reduction and prevention activities throughout the region.

The evaluation project is supported by $470,000 in funding delivered through the Government of Ontario’s Local Poverty Reduction Fund (LPRF). The grant, funded by the Government of Ontario and administered by its agency the Ontario Trillium Foundation, is helping Niagara Region support those in need by identifying the effect of the NPI over the last decade.  Continue reading →

Public Meeting Scheduled for Tuesday, May 8th, 6:30 P.M. at Niagara Falls City Hall

A News Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted April 26th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Niagara Falls, Ontario – Another in a series of public meetings on plans for urban development in Thundering Waters Forest – a meeting that could be among the very last before irreversible decisions are made about the fate of what many Niagara citizens view as one of the richest tracts of natural heritage left in the region – is scheduled for the coming Tuesday, May 8th at Niagara Falls’ City Hall.The May 8th meeting is timed to begin at 6:30 p.m..

And for all those who care about saving what is left of our natural heritage in this Niagara region, please mark this down on your things-to-do calendar too. Continue reading →

“If ever there was a call to our collective conscience, this is it.” – Ontario Health Coalition executive director Natalie Mehra

A News Release from the Ontario Health Coalition, a province-wide citizens group fighting for quality public health care for all.

Posted May 4th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Ontario Health Coalition director Natalie Mehra

The stories were shocking… and heartbreaking.

Caller after caller on Ontario Today’s noon call-in show told CBC Ontario Today host Rita Celli and Ontario Health Coalition executive director Natalie Mehra about being left in broom closets, storage areas, a bathroom and hallways waiting for a hospital bed in overcrowded hospitals across Ontario.

Family members told of their loved ones dying without the dignity and privacy of a hospital room. People talked about worries about hygiene and inadequate staffing.  

“If ever there was a call to our collective conscience, this is it,” said Natalie, reflecting on the show.

“We must make what can only be called a crisis in our hospitals a top election issue and win clear commitments from all political parties to take urgent action to reopen closed hospital wards and restore services. Ontario’s hospitals have been downsized for 40-years almost without relent. This situation simply cannot be allowed to continue.” 

By popular request, we are sending out the link to the show. You can listen here: http://www.cbc.ca/listen/shows/ontario-today/episode/15540308

~ Protecting Public Medicare for All ~

To find out more about  the public advocacy work of the Ontario Health Coalition and how you can support it, click on – www.ontariohealthcoalition.ca 

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

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

For more news and commentary from Niagara At Large – an independent, alternative voice for our greater binational Niagara region – become a regular visitor and subscriber to NAL at www.niagaraatlarge.com .

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

News from Nora Reid, President of Central Station Education Initiative

Posted May 4th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Welland, Ontario – The Central Station Education Initiative (CSEI) has been selected to receive a Spring 2018 Launch Pad Coaching Grant from the National Trust for Canada.

Working to preserve Welland’s century old Central Fire Hall in the city’s downtown

  This is the second grant CSEI has received in the last month.  The organization was also selected by Niagara Regional Council in April to receive a Niagara Investment in Culture grant. Continue reading →

–         For the Record Comments Cindy Forster Made in the Ontario Legislature

Sent from the Constituency Office of Niagara Centre (Weland) MPP Cindy Forster

Posted May 3rd, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Welland (Niagara Centre) NDP MPP Cindy Forster in provincial legislature. file photo

(Niagara, Ontario area NDP MPP Cindy Forster made the following remarks in the Ontario legislature this past Tuesday, May 1^st following a video that surfaced, showing Ontario PC Party Leader Doug Ford – then still a candidate for the party’s leadership when the video was made last February – telling a gathering of people that he would approve of “big chunks” of protected lands in the province’s Greenbelt being sold off for urban development.)

LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF ONTARIO, Tuesday 1 May 2018

Ms. Cindy Forster:

“I’m going to turn to Mr. Ford’s comments with respect to the greenbelt as it pertains to my ongoing saga of the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority.

I am very concerned when I hear that the Conservative leader is actually going to be having a look at greenbelt areas across this province. Continue reading →

“It has been heartwarming to see the outpouring of support from across Ontario from people who are passionate about the importance of protecting some of Canada’s best farmland and natural landscapes.”

Posted May 3^rd, 2018 on Niagara At Large

In the wake of a video that surfaced in the last days of April, showing Doug Ford, Ontario’s PC Party leader, telling a gathering that he would be okay with seeing “big chunks” of southern Ontario’s Greenbelt sold off for urban development, the Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation posted the following statement, expressing its appreciation to all the people across the province who spoke out against such a plan.

From the Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation –

There has been a lot of discussion about the Greenbelt in the news over the last few days. Continue reading →

“On behalf of Canadians, I thank all the journalists in this country and around the world who seek out truth, unravel fact from fiction, bring clarity and fairness to public debate, and encourage us to open ourselves to new perspectives.”                      – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

A Statement by the Prime Minister on World Press Freedom Day

Posted May 3^rd, 2018 on Niagara At Large

The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today (Thursday, May 3rd) issued the following statement on World Press Freedom Day:

“Today, on World Press Freedom Day, we celebrate the important work journalists do around the world to promote and protect democracy. We also take a hard look at the current state of press freedom, and remember those who have lost their lives in defence of facts, uncovering truth and shining light on stories that would otherwise not be told. Continue reading →

A Call-Out for Justice for Former NPCA Employee Jocelyn Baker

A Commentary by June Robinson

Posted May 2nd, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Join the call for justice for former NPCA employee Jocelyn Baker

Enough is enough!!!!!

When will the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA)  start working together to protect our natural resources and stop wasting the taxpayers’ money on law suits. Lawsuits against anyone who dares to speak up and question what is happening. People who cannot be manipulated.

My daughter-in-law, Jocelyn Baker is now on the list of, “IF WE CAN’T SHUT THEM UP, LETS SUE THEM CLUB,”

Jocelyn loved her job at the NPCA. Continue reading →

You Are Invited to an Upcoming Course for teaching winning strategies for candidates – featuring special guest Olivia Chow, founder of the Institute For Change Leaders

News from the Citizen Volunteers for A Better Niagara

Posted May 2nd, 2018 on Niagara At Large

For over thirty years, Olivia Chow (founder of the Institute For Change Leaders) has been an effective and well-known public figure, serving in Toronto’s municipal politics and on the national stage as a Canadian Member of Parliament. She was voted Best City Councillor seven times by readers of NOW magazine and Best MP in 2010.

Niagara, Ontario – A Better Niagara is bringing Obama’s secret sauce for winning elections to Niagara. On June 16th, The Institute For Change Leaders will deliver a full-day candidate training session for candidates running in the October 22nd municipal election. The training day is being sponsored by A Better Niagara. 

The Institute For Change Leaders employs the training methods developed by Marhsall Ganz, a Harvard professor and organizing strategist behind the Obama U.S. presidential campaigns of 2008 and 2012. Ganz researched past movements and codified best practices and techniques. The success of Obama’s campaigns has led to a demand for Ganz-instruction around the world.

“We are thrilled to be able to offer this high-level campaign training to candidates in Niagara,” said Sean Polden, executive director, A Better Niagara. Continue reading →

Will Ontario’s PC Leader Change His Mind Again Before Next Breakfast?

Another   Commentary on this Doug Ford vs. the Greenbelt mess by Doug Draper

Posted May 1st, 2018 on Niagara At Large

I barely finished posting a commentary this May 1^st, critical of Ontario PC Leader Doug Ford for saying he would allow “big chunks” of the province’s Greenbelt to be sold off for “affordable housing,” when Ford and his handlers circulated the following statement –

Doug Ford. Will he still pledge to leave the Greenbelt untouched in the morning?

“This afternoon (Tuesday, May 1^st), Doug Ford announced that after consultation with the people of Ontario, an Ontario PC Government would maintain the Greenbelt in its entirety.’

“I looked at it as making sure we have more affordable housing,” said Ford. “There have been a lot of voices saying that they don’t want to touch the Greenbelt. I govern through the people, I don’t govern through government.”

“The people have spoken – we won’t touch the greenbelt. Very simple. That’s it, the people have spoken. I’m going to listen to them, they don’t want me to touch the, we won’t touch the greenbelt. Simple as that.” Continue reading →

Ontario PC Party Leader Doug Ford

“We will open up the Greenbelt — not all of it, but we’re going to open a big chunk of it up —  and we’re going to start building and making it more affordable and putting more houses out there.” – Ontario PC Leader Doug Ford, while he running as candidate for the party’s leadership in a February, 2018 video.

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

Posted May 1st, 2018 on Niagara At Large

In the wake of a recently released video, revealing Ontario PC leader Doug Ford’s vision for the future of  Greenbelt lands in Niagara and around Hamilton and greater Toronto, I can only  imagine the late Mel Swart and Peter Kormos up there in the heavens, shaking the  windows and rattling the walls.

Those two Ontario NDP members, along with veteran Liberal MPP Jim Bradley of St. Catharines, had a good deal to do with the creation of Ontario’s Greenbelt, as one of North America’s greatest preserves for what are left of our precious good-growing farmlands and natural areas.

The late Niagara area MPP Peter Kormos, stepped into the shoes of his mentor Mel Swart, in fighting hard for Greenbelt protection

Indeed, after decades of Ontario citizens and politicians like Mel Swart,  Kormos and Bradley, whose parties were both sitting opposite to a P.C. government at the time, tabled a private members’ resolution, calling for the preservation of hundreds of thousands of acres of farmland outside urban boundaries in the Greater Toronto/Hamilton/Niagara area before low-density sprawl took any more of a toll.

The resolution became the for-runner of the Greenbelt protection legislation passed by a newly elected Ontario Liberal government in 2005 – legislation was soon recognized by other jurisdictions in Canada and the United States as a model for keeping the pavement off of what are left of the continent’s most fertile lands.

St. Catharines Liberal MPP Jim Bradley joined Peter Kormos and his late friend Mel Swart in fighting to protect our rural lands from low-density urban sprawl.

“I think it would be a national tragedy to lose this farmland,” stated Bradley after he and Kormos tabled their resolution for preserving these lands 16 years ago. “I think we have a chance to preserve it for future generations.”

“We have a historic and national interest in preserving this agricultural land,” added Kormos following Bradley’s words. “New Democrats call, once again, for the establishment of a land easement system that will preserve this agricultural land, not only in the short term but, quite frankly, forever. …. Anything less is mere tinkering. Anything less is less than a sincere commitment to the preservation of this unique, scarce and valuable asset of Ontario and, indeed, all Canadians.” Continue reading →

Niagara, Ontario area MPP Mel Swart fought for decades for Greenbelt protection that finally came, two years before his death in 2007. File photo by Doug Draper

“When it comes to creating a livable, affordable province, Doug Ford is saying one thing publicly and another in private to his big, rich developer friends.” – Ontario NDP environment critic           Peter Tabuns

Statement from NDP Environment critic Peter Tabuns on Ontario’s Greenbelt

Posted May 1st, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Doug Ford’s reckless, secret plan to open Ontario’s greenbelt to pave over farms, forests, parks and vibrant green spaces won’t help Ontario families. When it comes to creating a livable, affordable province, Doug Ford is saying one thing publicly and another in private to his big, rich developer friends. Continue reading →

Brock University’s Niagara Community Observatory (NCO) has teamed up with Niagara Region Public Health and Emergency Services to research and address region’s health challenges.

A News Release from Brock University in Niagara, Ontario

Posted May 1st, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – What are the biggest health problems in Niagara? Can we create a strategy that would address health challenges not only when they occur, but even before potential problems arise?

Brock University’s Niagara Community Observatory (NCO) has teamed up with Niagara Region Public Health and Emergency Services to research and address these and other questions in their latest policy brief. Continue reading →

“It’s time to guarantee universal access to take-home cancer medications, making sure that patients have access to the treatments they need at no out-of-pocket cost.”                                  – NDP Leader Andrea Horwath

Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath

A News Release from Ontario’s New Democratic Party

Posted May 1st, 2018 on Niagara At Large

This past  Monday, April 30th, Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath met with local cancer survivors to discuss her party’s plan to guarantee universal, free access to take-home cancer drugs. Continue reading →

A News Release from Niagara, College

Posted May 1st, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – Niagara College is launching a new project to support technological and workforce development in Niagara’s growing advanced manufacturing sector.

Niagara College’s Rankin Tech Centre

The project will provide training for current industry professionals in Niagara on state-of-the-art equipment and simulators, and attract and recruit new talent into the industry from among Niagara’s high-school and post-secondary students. Continue reading →

“The Liberals and Kathleen Wynne had 15 years, and instead of making life better, they made cuts in our hospitals and they sold off Hydro One. … and Doug Ford is planning to do even more damage.,” – Andrea Horwath

A News Release from Ontario’s New Democratic Party

Posted April 30th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

A Brief Foreword from NAL reporter publisher Doug Draper –

There is a much better choice for voters in this Ontario election that Wynne and Ford. Her name is Andrea Horwath.

Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath

Contrary to impressions we may have from reading stories about Ontario’s upcoming June 7th provincial election in the mainstream media, this isn’t just a choice between the Liberal’s Kathleen Wynne and Ontario PC Leader Doug Ford.

There is the Green Party and there is also the NDP and its now seasoned and tested enough to govern leader Andrea Horwath.

Horwath kicked off her party’s campaign with a rally in her hometown of Hamilton this April 29th – that following the release two weeks earlier of the NDP’s platform for the province’s future.

It is a platform that is detailed and costed out for voters, and all put together, it is also adds up to possibly the most progressive vision for better education, health care, working conditions and environmental protection, and a fairer system of user fees and taxation than any platform that has ever been rolled out by a mainstream political party in Ontario.

In the six weeks we have left before Ontarians go to the polls, Niagara At Large will be posting more news and commentary on all the parties, including the Greens.

We will also be posting commentary on why, in our view, for more years of Wynne at the helm, or four years of Ford, would be a disaster for this province and for people of all ages, from young people who would see more of their future despoiled and spent away, to seniors who, for the price of tax cuts and (as Ford says it) “putting more money in your pockets,” will see even more of the vital health and other services aging generations need gutted or privatized, with the cost of the services jacked up for profit.

Stay Tuned.

And now, here is the Ontario NDP’s news release on Horwath’s April 29th rally in Hamilton –

Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath’s April 29th campaign launch in Hamilton.

Hamilton, Ontario – An enthusiastic crowd of people from across the province came together in Andrea Horwath’s hometown of Hamilton this past Sunday (April 30th) to join the NDP Leader as she launched the party’s campaign to bring change for the better to Ontario families — the largest campaign the NDP has ever run in Ontario. Continue reading →

“Did you know that although the practice of shark finning was banned in Canada in 1994, our country is currently the second largest importer of shark fins and shark fin products, following Southeast Asia?”

A Petition by Kendra Luckow from Delta, British Columbia, Canada

Posted April 30th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

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

We have posted appeals to end the cruel and destructive practice of hunting down what are left of the planet’s sharks for their fins in the past on this site, so we certainly don’t mind posting this petition from a British Columbia resident.

This image has been posted online by Sierra Club Canada

The petition is specifically aimed at party participating in the trafficking of shark fins cut from the bodies of sharks while they are alive before the creatures are thrown back in the ocean to die – in a place called Delta British, Columbia. But I’ve read allegations of parties trafficking in shark fin products in other regions of Canada, including regions of Ontario. Continue reading →

“Obviously, all of this is great news for our community! Council and I look forward  to opening the new Meridian Community Centre so that it can become the place for residents of all ages to gather and enjoy a wide-variety of recreational, social, health and community activities for many, many years.” – Pelham  Mayor Dave Augustyn

A Column from Town of Pelham Mayor Dave Augustyn

Posted April 30th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Town of Pelham in Niagara, Ontario – A couple of weeks ago, Bill Gibson, Chair of Pelham’s Meridian Community Centre Oversight Committee, presented another upbeat update to Council.

You will recall that Council listened to suggestions from the public for proper project supervision by establishing Community Centre Oversight Committee two years ago. The committee includes two community members (Gibson and Bill Sheldon), one Council rep (Councillor Accursi), and the Chief Administrative Officer (Darren Ottaway). Continue reading →

Province Stimulating Rental Construction and Creating Vibrant Communities

Ontario is investing in St. Catharines’ rental housing market to encourage the creation of more affordable rental housing

A News Release from the Ontario Liberal Government and St. Catharines MPP Jim Bradley

Posted April 30^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large.

St. Catharines MPP Jim Bradley

Niagara, Ontario – James Bradley, Member of Parliament for St. Catharines, was in St. Catharines (in the last week of April) to announce funding for municipalities to provide development charge rebates to developers who want to build high-rise, mid-rise and townhouse rental housing. St. Catharines will receive $2,842,631 to encourage the construction of complete communities that are accessible, livable, walkable, and close to transit and other services.

 Providing more affordable and rental housing is part of Ontario’s plan to support care, create opportunity and make life more affordable during this period of rapid economic change. Continue reading →

Make This World A Better Place If You Can”

These were among the words sung by tens of thousands who gathered in Toronto this Sunday, April 29th near the closing of a vigil for those who perished in a brutal and senseless act of violence in the streets of that city earlier this April.

In the wake of the horrific attack that occurred in the heart of Toronto this past April 23rd, many have asked if Canadians are less safe. Should we live in more fear of something like that happening again? Continue reading →

 A News Release from the Niagara, Ontario City of Thorold

Posted April 27th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

A Brief Foreword Note from NAL – This news follows in the wake of the recent announcement from Thorold’s current mayor, Ted Luciani, not to run for another term of office.

Thorold regional councillor Henry D’Angela announces run for Thorold mayor in October municipal elections.

Thorold, Ontario, April 27, 2018 — Thorold’s long-time Regional Councillor and former Mayor, Henry D’Angela announced his intention of candidacy for Mayor today. D’Angela served as Mayor of Thorold from 2006-2010 and has continued in local government as Thorold’s Regional Councillor since then.  His service to the community is lengthy and wide-ranging.

In addition to being elected to represent Thorold as its Regional Councillor in 2010, D’Angela was elected to Thorold Hydro Electric Commission in 1997 and elected to Thorold City Councillor in 2000 before becoming Mayor in 2006. Continue reading →

‘I of course want to thank the fine folks of my riding—in Welland, Port Colborne, Thorold, Wainfleet and the south end of St. Catharines—for their support over the years.’ – Cindy Forster, MPP

A Statement by Niagara, Ontario area MPP Cindy Forster from Queen’s Park, Toronto

Posted April 26, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Cindy Forster, the outgoing NDP MPP for the Niagara area riding of Welland (Niagara Centre).

A Brief Foreword from NAL reporter and publisher Doug Draper – The following statement, delivered by Welland (Niagara Centre) Riding MPP Cindy Forster this past Wednesday, April 25th in the Ontario legislature, includes words of good-bye to that body as the current session of provincial parliament wraps up after Forster (as she announced earlier this year) decided not to run as a candidate in this June’s Ontario election.

Niagara At Large will be posting a tribute to Cindy Forest and what we regard as her dedicated and fearless work for a fair shake for her constituents and others across the province, and  her ongoing fight for openness and accountability from all public bodies, including Niagara’s regional government and the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority. Stay Tuned for that.

And now, here is Cindy Forster’s April 25th statement in the Ontario legislature at Queen’s Park –  

Wednesday 25 April 2018 Mercredi 25 avril 2018

Ms. Cindy Forster: “Thank you for the opportunity to speak to this bill. I’ll say up front that I may share my time if I happen to run out of words, but that’s unlikely. Continue reading →

 “I didn’t hear April’s voice as an NPCA Board Member when they decided to sue private citizen and Royal Canadian Air Force veteran Ed Smith for criticizing their lack of transparency and asking for accountability in how the NPCA spends our money.” –  Welland (Niagara Centre) Riding MPP Cindy Forster

 “Where was Mayor Jeffs and her Town of Wainfleet when the conservative cabal on Regional Council attacked the Town of Pelham’s right to manage their own finances? Almost every other Niagara municipality passed a motion in support of Pelham.” – Niagara Centre NDP candidate Jeff Burch

Niagara Centre (Welland) Riding NDP candidate Jeff Burch

A News Release from the Campaign of Niagara Centre Ontario NDP candidate Jeff Burch

Posted April 26th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Welland, Ontario –  In a bizarre speech during a sparsely populated Welland Campaign Office Launch (earlier this month) Conservative candidate April Jeffs focused her attacks on Niagara Centre’s political legends, ignoring her opponents and policy ideas altogether.

After suggesting that merely opening a campaign office in Welland (this past April 14th) “sends a strong message that the people of South Niagara matter’’, Jeffs went on to suggest that the riding had suffered “years of being without a voice, being ignored and worse being invisible”. Continue reading →

A Brief One from Doug Draper

Posted April 25^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Now I know why social media can be so dangerous.

Here I was trying to let my birthday go by without notice, and I am receiving ‘Happy Birthday’ messages from nice people all over the place, including from a Reuters newsroom in Washington, D.C.,  a heritage inn called Old Sea Pines on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and the green pastures of Harvard University around Cambridge and Boston.

I thank you very much for saying good things about what we are trying to do to build this Niagara At Large news site too.

I won’t say how old I turned today, however!

Let’s just say I’m a little older than I look in this photo taken for an award I won #*?? years ago for environment reporting.

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

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

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

Annual Province-Wide Event Invites Communities To Give Back To The Environment

Free Mulch Pick-Up Also Available At Kingsbridge Park, Chippawa

A News Release from the Niagara Parks Commission

Posted April 25th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Niagara Falls, Ontario  – Niagara Parks is pleased to once again partner with Forests Ontario and the TD Friends of the Environment Foundation, as part of a province-wide free community tree planting event to be held on Saturday, May 5 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Kingsbridge Park, long the Niagara Parkway and Niagara River, in the Niagara Falls, Ontario community of Chippawa

Participants will have the opportunity to directly support their community in a local reforestation project and learn more about the benefits of trees, shade and green urban spaces. With a goal of planting up to 500 new saplings, the annual tree planting event will take place this year at the Rapidsview Parking Lot, along the Niagara Parkway, just south of the Falls at Upper Rapids Boulevard. Continue reading →

Province Helping Boost Tourism, Create Jobs, Enhance Economic Growth

A News Release from the Constituency Office of St. Catharines MPP Jim Bradley

Posted April 25^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

St. Catharines MPP Jim Bradley

Ontario is helping Niagara region attract investment and tourism, create jobs and enhance local economic growth by investing in the revitalization of the region’s downtown and main street areas.

Jim Bradley, MPP for St. Catharines, and Jeff Leal, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and Minister Responsible for Small Business were in downtown St. Catharines today to make the announcement. The province is providing municipalities across Niagara region with up to $773,000 for a number of projects through the Main Street Revitalization Initiative, to help revitalize downtown and main street areas.

Vibrant main streets help attract visitors, create jobs and increase the competitiveness of small businesses, which are the backbone of our communities. Continue reading →

A News Release from Ontario’s Niagara Parks Commission

Posted April 24th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Niagara Falls, Ontario – The Niagara Falls Illumination Board will light up Niagara Falls in white light this evening, as a symbol of binational support following the horrific attack on pedestrians in Toronto yesterday afternoon.

In honour of those who were killed and/or injured as a result of the senseless act, both the American and Canadian Horseshoe Falls will be illuminated from 9 p.m. to 9:15 p.m.

Continue reading →

Posted April 24th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Here so many of us were soaking up the warmth and sun on what began this Monday as the first really nice day of spring when a nightmare unfolded on the streets of Toronto.

It seems so very hard to get even a few hours break from bad news these days, and this was news on a shocking scale in a country where carnage like this is all but impossible to imagine.

Flowers and messages at make-shift memorial for victims following Toronto van attack

Our thoughts are with the victims and their families following  this shocking attack, and here are a few statements circulated in the aftermath by two of our political leaders. Continue reading →

A Column by Pelham Mayor Dave Augustyn

Posted April 24th, 218 on Niagara At Large

A Brief Foreword from Niagara At Large reporter and publisher Doug Draper – The mayor of Pelham circulated the following column to media outlets for posting, and Niagara At Large is posting it knowing there may be a few in the region who will accuse the mayor of engaging in some municipal election year boosterism for his performance and that of his council.

Pelham Mayor Dave Augustyn

What may be of more interest to the rest of us is that the water and waste water rates Pelham Mayor Dave Augustyn is reporting here – based on hard numbers in the town’s budget – fly in the face of a narrative a group of Niagara regional councillors, including Port Colborne regional councillor and the Region’s corporate services committee chair David Barrick, have been advancing for more than a year now that Pelham’s financial picture is something akin to a train wreck.

In fact, check out the charts accompanying the mayor’s column and notice how Pelham’s water and waste water rates compare to those of other Niagara municipalities, including municipalities that are home base to some of the regional councillors pointing a damning finger at Augustyn and his council. Perhaps those should spend more time minding the financial affairs in their own municipalities.

You might want to ask those regional councillors about that during this municipal election year.

Now back to Pelham Mayor Dave Augustyn’s column –

I am delighted that Council is set to approve a water and waste water budget at our next meeting where Pelham’s charges will be the lowest across Niagara again. Continue reading →

‘Ontario’s Liberal Government Had 15 Years To Fix Crisis In Long-Term Care’ – Cindy Forster

A News Release from the Ontario New Democrats and Welland Riding MPP Cindy Forster

Welland (Niagara Centre) NDP MPP Cindy Forster in provincial legislature. file photo

Queen’s Park, Toronto  – Having spent seven years in office fighting for urgently needed long-term care beds in the Welland riding, MPP Cindy Forster asked the Liberal premier why the government has left Ontario seniors behind for over 15 years and only now – with 45 days left in office, making a last ditch attempt to win votes with empty promises.

“The people who built this province and built our communities deserve comfort and dignity as they age, but too many people in Welland – and across Ontario – cannot get the seniors care they need,” explained Forster. Continue reading →

         Student and part-time positions available across all departments

A News Release from Ontario’s Niagara Parks Commission

Posted April 24th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Niagara Falls, Ontario – Niagara Parks, one of the region’s largest employers with over 1,700 full-time and seasonal employees, will be hosting another Job Fair on Saturday, May 5 at Niagara Parks’ Legends on the Niagara Golf Complex.

Job Fairs allow Niagara Parks to showcase the seasonal job opportunities that exist within the organization each year, while providing individuals with an opportunity to connect directly with various departmental hiring managers. Representatives from Niagara Parks’ Human Resources Department will also be on-hand to help answer any questions. Continue reading →

Speech Focuses on Government’s Record of Making Life More Affordable and the Next Steps

Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne

A News Release from the Office of Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne

Posted April 24th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne was at the Canadian Club in Toronto this past Monday, April 23rd for a major speech about her government’s record and the next steps in the government’s plan for care and opportunity.

In front of a packed audience of over 400, the Premier spoke about the big changes her government has made over the past four years and the ways these bold, new steps are starting to ease the burdens families are under, restore fairness in the economy and help people get ahead in this period of rapid global change and uncertainty, including: Continue reading →

Join A Public Discussion On Developing A Rail Connection Between the Buffalo/Niagara Falls, New York Area and Toronto

An Invite from Citizens for Regional Transit in Buffalo-Niagara, New York

Posted April 24th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

• Free and Open to All
  Tuesday, May 1, 2018
  5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
  Doors open at 5:00 p.m.
• First Presbyterian Church
  1 Symphony Circle, Buffalo, NY 14201

Buffalo, New York area Democratic Congressman Brian Higgins is featured speaker at this event.

Buffalo, New York – On Tuesday, May 1, 2018 at 5:30 p.m., Citizens for Regional Transit (CRT) hosts a quarterly meeting featuring Congressman Brian Higgins with panelists Pat Whalen, Director of the Niagara Falls Global Tourism Institute and Bruce Becker, Vice President of the National Association of Rail Passengers.

When looking at a satellite image of the region between Toronto and Buffalo-Niagara, it becomes clear that it’s a contiguously urbanized area; we are part of a binational mega-region.

This linear arrangement of urban centers has a population of nine million people and a combined GDP of $450 billion. Continue reading →

We’ve Searched the Stars and So Far There Is  No Other Oasis –  There  Is No Planet B!

A Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted April 22nd, 2018 on Niagara At Large

On the very first Earth Day – on April 22nd, 1970 – millions of people around the world rallied to bring an end to the greed and stupid at the root of the unsustainable polluting and plundering or what makes life possible on this planet.

The first Earth Day – April 22nd, 1970

That is me, wearing the gas mask and holding a sign reading; ‘If you Aren’t Part of the Solution, You Are Part of the Pollution’ sign, with some high school friends in the Niagara, Ontario community of Welland after we managed to talk our teachers into letting us out of class to participate in that first Earth Day.

Perhaps naively, many of us back then believed that a few massive rallies like this would be enough to put human communities around the world on the path to environmental sustainability. Continue reading →

Since The First Earth Day 48 Years Ago This April 22nd, Efforts To Protect The Environment Have Never Been Under Greater Siege

A Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted April 20th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

This past March 19th one more shameful moment in the brief history of humans on this planet.

On that date in Kenya, a country that was once (if no more)  one of the richest in terms of biodiversity, the very last male white rhinoceros on the planet – a rhino named Sudan, whose species is believed to have walked this earth long before humans crawled out of the slime, died following desperate efforts to mate him with the two last female white rhinos living in captivity.

Sudan, the last male white rhino in the world, dies this winter.

Sudan’s passing represents one more failure of our species, whose major missions seems to be to hunt and kill and junk up and destroy virtually all forms of life-sustaining habitat as we think we can without annihilating ourselves. Continue reading →

‘The Planet Isn’t Going Anywhere. We Are!’

An Earth Day Message from one of the 20^th Century’s greatest critics of the human species, George Carlin

Posted April 20th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

A  Foreword from Niagara At Large reporter and publisher Doug Draper – The following observations on the state of the planet seem more relevant for this Earth Day than they did when the late George Carlin first made them some two decades ago. And yes, dear readers, George, uses some of the seven words that (well, at least back then) you could never say on television. But I am leaving those words in on the grounds that no word in the English language is as obscene as what we collectively done to this beautiful planet.

Now here is an Earth Day message from George –

“We’re so self-important. So self-important. Everybody’s going to save something now. “Save the trees, save the bees, save the whales, save those snails.” And the greatest arrogance of all: save the planet.

What?!!! Continue reading →

News from Ontario’s Niagara Parks Commission and Brock University

Posted April 20^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Niagara Falls, Ontario – A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) promoting closer cooperation between The Niagara Parks Commission and Brock University was signed today by Niagara Parks Chair, Janice Thomson and Brock’s Interim Provost and Vice-President Academic, Tom Dunk.

Niagara Parks Chair Janice Thomson and Brock University Interim Provost and Vice-President Academic Tom Dunk sign the MOU

Niagara Parks and Brock have a history of collaboration that goes back decades. This new MOU is designed to enhance the stewardship and conservation practices of both organizations, while providing tangible results and educational/research opportunities for Brock students and faculty through their work with Niagara Parks and its staff. Continue reading →

A News Release from Brock University in St. Catharines/Niagara

Posted April 19th, 2018 on Niagara At Large 

Niagara, Ontario – The scourge of plastic pollution has gone from being an issue of awareness to one of alarm, as our roadsides, greenfields and oceans are increasingly stricken with bags and bottles that will take centuries to break down.

Second-year Physical Education student Niamh Haughley uses one of Brock’s 44 water bottle refilling stations. Photo courtesy of Brock University

As more people become aware of the urgency to reduce global consumption, Brock University is constantly striving to do its part — one bottle at a time.

Earth Day, coming up this Sunday, April 22, is an annual event, but some of Brock’s efforts are year-round initiatives as the University constantly reviews its conservation activities and sets its sights on future goals. Continue reading →

“As Premier, I will take immediate action to fire the entire scandal plagued Hydro One CEO and Board, should they fail to resign.” – Doug Ford

A News Release from the Ontario PC Party

Posted April 19^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Ontario PC Party leader Doug Ford does his populist thing again – this time with an invitation to Hydro One execs and board members to resign.

Toronto, Ontario — Doug Ford today called on the executives and insiders on the Hydro One Board to resign immediately.

Ford made his call following explosive revelations in the Globe and Mail newspaper. A mere six months before an election that promised to finally bring accountability to the company, the Hydro One Board secretly inserted a poison pill into the contract of the Hydro One CEO, that would allow him to cash in $10 million dollars in severance on the way out the door should he be fired. Continue reading →

‘PC Party Leader Doug Ford would  cut $5.2 billion from health care and the other public services that families count on, and give that money to profitable corporations like his company in the form of another tax cut.’ – Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath

A Statement from the Office of Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath

Posted April 18th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath

“Doug Ford’s (‘Bring Back Jobs to Ontario’) announcement this April 18th showed Ontarians exactly where his priorities lay — and it’s not with everyday families and working people.

 Over the next four years, Ford will cut $5.2 billion from health care and the other public services that families count on, and give that money to profitable corporations like his company in the form of another tax cut. After 15 years of Liberal rule in Ontario, our hospitals and our children’s schools simply cannot take any more cuts.

Ford will not address the 32,000-person wait list for long-term care, he will not fix the hospital overcrowding and hallway medicine crisis, and he will never repair crumbling schools or make sure that folks can afford their prescriptions or to go to the dentist. Continue reading →

“This election is about change from the Wynne Liberals’ cuts and privatization. Folks in St. Catharines are ready for change – and I look forward to giving people here an option for not only change, but change for the better.” – St. Catharines’  Ontario NDP candidate Jennie Stevens

News from Ontario’s New Democratic Party

Posted April 18th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

St. Catharines city councilor Jennie Stevens is running as ‘Ontario NDP candidate in a St. Catharines riding held for decades by Liberal Jim Bradley.

Niagara, Ontario  – The St. Catharines New Democrats chose City Councillor Jennie Stevens as their candidate for the upcoming provincial general election at a meeting (this past) Monday (April 16th)  night.

 “I am honoured to be running as part of Andrea Horwath NDP team,” said Stevens.  “This election is about change from the Wynne Liberals’ cuts and privatization. Folks in St. Catharines are ready for change – and I look forward to giving people here an option for not only change, but change for the better.” Continue reading →

Twelve Year Increase For Pelham Is Less Than Inflation – Fourth Lowest of all Local Municipalities in Niagara

 (This Column is followed by an Afterword from Niagara At Large reporter and publisher Doug Draper)

A Column from Dave Augustyn, Mayor for the Town of Pelham in Niagara, Ontario

Posted April 18th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Pelham Mayor Dave Augustyn

Pelham, Ontario – If you pay your property taxes by installments, you will know that the second installment of your 2018 property tax bill comes due in two weeks (April 30). With this deadline approaching, I wanted to tell you about Pelham’s 2018 blended residential property tax increase – at 1.9% – and also to compare with other Cities and Towns.

You will recall that the amount of property tax you pay to the Town of Pelham, to the Niagara Region, and to the Province (for Education) is not solely based on the Market Value Assessment of your property by the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC); one must multiply your assessment by each of these three tax rates and add them up for your total bill. Continue reading →