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But It Is Only A Temporary Band Aid. More Is Needed.

A Message from the Ontario Health Coalition, a provincewide citizens advocacy group for health care

Posted February 5^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Ontario Health Coalition executive director Natalie Mehra

Toronto, Ontario – “Although the Ontaroi Health Minister’s announcemen this  past February 2^nd, promising to extend funding for 1,235 ‘temporary’ hospital beds for one year, is a positive step it is only a temporary band aid that will not solve the hospital overcrowding crisis,” said Natalie Mehra, Executive Director of the Ontario Health Coalition to news media today,  “More is needed.”

Despite the Minister’s welcome announcement of 1,200 temporary hospital beds last fall, Ontario’s hospital overcrowding crisis continues.  “Flu season is not the cause of the overcrowding crisis in hospitals,” Mehra said.  “This crisis has been building for over a decade as a result of the most extreme cuts to hospital funding in Canada, resulting in severe bed shortages and hospitals stacked with sick people in halls and emergency rooms.” Continue reading →

“‘t. Catharines-based Algoma Central Corporation’s freighters are carrying road salt from Compass Minerals’ mine in Goderich, Ontario to U.S. cities such as Milwaukee, Green Bay, Chicago and Detroit. Algoma also plans to deliver salt from K+S Windsor’s mine in Windsor, Ontario to Detroit and Chicago.”

A News Release from the Chamber of Marine Commerce, a bi-national association  representing more than 130 Canadian and U.S. marine industry stakeholders

Posted February 5th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

It may be a little-known fact, but ships deliver vital supplies such as road salt, heating oil and construction materials in the winter to cities across the Great Lakes and in the lower St. Lawrence River on behalf of North American industries.

“Every winter, ships deliver products such as road salt to promote safe travel in cities hard-hit by winter conditions, and heating oil for homes,” says Bruce Burrows, President of the Chamber of Marine Commerce. “These deliveries allow mining and energy companies to run their operations in the most cost effective and efficient way, thus safeguarding jobs in their communities.” Continue reading →

Come this October’s Municipal Elections, This Is But One More Reason For Sweeping Change

A Commentary by Niagara At Large reporter and publisher Doug Draper

Posted February 2nd, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Curly: “Hey Moe, Larry! Here comes a cop.”                                           Moe: “Let’s hide in here. It’s a closed meeting.”                        Larry:”Hey look, it’s a computer and it’s running. “                              Moe: “It probably belongs to one of those sneaky reporters. He’s going to use it to record us and write some fake news.”                                                                                                                  Larry: “What do we do now?                                                                       Curly: “Let’s call the cop.”                                                                               Moe: “We can’t you numbskull. We just got rid of him.!”

The classic Three Stooges logo, altered with apologies to the real Curly, Larry and Moe.

The above skit might be funny if it were performed by the real Curly, Larry and Moe of Three Stooges fame.

Alas, it was not.

Retiring Niagara Police chief Jeff McGuire

We have our own stooges right here in Niagara – not least of which are our regional government’s chair Al Caslin, Port Colborne regional councillor David Barrick and Niagara Falls regional councillor Bob Gates – and what those knuckleheads have been up to both in and outside the role they are supposed to be playing as representatives for we, the people, on the Niagara Regional Police services board is not funny at all.

In fact, in one of their latest episodes on that police board, revolving around an $870,000 “retirement settlement” for Niagara Regional Police Chief Jeff McGuire, who was on contract to stay on as Niagara’s police chief until 2020, has many tax-paying citizens across the region– to borrow a phrase now famously in the news – filled with ‘fire and fury’. Continue reading →

Statements from Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Ontario’s NDP Leader Andrea Horwath

Posted February 2^nd, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Ottawa, Ontario – The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today issued the following statement on Black History Month:

“Today we begin Black History Month, a time to honour and celebrate the many achievements and contributions that Black Canadians have made to our country.

“The theme for this year’s Black History Month is ‘Black Canadian Women: Stories of Strength, Courage and Vision’. Jean Augustine, Viola Desmond, Michaëlle Jean, Jully Black, Afua Cooper – these are just a few women of African descent who have shaped Canada into the country it is today. Yet all too often their stories go untold. Continue reading →

We Need More Community Leaders in this Region Standing Up for Decency & Respect of Others

A Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted February 1st, 2018 on Niagara At Large

It was two years ago this Black History Month – in February 2016 – that I joined many others in celebrating the unveiling of a statue of 19^th Century heroine Harriet Tubman at an elementary school in St. Catharines, Niagara bearing her name.

On a nicer day in February two years ago, elementary school children admire a statue of 19th Century civil rights heroine Harriet Tubman, just unveiled at their St. Catharines elementary school. File photo by Doug Draper

The event was a wonderful opportunity for all of us, including the young students at the school, to learn and remember the courage and humanity of one of the most heroic standard bearers for freedom and civil rights on this continent in the last 200 years – a woman who was born into slavery and went on to guide many other fleeing slaves through what was known as the “underground railway,” even as she made her home base in St, Catharines, Ontario for most of the 1850s leading up to the American Civil War.

The unveiling of that statue of Harriet Tubman was also a proud day for its creators, former Niagara residents and artists Frank Rekrut and Laura Thompson, who had it shipped all the way from their art studio in Florence, Italy.

After I posted a story about the unveiling ceremony on Niagara At Large two years ago, I heard from friends in Massachusetts, New York and New Jersey who contacted me to say how much they– all admirers of Harriet Tubman – would like to visit school where the statue is located the next time they visit. Continue reading →

 Wednesday, February 14th at 8 p.m. in St. Catharines, Ontario

An Invite from the Niagara District Council of Women

Posted January 31^st, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Welland Riding MPP Cindy Forster to speak at forum

Niagara, Ontario – The Niagara District Council of Women  will be holding a February 14th  Public Forum concerning the Protection of Vulnerable Adults at 8 p.m. in the Mills Room of  the St. Catharines Centennial Library in the city’s downtown.  

Speakers are Welland (Niagara Centre) RidingMPP Cindy Forster and Neal Schoen of Justice Niagara, who will be speaking on Ms. Forster’s  proposed Bill 135, the Protecting Vulnerable Persons in Supportive Living Accommodation Act.  Continue reading →

A Commentary by Niagara, Ontario conservationist John Bacher

Posted January 30^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

This past January 24^th, 2018, the Memorial Room at the Gale Centre in the City of Niagara Falls, Ontario was packed with about 150 people. The purpose was an Open House regarding a proposed amendment to the City’s Official Plan.

This is Amendment 130, put forward by a private company, GR Canada Limited, and intended to promote a development the company and its supporters are calling “the Riverfront Community” to be built inside more than 480 acres of natural lands in the south west end of Niagara Falls known by many as Thundering Waters Forest.

Opponents of the development were more successful in getting their supporters out. A group of around twenty advocates of the development politely clapped when those who supported Riverfront did so on the basis of economic arguments such as job creation. One generated a few laughs when she said that such prosperity would allow her family to “walk in nature.” Continue reading →

Province Supporting Students and Families with Major Additions To Two Schools in Thorold and One in Niagara Falls

“These additions are an important investment for the Niagara Region.” — Indira Naidoo-Harris, Minister of Education and Minister Responsible for Early Years and Child Care

News from the Ontario Government

Indira Naidoo-Harris, Minister of Education and Minister Responsible for Early Years and Child Care

Posted January 30^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – The provincial government is supporting families in Niagara region with three school additions that will provide modern learning environments for students and more licensed child care spaces for families.

The expanded schools will help accommodate nearly 390 students and will include six new child care rooms with 98 new licensed child care spaces.

The new projects are: Continue reading →

It should have no place in our Greater Niagara Region either!

A Statement from Ontario’s NDP Leader Andrea Horwath

Posted January 29th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath

Queen’s Park, Toronto – Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath issued the following statement on the one-year anniversary of the shooting at the Centre Culturel Islamique de Québec.

“One year ago today, the lives of six men were cut painfully short, and the lives of so many others were changed forever, in a cowardly act of Islamophobic violence.  Continue reading →

“This was a terrorist attack against all Canadians, meant to test our resolve and weaken our values. It failed.” –  Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

From the Office of Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

Posted January 29th, v2018 on Niagara At Large

Statement by the Prime Minister on the first anniversary of the fatal shooting at the Centre culturel islamique de Québec

The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today (Monday, January 29th) issued the following statement on the first anniversary of the fatal shooting at the Centre culturel islamique de Québec:

Mourners fill streets of Quebec City for vigil following fatal Mosque attack.

“One year ago tonight, a senseless attack at the Centre culturel islamique de Québec in Ste-Foy claimed the lives of six worshippers and seriously injured nineteen more. Continue reading →

“Once again, the NPCA leadership has used language in a fashion that tends to obfuscate the truth.  The OPP found “no criminal wrongdoing”, that is not the same as finding “no wrongdoing” as the NPCA headline states.  The two are very different issues.” – Niagara, Ontario resident, retired Canadian Armed Forces Officer and fearless community activist Ed Smith

A News Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted January 26^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Ontario Court Judge dismissed NPCA lawsuits against Niagara citizen Ed Smith last November. But in the alternative universe the NPCA operates in, it  is almost  like  you would  never know it.

Niagara, Ontario – It took weeks for the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA) to finally disclose how much of our tax money it spent on its failed lawsuits against Niagara citizen Ed Smith, but it certainly didn’t waste any time posting a statement on its website about the fact that a yearlong investigation of the agency by the Ontario Provincial Police did not uncover anything rising to a level of criminality that it has done wrong.

Well, there’s some cause for celebration around the NPCA board table. And all the more so since the investigation was launched after police were approached by Ed Smith – a citizen in Niagara it has battled both in and outside the courts – with some questions and concerns about the Conservation Authority he believed worthy of a police probe.

“The OPP was approached by Niagara Regional Police (NRP) Chief Maguire to investigate claims brought forward by Mr. Ed Smith of St. Catharines, who claimed there was illegal activity occurring at NPCA,” says the statement the NPCA posted this January 25^th on its website.

“Upon completing a yearlong investigation,” the statement says, “the OPP found no basis for the claims brought forward.” Continue reading →

A Free Educational Event – Wed., January 31, 2018     from 6:45 PM – 9:00 PM

A Call-Out from the Niagara Greens

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

For those who may be wondering what this public meeting is about, it is about a plan driven by a China-based corporation, GR Canada, and Niagara Falls Mayor Jim Diodati and his political allies at the city and regional government level, and possibly event at the Ontario government level, to move forward with an urban development project inside more than 480 acres of woodlands, wetlands and savannah grasses known as Thundering Waters on the Ontario side of a Niagara River watershed vital to the health of the Great Lakes.

That is what it is about and is what is at stake here right now and for a healthy, sustainable future. Don’t let these short-sighted politicos and their special interest vandalize it.

Raise your voice and cast your vote in the coming provincial and municipal elections for Thundering Waters!

Continue reading →

“Up Cannabis is excited to be a part of the Niagara community, and we look forward to being a leading employer in the region, both now and in the years to come.”                                                   – Jennifer Maccarone, Chief Quality Officer at Up Cannabis.

News from Niagara College in Niagara, Ontario

Posted January 26th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – A rapidly expanding cannabis industry is set to bring positive changes to Niagara’s economic and educational landscapes.

ncTakeOff Project Manager Madison Fuller, Bill MacDonald, Coordinator of NC’s Commercial Cannabis Production program, Jennifer Maccarone, Chief Quality Officer at Up Cannabis, Chris Bittle, Member of Parliament for St. Catharines, Blake Landry of Niagara Economic Development

That was the focus of a panel discussion at Niagara College in a packed Yerich Auditorium Thursday evening. The event, hosted by ncTakeOff, the college’s entrepreneurship hub, featured a lively discussion on the future of the cannabis industry in Niagara, and how government, education and business can work together to position Niagara for success. Continue reading →

‘Any party with a seat in the House of Commons – and Canada’d Green Party Leader Elizabeth May has one – deserves a place in the debate.’

A Call-Out from the Green Party of Canada

Posted January 26^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Canada’s Green Party Leader Elizabeth May

Friend —

If you’ve ever seen Elizabeth May speak you’ll understand why some of the other parties want her shut out from the televised leaders’ debates. Elizabeth eloquently champions a sensible and refreshing approach to politics, and she’s not afraid to speak truth to power.

Don’t let them silence our voice — we must make sure that Elizabeth gets a fair chance to present our vision and policies to a national television audience during the 2019 campaign! Continue reading →

 Woods home to Red-Headed Woodpeckers, Bats, Pollinators, and other threatened species.

Liz Benneian, Executive Director and Manager of Environmental Education for Ontariogreen to speak.

A Call-Out from a Group of Concerned Ctiziens in Fort Erie/Niagara

Posted January 25th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

A lot of the local citizens have become attached to this red fox and her kits in Waverly Woods in Fort Erie – an oasis for nature that is home to a diversity of life that citizens in the area are fighting to save from sprawling development that could go some place less damaging to what is left of Niagara’s green places. Photo courtesy of Marcie Jacklin

Fort Erie, Ontario  – Wednesday, January 24, 2018 –  A group of concerned citizens is holding an open-house, on Sunday, January 28th at Royal Canadian Legion, 130 Garrison Road, Fort Erie, to discuss the application, currently before the Fort Erie Town Council, to allow for the development of a subdivision that will result in the clearance of Waverly Woods.

If allowed, this development, known as Harbourtown Village at Erie Beach, will decimate a habitat that is one of the few remaining spring migratory stop-overs for birds in the Niagara Region, as well as a known habitat of Red-Headed Woodpeckers, which are protected under the provincial government’s Species at Risk in Ontario List. Continue reading →

Posted January 25^th,  2018 on Niagara At Large

Premier Kathleen Wynne made the following statement this January 25th:

“I first want to say that the young women who have shared their experiences are very brave. It was very courageous for them to step forward.

Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne, now ex PC Party leader Patrick Brown

In my heart, I hope that they are finding the supports that they need now. They did a very difficult thing, and they’ve been carrying this for years. There’s an impact to them. I hope they are safe. I hope they are surrounded by loved ones today.

When I heard these allegations, I was shocked. And when I came to work this morning, I wanted to talk to people around the province who are reading this news and wondering what is going on. Continue reading →

 “How many jobs could they have preserved with that money? How much of our environment could they have preserved with that money?” – Niagara Citizen Ed Smith

A News Commentary by Doug Draper, reporter/publisher, Niagara At Large

Posted January 25th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Ontario Court Judge dismissed NPCA lawsuits against Niagara citizen Ed Smith last November. The failed lawsuits have proven costly for area tax payers.

Niagara, Ontario – After weeks of pressure from Niagara area citizens, municipal councillors and area MPPs to release the figures, the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority’s board of directors finally voted this January 24th to disclose how much it spent in its attempt to sue St. Catharines/Niagara resident Ed Smith.

The figure the NPCA disclosed is $146,757 – money that comes large from a pool of tax dollars the Conservation Authority gets from Niagara’s 12 local municipalities, and taxpayers in the City of Hamilton and the Haldimand County area.

That amount is in addition to another $130,000 Ontario Judge James Ramsay recently ordered the NPCA to pay Smith to cover his costs in the court case. Continue reading →

‘It Was Appropriate that Patrick Brown Resigned’ – PC Party Deputy Leaders

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE from the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party

Posted January 25th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

A Statement from PC Deputy Leaders Sylvia Jones and Steve Clark

Patrick Brown Resigns as Ontario PC Leader

“Like everyone, we were shocked to learn of yesterday’s serious allegations.

“Harassment has no place in our society, period.

“Allegations of sexual misconduct must be taken seriously. These voices deserve to be heard.

“It was appropriate that Mr. Brown resigned as Ontario PC Leader.

“Now it’s time for the Ontario PCs to move forward together to elect a new parliamentary leader. Continue reading →

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

Posted  January 25^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath

Hamilton, Ontario – News reports this past January 24^th reveal that a number of doctors, nurses and administrators are speaking out about dangerous hospital overcrowding in the Greater Toronto Area.

Andrea Horwath, who has been raising alarm bells about growing hospital overcrowding concerns for over a year, released the following statement in response:

“Doctors and front-line health care workers are speaking out about the dangerous situations in overcrowded hospitals, and it’s time for leadership that listens to them, and takes action. Continue reading →

BREAKING NEWS from Doug Draper, reporter/publisher, Niagara At Large

Posted January 24^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Niagara citizen Ed Smith finally saw the lawsuits the NPCA and its former CAO Carmen D’Angelo filed against him dismissed by an Ontario court judge this past November. St. Catharines city council was among parties wanting to know how much those failed lawsuits cost area tax payers.

After weeks of pressure from Niagara area citizens, municipal councillors and area MPPs to release the figures, the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority’s board of directors finally voted this January 24^th to disclose how much it spent in its attempt to sue St. Catharines/Niagara resident Ed Smith.

The figure the NPCA disclosed is $146,757 – an amount that comes from a budget largely funded by  municipal tax dollars the Conservation Authority gets from Niagara’s 12 local municipalities, and taxpayers in the City of Hamilton and the Haldimand County area.

That amount – most of it ultimately coming from the pockets of municipal taxpayers – is in addition to another $130,000 Ontario Judge James Ramsay recently ordered the NPCA to pay Smith to cover his costs in the court case. Continue reading →

“The results are beautiful; there’s no doubt that the system works.”                                                                                   – Brock U. Professor of Health Sciences Ana Sanchez

 News from Brock University in St. Catharines/Niagara

Posted January 22nd, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – A chemist and a parasite expert at Brock University have teamed up to produce and test out a simple device that can detect diseases from DNA samples.

It’s a scaled-down version of what is normally an expensive and complicated DNA laboratory technique, yet it’s fast, inexpensive and accurate, making it ideal for use in developing countries.

From left, Brock University master’s student Tianyu Dong with Feng Li, Assistant Professor of Chemistry, and Ana Sanchez, Professor of Health Sciences.

Brock University Assistant Professor of Chemistry Feng Li’s device consists of a strip of paper attached onto a glass slide. The paper contains several rows of what look like thermometers, lines with markings projecting out of bulb-like circles. Continue reading →

“Oddly, the (province’s  Premier Kathleen Wynne and her Liberal) government shows no signs of recognizing the growing mismatch between its plans to spend billions of dollars on re-building aging nuclear reactors and the ever-decreasing need for the power they would produce.” – Ontario Clean Air Alliance 

A Message from the Ontario Clean Air Alliance, a province-wide citizens group based in Toronto

Posted January 22nd, 2018 on  Niagara At Large

Since 2005, demand for electricity in Ontario has been steadily falling.  In 2017, it fell a further 3.6% meaning that demand has dropped by 16% since 2005.

Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne would spend billions of dollars on nuclear plants like this Pickering facility on Lake Ontario when energy demand is dropping and there are other safer, greener energy alternatives.

That is the equivalent of taking 2.5 million homes off the grid –  like unplugging all the houses and apartments in the City of Toronto twice over.

Ontario is not alone in seeing a sustained drop in demand. This is a trend that has taken hold in many countries and provinces thanks to new technologies such as super-efficient LED lighting and smart controls, cost-effective energy efficiency programs, and economic changes.

In fact, reducing the need to generate electricity in the first place has become Ontario’s lowest cost way of addressing our energy needs – the province paid on average just 2.2 cents to save a kilowatt-hour of electricity in 2016. Continue reading →

You Are Invited to An Information Session – on Saturday, January 27th, 10 a.m. to noon – on East Fenwick Secondary Plan

News from Town of Pelham Mayor Dave Augustyn

Posted January 22^nd, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Pelham Mayor Dave Augustyn

Niagara, Ontario – Town of Pelham Staff recently issued a notice about an upcoming information session regarding the East Fenwick Secondary Plan this coming Saturday, January 27, from 10:00 AM to noon at Pelham Fire Station #2. (For those unable to make the session, I will ask Staff to post materials on the Town’s website.)

This will be the third time that Town staff and planning consultants will provide information and updates of the study’s process, objectives, and the input received to date.

East Fenwick’s Secondary Plan has been explored by staff, consultants, and residents since last June, beginning with a visioning workshop followed by a design workshop. During these workshops residents had an opportunity to have their say in the plan. Town Council also received a progress report in late-November. (Please check out my “on-line journal” for a link to this presentation.) Continue reading →

New research by Brock University shows adolescent bullies have a higher number of sexual partners than their non-bullying peers.

News from Brock University in St. Catharines, Niagara, Ontario

Posted January 17th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Brock Associate Professor of Child and Youth Studies Tony Volk

Building on previous studies on the issue, Brock Associate Professor of Child and Youth Studies Tony Volk looked at what makes teens willing and able to use bullying as a strategy to meet their sexual needs.

 “Is it being really angry? Is it being really reckless? Is it being really low in empathy? These are all common ideas to explain this behaviour,” says Volk, whose research was published last month in the journal Evolutionary Psychology Science. Continue reading →

“The proposed duties would cause undue burden, destabilizing the (newspaper and rest of the print) industry, forcing increases in subscription rates for consumers and reducing jobs in an area already stretched thin.” – Buffalo, New York area Congressman Brian Higgins

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

Posted January 17th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Buffalo, New York area Democratic Party Congressman Brian Higgins fights to save net neutrality rules that will impact U.S. internet users and may also hit Canadian users in the pocketbook.

Congressmembers Brian Higgins (NY-26) and Elise Stefanik (NY-21) announced opposition to the January 9, 2018 preliminary decision by the U.S. Department of Commerce to impose tariffs on paper commonly used in the print industry. 

Higgins and Stefanik are particularly concerned the measure will lead to added costs for consumers and potential job cuts for employees of large and small newspaper and book publishers across New York State and the nation. 

On August 9, 2017, North Pacific Paper Company brought a petition before the Commerce Department’s International Trade Administration (ITA) alleging paper manufactured in Canada is priced in a way that cuts into their business. Continue reading →

A Public Advisory from the Town of Lincoln in Niagara, Ontario

Posted January 13^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Temperatures expanded to plunge and stay very cold over weekend and well into week ahead.

Lincoln, Ontario  – The Town of Lincoln is reminding residents and agencies that Town facilities are available for warming centres during the extreme cold.

The following locations are available:

• Fleming Centre – open daily from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. (general concourse/lobby)
• ·        Amenities onsite include: Library (visit lincoln.library.on.ca for hours), Rinkside Café, free WiFi, uLinc transit hub
• Town of Lincoln Town Hall lobby – open daily from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
• ·        Amenities include: free WiFi
• Jordan Arena – open daily from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. (general lobby or upstairs lobby)
• ·        Amenities include: free WiFi, concession stand (hours vary)

If you require assistance with paying your electricity, gas, oil or water bills, assistance may be available through Community Care of West Niagara or Village of Hope.

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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 Brief Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted January 12^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

No, Donald Trump hasn’t included Canada on his list of “shithole countries” – at least not yet because maybe, just maybe, we Canadians still live in a country that is white enough.

A cover of the British tabloid The Daily Mirror sends a message out to Trump this past December

But that is no reason we shouldn’t do what our friends and allies in the United Kingdom have done and unwelcome this dangerous wing nut with his racist, homophobic, misogynous views and his ‘big button that works’ to our country.

It was reported on American cable news networks earlier this January 12^th that a trip Trump was planning to take to London, England  later this year has been cancelled in the wake of  an outpouring of protests from Brits who don’t want this clown setting one foot on their soil, let alone possibly standing anywhere near their beloved  Queen for any kind of official ceremony.

Following some of his most vile comments to date – ones that involve referring to nations populated mostly by people of colour as “shithole countries” – we Canadians should follow the British lead and rev up an unwelcoming campaign for Trump’s planned visit to a G7 summit in Quebec this June.

By the way, here – immediately below – is how the front page of the New York Daily News, a popular tabloid newspaper out of New York City portrayed the Tweeter-in-Chief this January 18^th.

I don’t know about you, but the thought of any of our tax money being spent on extra security for this bozo when it could be used – just as one example – to to improve water treatment facilities for Indigenous communities in our country is enough to have me throwing up in one of his ‘Make America White Again’ hats. Continue reading →

The Power Of Photovoice Research Method The Focus Of Métis Scholar Robert Henry’s Talk At Brock

News from Brock University in St. Catharines, Niagara, Ontario

Posted January 12^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Robert Henry, a Métis scholar from the University of Calgary, is speaking at Brock University Monday, Jan. 15.

A picture is worth a thousand words — especially if it gives a voice to someone who might not be heard otherwise.

Robert Henry, Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Calgary, is speaking at Brock University Monday, Jan. 15 to share his experience of how photography and photovoice methods have shaped his research on Indigenous street gangs.

Photovoice is becoming a frequently used research method that engages research participants by having them document their experiences from their own perspectives through photographs. Continue reading →

A Call-Out from St. Andrew’s United Church in Niagara Falls

Temperatures expanded to plunge and stay very cold over weekend and well into week ahead.

Posted January 12th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Niagara Falls, Ontario  – St. Andrew’s United Church in Niagara Falls will be hosting an emergency warming centre as temperatures are expected to drop this weekend. Continue reading →

“Nobody has oversight authority over the NPCA and they should. It’s disappointing that the Wynne Liberals (Premier Kathleen Wynne and other members of the current governing party in Ontario) continue to allow the actions of the NPCA to go unchecked.”  – Welland NDP MPP Cindy Forster

Forster To Introduce Legislation To Bring Transparency And Accountability To The NPCA

Niagara MPP Cindy Forster in Ontario Legislature. File Photo

A News Release from the Office of Welland Riding MPP Cindy Forster

Posted January 11th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Queen’s Park, Toronto  — Welland NDP MPP Cindy Forster says she will table legislation to bring accountability to regional conservation authorities and ensure board members have the environmental expertise necessary to perform their role, starting with the embattled Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA).

Forster’s announcement follows the Wynne Liberals voting down NDP amendments to Bill 139, Building Better Communities and Conserving Watersheds Act. Continue reading →

Linda Crabtree’s Inspiring Autobiography is Available Now!

Posted January 11th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Linda Crabtree writes inspiring autobiography

(A Brief Foreword Note from Niagara At Large publisher Doug Draper – Just as we are too often reminded that we have more than our fair share of problem issues and problem people to contend with across this greater Niagara region, it is also important to know that there are also a good number of extraordinary people out there working selflessly to make life in our communities better.

One of those extraordinary people is Linda Crabtree, a St. Catharines/Niagara resident and Order of Canada recipient who has overcome personal obstacles to fulfill goals that have helped enrich the lives of countless others.

For the purpose of full disclosure, I have known Linda Crabtree since I was hired to my first job in journalism almost 40 years ago at the St. Catharines Standard where  she was already working as a key member of the paper’s newsroom.. From the beginning, I could not help but be impressed with her decency as a person and her passion for doing things that benefited the lives of others around her.

So for everyone out there who may be looking for ways to restore your faith in humanity, or even if you are just looking for a reminder that there are good people out there, doing good things for the community, there is Linda Crabtree’s autobiography – CMT and Me – and the following outline and information on how you can get a copy.)

Linda Crabtree grew up in the Niagara, Ontario community of St. Catharines in the early 1940s when the future for a little kid with a disability wasn’t too promising.

Seventy-five years in, her autobiography – CMT and Me – chronicles her forays into education, journalism, running a charity, art, antiques, designing a home, her travels and becoming a member of the Order of Canada.  She also writes candidly about the emotional undercurrents of love, marriage, alcoholism, divorce and great loss as well as her love of dogs. Continue reading →

“A $15 minimum wage is the right thing to do, and I’m happy that we’re nearly there thanks to those activists that built a movement.”

A Statement from  Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath

Posted January 11^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath

Queen’s Park, Toronto  – Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath  attended a rally this past Wednesday, January 10th  in support of Tim Hortons workers who have faced retaliation from their employer in Cobourg. Horwath released the following statement:

“Millionaires are taking away minimum wage earners’ paid breaks, clawing back more of their paycheques for things like benefits that used to be covered, or calling workers contractors instead of employees to get out of providing some pay or benefits. There are workers, including staff at  some Tim Hortons stores, taking home less pay this month than they did in December because employers are punishing them for the minimum wage increase. That’s just wrong. And workers need us all to have their backs, and amplify their voices. Continue reading →

A New Year’s Message From Avaaz, an online citizens activist network with 44 million followers across the world

Posted January 11^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Dear Avaazers,

This video recorded by Avaaz team members is going viral! It’s a shot of hope and love for 2018 — will you help share it and spread the joy across the world?

2017 was a rough year, but wow, is the resistance on fire! We’ve never been prouder of our movement — both Avaaz, and all those we stand with.

We’ve stopped the rise of the far-right in several countries, frustrated Trumpism in almost every major accomplishment it sought, opened our hearts to refugees, won major battles to protect our planet, and defeated toxic foes from Monsanto to Rupert Murdoch. Continue reading →

A Call-Out from the Organizers of the 16^th Annual Soup’s ON Fundraiser in Niagara, Ontario

Posted January 11^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Soup Sampling Serves Up Scholarship

Tickets are going fast for the hottest scholarship event this winter.

The 16^th annual Soup’s On luncheon, on Friday, Jan. 26 at St. Kevin’s Parish hall, will feature soup samplings from secondary school and Niagara College culinary programs as well as from Stephanie, The Lunch Lady. Continue reading →

In Official Statement, Conservation Authority “Stands By” Its Defeated Case Against St. Catharines/Niagara Citizen Ed Smith

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

Posted January 9^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Niagara citizen Ed Smith finally saw the lawsuits the NPCA and its former CAO Carmen D’Angelo filed against him dismissed by an Ontario court judge this past November. That hasn’t stopped attacks from the NPCA though.

Niagara, Ontario – In an official statement the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA) posted late this past Monday, January 8^th on its website, it pushed backed against rulings by an Ontario Court Judge to dismiss its defamation case against Niagara area citizen Ed Smith and ordering it to pay Smith’s court costs – saying that it “stands by” the decision it made more than a year ago to sue the St. Catarines resident and retired Canadian Armed Forces officer.

The NPCA’s January 8^th statement – coming three days after Ontario Court Judge James Ramsay ordered it to pay Smith $131,000 to cover his costs of defending the lawsuit it slapped against him and more than a month after the same judge dismissed the suit itself – states that Conservation Authority “stands by its decision to defend its employees and the organization itself.” Continue reading →

Ruling Represents Another Victory for Cozens’ Democratic Right to Speak Out!

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

Posted January 6th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – The same Ontario Court Judge who recently dismissed the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority’s defamation suit against Niagara citizen Ed Smith has followed up with an order to pay Smith $131,000 in legal costs.

Niagara citizen Ed Smith finally saw the lawsuits the NPCA and its former CAO Carmen D’Angelo filed against him dismissed by an Ontario court judge this past November. Now the courts have ordered the NPCA to pay  his legal costs..

The way the NPCA responded in the face of document Smith circulated more than a year ago, raising concerns about the way the Conservation Authority spends millions of mostly municipal tax dollars, and even in the face of Smith’s willingness to retract anything in the document that might be incorrect, was “over the top” and “got in the way of an early resolution of the controversy,” said Judge James Ramsay in a ruling he released late this January 5th, while ordering the NPCA to pay Smith’s legal costs.

The NPCA sued Ed Smith, a resident and community activist from St. Catharines and a retired Canadian Armed Forces officer, more than a year ago, claiming that a document he circulated, raising questions and concerns about the NPCA’s hiring and firing practices, its awarding of contracts to private consultants and other matters, contained erroneous and defamatory information. Continue reading →

 Forum Is On Wednesday,  January 10th   at 8p.m. St. Catharines Centennial Library on 54 Church Street In the City’s Downtown

An Invite from the Niagara District Council of Women

Posted January 5th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – In light of the stark contradiction between the promises of the 1987 Federal  Government  during the International l Year of Housing for the Homeless   and what  some local Niagara  agencies who serve  those living in poverty are currently calling  housing    “crisis”, it is very good news that  both Federal and Provincial governments are  planning  to invest extensively in  affordable  housing . But, is this  enough  given the severity of the  problem? Continue reading →

At Brock University In St. Catharines/Niagara on Thursday, January 25th at 7 P.M.

An Invite from Niagara Action For Animals

Posted January 5^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

friends of animals

Niagara, Ontario – You are invited to a  a free screening of ‘Cowspiracy’ scheduled for Thursday, January 25th – 7 p.m. at Brock University – Academic South, Room 215 sponsored by At War for Animals, Niagara & Brock Critical Animal Studies. 

This film is largely non-graphic and gives a lot of info about the most destructive industry facing the planet today – and investigates why the world’s leading environmental organizations are too afraid to talk about it. Continue reading →

“CEOs are making 316 times more than someone who makes fifteen dollars an hour. If shareholders can afford this year’s CEO pay hike, they should absolutely be endorsing higher wages at the bottom as well.”

News from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives

Posted January 4^th,  2018 on N iagara At Large 

Ottawa, Ontario  — For the first time, Canada’s 100 highest paid CEOs netted 209 times more than the average worker made in 2016, according to a new report from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA).

For many boss hogs, there is no end to their greed while millions of others see their income falling ever farther behind.

The report shows the country’s highest paid 100 CEOs on the S&P/TSX Composite index now make, on average, $10.4 million — 209 times the average income of $49,738, up from 193 times more in 2015.

“Canada’s corporate executives were among the loudest critics of a new $15 minimum wage in provinces like Ontario and Alberta, meanwhile the highest paid among them were raking in record-breaking earnings,” says the report’s author, CCPA Senior Economist David Macdonald. Continue reading →

Increased Paid Vacations and New Personal Emergency Days Also in Effect

News from the Ontario Government

Posted January 4^th,  2018 on Niagara At Large

Starting this January , people across Ontario began to see their wages rise $14 an hour as the new general minimum wage takes effect. This change will help workers and their families who are struggling to get ahead in a changing economy.

As part of Ontario’s Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act, 2017, the minimum wage will increase again to $15 an hour on January 1, 2019, to be followed by annual increases at the rate of inflation.

Other provisions of the new provincial legislation that come into effect on January 1, 2018, include:

Ensuring workers are entitled to at least three weeks’ vacation after five years with the same employer, bringing Ontario’s vacation time in line with the national average.

Expanding the 10 days per calendar year for personal emergency leave to employees in workplaces with fewer than 50 employees, with at least two paid days per year for employees who have been employed for at least a week. Continue reading →

“Today, I hope all Canadians reflect on, or learn more about, the Great Ice Storm, and how we were there for each other.”

A Statement by the Prime Minister on the 20th anniversary of the Great Ice Storm

Posted January 4th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today issued the following statement to mark the 20th anniversary of the Great Ice Storm:

“On this day (January 4th), twenty years ago, freezing rain began to fall in Eastern Canada. For the next five days, the rain fell, coating cars, homes, trees, power lines – everything – in as much as 100 mm of ice.

“Power lines and hydro towers collapsed under the weight of the ice, leaving more than three million people in Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia in the dark. Blackouts lasted for days, weeks, and, in some cases, even months. Continue reading →

A Statement from MPP Cindy Forster

Posted January 3^rd, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Welland, Ontario – Cindy Forster, the NDP MPP from the riding of Welland, announced Wednesday (January 3^rd, 2018)  that she will not seek re-election in 2018. She released the following statement:

Welland Riding MPP Cindy Forster

“Over the last seven years, it has been an absolute honour to serve as the voice for the riding of Welland at Queen’s Park. With the support of my constituents, my staff and our riding teams, I have worked to create a healthier and a more just Ontario – not just in the Niagara Centre region, but across the province.

Together, we have accomplished so much: saving our local hospital and urgent care; building safer and more secure workplaces; and safeguarding our natural resources. We have done good work together. Continue reading →

And Here Is Hoping For Much Better Things For Our Niagara, Ontario Region. Creeps & Bullies Be Gone!

A New Year Message from Niagara At Large reporter and publisher Doug Draper, and from one of his Heroes

Posted December 31^st, 2017 on Niagara At Large

Hours away from turning the calendar on a year where Trump darkened and demeaned the landscape of America, and where something similar darkened the landscape on the Niagara, Ontario side of the border with a cabal of the of municipal politicians, the likes of which we have never seen,  I feel a growing resolve for something better in the air.

In 2018, American voters have mid-term elections that could wrestle the balance of power away from the cult of anti-science nihilists, neo-Nazis and greediest of the greedy that has become the once proud Republican Party of Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt, and could fast track the impeachment of the madman in the White House before – one way or the other – he destroys what’s left of life on our planet. Continue reading →

“Despite a tumultuous political landscape, Great Lakes champions like you accomplished some pretty amazing things.”

A 2017 Wrap-Up Message from the Alliance for the Great Lakes, a citizens advocacy group with members across the Great Lakes region

Posted December 31st, 2017 on Niagara At Large

2017 is wrapping up and we’re spending the last few weeks of the year looking back on everything you accomplished for the Great Lakes. This week, we’re highlighting advocacy wins and all the ways our supporters championed the Great Lakes.

You, our constituents, sent tens of thousands of emails, letters and petition signatures to decision makers in 2017.  You told your stories and raised your voices to protect the Great Lakes, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to have you on our team—check it out! Continue reading →

TVO’s Paikin, Premier Wynne Wynne & Ontario Clean Air Alliance’s Couillard discuss Quebec water power

A News Release from the Ontario Clean Air Alliance, a province-wide ctizens group

Posted December 30, 2017 on Niagara At Large

Why hasn’t Ontario signed a deal for power purchases from Quebec?

Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne stubbornly stands by plans to spend billions refurbishing old nuclear reactors over simply buying clean water power from neighbouring Quebec. Why?

That was the question host Steve Paikin asked the premiers of Canada’s two most populous provinces during the Mowat Centre’s Confederation of Tomorrow 2.0 conference held just before the holidays.

Paikin pointed out that the Ontario Clean Air Alliance continues to push Ontario to choose low-cost water power from Quebec over high cost nuclear rebuilds, and he pressed the Premiers for a response.

Premier Wynne waffled, acknowledging that Quebec has plenty of power to spare, yet defended her decision to spend tens of billions rebuilding old reactors as the “responsible” choice. Continue reading →

 “Day in and day out, we continued to train and educate thousands of progressive activists in every corner of the country, and embolden them to achieve even greater success in their own communities.” – Rick Smith, Broadbent Institute, Canada

A New Year’s Message from Rick Smith , Executive Director of the Canada-based Broadbent Institute

Posted December 30th, 2017 on Niagara At Large

This time last year, I will confess, I wasn’t feeling so hot.  A maniac had just taken over the White House, reverberations from Brexit were echoing around the globe, and neo-Nazis were building momentum throughout Europe.

As 2017 dawned, it felt like the forces of dangerous far-right bigotry were on the march everywhere.

Broadbent Institute executive director Rick Smtih, left, and the Institute’s namesake, former Canadian NDP Leader Ed Broadbent

But if the past twelve months showed that politics can get ugly in unexpected ways, it also showed that the majority of people won’t stand for hate.

In 2017, progressive politics came roaring back with a vengeance. Continue reading →

A Legendary Eyewitness News Anchor from Buffalo, New York Dies – December 26th, 2017 – at Age 87

A Commentary by Doug Draper, one of probably millions of people across Western New York and Southern Ontario who grew up watching Irv Weinstein on Eyewitness News

Posted December 30th, 2017 on Niagara At Large

“It’s 11 o’clock. Do you know where your children are?”

“Topping tonight’s Eyewitness News, a three alarm fire guts a warehouse in Buffalo and another fatal shooting rocks the city’s west side. … Don’t touch your dial.”

They were the kind of lines that Irv Weinstein turn into clichés over his more than three decades long reign as the king of local television news anchors in Western New York and in a good part of the Greater Golden Horseshoe of Ontario, and, by sheer force and the snap, crackle and pop of his on-air persona, made the old (pre-Cable TV) Channel 7’s Eyewitness News the top-rated newscast in Buffalo, New York area right up to the time of his retirement in 1998. Continue reading →

A Message from the City of St. Catharines in Niagara, Ontario

Posted December 30th, 2017 on Niagara At Large

(A Brief Foreword Note from NAL publisher Doug Draper – Niagara At Large is posting this important public service message from the City of St. Catharines, mindful of the sad probability that most of those who need these warming centres probably don’t have access to a computer to read this message either.

Finally, it is good that the city is providing these places for people to warm up during the day, but where do they go to keep warm overnight? If anyone has an answer to that question, please share it in the comment space below.)

Further to the times and locations for warming centres posted earlier on Niagara At Large, here is an update of times and locations for centres available this Monday, January 1st on New Years Day –

Warming centres at Market Square and Russell Avenue Community Centre will be open on New Year’s Day – Monday, Jan 1. Continue reading →

A Call-Out from Michael Moore, from Michael Moore’s Facebook Page

Posted December 29, 2017 on Niagara At Large

(A Brief Foreword Note from NAL – For  the sake of his country and for all of us living on this planet, we are posting this for our readers on the U.S. side of the border and we wish American filmmaker and activist Michael Moore the best of  luck with it. And yes, we’re sure a good number of  us on the Canadian side of the border would love to sign  this petition, but as hard as it is, please resist the temptation to do so. This is business for our American friends and neighbours, and we sure wouldn’t want to do anything that might invalidate such an important peitition.

Now here is Michael Moore’s call-out.)

Wow!

We’ve got 3,916,221 signatures to impeach Trump! C’mon everyone! This is historic.

Let’s get to 4 million signatures to Impeach Trump before the clock strikes 12 on New Year’s Eve! We’re only a few thousand away! No petition to remove a president has ever had this many people sign it. Continue reading →

A Commentary by St. Catharines resident and community activist Ron Brydges

Posted December 29^th, 2017 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – Having attended the public meeting St. Catharines’ city council held this past December 12^th on the so-called Port Fortress Project (a plan to build a 17-storey-high condo tower in the heritage district of Port Dalhousie), it seemed I was hearing a rehash of the pros and cons of the Port Tower proposal (an earlier plan for a high-rise condo at the same location) from ten years ago.

Port Dalhousie, now at left and with the proposed high-rise tower complex to the right

It did seem that the majority of people (more than 200 were in attendance) at December 12^th meeting opposed this latest development proposal just as they opposed the development ten years ago. Continue reading →

Make Them Game for a Show with more Life & Death Consequences than Celebrity Apprentice

A Commentary by Niagara At Large publisher and reporterDoug Draper

Posted December 28^th, 2017 on Niagara At Large

Canadian TV show host Steve Echlund proudly displayes the cougar he blew away early this December 2017 in Alberta, where one tar sand-loving premier after another continues to let this killing be legal.

Of all the low lives among us, some of the lowest of the low, in my view, are affluent white men who dress up like Rambo and go out and kill some of the most majestic animals on the planet.

And not because they need to hunt down and kill the animal for food or for other reason that may have something to do with survival, but just because they think it’s fun! And they want a trophy hanging on the wall to shore up their fragile mail ego and to impress their affluent white friends.

The most recent example of one of these poor excuses for a human being – until the next one comes along, probably within a matter of weeks, if not days – is this host of a Canadian TV outdoor show called ‘The Edge’ who got all dressed up in khakis, like those crypto-fascist militia nuts that troll the backwoods of America somewhere – and shot himself a magnificent cougar somewhere in northern Alberta earlier this December.

Steve Ecklund is the name of this dirtbag,  and just to show the world he has no shame, he posted photos of himself with the cougar he blew away on Facebook this past December 3^rd with a caption that reads; What an unreal ending to a fun filled season.” Continue reading →

A Brief One by Doug Draper

Posted December 28^th, 2017 on Niagara At Large

Legendary Toronto Maple Leafs goalie Johnny Bower

Way back in the 1960s, when the New York Yankees were a dominating force in the game of  baseball, here in Canada we had a team that was a dominating force in the game of hockey.

Believe it or not, that team was the Toronto Maple Leafs, and in the neighbourhood I grew up in in Niagara, Ontario and, I’m sure, in many other neighbourhoods across the country, almost every kid over the age of 10 knew every member of the Leafs by name. They were the heroes or villains of our time, depending on whether you were a Leaves fan or a fan of the Montreal Canadians or Chicago Black Hawks or one of the only other three teams that made up the National Hockey League at the time.

On the Leafs roster, that won not just one,  but four Stanley Cups during that time, there was Tim Horton and  Dave Keon and Red Kelly and Frank Mahovilich and George Armstrong and Bob Pulford and Eddie  Shack – and there was Johnny Bower, who died this past December 26th at the age of 93.

Johnny Bower played goalie at a time when goalies did not where masks and were much more of a human backboard for pucks flying their way at 100 or more kilometres an hour than they are today.

I remember NHL players like Eddie Shack and Johnny Bower visiting our town during the off-seasons for hockey to play in charity baseball games. We’d all line up for autographs and one of the things I recall the most is the web of scars on their faces where they had to be stitched up, which is why my mother would said no to my having anything to do with  minor hockey, and yes to baseball.

I still find it fascinating that America came up with a nice, pastural game like baseball, and Canada, which has so often prided itself as one of the pre-eminent peace-keeping nations in the world, came up with hockey, which is arguably more violent than American football and, in recent decades, can be  just as brutally violent as boxing when the inevitable fights break out.

I know it may make me seem much less a Canadian to some, but I turned off  hockey almost completely and never went back when the NHL expanded to a point where the talent pool for great players was so diluted that fighting  became the substitute for good plays. So much so that brawls on the ice rather than a video clip of a great goal would come to be what passed for news in the world of hockey on late-night sports casts.

There was a time though, when NHL hockey was more of a game than a fight, and the Toronto Maple Leafs won Stanley Cups with a roster of sports heroes like Johnny Bower.

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

Report identifies more than 2,000 “exempted” activities in at-risk species’ habitats, with no government oversight or public scrutiny

News from the public interest groups Ontario Nature, Ecojustice and the David Suzuki Foundation

Posted December 28^th, 2017 on Niagara At Large

“MNRF (Ontario’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Foresty under the province’s current Liberal Government) has put the interests of industry first, and the recovery of Ontario’s most imperilled species second.”

The gypsy cuckoo bumblebee, a vital pollinator in Ontario is endangered, and needs the province’s help. What is Ontario’s Natural Resources Minister Kathryn McGarry doing about this?

Toronto, Ontario  — Ontario’s 2007 Endangered Species Act (ESA) isn’t protecting at-risk species because the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry is failing to effectively implement it, according to a report released today by the David Suzuki Foundation, Ecojustice and Ontario Nature.

The report highlights broad exemptions granted to industry from prohibitions, major delays in the development of recovery strategies for at-risk species, and a complete lack of public transparency about harmful activities occurring in at-risk species’ habitats. Continue reading →

‘There are many community-based care options for people who don’t require emergency or urgent care.’

Some Helpful Tips from Niagara Health, Niagara, Ontario’s amalgamation of hospital services

Posted December 28^th, 2017 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – Trends in healthcare can be very unpredictable. But one thing that is easy to predict is during the holiday season and winter months, flu and other illnesses spread in our community

Niagara Health, Hotel Dieu Shaver Health and Rehabilitation Centre, Niagara Region Public Health and the Hamilton Niagara Haldimand Brant Local Health Integration Network are working together to help the public better understand the options available for healthcare. Continue reading →

“The enthusiasm Bernie Sanders has generated has carried over to young people here in Canada and around the world.”                  – Former Canadian NDP Leader Ed Broadbent

First Posted by Ed Broadbent on November 23^rd, 2017 on the Broadbent Blog, Broadbent Institute

Posted December 28^th, 2017 on Niagara At Large

Changing the Game with Bernie Sanders

Posted by Ed Broadbent

Last (October) I got to spend some quality time with my fellow social democrat, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders.As you may know, for decades, Bernie has been leading the fight for a universal healthcare system in the U.S. – a fight that was at the core of his inspiring campaign to be the Democratic Presidential nominee.

In October the Broadbent Institute, along with our partners, arranged for Bernie to come to Canada. During his trip he spoke to a capacity crowd at the University of Toronto’s Convocation Hall about what the U.S. can learn from Canadian health care.  Over 250,000 people viewed the livestream online, with a further 1.4 million people reached by the social media surrounding the event. Continue reading →

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

Posted December 22^nd, 2017 on Niagara At Large

Following the antics of politicians and others in Niagara, Ontario and outside of what I would call the sane zones of Buffalo, New York where one enters ‘Trumpland’  left me feeling so disheartened  over the past 12 months, I sometimes wondered if I had it in me to keep Niagara At Large going until the end of the year.

I would sit there at a meeting of Niagara’s regional council or of the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority’s board of directors, watching bullies eviscerate any other member of the body or the public they viewed as a threat, or you turned on the cable news to the multi-ring circus from hell that is the Trump presidency, and wonder if there would ever be enough people out there, ready and willing to stand up and stop this.

Yet here we are. We’ve made it to the end of the year and there are some signs out there that growing numbers of people on both sides of the border are ready to stand up against the bullies and when they get a chance to vote (on the Ontario side of the border there are provincial and municipal elections in 2018, and on the U.S. side there are congressional elections), more of us than possibly ever before in the past three or four decades, will vote for positive, progressive change

So on that note of hope (and with much more to come that front on Niagara At Large later), here is wishing all of our many readers and supporter on both sides of the border in our greater Niagara region, a happy and peaceful holiday season.

Here at Niagara at Large, we could not have made it through the year as well as we have without the unqualified love and support of some of our favourite furry friends, including one of Niagara, Ontario’s most beloved celebrities in the cat world, Tigger, pictured immediately below, who you can find greeting customers (when he’s not busy napping) at the Pet Valu store at the plaza on Pine Street in Thorold. If you are lucky, they may even have a copy of Tigger’s 2018 calendar left. It is full of purrfect pictures of him, taken by his friend Joe Krawchuk, and that you can have for $20 in cash that goes to non-profit animal assistance organizations.

Seasons Greetings from Tigger

Photo by Joe Krawchuk, courtesy of Pet Valu at Pne Street plaza in Thorold/Niagara where you can go say hi to Tigger

Dylan, the white guy, and Dexter, Photo by Doug Draper

Now Tigger may enjoy more celebrity across the region, but we at Niagara At Large also want to share our best wishes for the end-of-year holidays with our home friends, Dylan, the one in white, and Dexter, who is in rub-my-belly mode here. There is not enough we can say about the support  we have enjoyed from them when they have not been caught walking across the keyboards of our computers.

Last but not lease, there is Pinky, our trusted mascot from afar  who spends most of her time living in Florida with the snowbirds and is the first canine we know who declared support for Bernie Sanders when he ran for U.S. president in 2016.

Our mascot Pinky, still ‘Feelin’ the Bern’ down in Florida.

Pinky turned down a chance to do Taco Bell commercials to help us in our ongoing efforts to build Niagara At Large as a vital alternative news and commentary voice for our greater Niagara region.

So from all of us, we wish you and your loved ones some peace and joy during this Holiday Season.

Catch you all on the flip side where – at long last and here’s hoping – some change for the better is in the air.

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

Higgins Votes No on GOP Tax Bill

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

Posted December 22, 2017 on Niagara At Large

U.S Congressman Brian Higgins

Buffalo, New York – Congressman Brian Higgins (NY-26), Vice Ranking Member of the House Ways and Means Committee, released the following statement following his vote against H.R. 1, the GOP tax bill:

“This GOP tax bill provides a heartbreaking catapult to income inequality in America that will serve to grow the gaping wedge between hardworking Americans and wealthy corporate bosses.  This is policy not motivated by bettering the lives of families, students and retirees and certainly not founded in genuine public interest; it is driven by greed and corporate influencers in a callous move to please stockholders and increase the bottom line of big business. Continue reading →

‘The decision (by  Ontario’s Wynne government to restrict personal emergency leave days for autoworkers across the province) appears to have been made at a Wynne Liberal cabinet meeting held behind closed doors shortly before Kathleen Wynne went to Japan and met with major auto manufacturers.’ – Niagara area MPP Cindy Forster

A News Release from the Constituency Office of Welland Riding MPP Cindy Forster

Posted December 21^st, 2017 on Niagara At Large

Welland Riding MPP Cindy Forster in Ontario legislature. File photo

Welland – Ontario NDP Labour critic MPP Cindy Forster is calling on the Liberal government to reverse its secretive decision to give auto workers in Ontario fewer personal emergency leave days than everyone else.

“It’s incredibly disappointing that Kathleen Wynne and her Liberal government are cracking down on auto workers,” said Forster. “These people work hard, often in physically demanding roles, and they certainly deserve treatment that’s equal to what everyone else in the province is getting.”  Continue reading →

A News Release from Democracy Watch Canada, anon-partisan citizens watchdog group based in Ottawa, Ontario

Posted December 21^st, 2017 on Niagara At Large

Paying only 22% of all income taxes, at near lowest rate of G7 countries, and loopholes legalize tax evasion

New national petition calls for Finance Minister Morneau to make key changes to make them pay their fair share of taxes

Key changes also needed to stop Big Bank gouging and abuse – Canada’s Big 6 Banks made a record profit of $42.3 billion in 2017

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
December  2017

OTTAWA – This December , Democracy Watch launched its new national petition on Change.org calling for key changes to make Canada’s big businesses and Big Banks pay their fair share of taxes.

A special report recently published in the Toronto Star details how Canadian big businesses, especially the Big Banks, have higher profits but pay a lower rate of taxes than ever before. Continue reading →