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‘Betsy DeVos serves as Education Secretary under U.S. President Donald Trump and is unapologetic in her advocacy for “school choice” voucher programs that take public dollars away from public schools.’

A Message from Ontario’s New Deomcratic Party

Posted October 5^th, 2017 on Niagara At Large

Devos shares a warm moment with Trump at an event in Washington, D.C. last spring

Queen’s Park, Ontario —Amid mounting pressure, a plan to have U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos visit Ontario schools was cancelled this October 4th, but Ontario New Democrats say that the Wynne government’s plan to welcome her to visit at a more convenient time is not sending the appropriate message.

“We don’t know why this trip was cancelled at the last minute,” said Ontario NDP Education critic Peggy Sattler. “But for a government spokesperson to say she’ll be invited back when it suits her is not sending our kids the right message.”

“Families need their government to take a decisive stance against trans exclusion and gender-based violence and make it clear that’s not welcome in our schools. They need to hear that anyone seeking to divert public education dollars to private schools won’t get an audience with decision makers in this province.”

DeVos serves as Education Secretary under U.S. President Donald Trump and is unapologetic in her advocacy for “school choice” voucher programs that take public dollars away from public schools and give them to private schools, instead.”

“Since her appointment as education secretary, DeVos has repealed Obama-era guidelines allowing gender-neutral washrooms in schools and gutted policies on handling sexual assault cases at colleges.

“New Democrats will continue to stand with families and education advocates in speaking out against anyone who threatens strong publicly-funded education,” added Sattler.

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 Niagara’s Regional Governmenst

Posted October 5^th, 2017 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario’s regional government headquarters in Thorold

Niagara, Ontario – This week, Niagara Region is plea​sed to be recognized as the top upper-tier municipality in Canada on Public Sector Digest’s 2017 Open City Index.

The Index, now in its third year, is Canada’s first study to benchmark the open data initiatives of Canadian municipalities, and examines the readiness, implementation, and impact of municipal data sets that Canadian municipalities make public and easily accessible to residents, businesses and community organizations. Continue reading →

“You might think you have deep pockets,” OPSEU President Warren ‘Smokey’ Thomas warns Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority managers, “but I am telling you right now that we have deeper pockets than you and we will not let up until justice is served.”

A News Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted Ocober 4^th, 2017 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – If those now managing the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority think they can continue getting away with laying off front-line employees and “destroying” the NPCA as an environmental protection body in the Niagara-Hamilton region, they have more than met their match, said Warren ‘Smokey’ Thomas, President of the Ontario Public Services Employees Union, during a news conference in St. Catharines this Wednesday, October 4th.

OPSEU President Warren ‘Smokey’ Thomas

“I have dealt with some bad bosses across this province and this one ranks right up there,” said the OPSEU president during the news conference.

“You might think you have deep pockets,” Thomas added in a message aimed directly at the NPCA’s top administrators and a board of directors made up mostly of municipal politicians appointed an Al Caslin administration now running Niagara’s regional government. “But I am telling you right now that we have deeper pockets than you and we will not let up until justice is served.”

Thomas said his union , which represents a number of the NPCA’s employees, including ones from the Conservation Authority’s watershed management program who were recently let go, and which is one of the largest unions for public sector workers in the province and country, “did not pick this fight (with the NPCA). … But we will finish it,” he vowed. Continue reading →

NPCA Board Decision Shocks Environmental Group

“We are shocked by this action considering we had recently been in contact with (NPCA) Chair (Sandy) Annunziata who assured us of the importance of eco restoration to NPCA.” – Dennis Edell, Chair of Trout Unlimited Canada, Niagara Chapter

 A News Release from the Niagara Chapter of Trout Unlimited Canada

 Posted October 2nd, 2017 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – The Niagara Chapter of Trout Unlimited Canada was blindsided by the uexpected decision by the NPCA (Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority) Board to close down its eco restoration program. At the time of this announcement, both organizations were working as partners on implementing a five year plan to protect and restore Niagara’s primary watershed: Twelve Mile Creek. 

“Since the formation of the Chapter, we have had a productive partnership with the eco restoration group at NPCA,” says Dennis Edell Chair of TUC Niagara Chapter. “We are shocked by this action considering we had recently been in contact with Chair Annunziata who assured us of the importance of eco restoration to NPCA.” Continue reading →

NPCA board’s decision not to reappoint Alberta Garofalo to community liaison committee comes in same week  more front-line environmental staffers being fired out the door                       by NPCA’s management

“Now the NPCA is moving further away from what should be its mandate of environmental protection.  Those in Niagara who love natural spaces and want to preserve habitat for our wildlife species are left without a voice.  The NPCA board could have learned a great deal from Albert Garofalo if only it had listened.” – Joyce Sankey, conservation director, Niagara Falls Nature Club

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

Albert Garofalo

The purge of individuals, including more front-line staff and others, continues at a Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority that has, for all intents and purposes, gone rogue with millions of dollars of our tax money.

Albert Garofalo, a well-known and respected citizen conservation and the kind of person walking in the spirit of the late Doug Elliott and Mel Swart, people who helped found a Conservation Authority in this region more than five decades ago, learned on the last week of this past September that he will not be re-appointed to a committee that is supposed to offer some input and advice from the larger community to the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority. Continue reading →

Sounds kind of like that fantasy of a wall Donald Trump keeps yammering about

A Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted October 2nd, 2017 on Niagara At Large

An earlier computer rendering of a high-rise condo plan for Port Dalhousie

What if yet another development firm floats yet  another proposal  to build a high-rise condo tower in the Niagara, Ontario lakeside community of Port Dalhousie, and few Niagara residents outside of those living in Port Dalhousie itself,  pay much attention to it.

That pretty much sums up the way this Niagara residents, who got swept up some 13 or 14 years ago in the first proposal for a condo tower condo in Port Dalhousie,  feels about the latest condo proposal that was the subject of a recent public meeting I chose not to attend  in the Port town.

I mean, let’s face it. For people like me and for many heritage buffs across the Niagara region who were concerned about the fate of an officially designated ‘Heritage District’ in Port Dalhousie if a huge condo complex – assaulting a previous height restriction bylaw of about two and a half storeys by rising more than 20 storeys in the air – was constructed inside it, the horses left the barn on this issue. Continue reading →

A Statement from Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath On Terrorist Attacks

Posted October 2^nd, 2017 on Niagara At Large

Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath

Queen’s Park, Ontario  – “This morning (Monday, October 2^nd), Ontario’s Members of Provincial Parliament will observe(d) a moment of silence for victims of terrorism. I’m heading into the Assembly with a heavy heart, and my mind on those in Edmonton and Las Vegas who came under attack while they were simply going about their lives.

Hate, violence and prejudice have no place in Canada, or anywhere in the world. I hope we commit, together, not to allow our communities to be torn apart by these attacks.

As Ontarians, Canadians, and citizens of the world, we must stand united against hate. Ontario’s New Democrats extend our deepest sympathies to the victims, families and communities that have been rocked by these vicious acts of terrorism.”

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

NPCA costs taxpayers millions, while falling further and further away from serving as a voice for conservation and environmental protection

Time to close the doors – For Good – on the NPCA!

A Commentary by Niagara At Larger reporter/publisher Doug Draper

Posted September 29^{th, 2017} on Niagara At Large

Warren ‘Smokey’ Thomson, president of the 180,000-member Ontario Public Service Employees Union, summed it up well after learning this last week of September that the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority let go more of its front-line workers – this time eight employees, most, if not all of whom were involved in the NPCA’s watershed protection programs.

“This organization is putting itself out of existence,” said Thomson after the latest firings or layoffs, or whatever, the flying monkeys now running this organization want to call the culling of ever more of the employees that, at least those of us in the public that want a Conservation Authority firmly dedicated to conservation and environmental protection, had a good deal of respect for.

One of many public demonstrations fueled by concerns and questions over the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority does business with millions of our municipal tax dollars – this one last year in front of the NPCA offices in Welland.

“We are not an environmental protection agency,” Sandy Annunziata, a Fort Erie regional councillor and chair of the NPCA’s board of directors, declared himself this past June during a presentation he made on behalf of the body to the Town of Lincoln’s local council. Continue reading →

Keep our water safe

An Action Alert from the Alliance for the Great Lakes

Posted September 29^th,  2017 on Niagara At Large

The images are striking.

Right now, green slime is covering the shores of western Lake Erie. The harmful algal bloom plaguing Toledo and the western basin of the lake is avoidable ― but we need to act now.

Three years ago, the Governors of Ohio and Michigan and the Premier of Ontario pledged action to cut back runoff pollution that feeds the toxic algae. But progress has been painfully slow. Continue reading →

 Final analysis of Bill 148 reveals $12 billion economic problem that the Ontario Government must resolve

A News Release from the Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce

Posted September 29^th, 2017 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – This September 28^th, , the Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with the Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC) and the Keep Ontario Working (KOW) Coalition released two major reports that broadly capture the challenges associated with Bill 148 and the concerns of the employer community.

The first report is the final economic impact analysis of Bill 148 by the Canadian Centre for Economic Analysis’ (CANCEA), which was peer-reviewed by Professor Morley Gunderson of the University of Toronto.

CANCEA’s analysis reveals that if Government were to do nothing other than implement the minimum wage increase over five years instead of in the next 15 months, jobs at risk would decrease by 74 per cent in the first two years.   Continue reading →

A News Release from the Government of Ontario

Posted September 29th, 2017 in Niagara At Large

Ontario is increasing the general minimum wage for the fourth consecutive year, which will bring the wage up to $11.60 on October 1, 2017.

As a part of Ontario’s plan for Fair Workplaces and Better Jobs, the general minimum wage would again increase to $14 on January 1, 2018, and to $15 on January 1, 2019, which would be followed by annual increases at the rate of inflation. Continue reading →

Be There for a Peaceful Gathering – Saturday, September 30th , 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. – at the Niagara Falls, Ontario end of the Rainbow Bridge

A Call-Out from the citizen-based Niagara Antiracism Coalition

Posted September 29th, 2017 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – The people of Niagara continue to welcome refugees and celebrate diversity in the face of hate.

The Niagara Antiracism Coalition (N-ARC) has organized a celebration of diversity and welcome to counter an anti-immigration demonstration planned by a hate group this weekend.

More than 500 people are expected at the celebration that will take place at the end of the Rainbow Bridge between 10AM and 2PM on Saturday, 30 September. 

The event is supported by the Unitarian Congregation of Niagara, The Niagara Regional Native Centre, Quakers in Niagara and OPIRG-Brock. It has the full endorsement of The Niagara Regional Labour Council that represents thousands of unionized workers across Niagara including Unifor, CUPE, OPSEU, CUPW, OSSTF, OECTA, Teamsters, ATU, BUFA, PSAC, and ETFO. Continue reading →

 “The Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority is mandated to protect Niagara and parts of Hamilton’s environment for nearly a million residents. But instead of doing that, it’s been too busy firing environmental specialists and suing private citizens who dare to speak up for accountability.” – Welland Riding MPP Cindy Forster

News from the Constituency Office of Welland Riding MPP Cindy Forster

Posted September 28^th, 2017 on Niagara At Large

Welland Rding MPP Cindy Forster

QUEEN’S PARK, Ontario – Welland NDP MPP Cindy Forster says the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority’s (NPCA) recent move to cut staff in its watershed department in half is an assault on workers, as well as its own mandate. While this is just the latest decision from the chaotic NPCA board, the Liberal government continues to turn its back, doing nothing to ensure accountability and transparency are restored to the organization.

“The NPCA is mandated to protect Niagara and parts of Hamilton’s environment for nearly a million residents,” said Forster. “But instead of doing that, it’s been too busy firing environmental specialists and suing private citizens who dare to speak up for accountability. Continue reading →

 “The Niagara watershed is too precious an asset to be auctioned off to hungry developers. Let’s get to the bottom of this right now.” – Ontario Public Service Employees Union President Warren ‘Smokey’ Thomas

A News Update from Niagara At Large reporter and publisher Doug Draper

Posted September 28^th, 2017 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – In an interview with Niagara At Large and a media release below, Warren ‘Smokey’ Thomas, President of Ontario Public Services Employees Union (OPSEU), said his union – one of the largest public sector unions in the country – will be pressing the Ontario to take action in the wake of the axing of eight more front-line jobs at the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority.

OPSEU President Warren ‘Smokey’ Thomas (right) confronts NPCA administrator (also a Port Colborne regional councilor), before one of the Conservation Authority’s board meetings this past spring. Photo by Doug Draper

“The provincial government owns this now. They can’t turn a blind eye and we are not going to let it off the hook. How can they say they care about the environment if they don’t do something about this,” said Thomas in an interview this September 29^th, as news circulated that the NPCA – a publicly funded water body that was created more than six decades ago to safeguard the health of Niagara’s watersheds – has virtually wiped out front-line jobs in its watershed department.

“I don’t see how the provincial government can get around this. This is absolutely egregious,” added Thomas, whose union represents a number of what’s left of front-line employees at the NPCA and whose OPSEU health and safety representative Terri Aversa was recently refused an opportunity to speak to NPCA’s board of directors about a union-sponsored survey that alleges numerous cases of workplace at the Conservation Authority. Continue reading →

Veteran Liberal MPP Jim Bradley joins the NDP’s Cindy Forster in raising serious concerns about  current state of Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority

Posted September 27th, 2017 on Niagara At Large, with a few introductory comments from NAL reporter and publisher Doug Draper

Veteran Ontario Liberal Party MPP for St. Catharines, Jim Bradley

“We saw environmentally-inclined employees being fired out the door and replaced with those who, no doubt, are less inclined to be protective of the environment … You won’t find a nicer individual than Bill Hodgson, who used to be the mayor of the town of Lincoln and is now a regional councillor from Lincoln (and who publicly demanded an independent, third party audit of NPCA operations). …. . So what happens? He gets bullied, he gets criticized and, unfortunately, he made a decision to withdraw from the board, to resign from the board. … The Mayor of Pelham, Dave Augustyn, has people after him now. He had been critical of the way the conservation authority was being run. So one of the councillor says, “Well, we’re going to have an audit of your municipality.”  , “ –  St. Catharines MPP Jim Bradley

Welland Riding MPP Cindy Forster in Ontario Legislature. File Photo

“I have some more news hot off the press. As of 4:30 today (September 26th), the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority continues to gut the workforce. They are now laying off eight front-line workers, perhaps nine: three in restoration, two planners, two ecological technicians and one event coordinator, as well as one vacant management position. … What a tragedy for the Niagara region. These people are the people who review development proposals. They manage the watershed program and they issue the permits around development and around building. … . I think the Ministry of Labour should be stepping in and appointing a supervisor to this workplace.” – Welland Riding MPP Cindy Forster, from her address this September 27th, 2017 in the Ontario Legislature

An Introductory Commentary by Doug Draper

When it comes to this disastrous nightmare of a Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority, with a board of directors and senior administrative staff from the BOWELS OF HELL, when are more of our local and regional council members, when is the Ontario government, when is Niagara’s business community, and when are even more every days citizens across this region going to stand up and scream out –  Enough Is Enough! Continue reading →

Read the following Call to Action from a respected heritage activist in Niagara, Ontario and find out what you can do to help

A Guest Column by veteran Niagara heritage advocate Pamela Minns

Posted September 29^th, 2017 on Niagara At Large                                                                                                   

In their pre-election message October, 2015 to the heritage sector, the Liberal Party of Canada expressed their willingness to consider financial incentives for historic places.

The revitalization of downtown Thorold has received national attention and has been a project done in partnership with local heritage advocates like Pamela Minns, local businesses, Thorold’s city council and the provincial and federal governments.

It was understood from Anna Gainey, President of the Liberal Party, that the government would work in collaboration with the heritage sector and other stakeholders, to examine measures that promote the preservation and rehabilitation of Canada’s heritage buildings.  “We are open to measures that use the tax system that stimulate private investments in heritage buildings”. Continue reading →

‘Wetlands (like those in Niagara’s Thundering Waters Forest) are an excellent carbon sink and a way to reduce the impact of flooding caused by climate change.’

A Guest Column by John Bacher

Posted September 27^th, 2017 on Niagara At Large

The recent devastating floods in Houston, Texas caused this past August by Hurricane Harvey reveal the significance of the Ontario’s government recent refusal to give into development lobbyists to undermine wetland protections.

Destructive flooding of Houston urban areas where wetlands used to be

These protections were upheld by public pressure, largely from the Niagara region, to defend Provincially Protected Wetlands (PSWs)  located on 483 acres of natural lands in Niagara Falls, known as Thundering Waters Forest.

The Texas disaster resulted in sixty deaths and an estimated $10 billion in property damage. Its impact was intensified by the earlier destruction of wetlands, which had served as natural sponges to absorb flood waters.  The economic damage may skyrocket to the global economy since the wreckage impacts 300,000 home mortgages.

The core of Ontario’s wetland policy is the strength of the provisions to restrict development. Continue reading →

Multiple Calls across Niagara/Hamilton  for Audit of Conservation Authority left up in the air

A News Update from Doug Draper, reporter/publisher, Niagara At Large

Posted September 25^th, 2017 on Niagara At Large

A spokesperson for Ontario’s Auditor General Bonnie Lysyk confirmed this September 25^th that it has turned down a request to do an independent audit of the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority’s operations.

Citizen demonstrators at recent meeting of Niagara Penninsula Conservation Auhtoriy’s board.

The Auditor’s Office is not able to audit the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA) “at this point in time because we are focused on other audits,” Christine Pedias, the Office’s manager of corporate communications, confirmed during a call from Niagara At Large this September 25^th, adding that the Office is now consumed with getting its annual report on provincial operations completed for released later this Fall. Continue reading →

“Niagara has a strategic advantage built within its geography when it comes to trade and transportation … for strong economic growth well into the future.” – Vance Badawey, Member of Parliament for  Niagara Centre    

News from the Office of Niagara Centre MP Vance Badawey

Posted September 25th, 2017 on Niagara At Large   

Niagara Centre (Ontario) MP Vance Badawey

Welland, Ontario  – Vance Badawey, Member of Parliament for Niagara Centre, met with local businesses, industry associations, post-secondary institutions, and local municipalities in order to discuss trade, transportation and the overall economic landscape in the Niagara region.

The discussion focused on the Niagara Economic Gateway corridor strategy and how the Federal government can assist local municipalities, the Region, and the Province in alleviating trade corridor bottlenecks in the Niagara region.

These discussions stem from Niagara’s designation as a Gateway Economic Zone and Centre by the Ontario Government in 2010, and subsequently being named an Economic Cluster, as well as its designation as Ontario’s first Foreign Trade Zone by the Government of Canada in 2016. MP Badawey is looking forward to working with all relevant stakeholders to capitalize on Niagara’s strengths. Continue reading →

“I believe it is ethically inappropriate to accept the $50,000 because it sets an unacceptable precedent of granting wealth great influence and privilege in municipal decision-making.”

A Guest Column by Town of Pelham Mayor Dave Augustyn

Posted September 25^th, 2017 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – Niagara Regional politics got even stranger last week when a Niagara developer offered a lot of money – $50,000 – to the Niagara Region Audit Committee.

Town of Pelham Mayor and Niagara regional councilor Dave Augustyn

The proposal by the developer (Rainer Hummel of Niagara-on-the-Lake) was to get the Committee to recommend that Regional Council ask Pelham Council to audit two Town matters – a parkland over-dedication transaction and development charge credit agreement.

You may recall that some Regional Councillors started questioning Town issues on March 30, 2017 when Regional Councillors David Barrick of Port Colborne and Bob Gale of Niagara Falls put forward a motion that included 13 accusations about Pelham’s debt, finances, and property taxes.

Why at the Region?

They said the Region could talk about Pelham because the Town’s debt might impact the Region’s Standard & Poor’s AA Credit Rating. This was later disproved since the 2017 Standard & Poor’s report shows that the Region could borrow an additional $282 million before risking a credit rating downgrade. Continue reading →

A Brief Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted September 24^th, 2017 on Niagara At Large

When I finally had the great experience of seeing Stevie Wonder in concert with his then great band Wonderlove in1983, he lived up to every feeling I ever had for him as a living, breathing spirit for love, peace and justice for all.

Stevie Wonder lived up to that feeling again this past Saturday, September 23^rd when, before his performance at a ‘Global Citizens Concert’ in New York City’s Central Park, he got down on his knees in solidary with National Football players who have done the same during pre-game singings of the national anthem, all in protest of disproportionate numbers of police shootings and arrests of people of colour – NFL players who America’s hater-in-chief, Donald Trump used a recent rally in racist State of Alabama as ‘sons of bitches’ who show no respect for their country’s flag, and should be fired!

“Tonight, I’m taking a knee for America,” said Stevie as countless hundreds of thousands watched the televised concert. “Not just one knee. I’m taking both knees. … Both knees in prayer for our planet, our future, our leaders of our world, and our globe. Amen.” Continue reading →

 From Doug Draper, reporter/publisher Niagara At Large

Posted September 22^nd, 2017 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – Following months of calls from growing numbers of Niagara area citizens, and a majority of local municipal councils and Provincial Members of Parliament across the Region, the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority is claiming in a media release it posted late this Friday, September 22^nd that Ontario Auditor General Bonnie Lysyk’s office has informed it that it “will not be conducting a value-for-money audit of the NPCA.”

One of a number of citizen demonstration over the past several months, calling for an independent audit of NPCA’s operations. Photo by Doug Draper

According to the NPCA media release – which might be seen as a classic case of what is called a “Friday afternoon news dump” done to make it hard for others to contact appropriate parties for confirmation until the following week due to government offices being closed through the weekend – the Conservation Authority’s board “will now turn its attention to conducting additional audits beyond their annual financial audits.” Continue reading →

‘For individuals and families impacted by cancer, Wellspring Niagara stands as a beacon of light and a rainbow of hope.’

A Guest Column from Pelham Mayor Dave Augustyn

Posted September 22nd, 2017 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – On behalf of Pelham Town Council, it was my honour and privilege to participate in the special groundbreaking for a new home for Wellspring Niagara earlier this September.

Groundbreaking ceremony for Wellspring’s new home in Pelham/Niagara. Photo courtesy of Town of Pelham

Wellspring Niagara’s exceptional services are well known across the Peninsula. For more than 16 years their dedicated volunteers and staff have provided free social, emotional, psychological and informational support to people coping with cancer. Continue reading →

A News Advisory from Niagara, Ontario’s Public Health Department

Posted September 22nd, 2017 on Niagara At Large

(A Brief Foreword Note from NAL publisher Doug Draper – After finding ourselves digging out our long pants and fall jackets to deal with the unseasonal cold temperatures earlier this September, and now this – what could be record-setting high temperatures forecast this weekend for much of the Greater Golden Horseshoe, including Niagara, and for much of Western New York.

Pack it in with unprecedented weather events of a far more dangerous sort in the Carribean and southern United States and in parts of western Canada and the U.S., where extended periods of drought and wildfires have dominated much of the spring and summer just past.

So enjoy however bonus days of July-like weather we get knowing, as many of you who have been following the climate issue closely do, that in the long-run there may be a cost, and it probably won’t be cheap. The rest can relax as they are assured by Tories, Republicans and their corporate masters, that the whole thing is a hoax.

Now here is the Niagara Public Health Department’s heat advisory – )

​An Excessive Heat Alert has been issued today, Sept. 22, 2017, by Niagara Region Public Health as the humidex is expected to approach 40​°C over the weekend. Continue reading →

“Climate change, if left unchecked, will profoundly disrupt the economies of the world and cause untold human suffering. That’s the reason why California and Québec are joining with Ontario to create an expanded and dynamic carbon market, which will drive down greenhouse gas emissions.” — Jerry Brown, Governor of California

News from the Office of Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne

Posted September 22, 2017 on Niagara At Large

This Friday, September 22^nd, Québec Premier Philippe Couillard, Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne and California Governor Edmund G. (Jerry) Brown further strengthened their cooperation in the global fight against climate change.

From left, Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne, Québec Premier Philippe Couillard and California Governor Jerry Brown sign climate pact. Photo courtesy of Ontario Premier’s Office

Premier Couillard hosted Premier Wynne and Governor Brown in Québec City to sign an agreement linking the carbon markets of Québec, Ontario and California.

By signing this agreement to integrate and harmonize emissions cap programs, Ontario will now formally enter the Québec-California carbon market, effective January 1, 2018. This will allow all three governments to hold joint auctions of greenhouse gas emission allowances and to harmonize regulations and reporting. Continue reading →

“We are sleepwalking to cataclysmic planetary disaster.” – Federal Green Party leader Elizabeth May

A Message from the Green Party of Canada

Posted September 22nd, 2017 on Niagara At Large

(A Brief Foreword Note from Niagara At Large publisher Doug Draper – I am not a member of any political party and I do not want to be, but I am posting the following message from federal Green Party leader Elizabeth May  – even though it includes a request for donations to the party and its public interest campaigns – because I believe it is very important.

Canada’s Green Party leader Elizabeth May

It is a message that is coming from the only federal party in Canada that, during the 2015 national election, took a clear and unequivocal stance for leaving what is left in the tar sands buried in the ground and not building any more pipelines for transporting this tar to shipping docks on the coasts.

For that reason alone – given the magnitude of the climate challenges facing the planet and every form of life inhabiting it – NAL is pleased to give Elizabeth May’s continued efforts for more progressive change and action a little exposure here.

Now back to May’s message.)

Dear Friend,

“Hope is a verb with its sleeves rolled up.” – David Orr

On September 5th, we held a press conference in Vancouver with Dr. David Suzuki and Grand Chief Stewart Phillip.

The Green Party was hoping to get media attention to the imminent risk of the Liberals abandoning promises to repair environmental assessment law and the damage done by Harper. Almost no one from the media attended.

Dr. David Suzuki (left), Green Party leader Elizabeth May and Grand Chief Stewart Phillip press need for more action on climate change.

Out the windows, Vancouver Harbour was bathed in a sickly orange haze, choking in smoke from the BC forest fires. Continue reading →

Friday, September 29th , 8 PM (with a 7 PM VIP reception) at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery overlooking Buffalo, New York’s Delaware Park

Posted September 22^nd, 2017 on Niagara At Large

Buffalo, New York  – The America/New York Buffalo Humanities Festival features environmentalist Bill McKibben speaking on “The Desperate Climate Fight: Ordinary People in an Extraordinary Moment.”

American environmentalist Bill McKibben speaks on climate crisis

The critically acclaimed environmentalist and author will speak at the Albright-Knox on issues of environmental justice and economic sustainability, local and regional activism and planning, and the global climate change crisis. Buffalo, New York area Congressman Brian Higgins will introduce  him.

$20 general admission
$15 Students

Buy Tickets Online

Learn More about the Festival
Learn More about Bill McKibben

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

One of the lessons from in the zone – If you don’t say anything about workplace harassment, apparently it doesn’t exist

A News Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted September 21st, 2017 on Niagara At Large

“We have a positive and high-performing workplace, and that’s what I work at every day.”

Some protest signs outside a board meeting of the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority this past April

That is what Mark Brickell, the most recently installed CAO of the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority, told a reporter for one of region’s daily newspapers following the release of a report alleging a “toxic” environment and repeated harassment of employees in the NPCA workplace.

So if the Chief Administrative Officer for Niagara’s publicly funded Conservation Authority  says that, where do you go from there? Continue reading →

News from Niagara College

Posted September 20th, 2017 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – Responding to a need for skilled graduates who are knowledgeable in the complex regulations and requirements of an emerging industry, Niagara College will launch a Graduate Certificate program in Commercial Cannabis Production in 2018 – Canada’s first postsecondary credential in the production of commercial cannabis.

Shown in the Niagara College Greenhouse are Al Unwin, associate dean of Niagara College’s School of Environmental and Horticultural Studies, and Denzil Rose, a student in Niagara College’s Greenhouse Technician program. Photo courtesy of Niagara College

The program, which was approved by the Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Development over the summer, would prepare graduates to work in the licensed production of Cannabis, which is used as a therapeutic drug (Marijuana); fiber (Hemp) and as a source for seed oil  (Hempseed). Continue reading →

 A Statement from the Office of Canada’s Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau

Posted September 20th, 2017 on Niagara At Large

Canada’s Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, issued the following statement this September 19th on the appointment of Member of Parliament Chris Bittle – MPP for the Niagara area riding of St. Catharines, as the new Deputy Leader of the Government in the House of Commons:

St. Catharines Riding MPP Chris Bittle promoted to Deputy Leader post

“I am very pleased that Member of Parliament for St. Catharines, Chris Bittle, has been appointed as the new Deputy Leader of the Government in the House of Commons.

“Working closely with the Honourable Bardish Chagger, the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, Chris Bittle will encourage close collaboration and meaningful engagement with House of Commons colleagues, Parliamentary Committees, the Public Service, stakeholders, and Canadians. He will also play an instrumental role as we work to modernize the House of Commons and make it more accountable, predictable, efficient, and transparent. Continue reading →

In response to a deadly opoid crisis that is growing across the province and country

From  the Government of Ontario

Posted September 20th, 2017 on Niagara At Large

The following statement was issued this September 19th by Dr. Eric Hoskins, Minister of Health and Long-Term Care:

Dr. Eric Hoskins, Minister of Health and Long-Term Care

“The opioid crisis in Ontario is a tragic and growing issue, one we are continuing to work diligently to combat. As part of our government’s commitment to openness, transparency and evidence-based decision-making, we are continuing to make relevant data widely available, including to health care providers and planners working on the front lines, as well as to the public. 

Today, we have updated the Interactive Opioid Tracker with data from April 1 – June 30, 2017. As part of the $222 million announced last month to fight the opioid crisis, Ontario is making $21 million immediately available to help community-based addiction organizations in their response to this crisis.  Continue reading →

When are the next municipal elections? Bring them on!

A Brief Message from Niagara At Large publisher Doug Draper

Posted September 19th, 2017 on Niagara At Large

“We’ve gotta get out of this place, if it’s the last thing we ever do.”

Some of you may remember the words to that old song by Eric Burdon and The Animals, and after a whole evening this past Thursday, September 14^th  of live streaming Niagara’s regional council meeting and spending this past Monday morning feeling like I had crossed over into the twilight zone at a meeting of the same government’s so-called Audit Committee, I gotta get out of this region for a day and decompress.

Port Colborne regional councilor David Barrick and Niagara’s superhero for open democracy and fiscal accountability wins his month’s long bid for an “independent, third-party audit of the Town of Pelham’s books.

Sitting at that audit committee meeting, watching Port Colborne regional councillor David Barrick (also a senior manager at the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority), scolding someone else (in this case a lawyer for the Town of Pelham) and  declaring outrage at the lawyer’s refusal to answer his questions about the town’s financial business, then declare that  he was plowing ahead with his inquiry as a way of standing up for  open democracy, was too much  magic bus and purple haze.

It was like – get me the hell out of this asylum.

Sometimes it is  best not o post the words that immediately come to mind after such alternative reality episodes.

So I will have more to say about this and about the growing number of  Niagara At Larger  readers and citizens in this region who are just plain saying; “Let’s get rid of regional government,” when I return from my retreat this September 21^st.

In the meantime, this day of escape is kind of like that old line about banging  your head against a concrete block. “It feels so good when you stop.”

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

Strike Looming  at Ontario Colleges As Full-Time Faculty Jobs Disappear, Part-Time Faculty Numbers Soar.

“It is a shame that so many students have enrolled in post-secondary education only to find a strike looming that might cost them their semester. The provincial government has thought to provide financial assistance to students but neither the government nor college management seem to have considered those                   who teach them..”

A News Commentary by Melissa McGlashan, a citizen activist in Niagara, Ontario and member of the South Niagara chapter of the Council of Canadians

Posted September 18th, 2017 on Niagara At Large

On September 13th, 2017 Niagara At Large reported that “more than one-third of all full-time college and university students in Ontario are receiving free tuition thanks to the new Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP).”

Niagara College alone is reporting a record high enrolment of over 10,000 students. It is a shame that there may not be any faculty at Ontario’s colleges to teach these students.

The current contract for faculty at Niagara College and Ontario’s 23 other provincial colleges expires on September 30, 2017. At a vote held September 14, Ontario’s 12,000 college faculty gave their bargaining team a strike mandate.  

One of the major issues that the union wants addressed is precarious work. Continue reading →

An Invite from Niagara Action For Animals, an animal advocacy & assistance group for animals in Niagara, Ontario

Posted September 18^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Dear Friends of Animals –

Niagara Action for Animals (NAFA) is hosting an evening with Aleisha Murray on Monday September 25th from 7 – 9 p.m. at the NAfA house – 94 Welland Avenue, St. Catharines.

Amongst other things, Aleisha will discuss how one can honour the passing of their companion animals. Please RSVP if you are coming, so that we can arrange sufficient refreshments and also if we have a great deal of interest, we may have to arrange a 2nd evening or afternoon. Continue reading →

“Read damage was done here,” says Governor Andrew Cuomo of discharge incident

A News Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted September 14^th, 2017 on Niagara At Large

New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo has always seemed like the type of non-sense guy you wouldn’t want to do something that gets him upset with you.

The dark, oily, foul-smelling blob can be seen surrounding Maid of the Mist boat and dock area near American side of Niagara River on July 29th.

And he certainly proved that to be the case this September 14th when he made a trip to Niagara Falls, N.Y. to let those responsible for operating that city’s wastewater treatment plant how he feels about what a shabby job he feels they did on the last Saturday of this past July when a large, inky looking and foul-smelling blob of pollution entered the Niagara River from their plant, just downstream from the American and Horseshoe Falls were countless thousands of tourists could see and smell it.

For that discharge and other recent ones the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation has records of entering the river from the city’s plant, Cuomo, as The Buffalo News reported in a story published this September 15th, cited the Niagara Falls, N.Y. Water Board for a “’lack of training, lack of systems, lack of processes’, and he called the board’s operational violations ‘inexcusable’.” Continue reading →

“I call on all Canadians to get informed and involved. By using our voices as forces for positive change, we can strengthen democratic norms and institutions.”

Niagara At Large urges you to read this statement and think about the disgusting mess we have at the regional government level, right here in Niagara, Ontario

A Statement by Canada’s  Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, on International Day of Democracy

Posted September 15th, 2017 on Niagara At Large

The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today issued the following statement to mark the International Day of Democracy:

“Today, we join our partners in the United Nations to celebrate the International Day of Democracy. We take the opportunity to recognize the freedoms that democracy affords us – and remind ourselves of the responsibility we all share to keep our democracy strong.

“This year’s theme – Democracy and Conflict Prevention – highlights the indivisible links between peace and democracy. Canada recognizes the critical need to strengthen democratic norms and institutions around the world to promote peace and stability. Continue reading →

Just one more in what seems like a never-ending series of NPCA hoof-in-mouth-disease debacles

A Brief Commentary from Linda Babb

Posted September 15th, 2017 on Niagara At Large

‘When you find yourself in a hole – stop digging’ could be the advice the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority’s communications specialist Michael Reles and Chair Sandy Annunziata should heed.  

Giving twelve days’ notice, on Thursday, August 31, 2017, the NPCA placed a full page ad in a weekly newspaper, Niagara This Week, with a heading for the ad reading;  “Conservation & Community Strategic Plan Review.”

Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority board chair and Fort Erie regional councilor Sandy Annunziata, seated in the middle, appears to be making some sort of weird gesture while then-acting CAO Peter Graham, seated to the left and now reportedly no longer with the NPCA, and administrative assistant Lisa Conte, seated to the  right and now reportedly gone or a about to go to another job in the regional government, flank him at an NPCA board meeting last March.

“The NPCA Strategic Plan set forth goals for an organizational transformation.  Now, the 2014 – 2017 Strategic Plan is nearing completion,” the ad went on to say.  “The NPCA needs to hear from our partners, stakeholders, and community.  Have your voice heard by registering to participate in specialized feedback sessions.  Register now to attend.”

In light of consistently negative comments and media coverage regarding the NPCA, lack of information about whether or not they have actually requested the Ontario Auditor General to conduct the full fiscal audit demanded for months, questionable expense claims by Chair Annunziata, allegations of bullying a member of the public and an OPSEU report the NPCA being a “toxic workplace, it is perfectly understandable that the NPCA might wish to improve the image of the organization. 

It would seem a good idea to hold a public meeting to invite their “partners, stakeholders and community” to attend a meeting to “have their voices heard”. 

Interested individuals immediately went to the website to “register to attend” – what a great opportunity to express concerns and make recommendations! 

And yet – on September 8th I received acknowledgement of my interest in attending as follows – “Thank you for your interest in the NPCA Strategic Plan Review.  Due to the overwhelming response, I regret to inform you that the review session is full and we could not reserve a space for you.  Again, thank you for your interest. Should you wish to provide feedback on the 2014-2017 Strategic Plan, you may submit your comments in writing to me. I have attached the outline of how we wish to receive feedback on the Plan should you choose to do so.”

Eager to participate, I then asked for confirmation of the venue – on September 11 the response I received was -“Attendance is limited to only those that have been confirmed.”  I look forward to your written submission.”

Then, at 3.22 pm on September 12, I received, along with many others, an email that read – “On behalf of Sandy Annunziata, Chair of the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority Board of Directors, and aligning with his position that all voices should be heard, we have made accommodations to increase the number of attendees at tonight’s Strategic Plan Review meeting.  All those who have registered to attend the meeting will be granted entry and will be able to participate fully in tonight’s discussion. Please be prepared to provide your input on the execution of the 2014-2017 Strategic Plan.”

Within ONE day – the “overwhelming response”, which precluded all others who “registered”, was no longer an impediment!!  How marvellous and how magnanimous of Chair Annunziata! Those who had been denied could now be “granted entry” and how magnanimous of Chair Annunziata!!

One could interpret or respond to this in different ways, but the most glaring observation is that on Monday September 12, MPP Cindy Forster delivered a strong speech at Queens Park in which she roundly condemned the practices of the NPCA. 

Is anyone else making the connection here?  Can anyone else see ‘extreme damage control’ going into effect?  How well did that work? 

A total of about seven people were in attendance!  Unarguably an “overwhelming response.”

As I said initially, when you find yourself in a hole – stop digging.

About Linda Babb – After over ten years in the political arena in the British Columbia Legislature and twenty more in Public Relations, Linda Babb, now a resident of Niagara, is committed to demanding and restoring accountability at all levels of government.

A little late-breaking news on this one from Niagara At Large publisher Doug Draper –

One of the signs that welcomed members of the public outside a meeting of the NPCA board this past spring. What message was being communicated here?

In the wake of all the clamour from Niagara area residents who registered for the September 12th meeting referred to above, only to be told there was no room for them, then later told something else, there are now reports that whoever the flying monkeys are in charge of the NPCA a, have  decided to hold another meeting on or around September, possibly as a way of offering more proof to the old axiom that two wrongs don’t make a right.

As someone who got suckered in to wasting numerous precious volunteer hours some three or four years ago sitting on a committee that made recommendations for the NPCA’s strategic plan on how to better communicate with and engage the public in the Conservation Authority’s work, guess who won’t waste one more precious minute of his going to another one of this body’s meetings? ….

Unless, I get some advance word that the province is finally going to come in and fire the whole upper management and board. I will certainly show up for that one!

–         Doug Draper

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

Join a meeting of the Niagara Green Party on September 23rd

News from the Niagara Falls Green Party

Posted September 14^th, 2017 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – September is Democracy Month for the Niagara Greens!

With less than a year to go before the next provincial election, the Niagara Falls Green Party is kicking into gear and taking action NOW!

Do you know what local democratic action looks like? Do you know how local ridings are founded and what being a member means? Ready to get involved?

The Niagara Falls Green Party members are coming together to educate, act and grow on Saturday September 23rd. Continue reading →

Audio and Video of Welland Riding MPP Cindy Forster on local radio and in the Ontario legislature, with introductory remarks by Niagara At Large reporter and publisher Doug Draper

Posted September 13^th, 2017 on Niagara At Large

“There are all these alleged issues (swirling around the NPCA) and we have been calling on every ministry (in the Ontario government) that kind of touches on this agency to act and all we get (from the government) is that we don’t have any authority.”

Welland Rding MPP Cindy Forster

Those are among the comments Welland Riding MPP Cindy Forster made this past September 12^th  during an interview on CKTB Radio in St. Catharines – an interview that followed an address she delivered in the Ontario Legislature the day before, outlining many of the issues dogging the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority, from its hiring and firing practices, its awarding of contracts to private consultants, the number of politicians sitting on its board, its lawsuit against Niagara citizen critical of its operations, and on and on.

There are a lot of issues alright and I can say with certainty that very few people aside from those who have a vested interest in the status quo buys the line from Ontario Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry Kathryn McGarry or anyone else in the province’s Liberal government that this government has no power to clean up the disgusting mess we face here with this once proud Conservation Authority that has turned rancid and rogue. Continue reading →

How do we address this situation: By ignoring it? By counter attack?  Or by getting together as communities and  engaging in “multi-logue” (many-to-many conservation)?

An Invite to All from Desmond Sequeira, Niagara Resident and Mulit-Faith Chaplain (Rtd.) Government of Ontario, and the Niagara Anti-Racism Coalition

Posted September 13^th, 2017 on Niagara At Large

Is the re- emergence of groups of White Supremacists in Niagara that is just a fringe blip or is it a movement to be disturbed about?

How do we address this situation: By ignoring it? By counter attack?  By engaging in “multi-logue”? Can “multi-logue” happen? What are the best steps to take to ensure the long-term Celebration of Diversity in Canada? Continue reading →

News from Ontario’s Liberal Government

Posted September 13^th, 2017 on Niagara At Large

The photo images for this post were chosen by Niagara At Large and did not come with this Ontario government News Release

This school year, more than one-third of all full-time college and university students in Ontario are receiving free tuition thanks to the new Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP).

Deb Matthews, Minister of Advanced Education and Skills Development, met with students in Ottawa (earlier this September) to talk about how the new OSAP and other proposed programs will make life easier for students, including:

• Free pharmacare so that youth under 25 don’t have to worry about paying for prescription medication, starting January 1, 2018.
• Raising the minimum wage so that students can earn more money to help them afford the cost of school.
• Improved repayment assistance so that students don’t have to worry about paying back their Ontario student loans until they’re making at least $35,000 a year.
• Free online textbooks to help students cover the cost of buying their textbooks.

Continue reading →

Conservation Authority staffers – Past and Present – are looking at suing Kathryn McGarry, sources say

A News Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted September 12^th, 2017 on Niagara At Large

When are Ontario Natural Resources Minister Kathryn McGarry ad the Kathleen Wynne government finally going to act on mounting concerns raised about the way the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority does business with millions of dollars of our money?

Niagara, Ontario –

Frustration is reaching a boiling point over Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry Minister Kathryn McGarry’s failure to act on repeated concerns that have been raised over the way the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority does business.

So much so that past and present employees with the Conservation Authority are making inquiries with lawyers about possibly filing a class action lawsuit against McGarry for “non-action” on the NPCA file, sources close the inquiries have told Niagara At Large.

Employees want McGarry, whose ministry has jurisdiction over an Ontario Conservation Act that sets a framework for the operations of 36 Conservation Authorities across the province, including the NPCA, to appoint a special supervisor to go in and turf out the current senior managers and board of directors at the NPCA, said the sources, who do not want to be identified for fear of reprisals from the Conservation Authority’s current management. Continue reading →

A Column by Sam Oosterhoff, MPP, Niagara West – Glanbrook

Posted September 12th, 2017 on Niagara At Large

Niagara West-Glanbrook MPP Sam Oosterhoff

While many of us enjoyed summer with friends, family members, and the occasional ray of sunshine, the Legislature’s Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs toured the province listening to the public’s perspective on Bill 148, the “Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act, 2017”.

Although this bill makes a series of changes to the Employment Standards Act, public attention has been focused on the provisions which will increase Ontario’s minimum wage from its current $11.40 an hour up to $15 an hour.

In recent years, minimum wage has been tied to the rate of inflation, such that it increases incrementally, with the cost of living.  However, Bill 148 will have minimum wage shoot up by 32 per cent in less than 18 months. Continue reading →

Cindy Forster’s tear into NPCA conduct receives praise from St. Catharines Riding MPP and Liberal government member Jim Bradley and Niagara West-Glanbrook Riding MPP and Progressive Conservative member Sam Oosterhoff

Posted September 11^th, 2017 with a few introductory comments from Doug Draper

As countless Niagara, Ontario residents who have been paying attention to the news coming out of this region over the past couple of years already know, growing numbers of Niagara area citizens and municipal politicians have been raising questions and concerns about how those currently running the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority have been doing business with millions of our tax dollars.

Welland Riding MPP Cindy Forster

Charges of  workplace harassment, wrongful dismissals, cronyism and favouritism when it comes to the NPCA’s hiring and promoting practices, concerns aound awarding contracts to consultants, the launching of a lawsuit against a respected Niagara citizen and the censuring of a respected area politician who sat on the NPCA board are among the issues that have continued to be raised.

And few politicians have been more fearless in raising these questions and concerns than Cindy Forster, the provincial representative for the Welland Riding and a member of the NDP.

This Monday, September 11^th,  on the first day the Ontario legislature went back in to session following a summer break,  Forster stood on the floor and laid many of those concerns and questions flat out for everyone, including  Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne and her cabinet ministers to hear.

For our readers’ information, I am  now  going to run the entire hansard of  Forster’s remarks, including comments of support delivered by two Niagara area MPPs representing the other two parties.

I will have much more to post on these remarks and related matters in the days ahead so stay tune. But for now, here are Forster’s remarks –

Cindy Forster in Ontario Legislature. File Photo

LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF ONTARIO

ASSEMBLÉE LÉGISLATIVE DE L’ONTARIO

Monday 11 September 2017 Lundi 11 septembre 2017

Ms. Cindy Forster: The environmentalists were let go; you’re right. These people didn’t have a union at the time, so it was just: “Here’s your package. Goodbye. See you around”—some of them with 20 or 25 years’ experience. What has happened is, that has kind of continued to happen. These people eventually joined OPSEU and they got a collective agreement. But their life hasn’t been made any easier since then, except that they now have a voice and the right to file a grievance and do those kinds of things. Continue reading →

‘This is not only Sandy Annunziata and his attitude towards our tax dollars. This is a system that has run amok over the citizens of Niagara, and it starts at the top.’

By Ed Smith

Posted September 11^th, 2017 on Niagara At Large

(A Brief Foreword Note from Niagara At Large publisher Doug Draper – In light of the recent revelation into the use of public funds by Fort Erie Regional Councillor Sandy Annunziata, Niagara at Large is pleased to post the following column by Niagara, Ontario resident and community activist Ed Smith that, in NAL’s view, cuts through some of the crap that has been thrown out there and takes a deeper look into the facts.)

Fort Erie regional councilor Sandy Annunziata has found himself explaining his travel expenses lately.

For those of you who may be unaware, an  article in the St Catharines Standard, published on the front page of the newspaper this past September 2^nd,  exposed the fact that Regional Councillor Annunziata has received thousands of taxpayer dollars in order to drive to Toronto for a radio talk show on which he is a frequent guest host.  According to the Standard article Annunziata asserted the money was “well spent”.

Again according to the article in the Standard; regional councillors receive 54 cents for every kilometre traveled up to 5,000 kilometres, and 48 cents for every kilometre after that.  Of the more than 15,900 kilometres Annunziata claimed as travel expenses in 2015 more than half, or 8,324 km, were for trips to Newstalk 1010. He would have received around $4,100 dollars. Continue reading →

Be there for this Event on Wednesday, September 20th at 7 p.m. in the Fort Erie Public Library

A Submission to Niagara At Large from  John Bacher

Posted September 6^th, 2017 on Niagara At Large

Mel Swart in the 1990s, celebrating the designation of the Niagara Escarpment as a World Biosphere Reserve.

Much of the history of the protection of the environment in Niagara, Ontario is the result of the bonds of friendship between a few people working patiently to defend the earth over decades. Nowhere else is this history as vivid as the ties between a handful of Fort Erie residents, Edmund Zavitz, and a great disciple of this rescuer of Ontario, Mel Swart.

  Many of these people are members of the Bertie Historical Society, based in the Niagara municipality of Fort Erie.   Continue reading →

Just last year,  Kathryn McGarry stood  in the Ontario legislature and expressed zero tolerance for harassment in any workplace in the province

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

Posted September 8th, 2017 on Niagara At Large

When are Ontario Natural Resources Minister Kathryn McGarry ad the Kathleen Wynne government finally going to act on mounting concerns raised about the way the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority does business with millions of dollars of our money?

The release this past September 5th of a report about alleged cases of workplace harassment, including alleged “witnessed (cases) of offensive behaviours such as undesired sexual attention, threats of violence, bullying and discrimination, against employees at the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority has more than a few citizens across this region, along with this one, asking the same question.

The question is this –

When in God’s name is the Ontario government and the province’s Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry finally going to use whatever powers they have under the Ontario Conservation Act they seem to be so proud of updating to address these disturbing allegations and all of the other concerns and questions that have been raised over the past two years by everyday citizens, by local municipalities, by area MPPs and more recently, through this September 5th report by the Ontario Public Sector Employees Union about the way the NPCA does business with millions of dollars of our tax money?

Continue reading →

 Niagara At Large first posted the following petition, including an introductory commentary urging you to sign it , in the days leading up to the last long weekend  of this summer when many of our readers were either away on vacation or were wanting – quite understandably – to have a little end-of- summer  time away from what is happening in the news.

Congressman Brian Higgins Makes Safety a Priority as Department of Energy Proceeds With Transport of Highly Enriched Liquid Nuclear Waste Underway

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

Posted September 9^th, 2017 on Niagara At Large

Buffalo area Congressman Brian Higgins has been a leader in raising concerns about planned cross-border shipments of radioactive waste.

Buffalo, New York – Congressman Brian Higgins, who has frequently objected to the U.S. Department of Energy’s transport of liquid nuclear waste between Canada and the United States without a thorough environmental review, won approval for legislation that will help support efforts to prepare and protect communities impacted. 

The Domestic Nuclear Detection Office is a division of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security whose mission is preventing nuclear terrorism by improving detection, planning and response capabilities in conjunction with international and state and local partners. Continue reading →

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

Posted September 7th, 2017 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – Visitors to downtown St. Catharines’ St. Paul Street will soon notice a more ‘pedestrian friendly’ main road at the east end of downtown.

St. Paul Street road construction wraps up this week and the road will re-open to vehicular traffic Friday, Sept. 8. St. Paul Street between Carlisle and James streets has been under construction and closed to vehicles since May.

Sidewalks widened significantly on a stretch of St. Paul Street between Carlisle and James Street in heart of downtown. Photo by Doug Draper

Among the enhancements making the road more accessible and pedestrian-friendly are the new, wider sidewalks and the pedestrian crossover at Garden Park, a new crossing where vehicles are required to stop and wait for pedestrians to completely cross the road. Continue reading →

OPSEU leaders call on province’s Liberal government to do something about” impacts on employee health” at Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority

A Call for Government Action from the Ontario Public Service Employees Uniont (OPSEU)

Posted September 6^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

For the past couple of years, the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA) has been at the centre of a great deal of public controversy. The NPCA has been accused of improper use of public funds, disrespect for the democratic rights of citizens, and a pro-development bias that is ignoring environmental concerns in a region that has already lost 90 per cent of its wetlands.

One of many public demonstrations- this one last year in front of the NPCA offices in Welland –  fueled by concerns over how the Conservation Authority does business with millions of our municipal tax dollars – this one last year in front of the NPCA offices in Welland. Photo by Doug Draper

The public turmoil swirling around the NPCA is matched by a difficult and unhealthy workplace environment. Continue reading →

“It’s the job of journalism, , to provide key facts and context for people to understand their world. … if you are denying the reality that the Earth is warming, then you are not going to prepare in the same way for what we are seeing now, for these unprecedented events. … You will just go ahead and rebuild the oil capital of the United States exactly how it was, as if there’s no connection between this very industry (and) the storm itself.”

Naomi Klein

A Message to North America’s all-too conservative mainstream media

Posted September 6th, 2017 on Niagara At Large

A Brief Foreword from Niagara At Large reporter and publisher Doug Draper – There is a reason why you often have to go to edgier alternative sources for news and analysis like ‘The Nation’ or ‘Democracy Now’ to hear or read Naomi Klein, one of Canada’s most dynamic and fearless progressive thinkers and authors of such gooks as ‘No Logo’, ‘This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. the Climate’ and most recently ‘No is Not Enough’, a book we all need to read as a manual for how to overcome the scourge of Trump and, as Klein hopes, “arrive at a radically better future.” Continue reading →

Niagara Centre MP Vance Badawey brings national attention to water issues

A News Commentary by Fiona McMurran, a citizen activist residing in Niagara, Ontario and long-time member of the South Niagara Chapter of the Council of Canadians

Posted September 6^th, 2017 on Niagara At Large

Niagara South Council of Canadians member Jake Falardeau collects a water sample from Lyons Creek in the Niagara, Ontario municipality of  Welland. Photo by Melissa McGlashan

The South Niagara Chapter of the Council of Canadians delivered a message in a bottle to the Trudeau government calling for the restoration of protections to Canada’s waterways.

In 2012, the federal government under now former Prime Minister Stephen Harper launched a wholesale attack on Canada’s environmental protections. Among the substantial changes to legislation and regulations was the refashioning of the Navigable Waters Protection Act, which became the Navigation Protection Act.

The revised Act removed 99 per cent of Canada’s lakes and rivers from the Schedule of protected waterways, leaving them vulnerable to damaging impacts from industrial projects such as dams, pipelines, fish farms, and mines.   Continue reading →

News from Niagara’s regional government

Posted September 6th, on Niagara At Large​

Niagara Region headquarters in Thorold

Niagara, Ontario – Regional Chair Alan Caslin is pleased to announce that Niagara Region is the recipient of a $35,000 grant from Ontario’s Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration and an additional $20,000 from the Local Immigration Partnership, a Federal program. 

These grants will fund the strategic redevelopment of the Region’s online immigration portal, a key marketing tool that will be used to grow Niagara’s economy through the attraction of highly qualified immigrants. Continue reading →

News from the Council of Canadians

Posted September 6th, 2017 on Niagara At Large

Niagara/Hamilton, Ontario – The Council of Canadians has been opposing the tripling of the existing 63,000 barrel per day Enbridge Line 10 heavy crude pipeline since November 2015.

As noted on the Calgary-based transnational Enbridge corporation website, “Line 10 is a 143-kilometre export pipeline that carries oil from Enbridge’s Westover Terminal in Hamilton, Ontario to West Seneca, a suburb of Buffalo, New York. From there, the oil travels via the Kiantone Pipeline to Warren, Pennsylvania, where it is refined into gasoline, diesel, propane, butane, asphalt and other petroleum products.” Continue reading →