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Cindy Forster Talks About Region’s Rush To Hire New CAO And Why She Believes There Is A Need For A Forensic  Audit Of The Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority

A News Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted November 3^rd, 2016 on Niagara At Large

“What was the rush,” asked Welland Riding MPP Cindy Forster during 10 minute of air time she was granted this past November 1^st on 610 CKTB radio’s Larry Fedoruk Show.

Welland Riding MPP Cindy Forster

What was the rush, indeed!

Forster, a former Welland mayor and regional councillor who is now serving as the Niagara riding of Welland’s MPP, was making a reference to the very few days between the time a number of Niagara regional councillors heard rumors that Carmen D’Angelo –CAO of the embattled Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA) – was teed up to be hired as the new CAO for Niagara’s regional government. Continue reading →

“The chance of Jessie and Clarence Terpstra being reunited is zero (and) this is wrong. The system has to be changed.”                – NDP health critic France Gélinas

News from the Ontario New Democratic Party

Posted November 3^rd, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Niagara couple Clarence and Jessie Terpstra facing forced separation after seven decades together.

Queen’s Park, Toronto – France Gélinas, MPP for Nickel Belt and the Ontario NDP’s Health and Long-Term Care critic, rose in the legislature this November 2^nd to demand the Wynne government change its inadequate spousal reunification policy in the province’s long-term care system, after an elderly married couple were unwillingly separated in Grimsby.

“After almost 70 years of marriage, Jessie and Clarence have now been separated by what I call our heartless long-term care system,” said Gélinas. Continue reading →

Join A TPP Day of Action In St. Catharines, Niagara                       – Saturday, November 5th

A Call-Out from Fiona McMurran, South Niagara Chapter of the Council of Canadians

Posted November 3rd, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – A free trade deal that brings more job losses and higher drug costs to Canadians is no deal say Niagara residents set to meet this Saturday to voice concerns that big corporations and financial institutions are the only winners in the Trans Pacific Partnership.

 The community is urged to gather Saturday, Nov. 5, at 11 a.m. outside the office of St. Catharines MP, Chris Bittle, 61 Geneva St., for a TPP Day of Action.

One of the many past rallies against TPP trade deal – this one on a Welland Canal bridge crossing in St. Catharines, Niagara – File photo by Joanne McDonald.

 “Council of Canadians members from London, Hamilton and Guelph will join Niagara activists to draw attention to the problems with the TPP, and to let our MPs know that constituents will be taking notice of how they vote when this deal comes to Parliament for ratification,” said Fiona McMurran, South Niagara Chapter, Council of Canadians. Continue reading →

News from Brock University and the University of Buffalo

Posted November 3^rd, 2016 on Niagara At Large

A research project between universities in neighbouring countries will take a close look at the economy on both sides of the Niagara River.

Brock University’s Niagara Community Observatory and the University at Buffalo’s Regional Institute have teamed up to create a one-year research project that is taking an inventory of the two neighbouring economies.

The skyline of downtown Buffalo, New York with Niagara, Ontario across the river in the background.

The project aims to lay the groundwork for regional economic growth stemming from the start-up of cross-border partnerships. Continue reading →

“I know that no one in this house today, including the Health Minister, would ever want their parents to be separated in to different long-term care homes in different cities after a lifetime together.” – Niagara Falls MPP Wayne Gates

News from the Office of Niagara Falls Riding MPP Wayne Gates

Posted November 2^nd, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Queen’s Park, Toronto — NDP MPP for Niagara Falls, Wayne Gates, appealed to the Premier this November 2nd to address concerns with long-term care that have arisen around an elderly couple in Niagara.

Niagara Falls MPP Wayne Gates in the Ontario legislature. File photo

“Yesterday (November 1st) I was back in Niagara to meet Helen. Helen has been put in a terrible position by this government. You see her parents have been married for 70 years and were never apart before they needed long-term care in August. Helen’s father Clarence is a resident at Shalom Manor in Grimsby.

But her mom Jessie is at a home in St. Catharines. Clarence and Jessie have been separated, in their final years, after spending a life time together. And under the completely inadequate Couple Reunification Program, chances are they will never live together again,” said Gates.  “What will the Premier do today to help Helen reunite her parents and make sure they don’t spend another day apart?” Continue reading →

By Brent Patterson, Council of Canadians

Posted November 2^nd, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and European Union leaders signed the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) on Sunday, but signing and ratification are two very different things. The agreement still faces an uphill ratification battle that could be played out over the next five years.

1 – A Belgian region could scrap it during provisional application The Globe and Mail reports, “[It has] emerged [that CETA] could be scrapped at any time before final ratification… Final ratification is still required by the European Parliament and the legislatures in each EU member country… The EU and Belgium have now agreed that any one of Belgium’s regions can scrap CETA at any time before the final ratification vote if MPs don’t believe CETA is working… That would effectively kill the treaty because it would mean Belgium couldn’t ratify it.” Continue reading →

At Old Fort Erie In Niagara,   – Sunday November 6^th At 1 P.M.

An Invite from Ontario’s Niagara Parks Commission

Posted November 2^nd, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Fort Erie, Ontario – As part of its Old Fort Erie Speakers Series, The Niagara Parks Commission (NPC) is pleased to announce that on Sunday, November 6, at 1:00 p.m., it will host two guest speakers: Amek Adler, a Polish Holocaust survivor from the Second World War, as well as Bud Whiteye, a Canadian Residential School survivor.

Old Fort Erie at the south end of the Niagara Parksway in the Town of Fort Erie, Ontaro – a historic setting for Niagara Park’s speakers’ series.

Amek Adler was born in Lublin, Poland, in 1928 and grew up in Lodz. After Nazi occupation in 1939, his family escaped to Warsaw and then to Radom. In 1943, Amek was deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau, and from there was eventually shipped to Dachau, where his father and one brother perished. Continue reading →

Welland Riding MPP Cindy Forster Now Urges Ontario Natural Resources Minister To Order A Full Forensic Audit On Controversial Agency

By Doug Draper, reporter/publisher, NAL

Posted November 2^nd, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – In the wake of growing public anger over a decision by a majority of Niagara regional councillors to approve hiring outgoing Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority CA) Carmen D’Angelo as the next CAO of the regional government, Welland Riding MPP Cindy Forster is now urging Ontario’s Minister of Resources to order a full forensic audit of the NPCA’s operations.

Welland Riding MPP Cindy Forster in the Ontario legislature. File photo

The demand for a full forensic audit is contained in a letter Forster sent to the MNR Minister Kathryn McGarry this November 2^nd and follows up an October 31^st letter she sent to the minister, asking for an audit that would have been of a more garden variety, production of a financial statement nature.

A full forensic audit is employed to drilldown further to the core of the operations, and how a body’s finances (and in the case of the Niagara Peninsula Conservation, the finances amount to millions of public tax dollars) are being used or allegedly abused by those within an organization and other parties they may be doing business with.

“It’s been brought to my attention that a motion at a recent Niagara Regional Council meeting, requesting a financial audit of the NPCA, was defeated,” says Forster in her letter to the Ontario Natural Resources minister. “Given the alarm bells that many in my community have raised around the lack of financial transparency and given that $7.3 million in funding it receives are taxpayer dollars, I find this extremely troubling. As such, I urge you to launch an immediate forensic financial audit of the NPCA.” Continue reading →

“Thank you to the (hiring) committee for its very hard work.” – Niagara Falls regional councillor Selina Volpatti

A News Brief by Doug Draper, with more news and commentary on this development to come later

October 31^st, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – Niagara’s regional government has a new Chief Administrative Officer.

NPCA CAO Carmen D’Angelo is picked for CAO post for Niagara regional government

And as rumours going back to late last spring and reaching a crescendo within the past few days would have it, Niagara’s top municipal job – commanding an annual salary of more than $230,000 when the region’s last CAO vacated it early this year – – goes to the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority’s chief administrative officer, Carmen D’Angelo.

Given concerns many Niagara residents have expressed over the direction the Conservation Authority has taken in recent times when it comes to such issues as protecting wetlands and other natural features in the region, D’Angelo’s choice for the job is a controversial one – but it was approved at a hastily called, special session of regional council this October 31^st by a vote of 17 to eight.

A discussion over a recommendation to hire D’Angelo on a three-year contract as CAO was discussed behind closed doors before a vote was recorded with those in favour of hiring him voting “YES” and those against voting “NO”.

Here is the vote, as it appeared on the screen for about two dozen Niagara area residents who sat in the regional council chamber’s gallery.

Niagara At Large has learned from sources that as many as 17 individuals applied for the CAO job, with only a few finally making the cut for an interview before a five-member panel of regional council, including Niagara Regional Chair (and former regional councilor from St. Catharines) Al Caslin, recommended D’Angelo for the October 31st vote. Continue reading →

“The effectiveness and the credibility of the (NPCA, which I have addressed numerous times in the Legislature, appear to be at stake.” – Welland Riding MPP Cindy Forster

A Full Text of the MPP’s audit demand included below

By Doug Draper, Niagara At Large

Posted October 31^st, 2016

Niagara, Ontario – This past spring, a request to Niagara’s regional council by area resident Ed Smith and numerous other residents from across the region for an independent audit of the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority’s operations was voted down by a majority of councillors.

Welland Riding MPP Cindy Forster

Some of the councillors accused Smith of making statements about the NPCA and at least some of its board members, including St. Catharines regional councillor Bruce Timms, who serves as the board’s chair, that were untrue and even defamatory.

As a follow-up to Smith’s failed request for the audit, Niagara’s regional chair Al Caslin wrote Timms and the NPCA board a letter of apology on behalf of the region’s council for statements Smith made – statements that Smith and others, including St. Catharines regional councillor Brian Heit, who was acting as chair of the spring meeting, said they did not believe were out of line  or defamatory at all. Continue reading →

“Weaving a Story of Indigenous Hope” – Tuesday, November 1^st at 7:30 P.M. in the Niagara, Ontario City of St. Catharines

A Message on this Special Evening Event from Karl Dockstader

Our oldest Haudenosaunee story has this moment where Sky Woman has found herself on the back of the very beginning of Turtle Island.

I made this simple sketch and as I was drawing it all I was thinking about was how when I first heard the story how alone she must have felt in that moment. She must have thought about everything she left behind in the Sky World. Sky Woman’s entire life was something that she would never be a part of again and now in this moment she stood there isolated. Alone. Continue reading →

‘The future of a vital and integrated cultural educational centre in and for Niagara needs our community care right now.’

By Julia Blushak

Posted October 31^st, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – A wind of change rattles the windows at Rodman Hall Art Centre in St. Catharines and now gathers with some menace––to upset the very structure and spirit of what many consider a respected grand dame for culture in Niagara.

Rodman Hall Arts Centre in the Niagara, Ontario community of St. Catharines

Since Brock University’s public announcement to ease away from its contractual management responsibilities in 2023, a behind the scenes series of meetings of the Brock Board of Trustees, the Burlington PR firm Interkom and community stakeholders drafted 3 options to initiate a transitional plan for Rodman Hall’s survival.

Last week, and with short notice, a series of four public consultations began as part of this solution seeking process. Those in attendance at the Niagara Artists Centre and the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts were briefed and welcomed to offer suggestions that speak to sustainability, capital investment and alternative solutions to address bricks and mortar issues. Continue reading →

A Brief One by Doug Draper

Posted October 30^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

The days are growing shorter, the nights are growing longer and darker, there is a chill in the air, and if that isn’t enough to put any and all fond memories you may have of the summer gone by on ice, there is the spectre of creepy clowns with black balloons trolling the streets of neighbourhoods across our nations this Halloween.

And that is not even where the journey into the heart of darkness ends this Halloween eve.

In the United States, there is the prospect of Donald Trump winning one of the most powerful elected office in the world (not to mention access to the nuclear launch codes), followed by the prospect of Hillary Clinton winning the U.S. presidency and turning her back on every last promise she made to Bernie Sanders and his millions of supporters to pursue a more progressive agenda as she pivots and triangulates her way back to her Wall Street sponsors. Continue reading →

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

Posted October 30^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

(A Brief Forward Note from Niagara At Large – We are posting the “good news” on the signing of this trade deal, as circulated to media outlets across the country, for our reader’s information and for readers to comment on below. More critical commentary on the deal is sure to follow soon, and that will be posted here too.

Keep in mind, that this trade deal still needs to be ratified by Canada’s Parliament before it is a done deal, so get ready for some fireworks from the opposition party benches.)

Canada is committed to deepening trade and investment links with new and traditional partners. Negotiating trade agreements, such as the Canada-European Union (EU) Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), will benefit Canadians, create new job opportunities, and help to grow the middle class and those working hard to join it.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau signs trade deal with his European Union counterparts.

In keeping with these objectives, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, together with Donald Tusk, President of the European Council, and Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European Commission, signed CETA during today’s (this October 30th) European Union-Canada Leaders’ Summit. Continue reading →

Trick-or-treating, Jack-O’-Lanterns and scary movies. What better way to prepare yourself for Halloween than to binge watch the Top 5 horror films of all time, according to a Brock University expert on horror cinema.

A Halloween Eve Posting from Brock University professor Barry Grant

Posted October 28^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Barry Grant, Professor in the Department of Communication, Popular Culture and Film, is internationally known for his research on horror and science fiction films and has written or edited more than two dozen books on the topic.

“Horror movies aim to rudely move us out of our complacency in daily life by way of negative emotions such as horror, fear, suspense, terror and disgust,” says Grant, who’s Planks of Reason: Essays on the Horror Film released in 1984 was the first scholarly anthology on horror and helped make the genre an acceptable field of academic inquiry. “Horror addresses fears that are universally taboo and respond to historically and culturally specific anxieties.”

Grant’s research explains how these films offer a release of our own (and collective) fears by providing us with vicarious, but controlled thrills. Continue reading →

Please Help If You Have Any Idea Where He May Be

Contact information for Snowshoe’s family is posted below.

Posted by Doug Draper, publisher, Niagara At Large

October 30^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Here is a brief call-out from the volunteer group Niagara Action For Animals about the ongoing search for a beloved family cat named Showshoe.

Help us return Snowshoe home.

– Snowshoe is still missing despite her guardians, Joe & Sheila, doing everything they can to find her.

If you can share this with your friends and especially anyone living in the South end of St. Catharines – ask them to check their basements, garages, out-buildings!  Sheila and Joe want to know what has happened to her even if it is not good news. Details from previous email below. Continue reading →

An Invite to the discussion from Brock University

Posted October 27^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

St. Catharines, Ontario – A presidential candidate accused of sexually assaulting more than a dozen women over the years. Another accused of deleting thousands of emails. Debates heavy on character assassination.

The U.S. election campaign has been one like no other, and on Tuesday a panel of Brock University experts will examine what’s happening in our neighbouring country.

The Making Sense of the U.S. Presidential Election panel will be held Tuesday, Nov. 1 from 7-9 p.m. in the Mills Room of the St. Catharines Public Library. Continue reading →

‘Ontario’s animal protection system has deficiencies that need to be addressed.’ – Zoocheck director Rob Laidlaw

News from Zoocheck and the Animal Alliance of Canada

Posted October 27^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Toronto, Ontario – Two of Canada’s national animal protection organizations, Zoocheck and Animal Alliance announced this Ocotber 25^th that they have contracted Mike Zimmerman, the former senior civil servant in charge of Ontario’s animal welfare legislation, to produce a report on the current state of animal welfare in the province.

“We think the situation needs to be carefully reviewed”, said Zoocheck’s Director, Rob Laidlaw.

“The people of Ontario care about animals, however most don’t know that our animal protection system has deficiencies that need to be addressed. Zoocheck’s focus is on animals in captivity and we have particular concerns in that area, but all animals deserve the best protection possible from cruelty and neglect and we want to do our part to help make that happen”. Continue reading →

 Young Activists Win ‘Badge Of Honour’ With Civil Disobedience In Ottawa, Canada

A News Commentary by Nick Fillmore

Posted October 26^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Ninety-nine young environmental activists achieved their goal on Parliament Hill on Monday by carrying out acts of civil disobedience. The boisterous group climbed over restricted-area police barricades near the Peace Tower.

Those arrested were part of a group of 200 protesting the possible construction of the Alberta to B.C. Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain pipeline. Some carried a giant banner reading: “Climate Leaders Don’t Build Pipelines.”

The 99 arrested were taken to a police station where they were issued citations and told not to appear on Parliament Hill for three months. They will not have criminal records, but police took their personal information. It’s unclear whether the information will go into a police database.

Protest spokeswoman Amanda Harvey-Sanchez, a third-year University of Toronto student, told media that pipeline approvals are a deal-breaker for many younger voters who helped propel the Trudeau Liberals to a majority government in last October’s general election. Continue reading →

By Doug Draper

Posted October 26^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

When I was hired fresh out of journalism school, to my first job at the then locally owned St. Catharines Standard in the summer of 1979, one of the first people I worked on a story with at the newspaper was photo journalist Mike Conley.

Mike was a tall, friendly guy who I immediately clicked with. He was patient with this green guy and what impressed me the most, is that it wasn’t just another click-the-shutter-and-run, photo shoot for him. He cared enough to stay around and capture the essence of the story I was tasked to capture in words – even when, in this particular case, neither one of us was likely to win a national newspaper award for a story about kids participating in a sheep shearing contest at the Welland fall fair.

That is one of the qualities that always separated true photojournalists like Mike – and a multiple award-winning photo journalist he was – from just plain photographers. And from that first story on, he was a friend and a mentor I always looked forward to going on assignments with as I graduated from sheep shearing contests to covering the environment beat at the newspaper. Continue reading →

Topics Include ‘Truth & Reconcilliation’ and ‘Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Women & Children’

• At Grace Mennonite Church in St. Catharines , Ontario– Tuesday, November 1st

An Outreach Initiative of the BRIDGE OF HOPE, the Refugee Sponsorship Organization of  Muslims, Mennonites and Quakers in the Niagara Area

Posted October 25th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Karl Dockstader, seen here at a rally to save the Thundering Waters Forest in Niagara Falls, Ontario this summer, is one of the speakers at the November 1st Bridge of Hope event.

Niagara, Ontario – There is an event scheduled for Tuesday November 1^st at 7:30 p.m. that has been designed to help us all understand better,  the past and future of First Nations peoples in Canada.

Two Indigenous presenters will describe historic treaties and events and how they influence the present and future.

You will hear how this century brings Hope to right many wrongs and respect the Treaties signed by First Nations and the Colonial Crown which helped form our country. Continue reading →

‘Where was the provincial government oversight?’ – Wynne won’t comment on ‘ongoing police investigation

Joint statement from NDP MPPs Teresa Armstrong (London-Fanshawe) and Peggy Sattler (London West) on revelations in multiple-murder investigation

Posted October 25^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Queen’s Park, Toronto – “This (October 25th) morning, all Ontarians learned about the horrific multiple-murder investigation in Woodstock and London.

Like our constituents in London, we are shocked and saddened by this news. Our hearts go out to the families and loved ones of all the victims of these alleged crimes. Every resident and every family of loved ones in long-term care has questions today. In the coming days and weeks, they will need answers.”

During Question Period this October 25th, MPP Armstrong, who also serves as NDP Critic for Seniors Affairs, asked the following questions to the Premier: Continue reading →

For 30 years, Japan has been slaughtering thousands of beautiful whales despite a total global ban

A Call-Out from Avaaz, a global on-line citizens activist group

Posted October 25^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Dear friends,

For 30 years, Japan has been slaughtering thousands of beautiful whales despite a total global ban, but we can finally make it stop.

Right now, at a historic global summit on whaling, Australia is leading a coalition to help close the crazy loophole that has allowed Japan to keep whaling by claiming it’s for “scientific purposes”.

The result could be decided by just one or two votes, but if we make this huge in a few key countries and deliver a million signatures to their delegations just before the vote — just hours away — we can stop this whale slaughter for good! Click to stop the Japanese whale slaughter Continue reading →

A News Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted October 24^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – Sam Oosterhoff – a 19-year-old Brock University student who was not old enough to vote in the last provincial election – beat the odds this October 22^nd to win the Ontario Progressive Conservative’s nomination to run in the Niagara West-Glanbrook Riding in the coming November 19^th by-election.

19-year-old, Brock political science student Sam Oosterhoff pulls an October surprise at Tory nomination meeting in Niagara West-Glanbrook riding.

And Oosterhoff could very well go on to win that by-election in a riding that was held by recently retired PC leader Tim Hudak and that is home to small town and rural constituencies that, with very few exceptions, have had a long history of backing Tory candidates at the provincial, federal and municipal government levels.

Oosterhoff’s bid for the nomination barely received a footnote in mainstream media reports leading up to his victory as most of the attention went to presumed frontrunners Rick Dykstra, a former federal Harper Conservative MP from St. Catharines, Grimsby regional councillor Tony Quirk and, to a lesser extent, longtime Grimsby area newspaper owner and editor Mike Williscraft.

For Dykstra, who was also a St. Catharines city councillor before winning a seat in the Harper government in the 2016 federal election, the nomination loss to Oosterhoff came almost a year to the day after he lost his St. Catharines Riding seat to Liberal Chris Bittle. Continue reading →

“This is an important beginning. … Ontario gets reliable, low cost, clean renewable power while Quebec gets more value from its growing surplus of water and wind power.”

News from Angela Bischoff, Outreach Director for the Ontario Clean Air Alliance, a province-wide citizens advocate for clean, affordable energy

Posted October 24^st, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Toronto, Ontario – This past week – October 21st – the Ontario and Quebec governments started a new era by agreeing to a firm electricity import-export deal.

Ontario will import 2 billion kWh of water power from Quebec each year for the next seven years – enough power to keep the lights on in a city the size of North Bay.

This is an important beginning to a new, more integrated approach to meeting the needs of both provinces: Ontario gets reliable, low cost, clean renewable power while Quebec gets more value from its growing surplus of water and wind power. Continue reading →

A Thank You Note from the Alliance for the Great Lakes

Posted October 24rth, 2016 on Niagara At Large

If you’re anything like us, then at some point you’ve found yourself staring out at the lake or sitting on a beach and feeling grateful for such a beautiful place.

Some of the many Adopt-A-Beach volunteers working with the Alliance for the Great Lakes

We’re grateful for the people who keep the Great Lakes and their beaches clean, and in honor of Adopt-a-Beach’s 25th anniversary we’re thanking them. Continue reading →

A Celebratory Note from Niagara At Large publisher Doug Draper

Posted October 21st, 2016 on Niagara At Large

The “nasty woman,” as the creature with the orange comb over called her during the last U.S. presidential debate this October 19th and who said during one of the earlier debates that he will hire a special prosecutor to have her put in jail if he wins  the presidency, has finally landed enough punches of her own to his many self-inflicted wounds, to have him down for the count.

The creature is melting down on a recent cover of Time magazine.

With less than three weeks to go before the November 8th vote, let’s hope for the sake of the United States and for Canada and most other countries around the world (outside of Vladimir Putin’s Russia), that the creature stays down.

And if it looks like he’s going to try to get back up, I would repeat to Hillary the advise I recall political operative and old friend of the Clintons, James Carville, once giving to her husband – “When you’ve got your opponent down, keep kicking!”

I’m no huge supporter  of Hillary and would have much rather have seen Bernie Sanders running as the Democrat’s presidential nominee, but the choice now is between her and the creature, and for anyone who can muster up an ounce of sense and who cares about a future for themselves and their friends and loved ones that is not hellish, the choice is a no-brainer.

The New Yorker magazine has depicted what we should all want to see well in a cartoon modelled after the iconic 1960s photo of Muhammad Ali (then Cassius Clay) seconds after delivering his knock-out punch to Sonny Liston.

PLEASE JOIN THE CONVERSATION – Niagara At Large welcomes 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.

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

News from Brock University

Posted October 21^st, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – It can be a lonely, frustrating experience for thousands of agricultural workers in Niagara and across Canada.

Brock University graduate student Heryka Miranda and research partner Juan Luis Mendoza de la Cruz rehearse their performance of The Sunflower Man.

Brock University graduate student Heryka Miranda and her supervisor, Nancy Francis, a professor in the Department of Kinesiology, are researching methods that migrant farm workers can use to address feelings of homesickness and isolation.

The theory behind Miranda’s methods is called “movement-based expressive arts therapy.”

“Expressive arts therapy includes song, music, dance, visual arts, voice work, knitting; it could be any kind of artistic modality for the purposes of healing,” says Miranda.
Continue reading →

And Niagara At Large Won’t Be Taking It In

A News Commentary by Niagara At large publisher Doug Draper

Posted October 21^st, 2016 on Niagara At Large

This Friday, October 21^st, Canada’s Prime Minister has a full day of touring around Niagara, Ontario, with a few side trips to the Stoney Creek/Dundas/Hamilton area wedged in for good measure.

That means a full day of reporters and photographers from the mainstream media jostling for position to get the best shot of Justin Trudeau having a doughnut in St. Catharines, walking along West Street in Port Colborne with the Welland Canal and lift bridge as a backdrop, and scribbling down whatever “talking points” his communications advisors prepare for him to deliver along the way.

And you can bet that every Liberal MP and MPP, and every wannabe Liberal MP and MPP in the Niagara area will be there, positioning themselves for a place in a photo or video clip that offers some assurance they won’t end up on the cutting room floor. (What you want to do, if you ever get in this situation, is position yourself somewhere in between the Prime Minister and whatever other dignitaries you know the media wants in the picture, making it virtually impossible for any editor to crop you out. I’ve seen such maneuvering played out hundreds of times during my years as a reporter and I can sure you, it works.) Continue reading →

“For every dollar invested … in a Niagara downtown, the incentives generated nine dollars in private sector investment.”

A Column from Town of Pelham Mayor Dave Augustyn

Posted October 20^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

If you have visited our Niagara, Ontario Town of Pelham recently, you may have noticed something our residents have most certainly noticed – the ongoing construction on Pelham Street at Churchill in Downtown Fonthill.

Some of the streetscape in a rejuvenated Downtown Fonthill. Photo courtesy of Town of Pelham

This private-sector work – renewing the building and adding apartments – is part of the general revitalization and redevelopment of Pelham’s private and public realms in our Downtowns.

You may recall that a decade ago the Downtowns in both Fonthill and Fenwick were tired and drab. Quite frankly, they did not reflect our vibrant community and they needed desperate renewal. Continue reading →

Five Million Families, Farms and Small Businesses Will See       Bill Reductions

A News Release form the Government of Ontario

Posted October 19th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

“The government recognizes the need to do more to ensure an affordable energy system for everyone and is committed to providing electricity rate relief that will benefit ratepayers in a meaningful way. Starting January 1, we will provide an 8 per cent rebate to provide extra relief for Ontario’s families, farms and small businesses.”                                                                — Glenn Thibeault, Minister of Energy

Queen’s Park, Toronto – This October 19th, Today Ontario passed legislation that will rebate the provincial portion of the HST from  electricity bills as of January 1, 2017.

The Ontario Rebate for Electricity Consumers Act, 2016 will reduce electricity costs by 8 per cent on the amount before tax, an average savings of about $130 annually or $11 each month, for about five million residential consumers, farms and small businesses.

Rural electricity ratepayers will receive additional relief, decreasing total electricity bills by an average of $540 a year or $45 each month. Continue reading →

Some ghostly fun things to do this Halloween, courtesy of Ontario’s  Niagara Parks Commission

Posted October 19^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – Heritage staff at The Niagara Parks Commission’s (NPC) Old Fort Erie and Laura Secord Homestead are busy preparing some fun family friendly, Halloween-themed events:

• All Hallows’ Eve at Old Fort Erie
• 350 Lakeshore Road, Fort Erie, Ontario
• October, 22, 28 and 29
• Tours at 7:30, 7:45 and 8:00 p.m.
• Admission: Adult $12.25, Children (ages 6 to 12) $7.95, Children five and under FREE

Searching for ghosts in the kitchen area of Old Fort Erie

Experience the traditions of Halloween, 1812-style, brought to life through the ghosts of Canada’s bloodiest battlefield. Be prepared for a fun and frightening evening, ending with refreshments and the annual burning of the Guy Fawkes effigy at 8:30 p.m. Walking these historic and hallowed grounds, you will view the old fort from the perspective of the spirits who still make their presence felt within its walls. The past truly does come to life through the story-telling and ancient traditions of Halloween celebrated within the Fort. Continue reading →

“A Fraser Institute report estimated that over 26,000 patients left Ontario in 2014 to receive private out of country care.”

A News Release from the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario

Posted October 19^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Ottawa, Ontario – Lisa MacLeod, the PC MPP for Nepean-Carleton has tabled a motion in the legislature to address the emerging two-tiered healthcare system that has seen thousands of Ontarians seek medical treatment out of country and out of pocket.

MacLeod’s motion seeks to create an advisory committee that will review other jurisdictions, including Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom with a view to create a “program in Ontario for those suffering from rare disease or whose treatments may be experimental or complimentary but are not yet covered by Ontario Health Insurance Program (OHIP).” Continue reading →

News from the Chamber of Marine Commerce representing Canadian and American shippers, ports and other marine service providers

Posted October 18^th on Niagara At Large

(A Brief foreword note from NAL – It doesn’t hurt to get some some good news about marine shipments in a Greater Niagara Region that hosts a major connecting channel in the Great Lakes and a St. Lawrence Seaway System that contributes significantly to jobs and the economy of  the region.)

Strong movements of North American grain and renewed iron ore export activity in September have spearheaded an upswing in shipping on the St. Lawrence Seaway.

A Great Lakes freighter making it s way through the locks of the Welland Canal in Niagara, Ontario

From the waterway’s opening on March 21 to the end of September, shipments of Canadian and U.S. grain hit 5.8 million metric tons, in line with the healthy volumes experienced in 2015. Overall, some 21.2 million metric tons of cargo transited the Seaway’s locks, which enable ships to travel between Montreal and Lake Erie. Continue reading →

Meeting Will Feature A Host Of Speakers On Health Care, Enivornmental Protection And Other Areas That Could Be Threatened By Deal

An Invite to All of Us from the Niagara Regional Labour Council

Posted October 18^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – The Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement is a broad “next generation” international trade and investment agreement that is being negotiated behind closed doors. TPP is not primarily about trade, but is a broad agreement that aims to change Canadian public policy without domestic debate.

One of many rallies over past year – this one in Niagara, Ontario – against a TPP trade deal many fear will kill more good jobs and ravage health care and other public services

The TPP threatens tens-of-thousands of Canadian jobs, will lead to higher prescription drug costs, and threatens our health care system and our environment. Learn what the TPP will mean for Canada, for our community, and how to stop it. Continue reading →

 “I hope this man (now temporarily suspended St. Catharines Veterinarian Mahavir Singh Rekhi) never practices again and the College gets their act together and properly responds to the outrage my constituents are feeling.”                                                   – Niagara Falls MPP Wayne Gates

News from the Office of Niagara Falls Riding MPP Wayne Gates

Posted October 18^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Queen’s Park, Toronto  – Wayne Gates, NDP MPP for Niagara Falls met this October  17^th  with the College of Veterinarians Ontario regarding the recent revelations of animal abuse by a St. Catharines Veterinarian.

Wayne Gates, provincial representative for a Niagara Falls, Ontario riding that includes Fort Erie and Niagara-on-the-Lake

Meeting at the offices of the College, Gates noted that there was a some need for potential legislative changes but had concerns the College was not taking the case seriously enough.

“It’s clear to me there’s major concerns with current legislation preventing the College from dealing with this case as quickly as it could, stated Gates.”

“For example, they don’t have the power to issue interim suspensions or to release the information until after a judgement has been delivered. This meant that residents in Niagara were taking their pets to Dr. Mahavir Singh Rekhi while the College had video evidence of what was occurring behind those doors. It’s a gap in the legislation that needs to be addressed immediately.” Continue reading →

 Rejects Regional Government’s & Developers’ Requests To Remove Land From Greenbelt Protection

News from the Niagara Region Sierra Club

Posted October 18^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Proposal to add 2,280 acres to the Greenbelt supported by Niagara Region (Ontario) Sierra Club

Niagara, Ontario – The Sierra Club of Niagara is calling on the Province to stand firm in its recommendation to add 2,280 acres of land to the Greenbelt in the Niagara region, amid concerning requests from Niagara Region and private developers to remove land from Greenbelt and Niagara Escarpment designation.

Red dots on this map in Niagara Region and other areas of southern Ontario identify areas developers and others are asking provincial government to remove from protected Greenbelt.

While the Sierra Club commends the Province and Niagara Region for supporting the inclusion of two parcels of land in the Greenbelt, the Sierra Club is troubled by a request from Niagara Region to remove a large swathe of protected fruit-growing land in Grimsby from the Greenbelt. In addition to the loss of vibrant peach and apricot orchards, the removal of this land from the Greenbelt would endanger the 28-acre Irish Grove Woodlot. Continue reading →

Council Of Canadians Chairperson Maude Barlow Launched ‘Boycott Nestle Campaign’ In Guelph On September 23.

News from Brent Patterson, Council of Canadians

Posted October 18^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

The Council of Canadians is calling on the Ontario government to do much more to protect the human right to water.

Council of Canadians chairperson Maude Barlow has been a long-time opponent of privatizing the country’s water resources

This October 17th, CBC reported, “Ontario is proposing a two-year hold on the creation or expansion of bottled water plants… The province [also] plans to impose stricter scientific requirements for water taking permits such as studies on the cumulative impact of the practice on local supplies, especially during droughts. …[The Liberals] want more public transparency, and will mandate that companies create websites listing information about their water taking permits and showing the actual amounts taken every week. …[And the] province wants to make it mandatory for bottled water companies to reduce water takings during droughts like the one experienced this year in Wellington county, 100 kilometres west of Toronto.”

In response to this, Council of Canadians chairperson Maude Barlow comments, “These are bare minimum first steps. Cumulative impact assessments and mandatory reductions during drought should absolutely be implemented. But we need more than a two-year hold on the creation or expansion of bottled water plants.” Continue reading →

A Call-out from Avaaz, a world-wide, online citizens advocacy group

Posted October 19^th on Niagara At Large

Dear friends,

Banks are dishing out millions to build a planet-frying coal plant, right next door to the mega forest that’s home to some of the last Bengal Tigers.

It’s the worst example of our disconnection from nature and corporate greed gone mad, but we can stop it. After a leaked UN report slammed the project in Bangladesh, we went straight to the international banks.

Now they’re scrambling to figure out what to do and how to protect their brands from a global scandal. If we turn up the pressure on JPMorgan, Crédit Agricole and others, we can make this so toxic that they’ll quit the project for good. Both JPMorgan and Crédit Agricole have ditched similar projects in the past.

Let’s build a million-strong cry to save the tigers and convince their CEOs to pull out. Continue reading →

As Health Ministers From Across Canada Meet To Negotiate Health Accord Advocates Set Out Criteria To Measure Success

A Media Release from the Ontario & Canadian Health Coalitions, the Council of Canadians and Canadian Doctors for Medicare

Posted October 17^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

(The release below is from a press conference earlier this October 17^th held by the Ontario & Canadian Health Coalitions, the Council of Canadians and Canadian Doctors for Medicare.)

Toronto, Ontario – Months of sparring in the media may come to an end this week as Health Ministers from across Canada meet to discuss a new Health Accord.

This October 17th, representatives of the Canadian & Ontario Health Coalitions, Canadian Doctors for Medicare and the Council of Canadians gathered outside the King Edward hotel where Health Ministers from across Canada are meeting.

The public interest advocates outlined the criteria required to protect and improve public health care for all Canadians in a new Health Accord and stated that they would measure any proposed deal against these criteria. Continue reading →

 30,000 Tulip Bulbs To Be Planted In Preparation For      Canada’s 150^th Birthday

News from the Niagara Park Commission

Posted October 17th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Niagara Falls, Ontario – In celebration of Canada’s upcoming 150^th anniversary, the Canadian Garden Council through a generous donation from Vesey’s Bulbs of Prince Edward Island, will provide The Niagara Parks Commission (NPC) with a gift of 30,000 tulip bulbs to create a Canada 150^th Celebration Garden Promenade, within Queen Victoria Park.

Niagara Park’s Queen Victoria Park with tulips in spring and waters of American Falls in background.

On Friday, October 21 at 9:30 a.m., representatives from NPC, The Canadian Garden Council and Vesey Bulbs will be on hand to take part in a ceremonial planting of red and white tulip bulbs, along the promenade overlooking the American Falls in front of the Niagara Parks Police Administrative Building. Continue reading →

An Invite from the citizens-based group, Hamilton Coalition To Stop The War

Posted October 17^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Hamilton, Ontario – The Hamilton Coalition To Stop The War (HCSW) is proud to present Yves Engler, noted Canadian political writer, in two separate launches of his new (and ninth) book, “A Propaganda System: How Canada’s Government, Corporations, Media and Academia Sell War and Exploitation.”

About the Book

“A Propaganda System: How Canada’s Government, Corporations, Media and Academia Sell War and Exploitation” reveals why most Canadians believe their country is a force for good in the world, despite a long history of supporting empire, racism and exploitation. The book details the vast sums Global Affairs Canada, Veterans Affairs and the Department of National Defense spend articulating a one-sided version of Canada’s foreign policy. Continue reading →

News from Niagara, Ontario’s Regional Government

Niagara Recycling sorting facility in Niagara Falls, Ontario gets technology update

Posted October 17^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – Niagara Regional Chair Alan Caslin and members of Regional Council were joined by representatives from Waste Diversion Ontario Continuous Improvement Fund and the Canadian Plastics Industry Association to unveil new leading-edge technology that will enhance the Region’s ability to divert waste from landfills and produce high quality end products out of recyclable material.

Niagara Region is the first municipality in Ontario to install this technology in a municipally-owned recycling facility. Continue reading →

View The Documentary In Two Hour-Long Parts,                      This October 17 & 18^th At 10 p.m!

A Brief One from Doug Draper

Posted October 17^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Lakes Ontario (in lower right foreground), Erie and Huron from space.

As a journalist who spent more than two decades covering Great Lakes issues for mainstream newspapers, and who still does what one can, with the limited resources available, to post information about threats to these vital waterbodies and efforts on both sides of the Ontario-U.S. border to protect them, I have often been impressed with the efforts public broadcasting stations like WNED in Buffalo New, York have made to keep us aware of pressing Great Lakes issues.

WNED Television (the old Channel 17 and Cogeco Channel 21 on the Niagara, Ontario side of the border) is doing it again with a two-part broadcast at 10 p.m. this Monday, October 17 and at 10 p.m. again this Tuesday, October 18^th of a documentary called – ‘Making Waves – The Battle for the Great Lakes’. Continue reading →

Province Proposes Two Year Moratorium on New and Expanded Water Bottling Operations

A Message from the Government of Ontario

Posted October 17^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

“Water is essential for the well-being and economic strength in our communities. With a changing climate, and specifically with the impacts from drought and increasing population growth, we want to work with the people of Ontario to make sure that we are properly protecting this vital resource.”  — Glen Murray, Minister of the Environment and Climate Change

Ontario Environment Minister Glen Murray

Queen’s Park, Toronto – Ontario is taking action to protect the province’s water resources for future generations by proposing a two-year moratorium on new or expanded water takings from groundwater by bottling companies, as well as stricter rules for renewals of existing permits.

The proposed moratorium is the first of a number of steps the province will be taking to further protect Ontario’s clean water. It will apply to every water bottling facility that takes groundwater and is required to have a permit under the Ontario Water Resources Act. 

Proposed rules would reduce the duration of permit renewal applications from 10 years to a maximum of five years, as well as require increased public transparency, new operating guidelines, mandatory reductions on water taking during drought and further scientific studies. Continue reading →

Over 35 Local Artists with Strong Ties to the Buffalo Region Participate

An Invite from the Buffalo History Museum in Buffalo, New York

Posted October 17^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Buffalo, New York – For the eighteenth year, the social celebration of art, history, and community will take place during Paint the Town art auction and fundraiser at The Buffalo History Museum.

Painting for TBHM Collection: Birds-eye View, Pan American Exposition” by H.H. Green]

The fundraiser will feature both live and silent auctions, and will include a wide range of artworks by over 35 artists with strong ties to the Buffalo region. Proceeds from the auction benefit both the artists and The Buffalo History Museum.

• WHAT:    The 18th Annual Paint the Town – Fundraiser with live and silent art auction
• WHEN:    Thursday, November 3, 2016           
• TIME:      6:00 – 9:30 p. (Doors open at 5:30 pm)
• WHERE: The Buffalo History Museum, One Museum Court (Elmwood Ave. & Nottingham Terr. intersection)
• TIX:         $50/member, $75/general  
• INFO:       buffalohistory.org , (716) 873-9644 x 318

Continue reading →

St. Catharines ranks 19^th out of 25 – “Women’s levels of full-time employment (in St. Catharines) are the lowest of any of the 25 cities included here.”

Neighbouring City of Hamilton ranks 13^th out of 25

A Nation-Wide Study by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives

Posted October 14^th, 2016 on Niagaara At Large

Ottaway, Ontario  —A new study released today by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) updates the list of the best and worst cities to be a woman in Canada.

Victoria comes out on top for the second year in a row while big gaps in employment and high poverty rates for women put Windsor in last place.

The study, by CCPA Senior Researcher Kate McInturff, provides an annual snapshot of the gaps in men and women’s access to economic security, personal security, education, health, and positions of leadership in Canada’s largest 25 metropolitan areas. It measures the gap between men and women in a given community in order to capture inequalities that can be attributed, at least in part, to discrimination based on gender.

“Canada has made gains in creating opportunities for women and girls to thrive in our communities. But there is still work to do,” says McInturff. Continue reading →

 A Call-Out to all citizens from Ontario’s Niagara Parks Commission

Posted October 14^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Niagara Falls, Ontario – The Niagara Parks Commission (NPC) will host two Public Information Centres to provide an overview of its upcoming activities and projects planned for 2016/2017. At each of these sessions, members of the public will have an opportunity to meet with NPC project teams and to provide their feedback to the Commission. Continue reading →

Quarterly Meeting To Explore Options for a New Multimodal Transportation Station in Downtown Buffalo

An Invite from Doug Funke, President of  Citizens for Regional Transit

Free and Open to All Wednesday, October 19, 2016 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Doors open at 5:00 p.m. at United Way 742 Delaware Avenue, Buffalo

Light rail gliding through heart of downtown Buffalo, New York

Buffalo, New York – On Wednesday October 19th, 2016, at 5:30 p.m., Bruce Becker (National Association of Railroad Passengers), Dan Leonard (Buffalo Niagara Partnership), and Tom DeSantis (City of Niagara Falls) will spotlight the need for Buffalo to have a modern inter-modal train station in the heart of downtown. Mayor Paul Dyster (City of Niagara Falls) will provide introductory remarks. Continue reading →

‘Signed, Sealed, Delivered’ – She’s Nailed Him

A Brief One from NAL publisher Doug Draper

Posted October 14^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

From a speech U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama delivered this October 13^th in the State of New Hampshire for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton –

“Here I am, out on the campaign trail in an election where we have consistently been hearing hurtful, hateful language about women – language that has been painful for so many of us, not just as women, but as parents trying to protect our children and raise them to be caring, respectful adults, and as citizens who think that our nation’s leaders should meet basic standards of human decency.”

“The fact is that in this election, we have a candidate for president of the United States who, over the course of his lifetime and the course of this campaign, has said things about women that are so shocking, so demeaning that I simply will not repeat anything here today. And last week, we saw this candidate actually bragging about sexually assaulting women. And I can’t believe that I’m saying that a candidate for president of the United States has bragged about sexually assaulting women. …” Continue reading →

Posted by Doug Draper

October 13th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – A letter from a lawyer representing Indigenous communities in and around the Niagara, Ontario recently sent a letter to Niagara Falls municipal officials expressing concern over a proposal to carry out an urban development project on hundreds of acres of forest, savannah and wetlands known as the Thundering Waters Forest in southwest end of that city.

Members of Indigenous community at one of many rallies this year to save Thundering Waters Forest, File photo by Doug Draper

Among many concerns outlined in the letter to the city, lawyer Aaron Detler points out that the $1 billion-plus development project, proposed by a China-government based corporation called GR Investments Co., Ltd. “will interfere, impair, and infringe upon Haudenosaunee title, rights and interests as guaranteed and recognized by the Nanfan Treaty of 1701.”

In the letter, Detler also raises concerns about a trip to China last November, 2015 by Niagara Falls Mayor Jim Diodati and two senior city administrators , paid for by the China-based developers, and about a failure of the city and other parties to properly consult with Indigenous community representatives about the controversial project. Continue reading →

Citizen Protectors Of Thundering Waters Forest In Niagara Should Beware!

A Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted October 12^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Well, here is yet another loss for Mother Earth and for those living things who need her to be healthy and green to survive.

Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne wins court battle to drive holes through Endangered Species Act for developers

This one was delivered this October 11^th by the Ontario Court of Appeal in favour of the anti-environmental protection government of Premier Kathleen Wynne’s drive to corrupt the province’s Endangered Species Act with 19 exemptions favouring gas, oil, lumbering and mining activities over protecting some of the last green spaces left for wildlife on the brink saying a final goodbye – at least in this region of the world.

The court ruling came down just hours after this news and commentary site, Niagara At Large, posted a news release by the citizens-based conservation group, Ontario Nature, celebrating the fact that it and a number of other environmental organizations won standing in the provincial courts to appeal the government’s proposed changes to the Act. Continue reading →

By Doug Draper

Posted October 12^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Ten years ago this October 12^th, a huge mass of winter-like air from the west moved in to the greater Niagara area, sweeping over Lake Erie waters still warm enough to make for a highly volatile, destruction mix by the time it reached shoreline communities like Fort Erie and Port Colborne, Ontario, and Buffalo, New York.

The way it looked on many streets in south Niagara, Ontario and in the Buffalo, New York area 10 years ago this October 13th.

By mid to late afternoon, the freezing rain began falling as thunder rumbled overhead. Waves of icy rain continued falling relentlessly through the night, coating trees still bearing that spring and summer’s foliage and no longer able to withstand the weight of the ice.

For hundreds of thousands of residents in southern parts of Niagara, Ontario and Erie County, New York, the continuing clatter of falling ice pellets was punctuated by the sound of branches and whole trees cracking before crashing down on fences, cars the roofs of homes or whatever else was beneath them. Continue reading →

A News Release from the Ontario Government

Posted October 11th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

St. CATHARINES, ONTARIO – TSP Canada Towers Inc., a company that manufactures wind turbines and towers, pleaded guilty and was fined $75,000 after a worker was critically injured when a one-ton structural steel ring fell from a storage rack.

On April 29, 2014, workers were being trained in moving a structural steel ring (also known as paint ring) and placing it into a storage rack at the workplace. The ring was approximately 15 feet in circumference and weighed about one ton. Continue reading →

A Call-Out from Doug Draper, publisher, Niagara At Large

Posted October 11^th, 2016

Niagara, Ontario – As many of you long-time visitors to this news and commentary site know, Niagara At Large has always been a very animal friendly zone.

We have our own beloved team of animal friends here – our great felines Dylan and Dexter, and our small but mighty NAL mascot who we have introduced to visitors to our site a number of times before – our beloved chiwawa companion Pinky.

Help us get Snowshoe the cat safely back home

Well now we’ve heard from Sheila Krekorian, one of our many friends of Niagara At Large, whose family is feeling very blue because one of their beloved family members – a beautiful Siamese cat named ‘Snowshoe’ has goine missing somewhere from their home on 93 Riverview Blvd in the St. Catharines-Glenridge/Glendale area. Continue reading →

 Niagara Residents Deserve Answers For The Whole Region & On Privatization Plans

A Message from the Niagara Health Coalition, a citizens group advocating for quality public health care

Posted October 11^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

“The government cannot continue to pit community against community in a false competition that, in the end, would see not enough hospital services for anyone in Niagara.” – : Sue Hotte, chair, Niagara Health Coalition

(A Note from Niagara At Large – as of the posting of this article, we have yet to hear a status report from the Premier on plans for a new Niagara Falls hospital.)

Niagara Falls, Ontario – On Thursday, October 6^th, in advance of (Ontario) Premier Kathleen Wynne’s visit to Niagara Falls(this October 11^th), (Niagara Falls MPP Wayne Gates questioned the Health Minister in the Ontario Legislature on the slow pace of approval for a new hospital in Niagara Falls.

Niagara Falls MPP for Niagara Falls Riding and NDP rep Wayne Gates in provincial legislature

Gates advocated that local contractors be used in the construction. All this is good. There is no question that the Niagara Falls hospital is old and a new one is required.

Two years ago, the Niagara Health System submitted to the Ministry of Health a Phase I proposal to build a new hospital in Niagara Falls that has not yet been approved.

Unfortunately, here in Niagara, as is the case in Scarborough, Durham, Picton and other areas, the government has used a vague and distant promise of a new hospital in what appears to be an attempt to stifle dissent about closure of needed health care services and a dismantling of local governance. Continue reading →

Call For An End To Veterinarians Being Allowed To Police Their Own Conduct

A Commentary by Doug Draper, publisher, Niagara At Large

Posted October 11^th, 2016

What do you think the chances are of Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne and her government ever allowing citizens at large to police themselves when it comes to paying taxes?

The chances of that happening, we might easily guess, are zero because if citizens were allowed to police themselves around paying taxes, a good many of us (except a few honest citizens like, of course, you and I) would probably take advantage of every opportunity not to pay taxes at all.

Only a months’ long suspicion? How weak would the punishment have been if he wasn’t caught on surveillance camera?

So why is it that the Ontario government allows associations and so-called “colleges” for veterinarians, lawyers, doctors, real-estate agents and other professional groups to play a primary role in policing their members?

Could it have something to do with all of the political lobbying these same organizations do to weaken or kill any regulations over what they do and to avoid the kind of policing the rest of us are subject to? Continue reading →

Ontario Government Investment Will Deliver More Licensed Child Care Spaces

A News Release from the Office of Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne

Posted October 11^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

“We are taking action to give more parents access to high-quality, licensed child care. We understand that today’s families face many pressures and that parents deserve to know that their children are being looked after in a safe and caring environment.”— Kathleen Wynne, Premier of Ontario

Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne.

Niagara, Ontario – This October 11th, Premier Kathleen Wynne visited the onsite child care centre at Glynn A. Green Public School in Fonthill, where the government supported a retrofit of existing rooms to help create more than 30 new licensed child care spaces for toddlers and pre-schoolers.

Approximately 20 per cent of children up to the age of 4 in Ontario are currently in licensed child care, and research indicates that demand is much higher. To address the demand and ensure more working families can find quality, affordable care, Ontario made a commitment in the recent Speech from the Throne to help create another 100,000 new, licensed child care spaces for infants, toddlers and preschoolers within the next five years — starting in 2017. Continue reading →

Banking Executive is Not Trusted to Protect Patient or Public Interest, Especially After Hydro Privatization Debacle

A Message from Natalie and Mehra and the Ontario Health Coalition

Posted October 11^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Toronto, Ontario – Earlier this Ocotober, the Wynne government made public a formal invitation from the Ontario Health Minister to Ed Clark to “assess and validate the value these [health data, e-health records and related intellectual property and infrastructure] systems have created for Ontario and to recommend ways to take them to the next level”.

Ontario Health Coalition Executive Director Natalie Mehra

Ed Clark is the former President and CEO of TD Bank – a bank deeply involved in P3 privatization in Ontario. TD’s economics branch was used by the McGuinty government to generate a pro-privatization health care report. The former head of TD Economics, Don Drummond, wrote the pro-privatization and pro-public-service-cuts Drummond Report.

Top former and current leaders of Infrastructure Ontario – the P3-privatization entity of the Ontario government — have come out of TD. Ed Clark recently recommended the deeply unpopular privatization of public hydro in Ontario. He is the father of Bert Clark, the current President and CEO of Infrastructure Ontario. Continue reading →