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You Are Invited To This Free Learning Session In Buffalo, New York On Thursday, September 22nd At 6 p.m.

Posted September 13, 2016 on Niagara At Large

A Brief Note from Niagara At Large publisher Doug Draper – In both the United States and Canada, Native peoples are finding themselves at the forefront of battles against powerful corporate and trade union interests to stop pipelines that would carry tar sands and other dirty oil products to refineries and ports in the east and west coasts and the Gulf of Mexico.

In the spirit of reconciliation, let us all join them in this fight for a healthy environmental future for all of us, for generations to come.

And thanks to the Sierra Club of Western New York for hosting this important session for the community at large.

Visit Niagara At Large at www.niagaraatlarge.com for more news and commentary for and from the greater bi-national Niagara region.

NOW IT IS YOUR TURN. Niagara At Large encourages you to share your views on this post in the space below the Bernie quote . A reminder that we only post comments by individuals who share their first and last name with them.

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

Will She Succeed? Urgent Issues Still Need To Be Addressed

“The Wynne government must stop the planned closure of hospitals in Niagara.” – Ontario Health Coalition

An Analysis of the Throne Speech by the Ontario Health Coalition, a citizens advocacy group for public health care

Posted September 13, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Toronto, Ontario – With this September 12^th’s Ontario Throne Speech, the Liberal government of Premier Kathleen Wynne is trying for a fresh start.

Ontario Health Coalition’s executive director Natalie Mehra

If this is to succeed, some long-simmering health care issues must be addressed to realign her government’s health policies with the values and priorities of Ontarians. “More than eight years of austerity budgets in Ontario’s public community hospitals has left a trail of service cuts, longer travel distances for patients and dangerous overcrowding, ” said Natalie Mehra, Executive Director of the Ontario Health Coalition.

“As a priority, there must be a full moratorium of cuts, and a plan developed to rebuild capacity to meet Ontario’s communities’ needs — that means both a fiscal plan that prioritizes people over Bay Street and financial interests, and a hospital capacity plan that moves money to care and restores services in Ontarians’ home communities. Continue reading →

News from the Niagara Falls Riding Constituency Office of Wayne Gates

Posted September 13, 2016 on Niagara At Large

“For six years, New Democrats have been calling on the Liberals to take the HST off hydro – but we meant it as just the first step to lower hydro bills not the only step.

Wayne Gates, the NDP Ontario rep for the Niagara Falls Riding

“The only reason we have the HST on hydro in the first place, is because the Liberals put it there. Now they’re offsetting it in the form of a rebate which means it’s not permanently gone. What stops them from just putting it back on when they need more money?

“Instead of making Ontarians wait four months for the rebate, why not just remove the HST permanently. Families need the relief on their bills now

“Our message to the Premier is this: Just take the HST off hydro already, once and for all. Just get rid of it. Continue reading →

A Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted September 12th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

“Is that all there is,” asked Peggy Lee in her song.  “If that’s all there is my friends, Then let’s keep dancing, Let’s break out the booze and have a ball , If that’s all there is.”

Ms. Lee could have sang that song this September 12th for Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne’s Throne Speech, billed since she prorpogued the provincial legislature on September 9th to make way for it, as her chance to reboot her government’s flailing agenda since one of her Liberal candidates got the boot from voters in a recent Greater Toronto Area by-election.

Of course, Wynne did not actually deliver her speech. That was done by

Elizabeth Dowdeswell, Ontario’s Lieutenant Governor, doing her thing for the Queen. And please try not to snore while she’s doing it.

, the “representative of Her Majesty the Queen,” who would be God’s gift to curing insomnia across the province if you could talk TV Ontario into having her on all night reading chapters of Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations.

Dowdeswell reminds me of a teacher I had in hight school who repeatedly had to interrupt herself to say; “Class! Pay attention! I don’t think it ever once fizzled on her that her delivery was so bad, she could read the most stirring passages from Martin Luther King’s ‘I Have A Dream’ speech and still bore the crap out of everybody around her. Continue reading →

“We’ve heard countless stories about Ontario families struggling to pay their bills or put food on the table. Where was this government then?” – Ontario PC  Leader Patrick Brown

Statement from Leader of the Official Opposition Patrick Brown on the Speech from the Throne

Posted September 12^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

This Monday, September 12^th, Leader of the Official Opposition Patrick Brown issued the following statement following the Speech from the Throne:

 “This throne speech is too little, too late. It’s simply a band-aid solution for Liberal mistakes. At the end of the day, Ontarians’ hydro bills are going to continue to get more expensive.

Ontario PC Opposition Leader Patrick Brown

“Every single failed policy decision the Wynne Liberals have made over the last 13 years has made life harder and more unaffordable for Ontarians and no Throne Speech is going to change that.

“The Throne Speech recognizes that “the cost of electricity is now stretching family budgets.” But, according to the Liberals, it wasn’t a crisis in May when former Energy Minister Bob Chiarelli said “Ontario’s residential rates are and will remain competitive.” And, it wasn’t a crisis when the new Energy Minister Glenn Thibeault said he’s “still not using the word crisis.” Continue reading →

“Today’s throne speech could have done so much more to give immediate relief to families, to improve the quality of work in this province, to stop the sell-off of Hydro One, and to make sure everyone has health care they can count on.” – Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath

News from Ontario’s New Democratic Party

Posted September 12^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Queen’s Park, Toronto –  Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath said that the throne speech must commit to actions that will make a real difference in people’s lives when it comes to hydro costs, healthcare, and jobs.  It’s now clear that the Liberal plan does not go far enough to in any of these key areas.

Ontario NDP leader Andrea Horwath

“We’re at a tipping point in this province. In today’s throne speech New Democrats hoped to see big changes so that the next generation will have more opportunity and a better future.” said Horwath.

“Today’s throne speech could have done so much more to give immediate relief to families, to improve the quality of work in this province, to stop the sell-off of Hydro One, and to make sure everyone has health care they can count on. After listening to the Throne Speech, I can tell you New Democrats will keep working for the real action that people need to see.” Continue reading →

News from Pelham Mayor Dave Augustyn

Posted September 12^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – On behalf of Pelham Council and the community, it was my honour to help unveil and rededicate two significant historic and cultural artifacts – a World War 1 Cenotaph and the newly restored Worold War 1 Mortar – at Old Pelham Hall this past Saturday, September 10th.

Because of the generous partnership of the Town with the Canadian Government, the Royal Canadian Legion, and caring citizens, these newly restored artifacts now stand as a constant reminder of the ultimate sacrifices paid by Pelham residents and other Canadian soldiers in World War I to secure our freedoms.

The beautifully restored cenotaph was completed last year, in time for our 2015 Remembrance Day commemoration. May the names of those 18 local soldiers killed in battle for our freedoms also be engraved in our minds and on our hearts.

The WW1 German Trench Mortar (called a minenwerfer) was captured by the 31st Battalion, Alberta Regiment, Canadian Expeditionary Force, in a raid on enemy trenches at Neuville Vitasse, France, on 23-24 of June 1918. Continue reading →

“Trump is all about dividing us, pitting Americans against each other, and against the rest of the world. What better way to defeat him than coming together in unity like never before, with globally aware Americans at the forefront.”

A Call-Out from Avaaz, an international, online citizens activist group

Posted September 12^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Dear friends,

Here’s an amazing new way for ALL of us to help stop Trump, and bury his hateful, fear-mongering, sexist, racist politics forever: Over eight million US citizens live outside the US — enough to deliver an election landslide.

Most of them are as horrified by Trump as the rest of us, but only 12% of them vote! So Avaaz has built a simple tool to help Americans vote from overseas!

Registration closes in days — we need to get this tool RIGHT AWAY to every American we or our friends know – share it with EVERYONE: Click to stop Trump now “President Trump” terrifies all of us — he wants to ban Muslims, tear up the world’s agreements on climate change, murder the families of suspected terrorists and doesn’t understand why he can’t use nukes! Continue reading →

News from the Hamilton, Ontario-based Citizens At City Hall (CATCH)

Posted September 12th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Hamilton, Ontario – The City of Hamilton is still pushing for lands to be removed from the Greenbelt and it is also opposing higher densities in new developments and greater intensification targets proposed by the province.

It has submitted more than three dozen objections to the growth plan and Ontario foodland protection policies to a provincial review that concludes next month after nearly two years of public consultations.

The Greenbelt protecton zone (identified in green on this map) in Ontario has received international applause as a major step for saving farmland, but many developers hate it and so do groups representing farmers in the Niagara, Ontario region. Some have called it a “nightmare” and want it scrapped.

Foodland protection advocates celebrated in May when the province released its draft changes to the Greenbelt boundaries without removing 104 hectares in lower Stoney Creek and 28 hectares in Waterdown that had been pushed by a majority of councillors. But there’s one more kick at the can before the revised Greenbelt Plan and Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe are finalized so the city is trying again – and groups like Environment Hamilton are continuing to offer assistance to residents to keep pushing in the opposite direction. Continue reading →

Canadians Should Call On Their Government To Keep These Harmful Invaders Out Of Our Great Lakes Water Too – Read More On What You Can Do Below

A Call-Out from the Alliance for the Great Lakes, a U.S.-based citizens group

Posted September 12, 2016 on Niagara At Large

A Message to all who care about the health of the Great Lakes

The U.S. Congress is at it again.

Despite our efforts to remove an amendment that would significantly weaken ballast cleanup rules, the main way to stop new invasive species introductions via ships on the lakes, Congress is again trying to attach it to legislation in both the House and Senate.

Quagga Mussels are native to the Ukraine and Eastern Europe region and is not supposed to be in the Great Lakes because it competes and pushes away native species that are a vital part of the foodchain. They got her in the ballast water of ocean-going ships and that must stop! Photo by Dave Britton, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

If this sounds like a broken record to you, then you are right.

Thanks to your help, we have fought off this bad bill repeatedly over the last two years, ensuring that provisions to clean up ships entering the Great Lakes stay in place. But the efforts to pass this bad bill are back again and we need your help again to protect the lakes.

We know invasive species like zebra mussels, quagga mussels and round gobies were brought into the Great Lakes via ship’s ballast water tanks. And these critters are wreaking havoc on the lakes’ ecosystem. They’re also costing Great Lakes communities upwards of $200 million due to damage to critical infrastructure like drinking water intakes. Continue reading →

“While 9/11 will long be remembered as a day of destruction and terror, let us also remember it for the remarkable humanity that was shown in such a tragic time.” – Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

Statement by the Prime Minister of Canada on the anniversary of 9/11 and the National Day of Service

Posted September 11th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Ottawa, Ontario – The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today issued the following statement on the 15^th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and the National Day of Service:

“Today, we mark the 15^th anniversary of the terrorist attacks in the United States that killed nearly 3,000 innocent victims – including 24 Canadians.

“On this solemn day, we join with the families and friends of the victims to remember and honour those who fell. We also offer our heartfelt support to those still struggling with the physical and emotional injuries they sustained on 9/11. Continue reading →

How Far Have We Come In Dealing With Fear & Terrorists        15 Years Later?

A Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted September 11^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

It’s a small world, some will say, and 15 years ago this September 11^th, 2016, the world got very small, indeed.

The twin towers of the World Trade Center in flames on the morning of 9/11

It’s as if people all over the world were gathered in the same square of Marshall McLuhan’s “global village,” watching on our electrical devices in real time as the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City burned and pancaked to the ground, and two more commercial jets crashed into the Pentagon outside of Washington D.C., and into a field in Pennsylvania.

The world seemed smaller still as I, like many others I’m sure, witnessed this horror and wondered with concern about friends who might be in harm’s way, steered deliberately by zealots into their targets. Continue reading →

By veteran journalist and former CBC employee Nick Fillmore

Posted September 10th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

The latest water cooler chat among many Canadians this week is speculation about who will replace Peter Mansbridge as host of The National, CBC-TV’s flagship news program. He announced earlier this week that, after 30 years as host of  the program he is leaving.

As Peter Mansbridge prepares to leave The National’s anchor chair, finding a new host should not be CBC’s first prority.

The long-time anchor seemed to be trying to give his departure considerable significance by announcing 10 months ahead of time that he is leaving. Also boosting his own importance, his departure also coincides with the occasion of Canada’s 150th birthday.

One wonders if Mansbridge expects an honorary star-studded tour hosting The National from CBC stations across the country, much like the retiring New York Yankees’ star shortstop Derek Jeter was honoured in every ball park during his last year. Continue reading →

A Brief One from Doug Draper

Posted September 9th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

If you have been following the ongoing battle of the Standing Rock Sioux in the American Dakotas to stop construction of a pipeline through environmentally sensitive lands that include  Native burial sites, you know that there have recently been  violently clashes – with the oil industry and its hired  cops and attack dogs shown on film to be the instigators.

Private security contractors for oil pipeline company recently wade into Native protesters with attack dogs and pepper spray.

You may also know that a U.S. judge ruled this September 9th to allow the oil barons to continue laying the pipeline, worsening tensions between  construction crews and Native protesters until, later in the day,  the federal government intervened with a call on the pipeline company to “voluntarily halt” work until talks take place with Native communities on improving government-to-government consultations on infrastructure projects impacting their lands.

But why is digging a pipeline through sacred Native lands to carry dirty oil even negotiable? This brings me to a very telling image that one Niagara At Large shared with me over the last few days that I will share here now.

Meanwhile, back in Canada, we now have Native people fighting to stop the construction of a pipeline for carrying dirty oil to the east coast for exportation to countries like China. Lined up against the Natives are tar sands oil barons and some of the largest labour unions in the country, including unions that, out of the other side of their mouths, say they are against the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal negotiated by the former Harper government and now being considered for ratification by the Trudeau government.

More on that sad state of affairs later. For now, I’ll leave the last word on fighting oil pipelines to one of the few living politicians I continue to have any respect for.

Visit Niagara At Large at www.niagaraatlarge.com for more news and commentary for and from the greater bi-national Niagara region.

NOW IT IS YOUR TURN. Niagara At Large encourages you to share your views on this post in the space below the Bernie quote . A reminder that we only post comments by individuals who share their first and last name with them.

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

A Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted September 9^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Well here we go again.

This past Tuesday, September 6^th, after another one of those long weekends that almost always mean excruciatingly long waits for people crossing border bridges in our Greater Niagara Region, The Buffalo News published yet another well-justified rant on the issue.

In a lead editorial on its Opinion Pages, the newspaper again points out that Canada’s Border Security Agency (CBSA) is not employing enough officers to accommodate the amount of traffic crossing the Peace Bridge and other crossings along the Niagara River.

The result is backups on lanes heading into Canada that, at the busiest of times, that can have people waiting in their vehicles for an hour or two or even longer to get through.

It was only a week or so before this editorial that my wife and I were returning from visiting friends in Buffalo to when we encountered a situation on the Canadian side of the Peace Bridge that was not dissimilar to others we’ve experienced in recent years. Continue reading →

News from Ontario’s New Democratic Party

Posted September 9^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Queen’s Park, Toronto – After travelling across the province, and listening to the concerns of Ontarians this summer, NDP Leader Andrea Horwath outlined her priorities for the fall legislative session.

Horwath said it’s clear that people expect immediate action in three key areas: healthcare, hydro costs, and jobs.

Ontario NDP leader Andrea Horwath

“For the Premier’s ‘reset’ to actually mean something, we need to see action that makes a real difference in people’s lives. We’re at a tipping point in this province. We need to make big changes, now, so that the next generation will have a better future, right here in Ontario,” said Horwath. “We need action now, on the most important priorities for people. We need to improve health care, lower hydro bills, support good jobs, and improve the quality of work across the province.” 

The NDP Leader said that the first step to improving healthcare in Ontario is for the Liberals to stop the cuts in our hospitals and to get wait times and overcrowding under control. Continue reading →

Brian Higgins  & Canada’s Ambassador To U.S. Have Productive Discussion Toward Improving Border Efficiency

News from U.S. Congressman Brian Higgins (NY-26)

Posted September 8th, 2010 on Niagara At Large

Buffalo, New York – Congressman Brian Higgins is encouraged that progress will be made to address staffing issues on the border between the United States and Canada following today’s Northern Border Caucus meeting in Washington, D.C. with Canadian Ambassador David MacNaughton.

U.S. Congressman Brian Higgins, representing the Buffalo, New York area has been an ongoing voice for improving the flow of traffic at Buffalo/Niagara border bridges

Prior to the meeting with the entire caucus, the Congressman and the Ambassador met briefly and discussed the specific staffing and the resulting traffic problems at the Niagara River crossings.

Congressman Higgins, who serves as Co-Chair of the Northern Border Caucus and is a member of the House Committees on Homeland Security and Foreign Affairs, previously led a letter requesting increased U.S. staff levels which were later implemented along the US/Canada border.   However in recent months Canada Border Services Agency staffing shortages have contributed to lengthy delays for motorists crossing at the Peace Bridge and other international crossings. Continue reading →

“We hope Premier Wynne (isn’t) just using prorogation to change the channel on her failed record.”

Statement from Ontario NDP House Leader Gilles Bisson

Posted September 8th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Queen’s Park, Toronto – Ontario NDP House Leader Gilles Bisson issued the following statement (this Thursday, September 8th) in response to the Liberal decision to prorogue the Legislature.

It’s now lights out in the Ontario legislature, at least until this coming Monday, September 12th

“It’s clear that Ontarians are not happy with the direction in which the Liberal government has been taking our province. Under Premier Wynne’s leadership, families are struggling and people are worried about the future.

We hope Premier Wynne has finally decided to stop ignoring the voices of Ontarians instead of just using prorogation to change the channel on her failed record. If the Premier is really determined to turn the page, then she can prove it in Monday’s throne speech by halting the sale of Hydro One, reversing her deep cuts to healthcare, and committing to good jobs for the future.

Ontarians will not be fooled by another Liberal public relations exercise. They want to see real action on their priorities.”

Visit Niagara At Large at www.niagaraatlarge.com for more news and commentary for and from the greater bi-national Niagara region.

NOW IT IS YOUR TURN. Niagara At Large encourages you to share your views on this post in the space below the Bernie quote . A reminder that we only post comments by individuals who share their first and last name with them.

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

All Government Bills to be Reintroduced This Fall, Kathaleen Wynne Pledges

News from Ontario’s Liberal Government

Posted September 8th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Queen’s Park, Toronto – Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne announced today that the Honourable Elizabeth Dowdeswell, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, accepted the Premier’s advice to prorogue the legislature as of 12 p.m. today. The Lieutenant Governor will deliver a Speech from the Throne outlining the government’s plans for the new session when the legislature convenes on September 12, 2016.

Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne.

Premier Wynne said the government will reintroduce, this fall, all government bills that were before the legislature prior to prorogation, so that debate on them can continue.

This includes election finance reform legislation, which the government intends to reintroduce on September 13, 2016 with all the amendments agreed to at the committee stage prior to the prorogation of the legislature. The government also intends to move amendments during the committee stage of the bill to prohibit MPPs in all parties from attending fundraising events. Continue reading →

“Ok. Let’s not take over a bus service. Let’s take over two airports.” – Fort Erie Mayor Wayne Redekop, on Niagara, Ontario’s regional government appearing to show more interest in taking regional control of airports than in regionalizing       bus transit services  

A Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted September 7^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Let me start by making a couple of pretty safe bets.

I bet that far more residents across this Niagara region  – especially people on lower or fixed incomes and younger people and students – would benefit more from a convenient, affordable bus transit system than they would from our regional government taking over the operation of a couple of money-losing airports in rural Pelham and Niagara-on-the-Lake.

One of Niagara’s inter-municipal buses makes a stop in Welland. File photo by Doug Draper

I’m also willing to bet that a more affordable and convenient bus service in Niagara would do more than a fleet of airplanes to bring people together with jobs and to keep younger people who either don’t want or can’t afford a car from leaving Niagara for more transit-friendly regions of Ontario where it doesn’t take a ridiculous amount of time to travel a few kilometres between one town or city and another.

But this is Niagara, where a person might just as well talk to a tree than try convincing a majority of our municipal leaders to put together the kind of 21^st century, regional transit system regions like Waterloo have had up and running for years now. Continue reading →

By John Bacher

Posted September 7^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

(The second of two pieces Niagara At Large is posting by John Bacher on why Thundering Waters Forest in Niagara Falls, Ontario should become a Native-administered nature refuge.)

It is to the credit of inspiring leaders like Karl Dockstader, a member of this region’s Indigenous community, that Native people in Niagara have made the protection of the Thundering Waters Forest in Niagara Falls, Ontario an issue of treaty rights.

A giant white oak tree is part of the rich biodiversity in the Thundering Waters Forest, a natural area under threat of urban development in Niagara Falls, Ontario. Why can’t it be preserved as a Native-administered nature sanctuary?

One great hope is that this issue can be resolved through the forest becoming a healing park- dedicated to the protection of ecology and the culture of Native peoples.

To that end, Canada’s federal and the government of Ontario should purchase the land from the current owners for this purpose.

A piece I wrote and was posted in Niagara At Large this Tuesday, September 6^th, I focused on the combined oppression of Natives and the destruction of wetlands in southern Ontario.

The situation was so extreme that wetland destruction was seen as a way to remove Natives from what white settlers viewed as a ‘lazy way of life’ by making it impossible to gather rice, berries and other resources that supported Navie communities. Continue reading →

Unveiling Of ‘Landscapes of Nations’ Memorial To Take Place Sunday, October 2^nd

 ^“We take tremendous pride in helping Canadians and international visitors better understand the rich history of this country and the important contributions the residents, soldiers, and First Nations peoples of this region.” – Niagara Parks Commission Chair Janice Thomson

News from Ontario’s Niagara Parks Commission

Posted September 7^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Niagara-On-The-Lake, Ontario  — After more than two hundred years the significant sacrifices and contributions made by First Nations during the War of 1812 will be permanently recognized.

Landscape of Nations: The Six Nations and Native Allies Commemorative Memorial, a public artwork of deep meaning, exquisite beauty, and power will be unveiled on the historic battlefield in Queenston Heights Park on Sunday, October 2, 2016 at 2:00 p.m.

A view of the lower Niagara River, showing U.S. side on the right, from Queenston, Heights on the Canadian side in Niagara, where a memorial to Native peoples will be unveiled this coming October 2016

The memorial also recognizes the historic ceremony of peace and reconciliation held in Niagara on August 31 and September 1, 1815 that restored peace among the Native nations who fought on opposing sides.

Undertaken eight years ago by the Working Group, a volunteer sub-committee of the Niagara-on-the-Lake War of 1812 Bicentennial Committee, the memorial will become an important heritage destination asset for The Niagara Parks Commission (NPC) and is intended to serve as an educational beacon illuminating the critically important contributions Native peoples made to Canada during its formative years. Continue reading →

Honouring Indigenous Adoptees That Were Displaced Over    Last Half Century

“In these times of healing (between Canadians and First Nations), coming together for gatherings like the NRNC Powwow are more important than ever.

An Invite to All from the Niagara Regional Native Centre in Niagara, Ontario

Posted September 7^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

The Nurturing Our Roots Powwow is an annual Traditional Powwow held on the grounds of the Niagara Regional Native Centre in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario.

All are welcome to attend this family friendly celebration of Indigenous culture at 382 Airport Rd, Niagara-on-the-Lake, just off the QEW, on Sunday, September 25th, 2016. The Grand Entry, which is the official commencement of the event, starts at noon and the festivities will carry on until the flags are retired between 4 and 5 pm. Continue reading →

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” – Nelson Mandela.

News from Brock University in Niagara, Ontario

Posted September 7^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – As an educator of future teachers, Brock University Associate Professor Dolana Mogadime finds profound meaning in the words of the late South African anti-apartheid revolutionary.

World renown civil rights and peach activist Nelson Mandela

In fact, she uses his book, Mandela’s Way: Lessons on life, love and courage, in her classroom at Brock.

“It helps us to think through our own ways of teaching,” she says.

An important aspect of her instruction is working to understand differences and how they impact a person’s experience.

Mogadime is a member of Brock’s Racial Climate Task Force and the program director of the upcoming White Privilege Symposium being held at Brock on Friday, Sept. 30^th and Saturday, October 1^st. Continue reading →

Province Committed to Responsible and Transparent Executive Compensation

News from the Government of Ontario

Posted September 7th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Queen’s Park, Toronto – Ontario is implementing a new framework for broader public sector executive compensation, including capping salary and performance-related payments for hospitals, universities, colleges, schools boards and government agencies.

Queen’s Park legislative building in Toronto, Ontario

The framework regulation comes into force on September 6, 2016, and applies to all designated employers under the Broader Public Sector Executive Compensation Act, 2014.

The framework caps salary and performance-related payments for designated executives at no more than the 50^th percentile of appropriate comparators and prohibits signing bonuses, retention bonuses, cash housing allowances and pay in lieu of perquisites. Continue reading →

A Brief One from Doug Draper

Posted September 6^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

This past August, Niagara At Large focused attention on a front-page story in The Buffalo News on growing public concern over plans to ship highly dangerous concentrations of liquid radioactive waste across Niagara border bridges from the Chalk River nuclear facilities in Ontario to a site in South Caroline.

Niagara, Ontario activist Gracia Janes and others in region have been sounding warnings about planned cross-border nuclear waste shipments for well over two years now.

This September 5^th, CBC posted a report of its own on this issue which included concerns expressed by long-time Niagara, Ontario activist and National Council of Women of Canada environment convener Gracia Janes.

In the CBC report, headlined “Weapons-Grade Nuclear Waste Shipments to U.S. Prompt Outcry,” Janes is quoted saying; “I’m concerned about the safety issue. … It is not (up until now and) in this kind of quantity and this kind of toxic brew, being shipped anywhere in North America. It’s the first of its kind, and it’s going to be taking place over our highways and near our rivers and streams.”

One of the possible border crossings for these wastes is the Peace Bridge spanning the upstream in of the Niagara River between Fort Erie, Ontario and Buffalo, New York. Continue reading →

Speak Out For A Living Wage & Benefits For All Ontario Workers

A Call-Out from the Niagara Regional Labour Council

Posted September 6^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Be part of a growing movement for decent work for all! Come out to the rally for DECENT WORK to call for safe working conditions, decent hours, paid sick days & vacation, access to a union, $15 minimum wage, an end to the gender/racialized wage gap and much more!

We want our government to #MakeItFair for more than seven million working Ontarians across our province. This rally is family-friendly, with music, activities, and special guests. Continue reading →

By John Bacher

Posted September 6^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

(The first of two pieces Niagara At Large is posting by John Bacher on why Thundering Waters Forest in Niagara Falls, Ontario should become a Native-administered nature refuge. The second piece will be posted this September 7^th.)

Part of the challenge in getting Native land claims taken seriously in this Niagara region and across the country is that there is no sense of the historical injustices which the process seeks to correct.

A peak of the rich natural wetlands in the Thundering Waters Forest in Niagara Falls. Most of the wetlands that once made up the biodiversity of the Niagara region have been destroyed.

Regarding Niagara, there is a strong connection between the destruction of wetlands and the injustices that hit native people after the War of 1812, when their lands and resources became subject to the most oppressive thefts.

Karl Dockstader, a member of the Indigenous community in this region, cites  two Niagara treaties  and the Nanfan Treaty of 1701 that contain provisions to ensure sharing based on the conservation of precious resources – provisions that were ignored following the War of 1812 due to circumstances characterized by brutal domination of both Native people and the earth they attempted to defend. Continue reading →

An Invite To A Public Meeting from The Niagara District Council of Women

Posted September 6th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

PUBLIC MEETING on CONSERVING CONSERVATION

WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 14^TH  7:30 P.M., Mills Room, St. Catharines Centennial Library 54 Church Street

SPEAKERS:

DOUG DRAPER, an award -winning environmental reporter and advocate for conservation, who often features environmental responsibility   in his e-newspaper Niagara At Large

ED SMITH, a Niagara environmentalist who knows a great deal about the Conservation Authority’s mandate to protect our precious natural places

Visit Niagara At Large at www.niagaraatlarge.com for more news and commentary for and from the greater bi-national Niagara region.

NOW IT IS YOUR TURN. Niagara At Large encourages you to share your views on this post in the space below the Bernie quote . A reminder that we only post comments by individuals who share their first and last name with them.

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

A  Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted September 5^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

I don’t know about you, but I’ve just about had it with Kathleen Wynne and the disconnect between what she, as Ontario premier, tries to sell us through so many carefully crafted talking points and what she is or is not doing to address real issues in this province.

Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne celebrates Labour Day

Here’s a premier who, after getting hammered over the head with a by-election defeat in the GTA this past September 1^st, says she finally gets it that people are angry about skyrocketing hydro bills. Yet she still insists on forging ahead cap and trade system for reducing carbon emissions that has proven to be a costly, bureaucratic mess where ever else in the world where it’s been tried – that instead of going for a straight forward carbon tax on the largest polluters.

She flies off on these so-called “trade missions” and you can’t help wondering what decent-paying jobs in Ontario are going to be sold down the drain next. Last year, she went to China and issued a media release promoting a plan by China-based developers to build on hundreds of acres of what’s left of Niagara’s natural heritage in the Thundering Waters Forest of Niagara Falls. Continue reading →

A Statement from Canada’s NDP  on Labour Day 2016

Posted September 5^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Sheri Benson, MP for Saskatoon West and NDP Labour Critic made the following statement on Labour Day:

“On this Labour Day, New Democrats honour the tremendous accomplishments that hard-working Canadians have achieved. Across Canada, workplaces are safer, more equitable, and provide fair wages because workers have risen in solidarity with their unions time and time again.

“While we give our sincere gratitude to the brave organizers who fought and won maternity leave, health coverage, retirement security, and regulated work weeks, we must recommit to the many challenges ahead. Continue reading →

There Are Great Words Here For Niagara’s Thundering Waters

A Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted September 2^nd, 2016 on Niagara At Large

To all of you out there who are fighting the good fight to save the rich biodiversity in the Thundering Waters Forest in Niagara from municipal politicians and the Darth Vaders on the board of the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority who would see that natural place and others in the region ravaged for ever more urban sprawl, here’s one for you.

Here is hoping you find more inspiration for the fight in a brand new message from Pope Francis, the spiritual leader of the worldwide Catholic Church.

The message, delivered by the Pope this past Thursday September 1^st in honour of the church’s World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, includes the following words –

glass planet in a forest with sunshine – Usa map

“God gave us a bountiful garden, but we have turned it into a polluted wasteland of ‘debris, desolation and filth.’ We must not be indifferent or resigned to the loss of biodiversity and the destruction of ecosystems, often caused by our irresponsible and selfish behaviour. “Because of us, thousands of species will no longer give glory to God by their very existence, nor convey their message to us. We have no such right.”

One need not be a Catholic or a person of faith at all (and I confess that I am neither) to respect this Pope as one of the world’s great moral leaders and as one who certainly lives up to the care shown for the natural environment by his eight-century-old namesake, St. Francis of Assisi. Continue reading →

A Brief One from Doug Draper

Posted September 2^nd, 2016 on Niagara At Large

“We are living in fictional times,” said American comedian Lewis Black, his arms flailing nervously  during a recent interview about the bad acid trip that passes for a presidential election now entering its final mad months in his country.

Oh No! Here comes another taco truck. Where is Trump and that WALL?

In this election, Black added, whatever was left of reality has so intersected with satire that there is nothing left for a comedy writer to do – “All you have to do now is ready the morning newspaper.”

A very recent case in point is an interview aired on the American cable network MSNBC this September 1^st with a nut named Marco Gutierrez, founder of a Latinos for Donald Trump organization, which comes off like skit you would more likely see on Saturday Night Live in any previous presidential election year.

In the interview, Gutierrez warns that if something isn’t done to stop the influx of Mexicans across America’s southern border, U.S. will face an invasion of “taco trucks on every corner.”

Oh, there they are. Thank God! Hey, Donald, make damn sure a taco truck can’t drive through it, would ya..

It’s a warning that has already had American political commentators  calling Gutierrez the Latino Paul Revere for the Trump campaign – “The taco trucks are coming! The taco trucks are coming!”

So here, with apologies to our American neighbours, including many of my American friends who are already embarrassed and depressed enough about this election, here is the taco truck segment featuring Trump surrogate Marco Gutierrez.

Keep in mind while you are watching this, is that this is where the discourse has sunk in American politics while little or no serious debate is going on about jobs, health care, war and peace, and climate change. We’re down to the invasion of the taco trucks!

Also for your continued American election entertainment, here is segment featuring Lewis Black on MSNBC’s Morning Joe program, sharing his angst about the 2016 presidential election race.

.Visit Niagara At Large at www.niagaraatlarge.com for more news and commentary for and from the greater bi-national Niagara region.

NOW IT IS YOUR TURN. Niagara At Large encourages you to share your views on this post in the space below the Bernie quote . A reminder that we only post comments by individuals who share their first and last name with them.

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

A Brief News Commentary from Doug Draper

Posted September 1^st, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – You always have to wonder what may really be going on when a public body circulates a media release with bombshell information in it after office hours, when no one is around to contact for further information.

Brock University’s would-be new president. We hardly got to know her.

Such was the case this past Monday, August 29^th when Brock University in St. Catharines, Niagara emailed out a media release after 6 p.m. that the university was already saying adieu (in so many words) to Wendy Cukier, someone it had celebrated just nine months earlier as Brock’s soon-to-be female president in its half-century history.

Brock’s communications office is usually pretty good about getting media releases, complete with ready-to-use photo images, out early enough in the day that there is plenty of time for a media outlet to call if it needs any further information to post a story. And Brock, like most other universities and colleges across the continent, has been busy circulating more media releases than ever before as a way of promoting itself to would-be students, private donors and others.

So when a media release saying that the individual that would be the university’s next president, beginning this September 1^st, suddenly won’t be the next president and it comes out too late to call for an explanation that was absent from the release, you don’t have to take a course in Communications 101 to know that something has gone flying off the rails here. Continue reading →

A Commentary by Doug Draper, September 1st, 2016 on Niagara At Large                                                                                                                             

“American Hunter Bring ‘Em Up The North Side                                                 Guns, Guns, Guns                                                                                                            Run, Take The Money, Here’s A Bullet For Your Boyfriend                              Guns, Guns, Guns                                                                                                              Eagle All Gone And No More Caribou                                                                       Guns, Guns, Guns                                                                                                            You Be The Red King, I’ll Be The Yellow Pawn                                                          God Speed Mother Nature                                                                                          Never Really Wanted To Say Goodbye…”

From the 1972 song ‘Guns, Guns, Guns’ by Burton Cummings

Burton Cummings,Canadian Rock & Roll Hall of Famer, of Guess Who fame still rockin huge audiences as a solo artist..

This past Tuesday, August 30^th, my wife and I joined quite a few thousand others on the grassy slopes  of ArtPark in Lewiston, New York for a concert featuring one of my all-time-favourite Canadian pop artists – former Guess Who singer, songwriter and keyboardist extraordinaire Burton Cummings.

He was sharing the same bill with one of my other favourite Canadians, singer/songwriters Buffy Sainte-Marie, and they were both put on a great performance and are well worth catching if you love them as much as I do and ever have a chance to get tickets for a show near your home.

That said, it is a moment from Burton Cumming’s part of the show I want to share with you here because it spoke so bluntly and so well to a disgusting crime against life on this planet – one that I posted a commentary on almost 14 months ago to this day.

Cecil, the iconic African lion killed by a trophy hunter.

The moment came when Cummings, who has never been one to shrink from hurling verbal bombs when he’s of a mind to, was introducing one of his old Guess Who songs – a tune called ‘Guns, Guns, Guns’ –  by saying that sadly, it’s lyrics are still relevant today.

He then proceeded to dedicate the song ‘to that prick who shot the lion’ – a line that received a round of applause from people in the audience who seemed to know, without further prompting, that he was talking about the ‘trophy hunter’ dentist from Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.A. named Walter Palmer who lured an iconic lion named Cecil off a wildlife sanctuary in Zimbabwe, Africa, then blew the feline away with a bow and arrow. Continue reading →

A Statement from Ontario PC MPP Lisa Thompson on the Joint Climate Change Declaration

Posted September 1^st, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Ontario PC Environment and Cap-and-Trade Critic Lisa Thompson issued the following statement on the Joint Climate Change Declaration that was signed in Guadalajara:

“The Wynne Liberals are doubling down on their cap-and-trade scheme after signing an agreement with Mexico that could see Ontario businesses buying Mexican carbon credits in the future.

This comes after Quebec and California fell well short in meeting their revenue expectations from their cap-and-trade schemes in last week’s auction. Now it appears that the Liberals are scrambling to add new partners. Continue reading →

Doug Draper

Posted August 31^th on Niagara At Large

In a region where people are getting increasingly upset at the very mention of the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority’s name, we got some uplifting news late this August.

The historic Morningstar Mill site off Decew Road in the Niagara municipality of St. Catharines, Ontario. Photo by Doug Draper

Thanks to St. Catharines city councillors Bruce Williamson, Carlos Garcia, Mat Siscoe, Joe Kushner, Sal Sorrento, Mike Britton, Jennifer Stevens, Mark Elliott, David Haywood, and Bill Phillips voting at an August 22nd council meeting to retain scenic lands off Decew Road that host the historic Morningstar Mill and a replica of a vintage saw mill, a bid by the NPCA to take hold of it has been squashed – at least for now.

“The NPCA hasn’t exactly had a great track record,” Bruce Williamson, one of the councillors leading the charge against transferring this beloved heritage site to the Conservation Authority, was quoted saying in Niagara This Week.

“The NPCA hasn’t exactly had a great track recorded,” added Williamson. “We face the risk of putting it in the hands of people who will not be good stewards. I strongly feel it would be a mistake to give it to the NPCA.”

Good call Bruce! Continue reading →

A News Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted August 29^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

It seems some ousted politicians won’t do the honourable thing and just go away.

No matter how hard the voters try flushing them down the electoral equivalent of the loo, damn it, they just keep on backing up.

Defeated St.Catharines federal MP Rick Dykstra runs for elected office again, this time for a provincial seat in west Niagara.

So get out the plunger folks because just 10 short months after awe thought it was safe to mop and polish the floor, Rick Dykstra has reportedly announced his intentions to seek elected office again – this time in the Niagara West-Glanbrook Riding where his Tory soulmate Tim Hudak is vacating his provincial seat there on September 18^th.

Dykstra last held elected office in the federal riding of St. Catharines where for 10 years up to his defeat in the October 2016 federal election, he dutifully served then Tory prime minister Stephen Harper. Continue reading →

A Brief One from Niagara At Large publisher Doug Draper

Posted August 29^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

In the middle of a bit of criticism I’ve been getting over how only someone who is “commie” or …. Could post some of the things we’ve been saying about defeated Prime Minister Stephen Harper as he finally takes his leave, one NAL reader sent me a link a very stinging column on Harper that has just recently been published in Maclean’s, one of Canada’s oldest surviving and most circulated national news magazines.

Stephen Harper, during a federal election debate Maclean’s magazine helped sponsor last year.

The column, headlined; “Goodbye, Harper. Good Riddance. – How do you sum up the career of a PM who betrayed every ideal he claimed to cherish?” was written by one of the magazine’ political columnists Michael Harris, and includes a few of the following lines –

“Sucking toes for votes with a crack-smoking mayor while touting family values. Trying to drive a wedge between majority and minority Canadians by exploiting the politics of bigotry. Stephen Harper was Donald Trump before Trump was Trump. … right down to the bigotry, fear-mongering, divisiveness, scapegoating, and profound anti-democratic impulses that had Canada’s entire parliamentary structure tottering.” Continue reading →

“Upon being elected, a PC Government would scrap the controversial changes to sex-ed introduced by (Liberal) Premier (Kathleen) Wynne.” – Ontario PC Leader Patrick Brown

Posted August 29th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

A Brief Foreword from Niagara At Large publisher Doug Draper –

Although Patrick Brown began his leadership of Ontario’s PC Party last year with promises to put the “progressive” back into the party’s name by making it more “modern” and “inclusive,” there are growing signs that he is drifting back to positions that appeal to core groups on the far right of social conservatism – groups that comprised a solid base of support for his predecessors in the Tory leadership, Tim Hudak and Mike Harris.

Ontario PC Leader Patrick Brown would nix new sex-ed curriculum in province

The following letter, circulated by Brown and his party this past August 24th to voters in the provincial riding of Scarborough-Rouge River where a byelection is scheduled for this coming Thursday, September 1^st, is the latest example of that drift back to the fringe right which may ensure that the party won’t win the next Ontario election either.

In the letter, Brown promises to scrap changes the current Liberal government has made to a  sex-ed curriculum for grade school students that had not been updated since 1998. The changes have received a strong negative reaction from members of the religious right and others, including immigrants from countries that keep a very tight lid on sex-related discussions and conduct. Continue reading →

“The message here is that humans have irreversibly changed our planet in a profound way. Whether we survive as a species or not, we will have left an indelible mark.” – says Martin Head, professor in Brock’s Department of Earth Sciences

News from Brock University

Posted August 29^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – A Brock University geologist is among a group of researchers who believe humans have impacted the Earth in such a significant way that a new time period needs to be added to the planet’s official geologic timeline.

Brock University researcher and Eaqrth Sciencies professor r Martin Head

“The message here is that humans have irreversibly changed our planet in a profound way,” says Martin Head, professor in Brock’s Department of Earth Sciences. “Whether we survive as a species or not, we will have left an indelible mark in the geological record.”

Head is part of the Anthropocene Working Group (AWG), which presented its findings at a conference in Cape Town, South Africa Monday that the use of atomic bombs, oil, coal, fertilizers and other products have changed the Earth so much that the very working of the planet has altered.

The AWG told the International Geologic Congress that recent sedimentary deposit findings worldwide contain new minerals and rock types formed from human-made materials. This makes them part of an epoch, or period of time, distinct from the current Holocene period.

Head and the AWG says the new epoch, known as the Anthropocene, begins around 1950. The scientists are suggesting a mid-20^th century timing for the proposed “golden spike,” an internationally agreed-upon reference point in a section of sediment layers that signals the beginning of a new episode on the geologic time scale. In past epochs, spikes have come about following natural disasters such as asteroid collisions or a series of volcanic eruptions.

“The rise of plutonium 239 in the early 1950s seems to give the best global signal,” says Head, Chair of the AWG’s parent body, the International Subcommission on Quaternary Stratigraphy. “It arises from increasing aboveground nuclear weapons testing at this time. It declined in the early 1960s with the Partial Test Ban Treaty in 1963.”

In addition to plutonium from atomic bombs detonated during the 1940s and 1950s, contaminants from fossil fuel combustion shot up in all areas of the globe around 1950. Likewise polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and other pollutants from fertilizer production.

A statement released Monday lists a range of recent changes to the Earth, including “marked acceleration to rates of erosion and sedimentation, large-scale chemical perturbations to the cycles of carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus and other elements, the inception of significant change to global climate and sea level, and biotic changes such as unprecedented levels of species invasions across the Earth. 

In its statement, released through the University of Leicester, the group says things like plastic, aluminium and concrete particles, artificial radionuclides and changes to carbon and nitrogen isotope pattern will leave a permanent record in the Earth’s strata.

Head says it may take up to three years before the Anthropocene Working Group finalizes its proposal, which it will then present to the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS) for a vote on whether or not to include the Anthropocene on the world’s official geologic time scale.

According to the current timescale,.

Read more about the AWG proposal in The Brock News.

Visit Niagara At Large at www.niagaraatlarge.com for more news and commentary for and from the greater bi-national Niagara region.

Niagara At Large encourages you to share your views on this post in the space below the Bernie quote . A reminder that we only post comments by individuals who share their first and last name with them.

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

Recipients To Pick Up Payments At Local Offices

News From Niagara’s Regional Government

Posted August 29^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – Niagara Region Community Services will not be mailing social assistance payments to individuals and families to avoid the possibility of payments being delayed by a possible postal strike.

Instead, recipients will be able to pick up their Ontario Works payments at their local Community Services offices starting August 30 between 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.  Niagara Falls clients will be able to pick up their cheques at the Niagara Falls Employment Help Centre.

Although negotiations at Canada Post are continuing, the Region cannot take the risk of having social assistance payments delayed by a labour disruption.

For recipients who receive their Ontario Works payments through direct deposit, payments will continue to be deposited into their bank accounts as usual.  However, statements will not be mailed and can be picked up at local offices. Continue reading →

News from Brock University

Posted August 29^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – Samantha Nichols turned 12 during her first week at Brock University’s Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Summer Movement Camp. That was in 1996. This past Tuesday she celebrated her 32^nd birthday with the people who have become familiar to her in the last two decades.

“It’s always been Sam’s birthday during camp and we always do something special for it. On her 30^th birthday the students and campers made her a banner and signed it,” says Department of Kinesiology professor and Camp Founder Maureen Connolly.

A group of campers from the Autism Spectrum Disorder Summer Movement Camp at Brock University pose with officials from Brock, the Region of Niagara and Niagara Recycling, which has funded the camp for the past 20 years.

“This year, the mentors all wore Happy Birthday tiaras in honour of this annual celebration.” Continue reading →

Closing Down Parliament &  Protraying Environmentalists As ‘Enemies of the State’ Just Came With The Job

A Commentary by Linda McKellar

First, Stephen Harper, or Mr. Charm as I call him, was as citizen friendly and down to earth as a cobra.

Although not a prerequisite for holding office, Harper had zero charisma and no way to connect with the public – something very important for communicating with Canadian citizens and foreign leaders. That is one reason, just or otherwise, that so many were happy to see him go.

Several times he even refused to meet with the Provincial Premiers. He was secretive and autocratic, yet claimed he knew nothing of things like his aide’s pay off to one of his Senate appointments, Mike Duffy. Of course corruption is nothing new to any party. but he was an expert.

His policies were absolutely pro Bay Street. His election propaganda was right out of the U.S. Republican Party playbook with (just as one example of  very many) his backers demeaning his opponents (did Mulcair or Trudeau ever call him “Stevie”?) despite the fact that Harper was almost the same age as Justin Trudeau when he was first elected? Continue reading →

 “Water is life. It is necessary. Oil is neither. …What do we value as people?”

A Call-Out from Karl Dockstader, an Oneida First Nations community member in Niagara

Posted August 27^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

This Sunday, August 28^th at 4pm in Toronto at Allan Gardens on 19 Horticultural Ave, join supporters standing in “Solidarity with Standing Rock”.

More details can be found on Facebook: www.facebook.com/events/182590575494464/

A black snake is trying to coil around the Missouri River to choke out the water supply upon which the people of the Standing Rock Reservation are dependent.

Dakota Access LLC and Enbridge are continuing their persistent effort to drain every last drop of black gold and turn it into carbon dioxide by carving up the territory of the Black Rock Native Americans with their newest iteration of the Keystone Pipeline-like black snake of destruction.

A rally by young members of the Standing Rock Reservation earlier this August against pipeline

Led by youth from their reservation, these people – original to the lands – are being supported by people across the globe who agree with their principles:

Water is life. It is necessary. Oil is neither. Continue reading →

A Brief Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted August 26^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

As you may already have heard, Calgary, Alberta area MP and defeated neo-con prime minister Stephen Harper has taken his final bow this August 26^th – exiting his seat in Canada’s parliament completely to move on to his next abomination in the private sector.

Harper’s long-awaited departure from Canadians’ collective lives may grant us some brief pause for celebration during these last lazy, hazy days before the Labour Day weekend and getting back to work.

And what a monumental amount of work current federal, provincial and municipal governments, not to mention we, the Canadian people, have ahead of us cleaning up the malodorous mountain of dung, domestically and globally, that constitutes Harper’s legacy as one of the worst leaders this country has ever had.

In a book of essays by prominent Canadians, published a year ago this summer and  titled ‘Canada After Harper’, the book’s editor and veteran journalist Ed Finn concludes that following a decade of Harper’s dictatorship; “the need for sweeping progressive reform is more urgent now than ever before.”

“Uncurbed global warming, pollution, and resource depletion threaten Canada (and) to continue, lemming-like, following the profit-obsessed path set by our business and political leaders will take us to the abyss. We are not just in a struggle for social, economic and environmental betterment, but for the very survival of future generations.”

“Canada’s fate is in the balance,” concludes Finn, “teetering between a future of worsening decline and a future of restored advancement, security, equity and climatic health. …. To succeed in reaching a future of renewed well-being, we need to get back on the path of progress from which we have been ruthlessly and recklessly misdirected. And as soon as possible.”

To no surprise, news of Harper’s departure was accompanied by a glowing statement about her former boss from interim federal Tory leader Rona Ambrose who, as one of his former environment ministers, demonstrated uncompromising zeal in gutting the federal environment department and what were leading edge environmental protection laws and programs.

Today (August 26^th, 2016), the Conservative Party of Canada joins all Canadians in expressing our utmost respect and warm wishes to Prime Minister Stephen Harper as he steps back from his role as the Member of Parliament for Calgary Heritage, and the Canadian political stage,” began Ambrose in her statement which I do not have the stomach lining to post any more of.

If you have it in you to read any more of this, you can click on Ambrose’s site at — http://ronaambrose.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/13653095_10153945453178525_9200714836389543942_o.jpg .

As for my parting words, I’ll do my best here to keep them clean and short – – Good riddance Prime Minister Tar Sands. It is good to finally see the back of you.

Visit Niagara At Large at www.niagaraatlarge.com for more news and commentary for and from the greater bi-national Niagara region.

NOW IT IS YOUR TURN. Niagara At Large encourages you to share your views on this post in the space below the Bernie quote. A reminder that we only post comments by individuals who share their first and last name with them.

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

‘This endeavour will create 220 new value-added jobs for skilled workers in Niagara Centre.’

News from the Constituency Office of Niagara Centre MP Vance Badawey

Posted August 26^th on Niagara At Large

Welland, Ontario – GE Canada reaffirmed its commitment to the City of Welland at the site of their newest “Brilliant Factory” in (the Niagara municipality of) Welland.

Niagara Centre MP Vance Badawey

Slated to open in early 2018, this endeavour will create 220 new value-added jobs for skilled workers in Niagara Centre.

“GE Canada’s Welland facility is the cornerstone to the Niagara Economic Gateway-Foreign Trade Zone,” stated Niagara Centre, Member of Parliament, Vance Badawey. “This is a prime example of all levels of government working together and leveraging the many resources and incentives in place to attract cutting-edge private-sector partners, like GE Canada.” Continue reading →

A Brief Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted August 24^rd, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – For those of you who have not yet heard, the much-anticipated August 23^rd Public Meeting over a controversial plan to urbanize a tract of natural heritage known as the Thundering Waters Forest in Niagara Falls, Ontario was over before it began.

Celeste Smith, a young voice for the Indigenous community in the Niagara area, speaks to a gathering of residents outside Niagara Falls City Hall this August 23rd. She calls the coming together of native and non-native people to save the Thundering Waters Forest “beautiful.” Photo by Doug Draper

After all of the weeks of foreplay over this most important opportunity for members of the public to comment on the strength and weaknesses of a provincially required Environmental Impact Statement for this development plan, there was no Public Meeting at all.

In the minutes before the Public Meeting was set to begin on this past Tuesday night in August, enough Niagara Falls city councillors had the good sense to pass a motion tabled by Councillor Kim Craitor to hold the Public Meeting in a larger venue at a later date – this while residents packed the council chambers until there wasn’t a square foot left for anyone to stand, and others were forced to remain outside, chanting ‘Let us in’ while watching the sorry proceedings on a video screen. Continue reading →

‘With this report from the Ministry, it is hoped that the developers will digest it and give up on their plans.’

By John Bacher

Posted August 24^th, 2016 on Niagara At large

In an August 19^th, 2016 report prepared by Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry resource operations supervisor Ian Thornton, some alarms properly went off for 500 acres of the Thundering Waters Forest-Savannah now under threat of urban development.

A giant white oak tree in Thundering Waters Forest, in the Niagara River watershed in Niagara Falls, Ontario.

Hopefully, the report will put an end to the junk science that is being employed by paid contractors for the developers to destroy this precious natural refuge for a myriad of wildlife species in the southwestern end of Niagara Falls, Ontario.

The report should help speed the process where it can be purchased by the federal and provincial governments for a nature sanctuary administered by guardians in the greater Niagara area’s indigenous community.

Thornton’s report begins by condemning the developer’s Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for not undertaking adequate studies on bats. He deplores that “no acoustic monitoring was undertaken to confirm presence/absence of species at risk bats.” Continue reading →

News from the Ontario Government

Posted August 24^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Queen’s Park, Toronto – Driver licence fee increases come into effect this September to help maintain Ontario’s transportation infrastructure. Additional fees for reinstatements, replacements and commercial permits will follow effective January 1, 2017.

As of September 1, 2016:

• The Driver’s Licence Original and Renewal Fee, including the driver licensing fee as part of the Enhanced Driver Licence, will change from $81.50 to $90
• Vehicle Licence Validation in Northern Ontario will change from $54 to $60
• Vehicle Licence Validation in Southern Ontario will change from $108 to $120.

Continue reading →

“Our Waters, Our Future: Saving Scajaquada Creek” Expected To Have Over 200 Guests, With All Proceeds Supporting Creek Restoration Efforts

News from Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper

Posted August 23^rd, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Buffalo, New York – Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper announced this week that its 2nd annual waterfront event will raise funds to clean up the impaired Scajaquada Creek.

On September 1st from 6 to 9 p.m., Riverkeeper will gather supporters and partners at a special waterfront celebration at Marcy Casino, in Delaware Park. Scajaquada Creek runs underneath the building, making it an ideal location to acknowledge this challenged waterway’s history and to look forward to a brighter future.

Hoyt Lake off Scajaquada Creek with Marcy Casino (the historic old boathouse and restaurant) in Buffalo, New York’s Delaware Park. Photo by Doug Draper

“It has never been more important to stand up for our local waterways, and we need our community’s support to restore Scajaquada Creek to its full potential,” stated Jill Jedlicka, executive director of Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper.

“The creek has endured more than 100 years of abuse, yet still clings to life and is ready for restoration, and this September we will celebrate our vision for the creek’s bright future.” Continue reading →

View The Video – ‘Greater Than The Sum Of Its Parts’

Posted by Doug Draper

August 23^rd, 2016, Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario  documentary filmmakers Jon Lepp and Stacey Koudys are working on a documentary they are at least tentatively calling ‘The Paradise Project’ about the growing citizens battle to save hundreds of acres of forest, savannah and wetlands known as the Thundering Waters Forest in Niagara Falls.

Here is a quick note of introduction from Jon, followed by the latest installment of the project. Click on it and watch.

Hello folks,

Stacey Koudys and I are proud to launch our second webisode for our documentary The Paradise Project.

We hope you enjoy our webisode, “Greater Than the Sum of Its Parts”. Today is a really important day for Thundering Waters Forest.

Please come out to Niagara Falls City Hall at 6 pm this Tuesday, August 23^rd to show the Niagara Falls City Councilors that we do not want this forest to be developed into a private school or condos or parking lots!

Learn more about Jon and Stacey’s Paradise Project by clicking on – https://niagaraatlarge.com/2016/08/06/introducing-a-brand-new-save-thundering-waters-forest-website/ .

Visit Niagara At Large at www.niagaraatlarge.com for more news and commentary for and from the greater bi-national Niagara region.

NOW IT IS YOUR TURN. Niagara At Large encourages you to share your views on this post in the space below the Bernie quote . A reminder that we only post comments by individuals who share their first and last name with them.

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

Let Them Know You Care By Being There!

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

Posted August 23rd, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Many of you may already know about roughly 500 acres of forest, savannah and wetlands located in the Niagara River watershed in Niagara Falls, Ontario growing numbers of residents across the region have come to know as the Thundering Waters Forest, and what certain others in politics and in the business of .paving over paradise have in store for it.

There was some encouraging news in recent days that at least some people in the City of Niagara Falls Planning Department has some questions and concerns about a massive urban development plan for this area. But it is ultimately up to the politicians on the city’s council to decide whether or not to approve the development, and municipal councils have had a record of voting for a development project, against the concerns of their own planners plenty of times in the past.

That is why it is so important for members of the public to remain engaged in the Thundering Waters Forest issues and to make certain you let members of the Niagara Falls city council know how you feel.

One important time to do that is this Tuesday evening at 6:30 p.m. at Niagara Falls City Hall (you can find a map for the location for the city hall by doing a simple search on your computer).

Be there while it counts!

Poster courtesy of Niagara journalist and artist Julia Blushak

Visit Niagara At Large at www.niagaraatlarge.com for more news and commentary for and from the greater bi-national Niagara region.

NOW IT IS YOUR TURN. Niagara At Large encourages you to share your views on this post in the space below the Bernie quote . A reminder that we only post comments by individuals who share their first and last name with them.

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

Niagara Regional Councillor Paul Grenier Is Elected To The  2016 – 2018 AMO Board Of Directors

News from Niagara’ Regional Government

Posted August 22^nd, 2016 on Niagara At Large

(Note from NAL publisher Doug Draper – Beware the dog days of August. In the first version of this post I sent out earlier this August 22nd I had a typo in the headline, showing my old hometown of Welland – yes, the place where I was born and spent the first two decades of my life – as Weeland. I think Welland is going through enough problems in recent years without me doing a butcher job on the name ….. Sorry Welland! Now when are these dog days going to end.)

Niagara Region, Ontario– At the Annual Conference of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO), Paul Grenier, Councillor, Region of Niagara, was elected to the AMO Board of Directors, Regional & Single Tier Caucus.  As a member of the Board Paul will help set policy for the Association and serve as a key municipal leader in the Province.

Niagara regional councilor for Welland, Paul Grenier

“AMO benefits from membership from across the Province, and a Board that reflects the diversity of Ontario’s municipal governments.  To that end, I am pleased to have Paul on the 2016 – 2018 Board team,” said AMO President, Lynn Dollin.

“I look forward to advocating for municipal priorities on behalf of other Regional governments and the Niagara region over the course of the next two years,” said Councillor Grenier.

Niagara Regional Chair Alan Caslin added, “As a Regional Councillor, Paul’s local knowledge and action on waste management, social housing, and long term care will benefit both the Niagara region and other Regional and single tier governments across Ontario.” Continue reading →

The Last True NDP Leader In Canada

By Doug Draper

Posted August 22^nd, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Federal NDP Leader Jack Layton died five years ago this August 22^nd, 2016.

On August 20^th, 2016, two days before losing his brave battle with cancer, Canada’s then NDP leader left a an open letter to his fellow Canadians containing words that remain just as wise and inspiring today.

The letter – written in the context of a Harper government still clinging to power by dividing Canadians and by stoking feelings of greed, fear, anger and hate, ended this way – ended with the following words –

“Consider that we can be a better, fairer, more equal country by working together. Don’t let them tell you it can’t be done.   My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world.”

Continue reading →

“Poor dental health can have a huge impact on health and economic wellbeing… We know (the costs) are significant and largely preventive.”                                                                                     – Lori Kleinsmith,  Chair of Niagara Dental Health Coalition.

A Call-Out from the Niagara Dental Health Coalition

Posted August 22^nd, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – Members of the Niagara Dental Health Coalition are calling on Niagara MPPs to support the expansion of public dental programs to adults and seniors who cannot afford to pay for private dental health care.

OHIP does not provide health coverage to prevent and treat diseases of our teeth and gums. As a result, between two and three million people in Ontario do not visit a dentist, primarily due to financial barriers.

“We know that a patient presents at a hospital emergency room with an acute dental issue every nine minutes across Ontario,” says Lori Kleinsmith, new Chair of the Niagara Dental Health Coalition. Data from Niagara Region Public Health indicates that in 2015 there were over 2,300 visits to Niagara Health System emergency rooms, primarily presenting with tooth pain and infection, up three per cent since 2012. Continue reading →

By Doug Draper, publisher, NAL

Posted August 22nd, 2016 on Niagara At Large

(A NOTE from Doug Draper – An earlier version of this story stated that an “encouraging message” about new developments in the review/approval process for the controversial Thundering Waters Forest development proposal came from Niagara resident Ed Smith.

As it turns out, Ed Smith did circulate this message to numerous other residents across the region, including this journalist, but it was originally composed and sent out to  people by John Bacher, a Niagara resident and conversationist who has been engaged in protecting natural heritage lands in this same area of Niagara Falls for at least two decades now. My apologies to John and to our readers at large for screwing up the original source of the message.)

One of the very few political heroes I’ve ever had – the late U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy – had some inspiring words that are relevant to the way growing number of residents in Niagara, Ontario – now numbering in the many thousands – are standing up against plans for sprawling urban development onto hundreds of acres of green lands known as the Thundering Waters Forest in the southwest corner as Niagara Falls.

Twof of more than 100 Niagara residents who joined a delegation of residents this past spring, speaking out against the destruction of wetlands and other wildlife in the Thundering Waters Forest at a Niagara regional council meeting. File photo by Doug Draper

Robert Kennedy once said, and I paraphrase, that ‘every time a person stands up against something that is wrong or not in the best interests of present and future generations, they send forward a “tiny ripple of hope.” And if enough people stand up, those ripples can form a wave that can wash away the mightiest walls of destructive resistance.’

That is most surely a paraphrase of Kennedy’s more eloquently spoken words but it captures the essence of what he said during a trip to South Africa in the 1960s when future Nobel Peace Prize winner Nelson Mandela had been jailed for life for opposing a racist system called apartheid that was still plaguing that country.

And I believe that it also most surely speaks to the spirit of what is happening here where we have an impressive coalition of people unlike almost any I have seen in my three and a half decades of reporting on issues here – a coalition of youth, seniors and everyone in between, and of representatives of environmental groups, landowners groups, of the Aboriginal community and many others – standing up and saying “no” to any more destruction of what is left of Niagara’s woodlands, wetlands and savannah lands that have routinely been wiped out for development in past years. Continue reading →

By Doug Draper

Posted August 21^st on Niagara At Large

It has been a long time since I have felt as proud to be a Canadian and as close to my fellow Canadians as I did on this past evening of Saturday, August 20th.

The Tragically Hip, with Gord Downie front and centre, perform the final show of their tour this August 20th in Kingston, Ontario.

That feeling of closeness and pride washed warmly over me as I took my place with thousands of others in the Meridian Centre in downtown St. Catharines, Ontario to watch what may very well be the last concert ever by Gord Downie and The Tragically Hip on a set of big screens.

The Canadian pavilion at Expo 67 represented one of the proudest years in post Second World War times for Canadians.

I can barely remember the first time I felt that kind of pride because I was still two or three years shy of being old enough to vote at the time. It was 50 years ago this coming year when my Canada – finally flying a flag of its own – was celebrating its 100^th birthday and we put on a spectacular party for the world called Expo 67. Continue reading →

By John Bacher

During the Second World War, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill was famous for his great speeches.

One of them, which Churchill made following the route of Nazi Germany from Africa, gives one encouragement today. It included the now iconic words; “This is not the end, this is not even the beginning of the end. It is perhaps, the end of the beginning.”

It may be that the “end of the beginning” is now here for those residents in the Niagara, Ontario area who have been working to rescue five hundred acres of Thundering Waters Forest in Niagara Falls.

At high noon this past Friday, August 19^th, Niagara Falls’ Planning Department tabled information confirming that no vote by Niagara Falls City council would take place following a mandatory meeting taking place this August 23^rd and required by the province’s Planning Act if that vote has anything to do with permitting the destruction of natural lands in the Thundering Waters Forest.

A Public Meeting under the Planning Act, which is scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m. at Niagara Falls City Hall, gives citizens a unique opportunity to influence land use planning.

Poster courtesy of Niagara journalist and artist Julia Blushak

Continue reading →

By Lawrence Pinsky

Posted August 19^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

(A Brief Foreword Note from NAL publisher Doug Draper – “What greater gift than the love of a cat,” wrote Charles Dickens a hundred and fifty some-odd years ago, and almost everyone who has ever had or continues to have a close relationship with a cat knows that to be true.

I know that stories like the one I am posting here from Lawrence Pinsky, who has been a friend going back to our days going on 40 years ago in journalism school, are sad to read or think about. I know that because I have lived through stories like this with feline friends of my own.

But I think they are important stories to tell and talk about because as sad as they are, they can also bring out good and humane things in us as we and other living beings strive to make the best of the short time we all have together on this green and blue ball circling around the sun.

From time to time, I’ve had people say ask me how a person can grieve so much over the death of a cat or a dog. After all they are not a person. To which I say that as much as I feel sorry for the person grieving over the loss of their furry friend, I feel sorry for the person who doesn’t understand or who has never experienced that grief, because they are missing out on something in life that is very nice and special.

Now here is Lawrence’s story about his journey with a close and loving friend of the feline kind.)

By  Lawrence Pinsky

In the early summer of 1998 my parents were feeling at a loss. Their last of two kitties, Bootsie, had died a little while before and, as my mom used to say, “Who wants to come into an empty house?!”

My dad was reluctant to have a new “pet,” perhaps because he didn’t want to suffer yet another loss.

Still, my mom was strongly inclined, and one sunny morning she made a visit to the local SPCA with a former girlfriend of mine. Continue reading →

By Nick Fillmore

Posted August 19^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

(A Brief Foreword Note from Niagara At Large publisher Doug Draper – It is always an honour to post something from veteran Canadian journalist Nick Fillmore. He was one of my mentors when I was starting out in the field and was good enough to publish a couple of my articles on environmental issues in ‘This Magazine’ when he was the magazine’s editor. Thanks for everything Nick and thanks for trucking on when so many others in journalism have either sold out or fallen by the wayside.)

Dozens of athletes from Canada and thousands from developing countries have had a difficult time raising the money needed to train and take part in the Olympics Games in Brazil.

In Canada, more than two dozen world-class athletes were so hard up for support that they resorted to launching crowdfunding campaigns to supplement the money they receive from government and perhaps corporate sponsors.

On the tiny Pacific Island country of Nauru, judo participant Judoka Uera  had to hold barbecues and knock on doors to get the funds he needed. Getting to Rio fulfilled Uera’s lifelong dream.

However, hundreds of other athletes who had the same dream and could have qualified for Rio were unable to attend because of a lack of support. Continue reading →