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By John Bacher

Posted May 27th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

On Tuesday June 14^th, from 5 to 8pm at St. Catharines’s Performing Arts Centre at 250 St. Paul Street, the Ontario government is going to hold its Niagara Public Open House as part of its four provincial land use plans co-ordinated review.

People who show up to this gathering will be honouring the memory of one of the founders of provincial land use planning, Niagara, Ontario’s own Mel Swart.

Mel Swart in the early 2000s, at the unveiling of a sign declaring the Niagara Escarpment a biosphere of global significance, File photo by Doug Draper

It is appropriate that one of the proposals being discussed at the Open House – the addition of Lake Gibson, a source of drinking water for many Niagara residents – to the protected Greenbelt zone – was the subject of Swart’s last presentation to Thorold City Council following his retirement from politics more than 20 years ago.

While serving as a Niagara area MPP in the Ontario legislature in the 1980s and 90s, Swart worked closely with a current provincial cabinet minister and MPP for St. Catharines, Jim Bradley, on championing land use protection issues. Continue reading →

A Call-Out from Sue Hotte and Niagara, Ontario chapter of the Ontario Health Coalition

Posted May 26^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Only 3 days left until the big voting day!

That means we’ve got from now until Saturday May 28 – Our  Last Day  To Stop The Cuts To Our Community Hospitals.

Here are the Advance Voting Locations in your community. Continue reading →

A Public Notice from the Region

Posted May 26^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – Niagara Region is seeking public input into the potential future involvement of the Region in Niagara’s two existing municipally-funded airports.

The Region is exploring options following separate requests from several local municipalities and the airport commissions to consider financial and operational involvement in Niagara’s airports.

Residents can provide their thoughts on a possible Regional role at the airports through an online survey or by attending one of the three public information meetings being offered.

Public Information Meetings will take place from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the following locations:

May 30

Port Colborne, Port Colborne Library, 310 King St.

June 1

Niagara-on-the-Lake, Hilton Garden Inn, 500 York Rd., Niagara Garden View B

June 2

Lincoln, Fleming Centre, 5020 Serena Dr.

Niagara has two municipally-funded airports – the Niagara Central Dorothy Rungeling Airport, located at 435 River Rd. in Pelham, and the Niagara District Airport on 468 Niagara Stone Rd. in Niagara-on-the-Lake.

Residents can learn more about the study and provide their input through an online survey.

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

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

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

A Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted May 26^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Niagara Falls, Ontario – What if it was opening day weened at Marineland and some 300 people showed up – not to buy tickets to go through the front gates, but to stand along the road outside, protesting the captivity of marine mammals and other animals inside.

Opening  weekend in front of Marineland in Niagara Falls, Ontario, May 2016. Photo by George Burkhardt

On Saturday, May 21^st, as thousands of visitors were among the first to pour through the park’s gates this year, literally hundreds of animal advocates picketed outside, including members of Niagara Action for Animals (NAFA) – a group that has been protesting Marineland’s exhibition of whales, dolphins and other animals for more than half the years that the park first opened in the 1960s.

Two summers ago, when The Toronto Star ran a series of critical stories on Marineland’s handling of animals in its park, the number of people picketing in front of the park on a Saturday swelled from the usual 30 or 40 to well over 500 on some weekends. But some veteran Marineland protesters wondered how many would continue to join their ranks when the attention of the Toronto media shifted to something else. Continue reading →

A News Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted May 25^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Here’s a reality check for anyone who thinks government reps on the Ontario side of the Niagara River care more about protecting the environment than their counterparts on the American side of the border.

Buffalo, New York area Congressman Brian Higgins supports international wetland designation for Niagara River corridor.

While the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority has been wasting valuable amounts of the public’s time and money on the Ontario side obsessing over doing something called “biodiversity off-setting” to bulldoze over provincially significant wetlands for developers, a Congressman in Western New York has sent a letter to the head of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service in Washington, D.C., asking for his support for designation the binational Niagara River Corridor as “a Wetland of International Importance (Ramsar Site) pursuant to the Ramsar Convention.”

“This nomination” wrote Buffalo, New York area Congressman Brian Higgins in a May 23^rd, 2016 letter to the Fish & Wildlife Services’ director Daniel Ashe, “is especially unique as it is the first transboundary Ramsar site in North America boosting the importance of the Niagara River Corridor as an international symbol and an environmental treasure with distinct ecological character deserving celebration.”

“This nomination,” continues Higgins in his letter, “is especially unique as it is the first transboundary Ramsar site in North America boosting the importance of the Niagara River Corridor as an international symbol and an environmental treasure with distinct ecological character deserving celebration.”

Lower Niagara River

Higgins’ letter is heartening to read after several months on the Ontario side of the Niagara River watershed, watching growing numbers of citizens butting heads with directors of the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority – NPCA for short) – over their interest in applying to the provincial government for permission to try something called “biodiversity off-setting” to remove a wetland in one place and grow another one someplace else.

The NPCA has been particularly interested in piloting this idea on 13 acres of wetland designated by the Ontario government as “provincially significant.” This wetland is located on about 500 acres of land that hosts what many locals refer to as the Ramsey Road forest in the southwest end of Niagara Falls where a China-based developer just happens to want to build a billion-dollar-plus ‘Thundering Waters/Paradise community,’ complete with residential and commercial amenities for future inhabitants and visitors alike. Continue reading →

“We’ve seen older bands go on the road for a final tour, but this kind of finality, I can’t think of a band that has done this.”

News from Brock University in St. Catharines, Ontario

Posted May 25^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

St. Catharines, Ontario – A Brock University professor says the farewell tour about to be embarked on by Tragically Hip and lead singer Gord Downie will be “off the scale.”

Gord Downie of Tragically Hip in performance

The band and it’s legendary frontman Downie have played a pivotal role in the history of Canadian music, says Brock Communication Pop Culture and Film associate professor Scott Henderson.

The reaction across the country to Tuesday’s (May 24^th, 2016) news that Downie has an incurable brain tumour has been that of complete shock. The 52 year old first noticed symptoms in December and has been receiving treatment ever since.

Unfortunately, Downie’s neurologist at Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto said Tuesday the singer’s tumour is one of the most aggressive forms of brain cancer and the diagnosis is terminal. Continue reading →

By Niagara, Ontario resident, writer and longtime citizen activist Leslie Daniels

Posted May 24th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Lately I feel like I’m Alice and I just fell into the Rabbit’s hole. Didn’t know it was in Niagara but, I digress…

The perpetual Tea Party is taking place with an insane Mad Hatter shaking his fist, while the March Hare and all the White Kings are sitting at the table nodding their collective heads all the while making rude comments staggered with their innate clumsiness, silliness and stupidity.

The rest of the region slowly goes to hell in a hand basket. Sound familiar?

Does no one understand the principle of not leaving FOXES in charge of the Chicken Coop? Or as I like to refer to it … a Conflict of Interest?

Seems to me if you belong to a group whose actions lead to a vote for a review to be conducted by an unbiased party then you and your cronies should NOT be allowed to vote on whether it is required.  Continue reading →

“Ride sharing has been experiencing a renaissance since the turn of the millennium and not just because of the cost savings.”

A Call-Out from Niagara Ride Share

Posted May 24^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – This June 5^th thru 11^th is Commuber  Challenge week, a friendly competition that encourages people to use a sustainable mode of transportation to get to and from work.

Niagara Ride Share, a new web-based ride matching service, is taking the lead on promoting the competition in Niagara. But that doesn’t mean it’s just about ride sharing.

Commuter Challenge encourages people to walk, bike or use public transit. “If these aren’t viable options, than consider carpooling,” says Rhonda Barron, Project Lead of Niagara Ride Share. Continue reading →

A Brief by Doug Draper

Posted May 23^rd, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – Niagara’s regional council is calling on the Ontario Provincial Police and RCMP to luanch an investigation to determine if anything criminal accounts for gigantic cost over-runs attached to the rebuilding of the Burgone Bridge in St. Catharines.

Work continues on the deck of the Burgoyne Bridge in St. Catharines, Niagara. Photo by Doug Draper

At a May 19^th meeting, much of which was held behind closed doors, regional councillors also approved doing forensic audit on the bridge rebuilding project and launching an independent probe into “potential fiduciary impropriety” committed around the project by an “individual” inside regional government.

The cost of rebuilding the old bridge, connecting St. Paul Street in St. Catharines over Twelve Mile Creek and a stretch of Highway 406 running to and from the QEW, has soared from an estimated $59 million to more than $90 million and counting.

The provincial government has chipped in a portion of the reconstruction costs but most of them – at least for now – will be covered by Niagara taxpayers.

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

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

By Doug Draper – reporter/publisher, Niagara At Large

Posted May 23^th, 2016

Screwing up a person’s name has always been on my list of one of the worst mistakes you can make as a journalist. And on the rare occasion when I make it, I’m always thankful I don’t have enough joints between my feet and neck to do what I feel like doing – giving myself a kick in the head.

Veteran Welland regional councilor George Marshall has been a supporter of getting to the bottom of the public’s questions and concerns over wetlands and the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority

This Victoria Day weekend I had another one of those occasions where I was reminded that unless you are made of rubber or are a performer with Cirque du Soleil, it is anatomically impossible to kick yourself in the head.

The occasion came just minutes after I punched the “send” key on my lap top and realized all by myself that I had screwed up George Marshall’s name in a piece I posted on Niagara At Large this May 20^th. The piece was about Niagara’s regional council barely approving the idea of doing an independent audit of the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority and I corrected the error in the copy posted on the NAL site. Continue reading →

Citizens Asking For Audit Accused Of Engaging In “Smear Campaign”

By Doug Draper – reporter/publisher, Niagara At Large

Posted May 20^th, 2016

Niagara, Ontario – Niagara’s regional council barely approved a motion asking the board of the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority to allow an audit of its operations during a meeting that saw some of the councillors accusing a citizens delegation of engaging in “misinformation,” borderline “libelous comments” and a “smear campaign.

The motion asking the NPCA to subject itself to a “full operational audit” that the regional government would pay for squeaked through at the May 19^th meeting in a 14 to 13 vote after Bruce Timms, a St. Catharines regional councillor and chair of the Conservation Authority’s board, stressed that another audit is unnecessary because the NPCA had one done on itself by a “reputable auditor” for its 2015 operating year and for years before that.

Niagara citizen Ed Smith raises concerns at recent regional council meeting over Niagara Peninsula Conservation Auhority practices. Photo by Doug Draper

“You are not going to get much value for our money because it has already been done,” Timms insisted. “We (regional council) have more pressing issues to deal with.” Continue reading →

Province Building Innovative And Low-Carbon Economy

News from the Government of Ontario

Queen’s Park, Toronto – This May 18th, 2016, Ontario passed landmark climate change legislation that lays a foundation for the province to join the biggest carbon market in North America and ensures that the province is accountable for responsibly and transparently investing proceeds from the cap and trade program into actions that reduce greenhouse gas pollution, create jobs and help people and businesses shift to a low-carbon economy.

Under the Climate Change Mitigation and Low-Carbon Economy Act, money raised from Ontario’s cap and trade program will be deposited into a new Greenhouse Gas Reduction Account. The account will invest every dollar in green projects and initiatives that reduce emissions.

Following extensive consultation with industry and other groups, the legislation was strengthened by now requiring enhanced accountability and public reporting on the province’s upcoming Climate Change Action Plan and investment of cap and trade proceeds. Continue reading →

An Invitation To Everyone With An Interest In The Welfare Of  Niagara’s Natural Heritage

From Gary King, Niagara Land Trust

Posted May 18^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Not so long ago, Welland Riding MPP Cindy Forster managed to fill a room full of concerned citizens at the Fuzzy Logic to discuss biodiversity and wetlands. With all the continued discussion around wetlands, please take a moment to look at the following upcoming event, sponsored by the Niagara Land Trust Foundation.

Learn more about “biodiversity offsetting,” and the role of wetlands in a healthy natural environment

It is planned as an evening of information and interaction, plus a chance to let off some steam along with the locally renown group, the Deacons of Jazz!

The Niagara Land Trust is hosting a special event – A Night of Wetlands & Jazz Bands – that combines awareness of wetlands & their impacts from biodiversity off-setting and an evening of socializing & meeting new conservation friends. Continue reading →

Wynne Liberals Shelled Out Millions Of Tax Dollars To Province’s Teachers Unions

News from the Office of the Ontario Auditor

Posted May 18^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

 Toronto – Ontario government funding to education-sector unions for bargaining costs was unusual but within the government’s authority, Auditor General Bonnie Lysyk said in a Special Report released today.

Ontario Auditor General Bonnie Lysyk releases damning report on Wynne government and teachers unions playing fast and loose with millions of dollars of Ontarians’ tax money.

“We found no evidence of the government reimbursing bargaining costs of any other large public-sector unions in Ontario. We also found little evidence across Canada of a provincial government paying teachers’ unions for bargaining costs,” Lysyk said after tabling the report, entitled Government Payments to Education-Sector Unions.

“On one hand, some may say that this was good use of taxpayer dollars if it facilitated reaching agreements on central-bargaining issues; on the other hand, some may say that this money should have been spent on providing government services for Ontarians rather than giving the money to unions,” Lysyk added. Continue reading →

Public Hearings On Bill To Take Place Throughout Summer

News from the Office of Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne

Posted May 17^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

(A Brief Comment on this from Niagara At Large publisher Doug Draper – In the wake of  damning exposés that came out this spring thanks to The Globe and Mail, Toronto Star and investigative teams at CBC radio and television on a secret system Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne has had in place to grant special access to her and her key cabinet ministers to special interest parties that contribute generously to her Liberal Party’s election campaign war chest, the premier has tabled the proposed changes below on how political parties in the province receive funds to finance their campaigns.

This image was inserted her by Niagara At Large to make a point and obviously did not come in a package with the Wynne government’s media release below.

I believe that the most credit we, the people, can give Wynne and her government is that they could have dug in their heals, like her old boss Dalton McGuinty was inclined to do, and done nothing or put off doing anything for as long as possible after such scorching reports came out.

Continue reading →

“I truly believe that we will succeed, and that together, we can stop the hospital cuts and restore local services.” – Ontario Health Coalition director Natalie Mehra

A Call-Out from the Ontario Health Coalition

Posted May 17^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

The response has been overwhelming!

All across Ontario, residents who are concerned about stopping the cuts to our community hospitals and restoring services are joining in the grassroots campaign.

Voting stations have been set-up at farmers’ markets, grocery stores, corner stores, legions, churches, and many other locations all across the province. Continue reading →

“Far too many people still face harassment, discrimination, and violence for being who they are. This is unacceptable.” – Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

Statement by the Prime Minister of Canada on the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia

Posted May 17^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Ottawa, Ontario – The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today issued the following statement on the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia:

Justin Trudeau has walked in a number of Pride Parades over the years.

“Today, I join Canadians – and people around the world – to recognize the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia.

“Everyone deserves to live free of stigma, persecution, and discrimination – no matter who they are or whom they love. Today is about ensuring that all people – regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity – feel safe and secure, and empowered to freely express themselves. Continue reading →

Changes Include New Powers for Lobbyist Registrar, Stiffer Penalties for Violations

News from the Government of Ontario

Posted May 16th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Queen’s Park, Toronto – Ontario is building on its commitment to openness and accountability by strengthening oversight over lobbying activities and enhancing transparency of the Lobbyists’ Registry.

Ontario’s Queen’s Park parliamentary building in Toronto

In 2014, Ontario passed the Public Sector and MPP Accountability and Transparency Act, 2014, which included the modernization of the Lobbyist Registration Act, 1998. The changes to the Lobbyist Registration Act reflect many of the recommendations made by Ontario’s Integrity Commissioner.

They will give the Integrity Commissioner, as Lobbyist Registrar, the authority to investigate alleged violations of the Act, the ability to prohibit lobbying for up to two years and the ability to provide guidance and direction on lobbyist conduct. Continue reading →

News from Hospice Niagara

Posted May 16^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

St. Catharines, Ontario – This Sunday, May 15, 2016, Hospice Niagara’s 14th annual Hike for Hospice Niagara took place at Lakeside Park in St. Catharines.

Some of the hundreds who participated in a fundraising walk for Hospice Niagara. Photo courtesy of Hospice Niagara

Hundreds of people came together for a meaningful hike that raised awareness and funds to support compassionate hospice palliative care in Niagara. “It’s such a special day to honour those who are living the final phase of life and to remember those who have passed due to a life-limiting illness.” says Carol Nagy, Executive Director of Hospice Niagara. Continue reading →

A Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted May 16^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

I woke up this Monday, May 16^th to a top-of-the-front-page story in The Globe and Mail that was worse than any nightmares I could have had while I was asleep.

And at least you can wake up from a nightmare but this story, reporting that Ontario Premier Kathleen is about to have her trained Liberal seals rubberstamp a “climate plan” that will cost those of us who live in this province and can’t afford a Bay Street lawyer to help us avoid paying taxes $7 billion over four years.

Oh no! Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne is about the unleash her “climate change plan”

Furthermore, Wynne claims she’ll pay for this plan by  deploying a “cap-and-trade” regime (rather than a more simply and straightforward carbon tax) she intends to use her majority to ram down our throats within days – a regime, by the way that has already proven, in other regions of the world, to be bureaucratically bulky and hard to understand for reasons that may very well have to do with disguising evidence that it is more of a money grab than it is an effective environmental protection tool. Continue reading →

 A Call-Out from Niagara Action For Animals

Posted May 16^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Dear Friends of Animals  

This Saturday, May 21^st – the annual Opening Day Demo takes place at Marineland – located at 7657 Portage Road in Niagara Falls, Ontario from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Demonstrating in front of Marineland in Niagara Falls, Ontario. File photo by Doug Draper

The opening day demonstration at Marineland in Niagara Falls has become one of the largest public animal advocacy demonstrations in Canada each Spring.

People from all walks of life are welcome to attend to oppose Marineland’s animal exhibits and call for an end to their exploitative business practices.

2016 is an especially important year as mounting public pressure is resulting in new proposals & laws being introduced in Canada to finally phase out marine mammal captivity.

Please come out, even for an hour, to support ALL of the animals held captive at Marineland.

About Niagara Action For Animals

Niagara Action for Animals (NAFA) is a non-profit, all volunteer charity devoted to ending all forms of animal cruelty through education, direct action and legitimate protest.

To learn more about Niagara Action For Animals and its animal advocacy work click on – http://www.niagaraactionforanimals.org/ .

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

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

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

Province Suggesting Changes to Adopt Recommendations of Crombie Panel

News from the Ontario Government

Posted May 12th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

(A Note from NAL publisher Doug Draper to readers – Just past the bulleted points in this post, is a link in blue that reads – ‘comment on the proposed changes’. Click on it and use it as an opportunity to say to the government “No – Absolutely No biodiversity offsetting of provincially significant wetlands in Niagara or anywhere else in the province.)

Ontario is proposing changes to four provincial plans that shape how land is used in the Greater Golden Horseshoe — Canada’s fastest-growing urban region, the province’s economic engine and the home of the Greenbelt.

Ontario is responding to input from the public and addressing the recommendations of the report “Planning for Health, Prosperity and Growth in the Greater Golden Horseshoe: 2015- 2041” from the Co-ordinated Land Use Planning Review advisory panel, chaired by former mayor of Toronto David Crombie.

The proposed changes to the Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe, the Greenbelt Plan, the Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan and the Niagara Escarpment Plan would: Continue reading →

“If NDP Leader Andrea Horwathis serious about investing in health care then she should have supported the 2016 budget where we increased health-care funding by $1-billion.”   – Ontario Liberal Caucus

A Shot Back from Ontario’s Liberal Government Caucus

Posted May 12^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Ontario NDP leader Andrea Horwath continues to mislead Ontarians with selective and inaccurate information around the nursing sector.

The leader of the NDP is simply wrong: there are more nurses working in Ontario this year than there were last year. A report by the independent College of Nurses of Ontario clearly states: there were almost 3,000 net-new nursing positions in Ontario last year. [Source: College of Nurses of Ontario, 2015] Continue reading →

News from the Niagara Constitiuency Offices of Welland Riding MPP Cindy Forster and Niagara Falls Riding MPP Wayne Gates

Posted May 12^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Thorold, Ontario – Welland MPP Cindy Forster hosted a town hall meeting with Monique Taylor (Hamilton Mountain MPP), the Ontario NDP’s critic for Children and Youth Services, and Wayne Gates, MPP for the riding of Niagara Falls.

Welland Riding MPP Cindy Forster

 The public meeting included families of children with autism from the Niagara region, where they discussed the impact of the (Ontario’s) Liberal government’s proposed changes to autism services.

“Parents in the Niagara region, and parents across the province, are telling the Premier and the Liberal government to stop taking away essential therapy for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) who are over the age of five,” Forster said. Continue reading →

A Remembrance from Doug Draper

Posted May 11^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Stan Pettit. Photo courtesy of Wainfleet Township

He always struck me and so many others who came to know him through his more than three decades in municipal life as an honest and decent person who could be counted on go the extra miles to address issues facing the township he so proudly served, and the region at large.

From my perspective as long-time journalist in Niagara, Stan Pettit, who served for most of his elected years as Wainfleet’s mayor and as he sole representative for the township on Niagara regional council, exemplified those virtues more than many other people who’ve held a municipal seat in this region, then and now.

Stan Pettit, who eventually narrowly lost a bid to serve another term as mayor sixteen years ago to another one of the good ones, Gord Harry, died this past Monday, May 9^th. He was 80 years old.
Continue reading →

A Call-Out from the Ontario Clean Air Alliance

Posted May 11^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Is keeping one of the world’s oldest nuclear plants operating for another 12 years – smack dab in the middle of 2 million people – a good idea?

In our new 5 minute video, former Ontario Power Generation (OPG) nuclear scientist Dr. Frank Greening explains the risks of keeping Pickering operating for another decade.

  The Pickering Nuclear Station is the oldest nuclear plant in Canada, the 4^th oldest in North America and the 7^th oldest in the world. But despite clear evidence that Pickering’s outdated technology is well past its prime, Ontario Power Generation says it will ask for a 10-year licence extension when the station’s current licence expires in 2018. Continue reading →

A Message from the Buffalo for Bernie Sanders headquarters

Posted May 11th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Buffalo, New York – YUUUGE win in West Virginia last(Tuesday, May 10th) night. May is setting up nicely for Bernie!

It’s been awhile since we have sent out an email to everyone that has been connected to the grassroots organization “Buffalo for Bernie”.

Whether it be an event we hosted, a meeting or group activity you have submitted your email to us and we want to use that to keep you in the loop as to what we are still doing to get Bernie elected as Democratic nominee and on into November to get him elected President. Stay subscribed and you will help us continue the political revolution Bernie is still campaigning across the country for.

What can still be done?

Host/Attend a phone bank! We can help promote it, just contact us! Continue reading →

A Brief One from Niagara At Large publisher Doug Draper

Posted May 10^th, 2016

One of the very nice things about owner Todd Marr and the people who help him manage the Foodland (once IGA) grocery store in the Niagara, Ontario community of Thorold is how welcome they’ve always been to hosting drives to assist people in this region or elsewhere who are suffering hardship.

One of countless of images coming out of the Fort McMurray, Alberta area showing homes and businesses devastated by fire.

This store, located in a plaza at 9 Pine Street in Thorold, has had a record of working with others in the community to assist people in need for all the more than 30 years I’ve been living in this same community.

This first full week of May is no exception with Foodland displaying signs on its doors and inside the store noting that it is accepting donations that its mother company, Sobey’s Inc, will match at stores at up to $100,000 to help people who have lost so much and continue to need assistance due to the Fort McMurray fire disaster. Continue reading →

News from Citizens At City Hall (CATCH) in Hamilton, Ontario

Posted May 10^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

(A Brief Foreword from NAL publisher Doug Draper – As you read this, and I hope you do, keep in mind that the information and concerns contained in this post are just as relevant for the greater Niagara region as they are for neighbouring in Hamilton, and so are the suggestions made for lifestyle changes that can help reduce emissions of carbon-based, greenhouse gases to the atmosphere.)

Hamilton, Ontario – Ontario’s minister of the environment and climate change had some blunt advice when he spoke at the climate resilient cities conference in Hamilton. Glenn Murray offered detailed evidence that climate change already threatens our food and water security and it’s going to get much worse.

While he declared that “there’s nothing that Hamilton lacks to be the kick-ass city in Canada”, the former mayor of Winnipeg made clear that “fundamental transformation” in our urban form is required including intensification and no more suburban sprawl. Continue reading →

From Ontario’s Progressive Conservative leader Patrick Brown

Posted May 10^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Queen’s Park, Toronto – This May 10th, Leader of the Official Opposition Patrick Brown used Question Period to demand the Ontario Government reverse their cuts to autism therapy.

“Cutting IBI treatment for children over five is a mistake. It is a mistake to take the chance for IBI treatment away from 5 year old Keith in Toronto,” said Brown, referencing a five year old boy who was removed from the waitlist for therapy. “His mom called these changes ‘devastating for [her] child’s future.’ And she said the devastating cuts to Keith’s treatments are ‘heartbreaking.’” Continue reading →

This Coming Wednesday, May 11^th At Thorold Public Library

Posted May 10^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

News from the Constituency Office of Welland Riding MPP Cindy Forster

Thorold, Ontario – Cindy Forster, MPP for Welland, will be hosting a town hall meeting to discuss recent changes to the Autism program in Ontario.

Also attending are the Ontario NDP’s critic for children and youth services, Monique Taylor (MPP for Hamilton Mountain), Wayne Gates, MPP for the riding of Niagara Falls, and the parents and families of children with autism, to address the impact of the government’s changes to autism services.

When – Wednesday, May 11, 2016

6:30 p.m.            Town Hall Meeting

Hosted by:          Monique Taylor, MPP, Hamilton Mountain,                                Ontario NDP Children & Youth Services Critic , Wayne Gates, MPP, Niagara Falls, Cindy Forster, MPP, Welland

Location:             Thorold Public Library , 14 Ormond St. N., Thorold

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

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

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

A Call-Out from Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath

Posted May 9^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Queen’s Park, Toronto – To mark the beginning of Nursing Week, Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath called on the province’s Wynne government to impose a moratorium on any further nursing cuts in Ontario’s hospitals.

“This morning, on the first day of Nursing Week, I’m here with one message for Premier Wynne: Enough is enough,” said Horwath. “The Liberals are forcing our hospitals to make decisions based on dollars and deficits, rather than what’s best for patients. The Premier’s deep cuts to nursing care in Ontario’s hospitals must stop – Now.”

Horwath was joined by Vicki McKenna, First Vice-President of the Ontario Nurses’ Association (ONA), who revealed that 1,440 registered nurses have been cut since the beginning of 2015. In 2016, Ontario is on pace to more than double the number of nurses cut compared to last year. Continue reading →

“Ontario’s nuclear industry creates the cheapest emission-free power we have (and) the Premier must commit to supporting Ontario’s nuclear industry.” – Ontario PC Opposition Leader Patrick Brown

From the Office of  PC Opposition Leader Patrick Brown

Posted May 9th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Queen’s Park, Toronto – Ontario Liberal Cabinet Ministers are divided on the future of nuclear energy in the province.

Ontario’s Pickering Nuclear power plant. Is it a cheaper way to go? And where is a safe method and place for disposing of the radioactive waste generated from these facilities?

During his Thursday, May 5th speech to the Economic Club of Canada, Minister of Environment Glen Murray said that he believed the province would eventually move away from nuclear power within the next 10-20 years.

However, during yesterday’s Question Period, Minister of Energy Bob Chiarelli said that the province was committed to a $12.8-billion refurbishment over the next 30 years to produce clean energy. Continue reading →

 “To those who have lost so much: we are resilient, we are Canadians, and we will make it through this difficult time, together.”

Posted May 6^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Ottawa, Ontario – The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today issued the following statement on the Government of Canada’s response to the Fort McMurray fire:

“Today, I speak for all Canadians when I say that our hearts go out to the families affected by this terrible fire. We are thinking of – and praying for – the people of Fort McMurray. Though Alberta’s loss is profound, we will get through this tragedy together: as friends, as neighbours, as Canadians.

“I encourage everyone to make a donation to http://www.redcross.ca , and help the thousands of displaced residents of Fort McMurray.

“The Government of Canada will match every dollar donated to the Canadian Red Cross in support of the Fort McMurray relief effort. Our commitment will apply to individual charitable donations made within Canada, it will be backdated to May 3^rd, 2016, and it will continue until May 31^st, 2016. There will be no financial cap on the federal government’s contribution.

“We applaud the Government of Alberta, who has also agreed to match donations. As a result, for every dollar donated by Canadians, the Red Cross will receive a total of $3.

“The outpouring of goodwill and compassion we have already seen from Canadians across the country has not only been inspirational, but stands as a testament to who we are as a nation.

“I would once again like to thank the many first responders who are working tirelessly, day and night, to fight this fire. To those who have lost so much: we are resilient, we are Canadians, and we will make it through this difficult time, together.”

(A note from Niagara At Large – If you are interested in making a donation to the Canadian Red Cross to assist the many victims of this unfolding disaster click on https://donate.redcross.ca/ea-action/action?ea.client.id=1951&ea.campaign.id=50610&gclid=CKLZqomnxswCFQEGaQodmPUAVA   .

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

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

“This book is an attack on current city planning and rebuilding.” – so reads the opening salvo from Jane Jacob’s powerfully influential book ‘The Death And Life Of Great American Cities’

A Brief Tribute from Doug Draper

Posted May 6^th on Niagara At Large

She was small in stature but mighty.

Jane Jacobs in Toronto

Jane Jacobs was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania on May 4^th, 1916 and died in Toronto, Ontario on April 25^th, 2006.

And in between, the “housewife” and self-taught urban planner, whose 1961 book ‘The Death and Life of Great American Cities’ was as groundbreaking Rachel Carson’s ‘Silent Spring’ was to environmental protection and Marshall McLuhan’s ‘Understanding Media’ was to comprehending all forms of media and their mpact on our lives, did more to advance the cause of preserving and building healthy living communities than most of the planners out there with a wall full of professional credentials.

During her years in New York City in the 1950s and 1960s, Jane Jacobs and a small group of citizen leaders stood up to Robert Moses, then one of the most powerful bureaucrats and builders of highways and bridges in North America, and stopped his plans to cut an expressway system through the heart of Manhattan – a scheme that would have gone a long way toward destroying iconic neighbhourhoods in and around the Lower East Side like Soho, Little Italy and the bohemian mecca of Greenwich Village where she lived at the time.

The courageous battle Jacobs led against Moses is wonderfully portrayed in Ric Burns’ crtically acclaimed PBS documentary series ‘New York’ and serves as a lasting inspiration for anyone engaged in David vs. Goliath s battles against forces that might do harm to the communities where we live.

Jane Jacobs’ work should be required teaching in our high schools and should be a centre piece of every municipal planners’ education.

Indeed, we are certainly in need of more Jane Jacobs today, especially in this Niagara, Ontario region where the record shows we have far too few planners, evelopers and municipal politicians with the will and intelligence to move beyond paving over ever more of what is left of green spaces to make way for car-dependent, low density sprawl.

Honour the legacy of Jane Jacobs by putting her great book ‘The Death And Life Of Great American Cities’ on your must read list. What the book has to say about what makes for an urban environment worth living in is just as vital today as it was when it was first published more than five decades ago.

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

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

A Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted May 4^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Since a year ago this June, when he glided down the escalator from his gold tower to begin his campaign for the U.S. presidency, Americans have looked on – some with chuckles, some with jeers and some with cheers – as Donald Trump, with reptilian voracity has ripped one piece of flesh after another from the bones of the once proud, 164-year-old Republican Party.

This May 3^rd, as the votes were tallied in the latest in a series of presidential primaries in the State of Indiana, what little was left of the grand ol’ party of Abe Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt breathed its last gasp as the Donald emerged as the last clown standing in a year-long race to run against Democratic candidates Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders for the highest office in the land.

This May 4rth, on its front page, one of America’s most circulated news tabloids, the New York Daily News, depicted Trump’s victory over an eviscerated Republican establishment and the elephant that serves as its symbol as follows.

Seems like a shocker to many Americans but not so much for those of us living north of the U.S./Canada border that went through this more than two decades ago with the death of the old Conservative Party of John A. MacDonald, John Diefenbaker and Joe Clark, and almost every last one of its so-called “Red Tory” members. Continue reading →

Posted May 4th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

News from the Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce

Niagara, Ontario – The Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce will celebrate Niagara’s most outstanding business and community leaders on Thursday, June 23, 2016, at the Niagara Business Achievement Awards.

The restoration and preservation of the 19th century Keefer Mansion in the Niagara, Ontario community of Thorold is one of the achievements of Phil Ritchie and Keefer Developments, who are among those who will receive an award for their contribution to the greater Niagara community. File photo by Doug Draper

Four distinguished business and community leaders will receive bestowed awards at the 13^th annual edition of the ceremony for their achievements in business and philanthropy within the community.

Rob Welch, Partner at Lancaster, Brooks and Welch, will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award sponsored by Walker Industries. This award is presented to a businessperson who has demonstrated a lifetime commitment to business success and community leadership. Continue reading →

A Call-Out from the Ontario Health Coalition – a citizens advocacy group for quality public health services

Posted May 4^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

The Ontario Health Coalition has been on the front lines across the province, actively campaigning to stop the devastating cuts in local public hospitals and to win a restoration of funding, staffing, beds and services to meet communities’ needs for care.

Now heading into the ninth year in a row of real-dollar cuts to hospitals’ global budgets, Ontario’s community hospitals are lagging behind virtually all other provinces in every reasonable measure of hospital funding. We have dropped to the bottom in key measures of care: we have the fewest hospital beds, we are pushed out of hospital faster, and we have the least nursing care (RN & RPN) per patient of any province in the country. Continue reading →

‘Remembering A Tragic & Shocking Day For The Peace Movement

Posted May 4th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

As Canadian native and rock legend Neil Young once reflected – It was “probably the biggest lesson ever learned at an American place of learning.”

At the same time, said Young – “It’s still hard to believe I had to write this song.”

The song, for those of us old enough to remember or for younger people who care enough to study the history of some of the earlier years of the civil rights and anti-war movement of the 1960s and 70s, is ‘Ohio’.

At the 25th commemoration ceremonies in 1995 for the 1970 Kent State shootings, a little girl places flowers on a spot where one of four students fell dead. Photo by Doug Draper

And at least part of the lesson that was learned on that spring day 46 years ago, on a university campus that looks like many others across the continent, is that not everyone is going to look favorably upon you or think you are a nice person if you are out there demonstrating for civil rights or the environment or for the end of war. In fact, many may dislike you and at least some may hate you enough that you could get killed!

That is what happened on the grassy hills of Kent State University in Ohio during a week of on-campus protests against an ever more unpopular War in Vietnam when students William Schroeder, Sandra Scheuer, Jeffrey Miller and Allison Krause – two of them 19 and two of them 20 years old, and two of them not even participating in the protests, but walking between classes with books in their hands – were cut down in a sudden volley of fire from an army composed of the state’s National Guard. Continue reading →

“As the first Canadian institution to host the White Privilege Symposium, Brock is leading a national discussion.” 

News from Brock University

Posted May 3^rd, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – For the first time in its history, the White Privilege Conference — a prominent American symposium of educators and students “designed to examine issues of privilege beyond skin colour” — is venturing outside of the U.S.

This fall, Brock University will be the host site for the White Privilege Symposium Canada. Pictured are keynote speaker Eddie Moore with Brock symposium organizing team members Dolana Mogadime, centre, and Kim Radersma.

This fall, Brock University will be the host site for the White Privilege Symposium Canada (WPSC). The two-day event Sept. 30 and Oct. 1 will use a format of guest speakers and group workshops to examine the impacts of, and solutions to, racial and cultural oppression.

Organized by Brock’s Task Force on Racial Climate, and supported by the U.S. parent group, the WPSC will be themed “Academics & Activists: Advocating for Equity, Justice and Action,” and is expected to draw attendees from Canada and the U.S. Continue reading →

Nearly 3 million Ontarians are employed by small businesses of 100 or less employees, but the rising cost of doing business in the province is stunting their growth

News from the Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce

Posted May 3^rd, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – This first week of May, 2016, the Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce (GNCC), in partnership with the Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC), is launching Small Business Too Big To Ignore, a six month campaign that will highlight the important contributions of small businesses to our communities and investigate the top barriers to small business growth.

Coinciding with the launch of this campaign, the OCC also released its report, Top 3 Obstacles to Small Business Success, aimed at starting a conversation about the underlying challenges that are weighing on small businesses and stifling job creation. Continue reading →

 “Biodiversity offsetting should not be part of wetland discussions and any thought to the contrary is simply uninformed and incorrect.  The science says so and so do most of our wetland policies and protocols in Canada.”

By Barry Warner, Professor of Wetland Ecology, University of Waterloo

A Special to Niagara At Large

Posted May 2^nd, 2016

Some of the information presented in media reports regarding the wetlands in the vicinity of Dorchester and Oldfield Roads in Niagara Falls, Ontario (where the proposed …. Thundering Waters/”Paradise Community” development is proposed to go on hundreds of acres of land) needs clarification and correction.

Two of the hundreds of Niagara residents who have attended meetings and rallies in recent weeks to stop a bid by the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority to “offset” – take that to mean destroy – wetlands in Niagara to make way for sprawling development.

Despite great progress in recent decades, wetlands continue to be enigmatic and poorly understood habitats. They have characteristics in common with both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

By scientific definition, they are their own discreet ecosystems with unique wetland attributes in addition to the shared attributes found in each of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems too. Thus, it might be understandable that concepts and interpretations get confused by the non-specialist or lay persons.

Wetlands are not only attractive hotspots of biodiversity and important water features; they have also played central roles in shaping the history of our nation and possess great spiritual connections to our Mother Earth. Continue reading →

Just Movin’ Things Around

A Take by Niagara, Ontario resident and author Leslie Daniels on the controversy over the wetland destruction scheme the NPCA choose to peddle as something called “biodiversity offsetting”

Posted May 2nd, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Once upon a time . . . a group of foreigners offered great wealth to those in authority in Niagara, if they could just give up a tiny bit of their protected lands.

The Queen of the province had already made a deal with the wealthy developers and told Rumpelstiltskin, the leader of the authority to find a way to change the laws without it looking like they were selling off the protected and threatened species that lived in these slough forests of Niagara.

The authority thought and thought and finally came up with a plan. They called it biodiversity offsetting. Sounds kind of like a ‘Sarah Pailn-make-up-your-own-word”, doesn’t it?<giggle> But I digress… Continue reading →

A Call-Out for Justice for Ontario’s working interns from the province’s New Democratic Party

Posted May 2^nd, 2916 on Niagara At Large

(Just a brief Foreword to this Post from NAL publisher Doug Draper –

Every fair-minded person in Ontario – that means all of us – needs to speak out against the continued approval by Premier Kathleen Wynne and her Liberal government of colleges and universities in Ontario forcing students to perform slave labour – they call it “unpaid internships” – in order to receive their diploma.

This shameless exploitation of our young people – of people who are already having a hard enough time finding paying jobs while they are neck-deep in student debt – is a form of theft of their time and of the skills they bring to the work place, and it has got to stop!)

Queen’s Park, Toronto – Today during Question Period, Peggy Sattler, Ontario NDP critic for Training, Colleges and Universities, called on the Wynne government to protect all Ontario interns from workplace exploitation, after the Ministry of Labour uncovered widespread violations of the Employment Standards Act during a fall 2015 workplace blitz. Continue reading →

Major Agreements Signed with Chinese Partners

News from the Ontario Government of Premier Kathleen Wynne with a Foreword & Cautonary Words from Niagara At Large publisher Doug Draper

Posted May 1^st, 2016 on Niagara At Large

(A Brief Foreword to this Post by Niagara At Large publisher Doug Draper – Well, here we go again. Hopefully it is a good thing for grape growers and wine producers in Niagara, Ontario that, as this Ontario government news release states below, an agreement has been reached with China to export and sell more ice wine to that country.

On the other hand, what other agreements has Ontario’s Wynne government, which I’ve found myself feeling more distrustful of with each passing month, cut that may be in the interest of a few special interests, but may be of questionable benefit or may possibly even have damaging impacts on our communities as a whole.

The last time Ontario’s Liberal government, led by Premier Kathleen Wynne herself, went on a “business mission” to China, in November of last year (2015), she boasted of brokering more than $2 billion in deals – one of them a development proposal for the Niagara Falls, Ontario area identified as “Thundering Waters” and mentioned in a provincial government media release at the time in the following few lines; “Also in Beijing, Xincheng Real Estate Fund announced a $100 million investment towards Paradise, a new attraction and residential development in Niagara Falls. The development is led by China-based GR Investment Group, which has purchased 484 acres of property located west of Marineland and adjacent to Thundering Waters Golf Club.”

Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne in the second row, in China last November 2016, cutting business deals with numerous other Chinese and Ontario corporate representatives on hand.

It wasn’t until a few months later that residents across Niagara began to learn more about this Thundering Waters” development plan and the potentially destructive impacts it might have on hundreds of acres of lands in and around the Niagara River watershed. Continue reading →

This Post Is Courtesy of Ontario Nature, a province-wide advocacy group for protecting and preserving our natural spaces

Posted May 1^st, 2016 on Niagara At Large

(A Brief Note from Niagara At Large – With all of the discussion and debate in Niagara, Ontario in recent months over something called “biodiversity offsetting” – something the Niagara Peninsula Conservation is interested in trying for the benefit of developers who want to bulldoze through “nuisance pieces” of wetlands in our region – NAL is including this piece from the group Ontario Nature as a way of shining a little light on the key role wetlands play in the web of life on our planet.)

Painted Turtle – Photo by Jason King, Courtesy of Ontario Nature

Niagara Falls, Ontario – A few reptiles and amphibians have already been spotted in Niagara Falls this spring. But with the warmer weather, the first weeks of this April served to rouse scores more.

On a leisurely shoreline stroll you may spot an American toad or midland painted turtle. If you turn over a log, you may find a spotted salamander or milksnake. Continue reading →

‘We Must Protect Our Dairy Producers’ -NDP Motion

From the New Democratic Party of Canada

Posted April 30th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

(A Brief Note from Niagara At Large – NAL is continuing to post news updates on this issue because dairy farming is a significant part of a farm industry worth hundreds of millions of dollars annually to the economy of this region.)

Ottawa, Ontario – New Democrats tabled a motion earlier this April calling on Canada’s Liberal government to keep its election promises and commitments made at the beginning of its mandate and require all Canadian producers to respect cheese composition standards immediately.

“The situation is urgent and producers are tired of waiting. The solution is simple and comes down to the government standing up for Canada’s dairy industry by enforcing cheese composition standards,” said NDP Agriculture critic Ruth Ellen Brosseau (Berthier-Maskinongé). “Our family dairy farms are being threatened and the NDP will continue to fight for their future.”

Canadian producers lost a total of over $220 million in 2015 due to imported diafiltered milk from the United States. The industry is calling for this problem to be solved immediately by properly enforcing cheese composition standards.

“Dairy producers are fed up. We even missed a day of work to come to Ottawa to express our discontent. The Liberal government promised us action – but we’re still waiting. It’s time for them to get moving,” said Pierre Lampron, 2nd vice-president of the Quebec Federation of Dairy Producers.

Diafiltered milk is a milk protein concentrate from the United States designed to circumvent Canadian regulations and laws as no American processor uses it.

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

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

Niagara, Ontario’s Momentum Choir In Concert May 15 and May 18, 2016

By Joanne McDonald

Posted May 1^s, 2016 on Niagara At Large

It’s a brave heart that will carry the beat of every song when Momentum Choir singers take the stage to share their talent and the courage to make a positive difference during two year-end concerts, May 15 and May 18 at Bethany Community Church in St. Catharines.

Kristen Smeets – a powerful profile of bravery

This year’s theme, ‘Be Brave’ marks the choir’s ninth-season finale for Momentum – both the mantra for the choir’s 50 singers who live with disabilities and the magic they bring to audiences who pack concert halls every time they sing.

Executive and Artistic Director Mendelt Hoekstra talks about real fortitude. “The audience will witness musicians with Down Syndrome, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Learning Disabilities and Cerebral Palsy who are proving that being brave is something that they live with every day. It isn’t easy to perform well. Audience members will tangibly feel what being brave means for those who live with a disability.”
Continue reading →

“To be effective in protecting the environment, the closed nature of the EIS process needs to end!”

By John Bacher

Posted May 1^st, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – In the midst of good news this last week of April about a plunge in municipal support for a bizarre scheme called “bio-diversity offsetting” to destroy protected provincially significant wetlands, some new revelations emerged with equally nutty twists and turns.

An overview image of the Thundering Waters development project, displayed at a recent public information meeting in Niagara Falls, Ontario where the massive development would go

These revelations concern the research being done for an Environmental Impact Statement. (EIS) required for the Thundering Waters Secondary Plan for a “Paradise community” China-based developers are proposing to build on hundreds of acres of land in the southwestern end of Niagara Falls.

The reason an EIS document is so important is that it is the only barrier in the way of a developer wiping out natural landscape in Ontario that is not a wetland, with the exception of forests on the Oak Ridges Moraine or on lands on the Niagara Escarpment protected by the province’s Greenbelt rules. Continue reading →

You Are Invited To PALS’ 40^th Annual General Meeting – Thursday, May 5^th, 2016

An Invite from Gracia Janes and the Preservation of Agricultural Lands Society

Posted May 1^st, 2016 on Niagara At Large

The Preservation of Agricultural Lands Society (PALS) –  the oldest farmland preservation group in Niagara, Ontario and in all of Canada – has invited land preservationist  cowboy, agri-tour operator and beef farmer,  Carl Cosack ,from the Dufferin County group Food and Water First, to speak at its 40^th Annual General Meeting on Thursday May 5,   7-9:30 p.m. at the Unitarian Congregation of Niagara Community Hall,  223 Church Street, St. Catharines.

“Cowboy land preservationist” and beef farmer Carl Cosack of Dufferin County, Ontario is keynote speaker

Cosack, is a “local hero” and “Quarry-breaker”   for his leadership role within the North Dufferin  Agricultural and Community Task force, in defeating  the Highland Company’s’ proposed mega-quarry in Melancthon, which was to be located over the purest ground water in Canada, if not the world.

It was a ‘David and Goliath’ win for what started out as just a few farmers opposing the plans of  a company   backed by a multibillion-dollar US hedge fund and powerful political lobbyists. Continue reading →

“Only in Ontario could this happen. If you use too much power, rates go up. If you conserve energy, rates still go up.”

A Message from Ontario’s Opposition Progressive Conservative Party

Posted May 1^st, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Queen’s Park, Toronto –This May 1st, Ontario ratepayers will see yet another increase to their hydro bills, with annual energy costs rising by an average of $37.56.

Ontario’s energy rates are increasing at a faster rate than any other jurisdiction in North America.

Since November, hydro bills have skyrocketed by an average of $186.96. “This rate increase is just further proof that life is harder under the (Ontario) Liberals. Ontarians already pay some of the highest energy rates in the continent, and now they will have to endure another increase,” said Ontario PC Energy Critic John Yakabuski (Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke). Continue reading →

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

Posted May 1st, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Adaptive management is nothing new.

Canada and the United States have asked the International Joint Commission to evaluate fluctuations in levels and flows in the Great Lakes periodically over the last half century.

Wetland Monitoring in the Great Lakes. An Environment Canada file photo

In early 2015, the IJC formed the Great Lakes Adaptive Management (GLAM) Committee. The goal is to assist the St. Lawrence River, Lake Superior, and Niagara boards of control to evaluate the long-term effects of water regulation plans and the resulting effect of fluctuating water levels and flows on socio-economic interests and the environment. Continue reading →

Statements by Ontario’s Minister of Labour & the Province’s Opposition Leader On Day of Mourning

Posted April 28^th,, 2016 on Niagara At Large

(Niagara At Large did not receive a Statement from the Ontario NDP for this post as of press time.)

Ontario’s Minister of Labour Kevin Flynn released the following statement today:

Queen’s Park, Ontario – “Today is the Day of Mourning — a day when we pause to honour and remember all people who have been killed or injured on the job. The Day of Mourning was established to mark an important event for workers.

It was on April 28, 1914, that the Ontario Legislature passed the first Worker’s Compensation Act. Now, on each Day of Mourning, we take time to remember, reflect and re-commit.

We remember lives lost or forever changed by the simple act of going to work. We reflect on the past and we re-commit ourselves to making workplace health and safety a priority and to taking action to prevent workplace tragedies. Together, we have come a long way.

Over the past decade our province’s annual rate of workplace injuries has dropped by more than 40 per cent, making Ontario’s workplaces among the safest in the world. Continue reading →

News from Niagara College

Posted April 26^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Welland, Ontario Campus – Niagara College has received more than $1.4 million from Ontario’s Apprenticeship Enhancement Fund program to build a Green Tech Automotive Lab at its Welland Campus.

The project allows Niagara College to expand its focus on green technologies in its automotive programs – an area where Niagara College is already ahead of the curve.

The 3,600-square-foot Green Tech Automotive Lab will be an extension of the existing automotive facilities at the Welland Campus’s Rankin Technology Centre. It will include open bays, a work area and classroom, and will house the latest in green automotive technologies, including electric charging stations, alternate fuel technology, diagnostic equipment, green technology simulators, and electric and hybrid vehicles. Continue reading →

“We’re very proud to be building a great city and not a sprawling suburb.” – Burlington, Ontario Mayor Rick Goldring

News from the Hamilton-based Citizens at City Hall (CATCH)

Posted April 26^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

In the wake of more record-smashing global temperatures, the mayors of Burlington and Hamilton got an opportunity to speak last week at a McMaster-organized conference on climate change.

Burlington in the foreground with the Skyway and Hamilton behind.

The two cities that straddle the western end of the lake appear to have quite different approaches to what is increasingly being described as a planetary emergency.

Last month was by far the hottest March in global records. It was the eleventh consecutive month to break records and was the ninth consecutive one to break them by record amounts, almost guaranteeing that 2016 will be the hottest year yet despite the records set in both 2015 and 2014. Continue reading →

The Health & Wellness Benefits Of Connecting – Or Re-Connectiong – With Nature

News from Brock University in Niagara, Ontario

April 26^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

As Canada’s population ages, people are looking for ways to improve the quality of life for their loved ones. One approach, which is becoming increasingly popular, is to get people connected — or reconnected — with nature.

Brock University researcher Kerrie Pickering fills a bird feeder at the Woodlands of Sunset long-term care facility in the Niagara community of Welland, Ontario. Photo courtesy of Brock University

A group of researchers from Brock’s Environmental Sustainability Research Centre (ESRC) is exploring the link between nature and health through a partnership with The Woodlands of Sunset, a regionally owned long-term care home in Welland.

This initiative, “Wetlands of Sunset: Connecting Memories with Nature,” aims to show the importance of the location of long-term care facilities for the well being of their residents. What makes this an excellent case study for the research is that it is surrounded by wetlands and forests that are also owned by Niagara Region. Continue reading →

News from Ontario’s Niagara Parks Commission

Posted April 26^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Niagara Falls, Ontario – The Niagara Parks Commission (NPC) is pleased to once again partner with Forests Ontario as part of a province-wide free community tree planting event to be held on Saturday, May 7 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Participants will have the opportunity to directly support their community in a local reforestation project and learn about the benefits of trees, shade and green urban spaces. The NPC planting site is located directly across the street from the Niagara Glen Nature Centre at 3050 Niagara Parkway.

A walk through Niagara Glen near the rushing waters of the Lower Niagara River. Photo courtesy of Ontario’s Niagara Parks

As a result of its strong partnership with Forests Ontario, NPC has greatly expanded its tree planting program. Since 2013, over 100,000 trees have been planted in the Park, including the restoration of over twenty-two hectares (55 acres) at the Legends on the Niagara Golf Course Complex. In 2016, NPC intends to plant an additional 5,000 new trees and seedlings on the over 1,300 hectares of property it is entrusted to protect. Continue reading →

“You see parallels that you don’t want to see but that we have to start talking about.” – American writer and senior partner of the Center for Courage & Renewal, a group dedicated to promoting leadership that is “more just and compassionate.”

A Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted April 25^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Most of the political pundits and reporters I see on American cable networks look like they are lapping up Donald Trump’s campaign for the U.S. presidency like ice cream.

Donald Trump yells at a protester at one of his rallies to “get out!”

They play clips from Trump rallies over and over again of the Donald ordering his goons to throw any protesters out or pledging to “bomb the shit” out of American enemies, and they sit there in the studio grinning and chuckling over it all – even when Trump does his usual schtick, pointing at reporters at the back of the hall and calling them “scum”, “crooks” and “liars” while thousands of his supporters or fans or whatever they are cheer on.

Turn on CNN or any other 24-hour news channel in the States, any time of the day or night, and the coverage is all about Trump, Trump, Trump. If there is a choice between cutting in live to a Trump rally, or one featuring Hillary Clinton or any of the other candidates, even if Bernie Sanders is holding one that has drawn record numbers of supporters, the networks will tune into the Trump rally almost every time. Continue reading →

Former Slave & Abolitionist Harriet Tubman Will Grace American $20 Bill. Now how About A Another Heroine With A Niagara Link – Laura Secord – Gracing A Canadian Bank Note?

A News Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted April 24^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Many Niagara, Ontario residents expressed pride this past winter when a statue of Harriet Tubman – created by artist and former Niagara resident Frank Rekrut at his art studio in Florence, Italy, was unveiled at a new school in the Niagara community of St. Catharines, just down the road where she spent a few years living in the years before the American Civil War of the 1860s.

That pride was manifest for some of us again this past April 20^th when the United States Treasury Department announced that for the first time in that country’s 240-year-old history the image of a woman in the name of Harriet Tubman – a former slave in America who went on lead fleeing saves through the “underground railway” to freedom in Canada – will be featured on U.S. paper currency. Continue reading →