Category Archives: Uncategorized

“It’s time for Ontario to take a page from the New York playbook and make it clear that a new gas supply pipeline through southern Ontario is going nowhere, permanently.”

Sign The Petition At The Bottom of This Post

A Call-Out from the Ontario Clean Air Alliance, a non-profit citizens advocacy group for a clean environment

Posted May 20^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

New York State is giving Ontario a lesson in weighing the costs and benefits of new natural gas infrastructure.

The State just refused to approve a new fracked gas pipeline stating “New York is not prepared to sacrifice the State’s water quality for a project that is not only environmentally harmful but also unnecessary to meet New York’s energy needs.”

The exact same statement could be made about Enbridge’s proposal to build a new fracked gas pipeline through Hamilton, Ontario. Continue reading →

Join the Webinar, in a Q&A Featuring the Presidents of Niagara College and Brock University, this Thursday, May 21st from 10 to 11 A.M.

An Invite to You from the host of this Webinar event, the Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce

Posted May 20th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – Participate in a Webinar  with Brock President & Vice-Chancellor Gervan Fearon and Niagara College President Sean Kennedy

The moderator of this webinar even is Niagara Greater Niagara Chamber CEO Mishka Balsom

Featuring: Brock University President & Vice-Chancellor Gervan Fearon and Niagara College President Sean Kennedy, and moderated by Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce (GNCC) President and CEO  Mishka Balsom.

What: A webinar interview and Q&A with the presidents of Niagara’s post-secondary institutions on the impact of COVID-19 on their operations, on Niagara, and on the future of post-secondary education.

When: May 21st, 2020, 10am-11am.

Where: The webinar can be accessed here (https://connect.gncc.ca/e2t/sc2/Mm-nFbjTcKwW7brW8j8B6rddW7VkCZD9dMQ_3W6B8Qgr5NpBb2f1HVPN203 ) . Attendance is free and open to anyone. Continue reading →

Prime Minister Announces Border Will Remain Closed for at least Another 30 Days

Canada-U.S. border crossings like this will remain this void of traffic now until at least the last week of June

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

Posted May 19^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Major border crossing like the Peace Bridge have been closed to all but essential, mostly commercial trucking traffic since the last week of March

With less than two days to go to the latest May 21^st deadline, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced during his COVID news briefing this May 19^th that an agreement has been reached with the United States to keep the shared border closed to non-essential traffic for at least another 30 days.

That now takes us to on or about June 21^st – a full three months after the border crossings were first closed to all but essential, mostly commercial-oriented traffic – before the earliest possible re-opening of the Peace Bridge, the Rainbow Bridge and other border crossings to those of us who would like to go back to visiting our friends and relatives, and some of our favourite places in each other’s countries.

I don’t know about your thoughts on this (and if you want you can share them below), but I have my own mixed feelings. Continue reading →

Protecting Snapping Turtles and Other Wetland Species

By Jocelyn Baker, a professional in the field of conservation, living in Niagara, Ontario

Posted May 19^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Wetlands are beautiful habitats where many unique species of animals can be found. We are all able to help protect and conserve these critically important ecosystems.

We are still fortunate enough to have some provincially significant wetlands in the Niagara River watershed. We need to work together as communities to protect and  preserve them for future generations.

In Ontario, most of our important wetlands have been mapped and are protected through various regulations. Wetlands that support critical habitat and species are called Provincially Significant Wetlands (PSW) and are protected from development and disturbance.

However, simply drawing a line around a wetland and saying it is “protected” is not enough to ensure the protection and survival of the species it contains. Continue reading →

Government Commits to Improving System Following COVID-19 Outbreak

News from the Ontario Ministry of Long-Term Care, with an Afterword from Niagara At Large reporter Doug Draper

Posted May 19^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

TORONTO — This Tuesday, May 19th Dr. Merrilee Fullerton, Minister of Long-Term Care, issued the following statement in response to the impact of COVID-19 in Ontario’s long-term care homes:

“Our government has been clear that we will review the long-term care system to get a better understanding of the impacts and responses to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Today (this May 19^th), I am announcing that we will be launching an independent commission into Ontario’s long-term care system beginning in September. Continue reading →

Amid Ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic, Governor Cuomo Announces Sixth Region Hits Benchmark to Begin Reopening (this May 19th)

New York State Governor brings some hopeful news to the Buffalo area during a news conference at Roswell Park Hospital this May 18th

News from the Office of New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo

Posted May 19th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo

Buffalo, New York – State Department of Health has Granted Erie County Medical Center a Waiver to Restart Elective Procedures.

• Announces New Efforts to Bring More Tests to Nursing Home Facilities to Help Meet New Guidelines Requiring All Nursing Home Employees Be Tested Twice Per Week
• Encourages Major Sports Teams to Plan Reopening Without Fans
• Confirms 1,250 Additional Coronavirus Cases in New York State – Bringing Statewide Total to 351,371; New Cases in 44 Counties

Amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Governor Cuomo announced that Western New York has met all seven metrics required to begin phase one of the state’s regional phased reopening plan starting tomorrow, joining the Central New York, North Country, Finger Lakes, Southern Tier and Mohawk Valley Regions. Continue reading →

Featuring a Video Produced by The Atlantic called; ‘Donald Trump – A Study in Leadership’

Letting loose between toilet tweets

A Brief Commentary, followed by a Video that is a Must-Watch for all Canadians Wondering If And When We Should Re-Open the Canada-U.S. Border  

Posted May 19^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

The Atlantic has recently come out with what should be a disturbing video to many in his own country and around the world titled; ‘Donald Trump – A Study in Leadership.

Not a very flattering portrait of the self-describe “stable genius,” but a very generous title, in Canadian border area resident’s view. Continue reading →