Category Archives: Uncategorized

Ontario NDP slams Ford’s cut to cancer-screening bus as short-sighted

“This is such a small investment to make when there’s so much at stake: Detecting cancer early can literally mean the difference between life and death.”                                                                           – Niagara Centre NDP MPP Jeff Burch.

A News Release Niagara Centre MPP Jeff Burch and Ontario’s New Democratic and Official Opposition Party

Posted July 5^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

NIAGARA, Ontario — Jeff Burch, NDP MPP for Niagara Centre, slammed Doug Ford’s decision to pull the plug on a mobile unit that helps residents of Hamilton, Burlington and Niagara access cancer screening as a short-sighted move that could cost people their lives.

Ford Government goes after cancer screening too.

The Mobile Cancer Screening Coach is due to be parked in April after Ford ripped away its provincial funding, The Hamilton Spectator reports. The bus provides mammograms, pap tests and colon screening kits, serving the Hamilton Niagara Haldimand Brant Local Health Integration Network at a cost of $634,689 a year.

“This is such a small investment to make when there’s so much at stake: Detecting cancer early can literally mean the difference between life and death,” said Burch. “No one should be forced to face a worse prognosis because they face barriers to accessing health services. Continue reading →

Canada’s current patchwork of thousands of private and public prescription plans is not sustainable

“Universal, single-payer public pharmacare will result in better value for money and substantial savings for governments, businesses, and individual Canadians.”                                                   – from the Advisory Council’s Report

Canada’s Health Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor

“Canadians face some of the highest prescription drug prices in the world. This influences Canadians’ access to important medications and the sustainability of Canada’s health care system. … Over the coming months, we will carefully review the Council’s final report and its recommendations. … Our Government remains committed to implementing national pharmacare in a manner that is affordable for Canadians and their families, employers, and governments.”                                     – Canada’s Health Minister, Ginette Petitpas Taylor

Canadian Union of Public Employees leader Mark Hancock

” The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) welcomes the National Pharmacare Advisory Council’s recommendation of a universal, single-payer pharmacare program for Canada, and is urging the federal government to immediately put it into action. … Nearly one quarter of households in Canada include someone who is not taking their medication as prescribed because of cost, and one in 10 Canadians can’t afford their medication at all.”                 – CUPE National President Mark Hancock 

A News Release from Health Canada

Posted June 12th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

OTTAWA, Ontario – The Advisory Council on the Implementation of National Pharmacare (the Council) is recommending that Canada implement universal, single-payer, public pharmacare.

The Council recommends the federal government work in partnership with provincial and territorial governments to establish a universal, single-payer public system of prescription drug coverage in Canada to ensure everyone has access to the drugs they need to maintain their physical and mental health. Continue reading →

A short video, produced by the Canadian-based media group, FiXT POiNT, will be featured as a final segment on TVO’s cable program ‘The Agenda’ at 8:50 p.m. this Wednesday, June 12th

A Brief One from Doug Draper

Posted June 12^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

The cable television network, TVO, will feature a brief segment that remembers the old St. Catharines Standard, when it was owned by a local family, the Burgoynes, this Wednesday, June 12th (today) at 8:50 p.m., featuring a cast of people from the old paper and surrounding community, including yours truly.

In a brief promotional write-up on the segment, TVO said this –

“The St. Catharines Standard was at the forefront of breaking news during the golden age of newspapers. Run by four generations of the Burgoyne family, The Standard’s intrepid reporters delivered hard-hitting journalism and exposed environmental injustices. But times changed, and media consolidation hit the paper hard.”

Indeed, times changed and the hit was very hard. Stats say that a majority of people – especially young people – are getting most or all of their information on Facebook and Twitter now. Is that better?!

To watch the segement here, click on the screen below –

To read Niagara At Large journalist Doug Draper’s earlier post on final days and the fall for him and many others who worked at the St. Catharines Standard before the Burgoyne family sold it, and for a few more nightmare years after the sale, click on – https://niagaraatlarge.com/2019/06/11/tvo-takes-a-look-back-at-a-once-independent-locally-owned-st-catharines-standard/ .

NIAGARA AT LARGE  encourages you to join the conversation by sharing your views on this post in the space following the Bernie Sanders quote below.

 A reminder that we only post comments by individuals who also share their first and last names.

For more news and commentary from Niagara At Large – an independent, alternative voice for our greater bi-national Niagara region – become a regular visitor and subscriber to NAL at http://www.niagaraatlarge.com .

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

The Ride for Roswell, which has 11 routes and covers 14 municipalities and two countries, raises funds to support cancer research at the Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer

News from Ontario’s Niagara Parks Commission

Posted June 10, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Niagara Falls, Ontario – Niagara Parks is pleased to welcome the Ride for Roswell, a binational cycling event in support of the Roswell Park Cancer Center, on Saturday, June 22. 

The Ride for Roswell, which has 11 routes and covers 14 municipalities and two countries, raises funds to support cancer research at the Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center in Buffalo, New York.

The Niagara route brings approximately 1,000 cyclists across the Peace Bridge at Fort Erie; the cyclists then continue north along the Niagara Parkway to cross back into the U.S. via the Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls, Ontario. Continue reading →

Statement by Canada’s Prime Minister on the               75th anniversary of D-Day and  Battle of Normandy

Posted  June 6^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Canada’s  Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau issued the following statement , this June 6^th, 2019, on the 75th anniversary of D-Day and the Battle of Normandy:

The shores of Juno Beach in Normandy, France, 75 years after the D-Day assault that marked the beginning of the end of the Second World War

“Today (June 6th, 2019), on the 75th anniversary of D-Day and the Battle of Normandy, we pause to honour those who fought and gave their lives in a campaign that helped turn the tide of the Second World War.

“Seventy-five years ago today, the largest combined military operation in history began. The Allied landings aimed to secure five beaches along the coast of occupied France. Land mines, gun positions, barbed wire, concrete bunkers, anti-tank walls, and thousands of enemy troops guarded the shores.

Canadian soldiers preparing to land at Juno Beach on June 6th, 1944.

“It was a gamble like the world had never seen. The possibility of catastrophic casualties was high, but the Allies knew they needed to break through the Atlantic Wall to defeat the Nazis and end the war in Europe.

“Fourteen thousand Canadians stormed Juno Beach on June 6, 1944. They joined British, American, and French allies in the massive D-Day amphibious assault on the beaches of Normandy. They served under different flags, but fought for one cause. They stood up to tyranny and stood for freedom, and laid down their lives in defence of human rights and democracy. Continue reading →

“This will put young people at greater risk of developing cancer, experiencing heart and fertility problems, and dying prematurely.” – Bhutila Karpoche, Ontario NDP critic for Mental Health and Addictions

A News Release from Ontario’s New Democratic Party

Posted May 31^st, 2019 on Niagara At Large

QUEEN’S PARK — Bhutila Karpoche, Ontario NDP critic for Mental Health and Addictions, released the following statement in response to news that the Ford government has cut funding to a program that has helped thousands of college and university students quit smoking:

“It’s simply wrong for Doug Ford’s Conservatives to rip support away from young people who want to give up a deadly habit like smoking. This will put young people at greater risk of developing cancer, experiencing heart and fertility problems, and dying prematurely. Continue reading →

Restrictive definition of disability could exclude thousands from getting the care they need

A News Release from Ontaro’s NDP/Official Opposition Party

Posted May 7^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Queen’s Park — The Ford government’s cuts are already hurting people with disabilities in Ontario, and now new eligibility restrictions could be devastating to vulnerable Ontarians, said Lisa Gretzky, NDP critic for Community and Social Services.

“This government announced upcoming changes to the definition of disability, which is used to determine ODSP eligibility,”  Gretzky said during question period on Monday. “Experts, advocates and recipients are rightly concerned that this Conservative government is moving toward a narrower definition that would exclude thousands of people.” Continue reading →

“Today and every day, we as Ontarians and as Canadians must recommit to ensuring that an atrocity such as the Holocaust never be repeated.”                                                                                    – Ontario NDP and Official Opposition Leader Andrea Horwath

Official Opposition Leader Andrea Horwath released the following statement, to mark Yom HaShoah

Posted May 2^nd, 2019 on Niagara At Large

In the Toronto area two years ago, a Jewish place of rest is targetted by hate-mongers, leaving a tell-tale nazi swastika behind.

“On Yom HaShoah, Ontario’s New Democrats honour the memory of the six million Jewish people murdered in the Holocaust. We remember that these six million people were killed systematically, simply for being Jewish, and that this number includes Jewish refugees turned away at the Canadian border.

We also remember other victims targeted by the Nazis, including Roma people, people of diverse sexual and gender identities, people with disabilities and people killed for their political beliefs. Continue reading →

In the Wake of the Catastrophic Flooding Now Raving Communities in the Province, Your Cuts to Environmental Protection Programs Borderlines on Criminal Negligence

By Doug Draper

My Open Letter to Ontario Premier Doug Ford

Posted April 29^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Ontario Premier Doug Ford surveying the damage and destruction from record flooding in regions of Ontario this April.

 “It just rips your heart apart,” said Ontario Premier Doug Ford after speaking to victims in flood-ravaged communities in the Ottawa River area this past April 26th. “These folks can’t go through this every single year.”

They can’t go through this every single year?

Perhaps a better word to use, rather than ‘can’t’, Mr. Premier, is ‘shouldn’t’ because, as the years go on, they might go through it every single year.

Indeed, most , if not all of us not only might, but will go through climate-related disasters like the catastrophic flooding that has been occurring in the Ottawa River and other areas of Ontario, not to mention in Quebec and provinces further east, if political leaders like you don’t take action to address climate change and the destruction it causes. Continue reading →

Doug Ford Cuts Per-Student Funding

Government announcement another blow to students, teachers, education workers and parents

A Statement from Ontario’s NDP/Official Opposition Party

Posted April 26th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

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

Three weeks after thousands of secondary school students across Niagara joined tens of thousands of their peers across Ontario in a province-wide walkout to protest Ford government cuts to education, the cuts just keep on coming.

More than 200 students join at Holy Cross Secondary School in St. Catharines/Niagara join an April 4th, 2019  province-wide walkout to protest cuts the Ford government is making to their education.

And look forward to more cuts to come. In Doug Ford’s Ontario, we may end up with online courses and home schooling for everyone folks.)

QUEEN’S PARK — Marit Stiles, Ontario NDP Education critic, released the following statement in response to the Ford Conservatives’ Grants for Student Needs (GSN) funding allocation: Continue reading →

A News Release from the Constituency Office of Niagara West MPP Sam Oosterhoff

Posted April 26^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

BEAMSVILLE – Ontario’s government for the people has announced new measures to give municipalities the tools they need to target drivers who threaten the safety of children crossing roads to get to and from their school bus.

Ford government MPP Sam Oosterhoff makes announcement this April 25th with school bus operators behind him

The proposed regulations will allow for more efficient enforcement and prosecution by allowing evidence from these cameras to be used in court without the requirement of an additional witness. Continue reading →

A Confession from Doug Draper, a proud member of the media and “enemy of the people”

Posted April 25^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Every once in a while – but not very often, Thank God – someone will ask me if I go to church, and if not, why.

And rather than lying like some people do, I like to give the inquiring individual an honest answer and say ‘no’ to the first part of the question.

Then I usually use the latest example of self-righteous, in-your-face hypocrisy I have read about or witnessed on the television news (which is usually something I’ve read or witnessed that day) to answer the second part.

Trump receives prayer blessings from Christian evangelicals

So if some inquiring (or is that ‘Enquiring’) person were to ask me that question today, I would start with the usual “no” and finish with a tweet that has just been sent out by an individual who does for the reputation of a Christian preachers what the Koch brothers do for the reputation of people of wealth or what Donald Trump does for the reputation of politicians, or what Mark Zuckerberg does these days for the reputation of social media. Continue reading →

“Brock University has again ignored the recommendations of their own expert consultants as well as the wishes of the community and announced yet another poorly-conceived plan that threatens the future existence of Rodman Hall Art Centre.” – from a petition drafted by Liz Hayden and otherNiagara citizens concerned about the future of one of the region’s iconic heritage sites, Rodman Hall in St. Catharines, Ontario

Rodman Hall, a heritage treasure in St. Catharines, Ontario

Posted April 24th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Rodman Hall Art Centre was created by and for the residents of the city and region in order to preserve this unique historical site, provide professional art experiences to the community and maintain the public Carolinian gardens overlooking Twelve Mile Creek and the downtown. Continue reading →

Greta Thunberg makes her plea for action on climate change to a European Union assembly earler this April, 2019

“We have not come here to beg world leaders to care. You have ignored us in the past, and you will ignore us again. We have run out of excuses, and we are running out of time. We have come here to let you know that change is coming, whether you like it or not. The real power belongs to the people. Thank you.”

– the final words from an address Greta Thunberg, a then 15-year-old Swedish student and climate activist, delivered at a United Nations Summit on Climate Change this  December, 2018

A Brief Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted April 23^rd, 2019 on Niagara At Large

This April 22^nd, CBC Radio’s morning program, The Current, played the voices of one young person after another, ages f five or six years old and into their teens, raising concerns about a future over ever more frequent and severe climate-related disasters, and expressing a call for last-chance action to prevent such a nightmare

As I listened to the voices of these young people, I heard kids who sounded no older than six or seven who made infinitely more sense than Ontario Premier Doug Ford when he goes off on one of his Homer Simpson rants about climate change. Continue reading →

It Was Only Two Decades Ago – After Hard Lobbying – That Niagara Finally Got It’s Vital Ambulance Dispatch Services Back

Some Breaking News from CBC with Brief Commentary from Doug Draper on Niagara At Large

Posted April 16^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

According to a news report this April 16^th on CBC Radio, CBC reporters have learned that Ontario’s Ford government is now considering plans to merge 59 ambulance services across the province (and Niagara’s regional government now operates one of those 59 services into just 10 for all of Ontario.

One of Niagara Region’s ambulances. Will Niagara again lose locally based emergency dispatch services for our paramedics?

“The Ford government intends to merge the 59 local ambulance services in Ontario into just 10, CBC News as learned,” reads the report that CBC posted online, shortly after 10 a.m. this April 14^th. Continue reading →

Canada’s Minister of Environment and Climage Change Catharine McKenna

“Climate change is real, and Canadians across the country are feeling its impacts. The science is clear, we need to take action now. Practical and affordable solutions to fight climate change will help Canadians face the serious risks to our health, security and economy, and will also create the jobs of tomorrow and secure a better future for our kids and grandkids.”
– Catherine McKenna, Minister of Environment and Climate Change

News from Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canada’s federal environment department

Posted April 2^nd, 2019 on Niagara At Large

OTTAWA, Canada – Canadians are experiencing the costs of climate-related extremes first hand, from devastating wildfires and flooding to heatwaves and droughts. As the planet warms, extreme weather events will become increasingly common.

The knowledge provided by our scientists has helped us understand that climate change is real and driven by human activity. The Government of Canada will continue to work with Canadian scientists, by listening to their expertise and evidence-based advice to help us continue to take ambitious action to reduce emissions and fight climate change. Continue reading →

Ontario Government announces the end of outdated Drive Clean Program and vows to continue to stand against the federal carbon tax.

A News Release from the Constituency Office of Niagara West Conservative MPP Sam Oosterhoff

Posted April 1st, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Niagara West MPP Sam Oosterhoff

Grimsby- The Ontario government is putting people first and making life more convenient and affordable for drivers by ending Ontario’s ineffective Drive Clean program, while continuing the fight against the newly imposed federal carbon tax. “Our government promised to make life more affordable for the people of Ontario,” said Sam Oosterhoff, MPP for Niagara West.

“The end of the outdated Drive Clean program will save people of Niagara West time, while saving the taxpayers of Ontario more than $40 Million a year.”

According to the Auditor General, on-road emissions have declined so steeply they are no longer the biggest contributor to smog. 75% of these reductions have come through stricter manufacturing standards, requirements for cleaner fuels and the natural retirement of older vehicles — not as a result of Drive Clean. Continue reading →

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, champion of a Green New Deal for her country and the planet

If you can get the MSNBC news channel MSNBC on cable, try to tune in this Friday, March 29^th at 8 p.m. to watch Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez talking about the Green New Deal for fighting climate change

A Brief Comment from Niagara At Large publisher and reporter Doug Draper

Posted March 29^th, 2019

When I venture across the border to sane regions of America, which are about the only regions of that country I go to any more, I hear many people there speaking warmly of AOC.

For those who still don’t know, AOC is Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the youngest ever member of U.S. Congress from Queens, who worked as an organizer for Bernie Sanders presidential campaign in 2016 and who is now one of the champions of something called the Green New Deal to fight climate change.

The cover of the latest April 1st, 2019 edition of Time Magazine

AOC is only 29 years old and I’ve heard more than a few of my American friends and neighbours say – ‘Too bad she isn’t old enough to run for president.’

You have to be at least 30-something to run for the U.S. presidency, and some day she will be. The future belongs to young people like her, if we don’t destroy it first.

This Friday, March 29^th at 8 p.m., on the cable TV network MSNBC, she will be on for an hour talking about that Green New Deal which, in a federal election year in Canada, we Canadians should be talking about too.

For the sake of our own futures, and certainly for the sake of younger people, we have only years left to head off a global climate catastrophe that will make the severe weather episodes we are already experiencing look like ‘singin’ in the rain’.

We have no choice, if we give a damn about a decent future on this planet, to take bold steps NOW to address the root causes of this climate crisis.

Please watch this MSNBC program this March 29th;

And take a few moments out now to click on the screen below to hear what AOC had to say in the U.S. Congress just days ago –

Meanwhile, back in Ontario, here is the latest news on the climate-denying premier, Doug Ford, who was gifted to us in the 2018 provincial election, mostly by an aging, disgruntled, stuck in the middle of the 20th century  generation of baby boomers who would rather have cheaper gas for the oversized trucks and cars –

Ford gives climate change-denying former Conservative MP a seat on energy system operator

A News Release form Ontario’s Official Opposition and New Democratic Party

March 29^th, 2019

Ontario’s ‘What? Me worry about climate change?’ premier, Doug Ford. Watch Canada’s aging baby boomers vote for Ford’s buddy, Andrew Scheer, for  prime minister of Canada next.

QUEEN’S PARK — Peter Tabuns, Ontario NDP critic for Energy and Climate Change, released the following statement in response to the Ford Conservatives’ appointment of Joe Oliver to the board of the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO):

“Doug Ford has handed out yet another golden ticket on his gravy train. It is deeply troubling to see Ford give coal-loving, climate change-denying former Conservative MP Joe Oliver a seat at the table of Ontario’s energy system operator.”

NIAGARA AT LARGE encourages you to join the conversation by sharing your views on this post in the space following the Bernie Sanders quote below.

A reminder that we only post comments by individuals who also share their first and last names.

For more news and commentary from Niagara At Large – an independent, alternative voice for our greater bi-national Niagara region – become a regular visitor and subscriber to NAL at www.niagaraatlarge.com .

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

Brock University Policy Brief Explores Governance Options For Niagara Municipalities

The brief argues that past amalgamations have not saved costs or reduced taxes, but there are reasons other than cost savings why area municipalities might wish to merge.

News from Brock University in St. Catharines/Niagara

Posted March 28^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

How will Niagara’s municipal map look four years from now? If Premier Doug Ford has its way, it could look very different and the number of municipal councillors representing Niagara’s citizens could be much smaller.

To merge or not to merge? That is one of the many questions Niagara and eight other Ontario regions will be grappling with as the province studies how to make municipalities more efficient.

Two advisors appointed by the Ontario government are addressing nine questions related to how decisions are being made, and services being delivered, in two-tier systems. Residents have been asked to provide feedback by April 23, and the advisors’ report is expected to be submitted early this summer.

To help Niagara navigate the issues, Brock University’s Niagara Community Observatory (NCO) has released its policy brief, Under the Knife & Under the Gun: An Overview of Regional Government in Niagara.

How many municipal councillors does a region like Niagara need?

“The purpose of the brief is to provide factual information to inform the discussion on this important issue,” says David Siegel, Professor of Political Science and author of the policy brief. Continue reading →

One NDP Bill Aimed at Increasing Organ Donations. Other Would Prohibit Replacement Workers during Walkouts/Strikes

The late Welland MP Peter Kormos became a political icon across Ontario, and one of the leading voices for the rights of working people

News Releases from Ontario’s New Democratic Party

Posted March 28^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

NDP Health critic France Gélinas Tables Bill To Increase Organ Donation

The bill is named after Welland MPP Peter Kormos, who was passionate about organ donation. Kormos died March 30, 2013.

Queen’s Park — NDP Health critic France Gélinas has re-introduced the Peter Kormos Memorial Act (Trillium Gift of Life Netwoark Amendment), which would change organ and tissue donation in Ontario from an opt-in system to an opt-out system.

“This bill will take people off transplant wait lists,” said Gélinas. “It will help not only save lives, but help transplant recipients live longer, more productive lives.” Continue reading →

We’ve Had More Than Enough Secrecy at the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority

A Commentary by Niagara At Large reporter and publisher Doug Draper

Posted February 27th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

NPCAs former “acting CAO” David Barrick. Public has a right to know terms of “mutual separation agreement” Conservation Authority reached with him. r

“What I can tell you is that the community will be well served by the settlement,” one interim member of the NPCA’s board, Welland Regional Councillor Pat Chiocchio was quoted telling a local newspaper recently about a “mutual separation agreement” the Conservation Authority negotiated with  alleged “interim CAO” David Barrick on his way out the door.

What Chiochio and other members of the board have not told us since news of this so-called mutual separation agreement was made public this February 21^st is how much it is costing the public with respect to any buyout package Barrick received.

West Lincoln Mayor Dave Bylsma, who serves as the board’s interim chair, was quoted telling a media outlet, The Hamilton News, that the agreement was approved by the entire board, made up of hime and eleven other Niagara mayors and regional councillors, along with representatives from neighbouring Hamilton and Haldimand County.

And, added Bylsma, it “is not tainted. It’s responsible (and) it’s poetic.” Continue reading →

With Special Guests Dr. Amy Fitzgerald, University of Windsor, Animal Rights & Environmentalism and Dr. Lori Marino, Kimela Centre for Animal Advocacy

At Brock University’s Pond Inlet, Thursday March 21^st,  3 p.m. to 7 p.m. in St. Catharines Niagara

An Invite from Niagara Action for Animals (NAFA)

Posted February 25^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Dear friends of animals –

Please mark Thursday, March 21st on your calendar….and share attached poster!

NAfA is pleased to co-sponsor the upcoming talk at Brock University presenting Dr. Lori Marino. 

As many of you may know, Lori is a neuroscientist and expert in animal behavior and intelligence.  Continue reading →

Ontario’s Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) takes major step to lower Ontario’s electricity bills

A News Release from the Ontario Clean Air Alliance

Posted February 19^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

On February 1^st, Ontario’s Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) asked Hydro One to upgrade its transmission system to permit Ontario to buy large quantities of low-cost water power from Quebec.

Specifically, the IESO has asked Hydro One to increase its import capability by up to 1,650 megawatts (MW) by December 2022 at a cost of approximately $20 million. This upgrade will permit Ontario to buy enough Quebec water power to displace more than 50% of the output of the Darlington Nuclear Station. Continue reading →

“We’re’re running out of time to take effective action on climate change, and Doug Ford is wasting month after month playing politics with our environment.”                 – Ontario NDP Climate Change critic Peter Tabuns

News from Ontario’s Official Opposition and New Democratic Party

Posted February 13, 2019 on Niagara At Large

United Nations science panels estimate that we may have about a dozen years left to turn the climate change crisis around, and Ontario has this character, Doug Ford, at the helm.

Queens Park, Ontario — Doug Ford’s new climate change scheme is a carbon tax that would have Ontarians paying more, but getting a weak plan for their money.

Ford’s proposed plan charges a carbon tax of $20 per tonne, rising to $50 per tonne by 2022. That comes as people are already on the hook for liabilities from Doug Ford’s cap and trade market shut down, plus footing the $30-million bill for Ford’s ongoing legal challenge against the nearly identical federal carbon tax.

“People are already footing the bill for Ford’s politically-motivated legal battle against the carbon tax, and now Ford has written up virtually the same carbon tax plan,” said NDP Climate Change critic Peter Tabuns. Continue reading →

“I urge this government to deliver the funding these (Ontario Coaltion of Rape Crisis Centres) were promised, and to make sure survivors of sexual violence have access to these vital services in their time of need now and moving forward.”                – Suze Morrison, Ontario NDP critic for Women’s Issues

A News Release from Ontario’s NDP and Official Opposition Party

Posted February 7^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Queen’s Park — Suze Morrison, Ontario NDP critic for Women’s Issues, said it’s simply wrong for Doug Ford to force survivors of sexual assault to wait for services as the Conservatives keep rape crisis centres in the dark about whether promised funding will flow.

The rape crisis centres were promised a 30-per-cent increase for the 2018-2019 fiscal year, but the Ford Conservatives continue to hold that funding hostage.

Attorney General Caroline Mulroney refused to answer questions about the status of that desperately-needed funding during a phone call yesterday with representatives of the Ontario Coalition of Rape Crisis Centres and Action ontarienne contre la violence faite aux femmes, according to participants on the call. Continue reading →

News from B rock University in St. Catharines/Niagara

Posted February 1^st, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – With confetti raining down and a round of applause from faculty, staff and students, the ribbon was cut on the $24-million transformation of the Goodman School of Business at Brock University Friday, Feb. 1.

A celebration was held Friday, Feb. 1, to officially open the new Goodman School of Business building at Brock University. Pictured from left are Mark Goodman, Brock MBA student and President of the Graduate Business Council Priya Mehta, Dan Goodman, BBA student and President of the Business Students’ Association Aidan Gilhula, Brock President Gervan Fearon, Goodman Dean Andrew Gaudes, and Niagara West MPP Sam Oosterhoff.

The remarkable project brings the Goodman School to the forefront of a competitive Canadian business school market, offering its growing student body a modern, bright and high-tech learning environment. Continue reading →

News from the Ontario of Government

Posted January 31^st, 2019 on Niagara At Large

The Premier’s Council on Improving Healthcare and Ending Hallway Medicine is releasing its first report, providing an overview of the problem of hallway health care in Ontario. 

“There’s much to be proud of in our health care system. However, there are also many barriers that make the system difficult to navigate for patients and providers,” said Special Advisor and Chair of the Council Dr. Rueben Devlin. “This report is a first step in advising the government on how to transform Ontario’s health care system.” Continue reading →

Some Facts and Figures About Snow and Ice and the Rushing Waters of The Falls

• Record-breaking temperatures result in remarkable ice formations and the illusion of “Frozen Falls”
• Miniature glaciers and frozen mist have transformed Niagara Falls into a truly inspiring, natural and distinctly Canadian winter wonderland

From Ontario’s Niagara Parks Commission

Posted January 25th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Do the Falls actually freeze?

Well, technically no. Though it is a trick question, as to the eye it might look as though they do.

The Falls of Niagara in Snow and Ice. All photos in this series courtesy of Ontario’s Niagara Parks Commission

During particularly cold temperatures, the mist and spray begin to form a crust of ice over top of the rushing water, making it appear as though the Falls have in fact stopped. However, the water continues to flow underneath the sheets of ice.

Continue reading →

Niagara Centre MPP Jeff Burch

“We’re relieved, but we know we’re going to have to be vigilant. Ford and the developers he trades favours with clearly want to be able to plow through the Greenbelt.” – Niagara Centre MPP Jeff Burch

News from Ontario’s NDP and Official Opposition Party

Posted January 23rd, 2019 on Niagara At Large

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

Fighting to stop more of this from happening to what is left of Ontario’s natural heritage

Following concerns raised by Ontario’s New Democratic Party and by numerous municipalities across the province, including Niagara’s Regional Council, about the potential threat that language in Bill 66 – a so-called “Open For Business” piece of legislation being proposed by the Ford government – poses to the province’s Greenbelt and to opportunities for public consultation when it comes to development that may intrude on green space, the government has (as of this January 23rd) abandoned a controversial section in the bill. Continue reading →

First ever province-wide tuition reduction will make college and university  more affordable for students in Niagara

News from the Constituency Office of Niagara West and Ontario Conservative MPP Sam Oosterhoff

Posted January 19^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Niagara West MPP Sam Oosterhoff .

Niagara, Ontario – For the first time in Ontario, students at every publicly-assisted college and university will see their tuition rates go down by 10 percent thanks to a tuition rate reduction introduced by Ontario’s Government.

This is the latest step in the Government’s plan to keep more money in the pockets of students and families.

 “We believe that if you’ve got the grades, you deserve access to an affordable postsecondary education,” said Merrilee Fullerton, Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities. “By lowering tuition across the entire province, our Government is ensuring that all qualified Ontario students will have more affordable access to high quality skills, training and education.” Continue reading →

Buffalo, New York area Congressman Brian Higgins

“The President’s proposal to potentially use emergency authority to bypass Congress and reprogram funds for the wall, which the public does not support and Mexico will never pay for, … is shameful.” U.S. Congressman Brian Higgins based in the Buffalo/Western New York area

From Buffalo, New York area Congressman Brian Higgins

Posted January 9th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Statement By Congressman Brian Higgins in Response to President Trump’s Remarks

Buffalo, N.Y. – Congressman Brian Higgins (NY-26) issued the following statement in response to President Trump’s speech on border security and his shutdown of the federal government: 

“The only crisis is the one manufactured by this President. In causing this government shutdown, President Trump is holding federal workers and programs hostage to advance a political agenda. 

“The President’s proposal to potentially use emergency authority to bypass Congress and reprogram funds for the wall, which the public does not support and Mexico will never pay for, while those who patrol our borders are not getting paid for the work they are doing because of the President’s obstinance, is shameful. Continue reading →

Monday, January 7th, 2019 from 4 to 6 p.m.

An Invite from Citizens Campaigning to Save the Thundering Waters Forest in Niagara Falls

Posted January 4^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

• When: January 7th, 4pm -6pm
• Where: Mahtay Café on St. Paul Street in downtown St Catharines
• What: Thundering Waters Letter Writing and Web Film Debut

• 

  Niagara area citizens have been fighting to save wetlands like this provincially significant one – on lands targeted for development – in Thundering Waters Forest in Niagara Falls. The lands fall within the Niagara River watershed in the Great Lakes basin. File photo

St Catharines, Ontario – Community organizers will be hosting a letter writing campaign and info session about the damage to protected wetlands in Niagara Falls by Gr Can Inc. Mike Enns, a local film maker, will be debuting his web video about the damage and the public is welcome to join us to learn and help protect what little natural spaces are left in Niagara. Continue reading →

New gender analysis suggests that executive bonus pay has little to do with ‘merit’

A New Report from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives

Posted January 3rd, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Ottawa, Ontario —Canada’s 100 highest paid CEOs netted 197 times more than the average worker made in 2017, earning the average yearly wage ($50,759) before lunch on Jan. 2, according to a new report from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA).

The report shows the country’s 100 highest paid CEOs on the S&P/TSX Composite index made an average of $10 million in 2017, slightly less than last year’s report but still the second highest amount since the CCPA has been keeping track. Continue reading →

A Comment from a Niagara At Large reader that is well worth taking into the New Year

Posted December 31st, 2018 on Niagara At Large

We live in a time when more than possibly ever before, the technical fix takes precedence over the human touch.

Walls and fences are used to control the movement of people. “Friends” on Facebook and Twitter feeds take the place of face-to-face interactions with people in what are left of the places that serve as communities.

So it is not unusual that so much attention has been placed on installing some kind of fencing or security barriers on the Burgoyne Bridge in St. Catharines to prevent more people who feel down on life from jumping off. Continue reading →

Join us at  Montebello Park in St. Catharines/Niagara this January 1st at 6 p.m. for a ‘Shine Your Light’ gathering of our Niagara community

An Invite from Karen Orlandi, Student/Outreach, c/o Bethel United Church, Cooks Mills United Church and Silver Spire United Church

Posted December 31st. 2018 on Niagara At Large

Our solution to the incredible sense of loss we have experienced as a Region, is to re-connect our community.

We need each other and we believe the answer is in community.

We will gather January 1st at 6:00 p.m. in Montebello Park to turn on the light we each have brought at 6:15pm. Bring your phone, a flashlight, a candle, lantern, etc. Continue reading →

A member of the Cree nation, Cheechoo made history in July 2015 when she was the first woman and first Indigenous Canadian to be appointed to the ceremonial leadership role of Chancellor of Brock University

News from Brock University in St. Catharines/Niagara

Posted December 27th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Brock University Chancellor Shirley Cheechoo, an award-winning actress, artist, playwright and filmmaker, has been awarded the Order of Canada.

Brock University Chancellor Shirley Cheechoo

The announcement came on Boxing Day from Governor-General Julie Payette, who included the Indigenous academic leader among 103 Canadians being appointed to the Order.

One of the country’s highest honours, the Order of Canada recognizes Canadians whose service shapes society, whose innovations ignite imaginations and whose compassion unites communities. Continue reading →

NDP Leader Horwath Has Again Written To Ontario’s Integrity Commissioner

News from the Office of Ontario NDP and Opposition Leader Andrea Horwath

Posted December 21th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

QUEEN’S PARK — Showing just how necessary a public inquiry into Ford’s political interference in Ontario’s police force is, Doug Ford continues to refuse to answer the questions the people of Ontario have for him.

Three days out of three, Ford has dodged question period, and dodged accountability.

“It’s time for Mr. Ford to come out from the back rooms and secret meetings, and start being accountable to the people of Ontario,” said NDP Leader Andrea Horwath. “It’s becoming absolutely clear that the only way to find out what really happened when it comes to Ford’s interference in Ontario’s police force is to hold a public inquiry, so the public can see the evidence, and hear the testimony of those involved — including Mr. Ford.”

Horwath has written to the Integrity Commissioner again, asking him to invoke a rarely used section of the Public Inquiries Act to launch a public inquiry, a power usually reserved for the premier and cabinet.

Proving Horwath’s point, Ford has responded to the Integrity Commissioner’s investigation in writing, but the public is not allowed to see that response.

“If there’s any circumstance that shows exactly why the Integrity Commissioner was given the power to call a public inquiry, this is it,” said Horwath.

Questions the Official Opposition NDP MPPs have been asking in this week’s question periods include those about Ford’s involvement in the appointment of close friend and ally Ron Taverner to head the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), as well as Ford’s order that a secret “camper style” vehicle be bought and tricked-out for him, and the expense of that be hidden from people.

On Wednesday, the NDP revealed documents accessed via Freedom of Information laws which show that Ford met with the then-OPP commissioner Vince Hawkes on July 25. Presumably on that day, the commissioner told Ford of his coming retirement. Five days later on July 30, Ford met with Taverner over dinner.

Ford has also refused year-end interviews, choosing to only speak to his own publicly funded propaganda network.

NIAGARA AT LARGE encourages you to join the conversation by sharing your views on this post in the space following the Bernie Sanders quote below.

A reminder that we only post comments by individuals who also share their first and last names.

For more news and commentary from Niagara At Large – an independent, alternative voice for our greater bi-national Niagara region – become a regular visitor and subscriber to NAL at www.niagaraatlarge.com .

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

A News Brief by Doug Draper

Posted December 6^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Niagara Region’s new Chair, Jim Bradley

In front of a packed Niagara Regional Council chambers that included ex-regional chair Al Caslin, former St. Catharines MPP and recently elected Regional Councillor Jim Bradley received the support of a majority on the new council to serve as its chair.

Bradley was elected to a four-year term as Niagara Region’s chair in a three-way race this December 6^th with new Welland Regional Councillor Leanna Villella and Lincoln’s new regional council member Rob Foster.

A total of 19 votes went to Bradley, seven to Villella and five to Foster before the council voted one more time to unanimously support the outcome of what was the first contest for chair held completely in the open in the Region’s almost five-decades-long history. Continue reading →

Wayne Gates to Table Bill In Ontario Legislature for More Funding People Struggling with Mental Health and Addictions

 “People deserve better services, and no one should ever deal with mental health struggles without the support they need.” – Niagara Falls MPP Wayne Gates

News from the Constituency Office of Niagara Falls MPP Wayne Gates

Posted December 5^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Niagara Falls MPP Wayne Gates

Niagara, Ontario — Niagara Falls NDP MPP Wayne Gates will be tabling a motion in Queen’s Park on Thursday that could secure funding to operate three 24-hour, seven-day-a-week mental health and addictions drop-in counselling programs across Niagara.

“Front-line staff are doing everything they can to ensure that every resident of Niagara has access to mental health and addictions help when and where they need it – but they can only stretch a dollar so far,” said Gates. “People deserve better services, and no one should ever deal with mental health struggles without the support they need. I believe this funding could help our front-line providers ensure that everyone in need of treatment can get it as soon as they need it.” Continue reading →

“It’s time for defeated Fort Erie (Regional) Councillor Sandy Annunziata and the rest of the board to step down and allow the individual municipalities to make their appointments to the NPCA Board as set out in the Conservation Authorities Act.” – Niagara Centre MPP Jeff Burch

New from the Constituency Office of Niagara Centre MPP Jeff Burch, with an Afterword from Niagara At Large reporter Doug Draper on who should be made to pay the legal bills for this.

Posted December 2^nd, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Niagara Centre MPP Jeff Burch

Welland/Niagara – MPP Jeff Burch confirmed this December 2^nd that the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authorities’ attempted use of an outdated Order in Council from 1994 to oversee new appointments is not valid.

An official from the Ministry of Natural Resources stated in an email to the MPP’s office that the power to appoint and replace members of an authority now supersedes any direction provided within a previous Order in Council, or other past process governing the appointment of authority members.

The statement outlined that the Order in Council in question was made under a previous version of the Conservation Authorities Act that has since been revoked. New provisions of the act have come into force that provides participating municipalities with the clear authority to appoint and replace members. The Conservation Authorities Act was amended in 2017. Continue reading →

A Public Service Message from Niagara’s Region’s Public Health Department 

Posted November 30^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Free quit smoking patches are available to Niagara residents for a limited time.

The STOP (Smoking Treatment for Ontario Patients) Program offers eligible participants in Niagara five weeks of cost-free nicotine replacement therapy and smoking cessation information to help them in their quit attempt.

• WHAT: Free patches for adults in Niagara to quit smoking
• WHERE: STOP workshops will be held in Welland and Thorold
•  WHEN: December 12 (Welland) and December 18 (Thorold), 2018

Continue reading →

News from Ontario’s Niagara Parks Commission

Posted November 30^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Canada’s longest running fireworks series set to return beginning with the Victoria and Memorial Day long weekends in May 2019

Updated schedule to feature 110+ fireworks shows, including daily fireworks throughout the summer

Niagara Falls, Ontario – Daily Falls fireworks return next summer as part of the 26th Falls Fireworks series in Niagara Parks. Launched from within the Niagara Gorge, 114 incredible displays will captivate visitors from around the world. New for 2019 is the introduction of low-noise fireworks on select weeknights. Continue reading →

Includes a Balanced, Made-in-Ontario Climate Change Solution to Preserve and Protect the Environment for Future Generations

News from the Ford Government and Ontario’s Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks

Posted November 29th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Today (this November 29th), Ontario’s Government for the People released a new made-in-Ontario environment plan to protect our air, land and water and reduce litter and waste while lowering greenhouse gas emissions and helping communities protect themselves from climate change.

“This plan strikes the right balance between a healthy environment and a healthy economy,” said Rod Phillips, Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks. “It contains solutions that will protect our air, land and water, reduce waste, address litter, increase our resilience to climate change and help us all do our part to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Most importantly, it does all of this without imposing an ineffective, regressive carbon tax on hard-working Ontario families.” Continue reading →

“This is a last grab at power that people of Niagara will not stand for. … I would ask those not successful in the recent election to respect the will of Niagara taxpayers and step aside in order to allow the newly elected councils to determine board appointments.” – Niagara Centre MPP Jeff Burch

A Message from the Niagara Centre Constituency Office of NDP provincial representative Jeff Burch

Posted November 28th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Niagara Centre Jeff Burch and Cindy Forster, his predeccesor in the Niagara Centre riding, who spent the past four years before him speaking out for public accountability at the NPCA. File photo.

QUEEN’S PARK—Niagara Centre MPP Jeff Burch responds to the news that the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority will be changing the way members of the board are appointed.

Recently, the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority and Chair Sandy Annuziata released a memo indicating that NPCA Board Appointments would be in accordance with OIC 2706, an outdated ministerial mandate from 1994. Mr. Annunziata, a Fort Erie Regional Councillor was defeated in last months Municipal Election.

Burch says, “This is a last grab at power that people of Niagara will not stand for. And it is the taxpayers that will be paying the legal bill from the NPCA for its hired law firm to dig up this decades old Order in Council.”

It only highlights the need for a new board to try and restore public trust in a once respected conservation authority.”

After the controversies of the past few years, many municipalities including Welland, Port Colborne, Fort Erie, St. Catharines and Pelham have passed motions to move to an expert citizen appointment system, something Burch fully supports.

Burch notes that the NPCA is not at the behest of Sandy Annuziata or a select few from the conservative cabal recently voted out of office. It is a taxpayer funded municipally regulated and provincially overseen entity.

He says, “I have been in touch with the Auditor Generals office and as Municipal Affairs critic for the official opposition, I support the rights and the wishes of Niagara’s municipalities and their newly elected representatives to democratically and transparently determine the new NPCA Board of Directors.”

I would ask those not successful in the recent election to respect the will of Niagara taxpayers and step aside in order to allow the newly elected councils to determine board appointments.”

Watch and listen to Niagara Centre MPP Jeff Burch tell Sandy Annunziata, the current chair of the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority board of director and others on the currrent NPCA board to respect the taxpayers of Niagara and steps aside now.

To read a recent commentary by Niagara At Large reporter and publisher Doug Draper on this issue, click on – https://niagaraatlarge.com/2018/11/28/npcas-board-like-trying-to-get-rid-of-cockroaches/

NIAGARA AT LARGE encourages you to join the conversation by sharing your views on this post in the space following the Bernie Sanders quote below.

A reminder that we only post comments by individuals who also share their first and last names.

For more news and commentary from Niagara At Large – an independent, alternative voice for our greater bi-national Niagara region – become a regular visitor and subscriber to NAL at www.niagaraatlarge.com .

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

At Niagara Regional Headquarters – This Wednesday, November 28th at 6:30 p.m. Be There With Your Ideas for a Better Niagara

Dr. Andrew Sancton Hosting Public Meeting to Seek Input on Niagara Region Governance

News from Niagara’s Regional Government

Re-Posted November 27^st, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Niagara Regional Headquarters

(A Brief Foreword Note from Niagara At Large reporter and publisher Doug Draper– If you are one of the many residents across Niagara who have not been too pleased with the way we have been governed at the regional level in recent years – and the feedback NAL has been getting, especially over the past four years, says there are certainly many of you – you should come to this public meeting, armed with ideas on how to fix things up.

Thanks to the results of the October 22nd municipal elections, most of the faces on the next regional council, to be sworn in this December, will be new, and now may be the best time the public has had in the almost five decades long history of regional government in Niagara to press for a more open, accountable council that serves in the interest of all residents.

So please consider attending the following public meeting with your ideas.)

WHAT: 

As part of a Niagara Region Independent External Governance Audit approved by Regional Council, Dr. Andrew Sancton and Dr. Tim Cobban are hosting a public meeting to seek community input on Niagara Region Governance. This feedback will be used to assist Dr. Sancton in developing recommendations and advice to Niagara Region and Regional Council on how to improve and enhance organizational and governance practices. Continue reading →

“With this project, we want to help the community and the town contribute to solutions and strategies to adapt to climate change.” Liette Vasseur, Brock University Professor and UNESCO Chair in Community Sustainability

News from Brock University in Niagara, Ontario

Posted November 26^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

A research project examining how coastal communities can deal with the impacts of climate change will formally launch in the Town of Lincoln this week.

Just east of Lincoln, along the shores of Lake Ontario, the Lakeshore Park area and properties along the harbour in Port Dalhousie community of St. Catharines  were completely swamped as water levels in the lake rose to near record high levels in the spring of 2017. Walls of sandbags were placed around buildings and the popular carousel ride in the park and harbour area in an effort to minimize  damage.               File photo by Doug Draper

The town suffered around $1 million in damage as a result of back-to-back spring storms in 2017 that caused massive flooding from Lake Ontario. Announced in May, Brock University Professor and UNESCO Chair in Community Sustainability Liette Vasseur is leading a three-year research study that will focus on Lincoln as the Ontario component of a wider project by Université du Québec à Rimouski. Continue reading →

“It’s an apparent attempt to not only delay and confuse the process of appointing a new board, but it also makes us ask what deals they are trying to get done behind the scenes, and how much more damage they want to do before they are finally heaved out the door.” – the citizens watchdog group, A Better Niagara

A Message to fellow Niagara residents from a Better Niagara

Posted November 26^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

NPCA board chair and defeated Fort Erie regional councillor Sandy Annunziata can’t seem to take the verdict of Niagara’s voters for an answer

Niagara, Ontario – Now we know at least a portion of what the board of the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority has been up to since so many of their members were defeated in the municipal election.

On Friday, NPCA Board Chair Sandy Annunziata (an outgoing Fort Erie regional councillor defeated in the October 22^nd municipal elections) sent a memo to all municipal governments in the region that, in effect, states the current NPCA board has decided a new process must be used to appoint an NPCA Board, and that process will be presided over by current chair Sandy Annunziata.

It’s an apparent attempt to not only delay and confuse the process of appointing a new board, but it also makes us ask what deals they are trying to get done behind the scenes, and how much more damage they want to do before they are finally heaved out the door. Continue reading →

Remembering Those Who Have Been Lost in Acts of Anti-Transgender Violence

A Message from Enzo De Divitiis and Pride Niagara in Niagara, Ontario

Posted November 20th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Transgender Awareness Week , a platform for LGBT+ advocates to raise awareness through education and advocacy, to educate about transgender and gender non-conforming issues.

Today, Tuesday November 20 is Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) Transgender Day of Remembrance is  a day honouring  the memories of those whose lives were lost in acts of anti-transgender violence due to their gender identity and expression. Continue reading →

Betty-Lou Souter, Chief Executive Officer, Community Care, St. Catharines & Thorold Receives                   Lifetime Achievement Award

“We honour these women in our awards, but we recognize the achievements of so many more. The contributions to Niagara’s prosperity and community made by women are overlooked too often. I hope that the achievements of these extraordinary community leaders will lead to recognition of the work of others.”
— Mishka Balsom, President & CEO, Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce

News from the Greater Niagara Charmber of Commerce

Posted November 16th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Betty-Lou Souter receives Niagara Chamber’s 2018 Lifetime Achievement Award

Niagara, Ontario – “Women make incredible contributions to our business community every day.  We are thrilled to be able to celebrate and recognize these accomplishments through this annual event,” said Nicole Regehr, Chair of the Women in Niagara (WIN) Council. “The caliber of women in leadership roles in Niagara is no surprise to us, but it never ceases to encourage and inspire.”

The WIBAs are an annual event, honouring women from around Niagara whose contributions to the community go above and beyond the call of duty. The WIN council received over 160 nominations from around the region in many different sectors. Continue reading →

Continuing Loss Of Wetlands And Other Natural Areas That Filter Pollution Compounds The Problem

Ontario Environmental Commissioner Dianne Saxe

“Wetlands and woodlands continue to be destroyed by agriculture and development. These areas help filter pollutants from water, reduce flooding, protect against soil erosion, filter our air and provide critical habitat for many of Ontario’s species at risk.” – Ontario environmental Commissioner Dianne Saxe

A News Release from Ontario’s Environmental Commissioner

Posted November 15^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

(A Foreword Note from Niagara At Large reporter and publisher Doug Draper –

Ontario Premier Doug Ford and his so-called “Government for the People” are giving the province’s independent environmental watchdog the axe. He has announced he is closing down the whole office

As some of you may already have heard, Doug Ford’s described “Government for the People” announced this Novmenter 15^th that it is shutting down the Office of Ontario’s Environmental Commissioner, which has functioned as an independent watchdog body in the province, much like the Ontario Ombudsman’s Office, on environmentally related issues since it was formed in 1994.

This move by Ontario’s four-and-a-month-old Ford government follows what now appears to be a pattern of cutting and gutting programs and institutions involved in environmental protection matters, and Niagara At Large will have more news and commentary of that latter.

In the meantime, the following news release from the Office of Ontario Environmental Commissioner Dianne Saxe, posted on the Office’s website this November 13^th and speaking to a detailed new report the Office has just completed on environmental protection, may be its last or one of its last.

Here it is –

Toronto – The Ontario government continues to allow raw sewage to overflow into Ontario lakes and rivers at an alarming rate, says a new report by Dianne Saxe, Environmental Commissioner of Ontario.

Back to Basics, Saxe’s 2018 Environmental Protection Report, outlines how Ontario’s waters are being poisoned by raw sewage and harmful runoff laden with fertilizer and road salt. Continue reading →

The Ford Government Would Do Well Not To Turn This Important Agency into just another  Gift Shop For                         Its Partisan Pals

A Commentary by Niagara At Large reporter and publisher            Doug Draper

Posted November 9^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Niagara Parks Commission Chair Janice Thomson

Toward the end of an address that the Niagara Park Commission’s current Chair, Janice Thomson delivered at a public meeting this past October, detailing robust state the NPC now finds itself in financially, and as a steward of the Niagara River corridor and a tourist draw, she had this to say –

“These are not farewell remarks, but I did want to take this opportunity at a public meeting to comment on our current positive state and recognize the dedicated efforts of all staff and Commissioners that brought the organization to this point and will lead it to great heights in the future.”

I would love to believe that these are not Thomson’s farewell remarks as Niagara Parks chair, but I fear they will be.

Thomson, a resident of Niagara-on-the-Lake who also serves as executive director of the town’s Chamber of Commerce & Visitor and Convention Bureau, was first appointed Chair of the NPC’s board by the province’s former Liberal government in 2011, is now only days away from finding out if she will be re-appointed by Ontario’s current Fort government or replaced (this November 15^th) by someone else.

Niagara Parks Commission headquarters in Niagara Falls, Ontario

And that is where my nightmare begins. Continue reading →

A Public Forum Panel – Wednesday, November 14th,      8 p.m. in St. Catharines

An Invite to All from the Niagara District Council of Women

Re- Posted November 9th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

The Niagara District Council of Women will be hosting a Public Forum Panel, “Is Niagara Ready for Legal Cannabis” on Wednesday, November 14 at 8:00 pm in the Mills Room at the St. Catharines Central Library (54 Church Street). 

One of the guest speakers – Patrick Robson,  Professor of Environmental Management and Assessment, Niagara College

Our guest speakers will be: Patrick Robson,  Professor of Environmental Management and Assessment, Niagara College; Professor Bill MacDonald Coordinator of the Cannabis Production Program at Niagara College; Barbara Wiens, Director of Planning & Development for the Town of Pelham; and a representative from Niagara Region Public Health. 

Discussions will include regulatory issues; the need for qualified and trained professionals in the cannabis production industry; regulatory and trade requirements for the safe and legal production and packaging of cannabis; land use planning; the local perspective, community questions and concerns; and public health considerations. Continue reading →

The Area is also the Site of a Key War of 1812 battle. “Do developers think they can just dig up a cemetery (to those who fought here) and plant houses?”

A Commentary by Linda McKellar, a citizen activist and resident of Fort Erie, Ontario

Posted November 8th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

While citizens continue their efforts to save the Waverly Woods area for its significance as a green space and a home to wildlife, it is important to focus on the areas historic significant as well.

This Painting by E.C Watmough depicts the British storming the Northeast Bastion of Fort Erie, during their failed night assault on August 14, 1814.

The Waverly Woods area was the site of the bloodiest battle on Canadian soil in our history, the Siege of Fort Erie, in 1814. Sure the fort remains but more died here than at Lundy’s Lane, Queenston or Chippewa.

Some casualties from the 1814 battle were discovered in the area, at a place called Snake Hill in the late 1980s.

How many people, even locals, are aware of that fact?

Will the monument to these brave men from both sides of the border, now nameless and whose many graves are yet to be found, be a condo? These men – human beings – sons, husbands, and brothers – are very likely interred on this very spot according to historical documentation and previous finds.

Do developers think they can just dig up a cemetery and plant houses? Continue reading →

“I think the growers in this area are very lucky that CCOVI (Brock University’s Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute) has taken up the challenge of trying to do what is best for the industry,”                                                                                        – Niagara, Ontario grape grower and winemaker Bill Schenck

News from Brock University in Niagara, Ontario

Posted November 8th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

With the help of two new research vineyards, Brock University’s Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute (CCOVI) is looking to aid Canada’s grape growers and wineries.

Grapevines have been planted in two new CCOVI research vineyards for a clone and rootstock evaluation program.

CCOVI partnered with two commercial grape growers to plant the St. Catharines and Niagara-on-the-Lake vineyards that will be used for a clone and rootstock evaluation program of the main VQA grapevine varieties in Ontario.

 Jim Willwerth, CCOVI Senior Scientist, said the program takes a proactive approach that will help the industry grow and adapt to challenges expected with climate change. Continue reading →

Joni Mitchell, singer/songwriter and painter extraordinaire, turns 75 this November 7^th, 2018

A Brief Tribute from Niagara At Large reporter and publisher Doug Draper

Posted November, 7^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

“They took all the trees
And put ’em in a tree museum
And they charged the people
A dollar and a half to seem ’em

Don’t it always seem to go,
That you don’t know what you’ve got
Til its gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot.”

• From Joni Mitchell’s 1970 song ‘Big Yellow Taxi

The lyrics to Joni Mitchell’s song Big Yellow Taxi , either by coincidence or design, were penned and released to the world in the same year as the first Earth Day, and was listed a decade ago members of the global music community as “the most performed song” of at least the past 50 years.

Jonii Mitchell, near the beginning, writing songs that worked as soundtracks during the ”flower power’ years of the 1960s

Over my many years as a reporter covering environmental stories, I have the lyrics of this song quoted countless times by citizens across this and other regions, fighting to stop low-density urban sprawl from paving over ever more of our farmlands, woodlands and wetlands. Continue reading →

News from Brock University in Niagara, Ontario

Posted November 7^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Shortly after the armistice was signed at 11:11 a.m. on Nov. 11, 1918 to end the First World War, the Canadian Pipes and Drums’ 42nd Battalion Royal Highlanders marched into Mons, Belgium announcing to the citizens that they had been liberated from four and a half years of German occupation.

At left, Brock University Sport Management student and Drum Major Kieran Boyle, Black Watch Association Pipes and Drums, marches in the 2018 St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Montreal. At right, drummer David Balfour is pictured after the First World War 42nd Battalion Royal Highlanders of Canada Pipes and Drums marched into Mons, Belgium as the first group after the armistice was signed on Nov. 11, 1918.

On the 100th anniversary of that historic event this Sunday, a Brock University student and retired Canadian Forces member will be part of a re-enactment matching the exact route marched by Canadians a century earlier. Continue reading →

For the Sake of Peace, Love, Justice, Democracy and the Future of our Planet, Vote this Tuesday, November 6th!

Vote for the Beginning of the End of Rage, Hate, Greed, Climate Denial and Trumpism!

A Brief Comment from  Niagara At Large reporter and publisher Doug Draper

Posted November 5^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

A sign I have seen on the front lawns of a number of people’s homes in Buffalo, New York

As a Canadian who has lived most of his life near the border of his country and the United States, I have made many good friends in the United States over my 60-some-odd years and have grown to love the places I visit, including the coastal town of Massachusetts and the classic old neighbourhoods and Olmstead parks of nearby Buffalo.

So to see all of that growing less welcoming and darker over the past few years with that vile, hate-filled monster now occupying the White House is heartbreaking.

To see and hear Trump and his band of psychos declare Canada, for some incomprehensible reason, a “national security risk” and declare that there is “a special corner in hell” waiting for our prime minister – even while Trump boasts about having wonderful relationships and exchanging “love letters” with some of the world’s most brutal dictators – seems like such a betrayal of a long, peaceful relationship between our two countries. Continue reading →

“Our bi-annual BioBlitz events provide students, staff, and the community an opportunity to connect with nature on a deeper level and learn about all of the wildlife they have right in their backyards.” Niagara College’s sustainability engagement officer Amber Schmucker.

An Invite to All from Niagara College’s Niagara-on-the-Lake campus

Posted October 31st on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – Niagara College will host a Fall BioBlitz on Thursday, November 1 with special guests from the World Wildlife Fund and other community organizations.

Students, staff and the community have an opportunity to connect with nature at Niagara College’s bi-annual BioBlitz. Photo courtesy of Niagara College

The event, which is open to the college community and the public, will take place between noon and 6 p.m. at the Niagara-on-the-Lake Campus. Organized by the College’s Office of Sustainability, the BioBlitz aims to help participants connect with the outdoors while identifying plants and animal species for the College’s biodiversity inventory. Continue reading →

• To Take Place on Sunday, November 4^th at 6 p.m. in front of St. Catharines City Hall in downtown St. Catharines, Ontario

• Everyone Welcome

An Invitation to All of Us, circulated by Karrie Porter, St. Catharines resident and newly elected member of St. Catharines city council

Posted October 31^st, 2018 on Niagara At Large

St. Catharines, Ontario  – A candlelight vigil to remember the victims of the shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsbburgh will take place in front of St. Catharines City Hall on Sunday, November 4 at 6pm.

The vigil will also present an opportunity to stand with the Jewish community of St. Catharines in the face of a rising tide of anti-Semitism sweeping Canada, the United States and the rest of the world and affirm that the people of this city will not tolerate hate and bigotry.   Continue reading →

News from Niagara’s Regional Government

Posted October 25th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

(A Brief Foreword Note from Niagara At Large – For all of you out there who have raised complaints about the quality of waste collection service many neighbourhoods across Niagara have received in recent years, you are well-adivised to get engaged in this consultation process.)

This fall Niagara residents will have their chance to provide input on the proposed service level options for waste collection services in Niagara. Niagara Region oversees the curbside collection of garbage, recycling and organics throughout Niagara.

By 2021, Niagara Region will start a new contract for waste collection (garbage, recycling and organics) for homes and businesses. Prior to the start of a new contract, the Region is consulting with Niagara residents, businesses and other stakeholders on proposed service level options. Continue reading →

This Monday, October 22nd, Vote Wisely. Vote As If Niagara’s Future Is At Stake!

Get Engaged. Show You Care. VOTE, VOTE, VOTE

Posted by Doug Draper on Niagara At Large, October 22nd, 2018

In Our Niagara Region 

Do It!

NIAGARA AT LARGE encourages you to join the conversation by sharing your views on this post in the space following the Bernie Sanders quote below.

A reminder that we only post comments by individuals who also share their first and last names.

For more news and commentary from Niagara At Large – an independent, alternative voice for our greater bi-national Niagara region – become a regular visitor and subscriber to NAL at www.niagaraatlarge.com .

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

Thursday, October 18^th, 7 to 9 p.m. at the Grimsby Royal Canadian Legion

A Call-Out from the Niagara Health Coalition

Posted October 17^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

A rendiition of what a new West Lincoln Memorial Hospital might look like

Who: The Niagara Health Coalition (NHC) is organizing a town hall meeting regarding the West Lincoln Memorial Hospital.

When: Thursday, October 18, 7-9 pm

Where: Grimsby Royal Canadian Legion, 233 Elizabeth St.  Grimsby

Why:  The West Lincoln Memorial Hospital needs not only to be rebuilt and but also to get more than $ 12 million dollars to keep its two surgeries open.  West Niagara has been waiting since 2013 for the go ahead to build a new hospital.  Continue reading →