Category Archives: Uncategorized

Caslin and Company at Niagara Region Win Canadian Journalists’ “Code of Silence Award for           Outstanding Achievement in Government Secrecy’

A News Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted October 15th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Caslin circus wins national award!

Niagara, Ontario – Niagara’s regional government received a national award this Monday, October 15 and not one of those still in power at the Region – not the Region’s Chair Al Caslin or CAO Carmen D’Angelo or any of their stand-ins – showed up for the presentation.

That’s no surprise though, since this particular award, presented each year by the Canadian Association of Journalists, News Media Canada, Canadian Journalists for Free Expression and Ryerson University-based Centre for Free Expression (CFE), is not the kind any self-respecting municipal leaders would want in a news release – just days away from municipal elections that could very well see quite a few on this regional council swept out of office.

James Turk, director of Ryerson University’s Centre for Free Expression’. with ‘Code of Silence’ Award given to Niagara’s regional council by Canadian journalists associations.

The award, given by the four, Canada-wide press-advocacy groups, is called the “Code of Silence Award for Outstanding Achievement in Government Secrecy” in the category of municipal government.

James Turk, director of the Centre for Freedom and 15th, a distinguished visiting professor at Ryerson University in Toronto, made the award announcement at a press conference in downtown St. Catharines this October 15th, said the award’s purpose “is to call public attention to government departments and agencies that put extra effort into denying public access to government information to which the public has a right under access to information explanation.”

In that spirit, a citation, inscribed on the award Turk said the Canadian groups will attempt to send to the regional government reads as follows – Continue reading →

Judging by recent events in the United States and the ongoing horror of missing and murdered indigenous girls in Canada, we have not gone very far from the days when girls and women were not much more than men’s ‘many toys’ 

A Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted  October 11th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Lesley Gore, who died in February of 2016 at age 68, made this empowering song a bit hit when she was 16 years old. On her new album, Ann Wilson reminds that the song has not lost its relevance.

This past August at Artpark in Lewiston, New York, was saw the still mighty Ann Wilson, lead singer of the classic rock and soul band Heart, sing a few songs from her latest album ‘Immortal’, featuring a set of songs from recently departed pop music icons.

One of the songs Ann Wilson sang from the album is called “You Don’t Own Me,” a song that became a big hit in the early 1960s for the late American pop singer Lesley Gore, who was better known at the time for teeny bopper songs like “It’s My Party” and “Sunshine, Lollypops.”

Wilson called the song was very gutsy for a teen artists to perform at the time, with lyrics that began – “You don’t own me, I’m not just one of your many toys. You don’t own me; don’t say I can’t go with other boys. And don’t tell me what to do,  Don’t tell me what to say,  And please, when I go out with you, Don’t put me on display… “

Gutsy for 1963? Before the advent of the women’s movements of the last half of the 20th century and more than 50 years before the #Me Too Movement of today, it was a gutsy song for a young American girl to belt out – and she did belt it out – indeed. Continue reading →

“It’s high time we shine a light on the role that throwaway plastic producers are playing in the plastic pollution crisis,” – Sarah King, Greenpeace Canada’s Head of Oceans and Plastics

News from Greenpeace Canada

Posted October 11^th, 2017 on Niagara At Large

by Loujain Kurdi

The Coca-Cola Company, PepsiCo, and Nestlé also found to  respectively  be the worst plastic polluters worldwide  

A Greenpeace diver holds a banner reading “Coca-Cola is this yours?” and a
Coca-Cola bottle found adrift in the garbage patch.
The crew of the Greenpeace ship MY Arctic Sunrise voyage into the Great Pacific Garbage Patch document plastics and other marine debris. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a soupy mix of plastics and microplastics, now twice the size of Texas, in the middle of the North Pacific Ocean.

Montreal  – The Coca-Cola Company, PepsiCo, and Nestlé were the corporations most frequently identified in the international report through the 239 cleanup – audits held on World Clean Up Day in  42 countries by the Break Free From Plastic movement. 

The Canadian Plastic Polluters Brand Audits found the top 5 polluting corporations to be Nestlé, Tim Hortons, PepsiCo., The Coca-Cola Company and McDonald’s.

The Coca-Cola Company, the 4th worst polluter in the Canadian audit, was the top global polluter in the international audit, with Coke-branded plastic pollution found in 40 of the 42 participating countries.  Continue reading →

Eagles, Hawks And Falcons Abound During The Fall Raptor Migration

“Sadly though, many Canadian bird populations have experienced significant declines over the last 40 years. In Ontario, habitat loss threatens bald eagles and ospreys, and climate change is disrupting the availability of lemmings and other prey that owls hunt.”

Osprey – photo credit,_Missy_Mandel_courtesy_of_Ontario_Nature

News from Ontario Nature, a conservation organization that protects wild species and spaces through conservation, education and public engagement.

Posted October 10^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Toronto, Ontario — The beginning of fall is an exciting time for bird enthusiasts as summer fledglings become air-borne adults and join others of their kind on route to warmer climes. This mass exodus is happening all around us. Continue reading →

Don’t Miss This – Tonight, Wednesday October 10th, 2018, 8-9:30 p.m. at the St. Catharines Central Library in Downtown St. Catharines

Protecting the Great Lakes with John Jackson 

Canadian environmentalist and former Great Lakes United leader John Jackson

An Invite to All from the Niagara District Council of Women

Posted October 2^nd, 2018 on Niagara At Large

The Niagara District Council of Women will be hosting a public forum, Protecting the Great Lakes, on Wednesday, October 10 from 8:00 to 9:30 pm at the St. Catharines Central Library, on  54 Church St. in the city’s downtown.

Our guest speaker for this public forum is John Jackson, Great Lakes Expert and former President of Great Lakes United. “Together, we need to work to protect the world’s largest freshwater ecosystem.”

John Jackson is a passionate leader who has been tirelessly advancing public engagement throughout the Great Lakes, combining an extraordinary depth of knowledge about the Great Lakes with passion and a strategic vision for binational collaboration. He has a remarkable ability to influence Great Lakes policies and issues.

Some issues that John will discuss are:

• Massive levels of recycling are being touted as the solution to plastics contamination in the Great Lakes. But does this simply spread toxics ever further? How do we get out of this recycling enigma?
• Nuclear power plants are being closed or will eventually be closed all around the Great Lakes (except Lake Superior). What is the radioactive legacy that these toxic hulks leave around the Great Lakes? The new era of nuclear power in the Great Lakes basin? Small size units scattered across the basin? And/or nuclear power units floating on the Great Lakes near major power users?
• Continued concerns regarding invasive species in the Great Lakes
• Urban and agricultural runoff as the most significant source of pollution in the Great Lakes
• Working bi-nationally on the Great Lakes in the era of Trump

John dedicates his time to Great Lakes issues, with a focus on the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement and engaging stakeholders and the public in caring for our shared waters.

The Niagara District Council of Women (NDCW) has 26 federated group members plus individual members from across the Region. This year we celebrate our 100th year of service to the community.  In June, we hosted women from across the country at the 125th AGM of the National Council of Women of Canada at Niagara College.  

You can learn more about our council, our history and 100th Year Anniversary at www.ndcw.ca

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

“We hope adding an EV charging station downtown will continue to make these environmentally-friendly vehicles a viable alternative to traditional vehicles for our residents.” – David Oakes, St. Catharines’ Deputy Chief Administrative Officer.

News from the City of St. Catharines in Niagara, Ontario

Posted October 3^rd, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Max Cananzi, president for Alectra Utilities Corporation, and Mayor Walter Sendzik unveil the new electric vehicle charging station at City Hall.

St. Caharines, Ontario – A dual-head electric vehicle charging station is now available at City Hall in the area of the James Street parking lot entrance. Two electric vehicles can plug into the EV charging station at a time.

To kick off the pilot project, the City of St. Catharines is offering free EV charging from now until October 2019; regular parking rates will still apply. Continue reading →

“People around the Great Lakes region rely on that water, and they should have a say in whether or not it stays in the lakes.”

A Call-Out from the Alliance for the Great Lakes, a Great Lakes-wide citizens advocacy group

Posted October 3^rd, 2018 on Niagara At Large

The Great Lakes are huge — and hugely important to the region — but their water is not unlimited. If we’re not careful, they could go away.

Proposals to divert water outside of the Great Lakes are hotly debated around the region. As they should be! The public should have plenty of opportunities to weigh in as regional leaders assess them. Tell Great Lakes leaders to provide more options for formal public input when evaluating water diversion proposals.

The Great Lakes Compact is a binational agreement that bans diversions of Great Lakes water outside the basin, with limited exceptions. For example, Waukesha, Wisconsin applied for Lake Michigan water because it straddles the Great Lakes basin divide. Continue reading →

“It’s clear we need a supervisor, a clean sweep of the board, and changes to the Conservation Act to ensure that at least 50 per cent of the board are community members with a working knowledge of conservation.”

NDP’s Jeff Burch calls for provincial oversight of conservation authority in wake of Auditor General Report

News from the Constituency Office of Niagara Centre MPP Jeff Burch

Posted October 3rd, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Niagara Centre MPP Jeff Burch

Queen’s Park – In question period  this Wednesday (October 3^rd), Niagara Centre NDP MPP Jeff Burch said that Doug Ford is failing to hold the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA) accountable after a scathing Auditor General Report revealed that the conservation authority is working against the interests of Niagara families.   

“The report detailed that the NPCA is having difficulty fulfilling its legislative mandate,” said Burch. “The NPCA is plagued by financial mismanagement, a high employee grievance rate and issues of conflict of interest. Beyond the audit, we’ve seen the NPCA fire key staff, censure board members, lobby the government to develop on provincially significant wetlands, and sue a private citizen – Ed Smith, a Canadian Forces veteran — for criticizing its practices. Continue reading →

“The advanced poll on campus reflects Brock’s commitment to outstanding citizenship and community engagement.”                    – Brock University President Gervan Fearon

News from Brock University

Posted October 3rd, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – When the advance poll for the upcoming municipal election opened at Brock’s main campus this Wednesday (October 3rd), senior administration came ready to cast their ballot.

From left, Brock University Students’ Union President Aidan Hibma, University President Gervan Fearon and interim Provost and Vice-President, Academic Greg Finn vote in the advance poll held at Brock on Wednesday, Oct. 3.

University President Gervan Fearon and interim Provost and Vice-President, Academic Greg Finn, joined by Brock University Students’ Union President Aidan Hibma, exercised their democratic right in hopes of encouraging other members of the Brock community to do the same. Continue reading →

Thursday, October 11th, 2018, starting 9:30 a.m. at The Robby (Robertson Hall) on 85 Church Street                      in St. Catharines/Niagara 

An Invite to All from the Niagara Folk Arts Multicultural Centre

Posted October 3rd, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – The Niagara Folk Arts Multicultural Centre will be hosting a distinguished panel to discuss immigration, diversity and inclusion in our local communities.

As a critical stakeholder, the Centre is inviting everyone in the community to listen and ask questions to our panelists: Continue reading →

City Of St. Catharines Is Gearing Up To Give Away More Free Trees This Fall – Saturday, October 20th

News from the City of St. Catharines in Niagara, Ontario

Posted September 28th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

The City will be giving away four varieties of trees to residents on Oct. 20, including the Eastern Redbud. Photo courtesy of City of St. Catharines

St. Catharines/Niagara – St. Catharines residents can receive a free tree to plant on their own property at the Free Tree Giveaway, Saturday, Oct. 20 at the Seymour-Hannah Sports and Entertainment Centre parking lot from 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., or until supplies run out.

Five hundred trees will be available on a first come, first served basis.

Trees will be distributed in three-gallon pots and are about three-feet tall. They should easily fit inside a standard car. Residents can choose from four different varieties: American Beech; Eastern Redbud; Sugar Maple and Swamp White Oak. Continue reading →

“We are pleased to see the renegotiated NAFTA deal includes, as it should, one of our greatest allies and trading partners, Canada. – Buffalo area Congressman Brian Higgins

Buffalo, New York area Congressman Brian Higgins

A Statement from the Buffalo, New York Office of U.S. Congressman Brian Higgins

Posted October 1^st, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Buffalo, New York – Congressman Brian Higgins (NY-26) released the following statement in response to the announcement of a new trilateral trade agreement between the United States, Canada and Mexico: 

“We are pleased to see the renegotiated NAFTA deal includes, as it should, one of our greatest allies and trading partners, Canada.

The Peace Bridge in the Niagara/Buffalo region. A major gateway for goods between Canada and the U.S.

The NAFTA of 1994, was a bad deal, leading to American job loss, that lacked the enforcement measures necessary to hold partners accountable and was in desperate in need of fixing.  We are continuing to review the details of this new agreement to see if it meets the test of protecting American workers.” Continue reading →

“In my beautiful riding of Niagara West, numerous wind turbines scar the landscape. It angers the members of my community because they know these turbines produce energy we don’t need.”   Niagara West MPP and Ford  Government rep Sam Oosterhoff

A News Release from Niagara West MPP Sam Oosterhoff

Posted September 27th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Niagara West MPP Sam Oosterhoff

Queen’s Park – Sam Oosterhoff, MPP for Niagara West was assured by the Hon. Greg Rickford, Minister for Energy, Northern Development and Mines today that Ontarians would no longer receive energy projects they did not want and did not need.

The statement came as a response to Oosterhoff who asked the Minister how repealing the Green Energy Act would protect his constituents from needless energy projects.

“In my beautiful riding of Niagara West, numerous wind turbines scar the landscape” said Oosterhoff. “It angers the members of my community because they know these turbines produce energy we don’t need.” Continue reading →

Be There on Saturday, September 29th for the 1ST Annual Central Fire Station Celebration

A News Release from the Central Station Education Initiative in Welland, Ontario

Posted September 18th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Welland, Ontario –   A not-for-profit corporation named Central Station Education Initiative (CSEI) is thrilled to announce the first annual Central Fire Station Celebration.

The event will be hosted in Downtown Welland on Hellems Avenue, from East Main Street to Division Street. The celebration is the first of a series of celebrations to create community support for the upcoming renovations of the building, leading up to the 100th anniversary in 2020. Continue reading →

From the Constituency Office of Niagara Falls NDP MPP Wayne Gates

Posted August 23^rd, 2018 on Niagara At Large

An Open Letter to Ontario Environment Minister  Rod Phillips

RE: Sewage Discharge in Niagara River

Dear Minister Phillips,   I am writing to you today regarding a serious environmental issue, which was raised with your predecessor as well as your counterparts in Niagara Falls, New York. Here in Niagara we are experiencing continual discharge of wastewater and raw sewage into the Lower Niagara River.

A year ago this past July, an overflow of pollution from the Niagara Falls, N.Y. wastewater plant left water in the Niagara River below the Horseshoe and American Falls looking like ink. Following heavy rains recently, it happened again, and there have also been overflows from the Ontario side. Is our aging municipal infrastructure for treating sewage and storm water failing us?

This issue has been ongoing for far too long and continues to threaten the health of our beloved Niagara River. Despite assurance from treatment plants in the New York State that no more discharges would occur we heard alarming news this morning that upwards of 8 million gallons of raw sewage was discharged.

The continued damaging of our River is nothing short of an environmental catastrophe.  Continue reading →

“So far, in 2018, there have been six raccoons and four skunks test positive for rabies.” 

From Niagara Region’s Public Health Department

Posted August 18^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Niagara Regional Headquarters in Thorold

Niagara, Ontario – This week, two skunks in an urban area of Welland, and one raccoon in rural Lincoln have tested positive for rabies. 

Niagara Region Public Health has seen an increase in the number of animals testing positive for rabies in Niagara. 

So far, in 2018, there have been six raccoons and four skunks test positive for rabies.  In 2017, there were a total of 21 animals that tested positive for rabies (19 raccoons, two skunks) and 12 in 2016 (10 raccoons, two skunks).  Continue reading →

Posted by Doug Draper on Niagara At Large

 August 14, 2018

Niagara At Large will have more later on this great lady, now gravely ill in hospice in her native Detroit.

In a brief statement, she asks for our prayers. 

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 Brief One from Niagara At Large reporter and publisher Doug Draper

Posted July 23^rd, 2018

In the wake of an Ontario Ombudsman’s report this past July 18^th, condemning the seizure by Niagara regional officials of reporters’ computers and notes, followed by their expulsion last December from municipal property, calls have been mounting across Niagara for the resignations of the Region’s CAO, Carmen D’Angelo, and Region’s Chair, Al Caslin.

Niagara Region’s chair Al Caslin with the Region’s CAO, Carmen D’Angelo perched to his right. Growing numbers of people are saying it is time for these two to say goodbye. File photo by Doug Draper

One of those many calls is coming from retired senior Niagara Regional Police officer Peter Gill, who has recently registered his name to run in St. Catharines for a seat on Niagara regional council.

Peter Gill posted the following on his Facebook page –

By the way, The National Post is by no means the only large media organization to run a story or editorial on this disgusting episode in our Niagara region. There has been coverage in The Globe and Mail, The Toronto Star and on CBC, just to mention a few. Continue reading →

“Journalists perform an essential civic function, a big part of which involves chronicling government decisions and those who make them, so voters can hold elected representatives to account. … Thankfully, we have public officials such as Mr. Dubé (Ontario’s Ombudsman) on hand to remind everyone of the truth.” – from a Globe and Mail editorial, published on the newspaper’s main editorial page on July 20th, 2018

Posted by Doug Draper in Niagara At Large, July 21st, 2018

Globe Editorial: Ontario’s ombudsman stands up for press freedom

“Last December, municipal officials in Ontario’s Niagara region issued a statement apologizing for the “inconvenience” caused to a reporter who was expelled from an unruly council meeting and had his laptop confiscated. Continue reading →

To rebuild the kind of news media we lost in this region thanks to corporate chains cutting and gutting newsrooms, we are going to need your support!

A Message from Niagara At Large reporter and publisher Doug Draper

Posted June 19^h, 2018 on Niagara At Large

For the next five or six days, this independent site for news and commentary will be relatively inactive while we are on the road, travelling from the tip of Cape Cod, Massachusetts surrounded by the waters of the Atlantic, through the heart of that state and New York State to Buffalo, then back to our home base in Niagara, Ontario.

First thing next week – starting June 25^th – we are going to hit the ground running because we have a great deal of work to do in our region with only four months left before the October 22^nd municipal elections – elections that, without doubt, will make the difference between more of the same divisive, self-serving ugliness at the regional level of government and hope for a healthier better future for you and I, for the youngest among us, and for the communities we live in. Continue reading →

A News Release from the Ontario and Niagara Oral Health Alliance

Posted June 13th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

The Ontario Oral Health Alliance was pleased to see promises to expand access to dental care in all four major party platforms during the Ontario election, a historic first for provincial elections in Canada.
“We offer congratulations to the Ontario PC Party on their election win and look forward to working with them as they implement their promise of dental care for low income seniors through Community Health Centres and Public Health Units,” said Lori Kleinsmith, Chair of the Niagara Dental Health Coalition. Continue reading →

“Our oceans and coasts are under considerable threat – from increases in plastic pollution, more frequent and severe weather events, and illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. Resilient coastal communities and healthy oceans are vital to growing economies that work for everyone and that is why we are committed to working with others to protect the world’s oceans.” – Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

The cover of the latest issue of National Geographic magazine.

A News Release from the Office of Canada’s Prime Minister

Posted June 4^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large          

(A Brief Foreword Note from Niagara At Large publisher Doug Draper – The following  news release was circulated by the Prime Minister’s Office this June 1^st, are the same time news began sinking in about Trump’s sudden announcement to slap stiff tariffs on goods from Canada, Mexico and other allied countries in Europe, so there was no reference in the PMO’s release about that. Continue reading →

McGuire is appointed Executive Director of 85-year-old Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police

A News Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted May 11th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Former Niagara regional police chief Jeff McGuire

Niagara, Ontario – He apparently wasn’t good enough for Niagara – at least not enough to keep Niagara’s Police Services Board and its chair, Niagara Falls regional councillor Bob Gale, from buying him out of what was left of his contract with more than $900,000 of our tax money – but the time-honoured Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police (OACP) sure seems happy to have him as its new executive director.

“The OACP is pleased and excited to welcome Jeff McGuire as its new Executive Director as we continue to advance the strategic direction of our Association to meet the changing demands of policing a modernized society,” said Chief Bryan Larkin, OACP President, in a news release the association posted on its website this May 7th. “Jeff brings significant leadership, vision, and policing experience to the position.”

It will be a year ago this coming summer that the Police Services Board, which also includes Niagara’s regional chair Al Caslin and Port Colborne regional councillor David Barrick among its members, parted ways with McGuire, issuing him a package worth more than $900,000 to leave the top cop’s job three years before his contract was up. Continue reading →

 Come this October’s Municipal Elections, We’ve Got A Lot of House Cleaning To Do!

A Commentary by Niagara At Large reporter and publisher Doug Draper

Posted April 25th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

One Hundred and Eighty Days!

That is how many days we now have left to go in Niagara, Ontario before we, the people, get to exercise our hiring and firing rights this October 22nd’s municipal elections.

It is home many days we have left to go before we, the people, get our chance to clean house!

One hundred and eighty days may seem like a long time, but it really isn’t that much time at all when you consider all of the work we have to do in finding good candidates, get our fellow citizens more informed and engaged so that can vote on to our regional and local councils the best people possible to build A Better Niagara. Continue reading →

A News Release from the Ontario Clean Air Alliance, a non-partisan citizens group

Posted April 17^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Doug Ford thinks firing the CEO of Hydro One will lead to lower electricity bills.

While we agree that $6 million/yr is way over the top, firing him would only lead to a 3/100ths of 1% decrease in our rates.

This kind of populist thinking has led successive Ontario governments to ignore real solutions to rising electricity costs. Continue reading →

He was Front Man of the Canadian rock band ‘The British Modbeats’

By Doug Draper

Posted April 13th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

In the last half of the 1960s when hippies and flower power were far more cool for many young people at the time than getting high marks in school, there was a rock band in Niagara that had the corner on groovy and cool.

That band was ‘The British Modbeats” (the name was a nod to the Beatles-led ‘British Invasion’ still dominating the music scene at that time) and for a few bright, shining in the late sixties it came closer than any other band in the Niagara region to joining Canadian groups like Steppenwolf and The Guess Who in rising to the top of the pops. Continue reading →

With New Transit Funding of $148 Million From The Province of Feds, It Is At Long Last Time To Bring It On!

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

Posted March 16^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

He has long been one of the region’s champions for a full-fledged affordable public transit system for Niagara, and, once again, he has shown his commitment to that goal.

Vance Badawey, who was Mayor of Port Colborne and a Niagara regional councillor when he jumped on board the campaign for a region-wide transit system, stood beside St. Catharines’ federal and provincial representatives Chris Bittle and Jim Bradley – this time as the federal representative and Liberal government member for the riding of Niagara Centre – to announce, this March 15^th, an unprecedented amount of federal and provincial funding for public transit in the region.

Niagara Centre MP Vance Badawey making $148 million transit announcement outside Niagara regional headquarters this March 15th. Photo courtesy of Kara Emberson at V. Badawey’s constituency office

The funding, to be split between municipalities in Niagara that operate transit system, totals $148 million, and could and should be used to turn Niagara’s patchwork of transit services in to one region-wide system that is accessible and affordable to all residents. Continue reading →

Province Creating More Fairness and Opportunity for Workers

“Fairness and decency must be the defining values of our workplaces.” – Ontario Labour Minister Kevin Flynn 

A News Release from Ontario’s  Ministry of Labour

Posted March 15^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

On April 1, 2018, Ontario will become the first jurisdiction in North America to mandate equal pay for equal work between casual, part-time, temporary and seasonal workers, and full-time or permanent workers. 

Under the new rules, casual, part-time, temporary and seasonal employees cannot be paid at a rate of pay less than full-time or permanent employees if: Continue reading →

Million of Americans are Standing Up to the Trump Destruction Machine. They Very Much Deserve and Need Our Support

A Brief Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted January 21^st, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Signs of Our Times – Carried across the border in New York and other states this January 20-21st weekend by millions resisting the dangerous policies of Trump

I have continued to hear many of my fellow Canadians over the past 12 months since Trump was sworn in as Twitter-in-Chief in the country across the border make sweeping statements about Americans because of Trump.

“How can they be so stupid,” is one of the lines I so often hear Canadians say of Americans.

It is as if to say that most, if not   all Americans are ignorant and are racist.

It is as if to say that they are  filled with as much contempt for press, the judiciary and other democratic institutions, and as much fear and hate for people of colour as Trump and a base of supporters, largely made up of  white supremacists, evangelical Christians who are so far out that they view the Pope of the Catholic Church as the anti-Christ, and billionaire bagmen who would total the planet to drill for the last drop of oil. Continue reading →

When Times Are Bad, It’s  Important To Remember There Are Good People Doing Good Things In Our Communities

News from the Niagara Regional Police Service with a A Brief Foreword from Niagara At Large

Posted January 21^st, 2018 on Niagara At Large

A Foreword from NAL reporter and publisher Doug Draper – At a time when there are a lot of bad things happening in this region, this country and this world that we ignore at our peril – at a time like this past Saturday, January 20^th, when we open up local newspapers to news that those who are supposed to be our municipal leaders in Niagara are once again, through some of their own objectionable conduct and through the complicity of their own standoffishness and silence, are allowing our regional headquarters to be repeatedly used as a venue for bullying, harassment and hate speech – it is just as important to remember that there are good people among us, doing good things in our communities.

One of those good people is Gary Screaton Page, resident in the Niagara, Ontario community of Fort Erie and a long-time Chaplain for the Niagara Regional Police who, through his dedication to community, and his own sense of humanity and generosity, has spent years working with others to welcome newcomers to this region of Canada, and serve the common good in many other ways. Continue reading →

“Our work is far from done. We need to continue to show up. We need to take up our space as women, because we rightfully belong here. We need to elect women. We need to believe women. … Change is happening.” – Andrea Horwath

A Message from Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath

Posted January 20^th,. 2018 on Niagara At Large

Statement from Andrea Horwath, Leader of Ontario’s NDP

Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath

Sudbury, Ontario  — This morning, (Saturday, January 20th) millions of people around the globe marched for women’s rights, and I was proud to do the same, marching alongside Ontario women in Sudbury.

I marched because there are women who still make about 70 cents on the dollar for doing the same job as a man. Because it’s 2018 and there are elected folks who still don’t respect women’s equal place in society. Continue reading →

This One on Niagara, Ontario’s Regional Government and the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority

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

Posted January 20^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

I am not a big fan of Twitter or Facebook, even though I have little choice but to link Niagara At Large up with these two social media venues to reach more readers.

The texting and tweeting culture of our times, depicted in a mural painted on a wall in downtown St. Catharines/Niagara. Photo by Doug Draper

As much as some of the photos of pet dogs and cats that people post on these venues are kind of cute, I find most of what I read on Twitter and Facebook to be rather shallow and mind-numbing. And it doesn’t help the case for Twitter to have the continual bombardment of insanity coming from the Tweeter-in-Chief in the White House either.

Yet every once in a while there is a Tweet that comes my way that pins the tail on the donkey when it comes to some of the really objectionable nonsense going on out there. Continue reading →

“The Trudeau government has more than enough reasons to remove the undemocratic investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) process from NAFTA during the current renegotiations.”  – Scott Sinclair, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives

A Report from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives

Posted January 20^th,  2018 on Niagara At Large

Ottawa, Ontario— Canada’s  federal government has spent more than $95 million in unrecoverable legal fees defending the ballooning number of investor-state lawsuits filed against Canada under NAFTA’s controversial investment chapter, according to new data obtained by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives via an access to information request.

This newly uncovered amount is on top of the $219 million Canada has paid out in awards and settlements resulting from investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) cases filed under NAFTA. Continue reading →

Niagara Area MPP Sam Oosterhoff hears of Liberal neglect at Pre-Budget Hearings 

Posted January 20^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Niagara West-Glanbrook MPP Sam Oosterhoff

Queen’s Park, Toronto  – Sam Oosterhoff has been hearing a familiar story across the province this week. 

The (Ontario PC Party) MPP for Niagara West-Glanbrook has been visiting different cities with MPP Vic Fedeli and other colleagues as part of the annual pre-budget hearings organized by the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs. 

Rocco Rossi of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce told the committee that job loss is already occurring from Ontario’s “increased input costs that include much higher tax levels than anywhere else in North America.” Liberal policies are taking a toll on the owners and employees of the small to medium-sized businesses which provide more than 70% of private sector jobs.  Continue reading →

‘Where are Province’s Contingency Plans Following Liquidation of Carillion Canada – A Corporation Ontario Gvoernment Has Allowed to Buy Up Public Services’

An Open Letter from Niagara Falls MPP Wayne Gates to Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne

Niagara Falls, Ontario MPP Wayne Gates in provincial legislature. File photo

Posted January 19th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Dear Premier,    

I’m writing to you … regarding the recent news that Carillion, the parent company of Carillion Canada, has filed for liquidation.

This company holds the contracts to maintain hospitals across the province and clear our roads of snow this winter. 

In short, you have sold them the contracts to keep our families safe when they travel the roads of our province in our winters. Continue reading →

Is Kathleen Wynne’s Ontario Government selling us out on protecting  Key Ecosystems in Niagara , Ontario’s Watershed?

A Commentary by John Bacher

Posted January 19th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Niagara conservationist John Bacher in Thundering Waters Forest in Niagara, Ontario watershed. File photo

November 29, 2017 can go down as a dark day in the struggle to save the Thundering Waters Forest from ill-conceived development schemes.

It marks the first time in a decade of vigilance by conservationists that the extent of the protected area with the 484-acre Carolinian ecological complex in Niagara Falls, Ontario was reduced.

There have been two dramatic successes in increasing the protected area in Thundering Waters. One took place in 2010. It created the provincially significant Niagara Falls Slough Forest.  This was followed by a second in October 2017.

The second victory, denounced widely by Niagara municipal politicians, followed the recommendations of additional study of wetlands by a Peer Review of the Dougan Associates Environmental Impact Study. (EIS).  This report was only released through an access to Information request made by Ed Smith.  Continue reading →

Posted January 19^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

On the anniversary of the  Mass Killings and Injuries inflicted on                 Praying Muslims in Quebec City on 29 January 2017

THE UNITARIAN CONGREGATION OF NIAGARA DECLARES ITS

 SOLIDARITY WITH OUR MUSLIM SISTERS AND BROTHERS OF GOODWILL EVERYWHERE

AND

 CELEBRATES THEIR CONTRIBUTION TO CANADA AND THE WORLD

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

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

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 Call-Out from Niagara Action For Animals, an animal advocacy group in the greater Niagara region

Posted January 19th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Dear friends of animals

Following is a link to a petition asking our government to protect farmed animals from barn fires:

https://petitions.ourcommons.ca/en/Petition/Details?Petition=e-1452 

More than 470,000 farmed animals have died in barn fires in Canada between January 2015 and November 2017.  Continue reading →

Trudeau’s Visit To Chicago, San Francisco and L.A. – So Far, At Least – Includes No Direct Encounter With Trump

Justin Trudeau makes the cover of a 2017 issue of Rolling Stone magazine, with a caption reading – ‘Why can’t he be our president?’

News from the Office of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

Posted January 19th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today announced that he will travel to the United States from February 7 to 10, 2018.

This visit – which includes stops in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Chicago – will provide an opportunity for the Prime Minister to further strengthen the deep bonds that unite Canada and the United States. Continue reading →

Increased Enforcement, Penalties and Education Will Increase Compliance

“We are hiring more employment standards officers to improve enforcement. … We want to ensure everyone who works hard has the chance to reach their full potential and share in Ontario’s prosperity.” — Kevin Flynn, Ontario Minister of Labour

News from the Government of Ontario

Posted January 17^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Some Tim Hortons franchises are among some businesses in the province that have moved to cut workers’ benefits since minimum wage was hiked to $14 an hour on January 1st.

Ontario is enhancing workplace enforcement, penalties and education to ensure all new worker rights under its plan for Fair Workplaces and Better Jobs are followed. This plan includes raising the minimum wage, ensuring part-time workers are paid the same hourly wage as full-time workers, introducing paid sick days for every worker, and providing at least three weeks’ vacation after five years with the same employer. Continue reading →

More Than 4 Million Children and Youth Now Have Access to Over 4,400 Prescription Drugs for Free

News from the Government of Ontario

Posted January 17^h, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Only 11 days into the new year, more than 220,000 young people age 24 years and under have had their prescriptions filled at no cost through OHIP+: Children and Youth Pharmacare.

On January 1, Ontario made the biggest expansion to medicare in a generation by providing drug coverage to over four million children and youth. More than 350,000 prescriptions have been filled to date under OHIP+ and the numbers continue to grow, making a real difference in the lives of people and families across the province.

Under OHIP+, more than 4,400 medications are covered, including asthma inhalers, drugs to treat depression, anxiety, epilepsy and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, antibiotics, epinephrine auto-injectors like EpiPens, insulin, diabetes test strips, oral contraceptives, some medications to treat childhood cancers and other rare conditions, and many others. Continue reading →

Same Citizen – Just Before Urging Crackdown On “Hate Speech” – Found Himself Smeared As A “Terrorist” By Another             Area Citizen Inside Regional Headquarters

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

Posted January 15^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Mohamad Al Jumaily, a young Niagara citizen, found himself being called a “terrorist” by another citizen in Niagara’s regional headquarters, before making a presentation to the regional council, asking for something to be done to curb hate speech.

Niagara, Ontario – The following scenario went down at the December 14^th, 2017 special meeting of Niagara regional council – exactly one week after St. Catharines Standard reporter – wrongly accused a using his computer to record a closed door session of regional council – had his computer and notebook seized, and was ordered to leave the regional headquarters building.

A young man named Mohamad Al Jumaily – a 23-year-old Niagara resident and university student, and a Canadian citizen who was born in Iraq and who also happens to be a Muslim and a volunteer on community bodies advocating for peace and understanding – was getting ready to deliver a short presentation to members of Niagara’s regional council over concerns he and others have about some relatively recent incidents of divisive words communicated by at least one member of that council. Continue reading →

 Annual Meeting is Free and Open To All this Tuesday, January 16th – 5:30 to 7 p.m. – at  United Way of Buffalo & Erie County742 Delaware Avenue, Buffalo, NY.                                Doors Open  at 5:00 p.m.

An Invite from Buffalo New York’s Citizens For Regional Transit

Posted January 15th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Buffalo, New York – On Tuesday, January 16, 2018 at 5:30 p.m., Citizens for Regional Transit (CRT) hosts its annual business meeting to elect 2018 officers and present the organization’s 2017 annual report. In addition, CRT President Doug Funke will lay out the organization’s vision and priorities for the upcoming year, and Hal Morse, Executive Director of the Greater Buffalo Niagara Regional Transportation Council (GBNRTC), will present a preview of the Buffalo-Niagara 2050 Metropolitan Transportation Plan. Continue reading →

A Time For Reflection on Martin Luther King Day – Monday, January 15^th, 2018

“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” – Martin Luther King, Jr., from his historic ‘I Have A Dream” speech, delivered at the March on Washington, August 28^th, 1963.

“A nation that continues, year after year, to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death.” – from a speech Martin Luther King delivered at Riverside Church in New York City on April 4^th, 2017, exactly one year to the day before his assassination – on his reasons for opposing American involvement in the War in Vietnam.

A  Brief Comment from NAL publisher Doug Draper on Martin Luther King Day

Posted January 15^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

If the great American civil rights icon and Nobel Peace Prize recipient Martin Luther King were alive today, he would be celebrating his 89^th birthday this January 15^th and one can only imagine what he would have to say about the state of his country and too much of the rest of the world 50 years later.

How could he ever dream that after more than 50 years since he and millions of his fellow Americans marched and were frequently beaten and jailed for such fundamentals as the right to vote or to use a public washroom or to sit where ever they want on a bus, there would be an individual now sitting in the White House whose every racial slur is cheered on by millions of Americans that made up his base.

How could he ever dream that more than 50 years after a Cuban Missile Crisis that brought the world to the brink of nuclear war during a nerve-rattling showdown between the United States and the then-Soviet Union, that his country would have a president who plays fast and loose with grade-school name calling with an equally volatile madman with a button in North Korea.

Here we are in 2018, when many who recall the civil rights moment and nuclear standoffs of Martin Luther King’s time, would hope humanity would have advanced far beyond that, and there are millions of people in the United States and countless millions of us in other nations around the world filled with a sense of depression and fear over how far we seem to have fallen on these fronts again.

We could certainly use a Martin Luther King today or, at the very least, we need many more of the rest of us standing up for the values he marched and died for.

Here, in partial answer to the question; ‘What would Martin Luther King be doing today,” is the cover of a January 2018 issue of the New York magazine –

In the pages of the New York magazine, the creator of this front page had this to say about the reasons behind his drawing – “I asked myself, What would King be doing if he were around today?” the San Francisco-based artist Mark Ulriksen says, about the civil-rights leader, the inspiration for this week’s cover.”

“This is 49er country, and my mom and I have been going back and forth—she’s upset that players have brought politics into sports, but I say, How would you feel if you had to show up at work every day and salute a country that treats black people like second-class citizens? I’m glad that Colin Kaepernick and Michael Bennett are making it political. I’m sure that if King were around today, he’d be disappointed at the slow pace of progress: two steps forward, twenty steps back. Or ten yards back, as the metaphor may be.”

To listen to and watch Martin Luther King deliver his “I Have A Dream” speech – a speech that should be on the curriculum in every school around the world – click on the screen immediately below –

.Something you can do close to home on Martin Luther King Day –

• Buffalo Museum of Science celebrates Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
  10:00am – 5:00pm
  Free Admission
  For more information, call 716-896-5200 or visit www.buffalomuseumofscience.org

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

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

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

The City will monitor weather forecasts and extend the availability of warming centres as needed.

News from the City of St. Catharines, Niagara, Ontario

Posted January 12^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Seeking a warm place from the cold

Niagara, Ontario – The City of St. Catharines’ warming centres at Market Square and the Russell Avenue Community Centre will be available this weekend for anyone who needs a place to keep warm and escape the exceptionally cold temperatures and winter weather elements.

Market Square – 91 King St. Friday, Jan. 12 open until 6 p.m. Saturday, Jan 13 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 14 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Russell Avenue Community Centre – 108 Russell Ave. Friday, Jan. 12     Open until 6 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 13 and Sunday, Jan. 14  8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Continue reading →

The Upcoming October Elections May Be The Most Important Municipal Elections For This Region In Decades

A Brief Commentary from Niagara At Larger reporter and publisher Doug Draper

Posted January 5^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

We are getting off to a very cold start to the New Year and a relatively slow one on the internet where Niagara At Large posts all of its news and commentary.

It’s all hands on deck for a better future in 2018. Let’s get engaged!

With both Christmas Day and New Year’s Day falling on a Monday this holiday season, the remaining days of both weeks, including this one, have been understandably slow for the usual high volume of news releases and other messages coming in to Niagara At Large, and for the numbers of visitors we normally get the NAL site.

So with that reality to contend with, we are saving a lot of our news and commentary, including some good pieces we have received from other, for a full ramp up of Niagara At Large around the middle of this coming week – starting on or about Wednesday, January 10^th – when most of us are back to work, school and other more regular routines, and more focused on what’s in the news.

And there is are a lot of important reasons to get focused this year, including a provincial election in Ontario this spring, congressional and senate elections for our American friends and neighbours in the fall, and right here in Niagara this coming October, possibly the most important municipal elections  in decades, given the mess we are now contending with at the regional level of government alone.

More on that mess later when more of us are back and focused following the holiday season and hopefully ready to get engaged in the municipal affairs of our region and work with campaigns for change for the better this coming fall.

Let’s hope, for the sake of our region’s future, that enough of us get involved enough to make change for the better happen.

Last year, the following circus closed after 146 years.

This year, can enough of us in Niagara do what is necessary to close down this one after three?

Let’s hope so!

Stay with Niagara At Large as an alternative news and commentary source for our greater Niagara region, and together we can play a role in making change for the betterment of all!

In the meantime, we will continue posting some news and commentary here that needs posting now. But our full ramp up on the NAL site begins on or around this coming Wednesday, January 10th.

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

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

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

St. Catharines Regional Councillor Andy Petrowski Tells Local Newspaper He’s Calling It A Day

A News Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted January 5th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

According to a report in The St. Catharines Standard this January 5^th,  St. Catharines regional councillor Andy Petrowski – a political lightening rod who has been the subject of several code of conduct complaints for comments and actions members of the public have found deeply offensive – says he won’t be running for a third term on Niagara’s regional council.

Andy Petrowski a few years back, joins rest of Niagara regional council in holding up signs for an anti-bullying campaign launched by a community group in the region.

Petrowski, who is now of on a second leave of absence from the council in the wake of another code of conduct complaint is reported to have told the newspaper that he has decided not to run in the October 2018 municipal elections because he is “a strong proponent of term limits.”

However, it has also become increasingly clear to those of us following politics in Niagara that, despite so much of the populist support that propelled him to a seat on the council as a self-proclaimed “champion for the tax payer,” Petrowski has turned many people off with toxic  comments he has made about Muslims, Gay people and others, and with a circulation last year of an image of a young woman, sitting naked with her legs spread out, from a device of his that he claimed, at one point, must have been  commandeered by someone else to send that  pornographic picture to dozens of individuals, including members of regional council and staff. Continue reading →

Screening at the Peforming Arts Centre’s Film House in               St. Catharines on January 24th, 26th, 27th & 31st

A Call-Out from Niagara Action of Animals for this Great Film

Posted December 29th, 2017 on Niagara At Large

Dear friends of animals

Jane Goodall

The Performing Arts Centre in St. Catharines is showing ‘Jane the Movie’ from Jan 24th, 26, 27 & 31st.  A must for NAfA friends to see!

Drawing from over 100 hours of never-before-seen footage that has been tucked away in the National Geographic archives for over 50 years, award-winning director Brett Morgen tells the story of JANE Goodall, a woman whose chimpanzee research challenged the male-dominated scientific consensus of her time and revolutionized our understanding of the natural world.

Set to a rich orchestral score from legendary composer Philip Glass, the film offers an unprecedented, intimate portrait of Jane Goodall — a trailblazer who defied the odds to become one of the world’s most admired conservationist.

To watch the Official Trailer for  Jane, the Movie, click on the screen below –

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

For more on Niagara Action for  Animals, and its advocacy and assistance work for animals, click on – http://www.niagaraactionforanimals.org/adoptions.php .

For more information on the Performing Arts Centre’s Film House in downtown St. Catharines, Ontario and what is coming up there, click on – https://firstontariopac.ca/Online/default.asp?menu_id=5A16B5CC-1FF7-4875-921B-4EA7D913F6D5&sToken=1%2C74e1941e%2C5a3e6597%2CB9D22C64-B4D1-4BDB-8449-72B6BF93FF99%2CHYYM2oBgwbY1Aa5BAhXTy2HN9Cw%3D .

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

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

For more news and commentary from Niagara At Large – an independent, alternative voice for our greater binational 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

KPMG Report has Cleared Town of Allegations of Fraud, Misconduct and its ‘Time to Move On’

A News Release from the Town of Pellham in Niagara, Ontario

Posted December 22nd, 2017 on Niagara At Large

 Pelham, Ontario – Questions related to allegations of fraud, misconduct, misrepresentation, or wrongdoing have been answered and proven false through an exhaustive 100-page final report by KPMG. As a result, Pelham Town Council determined there is no need for an additional public meeting.

Questions and concerns regarding other Town business will continue to be answered through usual channels.

Since March 2017, Pelham Council and staff have provided documentation (330+ page response document), held meetings (evening with the experts), and complied with a financial investigation (KPMG audit) in response to initial allegations by a member of Niagara Regional Council. Continue reading →

News from the Ontario Chapter of  the Sierra Club of Canada

Posted December 21^st, 2017 on Niagara At Large

“Environmentalists believe the overall development could destroy a rich ecosystem, while others believe the project would be an economic boon to the city.”

Niagara, Ontario – During the evening of November 20th, 2107 in a hockey arena in the City of Niagara Falls, I came close to being expelled from a land use planning meeting. In this regards, what came to mind was an appreciation of the Sierra Club’s distinguished record of linking human rights with struggles to protect the environment.

Disturbingly, however, this was not an example taken from the Sierra Club’s efforts to support such campaigns against repression in distant Mexico and Russia. It emerged out of my own work to protect Ontario’s wetlands and forests with the Sierra Club of Canada Foundation. Continue reading →

 News from the Constituency Office of Niagara West-Glanbrook MPP Sam Oosterhoff

 Posted December 20th, 2017 on Niagara At Large

Niagara West-Glanbrook MPP Sam Oosterhoff

Beamsville/Niagara  – MPP Sam Oosterhoff is pleased to report that Kilean Lodge in Grimsby will keep all of its 49 long term care beds this Christmas. Revera had proposed to move the beds to a Hamilton facility but the MPP for Niagara West-Glanbrook has just learned that the Minister of Health Eric Hoskins has finally rejected this proposal.   

MPP Oosterhoff has repeatedly urged the Minister of Health to respond to pressing long-term care needs in the Niagara region. “My constituents are rightly concerned that long-term-care capacity could be removed from the Niagara region,” declared Oosterhoff in the Legislature. “Beds are being taken away, with no plan to replace them. This is unacceptable.” Continue reading →

 News from the Constituency Office of Niagara West-Glanbrook MPP San Oosterhoff

Posted December 15th, 2017 on Niagara At Large

Niagara West-Glanbrook MPP Sam Oosterhoff

Queen’s Park, Toronto  – Just before the Ontario Legislative Assembly rose for the winter break (this December 14th), the members of all parties in the House gave their unanimous support for Sam Oosterhoff’s first Private Member’s Bill, the Compassionate Care Act. Bill 182 would create a more detailed framework for hospice palliative care in the province. 

“I’m pleased that members from all parties have responded to calls from constituents and stakeholders to take action on this critical health care issue,” said Oosterhoff. “We are proving that members of the Legislature can work together to make a positive difference in the lives of ordinary people.” Continue reading →

“We share a series of values with Canada – high wages, rigorous environmental standards, individual freedoms, and a commitment to shared prosperity – trade agreements provide an opportunity to promote these principles.” – U.S. Congressman Brian Higgins, representing Buffalo  and other areas of     Western New York

A News Release from the Office of Buffalo, New York area Congressman Brian Higgins

Posted October 12^th, 2017 on Niagara At Large

Buffalo, New York area Congressman Brian Higgins

Washington, D.C. – This October 11th, Congressman Brian Higgins (NY-26) joined his colleagues on the House Ways and Means Committee for a bipartisan meeting with Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to discuss binational collaboration as conversations continue related to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). 

“We share a series of values with Canada – high wages, rigorous environmental standards, individual freedoms, and a commitment to shared prosperity – trade agreements provide an opportunity to promote these principles,” said Higgins.   “Previous trade agreements have failed to adequately protect American workers.  New or revised negotiated trade agreements should have standards that are explicit and enforceable with regular rigorous consultation.”  Continue reading →

 News from the Office of Niagara Falls MPP Wayne Gates

Niagara Falls Riding MPP Wayne Gages in Ontario legislature. File photo

Queen’s Park, Toronto  – During question period this September 21st, NDP Transportation critic and Niagara Falls MPP Wayne Gates questioned the Liberal government regarding the ongoing strike at the Ingersoll CAMI automotive plant, which has raised concerns about automotive jobs leaving the province for production sites in Mexico.

“There are close to 3,000 CAMI auto workers who have been on strike in Ingersoll since last week. I visited them last night,” said Gates. “It’s obvious this province has no auto strategy, which means companies across Ontario can close and move production to Mexico, simply to maximize their profits. This hurts workers and the communities they live in.” Continue reading →

Read this report and think Thundering Waters

One of the actions we need to take to stop the decimation of wildlife, according to the study – “Expanding Canada’s network of protected areas” – not gut or reduce them!

“We have to quit focusing on writing these obituaries for nature,” she added. “Because what we really need is to start problem solving.” – Julia Baum, a marine biologist at the University of Victoria in British Columbia

An Alarming Report from World Wildlife Fund – Canada

Posted September 14^th, 2017 on Niagara At Large

(A Brief Foreword to this report from Niagara At Large publisher Doug Draper – While you are reading through the findings and recommendations in this disturbing report, think about natural places like Thundering Waters Forest in Niagara – a sanctuary, now under assault, for some of the last remaining wetlands, forests and savannah grasses, and one to a diversity of birds, amphibians and other wildlife in our region of Ontario – and think about the all too many elected leaders in Niagara who are prepared to gut this area in the name of growth and prosperity.

One of the many frogs those camping in and visiting Thundering Waters Forest earlier this August spotted in the wetlands. Photo courtesy of Owen Bjorgan

Think about the fact that we can and should elect leaders that have the will and vision to bring growth and prosperity to our Niagara region without gutting what is left of our precious places for nature and wildlife.

One of the recommendations in this World Wildlife Fund-Canada report speaks to the need across Ontario and the rest of the country for more “citizen-based conservation,” and goes on to read – “By helping to monitor wildlife as citizen scientists and protect and restore habitats, individuals taking action collectively will help reverse the decline of wildlife.” Continue reading →

“The drugs enter rivers and lakes in Great Lakes region from treatment plants and sewage overflows, threatening aquatic life, University of  Buffalo scientists say

A News release from Charlotte Hsu, University of Buffalo

Posted September 5^th, 2017 on Niagara At Large

(A Brief Foreword Note to this from NAL reporter and publisher Doug Draper – Recurring  discharges of pollution  to the Niagara River this summer from Niagara Falls, New York’s municipal wastewater plant, news I’ve heard in recent years of a possible increase in toxic chemicals in fish and freshwater mussels downstream from major toxic waste dumps along the Niagara River, and now the following disturbing news I hope you all read from researchers at the University of Buffalo.

Unfortunately, all of this takes me back to my first years, more than 35 years ago, as a reporter covering emerging pollution issues in the Niagara River and Great Lakes.

And just as unfortunately, this time out we seem to have government bodies on the Ontario side of the Niagara River that are supposed to have some responsibility for environmental protection and conservation apparently  MISSING IN ACTION.

Stay tune to much more about these issues in Niagara At Large in the days and weeks ahead.)

BUFFALO, New York.— Human antidepressants are building up in the brains of bass, walleye and several other fish common to the Great Lakes region, scientists say.

In a new study, researchers detected high concentrations of these drugs and their metabolized remnants in the brain tissue of 10 fish species found in the Niagara River. Continue reading →

And will a new south Niagara hospital ever get built?

A News Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted July 12^th, 2017 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – This July 11^th, Jim Bradley, the Ontario government’s veteran MPP for the north Niagara riding of St. Catharines, joined Niagara Health system representatives in announcing more than $1.6 million in additional funding to upgrade the system’s aged sites in the region’s south end, including the 57-year-old Welland Hospital.

St. Catharines’ Liberal MPP Jim Bradley (centre) joins representatives of Niagara Health, the region’s amalgamated hospital system, this June 11th for funding announcement. Photo from Niagara Health news release.

“By investing in renewing hospital infrastructure, the provincial government is helping to ensure our hospitals can continue to meet the needs of patients in comfortable, healthy and safe facilities for many years to come,” said Bradley during a gathering of Niagara Health representatives at the system’s newest and largest hospital site in St. Catharines.

“This investment brings the total to more than $8.5 million in Hospital Infrastructure Renewal Funding in the last four years which was used for building maintenance and upgrade projects,” added Angela Zangari, Niagara Health’s Executive Vice-President Finance and Operations and Chief Financial Officer. “Thank you MPP Bradley and our partners at the LHIN (Local Health Integration) for your ongoing support of healthcare in the region, and for working with us towards our vision of a Healthier Niagara.”

Left unsaid was any mention of the next provincial election, now less than a year away,  and any possibility that announcements like this may help the governing Liberals draw votes away from Andrea Horwath’s New Democrats as they face, what is shaping up to be, a tough, heavily funded fight with Patrick Brown’s Conservatives. Continue reading →

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

Posted July 7^th, 217 on Niagara At Large

It seems like we keep hearing bad news about the Great Lakes lately.

Our Great Lakes – the largest source of fresh water in the world – from space. Where are you in this picture?

Major budget cuts to critical Great Lakes programs. Asian carp found just 9 miles from Lake Michigan. Huge harmful algal blooms in parts of the lakes threatening public health.

It’s easy to get down when you only hear bad news.

But, you know what? The Great Lakes region is 40 million people strong, and we won’t be deterred by the headlines. Our summers are the time when we celebrate water. And there is no better time than now to stand up for  the lakes, clean water, and the future of our communities. Continue reading →

Short of some last-minute miracle, the days are now numbered for our cross-border region’s last iconic store from the golden age of record buying

By Doug Draper

Posted June 29^th, 2017 on Niagara At Large

This year is turning out to be the roughest one yet in more than a decade of rough years for record stores and for those of us who love shopping in them for music.

It was almost 10 year ago to this day, on June 30^th, 2007, to be exact, that one of the most iconic record stores in Canada – Sam the Record Man’s flagship store on Yonge Street in Toronto – closed its doors for the last time after close to 50 years of spawning a chain of Sam outlets in St. Catharines, Welland and numerous other communities across the nation that were all gone by then.

Record Theatre’s main retail area, taken just around opening time recently, before things got busy. Photo by Doug Draper

Seven years later, in 2014, the last of the original Sunrise Records stores, including a very good one at the Pen Centre plaza in St. Catharines, Niagara closed, leaving just one major competitor, HMV, hanging on until early this year when it filed for bankruptcy and proceeded to close all its stores, including its last remaining outlet in this Niagara region.

Continue reading →

Please note: We are experiencing technical difficulties, NAL will be back soon.

An Invite from the Niagara District Council of Women

Posted June 8th, 2017 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – On Friday, June 16th, the Niagara District Council of Women is bringing highly respected nuclear expert, Dr. Gordon Edwards, to Niagara as our guest speaker.

Are the Canadian and U.S. governments secretly shipping highly dangerous radioactive wastes across this Peace Bridge or other area border crossings? And are they doing it without even telling emergency responders on the Ontario and New York sides of the border?

Dr. Edwards will respond to concerns and questions about the potential shipments of liquid high level, extremely dangerous, nuclear waste containing Highly Enriched Uranium (HEU) by road through Niagara.  There are many questions that have not been answered by the federal government or the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission:

• What is the nature of the liquid radioactive material to be trucked over our roads?
• Has highly radioactive liquid of this kind ever been transported before? Why now?
• How dangerous is this material in case of a major accident?
• Can leakage occur?
• Are there practical and affordable alternatives that would make these shipments unnecessary?

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