Niagara At Large

By Doug Draper, publisher, NAL

Posted August 22nd, 2016 on Niagara At Large

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

By Doug Draper

Posted August 21^st on Niagara At Large

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

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

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

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

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

By John Bacher

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

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

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

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

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

Poster courtesy of Niagara journalist and artist Julia Blushak

Continue reading →

By Lawrence Pinsky

Posted August 19^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

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

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

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

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

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

By  Lawrence Pinsky

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

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

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

By Nick Fillmore

Posted August 19^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

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

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

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

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

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

By Karl Dockstader, a Niagara resident and member of the local Indigenous community

(The following post orginally appeared on Karl Dockstader’s Facebook site. A link to the site is included below.)

Posted August 19^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – The Treaty of Niagara 1764 is the ratification of the general principles of the Royal Proclamation of 1763.

The principles of these agreements acknowledge that agreements between Indigenous governments and Canadian or Crown officials have some terms which fall outside of Canadian law.

Members of Indigenous community gather at July 2016 rally in Niagara Falls, Ontario to save Thundering Waters Forest. File photo by Doug Draper

This is why the symbolic use of wampum and oral custom is important. In order to honour the principles of these agreements governments have to uphold the honour of the crown and act in accordance with the principles of the covenant chain. Continue reading →

A Statement by the Prime Minister of Canada on the 74th anniversary of the Battle of Dieppe

Posted August 19^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today issued the following statement to mark the 74^th anniversary of the Battle of Dieppe:

“On this day – 74 years ago (on August 19^th, 1942) – thousands of Canadian soldiers, alongside Allied forces, launched a raid on the German-occupied port of Dieppe.

Death and destruction left on shores of Dieppe in August 2016

“Canadian and Allied infantry faced heavy resistance as soon as they landed. They fought through barbed wire, mortar barrages, and machine gun fire. Many never made it beyond the beach where they landed.

“In the air, Royal Air Force and Royal Canadian Air Force fighters and bombers waged one of the most intense air battles in the whole war. Continue reading →

News from the Government of Ontario

Posted August 19th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Queen’s Park, Toronto – Ontario is providing more than $16 million to help patients receive quicker access to care in hospital emergency rooms across the province.

The province will provide funding to 20 municipalities across Ontario for 300,000 dedicated emergency room nursing hours at 49 hospitals this year.

Dedicated nurses will work exclusively on receiving low-acuity patients from ambulances, which will allow paramedics to respond to other 9-1-1 calls in the community rather than waiting in the emergency room.  Patients arriving at hospitals by ambulance with life-threatening conditions continue to be given priority by hospital staff. Continue reading →

Posted August 18^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large by NAL publisher Doug Draper

Dozens of truckloads of high-level, liquid nuclear waste may soon be crossing the Peace Bridge from the Chalk River nuclear facility in northern Ontario and through Niagara, on route to a processing plant in South Carolina.

The Peace Bridge crossing between Buffalo/Western New York and Niagara, Ontario. File photo by Doug Draper

According to a front-page story in this August 18^th edition of The Buffalo News, the shipments may begin as soon as this September if a lawsuit quickly filed against the U.S. Department of Energy by a coalition of Canadian and U.S. environmental groups doesn’t stop them.

 “It is terrifying for us to hear that the government is willing to endanger the lives of so many by the shipments of this highly dangerous liquid radiioactive waste through our community and those of others,” Lynday Schneekloth of the Sierra Club’s Niagara, Western New York was quoted saying in The Buffalo News story. Continue reading →

“Health care workers are a keystone in our society. They deserve to be treated well or we will lose them.”

By Linda McKellar

Posted August 17^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

(Linda McKellar, a retired nurse who emerged as an outspoken opponent of health care cuts at a time in the last decade when the Niagara Health System was moving to close hospitals in the Niagara municipalities of Fort Erie and Port Colborne, shared the following commentary with Niagara At Large in the wake of Ontario physicians rejecting a new agreement with the provincial government this August 15^th on fees.)

How many workers in industry or other services would go two or three years without a contract?

Doctors and patients rally for health care in from of Queen’s Park legislative building in Toronto this spring

Would industrial workers go on strike? Postal workers? Teachers? Cab drivers?

Now, have doctors ever completely withdrawn their services? How about nurses? There are several reasons for this.

1 – Health care workers are ESSENTIAL! Continue reading →

KILL Ontario BILL 205, NOT CORMORANTS

A Plea against the shooting of Ontario’s Cormorants from ZooCheck Canada, a Toronto-based public advocacy group all creatures big and small

Posted August 17^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

(A Brief Foreword Note from NAL publisher Doug Draper – Here we go again, dear readers. It’s age-old North American solution we humans too often apply to any wild animals we feel is getting in our way – Shoot them!

In my many years as an environment reporter, I’ve covered this business of people who fish wanting to kill of cormorants a number of times because the anglers believe the birds are eating to much fish. It was often almost impossible to convince these advocates for shooting the birds that development along creek, river and lake shores that destroy spawning grounds and other wildlife that the birds feed on, combined with discharges of pollution to waterbodies, have more to do with declining fish populations than the birds they want to kill.

Please read the following information from ZooCheck and contact your member of provincial government and the government representatives identified below to stop this outrageous bill to blow away cormorants.)

A cormorant in flight

On May 18, 2016, Ontario MPP for the Sarnia-Lambton riding, Robert Bailey (PC), introduced Private Member’s Bill 205, Fish and Wildlife Conservation Amendment Act (Double-crested Cormorants) 2016 that, if passed, would allow the uncontrolled hunting Double-crested cormorants across the province by anyone at any time. Continue reading →

“The only correct actions are those that demand no explanation and no apology.” – The late Boston Celtics president and basketball coach Red Auerbach

“By the time most people say ‘I’m sorry’ it is already too late.” – American book author and financial advisor Ken Poirot

A Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted August 17^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

I turned on CBC this August 16^th to the news that our Canadian government has apologized for something again.

A monument at a cemetery in Churchill, Manitoba with the names on it of the many indigenous people who died after a forced move from their homes by the Canadian government in 1956.

This time it was for an injustice committed 60 years ago when the federal government of the day – a Liberal government under the helm of Louis St. Laurent – decided to swoop in on more than 250 First Nation Sayisi Dene people, drag them from their homes and take them on what one of the survivors called “a plane ride to hell” to some barren place way up in northern Manitoba where many of them froze or starved to death – all for apparently culling too many caribou in a place where these people they had been living and hunting for their survival long before the first white settlers showed up.

Hmm. Didn’t I just hear another news report just a day before this one about a culling of wolves in the Banff, Alberta area because the animals were said to be getting in the way of affluent white people wanting to hike in the woods. Maybe we should give some people a plane ride out of there.

But I digress. Continue reading →

News from Niagara Falls MPP Wayne Gates

Posted August 16^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Niagara Falls, Ontario – Niagara Falls MPP Wayne Gates and NDP Leader Andrea Horwath have announced their plan to lower hydro costs for Ontarians.

Niagara Falls MPP Wayne Gates

“Due to policy decisions by the Wynne government, we now live in an Ontario where people are being forced to choose between buying groceries, purchasing prescriptions or paying their hydro bill,” stated Gates.

“Since (Ontario Liberal Premier) Kathleen Wynne took power four years ago, hydro bills have increased over 50% which is ten times faster than inflation—we have to step up and offer an alternative.”

In an announcement at this week’s AMO (Association of Municipalities of Ontario) conference in Windsor, Horwath outlined the policies an NDP government would implement to help reduce hydro costs for Ontarian families and businesses. Continue reading →

“I want to assure the people and patients of Ontario that their access to physicians and the health care system will not be affected.” – Ontario Health Minister Eric Hoskins

A Statement from Ontario’s Minister of Health

Posted August 15^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

This August 15th, Dr. Eric Hoskins, Ontario’s Minister of Health and Long-Term Care, issued the following statement:

“It is disappointing that the Ontario Medical Association (OMA) membership

Ontario Minister of Health Dr. Eric Hoskins

did not ratify a historic four-year tentative Physician Services Agreement that would have offered the province’s physicians, for the first time, an opportunity to have a seat at the table where decisions are made about spending and the future of our health-care system.

The tentative agreement also strengthened the quality, access and sustainability of health care in Ontario, while providing predictable annual increases to the physician services budget. Continue reading →

“We will meet with Kathryn McGarry, (Ontario) Minister of Natural Resources (MNR), about increasing the protection of the Fonthill Kame.” – Pelham Mayor Dave Augustyn

News from Pelham Mayor Dave Augustyn

Posted August 15^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – This week, Town of Pelham Councillors Gary Accursi and John Durley, Town CAO Darren Ottaway, and I will attend the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) Conference in Windsor.

Pelham Mayor Dave Augustyn

The annual three-day conference offers a range of learning sessions and networking opportunities and organizers expect more than 1,300 delegates.

While at AMO, your Pelham representatives will also directly advance your interests with the Provincial Government through meetings with various Ministries.

First, we will meet with Kathryn McGarry, Minister of Natural Resources (MNR), about increasing the protection of the Fonthill Kame.

For the last eight years, we effectively used AMO and “Niagara Week” meetings to urge the Province to enhance the Area of Natural & Scientific Interest (ANSI) protections of the Kame. Continue reading →

“How can one be compelled to accept slavery? I simply refuse to do the master’s bidding. He may torture me, break my bones to atoms and even kill me. He will then have my dead body, not my obedience. Ultimately, therefore, it is I who am the victor and not he, for he has failed in getting me to do what he wanted done.” – Mahatma Gandhi, on India’s struggle to break its colonial ties with Great Britain

A Statement by the Prime Minister of Canada On India’s Independence Day

Posted August 15^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today issued the following statement in recognition of India’s Independence Day:

“Today, we join the people of India and members of the Indo-Canadian community in celebrating India’s 70^th Independence Day.

“Canada and India unite in our shared traditions of democracy and diversity. Together, our nations stand as a testament to the fact that countries can prosper not in spite of their diversity, but precisely because of it.

“It has been a pleasure to meet with Prime Minister Modi, and I look forward to working together to further strengthen the relationship between our two countries, and to collaborating on global issues, including peace and security, climate change, and gender equality.

“On behalf of the Government of Canada, Sophie and I invite all Canadians to reflect on the significant contributions that Indo-Canadians have made to our national fabric, and wish all those celebrating today a happy Independence Day.”

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

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

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

By Doug Draper

Posted August 14^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

For a while there, Patrick Brown actually had me wondering if he just might be more open than his Tory predecessors were to charting a political course that takes the protection our environment into consideration.

But not anymore. Now he has lost me.

Ontario PC Party leader Patrick Brown expressed renewed interest in constructing a mid-peninsula highway through Niagara.

After 15 months of trying to convince the rest of us that the word truly “progressive” belongs back in the “Progressive Conservative Party” name after Mike Harris and Tim Hudak took a cudgel to it, he has dialed right back to the Harris/Hudak era with his declaration to a business group that he is open to resurrecting the idea of constructing a multi-lane highway through the middle of the Niagara Peninsula between the Hamilton-Halton area and the Fort Erie-Buffalo border crossing.

It was just last March – barely nine months after he was chosen leader of Ontario’s PC Party after Hudak resigned the post following the party’s failure to win the 2014 provincial election – that Brown delivered a keynote address to a general meeting of party delegates that gave reason to believe he wanted to strike a significantly different tone than Harris and Hudak, and former federal Tory leader Stephen Harper when it comes to environmental issues.
Continue reading →

We Still Have Time To Tell Government We Want What’s Left Of Our Wetlands Saved!

By John Bacher

Niagara, Ontario – A new “White Paper” from the Ontario government – titled “Wetland Conservation Strategy for Ontario” -marks another sorry stage in a provincial consultation process whose key goal appears to be to weaken one of the strongest cornerstones for effective land use planning across the province.

This is the establishment of what are termed Provincially Significant Wetlands”, (PSWs). Once these areas are identified, largely through a point scoring weighted towards maintaining the habitats of rare species, they are protected from what the policy terms, “site alteration.”

The basic wetlands policy of no site alteration – meaning no shopping centers, residences, parking lots on wetlands – has been in effect since 1992. It is far stronger than the protection of other natural habitats. These habitats include dry forests, non-PSW wetlands, thickets, alvars, prairies and savannas. Usually, these habitats essentially on a big scale are termed legally Provincially Significant Forests. In Niagara, like most upper tier or single tier, municipalities in Ontario, they are termed Environmental Conservation Areas (ECAs). Continue reading →

“A college-level course that provides an introduction to the Niagara River watershed through weekly classes.”

News from Buffalo Niagara Riverkeepers, a non-profit citizens group

Posted August 14^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Experiential learning opportunity will educate college students and adults about local environmental issues in Erie and Niagara counties

Buffalo, New York – Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper announces that registration is now open for River Academy, a college-level course that provides an introduction to the Niagara River watershed through weekly classes in stream science, environmental stewardship, and habitat restoration.

River Academy is an exciting opportunity for professionals and citizens to learn through hands-on field experience, lab exercises, field trips, and guest lecturers, and provides an opportunity for students to obtain college credits.

River Academy explores current environmental issues impacting the Niagara River watershed. Local experts and guest lecturers include representatives from governmental agencies, community organizations and the private sector. Continue reading →

A Brief Message on the Value of this Project from Doug Draper

Reposted August 12^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

“Thundering Waters is one of the last few remaining forested swamps in Canada,” notes a new website for what Niagara, Ontario filmmakers Stacey Koudys and Jon Lepp call ‘the Paradise Project’ – a link to which Niagara At Large will share with all of our many visitors here.

“These wetland communities have a higher density of life form than any other habitat in the country and are among the rarest,” the website, which supports a video Stacey and Jon released online earlier this August, continues.

Niagara At Large gives its full editorial support to Stacey and Jon’s project and to their ongoing work on what will be a full-length documentary film on a growing movement of citizens in Niagara to save a signficant piece of what is left of this region’s natural heritage from the buzz saws and bulldozers.

Their efforts, along with those of rising numbers of others, is a welcome, invaluable response to a lack of information and to misinformation from too many of our elected municipal councillors and from tax-funded agents like the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority – a body that has become such a bad joke of the time-honoured voice for our natural places that it once was, that its time to press the Ontario government to scrap it and have the conservation areas placed in its trust turned over to provincial parks officers. Continue reading →

Posted August 12^th, 2016 on Niagara At large

A Foreword by Niagara At Large publisher Doug Draper –

After yet another week of Trumpzania that has seen the Donald – more unhinged than ever as he called Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton “founders of ISIS” and suggested that the “2nd Amendment people” (code for gun-toting NRA supporters) may be able to do something about Hillary if she becomes president and starts appointing Supreme Court judges – this letter from American documentary filmmaker Michael Moore could not land on Trump’s daughter’s desk soon enough.

Niagara At Large is continuing to post the odd piece on this train wreck of a U.S. election because – a) NAL has a readership on the American side of the border, b) many of my American friends and loved ones are terrified at the possibility of this dangerous nut job becoming the next president and leader of the free world, and c) any person with an ounce of sense in Canada and the rest of the world, regardless of their political leanings, should be terrified of that possibility too.

It is a fear this NAL publisher happens to share, and  we are far from  alone in feeling this way.

Continue reading →

“TechBoomers is a prime example of how a business can launch and make a name for itself in Niagara, and we hope that their story inspires others to take part in Ignite Niagara.” – Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce CEO Mishka Balsom 

News from the Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce in Niagara, Ontario

Posted August 12^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario  – After launching in January 2015, local tech start-up TechBoomers.com is proud to announce that it is expanding after winning Ignite Niagara, a business pitch competition put on by the Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce and Innovate Niagara and sponsored by Meridian Credit Union.

Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce CEO Mishka Balsom

As a tech website that aims to help older adults learn about how to use technology, this milestone marks an important moment in the company’s journey thus far.

Ignite Niagara is an annual event that allows local up-and-coming entrepreneurs to showcase their ideas in front of a panel of judges, competing for a business services prize package that assists them in getting their business off the ground.

This recent success has paved the way for TechBoomers’ first major expansion, with plans to hire three new full time staff members. TechBoomers proudly calls Niagara its home, and has fully embraced the support of the local community on its path to success. Continue reading →

A Brief Message on the Value of this Project from Doug Draper

Posted August 12^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

“Thundering Waters is one of the last few remaining forested swamps in Canada,” notes a new website for what Niagara, Ontario filmmakers Stacey Koudys and Jon Lepp call ‘the Paradise Project’ – a link to which Niagara At Large will share with all of our many visitors here.

“These wetland communities have a higher density of life form than any other habitat in the country and are among the rarest,” the website, which supports a video Stacey and Jon released online earlier this August, continues.

Niagara At Large gives its full editorial support to Stacey and Jon’s project and to their ongoing work on what will be a full-length documentary film on a growing movement of citizens in Niagara to save a signficant piece of what is left of this region’s natural heritage from the buzz saws and bulldozers.

Their efforts, along with those of rising numbers of others, is a welcome, invaluable response to a lack of information and to misinformation from too many of our elected municipal councillors and from tax-funded agents like the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority – a body that has become such a bad joke of the time-honoured voice for our natural places that it once was, that its time to press the Ontario government to scrap it and have the conservation areas placed in its trust turned over to provincial parks officers. Continue reading →

A Note from Niagara Action For Animals in Niagara, Ontario

Post August 11^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Dear friends of Animals – many of you knew Brian Calvert, who passed away suddenly on Monday, August 8th.

The following info regarding Brian’s memorial services….. The first one is on Saturday August 13 – 11:00 a.m. at the Unitarian Congregation of Niagara, 223 Church St., St. Catharines, Ontario (officiated by a good friend of Brian Calvert, working with the family to create a meaningful celebration of Brian’s life).

On the SAME day, at 4 p.m. a second service at UNICAMP for those who can’t make it to St Catharines in the morning.

He was a good supporter of many animal and environmental causes and he will be missed.

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

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

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

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

Province Supporting 11 New Bridge Training Projects

News from the Government of Ontario

Posted August 11^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Queen’s Park, Toronto – The province is investing $3.35 million over two years through the Ontario Bridge Training Program to help internationally trained professionals find jobs that match their skills and experience.

The investment will support 11 new bridge training projects that will:

• Improve access to career assistance services for internationally trained immigrants, for example career mentoring, employment events, language skills-training and a micro-loan program.
• Help employers recruit, hire and retain internationally trained immigrants, with networking events, an online recruiting service and employer workshops.
• Identify newcomers’ transferrable skills and alternate career pathways through, for example, mentoring events and the promotion of entrepreneurship.

Every year, Ontario’s Bridge Training Program helps over 6,000 internationally trained professionals get the help they need to find jobs that match their skills and experience. Increasing immigrant employment rates is key to growing the province’s globally connected economy. Continue reading →

Say No To Building Over Thundering Waters Forest

By John Bacher

Posted August 10th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

As far as environmental protection goes, June 30th, 1992 must be recognized as a ‘Day of Infamy’ in Niagara, Ontario.

It was a day that saw the first cut in the Thundering Waters Forest-savannah complex in Niagara Falls – a place in the region that 12 years earlier had been recognized as an environmentally sensitive area in a joint study by Brock University and Niagara’s regional government.

A news photo of some of what was left of a sprawling forest off Oldfield Road in southwest Niagara Falls, Ontario in 1992. This clear cut by developers played a role in driving the Ontario government to pass tougher tree cutting legislation in the province. File photo

The assault on this area clear cut into oblivion a 35 acre block of wetland old growth forest north of Oldfield Road in Niagara Falls. The block hosted, among many other natural features, towering Pin Oaks and rich vernal pools providing habitat for amphibians. Continue reading →

Statement from Ontario PC Energy Critic John Yakabuski on Ontario’s electricity rates

Posted August 10^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Queen’s Park, Toronto – The following is a statement from Ontario PC Energy Critic John Yakabuski on Ontario’s electricity rates:

“(This August 10^th) we learned that Ontario Hydro One customers officially pay the highest residential electricity rates in North America, after our province’s fast-increasing rates surpassed Hawaii’s.

Blame for this sad news rests solely with the (province’s) Liberal Government. It would not have been possible without their 13 years of scandal, mismanagement, and waste within the energy sector. Continue reading →

An Invite To You from Ontario’s Ministers of Municipal Affairs & Natural Resources and Forestry

Posted August 10^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

A Brief Foreword Note from NAL publisher Doug Draper – For everyone out there in Niagara, Ontario and elsewhere in the province who cares about protecting and preserving what is left of our wetlands, forests and other natural places, please read the following from the Ontario government and take advantage of the opportunity to lend your voice by way of sending that same government your input.

The Invite from the Ministers –

Queen’s Park, Toronto – On May 10, 2016, Ontario released proposed changes to the Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe, the Greenbelt Plan, the Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan and the Niagara Escarpment Plan.

Due to high interest in the review and in response to requests made by several municipalities and stakeholder organizations, we are extending the deadline for comments on the four proposed revised plans to be submitted.

The deadline to provide input on the four proposed revised plans has been extended to October 31, 2016. Continue reading →

News from the Ontario Clean Air Alliance

Posted August 10^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Toronto, Ontario – According to a new report prepared for Ontario’s Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO), energy efficiency investments can reduce Ontario’s electricity demand by 31% by 2035.

On the other hand, the report notes that if the IESO’s conservation budget remains at its status quo level, Ontario’s electricity demand will fall by only 12%.

Any way you cut it, improving energy efficiency by paying a fair price for conservation measures, creating opportunities for a wide variety of organizations to lead efficiency efforts and helping consumers maximize their savings makes economic and environmental sense. Continue reading →

You Can Listen To The Radio Interview Here

A Brief News Note from Doug Draper

Posted August 9^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

On a Niagara radio morning program this August 9^th, local documentary filmmaker Jon Lepp called a plan to bulldoze over a large tract of forest, savannah and wetlands in Niagara Falls for urban development “short-term thinking,” and he urged listeners to join growing numbers of area citizens in killing the plan.

Lepp, who is producing a documentary on the battle to save Thundering Waters Forest with fellow filmmaker Stacey Koudys, discussed the need to save this natural area on 610 AM CKTB’s Tim Denis program. Continue reading →

A Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted August 9^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

I am posting a statement released this August 9^th by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau celebrating “National Peacekeeping Day” in Canada, but I can’t do it without speaking to actions by Trudeau’s Liberal government that risk making a mockery out of Canada’s historic role – pre-Stephen Harper era – as a peacekeeping nation in the world.

Those actions include Canada’s relatively new Trudeau government’s plans to follow through on a deal reached between the former Harper Conservative regime and brutal Saudi ditators to sell military vehicles manufactured in the London, Ontario area to Saudi Arabia – armed vehicles of the like the Saudis have already used in violent clashes with citizen protesters in that Middle East country.

According to a front page story in the August 1^st, 2016 edition of The Globe and Mail, the Trudeau government has also watered down the wording in its own policy papers for screening countries Canada sells military equipment to for human rights crimes and other offensive behavior. Continue reading →

“I have been asked to be the next CEO of the Ontario Real Estate Association, Canada’s largest provincial industry association.” – Tim Hudak

A Statement From MPP Tim Hudak

August 9^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Queen’s Park, Toronto – “When a really good opportunity comes along, you grab it. That’s how I got into the world of public service. And, now, it’s why I’m taking my leave.

Niagara, Ontario area MPP leaving elected office in September

In 1995, I had the opportunity to run for the PC Party in Niagara South. I ran because I believed the province desperately needed change and I wanted to make a difference.

Every step along the way, I have been guided by a clear sense of purpose: smaller, more focused government, a strong economy and greater opportunity for all.

It was an honour to serve in the Cabinet of Premier Mike Harris, the most courageous and effective Premier Canada has seen in a lifetime. We made the long overdue decisions to balance the budget; we paid down debt and we lowered taxes. As a result, Ontario led North America in private sector job creation. Continue reading →

A Brief Heads Up from Doug Draper at Niagara At Large

Posted August 8th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – n case you missed getting this news on Facebook earlier this August 8th, Jon Epp, one of two of Niagara”s up and coming  documentary filmmakers along with Stacey Koudys, will be on the Tim Denis Radio Show on

Documentary filmmaker on CKTB Radio this Tuesday morning – August 9tth – to discuss citizens battle to save Thundering Waters Forest

CKTB 610 AM this Tuesday, August 9th at 7:50 in the morning to discuss the duo’s ongoing work on a documentary – dubbed the ‘Paradise Project – on a growing citizen movement in this region to save the Thundering Waters Forest in Niagara Falls from urban development.

If you miss the CKTB interview with Jon, Niagara At Large will do its best to get a podcast link for it on our online news site here as soon as possible this Tuesday.

I have a feeling, however, that the ratings will be high for this radio segement, given the growing numbers of citizens joining the fight to save these hundreds of acres of forest, savannah and wetland in Niagara Falls from development by a China government-sponsored agent with the support of a number of our municipal politicians.

Those who should listen the most to what Jon and others in the community have to say on this issue include our municipal and provincial political representatives in Niagara, along with the politically appointed board members and executive administrators of the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority. Continue reading →

Watch and Share This Video By Jon Lepp & Stacy Koudys and Join the Fight to Save what is left of Niagara’s Natural Heritage

A Foreword by Doug Draper, NAL publisher

Posted August 6th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – After too many years of watching too many of our municipal politicians in Niagara give the high five to too many plans by developers to pave over ever more of what is left of this region’s precious natural heritage, it is heartening to see growing thousands of citizens across the region finally standing up and shouting ‘NO!’ to this destruction.

Stacey Koudys and Jon Lepp working on their Paradise documentary project. Photo by Doug Draper

The last draw for many of us came around the turn of last year with the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority – a body that no longer has any business using the word “conservation” in its name – trotting out a “biodiversity offsetting” scheme that is code for destroying provincially significant wetlands to pave the way for more urban sprawl.

The last draw has also come with a proposal by a Chinese government-sponsored firm that goes by the name GR (Canada) Investment Co., Ltd. to build what it rather perversely calls a “Paradise” development on lands that include hundreds of acres of forest, savannah and wetlands near the southwest corner of Niagara Falls.

Political neanderthals and bullies like Niagara regional government chair Al Caslin and St. Catharines regional councilor and Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority chair Bruce Timms and their cabal have tried their best to discourage, frustrate and otherwise run down the clock on the citizen push for natural heritage preservation. Continue reading →

Come Hear What Karl Dockstader Has To Say!

A News Brief

Posted August 5^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – Karl Dockstader, a Niagara Falls resident and member of the local indigenous community, will speak in St. Catharines this coming Tuesday, August 9^th about the ongoing battle to keep hundreds of acres of forest  and wetlands in the Falls from being sacrificed for sprawling urban development.

Karl Dockstader addresses a recent rally to save Thundering Waters Forest

Dockstader will be speaking about the importance of saving what has come to be known by growing number of concerned Niagara residents as the Thundering Waters Forest at the Mahthay Café in downtown St. Catharines  at 7p.m. on August 9^th.

“Little known to many people is that (City of) Niagara Falls planning procedures allows for the virtual destruction of ‎ one of the few remaining great forested areas in the city,’ says Dockstader. “The only way to stop it is to speak out as concerned residents of Niagara‎.”

The future of the Thundering Waters Forest within the Niagara River watershed in the southwest end of Niagara Falls is hanging in the balance with plans by a Chinese government-based firm called GR Investments to build a billion-dollar residential and commercial development there.

One of the best upcoming chances for stopping this destruction, says Dockstader added, “is to appeal to the sensibility of Niagara Falls city councillors at the statutory public meeting being held at Niagara Falls City Council on August 23rd at 6:30 pm.

To stay up to date on the issue and to get more details people can follow our efforts on: www.facebook.com/groups/SaveThunderingWatersForest

“This Thundering Waters Forest, and all the living things that walk, fly, crawl‎ and grow in and around it, needs us to speak for it now,” says Dockstader. “ If we don’t then we will have to explain to those who have yet to be born why we let a Chinese owned development company and it’s supporters pave over their birthright.”

A giant white oak tree in Thundering Waters Forest

Listen to a recent interview with Karl Dockstader on Brock University’s radio station by clicking on the following link – http://www.cfbu.ca/aud/TW_KD.mp3

Karl Dockstader is a Niagara Falls resident and an member of the local Indigenous community deeply concerned with environmental issues.

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

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

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

 He Was A Voice For The 99% Long Before The Term 99% Was Around

Posted August 4^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

A  Foreword by NAL publisher Doug Draper –

News of Mel Hurtig death this August 4^th at age 84 first entered my inbox fittingly from the office of Maude Barlow, chairpserson of the Council of Canadians, the nation-wide citizens advocacy organization Hurtig founded more than three decades ago.

Mel Hurtig, bookseller, publisher, activist and founder of the Council of Canadians

Mel Hurtig was also one of the first Canadians of any note out of the gate to oppose global trade agreements like the North American Free Trade Act (NAFA) because he knew then what growing numbers of others have come to know the hard way – that these were not fair trade deals that respected good paying jobs here.

They were deals that allowed corporations to shut down manufacturing and other operations here, throwing tens-of-thousands of people out of work – and move to countries where they could pay slave wages, rape the land of resources and pollute the planet without fear of penalty. Continue reading →

“F*** Political Correctness”, “F*** Those Dirty Beaners” (Latinos), “F*** Islam”, “F*** That Nigger” (Obama), “F*** Hillary”, “Hang The Bitch”

A Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted August 4rth, 2016 on Niagara At Large

“F*** political correctness?” At a ‘Trump for President’ campaign rally? That hardly needs to be said.

Donald Trump has been raging against political correctness going back to a year ago this past June when he rode down the escalator in Trump Tower and announced his plans to run for the U.S. presidency and build that wall.

So put on that “Hillary Sucks, But Not Like Monica’ t-shirt you can buy from the vendors outside the arenas where the Donald holds his rallies, and feel free to go inside and feel free to go inside and call President Obama a “nigger” and Hillary Clinton a “bitch” and “whore” all you want while the rest of the crowd chants “lock her up” and “hang her.”

A sample of t-shirts for sale outside Donald Trump campaign rallies

New York Times reporters, with the approval of their editors and publishers at the paper, have just released a video of conduct they have witness repeated over and over again at Trump rallies across the United States, and I believe it was a very brave move to release what everyone who think’s Trump’s ugly, hateful brand of politics is the way to go should be made to watch it at home with their children, if they have any. Continue reading →

“The National Energy Board has been heavily criticized for not requiring comprehensive environmental assessments of pipeline projects … and for failing to consult with First Nations whose traditional lands are traversed.”

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

Posted August 4rth, 2016 on Niagara At Large  

The catastrophic oil spill in Saskatchewan this July has raised new concerns about inadequate environmental reviews of pipelines as the National Energy Board (NEB) grapples with Enbridge’s proposal to construct 35 kilometres of its Line 10 across rural Hamilton. Farm families near Copetown are challenging the company’s re-routing of the export pipe across their properties to avoid a golf course.

 “The project focuses on replacing 35 km of existing 12-inch-diameter steel pipe, installed in 1962, with a new 20-inch line,” explains Enbridge’s website. “By replacing this segment of Line 10 rather than applying several preventative maintenance digs, we will minimize overall disturbance to landowners along the right-of-way and the environment, address ongoing maintenance requirements and make a safe pipeline even safer.”

The new pipe would run from Westover to Nebo Road, and is part of a 143 kilometre line that extends into New York State. NEB formal hearings on the project are expected to occur this fall. Continue reading →

News from Niagara Centre, Ontario  MP Vance Badawey

Posted August 4rth, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Niagara Ontario – Whether it is helping to rebuild our roads and bridges, supporting our public transit systems, improving access to clean drinking water, managing wastewater or solid waste, the federal Gas Tax Fund is making a difference in our communities right here in Niagara Centre.

Niagara Centre, Ontario MP Vance Badawey

The four municipalities in Niagara Centre – Welland, Port Colborne, Thorold and St. Catharines – will receive the following support this year in Gas Tax funding for their eligible priorities as follows:

• Port Colborne $560,148
• Welland $1,539,344
• Thorold $545,160
• St. Catharines $3,994,978
• Total for all of Niagara Region municipal governments for 2016-17 = $23,700,000

“The Gas Tax represents real partnership in action,” noted Niagara Centre MP Vance Badawey. “In this way, the federal and municipal governments can work together to bring about positive change at a local, grassroots level. Infrastructure is the backbone of our economy and our communities.” Continue reading →

A  Commentary by NAL publisher Doug Draper

Posted August 3^rd on Niagara At Large

“He could win,” said one of the nice people I crossed paths with during a tour of historic neighbourhoods in Buffalo, New York last weekend.

“Please don’t say that,” I responded. ”I don’t want to say it,” she replied, “but things have gone so crazy, he could win.”

What is horrifying is how close Donald Trump is to Hillary Clinton in many of the national polls on the presidential race. She got the expected bounce in the polls coming out of her party’s convention in Philadelphia this late July but as of this August 3^rd, he was still polling within 10 points of her and many Americans are pretty damn wobbly on her too.

So if a tape of one of those $225,000 speeches Hillary gave to the hedge fund operators and junk bond peddlers on Wall Street – people like her son-in-law – should happen to surface, who knows what hell awaits the 99 per cent. President Trump? Continue reading →

Posted August 3^rd, 2016 on Niagara At Large

(A Brief Foreword from Niagara At Large publisher Doug Draper – I have some questions and concerns over how Canada’s still relatively new Trudeau/Liberal government is addressing some issues, but for anyone out there – and there are at least a few – who argue that “nothing” has changed since the defeat last year of the Harper/Ambrose/Nicholson/Dykstra Tory regime, never forgive and never forget that heartless cabal’s repeated response of “no” to each and every call for a national inquiry into what has happened to more than 1,000 women and girls in Canada’s aboriginal community.

Perhaps these women and girls were not white enough for the party of and for what Harper dubbed “old stock Canadians.”)

One of numerous rallies failed to convince Canada’s former Harper government to launch an inquiry into what happened to more than 1,000 missing indigenous women and girls

This Wednesday, August 3rd, the following statement was issued by David Zimmer, Ontario’s Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation, Tracy MacCharles, Ontario Minister Responsible for Women’s Issues, and Ontario Attorney General Yasir Naqvion the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls:

 “On behalf of the Ontario government, we welcome the federal government’s announcement today on the next stage in the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. Ontario has long supported calls by Indigenous organizations for a national public inquiry into this issue, and has also advocated directly for an inquiry through interaction with our federal, provincial and territorial counterparts. Continue reading →

 New Agreement to Enhance Regional Cooperation and Competitiveness

“By combining our collective strengths … we will boost regional competiveness and create new opportunities for investment, jobs and growth on both sides of the border.” –– Kathleen Wynne, Premier of Ontario

News from the Governments of Ontario and Michigan

Posted August 3^rd, 2016 on Niagara At Large

(A Brief NAL note – It remains to be seen whether this will be a boost to what remains of our auto manufacturing industry in Niagara Ontario ravaged for decades by unfair global trade agreements.)

The Province of Ontario and the State of Michigan are working together to drive growth and increase the competitiveness of the Great Lakes auto industry.

Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne and Michigan Governor Rick Snyder sign binational agreement to boost auto industry

Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne and Michigan Governor Rick Snyder were in Traverse City, Michigan, today to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that will promote auto industry innovation and regional competitiveness.

Ontario and Michigan are two of the leading automotive jurisdictions in North America, together accounting for more than 26 percent of vehicle production in the region. Continue reading →

‘Canada has lost one of its great intellectuals and humanitarians’

By Fiona McMurran

Posted August 3^rd, 2016 on Niagara At Large

On July 22, 2016, Canada lost one of its great public intellectuals. Ursula Franklin was not only a renowned scientist; she was also a feminist, peace activist, and philosopher—and an extraordinary Canadian.

Ursula Franklin

Franklin came to wide public attention in Canada with her 1989 CBC Massey Lectures, entitled “The Real World of Technology”, in which she told her listeners that technology shouldn’t be regarded as “the icing” on the cake of culture; it is part of the cake itself.

Although I never had the pleasure of meeting Ursula Franklin, I was lucky enough to hear her speak on a few occasions. I found her way of looking at the world deeply compelling—she always inspired me to make connections I’d never seen before. The biggest inspiration was the way she lived her life, integrating heart and mind and understanding through action in the world. Continue reading →

“I believe people have not only a right to access healthcare, but a right to access it in a quick and timely fashion.”                               –  Niagara Falls MPP Wayne Gates

A Message from the Constituency Office of Niagara Falls MPP Wayne Gates

Posted August 3^rd, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Niagara Falls, Ontario – Wayne Gates, MPP for Niagara Falls, has asked for a meeting with Dr. Suzanne Johnston, the President of Niagara Health System, regarding lengthy MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) wait times in Niagara.

Niagara Falls MPP Wayne Gates

“Over the summer, I’ve had resident after resident come into my office complaining about how long they have to wait to get an MRI” said Gates “in some cases, we have people who are waiting until November or December”.

Gates continued by saying that the wait times are causing stress among Niagara residents who have to wait so long to find out concrete details about their health.

According to the Ministry the target time for an MRI is 28 days in Ontario. The current wait time in Niagara is 105 days compared to 32 days for St. Joseph’s in Hamilton, where patients access an MRI three times faster.

“I believe people have not only a right to access healthcare, but a right to access it in a quick and timely fashion. I am hoping the NHS will work with me and the province to reduce this time and make sure people have access to the services they need”

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

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

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

Posted August 2, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Ottawa, Ontario – This August 2nd,  Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, announced a new process for appointing Supreme Court of Canada Justices that is open, transparent, and sets a higher standard for accountability.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

Under the new process, an independent and non-partisan Advisory Board has been given the task of identifying suitable candidates who are jurists of the highest caliber, functionally bilingual, and representative of the diversity of our great country.

For the first time, any qualified Canadian lawyer or judge may apply for appointment to the Supreme Court of Canada through the Office of the Commissioner for Federal Judicial Affairs. Continue reading →

A Call-Out from Rose McCormick and the Southern, Ontario community-based zine Writings To Our Mothers

Posted August 2nd, 2016 in Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario –

–     Thundering Waters Forest in Niagara Falls, Ontario  is currently being considered as a site for a housing and shopping complex known as “Paradise”, meaning the overwhelming majority of these 500 acres are at risk to be lost to urban sprawl and development.

–     Thundering Waters is forested and wetland home to hundreds of species of plant and animal life, including the endangered blue spotted salamander, monarch butterflies, and old-growth oak trees. The wetlands within this forest act as carbon sinks, absorbing c02 and helping to offset climate change.

An unprotected wetland area of Thundering Waters Forest

On Tuesday, August 23^rd at 6:30pm at Niagara Falls City Hall (4310 Queen Street): Niagara Falls City Council will be reviewing and voting upon the Thundering Waters Secondary Plan, join the community there and make your voice heard about protecting Niagara Wetlands!

Writings To Our Mother  is a  Southern Ontario based community created zine focusing upon local and global eco issues! Featuring news articles, visual art, and poetry by members of the St. Catharines community. For more information, click on the following links –

https://www.joomag.com/en/newsstand/writings-to-our-mother/M0895240001457110967

Writings to Our Mother | Joomag Newsstand

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

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

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

“Even today, in 2016, I read the words that one Canadian is wondering why there are so few “Jews” in Poland. Really?”

By Leslie Daniels, submitted for a share with our NAL community of readers

Posted August 2^nd, 2016 on Niagara At Large

My father was a person who I consider a WWII hero. After landing on D-day with a pulverized knee cap, broken shoulder, ankle and having been blown off target when parachuting to behind enemy lines he was captured by landing almost on top of a German  machine gun nest.

Canada’s Prime Mnister Justin Trudeau during a recent visit to the notorious Auschwitz death damp in Poland

He spent months in POW camps, sabotaging brick making works, escaping and being recaptured twice. At 22 years old he was finally placed in a concentration work camp and although they were treated better than those in the concentration part of the camp, it was no picnic.

After escaping a third time he went back to the last camp with the liberation forces and recovered a ring my grandfather had given him that the camp commandant had confiscated. Continue reading →

“It will be a tragedy like no other if our children and their children only know elephants from books and videos.”

A Call-Out from Avaaz, an online global citizens advocacy group

Posted August 2nd, 2016 on Niagara At Large

“It will be a tragedy like no other if our children and their children only know elephants from books and videos.”

Dear Friends –

Every 15 minutes an elephant is brutally slaughtered for its tusks, and at this rate they will be gone forever in just a few years.

Momentum is growing for a complete global ban on ivory — but the European Commission has just come out against it!

The elephant crisis is heartbreaking. In some areas these magnificent, sensitive creatures are so terrified of people they only come out at night, and mourning baby elephants refuse to leave the butchered corpses of their mothers.

Now 29 African governments have said if Europe gets its way, it will spell extinction for our elephants, and they need our help. Continue reading →

A Sad Sign of Our Times

A Brief One from Niagara At Large publisher Doug Draper

Posted August 1st, 2016 on Niagara At Large

It’s been too long since someone out there flashed us a ‘sign of the times’ worth posting, but here’s one we thought we’d share with you as we make our way through the dog days of summer.

This one comes courtesy of a long-time reader I can fairly well guess is no fan of U.S. presidential candidate and billionaire bigot and blowhard Donald Trump.

It is a sign that found its way to the internet from somewhere in the United States where I can tell you from my visit to Buffalo, New York this past Saturday and Sunday for that city’s annual Garden Walk tour, almost every single Buffalo resident I talked to is living in mortal fear of this fascist creep possibly becoming the next president of their country.

A majority of the people I talked to still wish Bernie Sanders had won the Democratic Party nomination for the presidency (Buffalo polled strongly for Bernie during the spring primaries) but said they will hold their noses this coming November and vote for Hillary Clinton, if they have to, to keep Trump out.

I only passed one house during the whole two days of the tour with a Trump sign in the yard where two dogs leashed to a pole near the the sign growled and barked at those of us passing by. Those dogs have the same temperament as the Donald, I thought, as their owner, sitting on the porch with five-o’clock shadow and his ball hat spun backwards yelled at them to “pipe down.”

You couldn’t make that scene up and for a split second I thought of snapping off a picture of those dogs snarling next to that Trump sign but the guy on the porch looked like he could grab my camera and put it in a place where I would have to have it removed via a procedure I’m not sure I’m covered for on the American side of the border.

So we’ll have to settle for the sign below, shared by one of our NAL readers instead.

NOW IT IS YOUR TURN. If you have a sign you think says something about our crazy times that we might post here, send it as a JPEG to drapers@vaxxine.com .

In the meantime, we encourage you to share your views on this post in the space below, remembering that we only post comments from people who also share their first and last name.

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

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

Posted August 1^st, 2016 on Niagara At Large

A Call-Out from Catherine Ens of and for Niagara Action For Animals … with a Brief Foreword from Niagara At Large publisher Doug Draper

For most of the 37 years I have been reporting on environment and other issues in this greater Niagara region, the many dedicated volunteers working for and with Niagara Action for Animals have always been there – rescuing and adopting dogs and cats and other creatures big and small, picketing in front of Marineland and other amusement parks and circuses that display captive animals for profit and entertainment, speaking out against animal abuse of all forms, and advocating for the humane treatment of all living creatures.

Niagara Action for Animals – known by many simply as NAFA – has always been and continues to be one of the best friends other creatures we are blessed to share a few moments of time on this earth have ever had.

So I am pleased to post this information from Catherine Ens and NAFA on a few ways this August that you can support their valuable work. – Doug Draper, journalist.

From Catherine Ens and NAFA –

Scentsy Fundraiser for NAFA!

Friend of NAfA and Scentsy consultant Emily Chaperon is hosting a fundraiser to benefit animals in our community!

For this whole month of August, 25 per cent of Emily’s Scentsy sales – 100% of her commission – will be donated to Niagara Action for Animals. Please see attached poster for details and share widely! Continue reading →

A Statement from Ontario PC Leader Patrick Brown

Posted August 1^st, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Queen’s Park, Toronto – Ontario PC Leader Patrick Brown made the following statement marking the anniversary of Emancipation Day:

“Today, we commemorate the anniversary of the enactment of the British Imperial Act, known as Emancipation Day. Inspired in large part by the heroic actions of William Wilberforce, the British Parliament voted in 1834 to abolish slavery in most of the British Empire.

This day recognizes the lives of those who were enslaved and oppressed. It also provides us an opportunity to remember an historic event, which displays our commitment to freedom and human rights.

Critically, the passage of the British Imperial Act made Ontario a beacon of freedom and hope, and launched the “Underground Railroad,” from which escaping slaves found their way to Ontario, and freedom.

I would like to commend my colleague MPP Ted Arnott for co-sponsoring the Private Members’ Bill which recognizes the first of August as Emancipation Day in Ontario

I am pleased to join the Black Canadian community and all Ontarians in marking this important day in our history.”

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

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

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