Niagara At Large

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

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

A Special to Niagara At Large

Posted May 2^nd, 2016

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

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

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

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

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

Just Movin’ Things Around

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

Posted May 2nd, 2016 on Niagara At Large

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

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

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

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

Posted May 2^nd, 2916 on Niagara At Large

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

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

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

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

Major Agreements Signed with Chinese Partners

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

Posted May 1^st, 2016 on Niagara At Large

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

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

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

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

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

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

Posted May 1^st, 2016 on Niagara At Large

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

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

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

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

‘We Must Protect Our Dairy Producers’ -NDP Motion

From the New Democratic Party of Canada

Posted April 30th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

By Joanne McDonald

Posted May 1^s, 2016 on Niagara At Large

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

Kristen Smeets – a powerful profile of bravery

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

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

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

By John Bacher

Posted May 1^st, 2016 on Niagara At Large

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

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

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

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

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

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

Posted May 1^st, 2016 on Niagara At Large

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

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

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

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

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

A Message from Ontario’s Opposition Progressive Conservative Party

Posted May 1^st, 2016 on Niagara At Large

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

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

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

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

Posted May 1st, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Adaptive management is nothing new.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

News from Niagara College

Posted April 26^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

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

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

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

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

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

Posted April 26^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

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

Burlington in the foreground with the Skyway and Hamilton behind.

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

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

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

News from Brock University in Niagara, Ontario

April 26^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

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

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

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

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

News from Ontario’s Niagara Parks Commission

Posted April 26^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

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

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

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

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

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

A Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted April 25^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

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

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

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

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

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

A News Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted April 24^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

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

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

From Sue Hotte, Niagara Health Coalition, a citizens organization fighting for quality, public health care services in Niagara

Posted April 24^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Welland, Ontario – Niagara residents have been hard hit by the provincial government’s decision not to properly fund hospitals.

Kevin Smith’s Report advocated for the closure of five hospitals once a new hospital is built in Niagara Falls. In 2013, Fort Erie and Port Colborne lost their operating rooms and emergency departments.

In 2014, Niagara on the Lake lost all its beds and is scheduled to close. This month, staff were told at the Port Colborne hospital that the 48 complex care beds would be moved to Douglas Memorial in Fort Erie. Both Fort Erie and Port Colborne have populations of over 20,000. The Welland hospital servicing over 94,000 people in its catchement area is on the chopping block. Continue reading →

Province Marking Earth Day; Investing $1.5 Million in Grassroots Projects

“These projects have a direct environmental benefit to the Great Lakes and include … restoring wetland habitiat.”

Posted April 22^nd, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Queen’s Park, Toronto – Ontario is investing $1.5 million this year in local efforts to help protect, restore and enhance the Great Lakes.

The lower Great Lakes from somewhere up there in space.

Now in its fourth year, the Great Lakes Guardian Community Fund is providing up to $25,000 each to fund 69 projects led by not-for-profit organizations, schools, First Nations and Métis communities and other local groups. These projects have a direct environmental benefit to the Great Lakes and include:

• Planting trees and other forms of vegetation
• Naturalizing stream banks
• Cleaning up beaches and shorelines
• Creating rain gardens
• Restoring wetland habitat
• Controlling invasive species

Continue reading →

Posted April 22^nd, 2016 on Niagara At Large

(A Brief Foreword Note from NAL publisher Doug Draper – One of the reasons I am posting this is that I cannot image a leader of the Ontario Conservative Party even saying something like this over the past 25 years.)

The following is a statement from Leader of the Ontario PC Party Patrick Brown on Earth Day:

“On Earth Day, people from across the globe gather together to celebrate the beauty and splendour of the natural environment. Whether it’s the Niagara Falls in the South or the Boreal Forest in the North, in Ontario we are fortunate enough to be home to some of the world’s most beautiful landscapes.

To ensure that our province’s natural resources and pristine landscapes continue to flourish for generations to come, we must recognize that climate change is one of the biggest threats facing our world. Strong and credible action is needed to tackle climate change, to preserve and protect the environment while protecting taxpayers and the economy.

So on not just Earth Day, but every day, I encourage all Ontarians to do their part to conserve and safeguard our environment – little actions can make a big difference.  We owe it to future generations to take action.”

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 Statement by the Prime Minister of Canada on Earth Day

Posted April 22, 2016 on Niagara At Large

The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today issued the following statement on International Earth Day –

Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in December, 2015 at Paris Climate Summit

“Today is Earth Day. It is an opportunity for us to cherish and celebrate Canada’s natural beauty from coast to coast to coast. We also take this day to reflect on the impact that each and every one of us can – and must have – on the world around us.

“We must protect our environment – clean air to breathe and clean water to drink means better health for all Canadians. The Government of Canada has already demonstrated leadership and courage as it tackles climate pollution. We have taken important steps with our partners to grow cleaner businesses, develop clean technologies, reduce the footprint of our resource sector, and protect our National Parks.

“Climate change is the great global challenge of our time, but it is also an opportunity for those willing to solve it. Around the world, communities grapple with the complications of a rapidly changing environment. Strong action is needed to address the issues we face – and build a cleaner, stronger, and more sustainable world.

“On this day, I encourage all Canadians to join us in our efforts to conserve and safeguard our natural environment. Every single Canadian has a role to play to protect our earth and leave our children a better world than the one we inherited from our parents.”

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.

Posted April 22^nd, 2016 on Niagara At Large

From the Green Party of Canada’s digital director Jeff Braunstein

Dear Friend,

This Friday, April 22^nd, 2016 is Earth Day, and if you’ve been reading the headlines this week, you got another crude reminder of why we have to keep fighting.

Canadian Green Party leader Elizabeth May

TransCanada’s Keystone pipeline sprang another leak, fracking in Alberta and British Columbia was confirmed to be causing earthquakes, and a report was released showing that the Energy East pipeline will put the drinking water of over 5 million Canadians at risk.

This Earth Day, make a difference by adding your name to demand climate action. Continue reading →

A Brief One by Doug Draper, publisher, Niagara At Large

Posted April 21st, 2016

In the final days of 1968 – a little more than a year before the launch of the first Earth Day and beginning of a modern-day environmental movement that faces unprecedented challenges to this day –  U.S. astronauts orbiting the moon for the first time took a picture of our earth rising about the horizon of the lunar landscape.

That iconic image should continue to be reminder to all of us to this day that this magnificent sphere of blue and green remains our only oasis in a vast dark universe. In the more than four and a half decades since that photo was taken, we have sent probes out to the farthest reaches of the universe and have yet to find another stone circling the sun that can support all life as we know it, including our own.

That is why we must all stand up against those who, driven by willful recklessness and short-sighted greed, would  destroy any more of the life-giving resources present and future generations of humans and other species on this planet need for survival.

Those who would poison our water and air or destroy what are left of our wetlands and woodlands for profit are among the worst kind of vandals and rapists and should be locked in jail cells, not sitting on decision-making boards or holding positions of power.

If enough of us stand up, we can run these destructive individuals and the greedy few they represent out out of power.

This Earth Day – April 22nd, 2016 and for all of the Earth Days ahead – let’s make a pledge to lock arms together and do just that for ourselves, for other species on this great planet and for the future of our children.

Niagara At Large publisher and environment reporter Doug Draper with the gas mask and “If you are not part of the solution” sign, demonstrating in front of a then polluting Union Carbide plant in Welland, Ontario on the first Earth Day, April 22, 1970.

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.

Posted April 20th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

One of Ontario’s huge coal-fired plants demolished a decade ago.

Toronto, Ontario – The leadership of the Ontario Clean Air Alliance in helping Ontario to become the first jurisdiction to end the use of coal-fired electricity for health and environmental reasons has not gone unnoticed.

Our hugely successful campaign was recently profiled in a 5 minute video produced by Al Gore’s Climate Reality project and featuring Academy Award-winning actor Morgan Freeman.

Click on the video here, then continue reading –

Ontario set an example for the world with this action to reduce our climate impact, improve health and kick start a move toward a green energy future. But we still have a long way to go, with powerful interests still championing our creaky nuclear-dominated system and even questioning why we need to bother with energy conservation. Continue reading →

Niagara, Ontario-native Kevin Rempel to join more than 1,000 others in Niagara Falls venue of global spinal cord injury fundraiser

News from the organizers of Wings for Life World Run

Posted April 20^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Niagara Falls, Ontario – For Kevin Rempel, competing in this year’s Wings for Life World Run is a story of spinal cord injury coming full circle.

The unique running event will be held on Sunday May 8 in Niagara Falls and 35 other cities around the world.

Kevin Rempel in action

More than 100,000 runners will take part globally in an event that in its first two years raised more than $5.5 million for spinal cord research through the Wings for Life Foundation.

Rempel, a 33-year-old who grew up in Vineland, is able to compete this year because of the advancements in spinal cord injury research. Ten years ago, in July 2006, Rempel suffered a terrible motocross crash and was left an incomplete paraplegic. Continue reading →

From the Office of Ontario NDP Energy Critic Peter Tabuns

Posted April 21^st, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Queen’s Park, Toronto – Ontarians are using less electricity, but for the eighth year in a row, people will see the cost of hydro increase by more than nine percent.

This Wednesday, April 20th, 2016, Ontario NDP Energy Critic Peter Tabuns, MPP Toronto-Danforth, called on the Liberal government to get hydro costs under control, and start putting the needs of people and Ontario businesses ahead of private power companies.

“When Ontarians use less energy, the should pay less. People are doing their part; it’s time for the Liberals to do their part,” said Tabuns. “The Liberals are putting the interests of private power donors ahead of families and businesses. Instead of getting results for families and small businesses, the Minister is signing more high-cost private power contracts that help Liberal donors.” Continue reading →

Posted April 21st, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne released the following statement today on Queen Elizabeth II’s 90th birthday:

“Today we join people across Canada and throughout the Commonwealth in celebrating the 90th birthday of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

The Queen is renowned for her lifetime of unwavering service to the people of our province and our country. For more than 64 years, she has carried out her duties with poise, integrity and intelligence, and has upheld the monarchy as a reassuring symbol of stability and continuity.

On behalf of the Government of Ontario, I want to extend our warmest wishes to Her Majesty and the Royal Family. Long live The Queen!”

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.

News from Brock University in Niagara, Ontario

Posted April 20^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

St. Catharines, Ontario – A first-of-its-kind institute to lead research, education and advocacy for animal ethics worldwide has been launched by Brock University professor David Fennell.

Brock University professor David Fennell, who recently launched the International Institute for Animal Ethics.

Based on an interdisciplinary approach, the International Institute for Animal Ethics (IIAE) focuses on how moral knowledge and best practice can stimulate change in the use of animals primarily in the tourism industry, along with other related contexts. Continue reading →

“This project is a chance to create jobs for young people. The project should utilize our local trades, local engineers and local small and medium sized businesses that put money right back into our community.” – Niagara Falls MPP Wayne Gates

From the Office of  Niagara FallsRiding  MPP Wayne Gates

Posted April 20th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Qieen’s Park, Toronto  – This April 19th,  Wayne Gates, NDP MPP for Niagara Falls met with Dr. Kevin Smith, CEO of the Niagara Health System, and Dr. Suzanne Johnston, President of the Niagara Health System, regarding the New Niagara Falls Hospital. The meeting follows the news that the project has moved out of Stage One to Stage Two last Tuesday.

Site forproposed new Niagara, Ontario hospital for southern tier municipalities. Hospital is planned to go on lands in west end of Niagara Falls. File photo by Doug Draper

“It was a productive meeting and I’m happy to see that we’ve finally moved into Stage Two – though I believe this project can and should move quicker” said Gates. During the meeting both Smith and Johnston shared the early drawings of the new hospital with Gates.

Dr. Smith believes the project will have submitted the paperwork for Stage Two and move into the third stage by November of this year. Once the project reaches the third stage they begin selecting the vendors and issue the RFP to build the site. Continue reading →

“Providing wages that allow a family to meet its basic household needs … should be top of mind of all employers.” – Niagara Poverty Reduction Network Chair Glen Walker

News from the Niagara Poverty Reduction Network

Posted April 20^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – With the annual cost of household living expenses for a Niagara region family of four conservatively pegged at over $65,000.00, the Niagara Poverty Reduction Network has calculated the hourly wage necessary for families to meet these expenses, otherwise known as a living wage, to be $17.47.

The Network has released a new report, ‘Calculating the Living Wage for Niagara Region, 2016’, which outlines the full methodology used. The report is available on its website www.wipeoutpoverty.ca

“A living wage reflects what earners in a family need to be paid based on the actual costs of living and being included in a specific community, “ says Glen Walker, Chair of the Niagara Poverty Reduction Network. Continue reading →

News from Brock University in St. Catharines, Ontario

Posted April 20^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

St. Catharines, Ontario – In response to the suicide attempts in the northern First Nations communities of Attawapiskat, Ontario and Cross Lake, Manitoba, the Indigenous Solidarity Coalition at Brock University will be hosting a tobacco ceremony and prayer vigil on Thursday, April 21^st from noon to 2 p.m. in front of Schmon Tower.

“We will send our prayers out to communities and together make signs sending good energy and support to the individuals, families and health support workers who are on the front lines of this crisis,” says Indigenous Solidarity Coalition co-chair, Jodielynn Harrison.

Last week, Attawapiskat’s chief declared a state of emergency after 11 suicide attempts in one night. Dozens in the community of less than 2,000 people have attempted to take their own lives this year. Continue reading →

Posted April 20^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

From the Office of Ontario PC Opposition Leader Patrick Brown

Queen’s Park, Toronto – On May 1^st, Ontario ratepayers will see hydro prices increase on average by $37.56 annually because consumers used less electricity than expected this past winter.

This Tuesday, April 19th, Leader of the Official Opposition Patrick Brown used Question Period to ask the Premier about this logic-defying increase and the ongoing mess in the energy sector.

Referencing a Hydro One bill which has been making traction on social media, Brown said, “I came across a photo of a Hydro One bill the other day – it was dated April 13, 2016. It read: On-peak: 0 kilowatts per hour used. Mid-peak: 0 kilowatts per hour used. Off-peak: 0 kilowatts per hour used. Total cost of electricity charges: $113.” Continue reading →

From the Office of Ontario NDP critic Monique Taylor

Posted April 20^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Queen’s Park, Toronto – During Question Period today, Monique Taylor, the Ontario NDP’s critic for children and youth services, challenged the province’s Liberal government to provide the information it is using to justify kicking children with ASD, 5 years and older, off of lists for essential therapy.

“When it comes to our most vulnerable kids, you would think government members would at least understand the devastating impact of their decisions. The Minister claims that, in the name of science, she had to remove children five and over from the list.  That’s simply not true,” Taylor said.

“Can the Minister please tell me on what page the Clinical Expert Committee recommends kicking children with ASD over 5 off the list?” Continue reading →

A Message from Niagara At Large publisher Doug Draper

Due to some necessary hard-drive cleaning we need to do, Niagara At Large will not be posting news and commentary this Tuesday, April 19, but will be fully back in operation this Wednesday, Aprile 20th

That doesn’t stop any visitors to the site from reading posts that are already there and responding to them with their own comments if they like on an understanding that your comments will not appear until we are fully back up and running.

Sorry for the inconvenience and look forward to being back online for all our readers as soon as possible.

Ontario Expanding Cycling Networks and Improving Safety

News from the Government of Ontario

Posted April 18^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Queens’s Park, Toronto – Ontario is providing $662,000 to Niagara municipalities over the next two years to help build new cycling infrastructure through the Ontario Municipal Cycling Infrastructure Program.

Cycling the trails along the scenic Niagara, Ontario Parkway

Niagara Region will receive $325,000 to install a new 1.06 kilometre cycling and walking path that offers an off-road alternative to Merritville Highway and provides improved access to Brock University.

Fort Erie and The Niagara Parks Commission will receive $250,000 to improve a scenic, 3 kilometre long section of the Niagara River Recreation Trail, which forms part of the Greater Niagara Circle Route, the Trans Canada Trail network, the Waterfront Trail and the 475-km Greenbelt Route. This work includes a new off-road path for walking and cycling and a signed bicycle route on a shared roadway. Continue reading →

Posted April 18^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Niagara At Large is posting the following video on the massive runaway costs of replacing the Burgoyne Bridge for your information.

The video is from this Monday, April 18^th session of provincial parliament and highlights an exchange between Ontario PC Economic Development & Infrastructure Critic Money McNaughton and the province’s Premier Kathleen Wynne on this issue.

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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.

‘Men are paid more than women across every occupational category in front-line retail – often a lot more.’

News from Brock University in Niagara, Ontario

Posted April 18^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

St. Catharines – Men are being paid more than women in every occupational category within Ontario’s retail sector, new Brock University-led research reveals.

This is despite the fact that most of Ontario’s one million retail workers are women.

These are among the stark findings of the report, “The Gender Wage Gap in Ontario’s Retail Sector: Devaluing Women’s Work and Women Workers.” The “gender wage gap” is the difference between what women and men are paid.

“I’ve studied retail work for six years, but the seriousness of the pay inequities in Ontario still surprised and angered me,” says Brock University labour expert Kendra Coulter, the report’s lead author. Continue reading →

Our Canine Mascot Wants Every Eligible Voter In Western New York To Get To The Polls & Support Bernie Sanders In This Tuesday’s New York State Primary

A Brief One from Niagara At Large

Posted April 18^th, 2016

Some of our longtime readers and subsribers have been asking about Pinky and what she’s up to these days.

Our NAL mascot is barking for Bernie! She wants all of her Western New York friends and neighbours to vote for him.

In case you don’t know, Pinky is Niagara At Large’s adopted mascot – a small but mighty chiwawa with dual U.S.-Canadian citizenship who was visiting us during last year’s federal election in Canada and came down with a bad case of ‘Harper Derangement Syndrome’ until Harper’s defeat had her wagging her tail again.

Now Pinky’s back home with her American friends and like them, she’s Feelin’ the Bern’ because she knows, like they know, that if we are ever going to get any real action on issues like climate change and creating decent paying jobs and health care for all, you have to have someone like Bernie Sanders – someone who has been fighting for a better life for everyone all of his adult life – in the White House.

So forget about all of those mainstream media pundits and polls suggesting that Hillary and Bill Clinton Inc. have the Democratic Party nomination in the bag.

If enough of our New York friends and neighbours go to the polls this Tuesday, April 19^th and vote for progressive change and a future we can all believe in, Bernie Sanders will be the next president of the United States.

For more information on voting for Bernie Sanders on New York State Primary day visit the volunteers for Buffalo for Bernie Sanders at – https://www.facebook.com/Buffalo-for-Bernie-Sanders-1636972909852447/ .

To see some of Bernie Sanders campaign ads, click on the following –

A recent ad on trade deals – https://berniesanders.com/press-release/sanders-talks-trade-jobs-tar-heel-state/ .

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nwRiuh1Cug .  for The America ad

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PewCSYS6a6s . works for all of us .

Real Change for America – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwwwn9zHT-8 .

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.

“The issue of wealth and income inequality is the great economic issue of our time, the great political issue of our time, and the great moral issue of our time. It is an issue that we must confront in my nation and across the world.” – Bernie Sanders

“Our challenge is mostly a moral one, to redirect our efforts and vision to the common good.”  – Bernie Sanders

The following is a complete transcript of U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders’ April 15th, 2016 remarks to Vatican Conference.

Posted April 15^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Vatican City – I am honored to be with you today and was pleased to receive your invitation to speak to this conference of The Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences.

Bernie Sanders

Today we celebrate the encyclical Centesimus Annus and reflect on its meaning for our world a quarter-century after it was presented by Pope John Paul II.

With the fall of Communism, Pope John Paul II gave a clarion call for human freedom in its truest sense: freedom that defends the dignity of every person and that is always oriented towards the common good. Continue reading →

From the Office of Ontario PC Party Opposition Leader Patrick Brown

Posted April 15^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Queen’s Park, Toronto – On May 1^st, the people of Ontario will find yet another increase on their monthly hydro bill, with rates expected to rise $37.56 annually. 

Ontario PC Opposition Leader Patrick Brown

 “Electricity rates in the province are skyrocketing and it’s only getting worse,” said Leader of the Official Opposition Patrick Brown. “Since November, bills have gone up $186.96 a year for the average consumer.  These rates are excessive for the average Ontarian.”

Ontario has the fastest rising hydro rates of any province or state in North America. 

This is the latest unaffordable hydro increase for Ontarians, who were faced with another Ontario Energy Board (OEB) rate increase in November 2015. Continue reading →

“Canadians can help Bernie by talking to their U.S. friends and helping to dispel Hillary’s myth that single-payer health care is impossible!”

From Marie Janicke

Posted April 14^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

(Niagara At Large has received permission from the author of this recently submitted comment to our site to re-post it here as a stand-alone call to everyone eligible to vote in this coming Tuesday’s April 19^th New York State Primary to cast their ballot for the one and only true voice for progressive change running for the U.S. presidency – Senator Bernie Sanders!)

Buffalo, New York – I’m 100 percent behind Bernie Sanders. I’m glad to hear that you (at Niagara At Large) are too!

Vermont Senator and U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders on the campaign trail

New York is an extremely important state for Bernie to do well in if he is to secure the Democratic nomination and go on to run in November against whomever becomes the Republican nominee.

Bernie Sanders does much better than Hillary Clinton does in head-to-head polls against all the Republican hopefuls, so you would think Bernie would be the obvious choice for the Democratic Party.

The problem is that Big Money is behind Hillary, who has served them well in the past and whose entrenched establishment status (and acceptance of major donations) convinces them she will serve them well in the future. Continue reading →

 News from Ontario’s Niagara Parks Commission

Posted April 14^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – In October of 1951, then Princess Elizabeth and Prince Phillip visited Niagara Falls, as part of a Royal Tour of Canada that year.

The foaming waters of the Horseshoe Falls, bathed in night lights. File photo courtesy of the Niagara Parks Commission

A 15-minute purple illumination will take place at 10 p.m., in honour of the reigning Monarch, who has served as Queen of the United Kingdom, Commonwealth and Canada since 1953.

According to the Official Website of the British Monarchy, “The Queen herself has a very personal involvement with Canada and Canadians in every region of the country.

This involvement is based on a deeply held affection for and loyalty to a country that she first toured as Princess Elizabeth in 1951 and to which she has returned over twenty times since.”
Continue reading →

A News Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted April 12^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – For a second time in as many weeks, a bid by China-sponsored agents and the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority to “offset” – or to put it more plainly – gut more than 10 acres of provincially protected wetlands in Niagara Falls to make way for urban development has been placed on hold.

The first decision to defer moving forward with the scheme – cloaked in an until recently unheard of, yet already infamous term “biodiversity offsetting – was made this past April 7^th by a majority of Niagara regional councillors, following more than three hours of discussion and debate where it was repeated over and over again that they weren’t provided enough information to make a decision.

Niagara area residents demonstrate before Niagara Falls council meeting on wetland “offsetting” scheme.

And the second deferment was agreed to this April 12^th by every member of Niagara Falls’ city council outside of the mayor, who is only required to cast a vote to break a tie, after a number of them also made it clear that they were not given enough information to make a decision.

Niagara Falls city councillor Carolynn Ioannoni, after the councillors heard from Ed Smith, one of three members of the public who came and spoke against destroying any of the old forest wetland to make way for some residential and commerical development loosely referred to by some as the “Paradise project,” got the ball rolling by holding up a single piece of paper she said contained the only information the council was given on the project. Continue reading →

 A Brief One from Niagara At Large publisher Doug Draper

Posted April 12th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

“We need to create an economy that works for all of us,” said U.S. presidential in an address to more than 10,000 supporters in Buffalo, New York this April 11^th, 2016. “We need millions of people to stand up and fight back for a government that will represent all of us, not just the one percent.”

And now just a few words here from a friend and neighbour north of the Canada-U.S. border –

Bernie Sanders cheered by thousands in Buffalo, New York

Speaking to all of our Western New York friends and NAL readers as a Niagara, Ontario resident living next door, we Canadians need a President Bernie Sanders next door.

We all need a progressive force for change like Bernie on this continent to lead the battle against climate change, job-killing trade deals and the growing gap in wages, health care and education services between the rest of us and the wealthy few.

So come on New Yorkers, for your own sake, and for the sake of your country and your neighbours in Canada, go out there this coming Tuesday, April 19^th, and cast your ballot in the New York Primary for ‘a future we can all believe in’!

Click on the following to view and hear Bernie Sanders’ entire speech at the April 11^th rally at the University of Buffalo’s Alumni Arena –

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 News Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted April 11^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – To paraphrase an oft-used line from that old Paul Newman movie ‘Cool Hand Luke,’ what we’ve got here when it comes to some of our political leaders and this controversial matter of “offsetting” a natural wetland to make way for urban development is “a failure to communicate.”

One of more than a hundred Niagara citizens during a demonstration before an April 7th regional council meeting.

How else can we have a situation where more than 100 members of the public show up at a Niagara regional council meeting this past April 7^th, and where some among them made arguments against this destructive scheme that are so compelling that a majority of councillors voted to put any approval of it on hold – and yet, some of the same cast of characters who’ve been pushing for this scheme from the get go are determined to try their luck again this coming Tuesday, April 12^th at a meeting of  Niagara Falls city council.

This time, Niagara Falls Mayor Jim Diodati, along with Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority CAO Carmen D’Angelo and St. Catharines regional councillor Bruce Timms, who is the Conservation Authority’s chair, may have a better chance with the city council of getting a motion approved that asks the Province of Ontario “to initiate a pilot project to allow for bio-diversity offseting of wetlands for ‘Paradise Development’ in Niagara Falls” for at least two reasons. Continue reading →

“Please take action and do what you can to put a halt to this travesty before uninformed decision makers allow it to proceed without appropriate safeguards to enforce the protection of “Provincially Protected Area of Global significance.”

An Open Letter to Ontario Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry Bill Mauro from concerned Niagara Falls resident Linda Babb

Posted April 11^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

(NAL was sent a copy of this letter and sought and received permission from its author, Linda Babb, to post it here. We believe this letter helps inform the debate over a controversial bid by some of our municipal leaders and the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority to “offset” a protected wetland area in the Niagara River watershed for urban development, and we hope it inspires others in the community to share their concerns with their representatives at all levels of government.)

Dear Minister Mauro

Your portfolio bears responsibility for overseeing the activities of the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority and other Conservation Authorities across the province.

The NPCA was created by, and is subject to, the provisions of Ontario’s Conservation Authorities Act.

What we are witnessing appears to be flagrant contravention of, and disregard for, Provincially Protected Wetlands although “wetlands” encompasses four categories under that designation. Three of such areas identified and designated as “wetlands” may be “offset” safely. The fourth, the old growth slough forest with vernal pools and endangered wildlife cannot be offset. Continue reading →

 Statement from Canada’s NDP National Director Karl Bélanger

Posted April 10^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

This (April 9^th-10^th) weekend, in the best traditions of our party, we gathered for lively and respectful debate — and to chart a path forward together.

Canada’s NDP Leader Tom Mulcair will stay on until the party picks a successor.

The membership’s desire for change and renewal has been heard. The NDP Federal Council met in the afternoon of Sunday, April 10^th  to initiate the process to determine the next steps towards a leadership election.

In the months ahead, we will work tirelessly with our members to renew, rebuild, and strengthen this great party of ours. Continue reading →

U.S. Presidential Hopeful Bernie Sanders Brings His Campaign For ‘A Future To Believe In’ To “The Queen City” This Coming Monday, April 11^th

News from the Buffalo For Bernie Sanders campaign headquarters

Bernie Sanders rocks the Bronx during a recent rally in New York City

Posted April 10^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large (with apologies for the typo in the reference to the University of Buffalo in the first version of this post out.

IT’S OFFICIAL!! Mark your calendars – it’s happening Monday, April 11th, at 7pm at the University of Buffalo’s Alumni Arena (capacity 6,100)!

There are no tickets. It’s first come first serve until capacity is reached. Doors open at 4. Very limited parking will be available on-site after 3 p.m. Carpooling and taking public transit is strongly encouraged. We will post volunteer opportunities as soon as we have information.

RSVP link is live for rally event details: https://go.berniesanders.com/page/event/detail/rally/44v3s

Buffalo for Bernie Sanders shared The Buffalo News‘s post.22 hrs ·

For more details on when and wheres, etc. of Bernie Sanders’ rally in Buffalo and for more on Buffalo for Bernie Sanders, visit the campaign’s facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/BuffaloforBernieSanders/ .

View a recent Bernie Sanders rally in New York State here –

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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.

Save Our Welland Hospital Campaign Holding April 14^th Information Meeting

News from the Niagara Health Coalition, a Niagara, Ontario citizens group advocating for quality, publicly funded health care

Pelham, Ontario – The Niagara Health System has already faced some of the most devastating hospital cuts in Ontario. It proposes to close four more community hospitals including the Welland site.

Niagara, Ontario’s Welland hospital site

The 94,000 residents living in the Welland hospital catchment area will not be well served. Residents will join the Coalition to discuss local health care concerns and to help plan the fight-back campaign.

What: Community Meeting Regarding the impact of the hospital closure and local health concerns.

Who: Niagara Health Coalition, Ontario Health Coalition, Save Our Welland Hospital Continue reading →

A Comment from the Ontario Health Coalition

Posted April 8^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Toronto, Ontario — This week, Ontario’s government announced that it is canceling its plans to dramatically increase user fees for seniors’ drugs after more than 80 organizations signed onto a letter to the Premier asking her to revisit the idea.

The government’s plan, announced in the 2016 Ontario Budget in February, would have increased the deductible for seniors’ drugs from $100 to $170 – a 70 per cent increase — and co-payments would have risen to $7.11 per prescription.

Under this plan, seniors with incomes of more than $19,300 for a single person or $32,300 for a couple would have faced these increases. Continue reading →

After Two-And-A-Half Years At Niagara Region, Schlange To Take Top Job In Brampton

Public Statement from Harry Schlange

Posted April 8, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Niagara Region, Ontario – This past Wednesday (April 6^th), I committed toinforming you of my decision regarding an offer from the City of Brampton toserve as their CAO. After much consideration, I have decided to accept this position.

Harry Schlange

This was a difficult decision. While I’m excited to take on a new challenge in Brampton, I am genuinely saddened to leave behind an organization with such great people.

As someone who grew up in Niagara, I’m particularly proud of what we have accomplished.  Once we signaled that our priority was to support local area municipalities and work together for a strong Niagara, mayors and senior officials embraced this unity almost instantaneously. 

Together, we demonstrated that Niagara is serious about creating opportunities, and other levels of government have taken notice. Continue reading →

But The Fight To Keep It From Being Bulldozed Over Is Far From Over

A News Commentary by John Bacher

Posted April 8^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – A battle of sorts was won on the night of Thursday, April 7th at Niagara Regional Council.

Conservation advocate John Bacher, centre, at a rally held in front of Niagara Regional Headquarters before April 7th council meeting on motion to gut a natural wetland area for development in Niagara Falls.

Supporters of a proposal to have the Ontario government make a site specific application for the authorized destruction of provincially significant wetlands to make way for a large residential and commercial development project in Niagara Falls lost their bid to move that application forward as the clock in the council chambers went off literally at the 11th hour.

However, those Niagara regional councillors and others supporting this scheme are going to get a second kick at the can at an Committee of the Whole meeting scheduled for this coming April 21^st. Continue reading →

“Statistics Canada numbers released this April 8^th, 2016 show that the St. Catharines-Niagara region lost 3,000 jobs since last month, putting the unemployment rate at 8.3 per cent in March.”

From the Office of Niagara Falls Riding MPP Wayne Gates

Posted July 8^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Niagara Falls, Ontario –Wayne Gates, NDP MPP for the riding of Niagara Falls, said the Ontario Liberal government continues to fail Niagara families as the unemployment rate in the Niagara region rose to the second highest in Ontario.

Ontario Niagara Falls MPP Wayne Gates

“As families in Niagara face one of the highest unemployment rates in the province, the Ontario Liberals have done nothing to create jobs in the region.  Instead of getting job creation from this government, the Wynne Liberals are mired in yet another scandal.  They are making matters worse with their sell-off of Hydro One, putting more burden on families and businesses, hampering job creation,” said Gates

“And they still don’t have a timeline or funding plan for expanding GO Train service to Niagara Falls.”

Statistics Canada numbers released this April 8^th, 2016 show that the St. Catharines-Niagara region lost 3,000 jobs since last month, putting the unemployment rate at 8.3 per cent in March. That is the second highest unemployment rate in the province, and the fifth highest in Canada.   

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 Brief Comment from Doug Draper, publisher Niagara At Large, WITH MORE TO COME LATER!

Posted April 7th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

(Apologies in advance for typos etc. on this one. It had to be posted in a hurry – NAL)

Are they trying to pull a fast one on pushing through this “biodiversity offsetting” – that can more bluntly defined as gutting of wetlands and wildlife habit” – being sold like a bill of goods to us by a Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority that couldn’t give a damn about its conservation mandate any more?

Of course they are!

The not so well hidden agenda here is to get this biodiversity offsetting scheme, which they know damn well has raised a high level of public concern,  through the regional council process as quickly as they can – like crap through a goose!

Niagara, Ontario’s regional government headquarters

The Niagara regional government sent out the following memorandum – the only report that has been disclosed to the public so far on a billion dollar development project in Niagara Falls that would involve destroying about 13 acres of protected wetland – two hours before the regional council is expected to discuss and possibly vote on moving forward with it this Thursday, April 7 evening.

They have known about this project for at least five months now, yet they wait until the last minute to make any kind of report available, not only to the public but to elected members of the regional council. Continue reading →

“What’s clear is that we need to get the influence of big money out of government and politics in Ontario.”

A Media Release from the Ontario New Democratic Party

Posted April 7^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Queen’s Park, Ontario – Ontario New Democrat Deputy Leader Jagmeet Singh, (MPP, Bramalea-Gore-Malton) says Kathleen Wynne’s system of requiring Cabinet Ministers to use their ministerial portfolios in a fundraising quota scheme may have broken Ontario’s integrity laws.

The Ontario legislature at Queen’s Park in Toronto where the controversy over political fundraising rages on.

Singh has requested that Ontario’s Integrity Commissioner investigate a fundraiser held by Ontario’s Ministers of Finance and Energy with a group that had benefitted from the sell-off of Hydro One, a process led by those same two ministers.

“Today I made an official complaint to Ontario’s Integrity Commissioner. The laws are clear: you can’t use an elected office for a personal benefit, but the Liberal quota scheme seems to be doing just that,” said Singh. Continue reading →

A Brief One from NAL publisher Doug Draper

Posted April 7^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

While participating in a candidates’ debate a few months back in a largely white, conservative region of America a few months back, ultra-right wing Republican presidential hopeful Ted Cruz attempted to do what he seems to think he knows how to do best – pander to the xenophobes and ‘wonder breads’ in his audience.

The Canadian–born Cruz did so at one point by badmouthing what he called “New York values” – meaning a state populated with too many people with funny accents, hard-to-pronounce names, and a diversity of skin colours, faiths and lifestyles that stray frightfully far away from those old-time values he vows to defend as he ever so righteously clutches a copy of ‘the Good Book’ in his right hand.

So leave it to New Yorkers to greet Cruz in the kind of rough-and-tumble, in-your-face way only they can as he and his wife were touring through the big city borough of the Bronx this April 6^th, in the week and a half leading up to the New York State Primary where the stakes for presidential wanna-bees can be huge.

As a sample of that rough and tumble, and the greeting Cruz received as he and his wife walked the streets where boxer Jake La Motta of ‘Raging Bull’ fame once roamed, the front page of the April 7^th edition of the New York Daily News, a popular tabloid published in the Big Apple, featured an enlarged image of the pair and a headline that reads; “Honey, how do we get out of the Bronx? Take the FU Train, Ted!”

To read the New York Daily News’ coverage of Ted’s Bronx tour, click on the following, with a warning to the rest of us that bad-mouthing New York values can see us out there on the cold, gray sidewalks with him, is ‘Cruzin’ for a bruisin’ – http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/protester-tossed-ted-cruz-rally-bronx-article-1.2590708

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.

“We call on all community members to come out and oppose the approval of biodiversity offsetting in the Niagara Region!”

From Brent Patterson, Political Director for The Council of Canadians, Ottawa, Ontario.

The Council of Canadians’ South Niagara chapter opposes a “biodiversity offsetting” plan being considered by Niagara Regional Council.

The regional council (at a meeting scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m., this Thursday, April 7^th at Niagara Region’s headquarters in Thorold) could allow 13 acres of provincially-significant wetland in the city of Niagara Falls to be destroyed to accommodate a $1 billion “Paradise” development project, which includes a hotel, entertainment facilities, apartment housing, and a private school. A group of Chinese investors led by CITIC Asset Management is behind this plan.

Continue reading →

April 6^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

A Foreword Note from NAL publisher Doug Draper

Earlier this April 6^th, Niagara At Large posted a media release from the office of Ontario PC Opposition Leader Patrick Brown, highlighting Brown’s call to Premier Kathleen Wynne for a  into her government’s fundraising practices – a matter that has been addressed in numerous stories and scathing editorials in The Toronto Star and Globe and Mail over the past few weeks.

Ontario PC Opposition Leader Patrick Brown in provincial legislature

The release from Brown’s office contained his questions to the premier and other government ministers, but did not contain their responses. That had one Niagara At Larger reader asking – ‘Okay, so what was the response from the Premier?’

So here, for the record, is the entire exchange from the official hanzard, followed by a Youtube link for those who may want to view the exchange –

Mr. Patrick Brown: My question is for the Premier. Despite the Premier’s newfound interest in fundraiser reform, it does not fix the years of shady quotas and tainted money—

Interjections. Continue reading →

From the Office of Ontario PC Opposition Leader Patrick Brown

Posted April 6^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Queen’s Park, Toronto – This April 6^th,  during Question Period, Leader of the Official Opposition Patrick Brown asked the (Ontario) Premier (Kathleen Wynne) to call a Commission of Inquiry into her Liberal Government’s political fundraising practices.

Ontario PC Opposition Leader Patrick Brown

“Despite the Premier’s newfound interest in fundraising reform it does not fix the years of quotas and money that has been raised by the Ontario Liberal Party,” said Brown. “The people of Ontario need to know if government contracts and grants were traded for donations to the Ontario Liberal Party.”

The Liberal Government has had 4 OPP investigations against them, and a senior Liberal operative has been criminally charged. Recent media stories surrounding political fundraising in Ontario have contributed to the perception that the Liberal Government has been selling access to line political coffers. Continue reading →