Niagara At Large

From Ontario’s Opposition Conservative Party

Posted on Niagara At Large at www.niagaraatlarge.com

December 29^th, 2015

Queen’s Park, Toronto – As a result of poor (Ontario) Liberal government policies, January 1st represents another unaffordable hydro increase for Ontarians.

“Starting on the first day of the new year, residents of Ontario will see their hydro bills on average increase by almost $100 dollars,” said PC Energy Critic John Yakabuski. “This further ingrains Ontario as one of the most expensive and uncompetitive energy jurisdictions in North America.”

On January 1st, the Wynne Liberal Government is terminating the Clean Energy Benefit. This represented a 10 per cent reduction on total electricity charges for residential consumers, small business and farms. Continue reading →

Announcement from the White House

December 28^th, 2015

President Obama and the First Lady will welcome Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada and his wife, Sophie Grégoire-Trudeau, to the White House for an Official Visit with a State Dinner on Thursday, March 10, 2016.

President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and their wives have a March date at the White House

 The visit will be an opportunity for the United States and Canada to deepen their bilateral relationship, which is one of the closest and most extensive in the world and is based on a shared history, common values, and a vast and intricate network of cultural, familial, and commercial ties.

The visit also is intended to advance cooperation on important bilateral and multilateral issues, such as energy and climate change, security, and the economy. Continue reading →

A Year-End Win For The Great Lakes

Posted December 28th, 2015 on Niagara At Large

A Message from the U.S.-based Alliance for the Great Lakes to its many American and Canadian supporters.

President Obama just signed legislation (this Monday, December 28th) that will phase out the manufacture and sale of plastic microbeads in personal-care products.

Plastic microbeads wash up along Lake Erie shores. These beads can literally choke the life out of fish populations in lake waters.

This couldn’t have happened without you. When research showed these tiny plastic pieces were flowing down the drain and into the Great Lakes, we asked for your help. And you responded. Thousands of you spoke out, sending action alerts to elected officials and telling them how much the Great Lakes matter.

A Great Lakes state — Illinois — became the first in the nation to ban this unnecessary form of plastic pollution. Indiana and Wisconsin followed, along with 3 Great Lakes counties in New York. The wave of action spread from California to Maine. And now a national ban will protect the Great Lakes and all our nation’s waters. Continue reading →

Come Hear From Some Buffalo, New York Area Citizens Who Were There

An Invite to You from the Sierra Club’s Climate and Clean Energy Writers Group in Western New York

Posted on Niagara At Large, December 28^th, 2015

This is your chance to learn all about the Paris Climate Talks from three Western New Yorkers who were there!

The Sierra Club Climate and Clean Energy Writers Group presents UB Law School students Andrea DiNapoli and Alyssa Erazo, along with local climate activist and interfaith minister Sandy Chelnov, for an interactive talk about this important conference.

When: Monday, January 4th, 2016 from  6:00 to7:30 PM

Where: Unitarian Universalist Church  695 Elmwood at Ferry (Garden Entrance), 2nd Floor Alliance Room Continue reading →

A Note from Doug Draper, Niiagara At Large

December 28th, 2015

A friend from the United States (whose name I will not share here in order to protect the innocent) posted this on Facebook and I am passing it on to you.

The following is an answer someone very may get in Tampa Florida, Charleston, South Carolina or even someplace as close to the border as Toledo, Ohio if they ever take a moment away from Donald Trump or the NFL football playoffs to wonder what a Canadian is.

(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.

From Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

Ottawa, December 2015 –

“Around the world and across Canada, Christians gather on Christmas to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. This is a time when families, friends, and colleagues come together to celebrate the spirit of the season.

Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

“Christmas is an opportunity for giving as well as receiving. Whether it is volunteering time at a local food bank, buying gifts for children in need, or opening doors to someone who may be celebrating alone, the true spirit of Christmas is about connecting with our neighbours and our community.

“This year, Canadians are welcoming thousands of Syrian refugees to our country — people who have been forced to flee their homeland due to war and conflict. I encourage all Canadians to show them a warm holiday welcome in keeping with our values of compassion, kindness, and generosity.

“From our family to yours, Sophie and I wish you all a most joyous holiday season and a merry Christmas.”

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 One from Doug Draper, Niagara At Large

December 25^th, 2015

I am certainly no monarchist nor do I care to belong to any church that would accept a person like me as member, but I have to bow to a few words Queen Elizabeth II of England shared with the people of her country and other Commonwealth nations, including Canada, this Christmas 2015.

So I am taking a few moments on this Christmas Day to pass them on to you. I think there are some good words here to remember when the voices for greed, hatred and violence seem to over-ride those working to make this world better for all.

“It is true that the world has had to confront moments of darkness this year,” said the Queen in her annual Christmas message, “but the Gospel of John contains a verse of great hope, often read at Christmas carol services: “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. …”

“There’s an old saying that “it is better to light a candle than curse the darkness. There are millions of people lighting candles of hope in our world today.”

“Christmas is a good time to be thankful for them, and for all that brings light to our lives.”

To View Queen’s Full 2015 Chrismas message click on =https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Mzor6Hf1tY .

(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.

From Doug Draper, Niagara At Large

December 24^th, 2015

From me and my family to you and yours, here’s hoping you have a Holiday Season full of peace and warmth with people you love to be around – even if some of that has to be done through calls to loved ones far away.

That’s all I really want this Holiday Season. I have enough stuff and as for anything else, I got what I wanted this past October 19^th when enough votes came in from across Canada to spell the end of a decade of the worst government this country has had in generations going back to the end of the Second World War.

I look back at this year we are about to say goodbye to with a sense of pride for any small role I may have played as a poster of commentary on Niagara At Large calling for an end to a Harper government that has weakened our economy at home and tarnished our reputation as an environmental leader and as a voice for tolerance and peace around the world. Continue reading →

A Commentary by Doug Draper, Niagara At Large

 December 23^rd, 2015

 Most Canadians no doubt remember that during this past fall’s federal election, the then Conservative government of Stephen Harper vowed to wage war against what it called “barbaric cultural practices.”

Niagara Falls MP Rob Nicholson – from Harper’s justice minister to Ambrose’s justice critic, still doing the ‘wrath of God’ shtick

One of the weapons the Harper government promised to employ in this war was a “snitch line” we could call to report to police anyone we saw wearing strange or foreign clothing or engaging in any other conduct we deemed to be “barbaric” or falling outside a zone of acceptability or tolerance for old stock Canadians.,

Now I’ve got to say this.

As much as I found this snitch line idea totally repulsive, if Harper and his party for old stock Canadians had won another term of government this past October, and if they had gone on to set up such a line,  I would use it the next time I see something I’ve unfortunately seen too many times in shopping mall and other places – an adult grabbing an arm of a toddler they are presumably a parent of until the child is dancing on tippy toes, then smacking his’ or hers’ backside until the child is reduced to crying and tears.  Continue reading →

Buy His 2016 Tigger Calendar And You’ll Be Making A Donate To Animal Assistance In Niagara

By Doug Draper, Niagara At Large 

December 23^rd, 2015

We featured Tigger on Niagara At Large almost a year ago this past January 2015 when this most handsome celebrity of a cat was celebrating his 7^th birthday at his permanent residence – the Pet Valu store at the Pine Street Plaza in the Niagara, Ontario City of Thorold – with a  fundraiser for the Animal Assistance Society of Niagara.

Tigger the Cat. Photo courtesy of Joe Krawchuk at Pet Valu Thorold in Niagara, Ontario.

 Now Tigger is back with a purr-fect last-minute Holiday Season gift idea – a 2016 Calendar featuring month-to-month photos of him with proceeds from the calendar’s sale going to the year round efforts of the Animal Assistance Society to protect, care for and find good homes for orphan cats and other animals. 

The calendar can be purchased at the Pet Valu store at 9 Pine Street North in Thorold (phone 905 227-9794) for $25 in cash to cover the cost of producing this high-quality calendar and a donation to the Animal Assistance Society of Niagara.  Continue reading →

–  Since Turn Of This Century, Levels Of Toxic Mercury Have Increased In Great Lakes Fish

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

December 2015

(A Brief Foreword to this News from Niagara At Large publisher Doug Draper –

Mercury, as many of you may know, can do terrible damage to the health of people and other livings beings if it is allowed to accumulate in fish and other wildlife on up the foodchain to people in high enough concenrations.

Tests on Perch in Lake Erie and other parts of the Great Lakes have recently shown levels of mercury rising once again in their flesh. Consult fish consumption guidelines available online in Ontario, New York State and other jurisdictions on guidance on how much Great Lakes fish is safe to consume.

That is why Canadian and U.S. federal, provincial and state governments, working with the binantional International Joint Commission, have been monitoring concentrations of mercury in the Great Lakes ecosystem for more than four decades and have put policies in place through that  time that have been aimed at reducing and eliminating the release of mercury from a host of courses, including coal-burning electrical power plants.

These measures by Canadian and U.S. governments have resulted in declines in mercury levels in the Great Lakes during the 1970, 80s and in to the 90s. However, atmospheric monitoring by Environment Canada and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has tracked mercury reaching North America from other regions around the world, including China, where coal and other fossil fuels remain in massive use.

Once here, the Great Lakes serve as a giant sink for mercury and other airborne poisons from countries far away. This is one of the reasons why, even if you still have doubts about pollution from human activities altering the earth’s climate, it is still vitally important to move toward zero use of fossil fuels that emit these hazardous pollutants.

Now please read the following report on this issue from the International Joint Commission.)

From the IJC – Mercury levels in Great Lakes fish declined significantly through the 1970s and ‘80s; atmospheric mercury emissions from the United States declined by about 60 percent between 1990 and 2005, while Canada emissions decreased about 85 percent between 1990 and 2010. This was in part due to closures of coal-fired power plants in Canada and the U.S. Continue reading →

From the Constituency Office of Niagara Falls, Ontario Riding MPP Wayne Gates

December 22^nd, 2015

Niagara Falls, Ontario – Niagara Falls NDP MPP and Transportation Critic Wayne Gates is concerned consumers have yet to see any substantial savings at the pump with the continued slide in oil prices.

“Ontarians have seen the price of oil consistently decline, but drivers have yet to see any savings at the pump,” stated Gates. “When I initially brought this issue forward, the price of a barrel of oil was roughly $46. Today it’s nearly $35, but for some reason drivers in Niagara haven’t witnessed any substantial savings.”

The price of oil has trended downward over the past two months—reaching $36 USD a barrel today. However, the average price of gas in Ontario still sits at 97 cents a litre. BMO economist Benjamin Reitzes noted earlier this month that gasoline prices are not correlating with this drop in crude oil prices. Continue reading →

A Yuletide Message to the rest of Niagara from Pelham Mayor Dave Augustyn

December 2015

What a joy to join the Pelham Senior Citizen’s group this past Wednesday, December 9th  at Old Pelham Town Hall for a special holiday lunch and carols – including Irving Berlin’s “(I’m Dreaming of a) White Christmas!” Despite the lack of snow, it does feel like Christmas in Pelham!

The holiday spirit began early in Pelham on November 5 when several businesses hosted holiday open houses. Some store-owners even closed their shops for a couple of days and stunningly transformed them into Christmas wonders.

Over the following weeks, the Town began decorating much of Pelham – from Peace Park and the Bandshell in Fonthill, to Town Hall, to hydro poles in Pelham’s urbanized areas, to the flagpole and trees in Fenwick.

And, some very dedicated, community-minded elves took it upon themselves to “spruce-up” our Town. While the rest of us were sleeping or working, these elves decorated almost every utility pole and light standard in sight using evergreen boughs and red bows. So many of us appreciate their efforts!

Then, the Fenwick Firefighters Association took the lead for the turkey raffle tradition, followed closely by the Fonthill Lions (with a chili cook off to boot).

Thanks to “Christmas In Pelham” volunteers and Town staff for organizing the third Christmas Under the Arches / Outdoor Christmas Market in Fonthill on December 4. The hundreds participating and the venders, services clubs, and musicians helped make the event wonderful and vibrant.

Main village of Pelham at Christmas

Then, hundreds and hundreds shared the true spirit of generosity on December 5th for the 25^th Annual Pelham Food Drive for Pelham Cares. Thank you to each of the donors and all the volunteers that went door-to-door to support those less fortunate in our Town. Thanks, as well, for those volunteers unpacking, sorting, and repacking non-perishable food. Finally, thanks to the businesses who donated food and funds so that volunteers were fed and the event was publicized.

This past weekend, the Fabulous Fenwick Lions and others in the community organized the annual Santa Claus Parade. Despite the abundance of candy for kids, all knew it was not another Halloween when “Buddy the Elf” drove Santa through the recently revitalized Downtown Fenwick and to Centennial Park.

Add to all this the Christmas concerts at our schools, the open houses at businesses and private homes, the work parties, and all the celebrations at Pelham’s churches, and we are doing well to prepare for Christmas.

I hope that you and your family experience the joy of the spirit of Christmas this holiday season. I also wish you all the best in 2016!

You may contact Mayor Dave at mayordave@pelham.ca or read past columns at www.pelhammayordave.blogspot.com.

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 Commentary by Nick Fillmore

December 2015

 “World agrees to historic climate accord”  – The Toronto Star.

“Nearly 200 countries agree to historic pact in Paris to reduce emissions and fight climate change”  –  The Vancouver Sun.

 “Climate deal: World praises France’s diplomacy, showing it’s still a master of the art”  – The Winnipeg Free Press.

With these headlines appearing in newspapers across the country, Canadians must have been relieved that they don’t need to worry about climate change nearly as much now that everything has been worked out in Paris.

Unfortunately, this assumption couldn’t be further from the truth. The politicians meeting in Paris, faced with the possibility of total failure, were extremely excited to reach any kind of an agreement. Continue reading →

Brock University Expert Says Consume Less If We’re Serious About Climate Change

From A Brock University Media Release

Niagara, Ontario, December 2015

Lost in the discussion of the recent Paris climate change conference was a big, environment-damaging elephant: a global system that encourages us to buy more and more stuff, says a Brock University expert on consumerism’s impact on the environment.

Brock University Professor of Communications, Popular Culture and Film Jennifer Good

“Indeed, economic growth as the heart of our economic system did not seem to be challenged but instead there was a lot of discussion of what alternatives could facilitate business-as-usual economic growth,” says Jennifer Good, Associate Professor of Communication, Popular Culture and Film at Brock University.

Good says there’s a certain irony about the COP21 climate change conference beginning on the same day as Cyber Monday (Novemberf 30th, 2015) , a day when consumers spent over $2.2 billion. The production of many consumer goods eat up valuable resources and emit pollution, she says. Continue reading →

A Brief One from Doug Draper, Niagara At Large

December 18^th, 2015

By some accounts from local NDP insiders, Malcolm Allen was feeling pretty depressed about his loss in last October’s federal election. And rightfully so given his own solid record as an MPP for the federal Riding of Welland, as a

Former MP for the federal riding of Welland, Ontario, Malcolm Allen.

parliamentarian for Canada, and as critic and deputy critic for everything from skills, training and apprenticeships to agriculture and food security in NDP leader Tom Mulcair’s shadow cabinet.

But the two-term New Democratic Party MP – and, until two months ago, the only member of the NDP in Niagara, Ontario to serve in government at the federal level – might take some solace from the fact that he received Canada-wide praise for his years of service on CBC TV’s National news program this past Thursday, December 18^th. Continue reading →

A Foreword by Niagara At Large publisher Doug Draper

December 17^th, 2015

For more than four years now, decisions by the former Ontario Liberal government of Dalton McGuinty to scrap plans to build a gas-fired power plant in Oakville and walk away from another partially built power plant in Mississauga, before and during a hotly contested provincial election in the fall of 2011, have dogged McGuinty and his predecessor – the current Liberal Premier Kathleen Wynne.

Former Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty. Two of his former senior staff now face criminal charges in gas plant scandal.

Later news, that the McGuinty governments decision to abandon the Oakville and Mississauga sites because of the strong opposition plans to operate the power plants there drew from residents in those communities cost more than a billion dollars, understandably enraged Ontario taxpayers.

Then there were the allegations that thousands of pieces of emails and other records in the Premier’s office were destroyed that elevated the whole affair to a scandal that had members of the Conservative and New Democratic Parties calling for an Ontario Provincial Police investigation, which was launched two and a half years ago.

And now finally, on this December 17^th, 2015, two individuals who were about as senior as you can get in McGiuinty’s office when he was premier, have been charged with criminal offences that could get them up to 10 years in jail. Continue reading →

• “We are grateful for the generosity of the Niagara community, and deeply moved by their welcoming of refugees to their region.” – Rick Cober Bauman, Executive Director of MCC Ontario

News from Niagara, Ontario’s Regional Government

December 17^th, 2015

Niagara Region – This December 17^th, Niagara Regional Chair Alan Caslin presented $25,000 to Mennonite Central Committee Ontario for the

From left to right at funding presentation, St. Catharines Regional Councillor Bruce Timms, Mayor of Pelham Dave Augustyn, Niagara Regional Chair Alan Caslin, Mennonite Central Committee Refugee Program Coordinator Moses Moini, Mennonite Central Committee Executive Director Rick Cober Bauman

resettlement of Syrian Refugees in Niagara.

This donation follows the unprecedented outpouring of support from Niagara residents, who raised the same amount now being matched by the Region.

“We are grateful for the generosity of the Niagara community, and deeply moved by their welcoming of refugees to their region,” said Rick Cober Bauman, Executive Director of MCC Ontario. “Collaboration of this kind makes an incredible difference, and inspires communities and municipalities across the province to play such a part in responding to the flight of Syrian refugees. Continue reading →

• Rallies to Stop the Devastating Hospital Cuts & Privatization of our Local Public Hospital Services

News from the Ontario Health Coalition, a province-wide advocacy group for quality public health care

You can help to save local public hospital services! We’re heading into the 9th year of real-dollar hospital cuts, the longest stretch in Ontario’s history. Funding for hospitals is now at the lowest rate of any province in the country. Local community hospitals are at risk of complete closure, while birthing, emergency departments and other services are constantly at threat. Thousands of hospital staff positions have been eliminated.

By every measure, Ontario’s hospital cuts are deeper than any other jurisdiction. Virtually every service cut from our local hospitals is being privatized.  Continue reading →

• Students and chef professors at Niagara College’s Canadian Food and Wine Institute have a taste for holiday giving.

News from Niagara College in Niagara, Ontario

On Monday, Dec. 21, they will be cooking up a storm for hundreds of community residents in need. The festive holiday fare – including trays of turkey, stuffing, veggies and all the trimmings – will be served  at the 16^th annual Spirit of Christmas Dinner in St. Catharines on Christmas Day.

Preparing a feast for the Spirit of Christmas Dinner has become an annual tradition among staff and students at the College’s Canadian Food and Wine Institute. While staff and students prepare the meal in advance of the event, Niagara College president Dan Patterson regularly volunteers on Christmas Day to help serve the meal.

The DeDivitiis family Spirit of Christmas Dinner will be held on Dec. 25 at Gord’s Place in St. Catharines. The event offers a free Christmas dinner to those who attend, which often includes the homeless, those facing financial challenges, those without families, and newcomers to Canada.

For a Google Map for locating Gord’s Place on 84 James Street in St. Catharines’ downtown area click on –  https://www.google.ca/maps/place/Gord’s+Place/@43.1594606,-79.2461119,15z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0xf2056d8ac4dbed62 .

Niagara College is the lead sponsor of this year’s event. Other sponsors include the Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce, Lancaster Brooks & Welch, and Brock University.

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

December 17^th, 2015

Brock University, St. Catharines, is pleased to announce the appointment of renowned scholar and Brock alumna Wendy Cukier PhD, MBA, MA, BA, DU (hon) LLD (hon) M.S.C. as its sixth President and Vice-Chancellor. Cukier, currently Vice-President Research and Innovation at Ryerson University in Toronto, is an internationally respected researcher, expert in emerging technology and innovation and advocate for social justice.

Wendy Cukier to begin a new journey as Brock University’s 6th President and Vice Chancellor in September, 2016

She will join Brock as President and Vice-Chancellor on September 1^st, 2016.

The announcement was made today by John Suk, Chair of Brock’s Board of Trustees, and culminates a year-long search to select a successor for President Jack Lightstone. The search was overseen by an internal committee led by Joe Robertson, immediate past chair of the Board.

Cukier will be the first female President in Brock’s 51-year history, as well as the first Brock graduate to hold the University’s highest office. Today’s announcement comes two months after Brock installed First Nations filmmaker Shirley Cheechoo as its first-ever female Chancellor. Continue reading →

A Brief One from Niagara At Large publisher Doug Draper

December 17th, 2015

You had to know that sooner or later, with Donald Trump being the self-obsessed, circus ringmaster that he is, that America’s poster boy for all that is MAD – the one and only Alfred E. Neuman – would do a number on him.

And MAD’s number on Trump, whose slogan for his campaign for the U.S. presidency is ‘Make America Great Again’, is ONE – as in the magazine’s pic of the number one “dumbest person, event or thing” of 2015.

Inside the magazine’s covers, Alfred’s mad cap team of writers had this to say about the Donald under a heading that read ‘The Art Of The Heel’; “Donald Trump’s mouth is just like the hose that drain’s your septic tank – you never know what is going to come out of it, but you know it won’t be good. Whether insulting Mexicans, veterans and women or ridiculing Rand Paul, Roger Ailes and Jeb, candidate Trump takes delight in travelling around the country in his Trump logo-emblazoned helicopter, leaving voters waist-deep in his verbal diarrhea.” Continue reading →

An Open Letter from Ontario’s New Democratic Party To The Province’s Education Minister Liz Sandals

December 16^th, 2015

Dear Minister,

Students and families across Ontario were shocked by this month’s scathing Auditor General Report. Several sections of this report highlight serious shortcomings in your department and that of the Ministry of Transportation.

I am calling on you to take the recommendations of the Auditor General seriously and to immediately act in several key areas that will help ensure the safety of students as they travel to and from school.

Notably, the Auditor General is concerned that you have taken a “hands off approach,” to safety by not setting guidelines for collision and incidents reporting among transportation consortia. Approximately one in eight school buses, carrying 830,000 kids annually, was involved in a crash. Continue reading →

An Open Invite to You from Ontario’s Niagara Parks Commission and the City of Niagara Falls

Niagara Falls, Ontario, December 16^th, 2015  – The Niagara Parks Commission (NPC) and the City of Niagara Falls, along with its Niagara Falls New Year’s Eve event partners invite the public to join the celebrations and be part of one of Canada’s longest running New Year’s Eve festivities and concert series, taking place in Queen Victoria Park.

New Years fireworks over the Falls. A Niagara Parks Commission file photo

This year’s concert line-up will feature musical performances by Canadian rock artists Down with Webster, along with Alan Doyle, best known for his work as lead singer for Newfoundland’s beloved band Great Big Sea. The show continues with Dennis DeYoung, founding member of the famed rock group Styx, and concludes with Canadian rock icon Tom Cochrane and Red Rider. This highly anticipated free show will begin at 8:00 p.m., in Queen Victoria Park, overlooking the majestic American and Canadian Horseshoe Falls. Continue reading →

News from the Ontario Ministry of Labour

Welland, Ontario, December 16^th, 2015 – The City of Welland has pleaded guilty and has been fined $150,000 after a city worker died after being critically injured on the job and subsequently contracted an infection from the incident.

On December 9, 2013, the worker was part of a crew of municipal employees sent to a site located at 255 Willson Road in Welland to correct a sewer backup. The crew determined that the sewer/access cover had a blocked lateral pipe and attempted to clear the blockage using a Vactor truck equipped with a rodding system, a process where a vacuum hose sucks waste materials out of the sewer/pipes and into a storage tank and a pressure hose loosens the blockage to facilitate suction.

The crew could only empty approximately six feet of waste and the workers could not actually see the pipe or blockage. The crew then attempted to use the pressure hose to loosen the blockage in the pipe. Continue reading →

Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath

From the Office of Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath

December 16^th, 2015

Queen’s Park, Ontario – Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath is calling for the creation of an Ontario Anti-Racism Secretariat. The NDP will introduce a motion calling for the creation of the secretariat in the next session.

“Ontario is at its best when we’re all included and nobody is left behind. That’s why I am calling for the government to create the Ontario Anti-Racism Secretariat,” said Horwath. “Too many people in Ontario face racism in one form or another; by establishing the secretariat we can take positive steps to challenge inequality and make choices that focus on creating equality and fairness.” Continue reading →

News from Ontario’s Ministry of Labour

St. Catharines, Ontario, December 15^th, 2015 – Ingredion Canada Incorporated has pleaded guilty and has been fined $150,000 in the death of a worker who was crushed while riding a rail car.

Part of the Ingredion workplace in Port Colborne contains a rail spur owned by the company that allows rail cars access to the facility to be loaded with product (the company is a maker of fructose sweeteners).

Two workers are involved in the movement of rail cars at the facility. One worker operates the Trackmobile; the other ensures the path is clear for the moving cars, and is also responsible for engaging and disengaging the hand brake, located at the end of a rail car. Continue reading →

By Doug Draper, Niagara At Large

The evisceration of news departments in this region and others across Canada and the United States just goes on and on and on and on.

So much so that we may not be far away from the day when there are no professional reporters left working in our communities at all – a circumstance that will surely tickle those politicians and others who’d feel a heck of a lot bolder doing whatever without any watchdogs from the fourth and fifth estates around.

Lauran Sabourin, a long-time reporter of affairs in Niagara for CHCH news

The latest news department to get run through the meat cutters was the one at CHCH TV in Hamilton/Niagara that began the morning of Friday, December 11^th with more than 150 full- and part-time staff and ended the day around a declaration of bankruptcy and a new corporate owner – something rather fittingly called Channel Zero – offering to hire back about 70 of them.

The rest – many of them veteran journalists with families and strong roots in the community – were herded out the door with no severance pay and low chances of finding another gig in a field where there are less than half as many jobs across the continent than there were two decades ago.

But no hard feelings and, while we’re at it, enjoy the rest of the holiday season.

Two members of the CHCH news staff who were among the casualties in this massacre were two people I had the pleasure to work beside on some of the same stories going back to my early years as the environment reporter at the once good St. Catharines Standard three decades ago. So I’m declaring my bias here as one of many of fellow journalists in this region who had a great deal of respect for these people – a respect, I would stress, that was well deserved because they earned it through years of good reporting on issues that mattered to our communities. Continue reading →

An Initial Analysis Of The COP21 Climate Agreement

“This agreement coming out of the Paris COP falls far short of what is needed to actually address our climate crisis.”

From Brent Patterson, Political Director, Council of Canadians, a nation-wide public advocacy group

December 2015 – A new draft climate agreement has been reached this past December 12^th, 2015 – the last day of the COP21 talks in Paris.

Unfortunately, despite the framing of this agreement as “ambitious and equitable”, it falls well short of what is needed in terms of real commitments to emission reductions, keeping fossil fuels in the ground, adequate financing for mitigation, adaptation, and loss and damage, recognition of human rights, and protection from transnational corporate lawsuits. Continue reading →

“It is absolutely true that Canada announcing support for 1.5 degrees mid-way through the conference made a huge difference in keeping that target in the treaty.  I heard that from friends and contacts around the world.” – Elizabeth May  

A Statement from Paris from Canada’s Green Party Leader Elizabeth May on the morning of Sunday, December 13^th, 2015, after 13 days and 3 all-nighters

The Paris Agreement is accepted.  The COP21 decision is agreed.  What does it all mean?

Canada’s Green Party Leader Elizabeth May was in Paris for entire Climate Summit

I have been working on climate for the last 29 years.   In that time I have seen lip service from most politicians, courage from a few politicians, venality from some corporations (Exxon come to mind), leadership from others.

I have witnessed opportunity after opportunity squandered for political expediency.  Agreements signed and then ignored.   Overall we have procrastinated and lost decades when we could have averted the climate crisis nearly entirely.

Now we are in it.  With loss of life and devastating droughts and heat waves, extreme weather events, sea level rise and loss of Arctic ice and permafrost.  No longer are we arguing about a future problem.  We have already changed the climate, so the debate of 2015 is “can we avoid the very worst of the climate crisis?  Can we ensure the survival of human civilization?  Can we save millions of species?” To do so requires transitioning off fossil fuels.  Continue reading →

Statement By The Prime Minister Of Canada On Successful Conclusion Of Paris Climate Conference

• “Here at home I will meet with the Premiers within the next 90 days to work on a plan to meet our international commitments in tackling climate change and transitioning to a low carbon economy.” – Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

Ottawa, Ontario – The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, issued the following statement this December 12^th, 2015 on the successful conclusion of the Paris Climate Conference:

Members of the Canadian Youth Climate Delegation work to make their views known in Paris. Visit the coalion’s website at http://www.ourclimate.ca

“The world gathered in Paris to fight climate change and its devastating impacts on our earth, our health, our economy, and our very way of life. We also gathered with a common vision to leave a sustainable planet for our children and grand children.

“I am very pleased that Canada and 194 other countries were able to reach a historic, ambitious, and balanced agreement to fight climate change. Together with our international partners, we agreed to strengthen the global response to limit global average temperature rise to well below 2 degrees Celsius as well as pursue efforts to limit the increase to 1.5 degrees. Continue reading →

Canada, United States And All Other Nations Sign Agreement To Keep Global Warming Below 1.5 Degrees Celsius

From Doug Draper, Niagara At Large

News of the signing of an international climate change agreement just came out of Paris around 8 a.m. our time on this Saturday, December 12^th, and everyone interested is still scrambling to review to digest it and determine its implications.

Shoes from around the world in Paris to press for a solid climate agreement

Niagara At Large will have much in the way of analysis on this deal, at least parts of which (for the first time for a global climate change pact) are legally binding.

For now, we leave you with a link to the draft agreement and a list of a few of the key features of it.

Click on the following link to read the draft agreement –http://unfccc.int/resource/docs/2015/cop21/eng/da01.pdf . 

Here are some key points from the draft:

1. As expected, the agreement commits the world to limiting warming to well below 2C but to try to keep it below 1.5C.
2. Countries will be requested to revisit their existing pledges for emission cuts by 2020, and every five years thereafter.
3. On the thorny issue of money, the legally-binding part of the agreement requires that developed countries (as defined in 1992) shall continue to provide finance to developing countries to help them adapt to climate change and cut their emissions. The most contentious part – how much money – is in the non-legally binding ‘decision text’. Currently, developed countries are obliged to ‘mobilise’ $100bn a year of public and private finance to help developing countries by 2020. The decision says they “intend to continue their existing collective mobilization goal through 2025” and then by 2025 set a new goal “from a floor of $100 billion”.

 (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.)

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“Canada is doing the right thing by providing refuge for those so desperately seeking safety.” – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

Toronto, Ontario, December 11^th, 2015 – The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, issued the following statement after welcoming Syrian refugees to Canada late last night:

“Today, we welcome many Syrian refugees who were forced to flee their homeland because of war and conflict. Canada is doing the right thing by providing refuge for those so desperately seeking safety.

Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau greets Syrian refugees arriving late this December 10th at Pearson International Airport in Toronto

“This is a significant step in fulfilling our plan to bring 25,000 Syrian refugees to Canada in the coming months. It also demonstrates our commitment to refugee resettlement, which is part of Canada’s proud humanitarian tradition.

“I know that, even for those facing extreme hardship, tragedy, and war in their country, leaving home is very difficult. The transition to a new life in a new country can be a very daunting process.

“Let me reassure those coming to our country that our communities and all orders of government will work closely, together, to make it easier for you to adjust to these changes and become full participants in Canadian society. While it might be much colder outside than back home, I am sure that you will find warm welcomes from your new neighbours.

“In the years to come, Canadians will look back with enormous pride on the contributions made by Syrian refugees and how they have made our country even better.”

For more information about the Government of Canada’s plan to resettle 25,000 Syrian refugees, please visit the #WelcomeRefugees website.]

(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.)

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“The struggling Canadian currency, climate factors and consumer trends will all play important roles,” report says.

News from the University of Guelph’s Food Institute

Guelph, Ontario, December 2015 – Canadian consumers will have to pay more for food next year, according to the 2016 Food Price Report  from University of Guelph researchers.

After a year in which a lagging Canadian dollar led to substantial price jumps for many products, shoppers will face smaller increases in 2016, especially for meats, fruits and nuts, and vegetables.

Overall, the researchers expect prices increases averaging two to four per cent, above the general rate of inflation.

The struggling Canadian currency, climate factors and consumer trends will all play important roles in 2016, said Prof. Sylvain Charlebois, lead author of the sixth annual report from the Food Institute of the University of Guelph. Continue reading →

From the Desk of Natalie Mehra, Executive Director of the province-wide public interest group, the Ontario Health Coalition

December 2015 – This past December 8^th, a high-profile report tracking health care wait times was released from the Wait Times Alliance. Eliminating Code Gridlock in Canada’s Health Care System, is a credible summary and a useful addition to public policy decisions about health care planning. It is written by an alliance of physician specialists’ organizations to track progress in wait times and public reporting.

Ontario Health Coalition executive director Natalie Mehra

Leeching off of the publicity for the day, the Fraser Institute — a pro-privatization think-tank (see Who Funds the Fraser Institute? here and here) — also released their annual wait times report. Releasing this report at the same time as the release of the Wait Times Alliance Report may garner extra media, but it is bound to cause confusion. 

Both reports are about wait times in health care. But the similarities stop there.

The methodology of the Fraser Institute is based on the subjective viewpoints of the small proportion of physician specialists who answer their surveys. If you read the methodology section of their report, you will find that their response rate is only 21%. That is, they received answers from just one in five of the physicians they surveyed. Continue reading →

From the Office of Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

(A Brief Foreword Note from Niagara At Large publisher Doug Draper – We can say what we want about former Canadian prime minister Brian Mulroney. I still can’t forgive him for stuffing the country’s Senate chambers with a rat pack of partisan hacks and cronies, shoving the regressive Goods & Services Tax (GST) down our gullets, and negotiating a North American Free Trade Agreement that provided rocket fuel for industries to leave our country for regions south of the U.S./Mexican border where labour and environmental laws were either weak or non-existent at the time and where wages were many times lower.

Nelson Mandela visits Canada in 1990 to thank the Mulroney government and Canadian people for pressing for his release from a prison in his native South Afica

And that’s just to name a few of the items on Mulroney’s I take issue with.

Yet on one key file – that of expressing public condemnation for South Africa’s now-abolished system of racial segregation (known in that country as apartheid) and the imprisonment of civil rights icon Nelson Mandela, Brian Mulroney shone above all of his closest political allies and friends, including then-British prime minister Margaret Thatcher and U.S. president Ronald Reagan who refused to say or do a thing to end the system or win Mandela’s freedom. Continue reading →

From Doug Draper, Niagara At Large

December 9th, 2015

There’s no possibility way he can win, his critics say. There isn’t?

He’s been running for half a year now and for most of that time, he’s been ahead in the polls.

Donald Trump, drawing cheers and high poll numbers for sweeping political correctness aside and telling it the way he sees it.

So consider the possibility that in little more than a year from now, we Canadians could have a major-league bigot with a record of trashing anyone who gets in his way running the country right next to us.

And won’t that be great for Canada/U.S. relations – unless we just tow the line and go along with him on everything from banning the immigration of all people Muslim to , as he’s put it, bombing the “sh–” out of ISIS and anyone else(most likely Muslim’s)  who happens to get in the way.

I’m talking about billionaire tycoon and U.S. Republican presidential contender Donald Trump and all his latest bluster about blocking every person of the Muslim faith from entry to his country – an idea that has him strengthening his lead in the polls has even been embraced by some Canadians, judging by letters to the editor and calls to radio talk shows.

Through the stench of all this, the New York Daily News, a newspaper tabloid that has also hitting hard on gun violence lately, published a front page this December 9th that gets two thumbs up from this Canadian, anyway. It pins the donkey tail right where it belongs so I share it below for all of you who may be wish all here it is below.

Trump also has England swinging at him for recently saying that police are afraid to go into some London neighbourhoods because of “radicalized” Muslims that have moved in their.

That claim prompted the following response from London’ England’s Mayor Boris Johnson;

London, England Mayor Boris Johnson rips into Trump

“As a city where more than 300 languages are spoken, London has a proud history of tolerance and diversity and to suggest there are areas where police officers cannot go because of radicalisation is simply ridiculous,” Johnson said.

“Crime has been falling steadily both in London and in New York ,” he added, and “the only reason I wouldn’t go to some parts of New York is the real risk of meeting Donald Trump,”

That was quite a shot coming from the mayor of one of the world’s major cities. But none of that sort of criticism or editorial  punches from the media seems to matter to Americans who are so put off with establishment politicians and the mainstream media that growing numbers of them turn to Trump every time another politician or journalist takes a run at him.

Like Time magazine noted in a cover story Trump’s rhetoric, however repugnant it may seem to some, is tapping into a fear and anger that is out there and the rest of us are left to “deal with it.”

And that shouldn’t just mean how do we deal with the possibility of a President Donald Trump saying and doing things that may not only have a profound impact on his country, but on ours and othes around the world.

We also need to deal with whatever put all of that fear and anger there in the first place.

At least some of that fear and anger may have been caused by the same politicians and m media outlets that are now bashing Trump.

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

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• “A number of municipalities want to pave over the province’s treasured Greenbelt, but this recent public polling reveals that residents are just not on board.” – Burkhard Mausberg, CEO, Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation

 News from Andreea Nicoara and the Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation

December, 2015 – Recent polling in Niagara Region shows that more than nine out of 10 respondents (91 per cent) believe it’s important to limit urban sprawl. Conducted between August 19 and September 8, 2015,

The green area on this map highlights the Niagara lands within Ontario’s protected Greenbelt circling Lake Ontario and the Greater Golden Horseshoe. In Niagara, low-density sprawl, sanctioned by municipal governments, is pressing right up against the boundaries of these protected lands.

Environics online polling also found that nine out of 10 respondents in rural communities agree that growth can be accommodated by making more efficient use of existing lands in urban areas.

Additionally, three out of four respondents overall convey that the boundaries of the Greenbelt should be preserved forever.

These polling results come on the heels of the release of 87 recommendations by an expert advisory panel chaired by David Crombie. The panel was tapped by the Ontario government to review the Greenbelt Plan and three other land use plans. Continue reading →

• It’s time for Niagara’s local municipalities and regional government to “get their act together” on public transit – Debbie Zimmeran, an Advisory Panel member, CEO of the Grape Growers of Ontario and former Grimsby regional council and chair of the Region of Niagara

By Doug Draper, Niagara At Large

December 8th, 2015

A six-person advisory panel, hosting former Toronto mayor David Crombie as its chair and Debbie Zimmerman, CEO of the Grape Growers of Ontario and a former Grimsby councillor and chair of Niagara’s regional government as one of

Advisory panel member and former Niagara Regional Chair Debbie Zimmerman

its members, tabled a lengthy report this December 7^th, listing 87 recommendations for updating provincial plans for protecting watersheds, greenspaces and farms, and for making communities in Niagara and other regions in the Greater Golden Horseshoe healthier, more prosperous places to live, work and play.  

“We must step up our efforts to curb sprawl, build complete communities, grow the Greenbelt, support agriculture and address traffic congestion,” states an executive summary of the report the panel drafted after more than 10 months of consultation and submissions received from thousands of individuals and groups across the Greater Golden Horseshoe (GGH).

“We owe it to current and future generations to ensure that the GGH supports healthy lifestyles, a high quality of life, a sustainable environment and a prosperous economy,” adds the panel which concludes its report by urging the government to act on its recommendations “in a comprehensive and timely fashion” to strengthenfour provincial plans it was instructed by the province to review. Continue reading →

• If That Happens, Maybe We Should Build A Wall Along The Border And Make Donald Trump Pay For It

A Commentary by Doug Draper, Niagara At Large

December 8th, 2015

When billionaire real estate baron and realty show celebrity Donald Trump announced his candidacy for President of the United States last spring, many of that country’s political pundits wrote him off as a clown who would say or do something to blow his campaign up by the end of the summer.

The front page of the New York Daily News this past June, after Donald Trump announced he was running for U.S. president.

But the pundits turned out to be just as wrong about that as many of them were when a junior senator from Illinois named Barack Obama announced his candidacy for the nation’s top job in 2007 and their out-of-the gate prediction was that he, with his lack of political experience, his middle name ‘Hussein’ and his black skin, had little or no chance to win.

When Trump stood in his golden tower on New York City’s Fifth Avenue last June and announced his decision to run while Neil Young’s ‘Rockin’ In The Free World’ (appropriated for the occasion without the artist’s consent) was welling up in the background, he immediately drew fire from what liberals are left in the America by declaring that he was going to build a wall along the border his country shares with Mexico to keep what he described as all of the murderers, rapists and drug dealers out. Continue reading →

A Statement by the Prime Minister Justin Trudeau after delivering a speech to the Assembly of First Nations Special Chiefs Assembly

Gatineau, Quebec, December 8^th, 2015 – The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, issued the following statement after delivering a speech today to the Assembly of First Nations Special Chiefs Assembly in Gatineau, Quebec.

Years of lobbying Canada’s recently defeated Harper government for a public inquiry on murdered and missing aboriginal women and girls went nowhere. Now there may finally be action

“There is no relationship more important to me – and to Canada – than the one with First Nations, the Métis Nation, and Inuit.

“It is time for a renewed, nation-to-nation relationship with First Nations peoples: one that is based on the understanding that the constitutionally-guaranteed rights of First Nations are a sacred obligation that we carry forward. This obligation is based on respect, co-operation, and partnership; it is guided by the spirit and intent of the original treaty relationship; and it respects inherent rights, treaties and jurisdictions, and the decisions of our courts.

“Bringing about real change will take more than just individual people – or even individual governments. What is needed is nothing less than a total renewal of the relationship between Canada and the First Nations peoples.

“I am also proud to say that, as promised, we have begun the process to create a national public inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls in Canada.

“A priority moving forward will be to make significant investments in First Nations education. We will deliver increased funding for First Nations education and we will work on education reforms for First Nations children that are led by First Nations.

“We will lift the two per cent cap on funding for First Nations programs. It is time for a new fiscal relationship with First Nations that gives these communities sufficient, predictable, and sustained funding.

“In partnership with Indigenous communities, the provinces, territories, and other vital partners, we will also fully implement the calls to action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, starting with the implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.  

“Finally, we will conduct a full review of the legislation unilaterally imposed on Indigenous peoples by earlier governments.

“Working together as partners, I am confident that we can make meaningful and immediate progress on the issues that matter most to First Nations communities.”

From the Prime Minister’s Web Site – available at http://www.pm.gc.ca/

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A Brief Commentary by Doug Draper, Niagara At Large

When the Ontario government set up high-occupancy vehicle lanes – HOVs for short – to ease highway congestion around Greater Toronto Area during last summer’s Pan American Games, former Toronto mayor and city councillor Rob Ford boldly confessed that he violated the rules for using them.

HOT lanes for reducing highway congestion opeating in the Washington, D.C. area.

“These HOV lanes are a complete disaster,” said Ford of the province’s decision to dedicate one lane on some of the multi-lane, 400-series highways around the GTA to vehicles with at least three people in them. Fort admitted using them while driving alone and whenever he couldn’t spot “cops over (his) shoulder” because they were less congested and as he put it; “I have to get to where I have to go.”

One would expect that kind of brazen opposition to the concept of lanes dedicated to vehicles which (by virtue of carrying more than one person) place a lighter carbon footprint on the planet from a character like Rob Ford or from another guy last summer who apparently buckled manicans on his car seats in an attempt to get away with using them. Continue reading →

Province’s Pilot Project Offers New Option For Quicker Travel

News from the Government of Ontario

Queen’s Park, December 2015 – A High-Occupancy Toll, or HOT, lane pilot project will begin on a section of the QEW between Trafalgar Road in Oakville and Guelph Line in Burlington in summer 2016 to help manage congestion and add another option for travelers.

The pilot is the first step of Ontario’s plan to implement HOT lanes throughout the region. In this pilot project, existing High-Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes on the QEW will be converted to HOT lanes.

Carpools of two or more occupants will still be able to use the QEW HOT lanes for free, while single occupant drivers will now have the option to purchase a permit to use them. A limited number of permits will be available to allow single occupant drivers to use the HOT lanes during the pilot. Continue reading →

News from the Niagara Health System, an amalgamation of hospital services in Niagara, Ontario

Niagara, Ontario, December 4^th, 2015 – Niagara Health System is pleased to announce that we’ve been named a National Best Practice Hospital for Biomedical Engineering.

Some of the membes of the Niagara Health System’s award-winning biomedical engineering team. Photo courtesy of Niagara Health System.

The designation was achieved following our Biomedical Engineering department participating in a week-long Peer Review directed by the Canadian Medical and Biological Engineering Society (CMBES) in September. The NHS is one of few hospitals in Canada to achieve this National Best Practice status.

Jean Ngoie, Regional Manager of Biomedical Engineering, formally requested a CMBES Peer Review to assess the department’s performance and to meet our requirements for Accreditation. The survey took place over five days in September. In addition to interviewing members of the NHS team, surveyors met with customers and stakeholders to ascertain the level of satisfaction with the services provided. Continue reading →

• Full Text Of Speech from the Throne to Open the First Session of the Forty-second Parliament of Canada

“Honourable Senators, Members of the House of Commons, Ladies and gentlemen,

As the representative of Her Majesty The Queen, I am pleased to be here to deliver the Speech from the Throne.

A warm welcome to those of you who are returning to your duties as parliamentarians, including those who are returning after an absence.  Know that your experience is valued.

Cover of the hard copy of Canada’s Liberal Government’s first Throne Speech

Welcome also to the 197 members who are newly elected.  Your enthusiasm and fresh ideas will serve your country well.

I call on all parliamentarians to work together, with a renewed spirit of innovation, openness and collaboration.

As governor general, I have seen first-hand what a great country Canada is—from coast to coast to coast.

And I also know this: We can be even better.

How?

By being smart, and caring—on a scale as never before.

The times we live in demand nothing less.

Canada succeeds in large part because here, diverse perspectives and different opinions are celebrated, not silenced. Continue reading →

Canada’s New Democrat Party’s Reaction To Liberal Throne Speech

Ottawa, Ontario, December 2015 – New Democrats greeted this December 4th’s first Liberal Speech from the Throne with encouragement in the change of tone and with a willingness to help turn today’s broad commitments into action.

Canada’s NDP Leader Tom Mulcair

 “We are pleased to see the Liberal government take the crisis of climate change and Canada’s relationship with Indigenous peoples seriously, but the speech was thin and it is unfortunate to see that reinstating home mail delivery and returning the age of retirement to 65 were both overlooked in today’s Throne Speech,” said NDP Leader Tom Mulcair (Outremont). “We hope the Liberals will accept the NDP suggestion to fix their tax cut proposal so that it doesn’t leave two thirds of Canadians behind. Canadians can trust the NDP to fight for their jobs, their family and their community.” Continue reading →

• Sets Country On Path To Higher Deficits, Says Conservative’s Interim Leader Rona Ambrose

Canada’s Conservative Party’s Reaction To Throne Speech

Ottawa, Ontario, December 4^th, 2015 – The Liberal government’s Speech from the Throne sets Canada on a path to higher deficits and debt; and higher taxes including a carbon tax; while ignoring Canadian farmers, businesses, and free trade and turning Canada’s back on the threat of Islamic State terror, said the Leader of the Official Opposition, Rona Ambrose.

Canadian Conservative Opposition Leader Rona Ambrose

“The Speech from the Throne is a loud and clear warning to Canadians that the Liberals are about to take us down a fiscally reckless path. It’s short on detail, but full of big spending commitments,” said Ambrose.

“The Throne Speech just formalizes the dismal fiscal approach the Liberals have already begun to take. A 30-day Liberal spending spree has blown the surplus they inherited. The Finance Minister has taken an eraser to any time or money limit on the deficits he’s planning to run,” said Ambrose. Continue reading →

Statement from Progressive Conservative Party  Economic Development, Employment & Infrastructure Critic Monte McNaughton

(A Brief Foreword to McNaughton’s statement from Niagara At Large publisher Doug Draper – Niagara, Ontario readers of this post should know that Statistics Canada figures released this December 4th show that Niagara’s unemployment rate was 7.8 per cent for this past November, higher than the national average of 7.1 per cent and also higher than the Ocober jobless rate for Niagara of 7.3 per cent.)

The latest jobless figures from Statistics Canada are bleak for Niagara, for Ontario and for the country.

Queen’s Park, December 4th, 2015 – “The job numbers released today unfortunately show that Ontario’s unemployment rate increased in November.

The Auditor General’s report this week highlighted that Ontario has had the third worst record of private sector job creation in Canada since 2000. It appears the Liberals intend to continue this trend, as our economy lost a further 36,400 private sector jobs this month.

Today’s job losses report confirms what the Ontario PC Caucus has said all along: the Liberal Government is incapable of developing a long-term plan to grow the economy and create jobs.  The Auditor General’s review of Ontario’s Economic Development and Employment Programs confirmed this. Continue reading →

• “Ontario is a beacon of hope to those who are fleeing war and desperation. We’re working hard to give Syrian refugees new hope and new opportunity.” – Michael Chan, Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and International Trade

News from the Government of Ontario

Queen’s Park, December 4^th, 2015 – Ontario is preparing to welcome refugees to the province by allocating funding to sponsorship efforts, establishing a Special Advisory Table on Refugees, and encouraging people and organizations in the province to volunteer.

Syrian refugees wait in overseas camps for chance for a new home.

Earlier this year, Ontario committed $8.5 million over two and a half years to deliver both settlement and integration supports to refugees, as well as to help organizations and groups that are privately sponsoring refugees. Since then, Ontario has allocated a total of $1.8 million to Lifeline Syria, Refugee 613, Catholic Crosscultural Services, Catholic Centre for Immigrants, Ottawa and the University of Ottawa Refugee Sponsorship Support Program. These funds will: Continue reading →

• Bill Would Set Tougher Penalties For Anyone Who Strikes A Motorcycle, Bike Or Pedestrian

News from  Ontario’s New Democratic Party 

Queen’s Park, December 2015 – Ontario NDP MPP Wayne Gates’ (Niagara Falls) Private Members Bill 154 – Contraventions Causing Death or Serious Bodily Harm passed second reading on Thursday, bringing it one step closer to being law. The bill introduces a new section to the Highway Traffic Act (HTA) that will strengthen penalties for drivers who cause, or contribute to causing, death or serious injury while violating the Act.

Niagara Falls MPP Wayne Gates

Gates noted that his proposed additions to the HTA will “help ensure that anyone who strikes a motorcycle, bike, or a pedestrian, causing death or serious injury, is subject to penalties that fit the crime.”

Between 1993 and 2011, 275 motorcyclists were killed in accidents through no fault of their own. In some instances, a driver who hit a motorcycle, killing the riders, was subject only to a $500 fine for an illegal left turn under the Highway Traffic Act. Continue reading →

News from Niagara, Ontario’s Regional Government 

Niagara Region, December 2015 – This December 3^rd, Niagara Regional Council approved its 2016 tax supported operating budget of $510.4 million, of which $159 million is supported by Regional property taxes.

Niagara, Ontario’s regional council headquarters

This budget is focused on maintaining existing services and reinvesting in strategic areas that will enable a more prosperous Niagara, with no overall cost increase for residents.

Residents will see a zero per cent budget related increase on the Regional portion of their property tax bill.  For the average household with a home assessed at $240,500, the Regional portion of your tax bill will remain unchanged from 2015, at $1,402.

“Our Council is keeping regional taxes low by approving zero per cent property tax increases which ensures affordability for Niagara residents, while making sure that we are focused on delivering the services and programs that will build a more prosperous Niagara,” said Regional Chair Alan Caslin.  “This budget enables us to advance transportation initiatives across our region, and foster an attractive and collaborative environment for the private sector to bring profitable investment and new jobs to Niagara.” Continue reading →

• Government offers “no evidence that re-building Bruce reactors can keep our lights on at a lower cost.”

A Message of Concern from the Ontario Clean Air Alliance – a citizens activist group on energy issues

Toronto, Ontario – This December 3^rd, 2015, Ontario’s Energy Minister, Bob Chiarelli, announced that the Government of Ontario is signing a contract with Bruce Power to pay for the re-building of six of its aging, outdated nuclear reactors.

Ontario’s Liberal government determined to keep Bruce nuclear plant, seen here on Lake Huron shores, going for decades to come

According to Minister Chiarelli’s preliminary estimate, the project will cost $13 billion. However, according to the actual wording of the Government’s contract with Bruce Power, the final capital cost and price of electricity from the re-built reactors of the project is still to be determined.

In other words, this deal continues the long tradition of leaving ratepayers on the hook for capital cost overruns, whether it is through absorbing debt or paying a fat premium for power or both. Continue reading →

• Jonathan Morrison “was a great guy and the students loved him.”

News from Niagara College in Niagara, Ontario

December 2015 – Students from Niagara College’s Recreation and Leisure Services program are going through hoops in memory of a former student.

Jonathan Morrison

The students are not only organizing the Jonathan Morrison Memorial Award Wheelchair Basketball Fundraiser, some of them are revving up to participate in the game. As part of the Jonathan Morrison Memorial Award Wheelchair Basketball Fundraiser to take place on Saturday, December 5, a team of students from the program will take on the Brock Niagara Penguins – a wheelchair basketball team for people with special needs – on Saturday, Dec. 5. Continue reading →

A Brief Commentary by Niagara At Large publisher Doug Draper

Some of you on the Ontario side of the Niagara River might be saying to yourselves; ‘There he goes again. Why is he posting yet another commentary on the gun culture in the United States?’

Ted Cruz, a Canadian-born Senator for Texas and Republican running for his country’s presidential nomination, has tweeted a call for prayer for the California mass shooting victims but is totally opposed to background checks or any other rules for better controlling who can purchase a gun in America.

Well first, Niagara At Large, I am proud to say, has subscribers on the American side of the Niagara River, in the Buffalo and other cities and towns in Erie and Niagara Counties, New York that we include in a binational community of communities we call the Greater Niagara Region.

Second, I know I am not the only one on the Canadian side of the river who has close friends and relatives living in the United States, at least some of whom are far more disturbed by the mass circulation of guns and death toll from gun-related assaults in their country than the rest of the world is.

And finally, for those who believe America’s gun culture is not a Canadian problem, investigations by police and other bodies have repeatedly shown that more than have the guns used in violent crimes in Canada were smuggled across the border from the gun-drenched United States.

So in the wake of one of the most recent shoot-ups in the U.S. – at, of all places, a health centre dedicated to helping people with developmental disabilities, and where 14 people were slaughtered and many more wounded in what is being called one of the worst massing shooting episodes in the country so far – I want to join some others in celebrating the courage of the editors of the New York Daily News. Continue reading →

• “I challenge readers to see the similarities and the differences among human and animal work-lives.” – Book’s author Kendra Coulter

News from Brock University in Niagara, Ontario

December 3^rd, 2015 – From courthouse dogs supporting child witnesses to rats sniffing out landmines, the work animals do is diverse and fascinating.

Brock University professor and book author Kendra Coulter. Photo courtesy of Brock University

Yet we often underestimate their role in the workplace and even put them in degrading and dangerous situations, says Brock University labour expert Kendra Coulter.

Coulter’s new book, Animals, Work, and the Promise of Interspecies Solidarity, is a unique look at the contributions, problems, and possibilities of work involving animals.

“Animals use their minds, bodies, and abilities in so many different ways,” says Coulter. “But despite its effects on literally billions of lives, work involving animals has not been well-studied in work and labour studies, or in animal studies.” Continue reading →

• Conservative Opposition Leader Calls For Energy Minister’s Resignation

News from Ontario’s Conservative Party

Queen’s Park, December 2015  – This December 3^rd in the Legislature, Leader of the Official Opposition Patrick Brown grilled the Premier on how the Liberal Government’s mishandling of the electricity sector is costing ratepayers billions of dollars.

Ontario Opposition Leader Patrick Brown calls for resignation of this guy – Energy Minister Bob Chiarelli – after Auditor General’s report reveals billions of dollars of mismanagement in energy field.

The Auditor General’s report highlighted that as a result of Liberal mismanagement, between 2006 and 2014, the people of Ontario have been overcharged $37 billion for electricity.  What’s more, ratepayers will continue to be overcharged another $133 billion dollars over the next 18 years – resulting in a total of $170 billion in unnecessary costs to ratepayers.

“After yesterday’s scathing report from the Auditor General many people on that side of the aisle have questions to answer,” stated Leader Patrick Brown to the Ontario Liberal Caucus. Continue reading →

• Agreement Secures Low-Cost, Clean Electricity Supply and Supports 23,000 Jobs Across Province

News from Ontario’s Liberal Government and Ministry of Energy

Queen’s Park, December 3^rd, 2015 – Ontario has updated its contract with Bruce Power and will proceed with the refurbishment of six nuclear units at the Tiverton-based nuclear generation station.

Ontario government driving for expansion of massive Bruce nuclear power plant on shores of Lake Huron

Nuclear refurbishment will boost economic activity across Ontario, create jobs, ensure savings for ratepayers and secure a clean supply of reliable electricity. The Bruce Power refurbishment project will make up to 23,000 jobs possible and generate about $6.3 billion in annual economic benefits in communities throughout the province. Ontario is home to a globally recognized CANDU nuclear supply chain with more than 180 companies employing thousands of highly skilled workers.

The government was further able to optimize the nuclear refurbishment schedule in order to maximize the value of existing nuclear units. The revised timeline will mean construction commences in 2020, rather than the previously estimated start date of 2016. Continue reading →