Niagara At Large

‘”Your commitment to bring in much needed reforms in this area are now almost a year overdue.”                            – Patrick Brown

Posted April 1^st, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Honourable Kathleen Wynne, Premier of Ontario

Dear Premier Wynne:

Members of the Ontario PC Caucus and I are hearing daily from Ontarians who

Ontario PC Opposition Leader Patrick Brown

are very concerned about the apparent influence of political fundraising on the business of government.

As a former Member of Parliament, I supported the changes made to both political fundraising rules and third party election advertising at the federal level. These changes allowed for a levelling of the playing field during elections and assured Canadians that the democratic process remained fair, balanced and devoid of undue influence.

Along with Ontario’s Chief Electoral Officer, the Ontario PC Caucus has long demanded changes to third party election advertising. The Government has twice voted against our suggested changes, and your commitment to bring in much needed reforms in this area are now almost a year overdue. Continue reading →

A Brief One from NAL publisher Doug Draper

Posted April 1st, 2016 on Niagara At Large

In the last week of this March, 2016, we, the people in Ontario have been treated to a series of disturbing stories in major Canadian newspapers about special interest groups contributing cash to political parties’ coffers for access to party leaders.

“The fact of the matter is that, thanks to the province’s legislated indifference to normal standards of behavior and morality,” stated the lead editorial in the March 30th edition of The Globe and Mail, “Ontario’s Liberal government practices the systematic selling of access to wealthy donors from the corporate and labour worlds.”

As someone said to me in a note during the past week, these stories should open our eyes to the fact that when it comes the role big money plays in shaping the conduct and quite possibly much of the decision making of the people we elect to hopefully serve all of us, without favour to a select few, in government. Continue reading →

Counting Down To The April 19th New York State Primary – We Need You

A Call-Out from the Buffalo for Bernie Sanders campaign office

Friends,

The New York primary is now less than two weeks away. We need all hands on deck to help us canvass Buffalo and Western New York.  

In 2008, Hillary Clinton beat Barack Obama in New York by 17 points.  The most recent Quinnipiac poll shows Sanders down 12 points to Clinton, 42% to Clinton’s 54%.

 New voter registrations, despite the lack of voter registration drives run by the Democratic party establishment in New York, have been unprecedented.  Many of you have been part of this campaign for months now.

 You have helped do the tough work of registering voters at art festivals, public events, and on college campuses.  You helped collect some of the 87,000 signatures that allowed Bernie Sanders ballot access.  You have engaged voters and won their votes one by one.  

Now, we are asking for your help to come to our office at 404 Amherst street and phone bank for Bernie.  We need your help to go door to door and canvass..

This Saturday, April 2nd, we will be dispatching volunteers out from several locations in WNY and we need you to be part of our efforts.  Follow the link below to find an event near you and sign up.

 If there is not an event near you, work with us to be an event host. 

http://map.berniesanders.com/?source=web_full_nav#zipcode=14207&distance=50&sort=time&f%5B%5D=campaign-office&f%5B%5D=bernie-event&f%5B%5D=official-event&f%5B%5D=phonebank&f%5B%5D=gotv&f%5B%5D=canvassing&f%5B%5D=ballot-access&f%5B%5D=carpool&f%5B%5D=register-voters&f%5B%5D=barnstorm&f%5B%5D=other

You can also call our office or reply to this email to help us tomorrow during our day of action.

Brian Nowak Buffalo for Bernie Sanders 716-221-4276 Buffaloforbernie@gmail.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 John Bacher

Posted April 1^st, 2016 on Niagara At Large

On the evening of Thursday, April 7^th, 2016, the Niagara, Ontario’s regional council is expected to debate a motion – quickly passed as a matter of “new business” at a regional planning committee meeting this March 30^th – to ask the provincial government to gut its wetland protection policies for the sake of some sprawling residential and commercial development proposed within the boundaries of Niagara Falls.

Niagara, Ontario’s regional council will soon address controversial bid to “off-set” natural wetlands to make way for urban development

Since 1993, these policies have prohibited development or site alteration on provincially significant wetlands – wetlands that often serve as habitat for rare species which is why their presence results in them receiving high scores in wetland evaluation scoring exercises.

The Niagara Region Chair Alan Caslin, who is leading the charge to change the provincial policy, has termed 13 acres of wetland now under consideration for destruction in the City of Niagara Falls through what the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority is calling a bio-diversity offsetting pilot project as “standing in the way of progress.” Continue reading →

By Doug Draper, publisher, Niagara At Large

The late U.S. President John F. Kennedy famously stood before the Berlin Wall and declared to his Soviet era rivals that America “doesn’t need a wall to keep our people in.”

But all that may change if billionaire Republican Party front rummer Donald Trump becomes the next president of the United States.

Trump began his race for the U.S. presidency a year ago last June with a promise that he will build a “big wall” along the Mexican border to keep “rapists, murders and drug dealers” from that country out.

Now he is saying in one of his overnight tweets that he may have to build an equally big wall along the entire 5,525 mile length (that’s 8,891 kilometres, the way people north of the border measure things) of the Canada/U.S. border to keep American citizens from moving to Canada in droves if he is elected president. Continue reading →

“These banks are using the Liberal thirst for power to drive a massive privatization agenda. It’s causing history’s biggest transfer of wealth from the public to the hands of a very wealthy few.”

A Call-Out for a Police Investigation from the Canadian Union of Public Employees

Posted March 31^st, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Toronto, Ontario – Following revelations that a bank underwriting the Hydro One sale backed a fundraiser that funnelled tens of thousands of dollars into Liberal party coffers, it is time for police to investigate, says Fred Hahn, president of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Ontario.

“It was a banker – Ed Clark – who proposed the sale, and now we’re learning that a bank underwriting the sale was pushing a Liberal fundraiser to other banks shortly after netting the Hydro One contract,” said Hahn. “If this isn’t illegal, it should be. It certainly smacks of corruption. The police should investigate before the Liberals sell off any more public assets to curry favour with the banks who fund the Liberal Party.” Continue reading →

 Empowering People – Welcoming Innovation

From the Office of Niagara West-Glanbrook MPP and former Ontario PC leader Tim Hudak

Posted March 31st, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Queen’s Park, Ontario – This March 31^st, 2016, MPP Tim Hudak released details on his second Sharing Economy Private Member’s Bill, which will build on the momentum created by his groundbreaking Opportunity in the Sharing Economy Act, 2015.

Niagara West-Glanbrook MPP Tim Hudak

It aims to give Ontarians the ability to earn extra income through home food sales, carpooling, investing or lending, and task-based services.

Hudak’s second sharing economy Bill will empower people to use technology to earn extra income by using assets that they already own or skills they possess.  He will do this by establishing a province-wide framework with modern, streamlined consumer protection measures to give consumers greater choice through sharing economy services in Ontario. Continue reading →

A Report from the Ontario Clean Air Coalition

Posted March 31^st, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Ontario, Canada – Closing the Pickering Nuclear Station when its license expires in 2018 and getting to work on dismantling the plant immediately will be safer, create more jobs between now and 2030, and save hundreds of millions of dollars.

The massive Pickering Nuclear Power Plant along the northern shores of Lake Ontario, east of the City of Toronto.

That’s the finding of a new report commissioned by Ontario Clean Air Alliance Research from energy consultants Torrie Smith and Associates. Torrie Smith compared Ontario Power Generation’s (OPG’s) plan of leaving the plant untouched for 30 years before starting decommissioning to the internationally preferred approach of immediate decommissioning.

They found that getting to work immediately would create 16,000 person years of employment, save $800 million to $1.2 billion on decommissioning costs, and ensure a smoother transition for workers and the local economy. Continue reading →

“The Ontario Liberal Party has turned ministers into salespeople, giving them hard quotas and telling them to sell the one product every lobbyist wants – uncontrolled access to the levers of government.”

A Brief One from NAL publisher Doug Draper

Posted March 30^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Word is out that Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne is about to prorogue the provincial legislature for a number of months while she shuffles her cabinet and feels around for a reset button that might lift the approval numbers she’s scoring in recent public opinion polls out of the toilet.

Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne, who most of us aren’t wealthy enough to buy access to.

Indeed, the lavatory adjoining her government’s cabinet room has become so plugged with crapola over the past two-and-a-half years since her ascension to the premier’s chair that it is now in danger of covering her entire caucus in offal and spilling out over the Ontario hinterlands.

It’s bad enough we’ve had the billions of dollars of waste on energy projects, compounded by soaring electricity rates, payoffs to the bargaining units of teachers unions, plans to double fees for pharmaceutical drugs for seniors and escalating user fees for almost everything but breathing. Continue reading →

A Brief One from NAL publisher Doug Draper

Posted March 30^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

This is a story every person who owns a home and/or a business they pay hydro bills for in Ontario should read and act on with at least a 120 volts of concern and outrage.

The investigative piece is headlined; ‘Hydro One players paid for exlusive access to ministers’, and it begins like this –

“One of the banks that ran the lucrative privatization of Hydro One promoted a $7,500-per-person fundraiser for the two Ontario provincial cabinet ministers in charge of the sale, The Globe and Mail has learned.

The event on Dec. 7, 2015, which featured Finance Minister Charles Sousa and Energy Minister Bob Chiarelli, appears to have raised about $165,000 for the Liberals.

Continue reading →

Government Launches Crowd-Sourced Program to Modernize Regulations

News from the Government of Ontario

Posted March 29^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Queen’s Park, Toronto – Ontario is asking businesses and the public to help identify and improve regulations that are unclear, outdated, redundant or unnecessarily costly.

Premier Kathleen Wynne joined Brad Duguid, Minister of Economic Development, Employment and Infrastructure, today at Novo Plastics in Markham to launch the Red Tape Challenge, inviting the public to pinpoint problems such as forms that are too complex and technical information that is hard to understand.

Through this innovative online consultation tool, people across Ontario will be able to help identify and eliminate regulatory duplication, lessen compliance burdens, shorten response times and make it easier for businesses and citizens to interact with government. Continue reading →

A Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted March 25^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

While I was posting news of the Ontario government’s release this March 25^th of its annual list of public sector employees making a yearly salary of $100,000 or more, I could already imagine some visitors to Niagara At Large saying; ‘Okay, but where are the names of the public sector employees in this region who are on the list?”

Ontario’s Sunshine List was a creation of former Premier Mike Harris, who declared war on the public sector like no other premier, before or since.

“How about doing what some of the mainstream newspapers in Niagara have already done since the release of the list and post at least some of the names?”

My short answer to that is that in the days and weeks ahead, Niagara At Large will be posting the names and salaries of at least a few individuals on the list, but only because of questions already swirling around about how these individuals got hired to the job they have in the public sector in the first place and whether or not we, the people, are getting value for the amount of our money they are pocketing for the services they provide.

Beyond using the information to help answer questions like that, I have always had mixed feelings about the Sunshine List or the ‘Public Sector Salary Disclosure’ list, as it is more formally called, and the way it is too often randomly or gratuitously used, without placing any of the names or salaries on it in a meaningful context, by the mainstream media. Continue reading →

“The reality is that too many Niagara region workers are struggling to earn enough income to meet their family’s household expenses.”

An Opinion Column from Glen Walker, chair of the Niagara Poverty Reduction Network

Posted March 29^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – What does it actually cost to live in Niagara region?

The answer will vary, of course, depending on one’s family composition. However, there are common items and services that the vast majority of families require in order to meet their basic household needs, including housing, food, child care, transportation, clothing, footwear, and laundry.

Alongside these basic needs are things that are important for community participation and connection, such as recreation and leisure opportunities, reading materials, school supplies, and internet access.

A new report released by the Niagara Poverty Reduction Network – “Calculating the Cost of Living in Niagara Region, 2016” – looks at household expense costs using a sample family of four – two adults, both working full time, and two children, one aged three and one aged seven. Continue reading →

A Message from Maude Barlow, National Chairperson for The Council of Canadians

Posted March 24^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Imagine if the water from your taps ran brown.

Imagine if bathing your children left them suffering from painful skin rashes.

Council of Canadians national chairperson Maude Barlow

Imagine if you had to boil your water before every glass you drink and every dish you wash.

You may have an image in your mind of a distant impoverished country. It may surprise you to know there is a water crisis happening right here at home. And it’s the daily reality for too many families.

Last year there were an astonishing 1,838 drinking water advisories in effect across Canada, and especially in Indigenous communities, where the water is often unsafe to drink. Continue reading →

From Doug Draper

Posted Sunday, March 27^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

On this sunny Easter Sunday morning, I hope all of you are having a warm and peaceful Easter weekend. And here is to looking forward to more of the same as we get past the final blasts of cold air and ice pellets to spring.

I also want to thank the many people on both sides of the Canada/U.S. border in our Greater Niagara Region and beyond for inspiring me to struggle on as a journalist through the continued support you offer by visiting this NAL site and its Facebook and Twitter outgrowths in large numbers.

It is also heartening to learn through repeated messages I get each week from WordPress, the website software that delivers NAL to you that ever more people are subscribing to Niagara At Large. Continue reading →

Ontario Making it Easier to Access Data and Information

News from the Government of Ontario

Posted March 25th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Queen’s Park, Toronto – In keeping with Ontario’s commitment to openness and transparency, the government has released the salaries of Ontario Public Service and Broader Public Sector employees who were paid $100,000 or more in 2015.

The Public Sector Salary Disclosure Act requires most organizations that receive public funding from the Province of Ontario to disclose annually the names, positions, salaries and total taxable benefits of employees paid $100,000 or more in the previous calendar year. Continue reading →

Budget 2016: Targetting Tax Evasion

A Report from Canadians for Tax Fairness

Posted March 25^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

(A Brief Foreword from NAL publisher Doug Draper – Finally after a decade of Harper and company letting the richest in Canada get away without paying their fair share of taxes – in fact, letting them fly an estimated $200 billion or more each year out of the country to off-shore tax haven – the new Trudeau government is investing more resources to go after them.

We 99 percenters may wish to join the great public interest group Canadians for Tax Fairness in applauding this news before pressing the government to at long last  get on with the job of nabbing these freeloaders.)

The Finance Minister has earmarked nearly $90 million a year to fight tax evasion – a total of $440 million over five years.

This signals that the government has realized how much it is losing to wealthy Canadians who shift their money offshore to avoid paying any tax at home.  The budget estimates that it will collect more than $2.6 billion for its investment.  Continue reading →

“Change is never easy, and it often creates discord, but when people come together for the good of humanity and the Earth, we can accomplish great things.” – David Suzuki

By Doug Draper

Posted March 24^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

I’ve been hearing on the news for days now that this Thursday, March 24^th would mark David Suzuki’s 80^th birthday, yet I am still trying to wrap my head around the fact that this guy I first saw wearing faded jeans, sandals, beads and long wavy hair has reached that milestone number of years.

David Suzuki

My first encounter with Suzuki was way back when he was so much younger then, and I was a young student at Brock University in Niagara where he was invited to speak on the topic that still consumes so much of his life today as a scientists, author, host of the CBC television program, ‘The Nature of Things’, and head of his own David Suzuki Foundation.

That topic is the threatened state of our water, our air, our forests and other life-sustaining resources on our planet, and the urgent need to protect what is left of those resources before it is too late for present and future generations. Continue reading →

From Wayne Gates, Member of Provincial Parliament for the Niagara, Ontario riding of Niagara Falls

Posted March 24^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Queen’s Park, Toronto, Ontario – This March 24th, Wayne Gates, Ontario NDP MPP for Niagara Falls, challenged the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care today to answer for the unfair increase to senior drug prices released in the latest (Provincial) Liberal budget.

Niagara Falls, Ontario MPP Wayne Gates

“Minister, I’ve been all across my riding from Fort Erie, through Niagara Falls and into Niagara-on-the-Lake and the message is the same – seniors are worried about your Liberal government’s plan to increase the cost of their prescription medicine,” Gates said.

Gates told the minister that the (Ontario) Liberal government’s budget would nearly double the deductible on prescriptions for seniors and cause higher co-payments each time they fill a prescription. He went on to note that seniors in Niagara are already facing serious challenges because of skyrocketing hydro rates and a series of poor decisions by this Liberal Government. Continue reading →

Ontario PC MPP Laurie Scott’s Statement On Jian Ghomeshi’s Acquittal

Posted March 24^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Queen’s Park, Toronto – Ontario’s PC Critic for Women’s Issues, Laurie Scott (MPP for Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock) made the following statement this March 24^th on the verdict of Jian Ghomeshi’s trial –

“Today (this March 24th, 2016), Jian Ghomeshi was found not guilty in the first of two trials for sexual assault.

Former CBC Radio host Jian Ghomeshi aquitted infirst of two sexual assault cases

Today’s ruling highlights how difficult it can be to seek justice.

I want to applaud the bravery of the women who did come forward, and started a movement that highlights a collective hope that women can still feel safe and able to come forward.

This trial sparked desperately needed awareness and understanding about how prevalent sexual assault and harassment are in our society. When the allegations against Mr. Ghomeshi first came to light, I put forward a motion in the Ontario Legislature to create a Select Committee on Sexual Violence and Harassment. Continue reading →

An Invite from Friends of the Red Hill Valley & Its Friends

11TH ANNUAL SPIRIT OF RED HILL VALLEY LECTURE – On Tuesday, April 5^th, 2016 at 7:00 PM

Presenter Gordon Laxer PhD, founding director of the Parkland Institute is author of “After the Sands: Energy and Ecological Security for Canadians”, that Ralph Nader hails as “a myth-destroying blockbuster book.”

It provides a roadmap to end oil and gas exports and ensure that all Canadians get sufficient energy in a carbon-constrained future.

Continue reading →

Talk Is Free And All Are Welcome

An Invite from Sierra Club Niagara’s Climate and Clean Energy Writers Group in Buffalo/Western New York

Posted March 24^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Continue reading →

An Open Letter to Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne from the Ontario Health Coalition and its member groups in Niagara and other regions of the province

Posted March 23^rd, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Dear Premier Wynne,

As presented, the 2016 Ontario Budget contains a plan to have many seniors pay substantially more for prescription drugs, based on their incomes.

In addition, the government is planning to increase the co-payment for filling prescriptions. Under this plan, seniors with incomes over $19,300 for a single person or $32,300 for a couple, will have to pay nearly double the deductible before their drugs are covered.

The concept of the high cost of healthcare.

Deductible costs will increase from $100 to as much as $170. In addition, all seniors, regardless of income, will see their co-payment rise when they go in to get prescriptions filled.

Premier, we are asking you to cancel the fee increases for seniors and uphold the principle of universality for our health care system.  As Ontario pays down its deficit, the fundamental values that underlie our public health care programs should not be abandoned. Continue reading →

“If the government is serious about moving toward a clean energy future, a price on carbon and an end to fossil fuel subsidies must be part of the equation, and soon.”

Posted March 23rd, 2016 on Niagara At Large

The David Suzuki Foundation welcomed this March 22nd’s federal budget as the first in almost a decade that seriously commits funding to climate change and clean energy, habitat conservation and a healthy environment.

“After nearly a decade of federal budgets that pitted the environment against the economy, it is refreshing to see a budget that acknowledges a prosperous Canada depends on healthy ecosystems and a transition to a clean economy,” said David Suzuki Foundation CEO Peter Robinson.

“At the same time, we’re concerned that the level of investment doesn’t match the urgency of the environmental challenges Canada faces.” Continue reading →

“The overall tone of the Crombie report on aggregate resembles that of an industry lobbyist.”

By John Bacher

Posted March 23^rd, 2016 on Niagara At Large

(This is another in a series of pieces s by John Bacher that Niagara At Large will be posting in the days and weeks ahead on  the recently released Crombie panel report and related issues to do with keeping what is left of our natural areas in Niagara and other regions of the province from being paved over.)

One of the clearest way in which provincial planning in Ontario can be made to increase environmental protection is a simple proposal made by the Niagara Escarpment Commission during the provincial four plan review.

This would be to accept its suggestion for a plan amendment, which would prohibit new licenses for aggregate extraction from the Niagara Escarpment Rural Area.

Crombie, in response to the NEC’s proposal to amend their plan, does not offer any specific arguments as to why it is wrong. He simply states on page 155 that, “we do not support the NEC’s recommendations to prohibit aggregate operations in the Niagara Escarpment Plan area.” Continue reading →

From the Office of MP Vance Badawey, representing the federal riding of Niagara Centre in Niagara, Ontario

Posted March 23^rd, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Ottawa, Ontario – The March 22nd, following weeks of consultations across Canada, including three days of consultations in Niagara, Finance Minister Bill Morneau tabled his first budget.

Niagara Centre MP Vance Badawey

The Federal Government is focusing on strengthening the middle class and on long-term investment.  To this end, Morneau has reduced the middle-income tax rate from 22 per cent to 20.5 per cent, thereby cutting taxes for middle-class Canadians on average $330 per year.

“This is part of our plan to help families,” said Badawey upon hearing Morneau’s speech in the House of Commons.  Badawey added that, “In addition, the Government is introducing the Canada Child Benefit that will provide families with a benefit of up to $6,400 per child under the age of 6, and up to $5,400 per child aged 6 through 17.”  Continue reading →

“The Liberals are spending in the right places, but the amounts aren’t up to the task.”

An Brief Analysis of the Federal Budget from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, a not-for-profit think tank based in the nation’s capital.

Posted March 23^rd, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Ottawa, Ontario, Canada —This past Tuesday, March 22^nd’s federal budget delivers on poverty reduction, makes important steps towards reducing inequality, and addresses decades of underfunding and neglect on reserves.

However, delaying infrastructure and social program investments will not solve the problems of slow growth and high unemployment.

“This budget provides something that’s been missing for a long time: a real response to poverty and inequality,” says CCPA Senior Economist David Macdonald. “Changes to the Canada Child Benefit and Guaranteed Income Supplement will have a big impact on reducing poverty for children and seniors.”

There are many welcome investments in the March 22^nd budget but CCPA economists say more spending is needed to boost Canada’s faltering economy. Continue reading →

Posted March 22nd, 2016 on Niagara At Large

(A Brief Foreword Note from NAL publisher Doug Draper – Love him or hate him, Rob Ford became towering force – as colorful as he was , colourful, shocking and controversial – in municipal politics and a household name  across Canada and in many other regions of the world during his turbulent term as mayor of one of North America’s largest cities. I couldn’t phone or visit a friend in New Jersey, Massachusetts, Florida or Maryland without being asked within the first minute or two of our conversation – ‘So what’s up with Rob Ford?’ as if he was the wild guy next door.

Former Toronto mayor Rob Ford

Here, for the record, for NAL’s readers in this region for those who follow this site from other regions in Canada and the United States, is a brief statement from Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne, who was one of many targets of Rob Ford’s political attacks, following news of his death from this March 22nd, 2016 at age 46)

Premier Kathleen Wynne released the following statement regarding the passing of Rob Ford:

“It was with deep sadness that I learned that former Toronto mayor Rob Ford has passed away. Continue reading →

Final Regulation Will Support Public Safety And Protect Human Rights

News from the Government of Ontario

Posted March 22^nd, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Queen’s Park, Toronto – Ontario is building safer communities and protecting individual rights by banning the arbitrary and race-based collection of identifying information by police, referred to as carding or street checks.

The regulation prohibiting carding also sets out, for the first time in Ontario’s history, clear and consistent rules for a range of voluntary police-public interactions where police are seeking to collect identifying information. These rules will ensure that those interactions are conducted without bias or discrimination, and done in a manner that promotes public confidence and keeps Ontario communities safe. It also establishes new training, data management, reporting, and other requirements to strengthen accountability.

Continue reading →

Posted March 22^nd, 2016 on Niagara At Large for the information of our NAL subscribers and the many others who visit our news and commentary site

The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today (this March 22^nd, 2016) issued the following statement after learning of a number of terrorist attacks in Brussels, Belgium:

“I am outraged and deeply saddened by the news that so many have been killed and injured in terrorist attacks targeting the people of Brussels, Belgium.

“Sophie and I join all Canadians in extending our deepest condolences to the families and friends of those killed. We also hope for a fast recovery to all those who have been injured.

“Canada stands by Belgium in this difficult time and has offered all possible assistance. We will continue to work closely with our allies and the international community to help fight and prevent terrorism here and abroad, and to bring to justice those who are responsible for planning and carrying out these senseless acts.

“Canadians mourn the loss of so many innocent victims. Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Belgium.

“Canadian citizens in Brussels requiring emergency consular assistance should contact the Embassy of Canada in Brussels at 32 (2) 741-0611 or call Global Affairs Canada’s 24/7 Emergency Watch and Response Centre collect at +1 613 996 8885 or at +1 800 387 3124. An email can also be sent to  sos@international.gc.ca .

“Friends and relatives in Canada of Canadian citizens known to be in the area can contact Global Affairs Canada’s 24/7 Emergency Watch and Response Centre by calling 613-996-8885 or 1-800-387-3124, or by sending an email to  sos@international.gc.ca .”

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 Doug Draper

Posted March 22^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – As public concern grows over what the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority is up to with its recent fetish over something called “biodiversity off-setting,” to play around with what’s left of the region’s wetlands, I posted a piece late this February urging Niagara At Large readers to take their concerns directly to the NPCA’s board of directors.

In this age of fear and loathing and online, where many say they feel a reluctance to use the internet to express their views on hot topics, at least some of you took advantage of a list we posted here of board members’ names and email addresses, to express your concerns over this thing being packaged by the NPCA and provincial government as “biodiversity off-setting.”

One person who did was Niagara, Ontario residents Sheila Krekorian and Joe Skura, who received responses from only two of the NPCA’s .14 board members – the board’s chair Bruce Timms, who is also a Niagara regional councillor for the City of St. Catharines, and Brian Baty, who is a regional councillor for the Town of Pelham. Continue reading →

“As New Yorkers who have contributed to and benefited from the economic vibrancy of our state, we have both the ability and the responsibility to pay our fair share.”

A Brief Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted March 21^st, 2016 on Niagara At Large

The late New York hotel tycoon and millionaire Leona Hemsley once infamously said; “Only the little people (meaning most of the rest of us) pay taxes.”

Well much to surprise, apparently not all the millionaires in the great Empire State across the Canada/U.S. border feel it should stay that way.

One can only imagine the mixture of shock and delight on New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s face earlier this March when he received the following letter from more than 40 millionaires in his state, among them members of the diamond-studded Rockefeller and Disney families.

It is a letter that I’m sure would be received by millionaires and billionaires in most other regions of the United States, and by their counterparts across the border here in Ontario and the rest of Canada as a betrayal of one of golden rules of the 1 per cent club – that individuals in those upper stratapheres of wealth never give a cent in paying more taxes, to the extent they pay taxes at all. Continue reading →

By John Bacher

Posted March 17^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

(This is another in a series of pieces s by John Bacher that Niagara At Large will be posting in the days and weeks ahead on  the recently released Crombie panel report and related issues to do with keeping what is left of our natural areas in Niagara and other regions of the province from being paved over.)

One of the disturbing features of the Crombie advisory panel’s recent report to the Ontario government is that it suggests a more general application of the idea of “Bio-diversity Offsetting” – currently being touted in the province’s Wetland Policy Review.

This brings about the prospect that Ontario’s Growth Plan, the Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan, the Niagara Escarpment Plan, and the Greenbelt Plan, could all have new provisions in them for conducting bio-diversity offsetting as a way to move natural wetlands out of the path of sprawling development..

In the Crombie panel’s review of the above four plans, unlike a Wetland Review, where the idea was clearly put forward for public discussion by the province’s Ministry of Natural Resources, bio-diversity offsetting comes out of the blue in the Crombie report.

Continue reading →

“Currently, there is a plan to close five entire community hospitals in the Niagara region.”

News from the Ontario Health Care Coalition and its Chapter Group in Niagara

Posted March 21^st on Niagara At Large

Toronto, Ontario – At a press conference today at Queen’s Park, patients and concerned citizens from Welland issued an urgent plea to Ontario’s Minister of Health to overturn the decision to close the Welland Hospital, telling him that more than 100,000 people served by the Welland Hospital will suffer worse access to vital health services if the Welland Hospital is closed.

The group has been working tirelessly to save the Welland hospital from closure and has collected more than 14,000 signatures on a petition that will be presented this afternoon in the Legislature, by Cindy Forster, Member of Provincial Parliament for Welland.

Currently, there is a plan to close five entire community hospitals in the Niagara region, including the Welland Hospital. The closure of a hospital serving 100,000 people is almost unheard of in Canada. All patients would be forced to travel to other communities for acute care, inpatient services and emergency department services. Continue reading →

A Call-Out from Niagara Action for Animals

Posted March 20, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – Volunteers from Niagara Action For Animals (NAFA) recently rescued 5 cats from horrible living conditions.

None of the cats in this household were spayed/ neutered and they were all suffering with skin infections from flea infestation, poor nutrition and broken teeth; at least one will require further dental surgery.

The cats have been fixed and treated by one of our veterinarians and they are almost ready for adoption. A couple of the cats require more socialization as they are still very shy with their human friends.

At this time, we are looking for some special persons who have a spare room and time to foster and socialize one or more of these cats to help prepare them for adoption (food/ litter and supplies can be provided)

If you can help these cats by fostering please fill out our foster care application here: http://goo.gl/forms/1nE2DMgIK6

or – NAfA Foster Care Application

For more information on the not-for-profit, volunteer group Niagara Action For Animals and its animal advocacy work click on – http://www.niagaraactionforanimals.org/ .

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 Report by Brent Patterson, Council of Canadians

Posted March 20th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Ottawa, Ontario, Canada – The Council of Canadians is calling for a $7.4 billion expenditure on water in this year’s federal budget plus the creation of a new ministry.

Radio Canada International (RCI) reports, “March 22 is World Water Day.

It is also budget day in Canada and the Council of Canadians is calling on the government to budget $7.4 billion to expand the protection of water.

The citizens’ group wants the new prime minister to name a cabinet minister responsible for water. Water issues are currently overseen by 20 different departments.” Continue reading →

There Should Be A Ban On All Amusement Parks That Imprison & Exploit Marine Mammals Cheap

A Brief Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted March 18^{th, 2016} on Niagara At Large

This March 17^th, a number of major media outlets in Canada and the United States reported a decision by SeaWorld to finally place a ban on breeding captive orcas (popularly known as killer whales) and on making them perform tricks for its park visitors as if it was a major victory in the ongoing war against animal abuse.

Animal advocates protest in front of Marineland amusement park in Niagara Falls, Ontario. File photo by Doug Draper

It is not.

As Julie Woodyer of ZooCheck Canada, an organization that has worked with other animal advocacy groups for decades to end the abuse of these magnificent animals, told me in a phone conversation about the SeaWorld ban this March 17^th, orcas are not the only marine mammals parks like SeaWorld and Marineland in Niagara Falls, Ontario are exploiting. Continue reading →

A Call-Out from the Buffalo For Bernie Sanders Campaign In Buffalo, New York

Posted March 18^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Friends,

We are at the halfway point in the Democratic primaries and Bernie Sanders is doing better than the naysayers and critics predicted.

He’s won 9 primaries, come very close in a few others, tied in Iowa, and came so close in Missouri that a recount is underway.  All this was done without relying on corporate donors, a multi-million dollar SuperPAC, orsignificant support from the DNC.

We built support for Bernie Sanders even with a relative media blackout of his candidacy.

******New voters have until march 25th to register as Democrats to support Bernie Sanders in the NY primary.****

No one said a political revolution would be easy, and we need you now more than ever.  We need people ready to make phone calls, canvass, register voters, and to improve our organization on the ground. Continue reading →

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

Posted March 17^th, 2016

This Thursday, March 17^th, an 81-year-old, terminally ill Ontario man, reportedly racked with unbearable pain from the cancer occupying his body, was finally granted his wish by a Toronto Superior Court judge to “die with dignity” with the assistance of a doctor.

The judge’s decision has come almost a year after the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that the current nation-wide ban on doctor-assisted death is unconstitutional and gave the federal government a year to table legislation replacing that ban.

With the tabling of new legislation now only weeks away, a national debate over the legality and morality of granting individuals the right to die with the assistance of a physician continues to intensify. Continue reading →

 Green Investment Fund Supporting Shift To A Low-Carbon Economy

News from the Government of Ontario

Posted March 17^th on Niagara At Large

Queen’s Park, Toronto – Ontario continues to put its new Climate Change Strategy into action by investing $13 million in two initiatives to help Indigenous communities address climate change and support economic growth.

The province is providing $5 million from the Green Investment Fund to the Ontario Centre for Climate Impacts and Adaptation Resources, in partnership with the Ontario First Nations Technical Services Corporation. This investment will help provide Indigenous communities with training, tools and infrastructure to address climate change by:

• Developing climate change adaptation plans.
• Building technical capacity so Indigenous communities are able to take advantage of economic opportunities from Ontario’s proposed cap and trade program.
• Creating a Northern Ontario climate change impact study using data from the adaptation plans.

Ontario is also committing $8 million to develop advanced microgrid solutions in First Nations communities. These microgrid projects will support economic growth by reducing reliance on diesel fuel and enabling stable, predictable sources of power. Continue reading →

Survey on Privatization of Public Health Care and its Impact on Patients

From the Ontario Health Coalition, a citizens’ health care advocacy group

Posted March 17^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Toronto, Ontario – This survey is being conducted by the Ontario Health Coalition, a public interest group dedicated to protecting and improving public health care.

The survey takes most people less than 5 minutes to complete and almost everyone finishes within 10 minutes.

You can do the survey by printing the attached file, filling it in and sending it back to the Ontario Health Coalition by May 31, 2016. Continue reading →

From the Office of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario

Posted March 17^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Queen’s Park, Ontario – The Ontario PC Critic for Seniors and Long-Term Care, Bill Walker, says he is appalled by the province’s Liberal Government’s proposal to reduce access to seniors’ drugs, contained in the 2016 Budget.

This March 17^th, 2016, he called on the Wynne Liberals to halt proposed changes to seniors’ drug benefits.

“It’s a well-known fact that most seniors live in medically underserviced and rural areas and that they live on a fixed income. As such, we have to ensure they have affordable access to medical drugs,” MPP Walker said. Continue reading →

A Call-Out from Niagara Action For Animals in Niagara, Ontario

Posted March 17^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Dear Friends of Animals

From your arm chairs you can help support a new Bill C-246 – introduced by Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, the federal Liberal MP for the Toronto area riding of Beaches-East York – by going to the link below and signing the petition.

At the bottom of the petition, there is also a link you can follow with suggestions on writing a letter to your own Federal Member of Parliament.

The Modernizing Animal Protections Act would make common sense improvements to the animal cruelty section of the Criminal Code. Continue reading →

“Niagara Ride Share is a perfect alternative for those who are looking to get to and from employment, school or healthcare in an environmentally-friendly way.”

News from the Bridges Community Health Centre in Niagara, Ontario

March 16^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – Thanks to funding from the Niagara Prosperity Initiative, and the support of Bridges Community Health Centre and the Town of Fort Erie, an important part of the transportation solution for Niagara makes its’ official launch this third week of March, 2016.

Niagara Ride Share, a free web-based ride matching service virtually connects people living in the same neighbourhood so they can share the ride to work, school or even regular meetings. It doesn’t exclude one off rides either.

“There’s no question that we need different modes of transportation services to solve Niagara’s transportation crisis,” says Taralea McLean, Executive Director at Bridges Community Health Centre. “We think Ride Share will make a significant difference in people’s lives and offset some of the costs or challenges of getting people where they need to be.” Continue reading →

By John Bacher

Posted March 16^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

(This is the first of a series of pieces s by John Bacher that Niagara At Large will be posting in the days and weeks ahead on  the recently released Crombie panel report and related issues to do with keeping what is left of our natural areas in Niagara and other regions of the province from being paved over.)

One of the most effective strengths of the 2005 Greenbelt Plan and Act responsible for its creation was the good impact they had on protecting the Niagara Escarpment from urban sprawl.

One of many signs in the Niagara, Ontario area, welcoming people to the Escarpment area as a designated ‘World Biosphere Reserve

 In the preceding years, it had become apparent that the biggest glitch in the otherwise strong 1985 Niagara Escarpment Plan (NEP) was the relative ease with which urban expansions were allowed to take place – even when made the focus of complicated battles before the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB).

The largest urban expansion was a massive one involving over a thousand acres in the City of Milton.  A smaller expansion impacted  fruit land in St. David’s in Niagara-on-the-Lake through a subdivision known as Bevan Heights.  Continue reading →

Canada’s Government Must Address Emerging Crisis Affecting Millennial Generation

From Niki Ashton and Canada’s New Democratic Party

Posted March 16^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

(A Brief Foreword Note from Niagara At Large publisher Doug Draper – I hardly know anything about Niki Ashton at all, but two thumbs up for this Federal Parliamentarian from the Province of Manitoba for paying some real attention to the challenges faced by young people, rather than just those faced by seniors or whatever is left of “the middle class” so many politicians on both sides of the Canada/U.S. border pay so much lip-service to.)

Ottawa, Ontario, Canada – New Democrats are launching a campaign to address the rising challenge of precarious work among millennials, which leaves many young Canadians with little job security, no benefits, and no ability to plan for the future. 

“The rise of precarious employment is driving growing inequality and threatens the future of an entire generation,” said Niki Ashton (Churchill – Keewatinook Aski) NDP Critic for Jobs, Employment and Workforce Development. “The government can no longer ignore the challenges facing millions of young Canadians who lack job security and basic benefits.” Continue reading →

 Same Canadian Corporation Is Challenging U.S. Government’s Rejection Of Controversial Keystone XL Tar Sands Pipeline

A Report by Brent Patterson, Council of Canadians

Posted March 16, 2016 on Niagara At Large

A number of Canadian companies – including TransCanada, BMO Financial, Cenovus, Resolute Forest Products and Suncor – are helping to finance a legal action to block US President Barack Obama’s Clean Power Plan, according to a report by Vancouver-based Shareholder Association for Research and Education (SHARE).

U.S. President at a solar power facility last year, making a pitch for his Clean Power Plan

The legal action against the US government is being led by the US Chamber of Commerce.

The National Observer reports, “In 2009, Apple, and some other large companies pulled out of the U.S. Chamber, expressing frustration with the lobby group’s efforts to block action to tackle greenhouse gas pollution.

But the [SHARE] report identified more than a dozen Canadian companies that are still part of the trade associations supporting legal action launched by the U.S. Chamber against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s plan to crack down on greenhouse gas emissions from power plants.” Continue reading →

“What we don’t have time for is all that petty, punk ass, little thuggery stuff that’s been goin’ on with these quote-unquote protesters who are doin’ nothin’ but wastin’ your time.” – American Tea Party darling and former Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin.

A Brief Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted March 15^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

I once took great issue with Evangelical Christians calling Darwin’s Theory of Evolution a bunch of unholy bunk that shouldn’t be taught to young people in our schools.

But maybe they’re right. When you look at what is happening with the Republicans these days in the U.S presidential race, I’m beginning to believe that a stronger case could be made for devolution, if not total fossilization.

How else do you go from George Washington and Thomas Jefferson to Abe Lincoln, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, then onward and downward through Richard Nixon and George W. Bush, and finally to this recent spectacle of Tea Party goddess Sarah Palin stumping for billionaire, reality TV celebrity and Republic presidential frontrunner Donald Trump? All while being cheered on by tthrongs of what Trump is fond of calling the “under-educated.”

Click on the following and you will see what I mean –

.

Finally, here are the two Republican/Tea Party darlings featured on the front page of the January 20th, 2016 issue of the New York Daily News. Never mind God Bless America. God Help Us All!

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.

“This change … could force many seniors to choose between their groceries and their good health.”

News from the Office of Welland, Ontario Riding MPP Cindy Forster

Posted March 15^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

St.Catharines, Ontario – After meeting with seniors from CARP’s Niagara chapter this March 15th , Cindy Forster, MPP for Welland, demanded the Wynne government stop its proposed increase to the cost of prescription drugs for seniors, included in the recently released 2016 provincial budget.

Cindy Forster, Provincial Representative for the Niagara, Ontario riding of Welland

 “Since the Ontario budget came out we have been hearing from seniors here in St.Catharines and across Ontario, who are worried about how they’ll pay for prescription drugs this summer,” Forster said. 

The budget says that, starting on August 1st, the Liberals will nearly double the cost of prescription drugs for most seniors, with no consultation and no warning.  One in three Ontario Seniors require 10 or more prescriptions to stay healthy, independent, and out of hospital.

Recently Premier Wynne said she needs until the end of the month to “consult” on whether to raise the income threshold.                 Continue reading →

“Brock has been receptive to, and mindful of, all concerns raised about how we have responded to this issue.”

News from Brock University

Posted March 15^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – Public demonstrations like the one that took place at Brock University (in the Niagara, Ontario community of St. Catharines this March 15^th) help raise awareness of the need for more effective ways of helping survivors of sexual harassment and violence.

The Brock Tower looming over the university’s St. Catharines, Ontario campus.

Universities are no more immune to these types of incidents than any other workplace in Canada, however unlike most workplaces, Brock was one of the first universities in Canada to have formal procedures dealing with sexual violence.

Earlier this month, Brock administrators took action against an employee after a former student came forward with a complaint about sexual harassment. The complaint led to an independent investigation, the results of which were presented to the University in January. As a result, the employee is not assigned to a class and is not on campus. Continue reading →

“They have the money but we have the people. … This is your movement.” – U.S. Senator & Presidential Hopeful Bernie Sanders

Posted March 14^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

A Brief Foreword by NAL publisher Doug Draper

On the editorial page of this March 14^th’s Globe and Mail – that’s Canada’s equivalent to The New York Times for our American readers and neighbours who may not know – is a cartoon showing Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and U.S. President Barack Obama walking in the sunlight on the White House lawn.

In the background, the cartoon depicts dark storm clouds rolling in with the faces of Donald Trump, Ted Cruz and other presidential candidates etched into the clouds, along with a caption that reads; “but tomorrow is another day.”

Also etched into those clouds is the face of Bernie Sanders – one candidate I don’t believe belongs there – but Trump and Cruz (the two now most likely to win the Republican nomination) certainly do.

If Trump or Cruz or anyone else who shares their extremist, right-wing views becomes the next occupant of the White House, Americans, Canadians and others around the world who share a vision for peace, tolerance and a carbon-free, more fair and prosperous future for everyda people may have to kiss that vision goodbye.

Forget about fighting climate change and start building the Keystone pipe, and uncork more champagne for the wealthiest one per cent! Continue reading →

2016 Shipping Season to Open Two Weeks Earlier — And Ice Free

News from the St.  Lawrence Seaway Authority

Niagara, Ontario – Terence Bowles, CEO of The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation, will kick off the St. Lawrence Seaway’s 58^th navigation season with his outlook for the year at an Official Opening Ceremony in St. Catharines, Ontario on Monday, March 21^st, 2016.

Open season for the Seaway system and Welland Canal in Niagara, Ontario.

Allister Paterson, President of Canada Steamship Lines, whose state-of-the-art Trillium-class vessel the Thunder Bay will be the first ship of the season, will serve as the keynote speaker.

Other speakers include Francois Allard, Director Marine Distribution for K + S Windsor Salt Ltd., whose salt is this first cargo and who will be discussing the importance of the Seaway, and Betty Sutton, Administrator of the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation (United States). Continue reading →

Urge Prime Minister Trudeau & His Cabinet To Close The Stephen Harper Loopholes That Cost Canada More Than $200 Billion A Year In Lost Revenue For Health Care, Infrastructure, Post Secondary Education And Other Necessary Services!

A Call-Out from Niagara At Large publisher Doug Draper

Posted March 13^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

An independent, cross-Canada advocacy organization called Leadnow has posted an online petition that Niagara At Large is reposting here for your consideration.

The petition calls on the new Liberal government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to plug the Harper era loopholes that allow Canada’s richest individuals and corporations to avoid paying taxes in this country, and Niagara At Large is joining Leadnow in urging all Canadians to sign it before the government tables its first budget this coming March 22^nd.

Niagara At Large also urges you to send your own email message to the federal government and the Member of Parliament in your riding (whose name you can Google for countact information) and let them know that the richest among us should be made to pay their fair share into keeping Canada a great country for everyone who lives here. Continue reading →

“We will not allow the Donald Trumps of the world to divide us up.”

A Message from U.S. Presidential Candidate Bernie Sanders & ‘from the Buffalo for Bernie Sanders’ Campaign Office

Posted March 13^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

U.S. Senator and presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders

Friends,

“We do things a little different in this campaign: We bring people together. No, we are not gonna hate Mexicans. We are not gonna hate Muslims. We are not gonna insult women. We are not gonna insult veterans. We’re not gonna insult African-Americans.

Continue reading →

The Following Letter Was Sent To Two Federal Cabinet Ministers by Niagara, Ontario citizen Gary King and is being posted in Niagara At Large with his permission.

Every Canadian citizen who pay their fair share (and sometimes more than their fair share) of taxes in this country while some of the wealthiest among us fly out tens of billions of dollars each year to tax havens in other regions of the world, should read this letter and continue sending one of their own to our political leaders.

Now here is Gary King’s great letter.

Dear Minister of Finance Bill Morneau and Minister of Revenue Diane Lebouthillier, 

I’m writing to urge you to follow through on your promise to do more to combat international tax evasion and reform the Canada Revenue Agency in the upcoming budget. 

Some months ago the Canadian public learned that KPMG, a massive multinational accounting firm, intentionally organized a “sham” tax scheme to help millionaires dodge taxes with offshore accounts.

Continue reading →

“I find this situation to be particularly upsetting. After these dogs have suffered at the hands of humans – there are those who feel the only humane decision is to put them to death.”

An Open Letter, Dated March 11^th, 2016, from Niagara Falls MPP Wayne Gates

To The Honourable Yasir Naqvi, Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services

RE: Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (OSPCA) Decision to Euthanize Dogs

One of the more than 30 dogs awaiting their fate. Niagara Falls, Ontario MPP Wayne Gates Is calling on the provincial government to spare them.

Dear Minister Naqvi,

I am writing to you regarding the recent decision by the OSPCA to euthanize 21 dogs rescued from an alleged dog fighting ring in Tilbury.

Several of my constituents have brought this important issue to my attention noting that there may be another viable solution to housing the dogs and ensuring they live a happy and productive life.

Continue reading →

“Brock understands that sexual harassment is a serious issue (and) was one of the first universities in Canada to have protocols confronting sexual violence.”

News from Brock University in St. Catharines, Ontario

Posted March 11^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – A news report this March 11th on the CBC about a sexual harassment case at Brock University contains some outdated information. The University has in fact addressed the issue in a serious manner. The employee is not assigned to a class and is not on campus.

A main entrance to Brock University in the Niagara, Ontario community of St. Catharines.

The University sincerely regrets the emotional trauma this incident has caused to the complainant, and Brock staff were supportive and responsive as soon as they learned of the complaint. University President Jack Lightstone has spoken directly with the complainant.

The incident in question occurred in the Fall of 2014. Eleven months later, the complainant notified University officials and requested an investigation through the University’s Respectful Work and Learning Environment Policy (RWLEP). Continue reading →

“Seniors, families, business all got dinged. Name one person that isn’t paying more.”

A Commentary from the Office of Ontario Conservative Opposition Leader Patrick Brown

Posted March 10^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

Queen’s Park, Toronto – Leader of the Official Opposition Patrick Brown used Question Period today to highlight some ways the Wynne Liberals Budget 2016 makes life more expensive for average Ontario families and seniors.

Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne won’t raise income taxes, which are progressive, but keeps slamming us with higher and higher user fees, which hit lower income people hardest.

“This budget increases virtually every other government service fee, and at the same time it cuts popular middle class tax credits for education and active children,” said Leader Patrick Brown. “Life is just that much more expensive for the average family.”

Ontario families are already burdened with skyrocketing costs of living, including among the highest electricity prices in North America. Rather than making life more affordable for Ontarians, the Liberals are hiking fees and slashing important tax credits to pay for years of scandal, mismanagement and waste. Continue reading →

A Message  from the Ontario Clean Air Alliance, a citizens’ coalition in the province

Posted March 10^th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

This March 10^th, Ontario’s Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) announced that it has signed five contracts with private sector companies for wind power at costs ranging from 6.45 to 10.55 cents per kWh.

According to Ontario Power Generation (OPG), the cost of electricity from a re-built Darlington Nuclear Station will be 7 to 8 cents per kWh.

However, every nuclear project in Ontario’s history has gone massively over budget – on average by 2.5 times. If history repeats itself, the cost of electricity from re-built Darlington reactors will be 15 cents per kWh .

That would make even solar power acquired through the new Large Renewable Procurement (LRP) process competitive with nuclear. Continue reading →