Niagara At Large

A Foreword by Doug Draper

 One of the very best and most active advocates for our precious waterways in the greater Niagara region is Buffalo Niagara Riverkeepers – a not-for-profit group of citizens that was presented a certificate of recognition by the Canada/U.S. International Joint Commission three years ago for its many years of preservation and restoration efforts. 

This group is once again inviting members of the public to join it on free tours of area waterways as one more opportunity for those of us to live in the region to learn more about a part of our natural environment that is so vital to our lives.

Niagara At Large is therefore pleased to post the following information from Buffalo Niagara Riverkeepers on the tours planned for this year. 

Buffalo Niagara RIVERKEEPER – Media Release

Join Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper on Western New York waterways to learn about nature, while enjoying some great paddling and hiking! We have tours for experienced and beginners, family-friendly events, a diversity of locations all over Western New York, and some fun creative themes you won’t want to miss.

A Riverkeepers’sponsored waterways tour.

 Some paddles are interpretive with educational themes and some are leisurely to just get out on the water!   

For a complete listing of tours and to register, please visit bnriverkeeper.org. For more information, please contact Elizabeth Lamont at elamont@bnriverkeeper.org org 716.852.RIVER (7483) ext. 19. Continue reading →

Honour Uggie By Adopting A Great Animal Friend

A Short Note from Doug Draper 

As you who’ve been following Niagara At Large for the past couple of years may know, we have a very soft spot in our hearts for our animal friends here.

Uggie at least made the red carpet this past year for his stellar performance in ‘The Artist’.

So this time, let’s give two thumbs up and all the applause we’ve ever heard mustered in a theatre for Uggie, the incredible canine co-star of this past year’s Academy Award-winning film, ‘The Artist’ 

In my books, and as someone who was swept away with the magic of this wonderful film in a theatre this past winter in Buffalo, New York, this remarkable pooch should have been nominated for an Academy Award himself – not that the Academy yet has the humanity to  create a category for animal actors.

But the main thing to remember about Uggie, who is now retiring from the movie business, but not before the Jack Russell terrier was the first canine or any other animal to have his paw prints immortalized this June on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, is that he was adopted. That is right. He was adopted from a pound and possibly saved from being “put down,” as they say, in one of those places. Continue reading →

(Niagara At Large is posting the following information from the blog of Kevin Smith, the provincially appointed supervisor of the Niagara Health System, for our readers’  information. The relationship between the former NHS board, responsible for key decision making around hospital services in Niagara, Ontario, and many members of the public was acrimonious to say the least.

It will be very interesting to see who among our region’s citizens are chosen to sit on the new board and whether any of them are individuals who sat on previous NHS boards over the past decade.) 

News from the Blog of NHS Supervisor Kevin Smith

Posted Monday, June 25, 2012 in Dr. Kevin Smith’s Blog

An important part of my job as NHS Supervisor is to rebuild the Board of Directors for Niagara Health System.

NHS Supervisor Kevin Smith. File photo by Doug Draper

As I noted in my Interim Report, I feel strongly that the communities of Niagara Region are best served by a single Board for their hospitals. I have made it clear that I believe this Board needs to seek community input to be successful, and must work to ensure there is transparency in the way the Board is selected. A key step toward reinforcing our culture of transparency and enhanced community input is the establishment of a Community Based Nominating Committee  for the Board. Continue reading →

By Doug Draper

Niagara, Ontario’s economy – battered for years by the loss of manufacturing jobs – received a much-needed boost this June 26.

For the second time this month, Niagara has learned it will be a site for a plant producing parts for wind turbines – announcements that set this region on a path to becoming a hub for green energy production.

TSP CEO Chris Xie announce’s company’s first Canadian manufacturing plant in Niagara, Ontario.

The first announcement was for 50 new jobs and a $5-million investment by a German-based company called ENERCON to produce electrical parts for wind turbines at a plant it is setting up in the Niagara municipality of Lincoln. This time it is a China-based company called Shanghai Taisheng Wind Power or TSP for short, investing $25 million to create 150 jobs, and ultimately 250 or more, at the former Hayes Dana auto parts plant in the Niagara municipality of Thorold to produce the giant towers for wind turbines.

“This is a great way to start summer,” said Niagara Falls MPP Kim Craitor, an Ontario Liberal government member who spoke on behalf of Premier Dalton McGuinty at the June 26 announcement for the new TSP plant.  “You have confirmed this government’s belief (that wind and solar power can lead to new jobs and prosperity for the province) when it created the Green Energy Act,” he told TSP’s chief executive officer, Chris Xie, who had just received the applause of dozens of local officials for making the announcement. Continue reading →

“Ontario’s Great Lakes Mayors are delighted to renew this important partnership with the Province of Ontario to ensure that our governments collaborate on the protection and restoration of the Great Lakes.” – St. Catharines, Ontario Mayor Brian McMullan and chair of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative.

A Submission to Niagara At Large from the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative 

St. Catharines, Ontario– This June 24, Ontario Environment Minister Jim Bradley and St. Catharines Mayor Brian McMullan, chair of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative, signed a renewed Memorandum of Cooperation on the Great Lakes (Great Lakes MOC) between the Province and cities. 

Our Great Lakes – the most abundant, and yet a fragile resource of freshwater in the world, and one we should be protecting for the health of present and future generations here. An image from the Canadian film documentary Waterlife.

“I am pleased to renew this commitment with Ontario’s Great Lakes municipalities as the province moves ahead with further protection for the Great Lakes. Our shorelines and beaches are vital to Ontario’s economy and underpin our quality of life. Our continued collaboration will help ensure our lakes remain healthy for the benefit of all.” Continue reading →

By Imogen Reed

The Leveson Inquiry in London, England has opened the doors onto the murky world of the political influence wielded by Rupert Murdoch and his global media conglomerate News Corporation.

Corporate Media kingpin Rupert Murdoch has wielded enough power to have elected governments in England and North America kneeling at his feet.

Over a period of decades, Rupert Murdoch appears to have used different strategies to penetrate new markets and expand audience share. These strategies have included political brokering, leveraging public opinion, stretching the boundaries of media content, and diversifying and adapting media holdings in the face of technological and regulatory changes. Continue reading →

 A Note from Niagara At Large publisher Doug Draper

I almost can’t stand to hear the sound of their names any more. It is largely their fault that I made one of the dumbest decisions of my life – to get in to journalism.

Watergate investigative reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein during their investigative days at the Washington Post

It was because of the heroics of Woodward and Bernstein, and the all-too-rare support they received from a managing editor at the Washington Post named Ben Bradley, that the newspaper had the guts to produce reporting that ultimately brought down a president of the United States for acts that violated much of what a free democracy in a country like the U.S. or Canada is supposed to be about. Continue reading →

A Commentary by Doug Draper 

Well, the mayor of Niagara, Falls sure was right!

Jim Diodati, who was a booster of Nik Wallenda’s dream to walk a high wire across the Falls when the Niagara Parks Commission and provincial government were still saying ‘no way’ to it, promised in the days leading up to the June 15 extravaganza that it was “going to be exciting, historic (and) the biggest event in the world.”

Nik Wallenda, to the right, in a media scrum that you would likely not see in Niagara if they found deadly concentrations of dioxon in the Niagara River. Photo by Doug Draper

A drive along the Niagara Parkway the day before the walk certainly gave every reason to believe that was going to be true. Satellite trucks for more than 80 accredited media organizations, including ABC television, which had purchased exclusive rights to air the event live, and a Chinese broadcast network boasting more than a billion viewers, were parked for hundreds of metres along the parkway. Inside Niagara Parks’ Table Rock Welcome Centre, near the brink of the Horseshow Falls, the man of the moment was surrounded by swarms of reporters for another in a series of media briefings where the inevitable, no-brainer question was pitched to him for the umpteenth time – ‘Are you getting nervous?’ Continue reading →

”Commemorating the Bicentennial of the War of 1812, a war two hundred years ago, well beyond living memory, is critically important. … It shaped our past, shaped our past, our world and continues to shape our future.” 

By John Armstrong 

(A Foreword from Niagara At Large – This post features the full text of an address delivered by John Armstrong, Chair of Niagara, Ontario’s War of 1812 Legacy Council, at opening ceremonies for Bicentennial Commemorations for the War of 1812 at Queenston Heights on Saturday, June 16. His brief account of discovering family roots stretching back to one of that war’s defining battles at Queenston Heights, 200 years ago this coming October, touched a chord with many who gathered for these ceremonies. Niagara At Large is pleased to have received permission from John Armstrong to post his address here.)

 Thank you Brian.  Excellency, Ministers, Lord Mayor, Chair Burroughs, ladies and gentlemen.

I am descendent of 1st. Lieut. George King of the1st Flank Company, Second Regiment of the York Militia.

John Armstrong delivering his address at Queenston Heights opening ceremonies this June 16. Photo by Denis Cahill.

We were farmers from East Flamborough, (and) for those who don’t know, that is at the head of Lake Ontario in what is now Burlington (Ontario). 

Lieut. King joined the York Militia on May 9, 1811 and he died December 1812 after seeing action at the Battle of Queenston Heights in October of 1812.

It’s unclear if he died of illness, or from wounds received in that Battle. It is unclear if he died at home with his wife Barbara and his two sons, or if he died somewhere near Fort Erie. I have read both. Continue reading →

A Submission from the Niagara Parks Commission

(Niagara At Large is posting this release from the Niagara Parks Commission, the provincial body responsible for protecting and preserving lands along the Canadian shores of the Niagara River, from Fort Erie, through Niagara Falls to Niagara-on-the-Lake. The release speaks to the appointment of John Lohuis as the NPC’s new general manager. He replaces Fay Booker, who held the position until March of 2012.) 

NIAGARA FALLS, ONTARIO, June 22  – John Lohuis, former Director of Recreation and Parks for the City of Mississauga, has been appointed General Manager of the Niagara Parks Commission, Chair Janice Thomson announced today.

The Niagara Parks Commission’s new general manager John Lohuis

“John’s strong background in all areas of Parks management and development is an excellent fit for the NPC and his proven, disciplined approach to meeting customer needs within a structured budget will help achieve the organization’s goals,” Thomson said. 

As General Manager of the Niagara Parks Commission, Lohuis will work with the Commission to provide leadership and strategic business direction that maintains profitable growth, inspires and engages management and staff in pursuit of Commission goals, and builds effective relationships with employees, community and business. Continue reading →

By Doug Draper

At what he called a “town hall meeting” in Niagara Falls, Ontario this June 21, Tim Hudak finally got around to doing what many of his supporters and would-be supporters wish he had done in the weeks leading up to last October’s provincial election – spend less time bashing the province’s premier and more time talking about what he would do if he were premier.

Ontario Conservative leader Tim Hudak fields questions from a local labour representative at a ‘town hall’ meeting in Niagara Falls. Photo by Doug Draper

“I did a really good job last time of telling you what was wrong with Dalton McGuinty,” said the Ontario Conservative leader to a mixed crown of municipal, business and labour residents attending the meeting. I didn’t do a very good job of telling you what is right about our (party’s) plan.”

It was a mistake at least some political pundits believe may have been responsible for Hudak losing his early lead in last fall’s election, one the leader seems to have learned from as he spent more than an hour at the June 21 meeting talking about what a government led by him would do to boost Ontario’s economy and create more jobs. Continue reading →

A Release from the Ontario Premier’s Office

(Niagara At Large is posting the following release from the office of Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty for our readers’ information.

Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty

NAL does so with just a few preliminary points we wish to make here.

There is no heading in this release for environmental protection issues covered in this provincial omnibus budget legislation for reasons that may have to do with the fact that the legislation pulls more of the teeth out of an already weak ‘Endangered Species Act’ in this province at the pleasure of the mining industry and other developers. The legislation also gives discretionary power to the provincial cabinet to ignore the Fish and Conservation Act if it feels that act’s protection clauses are standing in the way of favoured development projects.

On the education file, you will note in the premier’s media release that the budget is “protecting 20,000 teaching and support jobs by ensuring smaller class sizes and the full introduction of full-day kindergarten.”  Continue reading →

By Doug Draper

It wasn’t a good night for residents opposing plans to erect giant wind turbines in their rural Niagara communities.

Rural residents opposed to wind turbines in their communities pack regional council chambers, Photo by Doug Draper

More than 70 rural residents from the West Lincoln, Wainfleet and surrounding areas packed the gallery in the Niagara regional council chambers this past June 14, hoping the council would support a motion that would call to Ontario’s provincial government to, among other things, agree to a moratorium on approving any more wind farms until independent studies are completed on health and other impacts they may be having on people and their properties. Continue reading →

A Foreword by Doug Draper

For more than two decades now, Niagara’s regional government has honoured individuals, groups and businesses that have gone out of their way to protect and preserve this region’s natural heritage.

Earl Plato of Fort Erie wins Niagara Region’s life-time achievement award for his environmental protection efforts.

This year, the region has done the same and has honoured Earl Plato, in particular, with its ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’, and what a wonderful choice.Earl Plato, a Fort Erie, Ontario resident, a professional teacher, now retired and in his 80s, has devoted most of his adult life to his love of nature, and protecting it and sharing it with young and older across our region, alike. He has also been an advocate for preserving Marcy’s Woods, a rare gem of forest and dunes along the shores of Lake Erie. He is one of a number of individuals and other parties that have been honoured this June, at an awards evening for Niagara Region’s 23^rd annual Environmental Awards. Continue reading →

(Niagara At Large is posting the following public advisory from the Niagara Health Coalition and its umbrella group, the Ontario Health Coalition, for our readers’ information.)

When:   Tuesday June 19, 2012 at 6:30 pm

Where: St. Catharines Central Library (Banker’s Room) located at 54 Church Street

When: Wednesday June 20, 2012 at 6:30 pm

Where: Niagara-on-the-Lake Community Centre located at 14 Anderson Lane, Niagara-on-the-Lake.

Who:  Niagara Health Coalition

What: Town-hall meetings concerning the recent Ontario austerity budget. This harsh budget has set health care funding even lower than the most radical of recommendations. It will result in a new round of significant health cuts at the local level. The health coalitions and the public will discuss issues specific to St. Catharines and Niagara-on-the-Lake, including Dr. Kevin Smith’s proposal to close all southern tier hospitals and urgent care centres in the southern tier and replace them with one new hospital. Furthermore, Dr. Smith has proposed the closure of the Niagara-on-the-Lake site and its 20 complex care beds. This centralization of services means that people will have to travel further to get the care they need. There have been no public meetings to receive input from those who will be most affected by these recommendations. This is an opportunity for the health coalitions and the public to share information and strategies about health care concerns in St. Catharines and Niagara-on-the-Lake. 

For more information visit www.ontariohealthcoalition.ca .

By Doug Draper

“It remains a defining point in our history,” said Niagara, Ontario Regional Chair Gary Burroughs as opening ceremonies began this June 17 for commemorating the bicentennial of the official ‘Declaration of the War of 1812’ .

Niagara, Ontario Regional Chair Gary Burroughs speaks at opening ceremony for War of 1812 bicentennial commerorations. Photo by Doug Draper

Hundreds of people from both sides of the Canada/U.S. border gathered on the verdant grounds of Queenston Heights as Buroughs and other dignitariesopened the curtains on three years of special events that will bring back to life a history that began with bloody battles, yet ended with 200 years of friendship and peace between two nations that is too often unheard of in this world today. Continue reading →

By Mark Taliano

Recently in Canada’s House Of  Commons, Green Party Leader Elizabeth May cautioned, “Beware the wages of spin”.  

Canada’s Prime Minister Stephen Harper, emboldened by his majority of seats, dictates his party’s economic ideology.

May’s comment was directed specifically at the undemocratic nature of Bill C-38 (known more simply as the omnibus budget bill),   but it applies just as appropriately to the economic mismanagement of the Harper regime. Without the “spin”, this government’s economic record reveals itself to be a failure on many levels.  Continue reading →

A Commentary by Doug Draper 

Niagara, Ontario’s regional council has given a developer the green light to build what is being marketed as the largest outdoor, outlet mall in Canada off the Queen Elizabeth Way in Niagara-on-the-Lake.

Forget about ‘smarter growth’ or urban renewal. This field out in the hinterlands and off the QEW is where our Niagara, Ontario regional leaders approve of locating the ‘largest’ outlet mall in all of Canada. Photo by Doug Draper

The 720,000-square-foot mall, to be located off the QEW/Glenridge Avenue interchange near a campus of Niagara College and the White Oaks Resort and Spa, will mean a big boost for jobs and business in Niagara, said some of an overwhelming majority of regional councillors who supported it.

“We are always saying that we (as a region) are open for business,” said Niagara-at-Large Lord Mayor David Eke whose (give the fact that the mall is going in his municipality) was the most vocal supporter of the proposal put forward by long-time shopping mall developer Ivanhoe Cambridge of Toronto. “We need to work with these people.”  Continue reading →

By Doug Draper

You may recall that a few weeks ago it was learned that the Harper government in Canada had made up its mind – all by itself – that it is going is going to close down the country’s consulate office in Buffalo, New York, serving one of the busiest and most economically vital cross-border regions shared by Canadians and Americans on the continent.

The Harper government’s reason for this – articulated by Niagara Falls MP and Harper cabinet minister Rob Nicholson, who appears to be placing his partisan ties with Harper ahead of the region he should be serving on this one –  – is that visa requests for Canada can now be more easily processed on line. It is a reason that shows how little Nicholson and other Harper government members know or care to know about the larger roles this consultate office has continued to play in bringing business and other key sectors together to address the economic challenges and improve the quality of life for residents throughout Western New York and Southern Ontario. And these are the politicians we should be counting on to serve the best interests of our region and country. Continue reading →

This post submitted by the Niagara Parks Commission 

Walk pays tribute to the Niagara’s daredevil traditionwhile showcasing the national treasure of the Falls and Niagara Parks 

NIAGARA FALLS, Ontario– With his high wire walk across the Niagara Gorge (this June 15), Nik Wallenda has helped showcase Niagara Parks and remind people around the world of the many reasons to visit, according to Janice Thomson, Chair of The Niagara Parks Commission (NPC).

These cranes at Table Rock in Niagara Falls, Ontario hold the wire Nik Wallenda walked on. To the left, in the distance, cranes at Terrapin Point on the U.S. side of the Falls hoist the wire where the walk began. Photo by Doug Draper

“The Commission congratulates Mr. Wallenda on a thrilling performance. It captured the imagination of millions and allowed Niagara Parks to showcase its beauty and put our national treasure – The Falls – on display for the entire world to see,” Thomson said.

In tonight’s walk, Wallenda became the first person in more than 100 years to cross the Niagara Gorge on a high wire and the first person ever to walk across on a wire so close to the Horseshoe Falls. Part of the walk was over the Horseshoe Falls itself. Wirewalkers in the past have performed downstream from the Falls. Continue reading →

A Foreword by Niagara At Large

Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty seems intent on playing a game of chicken with the opposition parties in the provincial legislature, leading one to won to wonder if he can count enough seats in that chamber to remind himself that he has a minority government that could be defeated at a moment’s notice.

Ontario NDP leader Andrea Horwath urges province’s premier to back off his election threat and pass a budget

Some of us may very well say; “Hey Dalton, make our day!” Continue reading →

Here is the full test of Niagara Regional chair Gary Burroughs’s announcement on the decision southern tier mayors have made to date on where a new hospital for Niagara’s southern tier should be located. 

“Dr. Kevin Smith tasked the 6 southern mayors (along with myself) to recommend a unanimous decision on a location or locations to be included for consideration with his report to be filed with Health Minister Deb Matthews later this month.

Niagara, Ontario’s Regional Chair Gary Burroughs

He set Friday, June 15 as the deadline to arrive at that decision.

 The 6 southern mayors and I have now met five  times. Regional GIS staff have been providing objective, ongoing data and analysis mapping as requested by the mayors and have provided excellent mapping work relating to population density, EMS call volumes, drive times, municipal infrastructure, and a number of others factors. Continue reading →

QUICK BULLETIN

By Doug Draper 

In an announcement at this June 14 Niagara regional council meeting, the Region’s chair, Gary Burroughs, said the six mayors in south Niagara – representing Wainfleet, Port Colborne, Niagara Falls, Welland, Pelham and Fort Erie – have reached consensus on two areas where a new hospital could be located in Niagara, Ontario’s southern tier.

Those locations include the QEW (Queen Elizabeth Way) and Lyons Creek area near the border of Niagara Falls and Fort Erie and the East Main Street and Highway 140 area in Welland. Continue reading →

A Comment by Stuart MacDonald

This weekend marks the opening ceremonies commemorating the bicentennial of the War of 1812 in our city.  How sad that those celebrations are receiving such little attention in the face of a stunt that has brought ridicule to our city.

Media zooms in on high-wire walker Nik Wallenda during recent media scrum in Niagara Falls, Ontario. Photo by Doug Draper

As Stephen Colbert said on his television show this June 13, “[Nic Wallenda] received an exception to the Falls’ no-stunts policy, thanks to the local economy’s sluggishness […] You know a town is in bad shape when they have to create a tourist attraction to attract tourists to their tourist attraction.” 

If the tourist industry is sluggish it has little to do with Niagara Falls not having potential.  It has everything to do with a mentality that sees a once-in-a-lifetime-stunt as the answer to problems. Continue reading →

By Imogen Reed

There can be few people in Niagara who haven’t yet heard of Nik Wallenda. His daredevil antics over the Falls this Friday, June 15 will be the latest in a long line of feats that have taken place at world’s most famous waterfall.

High wire walker Nik Wallenda joins Niagara Parks Commission chair Janice Thomson this June 13 at a media conference in Niagara Falls, Ontario. Photo by Doug Draper

Wallenda is not the first to tightrope walk the Falls. The stunt was first achieved by Jean François  Gravelet, aka Charles Blondin, in 1859, and dozens have accomplished the same feat since. Although, Wallenda’s 1,800 feet walk is the first across the actual brink of the Falls, as other attempts have been downstream, and not for more than 100 years. Continue reading →

By Doug Draper

Marineland and animal advocates dedicated to shutting down the iconic Niagara, Ontario amusement park’s animal exhibits – most particularly its whale and dolphin exhibits – faced off at a Niagara Falls city council meeting this June 12, and it wasn’t a pretty.

Animal activists demonstrat on Portage Road in front of Marineland. File photo by Doug Draper

The faceoff was triggered by a three-year draft lease agreement, ultimately approved by the Niagara Falls council at the end of the night. That agreement allows Marineland to lease a portion of public space on Portage Road around its entrance gate to the park where animal advocates have spent years offering park-goers information flyers on why mammals as large as whales should not be kept in cement ponds for the public’s amusement. Continue reading →

A Media Release from Niagara Labour Movement representative Bruce Allen

Post-secondary students from across Niagara, Ontario and their allies in the labour movement and in the community will gather  at 6:00 pm this Wednesday, June  13th in front of St. Catharines City Hall for the third consecutive week in a show of solidarity with the Quebecois student movement and its struggle for fully accessible and affordable post-secondary education.

We will also be gathering in a show of opposition to the Quebec/Charest goverrment’s draconian Bill 78 which frontally assaults civil liberties and freedom of expression and has facilitated nearly 3000 arrests and widespread police violence. The event will be one of dozens of similar events anticipated across Canada in support of the Quebecois student movement.

By John Bacher

For now, the 827 acres of land in the headwaters of Frenchman’s Creek and Miller Creek in Fort Eire, Ontario, assembled for the proposed Canadian Motor Speedway, is off limits.

Millier Creek floating through a woodlot on the proposed NASCAR site. Photo by Mike Dickman

Blessedly,  through a procedure of the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB),  Mike Dickman, a long-time university professor and biologist, and I were able to access the property this April with three experts employed by the (NASCAR) speedway corporation. We were able to take photographs of streams and forests that could not well be seen from the public access points of Gilmore, Bowen and other roads running around the property. Continue reading →

A Submission from the Niagara 1812 Legacy Council

(As opening ceremonies are set to begin this June 16, 17 & 18, Niagara At Large is pleased to post this submission from the Niagara 1812 Legacy Council that provides information on events the public can attend in the days ahead. We are also posting a link for the Legacy Council at the end of this post that you can visit for more information on War of 1812 Bicentennial events taking place through the spring and summer.) 

NIAGARA REGION, ON (June 11, 2012)– The Niagara 1812 Legacy Council will be commemorating the official “Declaration of the War of 1812” during their Opening Ceremonies Weekend, June 16-18th.  Almost 20 events both hosted and showcased by the Legacy Council all across Niagara make up the Opening Ceremonies weekend.

On Saturday June 16th, at 10:00 a.m., the public is invited to gather at Queenston Heights, to commemorate the
Declaration of War, and reflect on the beginning of the conflict that helped shape Canada. His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General and Commander-in-Chief of Canada, will lead the historic ceremony amongst other dignitaries. Join community leaders for this historic occasion under the shadow of Sir Isaac Brock’s monument, with a presentation by the Six Nations Legacy Consortium to follow. Standing on guard will be the Queen’s York Rangers, the Lincoln and Welland Regimental Band and the Niagara Regional Police Colour Guard. Continue reading →

A Submission from the Office of Ontario PC Party leader Tim Hudak

QUEEN’S PARK, June 11, 2012– As another Legislative session marked by dithering and delay winds down – bringing the total to eight months of inaction since the last election – frustrated Ontarians want strong action to unleash our province’s true potential, PC Leader Tim Hudak said today.

Ontario PC and official opposition leader Tim Hudak

“There is a way out of this mess,” Hudak said, “and increasingly, the Ontarians I talk to agree that it will require us to get our fiscal house in order and get our economic fundamentals right.

“But I’m concerned that every day’s delay just lets the Liberals keep digging a hole that just keeps getting deeper. Now we’ve wasted yet another Legislative session, instead of digging out. It’s another failing grade for a government we’ve tried to hold to account to cut spending, grow the private sector and ensure value for taxpayers.” Continue reading →

By Mark Taliano

Chinese boxes can be broken down into increasingly smaller boxes to ultimately reveal the smallest, most distilled version of the box, which represents an alternate narrative of the original. Such a box is an appropriate metaphor for what is happening in Canada today.

Is Canada’s fate as a democracy and environmental protection leader hidden inside these boxes?

Communist China is not comfortable with our environmental laws, nor is it comfortable with what is left of our democracy, and so they are pressuring us to dismantle both.  Certainly the pressure is not overt, but it is powerful nonetheless. 

How to prove what seems to be an outlandish statement?  Simple.  Sinopec and other Communist Party state-owned companies have a vested interest in Canada’s Tar Sands industry, and they see environmental legislation and democratic procedures as being barriers to business. Continue reading →

A Brief Comment by Doug Draper

You may remember that one of Canada’s Harper government’s major reasons for being among the first developed countries in the world to bow out of the Kyoto Accord on climate change was that China won’t sign on.

A smoggy day in Beijing town. If China can cover up or ignore its environmental problems, why can’t Canada?

A Comment by Doug Draper

If I were to report to you that a corporation was planning to build and operate some sort of facility in your town that could give off enough ultra violet light to raise the risk of skin cancer by as much as  75 per cent for people under the age of 35, I have no doubt that people would be packing council chambers and marching in the streets to keep that facility out of town.

Yet, it is quite likely that at least one out of every 10 people in that community, according to polls conducted for the Canadian Cancer Society, are exposing their skin to ultra violet light in tanning salons and the number of teens is increasing. Continue reading →

By Doug Draper

If you are looking for a great night of theatre in a beautiful outdoor setting, you can’t do much better than ‘Shakespeare in Delaware Park’ in Buffalo, New York.

Shakespeare in Delaware Park on stage. File photo by Doug Draper .

The  37^th season of this – one of the largest and longest running free Shakespeare summer theatre productions in North America – gets underway this Tuesday, June 21^st and continues through to the August 19^th, with a week’s break this  mid-July  between the two plays being featured this summer. Continue reading →

By Doug Draper

Environmentalists and residents at large in regions around the Great Lakes – both Canadian and American – are giving two thumbs up for legislation Ontario Environment Minister Jim Bradley has drafted for protecting the Great Lakes.

Ontario Environment Minister and St. Catharines MPP Jim Bradley and Thurder Bay, Ontario Mayork Keith Hobbs earlier this year, while Bradley was on a consultation mission around a new environmental protection act for the Great Lakes.

“I think this is hugely important,” said Theresa McClenaghan, executive director of the Toronto-based Canadian Environmental Law Association. This legislation, she said, ushers in a “whole new approach,” involving all of us and a host of other public and private and public stakeholders in protecting the lakes. Continue reading →

A Foreword from Doug Draper

Say what you want about St. Catharines Liberal MPP, and I’ve just about heard it all right up to and including; ‘isn’t it time for him to retire’, but he was and remains the best environment minister Ontario ever had when he held that portfolio through the mid- to late-1980s for the former Liberal government of David Peterson.

St. Catharines MPP and Liberal Environment Minister Jim Bradley

I don’t know how many times I have heard David Suzuki, the host of CBC’s Nature of Things and one of Canada’s most high-profile environmentalists, mention in addresses he has delivered here in Ontario that Jim Bradley, during that bright and shining period during the 80s, was the hottest environment this province has had to this day.

Some may then argue that he was a far better environment minister than he is now under the current Liberal government of Dalton McGuinty and that is something that remains to be seen. His record then and now will speak for itself.  Continue reading →

This Submission is from Welland, Ontario MP Malcolm Allen

Ottawa – Late Wednesday, MPs from all parties voted in support of Bill C-311, after New Democrats passed a motion last week to fast track the legislation.  

“Today is a great day for Niagara’s wineries and overall tourism industry” said Malcolm Allen, M.P. (Welland). “It was essential that parliament passed C-311 quickly as Ontario’s busiest wine country tourism season is upon us. This is why the NDP brokered a deal with all parties to fast track this bill.” Continue reading →

By Doug Draper 

They were mostly young people from across Niagara – many of them college and university students, and not just a few having one helluva time finding a job – and they were gathering in solidarity with tens-of-thousands of student demonstrating against proposed tuition hikes in Quebec.

One of the banners young demonstrators in Niagara, Ontario displayed at a ‘solidarity’ rally for striking students in Quebec. Photo by Doug Draper

More than 30 of them gathered this June 6 in front of City Hall in downtown St. Catharines, Ontario, wearing the red patches which have become a symbol of the Quebec student movement, and banging on pots and pans, just as Quebec students have been doing when they march through the streets on Montreal during their “casserole” rallies. Above the din of pot banging, they were encouraged by the number of people driving by – young and old – honking their horns or raising a thumbs’ up in support. Continue reading →

By Doug Draper 

The battle for Bay Beach along the Lake Erie shores of Fort Erie, Ontario is apparently not over yet.

A digital image of what the controversial condo would look like on Bay Beach in Fort Erie, Ontario

A group of six residents from the Fort Erie communities of Crystal Beach, Ridgeway and Crescent Park is appealing an Ontario Superior Court ruling this past May that upholds the Ontario Municipal Board’s previous approval for the building of a 12-storey condo in front of this public beach. Continue reading →

By Doug Draper

Frequent readers of Niagara At Large already know that we have a soft spot in our hear here when it comes to helping our animal friends.

Clyde having a little snooze

In that spirit, we are posting the following information about Clyde, a nine-year-old cat looking for a new home after living his life with an elderly person who is no longer physically able to care for him.

Clyde is now the guest of Theresa Pilon, a long-tme member of Niagara Action for Animals, a not for profit, all volunteer charity in Niagara, “devoted to ending all forms of animal cruelty through education, direct action and legitimate protest,” as the organization puts it. Continue reading →

This post was submitted by Niagara, Ontario’s Regional Government

NIAGARA REGION, June 6, 2012– Through a partnership with Brock University Niagara Region commissioned a background report to better understand how climate change might impact Niagara.

Niagara regional headquarters, Thorold, Ontario.

The report, “Adapting to Climate Change: Challenges for Niagara”, authored by Dr. Jennifer Penney, is now available and is expected to be a valuable resource to the many organizations and individuals working together to address the challenges of climate change in Niagara and in the development of community climate change action plans.

 The author notes that while there are likely to be some positive effects from climate change, such as the fertilization effect of increased carbon dioxide, opportunities for more “hot crop” production, better conditions for warm climate grapes, less stress for fruit trees and a longer tourist season, the negative impacts are likely to outweigh the positive effects. Continue reading →

By Fiona McMurran

On February 14, federal Minister of Public Safety Vic Toews gave Canadians an unusual Valentine. He introduced a “lawful access” bill, C-30, an “Act to enact the Investigating and Preventing Criminal Electronic Communications Act and to amend the Criminal Code and other acts”.

Ready and willing to hack your computer

Reaction was swift. A coalition of groups forming the Stop Inline Spying Coalition  claimed that the bill’s provisions “would force Internet service providers to surrender the personal information of any Canadian at any time to authorities without court oversight—a move that public interest groups, legal experts, and privacy advocates say will fundamentally reshape the Internet in Canada.” 

The Stop Inline Spying Coalition expressed its concerns; Bill C-30, they say, is; Continue reading →

A Brief Comment by Doug Draper and George Carlin

The interesting commentary that Gary Screaton Page shared with Niagara At Large on Lynden Dorval, the teacher from Alberta who has been suspended by his school board, for daring to give students who turn in no work a “zero,” made me think of a few thoughts American satirist George Carlin left shortly before his untimely death in 2008.

The late American satirist George Carlin

Dear Niagara At Large subscribers –

A headline on a post recently emailed your way and submitted by one of our contributors Gary Screaton Page, should have included a headline reading: Three Cheers For Lynden Dorval! – The Teacher Who Dared To Give Students That Failed To Do Any Work A Zero . The word “Zero’ was accidently deleted on the original and our apologies for that.

It’s Dexter’s fault. How low can I get. Blame it on the cat.

Actually I know this is going to sound like an excuse, but it is true. At the very second I went to click publish for that post, and it did have the word ‘Zero’ in it, one of my cat friends, named Dexter, jumped up on my desk and stepped on the mouse – the mouse for the computer that is. I wish the people at Apple had given this damn thing another name. At any rate, the headline has been corrected on the online version of the story at www.niagaraatlarge.com. Your cat challenged publisher, Doug Draper If you object to blaming animals for mistakes humans make, feel free to share your comments below

 By Gary Screaton Page

 Who is Lynden Dorval? He’s a man of considerable courage. He’s theEdmontonteacher who had the chutzpah to give several of his students the grades they deserved.

Gary Screaton Page

You see, some of Mr. Dorval’s students failed to turn in assignments and he had the audacity – at least according to his principal – to give those students a failing grade of zero. Why is that such a brave thing to do? Well, Mr. Dorval’s principal has had him suspended because, so the principal seems to argue, students who fail to turn in work should only be evaluated on the work they do turn in.

In one case, this bizarre approach, taken by the principal let to one of Mr. Dorval’s students being transferred from another teacher with only 40% of his work completed and turned in and yet had received a passing grade. Continue reading →

A Brief Commentary by Doug Draper

Even those who more often put Canada’s prime minister Stephen Harper down have got to give him credit for at least one thing.

One more corporate factory – this one in Nova Scotia – doing its thing with the blessing of a Canadian government that is gutting environental rules so it can feel ever more free to do more. .

A Submission from Jennifer Sinclair, co-founder of the community, not-for-profit group Meetings on the Bus

This June 3rd to June 9th is Commuter Challenge week, a national event that promotes friendly competition among organizations and cities to see who can get the highest percentage of people out of their single occupancy cars and into healthier, more sustainable modes of transportation, like transit, walking, cycling and carpooling. 

Local not-for-profit organizations and groups, including Meetings on the Bus, Niagara Prosperity Community Committee, Bridges Community Health Centre, Port Cares and Niagara Falls Community Health Centre have come together to promote the commuter challenge in Niagara.  Continue reading →

A Brief Comment by Doug Draper

For practically all of my life as a Canadian, I’ve heard some of my fellow citizens say; ‘Let’s cut our ties with the British monarchy. It is a medieval, autocratic institution that has no place in a democracy’.

Queen Elizabeth II – a pillar of dignity and solidarity in a world where we can’t find much of that any more.

That’s not to say that I would not rather prefer a true democracy that puts the best interests of the people at large first rather than a monarchy. But at least with a monarchy, you have a fairly good idea where you rank on the food chain. Much harder to tell in a fake democracy where the elected government, regardless of what party gets elected, bow to the will of their corporate masters and upper one per cent, and the rest of us have no ranking on the food chain at all, except to accept lower paying jobs with no benefits at fast food joints and box stores or get cut off employment insurance. Continue reading →

By Doug Draper

This is the second year in a row this group of women have agreed to do this – to live in a tent for five days in Oakes Park in Niagara Falls, Ontario to raise funds for food and other needs for far too many people living in poverty in this region.

The women who will be living n a tent for Project Share. Do your best to support them.

When they did it last year they had “phenomenal support,” said Niagara Falls regional councillor Barbara Greenwood at a recent regional council meeting. Thanks to the support of area residents and schools, last year the women in the tent raised about $158,000 and many tonnes of food. Continue reading →

By Preston Haskell 

There are two main routes for free citizens to lose their liberty. One is through the violent overthrow of a free society by an autocratic state. The other is through a socialist minded elected government.

Preston Haskell

Socialist minded authorities eventually steal the liberty of their citizens through the use of covert legislation. Even when the citizen recognizes the nibbling away of their liberties, they all too often accept small losses rather than standing up against the deliberate expansion of control over their liberties.

Exception and kudos must go to the citizens of Pelham Ontario, Canada. These brave citizens objected to a challenge to their liberty by their elected authority of their community.

The threat to civil liberty did not start in the town of Pelham. In this case the threat started with our past Liberal Socialist Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau when he denied Canadian citizens property rights. Of course this assault on liberty begs the question as to why Canadians should be denied property rights.  Continue reading →

A Foreword by Doug Draper

Unlike the olden days – way back in the 1980s – when St. Catharines MPP Jim Bradley was then environment minister in the Ontario Liberal government of David Peterson and made a name for himself as one of the more progressive environmental voices in politics at that time, these days he seems to wait, for months if need be, to see which way the horses have left the barn, then he follows them.

Ontario Environment Minister Jim Bradley finally wades in on dumping “fracking waste” poisons through a New York treatment plant to the Niagara River.

In fairness to Bradley, he was belatedly returned to the province’s environment portfolio last year by one Liberal Premier Dalton McGuinty who so obviously couldn’t give a fig about environmental protection. Bradley has apparently been told (say some good sources) not to bother pushing environmental issues in this Liberal cabinet because the premier, who goes trucken’ himself  around in a great big honkin’ SUV (at the risk of repeating myself) couldn’t give a fig about environmental protection.

So it is not so surprising that it would take months for Ontario’s recycled environment minister Jim Bradley to get some clearance from the spin masters in the premier’s office to respond to a request by Niagara-on-the-Lake environmental activist Andrea Duncan to speak out about a plan by American petro-chemical companies to dump chemically contaminated ‘fracking’ waste into the Niagara River through the Niagara Falls, New York wastewater treatment plant. Continue reading →

A Brief Comment by Doug Draper

 During my many years as an environment reporter, I have had the opportunity to interview David Suzuki and cover his addresses on a number of occasions. I was also part of a small group who joined him for dinner once at a conference of environmental journalists in Michigan and I have one of his books with note he wrote in it, thanking me for my efforts in raising public awareness about issues in the Great Lakes.

This poster, created by unknown others and now circulating across Canada and the world on Facebook, just about says it all about how environmentalists are regarded in ‘Harperland’. Most unfortunately, it is a sign of our times.

That is not to say I always agree with David Suzuki or appreciatethe way he, who has never suffered those who challenged him lightly, dress down some of his detractors. Yet he has more often been gracious with others and in my view, there is no doubting his deep and abiding belief that we, as a human species, have to do a better job of balancing our exploits with earth-friendly stewardship. Continue reading →

(Niagara At Large is posting the following for our readers’ information.)

 The Niagara Climate Change Network (NCCN) invites you to attend the Community Climate Change Action Planning Forum to discover what is going on in Niagara regarding Climate Change, dream about Niagara’s future, design an Action Plan to help us get there, and be inspired to create our own destiny as a resilient community.

Climate change may represent the greatest challenge to our future well-being.

Scientific evidence of the increasingly rapid rate of climate change calls for a renewed sense of urgency and action as these changes threaten our food and water sources, public safety and health, infrastructure systems, and our local economy – all significantly impacting on our quality of life. 

WHO: This event is hosted by the Niagara Climate Change Network and features Guest Speaker David Miller. David Miller is a leading advocate for the creation of sustainable urban economies. In addition to being a strong and forceful champion for the next generation of jobs through sustainability, Miller advises companies – and governments- on practical measures to make this happen.  

WHAT: At the forum, the NCCN will be releasing a Climate Change Charter for Niagara and encouraging individuals, organizations and businesses to commit to work together to address climate change.

WHERE: Welland Arena, 501 King St. , Welland, Ontario

WHEN: June 6, 2012,  9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

There is no charge to attend. You can register at http://www.eventbrite.com/event/3550205761 .

A Submission from the Niagara Falls, Ontario Chamber of Commerce 

(The following submission was received as new duty exemptions were kicking in this June 1, increasing the amount of purchased goods Canadians can bring back into the country from the United States without paying duty.)

Retail Council of Canada (RCC) together with four border community Chambers of Commerce are asking for the federal government to level the playing field for Canadian retailers, starting with the elimination of import tariffs (taxes) on finished goods.

“Start with what can be changed immediately and eliminate import tariffs,” is the message to Federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty from RCC and the Chambers of Commerce of Surrey, British Columbia, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Altona, Manitoba, Niagara Falls, Ontario, and Fredericton, New Brunswick.  

“The government’s decision to increase duty exemptions on goods bought in the U.S. is salt in the wounds of retailers in border communities,” said Diane J. Brisebois, RCC’s President and CEO. “They already face too many obstacles to competition, such as import duties, as high as 18 per cent on sports equipment. Now Canadians are being offered yet another incentive to cross border shop.” Continue reading →

(The following editorial, featured at the top of editorial page of the Saturday, June 2 edition of The Buffalo News, offers one more take from our American neighbours on how wrong-headed it is for Canada’s Harper government to close the Canadian consulate office, located in Buffalo, New York and serving political and business leaders, and ordinary citizens on both sides of the border.

Niagara At Large is posting the first few paragraphs, followed by a link for the entire editorial from the last daily newspaper of any real quality and importance in our greater Niagara region. Now if we could only convince The Buffalo News to introduce a section on Niagara, Ontario news.)

From The Buffalo News Editorial Board

The closing of the Canadian consulate in Buffalo is a very troubling development.

The Canadian flag flies in front of Buffalo, New York’s city hall

President Obama’s effort to strengthen ties with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper manifested itself in the Harper-Obama Beyond the Border initiative, and now the implementation of that effort is at risk. This decision is extremely perplexing, to say the least.

The Buffalo Niagara Partnership, Western New York’s congressional delegation and everyone else upset by this decision are urging the Canadian government to reverse its course.

To read the full Buffalo News Editorial click on the following link and check out The Buffalo News regularly for more news and commentary on our greater Niagara region –   http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial-page/buffalo-news-editorials/article883975.ece  .

 (Niagara At Large invites you to share your views on this post below. Please remember that we only post comments by individuals who are also willing to share their real first and last names. Thank you for visiting Niagara At Large.)

(One of the very fine things about remembering the War of 1812 is that it gives American and Canadians in border communities an opportunity to come closer together in honour of our shared history. This post submitted by the Canada/U.S. Binational Tourism Alliance and by Carol Murphy of Burt, New York, located near Lockport in Niagara Country, reminds us of those ties that make up the  collective heritage of both our nations when they were still struggling to find their way, together and independently.  Niagara At Large is pleased to share it with you.)

Submitted by Carol Murphy from Burt, New York

This Friday, June 1, community partners assembled at Murphy Orchards in Burt, New York to dedicate a new 1812 Peace Garden reflecting “Peaceful Rewards for Fruitful Labors.” 

The historic McClew Farm in Niagara, County New York saw bloody skirmishes between two fledgling nations during the War of 1812

The garden is part of the new Binational Heritage Peace Garden Trail, which celebrates 200 years of peace and longstanding friendship between the United States and Canada. 

 “This Peace Garden was inspired by the profound peace and satisfaction of a farmer overlooking the results of a day well spent in hard, productive labor, conducted in harmony with the living earth.” advised Carol Murphy, owner and operator of this historic property.  “It is a simple garden, built around the 160 year old outdoor fireplace behind the large, brick farmhouse.  A bench faces the prevailing breeze of evening and offers a view of producing apple orchards, growing field crops and majestic, old cherry trees.  “Peace” rose bushes and perennial ornamental grasses border slate flagstones.  The Peace Garden has been planned to grow larger in future years, with the hope that its expansion will mirror the growth of world peace.” Continue reading →

A Commentary by Doug Draper

If there is any chance there is a God looking over the best that Canada can be, then please God, bless them.

Former Canadian federal fishery ministers Tom Siddon and John Fraser. Image courtesy of the Hill Times at http://www.hilltimes.com/ .

When I say ‘them’ I am talking about four former federal ministers of fisheries for Canada – Tom Siddon and John Fraser, who both served in the Conservative government of Brian Mulroney, and Herb Dhaliwal and David Anderson, who served in the Liberal governments of Jean Chretien and Paul Martin – who have collectively written a letter late this May to the “Conservative” government of Stephen Harper, urging it not to rip all of the teeth out of one of Canada’s most important pieces of environmental protection legislation, the federal Fisheries Act.  Continue reading →

By Doug Draper

The funding for a rebuild of the West Lincoln Memorial Hospital in Grimsby, Ontario may still be on the table.

Grimsby, Ontario regional councillor Debbie Zimmerman

At least that is the suggestion Grimsby regional councillor Debbie Zimmerman says she got during a meeting this May 28 with the province’s health minister Deb Matthews.

“There was no outright ‘No’ to anything,” Zimmerman  told Niagara At Large this May 30 meeting with Matthews during annual ‘Niagara Week’ meetings Niagara’s regional and municipal councillors hold in and around Queen’s Park to lobby for the interests of this region. “I think it was a very positive meeting.”

That may give a glimmer or more of hope to the roughly 12,000 of residents in Grimsby, West Lincoln, Lincoln and other neighbouring communities who joined a rally one evening at the beginning of this May to let Matthews and her provincial Liberal government know they want this hospital to be rebuilt for the future of residents in their communities. The rally was a response to news that the provincial government was planning to deep six funding it had previously promised for a rebuild for the West Lincoln Memorial Hospital. Continue reading →

Submitted by Jonathan Seiling and Don Alexander

CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTION TO WAR AS EXPERIENCED DURING THE HOSTILITIES OF 1812 – 1814.

THREE HISTORIC PEACE CHURCHES WILL DEDICATE PLAQUES , RESPECTING THEIR MEMBERS’  CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTION TO WAR , ON A DEDICATION TOUR OF THE SITES IN THE NIAGARA PENINSULA, SUNDAY , JUNE 10, 2012.

 Many of the early settlers in the Niagara Peninsula were attracted to the area by assurances of the colonial Government of Upper Canada that conscientious objection to war would be respected.

Niagara historian Jonathan Seiling poses next to the historical marker installed at The First Mennonite Church in Vineland, with the graves of the early peace church pioneers in the background.

Plaques that honour this part of the early history of Canada will be dedicated during a tour of three sites in the Niagara Peninsula, Sunday June10, 2012.

The three Peace Churches; Mennonite, Brethren in Christ and Quaker, were assured by the Militia Act that they could –as a matter of conscience– practice their peaceful ways. Continue reading →

A Submission from the Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce

(Niagara, Ontario) – The announced closing of the Canadian Consulate in Buffalo last week (May 25, 2012) by the Canadian government will be a setback for trade relations between Canada and the United States.

Great Niagara Chamber of Commerce CEO Walter Sendzik

“The Canadian Consulate in Buffalo plays an important role in fostering strong bi-national trade relationships,” explains Walter Sendzik, CEO of the Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce. “As a community that benefits directly from this trade with close to 30 per cent of all Canada-US trade passing through Niagara, the Consulate is a significant resource for one of Canada’s largest trade and commerce corridors.”

The Consulate is one of Canada’s largest and oldest diplomatic outposts in the United States. With the closure of the office in Buffalo, all consulate functions, including trade and business support services, will be moved to the Canadian Consulate in New York City. The move by the Canadian government to close a number of consulate offices in the U.S. is based on efforts to find savings within government operations. Continue reading →

By Mark Taliano

“Inverted totalitarianism comes into being not by design, but by inattention to the consequences of actions, or especially, inactions.  Or, more precisely, inattention to their cumulative consequences.”  – Sheldon. S. Wolin

Such is the case in today’sCanada.  Our inattention to the federal government’s control of information and its assaults on Charter rights, is inexorably leading us towards totalitarianism, and the cost of this inattention is very high.

Even the government’s ascension to majority status was tainted.  The as yet unresolved issue of electoral fraud is still on the back burner, and it may remain there, if the government, aided in part by corporate media conglomerates, succeeds in de-valuing the importance of the issue. Continue reading →

By Doug Draper

How willing would the provincial government actually be to approve the building of a new hospital in south Niagara?

Niagara Falls, Ontario Mayor Jim Diodati

Ontario’ health minister Deb Matthews told Niagara representatives this May 28 that she’s not prepared to begin providing an answer to that question until they can provide her with more assurance that a new hospital is what their communities want and with a proposal on where that hospital should go.

“She made it clear that (the idea of a new hospital for Niagara’s southern tier) is not pie in the sky,” said Niagara Mayor, who attended the meeting with Matthews during the annual ‘Niagara Week’ in Toronto, “but she wants to be real that that this is what we and our communities want, and she wants a suggested location.” Continue reading →

By Doug Draper 

The way Harper’s dutiful foot soldiers put it, the Canadian Consulate in Buffalo, New York is little more than a front office for processing visas for foreign nationals and others. So why not close it and save the taxpayers of Canada a little money.

That plan, made public this past May 26, no doubt hits the mark for the Stephen Harper government’s core constituencies of neo-conservatives and libertarians who see government as an enemy that ought to be vanquished unless, of course, it comes to military procurements or any entitlements like seniors’ pensions or drug and health benefits that enrich their lives personally.

“I can assure the people in our region that this will certainly not affect – in any way – our historically strong relationship with our American neighbours,” said Niagara Falls MP and Harper government cabinet member Rob Nicholson in a written response to the local media following the May 26 news. “The reality is that with the increasing use of technology, there is less need for physical space and applicants can now increasingly apply and pay online, without ever having to visit a visa office. Our Government will continue providing better service at the best cost to Canadian taxpayers.”  Continue reading →

By Doug Draper

Cindy Forster, the provincial member of parliament for Niagara, Ontario’s Welland Riding, is planning to reach out to every constituent in her riding for their views on what they feel is working and not working when it comes to hospital and related health services in the region.

Welland, Ontario riding MPP Cindy Forster

Forster, who was elected as the NDP member for the Welland Riding in last October’s provincial election, told Niagara At Large she is preparing a survey that will soon be sent to every household in the riding which includes the communities of Welland, Port Colborne, Fort Erie and Thorold.

“We are going to ask (residents in those communities) about hospital services and we are also going to ask them for their views on health care in general, including home care,” said Forster, who was a nurse and area representative for the Ontario Nurses Association, including nurses working for the Niagara Health System, before she was elected MPP.

A key reason for the survey, stressed Forster, is to receive as much input as she can from residents in her riding about the recommendations released earlier this May by Kevin Smith, the provincially appointed supervisor of the NHS, for reforming the hospital system. Continue reading →

A News Brief by Doug Draper

Word is circulating on both sides of the border that Canada’s Conservative government is planning to close the Canadian consulate office in Buffalo, New York.

The office has, for decades, been an important cog in the wheel of cross-border relations for business, for heritage and culture, sporting events and for other interests and concerns Canadians and Americans alike who live, work and play on both sides of the border. 

Not much has been said by politicians and businesses on the Canadian side of the border, but according to a story on the front page of the Buffalo News today, business and political leaders in the Buffalo area, and all the way up to and including Charles Schumer, an influential U.S. senator for New York State, who was quoted in the paper saying; “I fully plan on pushing the Canadian government to reverse this decision. …. This office is an important resources for business throughout Western New York and ought to stay open for  business in Buffalo.”

Niagara At Large will be updating this post with more commentary before the end of the day.