Niagara At Large

A Foreword by Doug Draper

Once again the U.S. administration of President Barack Obama has stepped to the plate with $300 million in funding for protection and cleanup programs under a Great Lakes Restoration Initiative that the U.S. government has poured more than $1 billion into since Obama entered the White House three years ago.

Obama's secretary of state Hillary Clinton in Niagara Falls in 2009 to announce plans to update Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. File photo by Doug Draper

The following media release was circulated this February 29 by the Alliance for the Great Lakes, Environmental Law & Policy Center, National Parks Conservation Association, National Wildlife Federation and other U.S. environmental groups, applauding the Obama administration for its support for the Great Lakes.

The question citizens on the Canadian side of the Great Lakes should ask is where is the Stephen Harper government on working to protect these precious freshwater bodies other than cutting Environment Canada’s budget and calling environmentalists, as it recently did through its natural resources minister Joe Oliver, “enemies of the Canadian people.” Continue reading →

A Mayor’s Report from Vance Badawey of Port Colborne

February 27, 2012

Due to a great deal of interest on the subject of the future of South Niagara’s Health Care, in particular, our community’s interest in providing leadership for continued collaboration, I felt it appropriate to add clarity to the intentions of the South Niagara Health Care Corporation.

Port Colborne, Ontario Mayor Vance Badawey

The South Niagara Health Care Corporation is a corporation that received corporate status in 2008. When the Hospital Improvement Plan was released, the corporation was developed as a means of developing a tangible plan that would meet the health care needs of our residents. The South Niagara Health Care Corporation is a private, not-for-profit, without share capital corporation pursuant to the Corporations Act. The establishment and operation of this corporation was for all interested persons in South Niagara for the purpose of: Continue reading →

 A Commentary by Doug Draper

Okay, so where is our big tough law and order man now?

Niagara Falls, Ontario MP and Federal Justice Minister Rob Nicholson

Yes, I’m talking about Canada’s answer to an old-time southern American judge – our Niagara Falls MP and ‘lock-‘em-up-and-throw-away-the-key’ federal justice minister Rob Nicholson.

Never mind the predictable responses coming from spin masters in Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s office that the Conservative Party of Canada had nothing to do, except perhaps as “inadvertent mistakes,” with “robo-calls” and scripted messages coming from phone centres – messages that were disguised as ones from Elections Canada officers, directing voters with a record of voting Liberal or NDP in closely-contested ridings across the country to the wrong voting stations during last year’s federal election. Continue reading →

By Doug Draper

A provincial NDP representative from the Welland, Ontario riding wants to know what happened to $900,000 of taxpayers money given to a food-packaging company that has suddenly closed its doors to more than 120 workers in the region after going into receivership.

This sign went up on a farm in north St. Catharines after the last fruit processing plant closed to employees and fruit growers on the same Niagara site more than three years ago

The NDP member, Cindy Forster demanded to know what happened to the money the province’s Liberal government gave to New Food Classics, an Alberta company that relocated to an abandoned canning plant in Niagara-on-the-Lake two years ago, during question period at Queen’s Park this February 27. Continue reading →

By Preston Haskell

The World Health Organization lists France as number one in health care for its citizens. 65 per cent of hospital beds in France are provided by public hospitals, 15 per cent by private non-profit organizations, and 20 per cent by for-profit companies.

Preston Haskell

Italy is rated second by the WHO and is served well with their Hybrid system of health care. Predicated on competition, Italy’s 75 per cent of public hospitals is competing well with their ‘leading edge’ privately run hospitals.

Germany’s health care system has increased the private segment of their hospitals from 15 per cent to 33 per cent while maintaining a cost/service balance better than in Canada.

Obviously competition has not hurt the European Health system, which as it turns out, has propelled Europe’s health care to the top of the WHO’s list with: Continue reading →

(Niagara At Large is posting the following February 27 media release from the Ontario NDP for our readers’ information and possible comment.)

Queen’s Park– During a speech to the Ontario Good Roads Association / Rural Ontario Municipalities Association combined conference today, Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath called on the minority Liberal government to protect and create good jobs in rural municipalities.

Ontario NDP leader Andrea Horwath

“Ontario’s books won’t be balanced if Ontario families are falling behind. Too often they get a sense that their government just doesn’t care about their challenges, especially in rural Ontario,” said Horwath.

“We’re facing tough times and the plan to deal with them has to be balanced. Balanced by looking at government revenue and spending as we confront the provincial debt and balanced in terms of priorities. That means focusing not just on the deficit but on creating jobs, making life affordable, and ensuring our healthcare system is there when we need it.” Continue reading →

By Doug Draper

In a February 26 media advisory, Ontario Conservative leader Tim Hudak says he will be leading a “special debate” in the provincial legislature this February 29, pressing Premier Dalton McGuinty and his government to keep their  pre-election promise to lower business tax rates to 10 per cent in 2013.

Conservative leader Tim Hudak follows his former party boss Mike Harris as an unwavering disciple of corporate tax cuts and trickle-down economics

The debate will be initiated by an “opposition day motion” Hudak will table that reads as follows; “I move that the legislative assembly of Ontario reaffirms its support for the planned reduction of the business tax rate on Ontario’s job creators to 10 per cent by next year, to help get the nearly 600,000 unemployed Ontarians working again.” Continue reading →

 (A few years ago, a handful of people in Buffalo, New York launched a CarSharing program, aimed at getting people where they need to go without the costly burdens of car ownership. You can learn more about that program by visiting www.BuffaloCarShare.org . Now there is a move afoot to launch a similar program in Niagara, Ontario. Niagara At Large encourages you to read the following post by Melissa Hellwig to learn about the time and places of upcoming meetings and how you can get involved in something that could save all of us money and reduce the number of cars on the road.)

By Melissa Hellwig

In Buffalo, New York it was a dynamic student population wanting to practice in real life the private enterprise examples they were studying. In Grand River, Ontario it began as ten friends who hung out together and decided they might as well start co-owning resources. Continue reading →

By Mark Taliano

Naomi Wolf’s article in the Huffington Post, entitled “Ten Steps to Close Down an Open Society “ (April, 2007) which eventually led to her novel, The End Of America, is starting to resonate in Canada as well. And that isn’t good news.

One step is to invoke a terrifying internal and external enemy. Voices of dissent are quickly seen as an internal threat to society.  Activists are labeled as radicals and extremists.  External, “foreign special interest groups” are seen to be underminingCanada’s “national interest”.  People who don’t support Bill C-30 – the Snoop and Spy Bill, are on the side of child pornographers.  It’s “us” against “them” in this dualist Conservative world-view, and it belies an insecure and fearful governing style. Continue reading →

A Commentary by Doug Draper

There is no recommendation to bounce the McGuinty Liberals out of power in the bombshell report former TD Bank chief economist Don Drummond released this past February 15. That recommendation is mine and I’ll get back to it in a moment.

Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty hasn't got the guts to raise taxes, even when the province's economy is at stake.

In the meantime, let me put my reasons for wanting to see the back of Premier Dalton McGuinty and his government into context with a brief look back at the sledgehammer Drummond dropped on us last week.

There were actually a grand total of 362 recommendations in the report that Drummond, who was appointed by McGuinty to do a review of our province’s fiscal house, offered the premier for wrestling down a deficit now totaling $16 billion and growing like a metastasized tumour. Continue reading →

 It is not only far cheaper. A lot of that gas that growing numbers of Canadians appear to be driving across the border for comes from Canada since this country just happens to be the largest importer of crude – most it from the Harper government’s coveted tar fields – to the  United States.

Canadians getting far more hosed at the pumps than Americans. An our country has all that oil!

Yet while the price of a U.S. gallon’s worth of gas is approaching $5 on the Ontario side of the border, Joe Somers notes below that a gallon of gas can be bought this February 25 for $3.54 at station on Native reserve lands near Lewiston, N.Y. and, as NAL’s publisher Doug Draper discovered, a gallon of regular gas, was selling for $2.69.9 at a station on the Main Street of Buffalo, N.Y. Continue reading →

An Open Letter to All Niagaras Municipal Councillors from Elaine Manocha, a citizen of St. Catharines, Ontario

(Niagara At Large is posting this open letter it received from Elaine Manocha because it focuses on one of the most important issues Niagara, as a region, has to address in the months ahead. We hope the thoughtful points this Niagara residents raises in the letter adds meaningful to the discussions and debates we should all be joining in on the question of how our region should be governed in the years ahead and we encourage you to share your views in the comment boxes below.)

Niagara's regonal headquarters. Is it time to put all of Niagara's governance under one roof?

 Reduce Local Government Duplication and Cost – A Call to Action!

We ask for leadership in elected officials to reduce the costly duplication of local government in Niagara.

How?  By combining the current 13 municipalities into a single City of Niagara

Why? A streamlined, less complex government system is good for all taxpayers – home owners and businesses.

Action? #1.  The ask is that the following motion be put before every municipal Council with a recorded vote – NOW:   To enact a single tier city government for the 2014 municipal election that reduces service and job duplication and reduces cost. Continue reading →

By Dr. Gary Screaton Page

(This is the second in a series of articles by Dr. Gary Screaton Page that Niagara At Large is posting about some of the immigrants and refugees who have come to Canada to begin a new life after some often unimaginably brutal experiences they have suffered through in their countries of origin. In these posts, based on stories Dr. Page has learned from helping newcomers to the country in his border town of Fort Erie, Ontario, names have either been changed or last names have been omitted to protect individuals and their families and friends from any repercussions in their native lands.)

All Gassilde’s mother wanted for her was what Canadians enjoy as a right for their children. She wanted her daughter to go to school.  Her husband, however, would not allow it!

Dr. Gary Screaton Page

An education would mean a whole new life for Gassilde. No longer would she depend solely on the men in her family. She could live her own life. That is what Father didn’t want! Women in Burundi had few rights.

Nevertheless, Mother had decided! She and Gassilde’s younger sisters would work harder in the field so Father would not miss Gassilde’s labour. He and her brothers spent the day with the other men of the village anyway. Besides, he cared only how much money the harvest fetched. Continue reading →

(A coalition of 36 American environmentalists, including the Buffalo, New York-headquartered Great Lakes United and Buffalo Niagara Riverkeepers, is calling on the U.S. Environmental Protection to strengthen proposed regulations for ships discharging ballast water that may be hosting zebra mussels and other invasive species from waterbodies elsewhere in the world to the Great Lakes.

Niagara At Large is pleased to post the following February 23 news release from the groups for our readers’ information. Canada’s federal government and the Ontario government have shown little interest to date in joining the U.S. in further regulating the discharge of ballast water to the lakes.)

By Doug Draper

In what Niagara Parks Commission Chair Janice Thomson celebrated this February 22  “a great day for tourism in Niagara and across Ontario,’ an agreement has been approved with a new company to operate tour boats in the mist below the world-famous American and Horseshoe Falls.

Niagara Parks Commission Chair Janice Thomson. Photo by Doug Draper

The agreement, approved earlier that day by the provincial government and estimated to be worth more than $500 million dollars in revenues for the NPC over the next 30 years, also means the beginning of the end of American-owned Maid of the Mist Steamship Co. operating tour boats in the Canadian side of the Falls and another American-owned company, Hornblower Canada, preparing to take over the popular tour operation with a new fleet of boats in 1214. Continue reading →

Case also demonstrates that Ontario’s whistleblower protection system needs strengthened.

From David Hutton

OTTAWA, February 22 —When Niagara Parks Commissioner Bob Gale began to question a secret deal that some board members had struck with the Maid of the Mist tour operator, he had no inkling that he would face a two-year battle pitched battle – against the very authorities who are supposed to be guarding the public purse in Ontario.

Niagara resident and former NPC commissioner Bob Gale

Gale was vindicated last year, when the controversial contract was finally cancelled, several board members replaced and the Maid of the Mist lease put out to competitive tender. But today we learned how much he has benefited Ontario. The increase in revenue to the taxpayer is at least $300 million – without taking into account the likely boost to local tourism because of much-improved services to be provided by the new operator. None of this would have happened without Gale’s persistence.

Had he been in the position of the typical whistleblower – a regular, vulnerable employee – he would surely have been crushed and silenced and the rigged contract would probably still be a secret. But he was a member of the NPC board, a prominent local businessman and philanthropist, and a former cop. He had the means, the moxie and the know-how to take on the Commission – and when necessary the government. After investigations instigated by Ontario’s Integrity Commissioner found nothing amiss, Gale went public. It was this relentless publicity, not ‘official channels’, that exposed the magnitude of the problem and finally forced corrective action. Continue reading →

Hudak To McGuinty – Cut The “Vapid Rhetoric” And Give Us Some Action

(Niagara At Large is posting the following February 22 release from the office of Ontario Conservative leader Tim Hudak for our readers information.)

Ontario Conservative leader Tim Hudak

“What Ontarians don’t want are the same old tired talking points…”

– Dalton McGuinty on the opposition parties, The National Post, February 21, 2012

HUDAK: ONTARIANS NEED ACTION – NOT TALKING POINTS

QUEEN’S PARK – Ontario has racked up $302.4 million in new debt and, based on current trends, will have lost another 1,800 full-time jobs in the week since the Drummond report’s release – yet all Ontarians have heard is more vapid rhetoric from their Premier, Ontario PC Leader Tim Hudak charged today. Continue reading →

Submitted to Niagara At Large by Jennifer Sinclair

This Wednesday evening, February 22, 2012 a group of Niagara’s active citizens will be Meeting on the Bus to discuss how active citizenship can build a better Niagara.

Click on the image above to blow it up to full screen for information on the bus schedule and the location of stops for this 'Meeting On The Bus' event

The event is part of a grass-roots initiative known as Meetings on the Bus which provides a unique forum for people who want to engage in issues affecting the Niagara Region.  The initiative is comprised of two complementary components: “Meetings” and “On the Bus”.

“Meetings” is a way for citizens to get together to discuss pressing issues within Niagara.  These meetings empower active citizenship by bringing together a diverse group of people to share ideas and build networks.  “On the Bus” is a way for citizens to support the new regional public transportation system. By using the bus as a public meeting space, citizens can support the new service during its critical start-up phase. Continue reading →

(Niagara At Large is pleased to post the following news item from the recently created Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce in Niagara, Ontario about a precedent-setting meeting, hosted by the Canadian Consulate in Buffalo, New York, with Buffalo-Niagara Partnership to establish a network for working “to work together … for the benefit of the bi-national region.”)

Greater Niagara Chamber Establishes Network with Buffalo-Niagara Partnership

Niagara,February 20, 2012 – At a special meeting hosted by the Canadian Consulate in Buffalo, members of the Board of Directors for the Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce and the Buffalo-Niagara Partnership met to explore ways in which the two regional organizations can work together to enhance business in the bi-national community.

Mike Watt, Walker Industries vice-president and chair of the Ontario-based Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce

“The luncheon was designed as an opportunity to open a dialogue with the Buffalo-Niagara Partnership as both organizations represent businesses at a regional level,” explains Mike Watt, Chair of the Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce. “Businesses on both sides of the border are facing the same pressures and challenges and there are some real opportunities to work together for the benefit of the bi-national region.”

The meeting featured members of the Canadian Consulate, including the Consul General Marta Moszczenska, members of the executive team and board members of the Buffalo-Niagara Partnership along with Watt, Wade Stayzer and Steven Megannety of the Greater Niagara Chamber Board of Directors as well as Walter Sendzik and Kithio Mwaniza from the Chamberʼs staff. Continue reading →

An Analysis by Doug Draper

There’s that old line that goes; ‘The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence,’ or should we say the other side of the river.

Crossing the Niagara River to the greener side?

That’s right. While we on the Ontario side of the Niagara River often wring our hands over a shrinking manufacturing base, business closures and jobless rates above the national average, an Artvoice article, written by Buffalo State College visiting economics professor Bruce Fisher and titled ‘Being Right And Wrong About Buffalo’ gives an impression that when it comes to growth and prosperity, Niagara, Ontario is a land of opportunity compared to the Buffalo/Niagara Falls, New York area. Continue reading →

(Niagara At Large is posting the following notice circulated by the Hamilton Coalition to Stop the War on the March 6 launch by Canadian author Yves Engler of his latest book, “Lester Person’s Peacekeeping; The Truth May Hurt” at McMaster University in Hamilton. The book launching event will get underway at 6 p.m. with a presentation and question & answer session and will take place free of charge in the university’s Gilmour Hall Council Chambers, Room 111.)

Although Canada projects the image of being a responsible global player, Yves Engler has studied our country’s role as a willing helper to aggressive U.S. foreign policy.

At a time when government personalities and media urge our military to “protect” people in hot spots all around the world, we need to take a second look at the history of Canadian interventionism.
Continue reading →

By Dave Toderick                  

(Niagara At Large is pleased to post the following quotes chosen by Niagara, Ontario resident Dave Toderick as samples of the verbal, jackboot bullying any Canadian who dares to dissent is getting these days from a prime minister emboldened by a majority government and his partisan toadies.

 These verbal assaults against any Canadian and against any of our American neighbours who question Harper’s narrow, 19^thcentury recipe for economic growth are followed on this site by links to two versions of a song and video Toderick and fellow members of a Niagara-based band called ‘Bag of Hats’ put together on the controversial plans to build pipelines to transport crude from Alberta’s tar sands to refineries in Texas and to Canada’s west coast for export to China.)

Working the crude out of Canada's tar sands

Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver, in a recent open letter about the Northern Gateway Pipeline hearings: “Unfortunately, there are environmental and other radical groups … [whose] goal is to stop any major project no matter what the cost to Canadian families in lost jobs and economic growth.” Continue reading →

A Commentary by Preston Haskell

Same scenario, same politician, same snafu!

Ontario Health Minister Deb Matthews batles Ornge air ambulance spending controversy

Anybody remember the Niagara health care service debacle? Anybody? Well surprise!

We have another ‘Big budget’, Ontario government controlled, (accountable to no one) bureaucracy, complete with overpaid, dictatorial officials making investments on the side into private enterprises. Continue reading →

 A Commentary by Doug Draper

Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty has the audacity to portray himself as an “education premier” and as the leader of a Liberal Party and government that encourages ‘smarter, more economically sustainable growth’ over the low-density sprawl that has been tearing at the heart of our communities and making them less socially rewarding and less affordable places to live in.

Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty Follows former Tory premier Mike Harris's lead on school closings

The McGuinty government’s willingness to allow ever more of our neighbourhoud schools, with their proud histories and the vital role they play as community centers for people of all ages, shows once again what a fraud this premier and his government’s promises are.

I wrote the commentary below with a plea at the end to you and to all of your friends and neighbours across our region to contact your provincial member of parliament and let them know that we have had enough of McGuinty’s wrecking ball approach to our cherished schools and to the older neighbourhoods that surround them in the heart of our communities. Let him know that we will be pleased to see his now-minority government defeated by the opposition Conservatives and NDP if it does not begin to take our concerns seriously when it comes to issues like this. Continue reading →

By Andrea and Malcolm Duncan 

Methanol, formaldehyde, carbon disulfide, benzene, toluene and hundreds of other chemicals. …  just a sample of what you might be breathing and drinking in should the following scenario be approved.

A 'No Fracking' poster promoting the documentary film 'Gasland'

Hydro-fracking is a process of drilling for natural gas. Deep holes are drilled vertically then horizontally. Millions of gallons of fresh water mixed with proprietary, secret chemical mixtures are forced into the well. This loosens the shale layers which in turn free the natural gas for collection.  Continue reading →

By Doug Draper

Should the number of municipalities in Niagara be reduced to possibly eight or six or three, or maybe even just one?

Municipal affairs expert David Siegel speaks to regional councillors and mayors at first session of governance review. Photo by Doug Draper

Do we need as many politicians as Niagara now has – a total of 125 or one for every 3,419 residents at the regional and local municipal levels – serving a region with a total population of 427,421?

Which level of municipal government, regional or local, should be responsible for delivering what services to Niagara’s residents? Or should our regional and municipal governments simply continue with the status quo? Continue reading →

By Dr. Gary Screaton Page

 (Niagara At Large is pleased to post what we hope will be the first in a series of articles by Dr. Gary Screaton Page, a Niagara, Ontario resident and a chaplain with the Niagara Regional Police Service who also assists refugees, on the challenges newcomers to Canada face. Stay tune to more articles by Dr. Page on this subject to run on this site on a more or less weekly basis.)

Dr. Gary Screaton Page

There is much criticism of newcomers to Canada. “They take our jobs.” “They work for nothing and pull our wages down.” “They don’t speak the language.” “They drain our economy and are prone to be criminals.”

A Niagara At Large News Brief

“Welcome to the new Thorold Satellite Office” said Welland Riding MPP Cindy Forster during a recent official opening of the office.

Welland Riding MPP Cindy Forster, joins Thorold Seniors rep Allen Campbell and the city's mayor Ted Luciani for opening of Forster's Thorold satellite office.

With Thorold Mayor Ted Luciani on hand, Forster said it is very important for the seniors we serve and other people in Thorold and South St. Catharines to be able to meet with the staff of their MPP. Through arrangements with Thorold City Council, a space is being provided at the Thorold Seniors Drop in Centre. Continue reading →

A Commentary by Doug Draper

 (A brief foreword by the writer – After a similar version of this commentary ran recently in the weekly spot I am granted in the weekly newspaper Niagara This Week, I received more than a few emails from people identifying themselves as Baby Boomers who told this Baby Boomer that they did not appreciate what I was saying here about our generation.

They were quick to stress that they don’t fit my caricature of Boomers, and I take them at their word that, in their case, it is probably true since I would like to believe that I don’t fit it either. But I was quick to respond to these people who felt wounded by my thoughts that many do fit that caricature and there is the record of  Boomers spending themselves and their communities into debt, investing in the greediest of corporate ventures for short-term gain, and using up or despoiling the non-renewable resources we should be protecting for future generations on this planet.

I think that many of my fellow Baby Boomers, who grew up preaching the virtues of peace and love and the common good, know, in the hearts of hearts, that we collectively have a good deal to answer for. Now I will leave the rest to my old friend George Carlin, who was a little too old to be a Baby Boomer, and the words a wrote a couple of weeks back.)

  “Here’s another group I can do without, the Baby Boomers. … Whiny, narcissistic, self-indulgent people with a simple philosophy: “Gimme that! It’s mine!”

 – From a sketch by the late American satirist and social critic George Carlin.

Boy, the Baby Boomers sure know how to get attention, don’t they? They – or should I say “we” since I am a reluctant member of that big, bulging cohort – always have, and why shouldn’t we?

The Baby Boomer's Cry - "Gimme that. It's mine!"

Born en masse between the end of the Second World War and the early to mid-1960s, we Boomers took our place as the most populated group of people on this continent, far outnumbering some of the generations that came before and after us. By virtue of our numbers, we became, among other things, the largest block of consumers and the largest block of voters. So why wouldn’t we get the lion’s share of attention from marketers of goods and services, and from our politicians? Continue reading →

By Mark Taliano

  “The price of oil and quality of freedom invariably travel in opposite directions.As the price of crude oil climbs higher in an oil-dominated country, poor or rich, secular or Muslim, the country’s citizens will, over time, experience less free speech, declining freedom of the press, and a steady erosion of the rule of law.  Neither Texans nor Canadians are exempt… It is the ‘axiom of our age’.”

 –   The ‘First Law of Petropolitics’ as outlined by New York Times columnist Thomas Freidman.

In his book ‘ Tar Sands: Dirty Oil and the Future’, Andrew Nikiforuk delineates the failings of Canada’s Tar Sands industry in the province of Alberta.  What follows is an abridged synopsis of the book and its message.  It is an important message to consider at a time when this country’s addiction to short term oil profits is compromising who we are as a nation.

Canada's tar sands leave scorched earth where forests and clear waters once were

Canada’s headlong rush into the exploitation of the planet’s dirtiest oil is testament to the above axiom, in the same way that we are an icon of how not to exploit what could be a liberating resource.

Instead of transparently controlling and regulating this hydrocarbon as a base for a future low carbon economy, we are being controlled by its siren songs, much as a heroin addict is controlled by the illusory promises of his captor. Continue reading →

 (Niagara At Large is posting the following response to the Drummond Report from Ontario Progressive Conservative leader Tim Hudak for our readers’ information)

 “The roots ofOntario’s current fix lie in both the economy and in the province’s record of failing to keep growth in government spending in line with revenue growth.” – Page 81, Commission on the Reform of Ontario’s Public Services

Ontario PC leader Tim Hudak

 February 15, 2012

HUDAK: GET ON WITH THE JOB, PREMIER

QUEEN’S PARK – Don Drummond’s report has exposed a Liberal spending crisis more severe than anything previously disclosed, requiring immediate action to start reversing the damage – and straight talk from political leaders, Ontario PC Leader Tim Hudak said today. Continue reading →

–   Ontario NDP Calls For ‘A Balanced Plan For Balanced Books’

 (Niagara At Large is posting the following February 15 response from the Ontario NDP to the Drummond Report for our readers’ information.)

Queen’s Park– New Democrat Leader Andrea Horwath says Don Drummond’s report on public service ignores the full picture when it comes to balancing Ontario’s books.

Ontario NDP leader Andrea Horwath

“If we’re going to get Ontario’s books into balance we have to take a balanced approach. Recklessly scrapping programs people rely on while handing out corporate tax cuts doesn’t make sense,” said Horwath. “Instead of hitting families with higher electricity bills or scrapping kindergarten for our kids, we need to ask whether we can afford spending on things like corporate tax giveaways.”

The Commission on the Reform of Ontario’s Public Service was struck by the McGuinty Government to look at ways to eliminate the province’s deficit, but was instructed not to consider any revenue issues, like the $2 billion a year impact of the Liberal corporate income tax cuts. Continue reading →

The McGuinty government today received the report of the Commission on the Reform of Ontario’s Public Services.  Feb. 15

Don Drummond delivers his bitter pill

As part of its commitment to eliminate the deficit by 2017-18 while protecting education and health care, the McGuinty government lowered growth in program spending to about four per cent from about seven per cent last year.  This was accomplished through modernizing the delivery of public services and creating administrative efficiencies to achieve better value for money for Ontario taxpayers. 

Recognizing that this new era of slower global economic growth requires lowering program spending growth further, in March 2011 the government established the commission to provide additional advice on how to make long-term, fundamental changes to the way government delivers services.  Continue reading →

(Niagara At Large is posting the following February 15 media release from the Niagara Parks Commission for our readers’ information. With this anouncement the NPC is coming on line with Niagara Falls, Ontario Mayor Jim Diodati and New York State officials in approving this event.)

Niagara Falls, Ontario – The Niagara Parks Commission (NPC) has approved a request by professional tightrope walker Nik Wallenda to walk across the Niagara Gorge on a tightrope.

Tightrope walker Nik Wallenda will be crossing these falls late this summer

“This decision was approved in part in recognition of the role that stunting has played in the history and promotion of Niagara Falls. We have made it clear that this is a very unique one-time situation. It’s not an every day activity and will not be allowed to become an every day activity,” NPC Chair Janice Thomson said. Continue reading →

(Niagara At Large is posting the following release from the office of St. Catharines, Ontario MP Rick Dystra)

Niagara, Ontario Regional Police Chief Wendy Southall

St. Catharines Member of Parliament Rick Dykstra says this week’s $30 million dollar cocaine seizure in St. Catharines once again highlights the Niagara Regional Police Service’s proactive campaign against the region’s drug traffickers, under Chief Wendy Southall. 

By Doug Draper

Ontario’s economic D-Day’ reads the front-page headline in The Globe and Mail above a story warning that the province’s “day of reckoning is upon it.”

The day in question – this February 15 at roughly two o’clock in the afternoon – is when Don Drummond, a former TD Bank chief economist appointed by Ontario’s Liberal government, is releasing a report detailing more than 400 recommendations for driving down a deficit totaling $16 billion. Continue reading →

 A Commentary by Doug Draper

Just think of it, a theatre in the heart of Port Dalhousie, Ontario’s heritage district, open year round and drawing thousands of people who just might also patronize some of the nearby restaurants and shops that complain they are starving for business when the summer crowds disappear.

A bit of Port Dalhousie, Ontario from across the harbour waters flowing to Lake Ontario.

Almost sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it?  And as it turns out, maybe it is.

According to recent reports in The St. Catharines Standard – a newspaper that so shamelessly championed a development group’s plan to build a condo tower complete with a 415-seat theatre in the historic port town – the developers are now of the opinion that the theatre may be the “least viable” part of the plan and are thinking of trading it in for, get this, a grocery store. Continue reading →

The following call on the Canadian government to assist communities across the country in their efforts to conserve and protect lighthouses as part of our country’s marine heritage, prepared by the Heritage Canada Foundation, was submitted to Niagara At Large by one of our Niagara, Ontario region’s veteran heritage advocates Pamela Minns, who is hoping residents here will join in signing a petition to the federal government to save our country’s lighthouses before it is too late.

Point Abino Lighthouse along Lake Erie in Fort Erie, Ontario is in urgent need of refurbishing

Niagara At Large has previously strived to bring attention to the need to preserve the classic Port Abino Lighthouse just off the Fort Erie, Ontario shores of Lake Erie – a lighthouse that has been recognized internationally as one of the finest structures of its kind in the Great Lakes. A link for the petition to the federal government is located in the final paragraph of this post. recognized by many as one of the    The following was received from Heritage Canada Foundation:

Ottawa, February 8^th, 2012– The Heritage Canada Foundation (HCF) is launching a campaign to encourage federal investment in the efforts of local groups and communities to save their lighthouses. Continue reading →

By Doug Draper

With a winter cold snap hitting the region and possibly more to follow, how would a bit of tropical warmth mixed in with exotic butterflies and rainforest critters suit you?

A young girl passing through Butterfly Conservatory meets a Crested Gecko from 'Animals of the Rainforest' exhibit. Photo by Doug Draper

Starting this February 11 and running through this coming May 11, the Niagara Parks Commission has all of this warmth and rare and wonderful wildlife wrapped together under the glassed-in dome of its world-renown Butterfly Conservatory in Niagara Falls, Ontario.

A special exhibit of wildlife from the rainforest regions of the world, organized by the Ottawa-based Little Ray’s Reptile Zoo, rolled in to the Conservatory this past February 10 or a pre-exhibit media appearance. Continue reading →

– Vows To “Rebuild A Proud, Strong, Confident Ontario

A Foreword by Doug Draper

 This February 10, 11 and 12, Niagara, Ontario area MPP Tim Hudak and his provincial Conservatives gathered in Niagara Falls for, among other things, a review of his leadership of the party.

Ontario PC leader Tim Hudak

The review comes four months after a provincial election that had his part and the NDP gaining enough seats to reduce the government Liberals to a minority that could be brought down any time during the next three and a half years should both the Tories and NDP agree that any furtherance of the Liberals in power is, in their view, is out of the question. It also comes after an election that, much to the disappointment of many provincial Tories, Hudak let victory slip out of the party’s hands after he had a convince lead in the polls in the months leading up to it. Continue reading →

By Doug Draper

If you are among us older types who feel that today’s young people are not as interested as involved as they should be in making our communities better places to live and work in, you should have attended a meeting at the Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario campus of Niagara College this February 8.

Niagara College student Jeff Sinclair talks up active citizenship and supporting regional transit. Photo by Doug Draper

The meeting, attended by more than 60 students and members of public agencies and businesses from across the region, was titled “Active Citizenship: An Interactive Discussion on Building a Better Niagara” and featured some inspiring presentations by students who have volunteered their knowledge and skills in developing countries around the world and are now anxious to apply them to bettering life for their fellow citizens here.

The meeting also focused on a recently launched, student-driven initiative called ‘Meet on the Bus’ where anyone in the Niagara community can participate in discussions on how we can all work together to make Niagara better and “celebrate and support” Niagara’s fledgling regional transit system at the same time. Continue reading →

By Doug Draper

An offer for Niagara’s regional government to purchase more than 20 acres of shoreline property in the local municipality of Wainfleet was narrowly defeated by the Region’s council this February 9.

Grimsby regional councillor Debbie Zimmerman - Saying 'no' to offer was best decision for Region's taxpayers

Niagara’s regional chair Gary Burroughs cast the vote that killed the offer when a recorded vote from councillors in the chambers, following a closed door meeting  on the property matter that ran more than an hour, on the matter, in an 11-to-11 tie.

The property in question stretches along the beaches of Lake Erie and is part of the former Easter Seals campground which was purchased for about $3.2 million in 2005 by a company called Lakewood Beach Properties. According to sources Niagara At Large talked to in the days leading up to the February 9 vote, the company was offering to sell half of the property to the region for something in the range of $7 million – a price the sources said had at least some regional councillors wondering if it was a good deal for taxpayers. The other half is being used by Lakewood Beach Properties  to build a multi-store condominium overlooking the lake.

The offer was tabled a week before the February 9 meeting during a closed session of the Region’s Corporate Services Committee and was given the green light by enough councillors present during that session to go to the full council for the vote. Sources said some of the councillors in favour of moving the offer forward, including St. Catharines regional councillors Andy Petrowski and Tim Rigby, received donations from parties with links to Lakewood Beach Properties. Continue reading →

By Doug Draper

A small but determined group of representatives for Niagara area unions and seniors entered the Niagara Falls, Ontario constituency office of Conservative MP and Justice Minister Rob Nicholson demanding to speak to him.

Union reps Lou Ann Binning (left) and Heather Kelley (right) with Seniors rep George Sitek during brief "occupation" of Tory MP Rob Nicholson's Niagara Falls riding office. Photo by Doug Draper

The group of six, led by Heather Kelly, vice president for the Niagara Regional Labour Council, wanted to talk to Nicholson about the Conservative government’s recently expressed interest in cutting back on or possibly making millions of Canadians approaching retirement wait longer for Old Age Security benefits.

“We are one of 21 groups across the province visiting the offices of Tory MPs to speak to them (about any plans to cut or put off providing pension assistance to seniors,” said Kelly after the group was told by constituency office worker that Nicholson was busy in Ottawa. In the spirit of the ‘Occupy Movement’ the group chose to “occupy” the office for a little over an hour, waiting for phone call from the MP before leaving.

Many seniors who were struggling to get by on low incomes in the years leading up to their retirement are living under the poverty level as it is, Kelly told Niagara At Large outside Nicholson’s constituency office. If anything, the federal government should be heeding her Labour Council’s call for a doubling of pensions for seniors who find themselves in those straights “so they can live out there years with some dignity,” she said. Continue reading →

By Doug Draper

Peter Kormos is eager to get back into the political arena. Only this time, the arena would be closer to home.

Peter Kormos running for Niagara regional council

A veteran of provincial and municipal politics, the 59-year-old native of Welland has announced his intentions to run for the Niagara regional council seat vacated by Cindy Forster last fall when she won a seat at Queen’s Park as the NDP candidate for the Welland Riding. Forster ran provincially after Kormos made it known last spring that after 23 years as the NDP representative for the Welland Riding, he had decided not to seek another term at Queen’s Park.

As for his decision to join a field of six other candidates, including former Welland mayor Damian Goulbourne, for the empty seat at the Region, Kormos stated in a February 6 media release that “he is eager to continue to contribute” in public affairs. “Welland needs a strong voice on regional council,” he said, and “I believe that I can be an effective advocate for Welland.” Continue reading →

A Brief Comment by Doug Draper

I can’t believe I am posting this in a sense because I am by no means a monarchist. The whole idea of a monarchy with its royal blood lines repels almost every rebellious impulse and craving for democracy in my body.

The Queen as I remember her during my earliest grade school days.

 Yet I can’t help but have a soft spot in my heart for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and offer a nod if not a bow to her on the 60^th anniversary this February 6 of her accession to the British throne.

 I’m not all that sure where the soft spot came from but it may have a little bit to do with the fact that in my life she has always been around. I was barely more than nine months old in February of 1952 when her father, George V1 (portrayed so well in the recent film ‘The King’s Speech’ died too young and the 25-year-old princess was called home from a trip to Africa to wear the crown. Continue reading →

–   A Public Meeting On How You Can Invest Your Money In Ways That Have Positive Social And Environmental Impacts

 A Note from Niagara At Large – This Thursday, February 9, two public interest groups, Climate Change Niagara and the St Catharines and District Council of Women, will be hosting a public meeting  at the St. Catharines Centennial Library on 54 Church Street featuring Eugene Ellmen, executive director of the Toronto-based , not-for-profit Social Investment Organization.

Eugene Ellmen will talk about opportunities for all of us invest and spend our money in ways that lead to positive social and environmental change.

The February 9 meeting begins at 8 p.m. and is free to the public. Posted below is an article by Eugene Ellmen on socially responsible investing.

By Eugene Ellmen, A Special to Niagara At Large

In these times, when economic conditions and social and environmental problems appear ever-more difficult, Canadians seem to be losing faith in their power to make a difference in the world.

Eugene Ellmen, a natioanl advocate for socially responsible investing

Sustainable solutions — the pathways to balanced approaches between economic needs and social and environmental imperatives — seem increasingly distant in these polarized times.

 Yet millions of Canadians have not lost faith. Faced with difficult problems like global warming, many Canadians are taking sustainable solutions into their own hands. They are making consumer and investment decisions that personally contribute — even in a small way — to addressing such issues. Continue reading →

NAL port weller dry docks,

 By Doug Draper

A dry spell for St. Catharines shipbuilder  Seaway Marine & Industrial Inc. – formerly Port Weller Dry Docks – came to an end this February 6 with the announcement of a $21.7 million federal government contact to refurbish the Canadian naval destroyer HMSC Athabaskan.

St. Catharines shipbuilding hard wins federal contract. File photo by Doug Draper.

The announcement was made at the at the shipbuilder’s site along the along the east side of the Welland Canal in north St. Catharines by federal Public Works and Government Services Minister Rona Ambrose and St. Catharines MP Rick Dykstra. Continue reading →

A Commentary by Doug Draper

 Imagine the complete and utter stupidity of a political leader granting a company millions of dollars in tax breaks with no strings attached and no guarantee that the company will create a single new job, let alone keep its operations in the country that was so generous to it.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper enjoys a photo up in a locomotive after announcing tax breaks for Electro-Motive (the Caterpillar Corporation) in London, Ontario four years ago.

 Well, you don’t have to imagine it. Look no further than Canada’s Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper who, with our tax dollars in hand, went to a manufacturing plant in London, Ontario in 2008. While there, Harper hand Electro-Motive (later the Caterpillar Corporation) that was running the plant about $5 million in tax subsides, only to have Caterpillar, which is swimming in record profits, close the plant this February and put more than 450 Canadians out of work. Continue reading →

By Doug Draper

As the old saying goes, all good things eventually come to an end.

The Occupy Buffalo encampment as it looked this past Christmas, Photo by Doug Draper

Then again, what is “good” is often in the eyes of the beholder and as much as the protesters who kept vigil at the Occupy Buffalo encampment received the support of everyone from passing motorists to this New York border city’s mayor, some have no doubt been wanting police to move in and do what they finally did at 2 a.m. this Thursday, February 2 – dismantle all the remaining tents and banners at Buffalo’s Niagara Square and move the occupiers out. Continue reading →

–   More Than 450 Ontario Workers  Left Out In The Cold

By Mark Taliano

 Caterpillar showed its true colors this Friday, February 3 by announcing that it is closing its locomotive plant in London, Ontario.

Many Canadians, including Mr. Ken Lewenza, CAW National President, suspected, from the beginning of the lock-out, that this was the company’s not-so hidden agenda. “Caterpillar,” he says,” had no intention of keeping this plant open.” Continue reading →

By Preston Haskell

We have now witnessed a foreign corporation ‘being allowed’ to buy up a Canadian Corporation for the sole purpose of eliminating a Canadian Competitor. And to think that our Canadian Government paved the way for this despicable act with our tax dollars!

This flag few over a rally this January of close to 15,000 Ontario residents supporting workers at the now-closed Caterpillar plant in London, Ontario. Photo courtesy of Tori Criispo.

Caterpillar has now proven itself to be a looter and as such should be barred from doing any further business in Canada. We are a sovereign nation. It’s time to start acting like one!

No wonder Canadians have become skeptical and suspicious of government.

I would like to reiterate my comments made earlier on Niagara At Large under title: ‘Canada Doesn’t Need Corporations Like Caterpillar To Survive and Prosper’. Continue reading →

A Statement from Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath and London area MPP Teresa Armstrong on the closure of the Caterpillar plant

February 3 – London families, and all Ontarians, are shocked and dismayed by the announcement that Caterpillar International will shutter London’s Electro-Motive plant and put 465 highly skilled workers out in the cold.

One of the signs held up at a huge rally against the Caterpillar Corporation this January attended in London, Ontario by Niagara residents and close to 15,000 others across the province. Photo courtesy of Tori Crispo.

This is devastating news for those workers and an entire community that’s seen good jobs vanish, plants close and unemployment levels that are simply too high.

More than ever it’s clear we need new ideas and a new approach if we’re going to create and maintain good jobs in Ontario. Ontario’s across-the-board corporate tax giveaways reward companies like Caterpillar (that are) making record profits, even while they ship jobs and investment out of Ontario. Continue reading →

 By Malcolm Allen, MP, Welland (Ontario) Riding

As you may know, Stephen Harper recently jetted off to Switzerland to tell the world’s financial elite about his plan to fund billions in corporate giveaways on the backs of those planning for retirement. That’s plain wrong.

Welland Riding MP Malcolm Allen

Some 11 million working Canadians don’t have a workplace pension and as life gets more expensive, most families can’t afford to gamble with their economic security. Almost every day, I hear from another constituent in the Welland Riding who’s deeply worried about what’s coming.

Niagara’s seniors shouldn’t be forced to work an extra two years just to foot the bill for Ottawa insiders and their well connected friends. The Harper Conservatives may have kept this scheme a secret during the last election, but our team of New Democrats has always been clear. We believe the government should be working to ensure that every Canadian senior can retire in dignity— not making things worse by slashing Old Age Security. We want to strengthen pensions for the future, instead of making them more vulnerable to market turmoil. Continue reading →

By Dan Wilson

“Part of our history is also whaling, for example, and the day came when the whaling industry stopped. Now, is that day coming with the seal hunt? It just may be.” – Ryan Cleary, MP, St. John’s South-Mount Pearl in a statement to the CBC last week.

This was all it took for some animal rights groups to declare a “victory” for the animals.

Seal slaughter on the bloodied ice flows off eastern Canada

By Frank Valeriote –  MP for Guelph,  Ontario. Liberal Critic for Agriculture and Agri-Food 

Special to Niagara At Large

Recently, in light of drastic cuts facing the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, I and many other Members of Parliament have received a flood of letters to

Guelph Liberal MP Frank Valeriote

 Michael McCain, President of Maple Leaf Foods concerning the safety of our food. I share the frustration these letter writers are expressing regarding this shocking step backward by the Conservative government on food safety.

The Liberal Party has condemned plans by the Conservative government to cut hundreds of employees from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and reduce the agency’s funding by millions.

Canadians have every reason to be upset and worried. Continue reading →

(Niagara At Large is posting the following media release on a call by Ontario’s New Democratic Party and its Welland Riding member Cindy Forster calling for a stop to expanding the power of controversial Local Health Integration Networks (LHINs) until a promised review of them is completed.)

Queen’s Park– Ontario NDP MPP Cindy Forster called for moratorium on expanding LHIN powers before a delayed review of the legislation is completed.

Niagara's NDP MPP Cindy Forster, File photo by Doug Draper

“The Liberals promised a comprehensive review of the LHINs, but have delayed instead of delivered,” said Forster. “Giving the LHINs more power before conducting the promised review is reckless and irresponsible.”

The 2006 law creating the local health integration networks (LHINs) stipulated that a “comprehensive review” be completed by the Legislature by 2010. But in 2010, the Liberals changed the law to delay the review, which has yet to happen. Continue reading →

NAL transit struggling

 A Commentary by Doug Draper

I know I’m not the only one who has seen Niagara Region transit buses running up and down the roads and highways between Welland, Niagara Falls and St. Catharines with hardly any passengers in them.

Niagara regional chairman Gary Burroughs speals at official launcing of Niagara Region Transit last September. Photo by Doug Draper

I’ve heard people making snide remarks about the near-empty buses with “Niagara Region Transit” stamped on the side of them for more than three months now. And as much as I have been a long-time advocate for a regional transit system, I don’t think I’ve ever seen more than a half a dozen passengers on one of these busses, even going in an out of a place as busy as the Pen Centre shopping mall during the height of the Christmas shopping season.

 Usually the number of passengers I see on these buses is no more like two or three, and that is sad because it is already starting to make some of the people who never favoured this regional service in the first play say pull the plug on it.

 The number of those wanting Niagara’s regional regional government to park the eight  buses it paid $3.7 million for and leave transit services to the local municipalities probably won’t grow any smaller when word gets around about the ridership figures for the first four months since Niagara Region Transit was officially launched at the beginning of last September. Continue reading →

A Foreword by Doug Draper

 This fall Niagara-on-the-Lake’s town council passed a resolution asking senior levels of government in Canada and the United States to agree to a moratorium on any discharge to the Great Lakes of wastewater associated with the hydraulic drilling for natural gas until the potential impact on water bodies like the Niagara River and Lake Ontario are reviewed.

Niagara-on-the-Lake town councillor Jamie King

 The town council’s resolution followed in the wake of reports that petro-chemical companies in the U.S. are exploring the possibility of shipping chemically-contaminated water from the drilling or “fracking” process to the Niagara Falls, New York wastewater treatment plant for treatment and discharge to the Niagara River.

 Since last October, four other local municipalities in Niagara, Ontario –  St. Catharines, Wainfleet, Thorold and Fort Erie – have supported the resolution tabled by Niagara-on-the-Lake town councillor Jamie King. But much to King’s disappointed, Niagara’s regional council has so far only considered accepting the resolution as an item of information. Continue reading →

By Pamela Minns

 In 1974 Heritage Canada Foundation first established the third Monday in February each year as Heritage Day.

A gateway to Queenston Height and Brock's Monument. Photo by Doug Draper

In fact, the entire third week in February has traditionally been set aside as “Heritage Week”in celebration of what has been defined as“the sum total of our inheritance – built, cultural and natural”.

A Commentary by Doug Draper

 Let’s say you live in a rural community in Ontario like West Lincoln or Wainfleet and you find out some out-of-town company wants to build a wind farm for generating electricity near your backyard.

A wind farm in the country

 You’ve heard all of the concerns raised by wind farm opponents about these towering turbines keeping people awake all night, and causing headaches and other health problems. You’ve heard charges that wind energy is driving electricity costs up and that the looming turbines used to generate that energy is dragging surrounding property values down.

 That’s enough to have you paying a visit to the local municipal hall to find out what your mayor and council can do about this wind power plan. The answer you get you’re your municipal leaders can be summed up in one word – “Nothing.” Continue reading →

(Niagara At Large is posting the entire report Port Colborne Mayor Vance Badawey delivered to the city’s council this January 30 for our readers’ interest.)

 Moving forward with vision…. A Report to Council by Port Colborne Mayor Vance Badawey

Port Colborne Mayor Vance Badawey

“In response to (Niagara Health System supervisor) Dr. Kevin Smith’s comments made public recently, in my opinion, he validates the direction the City of Port Colborne has taken throughout the past few years….a new vision and who better to create this vision than those leaders from across the Region – community and medical leaders, along with members of our community.

Through a process of consultation with community health care service providers, enablers and members of our community, we have developed and presented to Dr. Smith and the province a clinical services plan for South Niagara as a response to the changes proposed to be introduced to our health care system.  Continue reading →

 A Foreword by Doug Draper

 Ontario Health Minister Deb Matthews used a talk before the Toronto Board of Trade this January 30 to announce the launch of a new “action plan” for transforming the province’s health care system for the future.

Ontario Health Minister Deb Matthews

The action plan, according to a brief Niagara At Large received from a spokesperson for the health minister, is aimed at dealing with such challenges as the demands the province’s aging population will place on the system and the province’s deficit, while at the same time “ensuring families get the best health care where and when they need it.”

“Health care remains a priority for Ontarians and that is why the government has invested 61 per cent more in health care since 2003,” states a media release the provincial government circulated following Matthews’ January 30 talk. “The government is committed to maintaining its investment in health care to provide the right care, at the right time, in the right place.” Continue reading →

 By Pat Scholfield

Eeenie, meenie,  miney,  mo,  where should the new south Niagara hospital go?

Niagara health care advocate Pat Scholfield

While local politicians salivate at the mouth, and before we get out the dart board; we should focus on how to fix our broken system now.    

We must figure a way to attain adequate access to essential hospital services for south Niagarians and to retain these services until such time as a “new” hospital is built. That is the challenge for all of us and Dr. Smith to ponder.

 I have a few suggestions: Continue reading →