Niagara At Large

“The free testing program has not only facilitated access to safe drinking water for Niagara residents, but revelations from testing has led to Niagara’s high instance of bacterial contamination, which was only made available using the data collected from the free drinking water testing program offered by Public Health Ontario”                                                                                     – St. Catharines NDP MPP Jennie Stevens, Niagara Centre NDP MPP Jeff Burch and Niagara Falls NDP MPP Wayne Gates

From lett, Niagara MPPs Jeff Burch, Wayne Gates and Jennie Stevens

Posted April 24^th, 2024 on Niagara At Large

(A Brief Foreword Note from Niagara At Large reporter/publisher Doug Draper – Now I know that Earth Day is over. Pardon the way I put this but his is friggin unbelievable. When is all of the dismantling of Ontario’s health and environmental protection programs by the Ford Government going to end?)

NIAGARA AT LARGE Encourages You To Join The Conversation By Sharing Your Views On This Post In The Space Following The Bernie Sanders Quote Below.

“A Politician Thinks Of The Next Election. A Leader Thinks Of The Next Generation.” – Bernie Sanders

A News Brief by Doug Draper

Posted April 23rd, 2024 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – Ontario’s Ford Government has appointed Bob Gale, a third-term Niagara Regional Councillor for the City of Niagara Falls, to a one-year term as Chair of the Niagara Parks’ Board of Commissioners..

Gale was a Ford Conservative Party candidate for the riding of Niagara Falls in the 2022 provincial election where he was beaten by the riding’s incumbent, NDP MPP Wayne Gates. He  returned to Regional politics in the fall ofthat year after earlier declaring to a reporter at a Niagara Falls newspaper that, as the newspaper put ithe “doesn’t belong in a crowd of politicians.”

“I found that politicians are different from me,” he was quoted saying in the same a June 18th, 2022 Niagara Falls Review article. Continue reading →

Fifty-four Earth Days After The First One, We Are Edging Close to Ecological Collapse And We Need Bolder Action From Our Political Leaders and Ourselves

‘It’s too late to stop all of the beasts climate change will unleash. They’re at the gates; we can feel and hear them out there, in the unknown to come.”                                                                                              – from a 2023 cover story in Macleans Magazine titled “Canada In 2060, A Climate Change Report.”

An Earth Day Commentary by Doug Draper, Niagara At Large publisher and veteran environment reporter

Posted April 22, 2024, on Niagara At Large

During the very first Earth Day, on April 22nd, 1970, I was a high school student in Welland and I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing that day.

I and four other students from my high school received permission from a rare few of our more progressive-minded teachers to stage a protest outside a Union Carbide plant that had long been notorious for belching dark, dirty clouds of smoke over the city’s south end and onward, into the horizon.

On the very first Earth Day on April 22, 1970, this future environment reporter, Doug Draper, was out front wearing a gas mask and holding up a sign that read; ‘If You Aren’t Part Of The Solution, You Are Part Of The Pollution’ in front of a polluting plant in Welland. file photo

We were greeted by workers at the plant, out for a lunch break, who threw empty pop cans at the chain-link fence between us and who shouted at us to “get back to school.” But there were also a good number of cars that passed by with drivers giving us a thumb’s up and honking their horns in support. Continue reading →

An Earth Day Special – Don’t Miss This Documentary – Airing this  This Monday, April 22nd, 9 P.M. On PBS – WNED TV Network Serving the Western New York and Southern Ontario Regions – About An Environmental Disaster That Unfolded In A Neibhourhood Near the Shores of the Niagara River

“The documentary  highlights how ordinary women fought for their families’ safety, challenged  those in power, and galvanized a grassroots movement that led to the landmark (U.S.) Superfund Bill.”

A Call-Out to All of Usto Watch this Stirring Story from the Center for Health, Environment and Justice, an organization founded by Environmental Advocate and former Love Canal ResidentLois Gibbs

This young child is among hundreds of residents iin the poisoned Love Canal neighbourhood crying out for help.

Posted April 21st^d, 2024 on Niagara At Large

The American Experience documentary *Poisoned Ground: The Tragedy at Love Canal* premieres tomorrow April 22 on PBS, PBS.org, and the PBS App.

This Earth Day, the documentary premiere chronicles the story of Love Canal, a  neighborhood in Niagara Falls, N.Y., where residents discovered their homes were  built on a toxic chemical waste dump, leading to health crises.

The documentary  highlights how ordinary women fought for their families’ safety, challenged  those in power, and galvanized a grassroots movement that led to the landmark Superfund Bill.

Finally, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, seen here with Love Canal resident and leader of the Love Canal Homeowners Association, comes to the rescue with a federal emergency declaration

The Love Canal tragedy began with industrial waste dumping in the late 1940s and escalated in the 1970s with widespread health issues. CHEJ founder, Lois Gibbs, and several residents pushed for government action, eventually leading to federal emergency declarations and the passage of the (U.S.) Superfund Bill, marking Love Canal as the first Superfund site for cleanup.

Filmmaker Jamila Ephron emphasizes the ongoing challenges faced by marginalized communities affected by  toxic waste contamination.

While you prepare yourselves for the premiere, be sure to get ready by watching the official trailer here –

• Thank you, The Team at the Center for Health, Environment & Justice

For more on the Center for Health, Environment and Justice, click here – <www.chej.org?link_id=2&can_id=4babaab2162247c7eb9a1f215bbd0de9&source=email-earth-day-and-beyond-2&email_referrer=email_2288400___subject_2815308&email_subject=on-earth-day-watch-poisoned-ground-the-tragedy-at-love-canal-premiering-on-pbs-9nil11-pm-et>

NIAGARA AT LARGE Encourages You To Join The Conversation By Sharing Your Views On This Post In The Space Following The Bernie Sanders Quote Below.

“A Politician Thinks Of The Next Election. A Leader Thinks Of The Next Generation.” – Bernie Sanders

“Solar energy can power anything.The impact of inventing new low-cost, highly efficient solar cell alternatives is profound and urgent. It could change the future of energy in Canada and address the worldwide energy shortage for humankind.”                                          – Jianbo Gao, Brock University Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry

News About A Greener Energy Future from Brock University in St. Catharines, Niagara

Posted April 19^th, 2024 on Niagara At Large

(A Brief Foreword from Niagara At Large reporter/publisher Doug Draper – Those  Niagara Regional Councillors who recently voted in favour of using our tax dollars for subsidizing the connection of gas pipelines to new homes for as long as 40 more years should consider the following news from Brock University. It might help at least some of them get their heads out of the sand and take the climate emergency we are facing more seriously.)

As Earth Day (this April 22^nd) nears, prompting people to reflect on their conservation efforts, an international expert in solar cell research at Brock University is working to make green energy more accessible to all.

Jianbo Gao, Assistant Professor in Brock’s Department of Chemistry and Affiliated Professor in the Yousef Haj-Ahmad Department of Engineering shares some very encouraging news about solar energy and for the future of our planet.

Jianbo Gao, Assistant Professor in Brock’s Department of Chemistry and Affiliated Professor in the Yousef Haj-Ahmad Department of Engineering<https://brocku.ca/mathematics-science/engineering/>, is leading novel research in photovoltaics, a method of converting solar radiation into electricity. Continue reading →

A Few Brief Words from Niagara At Large reporter/publisher Doug Draper

Posted April 19^th, 2024 on Niagara At Larger

Doug French

Thirty-two years after their daughter Kristen’s murdered body was found three torturous days after she did not make it home from school one spring afternoon before the Easter weekend holiday, it is still hard to imagine how Doug and Donna French and others in their family made it through the heartache and horror.

I was still working as a reporter at The St. Catharines Standard at the time and a few times during and after the trials of the monsters responsible for her death, I saw Doug and Donna French standing at the reception desk of our newsroom, waiting to speak to one or more of my news colleagues over stories the paper was continuing to publish on the terrible episode. Continue reading →

“I continue to work with Welland. Port Colborne and Fort Erie to ensure the hospital and the two UCCs (Urgent Care Centres) are maintained with the services expected by the respective communities.”                                                                                                       – Vance Badawey, federal Liberal Government MP for Niagara Centre

A News Release from the Constituency Office of Niagara Centre Liberal Government MP Vance Badawey

Posted April 18^th, 2024 on Niagara At Large

Niagara Centre MP Vance Badawey is ministerial assistant on federal transporation file

Vance Badawey, MP for Niagara Centre and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport, is pleased with this April 16^th’s tabling of the 2024 Budget.

“Housing healthcare, affordability, and economic incentives top my list of priorities that we advocated for that have been introduced in this budget,” stated Badawey.

Continue reading →

Polluting Gas Will Provide 25 Per Cent of Ontario’s Electricity In 2030 – Up From Four Per Cent

News from the Ontario Clean Air Alliance, a citizens group advocating for a healthier environoment and real action on climate change

Posted April 17^th, 2024 on Niagara At Large

According to the Independent Electricity System Operator’s (IESO) 2024 Annual Planning Outlook,  one-quarter of Ontario’s electricity supply in 2030 will be produced by burning fossil gas. 

To add insult to injury, the IESO is asking the federal government to establish emission caps which will allow the gas plants’ greenhouse gas (GHG) pollution in 2035 to be 5.2 times greater than their 2017 level. In addition, it is asking the Government of Canada to allow the gas plants to continue to operate until 2050. Continue reading →

Young people “face a world full of trauma, pain, hate and judgment, and while social media may be a symptom of these things, it is not the sole cause, and to suggest so is to overlook a thousand other contexts that shape young people’s lives.”  – Brock Professor Shauna Pomerantz,  Department of Child and Youth Studies 

News from Brock University in St. Catharines/Niagara

Posted April 17^th, 2024 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – While four Ontario school boards recently announced a $4.5-billion lawsuit against the social media giants behind Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok, Brock University experts are calling for additional actions to address the influence popular online platforms have on teens.

Brock Univers Professor Shauna Pomerantz in the Department of Child and Youth Studies

Professor Shauna Pomerantz in the Department of Child and Youth Studies says that although a leak from whistleblower Frances Haugen shows that Meta was aware of the harm teenaged girls experienced using Instagram, she also fails “to see how suing social media corporations will stop bullying, mental health crises and inattentive students.”

She suggests that other options, such as regulating or banning smartphones in schools, could make a big difference in spite of the complexities of culture change and rule enforcement.

Continue reading →

“It’s hard to think of a more enticing target for corruption than unchecked municipal decisions to approve sprawl.”

“By rubber-stamping an application to needlessly extend a settlement boundary and bulldoze farmland or wildlife habitat, a small town councilor could confer hundreds of millions in windfall wealth upon a real estate speculator who bought up farmland at a low price.”

A Statement from Phil Pothen, Land Use and Land Development Program Manager, Environmental Defence Canada

Posted April 17^th, 2024 on Niagara At Large

Toronto – The Ontario Ford Government’s proposed Provincial Planning Statement and Cutting Red Tape to Build More Homes Act seem calculated to ensure that the Greenbelt sprawl and real estate scandal spreads and expands into a wave of suburban “Greenfield Scandals”.

Bill 185 would hinder efforts to speed up housing construction by promoting the wasteful, low-density sprawl that has caused Ontario’s housing shortage.

Together, the new law and the proposed Provincial Planning Statement would effectively wipe out the protective Settlement Area Boundaries and Municipal Comprehensive Review processes that prevent low-density sprawl from destroying what remains of farmland and natural areas outside the Greenbelt.

Continue reading →

“We are excited to announce that Welland’s Central Fire Station has been nominated as a finalist for The Next Great Save Competition! … Saving this building will reinforce the historical, cultural and commercial importance of the downtown while preserving a century-old architectural jewel.”                                                              – from Nora Reid and all of the volunteer members of  the Central  Station Education Initiative 

A Brief Foreword from Niagara At Large reporter/ Publisher Doug Draper

Posted on Niagara At Large on April 16th,2024

Welland’s grand old Central Fire Hall in the city’s downtown

Congratulations to all of the members , friends and loyal supporters of the Central Station Education Initiative, dedicated to protecting and preserving the icon, century old Welland Central Fire Station in the city’s downtown.

They have very recently received the good news that their project to save this classic heritage building is one of 12 finalists in the Camada-wide “Next Great Save  Competition sponsored each year by National Trust Canada. Continue reading →

Stations would supply reliable, affordable and clean power for an additional 30 years

“OPG’s investment at the Sir Adam Beck complex in Niagara Falls will ensure that Ontario has the power needed to support the growing demands of our economy, while creating 200 new, good-paying jobs for local workers.” –               – Vic Fedeli, Ontario Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade

“The Niagara region played a foundational role in Ontario’s early electrification more than a century ago and will continue to be a clean electricity centre for decades to come, thanks to this refurbishment.”                    – Niagara Regional Chair Jim Bradley

“Through this significant investment Niagara Falls will continue to help power Ontario. We welcome the good jobs and economic development this project brings with it and are proud to build on our long history of clean energy generation.”                                                                                                                            – Niagara Falls Mayor Jim Diodati

A News Release from the Government of Ontario

Posted April 16^th, 2024 on Niagara At Large

The Adam Beck Hydro Power facilities along the lower Niagara River in Niagara Falls, Ontario

NIAGARA FALLS , Ontario – The Ontario government is supporting Ontario Power Generation’s (OPG) plan to refurbish its hydroelectric stations in the Niagara region, including the Sir Adam Beck Complex at Niagara Falls.

This $1 billion dollar infrastructure program would secure up to 1,700 megawatts (MW) of clean electricity, equivalent to powering 1.7 million homes, helping to meet increasing demand from electrification and fueling the province’s growth. Continue reading →

“We have no idea how many seniors have been fined or forced into a Long-Term Care home against their will, because the Ford government refuses to be transparent.” – Niagara Falls MPP Wayne Gates.

A News Release from the Constituency Office of Niagara Falls NDP MPP Wayne Gates

Posted April 16^th, 2024 on Niagara At Large

Niagara Falls MPP Wayne Gates: Ford government admits fining seniors in LTC is just a cost of doing business

Niagara Falls MPP Wayne Gates whose riding includes Niagara Falls, Fort Erie and Niagara-on-the-Lake has been after the Ford government to provide better quality care and more resources for staff in long-term-care homes for years.

QUEEN’S PARK – MPP Wayne Gates (Niagara Falls), Official Opposition critic for Long Term Care (LTC), caught the Ford government in a tight spot as he pressed them on their decision to fine seniors under Bill 7 (https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/bill-7-passes-ontario-long-term-care-1.6568125) :

“We have no idea how many seniors have been fined or forced into a Long-Term Care home against their will, because the Ford government refuses to be transparent,” said Gates. “We’ve seen awful stories of families being charged $5,200 dollars (https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/charge-bill-7-ontario-government-long-term-care-1.7157231) to keep their loved one close to home – but we’ve learned all of that from determined reporting, not Ford transparency.”

When asked to come clean today, Minister of Health, Sylvia Jones admitted that several people had been charged, but wouldn’t say by how much. Continue reading →

Was This Declaration Necessary? Did It Help Or Hurt? And How Well Was It Communicated To Our Municipal Leaders And Others That Needed To Know?

A News Commentary by Niagara At Large reporter/publisher Doug Draper

Posted April 15th, 2024 on Niagara At Large

In the days leading up to this April 8th Solar Eclipse, Niagara’s Regional Government declared a State of Emergency as a precaution before possibly unprecedented numbers of people came in to Niagara to see it

It’s beginning to look like one municipal party in Niagara or another may not be giving us the straight goods around the Regional Government’s decision to declare a “State of Emergency” in the days leading up to the April 8th Solar Eclipse that reached totality in the skies over Niagara Fall.

At the very least, there appears to have been some kind of communication breakdown between the parties over this declaration.

Whatever may have gone off the rails here, it isn’t a good thing– especially for people who may be facing the possibility of a real emergency which, in the case of the April 8^th solar fest, at least some did not believe an emergency declaration was warranted at all.

Continue reading →

Niagara’s Regional Government  Recently Voted Against Calling on Ford Government Not To Override Ontario Energy Board Decision to End Subsidy for Building New Gas Pipelines

“Reinstating this subsidy for new methane gas hookups for developers will cost over $1 billion over the next 4 years alone. In addition to higher energy bills (versus heat pumps), these new gas hookups will be bad for new homebuyers who will breath toxic fumes from gas stoves, give their kids a greater risk of childhood asthma, and generate needless carbon pollution.”                                                           – Ontaro Clean Air Alliance 

A New Release from the Ontario Clean Air Alliance, a citizen group advocating for renewable energy and an end to climate ravaging fossil fuel emissions

Posted April 14^th, 2024

(A Brief Foreword Note from Niagara At Large – We will the names  those on the Niagara Regional Council who voted against OEB’s decision to end gas pipe subsidies below this news release.)

Now here is the Ontario Clean Air Alliance’s News Release-

A number of Ontario municipalities are taking an important stand for their residents and our climate by calling on the Ford government to drop its plan to protect Enbridge Gas’ subsidies.

Hamilton, Guelph, Whitby, Severn, Lake of Bays, Kingston, County of Prince Edward, and Pelham have all passed resolutions urging the provincial government to not block a decision by the Ontario Energy Board (OEB) to end the subsidy for hooking up new homes to Enbridge’s gas system.

The OEB correctly noted that ending this subsidy would lead to lower energy bills for existing gas customers. This was not some spur of the moment decision by the OEB – it came after a year-long hearing that heard from many expert witnesses. Continue reading →

Posted April 14th, 2024 by Doug Draper on Niagara At Large

NIAGARA AT LARGE Encourages You To Join The Conversation By Sharing Your Views On This Post In The Space Following The Bernie Sanders Quote Below.

“A Politician Thinks Of The Next Election. A Leader Thinks Of The Next Generation.” – Bernie Sanders

Niagara’s Regional Municipality Recently Voted Against Joining This Show of Support

“On December 21, 2023, the OEB (Ontario Energy Baord) decided not to continue a $250 million a year government payment that Enbridge had requested in its rate application for 2024-2028. In its ruling, the OEB argued that it did not make sense to continue to build gas pipelines to new homes in light of the energy transition taking place globally.”                                                 – Adrian Currie, Ontario Climate Program Manager for the Canada-wide citizens organization Environmental Defence

A News Release from Environmental Defence

Posted April 12^th, 2024 on Niagara At Large

But First, here is a Brief Foreword  from Niagara At Large reporter/publisher Doug Draper –

At the March 21st, 2024 meeting of Niagara Regional Council. Pelham Regional Councillor Diana Huson tabled a motion that would have had the Region calling on the Fort Government not to overrule the Ontario Energy Board’s recent decision to stop subsidizing gas piplines to new homes. A majority of her fellow Regional Councillors boted against the motion.

As if to openly mock their 2021 declaration of a “climate emergency”, a majority of  Niagara Regional Councillors recently a voted not to join other municipalities in Ontario in urging the Ford government not to overrule a December 2023 decision by the Ontario Energy Board to stop using our tax dollars to subsidize the construction of any more gas pipelines to newly built homes.

In a vote of 14 to 12, a motion tabled by Pelham Regional Councillor Diana Huson at a March 21^st council meeting, asking the Ford government not to overrule a December 21 Ontario Energy Board (OEB) decision was turned down.  

The OEB stated that the major purpose of its decision to stop the subsidies was discourage the use of climate-damaging fossil fuels to heat homes in favour of newer technologies like heat pumps that are already proving to be less costly than gas and far less of a problem for the Earth’s atmosphere and climate.

The only local council in Niagara that has so far voted in favour of the province not overruling the OEB’s decision is the Town of Pelham, whose Mayor, Marvin Junkin, also voted in favour of Huson’s motion in his capacity as a Regional Councillor.

Niagara At Large will post lists of the Regional Councillors who voted for and against Huson’s March 21^st motion below the Environmental Defence news release which begins here –

Continue reading →

Brock University Professor of Kinesiology Toby Mündel

“People’s bodies adjust to the “normal” ambient temperature of where they live. If these rise, there may be an elevated risk of illness and death, but the fact that the regular ambient temperature is high compared to other places doesn’t pose a risk in itself.” he says”                                                                                       – Brock University Professor of Kinesiology Toby Mündel

News from Brock University in St. Catharines/Niagara

Posted April 12^th, 2024 on Niagara At Large

As scientists express concern<https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-68665166> over the world’s hottest March on record — the 10th record-breaking month in a row — a Brock University physiology expert is calling for a more holistic way of determining the health risks posed by extreme heat.

“Public health messages tend to be oversimplified to say things like, ‘At this temperature, people are susceptible to heat stroke, and at this maximum temperature, people will die,’” says Professor of Kinesiology Toby Mündel. “The truth is much more nuanced when you take many other factors into consideration.”

Mündel is part of an international research team that published a review study in March<https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/23328940.2024.2310459>challenging conventional methods of calculating the risk of illness and death from extreme high temperatures. Continue reading →

“If we save our wild places, we will ultimately save ourselves.”    – Steve Irwin, Australian wildlife educator and conservationist

A Commentary by Niagara At Large reporter/publisher Doug Draper

Posted April 11^th, 2024 on Niagara At Large

One of the many inhabitants  of Waverly Woods along the shores of Lake Erie in Fort Erie, Ontario where some of the woods has recently been bulldozed down for urban development.  When the residents move in, what will become of this fox, if he is still around, and other wildlife  in the area?

Niagara, Ontario – Over all my years covering environmental stories in Niagara, I’ve witnessed more than my share of ignorance and negligence  when it comes to the way that we humans treat the wild places around us.

To share with you  an all-too-common example of what I am talking about – one that continues to anger the hell out of me each and every time it continues to happen – there are the people out there who choose to move into a home located in a recently built, low-density subdivision that is somewhere way out from the core of a city or town where there were wetlands for turtles and frogs and where forests and meadows used to grow. Continue reading →

A News Commentary by Doug Draper, followed by a News Release from Ontario’s Ford Government

Re- Posted April 10^th on Niagara At Large

(A Brief Foreword Note from Niagara At Large publisher Doug Draper – In the days leading up to the April 8th solar eclipse, news came out that was important and did not necessarily get the attention it deserved because of all the understandable hoopla over the eclipse. The news about the Ford government planning to move ahead with a costly expansion of the Garden City Skyway is one of them and that is why we are posting it again here.)

“Building more roads to prevent congestion is like a fat man loosening his belt to prevent obesity”

Doug Ford’s vision for the 21st Century – more and more highways for ever more trucks and cars

This is something that the late Lewis Mumford, a celebrated historian for his time and a philosopher of technology, said back in 1965 when at least some in the field of building more cost-efficient and environmentally friendly ways of moving people and goods around began to realize that building and expanding ever more roads and highways was only going to make a bad problem worse.

Of course, it is  doubtful Ontario Premier Doug Ford, a college drop-out who seems to take pride in his ‘I’m just one of the guys’, Homer Simpson persona, has a clue who Lewis Mumford is.

 Given his girth, however, one might think that Ford might have some idea how loosening your belt to solve a weight problem makes about as much sense as spending countless billions of dollars widening  roads and highways to  solve traffic congestion.

But apparently not.

Continue reading →

 “Everyone in Ontario has the right to get health care with their OHIP card, not their credit card.”

A News Release from Ontario’s Official Opposition Party Leader Marit Stiles

Posted April 10^th, 2024 on Niagara At Large

QUEEN’S PARK – Official Opposition NDP MPP Marit Stiles and the Ontario NDP are calling for an audit of private clinics charging patients to access primary care.

Ford’s Conservatives opened the floodgates for private, fee-based health care in our province while millions are struggling without a family doctor’s office,” said Stiles.

“Everyone in Ontario has the right to get health care with their OHIP card, not their credit card. Instead of holding bad actors accountable, Ford and Jones are encouraging private clinics to force Ontarians to pay for health care that should be free.”

Continue reading →

‘Open data is data that can be freely used, re-used and redistributed by anyone with very few restrictions. The data is provided to support transparency and accountability of organizations.’

News from Niagara’s Regional Government

Posted April 11^th, 2024 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – Entering its eighth year of providing a single point of access to Niagara’s open data, today the Niagara Open Data Community Consortium marks another milestone with the relaunch of  NiagaraOpenData.ca [https://niagaraopendata.ca/], a community data catalogue where users can access data from across the region.

Open data is data that can be freely used, re-used and redistributed by anyone with very few restrictions. The data is provided to support transparency and accountability of organizations or to drive innovation and innovative approaches to address challenges faced in our community. Continue reading →

“As charitable organizations, food banks were designed to provide temporary assistance to those in need.  Today, they are responding to systemic inadequacies by supporting an alarming number of vulnerable residents with food security.”                          – Assistant Professor of Political Science Joanne Heritz, Brock University

A News Report by Cathy Majtenyi  at  Brock University, on  Important Research  coming out of the  University on the state of Niagara food security

(A NOTE from Niagara At Large – A version of this news was reported earlier this month on Niagara At Large but with all of other news leading up to the April 8th solar eclipse, important  news like this, on the status of so many Niagara residents’ lives,  deserves to be reported again.)

Posted April 9^th, 2024 on Niagara At Large

Brock University’s Niagara Community Observatory released a policy brief on April 2 documenting the situation of food insecurity in the region and beyond.

Niagara is experiencing an “alarming increase” in the number of people — particularly children — who are relying on food banks to meet their basic food security needs, says research from Brock University’s Niagara Community Observatory (NCO).

But this trend shows no signs of slowing down because the main drivers of food insecurity — wages and social assistance programs failing to keep up with inflation and the lack of affordable housing, among others — aren’t being addressed, says the research brief, released Tuesday, April 2. Continue reading →

On American Side, Celestial Spectacle Drew Both Cheers and Looks of Horror  

A Brief Report from Doug Draper, Niagara At Large

Posted April 8^th, 2024

As crowds at the Falls wait for eclipse to reach totality shortly after 3 p.m. this April 8th, there sure are alot of clouds up there.

Niagara Falls, Ontario – Within just a few hours of the solar eclipse coming and going over the skies of Niagara, I began hearing complaints from people on the Ontario side of the Falls that they could not  see the great spectacle as well as they hoped to because of cloud cover.

Many said they had been waiting for months, and in some cases years to feast their eyes of this rare celestial show, and some had spent a good deal of time and money for hotel rooms after travelling here from homes as far off as North Bay, Ontario and Boston, Massachusetts just for the occasion.

And now this! After a full day of clear skies, clouds get in the way.

Continue reading →

A Message from Niagara’s Regional Government

Posted April 8^th, 2024 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – With the eclipse event concluding without incident, effective 5:45 p.m. today (Monday, April 8th), Regional Chair Jim Bradley officially rescinded the emergency declaration for the Niagara Region.

Niagara Region wishes to thank the hundreds of volunteers and numerous staff who worked diligently throughout the day to ensure the health and safety of all remained a top priority. Continue reading →

From Mexico, through Texas and on up through the State of Ohio and Windsor, Ontario area to Buffalo, N.Y. and Niagara and beyond, NASA is documenting the total eclipse path live. Click on the screen below to watch –

NIAGARA AT LARGE Encourages You To Join The Conversation By Sharing Your Views On This Post In The Space Following The Bernie Sanders Quote Below.

“A Politician Thinks Of The Next Election. A Leader Thinks Of The Next Generation.” – Bernie Sanders

Illumination Show Will Run at 8:00, 8:30, 9:00 and 9:30 P.M. on Solar Eclipse Day, Monday, April 8^th, 2024

An Invitation to All from the Niagara Parks Commission in Niagara, Ontario

Posted April 8^th, 2024 on Niagara At Large

  Niagara Falls, ON   – As North America eagerly anticipates the breathtaking occurrence of the total solar eclipse on April 8, the Niagara Falls Illumination Board is thrilled to announce a special illumination display to complement the celestial spectacle.

A spectacular view of the Horseshoe Falls lit up. Photo courtesy of Niagara Parks Commission

On the evening of Monday, April 8, the Niagara Falls Illumination Board will illuminate the Canadian Horseshoe and American Falls with a specially designed illumination show in celebration of the total solar eclipse. Continue reading →

A Commentary by Niagara At Large reporter/publisher Doug Draper

Posted April 7^th, 2024 on Niagara At Large

In ancient times, there were whole cultures of people who saw a solar eclipse as a sign of doom – a warning that the apocalypse was coming.

Then again, there were also many people in those times who believed the earth was flat and that the sun and every other terrestrial body they could see in the sky revolved around it.

Nevertheless, and as strange as it may seem to so many who are on the edge of their seats with excitement over the total solar eclipse that will unfold in the skies on April 8^th,  the dark minutes we will all experience this Monday afternoon when our earth’s moon completely covers the sun could be taken as a metaphor for some pretty dark and dangerous times we are now living in. Continue reading →

“Plan Ahead, Stay Safe, And Have A Fun Eclipse Day This Monday April 8^th, 2024″

A Message from the Constituency Office of Niagara Falls NDP MPP Wayne Gates

Posted April 7h, 2024 on Niagara At Large

NIAGARA FALLS, Ontario  – MPP Wayne Gates (Niagara Falls) is reminding residents and visitors to take the necessary precautions outlined by local officials for a safe and fun-filled eclipse day in Niagara.

“We can all feel the excitement building in the community for this once in a lifetime event—but it’s important that we all work together as a community to ensure a safe day for everyone,” said Gates.

Continue reading →

A News Commentary by Doug Draper, followed by a News Release from Ontaro’s Ford Government

Posted April 5^th on Niagara At Large

“Building more roads to prevent congestion is like a fat man loosening his belt to prevent obesity”

Doug Ford’s vision for the 21st Century – more and more highways for ever more trucks and cars

This is something that the late Lewis Mumford, a celebrated historian for his time and a philosopher of technology, said back in 1965 when at least some in the field of building more cost-efficient and environmentally friendly ways of moving people and goods around began to realize that building and expanding ever more roads and highways was only going to make a bad problem worse.

Of course, it is  doubtful Ontario Premier Doug Ford, a college drop-out who seems to take pride in his ‘I’m just one of the guys’, Homer Simpson persona, has a clue who Lewis Mumford is.

 Given his girth, however, one might think that Ford might have some idea how loosening your belt to solve a weight problem makes about as much sense as spending countless billions of dollars widening  roads and highways to  solve traffic congestion.

But apparently not.

Continue reading →

“Some people may insist measles isn’t a big deal, but measles can cause quite a number of problems, including immune amnesia, which can compromise the quality of your immune response to other pathogens. It can lead to more serious infections down the road.”                                                                                                              – Adam MacNeil, Associate Professor of Immunology and Director of the Inflammation and Immunity Lab at Brock University

News from Brock University in St. Catharines/Niagara

Posted April 4^th, 2024 on Niagara At Large

Adam MacNeil, Associate Professor of Immunology and Director of the Inflammation and Immunity Lab at Brock University

With measles cases on the rise across the country, a Brock University immunologist says the highly contagious virus may be just the start of other vaccine-preventable illnesses making a return.

“Unfortunately, I think measles is just the harbinger here,” says Adam MacNeil, Associate Professor of Immunology and Director of the Inflammation and Immunity Lab at Brock, whose research explores how immunity interacts with viruses, allergens and people’s lived experiences. Continue reading →

“Wars are poor chisels for carving out peaceful tomorrows.”  – Martin Luther King

A Brief Comment by Niagara At Large reporter/publisher Doug Draper

Posted May4th, 2024 on Niagara At Large

The great voice for racial equality, social justice and peace, Martin Luther King

It was 56 years ago today, on May 4th, 1968, that one of the most powerful voices for peace, social justice and an end to all forms of racism over the past hundred or more years was shot and killed in Memphis, Tennessee.

The night before, in that same city where King, a civil rights leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner, was gunned down by a man full of anger and hate driven by God knows what, that this great man delivered his iconic “I’ve Been to the Mountain Top” speech.

The speech ended with him telling his audience that while up there, he had looked over the other side and he had; “seen the promised land. I might not get there with you,” his prophetic words rang on, “but together as a people, we will get to the promised land.”

For many, King’s assassination was an earth-shaking blow to hope and peace during a time – not too much different than the times we are living in today – of war (both hot and cold), and social and racial injustice. Continue reading →

“Niagara Region Transit is dedicated to providing safe, reliable transit service to our riders. Although we may experience temporary disruptions in reliability on April 8th, our commitment to safety remains paramount.”                                            – Carla Stout, General Manager, Niagara Transit Commission

News from Niagara Region Transit

Posted April 4^th, 2024 on Niagara At Large

NIAGARA REGION, Ontario – After careful consideration and in response to community needs, Niagara Region Transit (NRT) will maintain full transit service on April 8th, during the Solar Eclipse.

This decision reflects the commitment of NRT to ensure continuous transportation accessibility for residents and visitors alike. Continue reading →

‘The Big Banks and their multi-millionaire executives are a powerful lobby group – that’s why they have been able to keep their gouging fees and credit card interest rates so high for the past 30 years.’

News from Democracy Watch, a leading Canadian citizen group advocating for democratic reform, government accountability and corporate responsibility

Posted April 4th, 2024 on Niagara At Large

A new study has found Canada’s Big Banks gouge $7.7 billion out of Canadians every year in excessive fees that UK and Australian banks don’t charge!

Canada’s Big 6 Banks gouged out a total of more than $58 billion in profits in 2023 (almost triple their 2010 profits), paid their CEOs an average of $12 million each, and gave out more than $21 billion in total bonuses to employees.

Meanwhile, the Trudeau Liberals have only partially kept 2 of their 5 promises from the 2021 federal election to stop bank gouging and abuse and increase bank accountability. Continue reading →

News from the Constituency Office of Niagara Falls NDP MPP Wayne Gates

Posted April 4^th, 2024 on Niagara At Large

Niagara Falls MPP Wayne Gates whose riding includes Niagara Falls, Fort Erie and Niagara-on-the-Lake has been after the Ford government to provide better quality care and more resources for staff in long-term-care homes for years.

NIAGARA FALLS, Ontario – MPP Wayne Gates, Ontario NDP Official Opposition critic for Long-Term Care (LTC), is fighting for seniors who have been bullied by the Ford government into LTC homes against their choosing.

“Hundreds of seniors have been bullied into LTC homes (https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ont-long-term-care-1.7150035) against their will because of Ford’s cruel Bill 7”, said Gates.

 “Today we learned that the province has hit seven of those seniors with fines of up to $400 dollars a day in a cruel attempt to force them into a LTC home that they didn’t choose, with one patient gettinghit with a fine of $5,200. (https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/charge-bill-7-ontario-government-long-term-care-1.7157231)

It’s intimidation – and it’s just wrong.

Continue reading →

Niagara community activist and recipient of Niagara Region’s first annual Environmental Award, Liz Benneian

“I have been, and continue to be, very grateful for your support, and for the support of the broader community of Niagara residents, who care about good planning, good government, our environment and climate and the kind of future we will leave to our children and grandchildren.”  – Lincoln resident and director of the Biodiversity and Climate Action Committee – Niagara  

Some God News – And Couldn’t We All Use A Little More Good News – from Niagara At Large reporter/publisher Doug Draper

Posted April 3^rd, 2024 on Niagara At Large

Liz Benneian with Niagara Regional Chair after she was presented the Region’s Environmental Award along with four other recipients of Niagara Impact Awards.

At this past March 28th, 2024’s annual State of the Region event, featuring a keynote address by Niagara Regional Chair Jim Bradley and hosted each year by the Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce, Liz Benneian, a resident of Lincoln  and a community activist who, among other things, is a director of  the  region-wide coalition of citizens now known to many as  Biodiversity and Climate Acton Committee – Niagara, was presented the Region’s first-ever Environmental Award.

This new Environmental Award – presented  by Chair  Bradley – is one of four other Niagara Impact Awards created by the Region in 2021 “to recognize those individuals, non-profit organizations and private-sector businesses who have gone ‘above and beyond’ to improve the quality of life for those in our community.” Continue reading →

Research (by Assistant Professor of Political Science Joanne Heritz) shows food bank usage has risen in all of Niagara’s 12 municipalities. The largest increase was seen in Niagara-on-the-Lake, where use grew 118 per cent from 2021 to 2023, followed by St. Catharines and Thorold with an 82 per cent increase from 2022 to 2023 and Niagara Falls with a 65 per cent increase from 2022 to 2023.

News from Brock University in St. Catharines/Niagara

Posted April 3^rd, 2024 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – The federal government is on the right track with its new National School Food Program that will provide 400,000 meals to children, but more needs to be done to increase food security in Niagara and beyond, say two Brock University political scientists.

“This marks a critical milestone in Canada, the only G7 country without such a program,” Professor of Political Science Charles Conteh says in response to the new program announced Monday, April 1st. Continue reading →

“This announcement is good news for employers and workers in Niagara and will help prepare the next generation of highly skilled workers for the good jobs of today and tomorrow.”              – Niagara West Conservative MPP Sam Oosterhoff

A News Release from the Constituency Office of Niagara West Conservative MPP Sam Oosterhoff

Posted April 3, 2024 on Niagara At Large

NIAGARA FALLS – The Ontario government is working to fill the labour shortage by successfully training new electrical construction workers for in-demand careers in Niagara, together with union partners. 

Niagara West ConservativeMPP Sam Oosterhoff

Enabled by an investment of $672,700 through Ontario’s Skills Development Fund, the government has partnered with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 303 to deliver the Job Readiness Program for local apprentices and jobseekers.

“We know in-demand jobs in the skilled trades continue to grow,” said Sam Oosterhoff, MPP for Niagara West.

“This announcement is good news for employers and workers in Niagara and will help prepare the next generation of highly skilled workers for the good jobs of today and tomorrow.”

“As Ontario faces the largest labour shortage in a generation, our government is delivering on our commitment to build up our workforce and grow our economy,” said Hon. David Piccini, Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development. Continue reading →

Are We About To Get Burned in Niagara? Free Webinar April 3rd*- Read Below for More Details on Joining in on the Webinar Presentation

A Call-Out to All of Us from Liz Benneian, Director of Biodiversity and Climate Action Niagara, a citizens advocacy coalition for protecting and preserving a healthier environment across our region

Posted April 2nd, 2024 on Niagara At Large

 Citizens in Niagara have twice fought off attempts to build an incinerator here. Now some Regional Councillors are talking about it again.

Learn more about why this is a very bad idea on Wednesday, April 3rd from 12 to 1 p.m. A panel of experts from across the country and Europe will discuss the threat incineration is posing in Canada.

Continue reading →

This notice is in effect until 9:00am, Friday, April 5th, 2024, and will be updated as required.

A Flood Advisory from the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA)

Posted April 2^nd, 2024 on Niagara At Large

For Tuesday, April 2nd, 2024, this notice is intended to advise the public and local municipalities of the potential for flooding within the NPCA’s jurisdiction as it relates to the Niagara Peninsula, the southeastern portion of the City of Hamilton and the eastern portion of Haldimand County.

Environment Canada has issued a special weather statement for the Niagara Peninsula watershed calling for significant accumulations of rain. Forecasted rainfall amounts of 30 – 60 mm is expected throughout the Niagara Peninsula beginning later this morning through Wednesday evening. This amount of rain flowing over saturated ground can cause significant runoff into local ditches, watercourses, and storm infrastructure.

Continue reading →

Increase to $17.20 an hour follows passage of government’s fourth Working for Workers Act

News from the Ontario Government of Premier Doug Ford

Posted April 2^nd, 2024 on Niagara At Large

TORONTO — The Ontario government is increasing the minimum wage from $16.55 per hour to $17.20, effective October 1, 2024. This 3.9 per cent annualized wage increase is based on the Ontario Consumer Price Index (CPI) and brings Ontario’s minimum wage to the second highest in Canada.

“Under the leadership of Premier Ford, our government is helping nearly one million workers earn more money for themselves and their families,” said David Piccini, Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development.

“We are providing businesses with certainty and predictability by announcing this annual wage increase six months in advance, while also helping families offset the rising cost of living, so that Ontario continues to be the best place to live, work and raise a family.” Continue reading →

 “The National School Food Program is a game changer. The Program will take pressure off of families, invest directly in the future of our kids, and make sure they’re able to reach their full potential – feeling healthy and happy. This is about fairness and doing what’s right for our kids to get the best start in life.”             – Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada

A  Pre-Budget Announcement from Canada’s Trudeau Government

Posted April 2^nd,2024 on Niagara At Large.

Every generation deserves a fair, healthy future – from kids, to parents, to grandparents. It’s why we’re supporting families, one of the many things that we are doing in Budget 2024 to build an economy that helps every generation get ahead.

Children deserve to have the best start in life. But today, nearly one in four children in Canada do not get enough food. That impacts their health and their opportunities to learn and grow.

Higher grocery prices are making it hard for parents to afford to put enough good, healthy food on the table. Study after study has shown that when kids eat well, they do better in school. And when kids do well, that sets them up for success. Continue reading →

Ex-U.S. President Wants You To “MAKE TOILETS CLEAN AGAIN!”

By Doug Draper, Niagara At Large

Posted April 1^st, 2024

Just a week after Donald Trump began hocking his own “Make America Pray Again” version of the Bible, he is now offering, for the low, low price of $29.99, a radically different item for your shopping pleasure – a one-of-a-kind “Make Toilets Clean Again” brush with featuring a likeness of MAGA Word’s favourite strongman topped with a head full of yellow bristles strong enough to brush away the most stubborn stains in your toilet bowl.

Order yours now and Trump’s ‘Ultra MAGA’ fundraising team will send you a second brush absolutely free, along with a 12-pack of toilet paper with a picture of Trump giving the finger to everyone who, as he often puts it, have “not been very nice to me,” on each and every role. Continue reading →

Curious about the cosmos? Wondering why a total solar eclipse in Niagara is such a rare sight?

An Invite from Brock University in St. Catharines, Ontario

Posted April 1^st, 2024 on Niagara At Large

At one of two upcoming free Brock University public lectures, Assistant Professor of Physics Barak Shoshany will discuss eclipses, including what to expect of the April 8 total solar eclipse and how to watch it safely.

Niagara, Ontario – Two Brock University professors are giving free public lectures next week about the celestial spectacle and the significance of lunar and solar cycles.

Assistant Professor of Physics Barak Shoshany will present All About Eclipses<https://experiencebu.brocku.ca/event/262285> on Friday, April 5 from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. in David S. Howes Theatre.

The presentation will discuss the differences between solar and lunar eclipses, the types of solar eclipses and why a total solar eclipse is so rare. He will also explain what people can expect to see during the upcoming total solar eclipse on Monday, April 8 and how to view the eclipse safely. Continue reading →

News and a Call-Out to All of Us to Press the Ford Government for from the Green Party of Ontario

Posted March 29^th, 2024 at Niagara At Large

Two more beluga whales died at Marineland in (a large amusement park in Niagara Falls, Ontario) this (past)  week.

That brings the marine mammal death toll at this “attraction” In the last five years to 21 – 16 belugas, an orca, two seals, and two sea lions.

How many more animals have to die before the (Ontario Ford) government takes action?

Continue reading →

    – Take in the beauty of the blooms at the Orchid Show at the Niagara Parks Floral Showhouse 

    – Step into nature with a visit to the Butterfly Conservatory

    – Discover the transformation of spring at the Niagara Parks Botanical Gardens

    – Travel back in time to the heart of hydroelectric power generation at the Niagara Parks Power Station + Tunnel

    – Be one of the first to set sail this season on Niagara City Cruises’ iconic Boat Tour

Inside Niagara Parks’ Butterfly Conservatory. All photos courtesy of Niagara Parks

An Invite to All from the Niagara Parks Commission in Niagara, Ontario

Posted March 29^th, 2024 on Niagara At Large

 Niagara Falls, ON   – Hop into spring with a visit to Niagara Parks this Easter long weekend. Take in the budding beauty around the Niagara River corridor and enjoy a variety of springtime activities. There is something for everyone to enjoy in this holiday long weekend, from festive springtime floral displays to Niagara Parks’ iconic nature-based attractions.

** The Orchid Show at Niagara Parks Floral Showhouse

Experience the breath-taking and colourful blooms of over 1,500 expertly grown Phalaenopsis orchids at Niagara Parks’ first-ever Orchid Show at the  ## Floral Showhouse ## (https://www.niagaraparks.com/visit/nature-garden/floral-showhouse/). The striking floral display filled with hues of purple, yellow, pink, and white draws inspiration from the once-in-a-lifetime total solar eclipse happening in Niagara Falls on April 8, 2024. Continue reading →

All of Niagara preparing to host thousands of visitors for once-in-a-lifetimeview total solar eclipse

“Declaring a State of Emergency under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act (EMCPA) strengthens the tools the Region has at its disposal to safeguard the health and safety of residents and visitors and protect our critical infrastructure in any scenario that might arise.”

An Important Message from Niagara’s Regional Government

Posted March 28^th, 2024 on Niagara At  Large

NIAGARA, ONTARIO – On (Monday) April 8th, all of Niagara will be one of the best places in Canada to view the total solar eclipse, and thousands of visitors are expected to come to our region to see it.

In order to make sure Niagara is prepared to accommodate this once-in-a-lifetime event, and out of an abundance of caution, Regional Chair Jim Bradley proactively declared a State of Emergency for Niagara Region under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act (EMCPA), effective today, March 28. Continue reading →

Niagara Regional Chair Jim Bradley,

“Let us choose wisely, let us act boldly, and let us do so with the knowledge that our best days are yet to come. …Together, we can make Niagara a model of progress, the standard bearer for collaboration and a testament to the power of community.”               – Niagara Regional Chair Jim Bradley

A Foreword by Doug Draper of Niagara At Large, followed by a link you can click on to  read the full transcript of Niagara Regional Chair Jim Bradley’s 2024 State of the Region Address

Posted March 28^th, 2024 on Niagara At Large

In front of an estimated audience of 400 members of Niagara’s private and public sector communities seated at the John Michael’s Banquet and Event Centre in Thorold this March 27th , Regional Chair Jim Bradley delivered an annual State of the Region address that focused on both achievements and the challenges the Region and its many partners continue to focus their efforts on.

Bradley began his address citing a number of statistics and dollar figures in a host of areas, including Niagara’s employment rate, housing, agricultural, tourism and in the recruitment of family doctors he said shows that the region is “on an upward trajectory.”

“When I reflect on the state of our economy,” he added, “I am filled with a sense of optimism for the future of the Niagara region. Continue reading →

And Ontario’s Doug Ford Is Still  Without A Plan!

A News Release from Ontario’s NDP Official Opposition Party

Posted March 27^th, 2024 on Niagara At Large

QUEEN’S PARK – Marit Stiles, Leader of Ontario’s Official Opposition NDP, is asking Doug Ford to answer for his embarrassing failure to deliver affordable housing that could see Ontario lose out on $357 million dollars in federal funding by the end of this week.

“Ontario’s record on affordable housing has been an absolute embarrassment,” said Stiles, “Instead of building the affordable housing we need and that he committed to, Ford wasted years focused on carving up the Greenbelt to help his friends. Now, the province could lose hundreds of millions in badly needed funding because of his failures.” Continue reading →

New analysis from Environmental Defence reveals that despite federal government promises, funding to the fossil fuel and petrochemical industries remains high

Posted March 27^th, 2024 on Niagara At Large

As the world continues to burn and countless billions of dollars of destruction is continuing to happen, almost all that Canada’s Justin Trudeau and his Liberals continue to do is use billions of dollars of our tax money to fund big oil and the tar sands. All this while Biden’s United States are working to corner the world market on renewable energy.

Ottawa, Ontario –A New analysis released this March 27th by Environmental Defence reveals Canada’s federal government provided at least $18.6 billion to the fossil fuel and petrochemical industries in 2023 alone – a substantial amount of taxpayer money that went towards making it cheaper to find, extract, process, transport, and export fossil fuels and their derivatives.

“In 2023, as people across Canada faced a fossil fueled affordability crisis and climate disasters continued to ravage the country and the world, the Government of Canada continued providing financial support to an industry that we need to be winding down in order to avoid catastrophic levels of warming,” said Julia Levin, Associate Director, National Climate, at Environmental Defence. Continue reading →

‘Buy One Now and “Help Make America Pray Again”

By a head-spinning Doug Draper, reporter/publisher of Niagara At Large

Posted March 27^th, 2026, just in time for the Holy Week and April Fool’s Day

You may recall – with horror or sorrow – when then-U.S. President had heavily warmed policie clear away a crowd of unarmed Black Lives Matter protesters in front of the White House before we walked to a nearby church and held a copy of the Holy Bible upside down for a photo op.

The Dear Leader has been known to autograph Bibles for his zoned-out  followers too!

Now, just in time for Good Friday and Easter, the former president is selling his own verson of a ‘God Bless America Bible for a mere $60 a copy – and that’s no early April Fool’s joke. Continue reading →

“This budget once again shows that the Ontario government doesn’t take climate change seriously and is uninterested in being truthful when it comes to the costs of climate change and climate policies.”                                                                                                           – Keith Brooks, Environnmental Defence Programs Director

“Today’s (March 26^th, 2024)  budget is awful news for Ontario families seeking a decent home. Ontario’s housing shortage was caused by decades of putting most new family housing in low-density, highway-dependent subdivisions on farmland. Today’s spending doubles down on that failed model”                                                   – Phil Pothen, Environmental Defence Program Manager, Land Use and Ontario Environment

Response to the Ontario Ford Government’s 2024 Budget from Experts for Environmental Defence, a non-profit citizens organization advocating for a healther environment for all

Posted March 26^th, 2024 on Niagara At Large

Toronto, Ontario – Environmental Defence experts react to the 2024 Ontario budget, released this March 26th, 2024.

Keith Brooks, Programs Director: “This budget once again shows that the Ontario government doesn’t take climate change seriously and is uninterested in being truthful when it comes to the costs of climate change and climate policies. The budget’s discussion of climate is limited almost exclusively to attacking the federal carbon price and claiming that it is driving up inflation and the cost of living, omitting any mention of the rebate. Meanwhile, Ontario is without a credible plan to address climate change, though the government’s own report, released last fall, flagged that climate change threatens Ontarians’ homes, food, farms, forests, and health.” Continue reading →

Never Has a Government Spent so Much to Accomplish so Little

Response to the Fort Government’s 2024 Budget from the Liberal Government of Ontario

Posted March 26^th, 2026 on Niagara At Large

Ontario Liberal Party Leader Bonnie Crombie

QUEEN’S PARK, ON – Ontario’s Liberals are slamming the Conservatives for introducing another uninspired, unambitious, do-nothing budget that puts Doug Ford’s wealthy friends and well-connected insiders ahead of Ontario families.

The 2024-25 budget will spend a record $214.5 billion, while accomplishing so little for families struggling to find a family doctor, put their children in daycare, or afford skyrocketing rent increases.

In fact, the Conservatives will cut healthcare spending at a time when 2.2 million Ontarians can’t find a family doctor and thousands of emergency room closures are taking place each year. Continue reading →

Marit Stiles, Leader of the Official Opposition NDP, says Ford’s 2024 Provincial Budget is a missed opportunity for much-needed change

Response to the Ford Government’s 2024 Budget from Ontario’s NDP Official Opposition Party

Posted March 26^th, 2024 onNiagara At Large

Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles

QUEEN’S PARK – Marit Stiles, Leader of the Official Opposition NDP, says Ford’s 2024 Provincial Budget is a missed opportunity for much-needed change.

“If you’re looking for change, Ford’s budget is not for you,” said Stiles. “People are looking for better health care and homes they can afford. Instead, they got an uninspired statement from a government that is out of touch and out of ideas.”

NDP Finance critic, MPP Catherine Fife, says this budget comes at an all-hands-on-deck moment. “This was an opportunity for Ford’s Conservatives to finally deliver real solutions for Ontarians. But Ford’s Conservatives chose to stick to the status quo. Ford is doubling down on their own failed policies” Continue reading →

2024 Budget delivering on plan to rebuild Ontario’s economy

“As we invest in key public services and infrastructure, including new roads, highways and the largest public transit expansion in North America, we refuse to offload the costs onto hardworking Ontario families or municipalities at a time when they’re counting on us to keep costs down.”                                                       – Ontario Minister of Finance Peter Bethlenfalvy

News from the Ontario Conservative Government of Premier Doug Ford

Posted March 26^th, 2024 on Niagara At Large

Ontario Minister of Finance Peter Bethlenfalvy

TORONTO, Ontario — Today (March 26^th, 2024), Ontario Minister of Finance Peter Bethlenfalvy released the 2024 Budget: Building a Better Ontario. Like the rest of the world, Ontario continues to face economic uncertainty due to high interest rates and global instability.

These challenges are putting pressure on Ontario families and their finances, as well as on the province’s finances. Despite these challenges, Ontario is continuing to deliver on its Plan to Build by investing in infrastructure to get more homes built faster, attracting better jobs with bigger paycheques, keeping costs down for families and businesses, and retaining a path to balance. Continue reading →

Continued gas tax cuts would save households $320 on average since 2022

A News Release from the Ontario Conservative Government of Doug Ford with a Foreword by Niagara At Large reporter/publisher Doug Draper

Posted March 25^th, 2024 on Niagara At Large

A Foreword by Doug Draper, reporter/publisher, NAL –

I have said it before and how said it is that I feel an urgency to say it here again!

Ontario Premier Doug Ford, visiting one of many flood-ravaged communities in the province during his government’s first term in office. Did anything sink in?

When it comes to advancing energy and transportation policies that a address a climate crisis that is wreaking ever more havoc on our health and property (not to mention the diversity of life we need to survive on this planet), we have a Premier in Ontario who is still spinning his wheels back in the 1950s.

If you don’t believe me, allow me to post – for your edification – the  News Release below my commentary here  rom Doug Ford’s Conservative government to make my case.

I can only read this latest News Release from the Fort Govenrment and say heere we are again – almost halfway through the second decade of the 21st Century  –  with the Premier and his toddies with going no further than extending gas and other carbon fuel cuts for another nine months to, as Ford puts it, “provide relief at the pumps and put hundreds of dollars back into peoples’ pockets.” Continue reading →

Members of Niagara’s Palestinian Community Continue to Ask Why a Flag and Lights for Israel, Why Not for Them

A News Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted March 24^th, 2024 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – For the third Regional Council meeting in a row, members of Niagara’s Palestinian community were there, pressing the council for some public show of sympathy and support – in the form of a flag raising or lighting up the Region’s headquarters – for the humanitarian crisis their friends and relatives are going through in the Gaza Strip.

The sign Niagara Regonal Headquarters. Will it ever by lit in the colours of the Palestinian flag in recognition of the ongoing suffering of civilians in the Gaza Strip?

At this latest of the three meetings, held this past March 21^st – and unlike the first one on January 25th  that turned raucous after a  large delegation from their  community was blocked from addressing the council – three members of the community were granted time at the podium.

With Niagara Regional staff now working to develop a “flag raising and Niagara sign lighting policy,”, the three speakers used some of their time at the podium to question why Niagara Regional Chair Jim Bradley decided – following the murderous attack on Israeli citizens last October 7^th –had the sign at the Region’s  headquarter’s lit up  in the colours of the Israeli flag but so far has not done the same for Palestinians suffering and dying in the ongoing Hamas/Israeli War.

“The request to light the Niagara sign in the colours of Palestine is fully in accordance with the current lighting policy,” said St. Catharines resident Saleh Waziruddin, one of the three speakers at the March 21^st regional council meeting. Continue reading →

Niagara Health Patients Asked To Plan Ahead For Appointments During Solar Eclipse

A News Release from Niagara Health, Niagara, Ontario’s amalgamated system of of hospital services

Posted March 22^nd, 2024 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – On April 8, Niagara will be one of the best spots in North America to view the rare total solar eclipse. This phenomenon is expected to attract thousands of visitors to Niagara to see the moon as it completely covers the sun.

Most Niagara Health appointments and clinics will operate on April 8. To prepare for an appointment, we ask that patients take the following steps: Continue reading →

“On World Water Day, I invite all Canadians to reflect on the importance of our most precious resource. It is our shared responsibility to protect and conserve our shared waters, and by working together, we can help ensure water security for all, now and into the future.”                                                                                    – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

From the Office of Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada

Posted March 22^nd, 2024 on Niagara At Large

Ottawa, Ontario – The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today (this March 22^nd) issued the following statement on World Water Day:

“Water is our most precious natural resource. It keeps us healthy, helps grow our food, and fuels our economy. Today, as we mark World Water Day, we reaffirm our commitment to preserving and protecting clean water for generations to come.

“Canada is home to a fifth of the world’s fresh water. But as climate change increasingly threatens our waters, we need transformative action to protect them. Continue reading →

NDP MPP Wayne Gates is demanding answers after new reporting found nearly 300 seniors were forced to move to an LTC home

News from the Constituency Office of Niagara Falls NDP MPP Wayne Gates

Niagara Falls NDP MPP Wayne Gates on his feet in the Ontario legislature

QUEEN’S PARK – NDP MPP Wayne Gates (Niagara Falls), Official Opposition critic for Long-Term Care (LTC), is demanding answers after new reporting found nearly 300 seniors were forced to move to an LTC home not of their choosing (https://globalnews.ca/news/10373166/nearly-300-ontario-patients-moved-to-ltc-homes/) because of Ford’s Bill 7.

“I am calling on this government to repeal Bill 7 (which allows the government to move seniors in long-term care long distances from family members without their consent), apologize to these 300 families, and finally show seniors some respect,” said Gates.

“Sending nearly 300 seniors to Long-Term care homes that they didn’t choose – which might be far away from their friends and families – it’s absolutely unacceptable.”

Continue reading →

Yet Niagara’s South-End Residents Continue Fighting Like Hell to Save Them, and THAT’S GOOD!

A Commentary by Niagara At Large reporter/publisher Doug Draper

Posted March 21st on Niagara At Large

The late Sue Salzer, shown here at a rally more than a decade ago with fellow members the citizens-based  Yellow Shirt Brigade, fighting to save the hospitals in Fort Erie, Port Colborne and Welland. 

Sue Salzer and members of her ‘Yellow Shirt Brigade’ feared that the closing of Fort Erie’s Douglas Memorial Hospital was coming years before the grand opening of a state-of-the-art, super hospital on former farmland in West St. Catharines in 2013.

Yet I am sure the Fort Erie community activist, who sadly passed away six years ago, would be among the hundreds of  South Niagara residents who packed Fort Erie’s Leisureplex hall this past Tuesday, March 19^th, fighting advocating like hell to keep what is left of the Douglas Memorial Hospital alive.

In the wake of this past March 19^th’s meeting, hosted by Niagara Health, the body in charge of operating Niagara, Ontario’s hospital system, I could not help but thinking back some 15 or more years ago to the beginning of  the Yellow Shirt Brigade’s efforts to fight for the survival of Douglas Memorial, along with others in Port Colborne and Welland, as fully-functioning hospitals in their communities. Continue reading →

Town’s Council Passes Stronger Bylaw for Protecting and Preserving Trees

News Release from the Town of Fort Erie in Niagara, Ontario

Posted March 21st, 2024 on Niagara At Large

Trees along the shore of Lake Erie in the Town of Fort Erie –

A Brief Foreword by Doug Draper, reporter/publisher, Niagara At Large – 

At a time when so much  news about the state of our environment, regionally, nationally and globally, is pretty grim, it is encouraging and should be a motivator for us all to get some good news every once in a while.

Community activist and natural heritage preservationist Marcie Jacklin was one of the area citizens who provided input on the Town of Fort Erie’s updated tree bylaw

So on the good news front, I encourage you to read the news release below from the Town of Fort Erie which offers hope that it is possible for municipal councils to work together with citizens in the community to put measures in place for better protecting our natural environment.

Marcie Jacklin, a Fort Erie resident and leading member of a citizens group called Community Voices of Fort Erie which, among other matters related to natural heritage preservation, remains dedicated to saving as much of Waverly Woods as possible near the Town’s Lake Erie shore from urban sprawl, made a presentation to the Town’s council while the new tree bylaw was still under review.

She offered this statement to Niagara At Large on the outcome – “I think this Tree Bylaw is a good starting point. It clearly demonstrates that the Fort Erie Town Council and staff are working on controlling the unauthorized clearing of land by developers in Fort Erie. This bylaw will also help to maintain and enhance The town of Fort Erie’s natural assets.” Continue reading →

YOUR PRESENCE AT UPCOMING MUNICIPAL COUNCIL MEETINGS WILL GREATLY MATTER

A Call-Out to All Niagara residents from 50by30 Niagara, a region-wide citizens group fighting for a cleaner, healthier environment for us all

Posted March 20^th, 2024 on Niagara At Large

As you know we’ve been writing and talking about the Ontario Energy Board’s decision which requires Enbridge to charge the full connection fee for their gas lines up front, instead of amortizing it over 40 years time, as Enbridge wants to do.

If allowed, Enbridge would continue to expand the gas network for 40 years and counting, which is just incredibly irresponsible. 

We’ve been contacting and working with local municipal councillors, and we have been making real and significant progress. Continue reading →

Ontario Just Keeps Getting Gassier

A Message and a Call-Out to Us from the Ontario Clean Air Alliance, a non-profit citizen group advocating for a future free of climate ravaging carbon pollution

Posted March 20^th, 2024 on Niagara At Large

Ontario saw a  huge spike in fossil gas burning [https://www.ieso.ca/Corporate-IESO/Media/Year-End-Data] for electricity production in 2023, with gas-fired generation increasing by 26% compared to 2022!

This is more evidence of how Ontario has become more and more dependent on  polluting gas to keep its lights on despite plenty of  better alternatives. Continue reading →

“Our democracies didn’t happen by accident, and they won’t continue without effort. That’s why we are working with partners around the world … to strengthen democracy and trust in our  institutions.                                                                                              – Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada

News from the Office of Canada’s Prime Minister

Posted March 20^th, 2024 on Niagara At Large

Ottawa, Ontario – Democracies around the world are facing threats.

From foreign actors trying to  influence election results, to malicious cyber activity, to disinformation – Canada is not immune to these challenges. That is why we are working with international partners to safeguard and advance democracy.

The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today (this March 20^th) reaffirmed Canada’s unwavering  commitment to protecting and strengthening democratic institutions at the Summit for Democracy, hosted by the Republic of Korea. Continue reading →