Niagara At Large

Posted April 24th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Here so many of us were soaking up the warmth and sun on what began this Monday as the first really nice day of spring when a nightmare unfolded on the streets of Toronto.

It seems so very hard to get even a few hours break from bad news these days, and this was news on a shocking scale in a country where carnage like this is all but impossible to imagine.

Flowers and messages at make-shift memorial for victims following Toronto van attack

Our thoughts are with the victims and their families following  this shocking attack, and here are a few statements circulated in the aftermath by two of our political leaders. Continue reading →

A Column by Pelham Mayor Dave Augustyn

Posted April 24th, 218 on Niagara At Large

A Brief Foreword from Niagara At Large reporter and publisher Doug Draper – The mayor of Pelham circulated the following column to media outlets for posting, and Niagara At Large is posting it knowing there may be a few in the region who will accuse the mayor of engaging in some municipal election year boosterism for his performance and that of his council.

Pelham Mayor Dave Augustyn

What may be of more interest to the rest of us is that the water and waste water rates Pelham Mayor Dave Augustyn is reporting here – based on hard numbers in the town’s budget – fly in the face of a narrative a group of Niagara regional councillors, including Port Colborne regional councillor and the Region’s corporate services committee chair David Barrick, have been advancing for more than a year now that Pelham’s financial picture is something akin to a train wreck.

In fact, check out the charts accompanying the mayor’s column and notice how Pelham’s water and waste water rates compare to those of other Niagara municipalities, including municipalities that are home base to some of the regional councillors pointing a damning finger at Augustyn and his council. Perhaps those should spend more time minding the financial affairs in their own municipalities.

You might want to ask those regional councillors about that during this municipal election year.

Now back to Pelham Mayor Dave Augustyn’s column –

I am delighted that Council is set to approve a water and waste water budget at our next meeting where Pelham’s charges will be the lowest across Niagara again. Continue reading →

‘Ontario’s Liberal Government Had 15 Years To Fix Crisis In Long-Term Care’ – Cindy Forster

A News Release from the Ontario New Democrats and Welland Riding MPP Cindy Forster

Welland (Niagara Centre) NDP MPP Cindy Forster in provincial legislature. file photo

Queen’s Park, Toronto  – Having spent seven years in office fighting for urgently needed long-term care beds in the Welland riding, MPP Cindy Forster asked the Liberal premier why the government has left Ontario seniors behind for over 15 years and only now – with 45 days left in office, making a last ditch attempt to win votes with empty promises.

“The people who built this province and built our communities deserve comfort and dignity as they age, but too many people in Welland – and across Ontario – cannot get the seniors care they need,” explained Forster. Continue reading →

         Student and part-time positions available across all departments

A News Release from Ontario’s Niagara Parks Commission

Posted April 24th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Niagara Falls, Ontario – Niagara Parks, one of the region’s largest employers with over 1,700 full-time and seasonal employees, will be hosting another Job Fair on Saturday, May 5 at Niagara Parks’ Legends on the Niagara Golf Complex.

Job Fairs allow Niagara Parks to showcase the seasonal job opportunities that exist within the organization each year, while providing individuals with an opportunity to connect directly with various departmental hiring managers. Representatives from Niagara Parks’ Human Resources Department will also be on-hand to help answer any questions. Continue reading →

Speech Focuses on Government’s Record of Making Life More Affordable and the Next Steps

Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne

A News Release from the Office of Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne

Posted April 24th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne was at the Canadian Club in Toronto this past Monday, April 23rd for a major speech about her government’s record and the next steps in the government’s plan for care and opportunity.

In front of a packed audience of over 400, the Premier spoke about the big changes her government has made over the past four years and the ways these bold, new steps are starting to ease the burdens families are under, restore fairness in the economy and help people get ahead in this period of rapid global change and uncertainty, including: Continue reading →

Join A Public Discussion On Developing A Rail Connection Between the Buffalo/Niagara Falls, New York Area and Toronto

An Invite from Citizens for Regional Transit in Buffalo-Niagara, New York

Posted April 24th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

• Free and Open to All
  Tuesday, May 1, 2018
  5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
  Doors open at 5:00 p.m.
• First Presbyterian Church
  1 Symphony Circle, Buffalo, NY 14201

Buffalo, New York area Democratic Congressman Brian Higgins is featured speaker at this event.

Buffalo, New York – On Tuesday, May 1, 2018 at 5:30 p.m., Citizens for Regional Transit (CRT) hosts a quarterly meeting featuring Congressman Brian Higgins with panelists Pat Whalen, Director of the Niagara Falls Global Tourism Institute and Bruce Becker, Vice President of the National Association of Rail Passengers.

When looking at a satellite image of the region between Toronto and Buffalo-Niagara, it becomes clear that it’s a contiguously urbanized area; we are part of a binational mega-region.

This linear arrangement of urban centers has a population of nine million people and a combined GDP of $450 billion. Continue reading →