Niagara At Large

COVID-19 has left Many in the Industry Unemployed

News from the Niagara Falls Illumination Board and Niagara Parks Commission

Posted September 1st, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Niagara Falls, Ontario – The Niagara Falls Illumination Board will be illuminating both the American and Canadian Horseshoe Falls in red on September 1st, joining over 1,500 venues from across North America in appreciation of the live events industry which has been devastated by the impacts of COVID-19.

A second illumination will also take place on September 22nd. Continue reading →

Stevens deeply concerned about news that YMCA-licensed school age child care centres will not re-open until later in September

Late opening child care options will disproportionately affect women in Niagara

A Message from the Constituency Office of St Catharines NDP MPP Jennie Stevens

Posted August 31^st, 2020 on Niagara At Large

St. Catharines NDP MPP Jennie Stevens

St. Catharines, Ontario  – NDP MPP Jennie Stevens (St. Catharines) is deeply concerned about news that YMCA-licensed school age child care centres will not re-open until later in September, with a staggered return to full operations, and is urging the Ford government to support parents who can’t return to work.

“Parents depend on child care centres to look after their kids before and after school. As schools are set to re-open in Niagara in September it’s essential for parents, including teachers themselves, returning to work to know that there’s care available out of school hours so they can go back to their jobs,” said Stevens. Continue reading →

Bill Seeks to Reduce Role of Public in Reviewing Plans and Projects that may harm Environment

“Bill 197 holds true to an insidious pattern of environmental deregulation that reflects neither the values nor the long-term interests of Ontarians who understand the importance of a healthy environment,”                                                                               – Caroline Schultz, Ontario Nature’s Executive Director.

A News Release from Ontario Nature, Earthroots and the Canadian Environmental Law Association (CELA)

Posted August 31st, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Defending the health and prosperity of communities and the environment

Toronto, Ontario – In the wake of the passage of Ontario’s controversial Bill 197, a legal challenge against the legislation has been commenced by Earthroots; Canadian Environmental Law Association; Ontario Nature; Cooper Price, a 16-year old activist; and Michel Koostachin, who was born and raised in Attawapiskat.

These parties have jointly filed an application for judicial review that asks the Divisional Court to issue declaratory relief and other remedies in relation to the omnibus legislation, which overhauls the Environmental Assessment Act and amends other provincial laws. Continue reading →

A Brief Commentary by Niagara At Large reporter and publisher Doug Draper

Posted August 31^st, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Every now and then – eveb in the face of Ontario’s Ford government’s relentless war against environmental protection measures – citizens across this province who care about protecting and preserving our natural heritage win one.

According to an August 28^th story posted on the National Observer of Canada’s website, citizen pressure, including some from residents in a Greater Toronto Area riding that just happens to have a Ford government member as an MPP, has caused Premier Doug Ford to back away from allowing more quarries in areas of the Golden Horsehoe where there is endangered species habitat. Continue reading →

Wonder why your property insurance costs are soaring. Devastating wildlires and flood have become more commonplace in Canada and the United States, but politicians like Donald Trump and Doug Ford don’t want to talk about that – certainly not in the context of a climate emergency

“What is radical is doing nothing to take on the existential threat of climate change while the world burns.”                – U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders

By Bernie Sanders, in a recent email to supporters

Posted August 29^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

A Brief Foreword Note from Doug Draper at Niagara At Large –

Read the following from Vermont Senator and former U.S. presidential candidate Bernie Sanders and see if you agree with me that when it comes to the climate crisis our world faces, we sure could use more voices in politics like Bernie Sanders here in Canada.

There are way too few at the federal, provincial and municipal levels. We, the people, need to use our votes to do something about that.

Now here is Bernie Sanders –

Bernie Sanders, always telling it like it is. No B.S.!

Sometimes, when you hear a speech, what is NOT said is more important than what is said. 

You wouldn’t know it if you watched the first night of the Republican National Convention, but we are in the middle of a climate emergency with scientists telling us we have just a few years to act in order to save our planet for future generations.

Just look around our country (the United States):

The second and third largest fires in the history of the state of California have burned more than 1.2 million acres in just a month, thousands of homes and businesses have been lost to the blaze, and tens of thousands of people have been forced to flee. Continue reading →

Let’s hope our Canadian government, for the sake of our citizens security, keeps border crossings like this Peace Bridge between Niagara, Ontario and the Buffalo, New York area closed.

Trumpland is Far Too Dangerous to Allow More People from that side of the Border to visit Canada

A Commentary by Niagara At Large reporter and publisher Doug Draper

Posted August 28^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

As a life-long Niagara, Ontario resident who has always enjoyed crossing the Canada-U.S. border, and who has – quite naively, as it turns out – taken the freedom to cross for granted, how sad the past five months have been for so many of us who have enjoyed our cross-border visits to friends and relatives, and to all those places and events we loved to visit and engage in.

As residents in both countries now observe the fifth full month of border crossings to all but essential (mostly commercial) traffic due to COVID-19, the toll on those who have relatives and friends or own properties on either side, and on businesses and communities that benefit from cross-border traffic is incalculable.

How sad it is that events like this wonderful Elmwood Avenue Festival of the Arts in Buffalo, New York has been cancelled – thanks to Trumpland treating COVID-19 like a joke. File photo by Doug Draper

As I write this, I am reminded that this weekend of August 29^th and 30^th would mark the 21^st anniversary of the Elmwood Avenue – an event that my family and always looked forward to. It has been one of the last great street festivals of the summer season, and certainly a wonderful boost to an Elmwood Village in Buffalo, New York that has been so much fun for people on both sides of the border, and such an economic boost for artists, and for the cafes and restaurants and other businesses in that so-very nice neighbourhood. Continue reading →

Let Your Niagara Regional Councillors and Mayors of Your Towns and Cities Know That You Care About About Saving What Remains of Our Precious Natural Areas

For the sake of ours and future generations, let’s save what is left of places like this in our Niagara region.

A Call-Out to All of us from the Biodiversity and Climate Action Committee, a non-partisan coalition of citizens in Niagara, Ontario

Posted August 28^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Niagara’s Regional Council is about to make what may be the most important decisions of their term.

Will they make the right one?

The Region of Niagara is conducting an Official Plan review to bring its plan into compliance with Provincial Policy. As part of this review, the Region must create a Natural Heritage System (NHS) plan and Water Resource System (WRS) plan. Unfortunately, staff are not currently recommending the best option for either system.

We need to save what is left of places like this – one of the wetlands in Thundering Waters Forest, a sprawling green area in the Niagara River watershed in Niagara Falls, Ontario. Photo courtesy of Lori Monroe

Given the development pressure Niagara Region is under, now is the time to protect our remaining, fragmented natural areas and link them into systems that are robust and resilient enough to ensure the region’s children and grandchildren will be able to depend on all the benefits they provide. Continue reading →

We Sure Miss You Buddy. Even More During These Perilous Times

Dexter, on his back, catching a few rays. File photo by Doug Draper

By Doug Draper

Posted August 27^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Dexter, on his perch, in an open-air cat house in our backyard.

Every now and then, while sitting on the back porch of our home, I still look up expecting to see those beautiful green eyes stark g back at me from a perch near a bedroom window where he loved to sit on a warm summer day.

Then I am reminded, once again, that he is gone.

The perch where he sat is empty. Man how I miss that wonderful cat and wish so much that he was still here, looking on with those eyes that seemed to reflect a such a boundless spirit and a wisdom of the ages. Continue reading →

As the late David Bowie said in a song; “I’m Afraid of America!” Thank God those Border Crossings to the U.S. are Still Closed

A Brief Commentary by Niagara At Large reporter and publisher Doug Draper

Posted August 25^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Wasn’t he going to end all of the “carnage” and “Make America Great Again”? What happened? He’s already had more than three and a half years.

Don’t know if you dared to tune in to any of the first night of Trumps Republic National Convention shit show this now-past Monday, August 24^th, but Trump’s son, Donald Jr., and a rogue’s gallery of others sure did paint one nightmarish picture of the state of the nation in the United States today.

Isn’t it interesting how, four years ago, Trump ran for U.S. president on a slogan that he was going to; “Make America Great Again.” After he won, and during his inauguration address in January of 2017, he vowed that he was going to end what he claimed was the “carnage” in his country right there and then. Continue reading →

United States Pushes Forward With Plans For Big-Oil Arctic Drilling

A News Release From The World Wildlife Fund

Posted August 21st, 2020 On Niagara At Large

In Response To The Trump Administration Releasing A Record Of Decision That Will Allow For The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Coastal Plain Leasing Program To Move Forward, World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Issued The Following Statement From Margaret Williams, Managing Director, Arctic Program:

“Drilling In The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Poses An Intolerable Risk To One Of Our Nation’s Greatest Natural Treasures. The Refuge Is One Of The Few Places Remaining In The World Where Wildlife Has The Freedom To Roam, And Communities’ Ancient Traditions Are Deeply Rooted To The Land And Sea.

“The Administration Has Once Again Prioritized Unsustainable Development That Will Exacerbate Climate Change. It Also Has Undercut The Ability Of This Sensitive Environment To Support Vast Herds Of Caribou And The People Who Rely On Them, As Well As Denning Polar Bears, Musk-Oxen, And Birds From Every State And Continent. Continue reading →

A Plea to Our American Friends and Neighbours from At Least One Canadian

A Commentary by Niagara At Large reporter and publisher           Doug Draper

Posted August 21st, 2020 on Niagara At Large

At least some Niagara At Large readers may wonder why I dwell so much on the nightmare that has been folding over the past three or four years, south of the Canada-United States border.

The answer for me is simple and it begins with an insight about the Canada-U.S. relationship that then Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau spelled out 51 years ago during a trip to the White House for a meeting with then-President Richard Nixon.

“Living next to you is in some ways like sleeping with an elephant. No matter how friendly and even-tempered is the beast, if I can call it that, one is affected by every twitch and grunt.”

Elephants, unfortunately, are animals that many often associate with circuses rather than the great wide-open savannas that should be their peaceful homes.

And for the past three or four years, with Trump’s ascendancy to power in the U.S., we Canadians have had ring-side seats at a circus that has often come off as more of a horror show, with the most scary kind of clowns anyone could conjure up in a nightmare laughing wickedly in our face.

Trump and his army of willing enablers have not only caused grave damage to the pillars of democracy and fair, civil governance in their country. They have done significant damage to us, and they have placed the hopes and dreams of a healthy, prosperous future for our children in Canada, and the rest of the world, in jeopardy too. Continue reading →

“While Niagara continues to cope with the impacts of COVID-19 on operations and budgets, the work of AMO (the Association of Municipalities of Ontario) has never been more important. I am confident that Councillor Foster will continue to ensure our priorities are brought forward, and Niagara will have a strong seat at the table.”                                                                                              – Niagara Regional Chair Jim Bradley

News from Niagara, Ontario’s Regional Government

Posted August 21^st. 2020 on Niagara At Large

Niagara Regional Couoncillor Rob Foster

Earlier this week (of August 17th) at the annual Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) conference, Niagara Regional Councillor Rob Foster was re-elected to the AMO Board of Directors Regional for two-year term.

This is Councillor Foster’s second term on the AMO Board of Directors. Councillor Foster, a first-term Regional Councillor from the Town of Lincoln, was first elected to town council in by-election in 2001 has remained active in his community since that time.

AMO is a non-partisan, non-profit organization that works to support and enhance Ontario’s 444 municipalities to achieve shared goals and meet common challenges through advocacy, policy and consultative opportunities. It promotes the value of the municipal level of government as a vital and essential component of the Provincial and Federal Governments. Continue reading →

“Changes pushed through (by Ontario’s Ford Government) last month (July, 2020) – in the middle of a pandemic – gut our Environmental Assessment (EA) safeguards and even allow for shovels in the ground before weakened reviews are complete.”                                                                                                      – Green Party of Ontario

A Call-Out to All of Us from the Green Party of Ontario

Posted August 20^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Save Ontario’s Farmland

(Then Ontario conservative Party leader and now Premier) Doug Ford was caught on tape in the run up to the (2018 provincial) election telling developers that he was planning to open the Greenbelt for development.

Intense public pressure forced Ford to backtrack, and he’s been promising not to touch the Greenbelt ever since.

The Greenbelt is important land for growing food, providing habitat for wildlife and protecting us against climate change. Continue reading →

“The government has an out-dated view of how to boost Ontario’s economy – a new highway, more sprawl, and more pollution isn’t the answer.”                                                                                           – Keith Brooks, Programs Director with Environmental Defence.

A News Release from Environmental Defence, a Canada-wide advocacy group for a healthier environment

Posted August 20th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

(A Brief Foreword Note from Doug Draper at Niagara At Large – Will Ontario’s Ford government resurrect a more than two-decade-old plan to build a 400-series ‘mid-peninsula highway’ through the heart of rural Niagara next? We’ll be watching and getting ready to fight.)

A new report – Is Building Highway 413 the Best Option for Moving People & Goods in the GTA-West Region? – shows the proposed GTA-West Highway is a poor use of funds and suggests alternatives to meet the region’s transportation needs

In Doug Ford’s Ontario, the slogan ‘Open for Business’ is – among other things – code for fast-tracking building projects at any cost to our natural environment.

Toronto, Ontario – A report] released this August 19th by Environmental Defence, Sustainable Vaughan and Transport Action Ontario, challenges the wisdom of the proposed GTA-West Highway, which would run from the Highway 401/Highway 407 interchange near Milton, to Highway 400 near Kleinburg.

This highway proposal, also known as Highway 413, was cancelled in 2018, but then resurrected by the current government. The report argues that the highway will harm the environment and damage communities, while offering little benefit for commuters, making it a poor use of $6 billion tax dollars. Continue reading →

Now Retired Revenue Canada Employee John Pruyn Had  His Artificial Leg Ripped Off by Cops, Before Being Locked in a Cage for a Weekend, Then Dumped on the Streets of Toronto like  Garbage,  Without Any Explanation

This Should Never Happen in Our Canada! Never!

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

Posted August 19th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Disappointing, indeed!

John Pruyn and his prosthetic leg, being dragged away by riot police, on the lawns of Queen’s Park in Toronto in June 2020.

John Pruyn, a Niagara, Ontario resident and now-retired Revenue Canada employee, has every right to feel that way about a measly $16.5 million in compensation that will be divided between himself and more than 1,000 other Canadians haphazardly swept up, during the G20 Summit in Toronto 10 years ago, in the largest mass arrest of citizens in this country’s history.

That amount of compensation – quoted in a Settlement Agreement revealed between lawyers for the citizens and Toronto Police Services Board this August 17th – means that those arrested in this disgraceful display of police abuse and trampling of Canadians’ rights to freely assemble in the streets and parks of their own communities, will only each be eligible for compensation  between $5,000 and $24,700, depending on how egregious the acts committed against them were. Continue reading →

The COVID Death Count in Trump’s America is now 170,000 and Climbing – Almost Three Times the Number of Americans Killed during more than a decade of combat in the Vietnam War!

A Brief Commentary by Doug Draper at Niagara At Large

Posted August 18, 2020

If you happened to miss the first night of the televised U.S. Democratic National Convention this August 17th, one of the most powerful addresses by an ordinary American during the program was delivered by a young woman named Kristin Urquiza, whose recently lost her father to COVID-19.

If you missed this address, or even if you saw it, it is well worth sharing with anyone who has any doubts about what a dangerous monster Donald Trump is.

To watch it here, click on the screen immediately below –

I for one, can hardly wait until this orange-hair monster is dragged out of the White House, because even if he loses this coming November’s presidential election in a landslide, they are going to have to drag him out, and thrown in jail.

To all of my American friends and neighbours – Get out and vote in droves this fall, and  throw this dangerous character out, for the sake of the future of your country and the world!

• Doug Draper, 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

‘People living in the United States who believe, or know, they are COVID-19 positive are more likely to lie about their physical distancing practices when compared to people who believe they are free of the virus.’

‘Although a similar study hasn’t yet been conducted in Canada, Brock University PhD student Alison O’Conner expects “there would be a similar pattern of lie-telling among Canadians.”’

A News Release from Brock University in Niagara, Ontario

Posted August 18^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – People with COVID-19 often lie about symptoms and distancing, says Brock research

People living in the United States who believe, or know, they are COVID-19 positive are more likely to lie about their physical distancing practices when compared to people who believe they are free of the virus, new Brock University research has found.

Although rates of lie-telling are fairly high, concealment drops in older populations and among those who are community-oriented, says the Brock study “Dishonesty during a pandemic: The concealment of COVID-19 information<https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1359105320951603>.”

“This study highlights the difficulties in trying to accurately track and prevent the spread of the virus,” says PhD student Alison O’Connor, who co-authored the study with her supervisor, Associate Professor of Psychology Angela Evans.

“In accurately tracking COVID experiences and COVID rates during the pandemic, we’re relying on people honestly disclosing this information,” O’Connor says. Continue reading →

“COVID-19 has created employment disruption in retail, as in all other employment sectors across the region. … The project aims to have a conversation with both employers, employees, and job-seekers in the retail trade sector to learn the employment-related needs of the new retail environment, given the impacts of COVID-19.”

A statement from Niagara Workforce Planning Board, Literacy Link Niagara and the Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce (GNCC) on a new project in support of Niagara’s retail sector

Posted August 18^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – Niagara Workforce Planning Board, Literacy Link Niagara and the Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce are pleased to announce a new joint project with a spotlight on Niagara’s retail sector.

In 2019, retail trade businesses provided over 25,000 full and part-time jobs, representing nearly 14 per cent of all jobs in Niagara. More than 2,300 of Niagara’s self-employed work in the retail industry.

COVID-19 has created employment disruption in retail, as in all other employment sectors across the region. While some elements of retail trade have, and will continue to, face disruption due to the COVID-19 virus, others may struggle to meet labour demand. Continue reading →

“The City (of St. Catharines) is expected to grow by roughly 31,000 people by 2041. … “So the big questions we needed to answer through the Land Needs Assessment were, can we accommodate this growth through the City’s current Land Use Plan, and are there opportunities to revise the Land Use Plan to best support and facilitate the accommodation of future growth?” – St. Catharines’ Director of Planning and Building Services Tami Kitay

A News Release from the City of St. Catharines in Niagara, Ontario

Posted August 17^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Have your say in how Niagara’s largest municipality – the City of St. Catharines – should grow for the future. File photo by Doug Draper

Niagara, Ontario – Residents of St. Catharines can have their say on the latest recommendations and draft changes to the City’s Official Land Use Plan.

Triggered by the potential redevelopment of 50 acres of industrial land located on Ontario Street in the middle of the city, Council directed the City’s Planning and Building Services department to study the potential conversion of industrial lands to allow for alternative uses, such as residential and mixed use purposes.

This conversion, or re-designation, of industrial lands requires an amendment to the City’s Official Plan, and as such a comprehensive city-wide Land Needs Assessment was completed. Continue reading →

“As the entire world sits on the edge of a knife watching the scientific community race toward a solution, delivery of a sub-optimal COVID-19 vaccine would significantly contribute to erosion of public trust in scientific pursuit and public health and jeopardize the integrity and success of immunization programs around the world.”                                                                                       – Brock U.researchers Adam MacNeil and Jeremia Coish

A News Release from Brock University in Niagara, Ontario

Posted August 17^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – Russia made headlines this week with claims it had approved an early COVID-19 vaccine, despite it being tested in fewer than 100 people  North American researchers have also proposed and then walked back on unorthodox modifications to Phase III trials with the goal of accelerating vaccine delivery.

Brock University PhD student Jeremia Coish, left, and Associate Professor of Health Sciences Adam MacNeil work in BrockUniversity’s Level 3 containment laboratory, a special facility that enables researchers to study infectious pathogens such as Zika, West Nile, and SARS-CoV-2 virus. Coish and MacNeil are among scientists urging that Phase III clinical trials for potential COVID-19 vaccines are not rushed. Photo by Mariana Garrido de Castro.

Against the unprecedented backdrop of scientists around the world taking careful steps to move more than 165 vaccine candidates through clinical trials at a time of urgent global need, researchers are sounding the warning bell.

Their message: don’t cut corners on clinical trials.

Continue reading →

And the Prison Guards Include the Governments of Canada, European Union (EU) Countries and the Bahamas, Among a Multitude of Others

A Commentary by American filmmaker, author and political activist Michael Moore, from Michael Moore’s Facebook Page

Posted August 15^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Political activist and Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker Michael Moore

Planning a trip over the holidays?

You do realize the rest of the world has placed us in our own private prison, right?

We are now prohibited from traveling to and entering without restriction nearly every single nation on Earth.

Only EIGHT countries will currently let anyone holding an American passport in without any restrictions (no quarantine, no pre-testing, no visa, no nothing).

Here are the only nations you can freely travel to without question or a doctor’s note as an American:

Continue reading →

“With the grim struggle in both Europe and Asia over, the world mourned the steep human cost of a war that had ravaged it for almost six years. In Canada alone, we grieved and honoured more than 45,000 who had lost their lives and 55,000 who were wounded.”                                                                                                      – Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada

A Statement by the Prime Minister on the 75th Anniversary of Victory over Japan Day and the end of the Second World War

Posted August 15^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Ottawa, Ontario – The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today (August 15^th, 2020) issued the following statement on the 75th anniversary of Victory over Japan Day and the end of the Second World War:

“Today (this Saturday, August 15th, 2020) , we pause to honour over one million Canadians and Newfoundlanders who served during the Second World War, including those who helped our Allies in the war in Asia and the Pacific.

“More than 10,000 Canadian service members fought courageously in Asia, with tens of thousands more volunteering to join the Pacific forces as part of the final Allied push to victory. Continue reading →

Canada’s Top Public Health Chief Warns of Possible ‘Major Spike’ This Fall

A Brief One from Doug Draper at Niagara At Large

Posted August 15th, 2020

Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer, warns of possible “major spike” in COVID-19 cases this fall, if we are not careful

To cop a line from Andrew Cuomo, the good Governor of neighbouring New York State, we Canadians “have been to hell and back” when it comes to how much COVID-19 ravaged our lives, our communities and our economies over the past six or so months.

Not to mention the more than 9,000 Canadians who have so far died, and the everlasting grief and suffering that has caused for their loved ones.

And there is no way of calculating the toll this plague has taken, in terms of stress and fear and depression, on our mental health.

So here we are now, many of our communities back in a so-called Stage 3 level of re-opening as we “flattened the curve,” and we all have the urge to bust out of our homes and go back to doing things in ways that seem like something normal. Continue reading →

A Case of Hypocrisy, Irresponsibility, and Using Children in an “Orwellian Experiment”

A Brief Commentary by Carla Rienzo

Posted August 14^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Signs like this, at Niagara’s Regional Government Headquarters, greet visitors at most municipal buildings across region and province during this COVID-19 health crisis. Do municipal officials know something that those running Ontario’s schools don’t?

So, we have every level of government, Federal, Provincial and Municipal, rushing to get our teachers, support staff and children back to school while they, themselves, refuse to open their own doors!

Teachers, principals, janitors, cafeteria attendants, librarians and the very students they serve cannot attend meetings at Queen’s Park, Regional Council, City Council or conduct face to face business at Service Canada or Service Ontario yet we are to believe that it is safe to go back to school?

Are taxpayers nothing more than guinea pigs; an experiment that might succeed but if it doesn’t can result in any number of bizarre and lifetime illnesses or death??!! Continue reading →

The End for this Magnificent Mammal Could Come by the End of This Century

News from the University of Toronto, with a brief Foreword by Doug Draper at Niagara At Large

Posted August 13^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

A Foreword by Doug Draper –

COVID-19 has certainly had a way of taking all of the oxygen when it comes to other issues our world is facing, hasn’t it.

To mention just one example, here we are faced with a full-fledged global climate emergency and yet, you hardly here a word about it because mainstream media outlets have felt pressed to invest what is left of their ever-shrinking newsroom resources covering the fallout from the global pandemic.

Just days ago, there were at least a few reports that one of the last, if not the very last major ice shelf collapsed in the Canadian Arctic as we continue sweating through a summer season of historically high temperatures.

As much as this may be “fake news” or another “hoax” to climate deniers, the long-term consequences of this are terrible for what is left of the biodiversity of life in the Arctic, for our oceans and for shoreline communities already facing rising water levels in North America and all over the world. Continue reading →

Would These Politicians Please Stop Behaving Like They Are Gifting Us Money Out of Their Own Pockets!

It’s Our Money and It Should Be There For Us in Times of Trouble. Forget About the Self-Promoting Quotes and Photo Opportunities. Show Some  Humility

A Brief Commentary by Niagara At Large reporter and publisher Doug Draper

Posted August 12^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

On this August 12th, this online news outlet has received, as I would imagine most other media outlets have across Niagara and this province, another in a number of media releases from provincial and federal government representatives – this one informing us that our municipalities will be  receiving at least some of the emergency funding they so desperately to get us through this ongoing global pandemic.

It is certainly good that our regional and local municipalities are receiving this federal/provincial assistance – Niagara’s regional government is reportedly receiving close to $12.2 million and Niagara’s 12 local municipalities are each receiving amounts in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, and up to more than $7 million for the City of St. Catharines – at a time when they have been struggling to keep services operating during a time that, for most of the past three or months, so much of the normally working economy has been shut down. Continue reading →

Region Now has “Green Bins Galore” to Satisfy  120-Per-Cent Spike in Demand from Niagara Homeowners

A News Release from Niagara’s Regional Government

Posted August 12^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – Demand for Green Bins in Niagara has spiked by 127 per cent (June /July 2020 compared to June/July 2019) in advance of curbside waste collection changes coming Oct. 19, and Niagara Region has responded by preparing 2,000 new bins for residents to pick up.

The new Green Bins arrived recently following a surge in requests from residents. Niagara Region is encouraging residents, who do not have a Green Bin – used for recycling food and organic waste, to purchase a bin if they do not have one ahead of the coming shift to every-other-week garbage collection.

Blue/Grey Box and Green Bin material will continue to be picked up weekly.

“People have really begun to get on board with the Green Bin program since we’ve launched our Box It. Bin It. Sort It campaign,” says Catherine Habermebl, director of Niagara Region Waste Management. “Since we first posted on social media on June 17 about the changes, we had more than 2,000 people pick up a Green Bin, which almost depleted our current stock.” Continue reading →

Joe Biden Has Picked a Winner

A Brief Comment by Doug Draper

Posted August 11^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Joe Biden does right in his pick of California Senator Kamala Harris as a presidential running mate. For those of us praying for the day Trump is fired out of the Oval Office, let’s wish Biden and Harris the very best.

For people around the world who have been holding their breath, hoping that the U.S. Democratic Party’s presumptive presidential candidate Joe Biden would pick the best person possible to help sweep the orange monster from office this November, Biden could hardly have done better this August 11^th in his choice of California Senator Kamala Harris.

Biden’s choice of Kamala Harris as his vice-presidential running mate makes history in a country that has had more of its share of problems giving a fair shot to women and to people of colour

Kamala Harris is the first woman of colour in the close to 250-year history of the United States to run for vice president.

She is also, for many of us who have, for better or worse, been following American politics in recent years, charismatic, highly intelligent, a person of passion of fairness and passion when it comes to fellow citizens in need, and someone who can be as sharp and as tough as she needs to be with adversaries. Continue reading →

Brock University professor and research Jessica Blythe

“There are looming food — and associated social and political — crises associated with oceans and fisheries. Oceans are a critical part of the climate conversation that are often overlooked.”  – Jessica Blythe, Assistant Professor in Brock University’s Environmental Sustainability Research Centre

News from Brock University in St. Catharines

Posted August 11^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – Within 30 years, tropical fisheries — on which some 1.9 billion people depend on for their food and livelihood — may see a decline of 40 per cent if nothing is done to mitigate climate change.

This is the prediction of a new study, described in a paper co-authored by Jessica Blythe, Assistant Professor in Brock University’s Environmental Sustainability Research Centre (ESRC), and recently published in Nature Reviews — Earth & Environment<https://www.nature.com/articles/s43017-020-0071-9>.

The researchers mapped out the drastic effects that warming oceans, rising sea levels and changes to ocean chemistry and ecosystems will have on tropical fish stocks, and by extension, on people. In many Pacific island nations, for example, fish can make up as much as 90 per cent of the animal protein in an average person’s diet. Continue reading →

Government Delivers Early on Expanded Risk Management Program for Agro Sector

“This funding supports farmers with unforeseen challenges such as fluctuating market prices, extreme weather events like flooding or drought, and disease.”

News from Ontario’s Ford Government

Posted August 11^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Wellandport in Niagara, Ontario  – This August 10^th , Sam Oosterhoff MPP for Niagara West, welcomed the government’s action to expand the Risk Management Program a year earlier than planned by $50 million for a total of $150 million annually.

Niagara West MPP and Ontario Ford government rep Sam Oosterhoff announcing aid for farmers in the Niagara community of Wellandport this August 10th. Photo courtesy of the MPP’s constituency office

This funding supports farmers with unforeseen challenges such as fluctuating market prices, extreme weather events like flooding or drought, and disease.

The announcement was made on July 16 by Premier Doug Ford, and Ernie Hardeman, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.

Approximately 80 percent of eligible commercial production in the cattle, hog, sheep, veal, grains and oilseeds, and edible horticulture sectors in Ontario is covered by the provincial Risk Management Program. Continue reading →

The ugly truth is that from September 15 to December 31, anyone with a shotgun and a hunting licence (in Ontario) will be able to kill up to 15 cormorants a day.

‘There is no compelling evidence that cormorants have had a significant negative impact on commercial or sport fish stocks.’    – Anne Bell,  Ontario Nature’s director of conservation and education programs

A News Release from Anne Bell, Ontario Nature

Posted August 8^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Double-crested cormorant rests along wetland shores © cuatrok77 CC BY-SA 2.0

Who equates the words “fall harvest” with the slaughter of inedible birds? The Government of Ontario, apparently. On July 30th it announced the introduction of a fall hunting season for double-crested cormorants, using these fine words: “Fall Harvest for Double-Crested Cormorants Introduced to Protect Local Ecosystems.”

The ugly truth is that from September 15 to December 31, anyone with a shotgun and a hunting licence will be able to kill up to 15 cormorants a day.

Wanton disregard for wildlife bothers me at any time, but in this case, dressing up the carnage as “protecting fish and wildlife habitat,” as the government has done, is particularly abhorrent. Is it too much to ask that wildlife management be based on fact, not fiction? Continue reading →

“The findings and recommendation of this Science Advisory Board report are an unambiguous call to action for Canadian and US government leadership to explore and implement a holistic, ecosystem-based approach to managing invasive species, nutrients and fisheries, not just one or the other in isolation.”                                                                                                      – Jeff Ridal, SAB Science Priority Committee Canadian co-chair and executive director of the River Institute at Cornwall, Ontario

News from the Canada-U.S International Joint Commission’s Science Advisory Board

Posted August 10th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Shallow Lake Erie must stick to its strict diet to starve its problematic algal blooms, but the four deeper Great Lakes face a tricky dilemma balancing their nutrient needs, according to a new report by the International Joint Commission’s (IJC) Great Lakes Science Advisory Board.

Understanding Declining Productivity in the Offshore Regions of the Great Lakes looks at the decline in fish populations in the offshore regions of Lakes Huron, Michigan, Ontario and Superior. In the report, the Science Advisory Board (SAB) recommends a cooperative approach to ecosystem forecasting science.

Many complex factors contribute to the observed decline in fish populations in four of the five Great Lakes. Ultimately, however, disruptions to the food web and nutrient cycle are a cause of declining offshore productivity of the fishery in every Great Lake except Erie. Continue reading →

Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce Says Trump Tariffs Will Harm Both Americans and Canadians

A News Release from the Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerice in Niagara, Ontario

Posted August 7^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario  – The Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce (GNCC) is extremely disappointed to learn of the U.S. restoration of a 10% import tariff on Canadian aluminum.

This policy was misguided and economically harmful to both Americans and Canadians when it was first floated in 2018. Now, in the middle of a once-in-a-generation economic and public health crisis, it is even more so.

The GNCC has always been a proponent of free trade, recognizing that all sides benefit from the free flow of goods and services.

Previous U.S. tariffs and trade wars have only hurt Americans. Steel, aluminum, and softwood tariffs all increased prices for the American consumer. American manufacturing has reeled from the impact of the trade wars the U.S. has started with China, Mexico, and Canada.

The GNCC supports the actions of the Government of Canada to fight for free trade and to support Canadians and Canadian businesses. We hope that the U.S. government will see the folly of this decision and reverse it immediately.

The Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce is the largest business organization in Niagara and the second-largest Chamber of Commerce in Ontario, with 1,500 members representing 50,000 employees. More information on the GNCC is available at gncc.ca<https://gncc.ca/>.

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

How in Hell Can You Have a Bi-National Business Relationship with a country of Whacked Out Xenophobes? It’s Like Trying to Live with a Mental Case

You want to play fast and loose with a killer virus in the United States. They stay out of Canada.

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

Posted August 7^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Canada can no longer risk staking our economic future on nut bars like this

“Canada has taken advantage of us as usual,” barfed America’s monster Trump during a visit to a washing machine factory in Ohio this August 6^th before – for reasons that might make sense only in his twisted mind – he called out that he is imposing another round of potentially damaging tariffs on Canadian aluminum, effective August 16th.

We have taken at advantage of the United States as usual, the orange monster says? What in hell is it with that!

Canada has had a long history of being a good neighbour and friend of the United States.

We have lived in peace with our American neighbours, and have even celebrated it in Niagara with an each“Friendship Festival” each Canada Day and Fourth of July at the Fort Erie/Buffalo border that, under the current circumstances, this once-America-loving Canadian could give a damn if we ever have again. Continue reading →

The Day the World’s First Nuclear Bomb was Dropped on Hiroshima, Japan

A Brief Commentary by Doug Draper, Niagara At Large

Posted August 6^th, 2020

One of the mushroom clouds from an atomic bomb dropped on a city in Japan, 75 years ago this August

“The release of atom power has changed everything except our way of thinking…the solution to this problem lies in the heart of mankind. If only I had known, I should have become a watchmaker.”             – Albert Einstein, a scientist and pacifist, whose ground-breaking research were used by others, in the Second World War-era “Manhattan Project” to build the first atomic bomb.

On August 6^th, 1945 – 75 years ago this August 6^th, 2020 – the world’s first atomic bomb, nicknamed “Little Boy,” was dropped on the City of Hiroshima, Japan.

Three days later, a second atomic bomb, this one named “Fat Boy” was dropped on the Japanese city of Nagasaki.

1945: Atomic bomb damage in Hiroshima. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

No one may ever know for sure, but estimates are that somewhere between about 130,000 and 225,000 civilians died in these two horrific bomb attacks, and on August 15^th, 1945 Japan surrendered to Allied forces in the Pacific and the Second World War – one of the most destructive events in human history – finally came to a complete end. Continue reading →

“In a pandemic, where immune compromised people are among the most vulnerable and where takeout has become the go-to eating out option due to physical distancing measures, there is no room for chemicals that could weaken the immune system in the wrappers and bowls that package our meals.”                                   – Muhannad Malas, Toxics program manager at Environmental Defence

A News Release from the public advocacy groups, Environmental Defence, Mind The Store Campaign And Toxic-Free Future

Posted August 8^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Toronto,Ontario — In a new report released today, Environmental Defence, the Mind the Store campaign, Toxic-Free Future, and its partners found that nearly half of all take-out food packaging tested from six popular food chains likely contains toxic PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances)—chemicals known to threaten human health and the environment.

The new study, Packaged in Pollution: Are food chains using PFAS in packaging?, analyzed packaging from top fast-food chains Burger King, McDonald’s, and Wendy’s as well as top health-minded food chains including Freshii.

The testing suggests toxic PFAS content in both McDonald’s “Big Mac” container and Burger King’s “Whopper” wrapper as well as the health-conscious chain’s salad bowls. Continue reading →

A Public Service Announcement from Niagara Health, Niagara, Ontario’s amalgamated system of hospital

Posted August 6^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – Niagara Health’s new temporary COVID-19 Assessment Centre has been opened for hospitality and tourism staff.

Niagara Health’s new temporary drive-through COVID-19 Assessment Centre opened this morning, in the parking lot at the Scotiabank Convention Centre in Niagara Falls, for testing hospitality and tourism employees.

The organization is reminding the public that appointments are required to be tested; the centre cannot accommodate walk-ins or friends and family members of the hospitality and tourism workers at this location. Continue reading →

The  NDP are calling for urgent changes, they’re also has pushing for a fully transparent public inquiry into long-term care and the conditions that led to the tragic COVID-19 outbreaks.

News from the Office of Ontario’s NDP and Official Opposition Leader Andrea Horwath

Posted August 5^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Ontario NDP and Official Opposition Andrea Horwath in St. Catharines this August 8th to press for more resources to safeguard province’s long-term care homes

ST. CATHARINES, Ontario – NDP Leader Andrea Horwath is calling on the Ford government to take urgent, immediate action so seniors can have a safer, better quality of life in long-term care.

Low staffing levels and a lack of standards and inspections mean seniors aren’t getting the time, care and attention they deserve, said Horwath.

Too often, that’s leaving our loved ones – ”the parents and grandparents who built this province” – to develop bedsores, to become malnourished or dehydrated, to suffer falls and to be more vulnerable to illness, including COVID-19, which took the lives of more than 1,840 people in long-term care. Continue reading →

It’s Not Only a Natural Treasure. It is a Historical Treasure Too!

A News Release from the Niagara, Ontario citizens group, Community Voices of Fort Erie

Posted August 5^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Waverly Woods – A Witness To History

Fort Erie – A Development Is Proposed For One Of The Most Historic Sites In Canada

A recent article in the Globe and Mail highlighted Fort Erie as the location for the first meeting of the Niagara Movement, which was the precursor to the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People).

A plaque in Waverly Woods at the site of the long-lost Erie Beach Hotel where African American members of what became known as “the Niagara movement” held a meeting in 1905 that eventually led to the formation of one of America’s most important civil rights groups, the NAACP. File photo by Doug Draper

Readers may be interested in learning that this area, known as Waverly Woods/Erie Beach, is steeped in history going back thousands of years.

Archaeological information shows that this is the site of an important Indigenous settlement.  Climate, flint for weapons, abundant flora and fauna, and a safe river crossing allowed them to live here for many centuries.

The War of 1812, which had a major impact on the creation of Canada, was a big part of Fort Erie’s history. Continue reading →

Don’t Believe That? Check out a Species called  ‘Impotus Americanus’, Lurking Across the Border in the Once-Great U.S.A.

A Brief Commentary by  Doug Draper, Niagara At Large

Posted August 5th, 2020

There is a team of former Republican Party operatives in the United States that is doing a better job than most Democrats and almost anyone else in producing stinging ads on Trump as the U.S. presidential election looms this coming November.

That team of disaffected Republicans  -individuals who worked on campaigns for the party going back to the Bushes and Reagan -calls itself The Lincoln Project, and here is one of its most recent ads, which plays on National Geographic and a voice sounding quite like the iconic British filmmaker and nature and wildlife documentarian Richard Attenborough.

Members of the Lincoln Project describe what is depicted in the ad this way – “Impotus Americanus is one of the heaviest leaders in the animal kingdom, and is famously known to be an orange, ruddy color not found in nature.”

To watch the ad, click on the screen immediately below –

Now here is a plea from at least one Canadian to my friends and neighbours in the the United States.

I understand that early voting is already starting or is about to start in many regions across your country for a presidential election set for November 3rd of this year.

Please, for the sake of yourselves, and for the sake of the world, go out and vote in droves. Use this election to make the Trump administration and all of the destructive, hate-filled madness it propagates go extinct.

This election may be the last chance you have to make your country great again.

• Doug Draper, Niagara At Large

For more on The Lincoln Project and its many great ads, click on – https://lincolnproject.us/

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

Another Lesson In Throwing Our Tax Dollars at the Business Community and Taking Credit for It

Posted August 4^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

A Brief Commentary by Doug Draper of Niagara At Large, followed by one of the latest funding announcements from the Ford Government

By Doug Draper – 

I was given a heads up in an advisory from Ontario’s Ford government that Premier Doug Ford and his entourage would be in Niagara this August 4^th as part of a cross-province tour it is doing, as it throws money around, most at members of the business community, like  drunkin’ sailors.

Lincoln Mayor Sandra Easton, Ontario Minister Vic Fedeli, Premier Doug Ford, Niagara West MPP Sam Oosterhoff during one of the stops on a tour in Niagara this August 4th. Photo courtesy of Niagara West MPP Sam Oosterhoff’s constituency office

I was given a list of the times and locations where Ford and company would be doing their run through our region, and I decided from the get-go that there was no way I was going to run around with hapless mainstream media reporters, following this orchestrated show like a bunch of lemmings.

Yes, I know, I know.

The premier has taken the time to come here with some of his ministers, and always with his only fellow Tory MPP in the region, Niagara West’s Sam Oosterhoff, sprinkling money our way, and we should be ever so grateful.

Continue reading →

“Parents in Niagara have been waiting anxiously for a plan to reopen schools safely – Doug Ford gave them one written on the back of a napkin.”                                                                                      – Steven Del Duca, Leader of Ontario Liberal Party

A News Release from the Liberal Party of Ontario

Posted August 4^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Doug Ford Fails Parents And Students In Niagara, Once Again

Are Niagara’s grade school students and their parents, along with teachers and support workers ready to unlock the gates and board the school bus?

Niagara Falls, Ontario  – Doug Ford’s half-baked plan to reopen schools is nothing short of a catastrophe for parents, students, and teachers.

The plan falls short of even the basic standards set out by SickKids and blatantly ignores recommendations from school boards, teachers, education workers, healthcare associations, and parents.

“Parents in Niagara have been waiting anxiously for a plan to reopen schools safely – Doug Ford gave them one written on the back of a napkin,” said Steven Del Duca, Leader of the Ontario Liberal Party. “None of the concerns parents raised have been addressed. None.” Continue reading →

It Appears that for  Many Regional Councillors, “Ignorance” is Bliss, Says Niagara-wide citizens watchdog group

A News Commentary from a Better Niagara, a region-wide citizens watchdog group on government affairs

Posted August 4th, 2020 on Niagara At Large (originally posted July 24th on A Better Niagara’s Facebook page

In June, West Lincoln Mayor Dave Bylsma managed to score a hat-trick of bigoted comments during a radio interview that offended members of Niagara’s black, indigenous and LGBTQ communities, not to mention the majority of Niagara’s citizens who believe in an inclusive, welcoming Region.

Niagara’s Regional Council could have used the opportunity at its July 23rd  meeting to affirm that racism has no place in our community. They could have assured the public that they will work proactively to ensure that all community members feel safe, respected and welcome. Instead, they squandered the opportunity. Continue reading →

“Though I am gone, I urge you to answer the highest calling of your heart and stand up for what you truly believe.”                           – the late American civil rights icon and U.S Congressman John Lewis, in a message he wrote to all of us, shortly before his death  on July 17^th, 2020

John Lewis crosses the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama for the last time on July 26th, 2020, shortly after his death from cancer at age 80. 

A Brief One from Doug Draper, Niagara At Large Posted August 1^st, 2020

This August 1^st is Emancipation Day in Canada, in commemoration of 186 years since a law was signed on August 1^st, 1834, abolishing slavery across Canada and all other nations then part of the British Empire.

John Lewis, during a return to the Edmund Pettis Bridge in Selma Alabama, where in 1965 he was almost beaten to death by police during a march for voting rights.

As a little way of honouring Emancipation Day and all that it stands for here, I want to put on a video of the late, great civil rights activist John Lewis delivering a commencement address at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia in 2014. In place of delivering a tribute of her own (she delivered a moving eulogy later at John Lewis’s funeral), U.S. Congresswoman and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi chose to play an audio version of this address this July 28^th, while John Lewis body lay in state in the U.S. Capital building rotunda. Continue reading →

Province Setting Stage for “Fall Harvest” Aimed At Blowing Away Fish-Eating Birds

Double-Crested Cormorants being Scapegoated again for Depleting Fish Populations in Great Lakes

A  Foreword by Doug Draper at Niagara At Large followed by a New Release from Ontario’s Ford Government

Posted July 31st, 2020 on Niagara At Large

A Foreword by Doug Draper –

Well, here we go again.

Evidence shows there are a good deal more fish in the Great Lakes dying from algae pollution traced to human activities than from fish-eating birds. Yet the Ford government is not laying a glove on polluters. So let’s blow away fish-eating birds.

It was about 25 or so years ago while I was still working as a full-time environment reporter at The St. Catharines Standard, that I attended a meeting in a banquet room of the Beacon – a restaurant around Jordan Harbour overlooking Lake Ontario – that was packed with anglers and hunters, all ginned up to kill a bird on the Great Lakes called double-crested cormorants.

Their argument, over and over again, was that these birds are “stealing our fish,” and they were doing it to a point, in their view, that there were very few fish in the Great Lakes left for them to catch. Continue reading →

A Public Advisory from Niagara Region Public Health

Posted Friday, July 31^st, 2020 on Niagara At Large

WHO: Niagara Region Public Health

WHAT: Niagara Region Mandatory Face Coverings in Enclosed Public Places By-law

WHERE: All Niagara region municipalities

WHEN: By-law now in effect (as of Friday, July 31, 2020)

WHY: Don’t forget your face covering! Wearing a face covering is now required when inside an enclosed public place and on Regional and municipal public transit in Niagara. This is in accordance with the Regional Face Coverings By-law.A non-medical mask or face covering should cover the nose, mouth, and  chin, and can be cloth or disposable. This by-law does not apply to children under the age of five and those who are unable to wear a face covering as a  result of a medical condition or disability.

For more information visit  niagararegion.ca/COVID19

<https://www.niagararegion.ca/health/covid-19/default.aspx?shorturl=1>

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

Ontario Government Releases Plan for Safe Reopening of Schools in September

Province Providing Critical Investments and Resources to Keep Students and Staff Safe

A News Release from the Office of Ontario Premier Doug Ford

Posted July 30^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

TORONTO — The Ontario government is announcing the safe reopening of schools for in-class instruction beginning this September.

The government has unveiled a plan that prioritizes the health and safety of students and staff, and provides school boards with unprecedented resources and flexibility, while accommodating regional differences in trends of key public health indicators. This plan was developed in consultation with the Chief Medical Officer of Health, the COVID-19 Command Table and paediatric experts.

Details on the safe restart of the 2020-2021 school year were provided today by Premier Doug Ford, Christine Elliott, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health, Stephen Lecce, Minister of Education, and Dr. Barbara Yaffe, Associate Chief Medical Officer of Health. Continue reading →

Higgins Reflects on the late Congressman and Civil Rights Icon as a Man of Courage, Goodness & Grace

A Few Words of Tribute from Buffalo, New York area Congressman Brian Higgins

Posted July 30th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

As the late Honorable John Robert Lewis, who served in the House of Representatives for 33 years, made a final departure from Washington, D.C. on July 29, 2020, his colleagues on the House Ways and Means Committee paid tribute to the civil rights legend.

John Lewis, during a return to the Edmund Pettis Bridge in Selma Alabama, where in 1965 he was almost beaten to death by police during a march for voting rights.

On the House floor Congressman Brian Higgins remarked on John’s childhood visits to the City of Buffalo and hailed his presence of mind and courage to act on inspiration. Continue reading →

New Oakdale Commons Development in St. Catharines will support those at risk of being homeless

News from the Government of Ontario

Posted July 30th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Ontario Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Steve Clark

St. Catharines, Ontario ― The Ontario government is investing over $2.2 million in supportive housing to give those who are most at risk of homelessness in Niagara Region the housing and support services they deserve.

The new 24-unit Oakdale Commons development in St. Catharines will include 15 supportive housing units, four of which will be fully accessible.

The new building will include a community room, kitchen, public washroom and laundry facilities for residents, as well as a large community garden and access to a city-operated playground beside the site. A high contrast colour palette will also be used throughout the building to assist people with visual impairments.

“Communities across the province are facing housing challenges, which have been heightened by COVID-19. Our government is proud to be working to ensure that every Ontarian has a place to call home,” said Steve Clark, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. Continue reading →

Buffalo, New York area Congressman Brian Higgins Announces Approval of Water Resources Development Act

Bill Includes Higgins’ Text Addressing Algal Blooms

A News Release from the Buffalo, New York Office of U.S. Congressman Brian Higgins

Posted July 29^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Toxic Aglal blooms in the Great Lakes is a threat to general water quality and a billion-dollar fishery on both sides of the border.

Buffalo, New York – Congressman Brian Higgins (NY-26) announced the House of Representatives approved the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), a bill providing authority for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to carry out water projects, studies, and Civil Works missions.

Higgins said; “Protecting our fresh water and maintaining waterways is important to our environment, economy, safety and future. The historic decline and recent rise of the Buffalo River provides lessons in protecting and maintaining valuable water resources.”

“Harmful algal blooms pose a threat to our waterways and must be addressed proactively. The professionals at the Army Corps of Engineers, particularly in the Buffalo District, are skilled stewards of our water.” Continue reading →

Findings Will Help Protect Residents and Staff from Future Outbreaks

News from the Office of Ontario Premier Doug Ford

Posted July 29^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

TORONTO — The Ontario government launched an independent commission into COVID-19 and long-term care.

Three commissioners will investigate how COVID-19 spread within long-term care homes, how residents, staff, and families were impacted, and the adequacy of measures taken by the province and other parties to prevent, isolate and contain the virus.

The commission will also provide the government with guidance on how to better protect long-term care home residents and staff from any future outbreaks. Continue reading →

Talks Will Focus on Relocating 134-year-old Pte. Alexander Watson Statue from City Hall Lawns

A News Release from City of St. Catharines

Posted July 29^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

What to do now with  the 134-year-old statue of Private Alexander Watson, involved in brutal military campaigns against Indigenous peoples in western Canada, currently located on thegrounds of St. Catharines City Hall.

St. Catharines, Ontario — The City will take a broad, consultative approach, in determining the details of relocation for a monument that has stood in front of City Hall for over 134 years.

On Monday evening July 27th, 2020)  City Council voted unanimously to consult several organizations in the development of a relocation plan for the statue of Pte. Alexander Watson that currently stands in front of City Hall.

As a militia volunteer Watson died in 1885 from wounds sustained during the Battle of Batoche. He was one of 8,000 soldiers sent by the Canadian government to stop the North-West Resistance headed by Metis leader Louis Riel.

Debate has been ongoing in the City related to the legacy of the statue, both related to its possible importance as a historical landmark, but also as it relates to a centuries-long history of racism and persecution in Canada.

Individuals have recently petitioned for its removal citing its relation to these historic wrongs. Continue reading →

The Weekend ‘Security Forces’ Went Rogue in the Streets of then-Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s Canada

By John Pruyn, with a Brief Foreword by Niagara At Large publisher Doug Draper

Posted July 8^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

A Foreword by Doug Draper

A recent photo of John Pruyn and his wife, Susan, now living in the Niagara, Ontario municipality of Pelham

Imagine sitting on the lawns of a legislative building – a place government leaders inside had assured members of the public was a “safe zone” where people could gather without being set upon by police decked out in riot gear.

Then, while you are sitting there, under the shade of a tree, listening to a series of speakers talking about health care and environmental issues, and better wages and jobs for working people, an army of heavily armed police, looking like Darth Vaders, descend upon you and others on those lawns.

In the case of one man sitting on the lawn – a 57-year-old amputee – police grab him, pull off his prosthetic leg, and proceed to drag him with his hands tied behind his back – all while his daughter pleads with them to let him go.

Separated from members of his family and denied requests to make a phone call, the man is imprisoned for a weekend in a warehouse full of make-shift cages, before finally being let go with no charges filed against him, and no explanation.

This incident did not happen in North Korea or Turkey or Saudi Arabia or Putin’s Russia, or in Trump’s America, for that matter.

It happened just 10 years ago, right here in our Canada – in Toronto, Ontario, during a week in late June, 2010 when world leaders gathered for a G20 Summit there. Continue reading →

U.S. Congressman Brian Higgins Urges U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to Create Guidance on Caregiver Crossings with US-Canada Border Travel Restrictions

Patient Caregivers Met with Uncertainty at Northern Border

A News Release from the Buffalo, New York office of U.S. Congressman Brian Higgins

Posted July 28^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Buffalo, New York area Congressman Brian Higgins has been advocating for plans to one day ease restrictions for Americans and Canadians to cross border

Buffalo, New York – Congressman Brian Higgins (NY-26) is calling for the United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to establish clear guidance for patient caregivers when crossing the U.S.-Canada border to give better certainty to families and the medical institutions providing care.

In a letter to the CBP’s Acting Commissioner Mark Morgan, Higgins writes, “At a time when families are contemplating very difficult decisions about the health of their loved ones, whether a caregiver can legitimately cross the border should not be a concern,” continuing on to say “Families who are trying to manage care of a devastating disease should have the support network available to provide the comfort and create the healthy environment needed to recover.”

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, travel across the border has been restricted with limited exceptions for travel deemed essential, including that for travel that is medically necessary. Continue reading →

Change must come at every level – from checking our own personal actions and biases to rebuilding institutions that are failing to keep racialized communities safe.

By Mike Schreiner, Leader of the Ontario Green Party

Posted July 28th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Ontario Green Party Leader Mike Schriener

The death of George Floyd in the United States has sparked a global movement to end police brutality against racialized communities.

The deaths of D’Andre Campbell, Regis Korchinski-Paquet, Chantel Moore, Ejaz Choudry and others during encounters with the police tell us that this conversation is urgent in Canada as well. 

The roots of colonization and oppression run deep in our country and cannot be denied. Some of our institutions were founded on racist ideas – built to serve white settler communities, while dominating Indigenous people.

For years, racialized communities have demanded an end to the systemic racism that continues to harm them, from aggressive acts of violence to structural barriers and subtle forms of discrimination. 

We have not done enough to deliver justice and meaningful change. Continue reading →

Increased parking fines on the way for beach areas

News from the City of St. Catharines in Niagara, Ontaro

Posted July 28^th, 2020 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario — After another weekend of problematic behaviour at its beaches the City will move to restrict access to Niagara residents only, effective immediately.

Lakeside Park Beach in the Port Dalhousie area off Lake Ontario in St. Catharines. file photo by Doug Draper

The temporary restrictions in response to the COVID-19 state of emergency, will come into effect today, July 28. The move coincides with the introduction of stepped up seasonal fines for illegal parking in the areas surrounding beaches and Morningstar Mill. Fines will increase from $30 to $100. Continue reading →