Niagara At Large

Protesting the NPCA’s Firing of Stuart McPherson, the Conservation Authority’s “last resident ecosystem restoration expert”

“It is frankly bewildering to try and understand why this new (NPCA) Board would sanction the loss of a valuable employee.” – from an Open Statement circulated by the Niagara Chapter of Trout Unlimited Canada and the Niagara Restoration Council

By Dennis Edell, Chair of Niagara Chapter of Trout Unlimited Canada,  and John Bacher, Chair of the Niagara Restoration Council

Posted February 18^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Stuart McPerhson, a respected watershed restoration projects worker at the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority, is the latest rank-and-file employee to get axed at the controversial agency

Last week, the alleged management of the Niagara Conservation Authority fired Stuart McPherson, the Agency’s last resident ecosystem restoration expert.

Mr. McPherson was uniquely qualified as a water quality expert, with knowledge of the science and familiarity with the issues surrounding the management of Niagara’s watersheds.

This action was approved by the interim Board of Directors, acting without the advice of a qualified CAO.  

According to Conservation Ontario, “Conservation Authorities are local, watershed management agencies that deliver services and programs that protect and manage water and other natural resources in partnership with government, landowners and other organizations.” Continue reading →

Hell-Bent on Destroying More of our Natural Heritage in the Name of Economic Development

Sign Ontario Nature’s Petition, calling on the Ford government not to weaken the province’s Endangered Species Act

A Brief Commentary by NAL publisher Doug Draper followed by a Message and Petition from Ontario Nature

Posted February 18th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

From Doug Draper –

What is it about Conservatives in Canada and Republics in the United States that they cannot see a path to growth and prosperity without weakening or ripping apart policies and programs for protecting what is left of our natural environment.

Ontario’s Algonquin Wolf still needs our help. Ontario Nature photo

Don’t these people have any children or grandchildren that they want to leave some of our natural heritage to? Or is it all about making a quick buck at any cost?

Conservatives and Republicans never used to be this callous and uncaring when it came to the responsibility we all have to keep what is green, blue and beautiful on this planet clean and healthy for present and future generations. Continue reading →

A Call-Out for the Mismanagement and Chaos at the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority to End

From A Better Niagara, a region-wide citizens watchdog group

Posted February 18th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

(The following plea for the new board at the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority to finally show some demonstrable concern and take real action to clean house at this sad excuse for a publicly funded agency was posted by A Better Niagara this past February 15th on its Facebook page and website, and is being reposted here by Niagara At Large.)

The NPCA’s new board needs to listen more to the public.

To make A Better Niagara’s position on the NPCA (Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority) clear, below are a list of the things we want an end to, and a list of the things we want. The NPCA board needs to hear from the public. Continue reading →

“The United States and Canada are the world’s largest trading partners and strongest allies. This group brings our nations’ leaders together to advance efforts to enhance our interconnected economies and collaborate on issues of mutual interest including the environment, border security and infrastructure.” Brian Higgins, U.S. Congressman representing a district in the Buffalo/Western New York area.

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

Posted February 18^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

U.S. House Leader Nancy Pelosi appoints Buffalo area Congressman Brian Higgins to chair key Canada/U.S. body

Buffalo, New York – Congressman Brian Higgins (NY-26) has been named by House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi to serve as Chair of the Canada-US Inter-Parliamentary Group, a coalition of elected leaders from both the United States and Canada committed to advancing dialog and policies of mutual interest.  This is a new role for Higgins, a long-time member of the group.  Continue reading →

Governance Reform does not work well with “my way or the highway” leadership

A Column from Dave Augustyn, former Mayor of Pelham in Niagara, Ontario who also served on Niagara Regional Council

Posted February 18th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Dave Augustyn

In most regions across Ontario, the issue of governance reform and better service delivery has been discussed extensively over the last 50 years. Since the Province imposed Regional Governments in the late-1960s, various local Councils have debated numerous reports on governance and reform and various Provincial Governments have studied “who does what.”

The Harris Government imposed significant changes in the late 1990s as they forced several amalgamations and “downloaded” billions of dollars worth of Provincially mandated responsibility onto Cities and Towns. While the McGuinty / Wynne Governments “uploaded” many services back to the Province’s responsibility and coffers, they largely stayed away from other reforms. Continue reading →

We’re Looking At a 5.1 Per Cent Increase for Water and Wastewater, and 2.1 Per Cent for Waste Management

A News Release from Niagara’s Regional Government

Posted February 18th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

During a special meeting of council held Thursday, February 14th, Niagara Region Council approved by-laws authorizing a combined net operating budget increase for 2019 of 5.1 per cent for water and wastewater services and 2.1 per cent for waste management.

Water and Wastewater

The approved water and wastewater rates are effective Jan. 1, 2019 and will be billed to the local area municipalities based on water and wastewater usage in accordance with the Council approved methodology. As the wholesaler of water and wastewater services in Niagara, the Region will bill the local municipalities, who will in-turn incorporate these new rates into resident water bills. Continue reading →

Help stop the gouging now!

A report from the Canadian public interest group, Democracy Watch

Posted February 18^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Feeling gouged by your bank right now?

You have a right to – while businesses in many sectors across Canada were suffering, Canada’s Big 6 Banks gouged out record annual profits for the 8th year in a row of $45 billion in 2018!

That works out to more than $22 million in profit every hour banks are open – 6% higher than in 2017, and more than double their profits in 2010. Continue reading →

Building opportunity for the students of Niagara, Ontario

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

Posted February 18^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Niagara West MPP Sam Oosterhoff

Beamsville in Niagara, Ontario  – This past Friday, February 15th, Sam Oosterhoff, MPP for Niagara West announced that the Hon. Lisa Thompson, Minister of Education, has approved land funding for the new high school serving the communities of Grimsby, Lincoln, and Smithville.

The Ministry of Education has worked closely with the District School Board of Niagara and local municipalities to ensure the project meets the needs of families and students.

Once completed, the school will create space for 1,533 pupils. West Niagara Secondary School will be located at 4670 Durham Road, Beamsville. Continue reading →

A Call-Out from the Ontario Public Services Employees Union

Posted February 18^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Ford’s Minister of Children, Community and Social Services Liza MacLeod – known to some as the “Minister of Mean” – is being asked to resign

Toronto, Ontario – Children, Community and Social Services Minister Lisa MacLeod should resign immediately for trying to pressure a group to publicly support the Ford government’s changes to autism services, OPSEU President Warren (Smokey) Thomas said Thursday.

“I can’t tell you how disappointed I am in Lisa MacLeod,” Thomas said.  “It’s bad enough she’s become the Minister of Mean, but it’s unbelievable she would bully others to pay lip service to Doug Ford’s attack on autistic children.”

Thomas is appalled by reports that MacLeod and her staff demanded the Ontario Association for Behaviour Analysis provide a quote endorsing the Ford cutbacks to autism services.

The association says it was told if it didn’t knuckle under it would face “four long years.”

Thomas says the Ford government has descended to new depths by turning the screws on frontline experts to provide platitudes.

OPSEU President ‘Smokey’ Thomas accuses Ford government of “turning the screws” on frontline social service workers.

“I thought I’d seen everything, but a government that resorts to extortion to get support for its heartless policy decisions? That’s a new low,” Thomas said.

Thomas is also calling for a public inquiry to clear the air on MacLeod’s ordering to pressure the behavior analysts to toe the Ford line.

Thomas noted that Ford complained about autistic youth long before he became premier.  Published reports indicate that when Ford was on Toronto council in 2014, he said that a group home for autistic youth had “ruined” a neighbourhood in his ward.

“Did Ford’s ‘not in my neighbourhood’ attitude toward kids with autism influence his government’s mean-spirited program cuts? “Did he order his minister to scare groups into supporting his cruel program cuts?  The Premier’s office has some explaining to do,” Thomas said.

OPSEU’s frontline members directly provide support for kids with autism, helping them lead productive lives. OPSEU First Vice-President Treasurer Eduardo (Eddy) Almeida says the Ford cutbacks make it far more difficult to provide the help children need.

“If Ford doesn’t stop being a bully and keeps ignoring frontline workers, OPSEU is going to make it a long four years for him and his MPPs,” Almeida said.

About the Ontario Public Service Employees Union – OPSEU represents approximately 155,000 members across Ontario. They are full- and part-time workers, men and women, young and old. They trace their ancestry to all parts of the globe – as diverse a group as you could imagine. Our members work for the Ontario government, inside community colleges, for the LCBO , in the health care sector and they are employed in a wide range of community agencies inside the broader public service.

For more on the Ontario Public Service Employees Union, click on – https://opseu.org/

In a Canadian Press story posted this past February 15^th, the Ontario Minister, Lisa MacLeod, issued an apology to behaviour analyists.

Here an excerpt from that Canadian Press story –

TORONTO — A group of behaviour analysts acknowledged an apology Friday from Ontario’s social services minister for warning them of consequences if they didn’t support her new autism program.

The Ontario Association for Behaviour Analysis said it is still calling on Lisa MacLeod to abandon a “one-sized fits all” funding model that will leave many families without enough funding to pay for the level of treatment children need.

“We acknowledge that Minister MacLeod now regrets her comments,” the group said. “We are still calling upon the government to reconsider its approach.”

To read the entire story, click on – https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/behaviour-analysts-acknowledge-social-services-minister-lisa-macleod-s-apology-1.4299319 .

To read a Toronto Sun story, reporting on MacLeod being “unapologetic” in her plans to make changes to services for people with autism in Ontario, click on – https://torontosun.com/news/provincial/macleod-stands-unapologetically-by-ontario-autism-program .

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 reminder that we only post comments by individuals who also share their first and last names.

For more news and commentary from Niagara At Large – an independent, alternative voice for our greater bi-national Niagara region – become a regular visitor and subscriber to NAL at www.niagaraatlarge.com .

“A politician thinks of the next election. A leader thinks of the next generation.” – Bernie Sanders

Some of Our Municipal Politicians Apparently Still Don’t Get The Message that People are Fed Up with the       Ugly Conduct of the Past Four Years

A Brief One from Niagara At Large publisher and reporter              Doug Draper

Posted February 15th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

As word spreads of a plan hatched inside the bowels of the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA) to slime Niagara Falls Regional Councillor Barbara Greenwood and Grimsby Mayor Jeff Jordon (both recently appointed to serve as interim members of the NPCA’s bard) with a censure motion for speaking their minds about the continued presence of “acting CAO” David Barrick at the agency, it has been heartening to watch how many Niagara residents have taken to social media and other venues to express support for Greenwood and Jordan and their anger over the disgusting crap this agency is still trying to pull.

Some residents also taken the time to contact their elected representatives at the Niagara regional government level to let them know that they want to see behaviour aimed smearing those who have the courage to speak out or tell it like it is on issues of concern to the public stopped. Continue reading →

With a Brief Foreword Note from Niagara At Large publisher and reporter Doug Draper

Posted February 15, 2019 on Niagara At Large

A Note from Doug Draper –

Former NPCA CAO Mark Brickell is reportedly suing the Conservation Authority for $2 million, claiming he was ‘illegally fired’.

CBC reporter Samantha Craggs posted a story this February 15th that once again, should raise questions as to whether the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA) can restored to the good public agency it once was, or shut down and replaced with something else.

Craggs’ story focuses on court documents filed by former NPCA CAO Mark Brickell, who is suing the Conservation for $2 million around claims that he was illegally fired by the Conservation Authority this past December.

“In the claim,” according to the CBC story, “Brickell said he was received an email at 5:53 p.m. on Dec. 6 from NPCA legal counsel stating that his employment had been terminated as of 5:01 p.m. that same day, and that at 6:15 p.m. regional council passed a motion to remove the old NPCA board.”

“On Dec. 27,” the CBC story continues, “someone sent an email full of “false and unsubstantiated allegations” against (Brickell) using theemail aconcernedcitizen905@gmail.com. The email was sent to dozens of people, including local media, the NPCA board, Premier Doug Ford and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.” Continue reading →

“Our collective goal (is) to make the changes that will benefit future generations who will inherit a city and region that is much better than we have today”                  – St. Catharines Mayor Walter Sendzik

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

Posted February 14^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

St. Catharines Mayor Walter Sendzik

St. Catharines/Niagara – Compassion, optimism and momentum are the defining words for St. Catharines according to Mayor Walter Sendzik’s state of the city address.

The Mayor delivered his annual speech to an audience of more than 500 business and community leaders this afternoon at Club Roma. The event was hosted by the Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce with Verge Insurance Group as title sponsor.

He shared his optimism for the future based on recent successes and momentum, including the early arrival of daily GO train service connecting Niagara to the Greater Toronto Hamilton Area, investments in Port Dalhousie and the revitalization of the piers, continued investment in the downtown and developments taking place throughout St. Catharines. Continue reading →

“Age-friendly communities benefit individuals of all ages and the entire community. They are more accessible, reduce isolation, stimulate local economy, improve quality of life, and improve access to, and awareness of community, health and social services.”

News from the Age-Friendly Niagara Network

Posted February 14^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – The Age-Friendly Niagara Network (AFNN), in partnership with the Pelham Seniors’ Advisory Committee hosted a Niagara-wide forum to explore the role that having access to a range of housing options plays in community inclusion and aging well.

At the forum.

The February 13th event took place at the new Meridian Community Centre in Fonthill. Participants include older adults from across Niagara, newly-appointed municipal Seniors and Age-Friendly advisory committee members, municipal council members, and individuals whose focus is on lifespan wellness.  Continue reading →

Barbara Greenwood, Jeff Jordan and Brian Heit Are Being Targeted for Working for Us

The Toxic Attacks Against Decent People – Still Metastasizing Like A Cancer In Niagara’s Politics – Have Got To Stop

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

Posted February 13th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

It is almost impossible now to remember how good so many people across Niagara felt when our new Regional Council was sworn before the New Year, with former St. Catharines MPP Jim Bradley at the helm, replacing the ever-more-unpopular Al Caslin as the Region’s Chair.

December 6th, 2018 – Inauguration Day for the new Niagara Regional Council – seemed oh so sweet to many of us. What has happened to all of the sunshine?

It was December 6th, 2018 – Inaugural Day for the new term of Regional Council – and there were all of the welcome words from Bradley and others about restoring public trust, bringing back a climate of decency and civility to the Council Chambers, and welcoming members of the public across Niagara, without fear or favour, to share their questions and concerns with their elected representatives.

Barbara Greenwood, a Niagara Regional Councillor for Niagara Falls who has earned a good deal of respect from the public and her political peers over the years, is now being targeted for censureship for something she said about NPCA’s “acting CAO” CAO David Barrick as a member of the Conservation Authority’s board

And now here we are, less than three months later, and we are sliding right back to where we were a year and more ago, with at least three good members of the Region’s council – Barbara Greenwood, a directly elected Regional Councillor from Niagara Falls; Jeff Jordan, a new Mayor who sits on the Region’s Council for Grimsby; and Brian Heit, a directly elected Regional Councillor from St. Catharines – in the process of being smeared and slimed by at least some characters  who refuse to put away the kind of divisive, mean-spirited, guttural depravity that infested politics in this region over the past four years.

The continuation of this garbage is already resurfacing the most at – surprise, surprise – the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA), one of the Niagara Region’s partner agencies, where not enough of our Regional Councillors appointed to the NPCA’s new board are showing the will or courage to do the complete house cleaning job that was, at the time of their appointment more than two months ago, and that still is so desperately needed at the administrative level. Continue reading →

Sacking of Employee Proceeds Even as New NPCA Board Passed A Freeze on Staff Hirings and Firings

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

Posted February 12th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Stuart McPherson, a respected watershed restoration projects worker at the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority is the latest rank-and-file employee to get axed at the controversial agency

Meet the new NPCA board, same as the old NPCA board.

That’s the way it seems to be going, unfortunately. Nothing much has changed since the old Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA) finally took a hike and since last December 6th, when Niagara’s Regional Council appointed 12 members of the council last December 6th to sit on the Conservation Authority’s board for an interim period of three months.

In fact, things seem to have been getting worse over the past couple of months at a Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA) that – to borrow a word Ontario Superior Court Justice James Ramsey used this past December on this problem-plagued agency – has been a textbook study in “chaos” for some time now.

Within the past couple of weeks alone, there was an appearance of David Barrick, a former Port Colborne regional councillor and currently the NPCA’s controversial “acting” or “interim” CAO, before Niagara Region’s budget review committee that raised the ire of a number of councillors for failing to answer key questions about the NPCA’s finances. Continue reading →

News from the Niagara Poverty Reduction Network

Posted February 12th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

The Niagara Poverty Reduction Network (NPRN) is pleased to see local area municipalities taking an active role in addressing affordable housing.

(This past Monday, February 11th), Port Colborne city council passed a motion to create an affordable housing strategy, while St. Catharines is creating a task force to develop their plan with targets and timelines.

Both join the Town of Fort Erie which began drafting an affordable housing action plan late last year. Continue reading →

Proposed Actions Fight Climate Change, Protect Environment Without a Carbon Tax

A News Release from Ontario’s Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks

Posted February 12th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Ontario’s government for the people today announced the next stage in its commitment to protect the environment and fight climate change without imposing a carbon tax. 

In particular, Ontario’s proposed regulatory approach combines emissions reductions standards while recognizing the unique circumstances of Ontario’s economy and its manufacturing sector. These made-in-Ontario emissions standards will consider factors such as trade exposure, competiveness and process emissions. Continue reading →

Applications for funding are due Wednesday, March 8th at 4 p.m.

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

Posted February 12th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Looking to start up a new community garden or grow an existing one?

The City of St. Catharines is offering funding to help community gardens take root.

The community gardens at Centennial Park in St. Catharines. Photo courtesy of City of St. Catharines in Niagara, Ontario

Incorporated charities and not-for-profit groups looking to build or expand a community garden can apply for matching funds from the City to cover up to half of eligible start-up costs, including lumber, soil, seeds, rain barrels and other materials and equipment. Continue reading →

“If (privatizing health care services in Ontario) happens ,it starts the ball rolling on a process that leads our health system to look more and more like that of our neighbours in the U.S.”                   – Niagara Falls MPP Wayne Gates

News from the Constituency Office of Niagara Falls MPP Wayne Gates

Posted February 11^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Niagara Falls MPP Wayne Gates

Niagara Falls, Ontario —Niagara Falls NDP MPP Wayne Gates posted a video last week detailing potential healthcare privatization plans leaked to the public by the NDP. In the viral video Gates asked for the public to comment on these potential plans. The video has since reached over 340,000 people and received hundreds of comments which Gates mailed directly to the Premier.

“I asked people to leave a comment with their thoughts on the leaked plans and apparently people had a lot to say,” said Gates. “It’s clear, they are opposed to any outsourcing or privatization of our healthcare system here in Ontario.”

Gates’ office compiled the social media comments, removing the names of residents into a letter for the Premier. Gates said the letter was dozens of pages long and contained hundreds of comments. Gates read every single comment posted. Continue reading →

NPCA’s “acting CAO” David Barrick has been a “centre of controversy,” Niagara Centre MPP Jeff Burch

“David Barrick, the interim CAO (for  the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority) has been at the centre of controversy since assuming the position. He was fired by the NPCA, then rehired by the new acting CAO, and then appointed as the replacement CAO. To this day it remains unclear who signed off on the hiring of Mr. Barrick. … This organization cannot be successful if it is still haunted by the actions of the previous administration.” – Niagara Centre MPP Jeff Burch, from an Open Letter to Dave Bylsma, chair of the NPCA board

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

Posted February 11th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Niagara Centre MPP Jeff Burch

The following Open Letter from Niagara Centre MPP Jeff Burch to Dave Bylsma, Mayor West Lincoln and a Niagara Regional Councillor who now serves as Chair of the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority’s recently appointed interim board, was circulated by the MPP this February 11^th, in the wake of growing public concern that the new board is not working effectively to address the serious problems plaguing the NPCA.

Over the past few weeks alone, David Barrick, a former Niagara Regional Councillor for Port Colborne and full-time NPCA administrator who now puts himself out there as the Conservation  Authority’s “acting” or “interim” CAO, raised the ire of councillors for the City of Hamilton and Niagara Region by, in the case of Hamilton, failing to show up for a presentation of the NPCA’s latest budget and, in the case of Niagara Region, showing up but falling significantly short of answering key questions councillors had about the budget. Continue reading →

Start Me Up Niagara Director Susan Venditti to be Honoured At International Women’s Day Event  – March 8th, 2019 in Niagara

A News Release from the Greater Niagara Chamber of commerce

Posted February 11^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Featuring Canadian Olympian and Silver Medalist Charmaine Crooks as keynote speaker

Niagara, Ontario – On March 8th, the Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce (GNCC) and its Women in Niagara Council (WIN) will celebrate International Women’s Day at Fallsview Casino in Niagara Falls, sponsored by Performance Auto Group and PenFinancial Credit Union.

The event will be hosted by Niagara Casinos’ ncCommunity Giving Program. International Women’s Day is the date on which the world not only celebrates the achievements of women, but also focuses on breaking down the barriers faced by women in business, in politics, and in leadership.

The GNCC and WIN are proud to welcome keynote speaker Charmaine Crooks to Niagara for this event. Crooks is a five-time Canadian Olympian and Olympic silver medalist (athletics), Member of the Order of Canada (C.M.), entrepreneur, speaker, moderator and advocate for sport and athletes both in Canada and internationally.

Start Me Up Niagara director Susan Venditti to be honoured for her community work

Susan Venditti, Director of Start Me Up Niagara, will also be honoured with an award for her creation of the Out of the Cold program and her achievements as its leader. The award is richly deserved, not just for Ms. Venditti’s incredible and tireless leadership, but also for helping the homeless, unemployed, and those suffering from mental illness stay safe, warm and fed on cold winter nights.

The event also includes fundraising components. Firstly, a bursary is offered for an up-and-coming female leader in Niagara to attend the Leadership Niagara program. Secondly, guests will be asked to bring unopened menstrual hygiene products to the event in support of United Way’s Tampon Tuesday.

Now in its third year in Niagara, Tampon Tuesday is an initiative that aims to collect menstrual hygiene to donate to local shelters and food banks. These products can be expensive and are often overlooked as donations to food banks and shelters. Socks for Change will also be onsite, collecting donations to provide warm wool socks and other winter gear to the less fortunate in our community.

For more information please visit iwd.gncc.ca .

Quotes –

“The vision of the GNCC is the region at its social and economic best. We are overjoyed to recognize the remarkable contributions to the social good of Niagara by honouring Susan Venditti, and to welcome Olympian Charmaine Crooks as a figurehead of sports and their role in a healthy and happy community.” — Mishka Balsom, President & CEO, Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce

“This is a time of incredible progress, change, and recognition for women, but also a reminder that we still have far to go. Our work through the GNCC has helped us take those few extra steps, and every International Women’s Day, we can not only take stock of how far we’ve come, but the journey ahead.” — Nicole Regehr, WIN Chair & Community Development and Public Relations Manager, Gillian’s Place

“At Niagara Casinos we are committed to creating a positive, inclusive environment where all members of our team are supported to thrive and succeed. We are pleased to partner with the GNCC in bringing our community together to share conversations that matter and celebrate the accomplishments of women throughout the region.” — Richard Taylor, President, Niagara Casinos

About GNCC – The Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce is the largest business organization in Niagara and the third-largest Chamber of Commerce in Ontario, with 1,600 members representing 50,000 employees. More information on the GNCC is available at gncc.ca.

About WIN – Women in Niagara is a business council of the GNCC made up of volunteers with the goal of fostering the growth and success of women in business in Niagara. They provide strategic and tactical direction to support the Council’s mission and strategic priorities. Responsibilities include identifying issues relevant to women in Niagara and providing strategic guidance to address these challenges and opportunities.

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 reminder that we only post comments by individuals who also share their first and last names.

For more news and commentary from Niagara At Large – an independent, alternative voice for our greater bi-national Niagara region – become a regular visitor and subscriber to NAL at www.niagaraatlarge.com .

“A politician thinks of the next election. A leader thinks of the next generation.” – Bernie Sanders

A Public Forum  – Wednesday, February 13th at 8:00 at the St. Catharines Central Library

An Invite to All from the Niagara District Council of Women

Posted February 11th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

The Niagara District Council of Women will be hosting a Public Forum on “The Opioid Crisis in Niagara: What is Being Done?” on Wednesday, February 13 at 8:00 pm in the Mills Room at the St. Catharines Central Library (54 Church Street). 

Our guest speaker will be Talia Storm, Manager of StreetWorks Services at Positive Living Niagara. She will talk about the work of the StreetWorks harm reduction program including the needle exchange which provides safer injection and inhalation supplies throughout the region, and the local Overdose Prevention Site. Continue reading →

• With Apologies to the late, great Rolling Stone magazine journalist Hunter Thompson, who first coined the term “fear and loathing” for circumstances that provoke anger and distrust, just like this

A Commentary by Niagara At Large reporter and publisher           Doug Draper

Posted February 8^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Very rarely in my almost 40 years as a journalist have I grown so angry over something I have been covering that I have had to stop before I wrote any more about it and said to myself; “Doug, you are filled with a little bit too much fear and loathing to write about this now. You better wait until you settle down.”

Things haven’t got much better, in fact, an argument could be made that they have only gotten worse since this old NPCA board went away.

I find myself feeling that way now about the rancid mess that the once proud Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA) has become over the past five or six years. Continue reading →

Hosted by the Niagara District Council of Women on Wednesday, February 13th at 8 p.m. in St. Catharines     – See Details Below

Posted February 7th, 2019 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 reminder that we only post comments by individuals who also share their first and last names.

For more news and commentary from Niagara At Large – an independent, alternative voice for our greater bi-national Niagara region – become a regular visitor and subscriber to NAL at www.niagaraatlarge.com .

“A politician thinks of the next election. A leader thinks of the next generation.” – Bernie Sanders

“Niagara has a fascinating earth history that has created so many beautiful sites, culminating in Niagara Falls. And this brand allows us to showcase those sites as well as the history and culture that has developed around them.” – Carol Phillips, Research Co-ordinator with the Niagara Community Observatory

Carol Phillips, Research Co-ordinator with the Niagara Community Observatory, presents a brief she wrote about the possibility of Niagara becoming a UNESCO Global Geopark. Photo courtesy of Brock University

News from Brock University’s Niagara Community Observatory

Posted February 7^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – With the mighty cataracts, vineyards producing critically acclaimed wines and vast networks of bicycle paths, tourists coming to Niagara have many options of what to see and experience. There’s also a world of rocks, canyons, waterfalls and other land features that even many locals don’t know about.

Niagara’s unique, rich geology — and the economic and cultural activities connected to these features — might be better known if Niagara region was to become a UNESCO Global Geopark, says new research from Brock University’s Niagara Community Observatory (NCO). Continue reading →

News from Ontario’s “Government for the People”

Posted February 5^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

A Brief Foreword Note from NAL reporter and publisher               Doug Draper –

Ford government picks fellow Tory traveller Sandie Bellows to chair board of Ontario’s time-honoured Niagara Parks Commission

This news should come as no real surprised for those who have been following rumours for months now that Ontario’s Ford Government would begin to appoint Tory partisans to positions on a Niagara Parks Commission (NPC)  that has been under the jurisdiction of the province since it was founded more than a century ago.

So it is no surprise that Sandie Bellows, who ran as a Ford candidate in St. Catharines  last June’s provincial elections, and received an appointment from the Ford government as a member on the Parks Commission board weeks before she won a seat in St. Catharines on Niagara’s Regional Council, has now been appointed as chair of the NPC’s board, replacing Janice Thomson, a Niagara-on-the-Lake resident who held the position for seven years.

It will be interesting to see who else gets appointed to positions on the NPC in the days and weeks ahead. We’ll be watching.

Now here is the Ford government’s news release on Bellows’ appointment – 

The Honourable Michael Tibollo, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport, has announced the appointment of Sandie Bellows as the new Chair of the Niagara Parks Commission. She will begin her four-year term immediately. Continue reading →

“We are already working together as Team Niagara to be open for business and attract investment, jobs, and economic development.” – from a Statement released this February 4^th from Niagara, Ontario’s 12 mayors

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

Posted February 5^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

The mayors of Niagara’s 12 local municipalities released a statement this February 4^th about the Ontario Ford government’s recently announced review of municipal governance in Niagara and several other regions of the province – a statement that seems more interesting for what it doesn’t say than for what it does.

Ontario’s Doug Ford (right) has picked up where his Tory predecessor Mike Harris left off with the municipal amalgamation bandwagon. Now Niagara’s 12 mayors have released a statement on Ford’s “governance review.”

The Niagara mayors’ statement – posted immediately below in full – expresses support for the Ford government’s call for “improved governance” and they pledge to work together with the provincial government to find “improvement in the way Niagara works.”

They go on to talk about “working together as Team Niagara” to attract more “investment, jobs and economic growth.” Continue reading →

See the Award-Winning Follow the North Star exhibit at the St. Catharines Museum this Black History Month – February 2019

“On behalf of the Government of Canada, I invite all Canadians to take part in community events for Black History Month and learn more about the important role that Black Canadians have played – and continue to play – to strengthen the country we all call home.” – from a Statement on Black History Month from Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

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

Posted February 5^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

A statue of the great heroine of the Underground Railroad and one time St. Catharines resident Harriet Tubman, standing at a public school named after her in St. Catharines, Ontario

Niagara, Ontario – The St. Catharines Museum and Welland Canals Centre is celebrating Black History Month in February with special guided tours of its award-winning Follow the North Star exhibit.

Museum visitors are invited to learn more about local Black History at the St. Catharines Museum with special guided tours every Thursday this month (Feb. 7, 14, 21, 28) at 10:30 a.m. and select Saturdays (Feb. 9, 23) at 10:30 a.m.

  “Everyone is invited to explore the Follow the North Star exhibit and discover the rich legacy of Niagara’s African-Canadians,” said Kathleen Powell, curator of the St. Catharines Museum. “The special guided tours tell the stories of the city’s first African-Canadian settlers, such as Harriet Tubman, St. Catharines’ role in the Underground Railroad, and more.”

Follow the North Star is a permanent exhibit at the museum and recognizes the contributions of local Black Canadians to St. Catharines, Niagara, and Canada. Black History Month is celebrated across the country every February and offers the opportunity for everyone to learn about these stories and the many important contributions of Black Canadians. Continue reading →

• On Wednesday, February 20^th at 7 p.m. at the Holy Rosary Hall in Thorold, Ontario

An Invite to All from the Thorold Garden Club

Posted February 5^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

It’s the time of the year when we start planning our gardens. 

We choose the fruits and vegetables we want to grow for food and the flowers that will add beauty to our lives. 

None of this will happen if we don’t have bees to pollonate the plants.  The bee population is diminishing rapidly. 

Communities are taking action by becoming “Bee Cities” and educational institutions are becoming “Bee Schools”.

A Bee City is part of a North American movement to support pollinator protection. Continue reading →

D’Angelo Reportedly Quit the CAO Job Late This January and –Believe It Or Not – Has Filed a Lawsuit Against the Region for “Constructive Dismissal”

A Brief One by Doug Draper

Posted February 4^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Niagara Region’s embattled CAO Carmen D’Angenlo, who has reportedly been off on medical leave since late last year, has now quit his job and is suiing the Region.

According to at least two news reports, members of Niagara’s Regional Council received an email this February 4^th that the Region’s besieged CAO Carmen D’Angelo, who has been off on medical leave from his $230,000-plus benefits job for more than a month now, quit the job late this January.

D’Angelo, who has been a subject of growing evidence reported to the media over the past year that he received unfair advantages in getting the job in the first place, then had his contract for the position extended by former Regional Chair Al Caslin and others without the knowledge and approval of the Region’s council and the public that ultimately pays him, has also filed a lawsuit against the Region, claiming constructive dismissal.

Al Caslin, then Niagara Region’s Chair, sits to the left of then CAO Carmen D’Angelo at a Regional Council meeting more than a year ago. In last October’s municipal elections, Caslin polled almost last in a field of more than 20 candidates running for a seat on the Region’s council in St. Catharines. Former St. Catharines MPP Jim Bradley polled first and is now the Region’s Chair.

Generally speaking, constructive dismissal involves circumstances where an employee feels that have little or no choice but to leave or quit their job, not because they want to, but because of the conduct of an employer.

All of this – D’Angelo going on medical leave, then quitting and suing the Region – has taken place while the Region’s new council and the public at large awaits the findings of an investigation into the circumstances around D’Angelo’s hiring and contract extension that was launched last year by Ontario’s Ombudsman. Continue reading →

Always Remember, There Are Good People Among Us, Working To Make Our World A Better Place

A Brief Message from Niagara At Large reporter and publisher             Doug Draper

Jane Goodall, as I remember her during my first years at Brock University in the 1970s

Posted February 4th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

“Whatever we believe about how we got to be the extraordinary creatures we are today is far less important than bringing our intellect to bear on how do we get together now around the world and get out of the mess that we’ve made. That’s the key thing now. Never mind how we got to be who we are.”                                                                                                 – Jane Goodall, primatologist, anthropologist, environmentalist and all-round humanitarian

This time of year, when the winter blues set in, I sometimes find myself feeling even more down over news about people in other regions of the world, and even some in our own backyard, who are saying and doing things that self-serving, dishonest, hurtful and sometimes even dangerous and destructive.

With a friend.

Whenever I catch myself feeling a little too down about all of the bad out there, it is always good for the psyche and soul to remind myself or to be reminded by others that there are also a lot of good people out there, doing good things.

Feeling in the dumps late this January about everything from Donald Trump and Doug Ford, to all of the garbage still going on at the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority, such a reminder came for me when I turned on CNN and Fareed Zakaria, one of the very best hosts of a program on that cable TV network, was interviewing one of my heroes going back to my school days in the 1970s – the oh so wonderful Jane Goodall.

As she has for more than 50 years now, Jane Goodall, at age 84, is still touring country after country, encouraging anyone who will listen to find peace and harmony with our planet and all the creatures living in it while we still have time to pass on a world that is worth living in to future generations.

Her words and her passion are truly uplifting, and if you don’t believe that getting a little exposure to a person like Jane Goodall can inspire you to feel a little better about the state of the world we live in, click on the screen link below –https://www.cnn.com/videos/tv/2019/01/27/exp-gps-0127-jane-goodall-full-interview.cnn

Living examples of people like Jane Goodall can and should inspire each and every one of us, however average or ordinary we think we are, to do extraordinary things for the good of our community and our world, and for all of the humans and non-humans we are fortunate enough to have a few brief moments sharing what may be the one and only oasis for life in the universe.

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 reminder that we only post comments by individuals who also share their first and last names.

For more news and commentary from Niagara At Large – an independent, alternative voice for our greater bi-national Niagara region – become a regular visitor and subscriber to NAL at www.niagaraatlarge.com .

 “A politician thinks of the next election. A leader thinks of the next generation.” – Bernie Sanders

“Why wouldn’t you publish (them) anyway, just to have our own sunshine in the Niagara region?” – Niagara Regional Chair Jim Bradley to “Acting CAO” David Barrick at the Region’s January 31st, 2019 budget review committee meeting

A Brief Report by Niagara At Large reporter and publisher Doug Draper (with more to come later)

Posted February 1^st, 2019 on Niagara At Large

NPCA’s “acting CAO” David Barrick visits Niagara Region meeting over Conservation Authority’s budget

David Barrick, allegedly serving as the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority’s interim or acting chief administrative officer (CAO), told members of Niagara Region’s budget review committee this January 31st that the NPCA did not report salaries and benefits higher above $100,000 per year for Ontario’s ‘Sunshine List’ last year because Conservation Authorities in the province don’t have to.

Yet a fast look at the province’s 2018 Sunshine list reveals that at least 10 of the 35 other Conservation Authorities in Ontario, are on the list, posting information for members of their staff earning annual salaries and benefits of $100,000 or more.

Among the Conservation Authorities on the list are those for Lakehead Region, Essex Region, Halton Region, Otonabee Region and more. Continue reading →

Ontario Health Coalition tours new report across province comes to Niagara this coming Tuesday, February 5th

An Invite to All of Us from the Ontario Health Coalition and its regional chapter, the Niagara Health Coalition

Posted February 1st, 2019 on Niagara At Large

The Ontario Health Coalition is touring a new report, Situation Critical, in St. Catharines on Tuesday, February 5.

Situation Critical is a new report that examines government data to reveal the current shocking state of long-term care in Ontario.

Among all the data that the Ontario Health Coalition has collected on long wait lists, inequities, staffing shortages, and medical needs is a statistic that over the last 5 years measured there were 27 homicides.

It is part of a rising tide of violence among residents of long-term care facilities.

Why is this happening?

This Ontario Health Coalition report bases its assessment of the current state of long-term care in Ontario and what the needs of our population of seniors are from available data from the long-term care industry and the Ontario government. Continue reading →

Niagara Activist Emily Spanton Wins Some Justice in France

A Brief One from Doug Draper, Niagara At Large

Posted February 1^st, 2019

Emily Spanton

St. Catharines resident Emily Spanton said in a courtroom in Paris, France this January while two French police officers, accused of raping her while she was visiting the country as a tourist in 2014, were found guilty and sentenced to seven years in prison.

Emily ran, but fell short of winning a seat on Niagara Regional Council in last October’s municipal elections in a field of more than 20 candidates in St. Catharines vying for six seats on the Region’s Council.

She is a passionate citizen activist in the region, joining many other citizens across Niagara who has been fighting to save Thundering Waters Forest in Niagara Falls, pressing to get what is supposed to be our Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority back to focusing on protecting and conserving our environment first again, and for more transparency and accountability in municipal government. Continue reading →

But Has Very Little Say In How That Money – OUR  TAX MONEY – Is Being Spent, So We Are Being Told

By Doug Draper

Posted January 31, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Here’s a bit of a quiz for you?

NPCA’s “acting CAO” David Barrick visits Niagara Region meeting over Conservation Authority’s budget

Name a public body that gets to bill our Niagara regional government for more than eight and a half million dollars annually of our municipal tax money to cover most of its budget, yet doesn’t have to get a lick of approval from our Region’s council for its budget?

It doesn’t even have to offer our regional councillors much in the way of details on how that money is being spent.

Wouldn’t you know it? That body is oh so infamous Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA).

And this January 31^st, the NPCA’s alleged acting CAO, David Barrick, appeared before the Region’s budget review committee to outline what the Conservation Authority has chosen to let our duly elected regional councillors know, and to avoid disclosing details requested by councillors on some of the rest. Continue reading →

News from Brock University in St. Catharines/Niagara

Posted January 31^st, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – Along the winding river that cuts through the heart of St. Catharines lie keys to the Garden City’s maritime past, relics of a glorious industrial era still evident today.

The Shickluna Shipyard operated from 1838 to 1891 along St. Catharines’ Twelve Mile Creek.

A research team led by Brock University archaeologist and maritime historian Kimberly Monk aims to uncover an abandoned shipyard built by a Maltese immigrant in the 19th century, along with workers’ cottages and even the hull of a ship. Continue reading →

“I just got back from travelling the province … and I heard over and over again that people are fearful about more cuts to come under Ford to things that people count on — like education and health care.” – Ontario NDP Finance critic Sandy Shaw

A Message from Ontario’s New Democratic and Official Opposition Party

Posted January 31^st, 2019 on Niagara At Large

QUEEN’S PARK — Sandy Shaw, Ontario NDP Finance critic, released the following statement in response to the release of the Ontario’s Financial Accountability Office (FAO) report, Income in Ontario: Growth, Distribution and Mobility:

“Today’s report from the FAO shows what many Ontario families already know: That everyday Ontarians are worse off today than they were 20 years ago. Continue reading →

It was groups of dedicated citizens, along with a handful of politicians across this Niagara region that fought for so long to get our Conservation Authority back. The board could respect their efforts by taking some urgent action!

A Brief Comment from one of those Niagara dedicated citizens, Robert Milenkoff, with a Forward from Niagara At Large reporter Doug Draper

Posted January 30^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

From Doug Draper –

Welland resident Robert Milenkoff, at left, during one of many citizens rallies outside of NPCA board meetings over the past three years. File photo by Doug Draper

Less than two months into their tenure as members of a new board of directors for the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA), they are already losing the patience of citizens who have been fighting for three or more years now to get his public body back on track.

One can understand the loss of patience.

Attend any one of the three meetings this new board has held so far and where is any sense of urgency for getting this beleaguered body back to where it was in decades gone by when dedicated people like Andy Burt, Gord Harry and Douglas Elliot had a hand in fulfilling its conservation and environmental protection mission?

Where is any passion for returning the NPCA back to what a conservation agency could and should be? Continue reading →

A Call-Out from Ontario NDP Education critic Marit Stiles

Posted January 30th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Queen’s Park — Marit Stiles, Ontario NDP Education critic, released the following statement in response to the Ford Conservatives’ refusal to take full-day kindergarten off the chopping block:

“I’m getting calls from panicked parents after the Ford Conservatives revealed they’ve put full-day kindergarten on the chopping block. No parent should have to worry that their kids will miss out on the advantages of full-day kindergarten. 

The Liberals cramming 29 little ones into a kindergarten class was wrong, but scrapping full-day kindergarten will make things so much worse. It’s unconscionable for the Ford Conservatives to consider making our youngest students pay for their cuts. Continue reading →

The Problems at the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority Demand Urgent Attention

Niagara’s Taxpayers and Natural Heritage Deserve Far Better Than What We Are Getting Here

The N,PCA’s new chair – recently elected West Lincoln Mayor Dave Bylsma –  seeks some direction from “acting NPCA CAO” David Barrick to his left, while the NPCA’s recently promoted “communications and administration director” Krystle Caputo flanks him on the right at a recent NPCA board meeting.

Commentary by Niagara At Large reporter & publisher Doug Draper

Posted January 29^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

In my view, Peter Gill is almost always spot on with the images he produces to spotlight the many messes in municipal governance that are in need of urgent redressing across this Niagara region.

However, I have a wee bit of an issue with one of the images that Gill -a retired Niagara Regional Police who unfortunately lost his bid last fall for a seat on Niagara’s Regional Council, posted on social media this January 29th.

I am re-posting the image for you here, and then I’ll tell you why –

Did you see the snail that Peter Gill pasted on the flag flying in front of the Region-owned building in Welland where the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA) has its headquarters.

The problem I have with attaching a snail to that flag to depict the status of efforts to clean up the monumental mess at the NPCA is that at least snails, like sloths or turtles, move forward. Continue reading →

“Niagara College is a strong contributor to Niagara’s economic prosperity (and) we welcome the opportunities this partnership will provide for our students and look forward to working together with Lincoln to promote and foster innovation and sustainability in Niagara’s key industries.”                                          –  Niagara College President Dan Patterson

News from Niagara College and the Town of Lincoln in Niagara, Ontario

Posted January 29th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Lincoln, Ontario  – This January 28th, Niagara College and the Town of Lincoln signed a formal memorandum of understanding (MOU) that will see the municipality and college collaborate to explore, facilitate and support social and economic development. A main area of focus will be Niagara’s agri-business sector.

From left to right, Associate Dean Al Unwin, Niagara College; Lincoln Mayor Sandra Easton; President Dan Patterson, Niagara College; Councillor Paul MacPherson, Town of Lincoln; CAO Michael Kirkopoulos, Town of Lincoln

The MOU was signed by Mayor Sandra Easton and Niagara College President Dan Patterson at Lincoln’s Council meeting on Jan. 28. This MOU is another opportunity for Lincoln to benefit from the expertise of the high quality post-secondary institutions here in Niagara. Continue reading →

An Event featuring Members of the Legal Team that helped win the Dave vs. Goliath case against the Monsanto corporation. Attend the Event  or Watch It on Livestream

Hosted by the Canadian Environmental Law Association (CELA) and Friends of the Earth

Posted January 28th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

A Brief Foreword from Niagara At Large reporter and publisher Doug Draper –

In a  David vs. Goliath court battle last year against one of the world’s large manufacturers of chemicals and biotechnology for agriculture, lawyers representing a  school groundskeeper in California was able to win a $289-million damages suit against Monsanto.

For the first time in any court, lawyers were able to win a ruling that one of Monsanto’s major chemical products, identified by the trade name Round Up, was responsible for groundskeeper Dewayne Johnson’s cancer. Continue reading →

One of area’s largest employers is now set to fill over 350 seasonal positions

An Invite to Job Seekers from Ontario’s Niagara Parks Commission

Re-Posted this January 28^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Niagara Falls, Ontario – The Niagara Parks Commission, one of the region’s largest employers with over 1,700 full-time and seasonal employees, will host its annual Job Fair on Saturday, February 2 at Niagara Parks’ Legends on the Niagara Golf Complex.

The annual Job Fair allows Niagara Parks to showcase the seasonal job opportunities that exist within the Commission 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 →

Stop Private  Clinics and Unlawful User-fees and Extra-billing of Patients. Sign an Online Petition Below

A Call-Out from the Ontario Health Coalition, a province-wide citizens network fighting to save quality public health care

Posted January 28^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

The Ontario Health Coalition, in partnership with the provincial and territorial health coalitions and the Canadian Health Coalition, has been working tirelessly to bring an end to the unlawful extra-billing of patients by private health clinics and stop the privatization of health care services. Continue reading →

Statement from Ontario NDP and Official Opposition Leader Andrea Horwath on International Holocaust Remembrance Day

Posted January 27^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

QUEEN’S PARK — Andrea Horwath, leader of the Ontario NDP and Leader of the Official Opposition, issued the following statement on International Holocaust Remembrance Day:

To the horror of many last year, this swastika was found sprayed on a sidewalk near an elementary school in St. Catharines/Niagara where children and their teachers and parents gathered two years earlier to celebrate the unveiling of a statue of 19th Century civil rights icon Harriet Tubman

“On International Holocaust Remembrance Day, we remember the six million Jews who were murdered in the Holocaust. We honour their memories, and pledge never to forget the horrific genocide systematically carried out against them.

This January 27th, on behalf of Ontario’s New Democrats, I re-commit to never forgetting the thriving communities destroyed, and the millions of lives senselessly snuffed out by the Nazis.

We pledge to continue the work of stamping out anti-Semitism in our own communities, and to eliminate discrimination and xenophobia in all its forms, against all peoples.”

To read story posted on Niagara At Large in February 2018 on a swastika spray painted near a St. Catharines school where a statue of civil rights heroine Harriet Tubman stands, click on – https://niagaraatlarge.com/2018/02/02/hate-in-the-shape-of-a-swastika-finds-expression-near-a-statue-of-civil-rights-heroine-harriet-tubman-in-niagara-ontario/ .

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 reminder that we only post comments by individuals who also share their first and last names.

For more news and commentary from Niagara At Large – an independent, alternative voice for our greater bi-national Niagara region – become a regular visitor and subscriber to NAL at www.niagaraatlarge.com .

 “A politician thinks of the next election. A leader thinks of the next generation.” – Bernie Sanders

Nine Cents  – That’s Right, Just  Nine Copper Pennies Left – in the Police Budget’s Reserves!

A Commentary by Niagara At Large reporter and publisher            Doug Draper

Posted January 25th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Nine cents!

That’s right, only nine copper pennies left in reserves for a Niagara Regional Police Service with an annual operating budget exceeding $140 million a year.

Or since we don’t have pennies in Canada any longer, let’s round that out to one thin dime. And as the old song about being down and out on the streets of Broadway goes, “one thin dime won’t even shine your shoes.”

Nine cents was all that Niagara Regional Police (NRP) Chief Bryan MacCulloch and the new board of the Niagara Regional Police Force has found left over in a pot of reserve money – set aside for emergencies and unexpected expenses that turn up – that should hold at least few hundred thousand dollars, according to a January 25th report in The St. Catharines Standard.

Here is someone’s impression of, from left to right, then-Niagara Regional Chair, then-Port Colborne Regional Councillor David Barrick and Niagara Falls Regional Councillor Bob Gale (the only one of the three who is back again) on the last Niagara Regional Police Services board.

As outrageous as that is, it is not really all that shocking given all of the concerns raised and reports we’ve heard about voodoo economics and the reserves being raided by members of the old police board, chaired over the past four years by Niagara Falls Regional Councillor Bob Gale – all with a mind to making overall annual budget increases for NRP look good, and to achieve that much ballyhooed zero per cent increase. Continue reading →

“We are looking forward to reviewing the purposed changes to help serve Niagara Residents better. Niagara Region is committed to making service delivery and improvements as one of our top priorities” ~ Jim Bradley, Niagara Regional Chair

News from Niagara’s Regional Government

Posted January 25th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – Niagara Region’s Waste Management Division recently completed an extensive public consultation with various stakeholders groups (residents, businesses, business groups, local area municipalities, etc.) to obtain their input on the proposed waste collection service options being considered for Niagara Region’s next waste collection contract (i.e. garbage, recycling and organics).

The results of the public consultation are now being shared with local area municipal councils, for further input, before reaching Regional Council for their review in March. Continue reading →

“Many students are struggling financially, many have left their jobs to pursue their education, and we find that they really appreciate the help they receive through this event,” – Marsha Fiorino, co-op career consultant and employer support, Niagara College’s Career Services

A News Release from Niagara College

Posted January 25^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – Niagara College is helping students suit up to make a positive impression on potential employers.

Dress to Impress, a free business clothing and accessories giveaway for students, will be held at the College’s Niagara-on-the-Lake Campus on January 29 and at the Welland Campus on January 30.

Niagara College staff members Nimisha Sumathi (co-curricular recognition program coordinator, Centre for Student Engagement) and Leadership) and Marsha Fiorino (co-op career consultant and employer support, Career Services) roll up their sleeves to collect donations in the advance of the Dress to Impress clothing giveaway

Hosted by NC’s Career Services department, the event will give students the opportunity to pick up professional attire free of charge to wear for job interviews and networking events. Continue reading →

Unfortunately, It Sure Looks That Way & Niagara Deserves A Much Better Voice For Our Environment Than This.

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

Posted January 23^rd, 2019 on Niagara At Large

It was just a month ago that a Superior Court Justice, James Ramsay, stated in an Ontario court in Welland that the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA) was in a state of “chaos” and that circumstances inside this public agency were “intolerable” enough that new board members, appointed by Niagara’s Regional Council, needed to meet as soon as possible to address what is wrong.

Almost two months after  Niagara’s new Regional Council appointed 12 new members to the board of the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA), how much of what an Ontario Superior Court judge called “chaos” at the NPCA has the new board really addressed?

Well, thanks in no small part to efforts a citizens group called A Better Niagara made in that court,  a new board of the NPCA has now met a total of three times – much of those times behind closed doors with little to show in the way of real change.

“I have lost faith in this board,” said Liz Benneian, A Better Niagara’s executive director, when those doors were closed on the board’s third kick at fixing the NPCA can this January 23^rd.   Continue reading →

What the region needs are more housing options for renters and owners, within our cities, close to where people want to live, work and play. Not sprawling subdivisions on farmland, forests and the source of our drinking water.

From Environmental Defence, a Canada-wide organization dedicated to environmental protection

Posted January 22^nd, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Statement from Environmental Defence’s Executive Director, Tim Gray on Ontario’s proposed changes to the Growth Plan

Toronto, Ontario – This (past January 15^th), the (Ontario) Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing posted proposed changes to the Growth Plan for public comment.

What we apparently don’t have in Ford’s Ontario is enough of this, which is not only costly in terms of lost farmland and other natural areas, but in terms of how much it costs to service lower density sprawl with roads, waterlines and other infrastructure.

These changes were proposed under the guise of helping to increase housing supply in the Greater Golden Horseshoe (GGH), by loosening the regulations in place that encourage building within our existing town and cities, and instead favouring sprawl. Continue reading →

This Coming Sunday, January 27th  – 2 to 4 p.m. – at the Niagara Falls Military Museum

“Anti-Semitism is alive and well throughout Europe as well as Canada and the U.S. — and it is virulent and violent.”  – Elizabeth Vlossak,  Associate Professor of History and co-founder of Brock University’s History Lab

An Invite from Brock University in Niagara, Ontario

Posted January 22nd, 2019 on Niagara At Large

A free public event designed to educate people about the Holocaust and the larger context of the Jewish community is planned for Sunday, Jan. 27.

Brock University will host the lecture at the Niagara Falls Military Museum in observance of International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

History Professor Jack Lightstone, past-President and Vice-Chancellor of Brock University, will deliver a public keynote lecture titled “The making of ‘the other’ and its social and political consequences: Lessons from the historical experience of the Jewish people.”

“The Holocaust was not simply the ‘final solution’ to the ‘Jewish question’ stemming from the minds of Nazis, but the result of 1,700 years of virulent anti-Judaic rhetoric, primarily from Christian leadership, beginning in the second century,” says Lightstone. Continue reading →

Ford’s “Government for the People” Set to Unleash Low-Density Sprawl Across The Countryside

It’s Growth at any Cost to Our Green Places in Ford’s Ontario, and the Rogues in the Development Industry are Rubbing their Hands

Another Dispatch from CATCH (Citizens at City Hall) in Hamilton

Posted January 21^st, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Does “Open For Business” have to mean paving over ever more of our natural heritage?

The provincial government has tossed another bombshell into municipal planning with the release last week of dozens of proposed changes to the rules governing how cities can grow.

These are in addition to the controversial Bill 66 changes that lets municipal councils override the Greenbelt Act, Clean Water Act and other environmental and planning legislation in order to facilitate specific development prospects.

More than one hundred amendments to the Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe were posted last week for 45 days of public comment. Major changes include substantially lower density requirements, reduced protection of agricultural lands, and removal of social justice and climate change objectives from the plan.

Is Ontario’s Ford government opening the door to more of this kind of business like what was done at this wild and wonderful place – Thundering Waters Forest in Niagara Falls – this past fall. File Photo by Emily Spanton

 A Queen’s Park media release announcing the changes says “Ontario’s government for the people wants to speed up development and increase the supply of housing”.

Continue reading →

How Climate Change is Affecting Ice on Lake Superior

By Lianna Lopez,  York University for the Canada/U.S. International Joint Commission

From the International Joint Commission’s newsletter Great Lakes Connection

Posted January 21st, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Changes in lake ice tell a story about a region’s climate. The time when lake ice freezes and breaks is highly sensitive to changes in climate, along with how long that ice remains intact.

The timing of these events is affected by fall, spring and winter air temperature but also can be influenced by snowfall, rain, wind strength and incoming sunlight. In particular, Lake Superior’s rich ice history has been a subject of interest, motivating researchers to look back several decades to detect patterns in the climate.

Ice on Superior in Duluth, Minnesota. Credit: Sharon Mollerus

Due to the size of Lake Superior, ice research has generally been conducted at a specific location or focused on the extent of ice formed over the lake surface area. A specific lookout point in Bayfield, Wisconsin has consistently kept records since 1858 of the day lake ice broke each spring. Continue reading →

One of area’s largest employers is now set to fill over 350 seasonal positions

An Invite to Job Seekers from Ontario’s Niagara Parks Commission

January 20^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Niagara Falls, Ontario – The Niagara Parks Commission, one of the region’s largest employers with over 1,700 full-time and seasonal employees, will host its annual Job Fair on Saturday, February 2 at Niagara Parks’ Legends on the Niagara Golf Complex.

The annual Job Fair allows Niagara Parks to showcase the seasonal job opportunities that exist within the Commission 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 →

Ontario NDP wants to see details on Ford government’s     Ontario Student Assistant Plan changes

“Reports reveal that the Ford government is not going to fund a two-year tuition freeze it’s imposing, forcing colleges and universities to accept what is estimated to be a $250-million revenue loss.”

A Message from Ontario’s NDP and Official Opposition Party

Posted January 21^st, 2019 on Niagara At Large

Queen’s Park — Ontario NDP Colleges and Universities critic Chris Glover released the following statement regarding news that tuition will drop for 2019-2020, and be frozen for 2020-2021:

“Doug Ford’s … tuition announcement is going to turn out to be a smoke and mirrors exercise. Ontario’s college and university students know that they are not going to benefit from a Doug Ford government.

Reports reveal that the Ford government is not going to fund a two-year tuition freeze it’s imposing, forcing colleges and universities to accept what is estimated to be a $250-million revenue loss. That means cancelled courses, larger class sizes and laid-off faculty. Students will likely pay for the freeze with two years of a lower quality education — followed by skyrocketing tuition in 2021 to make up for the shortfall.

Ontario already has the lowest per-student funding in Canada, the highest levels of student debt, the largest class sizes and the most precariously employed professors.  

We are also growing deeply concerned that Ontario Student Assistant Plan (OSAP) grants will be cut by Ford, hurting low and middle income students. Students counting on OSAP to give them a shot at university or college know that OSAP needs to be improved, not hacked apart.

The NDP has proposed a new system that would see provincial student loans converted to grants. That would means schools and students would both win, and new graduates wouldn’t saddled with a debt load that weighs them down just as they’re starting out.

The Ontario NDP will be paying very close attention to this announcement.”

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 “A politician thinks of the next election. A leader thinks of the next generation.” – Bernie Sanders

Need for Universal Drug Plan should be one of the most pressing issues facing Canadians in this federal election year

A New Report from the Broadbent Institute

Posted January 21st, 2019 on Niagara At Large

This January the Broadbent Institute released a significant new report, ‘Charting the Path to National Pharmacare in Canada‘, concerning what we expect will be one of the most pressing issues facing Canadians in this election year.

Right now, about 7.5 million Canadians are not taking the medications they need because they can’t afford them, and it’s been estimated that around 700,000 Canadians skip buying groceries to pay for their medications that currently aren’t covered. Continue reading →