Niagara At Large

A Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted June 16th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

“My Friends …. We are going to turn this province around so that our children and their children will feel proud to call Ontario their home.”

Doug Ford likes to call us his “friends”.

That was the vow Doug Ford delivered before cheering crowds of supporters on the night of June 7th – on the day that just enough Ontario voters gave him the number of seats his Ontario PC Party needs to enjoy the next four years as a majority government in the province.

An Orwellian chill shot up my spine when I heard Ford make that election night vow, and not just because he used the words “my friends” to set it off.

There is something about politicians who repeatedly use “my friends” in addresses to crowds that makes me cringe – like someone I am not sure about putting a sweaty hand on my shoulder. Continue reading →

Mayors Pledge To Protect Urban Natural Spaces

“Wetlands and naturalized shorelines are critical habitat for so many of our indigenous species in the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Region. As mayors, we need to find ways to naturalize our shorelines and connect terrestrial habitat and migratory pathways throughout the region.” – Suzie Miron, councillor and representative of City of Montréal Mayor Valerie Plante

A News Release from the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative

Posted June 15th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

At the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative annual conference in Ajax, Ontario this June, Canadian and US mayors celebrated the strong, integrated relationship on environment and economy that binds our two countries and the Great Lakes St. Lawrence region as a whole. The mayors cautioned against isolationist policies towards trade and environmental protection.

“As mayors in the Great Lakes St. Lawrence region, we represent a community of common interest, dedicated to the protection of our shared waters and our integrated economic prosperity,” said incoming Cities Initiative chair Sandra Cooper, Mayor of Collingwood.

If the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence region were a country, encompassing Québec, Ontario and the eight Great Lake states, it would be the world’s third largest economy. It also holds 20% of the world’s fresh water. Due to the integrated nature of its economy, both sides of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence region would be seriously impacted by the imposition of trade tariffs. Continue reading →

An Invite to All from the Niagara movement for Justice in Palestine- Israel

Posted June 15th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

A number of very concerned residents of Niagara have initiated a “Movement for Justice in Palestine-Israel” (MJPI). The movement made its presence felt very positively at the Market Square in St. Catharines on 19 May.

Participants were  encouraged by the   large number of the public who were very receptive to their message.

They are now holding a MARCH FOR JUSTICE IN PALESTINE-ISRAEL on Friday, 22 June, 2018 starting at 4.30 p.m. on the sidewalks at the intersection of Geneva- St. Paul- Niagara Streets in St.Catharines.
Continue reading →

A News Release from the Campaign to Elect Haley Bateman, With a Foreword by Doug Draper

Posted June 13^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

A Foreword by Doug Draper –

When so much of what is happening in politics in our country, the world, and right here in our province and region is enough to make a person feel at least a little down, every once in a while some news comes along that gives you a lift and makes you feel hopeful again.

That is certainly true of the news that Haley Bateman has officially launched her campaign to run for one of the five directly elected seats the City of St. Catharines occupies on Niagara’s regional council.

As a citizen in our region, Haley Bateman already has a record of demonstrating her interest in making a Niagara better place to live and work in through her social through her work in the non-profit sector, supporting the Performing Arts, Health and Wellbeing and Women and Children’s organizations. Continue reading →

You Guessed It – America’s Donald Trump

Posted June 13^th, 2018 by Doug Draper, Niagara At Large

Every once in a while we at Niagara At Large like to share with our readers a letter-to-the-editor that grabbed us while reading the daily newspapers, something we also still do around here – read newspapers, as much as many have made the mistake of giving up on them.

If we have to have an autocrat in the G7, why not Russia’s Putin instead of America’s Trump?

The following letter caught our attention in the Monday, June 12^th edition of The Globe and Mail, and appeared in the wake of the ugly conduct of America’s reality TV show president, Donald Trump at the recent G7 Summit meeting in Quebec.

It was written by Michael Armstrong from Niagara Falls, Ontario, right here in our own region, and, believe it or not, when I shared it with a gathering of some of my American friends in Cape Cod, Massachusetts this June 13^th, they all thought it pinned the tail on the donkey too.

Here it is –

‘U.S. President Donald Trump wants Russia invited back to the G7.Fine: Let Russia replace America in the G7. That way, at least the lone autocrat there won’t be one withdrawing from the Paris climate agreement.’

In Putin, we at Niagara At Large would add, there would be someone much intelligent sitting at the table too.

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

“We must do what our electoral system failed to, make sure Ontario’s government represents the will of the people.” 

A Message from the Broadbent Institute, Dedicated to Upholding the Principles of Canada’s Former NDP Leader Ed Broadbent

Posted June 14th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Doug Ford’s PC win this past June 7th in Ontario proves the major fault in our electoral system.

Canada’s former federal NDP leader Ed Broadbent

Ontario will now be faced with a government set on an ultra-conservative agenda to cut services, freeze minimum wages, attack women’s right to choose, and ignore climate change – even though 58% of voters chose a decidedly different course of action.

This would never have happened with Proportional Representation.   Continue reading →

“BE IT RESOLVED that the Council of City of St. Catharines commends the media for their investigative reporting and in no way supports censorship of news.” – from a motion to be tabled at the Monday, June 11th meeting of St. Catharines council by City Councillor Joe Kushner

A News Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted June 111^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

St. Catharines City Councillor Joe Kushner standing up for local news coverage

There has probably never been a time since the first person chiselled what might be called a news story on a stone tablet, that one politician or another didn’t complain about the coverage they get.

These days though, attacks on the media are far less random or sporadic and have become part of one of the tools of choice politicians and other individuals in government use to paint the news media as just one more ‘elite’ or ‘enemy’ that is working to keep them from dong the peoples’ work.

We see this news bashing tactic employed daily south of the Canada/U.S. border where Trump and his loyalists repeatedly refer to any reporting they don’t like as “fake news” and make less than subtle threats about taking reporters or whole news organizations to court, and weakening age-old laws that support freedom of the press. Continue reading →

A Brief One by Doug Draper

Posted on June 10th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

What a blow to humanity.

Still coping with the loss of one of the great characters, Anthony Bourdain

It was bad enough waking up this past June 8th to the realization that Doug Ford had actually won the Ontario election, but to get the “breaking news” around 8 a.m. that Anthony Bourdain was found dead at age 61, reportedly after committing suicide, made the morning too damn much to take.

If you don’t know who Anthony Bourdain was, to say that he was a chef with a television series on CNN called  ‘Parts Unknown’ hardly gets to the essence of what endeared him to so many millions of people, including this person who doesn’t make a practice of watching so-called cooking shows. Continue reading →

“We are going to have to be ready to fight. … The forces of cuts and privatization are now ascendant and it will take a great deal of strength to protect public health care and our core principles of equity and public non-profit service in the upcoming months.” 

An Analysis by Ontario Health Coalition executive director Natalie Mehra

Posted June 11th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Natalie Mehra, Ontario Health Coalition’s executive director

In the last days before the election, we tried to find a way to contrast Doug Ford’s belated “platform” with the former Conservative government of Mike Harris to see how far apart they were.

Though I knew the cuts were massive, I was still shocked to discover that Ford’ planned cuts to provincial revenues — the money used to fund our public programs and services including health care — are‎ actually deeper than those of Mike Harris.

The Harris government cut $13 billion in its first four years. Doug Ford plans to cut $22 billion over three years. ‎ Continue reading →

“Our reputation is growing, in Canada and globally, as a university of academic excellence that welcomes diversity from across the country and around the world.” – Jamie Mandigo, Vice-Provost for Enrolment Management and International.

A News Release from Brock University

Posted June 11th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Brock University is emerging as a school of choice for more and more new students, despite a provincial decline in high school-aged applicants.

Brock U. is a magnet for growing numbers of first-year students

Ontario’s ongoing demographic trough has seen the population of 18-year-olds shrink by more than 13,000 in less than a decade. Yet the confirmation rate of first-year students intending to attend Brock this September is more than 15 per cent above where it was a year ago. Continue reading →

A Brief News Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted June 8th^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Doug Ford’s PC Party won a majority government in Ontario this June 7^th – a majority!

A majority government gives Ford a license to run a virtual dictatorship over the next four years.

These two will probably co-exist on this continent just fine.

The province’s NDP Leader Andrea Horwath promises that she is going to use her party’s second place finish and newly minted official party status to “hold Ford’s feet to the fire.”

Sounds good, Andrea, but with the size of the majority Ford has won, he can, in so many words, simply tell any NDP member who stands in the legislature and questions or complaints to sit down and shut up.

Given Ford’s past conduct, loaded with bullying and bluster, on Toronto’s city council, that may very well be the way it goes.

So welcome to Trumpland, my fellow Ontarians. Continue reading →

“The United States and Canada are the world’s largest trading partners.  Canada has been a reliable ally in fighting terror and has been a good friend to the United States. “We need to stand with our allies and friends, not abandon them.” – U.S. Congressman Brian Higgins, Buffalo, New York

Congressman Cites Costs to Lackawanna Company; Says: “We Need to Stand with Our Allies and Friends, Not Abandon Them”

U.S Congressman Brian Higgins

A News Release from the Office of U.S. Congressman Brian Higgins, a member of the House of Representatives Ways and Means Subcommittee on Trade and Co-Chair of the Northern Border Task Force

Posted June 8th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Buffalo, New York – Last week the President announced new tariffs on steel and aluminum – called Section 232 actions – on our strongest allies, including Canada and Europe.  Companies in Higgins’ district are already hurting from these bizarre penalties on America’s greatest trading and business partners. 

In a letter to Congressman Higgins, Lackawanna, New York based company Welded Tube, USA, writes, “The imposition of 25 percent duties on the OCTG we make in Lackawanna and finish in Ontario will render our products uneconomical. Continue reading →

Yet Putin’s Russia is Fine and so are those Neo-Nazis carrying torches and yelling anti-Semitic Epitaphs in the Streets of Virginia

A Brief Comment from Doug Draper

Posted June 8th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Did you know that Canada once burned down the White House?

That is what Trump (I’m sorry, I just can’t bring myself to call him “President Trump”) reported told Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

At least Trump didn’t bring up the time Canada attacked Pearl Harbor or that earlier time when we attacked Fort Sumter and started the Civil War.

And wasn’t it a Canadian who assassinated Abraham Lincoln while he was watching a play at the Shaw Festival Theatre?

Thanks to this faux pas, to put it politely as I can, about the torching of the White House (for all of you so-called undereducated deplorables out there you may take ever word the reality show huckster shouts or tweets out as gospel, it was the British that did that. The country of Canada was still 60 years out from being born  at the time), it may be hard enough next time I cross the border to visit my relatives and friends.

And yet this   clown,  who repeatedly blames others for spreading “fake news”,  got elected to one of the powerful positions in the world.

Why did you do this to yourselves and the rest of the world, America?

You should feel embarrassed to have a dangerous ignoramus like this in the same Oval Office where giants like Abraham Lincoln and Franklin Delano Roosevelt once served with intelligence and class.

The fiddle is now playing in Trumpland. Can you hear it?

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

Join us on a free and casual guided tour of a some Garden Walk Buffalo gardens!

A News Release from our cross-border friends at Garden Walk Buffalo

Posted June 7^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Campus Wheelworks and the Campus Cycling Collective are collaborating with Gardens Buffalo Niagara on three bike tours—each on the first Fridays of June, July and August.

We’ll visit a few select gardens in the Elmwood Village and Cottage District, as well as a couple public gardens. The tour will be a total of 8-10 moderately-paced miles on bike paths and bike lanes when possible. Continue reading →

Jerry Maren, 98, Dedicated Part of His Life to Advocating for “Little People”

A Brief One from Doug Draper

Posted June 8th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

I can’t help it. As a life-long fan of ‘The Wizard of Oz’, just want to put a little something in hear about the passing of the last actor who played one of more than 100 “munchkins in that classic 1939 movie.

His name was Jerry Maren and he played one of three members of the “Lollipop Guild” who sang a welcoming song to Dorothy (Judy Garland) as he – the one in the centre dressed in green – handed her a giant lollipop. Continue reading →

An Election Commentary by Niagara At Large reporter and publisher Doug Draper

Posted June 6^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

The choice for Ontario’s next premier should be obvious this time – it is Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath

About eight years ago, I had an opportunity to do a one-on-one interview for the better part of an hour with Kathleen Wynne during a break at a conference in Niagara-on-the-Lake, when she was serving in the cabinet of Liberal Premier Dalton McGuinty as his Minister of Transportation.

In that interview, Wynne was the first Minister of Transportation I can ever remember in the province who said she wasn’t interested in building more highways because she wanted to focus on making communities less car dependent and friendlier to walking, biking and public transit.

Everything about that part of the interview and the rest had me feeling that I was in the presence of someone who refreshingly candid and who embraced a green, progressive vision of where she wanted Ontario to go. Continue reading →

 “People want change, but Doug Ford isn’t change for the better. Ford’s repeated scandals, including active police investigations, are already worse than Kathleen Wynne’s scandals. He’d take Ontario from bad to worse.”

A News Release from the Ontario New Democratic Party

Posted June 6th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Ontario PC leader Doug Ford

Toronto, Ontario – Doug Ford has refused to be open and transparent with Ontarians following the explosive allegations made against him by the widow of his late brother Rob — including breach of trust, negligence and more than $6 million in losses at Deco Labels and Tags.

“Doug Ford wants to be your premier, yet he won’t answer the most basic questions about the serious allegations against him,” said Marit Stiles, NDP candidate for Davenport.

“What people are saying to me on the doorstep is that they have a lot of questions — and they believe they deserve answers. Continue reading →

Of The Region’s Four Provincial Riding, Niagara West-Glanbrook May Be The Only Outlier – Remaining Blue for the PCs

A News Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted June 6th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

I normally prefer to focus most of my commentary on the bigger picture when it comes to provincial and federal elections – as in which party should or shouldn’t form the next government for whatever reasons – but in this Ontario election, with the voting set to open first thing this Thursday, June 7th, morning, I find it not to comment on the local picture for at least one major reason.

The reason is this.

Those of you out there who have been following the news in Niagara over the past three and a half years know that there is a critical mass of people who are concerned about many of the decisions, the conduct and the make-up of the regional council and some of the local councils across the region. Continue reading →

A Brief Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted June 6^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Seventy four years ago – on June 6th, 1944, known from then on as D-Day – Canadian soldiers fought and died on the beaches of Normandy, France alongside U.S. soldiers, all under the direction of the then Supreme Commander of Allied Forces and future U.S. president, Dwight D Eisenhower.

Now, under the reality show celebrity/narcissist who plays at being U.S. president, Canada and the freely negotiated trading relationship Canada negotiated with his country are viewed as a “national security threat.”

A national security threat?

Continue reading →

“We can’t afford more cuts, our hospitals can’t afford more claw backs and our community certainly can’t afford more job losses.” – St. Catharines NDP candidate Jennie Stevens

A News Release from the Campaign of St. Catharines Riding NDP candidate  Jennie Stevens

Posted June 6th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

St. Catharines NDP candidate Jennie Stevens

St. Catharines, Ontario – With just two days left until Ontario voters hit the ballot box and Doug Ford’s Conservatives still refusing to disclose specifics about their $6 billion in promised cross-the-board cuts, Ontario NDP St. Catharines candidate, Jennie Stevens, said that the St. Catharines and Niagara regions would see a devastating 4, 076 jobs lost if Ford delivers on his promises.

“Our healthcare system is already bursting at the seams because of the Wynne Liberals’ cuts and budget freezes,” Stevens said.

“What our community needs is leadership that’ll invest in public services and that will stop shortchanging hospitals the way that twenty consecutive years of Liberal and Conservative governments have. We can’t afford more cuts, our hospitals can’t afford more claw backs and our community certainly can’t afford more job losses.” Continue reading →

A Message of Inspiration and Hope from the late Robert F. Kennedy

Posted June 6^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

A Brief Foreword Note from Doug Draper – Whenever I find myself feeling discouraged by the state of affairs around me, there is a quotation I sometimes turn to by the late Robert F. Kennedy, who died 50 years ago this June 6^th after being gunned down the night before, that inspires me to keep doing whatever I can to make things better.

The late U.S. Senator Robert F. (Bobby) Kennedy, was shot dead in June, 1968 while running for president.

The quotation comes from a ‘Day of Affirmation’ speech the then U.S. Senator Robert Kennedy delivered in South Africa in 1966, when that country was still under the grip of a racist regime and anti-apartheid activist Nelson Mandela was two years in to serving a 26 year jail sentence, and I have always kept it in a frame near me, going back to my earliest years as a reporter at The St. Catharines Standard.

I share the words in that quotation here in the hope that they may inspire some of you too –  

“Let no one be discouraged by the belief there is nothing one man or woman can do against the enormous array of the world’s ills – against misery and ignorance, injustice and violence.

“Few will have the greatness to bend history itself; but each of us can work to change a small portion of events, and in the total of all those acts will be written the history of this generation ….”

“Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or strikes out against injustice or acts to improve the lot of others, he sends a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centres of energy and daring, those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.” – Robert F. Kennedy.

One More Brief Note from Doug Draper – If you want to read a good book about Robert Kennedy – known affectionately by millions as “Bobby” – there is the current best seller by MSNBC news show host Chris Matthews called ‘Bobby Kennedy – A Raging Spirit’.

In the book’s prologue, Matthews asks the question; “What is it that’s missing (in so much of  politics and the way it is practiced) today?”

“Here is my straightforward answer,” Matthews goes on to say. “We’ve gotten so used to treating our politics as zero-sum that we’ve lost the faith that joint action by the people is capable of bringing joint success. Why can’t there be a patriotism that joins us together instead of dividing us?

Along the route of the funderal train, from New York City to Arlington National Cemetery outside of Washington, D.C.

“It’s now the accepted wisdom, for example, that the interests of the discarded factory worker and the ignored inner-city youth cannot be met together, so why try? Don’t we need leaders eager to champion the future of both? The faces and salutes of those thousands of Americans, white and black, lining the route of Bobby’s funeral train make for moving testimony to the fact that this country once had a brave figure who they believed could.”

Along the route of the funeral train in June, 1968.

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

 “And if this is how Doug Ford treats his own brother’s family, how will he treat everyone else’s families?”

A News Release from the Ontario New Democratic Party

Posted June 6th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Ontario PC Party leader Doug Ford

Reports in the Toronto Star and the Toronto Sun once again show that (Ontario PC Party leader) Doug Ford is not the business tycoon he claims to be.

In a $16.5 million lawsuit filed on Friday (June 1^st), the widow of late Toronto Mayor Rob Ford alleges that Doug Ford “mismanaged the Deco Companies to the point of insolvency, and then plundered Doug Sr.’s Estate to maintain the illusion that they were successful businessmen and retain their offices and compensation.” Continue reading →

We Could Sure Use A Robert Kennedy Now

Robert F. Kennedy, assassinated 50 years ago this June 5th while running for U.S. president

“Only those who care to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.”   —– Robert (‘Bobby’) F. Kennedy

“The problem of power is how to achieve its responsible use rather than its irresponsible and indulgent use – of how to get people of power to live for the public and not off the public.” – Robert (‘Bobby’) F. Kennedy

By Doug Draper, Niagara At Large

Posted June 5th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Robert F. Kennedy – one of the most inspiring political figures in my 67 years on this earth – was gunned down 50 years ago – on June 5^th, 1968 – and for millions of us growing up at the time, a good deal of the hope for a more just and peaceful  world was gunned down with him.

Senator Robert F. Kennedy with his wife Ethel, just left of him, celebrating with supporters on June 5th, 1968 after winning the key California primary in his race for the presidency. A few moments later he would be shot. The following day he was pronounced dead. Five months later, Richard Nixon was elected president and the country has been on a downward slide ever since.

On June 8th, 1993, on the 25^th anniversary of his assassination, I was still working as a full-time environment reporter at The St. Catharines Standard where an article I wrote as a tribute to man so many of us affectionately called “Bobby was published on the newspaper’s editorial page. Continue reading →

Sign It A.S.A.P. and Please Keep Raising Your Voice Against the Destructive Ivory Trade 

A Brief Introduction from Doug Draper, Niagara At Large

Posted June 5th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

I can’t believe we still haven’t done something about this in Canada – even in 2018 with a Prime Minister who claims he cares about keeping the planet safe and health for humans and all other species who live on it.

We should feel embarrassed and ashamed in the eyes of the world that this Canada, that prides itself in being a progressive leader on so many fronts, has still not banned the import and sale of elephant tusks in this country. Continue reading →

A News Release from the Office of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

Posted June 5^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Canadian Prime Miinister Justin Trudeau

Ottawa, Ontario – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke yesterday (June 4th)with provincial and territorial premiers to discuss Canada-United States (U.S.) trade issues, in particular concerning the unacceptable decision of the U.S. to apply tariffs to Canadian steel and aluminum. 

The Prime Minister expressed his disappointment with the decision by the U.S. Administration to impose tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum. The Prime Minister noted that, given our shared history, it is inconceivable that Canadian steel or aluminum might be a security threat to the U.S.  He stressed that these tariffs will hurt workers and industry on both sides of the Canada-U.S. border. Continue reading →

“While my local opponents continue to throw mud, I want to tell people what we’re actually going to do to make life better.” – Niagara Falls MPP Wayne Gates

A News Release from the Campaign to Re-elect Niagara Falls MPP Wayne Gates

Posted June 5th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Niagara Falls, Ontario – Wayne Gates joined local front-line healthcare workers at his Niagara Falls campaign headquarters (this June 4rth) to announce the NDP plan to address chronic problems in long-term care.

Niagara Falls NDP candidate and incumbent MPP Wayne Gates with local health care workers

The NDP’s healthcare plan will reduce wait lists and wait times for seniors and establish a minimum standard of care for long-term care residents. Continue reading →

Review Them Carefully Before You Go To The Polls this June 7th

A News Release from the Ontario Health Coalition

Posted June 5th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Toronto, Ontario  – Following the release of Doug Fords “platform” the Ontario Health Coalition has tried to analyze how Mr. Ford’s plan will impact health care funding.

From left, Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath, Liberal Leader Kathleen Wynne and PC Party Leader Doug Ford

 Over the next four years, with four days until the provincial election we still have no firm commitment on the level of hospital funding, nor any clear response to our priority “asks” to rebuild hospital capacity by reopening closed beds, wards and operating rooms. Continue reading →

Let’s stop Doug Ford’s cutting and privatizing plan in its tracks….. Let’s come together, and make change for the better happen.” – Ontario NDP Leader  Andrea Horwath

A Statement from NDP Leader Andrea Horwath

Posted June 4^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath

This election is about change for the better. And it’s never been more possible.

Let’s come together.

Let’s stop Doug Ford’s cutting and privatizing plan in its tracks. Let’s fix our health care system, have dental coverage for everyone and make life more affordable for families. Let’s come together, and make change for the better happen.

Kathleen Wynne has abandoned the fight against Doug Ford cuts. And her request today for a minority government is a demand that she be allowed to continue to hold the power at Queen’s Park – something voters have already rejected. Continue reading →

Worse than former Toy premier Mike Harris, we are “extremely worried” – Ontario Health Coalition

A News Release from the Ontario Health Coalitoin, a province-wide advocacy group for quality public health care

A Message from Natalie Mehra, the Ontario Health Coalition’s executive director

Posted June 3rd, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Many Ontarians are captured by the idea of getting the same or more services for less money. But few know what the numbers might actually mean.

Since Doug Ford did not release a clear platform, Ontarians know more about how much a beer may cost if the Conservative leader is elected than they know about how much their hospitals may be funded.

This is a serious problem because the numbers that Mr. Ford has revealed are disturbing. Continue reading →

Niagara West-Glanbrook PC Party MPP Sam Oosterhoof

A News Release from the Campaign to Re-elect PC Party candidate Sam Oosterhoff in the Riding of Niagara West-Glanbrook

Posted June 4th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Beamsville, Ontario  –“It’s time to get back to basics, respect parents, and work with our teachers to ensure our kids have the skills they need to succeed,” reads the Ontario PC Election Platform.

An Ontario PC Government is committed to: Continue reading →

‘The $4.5 billion Trudeau committed to bailing out Kinder Morgan could end boil water advisories                in First Nations.’

From Emma Lui, Water campaigner for the Council of Canadians

Posted June 3rd, 2018 on Niagara At Large

This morning the Trudeau government confirmed that it would pay $4.5 billion to buy the Kinder Morgan pipeline. The pipeline project is estimated to cost up to $ 7.4 billion. This decision was made as the total number of drinking water advisories (DWAs) on First Nations reserves significantly increased this month. There were a total of 124 DWAs at the beginning of May and now the number has spiked to 174 advisories in the last couple of weeks. Continue reading →

A News Release from the public interest group Re-ENERGIZE Buffalo

Posted June 3rd, 2018 on Niagara At Large

 “Judith Enck is a big deal in environmental circles. She was a top official in the Environmental Protection Agency during the Obama administration and previously served as New York’s deputy secretary for the environment. And since her departure, she’s become outspoken about what she’s seeing at both the federal and state levels.” – from a recent article in the Buffalo, New York area media outlet, Buffalo Rising

Former EPA senior official Judith Enck

Judith Enck is a former top official in the Environmental Protection Agency during the Obama administration. She previously served as New York’s deputy secretary for the environment.

Enck has a lot to say about climate change, the assault on environmental regulations and more-talk-than-action involving renewable energy.

Jim Heaney, Investigative Post Editor, will interview Judith Enck.

WHEN: Wednesday, June 6, 2018, 7 p.m.

WHERE: Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural Site, 641 Delaware Ave., Buffalo [Map]

TICKETS: $10 — Click here

Attendance includes free admission to the inaugural site’s museum between 6 and 7 p.m., complete with docents to help you make the most of your visit. The museum tells the story of Roosevelt’s inauguration in Buffalo and his legacy as president and conservationist.  

For more on Re-ENERGIZE buffalo, click on – https://renewnrg.blogspot.com/?m=0 .

For the entire article posted in Buffalo Rising on this event, click on – https://www.buffalorising.com/2018/05/judith-enck-on-the-environment/ .

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

There is still some civility left in local politics… if not at the regional government level.

A News Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted June 2nd, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – Pelham Mayor Dave Augustyn and the town’s councillors made a decision at their May 22nd l meeting of town council to take the “high road” in the wake of being cleared of relentless accusations from a group of Niagara regional councillors and others over the way they manage Pelham’s finances.

After more than a year of being under attack at the regional council level, Pelham Mayor Dave Augustyn and his town’s council choose to stay on the high road.

It was the kind of a decision that, unfortunately, has become all too rare in politics these days and is all the more commendable in this case, given what the mayor recently described as the “emotional rollercoaster ride” the town was put through during the 14 months that the accusations dragged on.

At the very least, the Town of Pelham could have decided to go after Niagara’s regional government for the more than $160,000 it spent on hiring KPMG, a private financial accounting corporation, to come in and do an independent review of its books, and for whatever other time and money its staff spend dealing with other parties, including the Ontario Ombudsman’s Office, that came in to investigate the accusations. Continue reading →

‘Rod Phillips … now a star candidate for Doug Ford … was CEO of the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation and made the call to demolish the Slots at Racetrack program.’ – Niagara Falls Riding NDP candidate Wayne Gates

A News Release from Niagara Falls Ontario NDP candidate Wayne Gates

Posted June 2nd, , 2018 on Niagara At Large

Ontario NDP MPP Wayne Gates for a Niagara Falls Riding that includes Fort Erie and Niagara-on-the-Lake.

Fort Erie, Ontario  – As the Fort Erie race track opens its doors for the first day of the season, Ontario NDP Niagara Falls candidate Wayne Gates demanded Doug Ford explain why his own star candidate shut down the Slots at Racetrack program, resulting in the loss of hundreds of jobs at the Fort Erie, Windsor and Sarnia racetracks, and long-term damage to the region’s economies.

Rod Phillips is now a star candidate for Doug Ford. In 2012, Phillips was CEO of the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation and made the call to demolish the Slots at Racetrack program.

“After what he did to working people and their families in this region, Rod Phillips should be ashamed,” said NDP Candidate Wayne Gates. “But Doug Ford apparently agrees with Phillips and his terrible decision to scrap the Slots at Racetracks – because Ford handpicked him to be a star candidate for the Conservatives. Continue reading →

‘For weeks, Doug Ford has promised to come clean on his plan to cut more than $6 billion from the services people count on with a fully-costed platform. … Now, with the election just a few days away, he still hasn’t.’

A News Release from Ontario’s New Democratic Party

Posted June 2nd, 2018 on Niagara At Large

PC Party Leader Doug Ford with April Jeffs, the Wainfleet mayor and NPCA board member who is running as the PC Party candidate in the Niagara Centre (Welland) Riding how held by retiring NDP MPP Cindy Forster, with NDP candidate Jeff Burch now running for the seat.

On Wednesday (May 29th), Doug Ford’s Conservatives posted an un-costed excuse for a plan online – and with no platform, Ford is still hiding where his cuts will hit.

For weeks, Doug Ford has promised to come clean on his plan to cut more than $6 billion from the services people count on with a fully-costed platform.

But with eight days to go before the election, Ford’s un-costed list of things he might do doesn’t comfort those worried about hospital closures, teacher layoffs and service rollbacks.

Ontario does know, however, that his plan: Continue reading →

“This medical centre and the retirement home / long-term-care development will help enhance the quality of life for residents.”  

A Column from Town of Pelham Mayor Dave Augustyn

Posted June 2nd, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Pelham Mayor Dave Augustyn

Late this May, the Town of Pelham’s Council heard publicly from two groups working to build a medical centre and a retirement and long-term-care development in Fonthill.

First, the Town signed an agreement to sell nearly two acres of land in East Fonthill to a team led by Christina Dobsi, of Dobsi Medical, and David Kompson, a long-time developer in the Niagara Region, and supported by Greg Chew of Collier’s International. 

The group anticipates 20,000 to 35,000 square feet of space to accommodate medical and health and wellness professionals, along with some retail. This will include eight-to-10 physicians with various specialties. Inquiries for services such as dental, aesthetics, and therapy are being accepted by the group. Continue reading →

“No child should have to wait 18 months to see a counsellor or a therapist when they need help now.” Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath

Campaign News from the Ontario New Democratic Party

Posted June 1st, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath, with Niagara Centre NDP candidate Jeff Burch (behind and to the left) and NDP MPP Cindy Forster (to the right) speaking to enthusiastic crowd of supporters during her visit to Niagara this June 1st. Photo by Doug Draper

Niagara, Ontario – Families are facing deep cuts that would mean even longer waits for youth mental health care under Doug Ford and the Conservatives, but Ontario NDP leader Andrea Horwath will make sure children and youth have faster access to mental health services.

Horwath has promised, and budgeted for, an expansion of youth mental health that would mean a 30-day maximum wait.

Families are waiting up to a year-and-a-half for youth mental health supports, thanks to Liberal cuts over the last 15 years and a failure to fix and expand the fragmented system. More than 12,000 children are currently on a wait list for care from a mental health professional.

Horwath announced Friday (June 1st) in St. Catharines that an NDP government will make a crucial investment of $590 million over five years to ensure kids can get the help they need within 30 days. Continue reading →

A Statement from U.S. Congressman Brian Higgins

Posted June 1st, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Congressman Higgins Responds to Imposition of Steel Tariffs

U.S Congressman Brian Higgins

Buffalo, New York – Congressman Brian Higgins (NY-26), a member of the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Trade, released the following statement in response to President Trump’s announcement of new tariffs on steel and aluminum:

“The actions by the Administration to apply new tariffs on our strongest allies – including Canada and Europe – is bizarre.”

“While these tariffs – called Section 232 actions – are based on protecting national security interests, this decision to not exempt our strategic allies calls that into question. This continues a chaotic, disruptive approach to administering our trade laws. China continues to be the bad actor globally and enforcement should not ensnare our allies.”

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 binational 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 News Release from Niagara’s Regional Government

Posted June 1st, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce’s recently released platform for our future includes support for one single, region-wide public transit system. We’re still waiting for it after all these years.

Niagara, Ontario – Niagara Region has unanimously approved a three year extension of Niagara Regional Transit, after achieving unanimous approval of the agreement by the service operators. 

This action keeps our current inter-municipal  service running while the Region and local area municipalities continue to work on a new integrated transit service for Niagara. Continue reading →

And Ontario Police Association Sure Sounds Like They Are Happy To Have Him As Their New Director

A Brief Commentary from Doug Draper

Posted June 1st,  2018 on Niagara At Large

Former Niagara Regional Police Chief Jeff McGuire

You may remember the stories that surfaced in Niagara’s mainstream media earlier this year about former Niagara Regional Police Chief Jeff McGuire and how Niagara’s Police Services Board made a decision to pay him off with more than $900,000 of our tax dollars in salary and benefits to leave more than two years before his contract serve ran out.

While we the people and members of the taxpaying public have never been given what might pass as a complete and satisfactory answer as to why the police board, which includes Niagara Falls regional councillor Bob Gale as its chair, and two other others from the Region’s council, its chair Al Caslin and Port Colborne’s gift to the rest of us, David Barrick, the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police sure sounds thrilled to have him.

Earlier this spring, the Association hired him as its new executive director, and more recently, an Association official circulated a glowing tweet about McGuire – shown below and re-circulated by a Niagara citizen with a most appropriate caption, tapped out in red below the tweet and a photo of the former chief.

We have municipal elections this coming October. Keep informed and engaged and get ready to vote in those elections for a Better Niagara.

For a recent Niagara At Large post on this issue, click on – https://niagaraatlarge.com/2018/05/11/when-it-comes-to-former-niagara-regional-police-chief-jeff-mcguire-niagaras-loss-is-ontarios-gain/ .

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 binational 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 Video to Watch before You Vote in the June 7th Ontario elections

From the Ontario Health Coalition, a province-wide citizens advocacy group, based in Toronto

Posted May 22^nd, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Please click on video below to play.

You can paste the link into Facebook or email on to friends. Thank you for helping to restore and rebuild our public health care system for all Ontarians.

Here is a link of the video that you can share with your network of online friends and associates– https://www.youtube.com/embed/YEpAv0se4f8 .”

~ Protecting Public Medicare for All ~

About the Ontario Health Coalition – The Ontario Health Coalition is comprised of a Board of Directors, committees of the Board as approved in the Coalition’s annual Action Plan, Local Coalitions, member organizations and individual members. Currently the Ontario Health Coalition represents more than 400 member organizations and a network of Local Health Coalitions and individual members.

Our members include: seniors’ groups; patients’ organizations; unions; nurses and health professionals’ organizations; physicians and physician organizations that support the public health system; non-profit community agencies; student groups; ethnic and cultural organizations; residents’ and family councils; retirees; poverty and equality-seeking groups; women’s organizations, and others.

For more information on the Ontario Health Coalition and its advocacy work, click on – www.ontariohealthcoalition.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 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 West-Glanbrook PC Party Candidate Sam Oosterhoff Among Those Winning Group’s Support

A News Release from the Ontario New Democratic Party

Posted June 1st, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Ontario PC Leader Doug Ford is one of 20 PC Party candidates ‘Campaign Life’ anti-choice forces are supporting in this provincial election.

The Campaign Life Coalition has posted its Candidate Report Cards and Doug Ford’s candidates have earned top marks – with several saying they would end funding for medical care that provides women with reproductive choice.

After replying to the anti-choice organization’s survey and meeting with its supporters, 11 of Doug Ford’s candidates have the full nod of approval for opposing women’s reproductive right to choose. Continue reading →

A News Release from the Ontario election campaign for

St. Catharines Communist Party candidate Saleh Waziruddin

Posted June 1^st, 2018 on Niagara At Large

St Catharines, Ontario  – Saleh Waziruddin is the Communist Party of Canada (Ontario) candidate for the St. Catharines riding, one of 12 candidates the party is running in the Ontario election. “I am running because we need MPP’s who represent the majority of us conscripted into poverty and unemployment, starting with defending and extending the new minimum wage and labour standards” said Saleh Waziruddin.

“The Liberal government has already taken away holiday pay from part time workers saying it’s not fair to full timers, but that’s not true it doesn’t effect full timers. If you work you should be paid for the holiday, that’s the point of having stat holidays!” said Saleh. Continue reading →

“In the 151st year of this country, all Canadians have a momentous occasion to continue doing the right thing when it comes to the fundamental rights of Indigenous Peoples.” – Federal NDP MP and Reconciliation Critic, Romeo Saganash

News from the New Democratic Party of Canada

Posted June 1st, 2018 on Niagara At Large

NDP MP and Reconciliation Critic, Romeo Saganash

This past May 30^th, in Canada’s  House of Commons, all of Parliament celebrated the historic passage of NDP MP and Reconciliation Critic, Romeo Saganash’s Private Member’s Bill C-262.

This means that the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), an international framework which Romeo helped to work on for 23 years, will now become enshrined into Canadian law. Continue reading →

A News Release from the Campaign of Niagara West-Glanbrook MPP Sam Oosterhoff

Posted June 1^st, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Niagara West-Glanbrook MPP Sam Oosterhoff

Beamsville, Ontario – Sam Oosterhoff, Ontario PC Candidate for Niagara West, has been working hard since his election as MPP to make sure that the people of Niagara have the health care they need.  

Oosterhoff fought successfully to keep 50 Long-Term Care beds at Kilean Lodge. He also obtained a funding grant for the West Lincoln Memorial Hospital and has been tireless in his advocacy for this local hospital.

Meanwhile, both the Liberals and the NDP voted to stop the construction of the West Lincoln Memorial Hospital. Oosterhoff also improved access to palliative care through his work on the “Compassionate Care Act,” his first Private Member’s Bill. Healthcare is a priority for the Ontario PCs. Continue reading →

Thanks for your patience while we worked through a bit of a computer meltdown here.

–         Doug Draper, NAL reporter and publisher

P.S. – Actually, it was kind of nice to get away from social media for the past week and spend more time getting out and talking to people, face to face, in the community. It is, in many ways, a far more interesting world out there.

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 binational 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

“We will have a new premier in just a few days. … If I am elected premier, I’ll be meeting with Canadian and American officials immediately to do everything I can to secure an exemption to these punitive, devastating tariffs.” – Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath

A Statement from Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath regarding devastating aluminum and steel tariffs being imposed by the United States

Posted May 31st, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath

Today (on Thursday, May 31st) the United States government announced it will immediately impose devastating tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum – putting many thousands of good jobs in Ontario at risk. As a life-long Hamiltonian, I know the impact President Donald Trump’s protectionist actions will have on families who count on good steel jobs.

ALCAN workers in Kingston, the staff at Lake Erie Works in Nanticoke, the steelworkers at Algoma Steel in Sault Ste. Marie and in Sudbury, the women and men at Stelco and Dofasco and throughout the steel industry in my hometown, Hamilton, and workers in many more communities – plus the workers in all those industries that feed into them including mines and processing plants – they’ve all been dealt a direct blow by this decision.

All of Ontario will hurt together if tariff exemptions are not granted. Continue reading →

“Although President Trump has often targeted China in his rhetoric, even going to far as to label that country an “enemy” of the United States, Canada, the United States’ most important ally and trading partner, will be the most-affected country under these tariffs.” – Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce

“(These) tariffs would only lead to further cost increases in the construction industry. …This would drive up the price of homes, renovations, commercial construction and public works projects.” – Ian Kowalchuk, Chief Business Development Officer at Merit Contractors Niagara

A News Release from the Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce

Posted May 31st, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – In a telephone call with reporters this morning (May 31, 2018), U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross announced that the United States would be levying tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum imports, beginning at midnight.

The cost of constructing and buying homes in Niagara and other regions of Canada is one of the areas that could be hit hard by Trump’s punitive tariffs

The GNCC expressed its grave concerns about this policy in March, when it was first announced.

Although President Trump has often targeted China in his rhetoric, even going to far as to label that country an “enemy” of the United States, Canada, the United States’ most important ally and trading partner, will be the most-affected country under these tariffs. Continue reading →

“The 100th anniversary of women winning the right to vote in federal elections reminds us that we are stronger when everyone, no matter their gender identity, can participate freely, fully, and equally in our democracy.’ – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

A Statement from Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

Posted May 24th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today Thursday, May 24th) issued the following statement on the 100th anniversary of women winning the right to vote in federal elections:

Women campaigning for the right to vote in Canada in the early years of the 20th Century

“One hundred years ago, women in Canada gained the right to vote in federal elections for the first time. Today, we recognize the countless women who have transformed politics in Canada and shaped a better country for all of us.

“This decision was a turning point for gender equality and a victory for Canadian democracy. When more voices are heard, we shape laws that reflect who we are and decisions that improve the lives of Canadians. Social activists and feminists worked hard to win the right to vote. Our democracy is stronger because of their commitment to their convictions, and their vision for a more just future. Continue reading →

 “While it is fairly obvious why employers, concerned with relative loss of power and profits, would be anti-union, explaining worker anti-unionism is trickier.” – Larry Savage, Professor in the Department of Labour Studies, Brock University

A News Release from Brock University in St. Catharines, Ontario

Posted May 24th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

A Niagara casino and the closed John Deere plant in Welland are among the case studies used in a new book co-edited by a Brock University labour expert examining the challenges faced by unions in Canada today.

 “There is no doubt that overt anti-union sentiment, policy and practices are on the rise in Canada,” says Larry Savage, Professor in the Department of Labour Studies.

“Workers in all sectors of the economy are facing aggressive anti-union employers emboldened by an increasingly anti-union political climate.”

Labour Under Attack: Anti-unionism in Canada explores both external and internal difficulties faced by unions in Canada today. Continue reading →

A Brief News Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted May 23^rd, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – Here’s some good news for people out there who are looking forward to seeing the back of Port Colborne regional councillor David Barrick when the votes are counted in this coming October’s municipal elections.

Port Colborne city councilor Barbara Butters making a point. She is in the race for Port Colborne’s one and only directly elected regional council seat.

It has now been confirmed that Barrick, who also holds an administrative job at the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA),  will be facing someone who promises to be a formidable opponent in those elections – a feisty Port Colborne city councillor, Barbara Butters.

Butters confirmed she will be taking a run for Port Colborne’s one and only directly elected seat on Niagara’s regional council in a message she posted on Facebook this May 22nd.

“I want to thank the people of Ward 4 in Port Colborne for 20 years of support,” said Butters on her Facebook site. “I would not be here without that support and it has been a privilege to serve you. I hope you will continue to support me in my campaign for Niagara Regional Councillor for Port Colborne.” Continue reading →

“Decades of Conservative and Liberal governments have cut and privatized the services and supports that families depend on to build a great life. Wynne has let young people in this province down, year after year, and Ford’s promise to cut over $6 billion will make things so much worse.” – Ontario NDP Leader   Andrea Horwath

A News Release from Ontario’s New Democrats

Posted May 23rd, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath

Toronto — Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath met with young Ontarians at a crowded townhall meeting Wednesday, where she heard about challenges young people wanted to discuss, and answered questions about her plans to convert student loans to grants, create 27,000 new paid co-op and internship spaces and make life more affordable for everyone.

 “For generations, Ontario has been a province with the opportunities and resources to allow millions of families to build a great life. But young people today are facing skyrocketing costs of living, outrageous student debt, and a changing economy where good-paying, stable jobs are becoming harder and harder to find,” said Horwath. Continue reading →

A Commentary by Doug Draper

Posted May 23rd on Niagara At Large

Is Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne becoming persona non grata in her own Liberal Party?

As if Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne hasn’t already sunk about as low in the polls as any political leader ever has in Canadian history, here is the punch line.

Wynne has reportedly become so radioactive that even candidates in her own Liberal Party don’t want her visiting their riding in the few weeks left leading up to the June 7th provincial election.

“The offer was made if we wanted it (a campaign stop from the premier in the riding),” Rino Bortolin, Liberal candidate for Windsor West was quoted saying in a May 23rd story in the Windsor Star, “and we turned it down…We basically told her we don’t need her to come down… we don’t feel that actually strengthens our chances.” Continue reading →

You Are Invited to Participate in a 24 hours Live-In-Your-Car-A-Thon – June 8th-9th at General Motors in St. Catharines !

A News Release from YWCA Niagara Region

Posted May 23rd, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Niagara, Ontario – YWCA Niagara Region’s signature event No Fixed Address is back, and it has made some big changes for its 24-hour Live-In-Your-Car-A-Thon. No Fixed Address (NFA) will take place on June 8 – 9, 2018, in the General Motors (GM) parking lot on Glendale Avenue in St. Catharines.

Participants will experience how difficult it is to live out of their car and live off of a convenience store diet. The event’s purpose is to educate, it does not try to simulate homelessness.

“We’re thrilled to continue building our strong partnership with the YWCA by hosting No Fixed Address onsite at our facility” said GM St. Catharines Plant Manager, Carolyne Watts. Continue reading →

Standards for Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) are “outdated “ and pose “particularly serious health risks for people living in close proximity to major emitters of NO2 – people with asthma, children, and the elderly.”

“Ontario’s outdated NO2 standard and absence of a legally binding PM2.5 (fine particulate matter) standard disproportionately impact communities located near clusters of heavy industry.”

News from Citizens At City Hall (CATCH), a Hamilton-based citizens watchdog group

Posted May 23rd, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Ontario officials are being pushed to sharply improve lax air pollution standards that have long been recognized as inadequate for the protection of human health.

Two women from Hamilton and Sarnia are using the Environmental Bill of Rights to try to get provincial regulations to match ones already recognized as necessary at the federal level.

Environment Hamilton executive director Lynda Lukasik and Aamjiwnaang First Nation activist Ada Lockridge have filed an “Application for Review” of Ontario’s air quality rules on Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5). Continue reading →

‘Respecting veterans is a non-negotiable principle of the Ontario PC Party’

A News Release from the Campaign of Doug Ford and his Ontario PC Party

Poste May 23rd, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Ontario PC Leader Doug Ford on the campaign trail.

Ontario PC Leader Doug Ford today (this May 22nd) issued a letter to the Ontario Command of the Royal Canadian Legion committing that an Ontario PC Government will introduce legislation that ensures that all Ontario RCL branches pay no municipal property tax.

“As a proud member of the Royal Canadian Legion Coronation Branch 286, I know first-hand the important role that legion branches play in our communities,” said Ford. Continue reading →

When Will It End?

A Commentary by Niagara At Large reporter and publisher Doug Draper

Posted May 22nd, 2018 on Niagara At Large

“Attempts to defend amusement parks and circuses on the grounds that they ‘educate’ people about animals should not be taken seriously. Such enterprises are part of the commercial entertainment industry. The most important lesson they teach impressionable young minds is that it is acceptable to keep animals in captivity for human amusement.”                                    – the late American folk singer Peter Seeger

Three-year-old Allie, with a friend of her family from London, Ontario, at the protest rally in front of Marineland in Niagara Falls, Ontario on the amusement park’s opening day, this past May 19th. She wasn’t going in.

Just as he was when he sang and spoke about war and peace, about civil rights for all, about fair wages for workers and about keeping poisons out of our lakes and rivers, Pete was right about this too.

There are other ways we can learn more and celebrate the majesty of these beings we share the miracle of a few moments on this earth with.

There are responsible whale watching journeys we can take off the shores of the east and west coasts, and there are libraries of very good film documentaries and photo books we can turn to.

For at least some of us who have spent time on a whale watching boat and have experience the awe of whales gliding and breaching in an open sea that is their home, it is impossible to imagine how anyone can find any pleasure of seeing these magnificent mammals held captive in a tank.

The rally this May 19th in front of Marineland in Niagara Falls, Ontario

Yet even now, some three decades after the first animal activists began picketing outside its gates, people were still out there on this long weekend of May, streaming through those gates at Marineland, just as people were when this amusement park in Niagara Falls, Ontario, with its marine mammal shows and exhibits, first opened at the head of the 1960s. Continue reading →

A News Release from the Campaign of Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath

Posted May 22nd, 2018 on Niagara At Large

(A Brief Foreword Message to NAL readers – Before we run with the Ontario NDP media release, here are a few lines from a CBC news report that appeared online around shortly after noon this May 22nd  …

Positive messages for Ontario’s future has Andrea Horwath’s New Democrats gaining in the polls two weeks after kick off of provincial election race.

The Ontario election campaign isn’t even two weeks old and already everything has changed.

From a wide double-digit lead in the polls, Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservatives are now ahead by only four points in the CBC’s Ontario Poll Tracker.

Andrea Horwath’s New Democrats, meanwhile, have made gains in poll after poll — and according to two recent polls may have moved into an effective tie with the PCs. Continue reading →

A Video to Watch before You Vote in the June 7th Ontario elections

From the Ontario Health Coalition, a province-wide citizens advocacy group, based in Toronto

Posted May 22^nd, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Please click on video below to play.

You can paste the link into Facebook or email on to friends. Thank you for helping to restore and rebuild our public health care system for all Ontarians.

~ Protecting Public Medicare for All ~

About the Ontario Health Coalition – The Ontario Health Coalition is comprised of a Board of Directors, committees of the Board as approved in the Coalition’s annual Action Plan, Local Coalitions, member organizations and individual members. Currently the Ontario Health Coalition represents more than 400 member organizations and a network of Local Health Coalitions and individual members. Our members include: seniors’ groups; patients’ organizations; unions; nurses and health professionals’ organizations; physicians and physician organizations that support the public health system; non-profit community agencies; student groups; ethnic and cultural organizations; residents’ and family councils; retirees; poverty and equality-seeking groups; women’s organizations, and others.

For more information on the Ontario Health Coalition and its advocacy work, click on – www.ontariohealthcoalition.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 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

Town Should Also Be Compensated for Costs of Defending Itself Against Region’s Accusations

A Commentary by Doug Draper, journalist/publisher, Niagara At Large

Posted May 18^th, 2018 on Niagara At Large

Pelham Mayor Dave Augustyn recently expressed how pleased he and his council are for being cleared of accusations and complaints around the management of the town’s finances.

In a column the Town of Pelham’s mayor, Dave Augustyn, recently shared with Niagara At Large –posted on NAL this May14th, 2018 – he noted that the Town has been cleared of accusations, many of them driven by representatives of Niagara’s regional council, related to the management its finances.

The first of these accusations of  made headlines across Niagara a year ago this past March when David Barrick, a Port Colborne regional councillor and chair of the Region’s corporate services committee, received majority regional council support for a motion he tabled, calling for an independent audit of the Town of Pelham’s books. Continue reading →