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by Nicholas Tibollo
January 14, 2022 | 2 min read
After a short delay to the start of 2022, Niagara staff and students will be back in the classroom for face-to-face instruction next week. Photo credit: Pexels/Rodnae Productions Monday marks the return to in-person learning for Ontario's two million elementary and secondary school students. And despite some hesitancy on the part of certain parents, […]
User samples one of Norgen Biotek's innovative COVID-19 saliva-based test kits. Photo credit: Twitter/Norgen Biotek Corp. With COVID-19 tests becoming scanter across Ontario, a local manufacturer has stepped up to the plate and partnered with the province to create several million more PCR test kits. On Thursday, it was announced that Thorold-based Norgen Biotek […]
Liberal MP for St. Catharines Chris Bittle (left) attacked Conservative MP Pierre Poilievre (right) for simply retweeting a comment from Dr. Jordan Peterson on social media. Photo credit: iPolitics/Matthew Usherwood A local politician no stranger to social media flubs was back at it again earlier this week. On Monday, Liberal MP for St. Catharines […]
Are officials considering reclosing the U.S.-Canada land border?
A recent letter sent to President Joe Biden and the DHS from two local congressmen and New York senator Kirsten Gillibrand appears to imply another border closure may be in the works. Photo credit: Agence France-Presse/Lars Harberg Late last week, high profile Democratic U.S. senator Kirsten Gillibrand and Western New York congressmen Brian Higgins […]
Community comes together to bid farewell to local tourism leader
Charlie Burland passed of cancer at the age of 54 in December. Photo credit: The Niagara Independent/Nicholas Tibollo Frigid temperatures and biting winds couldn't stop hundreds of family members, friends, acquaintances, colleagues, and former employees from lining up along Clifton Hill Monday afternoon to honour local tourism leader Charlie Burland. Burland, who was president […]
With scuttled internal audit division, Niagara Region buries another audit report
by The Niagara Independent
In addition to burying a report of homelessness, staff at Niagara Region continue to cancel scheduled Audit Committees. The Niagara Independent has learned another audit report, this time on garbage collection, was also withheld from the Audit Committee and the public. Photo credit: North Middlesex In November, The Niagara Independent reported that regional staff […]
Region fills vacant seat, approves highly controversial recommendation from St. Catharines city council
January 7, 2022 | 4 min read
Only six regional councillors voted to oppose the recommendation from the City of St. Catharines to appoint Mat Siscoe (left): Leanna Villella from Welland, Bob Gale from Niagara Falls, Marvin Junkin from Pelham, Dave Bylsma from West Lincoln, Barbara Butters from Port Colborne, and Tim Whalen from Thorold. Based on policy and precedent, Mike Britton […]
UPDATED: Overwhelmed by staff shortage, Niagara Health shuts down urgent care centre, pauses mandatory vaccination policy
Niagara Health's St. Catharines site. Photo credit: Infrastructure Ontario Overwhelmed by increased demand and an ever-growing staff shortage fueled by the recent rise in COVID-19 cases, Niagara Health has taken dramatic action to maintain adequate levels of care at its facilities. On Tuesday, the organization announced it was temporarily closing Fort Erie's urgent care […]
Local MP criticizes province's renewed restrictions, but says feds have role to play in preventing future lockdowns
Conservative MP for Niagara West Dean Allison was not pleased by Premier Ford's recent decision to reinstate a number of COVID-19-related restrictions. However, the seven-time member of parliament said that Prime Minister Trudeau (right) and his government can take away the main issue used to justify reinstating lockdown measures by adequately funding healthcare. Photo credit: […]
Local emergency services under strain
Photo credit: Twitter/Niagara EMS COVID-19 is putting immense pressure on Niagara's emergency departments and medical care and transport services. However, it doesn't appear to be the virulence of the virus itself causing the strain. Late last week, both Niagara Health and Niagara EMS put out public statements claiming that elements of their respective operations […]
With formal complaints filed, regional councillors to vote on controversial recommendation from St. Catharines city council Thursday
The decision from the City of St. Catharines to recommend Mat Siscoe (left) over "next place finisher" Mike Britton (right) to fill a government vacancy has come under immense scrutiny in recent weeks, leading to a petition, community pushback, a legal challenge, and now formal conflict of interest complaints. As reported by The Niagara […]
Fort Erie physician goes above and beyond call of duty to offer daily COVID-19 testing
by Alejandro Vasquez Coronado
December 31, 2021 | 3 min read
Dr. R.J. Kamatovic tends to a line-up of cars behind his Fort Erie medical clinic, Thursday, Dec. 30, 2021. One of the few doctors to offer regular PCR COVID-19 testing to the community throughout the pandemic, Dr. Kamatovic and his team meet patients at their cars Monday to Friday, rain, snow, or shine. Photo credit: […]
Date set to fill vacant seat on Niagara Regional Council, exact appointee still not certain
Current St. Catharines city councillor Mat Siscoe (left) and former city councillor Mike Britton (right). As the 'next-place-finisher' in the 2018 St. Catharines regional councillor race, precedent and policy would have seen Britton selected to fill the regional seat vacated by the passing of Sandie Bellows. However, St. Catharines city council – in contravention of […]
Great Wolf Lodge closes due to rise in COVID-19 case numbers
Less than five months after reopening following a year and a half-long closure, the popular Niagara Falls resort has once again shut its doors to patrons. Photo credit: iHeartRadio Families hoping to spend New Year's 2022 amid the log cabin bunkbeds and twirling waterslides at Great Wolf Lodge were emailed an unpleasant surprise earlier […]
Niagara community mourns loss of local tourism leader Charlie Burland
The Burland family has owned and operated numerous properties (right) on the north side of Clifton Hill for nearly a century. Charlie (left) took over the family business in the 1990s. He would have been 55 in January. Niagara lost one of its most prominent local tourism leaders with the passing of Charlie Burland […]
Niagara Health bans visitors
Niagara Health facility in St. Catharines. Photo credit: Infrastructure Ontario On Dec. 28, Niagara Health implemented a series of restrictions at its facilities. Visitors are no longer permitted at hospitals. All Essential Care Partners (ECPs) must be fully vaccinated and will only be permitted at the bedside with patients with a length of stay […]
Christmas message from community faith leader
by Bishop Gerard Bergie
Most Reverend Gerard Bergie, Bishop of St. Catharines. Life is full of signs and symbols that can either teach, warn, or inspire us. Some are familiar and easily recognized. Others are more obscure and require greater reflection. A very few are mysterious and require deep contemplation. We find an example of this at Christmas. […]
Home of St. Catharines councillor targeted by vandals
It's the third of three similar incidents to occur to a public official in St. Catharines in the last four months. Photo credit: Twitter/Karrie Porter The private residence of a St. Catharines city councillor was reportedly targeted by vandals earlier this week. On Wednesday, Dec. 22, St. Patrick's Ward councillor Karrie Porter awoke to […]
Fort Erie to receive $7.4 million in disaster recovery funding
Part of the Waverly Beach boardwalk in Fort Erie. A 2019 storm caused significant damage to municipal infrastructure around the community, including the boardwalk. Photo credit: Pixabay Christmas came early for the Town of Fort Erie, thanks to the Ford government. In a bulletin released Wednesday, the province announced that Ontario is providing the […]
Mayor's tie-breaking vote triggers community dissent and legal concerns
Mayor of St. Catharines Walter Sendzik (right) broke a council tie on Dec. 13 that ultimately led to current councillor Mat Siscoe (right) being recommended to fill a regional vacancy. The move went against policy and precedent, initiating a petition and a legal challenge from the staff-advised candidate. As previously reported by The Niagara […]
Local chambers of commerce see significant uptick in demand for rapid tests
by Kaitlin Gibson
In partnership with the Government of Ontario, the South Niagara Chambers of Commerce offers local businesses free rapid antigen COVID-19 testing kits. The last few weeks have brought a significant increase in demand. Photo credit: CTV News In a perpetual bid to keep the local community safe against the ongoing threat of COVID-19, the […]
Local Western New York airports frequented by Canadian travellers to receive millions in federal funding for improvements
Prior to the pandemic, nearly half of all annual passengers at Buffalo Niagara International Airport (pictured) were Canadian. It was recently announced that the airport would receive $7.3 million in federal funding as part of the U.S. bipartisan infrastructure bill passed last month. Photo credit: Facebook/BNIA On Nov. 15, 2021, President Joe Biden signed […]
More residents and businesses in rural Niagara gaining access to high-speed internet
Local officials announced the initiative at Accipiter Radar Technologies in Fenwick, Dec. 16, 2021. Pictured from left to right: Wayne Olsen, councillor, Town of Pelham; Marvin Junkin, mayor, Town of Pelham; Sam Oosterhoff, MPP for Niagara West; Robert Foster, councillor, Niagara Region; and Dr. Tim Nohara, president and CEO of Accipiter Radar Technologies. Supplied photo. […]
St. Catharines council contravenes own policy, makes controversial selection in effort to fill vacant seat at Region
Still image from livestream of St. Catharines council's most recent meeting. Mayor Walter Sendzik listens to Councillor Karrie Porter argue in favour of selecting her ward colleague Mat Siscoe to fill the vacant seat at Regional Council. Sendzik broke the initial tie that denied staff's recommendation to select the appropriate candidate based on established city […]
Public officials who helped make casino a reality reflect on past, ponder present and future of local gaming
Casino Niagara at the centre of the Niagara Falls skyline. The casino turned 25 on Thursday, Dec. 9, 2021. Photo credit: Public Domain Pictures Last Thursday, Dec. 9 represented exactly 25 years since Casino Niagara officially opened its doors to the public, becoming Ontario's second-ever casino, preceded only by its cross-border cousin in Windsor. […]
Regional government set to raise taxes and fees for fourth consecutive year
Niagara residents already pay among the highest property levies and water rates in southern Ontario. Last week, Niagara Region Council voted to increase property taxes and water rates, shouldering the costs of a bigger regional government on both residents and businesses. This is the fourth consecutive year of property tax increases, placing Niagara amongst […]
Marineland denies use of dolphins and whales for 'entertainment purposes' after charges laid by police
Photo credit: The National Post On Monday, Dec. 13, Niagara Regional Police (NRP) issued charges against Marineland for use of "captive cetacean (dolphins and whales) for performance for entertainment purposes without authorization". The charges came after detectives commenced an investigation into allegations made against the Niagara Falls theme park in October of this year. […]
McNally House receives additional provincial funding to help offset COVID costs
From left to right: Mayor of Lincoln Sandra Easton; executive director at McNally House Pamela Blackwood; Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Health Robin Martin; Mayor of Grimsby Jeff Jordan; MPP for Niagara West Sam Oosterhoff; board chair at McNally House Murray Bain; and Mayor of West Lincoln Dave Bylsma. Dec. 10, 2021. Supplied photo. […]
Niagara readies to resettle two dozen Afghan families who escaped Taliban
Afghan refugees who supported Canada's mission in Afghanistan prepare to board buses after arriving at Toronto Pearson International Airport, Aug. 24, 2021. Niagara will accept 24 refugee families by March 2022. Photo credit: MCpl. Genevieve Lapointe/Canadian Forces Combat Camera While the journey has been long for so many Afghan refugees who fled the takeover […]
Culinary students at local college serve out 3,000 meals to those in need
Culinary Management students at Niagara College work to create Christmas meals for Niagara's vulnerable population. Photo credit: Niagara College When it's all said and done, by the end of the fall semester Niagara College's Canadian Food and Wine Institute (CFWI) will have dished out 3,000 free meals to those in need across the local […]
Charity commits $75,000 towards children's education space at Lincoln museum
Lincoln Museum and Cultural Centre, where the new education space will be built. Photo credit: Town of Lincoln On Wednesday, it was announced that the St. Catharines-based Wise Guys Charity Fund committed $75,000 to creating a children's education space at the newly opened Lincoln Museum and Cultural Centre: Home of the Jordan Historical Museum […]
Despite Region's massive reserves, no relief in sight for Niagara taxpayers
December 7, 2021 | 3 min read
This term of Niagara Regional Council is poised to continue with its consecutive increases in property taxes and fees and, as a result, will be pocketing millions in surpluses. For 2020, Niagara Region reported a budget surplus of $96 million. After removing budget adjustments related to Public Sector Accounting Standards (PSAS), the regional government […]
After recent hiring spree, Welland insurer looking for another 80 new recruits
It's the third time in 18 months Scoop Insurance has sought to expand local operations. Photo Credit: Anthony Gallaccio – Source: Discover Welland. Though the pandemic has forced countless companies in Niagara to downsize, not all local businesses have suffered a loss of personnel. In fact, some companies – such as Welland-based Scoop Insurance […]
Niagara's homeless gaining greater access to primary care with provincial support
Executive director of REACH Niagara David van Velzen (left) and MPP for Niagara West Sam Oosterhoff pose with REACH's mobile health clinic. Supplied photo. The Ontario government is providing increased funding to community service providers who help the local homeless population access high-quality primary health care where and when they need it. Working in […]
Shadow minister for manufacturing talks new role, challenges facing the industry
Niagara Falls MP Tony Baldinelli was named Shadow Minister for Manufacturing and Export Promotion at the beginning of November. Pictured is Baldinelli (centre) at Hamill Machine Co. in Niagara Falls, Sept. 5, 2020. Barely a month in and Niagara Falls MP Tony Baldinelli said he is thoroughly enjoying his new critic position. On Nov. […]
Regional staff ignore homelessness crisis in Niagara, allegedly 'bury' audit report
November 30, 2021 | 3 min read
Photo credit: Pexels/Harrison Haines As reported to the Region's Public Health and Social Services Committee on Jun. 15, 2021, regional staff identified 665 people experiencing homelessness in Niagara. Of that number, 18% were children (aged 0-15 years), over 10% were youth (16-24 years) and 5% were seniors (greater than 65 years). Yet, despite the […]
With new high school set to open next fall, Grimsby Secondary finishes final football season on top
Concept illustration of the new West Niagara Secondary School in Lincoln. The new school will merge Grimsby Secondary School, Beamsville District Secondary School, and the former South Lincoln High School. All good things must come to an end. And what an end it was for the Grimsby Secondary School varsity boys football team. "Bittersweet […]
Statement on public health website creates confusion around vaccination consent in Niagara schools
Tweets sent out by the District School Board of Niagara and Niagara Region Public Health on Tuesday, Nov. 23. Both warn of the spread of "misinformation" concerning parental consent for vaccination at schools. Just as Ontario parents got the go-ahead to book vaccinations for youth under 12 on Tuesday, the District School Board of […]
Black Friday brings back local shoppers
Part of the Seaway Mall's Christmas display, a gingerbread family greets patrons hunting for holiday deals at the Welland shopping centre. Photo credit: Facebook/Seaway Mall It's that time of year again. Yes, the time where families put up lights, decorate trees, and light menorahs. But more specifically, the time of year when shoppers frantically […]
Despite uncertainty, Shaw Fest excited for historic season ahead
Next year represents the iconic Niagara-on-the-Lake theatre company's 60th season. Pictured is Kyle Golemba as Ted Hanover, Vanessa Sears as Lila Dixon, and Kevin McLachlan as Radio Host in a performance of Irving Berlin's Holiday Inn, on now until Dec. 23 at the Shaw. Photo credit: Facebook/Shaw Festival Just like Christmas carols, pine trees, […]
Accountability at Niagara Region: "senior management is not interested"
A general disinterest in maintaining financial accountability amongst top administrators is the message being delivered by professional and experienced internal auditors who were once with but have recently left Niagara Region. With multiple project failures and associated lawsuits, the previous 2014-2018 Niagara Region Council approved a management plan to increase accountability and transparency in […]
Regional budget review: part one – the $96 million surplus
This is the first in a three-part series on the 2022 Niagara Region Budget. Part one focuses on tax surpluses, part two concentrates on water rates and capital budget, while part three reports on the general levy and the impact on property taxes. The $96 Million Surplus The Region of Niagara continues to collect […]
One of Canada's premier gaming, pop culture, and tech magazines moves to Niagara
Entrance to Comics and Gaming Magazine's new office space in St. Catharines. Previously headquartered in Toronto, the company now has some 6,000 sq. ft. to grow and create. Supplied photo. Another up-and-coming business has left the costly, crowded confines of the GTA for greener pastures in Niagara. Founded in 2010, Comics and Gaming Magazine […]
Controversial former mayor of Pelham on ballot for provincial NDP
Former Pelham mayor Dave Augustyn with leader of the Ontario NDP Andrea Horwath in Fenwick, Nov. 12, 2021. Photo credit: Don Rickers Like the mythical phoenix, former Pelham mayor David Augustyn is attempting to rise from the electoral ashes and return to public office. At a media event held last Friday in front of […]
Hometown talent to be on display Saturday, as professional mixed martial arts comes to St. Catharines
Niagara Top Team's Teshay Gouthro (right) in his pro MMA debut against Paul Fisher at BTC 6: Night of Champions, Jun. 1, 2019. Gouthro and a handful of other Niagara fighters will participate in Saturday evening's BTC 13: Power at the Meridian Centre. The event will be the first large stadium MMA show in Ontario […]
O'Toole adds voice to chorus of local officials calling on government to end PCR test for travellers
Conservative Party leader Erin O'Toole speaks to the media in Quebec City on Aug. 18, 2021. Photo credit: The Canadian Press/Ryan Remiorz In a statement released Friday, Canada's Leader of the Official Opposition Erin O'Toole asked Primer Minister Justin Trudeau and the governing Liberals to further ease travel restrictions between the U.S. and Canada […]
After a successful fall, Niagara's post-secondary institutions will welcome more students back to campus this winter
Aerial view of Brock University's main campus in St. Catharines. Photo credit: Brock University As Niagara's post-secondary institutions approach the end of the 2021 fall term, which featured a successful partial return to in-person classes, students and the community are wondering: will the winter term bring any changes? Niagara College (NC) saw very high […]
Quartet of local students creates inspiring song to commemorate Remembrance Day
The four students at Jeanne Sauvé French Immersion Public School were helped by their teacher and local singer-song writer Kathryn Sinopoli. While arguments are often made that young people don't respect or care about Remembrance Day, four local students made a conscious effort to prove nay-sayers wrong. Abby C., Kathryn K., Allie V., and […]
Baldinelli named manufacturing and export critic
Tony Baldinelli is sworn in as MP for Niagara Falls, Oct. 25, 2021. Photo credit: Facebook/Tony Baldinelli Earlier this week, head of Canada's Conservative Party and Leader of the Official Opposition Erin O'Toole named his shadow cabinet for the 44th Parliament. Many of the party's most prominent MPs returned to former portfolios, with Candice […]
Burgoyne Bridge costs continue to rise, while its developers continue to win contracts
The Burgoyne Bridge in St. Catharines. Photo credit: Canam-Bridges A decade later, the Burgoyne Bridge costs continue to escalate at regional taxpayers' expense. Back in 2010, the price tag to build the new Burgoyne Bridge in St. Catharines was $59 million. The cost was to be split three ways between the federal, provincial, and […]
Niagara returning to near-normal this Remembrance Day with in-person ceremonies in every community
November 9, 2021 | 3 min read
Niagara Falls History Museum adorned with thousands of hand-knit poppies as part of the city's Remembrance Day 'Poppy Project'. Photo credit: Niagara Falls Museums After a year of hosting virtual and private invite-only ceremonies, many of Niagara's municipalities and veteran organizations are back offering in-person, open-to-the-public events this Remembrance Day. From West Lincoln to […]
Ontario investing in new mobile mental health and addictions clinic for Niagara and Haldimand-Norfolk
From left to right: Janice Gardner-Spiece, Executive Director of Community Addiction Services of Niagara, Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addictions Michael Tibollo, MPP for Niagara West Sam Oosterhoff, and MPP for Haldimand Norfolk Toby Barrett. The group announced provincial funding for a new local mobile mental health clinic at the Community Addiction and Mental […]
Plaza outside Niagara Parks Power Station renamed in honour of Sandie Bellows
Premier Doug Ford and Minister Lisa MacLeod stand with friends and family of Sandie Bellows in a small ceremony at the Niagara Parks Power Station on Thursday, Nov. 4, 2021. Photo credit: The Niagara Independent At a ceremony Thursday evening outside the new Niagara Parks Power Station, Premier Doug Ford and Ontario's Minister of […]
Finding permanent medical officer of health 'top priority' for Niagara CAO
Niagara's current acting medical officer of health Dr. Mustafa Hirji. It will be four years in January since Hirji took up the interim role at the Region. It's official: Niagara Region is actively on the hunt for a permanent medical officer of health. At Regional Council on Oct. 21, a motion put forward by […]
Curling club prepared to enter new era with major mechanical upgrade
The new chiller and pumps arrive for installation at the Niagara Falls Curling Club, Oct. 27, 2021. Photo credit: Facebook/Niagara Falls Curling Club After the COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on the Niagara Falls Curling Club's ability to stay open this past season, the organization is ready to welcome back members; but not before some […]
Another senior DSBN administrator headed for directorship role, third in two years
Helen McGregor (left) is the third DSBN superintendent to be scouted to lead the administration at a school district outside of Niagara since 2020. She takes up her new role at the Vancouver District School Board (headquarters pictured right) in January. The District School Board of Niagara (DSBN) must be doing something right. Last […]
In letter following meeting local congressman asks Canadian ambassador to drop testing requirements
Canada's ambassador to the U.S. Kirsten Hillman (left) and U.S. Representative for New York's 26th congressional district Brian Higgins (right). The pair met on Oct. 27, 2021 to discuss a variety of binational issues, including testing requirements to cross the border. Photo credit: Twitter/Kirsten Hillman On Monday, Western New York congressman Brian Higgins penned […]
Shortlisted teams invited to submit proposals to design and build new South Niagara Hospital
The new hospital location at the corner of Montrose and Biggar roads in Niagara Falls. From left to right: Niagara West MPP Sam Oosterhoff, president and CEO of Niagara Health Lynn Guerriero, Ontario's deputy premier and minister of health Christine Elliott, and provincial minister of infrastructure Kinga Surma. On Oct. 28, Infrastructure Ontario and […]
Local activist continues work to settle Afghan interpreters at home, save those still stuck abroad
Niagara Falls resident Wendy Long. Long is the founder of Afghan Canadian Interpreters, a group dedicated to helping rescue and resettle Afghan translators who helped Canadian Forces overseas from 2001 to 2014. Supplied photo. A lot can change in two months. Wendy Long of Niagara Falls has lived out those words since August. In […]
Regional Council votes down discussion on declaring mental health state of emergency
Regional councillors Rob Foster and Tom Insinna. The representatives from Lincoln and Fort Erie, according to local mental health advocate Steven Soos, chose "political stunts" over helping people suffering from mental health, homelessness, and addiction by shutting down debate on declaring a formal state of emergency. However, according to Foster, the matter was thoroughly dealt […]
Niagara runners-up reflect on federal campaign, talk future
Local federal election Conservative candidates Graham Speck (left) and Krystina Waler (right). Photo credit: Facebook/Graham Speck and Facebook/Krystina Waler Last Wednesday, Oct. 20 marked exactly one month since the country voted in the 44th General Election. Canadians largely voted in favor of the status quo, returning Justin Trudeau and the Liberals back to government […]
Historic sculpture stolen from cemetery found intact, but heavily damaged
The granite platform where the sculpture of Gen. Drummond stood undisturbed for over three decades. The statue was stolen from Drummond Hill Cemetery at the end of September and was found, severely damaged, on Oct. 8, 2021. The City of Niagara Falls just recently gained repossession of the sculpture. Photo credit: The Niagara Independent/Nicholas Tibollo […]
Niagara College conducting pioneering research into edible cannabis products
Food scientist Dr. Zhengtao Zhao (right) and research assistant Umar Sher work inside the labs at the CFWI Innovation Centre on method development for the determination of active cannabis compounds. Photo credit: Niagara College Once again leading the way in real-world innovation in the food and beverage industry, Niagara College has launched an applied […]
Policy and precedent take the politics out of filling vacant council seat
While the Niagara Region is often plagued with policies that have more loopholes than a fisherman's knot, in the case of filling a vacant seat on Regional Council, the legislation and policy on the books is straightforward. With the death of beloved St. Catharines Regional Councillor Sandie Bellows, regional and city officials will be […]
Historic barn sets the scene for new culinary attraction in Niagara
by Sherri Haigh
The Grist Craft Kitchen and Brewery, located on Four Mile Creek Road in St. David's. It's hard to know where to begin when you step through the doors of the newly opened Grist Craft Kitchen and Brewery. A historic barn originally owned by the Fedorkow Family as a farm packing shed in St. David's, […]
Search for new top doctor could soon be underway in Niagara
Mayor of Wainfleet Kevin Gibson (right) will table a motion Thursday night at regional council to initiate the search for a permanent medical officer of health. Dr. Mustafa Hirji (left) has served in an interim capacity at the head of Niagara Public Health since the retirement of Dr. Valerie Jaeger in January 2018. After […]
Testing requirement to temper border reopening, local bridge authorities
The Peace Bridge connecting Fort Erie and Buffalo. Photo credit: The Canadian Press/Frank Gunn In the year before the pandemic, nearly three-quarters of all visits to the U.S. from Canada, about 32 million trips in all, were made by vehicle. A large portion of that traffic traversed Niagara's four international bridge crossings. According to […]
IKEA returning to St. Catharines, will open temporary studio to help customers with design
IKEA's new 'Design Studio' in Oshawa. St. Catharines will have its own Design Studio at the Pen Centre within the next few weeks. Photo credit: IKEA Canada While many businesses have shut down over the past two years, St. Catharines will soon be welcoming an IKEA store back to the city. On Wednesday, October […]
U.S. reopening land border to fully vaccinated Canadians, but questions remain
Photo credit: Toronto Star/Marcus Oleniuk After nearly 20 months of its land ports of entry being closed off to all non-essential travel, the United States will once again allow Canadians to drive across the border for discretionary purposes. Starting next month, fully vaccinated travellers from Canada and Mexico will be permitted to enter the […]
Niagara College announces new chair, vice-chair of governing board
Photo credit: Facebook/Niagara College Ahead of its October 2021 meeting on Thursday, Niagara College's board of governors announced the election of its new chair and vice-chair, along with the appointment of four new members. Wendy Wing will lead the school's governing board as chair for the 2021-22 academic year, having served as vice-chair the […]
Temporary road test centre opening in Niagara Falls to help alleviate backlog
The provincial government is taking tangible steps to reduce the significant backlog of drivers trying to complete licencing requirements by opening additional road test locations. On Wednesday, the Ministry of Transportation (MTO) announced it was opening three temporary test centres in Ottawa, Sarnia, and Niagara Falls. "Opening a temporary road test centre in Niagara Falls […]
Niagara mourns loss of leading citizen Sandie Bellows
Sandie Bellows (seated in center) cuts the ceremonial ribbon at the grand opening of the Niagara Parks Power Station, July 28, 2021. Bellows died of cancer late Sunday evening. Photo credit: The Niagara Independent On Sunday, Oct. 10, Niagara lost one of its leading citizens in Sandie Bellows. Bellows, who at the time of […]
Despite appearing at odds, protestors and province share same goal: better long-term care
Members of the Ontario Health Coalition protest out front of Queen's Park, Oct. 4, 2021. Photo credit: Facebook/Ontario Health Coalition On Wednesday last week, the Ford government announced the allocation of $270 million this fiscal year to help Ontario's long-term care (LTC) homes address staffing needs. The funds will allow for the hiring of […]
Bronze statue stolen from cemetery holds high artistic value, worth little as scrap
October 8, 2021 | 3 min read
The granite platform where the sculpture of Gen. Drummond by Ralph Sketch stood for at least three decades. The statue was stolen from Drummond Hill Cemetery last week. Photo credit: The Niagara Independent/Nicholas Tibollo Sometime between the early morning hours of September 27 and the morning of September 29, a roughly three-by-three-foot, 330 lbs. […]
West Lincoln Memorial Hospital enters final stage of community fundraising
An artist's rendering of the new WLMH site in Grimsby. Photo credit: Hamilton Health Sciences On Wednesday, the West Lincoln Memorial Hospital (WLMH) held a virtual launch for the final leg of its 'Take it to the Finish, Building a Healthy Community' campaign. The campaign, which began five months ago, was launched with […]
Brock continues to rank high in student satisfaction
Brock University main campus in St. Catharines. Photo credit: Brock University Maclean's Magazine released its annual university rankings for 2022 on Thursday. St. Catharines' Brock University ranked 12 overall in the comprehensive category, placing high in several subcategories and rising one spot overall from 2021. For the fourth straight year, Brock earned the top […]
Local Indigenous leader calls Trudeau's Tofino trip "appalling"
Karl Dockstader, executive director of the Niagara Regional Native Centre and co-host of the radio show 'One Dish, One Mic', emcees a National Day of Truth and Reconciliation event in front of St. Catharines city hall, Sept. 30, 2021. Photo credit: Twitter/City of St. Catharines Last Thursday, Canada marked the first National Day of […]
Lincoln celebrates grand opening of new museum with fun-filled weekend
New Lincoln Museum and Cultural Centre in Jordan. Photo credit: Town of Lincoln Unveiled and initially made accessible to the public at the end of July, the brand-new Lincoln Museum and Cultural Centre had its formal grand opening this past weekend. Three days of events ushered in the museum's latest chapter, including a gala […]
'Exhaustive' CAO search turns up familiar face
Ron Tripp has served as acting CAO of Niagara Region since December 2018. He will take up the chief administrator role in a permanent capacity starting Monday next week. At a special council meeting on Wednesday, Niagara Regional Council formally appointed the municipality's new permanent Chief Administrative Officer (CAO). After a 10 month "exhaustive", […]
Young entrepreneurs wrapped in red tape
by Don Rickers
Owner of Archives Wine and Spirit Merchants Robbie Raskin offers a toast to a group of whiskey aficionados. Raskin and his partner have been forced to jump through hoop after hoop by the City of St. Catharines to bring their tasting business to fruition. Supplied photo. Robbie Raskin and his friend and business partner […]
Niagara joins elite collection of Canadian regions working to attract foreign dollars
September 28, 2021 | 2 min read
Photo credit: Facebook/Niagara Parks The Niagara Region has formally joined a select group of regions from across the country working together to attract foreign investment to Canada. The Consider Canada City Alliance (CCCA) unites 14 of Canada's largest municipal regions "to build a sustainable and globally competitive national economy built upon the collective strength […]
Province provides funding to help local anti-human trafficking efforts
From left to right: Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Education and Niagara West MPP Sam Oosterhoff, Minister of Francophone Affairs Caroline Mulroney, Executive Director of Centre de santé communautaire Hamilton/Niagara France Vaillancourt, and Associate Minister of Children and Women's Issues Jane McKenna, Sept. 27, 2021. Photo credit: Centre de santé communautaire Hamilton/Niagara On […]
Seven in a row for Niagara West's Dean Allison
Newly re-elected Conservative MP for Niagara West Dean Allison. Photo credit: Facebook/Dean Allison When the election dust settled in Niagara West early Tuesday morning, no one was surprised at the result. The pollsters, and the historical record, had pointed to a landslide win for Conservative Dean Allison, and that's exactly what happened. Just over […]
Officials on both sides of border react to continued closure of land crossings into U.S.
Photo credit: CNN Travel Earlier this week, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) once again extended the country's nationwide ban on non-essential land travel from Canada and Mexico. "To minimize the spread of [COVID-19], including the Delta variant, the United States is extending restrictions on non-essential travel at our land and ferry crossings with […]
Four familiar faces headed back to Ottawa for Niagara
Returning Conservative MPs from Niagara Falls and Niagara West Tony Baldinelli (left) and Dean Allison (right). Both incumbents, alongside returning Liberal MPs Chris Bittle and Vance Badawey, were successful in their bids for re-election Monday night. In an election deemed largely unnecessary by a majority of the population, Niagara returned all four incumbent candidates […]
Conservative leader Erin O'Toole closes out campaign in Niagara
O'Toole speaking at Steelcon in St. Catharines on Friday, Sept. 17, 2021. Photo credit: CPAC With Canadians set to hit the polls Monday, Conservative Party leader Erin O'Toole made one last campaign stop before the final weekend of the 2021 federal election in Niagara on Friday night. Speaking before a capacity crowd outside of […]
With vote days away, NDP leader Jagmeet Singh stops in Niagara
Left: NDP leader Jagmeet Singh poses for a photo with Niagara Falls federal NDP candidate Brian Barker and current Ontario NDP MPP for Niagara Falls Wayne Gates at a campaign stop in Welland on Wednesday. Right: Singh poses for a photo with St. Catharines federal NDP candidate Trecia McLennon at the same event. Photo credit: […]
Awards continue to pour in for Niagara College's brewing program
Niagara College Teaching Brewery head brewer George Eagleson with students Laura Park and Nigel Findlay. The school's Bitter 101, Bock 101, and Strong Ale 101 all won gold medals at the recent U.S. Open Beer Championship held in Oxford, Ohio on Sept. 6. Photo credit: Niagara College For the second consecutive year, Niagara College […]
Committee chair commits to "thorough investigation" into biosolids program
On Wednesday morning, Corporate Services Committee chair Rob Foster committed to conducting a "thorough investigation" into the issues recently raised by Niagara Falls regional councillor Bob Gale regarding the Region's multi-million-dollar biosolids program. The move came after Gale revealed a 2016 provincial investigation concluded that an employee from Thomas Nutrient Solutions had fabricated environmental data […]
Hardly a Conservative adjunct, PPC drawing support from diversity of sources
People's Party of Canada leader Maxime Bernier at a recent campaign stop. Photo credit: Twitter/Maxime Bernier The latest federal public opinion polls have the People's Party of Canada (PPC) capturing anywhere from 4 to 8 per cent of the popular vote. For a party that received a mere 1.6 per cent of all ballots […]
Could the Conservatives sweep Niagara? Current modelling shows it's possible
St. Catharines Conservative Party candidate Krystina Waler. According to the political prediction site 338Canada, Waler is one of four Conservative candidates in Niagara currently in the lead or tied for the lead in their respective riding. According to the latest projections from the popular political forecasting website 338Canada, Conservative Party candidates currently lead or […]
Trudeau's campaign stop in Welland marred by PPC protestors
September 7, 2021 | 2 min read
Trudeau chats with local workers at Valbruna ASW in Welland, Sept. 6, 2021. Photo credit: CBC Radio Canada/Laurence Martin Liberal Party leader Justin Trudeau and University-Rosedale candidate Chrystia Freeland were in Welland for a Labour Day campaign stop on Monday. Speaking from the factory floor of Centre Street's Valbruna ASW, Trudeau pledged that if […]
Creekside Kitchen and Grocery almost too good to share
One of Creekside's delicious grilled-to-go offerings. Supplied photo. Sometimes you want to keep something a secret, especially when it comes to dining. It's a place so peaceful and relaxing that you don't want it overrun with tourists. Creekside Kitchen and Grocery in Jordan is one of those places and I'm being a bigger person […]
Local candidate discusses recent rescue mission of Canada-bound allies by Ukraine
The daughter of one of the Afghan translators who helped Canada during the War in Afghanistan stands on the tarmac in Kyiv, Ukraine on Aug. 28, 2021. After several failed missions to bring the Canada-bound translators and their families to safety, Ukrainian special forces successfully escorted the group – 19 in all – on foot […]
No-shows don't dampen debate organizer's spirits
True Politics host Steven Soos holds up a branded hat. Photo credit: Facebook/Steven Soos Even though only three of the five registered candidates showed up, the first debate of the 2021 federal campaign for the riding of Niagara Falls was, according to its host and organizer, a successful event that represented another "big win […]
Niagara sees significant dip in new business openings
August 31, 2021 | 2 min read
Photo credit: Pexels/Artem Beliaikin On Monday, Statistics Canada released its latest monthly report regarding business openings and closures across the country. According to the agency's most recent estimate, Canada added 39,049 new businesses and reported 40,447 closures in May 2021, for a total monthly loss of 1,398 businesses nationwide. The latest figure represents the […]
Regional administrators ostensibly unaware of investigation into company recently awarded multi-million-dollar biosolids contract
Biosolids are the "end product" of a sewage treatment plant that are transported to landfills or lagoons. The contractor the Region most recently selected to transport the product was under investigation by the province for alleged offences under multiple Acts while the tendering process was underway. At least some of regional staff were aware of […]
Affordability key issue in Niagara's enflamed housing market
Photo credit: Reuters/Mark Blinch Some explain it as a classic case of supply and demand. Property costs have risen dramatically over the past decade, despite government measures to increase the housing supply and reduce demand. But many economists and housing experts question whether recent proposals by the federal Liberals are sufficient to restore affordability […]
Grimsby manufacturer makes history with Royal Caribbean contract
Royal Caribbean's 'Oasis of the Seas'. The theatre stage at the rear of the vessel is one of the many designed, built, and installed by local company Handling Specialty. Photo credit: Royal Caribbean Last month, it was announced that Grimsby-based Handling Specialty was awarded its largest fixed price contract in company history. The contract, […]
Niagara Liberal candidates spread "manipulated" video, refuse to admit any wrongdoing
Screenshots of Niagara Falls and St. Catharines Liberal candidates Andrea Kaiser and Chris Bittle reposting a tweet by Chrystia Freeland that contained a surreptitiously doctored video Twitter flagged as "manipulated media". On Sunday, Liberal candidate Chrystia Freeland tweeted out an edited campaign video that Twitter flagged as "manipulated media". The video featured a year-old […]
Is Niagara home to the garlic capital of Canada? It very well could be
Jerry Winnicki and a flatbed-full of his garlic crop. Photo used by permission from the Voice of Pelham. Jerry Winnicki is a farmer, not a doctor, but he is happy to dispense free health advice—at least when it comes to the nutritional and medicinal power of the humble garlic. It was the ancient Greek […]
American tourists and cottagers return to Niagara's south shore
Elco Beach, part of Sherkston Shores Beach Resort and Campground. Located at the border between Port Colborne and Fort Erie, Sherkston, like Crystal Beach and many other areas on Niagara's south shore along Lake Erie, is a popular destination for vacationing Americans throughout the warmer months. Photo credit: Toronto Life Canadian border crossings reopened to […]
In their own words: an interview with Mayor Bill Steele of Port Colborne
Mayor Bill Steele (centre) with his wife and three sons. Photo credit: WordPress/Bill Steele Even though Mayor Bill Steele of Port Colborne has had more than his fair share of talking about the pandemic, it's still top of mind and in the forefront of everything he's done over the past year and a half. "I'm […]
Local NDP, Conservative candidates sound off on Trudeau's decision to trigger snap election
Krystina Waler (left) and Trecia McLennon (right). Waler and McLennon are the 2021 federal Conservative and NDP candidates for St. Catharines, respectively. While direct political competitors, both agree – along with several other local candidates – that Justin Trudeau's recent decision to call a snap election was ill-considered. The pair will challenge incumbent Liberal […]
O'Toole travels to Niagara as election looms, talks economy, jobs, and housing affordability
Leader of Canada's Official Opposition Erin O'Toole speaks to a small gathering in Welland, Aug. 10, 2021. Pictured in back is Niagara Centre federal Conservative candidate and current Welland city councillor Graham Speck. Photo credit: Facebook/Graham Speck Earlier this week, Canada's Leader of the Official Opposition and head of the federal Conservative Party Erin […]
Emergency programs translate into protracted suffering for some Niagara businesses
Strada West on Lundy's Lane in Niagara Falls. Like so many restauranteurs in the region, Strada West proprietor Tom Roberto has had difficulty securing staff because of the pandemic and associated government measures. Photo credit: The Niagara Independent Ontario's Minister for Labour, Training, and Skills Development Monte McNaughton was in Niagara last week to […]
After weeks of delay, bill permitting single event sport betting finally gets enactment date
Photo credit: AP/John Locher On Thursday, just as news broke that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will ask the governor general to dissolve parliament this weekend, Liberal Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada David Lametti announced from Niagara's Fallsview Casino Resort changes to the Criminal Code which will legalize single event sport betting. […]
In their own words: an interview with Mayor Walter Sendzik of St. Catharines
Mayor Walter Sendzik. Supplied photo. St. Catharines is the Niagara's largest city with a population of nearly 140,530. As such, it makes sense that one of the main goals of Mayor Walter Sendzik is to increase its sense of community and inclusion. "We are a progressive community…we look at compassion as a way of […]
A local woman's campaign to save Canada's Afghan allies
Major Richard Raymond (right) from the Kandahar Provincial Reconstruction Team (KPRT) speaks, with the help of his interpreter, to Afghan kids about their situation in Kandahar city, April 2008. Photo credit: Canadian Forces Combat Camera/Cpl. Simon Duchesne Wendy Long wasn't looking for a project to get involved with or a cause to support. But five years […]
Hirji raises eyebrows with decision to delay second dose
Screenshot of Dr. Hirji's August 6 tweet regarding his second vaccine dose. Photo credit: Twitter/Mustafa Hirji On Friday, Niagara's acting medical officer of health Dr. Mustafa Hirji posted to Twitter that he went to a mobile pop-up clinic to receive his second dose of COVID-19 vaccine. "Thrilled to join @NRPublicHealth teammates at the Rykert […]
In their own words: an interview with Mayor Dave Bylsma of West Lincoln
August 6, 2021 | 3 min read
Mayor Dave Bylsma. Photo credit: Facebook/Dave Bylsma Getting life back to normal is a matter of utmost importance for West Lincoln mayor David Bylsma. When it comes to getting life back to normal post pandemic, he is a firm believer that the best way to do so is to get businesses and the economy open […]
Province invests millions to help Niagara youth enter IT sector
Minister of Labour, Training and Skills Development Monte McNaughton (fifth from left) in Vineland with some of the beneficiaries of the provincial funding announced Thursday. Photo credit: Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development On Thursday, Ontario's Minister of Labour, Training and Skills Development Monte McNaughton joined Niagara West MPP Sam Oosterhoff and Lincoln mayor […]
Case against former executives of Pelham pot grower pushed to late September
Former Pelham mayor Dave Augustyn (centre, black shirt) with CannTrust executives at the official opening of the cannabis producer's Fenwick facility, June 2018. Three of the company's former executives are currently facing a litany of charges related to alleged illegal growing efforts in 2018 and 2019. Photo credit: (c) 2018 The Voice of Pelham. Used […]
Bradley blasted by fellow councillors for hosting exclusionary "private meeting"
Niagara Regional Chair Jim Bradley. Photo credit: YouTube/Niagara Region At the most recent Niagara Regional Council meeting, Chair Jim Bradley and his senior staff were upbraided by several council members for hosting what Pelham regional representative Diana Huson called a "private meeting" that excluded most regional councillors and went forward without public notice. According to […]
Crime rates dip across country, as Niagara remains one of Canada's safest metro areas
Photo credit: Facebook/Niagara Regional Police Service Last week, Statistics Canada published its annual survey of police-reported crime, as measured by the Crime Severity Index (CSI), for the year 2020. Unsurprisingly, the COVID-19 pandemic had a profound impact on crime rates across the country, ushering in the first year of decreases in both violent and non-violent […]
In their own words: Mayor Frank Campion of Welland
July 30, 2021 | 3 min read
Mayor Frank Campion. Photo credit: Niagara Region Mayor Campion has a clear message for the residents of Welland: get vaccinated. The second term mayor emphasizes the need for Welland residents to protect themselves against COVID-19, noting that locally the town has hit a plateau in the rate of vaccinations. "The biggest thing we can do […]
Revamped Niagara Parks Power Station opens to the public
Niagara Parks CEO David Adames welcomes guests to tour the agency's newest attraction following the ceremonial ribbon-cutting on Wednesday. Also pictured are chair of the Parks Sandie Bellows (seated, centre), Minister Lisa MacLeod (behind Bellows, left), and Regional Chair Jim Bradley (behind Bellows, right). Photo credit: The Niagara Independent After several months of assessment, planning, […]
Mountainview's Mark Basciano "an everyday hero"
Mountainview president Mark Basciano. Talk to director of philanthropy and public relations at Pathstone Mental Health Kim Rossi about Mountainview president Mark Basciano the builder and she can speak volumes, without ever mentioning his successes in the construction industry. She references Mark Basciano the community builder, the man who learned from his father that creating […]
Regional council supports another tax increase for services beyond mandate
by Bruce Timms
Niagara Region headquarters in Thorold. Photo credit: The Niagara Independent On July 14, the corporate services committee discussed and recommended adding another $1 million to the property tax levy, an additional 0.25 per cent to the previously established 4.1 per cent increase: for a total increase of 4.35 per cent for the 2022 tax levy. […]
Niagara wines wow at national championships
Ravine Vineyard Estate Winery in St. Davids. Ravine was one of about a dozen Niagara wineries to earn multiple medals at this year's All Canadian Wine Championships. Photo credit: Facebook/Ravine Vineyard Estate Winery Two weeks ago, the All Canadian Wine Championships held its annual competition in Picton, Ontario. The 2021 installment saw 217 wineries from […]
Local officials from both sides of border weigh in on U.S. decision to keep Canadians out
Democratic representative for New York's 26th congressional district Brian Higgins speaks at the University of Buffalo, March 29, 2018. Congressman Higgins has arguably been the loudest and most consistent advocate for reopening the U.S.-Canada border both ways throughout the pandemic. Photo credit: University of Buffalo/Meredith Forrest Kulwicki Last week, just days after Canada announced it […]
Date set for twinning of Garden City Skyway
Garden City Skyway. The bridge connects Niagara-on-the-Lake to St. Catharines. Built in 1963, it will soon be one of two bridges to carry QEW traffic across the Welland Canal. Photo credit: The Niagara Independent With work well-underway along the QEW in Niagara-on-the-Lake transforming the Glendale Avenue exit/intersection into Canada's only third ever diverging diamond interchange, […]
In their own words: an interview with Mayor Jim Diodati of Niagara Falls
Mayor Jim Diodati. Photo credit: City of Niagara Falls After speaking to Mayor Jim Diodati at length, it's very clear that he fully believes in the saying, 'every cloud has a silver lining.' More often than not, answers to questions about the economy, COVID-19, or the future of the city were sparkled with moral takeaways […]
With build teams shortlisted, South Niagara Hospital one step closer to construction
South Niagara Hospital site at the corner of Montrose and Biggar roads in Niagara Falls. What was for many years just a sign and an unused farmer's field will soon see shovels in the ground, as the more than $1 billion project is set to commence fall 2022. Photo credit: Niagara Health On July 21, […]
Homelessness on the rise in Niagara, long-term solution needed
A homeless encampment in Centennial Gardens off Gale Crescent in St. Catharines. Photo credit: Julia McLaren Homelessness is an urgent problem in Niagara. A study conducted by the Region in March provided a snapshot of the dire situation. The third annual Niagara Counts homelessness Point-in-Time (PiT) determined there are at least 665 people (including 121 […]
Canada to reopen borders to fully vaccinated Americans, unclear if U.S. will reciprocate
Vehicles cross the Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls from the U.S. into Canada. Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons On Monday, the federal government announced its plan to reopen Canada's international border. Starting August 9, fully vaccinated U.S. citizens and permanent residents currently living in the U.S. will be able to travel to Canada for non-essential purposes […]
Local museums excited to welcome back patrons
On Friday, July 16, Ontario entered the final phase of its three-step reopening framework.
Expectedly, most are excited about once again being able to dine indoors, hit the gym, or attend a summer festival. But another activity now available to Ontarians that has somewhat flown under the radar, but is an integral part of Niagara's tourism and culture industries, is visiting a museum or historic site.
In their own words: an interview with Mayor Marvin Junkin of Pelham
"It was everything I thought it was."
A phrase that has been used to describe countless life events like weddings, but rarely used in the world of politics. But Pelham's mayor Marvin Junkin thinks it describes his first two and a half years in office quite well.
Province gives DSBN green light to go forward with new $50 million Beamsville high school
On Thursday, Ontario's Minister of Education Stephen Lecce joined his Parliamentary Assistant and MPP for Niagara West Sam Oosterhoff in Lincoln to announce that the provincial government has given the District School Board of Niagara (DSBN) approval to award the tender for the new West Niagara Secondary School in Beamsville.
Just who is Dr. Hirji? The local public health official pulling all the strings
Niagara Region's current acting medical officer of health Dr. Mustafa Hirji (bottom left) in a campus newspaper montage of student union presidential candidates at the University of Alberta, March 2005. Photo credit: University of Alberta Libraries/The Gateway Back in February, when Niagara qualified to move out of 'Grey – Lockdown' into the less restrictive 'Red […]
Baldinelli blasts federal Liberals for failure to adequately protect local grape growers and wineries
Conservative MP for Niagara Falls Tony Baldinelli (left) meets with Del Rollo, Secretary of Wine Growers Canada and VP of Industry and Government Relations of Arterra Wines, at Jackson-Triggs Winery in Niagara-on-the-Lake, October 2020. Photo credit: Facebook/Tony Baldinelli On July 7, Niagara Centre MP Vance Badawey and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and […]
Niagara hotels look to post-pandemic recovery
July 9, 2021 | 4 min read
An online survey of 22 Canadian hotel executives, representing 127 hotels and over 20,000 hotel rooms across Canada, was conducted by Nanos Research in May and June of 2021. The survey was conducted in an effort to capture the pulse of the Canadian hotel industry during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.
Province provides Grimsby $16 million to support community infrastructure project
Ontario's Minister of Infrastructure Kinga Surma joined Niagara West MPP Sam Oosterhoff in Grimsby on Thursday to announce $16 million in provincial funding to expand and renovate the town's Peach King Centre.
In their own words: an interview with Mayor Sandra Easton of Lincoln
Lincoln mayor Sandra Easton says that the dominant theme of the first two and a half years of her term has been, obviously, the COVID-19 pandemic. "You can't think of anything except that." The mayor of nearly 24,000 residents has been taken back by the scale of the pandemic and calls it her biggest challenge in office to date.
Local political and business leaders call for clear, comprehensive plan regarding border re-opening
On Monday, July 5, the Canadian Travel and Tourism Roundtable, in collaboration with local political and business leaders, held a press conference at the Niagara City Cruises lower landing on the Canadian side of the gorge in Niagara Falls.
It's time to ask Niagara residents about modernizing regional government
The idea of modernizing Niagara Regional Council to have representatives serve as both upper and lower-tier councillors has been around for some time. The latest effort came from the City of Niagara Falls.
Niagara's shortage of hospitality workers hinders pandemic recovery
Niagara's economy is more reliant on the tourism and hospitality industry than probably any other region in Ontario, with an estimated 60,000 jobs pre-pandemic. And no industry has been harder hit.
In their own words: an interview with Mayor Terry Ugulini of Thorold
According to Mayor Terry Ugulini, the new GTA is right here is in Niagara: the 'Greater Thorold Area'.
Thanks to an influx of growth spurred on by Torontonians finding refuge from their fast-paced lives in Thorold's quieter setting, the city's mayor is outwardly confident about Thorold's future prospects.
UPDATED: St. Catharines cancels celebration of Canada Day; few follow suit, other communities to proceed as planned
June 29, 2021 | 3 min read
At Monday evening's regular council meeting, St. Catharines council announced that, as a municipality, it would not commemorate the 154th anniversary of Canadian Confederation.
Education funding in Ontario unfair and in need of reform
Trustees of the District School Board of Niagara (DSBN) and Niagara Catholic District School Board (NCDSB) just rolled out their 2021-22 budgets: $523 million and $268 million respectively, which will serve a total of approximately 60,000 students, at an average cost to the taxpayer of just under $13,000 per enrollee.
Housing board hands authority over to Regional Council
Regional Council has become the sole voting member of Niagara Regional Housing (NRH), the not-for-profit agency responsible for providing low-income social housing to Niagara residents in-need.
Minister of tourism and task force chair release pandemic recovery report
On Wednesday, Minister of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries Lisa MacLeod was on hand at the Shaw Festival Theatre in Niagara-on-the-Lake to release a report put together by the Tourism Economic Recovery Ministerial Task Force.
In their own words: an interview with Mayor Wayne Redekop of Fort Erie
From revitalizing parks to restructuring the public transit system, it can be said that the Town of Fort Erie has a lot on the go. And that's in part due to the town's eager and ambitious mayor, Wayne Redekop. Over the past two and a half years he's even created a website, called 'Let's Talk Fort Erie', where residents can look up projects on the go. Some of his projects include investing in infrastructure, maintaining and protecting the town's historical landmarks, and bringing new doctors into Fort Erie.
Welland by-election attracts sizable slate of candidates
The Rose City is abloom in political aspirants.
Welland's Ward 3 by-election has attracted a total of six candidates, all eager to fill the seat left vacant by Lucas Spinosa. Spinosa resigned in February, citing a pattern of harassment and threats against him. Nancy Dmytrow-Bilboe, Phill Gladman, John Mastroianni, Steven Soos, Douglas Thomas, and Cathy Connor have all filed nomination papers in the hopes of joining Welland city council come August.
Region accepts 4.1 per cent tax hike strategy, despite massive surplus
The most significant Niagara Region budget meeting of the year was held by Zoom Thursday, June 17.
The meeting set the strategy for staff to use while working out the details of a budget for consideration in October.
Hirji wrestled with Niagara's restaurants prior to pandemic
Despite Ontario entering Step 1 of its phased reopening plan on June 11, Niagara's Acting Medical Officer of Health Dr. Mustafa Hirji continues to impose pandemic-related restrictions over and above provincial regulations.
In their own words: an interview with Lord Mayor Betty Disero of Niagara-on-the-Lake
The small town of Niagara-on-the-Lake has a reputation that proceeds itself for being subtle and reserved. But there are no reservations on the part of Lord Mayor Betty Disero when it comes to the admiration she has for her constituents.
Border mayors talk acquiring excess American vaccine, restrictive pandemic policies
A recent Toronto Star headline broadcasted, "Awash in vaccines, Canada plans to share with other countries." But COVID-19 vaccine supplies in Niagara have not kept pace with the demand, as many thousands of Niagara residents have been shut out from online registration for second doses. As the highly transmissible Delta variant spreads rapidly throughout Ontario, border-city mayors are lobbying hard for creative solutions to get their communities vaccinated, including accessing surplus American vaccine doses which are currently filling New York and Michigan dumpsters.
Hirji stands firm on Niagara restaurant regulations, despite council pushback
by Kevin Geenen
When Ontario entered Step One reopening on Friday, Niagara residents were delighted at the opportunity to return to restaurant patios. However, while those in other regions, including Hamilton and Toronto, were allowed to dine on patios with any four people, Niagara patio tables remained restricted to those of the same household.
Niagara names new top planner
With efforts to update Niagara's Official Plan well underway, the Region has secured a new head of planning and development.
Michelle Sergi's appointment was approved at a special council meeting on Thursday, June 10. It follows a thorough, nation-wide, recruitment process undertaken by an independent staffing agency.
In their own words: an interview with Mayor Kevin Gibson of Wainfleet
When it comes to the COVID-19 pandemic, Mayor Kevin Gibson of Wainfleet has faith that his community will prevail.
"We're resilient people. We're used to hardship."
Local MPs weigh in on border reopening, vaccine passports
The Canada-U.S. border's land crossings were closed in March of 2020 to nonessential travel in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19 and have remained closed ever since – but that may be changing soon.
Quick guide to Canada Summer Games satellite venues around the region
by Michael H. Willoughby
June 8, 2021 | 2 min read
In just over a year, Niagara welcomes the nation for the 2022 Canada Summer Games. Over 5,000 young athletes from all 13 provinces and territories will converge in several towns and cities around the region to compete.
Congressman Chris Jacobs joins separated families in Niagara Falls, as calls to reopen Canada-U.S. border intensify
New York Congressman Chris Jacobs (right) with separated families at the Lewiston-Queenston Bridge in Niagara Falls, June 6, 2021. Jacobs recently added his name to a growing list of high-profile public officials actively campaigning to see the Canada-U.S. land border reopen. Photo credit: Twitter/Chris Jacobs On Sunday, June 6, U.S. Congressman Chris Jacobs held a […]
It's hiring season for Niagara's municipal CAOs
Elected municipal politicians have one employee to hire and fire: the chief administrative officer (CAO). It's an important chair to fill, since all municipal employees report to the CAO, who is charged with making important decisions about hiring employees, planning budgets, and managing operations. The CAO is also the primary member of municipal staff to interact with the elected council, and to implement its policies. Undoubtedly the CAO's greatest responsibility is in the preparation and submission of the annual budget and, following council approval, the administering of that financial plan on behalf of the municipality.
In their own words: an interview with Mayor Jeff Jordan of Grimsby
More than halfway through his first term as mayor of Grimsby, Jeff Jordan maintains an upbeat attitude, looking back on what has been an undoubtably challenging term.
"It's certainly been overall a very positive experience. I really feel that I've been able to, along with Council, do something for all of Grimsby, and move Grimsby forward."
Niagara lawyer appointed Ontario Superior Court judge
A Niagara lawyer has been appointed to the province's Superior Court of Justice.
In a press release, Federal Justice Minister and Attorney General David Lametti announced Wednesday the appointment of Leanne Standryk.
Regional councillors required to absorb some thousand pages of material in mere days
In the past year, the agenda package for regular Niagara Regional Council meetings have contained, on average, 950 pages of content. And that's just for regular council meetings. Factor in special council sessions, committee material, and other council correspondence, and Niagara's upper-tier elected officials are having to absorb well over 1,000 pages of complex, technical information per month.
Don't expect tax breaks from Niagara Region's $96 million surplus
May 28, 2021 | 4 min read
Niagara's 2020 consolidated financial statements, independently audited by the financial mavens at Deloitte, were recently approved by the Region's audit committee. A cursory reading of the report might lead one to believe that the coffers are flush, given a reported $96 million in surpluses.
Jonathan Kay: Brock University's senior administration clannish and dysfunctional
by Jonathan Kay
On May 18, Brock University in St. Catharines announced that its president, Gervan Fearon, would be resigning his post, having accepted an offer to become president of George Brown College in Toronto. On the face of it, it's an unusual career move for a top administrator working in the status-obsessed world of academia: Brock is a large public research university, while George Brown is a college that caters mostly to continuing-education students pursuing vocational programs.
Niagara COVID-19 update – the downward trend continues
On Monday, Niagara Region Public Health reported just 33 new active cases of COVID-19 across the region. This was the lowest single day number of new cases since March 25, when just 24 new cases were reported.
Niagara is down to 992 total active cases, the lowest number since April 12 (946 cases).
The life and legacy of local historian E.A. Cruikshank
On May 21, 1921, exactly 100 years ago last Friday, no less than nine historic sites from Niagara were officially added to the National Historic Sites of Canada (NHSC) registry. Among the additions were Fort George, Navy Island, and the Ridgeway Battlefield.
JUSTJUNK founder reflects on humble Niagara beginnings, offers advice to entrepreneurs
Mike Thorne ruminated on the expression "one man's junk is another man's treasure" and figured that there might also be treasure in simply moving the junk.
Local youth lament likely impact of increased environmental red tape on housing affordability
At its most recent meeting on May 12, Niagara Region's Planning and Economic Development Committee endorsed a staff recommendation to establish a region-wide 'Natural Environmental System'.
The system, if approved by council on May 20, could become part of the Region's Official Plan next year.
Is illegal dumping on the rise in Niagara?
Last week, The Niagara Independent published a piece arguing that the COVID-19 pandemic is, in all likelihood, more responsible for the perceived change in local waste disposal habits than the Region's relatively recent shift to every-other-week garbage collection.
Brock's fiscal position solid
Laurentian University in Sudbury saw its tuition revenue grow by 74 per cent in the last decade.
Good news, right?
Provinces continue to badger federal government to tighten international borders
Provincial governments of every political stripe continue to detect COVID-19 variants arriving in their provinces via loopholes in the federal screening and quarantining systems at their airports and land borders. On multiple occasions the premiers have asked the prime minister to clamp down on these loopholes.
Pandemic, not every-other-week collection likely more responsible for Niagara's changing garbage habits
Earlier this week, Niagara Region's Public Works Committee received an impact analysis report regarding the effectiveness of last year's shift to every-other-week curbside waste collection.
Hirji and province aligned in desire to see stay-at-home order extended, despite progress
Niagara recently achieved an impressive milestone in its ongoing battle against COVID-19: 200,000 vaccine doses delivered.
A total of 40 per cent of the region's residents are now at least partially vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus, with 2.7 fully vaccinated.
Is Niagara set to surpass the half million mark?
With May 11 officially dubbed Census Day 2021, most Canadians from coast-to-coast-to-coast have completed or are in the process of completing the latest federal enumeration of the country's population.
Schumer comes to Niagara Falls to push border reopening plan
May 7, 2021 | 3 min read
Democrat Senator Chuck Schumer, the newly installed Senate Majority Leader and highest-ranking federal politician in the State of New York, held a press conference at the Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls, New York on Wednesday.
Falls to be illuminated red in honour of fallen firefighters
On Tuesday, Niagara's famous Falls and Toronto's CN Tower will be illuminated red in honour of all the firefighters worldwide who have lost their lives in the line of duty.
Both the Canadian Horseshoe and American Falls will resemble the red of fire-engines and fire-houses the world over from 10:00pm to 10:15pm.
Buffalo begs for Biden to give Canada more vaccine
Former President Trump's Operation Warp Speed accelerated not just the development of vaccines by companies like Moderna, AstraZeneca and Johnson and Johnson, it also assured that when ready the U.S. would be able to acquire vaccine in huge amounts at a rapid pace.
Regional councillors not happy with continued leaks, establish task force
Last week, Niagara's Regional Council once again had to discuss the ongoing issue of confidential information being leaked to local media.
As per corporate policy and proper governance, organizations must go in-camera to discuss certain matters like personnel issues or real estate business, among others. Leaks from such closed sessions were a big problem for regional council last term and have continued into this term.
Properly locked down borders today will help Niagara open up for good tomorrow
April 30, 2021 | 3 min read
After immense pressure put on by the provincial premiers, on April 22 the federal government finally announced a ban on direct commercial and private flights from India and Pakistan. The federal government belatedly moved on the ban after dozens of cases of B.1.617, the dominant strain of COVID-19 in India, showed up in B.C., Quebec, and Alberta.
MP Dean Allison sponsors local social advocate's petition on mental health
Niagara West MP Dean Allison (left), July 2018. Photo credit: Facebook/Dean Allison "Mental health is a human issue, not a [political] party one. It touches the lives of Canadians and Niagara residents from all walks of life." With this statement as a guiding principle, Welland-based social advocate Steven Soos has crafted a petition calling on […]
Regional chair calls for more subsidies to support media
by Catherine Swift
Niagara Regional Chair Jim Bradley. Photo credit: YouTube/Niagara Region An odd statement came from Niagara Regional Chair Jim Bradley last week, as he called for the federal government to do even more to protect the news media sector than it is already doing. Bradley claimed that as the industry continues to struggle, and many local […]
Overwhelmed Niagara Health continues to take in patients from outside region
Despite last Monday issuing a press release and a widely circulated social media warning about the St. Catharines critical care units being over capacity, as late as Friday St. Catharines hospital was still accepting COVID-19 patients from other overwhelmed regions.
Family's plea to premier goes viral, as calls to reopen golf courses grow
Last week, the Ford government put forward several new restrictions and regulations in its most recent effort to curb the spread of Covid-19 in Ontario. While some of the more draconian elements of the preventative order were quickly walked back following widespread backlash, most of the new measures made it past public outcry: including the closure of golf courses.
Case rates continue to rise in Niagara, plus another anti-lockdown rally
Photo credit: The Niagara Independent The week of April 13 to 19 saw a total of 1,176 new cases of COVID-19 in the region, an average of 168 per day for the week, compared to an average of 116 new cases per day last week. Monday, April 19 saw an active daily total case count […]
Opioid crisis "out of control" in Niagara
Glen Walker isn't apologetic about sounding the clarion call.
As executive director of Positive Living Niagara, Walker is responsible for staff and volunteers who provide support, education, and advocacy for individuals affected by a number of blood-borne infections such as HIV and Hepatitis C. The organization's deep involvement with AIDS-related drug users has spilled over to opioid addiction and overdose, which is currently at a critical juncture in Niagara.
United Way Niagara helped over quarter of region's population in 2020
Like much of Canada, Niagara has hardly escaped the socioeconomic havoc wreaked by the ongoing health crisis.
Unemployment rates, food insecurity, and social isolation have all reached record highs over the past year. Niagara's typically robust tourism, culture and hospitality industries have been particularly hard hit. As Ontario's minister responsible for tourism Lisa MacLeod commented during a visit to Niagara Falls last month, the city has lost some 40,000 tourism-related jobs due to the pandemic.
Liberal leader speaks to Niagara chamber
This week the leader of Ontario's Liberal Party made a presentation – virtually, of course – to the Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce (GNCC) about his plans to govern the province, should he become premier in the next election expected to take place mid-2022.
Local pandemic update, plus St. Catharines council reacts to rally
Somewhat expectedly, the Easter long weekend proved to be a Covid-19 breeding ground in Niagara. April 6 to 12 saw a total of 813 new cases of the virus in the region, an average of 116 per day for the week. Monday, April 12 saw an active daily case count of 1,062. This represents the […]
Niagara posts stellar showing in latest 'best communities' ranking
The Niagara Region faired particularly well in Maclean's most recent iteration of its 'Canada's best communities' list. Six of Niagara's 12 municipalities cracked the top 100, with Welland and Niagara Falls leading the pack.
Should the Canada-U.S. border be reopened to those with proof of vaccination?
April 9, 2021 | 4 min read
In a recent opinion piece for the Globe and Mail, Council on Foreign Relations senior fellow Edward Alden argued that it's high-time Canada's prime minister work with his American counterparts to examine options for reopening the world's longest land border.
Niagara teachers and school staff moved up in vaccination queue
Starting April 9, education workers and support staff at Niagara's public and Catholic school boards will be able to register for the Covid-19 vaccine. Full-time, part-time, and casual teachers, administrators, library technicians, custodial staff, school bus drivers, and crossing guards are all eligible to receive the vaccination. Come Friday, some 4,000 personnel employed by the […]
Niagara Covid Update
The Easter weekend was not good to Niagara when it comes to new covid-19 cases.
As of yesterday, Monday April 5th, there are now 858 active cases of people with covid-19. This is the highest number of current active cases since January 16th when there was a 2020 high of 1,168. Active cases declined from that point to a low of 123 on February 25th. They have gone up virtually every day since then. The month of April has seen an average of 100 new cases per day.
Updated plans for West Niagara hospital sent for final approval
After nearly a quarter-century of tilting at politico-economic giants, last week residents of West Niagara finally laid eyes on renderings of what their long-promised, oft-deferred hospital redevelopment may well look like.
The exact building design will naturally evolve as the project continues to progress, but given site constraints and the comprehensive specifications outlined in the tender package, it's all but certain the new development will look something like the above (and below) depicted.
The pandemic's affect on the mental health of Niagara's youth
A week ago, Conservative leader Erin O'Toole issued a motion in Parliament, calling on the Trudeau Liberals to present a clear, data-driven plan to support a gradual, safe, and permanent lifting of COVID-19 restrictions. In a press release, he stated "Canadians need a plan for hope…a plan that shows there are better days ahead for our country."
Former generating station to start new life as tourist attraction
Twelve years after acquiring the decommissioned Canadian Niagara Power generating station, Niagara Parks is set to reopen the plant's doors as the region's newest tourist attraction this Canada Day.
Premier Ford comes to Niagara with support for tourism
On the heels of releasing the 2021 provincial budget last week at Queen's Park, Premier Doug Ford along with Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy and Tourism Minister Lisa MacLeod provided new details around support for the tourism industry in Niagara.
Region urges province to move teachers up the vaccination priority list
Who gets vaccinated next was a unifying topic at Niagara Regional Council last night.
During discussion of the Public Health Committee minutes, St. Catharines Mayor Walter Sendzik asked chief medical officer of Health Dr. Mustafa Hirji if personal caregivers of the elderly could get moved up the vaccination priority list.
$100k+ Club: City Hall top dogs steal the show
Despite 2020 being an extremely difficult year for most in Niagara, local chief administrative officers (CAOs) across Niagara appeared to be exempt from any financial distress.
Particularly, Fort Erie and Port Colborne CAOs Tom Kuchyt and Scott Luey who both saw large double digit increases to their compensation last year versus 2019.
Niagara's $100K+ club grows during pandemic
Normally, March is that time of year where the residents of Niagara come together to see which local public servants had made it into the prestigious Ontario Sunshine List: The $100k+ club.
Despite rhetoric, affordable housing apparently low priority for St. Catharines
Single-loaded building example off QEW at Casablanca in Grimsby Outside of the ongoing pandemic, the single biggest socioeconomic issue facing a majority of communities across Ontario is the high cost of housing. Costs have been increasing dramatically for several years now, driven by low interest-rates, speculation, exponentially increasing government-imposed costs, and, most importantly, an […]
Ford Government steps up to combat human trafficking in Niagara
The Ford government is taking major steps towards eliminating human trafficking in Niagara and Ontario while investing in support programs to help victims heal from the heinous crime.
Last week, $1.4 million was announced over the next five years to create a new community-based program to provide more young victims and survivors of human trafficking in Niagara with access to the supports they need.
Developer suing Niagara-on-the-Lake over bylaw
by John Chick
Court documents that are part of a $500,000 lawsuit against the Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake allege that the community's mayor and council enacted its Interim Control Bylaw (ICBL) mainly to penalize one specific developer.
Local clinics set to open as vaccine rollout ramps up
The final stage of Phase One of the provincial government's COVID-19 vaccination plan allows newly eligible residents to schedule immunization sessions online via a centralized booking portal.
As of Monday, March 15, Ontarians aged 80 years or older, staff, caregivers and residents of retirement homes, high-priority health care workers, adult recipients of chronic home care, and all Indigenous adults non-yet vaccinated are qualified to book an appointment.
Mayors send joint letter to Niagara on one-year anniversary of Covid Pandemic
Niagara's 12 mayors joined together to pen an open-letter to all Niagara citizens to mark the one-year anniversary of the first case of Covid-19 in Niagara. The letter comes at a time when societies around the globe are starting to feel very good about the slowing of the devastation of the pandemic because of more effective treatments but especially due to the dissemination of vaccines worldwide.


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Perspectives / Ampersand
Taking Control
Amidst Rapid Change and Development, Puget Sound Millennials Aren't Willing to Just Sit Back and Watch
By Kai Blatt, Amy Huýnh, Bilal Karim and Henry Nelson
Photos by Henry Nelson
Photo by: Henry Nelson
Executive Director of Seattle's First Hill Improvement Association. You might imagine the person behind this title is someone in her 50s. But Alex Hudson is 32. And with one cancer battle behind her, she has the kind of drive and unapologetic passion necessary to do her job well. She's building community in the "densest residential area north of San Francisco."
Hudson grew up in a rural environment, but she embraces her new identity as an "urbanite." She hosts a podcast about cities and urban planning from her apartment. But because her apartment is tiny —and there are several of us — we meet at her neighborhood hotel,The Sorrento.
"There's nothing more powerful than making people fall in love with the place they live because once somebody falls in love with something, then they'll take care of it," she says.
Hudson's can-do attitude doesn't come from a place of blind optimism. It's actually more of a must-do attitude.
"We need to not be afraid to fail," Hudson implores, "because we are already failing."
Failure — whether it's a growing economic inequality, irreversible climate change or raging racial injustices. Hudson, like many local millennials we've met, have much to say about these subjects and how they need to urgently be addressed.
For six weeks this summer we travelled throughout Western Washington, speaking at length with over two dozen millennials. We are twenty-something college students ourselves who care about the intersections .of social and environmental justice. We wanted to get past the narrow perceptions of millennials as lazy, entitled technophiles. So we sought out individual, nuanced stories to get a sense of the region.
We heard about the local housing crisis.
"Gentrification is real," Carlos Nieto, 21, told us.
Nieto, a spoken word poet and student at Seattle Central College,knows several friends and family members who have been displaced from their homes.
Sonny Nguyen, 25, who uses they/them pronouns, told us about how their mother was priced out of Skyway and had to move further south to Renton."At one point, I commuted an hour-and-a-half door to door," said Nguyen, 25, a community organizer in Seattle's Chinatown International District.
We heard about environmental concerns: energy consumption, ocean acidification, pollution."We're fucked," said Peter Wells, 24, who volunteers at the Beacon Food Forest in Seattle. "I'm really sad to say this but it is going to take more large-scale disasters for people to really wake up and understand how serious this is."
Others chided how much of the public embraces recycling as their one and only environmental act. Then there's the way businesses tout sustainability to market recyclable products, rather than addressing the culture of disposable consumerism.
We also heard a lot about race.
Khatsini Simani, a 24-year-old Black woman, was born and raised in Seattle. The tension in the city when it comes to race feels "really thick,"she said. Seattle feels polarized. It also feels segregated, she said.Valerie Saucedo, 25, who is Latina, has felt that same alienation.Mohamed Abdi, 19, said he's been racially profiled for being Black and Muslim.
In a region where people love talking about getting out of the city and spending time in the outdoors, we heard millennials point out how reluctant this region is toward having a conversation about race.
But even with these obstacles — or maybe because of them — we heard how millennials are deeply invested in shaping the future of this region.
Whether they're directing a neighborhood association (like Hudson),leading an entire city (like Erik Larson, the 24-year-old mayor of Aberdeen) or running a local business.
Solomon Dubie, 28, is making an impact in his community with his Café Avole in Seattle's Rainier Beach. The place is filled with art from Ethiopia, and Dubie brews coffee using a traditional jebena. When we visited the first time, a group of men were laughing and hanging out at a corner table.
Dubie is investing in his community both financially and emotionally,working 12 to 13 hours a day and living with his mother in Tukwila while hoping to make this a viable business for the long term. Nieto the poet utilizes spoken word to channel his politics. He's currently working with local nonprofit Got Green to advocate for more affordable housing.
"I wouldn't say I'm an activist," he said. "But, I'm trying to do something about these injustices."
Like many millennials we met, Nieto says real change begins with an empowered community rather than a community waiting for the panacea to trickle down.Which sounds like something we can all get behind.
The authors are University of Washington Doris Duke Conservation Scholars who spent the summer at Forterra. To watch video interviews and read the results of Forterra's survey about Puget Sound millennials, go to millennialsurvey.com
Amy Huynh
Amy Huynh is studying environmental economics and geography at the University of California at Berkeley.
Kai Blatt
Kai Blatt is studying biology and studio art at Wesleyan University.
Bilal Karim
Bilal Karim is studying biology at Cal Polytechnic University-Pomona.
Henry Nelson
Henry Nelson is studying public policy at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Related Perspectives — Ampersand
Ampersand celebrates people and place in the Pacific Northwest. It explores the scientific and the quirky found in our natural and built environments. It highlights the art, ideas and stories that elevate our region.
Ampersand is dedicated to the curious and the creative, to the thinkers and the doers, and to all those who love this maddeningly beautiful place we call home.
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Living with Wolves, Losing our Orcas
Author Brenda Peterson takes a look at the vulnerable populations of two carnivores.
The assembling, the forging, the hoisting, the pulverizing, the razing — it's either the glorious roar of prosperity or the vociferous din of a city losing its soul. We may not agree about all the change that is happening but I'd argue we agree on what we value in Seattle.
A local idea to compost human bodies
Seattle resident and designer, Katrina Spade, talks with journalist Maureen O'Hagan about the environmental potential of human composting.
Making a New Northwest Town
Hamilton town center was built in a deep oxbow of the Skagit River. In the early days, the town grew quickly along the riverbank on a robust diet of logging and coal mining. When Skagit County was established in 1883, Hamilton's economic power and prominence allowed it to vie with Mount Vernon for the county seat.
The Great Northern Corridor Takes Off
Gene Duvernoy profiles the local leadership fueling a renaissance of sorts in Everett, Snohomish and Stevens Pass.
What's Your Eco-Vice?
An author, a chef, the Governor and more confess their eco-vice.
2016 Ampersand Live: Performer Tracey Conway
Tracey Conway shares Brenda Peterson's "The Secret City Life of Raccoons," a story about the urban as well as adorable and mischievous critter.
2016 Ampersand Live: Musician Evan Flory-Barnes
Evan Flory-Barnes expresses simultaneous resistance and openness to change in this beautifully crafted, emotionally charged, orchestral experience.

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text:
Open Arms (Mariah Carey-dal)
Open Arms (Céline Dion-dal)
Open Arms (Gary Go-dal)
Open Arms (Journey-dal)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


In most states, if somebody is texting behind the wheel and causes a crash that injures or kills someone, the penalty can be as light as a fine.
After a crash here that killed two scientists, Utah passed the nation's toughest law to crack down on texting behind the wheel. Offenders now face up to 15 years in prison.
The new law, which took effect in May, penalizes a texting driver who causes a fatality as harshly as a drunken driver who kills someone.
In effect, a crash caused, by such a multitasking motorist is no longer considered an "accident" like one caused by a driver who, say, runs into another car because he nodded off at the wheel. Instead, such a texting-related crash would now be considered inherently reckless.
The Utah law represents a concrete new response in an evolving debate among legislators around the country about how to reduce the widespread practice of multitasking behind the wheel – a topic to be discussed at a national conference about the dangers of distracted driving being organized by the U.S. Transportation Department for this fall.
Studies show that talking on a cell phone while driving is as risky as driving with a .08 blood alcohol level — generally the standard for drunken driving — and that the risk of driving while texting is at least twice that dangerous.
Treating texting behind the wheel like drunken driving raises complex legal questions.
John Wesley Hall, who just stepped down as president of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, said police might have difficulty proving a driver suspected of texting wasn't merely dialing a phone. If an officer or prosecutor wants to confiscate a phone or phone records to determine whether a driver was texting at the time of the crash, such efforts can be thwarted by search-and-seizure and privacy defenses, lawyers said.
"The police have no business going into my phone," Hall said.
Prosecutors and judges in other states already have the latitude to use more general reckless-driving laws to penalize multitasking drivers who cause injury and death.
The Austin City Council unanimously agreed day to establish a ban on text messaging while driving. A violation would be a Class C misdemeanor, which carries a fine of up to $500 and can be appealed in Municipal Court. City staffers still have to write an ordinance that the council must approve, a process that could take a few months.
Under Utah's law, someone caught texting and driving now faces up to three months in jail and up to a $750 fine, a misdemeanor. If they cause injury or death, the punishment can grow to a felony and up to a $10,000 fine and 15 years in prison.
Alaska is the only other state that takes a similarly tough approach to electronic distraction.


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