Local

Gale wants Niagara Region’s property tax capped at 3.5 per cent for 2026

Bob Gale, a Regional Councillor from Niagara Falls, believes that annual regional budget increases have gotten out of control in recent years. With this in mind, Gale is bringing forth a motion to limit the 2026 increase to the consolidated levy budget to no higher than 3.5 per cent at an upcoming council meeting.

“The past three years of property tax increases has placed a heavy, unaffordable and unsustainable tax burden on Niagara’s residents and businesses,” Gale told The Niagara Independent. 

Since the 2022 fiscal year, regional property taxes have increased by 9.6 per cent, 7.02 per cent and 7.6 per cent, respectively.

Local

New West Lincoln Memorial Hospital has an official opening date

There’s officially an opening date for the new West Lincoln Memorial Hospital. According to Hamilton Health Sciences, the opening date will be Oct. 27.

Sports

It’s a dream week for Niagara sports fans

It’s a big week sports wise here in Niagara as three top-level sporting franchises all open their regular seasons at home.

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National

The warning in April labour force data

Statistics Canada’s monthly Labour Force Survey was published late last week, and the numbers were not encouraging. The overall rate of unemployment increased to 6.9 per cent, which was the highest rate in eight years except during the pandemic years.

Opinion

Carney’s “elbows up” now thumbs up with Trump

It’s now clear the “elbows up” slogan of the Mark Carney Liberal campaign was nothing more than a sales pitch to dupe the Canadian people.

National

Carney must take Alberta’s concerns seriously to avoid a national unity crisis

Prime Minister Mark Carney is taking over a country with deep divisions.

After 10 years of the Trudeau government stymying Alberta’s attempt to develop its natural resources at virtually every turn, Premier Danielle Smith has set in motion a plan that could ultimately lead to a referendum on Alberta independence as soon as next year.

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Opinion

Pierre Poilievre’s conundrum

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s leadership ran aground in the aftermath of Canada’s federal election. Many things can be said about what happened to Poilievre on the way to the Prime Minister’s office. He held what appeared to be an insurmountable lead over the Trudeau Liberals until the election of Donald Trump in November 2024.

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Survey finds increase in homelessness in Niagara Region

Local

Late last year, Niagara Region took part in a national survey called “Everyone Counts,” a coordinated point-in-time count on the state of homelessness across Canada.

Niagara Region participated in the exercise on Oct. 22, 2024, although the data was only recently released.

The initiative is known in Niagara Region as “Niagara Counts.”

St. Catharines passes by-law to prevent encampments near sensitive areas

Local

A new public space by-law will prevent homeless encampments in St. Catharines near certain designated sites, including schools, playgrounds and sports fields.

St. Catharines City Council passed the new by-law last week.

OHL review leads to organizational changes for the Niagara IceDogs

Sports

The Niagara IceDogs have announced a series of organizational changes following the completion of a comprehensive review led by the Ontario Hockey League (OHL).

Alberta Next

National

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith almost upstaged Prime Minister Mark Carney’s planned visit with US President Donald Trump earlier this week when she came out with her “Alberta Next” statement. That statement clearly outlined Alberta’s demands from the new federal government.

Saskatchewan should aim to be the best, not better than the rest

Provincial

The Saskatchewan government likes to brag that it’s fiscally responsible compared to other provinces.

But that doesn’t mean anything if every other province is piling up debt and wasting millions of dollars every year on debt interest payments.

Canada’s economy is “walking on a tightrope”

National

A consensus can be drawn from recent economic data that the Canadian economy is in a precarious state. For a decade the Liberals’ big spending, big government approach to managing the economy has left the country in a weakened condition to respond to, and perhaps pivot from, the trade threats posed by the United States.

What to make of a judge’s arrest in Wisconsin

Opinion

The straightforward violation of the law and arrest of a Wisconsin judge on April 26 has elicited hoots of protest from Democrats, illegal immigrant apologists, and much of the mainstream press. Sadly, any action on behalf of the Trump administration to curtail politics from determining judicial rulings produces claims of interference, executive branch overreach, or authoritarian Nazi practices.