Each year, Niagara growers employ thousands of migrant workers to help fill the significant labour gaps in the local agricultural sector. The Foreign Agricultural Resource Management Services (F.A.R.M.S.) program connects seasonal workers with local producers. Photo credit: F.A.R.M.S. As spring arrives and the days become longer and the temperatures slowly begin to rise, the […]
The first cruise of the year set sail last week. The iconic boat tour at the base of the Falls typically holds its inaugural excursion in April or May. Photo credit: Facebook/Niagara City Cruises While Monday was the official first day of spring, Niagara City Cruises welcomed the new season even earlier. Mory DiMaurizio […]
With all pandemic restrictions at the border now lifted and international travel continuing to increase, the Niagara Parks is expecting a stellar 2023 tourist season – and the organization needs help from the community to make it a success. Photo credit: Niagara Parks It may only be March but plans for summer 2023 are […]
Current chair of the Region’s Planning and Economic Development Committee, Diana Huson (pictured) was first elected Regional Councillor for Pelham in 2018. Photo credit: Niagara Region As spring approaches, many initiatives will be picking up speed in Niagara’s regional government. Diana Huson serves as the Regional Councillor for Pelham. “The first big objective we’ve […]
At present, there are thousands of asylum claimants occupying some 2,000 hotel rooms in Niagara Falls. The migrants crossed into Canada from the U.S. via Quebec’s Roxham Road (pictured). Photo credit: Global News As winter drags on, the migration crisis facing Canadian border communities is intensifying. Niagara is no exception. “Our local service organizations […]
The regionwide transit service launched on Jan. 1, 2023. Carla Stout heads up the commission in charge of making sure the new system runs smoothly. Photo credit: CPTDB Wiki After several decades of planning, designing, and securing long-term investment, the newly amalgamated Niagara Region Transit system is up and running. Carla Stout is the […]
The new facility on Garrison Road will replace the Gilmore Road home and double its capacity to 160 long-term care beds. The three-storey facility will be situated close to Albany Street, providing sight lines to Lake Erie. Photo credit: Niagara Region A central component of the Niagara regional long-term care system is on the […]
Niagara’s lone PC Party MPP – pictured, left, alongside Grimsby mayor Jeff Jordan – talks health care, housing, and Greenbelt. Photo credit: Facebook/Sam Oosterhoff Sam Oosterhoff, Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) for Niagara West, is preparing for a significant year at Queen’s Park. “I believe this will be a big year for this government, […]
Located in Fort Erie, Ray Rosettani is a long-time veteran of the real estate industry. Photo credit: Facebook/Ray Rosettani Canadian real estate has seen rapid changes and sharp turns over the past several years. The pandemic, inflation and broader market instabilities have contributed to price and inventory numbers that many home buyers and sellers […]
The town’s long-time head of council said the storm that ripped across Niagara’s south coast in the days before Christmas – encasing some lakefront homes in solid ice – was the worst weather event the municipality’s seen since 1977. Photo credit: Twitter/Nick Iwanyshyn When an extratropical cyclone took more than half of North America […]
Local pharmacy owner Sean Simpson (pictured, left) said the provincial government’s recent move to provide pharmacists the ability to prescribe medication for 13 common ailments represents a “big change” that will positively impact healthcare in Ontario. Photo credit: Canadian Foundation for Pharmacy As of January 1, 2023, Ontario pharmacists are now able to prescribe […]
Santos is the senior pastor at Redeemer Bible Church in Niagara Falls. This past year has brought with it no shortage of change, much of which has made a weary Canadian population even more uneasy. As 2022 concludes, however, many holiday traditions are returning for the first time since 2019. Reverend Carl Santos serves […]
Four-term mayor (pictured) eyes ‘grand reopening ceremony’ for North America in Niagara Falls this spring. Photo credit: Facebook/Jim Diodati Niagara Falls Mayor Jim Diodati is exhilarated to begin his fourth term, following a landslide victory in October’s municipal elections. “Sometimes I’m almost pinching myself when I think about all the amazing things that are […]
The new high school (pictured), which was originally supposed to open in September 2022 but was delayed due to the pandemic, will amalgamate and retire Grimsby Secondary School and Beamsville District Secondary School. If all goes to plan, the school could welcome students before the end of the academic year. Photo credit: Twitter/DSBN Families […]
Executive Director of the South Niagara Chambers of Commerce Dolores Fabiano pointed to widespread labour shortages as the most significant challenge facing local employers at the moment, but said Niagara is especially good at attracting talent and uniquely positioned to succeed moving forward. Photo credit: The Niagara Independent The pandemic, inflation, labour shortages and […]
Before, on, and after Remembrance Day, there are myriad ways Niagara residents can make a difference in the lives of our country’s finest. Photo credit: Facebook/Royal Canadian Legion Branch 124 Remembrance Day is here again. The annual observance provides a special opportunity for Canadians to honour the sacrifice made by our armed forces, both […]
Since first taking office in 2019, Niagara Falls MP Tony Baldinelli has been a vocal advocate for local winemakers. At a recent committee meeting, Baldinelli asked Minister of International Trade Mary Ng if the Liberal government will continue to share revenue from the government’s newly reimposed excise tax on wine with producers into the future. […]
While the current season is now well underway, the club is always accepting new members of every size and skill level. Photo credit: Facebook/Niagara Falls Curling Club After three disrupted seasons, Sean Ford, manager of the Niagara Falls Curling Club, believes brighter days are ahead. “We have seen a significant uptick in numbers”, said […]
Most North Americans are familiar with the story of the headless horseman, but few realize its creator and protagonist’s namesake have deep Niagara roots. Pictured is The Headless Horseman Pursuing Ichabod Crane (1858) by 19th-century American painter John Quidor. Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons/Google Art Project On Monday, people throughout Canada and the United States […]
A decade ago, the former presidential candidate was derided by some for his views on Russia and China and the threats their respective regimes posed on the west. The Idaho Statesman/Kyle Green via AP This month is the anniversary of two critical events in the history of American foreign policy. The first, of course, […]
The underpopulation crisis, that is. Photo credit: MedPage Today Most of us grew up being told that overpopulation posed a direct threat to the economic and environmental sustainability of the world. This argument was put forth based on naive assumptions regarding the permanency of globalism, world peace and the absence of any large global […]
Spencer Bellows-De Wolfe (left), son of late community leader Sandie Bellows, is running for St. Catharines City Council in the 2022 municipal elections. Photo credit: Twitter/Spencer Bellows-De Wolfe Spencer Bellows-De Wolfe is one of six candidates vying for two city council spots in St. Catharines’ St. Patrick’s Ward this October. A teacher by trade, […]
Outside of being an arduous, potentially contentious process, such a shift would remove both an important check on influence and power and a vital part of the country’s identity. The months and years ahead will be full of challenges for the royal family of Great Britain. One of the greatest of these objectives will […]
The long-serving Niagara MP said cost of living and labour shortages currently top of mind for Canada’s Opposition. Niagara West MP Dean Allison says he and his federal Conservative colleagues are ready to get back to work. “There are a lot of big issues that need addressing this fall”, Allison told The Niagara Independent […]
From his personal reputation to the relevancy of the monarchy, Her Majesty’s eldest son will have to carefully navigate a handful of immediate challenges as he assumes the throne. Photo credit: AP/Alastair Grant The State Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, which took place on Monday, marked the end of the official mourning period in […]
Queen Elizabeth I, Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth II reigned for nearly a cumulative two centuries. Britain, Canada and the entire Commonwealth are mourning the death of Her Majesty the Queen. Her passing marks the end of seven decades defined by innovation, economic prosperity and unprecedented world peace. There have been numerous exceptional monarchs […]
Urbanization and its accessory offshoots have pulled untold millions out of abject poverty and freed our society from the necessity of hunting, fishing, foraging, and personal farming to survive. But there’s still value in many of the all-but lost skills and activities we once counted on for subsistence. Photo credit: City of Toronto Archives […]
Whether it be front-runner Pierre Poilievre (pictured) or an unexpected contender, whoever earns the distinction of Conservative Party leader this weekend will face a number of defining challenges from the outset of his or her tenure regarding values, foreign engagement, economic recovery, and more. Photo credit: Twitter/Pierre Poilievre The Conservative Party of Canada will […]
Figures like J.S. Woodsworth, Tommy Douglas, and Jack Layton most easily and often come to mind when one considers the history of organized labour in Canada. However, with passage of the Trade Unions Act in 1872, among other efforts, Sir. John A. Macdonald laid the foundation for Canadian labour long before the modern movement’s successes […]
From moving, renaming, and expanding the significance of Victoria Day, to giving the country’s veterans the proper recognition they deserve by making Remembrance Day a full day of observance with schools and offices closed, there are several ways Canada could revise and refine its holiday calendar. Photo credit: Manulife Financial via To Do Canada […]
Mandatory use of ArriveCAN is only exacerbating the issue. Steve Richardson, general manager at Rainbow Bridge’s Niagara Duty Free (pictured), revealed the local situation is dire. Photo credit: Duty Free Canada It has been another tough summer for Duty Free stores across Canada, with ample vaccine supply and loosening restrictions not enough to overcome […]
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his ilk long for the kind of worldwide socioeconomic reorganization championed by the WEF and similar enterprises, however, the very phenomenon that would enable such a monumental shift – namely, globalism – is breaking down at every turn. The trends and policies that are emerging in its place may well […]
The Athens and Jerusalem-born, enlightenment-dreamed and free-market-based principles that built our country have been gradually replaced by increasingly globalist, relativist and socialist policy initiatives. Since the nation is now understood more commonly through this new lens, it is no surprise that Trudeau, not Diefenbaker, is considered by the masses as the “Father of modern Canada”. […]
Despite the missteps and sorted histories of some churches, as well as a palpable wane in religiosity in modern day Canada, faith-based communities do a great deal of good for the mind, body, and soul of society and are worth preserving. Photo credit: Pexels/Rodnae Productions The pilgrimage to Canada by Pope Francis was met […]
5 Blessed with abundant land and resources, but plagued by over-regulation, immigration issues, and the like, Canada could alleviate a great deal of suffering around the world if the powers that be would help facilitate, rather than encumber production. Photo credit: Canadian Chamber of Commerce The world is on the brink of an existential […]
The partnership would be a formal bridging of the largest economies in the Commonwealth: Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. Global threats from modern imperialist states like Russia and China, coupled with growing American isolationist sentiment, means that effective alliances of such middle-sized powers will be crucial to maintaining peace and stability […]
Prime Minister Boris Johnson delivers his resignation address outside 10 Downing Street, London on Thursday, July 7, 2022. Photo credit: UK Government Citizens of Great Britain, the Commonwealth and people around the world have watched the downfall of Prime Minister Boris Johnson with keen interest. This is a cycle that, for one reason or […]
Citizens of free nations buy, sell, labour on, and enjoy private property. Canada is no exception. It is thus a surprise to many when they learn that Canadians are not formally guaranteed private property rights in our Constitution. Though it may prove challenging, it’s high time that changes. Private property, as a concept, is […]
Anna Annunziata at the constituency office of MP Tony Baldinelli on Jarvis Street in Fort Erie. Supplied photo. After dedicating the past 27 years of her life to her community, Anna Annunziata, Fort Erie constituency office manager for MP Tony Baldinelli, will be retiring at the end of this week. Anna’s career in public […]
The West must recognize the threats posed by the world’s increasingly aggressive authoritarian regimes and ready itself for any situation. Specifically, Canadians must fulfill the ideals of our national anthem and be prepared to “Stand on Guard” for the nation. Photo credit: National Capital Commission Since the 1990s, the West has embraced an end-of-history […]
The former prime minister executes a pirouette behind Her Majesty’s back during a May 1977 visit to Buckingham Palace. The move, in the words of the photographer who captured the iconic image, reflected Trudeau’s “democratic disdain for aristocratic pomp”. Photo credit: The Canadian Press/Doug Ball As Canada Day approaches, many are reflecting on our […]
Edmonton Oilers assistant captain Ryan Smyth celebrates with Shawn Horcoff after the latter scored on the San Jose Sharks during the third period of Game 6 of their NHL Western Conference semi-final playoff game in Edmonton, Alberta, May 17, 2006. Photo credit: NHL It is playoff time again! Many of us are keenly watching […]
Canada has proven itself to be a powerful force for good in the past. It’s high time that we once again live up to our potential and strive to be a global leader in the areas in which we excel. In recent decades, Canada has failed to realize its potential in numerous key areas. […]
Photo credit: Canadian Armed Forces The federal government will soon launch an initiative to develop a new Canadian defence policy. This is welcome news. It has been 70 years since the last update. We do not live in a 1950s world anymore. The most recent federal budget left much to be desired. With that […]
The issue and its various solutions are more complex than one may think. Photo credit: Catholic News Service/ Gregory A. Shemitz As Ontario enters election season, complicated issues will make a return appearance to public discourse. Few debates plague provincial representatives with more nightmares than public funding for religious schools. The future of Catholic […]
Well over 1,500 people showed up to see the leadership hopeful speak at the Holiday Inn in St. Catharines Thursday evening. Photo credit: Twitter/Pierre Poilievre “We will tackle inflationary taxes… and I will axe the consumer carbon tax.” Pierre Poilievre rolled into St. Catharines last night and addressed a packed house at the Holiday […]
