“If you go for a walk in your neighbourhood, look at the houses — what you’ll see on the streetscapes will begin to communicate its architectural language,” writes Brian Marshall.

“If you plan to do any work on your contributing property, that undertaking should be informed by the building’s architectural style to ensure that any alterations are compatible and in-keeping with its contributing attributes,” writes Brian Marshall.

“Intrinsic to the plan’s policies and guidelines is the understanding that a property that contributes to the overall integrity of the cultural heritage value of the conservation district,” writes Brian Marshall.

“If the plan is followed and enforced, there should be no fear of having an inappropriately designed monster McMansion squeezed into the lot next door,” writes Brian Marshall.

“The regional government seems to be a bottomless hole into which taxpayers continually pour money and receive few practical benefits from having done so,” writes Brian Marshall.

“I opine that the several municipal processes related to proposed and undertaken alterations of this important heritage property have been fundamentally flawed,” writes Brian Marshall.

“This simplistic design approach to apartment buildings has dominated the sector for decades and has resulted in a quasi-institutionalized environment within the resultant neighbourhoods,” writes Brian Marshall.

“Food sovereignty and security must be considered paramount in all government policy. Otherwise, we may find ourselves as a banana republic — the beggars at the table,” writes Brian Marshall.

“The basic precepts of good urban development planning place the onus on the local government to proactively identify low, medium and high-density locations,” writes Brian Marshall.

“Here in Niagara-on-the-Lake, apparently aided and abetted by several of our elected ‘representatives,’ this narrative has been successfully played out again and again over the term of the current council,” writes Brian Marshall.

“On every Nov. 11 since that day, I have shared the evening with a bottle of whisky, those memories and the words that were written down that evening,” writes Brian Marshall.

“Growth and change in any town may be inevitable. However, those forces must be thoughtfully and consistently managed in order to preserve its unique character and cultural landscapes while evolving into a greater version of itself,” writes Brian Marshall.

“It’s telling that MacKay-Lyons, whose main body of work is unabashedly contemporary, adheres strictly to this sense of place as derived from understanding its existing (or historic) vernacular materials, building culture and forms,” writes Brian Marshall.

“We are being asked to accept the partial destruction of the Queen-Picton heritage district’s place identity on the very questionable altar of a cultural institution’s ask,” writes Brian Marshall.

“Properly executed, the restoration of this vital and unique piece of heritage will stand as a lasting legacy bequeathed to all Canadians,” writes Brian Marshall of the restoration of the David Secord House.

“As citizens, we have only two formal venues through which we can express our opinion. The first is our vote, once every four years. The second is through our voice,” writes Brian Marshall.